Monday 28 May 2012

DOWSERS USED TO LOCATE MISSING GRAVES

DORE, N.D. — Buried somewhere between a hill and the old schoolhouse site here are the remains of two young siblings who succumbed to illness and were interred by their family nearly a century ago. Except for dim recollections of relatives generations removed, the Bauer children — a brother and sister — and their gravesites are all but forgotten.
Leann Pelvit and Romana Raffaell, armed only with old wire coat hangers and comfortable shoes, are determined to find the children’s final resting places and other lost graves along the North Dakota-Montana border. The grave-seekers’ mission is to chronicle the sites with GPS and to protect them from being disturbed from the explosion of development spurred by the region’s oil boom.
“We want to make sure everything is marked so that someone’s final resting place is not disturbed,” Pelvit said. “A lot of these people have no one to remember them. Someone has to care about them.”
The women are members of the Sidney, Mont.-based MonDak Historical and Arts Society. They have been seeking the forgotten in unmarked graves using an ancient technique they call witching. The controversial method, also known as dowsing, divining or doodlebugging, employs the use of bent rods or forked sticks to detect underground objects from oil and water to treasures and corpses.
Bill Whittaker, an archaeologist based at the University of Iowa, called dowsing a delicate issue that’s often used by cash-strapped historical societies to locate lost graves or by those who have the thankless duty of maintaining old cemeteries.
“I have met numerous people who dowse for graves and I have no questions about their sincerity or honesty,” said Whittaker, who also knows of people who have used dowsing to find the perfect spot to plant pumpkin seeds.
“The fact that dowsing is used to find everything is evidence that it finds nothing,” he said.
The so-called witching sticks or dowsing rods are supposed to cross when a grave is encountered. Witchers or dowsers also claim they can identify the gender of the interred by suspending an L-shaped rod on their fingertips like a pendulum. If it spins clockwise, it’s a male; counterclockwise, a female.
Despite being discounted by scientists and skeptics as nonsense, the women say it works. They claim to have found 25 unmarked graves in the region in the past two years, some dating back to the late 1800s.
“I don’t know how it works,” said Pelvit, 52. “I just know that it does work.”
Some dowsers believe the secret lies with magnetism, gases from decaying corpses or supernatural communication.
“Many of the explanations given as to how dosing works were either illogical or ran contrary to fundamental principles of physics,” Whittaker said.
Whatever, says Raffaell, a frank-talking, chain-smoking 70-year-old. “I don’t know how to explain it, it just happens,” she said.
To demonstrate the method, Raffaell “witched” two supposed graves of the same man at separate cemeteries miles apart in eastern Montana. At one cemetery, Raffaell’s witching sticks crossed as she slowly walked over the grave and realigned after moving past it. At the other, the sticks remained parallel as Raffael took baby steps over the grave, indicating an empty plot.
“He ain’t home,” Raffaell declared at the second gravesite.
Whittaker and professional skeptic D.J. Grothe said dowsing believers actually are experiencing the so-called ideomotor effect, a psychological phenomenon that happens when someone makes motions unconsciously.
“Dowsing works but not in the way dowsers think,” said Grothe, a former professional magician and president of the James Randi Educational Foundation, a Virginia-based nonprofit that debunks supernatural claims. “The dowser himself moves the rods.”
The group has a long-standing offer of $1 million to prove dowsing is legitimate. No one has claimed the money, Grothe said.
Many of the lost graves the women have found along the North Dakota-Montana border have been marked by depressions, or have perennial flowers such as irises growing atop them, planted by loved ones in some cases more than a century ago.
In Dore, a ghost town that has seen resurgence of industry and population due to an historic oil rush, there are no such clues. The schoolhouse is gone and the area where the Bauer children are thought to be buried is overgrown with waist-deep prairie grass and 10-foot-high tangles of chokecherry bushes.
Little is known about the children other than they died at a very young age of an unknown illness, Pelvit and Raffaell said.
Two attempts to find the children’s graves have come up empty due to weather conditions, the women said. Wind on one occasion and excess groundwater on the other made the women’s witching sticks perform erratically, moving them every which way, they say.
The women intend to come back with their sticks to the town that has quickly become a hub for oil activity in the region. They’re worried the graves could be covered with make-shift housing for oil workers or unknowingly dug up during the construction of a commercial building or gravel pit.
Merl Paaverud, superintendent of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, said graves have been accidentally unearthed in the state over the years but none has been reported disturbed from oil production.
Rural North Dakota has several cemeteries that have been forgotten and overgrown after the towns died and were abandoned, Paaverud said. Scores of other unremembered graves are at old farmsteads throughout the state, he said.
Paaverud called the women’s attempts to document the lost graves in the oil patch commendable and their method interesting. But he says there is a better way and the state is prepared to offer the technology to help find the graves of the Bauer children and others.
“I’ve talked to people who swear by dowsing,” Paaverud said. “But we use a more scientific method of ground-penetrating radar that shows where these things can be.”

Saturday 26 May 2012

CHRIS HALTON VISITS `THE CAGE - WITCHES PRISON` WITH SOME REMARKABLE IMAGES CAPTURED

 Story: Chris Halton

The Cage, St Osyth, Essex
Earlier this week, Vanessa Mitchell, the owner of `The Cage`, in St Osyth allowed me to visit and film inside her home which has been subject of much media interest lately.
As many of you may know, this two bedroomed cottage was formerly used in the 16th century as a prison for witches and probably many other unfortunates, as well as criminals were imprisoned there.

The most famous alleged `witch` was a lady named as Ursula Kemp who was tried at Chelmsford Assizes (Court) in 1582 and was subsequently hung.


Ursula by accounts was a Midwife and Herbalist. One can only presume that she used herbs to assist in childbirth and probably to treat ailments for the poor of the parish.
It was so easy in those times to dispense of people you may have had a grudge with, and no doubt adding the petty gossip and malicious whispers that would have pervaded through the primitive beliefs of the period she was easy prey.

I set out to check each room of the house, and the room which held the prison is a modern rebuild of the original, and as such has nothing loosely related to the period of Ursula Kemp.
My initial inspection was during the hours of daylight, and in the lounge area and `cage` I felt no measurable activity.

On reaching the top of the narrow staircase I felt a sickly feeling energy

The upstairs was a completely different experience.
As I stepped from the narrow staircase I was immediately hit with strong spiritual activity.
It was a very heavy and sickly feeling which permeated throughout the top floor rooms.
The worst was certainly the master bedroom which was believed by earlier investigators to contain
child spirits, and this was indicated by the presence of toys placed inside for the satisfaction of them.

I would have to say, I felt no child presence at this time but there appeared to be a spiritual link between the master bedroom and the side bedroom. The connection for me was the landing which had a strong core energy feeling which I felt was a portal into the property.

