HAUNTED EARTH TO SHOOT SOME NEW SPECIAL DOCUMENTARIES IN WALES AND ENGLAND

Haunting - Tintern Abbey

Haunted Earth tv are visiting the Wye Valley and Wiltshire (tomorrow Friday) for three days, to shoot some `man in the hat` specials at some very famous locations including Avebury Stone Circle (older than Stonehenge), and Tintern Abbey in Wales..

Part of Avebury Stone Circle

During our visit we will link up with Forest of Dean paranormal group, FPI (Forest Paranormal Investigations) to investigate and shoot from an abandoned church ruin, and a historic hotel.

All material will be later edited and presented here and on Youtube and Vimeo.

Avebury Stone Circle from the air.

ACADEMIC SUGGESTS WE ARE ALL ALIEN LIFE FORMS FROM MARS

Life on Earth may have started on Mars, growing evidence suggests.

And man came from Mars?

An element believed to be crucial to the origin of life would only have been available on the surface of the Red Planet, it is claimed.

Geochemist Professor Steven Benner argues that the "seeds" of life probably arrived on Earth in meteorites blasted off Mars by impacts or volcanic eruptions.

As evidence he points to the oxidised mineral form of the element molybdenum, thought to be a catalyst that helped organic molecules develop into the first living structures.

Prof. Benner - Life came on a meteorite

"It's only when molybdenum becomes highly oxidised that it is able to influence how early life formed," said Prof Benner, from The Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology in the USA. "This form of molybdenum couldn't have been available on Earth at the time life first began, because three billion years ago the surface of the Earth had very little oxygen, but Mars did.

"It's yet another piece of evidence which makes it more likely life came to Earth on a Martian meteorite, rather than starting on this planet."

All living things are made from organic matter, but simply adding energy to organic molecules will not create life. Instead, left to themselves, organic molecules become something more like tar or asphalt, said Prof Benner.

He added: "Certain elements seem able to control the propensity of organic materials to turn to tar, particularly boron and molybdenum, so we believe that minerals containing both were fundamental to life first starting.

"Analysis of a Martian meteorite recently showed that there was boron on Mars; we now believe that the oxidised form of molybdenum was there too."

Another reason why life would have struggled to start on early Earth was that it was likely to have been covered by water, said Prof Benner.

IS THIS A VIDEO OF THE `LOCH NESS MONSTER`?

Is this `Nessie` or an explainable bow wave?

An amateur photographer has captured an eerie photo from the shore of Loch Ness which could encourage those who believe in tales of a monster living beneath the surface of the lake.

The image was taken by David Elder at Fort Augustus, at the south-west end of the 23-mile-long body of water in northern Scotland.
It shows a long bow wave apparently caused by some sort of disturbance on the surface of the loch.

The 50-year-old photography enthusiast insists the only thing that could have caused it is 'a solid black object under the water'.
Mr Elder, from East Kilbride in Lanarkshire, was able to take still photos as well as filming a video of the mysterious scene.
'We were at the pier head at Fort Augustus and I was taking a picture of a swan at the time,' he said.
'Out of the corner of my right eye I caught site of a black area of water about 15ft long which developed into a kind of bow wave.
'I'm convinced this was caused by a solid black object under the water. The water was very still at the time and there were no ripples coming off the wave and no other activity on the water.
'Water was definitely going over something solid and making the wave. It looks like the sort of wave perhaps created by a windsurfing board but there was nobody on the loch at the time, no boats, nothing.
'The disturbance in the water began moving up the Loch sideways. It is something I just can't explain.'
The extraordinary picture will doubtless fuel the imaginations of anyone who believes the story that there is a sea creature living in the lake, which is Britain's largest due to its 230m depth.
However, sceptics will ascribe the wave to a freak gust of wind or other natural phenomenon.

The now debunked image from 1933

The story of the Loch Ness Monster goes back as far as the medieval period, but it first came to widespread public attention in 1933.
That year a couple named the Spicers claimed to have seen a creature with a large body and long neck jumped in to the loch, causing a national sensation.
The next year, the iconic 'surgeon's photograph' was published, purporting to show the creature swimming in Loch Ness with its head out of the water.
Although that image has been debunked as a hoax, the search for Nessie has continued, with true believers undeterred by the failure of repeated attempts by scientists to find the creature.

Source: TheDailyMail

Further Reference:

LOCH NESS MONSTER SIGHTINGS AND WITNESSES BEING RE-EVALUATED
NESSIE MONSTER CAUGHT ON CAMERA?

My View?

For a sceptic it is easy to dismiss this as a bow wave from a passing boat, but clearly, (in this clip anyway) there were no passing water traffic. The Loch is one of the deepest waterways in Europe, and other than a submarine beneath the surface, it is hard to theorise what the object might be.

