Mamie M. January, 2012

Tags: ghosts, hauntings, paranormal

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R. Wolf Baldassarro January, 2012

The Harsh Truth about Ghost Boxes

The various ghost hunting “reality” shows that plague the airwaves have given a great deal of attention lately to an amusing new line of gear that merge EMF, audio recorder, and K-II devices all in to one unit; some even assert to turn this data into spoken words that they spout as proof of spirit contact. While in theory this sounds fantastic, in practice it’s a very different, very sobering, reality.

Not only are these devices laughable at best, but these “professional” ghost hunters are actually trying to pass off the data from these devices as legitimate evidence of paranormal activity. These devices are complete crap. Come on, folks- this is supposed to be science, not a scene from the set of Ghostbusters III.

There are numerous versions of these devices readily available for sale on eBay, and YouTube abounds with video clips of their supposed findings. It’s no shock to learn that the fine “professionals” over at Travel Channel’s Paranormal Adventures swear by these toys. That, if anything, is proof enough to discredit these devices and their data.

I first came across this type of device a few years ago when I heard of the Ovilus. Created by Bill Chappell of Digital Dowsing and appropriately labeled “for entertainment only,” it claimed to translate EMF fluctuations into phonetic speech by converting the EMF readings into numbers, and then those numbers into words by sounding them out using text-to-speech algorithms via a vocabulary of 512 words.  Various modes on the device include speech mode, using the environment to pick the words to say; phonetic mode, using the environment to create words phonetically; commutation mode, using speech mode and phonetic mode together, EMF Mode; yes/no mode, to ask questions and get yes or no answers (a digital Ouija board?); level mode, to watch the energy change in the environment; and dowsing mode, to work like a pair of dowsing rods.  It is powered by a battery and is equipped with a headphone jack, a recording jack with attenuated output, and something called the ‘Paranormal Puck.’  The Puck is designed to aid in paranormal research and meant to be the “center” of investigation as a place to gather, log, track and maintain the data.  It also watermarks data to prevent tampering. Users note that it can be “randomly repetitious” at times by stating selected words for every question asked and every environment investigated.

*ahem* Really? Say it isn’t so.

The first question that comes to mind is how can the inventor of this device possibly test the results?  What evidence or reasons are the formulas based on? Whatever method he used to equate EM energy with words would have to start as an arbitrary guess.  It would then need to be tested repeatedly to verify the results. In any case, this makes me think of the dog collars that supposedly turn barking patterns into words like “outside” and “water;” seems to me that this is just another example of wannabe researchers barking up the wrong tree.

The fine folks at Paranormal Research & Resource Society frequent their local Radio Shack for their “ghost boxes.”

Known as the “Radio Shack hack,” it was discovered in 2007 by a retired electrical engineer. These are modified AM/FM radios that continuously scan the various bands to create white noise in the belief that entities can use the audio falloff from broadcasting stations to communicate.     One model, the 12-469, simply produces a clicking sound when scanning through the bands; other models are modified armband FM radios from the likes of Jensen that are common among joggers.

A man named Frank Sumption invented a version of the device after experimenting with software to record EVPs. His device would produce random voltage to create raw audio from an AM tuner, which was then amplified and filtered into an echo chamber for recording.

What makes these boxes unique in terms of EVP analysis is that in addition to being modified to record the sounds, because that they were originally radios they are equipped with external speakers that proponents say can be used for real-time two-way communication with the other side.

Not surprising, many users report that results of the ghost box are affected by the strength of the radio signals in the area; poor signal quality reduced the ability for spirits to make contact (insert facepalm slap here). Furthermore, what conclusive proof do users have that the voices are indeed paranormal in nature and not simply the broadcast of local stations? Depending on the atmospheric conditions one could even pick up a station from great distances. This is not unlike an experience I had with a CB radio some years back. While driving in the northern suburbs of Detroit one clear summer night I ended up in a chat with a trucker outside of Las Vegas!

Anyone with the latest generation of Smartphone can even download an app (often for free or a few bucks) that claims to do the same. Ghost Radar is one that comes to mind that I’ve come across myself from the Microsoft Marketplace. These are toys, nothing more. If that’s your team’s idea of science, stay at home and play Angry Birds instead.

I’m all for inventiveness, and I think some of the reasoning behind these devices has some merit; but these self-made devices are tainted by their very nature. No conclusive proof could ever possibly come from them unless the findings can be proven using other verifiable equipment as a control measure. As with the field of paranormal research itself, the tools and theories behind them need to go through extensive experimentation and testing to prove or disprove their validity for recording and measuring paranormal activity, let alone the resulting data that is collected by them.