For me the negativity was coming from a male presence who may or may not have had a connection to the gaol, and certainly that of a woman who I could feel and sense in this area.

Later that night I filmed an investigation within the cottage and found an increase in activity inside the `cage`, but the upstairs proved much more active.The door-frame around the master bedroom was alive with a very strong presence that I could see as a mass of tiny red dots that moved from the door to inside the room and back again.


Click images to enlarge.

I took a series of pictures and captured a light anomaly twice inside the landing area.
At first I thought that this anomaly was a reflection from the mirror, and shot one onto the glass and one away from the glass with similar results. A stream of other pictures replicating exactly my earlier captures revealed no sign of this presence.

Without revealing too much at this stage, I have activity on cam which will be shared later.
The cottage is quite definitely haunted, and perhaps needs longer evaluation of the property to measure and quantify activity. I was only there barely three hours from 10pm to 1am before I left.

Outside the home is a small pathway which now leads down to what looks to be sheltered accommodation for the elderly.

Historically, this lane is known as, `Coffin Alley` because it is claimed that people who died incarcerated inside the prison were removed down the pathway in the dead of night presumably for burial in unconsecrated ground nearby in what were once fields.

And here was the most unusual capture of the night.

I took two photographs and in one I found what I can only describe as follows:

A male person to the right is leaning forward slightly towards the right as though he is carrying at one end a stretcher or sheet with what to me looks like a female with it`s head towards the figure carrying, and lying with it`s head to the right.The figure of the man looks like it is wearing a puffed or `mutton` shoulder shirt or jacket. This would be a fashion worn in the 1580`s by Elizabethan era people. The figure behind could be wearing late medieval peasant clothing.


Click images to enlarge. (All images (c) 2012 Haunted Earth)


Behind the male (and to the left) is a figure that looks female or a character wearing a short top. He/she looks like it is carrying in an upright position a sword or pole and following behind. You can clearly see a leg.
And possibly to the extreme left either another figure or a `shadow` of the carrying figure of a man.

Of course, I accept that others may have a different interpretation, but this looks to be a burial party removing a victim of the prison for burial nearby. This will be the first time that any such capture has been made, and for a paranormal film maker and investigator this is quite a capture.

My thanks to Vanessa for the experience, and if you want to visit `The Cage`, Vanessa can be contacted on 07854756231. Alternatively, you can reach her Facebook page at this address:

Earlier media references on this blog:

ST OSYTH WOMAN PLAGUED BY GHOSTLY WITCHES
NEWSPAPER REPORTER INVESTIGATES HAUNTED WITCHES PRISON


Friday 25 May 2012

THE PARANORMAL AND SUPERSTITION OF THE RESTAURANT TRADE

This Chinese restaurant backs it both ways with a Catholic and Buddhist shrine.
A Thai restaurant in London changed sites the other day, and marked the occasion by calling in Buddhist monks to bless the new venue. This practice is apparently de rigueur in Thailand: the chanting, incense and holy water, the romance and ritual, are thought to imbue a business with good fortune and the prospect of success.
It turns out, in fact, that religion, superstition and a belief in the paranormal are surprisingly common among restaurateurs. Camellia Panjabi set up the Bombay Brasserie in 1982; it served its millionth customer 10 years later and is still doing well, and she has around half a dozen other restaurants including the Masala Zone chain. "Namita [her sister and business partner] and I like to choose auspicious dates for opening the restaurants," she tells me. "And we have the sites checked by our Vastu adviser."
Russell Norman, who has opened a slew of restaurants in Soho during the last two or three years, says: "I've always had a thing about the number 86. When I was at Joe Allen in Covent Garden, we had a slate on which were written the dishes the kitchen had run out of. Colloquially, this dish was then referred to as being 'eighty-sixed'. Of course, the term had other uses too: when someone was fired, they were 'eighty-sixed'; when mistakes were made, the manager would say to the offender: 'Don't make me eighty-six you!' I've had an uneasy relationship with the number ever since."
Other restaurateurs organise menus and staff rotas around the full moon, or have rules about never giving anyone a knife as a gift. One lingering superstition is the "cursed site", where restaurant after restaurant founders. Of course, it only takes ones great restaurant (Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, say) to remove the curse – that is, to fit the right concept to the right location.
It's one thing to conduct your business for what you perceive as the heavens' favour or to imbue numbers with special significance, but some people in hospitality go rather further. Bertrand Pierson is a very experienced restaurant general manager who has worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten, among others. He told me: "I used to manage a well-regarded restaurant in London, Michelin level, in a very old building. A lot of oddities started happening. There was a strange friction between staff and customers; things were fixed one day and broken the next; customers kept being locked in the loo. So we called someone in and had lunch with him. He didn't say much but he was absorbing the energy from the room, and at the end he sat with his eyes closed for 10 minutes and said: 'I can tell this is happening. I help spirits move on. I can improve things.'"
"It turned out that there had been murders in the building and it was identified that satanic cults had been there as well. He came back for another session a few months later and things definitely improved. I'm not inclined to believe in ghosts or the paranormal but when you see really weird things happening and nothing seems to be working, despite you having 20-odd years' experience, we had to do something radical."
Todd Savvas is a handsome and fluent Australian who makes a living from – among other supernatural dealings – supposedly communicating with spirits. He tells me has worked with "40 or 50" restaurants over the years, including "funky fast food places and full-blown restaurants from household names", and claims to have a special awareness of the entities that can occupy them.
He uses food in some of "clearings": lemons, vinegar, sage. "Blueberries are used for psychic protection," he says. "They're great to protect your psychic senses from attack or from depressive energies that might be floating around. Most people think the old wives' tales about throwing salt over your shoulders is crap, but actually salt creates a sacred space. If there's something floating around you when you throw it over your shoulders, it will immediately be disconnected and float away. When I sit down at a restaurant or a bar and there's salt there I'll always spill some and throw it over both my shoulders."
From his experience, Savvas reckons that "70-80% of people involved in hospitality have some level of belief in superstitious behaviour". Restaurants, he claims, are particularly susceptible to "negative energy". "There are so many more people walking through the doors. They bring all their drama with them, so it's important for restaurants to clear the space regularly, just as they'd have a cleaner everyday."
Savvas is a likeable fellow, though I think he's deluded. But I have an idea why restaurateurs are so prone to believing in the supernatural, alternate "belief systems" and other unverifiable things. If your business is risky and unpredictable, then it's understandable that you might respond to this by trying to influence things unseen, or believing that things unseen can influence you. And since restaurants are such personal businesses, with the character of their owners written into their fabric, when one fails it's almost an affront to these owners' identity. Small wonder, then, that so many cross their fingers and turn to nonsense and incense.

