Claremont Paranormal's

Mystics and Science Web Cast!

2011-06-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

Big news! Join us June 26th at 9:00 PM Pacific time to 1:00 AM for our very web cast, brought to you live from the Rialto Historical Society, in Rialto, California. Here's the low down:

Mystics and Science Web Cast

Some of the best mediums, or mystics, I have ever met will be working along side good ol' skeptical science in this first ever web cast featuring Claranormal. Also on hand will be Yussi Paranormal, SIPA (who put this together) and members from various teams in the area, including members of the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project.

Please join us from home as the 4 camera stream takes you live into the Rialto historical Society in Rialto, California.

The Rialto historical society is the subject of the book titled "The Little Girl in the Window" by John Anthony Adams, as well as a soon to be broadcast TV show investigation and another soon to be released docudrama.

You will have a front row seat at this excellent location before it hits the small screen near you, and you can actively participate in the ongoing investigation, see what the mediums come up with versus what science comes up with. And best of all you'll be able to watch us sweat out butts off in this non-air conditioned spot!
It isn't a competition between mystics and science, but both working together with a common goal in mind: to find out what, if anything, haunts this location.

So drop on by! We'll have chat running too so you can ask questions or inform us of anything you catch on your screen.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/claranormal-live

3-06-2011 Updates...

2011-03-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we added anything here update wise, so I guess it's time to write, lol!
So much has happened since I wrote the below entries.
Through all this time we've continued investigating great locations and have helped people with ghost and spirit activity while on ghost hunts.
We appeared on television on the Tori and Dean show last March.
We began our radio show on 7-02-10 at http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal.
Later we were offered our own TV show which was pitched but not picked up.
We helped a little bit with organizing the first ever SoCalParaCon.
Our group grew in October, shrank in November, then grew explosively in late December.
We've worked helping to put together a couple of TV shows in various capacities, none paid, talked to some producers about some projects, and things like that.
In other words, everything we do has been an ongoing concern. We've gone on many great ghost hunts and taken on some great, and puzzling paranormal investigations.

Now on the media attention, let me explain a couple of things.
Just because the media knocks on our door (and occasionally vice-versa) doesn't mean we're sell-outs. We will always have the highest possible standards in regards to our evidence collection and presentation. 99+% of what we get in the field is discarded for one reason or another, and we'll never change that in order to make a good presentation. Helping people is our first priority, and collecting real proof of ghost and spirit activity is what we seek. If the attention comes, great, and if not, we're still doing what we love.

The paranormal field is a lot of fun. We meet up with some of the most impressive people who happen to be in this field, clients and other groups alike, as well as people of various beliefs and opinions. So many of these people are razor sharp smart, have incredible sense of humors, are innovative and are a pleasure to work with. Altruistic too, in that none of us make money doing this. If a paranormal group charges for their services, they are generally looked upon as pariahs, scam artists, so none of the reputable groups charge for their services. However, this "hobby" is not a cheap hobby.
Equipment costs money. Travel costs money. Some locations charge for entry, the best of which can be very expensive. So what to do, hmmmm. Costs money, don't charge.
A ghost hunting crew can simply eat the costs, which is what almost all of us do, or they can recycle what they are already doing for their clients or themselves and present their findings it to the general public in the hopes of offsetting their costs. This can be done by writing a book, creating YouTube videos which may earn them adsense income if their videos do well, or they can land a TV contract.

Each year hundreds of people and groups do in fact vie for a scant handful of TV show openings, and even the fact that dozens of shows are developed each year, very, very few ever make it onto the air, leaving so very many people and groups without a TV show and the prospect of earning an income while enjoying their hobby. That's just the nature of the beast folks, the entertainment industry. There's only so many time slots, only so many shows, and only the best and / or most lucky make it onto the air.
One thing to remember about TV shows based the paranormal field is that first and foremost, it's entertainment. Advertisers, producers, stations and networks must turn a profit or the shows go off the air. This leads many to believe that these shows make things up, fabricate evidence, and maybe some do, but I have never seen this happen. Everyone we have worked with is top notch, A+ people, and I have yet to witness anything untoward on a filming. Granted, I haven't seen a lot of them, but the point is that I myself have never witnessed chicanery of any sort.
We will never "sell-out," and just as I know that we do not present fake evidence, my sincere hope is that none do. Ever.

Paranormal State Exposed?

2011-03-05T11:16:00.001-08:00

Paranormal State, Exposed? Author Kirby Robinson joins up today at 5 PM Pacific, 8 Eastern to tell us about his new book, Paranormal Reality: Investigating Paranormal State.
http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal

Welcome to our new members!

2011-02-03T00:14:00.001-08:00

We've been busy, no doubt about it, and without the help of our newest members it would not have been possible to keep up with the load!
We welcomed Chris and Lilia Willis to the crew in December of last year, and I, Steve, had my first opportunity to work with them personally today, and all I can say is wow! Chris is a great guy, super knowledgeable, and Lilia is an outstanding medium.
Now, those of you who have been watching us over the years or have listened to our radio show for months know that we're not real big into psychics and mediums as a rule, because mediumship is very subjective. What I mean is that which a medium "gets" is very difficult to prove, almost as difficult as showing spirit activity on film, yet some very special people we know and have met over the years are in fact very special. Lilia is one of them, and I'm very pleased to have her on board.

Also joining us this last month is the Inland Empire PIOCLA crew, Kelley, Natalie, Travis, Sandy, Matt, Ronette, Nick, and Becky. They are now the Claranormal affiliate group RealDealParanormal.com. Their website should be complete in the next week or so.

We're also very fortunate to know and work with some great people in this field, such as SoCalGhostCrew, Yussi Parranormal, SIPA, Don Staggs, Doug Carnahan, Jon at GRI, Jerry Williams, Angela Teresa Collins, and Mystic Chavah come to mind on a list which now numbers into the hundreds, (if you didn't make that short list, it's not a reflection of you, but rather a reflection of the late hour in which I write this) and we'll continue to do so while counting our blessings in knowing them. Thanks for being pals, guys!

More big stuff coming too folks, so be on the lookout!

First post of the year? Yup, and big news coming!

2011-01-26T23:29:00.000-08:00

You may have thought we've been awfully quiet, and yes, publicly we have been as we work on new locations and a new crew line up for 2011, but the quiet is about to end! Not quite yet, but soon, I promise! By this time next week we'll have announcements to make.
In the mean time, we have put up several new videos onto Youtube and LifeAfterLiving.com, most of which are EVP based, and one is based on an investigation we did live on our radio show, Claranormal Talk Radio. Check them out! We also have about 30 new EVPs posted on LifeAfterLiving, as well as on Claranormal.com.

Steve's back!

2010-12-12T17:44:00.001-08:00

12/12/2010
It's now official, Steve is back! He's taking a lesser role due to time constraints, but overall this is good news!

More changes!

2010-11-27T11:26:00.001-08:00

The roster has been improved further still! Steve has stepped out of this group to pursue his own interests, and leaves behind a great crew! Steve hand chose this crew along with Justin, and has every confidence in them as they roll into the future.

Claranormal on the Air 4 Days a Week

2010-11-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! Yes, it's been much too long.
We have new members, coming, and if we have to spend 2 years combing the countryside for new members, we will!

One of the side effects of adding members is expansion of our ability to get things done. For example out internet radio show, which can be found at http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal.
For a good long while we were on Tuesday and Fridays at 9 PM Pacific time with just general chit chat about the paranormal. We then branched out, including Thursdays at 9PM Pacific with a new show called "Ask Ovilus."

Ask Ovilus is a simple concept that is needlessly complicated when explaining it, so I'll truncate the explanation for you, the reader.

The theory is that people who've passed, spirits in other words, are no longer bound by matter nor three dimensions, and as such are free to travel through both time and space as they wish. People either call into the show (917-889-9432) to ask questions, or they ask them in the show's chat room. We then pass the question to the Paranormal PX, a much more advanced version of the original Ovilus, and which also contains elements of the Paranormal Puck. In theory a spirit will hear the question, travel to where the PX Ovilus is, and manipulate the machine into giving an answer. so far the jury is still out as to whether it's effective, and that's one of the reasons tthe show exists, to see if the machine does anything at all.

When we added more people, the idea struck that we should have a sort of 'girls night out' show, so I asked our lady members if they'd like to participate in this. A resounding yes was the answer. We toyed with days, times and all that, and it was finally decided that the Ask Ovilus would move to Wednesday's at 9 PM Pacific time, and Ghost Hunter Girls Gone Wild (one of the earlier titles that was nixed) would slide into the former Ask Ovilus time slot, Thursday's at 9 PM Pacific time. This show is now canceled.