One again we have the misguided practice of amateurs do disservice and disrespect to science.  I applaud those who invent these ghost boxes, as necessity is truly the mother of invention; but I must condemn their inept notion that anyone with an intelligence greater than a garden radish take their findings seriously. The Ovilus and the various ghost boxes need to undergo years of intensive experimentation in various settings and controls to not only prove their worth, but decisively identify what sounds or readings mean exactly which words or phrases.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- it doesn’t matter how new or fancy the technology is, a tool in the hands of the unwitting is just a toy.

As always, happy hunting in your quest for knowledge, and here’s to a very happy new year!

© 2012 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions

Tags: ghost boxes, ghost hunting, ghosts, paranormal

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Mamie M. December, 2011

Clinton Road

Have you ever been driving late at night down a dark road and it seems there is no civilization for miles?  You think to yourself how this would be a great scenario for a horror movie, yet all the while hope you’re not part of the horror.  There is a road known as one of the scariest roads in America.  Clinton road in West Milford New Jersey has quite a reputation from as early as 1905.
Clinton road is a simple two lane road, surrounded by woodland with many ghost stories.  One of the most famous stories is near the bridge.  There is the tale of a young boy with some conflicting details; some tell of the boy drowning, others say that he was hit by a car going down the road.  If you drop a coin into the water it is believed the coin will be tossed back up to you.  Another legend states if you leave the coin in the center of the yellow line in the road the same will happen.  A more terrifying twist on the tale is if you lean to look over the bridge, the boy may push you in an attempt to get you off of the road and away from oncoming cars.
There have been numerous accounts of strange activity, murders, and robbery.  People have claimed to see bonfires in the woods surrounding the road, stories of Satanists performing rituals and even KKK gatherings.  Back in 1983 a body was discovered in the woods by a bicyclist.  This was one of many victims of Richard Kuklinski also known as the “Iceman”.  Kuklinski was given the nickname due to freezing the bodies of his victims’ to make it seem as if they died at a later time than they actually did.  When an autopsy was performed on the victim found near Clinton Road they discovered ice crystals near the blood vessels in his heart.
If ghost children, murderers, and cults aren’t enough there have been stories of strange creatures being spotted on this road.  In 1976 a Jungle Habitat attraction closed and it was believed a lot of the animals escaped and cross bred.  Bizarre monkey-like creatures, large rabbits and even “hell hounds” are reported to dart across the road.
What would stories of a scary road be without reports of a ghost car?  One tale tells of a phantom Camaro with a ghostly female driver who died when she crashed the car in 1988.  There is a theory that any mention of these stories at night will trigger a manifestation, possibly it just triggers the imagination, either way many take the dare to drive this road at night.  For several miles there is nothing but darkness and the sight of your own headlights.  Many do this in hopes of triggering another famous legend of Clinton Road.
Imagine coming up to the large curve known as “Dead Man’s Curve”.  There is now a railing put up along the side because many have driven off of this curve and died.  Yet this does not seem to help, why?  Well, did I mention the Ghost Truck?
Here you are taking this long dark drive when suddenly headlights appear in your rear view mirror.  There seems to be a driver behind you, they seem to be in a hurry.  The truck tailgates, backs off then rushes the back of your car again.  They are driving erratically, swerving, and yet they never go around you.  This truck seems to almost want to make you veer off this road.  You continue to speed up but the driver behind you will not back off and is getting really aggressive, you can even hear their engine revving.   Finally you reach the light to the main highway, you feel you have reached civilization again, suddenly you notice the headlights that were relentlessly following you have disappeared, vanished like there was never another car behind you at all.  Actually there more than likely wasn’t another car; you have just encountered the infamous Ghost Truck.  Seen as either a white or red truck, this has been one of the most common experiences of this spooky road.
Maybe it is the way our mind takes in the sight of a long, dark, seemingly endless road.  As humans we need to see light, a goal to move towards.  When that seems it isn’t within reach we tend to get a feeling of dread and discomfort.  Knowing all the legends can fuel the imagination but tell me, would you drive down Clinton Road?

Tags: clinton road, ghosts, haunting, hunters, nj

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R. Wolf Baldassarro November, 2011

Science and Psychics- The Tech of Paranormal Research

Most of the intellectual rhetoric thrown back and forth between skeptics and parapsychologists concerns the types of tools used during investigations; sometimes even those within the field of psychical research will argue among themselves for or against certain techniques and tools.

Since the field is one which attempts to quantify and classify phenomena that are, by definition, cultural, religious, and fundamentally unknown, it is somewhat acceptable to utilize devices and techniques of a more “mystical” nature. Many times the use of arcane devices and psychics can help lead the team to an area of interest or heightened activity, and sometimes even actual contact with the netherworld.

Once these devices or techniques have pointed the way to the presence of activity, the seasoned researcher will switch to more scientific instruments to document any possible activity. Unfortunately, the truth is that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what kind of personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, intuitions, or psychic imagery is collected, or by whom- if it can’t be verified or quantified through impartial scientific measurement and documentation, then it technically never happened and just becomes yet another account in the mythos of a location’s “ghost stories.”

