His name is Hero and the story of his rescue from the Iraq war zone is being hailed as “nothing short of a miracle.” But it is a second “miracle” associated with Hero that is currently lighting up the blogosphere.
An unexplained phenomenon occurred when ABC News was sent to the home in Newport, New Hampshire of fallen marine and Hero’s master Justin Rollin. Photographer Kimberly Launier had been sent to do a shoot for the news show 20/20. (VIDEO BELOW)
The shoot, as she Launier, “turned into something that made me wonder about life after death.”
A news crew was interviewing with Skip and Rhonda Rollin, Justin’s parents, as they played in the yard with Hero. Launier describes what happened next.
Sometimes when Rhonda hugged Hero she would softly pet her face and coo, ‘Justin, are you in there?’ It was Rhonda’s gentle way of remembering their son and his last living connection to Hero. At one point, Hero wandered off and took a stroll in the backyard. All of a sudden, the clouds broke and a light began to solidify in a beam directly down on Hero—a kind of vertical halo.
As this dramatic ray of light was shining on Hero she turned to look at me, and it was all I could do to hold the camera steady and not drop it in astonishment. It was an unforgettable moment, and made me wonder if in fact Justin was in there. Then the light vanished.
In her narrative of the experience, Kimberly Launier writes that it was an overcast day. Was this event a sign from Justin Rollin?
Dagan, five, scared of visions of a 'man with grey skin'
A father has told how his five-year-old son claims he has been troubled by visions of a ghostly man with grey skin who speaks to him in the night.
Dave Gerrity, 41, said his son Dagan first complained about seeing something in his bedroom in the family's Bridlington home around six months ago.
Mr Gerrity said: 'Dagan is scared about it. He cries about it. He's told us that at night he can't sleep because a man with grey skin comes and sits on his bed and keeps him awake talking to him.
'The first time it happened, Dagan's mum Emma and I heard him crying on the baby monitor. I went up to him and he was just crying his eyes out.
'At first I thought it was just his imagination, or he had had a bad dream.
'Of course you never expect this kind of thing to be true, I've never believed in this kind of thing before. But there's no denying it now.
'There have been times when we've been in the room with him and we see him looking up into the corner of the room and speaking.' Mr Gerrity also told how the 'ghost' was seen shuffling furniture in his son's bedroom.
He added: 'We have a double bed in the room which is balanced on its side, and there's a blue plastic table on top of it.
'Dagan told me that in the night, the table was picked up and moved by itself.
'This table is much too high for him to reach himself. I've put him to bed when the table has been on top of the bed, then come back in the morning to find it moved.
Mr Gerrity told how guests to his home say they have also spotted the face of a man on the walls on the dining room of their three-storey house after it was re-plastered. 'The wall was completely stripped back before it was plastered and there was nothing on it, no pattern.
'But when the plaster was drying, we could see a face start to appear. Now there is a 6ft by 6ft face of a man on the wall.
'People come round to our house and see it straight away - you can't miss it. It spooks everybody out.
'I've been plastering for 24 years and never seen anything like this before."
Dagan And his dad Dave Gerrity
The family's next-door neighbours, on the other side of the re-plastered wall, say they have also experienced paranormal activity.
Mr Gerrity said: 'I've been in my house and heard banging coming from the top floor next door.
'I know they've been doing some refurbishment so I expected it was workmen, as I could hear sawing and chatter.
'But then, my next door neighbour came round and said "Dave, please come round and look upstairs, I can hear noises and there's no-one else in".
'I've gone to look for myself and she's right - there's no-one up there.
'The whole thing has got us really spooked. My wife wants to move, she doesn't want to stay in the house anymore.
'It's a shame because we've just done up the house, but it's even creepy for me. I'm a bit scared to be downstairs in the dining room by myself.
'I think that all the work that's been going on - both next door and in our house - has disturbed a spirit.'
A squadron of the Royal Air Force assembled to take a mundane photograph, but after the picture was developed the squad quickly realized that this was no ordinary picture. Standing behind one of his mates was the two days deceased Freddy Jackson. Jackson was a mechanic for the Royal Air Force and served onboard the H.M.S. Daedalus. He had been working when we was killed in a freak-accident by an air plane propeller, but Jackson did not let his death get in the way of him showing up on time for the group photo two days later. Several of the other men in the photo confirmed that it was in fact Jackson’s face in the background of the picture.
This photo was taking at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Illinois. While it does not get the press that Illinois Resurrection Cemetery does, many experts in the field of the paranormal consider it to be one of the most haunted graveyards in the world. So what is so unique about a photo of a women sitting on a stone in a graveyard? According to the people who took this photo the woman was not there when the picture was taken. The photo was taking by Mari Huff who is a member of the respected paranormal investigating group Ghost Research Society, so this helps lend some credibility to the story. In my opinion, it looks to be a staged photograph but I definitely think the photo’s authenticity is worth a debate.
3. Cowboy Ghost or Mysterious Stranger
In 1996, Ike Clanton thought it would be a pretty cool idea to deck himself out in cowboy attire and have his friend snap a picture of him while he stood in Boothill Graveyard in the famous Tombstone, Arizona. Upon examining the picture Clanton noticed a man in the background of the photo that was not there when the photograph was taken. Clanton was intrigued by this and set out to recreate the photo with a friend standing in the background and discovered it was impossible to recreate the picture without having the legs visible.
4. Spirit in the Woods?
This photo was taken by Reverend R.S. Blance at Corroboree Rock near Alice Springs, Australia in 1959. In the woods with branches in front of her appears to be a transparent women. If a photo like this was taken today one would likely think that it was a fake ghost picture created in Photoshop, but Photoshop didn’t exist in 1959. Double exposure is also unlikely given how visible the areas in front and behind the women are.