The new show, formally known as Ghost Hunter Girls Live, Featuring the Ladies of Claranormal came in to being on October 28th, and is now canceled.

So there you have it, the latest updates, and there will some more news, big news, coming soon!
So remember,
Claranormal Talk Radio
http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal
Tuesday thorugh Friday at 9:00 PM Pacific time
917-889-9432

The SoCalParaCon and Beyond

2010-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss in reporting here about the SoCalParaCon, as well as anything else the last few months on the site, and for that I apologize. It's not that I haven't wanted to report anything here, it's just that I've been too busy to do any web editing, so all reports of new stuff and news in general has been posted on our FaceBook page, and reported on our radio show, (http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal) a quick and simple way to do this, and perfect for saving time. The radio show is currently on three days a week at 9:00 PM Pacific time, Tuesdays with an open format, Thursdays, Ask Ovilus, and Fridays which is Ghosts in History day.

Most recent news:
Yesterday was the SoCalParaCon, the very first one, and the largest paranormal convention ever in Southern California. There were well over 200 attendees from what I'm told, and I was able to meet many really great people, and meet up with a some people I had met before. I did not snap any pictures of either the paracon, nor of the participants, as there were good photographers doing just that.
On the SoCalParacon, we were sort of junior members of the team that put it together, and really didn't do much to make it happen. We got in in the early stages, but not the very beginning, and our financial contribution towards the ParaCon was almost nil, this due to the fact that I and my business got into poor financial situation, and my energies and finances were needed to put towards saving my business. Yes, we promoted the Paracon, we made the suggestion and initial inquiry into the L.A. Convention Center as a location for the event when the 2nd of three candidates fell through. I worked with the Museum of Death to secure that location as a second location for the AfterCon ghost hunt, but that was at Jessica's urging after the other three hunt locations fell though, one of which I worked fruitlessly on, that one holding the key to the other two. By and large, our contribution was miniscule, especially compared to the efforts of the others involved in the committee who put this on. And heading the committee was Jessica, who was, simply put, a rock star!
One of the funnier things I witnessed, funny to me at least, was the great number of people having pictures taken of themselves with the various personalities at the event, which to me is a rather odd custom. Although I certainly understand it, it really isn't my bag, as to me it slides perilously close to sycophantism. Don't get me wrong, I like and respect these people, I'm simply more comfortable meeting and conversing with the 'stars' in the paranormal field as colleagues rather than as 'heroes.' People are people, not 'photo-ops' as far as I'm concerned, but I don't begrudge people with the opposing view.
I saw Rex Williams, but he never got close enough to me to 'meet and greet,' and I've never seen his show anyway, so what would be the common ground in which to warrant shaking his hand and conversing with him? Same with Christopher Booth, he never approached close enough to meet, although I have seen some of the productions he and his brother have put together.

On that note, "The Haunted Boy: The Secret Diary of the Exorcist," based on the true story behind the movie "The Exorcist" looks like it's going to be great! Mr. Booth was there to give a preview of the film, and folks, this is a must see! I can't add any flowery descriptive to that, it's simply a must see.
I have no pictures to prove I met Douglas Carnahan, Mark Nelson, Don Staggs (finally) Scott Gruenwald, et al, however I am none the less pleased with having done so. Don, Doug, and Scott are extraordinary individuals, in and out of this field. and each of whom I was greatly impressed with. A+ people. I only got to speak with Mark Nelson briefly when he was on his way out of the convention, and from the little bit of conversation I had with him, I'd say that he too is an A+ person.
On Mark Nelson, he gave a demonstration of psychometry, and although it seemed scintillating, from my vantage point I couldn't hear a thing, so my hope is that next year they'll have the personalities hooked to wireless microphones.
On Scott Gruenwald, and not to the detriment of any one else I met at the SoCalParaCon, he was by far was the most impressive. He's a super cool guy, a bundle of enormous energy, and he lets it all hang out. Simply put, he himself is a force of nature, an extraordinary individual.
To be sure, our group is sort of the "Odd Duck" in the local field. We were not "trained" or mentored by any of the local "stalwarts" in the field, nor were we trained by, or imitate televisions shows. We have learned the field from the ground up by studying the field in text books, and by experience in the field. Nor would we ever deign ourselves to be the end all, be all authorities in this field, as I have a conscious aversion to people who posture and position themselves as the greatest thing since sliced bread in any field. This, however, has left us a bit isolated from the local groups, something that hopefully my presence at the ParaCon helped resolve.

What's amazing to me though, is that nearly every speaker I heard at the ParaCon thinks, believes, and works almost exactly as we do. One in fact trumpeted the work of late, great Hans Holzer PhD, a personal hero of mine, (which you would know if you've listen to my radio show over the last month or two) and someone who, if he were still alive, I'd be MORE than thrilled to have my photo taken with! That would be a picture worthy the undertaking of a tiny bit of sycophant behavior.

We have always promoted groups working together in this field and stopping the ego driven drivel which permeates this field EVERYWHERE, something we have harped on quite heavily on our radio show since inception, and have stated publicly many, many times, long before the radio show came into being. The good news is that most of the people and groups I spoke with at the paranormal convention were extremely forthcoming, open, polite and friendly, yet, and this just floors me, a few people were none of the above. No names, and that's how it'll stay.
The AfterCon P.I.E.
This is my term for it, a tongue in cheek poke in the eye at the use of acronyms in the paranormal field, and it stands for the After Paranormal Convention Paranormal Investigation Event.
The P.I.E. was originally set to go to 3 locations on Hollywood Blvd, but we just couldn't seem to hammer out an agreement with any of these places through no fault of our own. I'm not going to mention names, but one particular person in this fiasco refused to return calls, and we were sort of stuck without a P.I.E. location until almost the last minute. Luckily the folks from Boyle Heights Paranormal Project came though for the SoCalParaCon with Linda Vista Hospital.
This was the primary location for the P.I.E., Linda Vista Hospital, as seen on Ghost Adventures, You Tube and Tori and Dean Home Sweet Hollywood (with yours truly). Even though the tickets for this were event were $75.00 each, all of the available slots sold out fast, as one would expect of an uber-haunted location which has been televised. Due to the sell out of tickets, I, along with a great number of others, were not able to attend the Linda Vista Hospital Investigation, as only so many people could be allowed in there at a time.
I was asked by Jessica, who was the primary force behind the ParaCon, to secure a secondary location for a paranormal investigation, and her suggestion was the Museum of Death on Hollywood Blvd., a business she'd been to before, and she thought was an "awesome place."
Well, as it turned out, I got designated as the lead for the Museum of Death, a place I have never before visited and knew nothing about, "leading" a group of people I had never met before that day, so "leading an investigation" was quite out of the question, as I had no idea of the investigators' techniques nor capabilities, nor what to expect of the Museum itself. I decided the best course of action would be to allow those who came to just "do what they will" rather than try and focus them in any particular area. Let face it folks, the people who went on the investigations are veteran ghost hunters in their own right, and really didn't need me telling them what to do. That would have been pretentious.
The Museum of Death is owned and operated by Cathee and J.D., in order of my introduction to each, and is managed by Eric. I spoke to Eric on the phone, a pleasure to be sure, and I met Cathee and J.D. for the first time the night of the investigation. As one would expect of owners of a Museum of Death, they are characters, but in a good way. Both being very lively and upbeat, they run the place in a lively and upbeat manner. A bit odd considering the subject matter, death and the manner of deaths presented, is anything but "lively." It was very much a pleasure to visit despite this apparent dichotomy.
Funny sight: I saw a lady and her husband enter the Museum of Death when I first arrived, and saw them leave a short time later, the lady obviously unsettled. Nevertheless I gobbled a foot long meatball sandwich from Subway before going in to see the exhibits, although I wasn't sure that was such a great idea. However, I had not eaten anything all day, was on the verge of passing out, so when I was told there was a Subway next door to the museum, I was off like a shot. Surprisingly I had no regurgitation issues at all despite the gore displayed. My grub stayed right where it needed to be.
The Investigation
I can't write on the Linda Vista Hospital investigation, because I was not permitted to attend, even after the Museum of Death investigation ended at 1:00 AM, so I'll leave that to those fortunate enough to have attended. Jess texted me at 1:12 AM from Linda Vista while I was on my long drive home asking if we were done with the Museum of Death investigation, (Scott and most of the people with him left somewhere around midnight) which was of course was answered with an affirmative, and texted back that we had in fact caught some EVP's, and had a sighting of an apparent spirit. Later she texted me that there was "awesome lots of activity" at LVH.