Tools have been modified or adopted from various sciences and applications over the years to measure and analyze data in a paranormal investigation. Some devices are used specifically to debunk phenomena and establish clear natural causes; while others have the purpose of capturing evidence- such as voice and video recorders. EMF detectors have a unique function of being used both for the debunking and the signifying of paranormal activity.

However, regardless of how expensive or scientific the tools, they are only as scientific as the person using it; a team may boast about owning the most sophisticated thermometer available, but if members are using it as a barometer, the measurements are worthless; Just as using a calculator doesn’t make you a mathematician, using a Geiger counter doesn’t make you a scientist. In the wrong hands the most accurate measurement device is nothing more than an expensive toy.

All paranormal research groups have their own unique procedures and instruments of choice. Some are religiously-based and use age-old tools and techniques; some consider themselves ultra-modern and use only the most expensive and scientific of equipment. Most groups, however, fall somewhere in the middle; and the tools, techniques, and even the very members come from a vast array of backgrounds, philosophies, and religions. The make-up of these groups and the tools they use are contingent on finances, personal preference, and practicality.

We’re all familiar with EMF detectors, and I’ve gone over at length the ins and outs of video and audio equipment; but as I mentioned earlier, some of these tools are of a more arcane nature and we’ll focus on that this time around.

The use of dowsing rods for various functions goes back thousands of years. They have been used to find water in new settlements, material objects, fortune telling, and various religious applications. Essentially, a pair of L-shaped metal rods made of brass or lightweight metal are held loosely in each hand and will remain straight or static during normal conditions, but when in the presence of paranormal activity they will begin to move erratically or cross when directly over, near, or in direct contact with paranormal activity. Interestingly, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Marines even used dowsing to locate weapons and tunnels.

Traditionally, the divining rod was a Y-shaped branch from a tree or bush. Different cultures preferred the branches come from particular trees- hazel twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the United States. Branches from willow or peach trees are also common. Both skeptics and many of dowsing’s supporters believe that dowsing apparatus have no special powers, but merely amplify unnoticeable movements of the hands resulting from the expectations of the dowser. This psychological phenomenon is known as the ideomotor effect and boils down to basic mind over matter. Your mind is signaling the muscles in your body to make subtle movements that are unnoticeable to the naked eye. Some supporters agree with this explanation, but insist that the dowser has sensitivity to the environment; other dowsers say their powers are paranormal.

The American Society of Dowsers admits that “the reasons the procedures work are entirely unknown.”

Research focusing on possible physical or geophysical explanations for dowsing has been conducted in recent years. For example, Russian geologists have made claims for the abilities of dowsers, which are difficult to account for in terms of the reception of normal sensory cues. Some authors suggest that these abilities may be explained by postulating human sensitivity to small magnetic field gradient changes. One study had even concluded that dowsers “respond” to a 60 Hz electromagnetic field, but this response does not occur if the kidney area or head are shielded.

Whatever the evidence for or against, dowsing will undoubtedly continue to be used in the course of investigations. Those that swear by their results will present evidence to support their claims, and skeptics will chuckle at the “superstitions of ages past.”

Another example of this type of tool is the pendulum. A pendulum is a small dowsing tool composed of a dangling crystal or metal plumb which is used to answer questions or find things through psychic energies. Answers are determined by the direction of movement to preset variables; the most common formation is back and forth for yes, circular for no. Pendulums are used in much the same way as dowsing rods and similar to function and result. Due to its design of both answering specific questions and ability to detect or be affected by paranormal activity, the pendulum can be considered a hybrid between the centuries-old dowsing rod and the Ouija Board of Spiritualist fame. Skeptics also point out the high probability of the ideomotor effect.

One device I have to mention, as it’s come up in conversation a lot lately, is called the Ovilus.

This odd gadget blends the psychic and the scientific into an all-in-one tool- an EMF, audio recorder, dowsing rod, and K-II that turns EMF into phonetic speech by translating the readings into numbers, and those numbers into words, sounding them out using text-to-speech algorithms via a vocabulary of 512 words.  Various modes include speech mode, using the environment to pick the words to say; phonetic mode, using the environment to create words phonetically; commutation mode, using speech mode and phonetic mode together, EMF Mode; yes/no mode, to ask questions and get yes or no answers (a digital Ouija?); level mode, to watch the energy change in the environment; and dowsing mode, to work like a pair of dowsing rods.  It is equipped with something called the Paranormal Puck.  The Puck is designed to aid in paranormal research and meant to be the “center” of investigation.  A place to gather, log, track, and maintain the data it watermarks to prevent tampering.

Every time I try to justify this thing, all I can picture is Dug and the other dogs from Disney’s Up!

Users note that it can be “randomly repetitious” at times by stating selected words for every question asked and every environment investigated.