THE TOP TEN HAUNTED LOCATIONS IN CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX

1: The George Hotel, Crawley High Street
This is probably Crawley’s most famous spooky spot.
It is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a former night watchman, Mark Hurston, who died after drinking poisoned wine.
The wine is thought to have been either planted to trap someone who kept breaking into the inn or by a guest who was angry at being woken by Mr Hurston.
Both guests and staff have reported creepy goings-on, including lights being turned on and off, strange figures being seen and a broom cupboard often being found open despite having been locked.
If that’s not enough to make your legs wobbly with fear, a room at the hotel is said to be haunted by a young girl wearing a white Victorian dress.
Spooky rating: 5

2: Friends Meeting House, Langley Lane, Ifield
Built in 1676, this Quaker meeting house is the location for more than one paranormal paradox.
It is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of two young boys, who were apparently photographed at the house, although the picture has since been lost.
They like to hang around and cause mischief in the attic rooms, moving objects around, and seriously freaking out anyone who has the misfortune to be present at the time.
The ghost of a former sailor is also said to have been spotted there.
Spooky rating: 5

3: The Star Inn, Horsham Road, Rusper
You might want to be careful where you sit when you visit this pub, or you may get a sudden chill which has nothing to do with the ice in your gin and tonic.
Originally built in 1486, it has always been a pub and by far its oldest customer is a ghostly shadow, which has apparently been seen on a number of occasions over the years, sitting on a stool at the bar.
He’s going to be in serious trouble when he eventually gets home to the wife.
The ghoul’s history is unknown but he is first thought to have been seen in 1988.
Spooky rating: 3

4: Asda, Pegler Way, Town centre
The graveyard shift at Asda well and truly lives up to its name, with mysterious figures stalking the aisles late at night and all manner of poltergeist-like activity.
Before the store was open 24 hours, the night staff often spoke of other-worldly occurrences after closing time.
The most regular was the appearance of a tall man, who wears a large black coat and black hat, strolling through the centre aisles.
Items have also been seen flying off shelves and lights have mysteriously flickered on and off.
The shop is situated on the site of an old church and graveyard, and some staff believe spirits have stuck around - and we don’t think they mean vodka and whiskey past their sell-by-date.
Spooky rating: 4

5: Bar Med, Crawley High Street
The historic building may have been demolished but if horror movies have taught us anything, it’s that spirits can linger long after the four walls which surround them are torn down.
Staff and those who have lived on site have said there are two resident ghosts at the former nightspot.
There was a mischievous little girl who liked to move things around and an aggressive ghost who hurled light bulbs at people.
The building, which was formerly the Embassy Cinema, had three levels.
Whenever anyone went up to the top level they would get a prickly sensation on their neck and sometimes a light bulb would fly out of the darkness at them.
The little girl was reportedly seen in the lower part of the bar and sitting in the old cinema long after films had finished.
Spooky rating: 5

6: A23 between Handcross and Crawley
With the tendency of sat navs to periodically send you in the wrong direction there’s a good chance you will have ended up re-planning your route at the roadside at some point.
But if you find yourself needing to pull over on this stretch of road at night, you might be best just carrying on in the wrong direction.
A woman is said to linger at the side of the road looking as if she needs a lift.
When people have stopped to pick her up, she has reportedly vanished.
Other parts of the A23 are apparently regular haunts for the lingering dead.
Among them is a male figure seen walking in front of cars, then mysteriously vanishing when it appears he has been hit.
Spooky rating: 4

7: Smuggler’s Cottage, Snow Hill, Copthorne
The ghost of a mysterious man, who was thought to have been murdered in the cellar of this historic property, apparently haunts it to this day.
It is not known exactly when Colin Godmans, or Colin Goodman, was killed.
There are at least two references to his murder, although one of those claims he was killed in a watch tower in Danehill.
His ghost is said to linger in the cellar and legend has it another death occurred opposite the cottage which may also explain some of the ghostly goings-on.
And a large oak tree near the A264, opposite the cottage, was apparently used to hang a smuggler who betrayed his fellow criminals.
Spooky rating: 3

8: The Brewery Shades, High Street, Town centre
This timber framed pub, built around 1450, is said to be home to the ghost of a woman and her small child.
The pair have reportedly been seen in the past in the upper part of the building.
The pungent smell of pipe smoke is sometimes smelt in the pub for no apparent reason.
Clearly nobody has told those in limbo that a smoking ban has been introduced.
Spooky rating: 3

9: Railway tunnel in Balcombe
There are several accounts of sightings of what appear to be First World War soldiers, who, legend has it, were killed by a train while sheltering from a storm.
Some sources have described three figures while others have claimed to have seen four.
The soldiers are said to fade slowly when approached by those of flesh and blood.
Spooky rating: 4

10: St Leonard's Forest
NOT a ghost but just as scary - a nine-foot long poisonous dragon was rumoured to have lived in the woods around the year 1614.
The black beast had a red belly and apparently killed men with its flames of fury.
However, it supposedly didn't eat them as it preferred rabbits and smaller creatures.
Spooky rating: 1


Source: ThisIsSussex

IS THIS A GHOSTLY PORTAL OR SOMETHING MORE EXPLAINABLE?