Back at the Museum of Death
This was the first ever investigation of the Hollywood Museum of Death according to the proprietors,
The ladies with a group from Stockton, California had both witnessed a ghost of a woman standing directly behind me, and I mean RIGHT behind me. My first instinct was the same as if they had told me there was a rattlesnake behind me, but I quelled that knee jerk reaction and held my ground. I don't run from ghosts or spirits, but usually head towards them. Still, it's a bit unsettling to have two people tell you, and confirm for each other that there's a spirit they can SEE behind you, almost breathing down your neck. I checked both of their eyes (not easy in the dark) to ensure they were both looking in exactly the same direction, at the same exact thing, and yes, they were. I wanted to be positive they were not engaging in an elaborate ruse, you know, a clever game of "Scare the Ghost Hunter." Even though I didn't think they would ever do such a thing, I still wanted to be able to document for myself that this was an honest sighting. I believe it was.
The area that I feel was the most active in this building was the area with the Sharon Tate, and Elizabeth Short (black Dahlia) crime scene photos in it. We caught EVP's in this area, felt something moving around like a charged energy, and logged a 6 degree temperature drop in an area which had no openings in it at all, and which a short time later resumed it's baseline temperature. The Stockton investigators also had this stuff I have never used called "Ghost Powder," which is sprinkled on ones clothing, and which in theory 'lights up' or gives off visible light when said area of clothing is touched by a spirit in complete darkness. One of the lady's present said she was being touched by something unseen, and sure enough, the powder glowed, affirming this.
The second most I feel was the area with the severed head of a serial killer on display. This is an actual head of a man who killed over 200 women in France, and was executed by Guillotine in 1923. This is where the spirit of the woman behind me manifested.

We also experience 11 or 12 seemingly random hits on the K2 meter in various spots of the museum, from outside the front door, to almost every room. These measured up to 10 milligauss, but what's odd is the the other EMF meter, our Ghost Meter, never sounded off once.
Lastly, I took a photo of the proprietors before I left to display with the written account and the evidence collected, but it did not turn out. Something odd happened to it, like a double exposure, but what's curious is that something moved in the photo which is not part and parcel of a double exposure. Further strange is that I examined the photo before leaving the premises, and there was nothing odd about it at all. It was clear, but when I downloaded the photo is was full of artifacts.

So you want to be a paranormal investigator / ghost hunter.

2010-07-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

Ghost hunts and investigations have their ups and downs, and they are a bit different than you might see on TV. Here's a few examples.

The Good: Adrenaline rush from doing something scary.
The Bad: It's dull, the need for quiet being paramount.

The Good: You meet interesting people on both sides of the veil.
The Bad: You meet "interesting people" on both sides of the veil.

The Good: Collecting lots of evidence, fair to top quality.
The Bad: Going over the evidence, (which becomes quite tedious) the pay offs being few and far between. Every hour of evidence requires 1.5 to 5 hours to analyze properly.

The Good: Lots of great people in the paranormal community willing to help you.
The Bad: Lots of jealous jerks in the paranormal community who think, for no reason at all, that they are better than everybody, and nobody knows anything but them. Many of these are "Evidence Nazis." This isn't to trivialize Nazis, all of whom I'm sure are having a very bad afterlife, nor to make light of Nazis. An evidence Nazi is someone who trivializes everyone Else's evidence as bogus simply because they didn't capture it. They'll come up with all sorts of cockamamie explanations for a crazy picture that is not their own. What's important to realize is that they're out there, the closet skeptics, and to not let them under ones skin.

The Good: Ghosts do occasionally get caught in images or in sound recordings.
The Bad: Ghost don't show up, talk, materialize on command. It's easy to forget, even for us, how many hours of recorded material is needed to catch a 1 second anomaly.

The Good: You help people on both sides of the divide.
The Bad: If you're ethical, you don't make a dime for your services.

The Good: You could become famous, or get on television.
The Bad: You could become famous, or get on television. From then on, due largely to the jealousy factor, the potential is there for you to become labeled a sell out, not strict with your evidence, doing it only for money, etc. As long as you know your motivation is good, sincere, none of what the jealous set says matters much.

The Good: You get to help people. That should be the number one goal. Secondary to that is having fun, satisfying curiosity, and getting the crap scared out of you on occasion.
The Bad: I got nothin'.

On tools you'd need to get started, they are, in order of importance:
1. Integrity. You can do a hunt stark naked with no equipment or a group at all if you have your integrity (BTW, NEVER do a hunt alone! Always be in a team at all times of at least two people!) Loose your integrity and you might as well join a traveling carnival, because your ghost hunting days are done. Documenting findings is problematic though, so you'll need...

2. A sound recorder. If you go with analog tape, be sure that your tapes are always new, and never, ever used twice. I had someone in my group send me a sound recording. He was all excited. "There's piano music bleeding over from another dimension." I was stoked. "Cool, crazy abnormal evidence! Send it to me" I said.
Well, it was a recording that a friend of a member made on location with analog tape. Used tape. This guy was a vocal music student. The piano music was the guy's taped lessons. Seems he inadvertently was lightly pressing on the "stop" button on the recorder while recording. This caused the recording head to come off the tape slightly, allowing the previous music session to stay and mix with the EVP session. It took me about .21 seconds to figure this out, and another .21 seconds to call our member up and, well, I wasn't very happy. There are also analog tapless recorders, but I have the best luck with my trusty Sony digital recorder. And it's far easier to load onto a computer for examination than analog.

3. A camera. If you're good with film (I am not) use a film camera. Do know that the costs for developing can get pricey. After a few rolls with nothing to show this cost is going to become an annoying burden though. When you do get results they can be spectacular. Unfortunately for every 100 to 200 hundred photos you might get one anomalous photo, if that. Digital is cost effective, but a bit more prone to false orbs (yes, I know, TAPS says orbs are almost all dust or bugs (or moisture) but the actual number isn't quite that bad, at least as far as my research shows. Still, we do disregard 99.999% of orb photos. Bill Cook, a 20 year veteran in this field told me the other day "If I see even one more orb photo I swear I will throw up!" Bill runs the Haunted Barstow tours.

I'm a show killer!

2010-07-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm a show killer. I called into PIOCLA's show tonight as their host was working solo without his normal partner, and he was doing a great job. I watched on screen as his number of listeners dropped off the second I called in.
"OMG, I feel so terrible! I'm so sorry, I killed your show!" I exclaimed. So I got off his show and got prepped for mine with 5 minutes to spare, then just to prove I'm a serial show killer, I then went our show and proptly killed it too!
I hearby pronounce a ban on myself from the Claranormal talk radio show, and ask my collegues at Claranormal to step up to the plate!

2nd radio show's archived, third is Friday!

2010-07-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

We're on the air again on the 16th, so come on over and join us at http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal
We'll cover a lot of ground I'm sure, and you'll be able to listen, call in, and chat with others who are into the paranormal, so come on and let's have us a party!
Overall this radio thing is getting easier, and honestly, I think I'll stick to the "sort of prepared, but not overly prepared" format we've done so far. An hour goes by fast, so trying to fully prepare is a bit silly.
Hope to hear and see you there!

