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Monday, January 31, 2011

Bizarre In The News - More than a ghost of a shot at fame




gazette.com

Everybody has a ghost story. Mike Coleta has captured his on video.
In September, Coletta, who volunteers at Evergreen Cemetery, captured on videotape what he thought was a ghost that opened a crypt door in the old chapel basement.
 He was video taping a KII meter, which ghost hunters use in paranormal research. The device had indicated evidence of an electrical magnetic field when, out of the corner of his eye, Coletta saw a crypt door begin to open. He swung the camera around to capture the action.
“Ho-ly-Cow, oh, my goodness,” Coletta is heard saying on the tape. “Wow, Wow, Wow.”
The producers of A&E Biography Channel’s “My Ghost Stories” saw the video on YouTube and were so excited they flew Coletta and Everygreen Cemetery manager William DeBoer out to Los Angeles for interviews to reenact the sequence.
DeBoer, who has never seen a ghost in his 19 years at Evergreen, has heard stories from others about shadows moving up the basement stairs of the chapel.
“I’m the eternal skeptic,” he said.
Read more: here

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Supernatural Consumer Culture


Westfield Miranda Fair, Sydney, Australia. A big box of retail phenomenon ten minutes from the beach. A place where millions pass through each year to seek shopping solace and placate their inner vacuum with consumerism. And me….of course I’m guilty with the rest of being caught in the snare of materialism from time to time which brought me to realise something sinister was going on.
 I was in a computer game shop with my son last week. We were looking for games for a Wii console. The thing that was incredible was the dark and supernatural nature of the majority of the games. Not one shelf, but the majority. It was like a tick box from a paranormal blog. Shapeshifting, the living dead, spirits that attack, evil creatures unleashed from the depths of Tibetan mountains, and finally the Rugby League game I was looking for J Try that one for yourself and you will be amazed at the spiritual and supernatural themes that are influencing our kids via video games.
 Next door was a sports and trinkets store. Again I was amazed at the array of supernatural themes that were mostly presented in figurines of wizards, witches, skull like chalices and the similar themes on clothing.
 Across from that was a board game shop. Once again, the window was full of supernaturally themed games.
 I had to go to into Big W to get an Ipod looked at (similar to K-Mart if you are from the States). In this place you had the computer games, the DVD’s and a vast array of toys - all with supernatural themes.
 So here I am, standing in Westfield Miranda and within a twenty metre radius I can see three major stores who are promoting the supernatural in all their major categories. From what I could gather in three stores our kids were purchasing DVD’s, Console games, board games, and paraphernalia that was explicitly supernatural, and by supernatural not any trace of God but a very dark presentation of the supernatural.
 That sounds like I’m building a conspiracy theory. But let’s look at the facts from a marketing perspective. The most watched shows for teenage girls on TV, at the movies, in written form and DVD are about vampires (see Bryony’s blog from last week). The most popular computer/console games are about the undead or aliens (Know any teenage boy that doesn’t play COD?). The most popular kids show (and merchandise) for boys 3-7 years old is Ben 10 and he is a supernatural Alien shapeshifter.  I’m not making this up just to write a blog, these are cultural facts. Some people would read this and think “so what” or “it’s a Christian banging on about culture, get over it” and that’s the problem. We are so encultured with the supernatural and the dark side of it that we are now numb to it’s effect and easily write off any criticism of it. It’s known as “white anting”. White ants slowly eat away the foundations and you don’t notice them until the building is about to crumble. It has taken generations to achieve and is now infecting every part of culture.  
 Let’s look at the basis for the characters in games and movies.
 Shapeshifters in real life are known in North America as Skin walkers and through the middle ages as Werewolves (see the “Beast of Gevaudan” for a real life werewolf myth) and they are far from “so what” to those who have experienced and reported on their terrifying reality. The vampire subculture is real and many are trapped in it, thinking it will lead them to freedom, self expression and eternal life. In Haiti, there are real people who have been drugged and subjected to horrific mind control through ritual abuse and live as zombies, serving slave masters or wandering the towns in a trance like daze.
 How can we then subject our kids to a reality that portrays these as something to aspire to? In Alien abduction cases there is a common theme according to famous researcher Nick Redfern – a portrayal of end time events that only they can save us from. And an endorsement of all major religions with the exception of Christianity including a presentation of Christ as one of many Messiah’s. A consistent theme from people who have never met to conspire about their stories - to reshape Christianity to an alien thelogy in which they are the saviours.
 All you have to do is go shopping to realise this 'supernaturalisation' is a fact. Can I be so bold to suggest that we are being white anted? Our parents and grandparents didn’t go shopping in the 1950’s to be confronted with a vast array of supernatural media and merchandising. Something has shifted in our culture that has pushed the world into a supernatural theme park at every level of consumerism and media. Something has strategically brought the “Campfire stories” and “horror and alien movies and ghost trains” from late night picture shows and carnivals to every level of daily life. Look at your childrens school bags, pencil cases, lunch boxes, DVD's and drawings. What percentage of these are supernatural beings with supernatural powers? This is not just rhetoric, this is reality.