The first question that comes to mind is how can the inventor of this device possibly test the results?  Whatever formula they use to equate EM energy with words would have to start as an arbitrary guess.  It would then need to be tested repeatedly to verify the results.

In the end, the most important thing to take away from this is that whatever tools or techniques you or your group are using, as long as it is used correctly and truthfully then happy hunting.

So, dear readers, what kind of experiences have you had using these types of tools? As always, the floor is now yours. Please share.

© 2011 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions

Tags: ghosts, hunting, paranormal, psychics, research, science

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R. Wolf Baldassarro October, 2011

Harvests and Hauntings- Autumn in Michigan

It’s autumn again. Breathe it in. The cool air rushes in; and a patchwork of colors dot the landscape, making the world look like an open box of crayons ready to be played with. The pungent smell of dried leaves and wood fires fill the air; and our memories are pulled back to childhood images of candy corn and apples.

With the changing season also comes that carefree holiday that brings excitement and chills to child and adult alike.

Call it what you will- All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Halloween- it is nevertheless a magickal time of year when the veil between worlds is thinnest. That isn’t just a philosophical point, but one of natural science; the Autumnal Equinox that ushers in the arrival of fall is marked by an equal 12 hours of day and night as the fruits of the summer harvest give way to the slumber of winter. This is the halfway point wherein we can look out across the great divide between the world of nature and the world of the paranormal.

Let’s grab our hiking boots and gather our senses as we walk together through the bustling piles of leaves on a journey among Michigan’s most haunted places.

Starting off in Detroit, the General Motors plant is said to be haunted by the spirit of a man who was crushed to death in 1944; one incident recalls a worker who was saved from a similar fate by unseen forces.

Meanwhile, over at the Detroit Coca-Cola plant, a hard lined supervisor, shot by a disgruntled worker in the 1950’s, is sometimes seen or heard yelling to keep the line running when no one from management is around. So much for the mice playing when the cat’s away.

Downriver from there, in Wyandotte, sits the Fifteenth Street House, where reports center on the apparition of a young girl who appears in the front window. As the story goes, there was a man who would leave for work at the same time every day, and so every day his daughter would eagerly wave to him from that window. But one day she was not there, and thinking she just overslept, he went to leave. Upon backing his car out of the driveway he heard a scream. In an unfortunate tragedy, she was running his lunch out to him and was struck by the car.

The Randall’s of Grand Rapids met their end through a series of incidents in 1910 that culminated in a famous murder-suicide. The home immediately played host to unexplained events before being abandoned a few years later. It was eventually torn down and the Michigan Bell phone company built their office on the land in 1924. Workers would soon share tales of apparitions, noises, and doors opening and closing. The residents of Grand Rapids have endured decades of odd late-night phone calls that, when traced, were found to originate from inside the Michigan Bell building.

In Flint, the Cornwall family’s home is now an office but they continue to walk the halls of the building that still carries the family’s name. Witnesses have seen them in the old office window facing 3^rd Street.

What’s a story about haunted places without at least one psychiatric facility on the list?

So the next stop is the Southwest Michigan Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Kalamazoo, which has benefited from a long history of stories associated with it. The abandoned hospital had tales of red lights seen filling the hallways; unexplained noises; and even writing on the walls appearing in empty rooms. Locals claim that different things happen every night including various apparitions in the windows and report hearing muffled screams and cries coming from the buildings at night. All that remains now of the sprawling $2.5-million complex is one building, with its 1895 Queen Anne water tower serving as a 175-foot tombstone for the souls who roam the grounds.

The Battenfield House in Fife Lake was the residence of one of Michigan’s most well-known mass murderers. She loved to attend social events; and to that end she poisoned several family members, using the funerals as a means of providing the social contact she so craved. The reported paranormal goings-on include burning flames seen on a stairwell post, but no burn marks or heat result from the activity.

In a little-known place located at the northeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula, a few miles north of Paradise, Michigan is the town of Sheldrake. It is a ghost town today, figuratively and literally. It’s so small you won’t even find it on a map, and the few people who still reside there do not discuss the hauntings.

The town has suffered an inordinate amount of unexplained fires and boating accidents since being founded in the 1800’s. The last one, in 1926, destroyed the town and today only a few buildings remain.

A visit to here wields results before one even arrives. An old sea captain, wearing a cape and holding a pipe, allegedly appears on the dock when boats pass by. He is first seen from the lake and as boats approach the shore, he slowly fades from the view of passengers.

The Palmer House reportedly has lights that turn on independently and shades open in empty rooms. The Hopkins House involves a glowing apparition walking through at night. A logger with heavy beard and overalls is sometimes seen on the furniture or in the doorways of the Smith House.

The most active building is the Biehl House, the people who owned the main manufacturing plant and most of Sheldrake. Voices are heard and many different apparitions have been sighted on the property, most notably a woman in a blue veil who has been known to walk beside visitors. Pictures will fall off walls, and faucets will turn on by themselves but these can be easily explained in houses so old.