5. The Fire Girl
On November 19, 1995 Wem Town Hall in England caught on fire. The fire raged on all through the night until the building was nothing but rubble. As firefighters battled the flames, a local citizen, Tony O’Rahilly, decided to snap some pictures of the event. In one of his photographs there appears to be the clear image of a little girl standing in front of the inferno. No one remembered a young girl being at the scene and there was definitely not a young girl in the burning building. Some believe this is the ghost of a young girl named Jane Churm who, in 1677, accidentally started a fire that destroyed many homes in the town. Jane also died in the fire. Perhaps the photo is just smoke creating the amazing illusion of a girl or perhaps it is a real ghost.
6. Ghosts Don’t Call Shotgun
The year is 1959. Mabel Chinnery had just spent the day at the cemetery visiting her mother’s grave. To finish off a roll of film she snapped a picture of her husband who was seated in the front seat of the car awaiting her. She had the pictures develop. While looking at the photographs she makes a chilling discover. In one of the photos her deceased mother is sitting in the backseat of her car.
7. Monk In Church
In the summer of 1954, Reverend K.F. Ford was taking pictures of his church that is located in England. While snapping pictures he accidentally captured one of the most famous and perhaps undeniable pictures of a ghost ever taken. In the picture is what appears to be a monk with a ghastly face. The photo has been examined and it was determined that it is neither a double exposure nor had the negative been tampered with.
8. His Favorite Chair
Have you ever had a favorite chair or perhaps a preferred spot on the couch that is just more comfortable than the other areas of the couch? So did Lord Combermere. Lord Combermere unfortunately got hit with a horse drawn carriage in 1891. During his funeral his family hired a photographer to take some family pictures. His burial took place over 4 miles away and while the family attended the funeral the photographer prepared the camera. When the plate was developed it appeared that the apparition of Lord Combermere was sitting in his favorite chair. Perhaps the coffin wasn’t comfortable enough.
9. Brown Lady
This photograph is considered by many to be the most famous “ghost” photograph. It was taken in 1936 at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England and still today cannot be explained. The photogenic ghost is thought to be that of Dorothy Townshend who lived in Raynham Hall with her husband, Charles Townshend, in the 1700s. Legend has it that Dorthy was a mistress to Lord Wharton and Charles found out about it. He then imprisoned her in a remote section of the Hall until she died from his abuses. Legal records show she died in 1726, but many believe this to be a sham, as Charles wanted people to believe she was dead, so he could punish her for her infidelity.
10. Stairway to the Afterlife
In 1966, Rev. Ralph Hardy visited the National Museum in Greenwich, England. While in the Queen’s House section of the Museum, Hardy snapped a photo of the beautiful staircase. Upon developing his photography Hardy made a shocking discovery. One of his photos showed a ghostly figure climbing the staircase. The figure was not in the photography when Hardy took the picture. The photograph and the negatives were examined by experts, some of which were from Kodak, and all have concluded that the negative was not tampered with nor is it a double exposure.
Are these ten photos proof that ghosts exist? Is this proof of an afterlife? The problem is that there is always room for a hoax or accidental fake when one does not have multiple witnesses and insurmountable evidence. These ten photos are absolutely amazing, regardless. Some of these pictures have undoubtedly given even the most hardened skeptic goose bumps and I don’t believe they should be simply written off as fakes and ignored. These photographs should continue to be examined and researched.
Witnesses in five states reported watching orange lights in the sky on Thanksgiving Day that appeared to move in a controlled manner, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.
Six reports were filed in the past 24 hours from Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina and Utah, all describing one or more orange lights - sometimes appearing as either a fireball or a teardrop shape.
In California, the witness was able to take video of the objects at the point where they were moving away in Case 33584.
"Noticed a single redish-orange fireball rising from eastern horizon from San Diego city center," the witness stated. "At first it looked like an asteroid, but it was going up instead of down. Shortly after a second appeared from horizon following same path as the first. Then there was a third. I ran to get my wife so I wasn't the only one who saw."
All three objects appeared to follow the same path.
"The three objects followed the exact path - rising fast at first, then appeared to slow down as they rose. First object faded, away then the second, and third faded."
Two cases were filed from Arizona.
A "glowing orange ball" was reported moving west to east over Maricopa, AZ, in Case 33587.
"At approx. 10:45 p.m., while seated, my mother witnessed through the window a glowing orange fireball above the neighbor's roof," the reporting witness stated. "It appeared to be about the size of a full moon, but was too low and disappeared quickly. She ran outside to investigate and found it had moved far to the east, and was now about the size of a nickel held at arm's length. I did not see the initial fireball, but followed her outside directly because her reaction seemed so unusual. Within seconds I observed the orange object to be aspirin sized at arm's length and moving quickly away from us in an easterly direction."
The objects continued to fade.
"Within moments the object diminished in size until we could no longer see it. It appeared to be moving at a high rate of speed. We heard no sound. The entire event took 60-90 seconds. Mom noticed it because it was bright, oddly out of place, and moving too quickly. It may be of note that we saw at least one helicopter in our field of view after the light disappeared, but the helicopter was easily identifiable and moving in a different direction. We are curious to know if anyone else saw this object."
Other witnesses also reported from Arizona, including Case 33582, where one person is a "retired Air Force technician who worked with A-10s."
"I looked up at the sky and noticed there was an orange teardrop shape crossing the sky," the reporting witness stated. "My brother and fiancé both took notice and we watched as it crossed."
