Tuesday, July 22, 2008
TAPSCON
I will be publishing an article about Tapscon soon. Will provide a link here when it is posted.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Taps CON
Any comments about Taps CON? I will simply just say that it could have been better organized and my room had to be the nastiest room in the entire hotel. Rusty water, pubic hair all over the bathroom floot, mold in the bathroom, 2 inch gap in the window sill allowing mosquitoes in at night, lipstick on 3 or the 4 cups. This did not make a good impression. Actually, we checked out Saturday morning. While the history might be nice and the downstairs is nice, my room seriously lacked attention. Old is one thing....dirty is completely unacceptable!!!!!!!!! I can definately say I will NEVER stay at the Biltmore again and won't recommend it to anyone. We spoke with about 15 other people who had the same complaint so it was obviously just not us. Oh, I forgot to mention the exposed wires and mold on the ceiling in the corridor just down from us. Yes, I took photos of this in case someone doubted me. I just wanted to share my experience.
Friday, July 11, 2008
GHOSTLY COOKOUT - Sunday, July 13
WOW WHAT A RESPONSE !
We have about 40 people planning to attend.
Our current needs are for some more food items.
Due to response, have change our start time to 4 PM. Park Closes at Dark.
When: Sunday, July 13 from 4 PM - Sunset.
Where: Phillippe Park in Safety Harbor.
How Much: FREE Event
More details here soon.
Get park directions here
List of people and planned items are here:
AnnaMarie - Chocolate cake, nustard and cups
Susan S and Bob -
Ron @ Sharon - plates & silverware
Julie F and Guest -
Jeanne B - Food item
Sam & Deb G - macaroni salad and deviled eggs
Charley and Mary B. Cups, Napkins and utensils
Nancy H and 3 guests - plates , napkins and utensils
Terri P - food item
Pras and 2 guests - maybe
Rick and Denise - -
Frank andDebbie - -
Luann - maybe
Mike and Linda - Beans and Brownies
Claire and Ramon - Chips and dips
Christi P. -
Debbie - hashbrown casserole
Helen B and guest- food item
Al and Patricia -
Ronn and Sharon -
Check S. and Guest
Lee and Susie and Diana -
Kathy F - Drinks
Angela and Cathy - potato salad and buffalo wings
Bill - Hamburgers and Brats
PLEASE RSVP FOR THE COOKOUT BY POSTING YOUR COMMENT BELOW.
We have about 40 people planning to attend.
Our current needs are for some more food items.
Due to response, have change our start time to 4 PM. Park Closes at Dark.
When: Sunday, July 13 from 4 PM - Sunset.
Where: Phillippe Park in Safety Harbor.
How Much: FREE Event
More details here soon.
Get park directions here
List of people and planned items are here:
AnnaMarie - Chocolate cake, nustard and cups
Susan S and Bob -
Ron @ Sharon - plates & silverware
Julie F and Guest -
Jeanne B - Food item
Sam & Deb G - macaroni salad and deviled eggs
Charley and Mary B. Cups, Napkins and utensils
Nancy H and 3 guests - plates , napkins and utensils
Terri P - food item
Pras and 2 guests - maybe
Rick and Denise - -
Frank andDebbie - -
Luann - maybe
Mike and Linda - Beans and Brownies
Claire and Ramon - Chips and dips
Christi P. -
Debbie - hashbrown casserole
Helen B and guest- food item
Al and Patricia -
Ronn and Sharon -
Check S. and Guest
Lee and Susie and Diana -
Kathy F - Drinks
Angela and Cathy - potato salad and buffalo wings
Bill - Hamburgers and Brats
PLEASE RSVP FOR THE COOKOUT BY POSTING YOUR COMMENT BELOW.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Cedar Key Night Shot Video Camera
I have a DVD from the bar at Cedar Key. If anyone is interested in watching 1 to 2 hours of still shot video camera for experience. After about 20 minutes your eyes start to burn. This will give you a little insite into what Steve on Taps must go through. Let me know I will bring the DVD with me to the cook out. I wont say if there is anything found on the tape cause I don't want to ruin the end of the movie for you... Just kidding. Let me know.
Anna Marie
Pandooora@aol.com
Anna Marie
Pandooora@aol.com
Sunday, June 29, 2008
July 2nd Investigation Invitation
When: Wed, July 2, 11 PM - 1 AM
Where: Dave's Aqua Lounge
10820 Gandy Blvd. - St. Petersburg
(This is located on the Causeway, about 1/2 mile EAST of 4th St. N.)
How Much: No Cost to attend. (However, I am sure if you spent a dollar at Dave's he would appreciate it)
RSVP to investigation leader Al Dubiel at 727-656-1124 or email him at dubielstrains@tampabay.rr.com with your plans to attend and any equipment you plan to bring.
