Paranormal In The News 01/03/10

HeraldSunIt's raining fish in the Northern Territory

"WHILE the Top End and Central Australia have been battered by torrential rains, a Territory town has reportedly had fish falling from the sky.

The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, on Thursday and Friday afternoon about 6pm at Lajamanu, about 550km southwest of Katherine, The Northern Territory News reports."

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news.com.auTradeMe lists two bottled ghosts for sale

"TWO vials, which the owner claims contain the spirits of ghosts exorcised from a house in New Zealand, have been put up for sale on online auction site, TradeMe. "

To read more click here

REAL LIFE VISITS – AFTER THE FUNERAL

Being a minister and a sports Chaplain, it’s inevitable that you will do funerals for people. It is a time when you can provide tangible support to a family experiencing trauma and grief.

It is also a time when people share with you experiences that they normally wouldn’t talk about.

In 2008, a childhood best friend of mine passed away from cancer. He was thirty four. We had been in bands together since we were twelve years old. He loved Bon Jovi and played in the Bon Jovi tribute band after our band split up.It had been close to ten years since I last saw him. In that time he had gone on to be a property developer and was a wealthy man, who had a 60 foot yacht and dived with the Tiger sharks in Fiji regularly - while I had chosen to forsake all wealth for the ministry. Our situations could not have been more different.

I rang him out of the blue one day – just one of those ‘promptings’ you get, only to find out he was very, very ill. He had been doing every ‘power of positive thinking’ course available but to no avail.

I invited him to my house for dinner. We had pizza, a couple of beers and a heart to heart chat. He told me he didn’t understand Christianity but he wanted what we had because all his wealth meant nothing. We prayed with him.

Next time I saw him was when miraculously at the same time our entire Church was praying for him, his brother turned up at the front door of the Church – he left home two hours earlier to get to us and we had no idea he was coming. We finished the prayer with “Lord, we pray Andrew will hear the gospel today and believe’ and seconds later opened the front door to find his brother Michael who, through streams of tears said “Quickly, come and see Andrew – he needs to hear what you have to say”.

Once again I visited Andrew, shared the gospel and prayed with him. He once again said “I don’t understand all this, but I believe what you are saying and I am going to do what you said and pray to Jesus”. He finished by asking me to conduct his wedding in a months time.

Four weeks later, instead of a wedding at Vanuatu, I was doing the closing part of his funeral. His parents were grief stricken as they believed that he would beat this disease all the way up until the end.

After the funeral Andrews mum rang me. She told me she had awoken every night for a week due to a presence in the room. Every time, she saw Andrew in a black Bon Jovi shirt, black skinny jeans and no shoes, leaning on the wall. “Mum….I’m ok, so stop worrying alright” is what he said the first night. After a week it stopped.

This week I did a funeral. A friend from my boxing gym’s father died suddenly in the house they shared. I arrived just after the police, while the body was still in the house. I did some grief counselling and offered to do the funeral. My friend said that family was on the way from interstate and overseas and that I should come back when they are all together.

Two days later when we met again, the ex-wife of the man who passed away told me a story.

“I was sleeping in the room, it didn’t bother me and I felt closer to him that way. The next day I was awake and I was shocked when I saw David, who appeared to me, I could see him not so much with my eyes but in my mind it was as clear as looking at him – he looked deathly and scared – and said he was shocked that he had died, he just didn’t realise he was dead. I told him that if he kept doing this he was going to scare people, so he went”.

In the same way my Nan saw my grandfather after he died, when he appeared and told her she must return to believing in God and go back to Church, so often we hear stories about visitations by loved ones after they have passed away.

Are they the actual spirits of the deceased, appearing like Samuel did to King Saul in the Old Testament when conjured up by the witch of Endor?

Or are they angels, which means 'messenger' sent by God to provide comfort by relaying a message.

If you have any similar stories we’d love to hear them and process them in community.

Pastor Baz.

