The Flying Dutchman… No Not A 60’s Rock Group.

When you think of legends of the seven seas that sailors would tell to one another there are multiple stories and superstitions that come to mind. The sailing community is one of the most superstitious in my opinion. Sailors have good luck rituals that are able to fill a book, oh wait I googled that and found about 50 different books on sailor superstitions, that’s a good confirmation to my statement. However in all seriousness with even the modern and highly technical equipment that the Navy uses today the superstitious ways are still prevalent. And just equally just as prevalent are the sea stories of legend and the one in particular I’m referencing is that of the Flying Dutchman.

Most people have hard of the Flying Dutchman legend but more likely in the bastardized Hollywood scenario such as is with the Pirates Of The Caribbean and even Sponge Bob Squarepants. There are many people out there who do not know the legend of the Flying Dutchman has been around since the 17^th century.

This nautical tale is that of a doomed shipped that can never make port and is in fact a ghost ship. There are different accounts that some would try and signal to the ship to see if they could communicate with it, but in most of the stories the sight of the Flying Dutchman always spelled impending doom on to those witnesses. The origin of the story is a bit of a mystery as there are a few Dutch ships that have been associated with the story. However the one aspect that is the same is that a mighty storm had taken the ship along with the lives of the men who sailed upon her.

Bad weather is most usually associated with the spotting of such a ghostly ship as well as the impeding doom to those who spot her, but again the story is unclear as to why the ship is doomed to phantom sail the seas. Some say that a disgruntled captain made a threat to the seas and the winds, how that would make you be eternally damned I’m not sure, but oh well.

There are those out there who have tried to explain the ghostly ship as merely an optical illusion. These such optical illusion are called looming of Fata Morgana in which the sea reflection sends the image to the sky and because of certain weather conditions shows what appears to be a ship. I would go into the complete scientific break down of it, and while I could, I will let you do some research instead of me spoon feeding you all the information.

I am a person who would love nothing more than to see a spectral sip sailing across the sky during an impending storm. However I also realize that this is nothing more than a sailors tale of legend and lore, a good story, but simply just that…a story.

Be safe and wear a life jacket,

Jon Bolton

The Ark of the covenant…not just the Nazis were after it…right Indy???

The ark of the covenant, the resting and holding place of the ten commandments written by God and given to Moses for all people of the world to listen to an obey. This wooden box that was covered in gold and contained the instructions for life in it has been and will forever be an icon of biblical proportions…literally…and that of mystery and wonderment. It has been the subject of a number of movies, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Last Ark is one of the more famous of these to cover this subject. This box of God like power has been lost in the world and who knows if it’s even still around and if it is where is it???

The ark is said to have the power of God within it, ie the Ten Commandments, and that you were not allowed to touch the ark or the commandments. Not I have looked into this and at some point down the line only the holy of holy could open the ark and touch the Ten Commandments. So sounds a little bit like Raiders of the Lost Ark where a the end of the movie…spoiler alert…they open the ark and spirits come out and melt all the Nazis’ faces and kill every except for Indy and Marion. Was this true, well if it had the power of God strapped to it I don’t see why not or is this one of those stories made by priests so they could hold some sort of power over the people to make them feel lower than themselves…who knows.

Now we have all heard the stories whether it be in church or in movies or on tv shows this is one of the top sought after religious artifacts in the world. It originally was in Jerusalem I the Temple of Solomon, which has been identified and recorded in ancient text. And to note even “copies” of the ark are considered truly holy and almost on the same level as the true ark itself. After ancient wars, with Babylonia, it was said that the Ark was taken to Ethiopia; in fact almost every church in Ethiopia has a “replica” ark within its church walls. In fact one temple is said to hold the true genuine ark itself…not sure I completely believe that, but you never know so I can’t be all that skeptical with the stuff I have read and researched.

Now wherever this Ark of the Covenant is it is desirable for those seeking power and for those seeing fortune and fame. To find the real true ark and posses it they would have the power of God plain and simple and can and could do anything they felt like doing…now wonder it was such a great story line for Nazis to chase after it in the movie. Yet there is some truth to this as Hitler was a great fan of the occult as even sought not only sought after the ark of the covenant, but also the spear of destiny, Noah’s ark, pieces of the cross Jesus was nailed on and so much more both biblical and non-biblical.

Do I think some day we will find the true Ark of the Covenant or even remnants of it??? No I don’t for if God wanted us to find it by now it would have been presented to the human race. Of course it could be held up in some government warehouse somewhere or some church in Ethiopia or even in a place we have never thought of looking because we have been chasing myths and stories the entire time. I would love for us to find it and there have been many people funding expeditions to find it both legally and illegally, but it always ends up the same they supposedly get close enough then somehow the government gets involved and shuts the whole thing down. What are they afraid of don’t they want to know if it’s real or not??? No they don’t in my opinion they would rather keep everyone in the dark because if it was found the government would lose any and all power they had. Yet one more conspiracy for the government to have their hands in…ugh.

Be safe and do not touch the ark your face may melt off,

Jon Bolton

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: A review

Now I know this is outside of my normal rants and raves in the aspect of the weird and bizarre, the unexplainable and the down right odd, but I had to write something on this documentary I just watched called Jiro dreams of Sushi. Yeah I said that correctly…Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and the title couldn’t be any more accurate other than calling it Jiro the ultimate master of technique and detail to sushi.

Jiro is an elderly man whose life is dedicated to sushi and the ultimate perfect craft/creation when it comes to sushi. His sushi is not overly complex and full of spice, heat or cream cheese like in a Philadelphia sushi roll, but rather simple and clean and flavorful pieces of seafood and meat and egg.

He is considered the best sushi master in the world and an apprentice, before Jiro feels he is trained, is trained for at least 10 years before even attempting to make any type of sushi, now that’s dedication you don’t find anymore. In fact his sushi is so desirable that it’s at least a 2 month waiting list and people have reservations as far as 5 years out, not to mention the experience for his sushi begins at $300 dollars and it goes well higher than that for the full experience.

