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3月30日 The Lark Toy Store in Kellog MinnesotaThe Lark Toy Store
Today Laurie and I took my Daughter-in-Law Georgia and our Grand-daughter Paige to the Lark Toy Store in Kellogg, Minnesota. This is an incredible place to take a kid too! It is supposed to be one of the largest privately owned toy stores in North America. One of the highlights is the mammoth wooden, hand-carved carousel inside the store. I have a video on here of Laurie and Paige riding it. The video really doesn't do the thing justice. The carving is incredible and seems like a work of art to me. It is great to see how the kids love it.
The Lark Toy Store is well worth visiting.
3月29日 Historical Methodology in Ghost HuntingHistorical Methodology in Ghost Hunting: Sometimes the Best Tool is Logic
There are some hauntings that seem to be attached to the history. If you visit many of National Battlefield Parks or other historical sites you will often find legends of paranormal phenomena. The American Civil War battlefield are particularly surrounded by this. Gettysburg is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in North America. During travels that I've made almost every location that suffered through the Civil War has local legends of hauntings.
This is not unique to North America. I have also collected a lot of these stories from Europe around the battlefields of the First World War. I'm confident there are also stories around the Second World War; the fact is I've gotten some of those too! I just have a morbid historical fascination with the bloodbath that was the trench war from 1914 to 1918.
The problem for somebody interested in paranormal phenomena is how to divide legend from what really happened? I think that some of the stories take on lives of their own and grow with each telling. Sometimes getting at the reality of what happened - or is still happening - is a bit like digging for something buried in sand. Each shovel scoops only has more sand sliding in to block you from clearly seeing what you are trying to get at.
I really admire some of the hardy sort who go out and do field investigations to try to find the truth. It is almost becoming a romantic sort of crusade for some to head into the unknown with their EMF meters, digital records and cameras of every sort. I have to admit that it does impress me when somebody comes back with a good EVP and I also share the belief that the 'Holy Grail' will be an uncontestable video of a full apparition. If this work is done in a careful and as scientific a way as possible it will go a long way to establishing the credibility of parapsychology.
There might be a better way to start some of these investigations.
I like to call it the 'Historical Methodology'. This idea has very little to do with nifty technology or sitting in the dark waiting for the unknown. It has a lot to do with more mundane research and patience. It isn't as glamorous to hunt for facts hidden among the archives and library shelves. It can often answer questions that even the best recording technology can never get at.
This method does not lend itself to investigating somethings. There are cases of phenomena that are best left to the TAPS sort of method. I will admit here that there are some incidents in which background information might not be readily available. If you are researching certain phenomena though it might help to do some historical research first. This sort of information gathering might help augment later field work.
If you are researching a specific phenomena that has been taking place over a long period of time there are probably other records of it. These earlier accounts might not be as readily available as we would like. The fact is that the witness might not have wanted to tell what they had experienced. The fear of ridicule has been a powerful force in preventing reporting. Some people might even question their own experience; sometimes it is difficult to believe in the unbelievable. There are often records though if you are willing to take the time to find them.
If several different people report experiencing the same thing over a span of time it tends to support the fact that something did happen. Just because you see something doesn't in and of itself prove something paranormal has happened but logic dictates that something is happening. It is at this point that the examination of the series of incidents is warranted to establish if some type of phenomena is going on.
Logic is the best tool
The historical record can be a wonderful piece of physical evidence if it is examined logically. This can be the realm of the bookworm and the archivist. This is also a wonderful place that Laurie and I delight in dwelling in! We often research history for the joy of learning the history itself; ghosts just come along as an incidental reward. It is good that we have such a passion for history since you might have to read thousands of pages before you discover that one fact or figure that shines light upon an incident. The thing is that as you learn how to do the research the speed and ease with which you find the facts increases.