DOES this picture capture the moment that a portal opened to a ghostly dimension – or is it merely a dirty lens, or a trick of the light?
The snap was taken at a ghost hunting evening at the Secret Nuclear Bunker in Kelvedon Hall Lane, Kelvedon Hatch, on Friday.

The event, organised by ghost hunting firm Spooksavers, attracted around a dozen souls all on a quest to uncover some paranormal activity.
Armed with equipment including dowsing sticks, a 'ghost box' to scan through radio frequencies, electromagnetic field meters and electronic thermometers, the group descended into the 100ft deep former government hideout.

Yet it was a simple camera which gathered perhaps the strongest piece of evidence of other worldly goings-on.
Sainsbury's worker Bobby Lockwood from Greenwich captured the image in a computer room at the underground venue.
"If you look at the top you can see what looks like a portal opening up," he said.
"That's just a normal picture without any tricks or photo-trickery going on."

The man underneath the blurry oddity is the group's medium for the night, former Psychic TV host Grant Colyer.

Later in the evening the host spontaneously began to run down an unlit corridor before letting out a haunting scream as he appeared to be taken over by the spirit of a former government worker.

"A lot of people go 'oh you've been possessed – you've been taken over' but you're not actually being taken over," he said.
"You're being shadowed by that energy to take on the form of what that person would've been like. "It does take control of your actions. "Nothing can leap into your soul but it can shadow us or go over us. "We are our own spirit energy – we possess our own energy inside us."

Nursery school teacher Sharon Ackland, 54, from Sidcup, in Kent, said she enjoyed the "thrill" of the hunts.
"It's all about the mystery of the unknown, I don't find it creepy at all," she said.
"I want to know if there's something paranormal out there – so many people don't believe.
"We have an energy or a spirit at the school I work at. A little boy is often seen running around. "The children can see him – not all the time but on occasions.
"One of the boys was playing on his own in the conservatory one of the days.
"I asked him what he was doing out there on his own and he said 'I'm not playing alone, I'm with him."

Spooksavers founder Sarah Oscroft started the company two years ago.
She said: "We did a few ghost tours with a few companies and then we really got into it and I said let's found our own company.

"There are lots of companies at the moment. It's an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
"You do get a feel for those who are sceptical and those who are more open-minded.
"It can be a much better experience when people are open to the idea of the paranormal."

Source: ThisIsEssex

My View?

This looks like the light is a refraction error caused by the bright light to the left of the screen.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS AT A TAMPA ANTIQUES STORE

Carla Gillis talks about the negative energy in one corner
of the room she is standing in at the Ozona store of Antiques & Uniques.
Among oddities: Lights turning on and items moving — all by themselves. 

Laura Cheek opened the door to the shop, then immediately froze.

Before locking up the night before, the antiques store co-owner had walked the entire building, cleaning and shutting off lights.
But on this morning, a half-dozen toys stood in a circle in the shop's foyer. An open book lay nearby.

"That's strange," Cheek mumbled to no one or nothing in particular. She hopes.

Cheek didn't know it at the time, but for months, vendors and customers had been quietly whispering about strange happenings at the two Antiques & Uniques stores Cheek and her business partner, Kym Eggers, run in Ozona and Palm Harbor.

Unplugged lamps flickered on. Spooked pets refused to enter. There was unexplained foot shuffling and crashing noises. One customer who was alone when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder quietly inquired if someone had died there.

Store workers had chalked it up to customers moving merchandise. Or pranks by co-workers. Or overactive imaginations. Pure coincidence.

But then customers who had patronized or worked in the two buildings when they were restaurants started sharing tales of ghostly presences who cleaned and neatly stacked china on the floor overnight. Ripped a pot from a wall hook, breaking a woman's collarbone. Sent salt and pepper shakers whizzing across tables. And caused mail to seemingly grow legs and walk itself inside from the mailbox.

The rumors were an open secret until last month, when customer Cindy Foster approached the staff.

"Excuse me. This may sound weird, but has anyone ever reported any paranormal experiences here?" she asked.

It turns out that Foster, an investigator and location scout with the Southern States Paranormal Research Group, had felt a familiar tingle in her arms when she entered both Antiques & Uniques stores. To her, the tingle was an indication of paranormal activity. Cheek and Eggers have accepted the Lakeland-based group's offer to conduct an investigation in the stores.

