Monday, February 16, 2009

What is "ParaNewsInsider"?

First of all, welcome to the blog home of the Paranormal News Insider, or ParaNewsInsider for short.

I've started out of the gate here at blogspot and have not yet properly introduced what the site is all about. The Paranormal News Insider is my personal web site for sharing paranormal and odd news stories from around the world. In addition to the stories are my personal added insight and investigation into some of these various stories. I will also include some of my personal investigations that I have planned for later in 2009. My first planned investigation is a trip to the western Pennsylvania woods where I will be doing some Bigfoot and EVP research and investigation work while backpacking. I will also be investigating some hot spots that I have determined in Ohio at various times this year. Hopefully I will have some reports to investigate along the way as well.

The Paranormal News Insider was started in July of 2008 (and made its debut in late August) as a site dedicated to my new newscast within a podcast. I was approached by Dan Bautz in April of 2008 to appear on his new podcast show, the Grand Dark Conspiracy. I was excited as I have done a few shows in the past and had been wanting to do one again, but the opportunity to just be a guest was even better.

I was the first and only guest that May discussing my paranormal group, Ohio Paranormal Investigation Network. The next show featured Parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach who has unknowingly been my guide and mentor through his books and some advice he has given me over the years. I became an advisor of sorts to Dan and helped him find guests for the next few months and later made another appearance in the August show, though this time I helped him shift gears away from the ghosts field to U.F.O. and cryptid discussions. We also talked about some current news that was happening at the time. This lead to our mutual idea of me having a monthly segment on the show discussing the current news of the paranormal. In September of 2008 the Paranormal News Insider segment was born...

The show has been surprisingly successful and the level of guests have helped bring in some large amounts of listeners. The website, on the other hand, has been slow to gain momentum and I had contemplated shutting it down as the calendar flipped to 2009. My ghost group is taking off in membership/casework and I have committed myself to many projects this year (and have others in waiting). All of this and I still have a full time job and a marriage to maintain, so maybe I bit off more than I can chew? This leads me to one of the questions I have been asked a few times over the last couple of months:

How come you only show a couple of news stories in each subject?

Part of the idea behind this site is to focus on the stories that may have the most meaning in their respective fields. Not every ghost story really adds anything to the field and not every U.F.O. story really seems to have impact. I pick and choose the particular stories I feel will have an impact and that may evolve as time goes on. Many of these stories have many facets to them that may spawn urban legends or other forms about mis-information down the road and I am actually e-mailing and/or calling sources related to these stories to help clarify various questions or mis-information. Of course, a lot of this also follows the fact that the site comes last after my job, wife, paranormal group, personal investigations, the GDC podcast and my other projects. Although I have vowed not to let the site be idle for three weeks or more and is another reason why I created this blog....

Why this blog?

The blog was created as an idea for me to be able to share my thoughts, ideas as well as my research and investigations into ghosts, U.F.O. and cryptid topics. While most of my ghost cases deal with clients (confidentiality) I am still an active member in the ghost community and am active in research in various aspects of the field. I also utilize the methods of M.U.F.O.N. for U.F.O. investigations (although I am not an active Field Investigator for them) and I am the Ohio Representative for the Crypto Squad U.S.A. and a member of the Sasquatch Research Initiative. So, I owe it to the cryptid organizations to report and investigate what is happening in Ohio in regards to cryptids as well as make my investigation attempts public record.

What's so special about paranewsinsider?

Or, "Gee, just what the world needs, another paranormal news site!", or perhaps, "Great, another 'paranormal expert' is born". The Paranormal News Insider does not report on every single piece of news. We do have news feeds provided by Paranormal News.com although the stories I post are based upon the criteria I mentioned above. I also take a bit of Ohio flavor as I live in north east Ohio and the Grand Dark Conspiracy podcast is also based in Ohio, not to mention a majority of the investigations I will do will take place locally. While there are other sites that do it, I am also trying to get as many links to various paranormal, UFO and cryptid conventions and meetings across the country. I had contemplated on forming a new cryptid organization in Ohio, but that is on hold until I get a little help with that venture. Again, like I mention on the ParaNewsInsider page, I do not claim to be an expert. I have over 12 years of experience in ghost investigations, almost two decades of interviewing experience and a mulititude of other knowledge and experience in various fields that have helped me in the investigation and research aspects of the ghost, U.F.O. and cryptid fields. While I don't think of myself as an expert I know I have a lot to offer all three fields.