Source: TheGuardianUK

My view: I think superstition by an large plays a major part in decision influencing across the world in general. The theatre industry is awash with many superstitions to ensure that a production thrives and does not fail.
And to think we have evolved as a civilisation but have never been able to move on from ideas that are more akin to medieval life and not the modern world.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

11 YEAR OLD VIETNAMESE GIRL CLAIMED TO BE SUPERNATURAL FIRE BUG

Somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City, a team of paranormal investigators is attempting to verify that an 11-year-old girl can set objects alight with her aura.

The Vietnamese Research Center for Potential Human Abilities -- yes, that apparently exists -- is shadowing the girl to ascertain the nature of her abilities, acccording to VietnamNet. A flurry of news reports contend that the girl has caused walls, appliances and bundles of clothing to spontaneously burst into flames.
She doesn't have to touch the objects or even harness her mental concentration, according to the reports. The objects just light up in her presence.

The girl remains anonymous. Outlets such as Tuoi Tre News and Thanh Nien have published photos of charred fans, walls and clothing.
VietnamNet reports that she now must sleep next to a pail of water in case she nocturnally erupts.

Dr Nguyen Manh Hung, rector of Hong Bang University, told the family on Monday the school will send an expert who would constantly be with the girl, only identified as T., to observe and record all occurrences.
Hung made the decision after doing tests on her at home Tuesday, including a scan that found a red streak on the right side of her brain.

The streak disappeared when she wore a quartz clip on her wrist but then she felt uncomfortable as if electricity was coursing through her body.

Hung said the school would do further tests on the girl and her surroundings environment.
“She has a rare ability that needs to be studied.

“We will gradually eliminate possibilities one by one, then we will hopefully find out the actual cause of the phenomenon.”
T. recently made headlines after her parents reported plastic and cloth substances around her went up in flames.
She can reportedly set things within a 20 meter radius on fire without having to focus on or touch them, though conclusive proof has to be obtained yet.

T. goes to school and, from all accounts, gets along normally with others.

GREY LADY GHOST SCARES NEW ZEALAND STUDENTS

Dunedin ghost tour guide Andrew Smith
A supposedly haunted hostel is causing a stir in Dunedin, leaving students shaken and sleeping with the lights on.

But one of Dunedin’s paranormal experts thinks he might know who the uninvited guest is.

Student Abby Hope lives at Cumberland College where the ghost has allegedly been seen.

“All the girls were freaking out about it, it was a bit intense some girls had their lights flicking on and off.”

Hysteria filled the halls of the hostel after students were shocked by a black figure, an odd smell and a chill in the air.

“People sleeping in each others rooms, I slept with my friend for a couple of nights,” Ms Hope says.

It is a story Dunedin ghost tour guide Andrew Smith is familiar with.

“It is again very typical of an unfriendly spirit.”

He thinks this spirit may be the spirit of the "Grey Lady".

“A young mother who was actually staying in the original part of the hospital in a psychiatric unit, the baby was taken from her, she died.”

It is said the young mother's spirit crossed the road into what was the old nurses residence, looking for her stolen child.

The situation at Cumberland College has calmed after the university brought in the resident chaplain, and a local kaumatua to bless the halls of residence.

Source: 3News

Sunday 20 May 2012

WOMAN BADLY BURNT BY SELF - IGNITING STONES

The self-igniting stones
SANTA ANA — At first, Lyn Hiner thought it was a bug bite when she felt a sudden sting on her right thigh.

She gave her thigh a swat and the next thing she knew flames shot from her shorts where she stood in her San Clemente kitchen, eating an orange and attempting to plan the evening birthday date with her husband, Rob.

"Lyn sounded panicked," Rob Hiner said, sitting next to her on her hospital bed at the Grossman Burn Center at Western Medical Center Santa Ana. "She turned around and I saw flames coming from her pocket. I went to smack it and at the same time the house filled with smoke. Lyn screamed, 'get it out,' it was terrifying and confusing all at once."

In seconds Lyn Hiner dropped to the ground and rolled but the flames would not extinguish. An acrid smell, like firecrackers, filled the home and breathing was difficult.

Frantically the couple tried to bat the flames out. Then Rob yelled for Lyn to open her pants and he pulled as hard as he could to get them off.

Rocks fell from her pockets -- the ones Lyn and her two daughters, who are nine and 11, collected at Trestles at San Onofre State Beach several hours earlier.

An oily-like residue dripped to the hardwood floor as well, starting fires in the kitchen. Lyn ran to the sink, her right hand scorched, searing with pain.

As smoke filled the home, the Hiner's youngest daughter, who had been reading in the front room, ran out the front door. The family's border collie-mix bolted from the front door and across the street to Bonita Canyon Park. Their older daughter chased after the dog.

With screams coming from the home, next-door neighbor Jason Young, a captain with OC Lifeguards, jumped the railing between their homes and rushed in to help.

Lyn Hiner - Recovering from experience
Rob called 911 and Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah Prescott was at the home on Avenida Estrella within minutes. Orange County Fire Authority firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene. Within minutes, Lyn and Rob were in the ambulance and the still sparking rocks were in a coffee cup in a corner of the ambulance as they rushed to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. The couple prayed together asking God for guidance.


Since the incident -- which occurred May 12 -- Lyn has been treated for second and third degree burns. She's undergone two surgeries for skin grafts on her right leg, right hand and the inside of her left thigh. She's endured pain and emotional trauma and will require weeks and months of physical therapy.

The couple's home has been inspected by Hazmat teams from Orange County Public Health. The kitchen floor has been ripped out and the walls and nearby bathroom have been sanitized. The home is inhabitable until construction can be done to restore the kitchen and all the appliances.



The rocks, described as a smooth orange colored one and a smaller green one, have been sent to a state lab for testing. Initial tests at the county health department revealed phosphate. Chemistry experts said the rocks may have been coated with phosphorous, a substance that can spontaneously ignite when exposed to oxygen.

Meanwhile officials from the U.S. Department of the Navy and from Camp Pendleton say they don't believe the substance stems from any military training exercises. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is believed to not play a role in the source of the burning rocks, experts said on Thursday.

Despite the freakish accident, The Hiner's say their faith in God and the deeds of so many, including the first responders from the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, have helped them through the ordeal.

"We know bad things happen to many people," Lyn Hiner said. "I'm thankful God carried us through this. That Jason, the deputy, the firefighters and the doctors, the hospital staff, have all been with us. I know there are patients here that are going through a lot more than I am. I'm grateful it wasn't the girls and that it didn't happen on the freeway on our drive home."