There were two objects.
"The first object was moving across the sky from what appeared west-to-east and then shot off into the distance. Soon after, another object of same color and shape appeared along the same flight path. It was bright orange and looked almost like a comet. It followed what, from the ground, appeared to be the same path."
In Florida, the witness describes two objects - a "bright orange glowing light" and an "orange fireball" in Case 33588.
"Looking to the northwest approximately 30 degrees or so above the horizon, I noticed a bright orange glowing light," the witness stated. "It was probably the size of a couple of stars put together, or of an aircraft landing light in the distance. I watched it for a few seconds because it was not the color of an aircraft landing light. I also looked for strobe lights or aircraft navigation lights. There were none."
The witness described the light's movement.
"The light then seemed to hover in place on a magnetic heading of approximately 200 degrees. The light then seemed to fade away as if it were moving off now directly away from us."
At Gastonia, NC, a Thanksgiving dinner was interrupted when an orange light was noticed in the sky in Case 33590.
"First thing I noticed, it was a cloudless star-lit night," the witness stated. "This orange light was moving slowly across the sky, slowing down, then moving again. Also while we watched the light, would turn a little red. We watched for about three or four minutes, then it almost stopped and then started going straight up. We looked at each other in disbelief as it then vanished into the sky."
In Utah, the witness described the object as an "orange ball of light" in Case 33581.
"I pulled my car over to use my phone to video record the light," the witness stated. "We watched it for about one minute until it faded out. I am not positive that it was moving when we first saw it, but it was stationary the entire time I recorded it." The video was not included with the MUFON report.
In other Thanksgiving Day reports:
Witnesses in Arizona describe three "stars" that moved in Case 33592.
"I was viewing Orion’s Nebulae at 2:15 a.m. through my telescope," the witness stated. "I thought the number of stars to be strange - meaning there seemed to be more stars then there's supposed to be. Then three 'stars' or UFOs just started to move in a westerly direction. Moving slowly for 10 minutes or so. All three just started to slow down, then they all stopped at once. I sat there for a few more minutes to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did, so I went to bed."
In Illinois, the witness describes an object with "two pulsating lights" and another light that moved around the object in a clockwise pattern in Case 33583.
"I was able to catch it in video for four minutes as it proceeded a flight pattern from east to west," the witness stated. "Lost site of it as it continued west somewhere over Route 53. This isn't my first sighting, and since I am closed to O'Hare Airport, I am familiar to distinguish this was not a jet plane or helicopter. It was at 9:33 p.m., so I hope others will report it."
In Ohio, the witness simply mentions "lights in the sky" at 1:30 a.m. in Case 33568.
"As I watched it more, it would move up, move down, very quickly and precisely," the witness stated. "It would hover, it was high up in the sky."
Then the object appeared to move away.
"As I looked up, it took off - as in - there was a streak of light, almost like a shooting start, but this was a straight path across the night sky. It went right across Orion’s Belt heading west. At that point I knew it was to be an unknown flying object."
A witness near Brookfield, CN, reports two red lights in Case 33594 at 9:25 p.m. after leaving a parent's home for Thanksgiving dinner.
"They live on top of a mountain overlooking the eastern part of Candlewood Lake," the witness stated.
"I came over a rise about one-third miles from the house and saw two red lights to the southeast about 20 to 25 degrees off the horizon. I drove about another one-third mile to a clearing where I had clear view to the east, south, and west. That's when I saw more clusters of red lights to the south and west.
They appeared to come straight at my position from the southwest and arced to the southeast and disappeared, coming the closest about one mile from my position. There were over 15 lights in loose clusters of 3 to 4 lights per cluster moving independently from one another. The lights were not attached to any solid object, I could see stars between the lights. The lights were about 20 times larger than navigation lights on airplanes. I observed them for about four minutes, during that time the lights were consistent in size and shape. They didn't pulsate, flicker, change color, or make any sound. Their speed was roughly about 60 to 80 mph."
A former police officer accused of theft stunned the courts when he blamed a ghost for the presence of the stolen items found in his basement.
Joseph Hughes from Mount Gilead, Ohio, faced 21 charges against him, including stealing 12 air conditioning units, a 6,000 watt generator and a welder.
All are believed to have been taken from the Morrow County - one airconditioner was even conspicuously labelled 'auditor' in thick black marker.
But when stolen articles were found in Hughes’s basement, he gave a paranormal defence for why he didn't know they were there.
‘It’s going to sound kind of ridiculous, but we believed that there was some kind of paranormal presence in the basement,’ Hughes said in court. ‘It sounds kind of ridiculous but there was evidence to support it.’
The prosecutors were stunned by his defence. ‘Probably as odd as I’ve ever heard,’ said Tom Elkin of the Morrow County Prosecutor’s Office. ‘I’ve been practicing since 1983 and I can say that’s the first time I’ve heard of paranormal activity in the course of a trial.’
But Hughes didn’t stand a ghost of a chance with his defence. He was found guilty of 18 out of 20 charges.
FRANKFORT — If I were to tell you that Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort was awash in spirits, you would think I was stating the obvious, right?
Well, in this instance, the spirits aren't named Pappy Van Winkle, Elmer T. Lee or George T. Stagg. They are the 27 ghosts identified by a team from the SyFy TV network's popular Ghost Hunters series who visited the distillery earlier this year and documented their findings on a show that aired Nov. 16.
According to those investigators, the 125-acre distillery is one of the few places they've been where every member of the team reported having a paranormal experience.