Have questions, comments? Let me know at my ParaNewsInsider address.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Want to Hunt Ghosts in Ohio?

When I first created the Ohio Paranormal Investigation Network back in 1996, I never thought I would still be involved with the group almost 13 years later. Overall I would say I've accomplished a little, most of my accomplishments centered on the dozens of people I have helped through difficult times over the years. I have tried to help other groups in Ohio become more rounded in various aspects of the paranormal world, but each group is intent on finding its own way with pride (and a catchy acronym and a flashy website).

Thus comes my February, 2009 rant about the field of ghost hunting/paranormal investigation. All the politics and lack of education aside, has anyone ever looked at just how many groups are in Ohio? When we first started out we were highly active in networking with other groups in other states along with Ohio. This was back in the day when T.A.P.S. was just another amateur group that didn't know too much (I wish I still had those early e-mails from them...). We learned from other groups, not just by reading their websites, but by getting involved with others and slowly eliminating the mis-information that was out there. That generation was obviously flawed to some extent as much information has been lost over time, but who's fault is it and how to we fix it going forward?

In today's world of ghost groups all you will usually get is an invite to exchange links, an invite to their personal Para-conference or other invites to their personal exploits of mirroring what everyone else is doing. It's downright irritating. Many times I receive an invite (It's hard to talk to groups anymore as so many of them disappear as quickly as they appear) I always give a short speech about exchanging more than just links, more often than not they go ignored. Humph. We wonder why the amateur ghost hunting field has not advanced in the last decade.... no, bringing in "new" tools is not advancing, this has been happening since the Psychical Research days! What's Psychical Research?? Nevermind, just turn off the lights and go back to stumbling around in the dark, please.

Don't get me wrong, there are many, many great groups out there in Ohio and elsewhere. I have been able to work with a few, talk with many and have had friends and working relationships with some in Ohio that goes back to when I first began and I know I am not the only one to feel the ways I have described here. Am I better than groups on this list? Hardly. Am I "more scientific"? Hardly, but I do know what it takes to become a well rounded amateur investigator by years of making mistakes and refining techniques as well as watching others making other mistakes and taking the good and bad from them.

Anyway, back to the number of groups. I was curious a few years ago and decided to keep track of the number of active groups I came across in a few months time. I was astounded that I ended up counting over 80 active groups that were investigating client-centered cases. In the mid-1990s there were about 30 or more groups in Ohio and only half of those investigated houses or businesses with living people having issues with ghosts or other paranormal behavior. Now, it seems that all groups are doing this right out of the box without thought. That's another blog for another day....

I decided to review my list in late 2008 and just recently I came across a few more groups. I have eliminated a few more that are seemingly inactive or that are not researching or investigating client-centered cases. This is a list that I created using a couple of search engines, MySpace and Facebook in just a few hours time (I have more important things to do, believe it or not). This is probably not close to a complete list, so if I missed your group, just give me a shout and I'll be glad to add you to our ever-growing list. Eventually, I would like to create a quarterly listing of these groups with contact information. I would probably have to retire from my group, quit my job and buy another laptop just to keep track. Here is my February 2009 list of currently active groups who investigate client-centered cases in Ohio:


Ashtabula Paranormal Investigations, Ashtabula Paranormal Team, Boo Crew Paranormal Investigations, Buckeye State Paranormal & Haunting Investigators, Central Ohio Ghost Squad, Central Ohio Paranormal Research Group, Central Ohio Paranormal Society, Central Ohioans Researching Unexplained Paranormal Things, Christian Paranormal, Cincinnati Area Paranormal Existence Research Group, Cincinnati Paranormal Investigations, Circleville Paranormal Society, Cleveland Supernatural Investigations, C.O.R.U.P.T. Ohio Ghost and Paranormal Investigators, Cuyahoga Valley Paranormal, Dayton Paranormal Project, Dayton Ohio Ghost Hunter’s Society, Eastern Ohio Paranormal Society, Estate Validation of the Paranormal, Franklin County Ghost Debunkers, Ghost Corp, Ghost Hunters Guild, Ghost Hunters Ohio Search Team, Ghosts of Ohio, Hudson Ohio Paranormal Society, Investigators of the Past, Lake Erie Ghost Hunters, Licking County Paranormal Research, Mad River Paranormal, MAJDA, Massilon Ghost Hunters Society, Miami Valley Paranormal Society, Montgomery Ohio Paranormal Society, Munroe Falls Paranormal Society, New World Ghost Hunters, North Coast Ghost, Northeast Ohio Paranormal, Northeast Ohio Ghost Hunters, Northeast Ohio Ghost Society, Northeast Ohio Paranormal Society, Northeast Ohio Society for Paranormal Research, Northwest Ohio Paranormal Research, Northern Ohio Paranormal Society, Ohio Association of Paranormal Investigations, Ohio Center for Paranormal Research, Ohio EVP and Paranormal Society, Ohio Exploration Society, Ohio Ghost Hunt, Ohio Ghost Hunters, Ohio Ghost Researchers, Ohio Ghost Hunters Society, Ohio Monster, Ohio Organization of Paranormal Studies, Ohio Paranormal, Ohio Paranormal Exploration Society, Ohio Paranormal Investigators, Ohio Paranormal Investigation Network, Ohio Paranormal Organization, Ohio Paranormal Organization of Paranormal Studies, Ohio Paranormal Researchers, Ohio Paranormal Research and Investigations, Ohio Paranormal Society, Ohio Researchers of Banded Spirits, Ohio River Paranormal Society, Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters, Omega Paranormal Investigations, Paraex, Paranormal Adventures, Paranormal Exploration and Research League, Paranormal Insight, Paranormal Investigations of Ohio, Paranormal Investigators of Cincinnati, Paranormal Ohio, Paranormal Research Organization, Paranormal Researchers of Ohio, Paravizionz, Passing Lane Paranormal Investigations, Prodigy Paranormal, R.I.P. Ohio, Roseville Investigations of the Paranormal, Rural Ohio Paranormal Investigation Society, Resurrection Paranormal, Southeastern Ohio Paranormal Investigators, Southern Ohio Apparition Researchers, Southern Ohio Paranormal Research, Spirit Stalkers of Ohio, Springfield Ghost Hunters Society, The Ghost Hunters Association, The Northeast Ohio Paranormal Team, The Ohio Ghost Hunters Association, The Ohio Paranormal Seekers, The Ohio Society for Paranormal Investigation, Toledo Ghost Detectives, West Ohio Paranormal Society, Weston Paranormal Investigators, Wilsons Paranormal Research, World Paranormal Investigators...

Do you know your neighbors? If each group were to partner up with at least one other group and exchange knowledge, information or case burden we would all benefit. I think that's the message I'm trying to make here and I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings or put myself at the top of the hierarchy. There are some groups that have such a case burden that they have a waiting list several months long, while others sit and wait. Who pays the price for this? Why are we all making the same mistakes as groups that were here ten years ago? Why do we all follow the same techniques that are built around rumor, speculation and based upon little or no data? Where is all of the data to back up all of these new pieces of technology that we are spending our hard earned money on? These are the questions that we as a culture and a mini society need to answer for ourselves. This isn't a race or a game it's a pursuit built upon an investment of time and money. You can earn more from working with a new neighbor than you can spending thousands of dollars on equipment.