Lyn Hiner said the Saturday at the beach is something the family does often. They had gone to the tide pools to look for interesting rocks, shells and other beach artifacts. It's an activity Lyn and her family have done for many years. As an artist, Lyn Hiner said she has always been drawn to unique-looking nature.

The rocks her daughters collected at the beach that day appeared smooth, slightly white and granite-like but nothing odd. She carried them for her daughters because they were in swimsuits. Then, for about three hours the family spent times with friends at a nearby house and their pool.

They drove home with plans to call the babysitter and go out for Rob's birthday, which had been the Monday before.

"That's how quick it went from 'let's get a sitter, to me sitting on the front porch with my hand and leg torched," Lyn Hiner said.



Source for words: MSN

My view: When I first read of this weird tragedy, I was at first minded of earlier reported cases of `Spontaneous Human Combustion` or SHC.
However, the cause might well be one of the strange and unnatural looking stones which were found to contain phosphor that may have ignited from the warmth of the victim`s body.
A nearby military establishment is denying any responsibility for the incident, and hopefully tests might show how this was caused, and more importantly, who or what was responsible.



NEWSPAPER REPORTER INVESTIGATES HAUNTED WITCHES PRISON

A HAUNTED house whose owner fled following a series of spooky incidents left a Sun reporter terrified after just a few hours.

We told last week how Vanessa Mitchell, 37, was forced to move out with her baby son after being attacked by ghosts in their home.

Our reporter decided to try a spell at the former witches’ prison, called The Cage — despite Vanessa’s warnings that it’s CURSED.

She said: “People who live here seem to die, get divorced or go mad.” Within hours we’d seen chains rattling on the walls for no reason, heard mysterious scratching and felt sudden extreme temperature drops.

The cottage in St Osyth, Essex, looks cosy from the outside.

But the chills start in the entrance hall, where spots of blood once appeared for no reason in front of Vanessa’s horrified guests.

The terror grows in the living room, where she saw the ghost of a man in ancient clothes with straggly hair. But most menacing of all is a sitting area by the kitchen, where up to 13 witches were chained in the 16th century.

The building was still being used as a jail right up until the early 20th century.

VANESSA Mitchell moved out with baby son after being attacked by ghosts

As darkness fell a chain hanging from a wall in there started swinging — though there was no breeze.

As our reporter settled down for the night she heard scratching behind a wall.



Source: TheSun

Further reference: ST OSYTH WOMAN PLAGUED BY GHOSTLY WITCHES

Saturday 19 May 2012

FAMOUS HAUNTED NEW ZEALAND HOUSES

From the moment the doors closed behind me, I knew something was amiss. My friend and I were in Hanmer Springs for a weekend of pampering. We'd treated ourselves to the best hotel in town, and were looking forward to two days of relaxation and indulgence.
But excitement was replaced with unease when I entered the hotel foyer. The air in the hotel was cold and still; the atmosphere heavy.
"I bet this place is haunted," I whispered to my friend. She laughed nervously.
On the way to our room, my suspicions were confirmed. I asked a passing staff member if the place had any resident spirits.
"Yes, that's Mrs Rutherford," she smiled. "She was the wife of the original owner. The poor dear burnt to death after her dress caught fire in the kitchen."
There followed two days of terror. My friend woke to find her bed scorching hot, though the night was cold and she had no electric blanket. Strange white lights flickered on the ceiling. A bath remained boiling to touch, even when half of it was filled with cold water. A black shape whooshed past my bed.
So much for a relaxing weekend.
Naturally I turned from ghost sceptic into ghost hunter in a heartbeat. I've since discovered that other people have reported similar experiences in old hotels and historic homes throughout New Zealand. If you're a thrillseeker wanting to take a trip into the twilight zone, here are some spooky spots to visit.

Waitomo Caves Hotel


Built in 1908, and extended in 1928, the Waitomo Caves Hotel has a reputation for supernatural activity.
General Manager Richard Howard tells me many guests and staff members have had ghostly encounters. "People have seen a Maori man, and a woman dressed in Victorian clothes. There is also supposedly a child who haunts the place," he says.
Room 12a (there is no room 13 at the hotel) is a particularly active spot; people have reported objects moving and a lamp being lifted off the ground.
Richard says that all the paranormal activity is playful, however, and that the hotel has a positive atmosphere.
Address: RD7, Otorohonga
Contact: Phone 07 878 8204

Ewelme Cottage


Ewelme Cottage in Remuera was built in 1863. John Webster, who lived here for many years, says that he's heard about (and experienced) some odd happenings. "People have seen a cat running down the hall and disappearing through a wall," he says. "Voices have been heard, and [two different] women have been seen."
Possibly the most intriguing sighting is of a little girl sitting under an oak tree in the garden. "She looks about 13 or 14," says John. "She has asked children to play with her, and says 'please go away' to adults."
Address: 14 Ayr St, Parnell
Contact: Phone 379 0202, email ewelme@historic.co.nz

Spookers


Auckland's "scream park" is known for its blood-and-guts entertainment. What's less well-known is the building that it's housed in has some rather unearthly inhabitants.
Managing director Julia Watson explains. "The building was the nurses' home for the Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital," she says. "Our actors have had strange experiences. One actress saw [two] images of herself in a mirror. A visitor viewed two identical figures standing next to each other, when there was only one person in the room."
Perhaps the most terrifying incident involved a mattress swivelling on a bed, then following a person out of the room. "I was a total sceptic when I first started here," says Julia. "I'm not anymore."
Address: 833 Kingseat Rd, Karaka
Contact: Phone 291 9002

Highwic


Built in 1862 for Alfred Buckland, Highwic is one of Auckland's most beautiful historic homes. It's also home to a ghostly canine.
Spokeswoman Cheryl Laurie says "People have seen a black dog running across the garden to the boundary of the property."
The Bucklands were known to be dog lovers, and would have had many dogs.
The dairy cellar is also a paranormal hot (or should that be cold) spot. "Many people sense the presence of a child in there," says Cheryl.
Address: 40 Gillies Ave, Epsom
Contact: Phone 524 5729, email highwic@historic.org.nz

Mokena Hotel


Mokena Hotel in Te Aroha was a boarding house during the gold rush of the 1860s. It's now a hotel, and said to be home to some paranormal patrons. The spirits of Maori children have been sensed by mediums in a room where children watch DVDs, and groups of ghost hunters often lurk the halls in search of supernatural activity.
Address: 6 Church St, Te Aroha
Contact: Phone 884 8038