Every State, and nearly every town across America, has similar stories; the locations and events are as numerous as the fallen leaves that speckle the landscape. So as you return from our journey to your quiet, comfortable home town, ask around. It, too, has its own stories to share of forgotten, unseen residents.

As you or your children head out to enjoy hayrides at cider mills and take in the serene settings of the season, look behind you and in between the shedding trees. That chill going down your spine might not be a cool autumn wind, but the hint that you just might not be alone.

© 2011 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions

Tags: autumn, fall, ghosts, paranormal

• Articles

Mike Gleason September, 2011

The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts  by Raymond Buckland

© 2009

Weiser   ISBN:  978-1578634512

Paperback        192 pages

$14.95 (U.S.)

There are field guide and there are field guides.  Weiser is, apparently, planning to produce a series of field guides on a variety of topics.  This is the second one I have reviewed (see The Weiser Field Guide to Vampires previously).  My only comment on the series, so far, is that it is somewhat inconsistent.  Vampires didn’t really seem to fit the category (although it was technically well-written and interesting), whereas this volume is truer to the format.  Oh, it ranges a bit afield – monsters and vampires being technically beyond the scope of the book – but it concentrates on the various forms of ghosts and what may inspire their appearance.

The book is broken down loosely into types of ghosts, although there is a degree of overlap, as is to be expected.  There are personal anecdotes as well as “official” accounts (newspaper articles, etc.).  The types of ghosts run the gamut from Ancestral to Warning with numerous other divisions along the way.  Mr. Buckland does his best, and that is saying quite a bit, to show the differences between the various types and to explain the origins (both known and conjectured) of the spirits.

Given the current interest in “ghost hunting” (just check your local cable channels for numerous examples) it was inevitable that the author would include a section on practical ghost hunting.  In this chapter he helps you to understand the equipment which will help you in your searches as well as giving you a rough idea of the cost of such equipment.

Considering Mr. Buckland’s lengthy exposure to paranormal phenomena, and his ability to communicate information clearly and without condescension, it would be extremely difficult to do anything other than recommend this book to those interested in apparitions, ghosts, spirits, or whatever other term you would like to use to describe the apparent reappearance of those who have crossed over to the other side of the river Styx.

No doubt in my mind – if the topic of ghosts interests you and you want  more than just a collection of ghost stories, this is the book for you.

Tags: ghosts, hunting, paranormal, Raymond Buckland

• Interviews & Reviews

James Choron September, 2011

The Old Soviet Man

First of all, let me say that I am an American, living in Moscow. I am an executive with a major U.S./Multinational company, dealing with imaging technology. I hold a PhD in European History, and am a decorated veteran (officer), and active in my religion. I have lived in the Russian Federation for over ten years, and have lived in my current appartment for that entire time. I am married, and have four children, one of whom is currently “at home”. My wife is Russian, as are our two youngest kids. I say this to establish the fact that I am not prone to exageration, or flights of fancy.

The building that we live in has a “guardian”. Everyone in the building has seen him. He manifests himself as an old man, wearing “workers” clothes, the kind that were worn in the very early days of the century (collarles, belted tunic that pulls over his head and has only three buttons and baggy pants tucked into the tops of his boots, which are the large, heavy looking felt boots that are still common to older, working class people. He has a little visored cap… we’d call it a car cap that he usually carries stuffed in his hip pocket along with a large rag, and he sometimes is seen with a toolbox, broom, mop or some other “implament of destruction”. He looks to be about seventy years old, and his features are quite distinct, even though he is transparent, or almost so. He’s bald on top of his head, and has a van dyke beard and moustashe. His movements are slow and deliberate, just like those of an old person, and he always has a somewhat concerned look on his face. He usually has a home-rolled cigarette dangling from his mouth, and is followed by the smell of the old-fashioned, cheap, black Mikorka tobacco… the kind that hasn’t been sold, in most places, in fifty years or more.  He looks, as my wife says, like the typical “Old Soviet Man”… a phrase that is usually used to describe someone who is “slightly” behind the times… a “lovable eccentric”.

Our building was built in the early 1900′s, around 1905, and it is interesting to note that when it was built, it only had five stories… two upper stories were added in the 1940′s. Our “guardian” is never seen above the fifth floor. It is as though he does not know that the other two stories are there. Ours was one of the first private buildings in the city to have an electric lift, wihch is ome of the most common places to run into our “guardian”. The “Old” lift, which is still working, is one of the open cage variety… a steel cage with an accordion like door, and it is, to say the least, a bit tempermental. Now, getting out of it, when it stops, is easy. You just open the door from the inside and climb or drop to the next floor. It is not wired for a phone or alarm. Still, when it stops, the alarms go off on whichever floor it’s on, in the new lift, which is across the hall. At one time or another, everyone in the building has seen the old man walking away from the lift (the working one) just as the alarm goes off.