Please wear soft sole shoes to keep down any noise.
PLEASE BE ON TIME !
Where: Dave's Aqua Lounge
10820 Gandy Blvd. - St. Petersburg
(This is located on the Causeway, about 1/2 mile EAST of 4th St. N.)
How Much: No Cost to attend. (However, I am sure if you spent a dollar at Dave's he would appreciate it)
RSVP to investigation leader Al Dubiel at 727-656-1124 or email him at dubielstrains@tampabay.rr.com with your plans to attend and any equipment you plan to bring.
Please wear soft sole shoes to keep down any noise.
PLEASE BE ON TIME !
Team sign ups
It seems a lot of people are afraid they will be left behind. No one who wants to participate will be left behind. As mentioned at the meetings and Cedar Key if you would like to be added to an investigation team please email me at Pandooora@aol.com .
Investigations have not started yet and we are just getting things set up so relax. Remember when volunteering for a team. You must be a paid member. You must keep in contact with your team leader. You should stay as active in Tampa Ghost Watchers activities as possible.
These investigations are in private homes. Team can be changed without notice for undisclosed reasons. They must be handled professionally. If you volunteer be ready to do the work. You must review all your evidence and get back to the team leader in a timely manor. Should you find that investigations take too much of your time, you can resign from a team and be placed back on one in a later date.
Thank You
Anna Marie
Investigations have not started yet and we are just getting things set up so relax. Remember when volunteering for a team. You must be a paid member. You must keep in contact with your team leader. You should stay as active in Tampa Ghost Watchers activities as possible.
These investigations are in private homes. Team can be changed without notice for undisclosed reasons. They must be handled professionally. If you volunteer be ready to do the work. You must review all your evidence and get back to the team leader in a timely manor. Should you find that investigations take too much of your time, you can resign from a team and be placed back on one in a later date.
Thank You
Anna Marie
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Enough with the Orbs Already
Enough with the Orbs Already
From Stephen Wagner
Your Guide to Paranormal Phenomena.
It’s time to drop them as paranormal evidence
THERE IS AN ongoing debate, or at least spirited discussion, among ghost hunters and paranormal investigators about the validity of orbs as paranormal evidence. Orbs are anomalous spots that sometimes show up in photographs. Most are white, some are multicolored; some look solid, others appear textured.
Many ghost hunters believe they are evidence of ghosts – that they are some kind of spirit or psychic energy manifesting as these glowing balls of light. A growing number of researchers, however, are concluding that orbs are nothing more than dust particles illuminated by the camera flash. Actually, researchers will usually say that “most” such orbs are the result of dust, being reluctant to say that “all” are dust, leaving room for the possibility of a paranormal explanation.
The Experiments
Countless experiments have now been conducted showing that dusty areas do produce orbs in flash photographs. (See The Truth About Orbs and Orbs and Artifacts among many other web articles for the technical details.) Small insects, rain, snow, pollen and other airborne particulates can also produce them. These experiments were designed to show that these airborne elements can be the cause of orbs and may not necessarily be ghost phenomena.
I applaud these efforts, but the essential question, it seems to me, is: How did orbs in photographs become associated with ghost phenomena in the first place? In other words, why do they even need to be disproved? Yes, anomalous white spots occasionally appear in photos... How do we suddenly make the great leap to say that they are spirit energy? That’s quite a leap. And an erroneous one, in my estimation.
Paranormal Assumption
I suspect this is how it came about.
Most people do not take photographs in very dark locations, either indoors or outdoors. The people who do this on a regular basis, however, are ghost hunters. Skulking around abandoned buildings and cemeteries at night with their digital cameras, you will hear them announce “Flash” (to warn fellow ghost hunters) as they snap dozens of pictures.
Of course, they did not see any luminous orbs of light with their naked eyes when they took the pictures, but there in many of the photos – plain as day against the relatively dark background – are brightly glowing orbs. The ghost hunters are in a possibly haunted location… the orbs were invisible to the eye… yet they show up in the photos… they must be something paranormal, they conclude. They must be spirit energy.
I belong to a ghost hunting group, so I know how eager members are to find evidence of a haunting. Seeing that unexpected orb in a photo gets them excited. “Proof!”
Well, hardly, I’m sorry to say. Real ghost evidence is darn hard to come by and has proved devilishly difficult to document. Orbs, unfortunately, have become all-too-easy things to point to as evidence when they are most certainly nothing of the kind. The experiments with dust and insects have shown that clearly.
A Common Anomaly
“Well, then why do orbs show up in ghost hunting photographs? Why don’t they show up in everyday pictures?” I have heard ghost hunters make that argument.