Let me give an example of this sort of thing at work: The Mystery of UB-65. I have a particular interest in maritime mystery stories. This run the gamut of mysterious sinkings, the Bermuda Triangle and Ghost Ships. One of the many mysteries is the legend of the World War One German U-boat UB-65. I find this story popping up in quite a few places and the basic story is usually the same. It is a submarine with a hardluck history that ends up sinking under mysterious circumstances. The highlight of these stories is usually a witness seeing it go down with the spectral figure of a dead German officer standing on the deck.
One of the many places in which the story has been reported is an anthology of ghost stories from the pages of Fate Magazine; "Visions of Ghost Armies: Real-Life Encounters with War-Torn Spirits", From the files of Fate Magazine, 2003, Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-3954-4. The story is on page 165 and entitled "The Haunted Submarine". The account is written by a fellow named Peter King and he states that wreckage of the U-boat has never been found and the mystery never explained.
The story is more popular than you might expect. I've found a half dozen different websites that talk about the unfortunate submarine. The basic story is quite similar in most cases. The submarine is haunted by the ghost of an officer killed in an accident onboard. The submarine finally sinks under mysterious circumstances. Some accounts include an American submarine witnessing the sinking and reporting what looks like the apparition of a German officer standing on the sinking sub.
I'm of the opinion that you might find more truth about the matter by going to more mundane sources. This discussion on the Great War forum brings up the possiblity that the whole story was the result of British tabloid journalism. It is amazing how often the popular media distorts the reality of an event in order to peddle papers. The accidental destruction of the submarine, horrible as it might be, is not nearly as dramatic or worthy of news copy.
It never hurts to refer questions to such online forums. Frequently you will find people who have information on a given topic or who can refer you to sources. Some people have a jaded view of what the internet has to offer but the internet has always been a way for scholars to share information. You just have to be prudent in what you learn and careful to cross check the references.
When you research the paranormal as it pertains to military history it really helps to get to know the more conventional sources. In the case of a German U-boat you will find a number of online sources verging on the definitive. Almost every military arm or group has online historical resources.
The U-boat net doesn't have a lot of detail about the loss of the boat. Then when you search the message forums on the page you find out that others have already researched this quite extensively.
The conclusion is simple; the 'haunted U-boat' is a myth. In my own checking of their sources I found them accurate. The most interesting thing I found in my own searching was that the formerly unfound U-boat has, in fact, been found!
The discovery sort of takes away from the mystery of the wreck.
This picture is alleged to be some of the unfortunate crew of the UB-65
Now to get to what really is a remarkable book on paranormal phenomena: 'Ghosts of the Air: True Stories of Aerial Hauntings', Martin Caidin, 1991, ISBN-13 978-1-4351-0184-5, ISBN-10 1-4351-0184-7, Barnes & Noble Inc.
Martin Caidin is probably one of the most prolific aviation authors in history. I believe he has more than 150 books in print on a variety of topics. His heart is in aviation though. This is a man who owns and flies his own World War II vintage Junkers JU-52! He has a number of wonderful books on aviation and military history. His work is wonderful to read both in his clarity and understanding of the topic.
'Ghosts of the Air' appears to be the only book he has written on the paranormal. From reading it you see that it is a collection of stories that he has gathered incidental to his other writing. I was particularly impressed with one of his first chapters in the book, 'Black Thursday, on an unusual incident during the October 14th, 1943 United States Army Air Force bombing raid on the German ball-bearing plants in Schweinfurt. This was a bombing mission in which 257 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers flew out from England and only 197 returned. It was one of the worst days in the history American air force history.
In the course of Caidin's research he discovered something. During the height of the raid, as the surviving B-17's started their bomb runs on Schweinfurt numerous members of the air crews reported seeing something very odd. In the midst of all the flak and mayhem many of them saw odd little flying disks, reportedly less than a foot in diameter, passing through their formations. Some even reported them impacting on the wings of the bombers. Caidin does not refer to them as UFO's. He doesn't do anything other than describe exactly what the air crews reported. This is important as it doesn't interpret the events for the reader.