Real Life Stories - The Gremlin

When you were a kid did you see the movie Gremlins? Those creepy looking monsters that mutated from the cute and cuddly Mogwai when they ate after midnight.


Imagine encountering something like that in real life.

I had heard this story about two years ago but just rang the brother in law of the witness to confirm the facts.

His sister in law worked for a freight and logistics company in Queensland Australia. They were in an industrial area in a block of similar sized factories.

Like most of these factory units, there was an administrative office fronting a large logistics area, which was full of boxes and pallets of freight heading off to supermarkets.

There was often a feeling of uneasiness in one of the corners of the factory. This would often be put down to the feeling that a lot of people get when they are in an isolated part of a building. On numerous occasions the witness saw and heard something moving and although feeling very ‘creeped out’ would put it down to rats or possums.

Then other employees started to share their stories and it was apparent something much more sinister was in the building.

There were three reports of exactly the same thing that was seen – a blackish green creature with features so similar to the creatures in the movie ‘Gremlins’ that it was referred to by that name. It struck absolute terror into everyone who saw it. One employee had a horrific encounter when it jumped on his back and attacked him. He reported it to management who wrote it off as a joke and saw it as a reason for employee’s to be unproductive in the warehouse. The male employee refused to work in the freight area and was moved to administration full time.

This is certainly a story that needs to be followed up and we will try to make contact with the witnesses and the company to seek permission to assess the area first hand.


Pastor Baz.

Paranormal In The News 22/02/10

Dailypost.co.ukDon’t be spooked by Gwrych Castle’s ‘ghost’

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A HISTORIAN who’s spent his life trying to restore and publicise an Abergele castle has dismissed a paranormal investigator’s ghost story, fearing it may spook potential buyers.

Mark Baker spoke out after Kevin Horkin, owner of a management company for psychics, reportedly took photographs of a ghost at Gwrych Castle – which is in the process of being sold.

Mr Dorkin claimed the ghostly image appeared when he was downloading the pictures from his camera.

He plans to buy the landmark and turn it into a psychic retreat, adding that he has already submitted a bid in the region of £850,000.

However, according to Mr Baker, the castle is worth nowhere near that much.

He said: “To say that this is a ghost in Gwrych Castle, I think, is completely untrue.

“He’s claiming he’s paid nearly a million pounds for it? It is not worth that much at all.”

Mr Horkin has a professional interest in the paranormal and said he appreciates it may seem like a hoax.

“To many people, I am sure, it looks as if we are just trying to drum up publicity,” he admitted."

To read more click here

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The American Chronicle Science journalism faces media changes, emerging discoveries

Article from: http://jointreconstudygroup.blogspot.com/ and featured on The American Chronicle.

"“Weird science” and “weird science journalism” may reconfigure how science is explored, communicated and understood.

The field of journalism is going through significant changes as print and broadcast media are transformed by electronic media of various kinds.

Science journalism is no exception. Online and e-journalism, including citizen journalism, is changing not only media platforms but also content and focus.

Sometimes, this is perceived as, and generally acknowledged to be, a trend that has some negative aspects. However, parts of these changes are related to more vigorous coverage of topics that science journalists may have been covering inadequately.

Often sticking with safe and conventional science topics, some science journalists might have missed very interesting emerging developments in a range of scientific areas."

To read more click on the link above.

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BBC NewsVoodoo religion's role in helping Haiti's quake victims

"A month before Haiti's devastating earthquake, prominent musician Theodore "Lolo" Beaubrun and a few friends were summoned by spirits who tried to warn them about the impending cataclysm.

"They told us to pray for Haiti because many people would die," says Mr Beaubrun - the frontman of the group Boukman Eksperyans.