Usually, when he is seen, he is “fixing something”, or making an “inspection tour” of the building. It happens both at night and in the daytime. He does not seem to notice people around him, as if he does not see them. Most of us now believe that he was once “Nachalnik”, which is a Russian word for a cross between a building superintendet and maintaince man, and that he is still trying to carry out his job.

Even though he ignores us most of the time, he DOES know that there are people in the building, The old man is truly our “guardian”. On several occassions, the building has been in danger, twice by fire and once with a gas leak, and the alarms went off, well before the danger was noticible to the automatic system, with no one around to trigger them, manually. On one of these occassions, it happened three times before anyone noticed a smoldering fire in our garbage chute, on another, a fire in a nearby dumpster was climbing up a tree which overhung several of our balconies. Gas had filled the sub-basement, and was working it’s way toward the, basement level, furnace, but was still unnoticible to those of us in the ground level, and above floors, when the alarms sounded, and an inspection found the problem.

Children seem to see him more often than adults, although every adult in the building HAS seen him, at least once. Once, a group of us followed him, to see where he was going. He led us to a little room in the basement, near the furnace. The room is now used for storeage, but when the building was originally constructed, it was an appartment for the Nachalnik.

Over the years (I’ve lived in this building since I came to Russia in the mid-eighties) we have all taken to greeting him when we see him and calling him “Tavarich Nachalnik”, which means, “Comarade Building Superintendent”. He seems to appreciate it., and when something happens that no one can explain, or there is a noise that seems to have no detectable source… like banging on pipes in the middle of the night, or an unexpected power surge that doesn’t effect the other buildings in our block, the common comment is “it must be the Tovarich Nachalnik at work”. While I bacame aware of him about ten years ago, many of the residents of our building have lived here their entire lives, and cannot remember a time when he was not present.

On one occassion, about six months ago, I was wakened at three in the morning by someone shaking me (I was alone in the flat) and got up to find a broken water pipe flooding my kitchen. On another occassion, my neighbor, Savanov, was wakened the same way to find his stove still burning… he had forgotten to turn it off, and the wallpaper behind it was hot to the touch. Like I said, everyone in the building has had some sort of experience with him, and he has, in one way or another, helped us all out. Every kid in the building will tell you about seeing him at the door, watching them come in from school. They say he counts them to see that they are all there, and if one is not on time, he stays “on patrol” until the missing kid shows up, or until it’s obvious that they won’t. Anyone who is badly ill can count on several silent, unobtrusive visits a night until the illness passes. Everyone in the building has some story relating to the “Toverich Nachalnik”. The Fabrishnikov children’s missing cat was found locked in the coal bunker when someone pounded on the door… from the inside the densly packed sub-cellar… wifh a hammer or some other kind of heavy object.

We have all tried to find out exactly who the old man is. So far, we have two possibillties. One was a man named Petrov who was Nachalnik of our building in the early 1920′s. He died fighting a fire in the basement. The other is another former Nachalnik named Fabrishnikov (no relationship to the current occupants. It’s a common name, here… He died in 1919, during the great Spanish Influenza epidemic while tending to sick tennants.

Whichever one of them it is, we’re proud of him. We wouldn’t trade our “haunted” building for any other building in Moscow. Our “Nachalnik” is the best. Whether it is a sense of duty of some kind that keeps him on the job, or just the fact that he doesn’t realize he’s dead (which some of us suspect), we’re glad to have him with us. There is much to be said about the “Old Soviet Man”… not all of it is bad.

© 2000/2011 by Dr. J. Lee Choron. All rights reserved unless  granted specifically by the author in writing.

Tags: ghosts, paranormal

• Articles

Mamie M. September, 2011

The Stanley Hotel

Redrum, redrum!  Horror movie fans will remember those words vividly from Stephen King’s The Shining, a story about a man who slowly loses his sanity as the caretaker of a large hotel, The Overlook. Did such a place really exist?  A hotel filled with spirits and ghostly activity? Actually King was partially inspired for the story while staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado. King even reports an encounter with the ghost of a distressed young boy calling for his nanny.

The Stanley Hotel was constructed after F.O Stanley was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  His Dr advised him to take in the clean mountain air though he had a grim diagnosis of 6 months to live.  F.O Stanley and his wife stayed in a friend’s cabin in Estes Park and fell in love with the area. Soon his health even started to improve.  The Stanley’s built a home for themselves in the mountains and 3 years later bought the land the Stanley Hotel sits upon.  Construction was completed in 1909.  Word traveled fast of this extravagant and isolated hotel and soon celebrities and even royalty were making reservations. The hotel holds 138 guest rooms.

Mr. Stanley passed away in 1940 but he is just one of the many spirits reported at the hotel.  He has been seen in the lobby and billiard room, he has even been seen casually strolling through the bar area.  There have been reports of the employees attempting to stop the apparition before he heads to the kitchen area but he simply disappears.