Now, you can follow their eerie trail on a one-hour walk designed to hit the ghostly highlights. Armed with a flashlight, visitors follow their guide into the forbidding Warehouse C, where workers were saved by a voice telling them to get out just before a wall collapsed. After the workers were safely out, none of them claimed to have given the warning.
The tour continues past a statue of Buffalo Trace's most famous ghost, Col. Albert Blanton. One of Kentucky's bourbon aristocrats, Blanton spent more than half a century preserving and enhancing the heritage distillery. He is said to haunt the grounds, having loved it here so much he didn't want to leave.
Visitors make their way down a dark lane between two looming bottling plants whose shadows, on a moonless night, appear so menacing it would give you the shivers even without the possibility of an unseen presence following you.
The unlit lane leads to the Riverside House, the oldest building in Franklin County, built in 1780. It was the home of Commodore Richard Taylor, then superintendent of river navigation for the city of Frankfort.
The stark white building seems unremarkable except for the number of specters that have been seen at various times roaming the house. Among them are Taylor, whose visage has been spotted in an upstairs window, and an unidentified young boy.
The tour also takes in the imposing hilltop Stony Point Mansion, built in 1934 by Blanton, who some consider a 20th-century reincarnation — in style at least — of his 19th-century predecessor, E.H. Taylor.
According to the Ghost Hunters investigators, the mansion is the site of the most paranormal activity. They, along with distillery employees, have heard humming and singing (said to be that of Blanton's housekeeper Sarah), felt a hand on their shoulders or an icy chill even in summer in the basement, and heard footsteps, which could be those of Col. Blanton's restless ghost.
Some even claim to have seen the figure of a man wearing Blanton's signature bowler hat and long black coat in the mansion's sunroom, where he died in 1959 after devoting his life to the distillery, moving up the ranks from office worker to company president.
The tour ends back at the Stagg Gallery with a complimentary bourbon tasting, which is sure to banish any lingering ghosts.
Records indicate that distilling started on the site that is now the Buffalo Trace Distillery sometime before 1773 by Hancock Lee, who died in 1776. The oldest building on the site, the Riverside house, was constructed in 1792 by Commodore Richard Taylor and is still standing today. The first true distillery was constructed in 1812 by Harrison Blanton. In 1870 the distillery was purchased by Edmund H. Taylor and given its first name, the O.F.C. Distillery. Taylor sold the distillery eight years later to George T. Stagg along with the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. This second distillery was sold within the year to James Graham in order to add more land to the O.F.C. Distillery. In 1886, Stagg installed steam heating in the storage warehouses, the first climate controlled warehouse for aging whiskey in the nation.
Today on the internet I came across this Haunted painting for sale on the English auction site EBID. So I thought I would share it withh all you wonderful people out there
Below is the description of the painting by the seller and a link to the site.
I received this as a present from a friend who knows I like sinister and bizarre art. It is a canvas print and I have had nothing but bad luck since i received it. Not only that but no matter how I hang it, it refuses to stay up and keeps falling down.
The last straw for me was when the room it was in caught fire. I also find the painting itself makes me feel nauseas and light headed. Not only that but the painting itself is very strange in that it uses a square format which is quite rare in my experience and the subject which seems to be a building of some kind is obscured.
Why paint a building and obscure it? Also in low light I can see grotesque faces within the painting. I'm quite a skeptical person and understand that this does not necessarily mean the painting is haunted but I would really like to get rid of it now. I understand that some people who know about these sorts of things collect them.
Be warned DO NOT BUY if you are easily scared or suggestible.
A POLTERGEIST that haunts a Herne Bay flat, in Kent South East England, is upsetting granny Doris Birch, she claims.
The 73-year-old former nursing home assistant says she can no longer sleep at night as she struggles to fight off the groping ghost.
She said: "It's like an octopus. It started four months ago. I was lying in bed when I felt this creepy pair of hands.
"I kicked frantically and it went away. Next time it came I hurled the duvet on to the floor!
"But the ghost keeps coming back. I've tried sleeping without the duvet. But it started shaking my mattress.
"I even threw the mattress off the bed and bought a new one but it has made no difference.
"I told my 16-year-old granddaughter and she was gobsmacked. She said I must be joking.
"People are going to think I am mad but it is as real as the day to me. I'm not lonely. I love living alone.
"But this is very creepy and is giving me the jitters. It's harassing me. I need to call in the Ghostbusters.
"I told the vicar and he said it is a lost spirit. What I want to know is, why has it got lost in my flat?"
But help is at hand thanks to the Herne Bay Times.
We contacted husband-and-wife ghost-hunters Ray and Beryl Herne from Central Parade to send the poltergeist packing.
Spirit medium Ray, a 52-year-old lorry driver, says he can draw the gross ghost into him while Beryl, 59, will envelope it in a "vortex of light" and send it to the "other side."
Beryl said: "Sometimes spirits need to be here. There is usually a reason. Sometimes it's family. Sometimes we have to alleviate some stress."
Methodist Minister Hugh-Nigel Sheehan, 68, of Mortimer Street's United Church, said: "I was approached by Mrs Birch but I fear I am not in a position to help. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
"I have no expertise in this at all. I am neither a trained counsellor nor from a church with a tradition of exorcism such as the Catholic Church. It is very difficult to know how to respond."
Alien life? This strange 'body' was said to have been discovered by two walkers close to Irkutsk, Siberia, in a renowned hotspot for extraterrestrial behaviour
Heading for Earth? The alien in Miss Yegorovnam's fridge has conveniently been removed by men from the 'Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences'
'Crash victim': The 'creature' was said to have been retrieved from a UFO crash site in 2009. It has an enormous head, bulbous eyes and one stick-like arm.