"I thought it was about politics. I didn't know it was going to be an earthquake." "

To read more click here

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Science and Religion Today The Religious Struggle Over Cryptozoology

"From Joe Laycock, a doctoral candidate studying religion and society at Boston University:

In 2003, Loren Coleman started the world’s first cryptozoology museum in Portland, Maine. Coleman’s International Cryptozoology Museum opened publicly in November 2009, and I recently made the trek north to see it. Cryptozoology—the search for animals not yet verified by Western science—is either a useful and legitimate zoological endeavor or a pseudoscience, depending on whom you ask. The media has focused intensely on the most legendary subjects of cryptozoology: the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Yeti. But aside from “the big three,” cryptozoologists claim a number of recent discoveries, including the woodland bison, the giant panda, the okapi (an African mammal related to the giraffe), and the coelacanth—a fish once believed to have been extinct since the Cretaceous period."

To read more click here

Tree doing Ruku Facing Kaba

A muslim friend of mine posted this on their facebook today and I saw it and found it very interesting. It really does look like someone bowing! I know its not Christian and this blog is Christian Cryptozoology and Paranormal Research but I feel it should be on here as its as religiously symbolic to Muslims as the virgin Mary appearing in a tree is to Catholics.
According to another friend this tree is near Nowra in NSW.

Paranormal In The News 15/02/10

vietnamnet.vn Mass Fainting Following Ghost Sighting

"This incident occurred at the Simone Co Ltd in the Long Hau Industrial Zone.

According to staff, a female worker visited the toilets and then ran out shouting saying she had seen a ghost in the toilet before swooning. After that, around 100 female workers also screamed and fainted, too."

To read more click here

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smh.com.au iPhone caught up in ghost reading

"One of WA's most respected mediums is defending his credibility after he publicly analysed a ghost photo which was in fact a fake image captured by an iPhone application."

Click here to read more.

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The Sun Screamy Window

PALE young woman appears at the window of a ruined castle - in a photo said to show a GHOST.

The spooky snap was taken at a building hailed as one of Britain's most haunted.
And the shadowy girl appears to be on the first floor, in what used to be a magnificent banquet hall.
The floor in that room crumbled away years ago, meaning there is nothing for a person to stand on.

Company boss Kevin Horkin took the photo at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, but only saw the ghostly figure when he downloaded his pictures later.


Read more: here

From Bryony: I'm calling photoshop on this one.

REAL LIFE STORIES - AFRICA: A LAND OF BLESSINGS AND CURSES

From Pastor Baz

Wow, what an amazing week it has been because of people from Africa.

AMAZING HEALING

Late last year I tore a ligament in my ankle which was so severe that I was on crutches for three weeks and basically was unable to do any of the sports I participate in.

My Doctor (Ironically from South Africa) told me that if I didn’t rest it and it tore again I would be on crutches for three months.

I felt it was better and I’d opted out of the season for Oztag (non tackle Rugby League) but felt I could surf and ride my push bike.

Last Wednesday I ran home after a prayer meeting at night. The run was only about 1 kilometre and the ankle felt fine. The next day I rode my bike to work, and I couldn’t help but revert back to a ten year old and was jumping off gutters, bunny-hopping puddles and trying to do wheelies.

That night my worst fears were confirmed. The Ligament had torn again and the foot was full of blood and swollen. Even the weight of my blanket on my foot was agony. I could barely walk across my hallway. My wife bought me a walking stick from the local Pharmacy.

But it was not enough.

By that Sunday at 4am when I started work I couldn’t walk and by 9am some of my associates at Church had to carry me so I could go to the bathroom. One of our elders brought a pair of crutches from home for me. I was in agony and inside I knew that I would be out of action for many months. So for three days I got used to the new crutches.

Then Thursday morning, something unexpected happened.

At our combined Churches prayer meeting, a visiting Bishop from Kenya and his wife turned up. They had not planned on speaking but were asked to share stories of Kenyan life.

“We do not have money for medicine” Bishop Evans said in his thick accent “if we are sick, we pray and God heals us”.

He then went on to share a story about a lady in his congregation who was HIV positive, who after prayer was declared negative in two separate tests and went on to have more children.