The question is why? Why wasn’t this just a fad? Why didn’t it pass after the 1950’s UFO flaps? Why do those who control the media not only insist on pushing these themes upon us but specifically at children and teenagers? At an age when due to their formative and therefore vulnerable nature they should not be thinking about undead monsters and shape shifting aliens, why are these major themes in all forms of media they are exposed to?
 Because I would suggest it’s not an accident!! We are (unconsciously) setting our kids up for something, because someone or something (strategically) is setting us up to do it. We could choose not to engage but we are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Something bigger than just the material world we live in. And as we engage demand creates greater supply. We need to remember that the people producing this material are not deliberately part of some conspiracy to lead youth to the supernatural because they don’t even realise they are part of a strategic conspiracy. They are trying to earn a living like the rest of us. This is ultimately a cosmic conspiracy and battle for hearts, souls and minds that is and will affect the whole planet without people even realising what is going on and why.
  
Let me quote a couple of things from scripture to you and tell me, even if you’re a non-believer whether it rings true with today.
 Matthew 24: 3-14
 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
   9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
1 John 4:1-8
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
REVELATION 12:7-12
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
   “Now have come the salvation and the power 
   and the kingdom of our God, 
   and the authority of his Messiah. 
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 
   who accuses them before our God day and night, 
   has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him 
   by the blood of the Lamb 
   and by the word of their testimony; 
they did not love their lives so much 
   as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens 
   and you who dwell in them! 
But woe to the earth and the sea, 
   because the devil has gone down to you! 
He is filled with fury, 
   because he knows that his time is short.”
This is a Christian blog and we make no apologies for constantly portraying a Christian message or for proselytising in the messages. I hope that at least you appreciate the integrity of us being open about that. It is a message that often offends people. It is a message that many people either think they have heard before, is flawed historically or theologically or otherwise. But what if it’s right? What if the facts presented show that something is going on to change our perceptions to supernatural powers and realities? What if there is a real devil and that being is actually on earth deceiving the nations, influencing the media, influencing politics because there will be a final showdown that it can’t win, but like all despots and psychopaths, will destroy everything it can before the final showdown.
What if it’s not just the way marketing has gone for the last 50 years?
What if it’s not just a cash cow for companies?
What if our consumer habits could cost us our very souls in the same way our eating habits have cost us our health?
What if I am setting my current or future children and grandchildren up to be deceived by something supernaturally empowered in the future by watering down the paranormal through purchases that portray it as ‘kids stuff”.
I’d want someone to tell me and then at least think about it so I could make an informed decision of my own free will. Because no company can take that away from me regardless of media budget or merchandising capability.
So next time your five year old son says “I want the Ben 10 lunchbox” say “So you want the transdimensional shape shifting alien supernatural being lunchbox that will assure the supply to the next generation of kids an even more powerful occultic role model”. At least you’ll be being honest about what you’re buying into – Pastor Baz.
P.S After I wrote this message a teenage neighbour told me (the same afternoon) he just bought a game called  "Going to Hell - where you get to meet Satan." Seriously.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Vampirism

Okay, the only things i know about vampirism is from watching True Blood and reading a couple of the twilight books. The truth is somewhat different and rather complex.