The fact is, they do show up in everyday pictures – quite frequently. I receive dozens of such photos every month from readers. The photos are not from ghost hunts, but from birthday parties, sports events, holidays – the usually things people take pictures of. They contain the same wide variety of orbs – white, colored, textured and seemingly moving – as those taken in cemeteries and haunted houses.
It could be argued that these everyday pictures are also capturing spirit activity, but of course there’s no way to prove that. The simpler explanation is that it’s just dust.
Again, these orbs tend to show up more prominently in ghost hunting photographs because they are usually taken in a darkened environment and they stand out more clearly against the dark background. But they do show up under normal lighting conditions, even if more faintly.
And what of moving orbs caught on video? The ones I’ve seen can most easily be explained as flying insects and, yes, floating motes of dust.
Please, No More
So at this point I am willing to dismiss all orb photos as non-paranormal anomalies. There seems to be no compelling reason to consider them as anything but dust and such. There are much more interesting and mysterious areas of ghost research to occupy our time and resources – such as electronic voice phenomena.
Let’s not waste any more speculation on orbs. Enough already.
From Stephen Wagner
Your Guide to Paranormal Phenomena.
It’s time to drop them as paranormal evidence
THERE IS AN ongoing debate, or at least spirited discussion, among ghost hunters and paranormal investigators about the validity of orbs as paranormal evidence. Orbs are anomalous spots that sometimes show up in photographs. Most are white, some are multicolored; some look solid, others appear textured.
Many ghost hunters believe they are evidence of ghosts – that they are some kind of spirit or psychic energy manifesting as these glowing balls of light. A growing number of researchers, however, are concluding that orbs are nothing more than dust particles illuminated by the camera flash. Actually, researchers will usually say that “most” such orbs are the result of dust, being reluctant to say that “all” are dust, leaving room for the possibility of a paranormal explanation.
The Experiments
Countless experiments have now been conducted showing that dusty areas do produce orbs in flash photographs. (See The Truth About Orbs and Orbs and Artifacts among many other web articles for the technical details.) Small insects, rain, snow, pollen and other airborne particulates can also produce them. These experiments were designed to show that these airborne elements can be the cause of orbs and may not necessarily be ghost phenomena.
I applaud these efforts, but the essential question, it seems to me, is: How did orbs in photographs become associated with ghost phenomena in the first place? In other words, why do they even need to be disproved? Yes, anomalous white spots occasionally appear in photos... How do we suddenly make the great leap to say that they are spirit energy? That’s quite a leap. And an erroneous one, in my estimation.
Paranormal Assumption
I suspect this is how it came about.
Most people do not take photographs in very dark locations, either indoors or outdoors. The people who do this on a regular basis, however, are ghost hunters. Skulking around abandoned buildings and cemeteries at night with their digital cameras, you will hear them announce “Flash” (to warn fellow ghost hunters) as they snap dozens of pictures.
Of course, they did not see any luminous orbs of light with their naked eyes when they took the pictures, but there in many of the photos – plain as day against the relatively dark background – are brightly glowing orbs. The ghost hunters are in a possibly haunted location… the orbs were invisible to the eye… yet they show up in the photos… they must be something paranormal, they conclude. They must be spirit energy.
I belong to a ghost hunting group, so I know how eager members are to find evidence of a haunting. Seeing that unexpected orb in a photo gets them excited. “Proof!”
Well, hardly, I’m sorry to say. Real ghost evidence is darn hard to come by and has proved devilishly difficult to document. Orbs, unfortunately, have become all-too-easy things to point to as evidence when they are most certainly nothing of the kind. The experiments with dust and insects have shown that clearly.
A Common Anomaly
“Well, then why do orbs show up in ghost hunting photographs? Why don’t they show up in everyday pictures?” I have heard ghost hunters make that argument.
The fact is, they do show up in everyday pictures – quite frequently. I receive dozens of such photos every month from readers. The photos are not from ghost hunts, but from birthday parties, sports events, holidays – the usually things people take pictures of. They contain the same wide variety of orbs – white, colored, textured and seemingly moving – as those taken in cemeteries and haunted houses.
It could be argued that these everyday pictures are also capturing spirit activity, but of course there’s no way to prove that. The simpler explanation is that it’s just dust.
Again, these orbs tend to show up more prominently in ghost hunting photographs because they are usually taken in a darkened environment and they stand out more clearly against the dark background. But they do show up under normal lighting conditions, even if more faintly.
And what of moving orbs caught on video? The ones I’ve seen can most easily be explained as flying insects and, yes, floating motes of dust.
Please, No More
So at this point I am willing to dismiss all orb photos as non-paranormal anomalies. There seems to be no compelling reason to consider them as anything but dust and such. There are much more interesting and mysterious areas of ghost research to occupy our time and resources – such as electronic voice phenomena.
Let’s not waste any more speculation on orbs. Enough already.
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