If the aliens really are landing, this latest picture seems to confirm that their first port of call on Earth will be Russia.After other claims of extraterrestrial life turning up in Siberia, the latest is from a Russian woman who says she kept a frozen alien corpse in her fridge.The mysterious 'lifeform' was reportedly kept by Marta Yegorovnam in her fridge in the western Russian city of Petrozavodsk for two years, while she took five pictures to prove its existence.
The 'body', the third alien sighting in Russian in recent months, was reportedly retrieved by Miss Yegorovnam from a UFO crash site near her summer house in 2009.
She says she approached the flaming wreckage and crumpled metal which she described as 'unbearably hot' and near the twisted hulk lay the dead alien.
The 'creature' is two feet long, has an enormous head, large bulbous eyes and an appearance somewhere between a fish and a humanoid.
It also appears to have what looks like a string-like arm protruding from its body.
Naturally, Miss Yegorovnam did what most would in the same situation and stored the alien in her fridge for two years, according to Unexplained Mysteries.
The website reported that two men turned up at her home a few days ago and confiscated the corpse for investigative purposes, claiming to be from the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The footage was unearthed by noted paranormal writer and expert Michael Cohen.
Mr Cohen, 40, said: 'This could be an elaborate hoax, however the possibility that this might be a genuine alien should not be discounted.
'Russia is a hotbed of UFO activity and possible alien craft has been tracked by both military and civilian agencies.
'In all likelihood most alien beings would look strange to us, much like this specimen.'
Screen Grab of footage
This latest claim from Russia comes after footage filmed in August in the remote Irkutsk region of Siberia appeared to show a strange glowing craft and five aliens walking about in the snow.
In April, two students who claimed to have recovered a body from a UFO crash site admitted that the creature was in fact made out of bread.
Timur Hilall, 18, and Kirill Vlasov, 19, shot the video that showed the alien's mangled remains frozen in snow, also in Irkutsk, Siberia.
Alien made of bread
The pair were questioned by police over their 'extraterrestrial discovery' but admitted to their stunt.
But not before their creation became an internet sensation, drawing almost 700,000 hits on YouTube.
Their find was deemed serious enough for the Kremlin to get involved and a spokesman from the Russian interior ministry confirmed the hoax.
For sale: Converted lighthouse – comes with two acres of beach, fantastic views of the Welsh coastline ... and resident ghost.
The Point of Ayr Lighthouse, near Talacre, on the north-eastern coast of Wales, has been put on the market for £100,000.
But timid buyers should beware – because the tower has a history of paranormal activity.
The most common ghost sighting is of a figure dressed in work clothes standing on a balcony and footprints on the beach below, and paranormal investigators who have visited the property have reported spooky vibes, the sound of laughter and a name being called out.
Among stories about the online about spooky happenings at the lighthouse, Adam Corkill, from Stockport describes seeing a figure of a man up in the top tower, who appeared to be fixing equipment.
However, when the group he was with approached the bottom of the lighthouse, the padlock seemed to be fully locked and the figure disappeared.
Neil Hayden, from Birkenhead, said: “When I was 16 me and my best mate used to go and visit a relative of his in Talacre.
“The occasion that sticks out is one day while on the beach, we saw what we can only describe as one massive footprint, like nothing human size.
“The footprint was pointing towards the lighthouse, and as we stared at each other and panicked, there was an almighty bang on the inside of the lighthouse door, we ran back towards the dunes, and turned round to see someone shining a torch at us, this was about eight o’clock at night, just going dusk.
“Not only did the torch business frighten us but the footprint too, which believe it or not disappeared within the 15 mins it took us to go get a witness. No high tide, no one on the beach and no sign of the footprint being rubbed out.”
Others describe dogs refusing to go near the lighthouse.
Investigations by the Pathfinder Paranormal Investigators recorded strange sounds and unusual lights.
Psychics in the team reported that the spirit of a man called Raymond, who was once a lighthouse man and died of fever and a broken heart, as well as four other spirits may still be connected to the property.
One tale, however, might put prospective buyers off.
Paul Sanderson, from Stoke on Trent said: “My grandparents always went to Rhyl for their annual holiday.
“I was a young boy, my mother had a brother named Jeffrey Moses. He was fascinated by the lighthouse, and he said to my mother one day I will own that lighthouse.
“A few years later it came on the market, and was up for sale, he was excited and thrilled he was going to buy it. Alas, as he put his offer in he became very ill and died in 1966 aged 38. My grandparents never got over it.”
The property, which is being sold through Strutt and Parker, is described as having potential for residential use. However, at the moment the interior is simply made up of several empty floors with stairs leading to the top.
The lighthouse is Grade II listed. It is approximately 60ft high and 18ft in diameter.
It was built in the 1770s by community leaders in Chester, and was one of the earliest “lantern” lighthouses in Wales, according to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW).
Its records explain that the need for a lighthouse became a big concern after the loss of two ships in 1775 with the loss of lives and cargo.
The lighthouse continued to shine until 1883 when it was superseded by the Dee Light-Ship.
On the balcony stands a 7ft tall keeper made from highly-polished stainless steel – the result of a joint project between the current owner and Flintshire County Council.
The lighthouse is cut off by the sea at high tides, although it is accessible on foot at low tide. The dunes on which the lighthouse was originally built have retreated inland over the years and it now sits in the middle of the beach.
Although the property comes with two acres of beach, dreams of enjoying sun, sand and sea on your own private beach may not come to fruition as the beach is not fenced off and is accessible to the public.
Artist and filmmaker Jonathan Doyle has found fame through his work, but not in a way he might have imagined.