What is Vampirism?
A quick google and it brings up a TONNE of websites.  First and foremost it comes up with wikipedia.  Talking about mythology and folklore.
"Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures and in spite of speculation by literary historian Brian Frost that the "belief in vampires and bloodsucking demons is as old as man himself", and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism."
Psychic Vampires


From wikipedia (again) it states that a psychic vampire is:
A psychic vampire is a person or being who claims to feed off the "life force" of other living creatures. Psychic vampires are represented in the occult beliefs of various cultures and in fiction.  As of yet there is no medical recognition or scientific proof supporting this purported phenomenon, although there was a 2007 scholarly survey carried out upon people claiming to be vampires, either psychic or sanguinarian (blood drinkers) that showed anecdotal evidence (which is always highly suspect) of a higher than normal incidences of certain illnesses and conditions such as anemia,fibromyalgia, and hemophilia. Whether or not they actually suffer from such conditions was not evaluated by medical professionals.
Vampires as a religion? 


A quick google I found Temple of the Vampire claiming power, wealth, health, pleasure and immortality is not just a fantasy.  All you have to do is sign up and learn all the secrets...oh and pay $10 a month. It is actually a recognised religion (although not tax exempt) in the U.S.
The website does not explain much unless you purchase the vampiric bible but interestingly they don't allow blood drinking.
On vampires.nu forum a member called Grim mentions the Temple of the Vampire stating "To sum up their beliefs quickly, they consider only themselves to be 'true vampires'. They revere 'Undead Gods' who are vampires that have shed their mortal bodies and achieved immortality in astral forms. Their rites revolve around communication with these entities and offerings of energy. They are centered on energy solely, and not blood. Though they are not exactly what I would call the usual sort of 'Psy-Vamp' as we use the term here. "
He also states he thinks they are "Their quasi-satanic(I speak of the traditional atheistic Laveyan Satanism) belief structure also seems to cause some of them to overdo the "dark, serious, infintely wise" gimmick a bit."  
Through the research I have done it seems that actually a lot of people that identify themselves as vampires these days and people involved in vampirism are against the drinking of blood. 


But generally speaking when you think of a vampire its the blood sucking kind. And historically a vampire was regarded as feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures.



I googled vampires summoning demons and found vampire.nu - on a forum a girl was asking how to summon a demon to make her a vampire? Am I the only person that is disturbed by this? Apparently not because it got a mixed review from the forum.

Do vampires summon Demons?

According to http://ancientthoughts.com/magic/vampires.htm there a various ways to become "a vampire".  Through spells, meditation and even summoning power from demons.
Intimate infection from a demon: When a demon infects a mortal in such a way that they bind with the physical body of the creature, they can often pry the soul out of control of the body and permanently remove it. The power of the demon fuels the initial removal of the soul, as well as the first few hours of action. After this, most vampires will require the blood or soul of other conscious beings. Over time the demon will become more efficient at extracting the energy from these sources, and will require less. However initially, the need will be quite great.
Look, in order to understand and connect with people we need to research. As uncomfortable as some things may make us feel.  Its important.


People are looking for answers and some people are finding their answers in Vampirism.


The thing that concerns me is the TV shows and films glamourising vampires and so these kids are googling how to become a vampire thus leading to messing around with things beyond their control. My advice is PLEASE don't mess with things that you don't understand.


Through Gods divinely inspired prophets writings thousands of years ago and archived in what is now known as the Old and New Testament there is written some verses against the eating and drinking of blood.  


Verses against eating/drinking blood:-


Genesis 9:4 4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it."


Leviticus 10:14 "10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
 13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

The above is from the old testament but I found this from the new testament:-

Acts 15:28-29 28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: 29 You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”


My hope is that this is a fair (if brief) summary of vampire beliefs and mythology through history and if you have anything additional to add please post a comment, especially if you have had involvement with the sub culture.


To finish this particular blog post I want to make the point that even as Christians, we have the belief that through the blood of God's Son Jesus Christ we are saved.  We believe that only through Jesus' sacrifice do we find eternal life.