What makes his sushi the best in the world, well other than what I had mentioned earlier it is his eye for detail. He serves females small pieces than males so they can all finish together to enjoy the experience as well as noticing who is left and right handed so they can more easily pick the pieces up. He is a 70 year old man who just won’t stop and truly loves what he does. He has no desire to stop and his two sons follow in his footsteps.

Now I usually watch documentaries about the strange and odd, but I highly suggest you watch this one as you will be amazed and inspired by this gentleman’s story and life. Reminds me a bit of my grandfather in that way…I respect him very much for his drive and ambition and everything he has taught me over the years, both my grandfathers for that matter.

Again, check this documentary out, it really is that inspirational.

Be safe and enjoy the sushi and go for your dreams,

Jon Bolton

The Spirits of Japan...kind of creepy.

When you think about Japanese Ghosts/Spirits you tend to get the imagery of the Ring or The Grudge. Freaky & strange characters looking waterlogged with a very white and dark imagery both very characteristic in Japanese culture and design. Along with the inception and popularity of Ghost Hunting groups and researchers, Japan has been a hot spot of activity in the recent years. There has always been activity in Japan and has even been hunted and researched, but with the popularity on TV and in books of ghosts/spirits it has now emerged more into the public eye and become more acceptable.

I would like to talk about a certain theory I have based around the aspect of World War 2 and the style in which these spirits appear and why they could possibly have been appearing more so since the end of the war.

The atom bomb that was dropped onto Hiroshima towards the end of the war in 1945 in which it pretty much decimated the entire city. Also, something some people don’t know is that another bomb was dropped in Nagasaki. So now you have two of the biggest and most destructive weapons in the history of mankind not being tested, but rather being used on human life in the aspect of ending a bloody and powerful war. These bombs expelled around 21 kilotons of energy and produced 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit of heat instantly, with such an instant production of heat and energy (mainly radiation) the damage to property and human life was extensive. One example of what this type of energy could do was to burn the shadows of people into concrete and wood. Just think about that and the aspect of how much power it took to burn a human shadow into building material like a camera taking a picture onto a film negative.

My theory after looking at the facts of everything, and the knowledge I have in Ghost Hunting,  in what these two bombs did is that it in fact not only mutated the living, but it mutated the dead as well. With such a high level of radiation (energy) released it had to do something to offset the balance of natural energy within Japan. If it can burn shadows into concrete than it more than likely burnt off people’s aura as well as changing the spiritual energy within Japan to an uncomfortable level.

In the basis that people are made up of energy, if you disrupt the energy in such a drastic manner you are bound to get some type of a mutation and since the spiritual world works off of energy, I feel it would be safe to assume that it had to warp something in that realm as well.

Looking at some of the pictures of the people from Japan who suffered from the radiation released they all tend to look a bit like the characters portrayed within the movies like The Ring or The Grudge. Is this coincidence or actually what people are seeing in the world of the supernatural?

I could go into a long drawn out scientific debate about this, but I am just asking you to draw your own conclusion and look at the similarities of what the destruction did and what is portrayed within the supernatural of Japan. I could go into the whole aspect of the Japanese belief in other spirits and what not, but I will save that for a later date and time. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope this at least made you think a little bit.

Be safe,
John Cannon
Follow... @JohnCannonTBS

The Jim Rose Twisted Tour

The art of the sideshow is that of a dying breed the days of bearded ladies, lobster boys, wolfmen and alligator girls has unfortunately come to an end. Some people think it is cruel and inhumane to make money and profit off of others deformities such as those. I don’t see it as that and if you asked the sideshow performers of that day you would see that they were very happy and actually made good money. They lived like you or me; they just looked a little different than us with other talents. I have always been a huge supporter and fan of the sideshow and there is a man who shares that same love and does everything he can to make a modern day one, that man is Jim Rose founder of the Jim Rose Circus sideshow.

Jim Rose burst onto the scene in the early 1990s and became a huge cult hit and got a chance to make a true name for himself after getting booked onto Lollapalooza. His wife Bebe the Circus Queen is his loyal wife and when you see them you can tell their loves is true and genuine. He has other members of his circus past and present who have made their own name in the modern day sideshow such as The Amazing Mr. Lifto, The Enigma and The Lizard Man.

Now in 2003 Jim Rose he had a little known reality TV show which chronicled one of their many tours across America. It shows the amount of time, effort and money it takes to put on one of these modern day sideshows while looking at the interactions and relationships between all the performers. The cast of characters is not short of interesting in any stretch of the imagination. You have Mr Lifto who would rather run around naked, Rubber Boy who is depressed most of the time, Cappy and the 400 lb. lazy yo-yo wizard, plus you have Jim and his wife Bebe and a others.

The show really gives you an insight into traveling the road with different personalities all the while looking at the business behind the madness. Jim is a master of ceremonies and judges all fellow promoters for his venues off of one simple requirement, a bucket of KFC chicken. Through all the breakdowns both emotionally and physically you do find that one common thread that keeps them together no matter what they feel about one another. That common thread is their love for the sideshow and one another as human beings. They recognize their differences and respect one another for that no matter what.

If you can find a copy of this TV show I highly recommend taking a look at it, I have seen a number of reality TV shows and I think this one is the most true to reality.

Be safe and support your local sideshow,
John Cannon

Now boarding all passengers going to Egypt, Mexico & Beyond.

I pose a question to you today, why couldn’t ancient man envision airplanes too? Why do we feel as a 2010 society of people that ancient man could not have the same hopes, dreams & desires as we do in this present day? Is it so farfetched that ancient man would want to soar in the sky amongst the birds just as we have the ability to do today? And is it so out there that societies/cultures across the world could have the same thought and outlook that they couldn’t create their own style of flying machines? Ok, so that was more than one question I proposed, but I think you catch my drift in what I’m aiming at.

