Joe Nickell's blog newsfeed added

 Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator/skeptic, who also has a website http://www.joenickell.com/ , and has been called the modern day Sherlock Holmes or compared to Scully from the X-Files in his efforts to explore the paranormal and point out "hinky" things that were claimed to be paranormal.  He also has many other careers which you can explore on his site such as poet, author and private detective. He's a multi-talented person who happened to get into exploring the paranormal.

  I would like to point out his interview granted to Stephen, a member of The Skeptical Viewer website, where his podcast with Joe Nickell is posted.  This interview is great and should be a good listen to the paranormal skeptic or just those interested in the paranormal. He is a person along the line of James Randi, who is famous for debunking psychics and mediums, although Mr. Nickell has expanded his paranormal debunking to cryptozoology, ghosts, crop circles and other phony people out to hoodwink the public.

 Here is the link to his interview, please enjoy it and take time to check out the Skeptical Viewer website, which primarily concentrates on recent television "documentaries" on the paranormal and pointing out possible alternative explanations to the events seen on these shows.  Please be aware that almost all of the people who contribute to the Skeptical Viewer website do believe in the paranormal and have had paranormal experiences, but don't want people to be fooled by these shows which use pseudo science to attempt to find ghosts with emf detectors, etc.

 Joe Nickell Interview on Skeptical Viewer Podcast: http://www.skepticalviewer.com/2009/11/16/sv-podcast-021-joe-nickell-interview/

Ghost Hunters-Pensacola Lighthouse

Maybe we should call this episode, the "Pensacola Camera Light" as the episode did focus a lot on Grant's infrared illumination light turning off and on, apparently using the switch no less.  Do we add this to the "Grant List" on the http://www.skepticalviewer.com/ website?  We couldn't see what Grant was doing with the camera as we weren't shown up close shots, one of them occuring when the light was on, directly at the crew camera, hiding any movement and another was conviently behind Jason's noggin!  This episode was really hyped during last week's episode, but memorable, not really. I didn't get to watch Ghost Hunter's Academy yet, but I imagine it will be another show of Steve berating these people interested in learning the paranormal.  He acts like everything Ghost Hunters does is written in stone, no other way of investigating the paranormal is correct.  Their way or the highway, if it includes a dodgy collar pull...I will take the highway anyday.  Why Jason won't speak for Grant on this issue is troubling, he did "inspect" the collar, so why does he always say "Ask Grant" when it comes to that issue?  Just sounds like deflecting any possible poo that hits the fan when the truth comes out so it doesn't hit him.  But the fact will always remain, he did check out the collar and the collar did move a strange way when he patted him on the back.  Grant seems to be backing up and trying to go with the "it might have been my earpiece" bit..if he had been wearing an earpiece though all the halloween live episodes before and was wired up before the episode, he would have known how it acts and how it might feel like a tug.  But an earpiece causing him to flail one arm and almost lift a foot if he didn't actually do so (the overacting was very bad), normal people wouldn't have left one arm in their pocket, they would have pulled it out to help in case of a fall, plus he did it more than once, the overacting bit when the collar was pulled downward, not towards the back, he also says "look at the infrared where the ghostie (well, he didn't say that) pulled!" But that was just the part of the jacket that was next to his neck exposed after the pull, of course there will be heat there, and if a ghost, wouldn't it be colder, since they often feel cold spots?

 This is what gets me, they see these solid heat emitting apparitions (the same amount of heat as a person who is alive), which is supposed to be the "holy grail" of ghost hunting, but they don't chase it?  Now during this year's Ghost Hunter episodes, we see that "Samual Mudd House" apparition featured during "next week on Ghost Hunters, or Next On Ghost Hunter" promos, Jason didn't pan to the left real far like he says he did, and why, if it was that close, did they stop and study the video (which they could have done later) and not chase the darn thing?  And why wasn't it featured in the reveal, but now used in these promos?  This is what makes these guys charlatans and the fact they are making loads of money on the show plus GH merchandise  as well as personal appearances, taking money from hard working people who want to believe so badly in them, disgraceful.  This is my opinion of course, and how they can sleep at nights is beyond me, all a believer in them has to do is watch the Myrtle's Plantation episode and pay attention to the scene in the "Slave Shack" watch the lamp cord, which is hanging straight down, with Grant a ways away from it, then in next scene the cord is hanging at about a 45 degree angle, defying gravity with Grant right by it, arms crossed and the cord appearing to go straight into the hand under Grant's right armpit.  I knew something smelled funny at that time...and it wasn't Grant's armpit (I don't think).  Very strange indeed.

Ghost Lab episode, Dallas Texas

It was two towns in Texas that were investigated by Ghost Labs in the episode I saw yesterday, again, a day late to be able to have some time with my mom.

 One was a restaurant, the Catfish Plantation in Waxahatchie, Tx that had alledged moving silverware and chair rearranging themselves.  The Klinge brothers seemed to find some evidence of that happening with a butter knife on video, but as they themselves said, they couldn't be sure that it hadn't been loosened accidentally by a member of the team.  There also was a spoon that moved off camera, but again they said that wasn't evidence due to the fact it wasn't caught on video.  I did forget the moving sliding door, that was the most interesting, it appears to slide in and out of a slot in the wall, another angle appeared to show no one around, but as all angles weren't visible, I can't count it as paranormal. But interesting none the less. What impressed me was they were at the site three days and only caught that knife moving, no evps or hooded apparitions on infrared cameras, like some other teams. 