I pray God's blessings on you this week.  Please feel free to comment :) We welcome discussion. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bizarre In the News - 6 Crackpot Conspiracies (That Actually Happened) *language warning*

From cracked.com


We really do try very hard here at Cracked to maintain a no-bullshit policy. We're not the goddamned New York Times, but we do try to make sure we don't repeat a claim unless we can link to a smarter group of people who confirm it. We kind of think everyone who touches a keyboard should do that.

But in the course of looking down our noses at the nutjobs who spread urban legends and conspiracy theories, we have to sometimes stop and point out that there are downright terrifying historical precedents for even their craziest of claims.

#6 The Government Is Transmitting Thoughts Into Our Brains!
This is the stereotypical "tin foil hat" conspiracy theory that the government has the ability to beam thoughts into or out of your skull using its Illuminati mind-ray technology. This is a favorite of crazy people because, well, they're crazy, and hearing strange voices in your head is as common a symptom of craziness as you'll find. Assassins Mark Chapman and Sirhan Sirhan both claimed to hear voices in their heads telling them to murder their targets.

You can use the same excuse to get away with stealing lunches from your co-workers.
But they're not the only ones who have ever claimed to hear voices broadcast directly into their heads. All over the country, people who aren't murdering beloved public figures have also asserted that the United States government is trying to control their minds by transmitting thoughts directly into their brains. Which is why some of them elect to don the aforementioned tinfoil headgear -- to keep the voices out. This is why the tinfoil hat has become the emblem of all things conspiracy-related, mocked in movies and elsewhere.

ProTip: Make sure you remove the leftovers from the tin foil before putting it on your head.
Why It's Not So Crazy
They can totally beam voices into your head.
In 2006, a guy whom multiple counselors labeled as a "paranoid schizophrenic" filed a Freedom of Information Act petition requesting all declassified government documents pertaining to covert attempts at microwave auditory effect, telepathy and hypnosis. While no one was surprised that a guy who once complained that the backs of his shoes were vaporized by an electromagnetic weapon would go through the effort of filing the request, a lot of people shit a brick when they saw the papers that came back.
Page after page of verified government documents confirmed that taxpayer dollars had funded research on everything from a telepathic ray gun to fever lasers that made victims disoriented and less aggressive. And, yes, one of the released tests even broadcast a person's voice telepathically by "using close-range microwaves ... to project the spoken numbers 1 to 10 across a lab to volunteers."
Inside their heads.

If you think that's fucked up, just imagine the shit they shredded.
So, not only is this technology possible, the government has toyed with using it. And considering the United States government's track record with mind control, well ...


Read the other 5 here: http://www.cracked.com/article_18955_6-crackpot-conspiracy-theories-that-actually-happened.html#ixzz1BdvtYHYw

Bizarre In the News - Do giant paw prints mean big cat is on the prowl in the capital?

THEY are shadowy creatures who create claws for concern for farmers across the UK.
Nora Robertson, left, and Maureen Porteous beside the giant paw prints, possibly left by a big cat like a lynx, below

But now Edinburgh might have its own big cat on the prowl.

Residents of Newhaven have been left feline distinctly uncomfortable after the discovery of huge paw prints in the snow.

They believe an animal - like a puma or lynx - may be behind the tracks and experts say it is possible the mystery cats may be venturing into the Capital to search for food.
Nora Robertson, 81, who has lived in the area since childhood, discovered the prints on an early morning walk near her home in Andrew Wood Court.

"It was still dark so I had my torch with me, and the light reflected off one of these large prints," she said.

"I followed the track all the way to my neighbour's garden, which showed it had jumped up over a wall.

"I've never seen anything like this. We get a lot of foxes around here and there is a lot of woodland and unused paths."

Sightings of big cats themselves and their prints are fairly common in Scotland, particularly in Perthshire and Fife, where recent pursuits of the Perthshire Puma and the Beast of Balbirnie have taken place.

Read more here


Bizarre In The News - Has CCTV captured the hand of salon's mischievous ghost?