There are some people out in the UFO community that believe the cultures of Egypt, Mexico, China and others around the world were heavily influenced by aliens from outer space. This is such an arrogant and egotistical approach to looking at our past that it drives me up a wall. Now let me state that I am fascinated by aliens and the possibility of their “existence”, but I have to look at this in an approach that makes sense logically. I would be and willing to believe that aliens exist, but let’s not try and discredit the past of advanced ancient civilizations just because we don’t understand them.

Let’s start at the beginning of recognized aviation history. The first official recognition of aviation began with Leonard Davinci and his flying models and drawings that he created around the 15^th century. We can even go back farther to 200 BC in China when they are first recognized as using kites for military purposes, and last time I checked…kites fly. After the Leonardo Davinic era, man had been pursuing to fly as the birds did till we came to a balloon created by men in France and then to the Wright Brothers. Well that’s all fine and dandy, but why can’t the thought of flight have existed before 200BC? Were the people back then only banging rocks together and making grunt noises until one day…BANG!!!...they could talk intelligently, write and exist on a higher level of existence, I highly doubt this.

In Egypt a small toy was found and it looked a lot like a plane/bird. They claim it isn’t a bird because it fits to closely to a modern day jet and no bird looked like that. I have to admit when you first look at the toy it does look like a modern day jet fighter, but was it, I don’t think so. Do I think it could be an example of a glider that may or may not have been built so man could fly like the birds…yes. They had birds in the day of the dinosaurs, so why is it that man would not want to fly in the air to satisfy their curiosity and desire? They say there is no original idea left in this world and that applies even to the theory of flight. Man probably desired to fly back then just as we do now. The difference is while we have modern machines of electronics and composite metals to give us the ability to fly, ancient man did not have this luxury. Now I do feel ancient man had some types of machines, but nothing to enable them to ability to fly long sustained flights as we do today. I do think however that they did have the materials in order to produce gliders made of light wood so they could fly for short periods of flight. Making a glider is not all that difficult if the basic understanding of flight, air currents and mass/weight ratio is understood. In Egypt these people made the pyramids out of practically nothing as they did in Mexico and in China they made gunpowder and fireworks…these were not stupid people. These were people driven by purpose, faith and desire. So the idea of them making a glider based upon the design of an already established flying machine, aka a bird, should be pretty easy to accept.

The story of the Egyptian toy glider plane found is essentially the same exact story as that of the ancient America’s, ie. Mexico with the Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs and more. These people believed in Gods of higher powers just as the Egyptians did. They lived in a rainforest situation which was flourishing with many different animals and birds, the key word being birds. They too probably felt the same dreams and desires to fly in the sky like birds in order to be closer to their Gods that they so firmly believed in. A small intricate design was found not unlike the Egyptian glider toy, not only did they find a small glider like model they found it engraved into their walls and monuments, again just like similar carvings and hieroglyphics found in Egypt. Now I can talk about the aspect of pyramids in both cultures, but that is for another time and debate.

One of the one facts that keep coming up with people is; well if they did create such machines such as gliders then where is the evidence? Why can’t we find any trace of these gliders existing? My answer is: are you stupid? You are sitting there with these ancient little glider toys in your hand and you say there is no evidence, how dumb can you be. It’s like a little kid holding the baseball bat in his hand and saying he has no clue how the baseball broke the window. Now why aren’t there any artifacts of the big gliders themselves, well if you look at the ancient sites, very little has survived due to years of erosion and poor artifact collecting due to tomb raiders, and not the Laura Croft kind either. And who knows, maybe there are artifacts left out there and we just haven’t been able to find them yet because we aren’t looking in the right place.

It should not be hard to believe that people who lived practically in the middle of nowhere who were able to construct enormous cities and do complex math and astronomy would be able to understand the concept of flight. I feel without a shadow of a doubt that these two cultures as well as others were able to create gliders and envision themselves being able to fly like birds and be close to their Gods. To think we are the only society and culture to desire the ability to fly and work at achieving that goal is very arrogant on our part. Let’s just remember one key fact; we rely on computers and calculators to do complex match problems to do architecture and astronomy. These cultures of people did this without such modern day electronics…that is until we find they created electronics as well…which may be possible, lol.

Be safe & remember that you may not be as smart as you think you are or at least as smart as our ancient forefathers,
John Cannon

Medieval Medical Practices…definitely not like today, thankfully.

In time chivalrous times of long ago when kings and queens ruled the land and their court of lords and ladies where the epitome of elegance and class. They were times where knights would be the saviors and champions of the kingdoms as they led battle after battle and romantically swept the women away on their feet. An era when wizards, dragons and other monsters would attack or defend the castle as part of the struggles that were known as the dark ages. These romantic notions are conjured up based upon Hollywood and the legends and lore of so long ago. No matter the danger at hand or the battle to be fought one thing was clear; the medical practices at the time might have been their worst enemy.

We obviously know that out medical practices in this day an age of technology and scientific advances are much more reliable and successful than back then. The belief of how disease was spread and started could be considered laughable at best, because the last time I checked when I get a stomach pain it isn’t a small troll inside me trying to get out, I have been known to be wrong in the past however.

I, for some odd reason, started to think about these medical practices while I was at the hospital about to get surgery on my sinuses and figured what the heck; let’s see what I can find out. To my shock, horror and humor I have found the following.

Hemroids: There was a 7^th century monk who was actually the patron saint for hemorrhoid pain, that saint definitely got the wrong end of the deal on that one. Now get this one, he apparently developed hemorrhoids in his garden and sat on a stone which gave him the magical cure. The stone apparently exists to this day and can me visited by any sufferer looking to sit upon its magical surface for relief and cure. Of course if that did not work then you could always take the other approach which would be to use a red hot poker to burn them away.

Zodiac signs: Another practice was that depending on what astrological sign you were born under the doctor needed to be aware of certain things. If you were a Taurus the doctor should not make incisions in the neck and throat and avoid cutting any veins in this area. Now if you were a Virgo the doctor should avoid cutting open a wound in the belly and internal parts, looks like virgos didn’t last to long in life. Now being a Pisces I had to see what I was forbade from doing, and it looks like my doctor should not cut my feet, look like I make out in this deal of dos and don’ts of this surgical guideline.