At the end of the message I went up and thanked Bishop Evans. He took one look at my leg and asked if he could pray for it. He placed his hands on it and simply and forcefully said “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth I take authority over this leg and proclaim healing in the name of Jesus”.

And I was instantly healed, I write this story seven days after the Sunday where I had to be carried to the bathroom, with no strapping or pain relief, having just walked 2 kilometres. The minute after he prayed I put my crutch down and walked.

Jesus still heals today.


SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The Thursday of my healing I was sharing the story with my good friend Dave over lunch. He too had a story about Africa.

That Sunday he had been part of the launch of a new Church in Sydney by an African Pastor. He shared with me two stories the Pastor had told him only days before.

“A lady came to his Church and claimed that God had sent her there. He asked her ‘where are your credentials, which Church did you come from’? She put her head down and went away. The next day she turned up at his front door, suitcases packed and said ‘God has sent me here to serve you and work in your Church and you must take me in’. The Pastor told her she could not come and live with him and asked again where she had come from and what were her credentials for ministry. At that point she started screaming, blaspheming God and pronouncing curses on the Church. As people gathered in horror to watch the spectacle unfold she did an odd spin and movements, and at the end of the spin proclaimed more curses. He said in the name of Jesus be quiet. She spun around again and in front of DOZENS OF ONLOOKERS disappeared – she literally dematerialized in front of the whole crowd as if she was never there’.

‘Another time a lady brought a baby in who she said had been cursed by a witch. As an associate Pastor layed hands on the sick childs forehead, he was bitten by a mouth that appeared on it’s head, while he was looking at the childs face and it’s actual mouth, and the bite was so strong it drew blood’.

Photo by Paul Macri

THE REALITY OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus comes to bring life and life abundantly. People in western countries may not believe in ‘real witchcraft’ and a ‘real devil’ but this is one of dozens of stories I have heard about the bondage that satan brings to the nation of Africa, as well as the healing and authoritative power that Jesus Christ brings. This week, be encouraged that there is a loving God who wants to bring healing to the world through His Son Jesus and that the powers of darkness in this world, whether it is violence, sickness, poverty, the oppression of empire and regime, actual demonic manifestation, discouragement and loss of hope are only temporary. God is restoring all things through Jesus and believers play a huge part in opposing the work of the devil, through faith, hope, love, and the authority given to them by the Son of God. Prayer is the powerful tool that we have been given. For anyone caught in the darkness, simply ask Jesus to shine His light into your life – start by reading the gospel of John in Chapter 3 in the New Testament.

Can Anyone Explain This?

If the following happened to you... how would you explain it?
paranormal.about.com Ghost Dog and The Hyena

My roommate's mother (whose name is Sonja) was in the Peace Corp for a good part of her life and had lived in Africa. She has many fascinating stories, but there is one that stands out among the rest for it has some paranormal influence and that subject interests me. This is a rough summery of the story she told me:


She said when she lived in Kenya, she had two beloved dogs named Niah and Kemwey. They were both hound-dog mixes and they followed her everywhere she went and were very protective of her. While she was over there, she had lived with a veterinarian and she would often go with him to different areas to examine animals that needed assistance.

One night, her veterinarian friend got an emergency call and she decided to go with him. For reasons I can't remember, the call's circumstances were dangerous and she couldn't bring her two hound-dogs with her. The dogs whined and begged to come with her and seemed very unhappy when she penned them inside their enclosure, which wasn't unusual for them, but she got a strange feeling from it nonetheless. Once she and her friend reached their destination, it was around 1:00 a.m. The caller's horse was in labor and the baby foal was proving difficult to birth. To Sonja and her friend's dismay, they had forgotten a good part of their equipment. Sonja volunteered to return to their home to get the rest of their things while the vet tried to work on the horse.