Claranormal on the air

2010-07-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Some fellow paranormal investigators I know, PIOCLA, started an Internet radio program, and I've been an avid listener and some time caller from close to the first show. They broadcast Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 PM Pacific time, they're great guys, and are learning this field by leaps and bounds on a weekly basis.
Last Friday I tuned in for the start of their show, but the show was silent. There was a header which said "Waiting for Host to Call In..." Uh oh. I waited for about a half an hour, shot them an email "Um, guys, there's a radio show on and the hosts are missing. Hope all is well," or something to that effect.
While I waited I continued to goof around on the blog talk radio site, and I started exploring how the site, the radio and hosting features work.
Before I knew it I had signed up to host a show. More to the point, I had 6 minutes until air time.
"What a stupid jerk I am. Seriously, who does this? What am I thinking? I have 6 minutes to prep for an hour show and I got nothing." These are among the thoughts that went through my head as air time approached, sitting there all alone, chortling to myself. Yeah, I could move the premier to another hour, or day, or week, or even month, give myself more time to prep, but for better or worse I was committed. I should be committed to a nut house.
If you know me, you know that I don't take myself seriously, but I do take what I do very seriously. For the record, Justin and I had talked about doing a show for a couple of weeks, so this wasn't a 100 percent impulsive move. 95 percent impulsive, yeah, but not 100 percent. Justin was a bit reluctant, as would anybody who's presented with a hair brained scheme, so in order to get the ball rolling, I just did it.
Yes, I did go on the air for an hour, and this wasn't as difficult a decision as it might sound. Yes, I was terrified, but I rationalized that I could yak for an hour, and this being an impromptu and unannounced show, seriously, who'd even know it's on? There would be no listeners, so there's no pressure. Besides, I'm not a broadcaster, amatuer or professional, so what have I got to loose?
Just do it. I did it.
So I'm yaking away, baa baa baa baa, I call myself on the show with my cell, this to both entertain myself and to finish figuring out how everything works. I make the announcement that when I run out of things to say, the show will likely de-evolve into me making funny guttural noises. More blah blahs blahs and I'm thinking I have about 40 minutes done, only about 20 minutes to go. Good thing too because I'm running out of things to say. Piece of cake, I can fill 20 more minutes. Yeah, the show likely sucks, but this misadventure is almost over. I walk into my computer room, my computer handling the switchboard and chat session for the show, and I check to see how much time I've been on exactly.
16 minutes. Crap.
Oh well, nobodies listening, relax. Then I check the chat screen.
"Oh my, there are listeners," I think while laughing nervously, and they're chatting during the show. I start coughing. Wow, the pressure's on.
A listener named GrimDog types into chat "You're Dying." I think he meant the coughing fit, but either way, yes, I'm dying. The show's going to tank. Oh man, what have I done.
"Pull yourself together," I think. "You have 44 more minutes fill, and you're going to do the best job you can."
At this point it all starts coming together. We get a caller, the aforementioned GrimDog no less, who has a situation at home involving a ghost, and thankfully, he fills a good 20 minutes of show, and hopefully I provide him with good help. God bless you GrimDog!
Am I going to do this again?
You bet.
Will it be a success?
Probably not.
Is that going to stop me / us?
Nope.
We do plan on getting our whole crew on the show, if not all at the same, then show by show. We also plan on having guests, whether they're hawking their goods or not, and we plan on highlighting various haunted locations and paranormal groups.
As those of you who've followed us know, we don't trash talk anyone (unless they really, really deserve it) so no guest need fear us. We're here on Claranormal Talk Radio to get everybody to work together, not to bash. That's Claranormal's philosophy, and the radio show's too.
Give us a listen if you get a chance. Currently we're following PIOCLA at 9PM Pacific time on Friday nights.
http://blogtalkradio.com/claranormal
To call into the show, dial (917) 889-9432

EVP from main basement of the Granada Theater

2010-06-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

I got home the other night from an investigation of, ironically, the Granada Theater, which we did in combination with Yussi Paranormal's rather large group to find a hateful post on YouTube regarding one of our earlier Granada Theater EVP videos.
"You guys are fake as hell!! Stop making stupid-ass videos...No wonder there are so many skeptics out there!" is what this guy had to say.
I guess the saying is correct, if you don't have haters, you're not doing it right.
So I deleted this spew, and wrote him back a polite, yet stern email letting him know that:
A) Everything we do is 100% real. We don't fake anything, never have, and never will. There are countless people who can, and will attest to this.
B) Defamation, such as libel and slander, can cost a gob of money to defend against, so, regardless of the stresses that he faces in life that cause him to snipe at people while hiding behind the Internet, he should really know what he's talking about before spewing his hate.
C) That maybe his visceral public reaction was due to this EVP sounding too good to be true, to be real. Well, it is real, it is true, so get over it.

In this vein, I published both the previously unpublished forward version of this EVP and the previously published (in video format) backward "Get Out" version in MP3 format on YoureOn.net. They were uploaded there because, unlike YouTube, you can upload straight audio there without it having to be attached to a video, and people can download said audio items.
Reverse version: http://youreon.net/audio/31/granada-basement-reverse-version
Forward version: http://youreon.net/audio/30/granada-basement-get-out-evp-played-forward

Forward version of basement EVP

Backward version of basement EVP

I then invited him to download these audios and examine them, with a challenge to "debunk" them. He won't be able to debunk them though, nor can anyone else, as they are authentic. I even pointed him to a site where he could get free software to play and analyze the recordings with.

Usually when somebody does something like the hateful sniping this guy did, they're simply trying to drag you down into the same self-pity filled hole they're in, or they're looking for promotion for their own videos, or they have some sort of "Vigilante Self Gratification" complex that needs stoking. I understand all that, but know your facts.

How this EVP came to be found.
I am a sensitive, but not a very good one, in that it is something I can not control. What this means is I can, on occasion, pick up on energies and imprints from the past. I have demonstrated this time and again, and anyone who knows me well can attest to this. In the main basement of the Granada Theater I picked up on some things that were imprinted, embedded in that basement. One was an intensely emotional scene, the other rather mundane, though they were connected. I have never published the scenes, and I never will, though I did pass this information on to one man who is key at the Granada Theater. I thought it was silly, this impression, and was sure I had fabricated it from my own imagination. Much to my surprise, another well known sensitive empathic had picked up on pretty much the same thing about a month earlier, though I did not know this until 5 MONTHS after my first visit to the Granada Theater. I was absolutely floored.
When we began leaving the basement of the theater, one of the guides began telling me a joke. I listened to his joke as closely as I could, so as not to be rude, but as we approached, then climbed the steep stairs out of the basement, something grabbed my attention to my left side. It was very, very strong, and would not be ignored. Most of the way up the stairs on either side is concrete, and I turned to look at it, puzzled as to why my attention was being so strongly pulled to the left. "It's just concrete, for goodness sake, there can't be anything there" I thought. Meanwhile the guide continued his long joke, something about men falling down, but I couldn't recite the joke to this day, because I only heard about every third word, my attention so strongly pulled left.
If you listen to the forward version of the EVP, you'll hear the joke, and every time a man falls down in the joke, the guide says "Ahhhhhh."
Now, I did not consciously hear or remember any of the "Ahhhhhh"'s in the joke, my attention drawn elsewhere, so when I reviewed the recording from that section of the hunt, I was sincerely bothered and puzzled as to what the "Ahhhhhh"'s were. It sounded like a woman going "Ahhhhhh," so my assumption was that it was Amber or Bridget who said the "Ahhhhhh"'s. I asked both, and each said no, they said nothing of the sort.
Back to square one. I had to eliminate the "Ahhhhhh"'s as something paranormal, and I had no memory of them, so I was stumped. I asked co-founder Justin to listen to them, and it was his friend Sergio, who had been there that night, who figured out and volunteered what the "Ahhhhhh"'s were. It was the guide. The "Ahhhhhh"'s were part of the guides joke. Man falls down and says ahhhhhh! Man falls again and says ahhhhhh!
This was after I had listened to this recording 50 or 60 times myself, and I was still puzzled, but now it made sense, and I felt like a complete idiot. I listened a few more times, and sure enough, Sergio was right. Ok, mystery solved.
Still, something had grabbed my near full attention down there, so I was still baffled.
Now I turned my attention to the weird sonics I observed in the same recording when I had played it over and over trying to figure out the "Ahhhhhh"'s, as if it were some great song. There was one particular spot which sounded almost like a long, deep voiced note from a song in the background, and that was the spot I focused on. I could not make any sense of it through any normal methods, slowing it down in increments down to 10%, speeding it up in increments up to 1000% normal. I took it into the equalizer to filter out other sounds, as I thought it sounded modulated, like syllables. Goose egg. Still couldn't tell what it was. I changed the tempo and pitch, and still nothing. The last thing to try was reversing it. As luck would have it, the section that I highlighted and clipped out for reversal had the resonant sonic I mentioned above, and a second sound I had not heard in the forward version.
When I listened to the reversed version, the previously unheard sound said something which sounded an awful lot like a very quick "getout." I was stunned. I sat at my desk still listening as the reverse recording continued to play. "Whoa, what was tha..."
Then the second one played, the rich, resonant sonic I had previously only heard forward. All doubt was removed. "Get Out" was clearly enunciated. I pushed my chair away from my desk absolutely stunned, shocked to the point of inaction as the recording continued for a few more seconds, then ended.
Oh my, I thought, we got something here. I went and got a team member from the other room, sat down at my desk and cued the recording while asking him to listen and asked him to tell me what he thought.
He listened passively while the first, fast "getout" played, and I checked his face for a reaction. Nothing. Then the second "Get Out" played, and his eyes got as big as saucers, he turned to the door, ran out, slamming the door behind him.
I couldn't help but laugh, because had I been standing when I first heard it, I too would have likely fled.
So we then created the video to display what was found. In retrospect, we probably should have included both versions, the forward version and reverse version, in the video, but we were still pretty new at creating videos as the time.