The most important thing Caidin does is he reports his sources. This book relies on a foot noting during each account he provides. When I read any book relating something historical in nature I am quick to check the bibliography and for foot notes. It might be boring to some but I want to know the sources; I want to verify what they are telling me! At the bottom of page 11 he sites exactly where he got his information. In the course of the text he also refers to other sources. This is essential in establishing the value of any report of historically based phenomena.
Now I am not all that interested in UFO reports. I'll leave that sort of research to the people at MUFON. I just want to point this out as an example on how to report paranormal phenomena in the historical context. Caidin's book also contains numerous other stories of phantom aircraft, ghost aviators and all sort of other interesting flying strangeness. Well worth reading if you are interested in researching this. It is an example of how this sort of thing should be done.
For the sake of any of you interested in this sort of phenomena I have put a PDF file I found in the files area. I am not all that interested in flying saucers but find I run into this sort of thing regularly. I do have an interest in how the military and government handle such information and this file is an interesting example.
I will probably take this topic up again at a later date. This particular posting has gotten long enough for today and I am learning that there seems to be a size limitation of sorts to Windows Live blog entries.
3月25日 Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
It is time to get these reports up and running again!
Another case of 'Ghost Tourism' and from the Phillipines! 3月23日 Black Hills Ghost Hunting groups!Black Hills Ghost Hunting groups!
We are delighted to report that we are now finding paranormal groups in South Dakota that look promising! I was really getting worried there for awhile. With as much of the phenomena as there is it just didn't seem right for there not to be somebody looking to research it!
Check this news story out!
Laurie and I were also directed to a new group that looks like it is off on the right foot.
The group also maintains a message board. I am of the opinion that this is a major asset to any such group in both public outreach and education. It also gives people who might be afraid to come forward with their stories a safe place to step forward.
I also came upon this other group that is making some legitimate efforts at researching the phenomena. It does look like things are looking up!
3月22日 The Chicken is Back!The Chicken is Back!
This last week has been a rough one in a lot of different ways for the 'Booming Prairie Chicken'. We had computer and network problems on the one hand and health problems on the other. Nothing a like a double whammy of trouble to disrupt the comfortable ordinary pattern of life. This all means that I didn't have either the technical resources to do updates and, luckily, for a brief amount of time I was in too much pain. I can now say that both of these issues are resolved.
The Chicken is Back!
I will be putting more updates on the blog shortly. We are within less than three weeks of our next run to the Black Hills and everything is looking very good. It won't be long and we will set the cruise control and be motoring down the road of life again... 3月13日 Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Montana Ghost Hunters
I am always interested in hearing about people interested in the paranormal in areas of the American West. It seems to me sometimes like most of the interest in the paranormal is among your 'new age' types. This is not the case. Here is another group that probably consists of blue-collar types. Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Paranormal Editorial?
Yes, ghosts can even show up in the editorial section. It would be interesting to see if there are any replies? Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Spirit Photograph?
I'll tell you the truth; I'm not really sure this is a photo of a ghost. It could be cigarette smoke for all I know. It just seems very interesting to me when a newspaper is willing to post such a story. There seems to be more mainstream interest in the paranormal now than a few years ago. This might just be my perception of things but it seems like there are more shows about the paranormal on television, more books being published about the paranormal and groups cropping up that are interested in the paranormal.
I just hope this doesn't have us seeing ghosts in everything we look at... Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Chad Lewis!
One of favorite authors in paranormal research makes it into a Texas newspaper! Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Yup, I'm back to posting the ghostly news stories. This one has some paranormal investigators doing their thing for a community. 3月12日 Now for something really scary...Now for something really scary...