Dwale: Dwale is a crude anesthetic used the same way that anesthetic is used today in the operating rooms by relaxing the individual to sleep and pain relief so as not to feel discomfort during surgery. Now that’s great if it weren’t for that fact that Dwale could kill you very easily. It was made up of a combination of lettuce juice, opium, vinegar and gall from a castrated boar, which doesn’t sound all that bad until you add the last ingredient which was hemlock juice. All you wiccas and Shakespear followers will know hemlock juice from many plays and potions. Hemlock juice is some very serious stuff and attacks the nervous system and is a very affective poison, once symptoms start its usually over as it moves rather fast through the body.

Bloodletting: Bloodletting is the one cure that everyone has pretty much heard about so I won’t spend too much time on this one. It was the practice of cutting veins and letting the toxins within the body to flow out via the blood stream. This in practicality sounds like a viable solution if it were not for the fact that usually you bled to death. They would slice a vein open and let the blood flow, not everyone died, but it was a barbaric treatment to say the least. Now if they were trying to release the toxins after watching the movie Twilight I could completely understand that.

Trepanation: Now some people who know about or heard about this procedure sometimes confuse it with lobotomy. Keep in mind that this is not about removing sections of the front lobe of the brain, this is about drilling holes into your head/skull. This procedures of drilling or cutting a small square into your skull is believed to treat cranial disease or for mystical purposes, depending on what you want to believe. They felt that the evil spirits or demon trapped in the cranial area would be able to escape through the hole that was created, because demons and evil spirits are stupid and couldn’t possibly leave through the ear, nose or mouth…that would be just plain silly. Oh and if you thought this practice had long since gone the way of the Do-Do then you would be wrong, there are some people who still believe in this and some quack un-insured doctors willing to do it too.

Toothache: Some people have had toothaches and some have not, I have been fortunate enough to not have one, but I do know some people who have and they say it’s very painful. So here is a remedy I think should work for everyone that I found in my research plus it will save on dental bills. If you take a candle and burn it close to the tooth that is hurting then the worms, yes I said worms, that are gnawing at the tooth will fall out into a cup of water held close to the mouth and candle. See dentists are such con artists, they tell us we need to floss and brush everyday; how does that keep worms away? No wonder my dentists never told me about the candle trick, he would lose all his business, such a con.

Pimples: I’m not going to spend all that long on this one that I found, mainly because its so bizarre and inhumane, but I’ll touch base on it. A cure for pimples was to take two white puppies, had to be white, and before they could see, you would chop off their heads and then let it drain out by hanging them from their back paws. Once the blood was all out your would mix it with some white wine and then apply it to your face to reduce you pimples. Now 2 things come to my mind about this, first off I guess PETA didn’t exists back then and secondly I am beginning to wonder what Clearasil uses in there formula now.

Now there are a vast amount of other weird medical therapies used such as leeches & maggots, which by the way are actually used in modern hospitals today to help heal cuts and wounds, but for the majority the ancient practices are long gone away. One thing I found interesting was the fact that even though it was the dark ages, they did rely heavily on sterilization by washing wounds and washing and burning medical tools. The diagnosis’s might have been off and some of the remedies not so well planned out, but at least they knew that dirt was bad.

Be safe and remember that candles are better than brushing,
John Cannon

Thermal Cameras….Really??? Why??? (Updated)

I know I will probably get crap for this, but if you haven’t learned from this point that really doesn’t bother me too much in regards to ripping apart Ghost Hunting. This topic is apparently a sore spot  for some people. I am not planning on taking apart the people who use thermal cameras, but rather the use of thermal cameras in general and a viable tool for ghost hunting.

Now, most Ghost Hunting groups feel that the holy grail of all equipment would be to get their hands on a thermal camera. Almost every group out there feels that this piece of equipment without a shadow of a doubt proves the existence of spirits as well as the ability to capture their image and ghostly form. I ask why…why do people think this is a great piece of equipment, all a thermal image camera does is to form an image using infrared radiation. It can detect hot and cold spots as well as their point of entry. A lot of plumbers, electricians and builders use them to find where pipes or buildings would need insulation or to point out faulty wiring as well as where the greatest heat loss is in a subject. The thermal image is projected in colors that directly match the subject, hot being represented by bright colors and cold being signified by dark colors.

So, now that we have established what a thermal imaging camera does and what its true intentions are, let’s get to why I am confused about all of this as it relates to Ghost Hunting.  See now on an investigation people use a thermometer in order to find the infamous “cold spot” which for some reason is a sign that a “spirit” is trying to manifest itself. Ok, I guess I understand that if you are under the aspect that spirits feed off of the energy in the air and heat being an energy is an easy power source for them to get charged off of that the temperature would drop. Now that everyone is getting all excited that they found a cold spot they break out the thermal camera to take a look around the area only to find the silhouette of a person standing there. There it is in all its bright yellows, oranges and reds the form of a human/spirit; you have found the ultimate evidence that everyone looks for on an investigation. This is the greatest experience of your ghost hunting life/career to see…oh wait…did you not read what I wrote earlier? I said that heat was represented by bright colors and cold was represented by dark colors. So then what the heck are you looking at, if you found a cold spot then shouldn’t the thing be dark colors rather than bright ones?

That’s right thermal imaging is really fun toy to play with, but it doesn’t make sense. Did you ever think for a minute about the logic behind cold pots versus warm silhouettes on a thermal camera? People get so wrapped up in the great toys they see on TV that they don’t take the time to actually think about what the heck is going on with them. I have never heard of anyone going out to find “warm spots”, it’s always the “cold spots”.  So what could it be? Could it be an actual spirit? Could it be a reflection off of something (which is my vote)? Could it be something much different that people don’t want to talk about? Could it in fact be a demon?