Oh, it would be a simple thing to do, to fake stuff, but seriously, what does one gain? Our goal is to prove life exists after living, but do so by INVALIDATING evidence and findings, not CREATING findings. Well over 99% of what we find is invalidated for one reason or another, and is never posted. Even a good deal of good findings are put on the shelf if we can not explain why it is the way it is.

See, I'll be the first to volunteer that we're not good, we're just very, very lucky. Sometimes things just fall into our laps. One caveat though, and it's a lyric from an old Rush tune: Good work is the key to good fortune.
Had I not taken the initiative to ferret out that sonic, we would have never found the "Get Out" EVPs.

Let me make it simple:
The two biggest, best assets a parnormal group has is its integrity, and its people. I mention integrity first because it is infinitly more important than a group's people. A paranormal group can operate with as little as one person, and as people come and go, the group continues. However a group can not operate without it's integrity. Period. And nothing will ever get us to sacrifice our integrity.

Paranormal Certification

2010-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been keeping quiet on this for a long while, but I think the time has come to do some "debunking." We don't like to trash talk people or groups, and we don't like to bring negative discourse into play, but sometimes one must stand up and bring attention to that which is not right. Debunking is a term that we seldom use, because of the negative connotations that accompany that word. Reference.com's definition of "debunk" is: "to expose or excoriate (a claim, assertion, sentiment, etc.) as being pretentious, false, or exaggerated: to debunk advertising slogans." Synonyms include: "disparage, ridicule, lampoon."
Well, I'm not going to disparage anyone, nor lampoon anyone, but some ridicule is definitely called for and appropriate.
Straight to the heart of the matter: There is no such thing as actual, real paranormal certification, nor are there any degrees or certifications at accredited colleges or universities in this field. They simply don't exist, except as attachments to other courses, such as psychology degrees.
I cite this article from Yahoo answers, and this from the same source, and lastly, and I think the most important one from oddempire.org.
I'm not saying in any way that instruction, or learning from established people in the paranormal field is wrong, bad, or fraudulent, but if somebody asks you for money for a "certification," run. Run fast, run far. Don't look back. The same applies to "investigators" and ghost hunters who want payment for their investigative and ghost hunting services. In fact, many are likely the same exact people!
On that note, if a group, say, the hypothetical "Paranormal Reasearch and Investgations of Central Kentucky," or P.R.I.C.K. (what's with all the acronyms in this field anyway? Just because T.A.P.S. is an acronym doesn't mean you have to be too! Think for yourselves!!!) wants to offer a course which would then lead to a certification marking you as a holder and follower in their beliefs, in THEIR practices, (wouldn't that make you a P.R.I.C.K. Holder?) fine. Let it be marked as such. But realistically, you would then have to identify yourself as such, a P.R.I.C.K. certified group or investigator, or a P.R.I.C.K. Ghost Hunter, not simply a CERTIFIED investigator, lest you mislead the general public into believing you are something you're not.
Now for those of you who insist on being certified, we have just the ticket for you! For the low, low price of just $10, we'll be happy to send you this!

Larger version here

New stuff, new places, new faces

2010-06-07T12:58:00.001-07:00

6-07-2010
Well, we got a little more time at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, found Valentino's crypt, said hi, and walked the mausoleum he's interred in. We also found Peter Finch, which was a surprise. Still, we had just under an hour there, really not even close to enough time to do even the most basic set up, but one does what one can.
We also spent some time in the "gone too soon" section, the children's section, which just makes me sad. At least it's a little lifting to see the care people put into these plots, but not lifting enough to get over the sadness.
After HFC, we ambled over for a day trip to Suicide Bridge in Pasadena, and by the time we got done we discovered a few things. One is that there are homeless people living in the bushes there, though they don't seem to bother the park users. Another is that the area under the 110 freeway bridge is awesome, like a huge, gray, concrete cathedral. I don't mean it's ornate, but just awe inspiring. There's about 3 acres of dirt beneath this overpass, which is a good 250 feet above your head, and that which is above you is graceful curving concrete arches. It was worth the trip just to experience that. The last thing learned was a lesson I have already learned, but didn't follow, and that is to dress appropriately. By the time we got done climbing around the underside of the bridge, we were soaked through with sweat, and I, the idiot I am, am in semi-dress clothes, and didn't bring a change.
Suicide Bridge is the only place where we've ever been blanked. Ok, not entirely blanked, in that we did get the picture of the thing we call "Satchel" last time, but that picture is so open to interpretation. So going there was part investigation, part mission. I dislike it when we spend time and get nothing, so hopefully we caught something this time. We won't review the evidence from this day trip for a couple of days, but when we do we will be thorough.
After that we cruised up to Lucky Baldwin's Pub in old town Pasadena to meet up with the Yussi Paranormal group. Justin and Steve got there early and had a bite to eat (and coffee), and by the time they were done Yussi had shown up, and his group began to arrive. If you're in the SoCal area and want to go on a ghost hunt, or are just curious, we're always open to visitors, and I also recommend you check out Yussi's group. We enjoyed meeting everybody in Yussi's group, each being really great people, and are thankful for the opportunity to hang with them.
From the pub we went, of all places, back to Suicide Bridge with Yussi Paranormal, this time focusing on the upper deck, something we've never done. There are a couple of particular places on this bridge where I was literally overcome with emotion, from desperation to extreme sadness. This should come as no surprise, as there have to be scores of imprinted emotions on this aptly named bridge, there having been well over a hundred people ending their lives there.
We'll review our evidence over the next couple of days and see if we caught anything, and if so, it'll be posted on the appropriate pages. Hopefully the ladies and gents with Yussi's group caught stuff as well, especially this being their gig.

Did some, not enough

2010-05-30T00:22:00.001-07:00

Did a quick (10 minute) run through of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, stopped by Linda Vista Hospital, and did a quick revisit of Oak Park Cemetery today. I'm tired!

News and Stuff

2010-05-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have some huge news coming, most of which we're not permitted to talk about yet, and some of which we can never talk about, but we'll give that which we can, but only if it does not violate contract terms as well as our own code of ethics.

I'll start with the benign stuff first.

We have submitted the story treatment and partial script I mentioned in an earlier post to a production company, but since they haven't gotten back in touch or sent a release to be signed, I'm assuming that either they didn't get it (unlikely), didn't like it (likely), or deleted it after having been driven stark raving mad by the story (yeah, that's the ticket).
To be fair, we didn't send it in the exact format they called for, so they likely just deleted it, which is fine. I'll continue working on it in my spare time. So look for it in about 120 years.

Justin recently did an investigation with his girlfriend Sam at his girlfriend's house, which apparently has a ton of activity. Toilets flushing on their own, strange noises, doors slamming and ice cold rooms. The data hasn't made it in yet, but I'm told there's at least one great EVP, and a really creepy picture. Can't wait to see / post these!

We just received a brand new K2 meter, as well as a new "Ghost Meter" EMF detector this week, and in initial testing we have found that on some objects and areas each mirrors the other's resulting readings, but at times either is more sensitive and responsive to Electo-Magnetic energy than the other. We're still working on a reason for this. We're also looking for a new Tri-Field meter at a good price, so if you know of one, please drop us a line!

Those of you who have been constantly watching us, you'll note that you rarely see us using EMF meters, because basically, we really don't need to depend on them. Most if not all of our members are weirdly gifted to sensing the paranormal, so these meters are redundant, but you will see us filming our use of them more and more. As a documenting tool they are unparalleled, leaving that which we find a little less subjective.

Speaking of subjective, we also have a brand new Paranormal PX coming (it was shipped today, as a matter of fact) which will probably arrive Wednesday. The PPX (Paranormal PX) is built by the same people who built the discontinued (and highly prized) Ovilus and the Paranormal Puck, and coincidently is like a melding of the two. Unlike the original Ovilus, it has a built in speaker, and like the puck it can be hooked up to a computer. It also doubles the original Ovilus's 1024 word vocabulary to 2048 words. This being a feature rich item, we can hardly wait to put it to good use.