Napier Prison


Napier Prison is a great place for wannabe ghost hunters to get spooked. Operating as a penal facility from 1862 until 1993, it's been open to the public since 2002. Managing director Marion Waaka says that between 1872 and 1879 many were hanged here, including Roland Herbert Edwards, who murdered his wife and four children.
"[People have heard] footsteps and voices, moaning in the halls, doors being opened or closed, or locked. [There are] multiple claims of being touched on the face; and ghostly visitors have interrupted the sleep of backpackers or workers staying on site."
Many believe Roland Herbert Edwards haunts the prison, and a cat that lives on the grounds, Basil, is thought to be possessed by the ghost of a prisoner called Basil.
Address: 55 Coote Rd, Napier
Contact: 06 835 9933

The Palace Hotel



Some locals claim this hotel in Te Aroha is haunted by a spirit known as "Harry the Maori". A "clairvoyant" visitor stayed in a room in which a young man called Jimmy had passed away. When asked if she'd seen "Harry" in the night, she answered "Yes, but his name is Jimmy". She'd not been told of the death before her stay.
A chair in the men's toilet has been known to move of its own accord, but the owners say they have not experienced anything themselves, and that the atmosphere here is positive.
Address: 165 Whitaker St, Te Aroha
Contact: Phone 07 884 9994

Alberton


Ghostly activity has been reported in this well-known Mt Albert homestead. Manager Rendell McIntosh says people have reported seeing "women dressed in Victorian clothes, mainly on the first floor, where the bedrooms were".
"One man came downstairs and asked the women on reception who the woman upstairs was. She answered 'you were the only one up there'."
Rendell says that all the sightings are of happy people; "Alberton has always been a happy place."
Address: 100 Mt Albert Rd, Mt Albert
Contact: Phone 846 7367


Source: NZHerald



Friday 18 May 2012

ST OSYTH WOMAN PLAGUED BY GHOSTLY WITCHES

`The Cage` A former prison for witches
 See other post update NEWSPAPER REPORTER INVESTIGATES HAUNTED WITCHES PRISON

A FRANTIC mum fled her dream cottage clutching her baby son — after finding twelve GHOSTS there.

Terrified Vanessa Mitchell, 37, told how weeks after moving in the spooks started:

Sneakily HITTING her from behind, PULLING her hair and trying to SHOVE visitors down the stairs. They also invisibly MOVED objects around, RATTLED doorknobs and TURNED ON taps. Then they made BLOODSPOTS appear in the hall.


The final straw was after she gave birth — and when son Jesse was four months old she saw a male apparition standing over his cot.

Vanessa, who had spent three years putting up with the ghosts and counted at least a dozen, said yesterday: “I thought, ‘As a single mum I can’t live like this’.”

She is still shackled with the mortgage on the £147,000 two-bed cottage — once a prison for WITCHES in St Osyth, Essex.

In a desperate bid to make ends meet she is opening it up to ghost tours.

The house – called The Cage – started as a medieval jail and is often home to spooky activity.

Not only do door latches lift up on their own but Ms Mitchell, 37, also claims to have been hit.

‘It’s a bit of a nightmare,’ she said. ‘It’s a gorgeous home but it just can’t be lived in.’

Vanessa Mitchell

Expert Chris Palmer, 36, said of the 500-year-old building: “It’s got one of the most negative atmospheres I’ve ever come across.”

The Cage is best known for imprisoning Ursula Kemp and other local women accused of witchcraft.

Thirteen women from the village were imprisoned while awaiting trial, although Ursula was executed beforehand in 1582.

She was reportedly the most powerful and notorious of all the women, making her living as a midwife and a healer.

She had a reputation of removing spells from locals who thought they were being attacked by black magic and many would go to her for medicines.

Sources: TheSun Metro

Thursday 17 May 2012

MYSTERY UFO NEARLY COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT

DENVER - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a mystery in the sky. A mysterious object flying over Denver nearly caused a mid-air collision Monday evening, 9Wants to Know has learned.
As far as investigators know, the mystery object did not show up on radar Monday.
Investigators believe this object, whatever it is, could pose a serious safety hazard to planes.
Radio transmissions from LiveATC.net confirm a nervous-sounding pilot reported a strange object at 5:17 p.m. Monday.

The pilot is heard telling air traffic control: "A remote controlled aircraft, or what? Something just went by the other way ... About 20 to 30 seconds ago. It was like a large remote-controlled aircraft.
The corporate jet, a Cessna Citation 525 CJ1, was flying at 8,000 feet above sea level over Cherry Creek when the mystery object came close enough to make any pilot nervous.
"That's an issue because now we have something in controlled airspace that poses a danger," Former NTSB Investigator and 9NEWS Aviation Analyst Greg Feith said.

Feith listened to the air traffic recordings and believes the object could be one of three things:
- A military or law enforcement drone.
- A remote controlled aircraft.
- A large bird.

"Was this an unmanned vehicle that was part of some sort of law enforcement operation? Was this somebody that had flown a large model aircraft inadvertently into the airspace? Or was it just [a bird that] caught the pilot's eye so he believed it was an aircraft but could have been a very large wing span bird," Feith said.
Any one of those things can be catastrophic if it collides with an airplane.

Three years ago, a bird strike took down a commercial airliner that managed to land safely in the Hudson River. All the passengers survived.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says investigators will talk to the pilot and look at other clues.
"The threat is there from a collision standpoint. We'll do as much as we can here to try to track back what time it was. Probably talk with some remote-control clubs, that type of thing," Fergus said.
The mission of investigators now is to identify that mystery object before another close call, or worse.
9Wants to Know has reached out to sources in the military, local, and federal law enforcement.
So far, nobody has been able to tell us if a drone was flying over Denver.
We also called local airports and model aircraft clubs.

John Dickens, president of the Denver RC Eagles, says members are not permitted to fly more than 400 feet above ground level or about 5,700 feet above sea level, due to possible air traffic interference with Centennial Airport. Dickens said he would look into the incident.
 Source: KUSA-TV 

 

BRENTWOOD WOMAN CLAIMS MOTHER IS HAUNTING HER HOME

WHEN Nicola Ford's television inexplicably turned on in the middle of the night she admits she was terrified.

Yet now the strange happenings in her Brentwood home have become a source of comfort for her rather than terror.

Besides the bizarre TV incident – which has echoes of the 1982 horror film Poltergeist – white feathers have been found dotted around Nicola's house and the smell of a perfume that she does not use often fills the air.

A candle once fell over mysteriously, despite being firmly wedged into its candlestick, while on more than one occasion a pair of glass angels in her bedroom have been rotated during the course of the day – despite the door being locked.

She also sees strange shadows out of the corner of her eye.

Yet despite the spooky goings-on, Nicola does not believe her house is haunted by a malevolent spirit – rather she thinks it's just her late mum Hazel watching over her.

"Ghosts to me are poltergeists, they are horrible and malicious," the 36-year-old said.

"I just think I've got mum just letting me know she is about.