I haven't been posting my usual ghostly news reports lately. I am fully engaged in the task of getting ready for the summer travel season. The problem is that we are facing the prospect of $4.00 a gallon gasoline within a few weeks. The odd fact of the matter is that this has very little to do with the actual supply of gasoline. It is just the sad fact that as the international value of the dollar declines the amount of gasoline you can buy with it is also declining. Now when you add the fact that the Minnesota legislature took it upon themselves to levy a poorly timed and somewhat ridiculous gas tax the chance of gas hitting $4.00 a gallon this summer is looming.
This will not stop Laurie and me from travelling this summer. The simple logistical fact is that it takes us one tank of gas in the Chicken to get out of the state of Minnesota if we are heading to South Dakota. I'm not expecting South Dakota gasoline prices to be a lot better but generally they are lower. My own calculations tell me that the higher gas prices will add somewhere between $150.00 to $200.00 dollars of additional cost on a trip to Deadwood.
Now I'll come to the scary part. This should be scary for everybody whether they drive or not.
Higher fuel prices will almost inevitably have a ripple effect on the national economy. The cost of moving goods is going to go up. The cost of producing goods is going to go up. I suspect the high gasoline prices will be immediate in their effect on tourism for places like Deadwood. Even if we didn't drive at all we will be paying more whether we are at home or elsewhere. We are in the midst of an allegedly struggling economy right now and these higher prices can not help the situation. This is scary.
3月8日 Deadwood getting ready for the Tourist SeasonDeadwood getting ready for the Tourist Season
...and so are we!
Laurie and I are within four weeks now of our next trip to the Black Hills. This is time for preparation and planning to fall into place. I have a lot to do over the next few weeks and might not make as many major entries in the blog. I will probably keep up with my news links on ghost related stories. I am amazed how popular the paranormal has become. I am wondering if it wasn't always popular but the advent of shows like 'ghost hunters' and 'paranormal state' have brought it out more.
The 'Booming Priairie Chicken' gets more hits and E-mail when we post articles about our own interest in ghost stories and haunted locales. The funny thing is that the Chicken is still mainly about our travels and interest in a variety of historical topics but ghost stuff has a way of 'possessing' the site! It is interesting and we will continue to follow it as the research matures.
Some of you might have noticed that we didn't make it to any conventions so far this year. I'm afraid Laurie and I missed both 'Con of the North' and 'Marscon' this year. Part of this is the relative difficulty for us to get time off from work this year during the dates of the cons. The other fact is that we are conserving our time to allow us more travel opportunities during the summer months. We will not be making the single big trip this year but several smaller trips.
Now the funny thing about this is that some people might think it has something to do with higher gas prices. It doesn't. The decision to do numerous short trips was made months ago when it became evident to us that our job schedules would not allow us the flexibility to do this. I will admit that the high gas prices is a consideration in our travel planning for 2008. I really expect to see gas prices approaching an average of $3.50 a gallon this summer. Still it will not make us cancel or shorten the range or duration of any of our planned trips. I do think it will be a factor in how many of our destinations will handle things. I see more advertising for many tourist locations. It makes me wonder if these places know people might not be making as many trips so they want to attempt to draw them in through slick ads.
Laurie and I have already decided our locations and will make the trips. The fact of the matter is that I might have even figured out a way we can use the high gas prices to our advantage. We will just have to see if my little scheme will work... 3月5日 Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Another Paranormal Group shows up
I am finding more paranormal interest groups popping up all the time. Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
San Francisco, California
These folks are claiming they have solid evidence of the hauntings they are investigating. I might have to do a little research on them and find out just what they d have. 3月4日 The Second X-Files MovieThe Second X-Files Movie
"The Truth is Out There"
It is almost inevitable that people will ask me if I used to watch the 'X-Files'. The fact is I actually didn't watch it until it had gone off the air and only showed up in syndication. Then Laurie and I saw the first movie in a theatre and gradually I became hooked. Now we have the complete series on DVD along with the one spin-off series 'The Lone Gunmen'. It is almost inevitable as you do research on just about any aspect of the paranormal that you run into other areas of such interest; conspiracy theory, UFOs, cryptozoology, and the simple lunatic fringe. The 'X-Files' touched on all of this and, yes, I loved the series!