In the years we have all watched the “famous” Ghost Hunting TV show we have all heard about human and in human spirits. Now if you look at this logically and you have a belief structure which allows you to thoroughly accept the fact that there is a heaven and a hell then take a listen to this. If in fact you have seen a warm silhouette of a human/spirit and not one that is dark colors then wouldn’t it be logical to think that something that lives in the pits of hell would be warm? Based upon all accounts of the bible hell is a place of fire and pain, and last time I checked fire was hot and since demons live in the fires of hell naturally they should be hot. I don’t know if this makes sense to you, but my feelings are to not accept everything you see at face value.

People tend to use “ghost hunting” equipment without really trying to figure out what its true purpose is for. I will admit that I have tons of equipment and have used it without really looking into it, but I am willing to admit it. And the more and more I think about thermal cameras I don’t think they are really worth their weight in what type of evidence it produces.

Again if you don’t like what I say then deal with it, I am here to make you think and take a step back for a minute. As always these are my opinions of logic based upon my experimentation and investigations into the weird and bizarre.

Be safe and thanks for reading,
John Cannon

 

Ghost hunting and Ouija Boards…is there a difference?

When you think of Ouija Boards you tend to remember the movie Exorcist where she played with an Ouija Board and in turn it resulted in a demon entering the house and taking over her body. This series led to a number of entertaining and memorable events as to the bed rocking violently and of course the infamous pea soup vomit scene. Now all this wouldn’t have happened if she never played with an Ouija board. To this many witchcraft practitioners and Satanists, which I use that term loosely, people wanting to find some answers from those people who have passed away and people wanting to play with said Ouija Board for kicks and giggles. So is there really that much difference between Ouija Boards and Ghost Hunting?

First off let’s begin with the operational definition of what a Oujia Board is based upon Meriam-Websters definition which reads: Oujia - used for a board with the alphabet and other signs on it that is used with a planchette to seek spiritualistic or telepathic messages. Now how does one operate a Ouija Board, well that’s simple, everyone sits around the table with their hands on a wedge with a hole in it and you begin to ask questions. After you ask the question the wedge seems to move all by itself and either gives you a yes or no answer or can spell or count out your answer.

Many people are afraid of Ouija Boards and want nothing to do with them, they feel that there may be some truth to this piece of cardboard and wood. It may possess some actual link between here and the afterlife and quite possibly invite some sort of demon spirit in, that’s the fear anyways. I am one of those people, I am very much afraid of Ouija Boards and will not get near them, I want nothing to do with them and will request it be put away if around me. However I have ghost hunting for a little over 5 years now and truly believe there is something else out there and want nothing more than to find some sort of evidence in the existence of the paranormal. Now I will be honest with you in the fact that I have held off from doing this article for over one and a half years because I struggled with the connection I am about to make between Ouija and Ghost Hunting.

Oujia Boards as I stated earlier are used to for the purpose of linking yourself with the afterlife and being able to connect with them and get answers to questions as well as satisfying one’s own curiosity about the other side. So tell me this, how are the use of EVPS, EMFS Detectors and Thermal Cameras on a Ghost Hunt any different than sitting around a table and using a Ouijia Board, the answer is there is no difference what so ever. When walking around on a Ghost Hunt you ask questions to the spirits and request that they show themselves an give you answers to your questions and if you’re not doing this to satisfy some sort of curiosity then I am calling you a liar.

People who do Ghost Hunting want to know questions to answers and satisfy the curiosity they have within themselves to see if places are really haunted and if they can get that holy grail of hunting evidence.  It’s the same exact thing with Oujia boards, only less technologically advanced. I have talked with a number of people in regards to this and a lot of the response is, well we are using sound scientific equipment and methods, really? I can’t stand behind that seeing as how ghost hunting is not an exact science just as wicca and voodoo is not an exact science, but does some of it work…yes.

Im not trying to down play Ghost Hunting in anyway what so ever, heck I still go Ghost Hunting to this very day and I will continue to do so. Does this make me a hypocrite then in what I have said as it relates to my fear of Ouija Boards, quite possibly it does, but in Ghost Hunting I feel in my own mind that I have more control of the situation than if I was using a Ouija Board. And honestly that is a stupid way for me to look at it because in reality you have the same amount of control for either hunting or Ouija…none. If the spirit wants to use a board or technology to attack and harm you then it has that ability to do so.

What I am trying to do with this is to show you that just because you throw technology at it does not mean you are and better off or safer when it comes to the spirit realm. A spirit/demon can pretty much do anything it wants to you, your friends and your family. So take precautions and prepare yourself for hunts, there are many ways you can and whatever puts your mind at ease then so be it, but be careful because I have yet to find one person who actually enjoys vomiting pea soup, it’s just nasty.

Be safe and fasten your seat belts,
John Cannon

P.S. Penn & Teller have a show on Showtime called BullSh*t and in one of their earlier shows they went after the Ouija Board. If you can find a copy of it online or on Netflix I recommend watching it, it’s some pretty interesting stuff they had done to debunk it.

Ghosts of the dark deep sea. (Updated)

There are many tales of the sea, some like the most famous being the Flying Dutchman or the lighthouse keeper who continues to shine the way for lost travelers to even the woman who lost her love and now waits on the rocky shore for her beloved to sail home. Heck there are even three movies that Disney put out about Pirates and Supernatural sea stories that surround them. Now, I bring this up because while we know full well about ghosts of the sea, what about ghosts of the deep?

First off let’s look at the definition of a ghost:  A ghost - or spirit or apparition - is the energy, soul or personality of a person who has died and has somehow gotten stuck between this plane of existence and the next. Most researchers believe that these spirits do not know they are dead. Very often they have died under traumatic, unusual or highly emotional circumstances. Ghosts can be perceived by the living in a number of ways: through sight (apparitions), sound (voices), smell (fragrances and odors), touch - and sometimes they can just be sensed.

Now I think that is an operational definition that we can all agree on as being a good explanation of what a ghost is. So now that we have that out of the way and we pick apart this definition let’s take a look at where it says that a ghost is someone who has died under traumatic, unusual or highly emotional circumstances. What could be more traumatic than seeing a Japanese dive bomber plummeting into the side of a ship and sinking it to the bottom of the sea? What could be any more highly emotional than watching waves and waves of Japanese fighters and bombers destroying the docks at Pearl Harbor knowing you and your fellow soldiers are unprepared for such a massive attack? And that’s is just the tip of the iceberg, this doesn’t include submarine disasters and other ship sinking’s such as the R.M.S. Titanic.