Ok, on the thing I can't talk about, just be sure to check in here often so we can give you more information on the mysterious thing of which I write. That is once we're given the green light to do so. On this mystery item, we were told we could bring a couple people at most, which is ok because we only had a couple people available. I was one of them, and despite my discomfort when on the wrong end of cameras (that being the lens side...I've been working on overcoming this) there was no way I was going to miss this. I would have rather had Justin and / or Amber do this, either together or with Scott (who was spectacular, by the way), but that isn't the way the universe wanted it.
That's all for now.

Steve

Robb Demerest a broken man?

2010-04-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Robb of GHI a broken man?

I heard a rumor today that Robb Demerest of GHI was living out his car, a broken man.
Um, I don't know where people come up with things sometimes, but as far as I can tell, it is not true.
First, let me qualify this: We at Claranormal don't trash talk other groups, nor their members. Period. It's just not allowed. However, if a piece of interesting news in our industry comes our way, we will investigate it. After all, we are investigators.
If you check Robb's Twitter, you'll see he was just twitting about finishing another investigation on April 12th, and I have yet to find any bad news about him on any of the message boards.
Rumor: Debunked.
One thing I did find was an amazing amount of people blasting Robb, and I fail to understand why. I like him on GHI, and I hear that he's a great guy, so for the life of me I don't know why he has so many detractors. He also has supporters, but they seem to be outnumbered and outgunned. For you detractors, I'll say it out loud: If not for Robb and Barry, I would never have watched that show, and if (and when) Jason and Grant retire from Taps to run their B&B full time (my feeling on this is that it won't be very long from now...) Robb and Barry would be great guys to hand the ball to.
Now, on the GHI cast members who are no longer on the show, Donna, Brian and Andy, I have to say that of the three, I will miss Donna, I'll sort of miss Brian, and I won't miss Andy.
Donna was the case manager for the original TAPS, and as such, you know she has good organizational skills, and is good with people. Those two things are a prerequisite. And she's been there since early on.
On Brian, I think a good part of the time he got the short end of the stick. I know as a lead investigator for our group and as the chief editor for our groups videos, it's really easy to make somebody look like a goofball if you edit video or film a certain way. If anybody knew how much video we throw out versus what we use because somebody says something stupid (and granted, it's usually me...) it'd boggle their mind. I think a little judicious editing could have made Brian look, well, not heroic, but certainly better.
Andy. Hmmm. Won't miss Andy. Andy makes me itch. He makes me want to reach into the TV and pull him through just so I can slap him around some. Probably a nice guy, a good human being, kind to small animal and good to him mother. Still, a slap-fest is called for. No amount of editing could fix this. Maybe it's because he reminds me a little of myself. Every time I see myself on tape, I want to do the same thing, reach through and slap myself into tomorrow. "Oh no no no, don't say it stupid. Don't you dare say the stupid thing I know you're going to say..." goes through my head a lot when I'm editing segments with me in it, and it always ends the same. "Ah, you went and said that stupid thing! You idiot!"

What's up?

2010-03-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Since the below entry, we've been getting ready for some hunts, and have completed the first phase of one. See SJV Cemetery at http://claranormal.com/investigations/san_jacinto_cemetery/index.html
Another thing we have in the works is our own film, which is currently in the story treatment / scripting stage. Now don't misunderstand: all of our videos are unscripted, nothing is pre planned, and it's all real. The project I'm referencing will be a fictional account based on real footage from our real investigations. As Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that...

Well, we kept it under wraps for a long time, but since it didn't pan out there's no need. We had been lined up for a documentary film appearance, taking their characters on a ghost hunt, but when we questioned the people as to what the slant on their film was, in other words, we asked if they were bashing the paranormal (didn't want anything to do with that), were pro-paranormal, or fair and balanced (either of which we were fine with), they were slow to respond. Then it turned into an interview with them instead, which we agreed to, then we got stood up! They never bothered to contact us either way.
Man up Tim. We had people put their time and lives on hold, and you wasted our time. Shame on you.

Top 10 Places I'd Like for Claranormal to Hunt Ghosts

2010-01-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Call it a wish list, because that's what it is, in essence. Most of these places we'll not likely get to do, but never say never...

1. The White House.
Honest Abe is said to still walk the halls of this place, where every President except for George Washington has lived. Abraham Lincoln was seen during World War 2, during a visit by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Mr. Churchill had just finished a bath while enjoying a cigar and some liquor and was returning to the adjoining Lincoln bedroom, naked - save for his still burning cigar. When he entered the Lincoln bedroom, standing there was none other than the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. "Good evening Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage" said Churchill, as Abe smiled and faded away. This is one ending to the story of this historic meeting. Another says they stared at each other, obviously embarrassed as Abe faded away. I prefer the former story.
Bottom line, who wouldn't love to meet Abraham Lincoln? Or Dolly Madison, who is said to occasionally totter through as well.

2. Gettysburg.
This horrific battle at this imfamous site, during this horrendous war, harbors more ghosts than one can shake a stick at. It's big too, so I think a week or two would do the job.

3. Paramount Studios
Free reign, especially in the area which housed Desilu. I'll add to this entry all the other movie studios as well. With all the larger than life personalities who have worked in all these studios, many of whom were nothing like their screen personas, and the ordinary people who toiled there, I know there has to be a gaggle of roaming spirits.

4. Goldfield, NV
This applies to the Goldfield Hotel, as well as the town itself. I think the town gets largely overlooked by paranormal investigators because of the fame of the hotel, and if we ever go there, I'd like to focus on the town as well, or even exclusively.

5. Grauman's Chinese Theater
Are you kidding, you might ask. Nope. I suspect that just as the hand and foot prints of Hollywood's greatest are imprinted in concrete, there are an order of magnitude greater number of people's imprints holed up there. Probably some actives too.

6. USS Hornet
I'll add to this entry warships in different regions as well, such as the USS Missouri, and the USS New Jersey.

7. USS United States
The swiftest cruiseship ever sits moldering in Philadelphia. There has even been rumors that it's to be scrapped. This is a shameful fate for a record holder of her stature, and I hope some group comes forward and saves her. Whether she stays in disrepair at the dock, or gets scrapped, I'd love to do a ghost investigation there. I'm nearly certain that there are echos of the past embedded in her hull, and one or two active spirits keeping vigil.

8. The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Ca
The Roosevelt has at least two inprinted ghosts living there, for lack of a better word, and maybe some actives, though I doubt it. From http://ghosts-hauntings.suite101.com/article.cfm/haunted_hollywood_roosevelt_hotel:
Famous psychic Peter James investigated the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1992. He detected the ghost of Montgomery Clift in room 928 and sensed the strong presence of Marilyn Monroe in the Tropicana Bar. He also felt the presence of Humphrey Bogart near the elevator and Carmen Miranda in a 3rd floor hallway. In the Blossom Room, he discovered Betty Grable and Edward Arnold.

9. The Whaley House in San Diego.
Unfettered access is what I mean. There are tours there often, but I'd like for us to have a full day (or three) access to document activity in this facility. I'm skeptical about the Whaley House, as I feel nothing when I envision it, but I've been wrong before.

10. Queen Mary
Yes, we've done this to death, as have countless others, but again, I'm talking about free reign, unfettered access. I think we could prove or disprove, inside a week, ABSOLUTELY ALL of the purported ghost activity there. And probably get answers as to the why, how and who's of it all.

11. Winchester House
Yes, it's a top 10 list, and this is number 11. If you don't like it, too bad. Deal with it.
I'm super skeptical about this place. I think many times people hype themselves up to the point where seeing and hearing things becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. I believe that is the case at the Winchester House. Now, if they's invite us to spend a few days to prove my theory wrong, we'd be there in a heartbeat.

Honerable mentions
These didn't make the list, and easily could have had my thinking been different when I sat down to write this.

Hearst Castle.
I've never been there, but I've seen a lot of pictures. Oh, what a marvelous place! What I'd give to do a ghost hunt there. If I had lived there, I would definitely continue on after death.

Scotty's Castle, Death Valley
I've been there once, and though no ghost stories were told, I did feel a presence or two, without a doubt. Mainly I think I picked up on imprints, as I could envision things there slightly differently, as if at differnt points in time, the most poignant was a scene looking at the big wooden doors to the courtyard just after a rare rain squall. It was a sunny, cloudless day when we went, but I could see the moisture on the ground, and overcast skies, as if I were looking though someone elses eyes.