How many groups are listed here? See the comments below for the answer (or spend twenty minutes counting, it's up to you...).

Monday, January 26, 2009

Meet the new Ohio Rep. for Crypto Squad U.S.A.

I am happy to announce that I am the Ohio Representative for Crypto Squad U.S.A. The group is associated with the Centre for Fortean Zoology based in England. This opportunity will provide me with more insight and drive for cryptid research and investigations in my own backyard.

I have many things planned on the cryptid front, mostly investigations I have lined up (especially before spring) and culminating with my appearance at the Ohio Paranormal Conference in Dayton this August.

The ghost business has become difficult with the multitude of groups, though I have now assembled one of the best teams I have ever had so I see myself having a bit more free time and putting the reigns of my group in the hands of others so I can venture in other directions.

I look forward to working with the Crypto Squad U.S.A. and I really look forward to above freezing temperatures!

http://squadcrypto.blogspot.com

http://www.cfz.org.uk

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Enough with the fake ghost videos already!

It seems to have become a new past time for lonely adolescents. Posting their fake ghost, poltergeist, apparition, etc. video on YouTube or other video hosting sites. While there is nothing wrong with their creativity (some are actually very good videos) it causes a problem when their intent is set to deceive viewers as well as those who investigate the paranormal.

For many of the videos they start out as stating that they are real, while others state that they randomly left their camera running while they went about other things...hmm. Some are disguised as actual ghost investigations whether by a team or just by the homeowner.

The problem for me begins with the deception. Most of these videos are obviously faked, though some are clever, and are solely intended on fooling those watching it to wonder if it is really real. I'm guessing it stems from every one's search for their 15 minutes of fame as we live in the reality show generation and the Internet can make someone famous just as quick (see Montauk Monster, Georgia Rickmatt Bigfoot). Some want to see their view stats blow up, others hope their story makes it to the news for whatever reason.

There are hundreds of amateur paranormal investigators that seek their own personal evidence through "investigating" the homes and businesses of others. They are hungry for proof or evidence and will try anything for anyone to look at them as legitimate or as "the best group around". The problem is that many of these groups post videos of their investigations (do they get permission from the property owners?) displaying their lack of ability to use science properly and eliminate potential false positive images or identify camera effects sufficiently. This is not a use of scientific means as there is no way for anyone to repeat what is being done and it always leaves many more questions than answers.

For many it seems these videos are their source of their own creative outlets. Great, you've learned how to use Photoshop, but why lie about your creation? There are many videos out there that leave me wondering if I have been duped or not, but who really knows since there is already so much deception. I stopped taking photographs as evidence years ago after 35MM died, now I may be forced to take that same step with video since the manipulation factor is so great.

OK, this extreme may not be needed, but what would make a video credible? If the video were to show a reaction to someone involved (not a guy flashing a dog biscuit off camera to have his dogs stare up) while utilizing EMF or other sources of data collection along with the video.

Videos showing a head popping out of a corner which then disappears when the camera person run towards it (when most people would drop the camera and run), doors closing by themselves, flashes of shadows across the screen and vague images of orbs and other lights or supposed apparitions are all fakes whether intentional or not. There are many videos that seem legit by the person, but they are fooled by their own video.

Something else that gets me upset is how gullible people are when it comes to these videos. A local news station had one go around the world last year as a local gas station thought they had a blue ghost running around by its customers. I watched the news channel's report that night and was yelling at the TV half way though the report. The "blue ghost" looked like a bug to me and when the reporter was outside and shown on the purported ghost cam her clothes looked slightly red with a hint of blue. When she came inside the gas station her clothes were bright red. No one noticed this???? There was another one with a supposed haunted gym that had motion sensor cameras that picked up "orbs" which were again, bugs. There are other reasons for misinterpretation, but the list of videos would be a mile long.

The bottom line is that this technology should be bringing us the greatest pool of potential evidence ever, but somebody has long since peed in this pool and has suddenly ruined it for everyone.