"With old buildings and antiques, you're going to get some activity because it has so much history," said Foster, 47, of Tarpon Springs. "When I come in here, I just feel a lot of good energy."

To prepare for the investigation, Antiques & Uniques is asking the public to help provide background information about the buildings.

Workers believe the Palm Harbor store, at 530 Alt. U.S. 19, was built in the early 1930s as a private residence before it was transformed into a tea house, then a salon. Cheek and Eggers affectionately call the ghost there "Bertie" or "Birdie," in honor of a woman they were told was the original owner.

As for the Ozona store at 303 Orange St. N, some think the ghostly presence that seems to occupy the older portion of that building is a fisherman who ran Hart Seafood out of what may have doubled as his home. Over the years, workers believe, the building has housed a bar, a day spa and an Internet eyeglass shipping company.

Leslie Alfred, who operated the Red Roe Restaurant on the Ozona site in the 1990s, said a previous owner called in a Catholic priest to bless the building.

According to Alfred, Red Roe customers more than once told the only waitress on duty that someone else had already taken their order. At one point, a team of investigators said they detected paranormal activity on the property, Alfred said.

A common myth, said Foster of the Southern States Paranormal group, is that investigations stir up more activity.

"It's a very delicate subject. So many people have paranormal experiences but don't talk about it," Foster said, adding that Pinellas County's history of Indian burial mounds and repurposed buildings makes it a hotbed for residual energy. "It takes someone of the same interests to bring it out."

Store officials know some people may think their story is crazy. And they might agree, said vendor Carla Gillis, except for things that happen overnight or when employees are alone — as in Cheek's mysterious toy incident (which, by the way, happened in the same building where a vendor says a Peter Rabbit children's book appears to move itself around the room).

They say that if there are ghosts, the spirits have been nothing but nice to them.

But Ozona resident Kim Silver's service animal seems to think otherwise. A docile mutt named Rainbow, it strained on its leash trying to flee whatever it glimpsed in a dark corner of the store several months ago.

Last week, Rainbow licked two admirers outside the Ozona store, then calmly let Silver lead it to the store. But when the door opened, the dog did an immediate about-face.

"She just acts crazy if I try to pull her in. I've never seen her act like that, ever. She's a service animal, so she goes in everywhere," Silver said, then added: "I don't understand it myself. I guess we'll find out."

Source:TampaBay.com

INCREDIBLE GHOSTLY IMAGE CAPTURED IN HAUNTED HOUSE

I`ve had this amazing photograph shared with me, which shows a white shrouded object in transit from the ceiling to the roof of this house in the North of England.
The activity has been continuing for some time, and appears in a house built in 1969. The land prior to that was occupied by post war prefabricated houses, and before then it was farmland.
This may be subject of further investigation by Haunted Earth.

HAUNTED BUNGAY & SOME OLDE EAST ANGLIAN GHOSTS DOCUMENTARY/INVESTIGATION

This time, `the man in a hat` visits locations in both Norfolk and Suffolk in England.
Firstly, a visit to the town of Bungay in Suffolk - a town with many ghosts and legends, followed by a trip to the Norfolk Broadlands, to the remains of a medieval undercroft (cellar) at St Olaves Priory. Later, we visit the site of an ancient Priory at Bungay, where we carry out a night investigation and capture some interesting EVP and a particularly weird event .....
As always, the documentary and investigation is presented by Chris Halton.
As with all presentations, you have the choice to view with Youtube or Vimeo.
Youtube suits older and slower machines, whereas Vimeo is suitable for newer or faster machines as the video is of a much higher quality than Youtube,

VIMEO LINK (Faster machines)



YOUTUBE LINK (Most machines)

NEW HAUNTED EARTH DOCUMENTARY AND NIGHT INVESTIGATION

Tonight at 10pm GMT (Monday 19th August 2013) is the launch of a brand new documentary and night paranormal investigation from Haunted Earth`s, Chris Halton.

Join us as we visit some ancient properties in Suffolk and Norfolk with a full night investigation from the ruins of a former priory.
Lots of evp to enjoy, plus a very weird event recorded on the night investigation.

As with all earlier videos, this documentary can be viewed either on Youtube or Vimeo platforms.

Full links to view will be provided from this blog site.

FOR SALE - A HAUNTED FRENCH CHATEAU USED AS A RECORDING STUDIO BY BRITISH ROCK LEGENDS

Chateau d’Hérouville - Haunted

A dilapidated French chateau used as a recording studio by the legends of British pop is up for sale – but don’t expect any bids from David Bowie... he swears it’s haunted.
The ghost in question is thought to be that of composer Frederic Chopin.
Maybe he objected to the rafters of Chateau d’Hérouville vibrating to the music of punk rockers Sham 69?