I am talking about ghost hunting underwater, that’s right I said it, ghost hunting underwater. Now before you decide to try and commit me, hear me out and open your mind for a second. If such traumatic events can happen both on the land and on the sea, then what makes it so absurd that it can’t happen underwater? For all the ship, submarines and planes that have been lost out at sea what is to make you think it couldn’t happen?

Now obviously you can’t do normal EVP work under the sea but you can use sonar or put a audio recorder in a water proof bag and take it down with you. The theory is the same that there may be something that appears on the recording because if the ghost doesn’t want you there it will tell you, just as it would if you were anywhere else. As well you can do the same as it applies to a k-2 meter, just simply put it into a waterproof bag or I’m sure there are some highly expensive underwater k-2 meters as well.

Now I have brought this up to many people, both scuba divers and ghost hunters and very rarely have I run into someone who didn’t think I was out of my mind until after I explained it to them. Why is it so absurd? If you look at some fundamental aspects in relation to the conductivity of water and electricity this theory starts to make a bit more sense. Water can conduct electricity we all know that, so why is it such a stretch of the imagination that electricity can be attached to something underwater?

In my research I have found one place that actually has taken on the challenge of underwater ghost hunting. They implement sonar technology for collecting evp’s as well as underwater video and digital cameras. Now I am not sure if they got as far as emf’s, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they are currently working on it.

Well I think I am going to have to try some stuff out the next time I go diving, I just have to make sure the equipment isn’t going to implode as the pressure crushes it to death. I guess we will see, and as always you are welcome to dispute my reasoning, but you can’t so you won’t

Be safe and take swimming lessons,
John Cannon

The Philadelphia Experiment…not so much brotherly love.

A long long time ago in a land not so far away there was a magical boat, a naval destroyer in fact, called the SS Eldridge. What made this boat so magical was that it could do time travel teleportation from Philadelphia to Virginia. Now this magical boat had a dark side to it as when it would complete it’s time travel teleportation the innocent crew would be fused into the metal of the ship to be a part of it for all eternity, not unlike that of the crew of Davey Jones. However this magical boat would be considered an abomination and secret that needed to be hid by the evil men within a “government agency”. To this day the magical boat has lived in legend and lore to baffle those of the strongest and sometimes weakest mind.

Does this sound like such a farfetched story that could only be created by scfi writers, deranged astrophysics professors or even a father telling his boy about such stories around a campfire??? Well I hate to say this, but according to a good number of people thus story is much more fact than fiction. I am of course speaking about the dreaded Philadelphia Experiment or also known as Project Rainbow, now sure why the Project Rainbow, but I’ll go with it.

The experiment was based upon Albert Einstein’s unified field theory, and for you non-geeks out there; what that basically means is the ability to teleport and time travel all at the same time. So the stuff you see on star trek with the classic line “Beam me up Scotty” that’s what this was about, but with the twist of time travel thrown into the mix. This experiment was headed up by the US Navy and was applied onto the US Destroyer USS Eldridge, in the dock yards of Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1943. The experiment used the manipulation of magnetic fields with the help of a number of electromagnetic generators to engulf the ship in a blanket of bent light waves.

A few tries at the experiment had been done and to a point was successful, but the one experiment that stuck out the most was when the ship disappeared and the reappeared in Virginia and then back to Philadelphia. While some sailors complained about nausea the worst horror was yet to be found, some of the men were embedded right into the metal of the ship itself. They were crying in pain and agony and eventually had to be put down and forever sealed as part of the metal structure. Upon further investigation a number of crew members had disappeared completely never to be found and most would go on to suffer severe mental disorders. The US Government decided this was a failed experiment on epic proportions never to be done again; they cut the men who were fused to the metal out and then replaced the metal so no evidence was found. As well they put the rest of the men into Psychiatric Hospitals and did everything they could in order to cover the whole event up. This would have worked if it had not been for a researcher who stumbled across some recently declassified paperwork regarding anti-gravity propulsion and a mysterious letter from a man named Carlos Allende who spilled the beans on the Philadelphia Experiment due to his role as one of the few crew members who managed to not suffer from the most severe side effects for the experiment.

Now I can continue on with the original fairy tale I started with or the second one…that’s right the whole thing is a fairy tale. Now as I have stated in the past I would love for this stuff to be 100% true and I would be one of the first to say there is a conspiracy with our government, but I can’t in this case. First off it’s only one man’s research into a speculated idea of Einstein’s theories and they may have been considered by the government as pretty much everything is, but he had no real proof or documentation of anything in regards to it. As well the USS Eldridge was still in service for many years after the supposed event took place and at no time was there any radiation levels, weird anomalies or evidence that metal had been removed and replaced. The only man to really come sort of close to pulling off something of this magnitude was Nikola Tesla, who we will cover at a later date.

The overall timelines of the events just do not make sense, case in point the time the experiment was supposed to have happened the ship was still docked in NY. Could the ship logs have been falsified, sure if you want to go that route then let’s look at the fact that the men who were first stationed on the boat, when the experiment was to have happened, were interviewed and the USS Eldridge had never dock in Philadelphia at any time of it’s service.

The old saying seems to be true when it comes to this one, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. This is such a great story to tell and if it were true it would be even better, however this story only lives on in the minds of storytellers, Hollywood and conspiracy theorists. I know quite a few people who would argue with me that this was 100% real and the government is covering it up to keep the public dumb and unaware of the true technology we have. Do I agree we have some awesome technology we don’t know about yet…yes I do, I would stupid not to, but hats why they hire the best and brightest, in order to create these things. Never believe everything you hear and do some research and use your gray matter called a brain to figure out the facts.