Site of the Cooper Murders.
I'm not going to mention the actual name of this place, though I do know it, know the real address, know who the current owners are, as I researched this place throuroghly a few months ago when we thought (in error) that we would be able to gain access to this property for an investigation. I've never been there though.
Ever since I read in the newspaper over 25 years ago about the horrific crime which occurred at this location, I have felt very deep, shocked sorrow for those who lost their lives, and I know without a doubt that at least one of them stayed behind. I have reason to believe now that there are two. I have also been told by someone supposedly in the know that there is a LOT of anger and hostility at this location, and that it is better left alone. Well, that sounds an aweful lot like a challenge to me, and we're up for it. A cleansing needs to be preformed there. And those left behind need to be convinced to leave. If that means them telling their story, let's hear it, I say.

There's probably more which aren't coming to mind at the moment, but if I think of them later, I'll post them. In the meantime I invite you to post yours as well.

Paranormal Activity, the movie.

2010-01-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went down to the local RedBox and rented Paranormal Activity, the Movie. This was my first time watching it, and in choosing a single word to describe this movie in my own opinion, I found that I just couldn't do it. So a string of single words will have to suffice.
Sucked, terrible, stupid, lame, waste, of, money, dumb, goofy, overhyped, bad, etc.
RedBox is only a one dollar rental fee, and I feel I'm owed a dollar. Had I paid a small fortune to watch this in a theater, with the cost of tickets, popcorn, milk duds, and soda, all of the above would have been in danger of flying at the screen. This provided that I hadn't already ingested same out of boredom. Another word: Anti-climactic.
One thing could have saved this film and it's reputation. Had they ended it after the girl walked down stairs in her trance and started yelling, the guy running down to assist her and all the noise ceaseing at that point, movie over, it would have pissed me off, but I would have gotten it. I would have finished the movie thinking "You clever bastard film maker. You built the suspense to a high level and left me with it when I go to bed tonight." Instead they show the guy's body hurled into the room (made me think of chimps tossing poop, btw) the entranced girl coming in, smiling at the camera then morphing as she obstensively enters the camera. STUPID ending to a STUPID movie!
On the acting, I think everybody did a really good job. Special effects were ok, but the black velcro strap on the girl's ankle as she was pulled out of the bed should have been taken out post production. As a paranormal investigator, I'd say they got the facts pretty much right. Burning the cross was unneccesary, except maybe it's demise made the ending possible. The slamming doors seemed to serve little purpose in advancing the movie, but it did add shock value.
Script discontinuity alert: they always went to be about midnight, but on the only shot that shows outdoors, they're locking up, arming the alarm, he pulls the shades to check a window, and it's clearly about 7 PM outside, or 6 AM, twilight to be sure.
Buy it? don't waste your money. Rent it? I wouldn't. Borrow it from a chump friend who bought it. Give them a dollar. Help them recoup some of their loss.

Griping About Other Paranormal Groups

2009-12-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

Why is it that some paranormal groups, most of them actually, feel such a need - for lack of a better word - to bag on other groups? I think a lot of them talk trash because of their own insecurities, trying to position themselves as elevated by trying to keep you down. Craziness. Most groups are in this to help people, and if you're not, you really shouldn't be doing it. Yes, it's an interesting hobby, but you can't forget about the people you help.
"They use such and such equipment, they do things this way, they do things that way." Grow up.
One thing that we don't do is bag on others, whether it be their method or their equipment. The only exceptions being groups committing what we consider to be paranormal fraud with fake evidence, groups who present everything they caught in the field but didn't, or barely, sifted through it to remove evidence with obvious and likely terrestrial sources, and those who are dangerous to themselves and others, having no clue nor care that there are real dangers in ghost hunting (see definitions of ghost hunts and ghost investigations in previous post). And groups who bag on us, and even then it's rare for us to bother. Oh, and groups who use (shudder) Ouija boards. Ouija is the French Oui (yes) and the German Ja (yes) put together, making it a Yes Yes board. They should be renamed Nyet-nine boards, or No No boards. We'll do another post on that later.
It makes no difference to us if you use different equipment than we do. We don't care. Whatever works for you, you should use. For instance, I'm not a fan of compasses as a tool, but many ghost investigators and ghost hunters swear by them. Use them by all means. I'm not going to disparage you. Dowsing rods too. Same with K2 meters, though we'll probably get one soon, but I doubt that I will personally use it.
Even within our own group there are members who use tools I wouldn't use, and that's fine. If this tool or that tool is what enables you do get to the truth, great. Use it. As long as it isn't Ouija board.
A classic example of this weird bias is theshaowlands.net. Twice they've denied us a listing for no particular reason, though our standards are excellent, our methods are excellent, we throw out any evidence which is in any way suspect (we get a lot of evidence and post a lot, but you'll never see over 95% of what we gather because we're very strict in our standard of proof and verify everything), and we have a whole flock of investigators with a great sensitivity to the other side, just as we have a good number of skeptics. We've also been doing ghost hunts as individuals independently since long before they even existed!
We in this community ought to be working together rather than trying to set ourselves apart. It will not happen as long as there are haters, and they will alwayd be there.
I guess it's true, that which a sage once told me: If you don't have haters, you're not doing it right.

A Ghost Hunt Vs. Ghost Investigation

2009-12-12T16:15:00.000-08:00

This post is about the difference between ghost hunting and ghost investigations.
There are two schools of thought on this, so I'll address that first.
The first school of thought is that a ghost hunt is simply people going out with or without equipment such as cameras and voice recorders to look for ghosts. They hope they catch one, and they have no interest in any aspect of scientific explanations for the existence of ghosts, nor do they try to disprove that which they might or might not have captured evidence of. Very low burden of proof standards. A ghost investigation is a scientific approach to ghost hunting, replete with cameras, scientific gauges like EMF detectors, K2 meters, etc., and the application of logic and reason in an investigation. These tools and methods rule out evidence in an effort to delete false and bad evidence, and what you have left which is unexplainable is submittable evidence of paranormal, or spirit, activity.
The second school of though is one we like a little better. Ghost investigations are exactly the same as above, but "ghost hunts" are not such an informal event, and the evidence is taken very seriously. For us a ghost hunt is the first step, like a preliminary investigation. If we go to a location that is either reported to have paranormal activity, or we suspect might have paranormal activity, the first step is a ghost hunt. This will let us know if there's a need for an actual ghost investigation. We'll use cameras, voice recorders and personal experiences to come to a conclusion as to whether or not to continue with a ghost investigation, at which time we'll schedule a follow up visit to disprove earlier findings, as well as focus on areas to investigate further. If we come up blanked on a hunt, we will not investigate further. This seldom happens because we choose our locations with care, and don't do many random ghost hunts.

How to Dress for a Ghost Hunt

2009-12-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

How to dress for a ghost hunt or a ghost investigation?
Comfort is the first word which comes to mind. Appropriately is the second word.
The former is a no brainer. If someone, man or woman, is wearing stiletto heels on a hunt, they're nuts, and they are endangering themselves and others. In you're under dressed in the cold, you will be less effective. The same goes for overdressed in the warm, but you always shed layers.
About those layers.
We did a hunt recently in which three of our investigators showed up in all black, or very dark colors. This is not such a problem on a daylight investigation, but in the pitch black? Not so much. First and foremost they endangered others and themselves, and secondly they ran the risk of contaminating evidence due to poor viewing or people placement.
At least one light, or white item should be worn by everybody. I've thought about purchasing photographer's vests in a light color and putting our secondary logo on the front, and for good measure, an individual reflective strip on the back of each vest, so we can recognize by the reflection who is who if all else fails. Plus they have a lot of cool pockets for gadgets. This I haven't done yet because of the cost, and because the next thing they'll be expecting is liquid nitrogen cooled flux capacitor ghost zappers or something.
Hats. This is an unpopular subject, but it's the way I feel. Leave them at home, unless you're baiting ghosts in period dress that requires them, or unless they are part of your personnel identification system. Baseball caps irk me a bit, not because they're hats, but because like most hats, they obstruct some of ones field of vision. Everything above the bill is blind to you. You could easily miss an important clue, or bonk your head on a low hanging object. I recently observed a ghost hunt where everybody was in super long billed caps with the sides way curled in so as to block not only the horizontal above the bill, but a good deal of their peripheral vision as well. If you have to wear a baseball cap, turn it backwards so as not to blind a portion of one of your most important senses: your eyes. Or forgo them all together and provide everyone with birthday party hats. Problem solved.
Dress appropriately.
Comfortable shoes. First rule.
Why do so many ghost investigators I see on TV and on YouTube dress like utter slobs? Black t-shirts with band logos and scenes on them. Shorts all the time (I wear shorts almost every day of the year, but not on investigations), looking scruffy. Doesn't this perpetuate the myth that most ghost hunters can't spell perpetuate, let alone define it? And isn't it somewhat insulting to the spirit world? Maybe they don't get offended. They're dead right? They're in no place to judge.
Bullsh. If you're working an investigation outdoors, in a field, jeans, t-shirts, OK. If you're investigating the Queen Mary, you should take it up a notch or three. A theater? Dress as you would on a date to the theater, as if you're making an effort to impress. If you're going to be on camera, almost dress as if you're interviewing for a job, because every person who sees you from then on, on YouTube or TV, you're doing just that. If you're investigating someones private residence, why not make an effort to NOT look like a felon, rather than the reverse.
Perfumes and colognes. These should be kept to a minimum if worn at all. A lot of times ghosts use smells as cues to their presence, but if anybody and everybody's smelling like they just came from the sample counter, you loose the sense of smell, which is important.
Effectiveness and respect. That's what it's about.