On the bumpy and unpaved road back, she blew a tire. Frustrated, she tried to change the flat in a hurry, for her jeep was uncovered and being broken down in the brush was dangerous because of hungry wild animals. As she worked, she heard an eerie cry behind her. Her blood running cold, she knew exactly what it was: hyena. When she turned, she saw a rather large hyena stumbling her way. When it neared, its eyes reflecting in the jeep headlights, and she noticed the hyena was coughing and frothing at the mouth. Rabies!

She moved just a bit faster and the hyena stumbled closer and closer. Very frightened at this point, she jumped on top of the jeep and began screaming and hollering and trying to make herself look bigger and scary to the sick animal. But the hyena kept right on stumbling forward, frothing at the mouth and hiccupping. Feeling hopeless, she looked around for something to protect her when suddenly she heard a vicious snarl. To her astonishment, saw Kemwey bolt out of nowhere and attack the hyena! Where had he come from? Sonja could only guess because she was a long distance from home.

As the animals fought, she finished the job with the tire. The fighting was bloody, and Sonja knew neither animal would probably survive. She'd have to go home and get her shotgun and shoot both animals if they still continued to fight upon her arrival back. She quickly hopped in her jeep and sped back home. When she got there, another friend was waiting for her at her house. She hurriedly tried to find her gun when her neighbor stopped her. Sorrowfully, her neighbor explained how he was driving and one of Sonja's hounds must've gotten out because he had accidental hit it.

The neighbor led a dazed Sonja behind his truck and showed her the remains of Kemwey in the back. She tried to tell the neighbor about the incident with Kemwey and the hyena, but the neighbor only shrugged and said he was sorry. After giving Sonja Kemwey's body, he drove away. Confused beyond reason at this point, Sonja checked the dog's enclosure and found another mystery. Niah was still in the pen. The gate wasn't open. So how did Kemwey get out? But the real question was: Did Kemwey come back from the dead to rescue her?

Megalodon Or Mistaken Identity?

By Pastor Baz

Some of the most exciting possibilities in Cryptozoology are the continued existence of species that once lived and have been deemed exctinct.

The thrill that they may still exist in small colonies in some remote area has captured the imagination of millions over the years (think Loch Ness, or the Dinosaurs of Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Lost World’ ) as well as capturing the hearts of adventurers who actually live in pursuit of that very possibility – even to the ends of the earth.

Even though the possibilities are slim, it certainly enhances the chances of the sighting being real compared to that of a ‘non-classified’ species like Sasquatch, Chupacabra’s and other strange creatures that defy known zoological studies.

Sharks have long interested me.. They have existed from times that pre-date the Dinosaurs. Like Turtles, Crocodiles and Coelacanth’s they survived age old catastrophes that made millions of other species extinct and continue to dwell with us, albeit in a much smaller version, to this day.

Being a life long surfer, I have had my share of shark encounters – I was circled by two Bronze Whalers in 1992 at Forster, stalked by a Bull Shark in 2001 at Port Stephens, and had a 1.5 metre shark swim under me as I jumped in the water at Terrigal in 2000. But being followed by a ten foot Bull Shark on a surfboard is nothing in terms of fear and awe compared to an eyewitness account from 1918 in the area near Port Stephens NSW, Australia.

Eyewitness Accounts

A few reports of alleged encounters with large, unidentified sharks have been proposed as evidence for C. megalodon survival. One of the most widely cited is an extraordinary tale recounted by Australian naturalist David Stead (1963: 45-46):