The Keene, N.H., resident was before the state’s Supreme Court this past week, defending his right to don a Bigfoot costume and cavort around the summit of Mount Monadnock, while filming other hikers’ reactions.
The free-speech fight has put the 31-year-old in the spotlight for his filmmaking, but he has been immersed in painting, writing and other forms of artistic expression all his life.
“Art is a very powerful tool in ... changing people’s perspectives,” Doyle said.
Growing up in New Hampshire, the middle son of a hardworking single mother, Doyle was fascinated by painting and drawing. As a child, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Doyle would say “either a priest or an artist.”
Art won out, and after graduating from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Doyle lived in Florida, where he started an art gallery. He later moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he founded New York Creator and expanded into set design, animation and film. He spent several years in New York, before moving back to Keene.
Doyle is a typical “starving artist,” supplementing his income by digging irrigation systems and building fences.
Doyle’s recent works include a digital three-dimensional collage series. In the collage, “Sometimes you get a rotten lollipop,” Doyle said, “A girl looks really sweet, attractive — the whole package. And then you meet up with her and find out she’s the dragon lady.”
But it is the Bigfoot case that has put Doyle on the map.
In September 2009, Doyle, equipped with a camcorder and a Bigfoot costume from iParty, climbed Mount Monadnock, put on the costume and filmed hikers’ bemused reactions to the beast.
“The purpose of the film shoot was to draw together community in a way that was humorous and experimental,” Doyle said.
When Doyle and five friends returned two weeks later to film again, they were told they needed a $100 special-use permit and ordered off the mountain.
Doyle sued the Granite State, arguing the permit requirement violated his First Amendment rights of free speech. In May, a Superior Court judge sided with the state, which argued the permit requirement for organized events was applied fairly.
Doyle and the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union argued their appeal before the New Hampshire Supreme Court on Thursday. The justices have 180 days to issue an opinion.
Barbara Keshen, an NHCLU lawyer who is representing Doyle, said the case “helps us preserve the right of the little guy to express himself artistically.”
While Doyle wants to film again on the mountain, he also wants something larger to happen.
“I want people to recognize the importance of protecting one’s First Amendment rights and the voice of the underdog to be heard,” he said.
Every night, amateur ghost-hunting groups across the country head out into abandoned warehouses, old buildings and cemeteries to look for ghosts. They often bring along electronic equipment that they believe helps them locate ghostly energy.
Despite years of efforts by ghost hunters on TV and in real life, we still do not have good proof that ghosts are real. Many ghost hunters believe that strong support for the existence of ghosts can be found in modern physics. Specifically, that Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientific minds of all time, offered a scientific basis for the reality of ghosts.
A recent Google search turned up nearly 8 million results suggesting a link between ghosts and Einstein's work covering the conservation of energy. This assertion is repeated by many top experts in the field. For example, ghost researcher John Kachuba, in his book "Ghosthunters" (2007, New Page Books), writes, "Einstein proved that all the energy of the universe is constant and that it can neither be created nor destroyed. ... So what happens to that energy when we die? If it cannot be destroyed, it must then, according to Dr. Einstein, be transformed into another form of energy. What is that new energy? ... Could we call that new creation a ghost?"
This idea shows up — and is presented as evidence for ghosts — on virtually all ghost-themed websites as well. For example, a group called Tri County Paranormal states, "Albert Einstein said that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change from one form to another. When we are alive, we have electrical energy in our bodies. ... What happens to the electricity that was in our body, causing our heart to beat and making our breathing possible? There is no easy answer to that."
In fact, the answer is very simple, and not at all mysterious. After a person dies, the energy in his or her body goes where all organisms' energy goes after death: into theenvironment. When a human dies, the energy stored in his or her body is released in the form of heat, and transferred into the animals that eat us (i.e., wild animals if we are left unburied, or worms and bacteria if we are interred), and the plants that absorb us. If we are cremated, the energy in our bodies is released in the form of heat and light.
When we eat dead plants and animals, we are consuming their energy and converting it for our own use. Food is metabolized when digested, and chemical reactions release the energy the animal needs to live, move, reproduce, etc. That energy does not exist in the form of a glowing, ghostly ball of electromagnetic energy, but rather in the form of heat and chemical energy.
Many ghost hunters say they can detect the electric fields created by ghosts. And while it's true that the metabolic processes of humans and other organisms actually do generate very low-level electrical currents, these are no longer generated once the organism dies. Because the source of the energy stops, the electrical current stops — just as a light bulb turns off when you switch off the electricity running to it.
Most of the "energy" that any dead person leaves behind takes years to re-enter the environment in the form of food; the rest dissipates shortly after death, and is not in a form that can be detected years later with popular ghost-hunting devices like electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors. Ghost hunters who repeat the claim that Einstein's theories provide a sound basis for ghosts reveal less about ghosts than they do about their poor understanding of basic science. Ghosts may indeed exist, but neither Einstein nor his laws of physics suggests that ghosts are real.
At first glance, it looks like a ripple in the water.
But on further inspection, the dark shadows in British Columbia's Okanagan Lake show what could be seen as the outline of a large sea creature.
Or that is the conviction of Richard Huls, a local man who believes he has captured a video (SEE BELOW) of Ogopogo, Canada's version of Scotland’s infamous Loch Ness Monster.
He spotted the object while visiting a winery with a clear view of the lake.
'It was not going with the waves,' Huls told The Vancouver Sun. 'It was not a wave obviously, just a darker colour. The size and the fact that they were not parallel with the waves made me think it had to be something else.