Be safe and wear your life jacket,
John Cannon

Long Pigs: Movie Review....Imagine long bacon mmmm

Long Pigs is a movie based around an independent film crew following around a modern day cannibal serial killer not unlike Ed Gein and Jeffery Dahmer. The serial killer is Anthony who is a basic simple man who puts the art of cannibalism as well as the act of killing into the same category of people eating meat such as cows and pigs. In one scene it shows him cutting apart a recently killed victim as he has the corpse hung by their feet as you would in a butcher shop. However as he goes about his deed he is talking with the film crew in a simple monotone sound with such a look on innocence on his face that you tend to forget that he has just killed this person and is preparing them to be eaten. He meticulously butchers the individual as a normal butcher would take pride in his cuts of beef/meat.

The character Anthony himself is actually such a sympathetic character that you begin to feel for him and realize that this is a normal everyday occurrence that to him is like a person going to a grocery store to buy food in order to live. This simple average man works a regular job and even plays in beer league style hockey games. As you always hear in every serial killer report you see on the news “you never would expect him to be a gruesome monster because he always seemed so nice.

One point I enjoyed in the film is where, due to a flat tire, Anthony and the film crew go to a farm to secure a spare tire for them to get home. The farm turns out to be a pig farm and as you walk through their butchering area and see the pigs you can see more how Anthony views his ways as being that of a normal pig farmer.

The movie is sprinkled with a police detective and behavioral psychologist explaining what goes through a serial killers head and just after they finish their speech it shows Anthony doing and being the exact opposite.

Half way through the film though you begin to look at him more as a monster and a disturbed individual that he really is. You can begin to see the symptoms, which were described by the experts, come out more and more in Anthony towards the end of the film until the final climax.

I don’t normally enjoy sitting down to watch movies and tend to sometime fast forward through parts that I feel are drawn out, but in this case I watched the film from start to finish without once thinking about hitting the fast forward button. This movie kept me wanting to see more and I was glad that I did not skip anything in this film.

There were only a few things that I saw with this film that I would change. While the ending of the movie was good it did become a bit predictable towards the end. As well I thought there was a bit too much closure at the end as you see what happens to all the characters you met through the film ala Animal House.

I did enjoy this movie and they say never leave until the credits are done, well this is no exception. No, there isn’t a special surprise after the credits, but there is a conversation between Anthony and a radio show host, who interjects some points during the movie, that says to Anthony everything you would want to say to cannibalistic serial killer.

Be safe and always look to see where your food comes from,

John Cannon

Starlite…nothing like Lite-bright…way cooler

Revolutionary material that is resistant to heat…not just any heat, but extreme temperatures close to the heat of a nuclear bomb. Material that could save countless numbers of people with just as countless numbers of applications. This material could revolutionize and bring safety standards to the next level of heat protection. Main people directly affected by its abilities are firefighters and the aeronautics industry as well as space programs. The material is the future and well…its real…and nobody knows how the hell to make it…except for one man, Maurice Ward.

That’s right this material does in fact exist, one such test was to hold a blow torch to a raw egg for at least 10 minutes and then remove the heat…the material is instantly cool to the touch and the egg is still raw inside. Who is this great man of science who created such a wonderful and ingenious product??? Well he is in fact a hairdresser…yes a hairdresser, no specialized training, but a man with a mind and plan and a dream. This man created the ultimate fire proof fabric which was inspired by a great plane crash that killed 40 people in 40 seconds due to heat and smoke inhalation.

The fantastic material was named Starlite and Maurice Ward is it’s proud father of invention. Now you would say to yourself why have we not heard about this amazing invention of fabric ingenuity??? Why is this not a common household name and why aren’t we using it today???

Well that would be because Mr. Maurice Ward was very very paranoid about his invention. When he would give samples to companies to test for themselves he would make sure he was there with it and that it would never leave his sight. He was extremely afraid that the companies testing it would try to reverse engineer it so he never let any sample out of his sight. He kept the secret well guarded as to its make up composition and for the most part nobody could figure out exactly how he made it.

So why is it not being used to day…well he also wanted 51% of all profit that would come from such a commercialized finding. That’s would never happen in today’s business world, now had he asked for 30-35% he probably would have gotten it and still become and extremely wealthy man from it. He however wanted the full 51% and never, from my research, swayed from it when offered lower.

Maurice Ward is the only person who has the exact recipe for this incredible life changing material…well I should say was because he just recently passed away and took the formula to his grave. There are some who say that his family knows the formula, but then there are those who say the British government has the formula and is suppressing it from the public for its own needs. Gee…we never heard that one before about governments holding back information for their own selfish reasons.

So here we have and seen for our very own eyes and invention that could save the world. An invention that was created in order to do just that yet somehow greed and money got in the way just as it has so many times in  history and will continue to do so for the rest of eternity. Maurice Ward was a man who created a miracle material and then took the life saving formula to his grave…so sad.

Be safe and share your inventions and stop being greedy damn-it,

Jon Bolton

Here is a video of Maurice Ward's invention:

 

 

Ghost catches her own killer…must save a fortune on doughnut costs

A lucky break in the case…evidence that convicts the real killer…solid proof of the killer…these are the things all police and government agencies long to have happen when doing investigations. To have solid positive proof that someone did in fact commit a heinous crime no ifs and or buts. Law enforcement agencies would kill for this truth and sometimes they go as far as to make that truth up, but in this case we will see there is nothing made up about this. This is a bizarre and yet happy story about a woman whose spirit actually helped catch her killer. Now I know it sounds extremely farfetched, but I was skeptical about this at first and have no begun to wonder if this really didn’t happen.

Now we have all read and heard storied about psychics who help the police catch criminals because they tapped into spirits or they can see into the future or whatever parlor tricks they use…that is a rant for another day. Let’s begin with the back story of this woman who tragically met her demise.

Her name is Elva Zona Heaster, she lived in Greenbrier County located in West Virginia and beyond that not much is known about her or her life. In the year of 1897 a man by the name Erasmus Stribbling, whom they also called Edward, this drifter whom she had fallen in love with would take her life…although it wouldn’t be known for a brief amount of time.