In the year 1918 I recorded the sensation that had been caused among the "outside" crayfish men at Port Stephens, when, for several days, they refused to go to sea to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Broughton Island. The men had been at work on the fishing grounds---which lie in deep water---when an immense shark of almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance, lifting pot after pot containing many crayfishes, and taking, as the men said, "pots, mooring lines and all". These crayfish pots, it should be mentioned, were about 3 feet 6 inches [1.06 m] in diameter and frequently contained from two to three dozen good-sized crayfish each weighing several pounds. The men were all unanimous that this shark was something the like of which they had never dreamed of. In company with the local Fisheries Inspector I questioned many of the men very closely and they all agreed as to the gigantic stature of the beast. But the lengths they gave were, on the whole, absurd. I mention them, however, as a indication of the state of mind which this unusual giant had thrown them into. And bear in mind that these were men who were used to the sea and all sorts of weather, and all sorts of sharks as well. One of the crew said the shark was "three hundred feet [90 m] long at least"! Others said it was as long as the wharf on which we stood---about 115 feet [35 m]! They affirmed that the water "boiled" over a large space when the fish swam past. They were all familiar with whales, which they had often seen passing at sea, but this was a vast shark. They had seen its terrible head which was "at least as long as the roof on the wharf shed at Nelson's Bay." Impossible, of course! But these were prosaic and rather stolid men, not given to 'fish stories' nor even to talking about their catches. Further, they knew that the person they were talking to (myself) had heard all the fish stories years before! One of the things that impressed me was that they all agreed as to the ghostly whitish color of the vast fish. The local Fisheries Inspector of the time, Mr Paton, agreed with me that it must have been something really gigantic to put these experienced men into such a state of fear and panic.

There is still much debate about what the crayfisherman of Port Stephens encountered that day. It could have simply been a Whale Shark or a Basking Shark as articles that have tried to debunk the story have suggested. But if the story is true, we have to ask ourselves why such salty old sea dogs were thrown into a state of fear and panic.

It would be extremely interesting to interview a family member who hear this story firsthand.

For full article see http://web.ncf.ca/bz050/megalodon.html

Paranormal In The News - 08/02/10

Gadsden Times ‘Haunted’ bridge may have new home in Attalla

"The former Pleasant Hill Road Bridge, believed to be the oldest bridge in the county, may find a new home in Attalla — if the Etowah County Historical Society can find the funds to move it.

The truss bridge was replaced by the Etowah County Commission after it became too expensive to rehabilitate. It was cut in half and now sits in two 80-foot spans on the proposed Black Creek Trail that would begin near Noccalula Falls. Officials had hoped to use the bridge to span a ravine on the trail, but it proved too expensive to move and use.


Etowah Historical Society President Danny Crownover said society members now are seeking to preserve the bridge, also known as the “Haunted Bridge,” by working with the city of Attalla. The bridge was considered “haunted” because of the noises that could be heard as cars went over the wooden planks and various legends that surrounded it."


To read more click here

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Portsmouth News Plans to convert 'haunted' castle on hill into a home

"PLANS have been submitted to turn a 238-year-old ruin into a modern-day home.

The proposals seek renewed consent to transform Racton Ruins, which is a striking tower that was built on a hill in 1772 and close to the village of Funtington, near Emsworth."

To read more click here

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stuff.co.nz Busting Out The Ghost Theories

"An Invercargill man has taken a photograph that could be proof of the afterlife, or it could be a cloud – who knows? "

Andrew Watters travelled to St Bathans, near Alexandra, with his partner Kim Ward during the weekend in search of the spirits that reputedly haunt its buildings.

To read more click here

 

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Stuff.NZ Verdict Out On Post Office Ghost

"An Invercargill man who took a photo of a possible ghost at St Bathans said his camera mysteriously shut down when he started taking pictures.

The photo Andrew Watters took while he visited St Bathans was published in the Times yesterday showing an image in the top right window of the old post office.

Yesterday, Mr Watters said his camera had mysteriously shut down when he started taking photos. He was not computer savvy enough for any digital image manipulation and if it was a cloud it was a weird one, he said. "

Read more here

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Phantoms and Monsters Video's: The Jersey Devil Found?

"From Lon: Paranormal State's season finale offered a bit of cryptozoology and legend...the search for the 'Jersey Devil'. They were able to capture an infra-red image of a creature that appeared to have wings."To read more click here