"The fact that mum was very spiritual and believed in spirits herself makes me think it is her."

Nicola, who lives off Hutton Drive in Hutton, added: "I find it comforting. It isn't malicious – it isn't as if I have things flying across the room trying to hit me.

"It is just things being moved.

"If it's not mum then it's just someone else trying to let me know that they are about."

Nicola, a student social worker, has lived in her two-bed home for almost nine years but her paranormal experiences only began following the death of her mother, who died, aged 63, in July 2008.

Strange things have also happened to her son Robbie, 16, and her six-year-old white and ginger cat Fifi.

"When mum died Robbie had some quite negative experiences," said Nicola, who also works part-time at the French Quarter furniture boutique in Crown Street.

"He saw some quite nasty things in his bedroom like nan's face coming towards him and then turning into a scary face.

"As for the cat, she's always looking at or following something that we cannot see."

She added: "What is happening here is paranormal.

"I can't explain how these things are happening."

In a further spooky twist, when our photographer turned up to take Nicola's picture he could not get his flash to work.

Reflecting on her views about the spirit world, Nicola concluded: "I believe there is an afterlife but I don't know how people get to that point."

Source: BrentwoodGazette

Wednesday 16 May 2012

ALIEN OR GHOST CAUGHT ON CAM - FACT OR FAKED?

Here is a video I discovered that was recently posted and is commented upon by the poster.
What do you make of this strange anomaly? I certainly don`t think it to be an alien life form, but it warrants sharing.
The video is slightly hazed as though it is reflecting on glass, and I think the anomaly is a reflection off that.
Here is what the poster says: "This video has to be the most amazing footage of an angel, alien, ghost or Extraterrestrial ever caught on CCTV footage/video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eSaA-879G0&feature=plcp



Tuesday 15 May 2012

STRANGE UFO CAPTURED OVER DOWN TOWN CHICAGO

 Here is a strange looking UFO which like many UFO captures on Youtube is out of focus, badly
 pixelated, and unstable, as the hand-held camera is set to maximum zoom.
To me this looks like a weather balloon, but you may see this differently or offer an alternative observation.

"I caught this weird looking ghost white UFO today May 11, 2012 at 3.40PM over Chicago IL. I am West of this blob of energy looking East toward the Downtown sky. Sorry bout all the shake when I zoom in, ive to learn to not zoom in so much next time. I tried to stablize the video the best I could. It was very bright out this thing was pretty high up so it was hard to capture it smooth esp thru a 3 inch LCD screen. 3 mins of video and 3 mins of enhanced still photos from the video".




PIZZA PARLOUR OWNER CLAIMS ANGEL CAUGHT ON CCTV

Angel caught on cam - or light anomaly?
BLOOMFIELD (KDKA) — The owner of a pizza shop in Bloomfield believes the security camera outside his store picked up the image of an angel.

Bob Usner, from Adrian’s Pizza on Pearl Street,  was checking video from overnight when he found the shot of the parking lot taken around 6 a.m. Friday. In the upper part of the screen is a white image with a distinctive shape.

“You can see a face up at the very top and you can see the hands and you can see the wings,” said Usner.
 
Usner believes it’s a sign from his dad. Anthony Usner was a 30-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Police who died two years ago.

His dad helped him get the pizza shop. But business has been tough lately, and he’s been thinking about closing.

“Maybe my dad coming down to help me,” said Usner.

Both he and his sister, Carol Goerk, view the image as a sign of encouragement from their dad.

Word is spreading about the angelic surveillance video. A group of nuns from a nearby convent stopped over to view the image Friday night.

When asked if there could another explanation for the image, maybe a spider web or a lens flare, Usner said the camera has never captured anything like this.



TV PSYCHIC DEREK ACORAH SICKENS McCANN FAMILY THAT DAUGHTER MADELINE IS DEAD

Derek Acorah - Claims Maddie McCann is dead through psychic intuition

The TV medium, who claims a messenger from the spirit world gave him the information, said: “She’s not on this earth any more.”

A source close to the McCanns said: “They are sickened by this.”

Acorah, 62, has added to Kate and Gerry’s anguish by claiming Madeleine died years ago — and will soon be reincarnated.

Kate and Gerry McCann

He said: “I know her parents are convinced Maddie is alive and I’m really sorry - but the little one has been over in the spirit world for some time.

“I don’t think she’ll be there long before she reincarnates.

“When children pass over who haven’t had full lives I believe they choose the time to come back in the same form again — as another little girl.”

Madeleine McCann




The McCanns are said to be disgusted by Acorah’s claims.
A source said: “Kate and Gerry are sickened. This character Derek Acorah is nothing but a self-publicist. It’s incredibly distasteful and insensitive.”

Millionaire medium Acorah, ex-host of TV’s Most Haunted, claimed a messenger from the spirit world named Sam told him Madeleine was dead — shortly after she vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal, five years ago.


He said: “I got asked to go over there at the very beginning and I said to my wife that I was going to go. But then she showed me some emails from a number of psychics who were already there.

“There were four of them and they were coming to a blank.”

Acorah claimed he sought guidance by contacting Sam — his spirit “guide”. He said: “I sat in my meditation room and I asked the spirit world and Sam confirmed she was dead. It is horrible but he said there was no purpose for me to go there.

“He said the reason the others cannot get a link is because the little one had already come over. She’s not on this earth any more.”

Acorah said he decided not to go to Portugal to spare the McCanns unnecessary suffering.


He added: “I wasn’t going to bring extra misery to them. I do know that they will find out what happened to Maddie one day.” Acorah made his claims days after the McCanns marked the fifth anniversary of three-year-old Madeleine’s disappearance from the holiday resort. He was speaking while promoting his latest tour.

Detectives are following more than 100 leads — many of which suggest Madeleine is still alive.

A spokesman for the McCanns said: “Kate and Gerry believe their daughter is alive and the Metropolitan Police are currently pursuing an investigation to that effect.

“If anyone credible has any credible evidence that she is alive they should come forward.”

Acorah last night said he was surprised that his comments had upset the McCanns.

He added: “I was only making those statements to explain why I didn’t go to Portugal.

“I would hate to offend or upset the McCanns as a parent myself.”

Acorah caused offence in 2009 by claiming Michael Jackson’s ghost contacted him at a seance.

And in 2005 George Best’s friends accused him of cashing in after he claimed he would speak with the dead football legend.

Kate, 44, and Gerry, 43, are still raising cash to support their continuing hunt for Madeleine.

Scotland Yard are analysing 40,000 pieces of information.

They believe Madeleine may still be alive — but have been unable to get Portuguese police to reopen their failed investigation.

DEREK Acorah claims he had his first supernatural experience as a child when he was visited by his dead grandad.