ThisisDerbyshire

(Apparently the video doesn't have sound.)
IT'S enough to make your customers' hair stand on end.
Staff at Derby salon Sally Montague believe they have caught a ghost on a security camera.
Workers at the Iron Gate hairdresser were checking CCTV footage after a receptionist had her phone stolen, and were shocked to see a ladder moving on its own.
On closer inspection, they saw what appeared to be a hand materialise at the side of the ladder and pull it.
Directly beneath the corner where the ghostly goings-on happened is a secret underground tunnel leading to the cathedral, thought to have been used by nuns hundreds of years ago.
Salon owner Sally Montague said: "What we've caught on camera is very strange and I can't think of a logical explanation. None of us can work it out.
"It doesn't frighten me because strange things are always happening, like items going missing. But I definitely wouldn't want to spend a night there on my own."
Read more by clicking here

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Four Week Series - There is no light in the darkness


I walk past a tobacconist store. It's shelves are filled with cheap statues of dragons, witches, skulls with snakes around them, chalices with daggers in them draped with all kinds of serpentine beasts and all sorts of dark imagery. Demand = supply, so there must be a reasonable trade in those items. I have seen them in the houses of people who tell you stories of strange paranormal occurrences and oppressive forces.
 
A young man listens to a dirge of music, the darker, the heavier the better. The lyrics are angry, dark, anti-christ and anti society. They speak of isolation and loneliness and that no one could ever understand you. He wears black clothes and had black thoughts.
 
In a tattoo parlour, amongst the luridly coloured cheap artwork like dolphins, roses and cartoon characters are some of the darkest images I have ever seen - literally images of demons. "Does anyone ever get those" I ask? "Yeah, all the time" he answers "I'll do them but there's no way I'd ever get one, they are so dark I don't know how you could sleep at night". And that's the tatooist!!
 
A girl watches the twilight series and becomes enamoured with Vampire mythology. She wonders what it would be like to have eternal life in this manner and starts to research it on the web. She finds that there are 'real vampires' and a sophisticated subculture.
 
A young lady comes to Church. Her father is a satanist and her husband is a leader in the satanic church in the local area. She wants out but cant leave because there are real powers at work.
 
For the next four weeks, I want to look at the subcultures that exist and the real impact it has on the lives of people who indulge in them. Are there spiritual consequences that come from involvement in them, from the imagery surrounding them, the music and lyrics and the medium that is used to convey it;s message.
 
As someone who was raised in a family involved in the occult, who was in a heavy metal band and has ministered to people involved in goth and other subcultures, this is a non-judgemental realistic look at how the dark side of culture affects lives and souls.
 
Pastor Baz.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Bizarre In The News - Twins give birth fifteen minutes apart


MICHIGAN twins Alison Oliverio and Amy Gilbert do everything together according to their husbands - including giving birth, myFOXdetroit.com reported Wednesday.
The 25-year-olds were due to give birth a day apart but welcomed their babies into the world within 15 minutes of each other.
The pair went into labour at the same time and checked into Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Detroit's north.
"It's a good thing they put them next to each other so I could run quickly from room to room, but they did great," said Dr Timothy Kim, who delivered both babies.
The girls' husbands even held a friendly bet over which baby would arrive first.
"It was a race between Greg and I. We had a side bet going. The girls, I don't think, really cared too much" Gilbert's husband, Andy, said.
Alison gave birth to a girl named Claire while Amy produced a boy named Garrett.


Read more: here

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Do Monsters Beget Monsters?



