Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Haunted Locations Around the World
When Sarah Winchester’s husband died in 1881, she got a case of the spooks. The gun maker’s widow became convinced that she needed protection from the evil spirits of all the people killed by Winchester rifles. (Winchester Model 1873 was affectionately known as “the gun that won the West.”) Her spiritual counselor advised her to find a house that would attract good spirits, but confuse evil ones.
Instead of moving, however, the widow hired a team of carpenters and craftsmen to add rooms to the Victorian mansion indefinitely. The expansion continued for 31 years until her death in 1922. After Sarah’s death, the workers began hearing their names being whispered from the deserted hallways, as well as footsteps; one of them claimed to see the widow’s ghost. They all decided to look for new work shortly thereafter.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Psychic's claim of abused child has Barrie, Ont., mom demanding apology
BARRIE, Ont. - A mother from Barrie, Ont., is demanding an apology after the Children's Aid Society launched an investigation into sexual abuse allegations that came from a psychic.
Colleen Leduc says her daughter Victoria's teaching assistant visited a psychic who asked if she taught a girl whose name started with the letter "V."
The psychic then went on to tell her that the 11-year-old, who is autistic and non-verbal, was being abused by a young man.
The assistant told school officials who in turn called in the Children's Aid Society.
Leduc says a Children's Aid official visited her home but closed the file and called the report "ridiculous."
Under the Child and Family Services Act, anyone who works with children and has reasonable grounds to suspect a youngster is being harmed must report it immediately - and the CAS has an obligation to follow up.
The school board plans to launch its own investigation into the incident.
Leduc is now seeking legal advice and says she's pulled her daughter out of school and is off work so she can take care of her.
LinkWednesday, June 11, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ghost in a bottle: Supernatural or Novelty?
I wish I had a spare $20 kicking around to get one of these...
Each Ghost is captured from a reported haunted establishment, (house, hotel, ship, cemetery, etc), by our Ghost Hunters.
We seal the ghost in it's own bottle. The bottle is sealed for your protection.
No maintenance required; except occasional dusting.
You may release the Ghost at your own discretion and at your own risk.
The Ghost in the Bottle is contained mysteriously and is therefore sealed with wax shortly after the Ghost is caught. The bottle is sealed for your protection. It comes with very important information . We supply the Ghost, you supply the name. Individual Ghost experiences may vary as "Each Ghost is Unique"!
But, like any other supernatural being in a bottle, it comes with warnings...
Many people nationwide have already purchased a bottle or two. Some respond stating that they did break or open the bottle and nothing happend and went on to say that it was a neat gift novelty and great conversation piece.
But there are quite a few that broke or opened the bottle and stated that nothing happened at first but, later began hearing noises during the night, missing car keys, T.V. remote, refrigerator door left open and some reported that they have seen ghostly images.
NOTE: WE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISFORTUNE TO BEFALL YOU SHOULD YOU TAKE POSSESSION OF THIS OBJECT.
•It is not recommended that you break or open the bottle.
•The intent of this product is for entertainment purposes only. We have had several customers open or break the bottle and contact us stating that unexplained things have occurred in their homes and how could this activity be stopped?!
If you open or break your bottle you may experience any or all of the following:
• A voice out of nowhere.
• Muffled Moans and Groans for long periods of time during the day or night.
• Doors opening or closing slowly.
• A feeling someone is following you around your home.
• The T.V. volume Increases or Decreases by itself.
• Water left running at the sink.
• The feeling someone is watching you.
• Noises leading into or out of rooms that no one is present in.
• A unfamiliar smell of perfume or cologne.
• Small items moved (favorite items to move are shoes, car keys, T.V. remote and jewelry).
• Lights coming on or going off by themselves.
• Electrical appliances coming on by themselves (sometimes they are not even plugged in).
• Phone calls (yes, sometimes they call).
• Your night light may be turned off during the night.
• Bed covers pulled off you, or you pillow may be tossed on the floor during the night.
• Touches (light pat on the back, the touch can be warm or cold).
• Activity will usually peak around 3:00 am in the morning or on rainy days.You may experience other Ghostly situations not stated above.
So, best of luck with your Ghost in a bottle, and keep an eye on your night light.
Source: The Presurfer
Voodoo Veves
In Vodou (Voodoo) practice, Veves are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or cornmeal prior to a ritual.The ability to draw a Veve correctly is considered to be the skill of an initiate. A veve is believed to be more powerful if it is drawn with the correct details- the better the detail, the better its power to invoke the Loa.
You can see a gallery of Veves here.
Pronunciation: Vayv or vay-vay • (noun)
Source: About.comWednesday, May 14, 2008
Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens
By ARIEL DAVID – 1 day ago
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.
"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."
In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.
The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.
Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.
The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.
But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."
Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."
In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.
"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."
Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."
The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.
The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