F.O’s wife Flora is also seen.  She often enjoyed playing the piano and guests report seeing the keys to her beloved piano moving with no one playing them.  The faint sound of music can be heard at times with no apparent source.  The couple can also be seen together, walking through the corridors or engaging in guest activities.

Room 418 seems to get the most reports of paranormal activity.  Cleaning crews have reported strange noises coming from the room.  There have been imprints seen on the bed as if someone is sitting though no one is there and the most frequent reports are of the sounds of children in the halls.  Guests have reported hearing children laughing, running, playing and even rolling a ball all throughout the night.  Once a couple checked out early and complained the children kept them awake all night.  Upon inspection the guests were assured that no children were staying on that floor at the time.

Lord Dunraven, who owned the property prior to the Stanley’s purchase, is believed to haunt room 407.  He has been seen standing in the corner and often turns the lights off and on.  There have also been reports of him opening and closing the windows when he isn’t busy peering through them when the room isn’t occupied.

My favorite known ghost of this hotel is Elizabeth Wilson.  She was a maid at the Stanley many years ago.  In the year 1917 she was attending to her usual rounds on the second floor. She was lighting the gas lamps as was her usual duty.  She was unaware of a gas leak and when she arrived to light the lamp at room 217 there was a large explosion and the room was quickly engulfed in flames.  The heat caused the floor to cave and she fell through.  She survived and Mrs. Stanley did everything to make her comfortable after the incident.  She gave the maid a promotion, a raise, and free rent at the Stanley.  Elizabeth continued to do what she loved at the hotel, even after her death.  Earlier I stated that Stephen King stayed at this hotel, well during his visit, shortly after checking in he left his suitcases on the bed and went to dinner.  When king returned he noticed his bags had been unpacked and his clothes were folded and placed in drawers or hung in the closet.  King was assured that no one had been in the room at any point while he was gone.  Stephen King’s room number was 217.

Sources

http://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/stanley-hotel.html http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/hauntedhotels/Stanley/

Tags: ghosts, paranormal, stanley hotel

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James Choron August, 2011

The Face in the Window

Tatyana Andrevna is not a beautiful woman… she does not have the “face that launched a thousand ships”… in fact, it is safe to say, that on the “traditional” one to ten scale, that is crassly used, worldwide, to rate beauty in women and good looks in men, she would rate about a one. Getting a zero rating is impossible… Tatyans’s looks are legendary in Mamontovka… As a child, she was burned horribly when a kerosene heater in her parent’s flat exploded and showered her with the burning liquid. Ever after, she was undeniably the most recognizable person in the village. Her scars didn’t matter… Her late husband would simply smile when someone mentioned them… Then he would state a simple truth… Tatyana is beautiful… physical beauty is not everything… It is not Tatyana’s face that makes her beautiful… it is her soul. You see, everyone in Mamontovka loves Tatyana Andrevna… She has a beautiful spirit…

For years, she was the community “welcome wagon”. She took it upon herself to greet every new person and family moving into the Mamontovka area… armed with the traditional Russian offering of bread and salt… and the warm smile of an angel. In rain, snow or summer heat, Tatyana was always there.

Four generations of children played under her watchful eye as their parents went about their daily tasks… Since she did not work, it was “the least that she could do”. In times of sickness and times of mourning, Tatyana was there… always with a word of comfort and some small offerning… home baked bread… a bottle of home made wine… cakes… She was there… Tatyana with the beautiful soul…

In time, age, and artheritis… the fragile bones that come with eighty-odd years… took their toll, and Tatyana Andrevna could no longer carry out her self-appointed duties. Still, even now, when weather permits she sits in her wheelchair, on the balcony of her little third floor flat on Kuznetski Most Avenue, and watches the people pass, waving to each, and smiling brightly. When the weather is foul, as it often is in Russia in the fall and winter, she sits by her kitchen window and watches the street below. Everyone in knows her. Everyone waves and smiles when they see her face in the window…

But… no one ever goes to her flat… No one ever goes to see Tatyana… For her, there are no gifts of “bread and salt”… no cakes and wine… For her, there is only the balcony and the window… and the smiling faces below. She doesn’t seem to mind. The smiles of passersby seem to be enough for her.

Now, after all the years that Tatyana Andrevna spent making people welcome, after all the sleepless nights she spent sitting with the sick and watching over the bodies of the departed, you would think that those people would be kinder. She might not be a beauty, but she does, in fact, have a beautiful soul… The thing is, you see, the little flat is locked. If you look closely, when the light is just right, you will see that the wheelchair on the balcony is a rusting relic. Tatyana died almost ten years ago… The entire community mourned the passing of their “welcome wagon”. It was one of the largest funerals in the history of the village. Everyone turned out. They even let out school in her honor… It is Tatyana Andrevna’s beautiful soul… her spirit… that greets people from the window… with the warm smile of an angel…

Tags: ghosts, paranormal

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R. Wolf Baldassarro August, 2011

Environmental Factors of Ghost Hunting: The Sun

“Morning Glory” (photo taken by R. Wolf Baldassarro)

The Sun can provide several states which affect a paranormal investigation, and these must be taken into account when conducting a serious analysis of parapsychological case studies.