Now, after ten years, the second movie is coming out.
This was the trailer released at 'Wonder Con' and captured by one of the audience.
I'm pretty sure this was just put together by a fan but many of the pictures come from promotional stills for the movie. It really is amazing to see the number of videos on You Tube and elsewhere that have been made anticipating this movie. Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
CNET
Steven Spielberg wants to set up a social networking website for people who believe they have had a paranormal experience! This could be an interesting experiment; we could potentially see a lot of witnesses come forward. I don't know that I would use it. I'm perfectly happy with my corner in cyberspace at the 'Booming Prairie Chicken'. Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Middleboro, Massachussets
Ghost hunters make it into the news again! Not exactly as famous as Jason and Grant but these people seem to have their act together. Definitely interesting to see them make their way into a regular news broadcast. Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Bhopal, India
Ghost Hunter Festival
They seem to take ghosts and hauntings pretty seriously in India. We have ghost hunting conventions and vacation packages in the United States but India has a festival! I'm afraid Laurie and I will probably not be attending... 3月2日 Ghosts in the NewsGhosts in the News
Fortean Times
'The Spookiest Soldier'
The Fortean Times should really be on the 'must-read' list for anybody interested in parapsychology. This British magazine covers it all. It has articles on all that is unusual, strange and just down right weird. It also contains a lot of information on historic hauntings; particularly if they involve British history. This particular article is of more than a passing interest to me. It names numerous Royal military officers who had an interest in parapsychology. This is well worth checking out. This information could be of a real value as I gather more information on various mysteries of the First and Second World Wars. 3月1日 Navy experimenting with Rail Gun TechnologyUnited States Navy experimenting with Rail Gun Technology
Now this doesn't have anything to do with either ghosts or Deadwood does it? Still, if you know me personally, you will understand why I had to put this on the blog. The fact is a friend who is aware of my morbid interest in this technology pointed this story out to me. Rail guns are literally a weapon right out of a science fiction story; these are weapons that use electro-magnetic fields to fire a projectile. The theoretical velocities that are possible far exceed what a traditional explosive chemical propellant is capable of.
These weapons could return the 'gun-warship' to a prominent position in naval strategy that was once eclipsed by the aircraft carrier. The United States Navy bases a lot of its maritime strategy around our limited number of carrier battle groups. It would be a dramatic change if our surface action groups could have a relatively low cost ability to project force against a target well outside the range of traditional artillery. The major cost of a rail gun would most likely be in the retrofitting of existing warships but the munition costs should be quite a bit less than a cruise missile. This sort of weapon could potentially change foreign policy.
Right now if you watch each television series 'Stargate SG-1' or 'Stargate Atlantis' you will hear them telling how the Earth warships are armed with Rail Guns. Well, it looks like this "Sci-Fi" technology is that much closer to being a practical reality.
This is a 2006 video about the development efforts to a rail gun.
This is a video of the current test that this news story refers too.
For you fans of 'Stargate Atlantis', a recent episode in which the heroic Earth fleet battles the Evil Replicators using 'Rail Guns' as one of their main battery weapon systems. Maybe science-fiction will be science-reality sooner than we can possibly know.
This is weblink with an excellent explanation of the 'how-to' and 'what-ifs' of rail gun technology.
For the 'Mad Scientist' in some of you! This link will show you a bit on how you can build your own science fiction weapon system.
United States Navy officers at the test site for the Rail Gun System.
Like any new weapon system I predict there will be a lot of scholarly debate about the real world capability of the weapon. This is normal and actually very prudent. Just remember the disaster of the 'Sargent York' air-defence artillery system. Now you should also remember the debate that went on in the British Admiralty before they decided to build the 'Dreadnought'. The 'All Big Gun Battleship' came to dominate strategic thought for 35 years until the advent of the aircraft carrier.
It just makes me wonder what the future holds...
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