In a very interesting post on Ozcrypto, one of their members (Nightwalker) raised the subject of folklore being the basis for all monsters.
http://forum.ozcrypto.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=246 (You have to join as a member to log in)
"There are no monsters other than the ones we, ourselves, create. The real mystery is why there are people who believe that there are and, conversely, who are willing to fake it in order to prove it. That is what people are currently doing, it is what people have always done. People like doing it, people like hearing about it, it stimulates thought and the imagination, and it is brings people together to talk about it. It has a social function. It is also fun."
Now Nightwalker is a skeptic and he is raising a valid argument that the whole 'industry' needs to engage in. Are people willing to allow the facts to be superseded by their belief system.
Part of my response was:
" I think the reason for the 'surge' in times of mass media is that 'monsters' 'ghosts' 'aliens' 'cryptids' are fairly exciting and intruiging to cultures and monster hunting stimulates our needs for 1) identity 2) truth 3) purpose 4) breaking mundanity 5) the need to belong (religious, gang, team, organisation etc).. Those things aren't wrong but they become wrong if the truth is misappropriated to continue the interest of the 'group'. And every organisation, if they are truly honest, is guilty of this at some level. I'm guilty of it at some level, if at most times unconsciouslly so due to 'conditioning'. 
In a world of mass media and blogging, information is freely available, quickly, without offering any real evidence. I mean, we do that on this blog, because most often there is no physical, photographic or other evidence to back up the claims - it's normally someone's story or interpretation of facts. That's why we'll often do a disclaimer like in our last story "The Portal":
"No-one but that boy can vouch for the reality of what he saw. Whether it was in his mind or was real is speculation".
So the very honest question we have to ask ourselves is, do monsters beget monsters? Is it imagination in overdrive, is it a desire to chase after something bigger, or is it as Nick Redfern has implied that we create them by invoking them out of our interest and desire to see them (them being ancient demonic beings) and they meet us in shape, form and context where we are at in history (as Keel suggests http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keel).
Thoughts or comments? Pastor Baz

FROM BRYONY: Just a bit of humour- i found this picture and it made me laugh...

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Bizarre In The News - Aussie edition

Bizarre In The News - Bid to raise a ghost tour



WOLLONDILLY Council wants businessman John Vincent to bring Picton Ghost tours back from the dead and has offered to help him prepare a development application that could ensure its survival.
After months of wrangling with the council over operating conditions to be placed on his 13-year-old business, Mr Vincent "gave up the ghost" in December and stopped the tours.
Mr Vincent was initially critical of council's treatment of his business but was "feeling better" after a meeting with the council on Thursday and indicated the closure might not be permanent.
Wollondilly Council has asked the business to submit a development application seeking formal permission for tour groups to visit three sites owned by the council in Picton.


Read more here

Bizarre In The News - Funny smell just may be a ghost


DO you ever hear children playing when you’re all alone?


Do you detect sour smells you can’t explain or do your doors keep slamming?
If so, you might benefit from the free services of Kade Jones and Lara Jeffcoat, of Haunted Australia.
Mr Jones, who has researched ghosts in Tasmania, recently moved to Mackay and is looking for potentially haunted locations to explore.
“It’s an obsession, basically,” Mr Jones said. “We research potentially haunted locations. It’s not a fact of just saying ‘hey, there’s ghosts’. You’ve got to delve into the history and find out what has happened there.
“It is amazing what you find out.”
Mr Jones said people who believed they knew of haunted sites could contact him for assistance.
He also investigates places on his own, and claims he has photographed some orbs, which indicate ghost-like activity, in Mackay, including at the Sydney Street Markets, where the Mater Hospital used to stand.
Mr Jones said he was very cautious of orbs in photographs, as they could be caused by dust or water.
“What we look for in an orb is concentric circles inside one another.
“If it’s just a normal haze or a blob we discard it there and then.”


Read more here

Bizarre In The News - Vintage Spirit: Ghost watch at Magill





VIDEO surveillance equipment has been installed in a historic cottage at Penfold’s Magill Estate Winery in an attempt to explain strange happenings, which many believe are the work of a resident ghost.
The sensors and video equipment were installed in the 1840s Grange Cottage late last year after a series of alarms in the cottage were mysteriously triggered.
Cellar Door manager John Miller believes the cellar is haunted by Mary Penfold, whose husband Dr Christopher Penfold founded the winery 167 years ago.
He says staff recall many eerie events over the years, including a tea cup with Mary Penfold’s intials on it inexplicably moving around the cottage and a female voice being heard across the vineyards.
The strange activity ceased about 20 years ago, however the mystery was reignited last October when alarms started sounding without explanation.
Magill Estate site services co-ordinator Shane Carter says the alarms sound after dark and sometimes up to three times a night.
“Initially we put it down to the new (security) system and a few technical issues ... but that all got sorted out and we were still getting strange activity,” Mr Carter says.
“It’s different down there at night, it has a very strange feeling and it’s very isolated.”


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