Frederic Chopin haunts the chateau

He may have approved, though, of pianist Elton John rattling out Goodbye Yellow Brick Road there for his 1972 album Honky Chateau, named after the surroundings.
However, Bowie felt ‘supernatural energy’ when he recorded Pin Ups in 1973 and later returned for the highly-acclaimed Low album.

The floodgates then opened to the likes of Uriah Heep, Canned Heat, Rick Wakeman, Iggy Pop, the Bee Gees, Marvin Gaye, Fleetwood Mac and T Rex during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Now, after years of neglect, the chateau in the Val d’Oise region – 20 miles north of Paris – is up for sale for £1.12million. Built in 1740, it was painted by Vincent van Gogh and became famous thanks to French film composer Michel Magne, who bought it in 1962.

He transformed the building into a grand home with 30 rooms, a swimming pool and tennis court in 17,000 hectares of parkland.

But, more importantly, he built a personal recording studio with such amazing acoustic qualities that it quickly became the talk of musicians around the world.

It opened as a residential recording studio, nicknamed Strawberry Studios, with state-of-the-art recording equipment.

One of the chateau’s musical highlights was an impromptu Grateful Dead concert in June 1971.
The late Jerry Garcia, the band’s lead guitarist said: ‘We played and the people came – the chief of police, the fire department, just everybody. It was an event and everybody just had a hell of a time – got drunk, fell in the pool. It was great.’

During a three-month stay at the chateau, Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks requested that her bedroom be painted pink.

Brian Eno claimed chateau was haunted

Bowie stayed there with musician and producer Tony Visconti and Brian Eno. Visconti said: ‘There was certainly some strange energy in that chateau.
‘On the first day, David took one look at the master bedroom and said: “I’m not sleeping in there!”’

Eno claimed to have been awoken early every morning with someone shaking his shoulder, but when he opened his eyes, no one was there.

Magne sold the property in 1979 and the new owners allowed the recording studio to remain while pursuing plans to convert the chateau into luxury flats.

But the local authority denied permission and, apart from a brief period of rental, it has been mostly empty for 28 years.

Estate agent Gilles Ditcharry said the property needs £250,000 worth of renovations. He added: ‘It’s not a classically beautiful chateau, but it has a fantastic history.’

But it became famous thanks to French film composer Michel Magne, who won an Oscar for his music for the Gene Kelly film Gigot, who bought it in 1962. He transformed it into a grand home with 30 rooms, a swimming pool and tennis court in 17,000 hectares of parkland.

But more importantly he built a personal recording studio with such amazing acoustic qualities that it quickly became the talk of musicians around the world.

Source: DailyMail

SCIENTISTS CLAIM `NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES` ARE MERELY AN HALLUCINATION CAUSED BY THE BRAIN SHUTTING DOWN

The light at the end of the tunnel?

A mysterious surge of brain activity observed in dying rats may explain reports of near-death-experiences (NDEs), researchers claim.

Even after the animals' hearts stopped beating and no blood was reaching their brains, they appeared to show signs of conscious perception, said the scientists.

The study is the first to take a systematic look at the neurophysiological state of the dying brain after a cardiac arrest. It suggests something happens at the brink of death that pushes the conscious brain to a high level of arousal, potentially triggering the visions and sensations associated with NDEs.

As many as a fifth of people who survive cardiac arrests report having had an other-worldly experience while being "clinically" dead.

Typically NDEs involve travelling through a tunnel towards an intense light, being separated from the body, encountering long-departed loved ones or angels and undergoing some kind of judgment of "life review".


Some emerge from NDEs as transformed individuals with a completely altered outlook on life, or a new belief in religion. But many scientists believe near-death-experiences are nothing more than hallucinations induced by the effect of the brain shutting down.

The new research involved recording the electrical nerve impulses of anaesthetised rats whose hearts were artificially stopped. Within 30 seconds after suffering a cardiac arrest, all the animals displayed a short-lived surge of widespread, highly synchronised brain activity.

"We were surprised by the high levels of activity," said Dr George Mashour, one of the US researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

 Dr Martin Coath

British expert Dr Martin Coath, from the Cognition Institute at University of Plymouth, said: "This new research is genuinely interesting, but the conclusion that these are 'neural correlates of heightened conscious processing' isn't strongly supported, unless you take it to mean 'more of some types of activity that are associated with being awake' which is a bit of a stretch."

"As the induced cardiac arrest happens while the rat's brain is anaesthetised, the results show the response of an unconscious brain to critical lack of blood flow and oxygen. It is certainly interesting that this causes some types of activity in the brain to increase in a predictable and co-ordinated way well after the heart has stopped, but hardly surprising."

My View:

For a number of years some scientists have pursued the belief that `Near Death Experiences` can be clinically explained away, and are not indicative of an existence beyond this life.