While mentioning that, I can't believe they use that Mudd House "apparition" on the Ghost Hunters intro!  They didn't even present it to the site owner in the final review! Also, with the Donna LaCroix interview on GhostDiva's webcast has sure caused a fuss, even though apparently, Donna didn't want it to be taken that way in later communication with various sites.  It even caused a fight on a certain blog where I do have to take the Ghost Diva's side on the matter.  Sadly, that blog's owner even caused potential danger to a former paranormal investigator, despite his good intentions. 

 But back to Ghost Lab, after their three day investigation at the inn, they went to a hotel in Dallas, where the highlight of the investigation, was to ask "Smiley" a ghost supposedly haunting a certain room, permission to enter (I believe 702, will have to check and edit this later, with hotel and inn names as well), before the magnetic key card would work.  This happened several times, don't ask, the key card don't work, ask Smiley if they could come in, the door opens easily with the keycard.  If I remember right, this investigation, besides having that coincidence, which could be said not to be one as it was reported to happen all the time, who knows, yielded only an evp, which wasn't very good.  I do have to say, Ghost Lab does have the disclaimer that their evidence is real before the show, and with finding very little during investigations, not a bunch of things as in other shows, I tend to believe they are trying.  Whether or not they will give in to the "we want ghosties in most investigations, and good ones! mentality, is yet to be seen.  I do have to say that you have to put up with one of the brother's zealousness (a little like Brian on GH) a lot.  It is like Brian Harnois (who I wish the very best, he didn't ask for all this put on him and the alledged hassling by certain people), you either like him or you don't.

 But to Brian Harnois, Donna LaCroix and Andy, I wish you guys the very best, I heard  things weren't going as well as you would have liked at this point, it may or may not be true, but I want you guys to know you were appreciated by your fans, and all I can do is wish you good luck in the future, I know you didn't want to end up part of a controversy, at least that much is true, and I hope the fans hold only good feelings and well wishes for you.

Waiting for daily GH and GHA Viewing

Well, I'm waiting to watch last night's Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters Academy with my mother, we have a set time to watch them every Thursday...it's usually too late for us on Wednesday Night.

 I was a little disappointed with Ghost Hunters Academy, first, I think they should go to new sites, not rehash old sites that the Ghost Hunters have already investigated.  Also, am I the only one who thinks that Steve is a little hard on these people?  It seems he's getting the Jason mentality down already in my opinion.  I would like the show to be a little more positive, not negative as it's started out...instead of teaching, they criticize.  I know teachers that were jerks never really got through to me, but teachers that took the time to explain things calmly, without sarcasm in their voice, as well as pointing out the positive aspects of what I had done, got through to me much better.  Tango seems to be a little better at this aspect, although I haven't seen last night's episode.  A good example is the girl who claims to be psychic and wanted to go into the building (last week, Ft. Mifflin), without history to taint her feelings.  Steve ragged on this, but I think all should go into buildings that are alledged to be haunted without knowing all the things that have been reported before.  This is a blind study and would put more credibility to things they found that agree with the history (provided they didn't know on the side), much more.  Knowing what's alledged to have happened on a site, could give the brain some subliminal weakness to see what was said to be haunting the place.  Going in cold, you don't have that, and if they come out saying they heard voices saying "I'm Joe" for example and later find out a guy named Joe died there, would be far more convincing to me.

Re: Extreme Paranormal

 There is a very good commentary on this pathetic show at http://whofortedblog.com/ . It is very insightful and a great commentary on how the paranormal themed shows are getting out of hand.  If Judas Priest can be sued (unsuccessfully) for alledged subliminal messages on one of their albums causing a suicide, just imagine what A&E is setting themselves up for with this show.  As the editor who commented on the above mentioned blog states, this show is very dangerous.  All it takes is a few kids attempting to recreate these stunts and get injured for the proverbial excrement to hit the fan.  Please take time to read this great article, in case it moves down the line, I will post the direct link, I am also going to add a newsfeed from their site at the bottom of this page.  Having just found the site, I think it's yet another good site for the skeptic or those who wonder just what is going on in these paranormal shows.  Although lately, they have concentrated on weird news, rather than bashing on shows as many sites have now started to do, I think their taking the time to point out the stupidity of the actions on the show as a public service in itself noteworthy.  It's sad that one of the members of the Extreme Paranormal "Stooges" was a part of the history of their blog, the writer of the article being a former friend before they parted ways on good terms, he does feel the need to give his honest opinion of how this show is dangerous as well as a blight on paranormal investigators in general.

 When I watched this show, sadly only now getting around to voice my opinion, I too felt this wasn't a show worth watching.  I hope that it's two show run is the last we will see of this show.  I felt myself wanting to laugh at most of the situations, except the "blood ritual", although supposedly edited not to show the whole ritual, I do think there will be some who try to recreate this situation.  I can see only harm coming from this, if not just the self-inflicted injury itself, to accidental burns and deep cuts and infection.  And that's only the medical side effects, who knows the psychological effects this can have on young people?  Can't be good, that's for sure.  As it is, all the other paranormal show's members are distancing themselves from this show as fast as they can, I don't blame them.

 Here is the direct link to the article; http://whofortedblog.com/?p=828