Why do we do it?

2009-12-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Apparent Demon we caught at a cemetery.

Ghost hunts. Ghost investigations. There's a difference, which we'll save for another entry, but the question is, why do we do them?
I can't speak for other groups, nor can I speak for other members of our own group, http://claranormal.com/, but I can speak for myself.
Like most people who do as we do, I grew up experiencing paranormal activities of one kind or another, and like many of these people, my sincere desire is to bring comfort to others in the knowledge that we don't just fade to black when we our bodies expire. That it isn't like somebody flicked the light switch and you're in the dark, then nothing more, cancel Christmas. I, myself, have in person seen, heard and experienced enough in my life to know that isn't the case. We continue. The soul God placed in our body lives on.
If on the way we can also help a lost soul or two, living or after-living, great. That doesn't mean that we go into a haunted location and yell "Go to the light!" or any such other Hollywood nonsense. Many ghosts know they stayed behind, so you're not telling them anything new. "Oh! Is that what I'm supposed to do with the light? I was wondering! I've spent the last 50 years making ghost shadow puppets with it! Silly me!"
Some don't know though, whether it's denial, or the way that they passed, they are utterly unaware of that they've passed. The Queen Mary's engine room for example. We've had a revisit on our "To Do" list for a while now, so that our newer members can experience a truly haunted location, but also for my own sort of selfish reasons: to get more information from one ghost we caught on an EVP who stated his age, "Forty," and followed later with ..."I don't know what happened to me." We plan to ask him his name, what year he last remembers. From that and any other info he volunteers, we will research it and bring him answers.
Claranormal is a service, and a service should serve...

New scary pics posted at Claranormal.com

2009-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

We recently went back to some of our old ghost hunt photos from Claremont's Oak Park Cemetery and found some amazing photos!
What we found in some of the pictures defies logic and reason, one because we didn't find the ghosts in these pictures before, and two, they were just plain weird. We've added them to the Oak Park Investigative folder at:
http://claranormal.com/investigations/oak_park_cemetery/ghost_photography.htm. The new pics are down towards the bottom of the page.
These blew our minds, and they'll probably blow yours too.
Some just show more of the time/space.energy distortions present here on occasion, another shows what looks like a demon, but the interesting series of pics is that of a visitor to the cemetery.
While we were there, an older gent showed up to apparently visit with a departed loved one. I say this because we didn't speak to him, but rather saw him drive in (alone), park, and walk over to and sit on one of the concrete benches. He got caught in two photos by accident (we blurred his face out) and his vehicle was captured in those two pictures, plus one more. It's his vehicle that was interesting, or rather, what shouldn't have been there, but was.

Final report on the Granada Theater, Ontario, California

2009-11-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

We did an exhaustive investigation (twice) on the Granada Theater, and an meticulous review of the evidence, and though we dismissed a boat load of evidence, we were still left with quite a bit.

Though we dismissed more than 90% of our EVP evidence due to contamination from terrestrial sources, we were still left with a large volume of unexplainable sounds. Most of these are displayed at http://claranormal.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhIjLWpNCfc.

The disregarded terrestrial sources are things such as aircraft, loud cars passing by, trains in the distance, investigators whispering without identifying themselves (we're working on fixing that) and team members and guides making sounds. This is in additions to odd acoustics of this theater and the office building's hallways that surround it. At one point on the ground floor of the theater I thought I was onto something important: Strange noises coming from the stage. Nope, it was at least one guide asleep and snoring.

On the video evidence, almost all of Steve's video from the initial investigation was worthless (camera set wrong) and Justin's video is stuck in his camera (oops!). The exception to this is the Ovilus video/audio recording at the first investigation. See this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9K5offGMLQ

However, on the second investigation Steve left two cameras rolling in two separate locations. The first was in Emma's Hallway, which watched over a gaggle of candy suckers we left behind to see if they moved. They did not. However, the camera did move. See this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7r7azWblKk. The second camera was set up in the small basement of the theater. On the first investigation, we caught an EVP (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixRNXGti5iQ) in the basement which, when played backwards, tells us to "Get Out" twice, so it was a natural place to set up our old video 8 analog camera (if it fell over and broke, no great loss...). This video captured taps on the camera, weird ghostly music, a flying orb, something blowing into the camera mic (lost footage) but most disturbing is that the camera's recording shut off for no explainable reason, with at least a half an hour of tape left, and more than an hour of battery left. Some of the tapping sounds we hear sound like water dripping, and in fact in a one frames we actually saw a drop of water fall, but there was no water on the floor when we left the camera, nor when we retrieved it. See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST5W4LkGIeI.

Image evidence. This is a topic that we have to deal with very carefully, because it's very easy in a dark setting, especially, to make faces out of pixelation, and for the mind to see shapes that are not there. We studied the photos very carefully, and after initially coming to the conclusion that we'd captured a lot of amazing images of ghosts, we winnowed it down considerably. For instance, the pictures of the sound booth lady from the 2nd investigation we invalidated, but the image of her from the first investigation could not be invalidated. Likewise the robo looking guy in the balcony. We found that most of his features were caused by the background and ceiling of the theater, but not all of them. He does in fact move, from frame to frame. The visages who look like, and we call, "Rasta Man," "Ben Franklin," 'Light Man," "Andrew Jackson," "Big Ear Guy," and "Uncle Fester" we can not eliminate either, though Fester, Light man, Ben and Rasta could very well be pixelation interpretations.
On orbs, yes, we did include a lot of images of orbs, even though most of them, if not all, were created by dust in the air. We included these for a couple of reasons. One was that some of the orb images also have other interesting things in them, and the other is that there are some people who are orb fans, and these are presented for them. Our official stance on orbs is that they are usually dust or bugs, but now and again, you catch gold.

My last official word on Granada is copied from an email I sent one of our investigators:

"I did get a definite feeling, and I really want to say it was from THE BUILDING ITSELF although I know that's crazy because a structure can not have a memory, feelings and such, that the Granada is ashamed. Ashamed of it's current condition. Angry at it's neglect and mis-use. Sad and pining for it's glory days, when the people came in excited and happy to be there, rather than quite and reflective in it's use as a church. People inquisitive, scared, sometimes horrified, like entering a "House of Horrors" with all the ghost investigations, rather than in happy expectation that a night (or matinee) away at the movie brings. The building feels that it can still be put to good, wholesome use, possibly hosting the school districts plays, regularly scheduled old movie nights, etc.
I know it's not the building projecting this, but rather those who left their indelible imprint, and those who stayed behind, as well as those who come back to visit. And many they are."

The Granada Theater Investigation, Ontario, California

2009-11-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a place.
We did an initial investigation on 10-24-09 that lasted from 11:00 PM until 3:30 AM the 25th, and a follow up investigation on 10-29-09 that lasted from about 9:30 PM to about 11:30 PM.
The follow up investigation was attended by members of the Mount San Antonio College newspaper, the Mountiewire (http://mountiewire.com), who were doing a Halloween piece on a haunted place. We were there primarily to disprove stuff we'd found in pictures, video and and EVP's, and it wouldn't take long. Thus we brought with us an Ovilus, which would surely prove to be entertaining, and might even yield results.
It did.
See a video shot on the initial investigation with this Ovilus at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9K5offGMLQ.
We also set up a video camera on trigger objects in what we call "Emma's Hallway." One member picked up on the presence of a little girl on the second floor of the office building which envelops the Granada theater, and we wanted to see if we could get more.
See footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7r7azWblKk

This is new, and a little fun

2009-11-07T15:43:00.001-08:00

I'm just setting up the Claranormal Facebook, and decided to add the blog. What fun!