Approximately 3 percent of the U.S. population says they have had a near-death experience, according to a Gallup poll. Near-death experiences are reported across cultures, with written records of them dating back to ancient Greece.

Dr Dean Mobbs

A research paper (shared here in 2011) by neuroscientist Dean Mobbs, of the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Caroline Watt at the University of Edinburgh claimed NDE`s were `biologically explained`.

The `explanation`  were merely a raft of opinions, that claimed the causes of N.D.E`s were due to chemical changes to the brain through illness or drugs.

So this `new` research offers little fresh information, and again an unsubstantiated claim that clings to so called, `logical` explanations which do not stand up in the cold light of day.

Worse, the subjects, anaesthetised rats were actually drugged, and presumably having an induced hallucination which surely questions the credulity of this research?

Many real N.D,E sufferers claim that they could see their bodies from above as they `hovered` , and to even describe later events, or even observations to the room their body was in, which they clearly would not have been able to see or hear.

Sceptic science fortunately has it`s own scientific detractors. Indeed, it is not often that any of us experience our own, `N.D.E`, and often those that do are ridiculed and scoffed at by science, as the whole premise of a life beyond this level is seen as totally implausible to the extreme.

So when a self-admitted sceptic like Dr Eben Alexander experiences this event and writes to tell of it, another stepping stone leads us towards a greater enlightenment and understanding of this phenomena.

Dr Eben Alexander

Dr Alexander spent 15 years as an academic neurosurgeon at Harvard but he was struck with a nearly fatal bout of bacterial meningitis in 2008 and had no brain activity when he lay comatose for seven days at a Virginia hospital.

Though he was unconscious and unresponsive during that period, he is now describing a 'hyper-vivid and completely coherent odyssey' to a place beyond, filled with butterflies and resounding music that has shaken his scientific viewpoint on human consciousness.
He says he entered a place filled with clouds and the sound of chanting, and was met by a beautiful blue-eyed woman.

Dr Alexander describes his paradigm shift from focusing solely on the scientific make up of the brain to considering the spiritual realm of the mind, in a deeply reflective essay in Newsweek in advance of the release of his book, Proof of Heaven.

Hallucinatory or a Spiritual Awakening?

'As a neurosurgeon, I did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences,' he writes in his article, explaining how he had previously relied on 'good scientific explanations for the heavenly out-of-body journeys described by those who narrowly escaped death.'

Though he considered himself a nominal Christian he said he lacked the faith to believe in eternal life.
When his patients would tell tales of going to heaven during near death experiences, he relied on 'current medical understanding of the brain and mind' and disregarded them as wishful thinking.

But after he became the patient, he says he 'experienced something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death.'
The 58-year-old has an impressive pedigree. His ancestors were well regarded politicians and prominent fixtures in society in Tennessee. His father was Chief of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest University from 1948 to 1978.

In his book, Proof of Heaven, Dr Eben. Alexander recounts his out-of-body experience while in a coma:

'There is no scientific explanation for the fact that while my body lay in coma, my mind - my conscious, inner self - was alive and well,' he wrote.

He entered a 'place of clouds - big, puffy and pink-white,' filled with butterflies and angel-like creatures that were 'simply different from anything I have known on this planet. They were more advanced. Higher forms.'

He heard 'a sound, huge and booming like a glorious chant, came down from above,' providing him with a sense of joy and awe.

A beautiful young woman accompanied him. 'She was young. She had high cheekbones and deep-blue eyes. Golden brown tresses framed her lovely face.'

Alexander admits his description might sound far-fetched but he is convinced it was 'not some fantasy, passing and insubstantial.'

No doubt some self-deluding scientific opinion will cling to the usual `explanations` that has impeded and not enlightened our own personal understanding of this. And like the survivors of some shipwreck, they hold desperately to their beliefs as their ` raft of truth` starts to come apart in the face of more informed medical opinion.

Empirically, - as with all `paranormal` events, nobody can prove or disprove near death experiences either by science or personal experience.

And this new research offers very little to that already known and no doubt the argument for or against will rage for many more years to come.

Chris Halton

MOTHER ALLEGES THAT BABY SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHES FIRE

SHC or child abuse?

A three-month-old baby boy is recovering in hospital after allegedly spontaneously catching fire - for the fourth time.

Rahul, was admitted for treatment of ten degree burns at an intensive care unit in Chennai, India last week, and doctors at the hospital say he suffers from 'spontaneous human combustion'.
Medical staff alleges that - for the fourth time in his short life - Rahul has burst into flames with no external source of ignition.

According to doctors Rahul may have caught fire due to the excretion of gases through his skin, which has led to him suffering burns on his chest and head.
‘The baby is stable and treatment is on for burn injuries and scars. Life-saving support systems are there for Rahul in the intensive care unit,’ said R. Narayana Babu, head of paediatrics at the hospital.