THE LEGEND OF OGOPOGO
Native Canadian Indian legend told of a beast called Nhaaitk - now known as Ogopogo - living in Okanagan Lake.
The serpent would demand a sacrifice from travellers for safe passage across the lake.
Indians dropped small animals into the water for a protected journey.
A sign by the lake reads: ‘Before the unimaginative whiteman came, the fearsome lake monster N'ha-a-itk was well known to the superstitious Indians.
'His home was believed to be a cave at Squally Point, and small animals were carried in the canoes to appease the serpent.
'Ogopogo still is seen each year - but now by white men.’
'It proves something is down there. Whether it's Ogopogo or not is a different story, but there is something at least down there.'
The shaky 30-second footage shows two slender objects under the water. The shadows, which are about 40ft in length, do not appear to move.
Ogopogo has allegedly been spotted on more than a thousand occasions since 1860. A handful of grainy photographs and films exist of the 'monster'.
The most common description is a 40ft-long sea serpent with humps. It has been described as resembling a horse or goat.
While some sightings have been witnessed by up to 30 people at a time, they have often been dismissed as animals, such as otters, or objects, such as floating logs. In 1991, an expedition financed by Japan's Nippon Television searched for the monster using a remotely-operated vehicle and a miniature submarine.
The pilot took the vehicle to the deepest part of the lake, but no monsters – or bones – were found.
Benjamin Radford, from the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine, said he was not convinced by this latest 'sighting'.
He said: 'There are no humps, nor head, nor form – only two long, darkish, more or less straight forms that appear to be a few dozen feet long.
'Perhaps not coincidentally, Lake Okanagan has tens of thousands of logs harvested by the timber industry floating just under the lake's surface.'
In 1986 Carmen and Al Snedeker moved to the small town of Southington, Connecticut, with the purpose of being closer to the hospital at which their oldest son was being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Having fallen on hard financial times, the family jumped at the chance to rent what appeared to be the perfect house. It was large enough for their family, which included three children and a cousin, and the rent was in their affordable price range.
It was while they were moving in that Al made a startling discovery: In the basement was a peculiar room that was complete with embalming tables and tools. The house, it turned out, used to be a funeral home. Moreover, the basement, which was sectioned into several rooms, was the only room deemed large enough to serve as the two boys' bedroom.
The Snedeker Family
Not long after, Carmen says she began experiencing strange phenomena, like items disappearing and her children reporting seeing strange people in the house, as well as hearing voices and the sounds of hundreds of birds taking flight. Her oldest, who was at the time in the middle of radiation treatment, began to exhibit radical personality shifts, becoming withdrawn and angry. He brooded and began writing poetry with necrophiliac themes. During one intense episode he attacked his cousin with the intent to rape her. His family had him arrested and taken for an evaluation, where he was pronounced schizophrenic. He was removed from the house and seemed to get better until returning.
Other phenomena that were reported by the Snedekers included the repeated and brutal rape of both Carmen and her niece, as well as acts of sodomy being performed on her husband, by unseen entities. Mop water was reported to turn blood red, and the scents of rotting flesh and decay were reported throughout the house. She was also frightened of apparitions that she saw, one with long black hair and black eyes, the other with white hair and eyes and wearing a pinstriped tuxedo. It was then that Carmen decided to contact controversial paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Along with John Zaffis and a few investigators, the Warrens moved into the house for several weeks until they'd experienced everything the Snedekers claimed. During their time in the house, they claim to have seen first-hand the damage the "demons" in the home could inflict, with many members being slapped and beaten, pushed, and slammed to the floor. Investigation into the history of the house supposedly revealed that one of the undertakers at the funeral home was found guilty of necrophilia, which fed fuel to the fire. It got to the point that the Warrens deemed it necessary for a full-scale exorcism of the property, after which the house was judged "cleared" by the Warrens. With the evil banished from the house, that should have been the end of the story. But it wasn't.
Controversy:
Like another Warren investigation, the infamous Lutz house in Amityville, there have been numerous claims by people who lived in the house, both before and after the Snedeker family, that there have never been any "evil entities" in the house. In fact, the family’s claim to have no knowledge that the home was once a funeral parlor was refuted by the house’s owner. Perhaps the most damning evidence that the whole event was a hoax came from horror novelist Ray Garton, who was contracted to write the book In a Dark Place with the Warrens and the Snedekers. According to Garton it was difficult to write the “true” story because none of the involved parties could keep their stories straight. It seemed everyone was contradicting everyone else.
When he went to Ed Warren with the problem, Garton wrote in a post dated April 27, 1999:
“He told me not to worry, that the family was ‘crazy.’ I was shocked. He said, ‘All the people who come to us are crazy. You think *sane* people would come to us?’ He knew I'd written a lot of horror novels prior to that, so he told me to just make the story up using whatever details I could incorporate into the book, and make it scary.”
Furthermore, others who lived in the house during, and prior to, the same time have similar stories to tell. Sure, they say, there were a few odd occurrences, but nothing near the scale the Snedekers claimed. Many point to the Warrens as instigators and others as enablers.
Aftermath:
Whether true or not, it sure makes for one helluva story. The house surely seems like one that would be ripe for a haunting, and whatever did go on in the house, the effects of it are being felt now by the current owners, but not in the form of supernatural boogeymen. Today hoards of photographers, curious gawkers, and paranormal enthusiasts flock to the home with hopes of getting a glimpse of the famous house from hell. Much like the Lutz house in Amityville, the current owners report no paranormal activity and would really just like to be left in peace.