Acorah set himself up as a medium after failing to make the grade as a Liverpool footballer.

He got his break in 2001 on TV’s Most Haunted and became one of the UK’s best known psychics.

Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe - Exposed Acorah as fake

But in 2005 he was allegedly outed as a fraud by Most Haunted’s psychologist Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe.

While shooting at a haunted prison in Cornwall, O’Keeffe secretly invented a long-dead jailer called Kreed Kafer — and talked about him while Acorah was in earshot.

Acorah was later filmed becoming “possessed” by the fictional character.

O’Keeffe then revealed the name Kreed Kafer was an anagram of “Derek Faker.” Acorah was later sacked from the show.

Source: TheSun


Monday 14 May 2012

THE LEGEND OF YEATS` TOWER AND THE GHOST BOY CAPTURED ON CAMERA

Thoor Ballylee Castle - Haunted by ghost boy
Thoor Ballylee Castle, a fortified, 13th century Irish Norman tower built by the septs de Burgo, or Burke, lies in County Galway near the town of Gort located off the Galway-Ennis road.

In 1902, the tower became part of the Coole Estate, home of Lady Augusta Gregory, W.B (William Butler) Yeats  life-long friend.

On the estate, Coole House, where Lady Gregory lived, was the center for meetings for the Irish literary group, a group composed of a great number of preeminent figures of the day. Near this tower, in Coole Park, began the Irish Literary Revival.

As it is also known as Yeats’ Tower, in 1916 (or 1917), for £35, Yeats purchased the property because he was so enchanted with it and especially as it was located in a rural area.
From 1921 to 1929. Yeats and his family lived there as it was his monument and symbol.

As he had an affinity for the Irish language, Yeats dropped the term “castle” in naming the property and replaced it with “Thoor” (Túr), the Irish word for “tower”; thus, the place has been known as Thoor Ballylee. For twelve years, Thoor Ballylee was Yeats’ summer home as it was his country retreat. In a letter to a friend, he wrote, “Everything is so beautiful that to go elsewhere is to leave beauty behind.” Consequently, it is no wonder that Yeats was inspired and compelled to create literary works at Ballylee such as poems as “The Tower” and “Coole Park and Ballylee"

W.B Yeats - Paranormal believer

In 1929, Ballylee was abandoned as the Yeats family moved out and it fell to disuse and ruin.
 For the centenary of the Yeats’ birth, 1965, Ballylee was fully restored by the Kiltartan Society as Yeats Tower to appear as it was when he lived there and refitted as a Yeats museum containing a collection of first editions and items of furniture. The adjoining cottage is now a tea room and shop.

Yeats was a firm believer in the afterlife and was convinced that the tower was haunted by the ghost of an Anglo-Norman soldier. Several years later a curate was also convinced that an apparition wafted up and down the tower stairway, and was afraid to use the stairs at night. The curator’s pet dog seemed to share this fear as it would cringe as if seeing 50 terrifying in the downstairs rooms.

One summer’s afternoon in 1989 David Blinkthorne and his family arrived at Thoor Ballylee just as it was closing. They asked if they could photograph Yeats’s sitting room and the curator obliged and reopened the shutters of the room so that they could take their picture and explore the building.

When Mr Blinkthorne developed his prints the ghostly figure of a young boy could be seen in front of the camera. It has been suggested that the presence may have been Yeats son but to this day the boy’s identity remains unknown.

The ghostly boy known as `The Blinkthorne Ghost`.


MEDIEVAL CHURCH ORGANIST TELLS OF GHOSTLY ACTIVITY

St Botolph's Church
St Botolph's Church is a parish church in the Church of England in Boston, Lincolnshire. It is famous for its extraordinarily tall tower, known as the Boston Stump.

David Wright played the organ at the Stump for 50 years – from 1957 to 2007 – and for the first 33 years he didn’t hear so much as a whisper, despite often working alone in the church at night.

But in 1990 he claims to have experienced something which left him feeling ‘petrified’.

David, 78, of Fishtoft Road, said: “From time to time I used to record music to be put on cassette and sold in the Stump shop.

“While producing a recording in 1990 to celebrate the organ having been restored, there was a very spooky occurrence.

“I had to do recordings in the church late at night so there wasn’t interference from traffic noise outside. It was around midnight and the equipment was situated in the choir stalls when I did a take. I was sitting in the dark facing south and looking at the choir stalls when I listened back to the recording on headphones

“Suddenly I heard these footsteps approaching and getting closer and closer.

“I thought I was about to be murdered and quickly took off the headphones.”

It was at this point that David said he realised the sounds of the footsteps were on the tape itself.

“I was horrified,” he said. “Something paranormal must have approached the microphone while I was playing – but there was no-one in the church with me at the time.”

In the days that followed, David listened to the recording and heard the footsteps again; but when he subsequently tried to play it to someone else, the footsteps had mysteriously disappeared.

“I can never prove this now,” he said, “All I know, is that it did happen and I was petrified at the time.”

He added: “Whether it was the Grey Lady, I don’t know – it could have been a woman’s footsteps.”


Ghostly History:

The winds which whip and whistle around the Stump are said to be caused by the Devil. He was once cornered by St Botolph; the saint preached so intensely, the only thing the Devil could do was huff and puff, and the gasps have not yet subsided.

In another ghost story, The `Grey Lady` ghost of a woman  named Sarah is seen to leap from the tower of the church holding a young child, vanishing just before hitting the ground.

Another variation has Sarah dying of the plague - she was blamed for bringing the black death in the town by her adulterous ways, and her cries of 'pestilence!' can still be heard as she is running towards the church.

Sources: Chris Halton/ BostonStandard


Saturday 12 May 2012

CLEOPATRA`S NEEDLE AND HAUNTED VICTORIA EMBANKMENT IN LONDON

A pedestrian crossing to the obelisk frames perfectly in picture.
Situated on the embankment of London`s river Thames stands an iconic structure far older than the city itself, and one shrouded in mystery and strange paranormal events.

`Cleopatra`s Needle` is an ancient Egyptian obelisk that has no particular connection with Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and was already over a thousand years old in her lifetime when it was first erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC.
An iconic attraction in London


It was granted as a gift to the British people by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to fund the expense of transporting it to London and it wasn`t until 1877 by public subscription that the stone was eventually brought to London on a specially constructed raft.
The long journey across water was not without incident as in October of that year the obelisk broke free of it`s tow during a great storm in the Bay of Biscay.

The obelisk was eventually rescued, and after repairs to the raft in a Spanish port, it eventually arrived in London in January of 1878 and after public discussion over where it should be displayed, it was finally erected on the Victoria Embankment on 12 September 1878.
 