He told IBN Live that the baby will be under observation and may be discharged after two weeks depending on his condition.
Rahul, from Villupuram, an area 100miles from Chennai, suffered the first incident when he was just nine days old.

‘People thought I set him on fire deliberately,’ his mother, Rajeswari told IBN Live.
According to the parents, their community ostracized them, and Rahul’s father, a farm worker, says they have lost everything as a result of his son's condition.



Rajeswari alleges that Rahul has suffered four episodes of  spontaneous fire and suffered burn injuries, the last incident taking place last month.
However, doctors at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai treating Rahul say they only have the mother's version of events to go on as the baby boy does not have any medical records.

Mother (right) alleges this is the fourth
time her baby has combusted.

'The baby has to be carefully observed. We have to investigate whether the ailment is genetic,' Prof. R. Jayachandran of the department of paediatrics at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital said.



'We will carry out tests to find out the kind of gases generated by the baby’.'
Not all believe the mother's story of self-combustion.

'Spontaneous Human Combustion-syndrome is a hoax theory,' the hospital's burns specialist Dr J Jagan Mohan told The Times of India.
'A baby catching fire spontaneously is not possible.
'Alcoholics have a very small percentage of alcohol secreted in their sweat but even that wouldn't generate a fire.'

Until a proper diagnosis is made, Rahul is given treatment that is only symptomatic, with the administration of antibiotics.

Source: DailyMail

FURTHER READING: Man Spontaneously combusts in Oklahoma home.

My view:

I have never heard of spontaneous human combustion in babies, although there is strong evidence from across the world to support the theory of SHC.
Without knowing further background facts on this incident it is too difficult to speculate that this is such a genuine case.
While I share the scepticism of Dr J Jagan Mohan, I vehemently disagree that SHC is, `a hoax theory`.
It is a pity that he doesn`t research further on this phenomenon.

IS THIS AUSSIE HOTEL THE MOST HAUNTED IN THE COUNTRY?

The Eastern Station Hotel

THE Eastern Station Hotel's ghostly aura is set to make it Australia's Most Haunted Pub.

The hotel is currently being restored to its original 1862 style, with added steampunk, or industrial-style, features to become Ballarat's latest tourist attraction.

New leasee Adam Wynne-Jenkins said the pub had several ghosts, including a two-year-old boy who drowned in a gold rush mining puddle and original owner Thomas Redshaw Hunt, who is usually preceded by a strong tobacco smell.

There are also English mother and daughter ghosts Maggie, 35, and Sarah, 12, who arrived in Ballarat by train straight off the boat, walked to the Eastern Station, went to their room and promptly died from yellow fever, along with an Irish man who was stabbed in the back in the hotel's kitchen in 1915 by a love rival.

The final two are indigenous caretakers.

"Mr Hunt has been particularly active lately but ghosts do become more active when you start doing renovations," Mr Wynne-Jenkins said.

"If you stay upstairs, there's lots of paranormal activity. We think this is Australia's most haunted hotel."

Manager Christine Crawshaw said she often went to serve a patron, only to discover it was Mr Hunt's ghost, and said she often found the kitchen's vibes particularly chilling due to the brutal murder of the former World War One soldier.

Staff and customers in the late 1930`s

Mr Wynne-Jenkins said the Humffray Street hotel's renovations began a week ago."Ghosts do become more active when you start doing renovations" he added.


"We're putting the old front back on and restoring the dining room, ballroom, parlour, kitchen and accommodation areas.

"Parts of Ballarat's early history are also being incorporated into the renovations, along with original Beechworth Jail doors, including the one belonging to Ned Kelly's cell and the other from the death row cell."

It is hoped the renovations will be completed within 18 months.

The hotel is currently open Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 11pm, but will be open seven days shortly.

Meals will also soon be available, along with the haunted accommodation.

Source: TheCourierAus

GHOSTLY MAID SNAPPED IN 16th CENTURY COUNTRY HOUSE WINDOW?

 Shurland Hall

An author claims she has taken a picture of a ghostly maid in the window of a famous Isle of Sheppey landmark.
Christdeena Ellis has spent three years writing what she says is the only book about Shurland Hall, a 16th century property in Eastchurch.

The 44-year-old was left scratching her head by a photo she took apparently capturing the figure of a woman in a top window, second from right.

She emailed the shot to Phil Measey, lead investigator of the Ghostfinder Paranormal Society, who called it "very odd indeed".

He said: "It does look like a person, a woman dressed in some sort of maid's outfit."

Mrs Ellis claims the place is "most definitely haunted" and believes some of her other photos show mysterious orbs.

The mother-of-one said: "There have been major battles there and it has been built over a 13th century castle so I think there is paranormal activity there definitely and I'm quite intrigued by the ghostly maid.