In an Associated Press article dated March 22, 2009, current owner Susan Trotta-Smith had this to say:
"Most people are respectful. They stay on the road. They might take a picture," Trotta-Smith said. "But we have had a few problems with people kind of rudely coming up to the door and scaring our kids, telling them the house is haunted."
The Snedeker family lived in the house for two years after it was exorcised, then moved to Tennessee. The children are grown now with children of their own, and Carmen Reed (nee Snedeker) is now a “spiritual advisor.” She also has plans of writing another book based on the experience with John Zaffis.
Psychic Chip Coffey was once slated to co-author the book but has since distanced himself from the project.
While the statements of Carmen and her family are refuted by numerous people, no one knows for certain what, if anything, happened in the house in Connecticut. The events have spawned a book, a Discovery Channel special, and now another book and the major Hollywood film. Doubtless this story will become as famous as The Amityville Horror, and for much the same reason. Did the family make it up, or did the walls bleed? Was the boy hallucinating from his chemotherapy, or did the dead really torment the owners of the house? Did it really happen, or was it a hoax? We may never know the truth.
The home was indeed once a funeral parlor and it is true that in the 1980’s a family lived there who reported having various ghostly experiences, but there is little evidence to back these claims. There are still a few residents in the neighborhood who lived there at the time of the reputed haunting.
Those who remember the events write off the claims of a haunting, and cite the fact that the electrical service was prone to interruptions, many caused by an old tree whose branches had grown long enough to occasionally brush against the uninsulated power lines. One account of the haunting involves a story of a tree branch catching fire and falling during an exorcism ritual – a story that seems less demonic in view of the dangerously close power lines.
Another aspect of the movie and the stories which preceded it had to do with the funeral home that had previously occupied the house in question. The Hallahan Funeral Home was run by the Hallahan family. Members of the family still live in the community and many residents have relatives whose wakes and burrials were handled by the Hallahan Funeral Home. There have been accusations of rumors surrounding the owners of the funeral home. These rumors, not surprisingly, include fantastic claims of satanic worship and even necorphilia. A few who live in the community have investigated these claims, looking through old newspapers and asking some of the long time residents if they had ever heard such claims at the time.
All indications are that these stories were entirely made up, and those who knew and worked with the operators of the funeral service remember the operators as being honest, respectable and ordinary.
Mysterious Labrador walked into Photo and then walked away,.. "Ghost?"
He was the loyal companion of the Dambusters hero whose extraordinary bravery enthralled the nation.
Now ghost hunters believe the spectre of the Dambusters' canine mascot is still faithfully guarding his master's old quarters.
They are convinced that the wraiths of both Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his chocolate–coloured Labrador haunt the remote airfield from which the audacious raid was launched.
Investigators decided to step in after a mysterious photograph emerged of what looks like Gibson's long-dead dog sitting at his master's memorial.
The picture, taken in the 1980s, shows a Labrador among a school group at a memorial to the Dambusters, close to where Gibson's dog was buried.
The photographer is said to have claimed the dog appeared from nowhere just as the photo was being taken, refusing to be shooed away.
As soon as the photo was taken, the dog disappeared, never to be seen again. After staking out the base at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, now the home of the Red Arrows, ghost hunters are convinced it is haunted by a ghostly Labrador.
The lead investigator, Paul Drake, said: There is definitely paranormal activity there.
Commander Guy Gibson (right) and his Labrador
'One of our investigators felt a cold spot and when we measured it, it was eighteen inches, which is about the height of a dog.
'The curator of the museum has told us that he has felt for years that he has had a presence following him and he definitely feels that it is that of a dog.'
One investigator who stayed overnight at the base last month even claimed she heard a dog growling when she entered Gibson's former office.
'I definitely heard the growl of a dog', said Michelle Clements, 45. 'Three of us heard it and we all agreed it was a dog.
'It was a really low growl. It wasn't a happy "yap" at all. It sounded sounded like he was warning us to stay away.'
Remember them: Historians are skeptical about the possibility of a ghost dog but are happy for anything to keep alive the memory of the Dambusters' work in their Lancaster bombers
After scouring the base with infra-red lights, proximity sensors and video cameras, the team say they picked up activity which suggests the pilot was trying to speak to them.
'I do believe we spoke with Guy Gibson,' Miss Clements, a school dinner lady from Leicester, said.
'We asked him if he was with his girlfriend Margaret and he said yes. 'We also played some old music from the 40s and there was a response to that as well.'
Gibson's Labrador, Nigger (I guess times were different then), was the mascot for the squadron that launched an audacious night-time raid on three heavily defended dams deep in Germany's industrial heartland using bouncing bombs.
Their success was immortalised in the classic 1954 film The Dambusters, its thrilling theme tune and gung-ho script evoking the best of British derring-do.
Scene from movie Dambusters (1955)
Celebrated feats: Actor Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson with the dog who played Nigger in the 1955 film The Dam Busters
The Labrador's name was used as a code word whenever one of Germany's Ruhr Dams was breached during the mission.
Tragically, he had been run over and killed outside the base just hours before the raid and, fearing it was a bad omen, heartbroken Gibson ordered the death to be kept secret and the dog to be buried quickly outside his office next to the squadron hangar.
Gibson himself returned from the mission and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery, but was later killed in 1944, when his Mosquito crashed in Holland during a raid.
The story of the Dambusters is now set to be retold in a new film by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson – although the dog is to be renamed Digger as the original name is now recognised as an offensive term.
Jim Shortland, a historian who specialises in the Dambusters, said he was sceptical about the paranormal but welcomed the investigation.
'What they expect to find I don't know,' he said.
'But I think anything that helps to keep the memory alive of the things those lads did in the Second World War is a good thing.'
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