The obelisk finally being erected

The construction of the new site was not without error, as the two faux- Egyptian Sphinxes` were placed facing inwards rather than outwards away from the obelisk.

At the time of the obelisk`s erection, an early time capsule was placed within the foundations containing the following: A set of 12 photographs of the best looking English women of the day, a box of hairpins, a box of cigars, several tobacco pipes, a set of imperial weights, a baby's bottle, some children's toys, a shilling razor, a hydraulic jack and some samples of the cable used in erection, a 3' bronze model of the monument, a complete set of British coins, a rupee, a portrait of Queen Victoria, a written history of the strange tale of the transport of the monument, plans on vellum, a translation of the inscriptions, copies of the bible in several languages, a copy of Whitaker's Almanack, a Bradshaw Railway Guide, a map of London and copies of 10 daily newspapers.

Cleopatra`s Needle appears to be a place where people have chosen to commit suicide by drowning from the embankment into the Thames.

One of the Sphinxes on guard

This reputation has led to a number of phantom hauntings which are recorded as:
One story tells of two separate policemen being stopped by a woman urging them to come to the banks of the River Thames because someone was about to jump in, only for them to get to the banks near to Cleopatra’s Needle to see a woman in identical dress as the one that approached them toss herself into the River.

Mocking laughter can sometimes be heard from the area around the stone obelisk as well as unearthly screams. Whether these belong to the lost sailors is not known.
Another River Thames ghost seen here is a ghostly naked man who has been seen dashing from behind the monument and jumping into the cold water which accepts him without the faintest ripple.

Today the obelisk attracts many tourists to the city, and doubtless few have heard of it`s reputation when posing for photographs with friends or family.

I have visited this site on numerous occasions, and despite it`s awe inspiring ancient beauty, there feels within a much darker presence from antiquity, although it has to be said that I never felt anything adversely negative.
Research on the internet reveals little more than I have shared, and to date I have not seen any film or photograph depicting anything questionably paranormal.



Friday 11 May 2012

SCIENCE DISCOVERS THAT DARK MATTER BOMBARDS US EVERY MINUTE

One theory of how 'dark matter' is distributed in the universe: Models include WIMPS - weakly interacting massive particles - which are absorbed by everyone on Earth at a rate of about one a minute, as billions of the particles pass through us
 Dark matter is a mysterious, unseen material thought to make up most of the matter in the universe - but it turns out we may run into it more than we thought.

Particles of dark matter known as WIMPS - weakly interacting massive particles - are absorbed by everyone on Earth at a rate of about one a minute, as billions of the particles pass through us.

The physicists behind the theory claim the rays are harmless - and negligible next to known sources of radiation such as cosmic rays and the earth's radioactive radon gas.

'There is a chance one could cause a mutation that would be bad for you,' said Katherine Freese of the University of Michigan in an interview with Gizmodo. 'But the odds of it happening are really low.'

A Hubble telescope image showing what astronomers think may be a 'ghostly ring of dark matter' that formed many years ago during a titanic collision between two galaxy clusters.
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs)  are one theory put forward to solve the mystery of 'dark matter', a material thought to make up the huge majority of the matter in the universe, but which is extremely difficult to detect.

WIMPs are bodies which are the most popular current theory to account for 'dark matter' - so-called because they are thought to react with normal matter, but only rarely.

'We are motivated by the fact that WIMPs are excellent candidates for the dark matter in the Universe,' say the researchers. 'Our estimates use a 70 kg human and a variety of WIMP masses and cross-sections. We find that, of the billions of WIMPs passing through a human body per second, the number that hit a nucleus correspond to almost one a minute.

'Though WIMP interactions are a source of radiation in the body, the annual exposure is negligible compared to that from other natural sources (including radon and cosmic rays), and the WIMP collisions are harmless to humans.'

Experiments seeking WIMPs tend to be buried deep beneath the ground to 'screen' them from background cosmic radiation.

WIMPS interact with matter so rarely they mostly pass through our planet.

Last year, Italy's CRESST experiment claimed to have results which seemed to tally with the theory of WIMPS.

The on-going CRESST experiment is buried 1,400m under the Gran Sasso massif in central Italy.

If they exist, WIMPs are entities that interact only with the forces of gravity, and as such are difficult to detect as they rarely interface with other particles.

Confirmation of the findings would shine some light on the mystery of dark matter, the missing, invisible link scientists have long suspected is responsible for holding the universe in the form we see.

Scientists have recently honed in on WIMPs as one of the most likely candidates to explain the dark matter theory.

Source: DailyMail

The biggest question we can ask is whether `dark matter` and spirit are connected. In time we may find out more, but what an intriguing thought!

YOUTUBE POSTER CLAIMS NASA COVER-UP OVER MYSTERY SUN OBJECT

A YouTube user claims he has found proof that NASA is covering up evidence of aliens because the agency's spacecraft that monitors the Sun went offline after he spotted a 'UFO' on its video feed.
On May 5, user 'rob19791' posted a YouTube video of a mysterious-looking 'object' hovering near the sun. The footage was taken from video that the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory beamed back to Earth and streamed online. 


What is it? The YouTube video zooms in on this mysterious object hovering above the surface of the sun earlier this month
But the claims are likely to fall on deaf ears at NASA after two other similar sightings of 'alien spaceships' have been debunked with simple explanations.

The video zooms in on a pyramid-shaped object hovering above the sun's surface.
One day later, NASA shut down the spacecraft's video feed as it went into 'emergency Sun reacquisition mode.'

'Coverup': After a YouTube user posted the video of this object, NSAS took the spacecraft that shot it, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, offline for 'emergency Sun reacquisition' mode

'This is a cover up to prevent us from seeing these things again. NASA must have seen this video and started making plans to change the way you and I are allowed to view it,' he said in a second video.
'I think this is proof that NASA are covering this up.
'NASA are clearly trying to stop us looking at the sun,' he added.
This is the third time in recent months that believers have pointed out 'proof' of UFOs based on supposedly unexplained phenomena on NASA's space-monitoring equipment.

Been here before: In March, conspiracy theorists claimed they saw this 'Death Star' hovering above the Sun. Scientists said it was a solar filament
In December, a man says he found a 'cloaked' space ship orbiting Mercury.
March brought the 'Death Star,' a planet-size object seen 'refueling' at the Sun -- similar to rob19791's triangular discovery.
In March, NASA scientists debunked the Death Star theory by explaining that cameras had simply captured a solar filament -- a tunnel of matter extending out from the sun and cooling to form a dark 'spot.'
It appears this might be the explanation for the second 'UFO,' as well. 
While the answer is shorter on conspiracy, it is no less puzzling to scientists.
They still aren't sure what the filaments are or what caused them to form. 

Source: DailyMail