"She looks like a 17th century or 18th century maid and she could have been a worker there."

A Ghost in the Window?

Mrs Ellis's self-published work focuses on the restoration of the property and asks if there is a "ghostly maid" haunting the grounds.

Originally from Rushenden, Mrs Ellis has been fascinated by the building for a long time.

She said: "When I was a little girl we used to go up there with the Brownies. It was just a ruin. Not much left of it.

"It's a fantastic building and there is a hell of a lot of history in there. It's one of the reasons that keeps bringing me back on the Island."

Shurland Hall was built between 1510 and 1518 by Sir Thomas Cheyne on the site of a 13th century castle established by Adam De Shurland.

Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn spent a few days at the hall in 1532.

It is now owned by a private couple who, Mrs Ellis says, gave her permission to take the photos.

Source: Kentonline

My View:
I personally cannot see where Mrs Ellis can see a ghostly maid, but of course the human brain interprets shapes any way it pleases, and no two brains are the same.
But regardless, I don`t think this piece has done any harm to her book launch..

ACTRESS SPOOKED BY GHOST IN DUBLIN HOTEL

Lily Collins 

HOLLYWOOD actress Lily Collins said she was haunted by the ghost of a seven-year-old girl while staying in Dublin.

The actress was in Dublin earlier this year filming new movie ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ – which also stars Love/Hate’s Robert Sheehan.

She was staying in the Shelbourne Hotel while on location.

And she won’t forget her time there any time soon, she said said when she appeared on ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’.

She told host Jimmy Fallon that she felt a “presence” in her hotel room – or more specifically, a person.

“I open my eyes and I hear a giggle,” she said.

“And then I felt a rush of air across my body and I heard all these doors slamming, like fire doors - the ones you don’t hear opening, but then the air - it closes.

“Three of them - and there were three doors outside my room,” the 24-year-old actress said.

Lily, who is the daughter of singer Phil Collins, spoke to staff the following morning about the incident.

She said that she was then told stories about a ghost named Mary Masters.

Mary is believed to be seven years of age and is said to haunt the hotel’s sixth floor, which is where Lily was staying.

Mary Masters is believed to have died from a cholera outbreak in 1846 and was believed to have lived in the buildings which now house the Shelbourne Hotel. Legend has it that she refuses to leave.

Over the years, Mary has reportedly been sighted in the basement of the hotel by staff stocking the wine cellar or doing the laundry.

The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin

Mary’s name has never appeared on any kind of register in relation to the Shelbourne – it’s believed a medium obtained her identity some years ago.

It appears Mary has never hampered business for the Shelbourne.

The St Stephen’s Green Hotel has been a firm favourite of visiting celebrities over the years.

West Wing star Martin Sheen has also stayed there, as has Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall.

The Irish rugby team also stay there ahead of home games.

Here’s hoping Mary the ghost doesn’t disturb their sleep.

It appears Mary has never hampered business for the Shelbourne.

The St Stephen’s Green Hotel has been a firm favourite of visiting celebrities over the years.

West Wing star Martin Sheen has also stayed there, as has Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall.

The Irish rugby team also stay there ahead of home games.

Here’s hoping Mary the ghost doesn't disturb their sleep.

Source: .Independent.ie

PHOTOGRAPHER ACCIDENTALLY CAPTURES FIGURE OF GHOST IN OLD WEST CEMETERY

A photographer got more than he hoped for after reviewing a time-lapse video camera that he set up in a cemetery to a capture the sunset last week. A mysterious shadowy figure is seen in one of the images. Portland's ABC news affiliate KATU posted the time-lapse video online yesterday. A lot of people are wondering what the unidentified presence could be and there are quite a few theories as to what the figure actually is.

The figure captured on time-lapse camera

On July 23 photographer Nathan Ziegler set up the time-lapse camera in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Milton-Freewater, Oregon to film the sunset. The camera was set to take a still photo at 30 second intervals. After reviewing the footage, Ziegler noticed a strange figure in one of the frames.

The figure appeared in one frame at 9:08:30 but isn't in either frame 30 seconds before or after that frame.

“I don’t know what to make of it,” Ziegler said about the strange figure in the video.

Some people are speculating that the cemetery is haunted and that the image is proof of a ghost. Other folks have different opinions on what it might be. Some think it could've been a fallen tree limb, a bug on the lens, or just a human visitor.

Ziegler and his brother-in-law returned to the cemetery on July 24 and looked on the ground near the tree but found no fallen limbs. He has no explanation or guess as to what the figure is but he believes it's highly unlikely that it was a bug due to the camera's small lens.

35-year-old Ziegler is a school principal living in Minneapolis, Minnesota but grew up in Milton-Freewater. He visits the Walla Walla Valley every summer with his wife Tennille.



Source: Examiner.com