The Earth is not the only body in our solar system to create a magnetic field; the Sun creates its own magnetic field that is dynamic, and can change location and intensity over time. The Sun also emits X-Rays, which are relatively high-energy photons. A stream of these photons has a very effective penetrating power.

When looking for paranormal activity, we know that the relationship between magnetism and electricity is explored through the use of an EMF detector to look for unexplainable spikes in the fields surrounding an area.

The first step to how these relate to solar flares is to look at what a sunspot is.

A sunspot is an area of the Sun that is cooler than the surrounding area due to a stronger magnetic field which doesn’t allow for the transfer of heat. This magnetic field forms below the surface, and extends out to the corona of the Sun appearing as a darker colored spot on the surface of the Sun.

During a sunspot, a solar flare can occur when plasma interacts with the magnetic fields of the sunspot and bursts outward. During these flares energetic particles, x-rays, and magnetic fields affect Earth as a geomagnetic storm.

The Earth’s magnetic field, called the magnetosphere, acts as a protective shield for the planet from stray magnetic fields and energetic particles. During the solar flares, when the plasma that is emitted from the Sun comes into contact with the magnetosphere, the plasma disturbs it, and is displayed as auroras- such as the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Astralis; otherwise known as the Northern and Southern lights.

During the bombardment of these fields, radio transmissions and power grids may be affected- usually as surges in energy. The extra magnetic forces at the disposal of paranormal entities may now allow for increased activity.

Sunspots are also noted to run in a cycle of frequency of visibility increasing and decreasing over time. These cycles run an average 10.8 years.

This may have a relationship to places of paranormal activity that seem to fade. If these places were fueled by increased magnetic fields from sunspot activity, it is possible that as the cycle decreases, then the catalyst for the paranormal activity decreases as well. This would mean that an area of high paranormal activity may die off and then return at a later time.

Fortunately, most of these particles are blocked by the magnetosphere and filtered by the atmosphere. It is theorized that ghosts and spirits might be able to use this constant shower of high energy particles as an energy source to manifest themselves.

Solar activity isn’t constant. The Sun has periods of higher intensity emissions at certain times more than others. Scientists have determined the Sun goes through a 20-year period of generally high solar activity, and then 20 years of relatively lower activity, then the cycle starts again. The Earth is currently in the middle of a 20 year up-cycle in solar activity.

When solar X-rays are in flux it is referred to as an Active burst. Scientists classify these according to their x-ray brightness. There are 3 categories: C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth; M-class flares are medium-sized and can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth’s Polar Regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare; X-class flares are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. Each category has nine subdivisions ranging from C1 to C9, M1 to M9, and X1 to X9 respectively.

A Mega Flare describes when an unprecedented solar x-ray event has occurred.

Solar X-ray Status Monitor is the scientific monitoring of solar x-ray activities on the sun.

A Solar Terrestrial Activity Report is a graphed comparison chart documenting solar cycles. The report includes info on sunspot numbers, solar fluctuations, and indexing for Earth’s geomagnetic fields. Increases in paranormal phenomena can be checked against this report to confirm if geomagnetic fields have increased. The figure below shows a series of solar flares recorded by NOAA satellites in July 2000:

There is an awesome freeware program I use, called Ghost Weather Station, which easily and effectively collects a lot of this data for quick recording while on site; by Jonathan Moore, it is available for download at wvghosts.com- so don’t get tricked by sites that ask for payment! This tiny program provides (with a working internet connection) the current lunar and weather conditions including the Moon phases. It will present Moon angle, percent of lumination, Julian Days, and lunation number; as well as the current Solar X-Ray and Geomagnetic Field status of the area after inputting the zip code.

For a free program this can’t be beat. I strongly suggest making a donation and downloading the program.

So, to sum it up- by noting solar activity during investigations we can determine whether or not there is, in fact, a clear correlation between increases in paranormal activity and solar activity.

Combining all of this information, along with the previous two installments on the Moon and other factors, we can clearly see that there is a wealth of accepted mainstream scientific fact that can be applied to paranormal research. It isn’t all just smoke and mirrors, or capturing anomalies on film or audio.

By taking these factors into account when you conduct your investigations, you not only have a means of backing up your findings with irrefutable science, but you bring a level of respect and class to yourselves and the field, thus setting yourself apart from the thrill seekers and amateurs.

Happy Hunting. See you next month when I give a run down of a couple local legends.

© 2011 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions

Tags: ghosts, paranormal

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