Her body was found at the house by a boy running errands and the body was reported to the coroner and arrived around an hour later. Within that hour Edward moved her body, cleaned her and dressed her, which is normally womanly duties for that time. Her original death was deemed “everlasting faint” but the changed to “childbirth”, now for an autopsy that last only a few minutes how the heck can you seriously rule this as a cause of death. Mind you it was reported that bruise were noticed on her neck and when the coroner when to examine them Edward cried violently and got in the way so the coroner stopped….seriously wtf. If that wasn’t the first red flag regarding the possibility of him killing his wife I don’t know what is…way to go doc.

Now at the funeral he initially seemed overcome with grief, but then he started to get antsy and irritable…especially when anyone wanted to come close to the coffin. Oh also he would get violently upset at people who wanted to look at her face/head area…gee I wonder why that could be, what was he hiding I bet…how about how he killed…lets thank that coroner again. And keep in mind the mother of Zona always thought Edward killed her daughter…mothers always know.

Now here is where it gets paranormal…after four weeks of intense praying the legend goes that Zona appeared to her mother in a dream. She explained all the bad things Edward had done to her and that he was in killed her by breaking her neck…gee doc guess you should’ve check those neck injuries a little bit more. This apparently happened of the course of four nights.

With this knowledge she went to a lawyer and through doubt that was already in people’s minds regarding Edward and the death of Zona they got a court order to exhume her body. The coroner also came forward and said he did not give a full examination like he should have…no shit. Once the took the body to the one room school house for examination, and I only got to dissect frogs in my school, it was found that her neck had indeed been broken. Edward was arrested instantly on the spot..do not pass go do not collect $200.

At the trial of Edward the defense tried to make Zona’s mother seem like she was crazy by making her repeat the story about her daughter’s ghostly visits. It’s not like it mattered because they had plenty of evidence to convict the bastard. However because she never wavered in her testimony it backfired on the defense and her testimony was taken as truth. Her testimony became the first instance in the history of law that paranormal testimony was taken into the case as fact and helped convict her daughter’s killer.

Now do I believe this happened??? I sort of do because look at what happened with the case and the true killer was caught. Could it have been from the mothers imagination of nightmares about the death of her daughter and the weird way Edward acted in regards to watching over the head and neck are of the deceased??? Who knows and frankly who cares, this is a great story and the killer was brought to justice…although this calls into question if someone says Satan made me do it could it really have been the devil himself??? Let’s go into that at another time and date…because we will guaranteed.

Be safe and support the local ghost police ball,

Jon Bolton

Some of the greatest lesser known magicians.

We have all heard of the likes of Harry Houdini, Lance Burton, Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, The Amazing Jonathan & Criss Angel, but there are a few magicians that were great in their own right. And in fact most of the above mentioned magicians were inspired by such magicians that I shall name below. They were never all that famous in the likes of playing Vegas or having TV specials, but they were masters of their craft and they were just as good if not better than those of today. They didn’t have the publicity machine like the magicians of today and they didn’t really have a gimmick like some of the famous ones, but they didn’t need it. These men and women were magicians, masters of their craft and experts in illusion and slight of hand, history should never forget these people.

Harry Blackstone Jr.: A man following in the path of his father, Harry Blackstone Sr, he was a true gentleman of magic. He also had that mystique to him and his persona. His look could easily be compared to Doctor Strange or the classic villain who would tie the damsel to the train tracks, but his heart was as big as anything in the world. One of the classic tricks I remember watching him do was the bird cage that he would have members of the audience put their hands on and then make is disappear even as they were touching it.

Doug Henning: A magician who has been lost to a long list of other magicians, he did stand out amongst them in my opinion. His Zig Zag trick was his trick that he was most notably known for and when he did that trick you were in awe. You could watch it over and over again and still be entertained. He unfortunately died at an early age of 52 due to cancer, one thing he could not escape from.

The Pendragons: A husband and wife duo, these magicians are known the world over and have been entertaining people for years. They are masters at the famous Houdini trick “the metamorphosis” and do it in a much better and classy style than anyone in the world. It is such a privilege to watch them work. In fact during a rehearsal for a trick Jonathan Pendragon was shot through the chest with an arrow. He has since made a full recovery and both he and his wife are still doing magic today.

Harry Anderson: Some may know this name as his was the judge from the popular TV series Night Court. He was known as a practical joker and had a very good career as a stand-up comedian and was a part of the early years of Saturday Night Live. What some people may not know is that he is a accomplished magician. His card tricks are second to know and he makes you feel like you are a part of the trick all the time while making a fool of you.

Carl Ballantine: We know about the Amazing Jonathan, but what about the Amazing Ballantine? This man was the true and original Amazing Jonathan, now I am a huge fan of Jonathan’s, but Carl Ballantine was the forefather of comedy magic.  Some may know him from the TV series McHale’s Navy with Ernest Borgnine as Lester Gruber, but he was a vaudeville man from years before. His comedic magical timing was second to none and I highly recommending you to look him up on youtube. You can still find a few clips of him out there.

Jeff Mcbride: The original Criss Angel, and by far much more entertaining and a lot less whiny. Jeff performs his magic with a dark sinister side to it, almost as if you were watching an evil warlock casting spells. He incorporates Japanese Kabuki into his act and does mask transformations better and faster than anyone else in the world. He is an accomplished teacher and master of the craft on magic, but yet so many people have never heard of him. He is truly a great magician to watch.

Now while I am sure that I am missing some, these are the ones that stand out in mind.  I have been a fan of magic since as far back as I can remember. I got my first magic set when I was a young lad and I remember doing mini show for my family and friends. I would always look forward to the David Copperfield specials and watch intently as the magicians at the state fair would entertain and amaze us all. Like I said, these are the ones that got me into magic and made me a fan of the entertainment and joy that goes along with watching it. So check out these magicians and look into a few others, also check out your local magic shop, there are few left in the world, but they are worth going to and supporting.

Be safe…and pick card any card,
John Cannon