Do Not Do This at Home (Or in the Library Either!)

"Ghostbusters" Scene (Sort of) Reenacted at New York Landmark
by Mike Ryan
May 18, 2010

New York Public Library visitors got quite the surprise when comedy troupe, Improv Everywhere, dressed up as the "Ghostbusters" gang and reenacted a scene from the famed movie about a trio of down-on-their-luck guys who turn to supernatural-seeking in order to make some money. Check out the clip below:

The pranksters were easily recognizable in their specter-exterminating gear in the hallowed literary halls of the Library's Rose Main Reading Room, chasing around actors draped in Halloween-costumey white sheets. Observers' expressions -- those who dared to peek up from their books and laptops -- ranged from giddily amused to frightened to the typical New York "seen it all" blase.




And let's be honest: This is just a video of four guys in pajamas chasing around a couple of guys wearing sheets while a knockoff version of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" theme plays in the background. Pure cheese.

Face it: Everyone is just plain better off on a Ghost Hunters of Asheville tour!

Lord Combermere's Ghost

Second in a Series of Famous Paranormal Photographs.

This 1891 photograph presents the figure of a man faintly seen sitting in the lefthand chair. The head, collar and right arm are clearly discernable; the spectre is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

Lord Combermere was an early 1800s British cavalry commander who distinguished himself in several military campaigns. He was struck and killed by a horse-drawn carriage in 1891. At the time of his funeral held 4 miles away, Sybell Corbet took the above photo. She reported that the photographic exposure took about an hour. While some believed the image could have thus been produced by a servant who, during this time, wandered into the room and sat in the chair., this idea was later refuted by members of the household as all personnel were attending Lord Combermere's funeral.

Combermere Abbey is located in Chesire, England, and is today a tourist attraction and hotel.

Do You See What I See?

Matrixing: The phenomenon occurring when the human brain, presented with a random set of patterns, attempts to make sense of what it is seeing. Finding pictures in clouds and the Man in the Moon are two examples and, while matrixing is responsible for our abilities to read and recognize one another, it also commonly leads to misidentification in the paranormal field -- literally "seeing" what is perhaps not there. Human faces, skulls and figures are the most commonly matrixed images.

So how to know if you really have "something"? Grant Wilson of TAPS posts the following suggestions:

(1) Tree branches, mirrors, shiny furniture, cluttered closets and glass are a few of the prime candidates of matrixing issues. Their complex shapes and patterns hold a higher potential for the mind to construct a face or body out of something that isn't there.

(2) The face or figure should not appear to be part of the surrounding material. In Wilson's words: "If the picture is of a forest ... look to see if the face is made up of the brances and leaves from the trees ... or if the face is separated from then and [is] a completely separate material from the trees."

(3) Consider facial and body proportions. These should be of realistic proportions and not cartoonish.

This blog includes 3 photographs in which guests have claimed to see paranormal images. What do you think?!

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Streaking to the Other Side

Ghost Hunters of Asheville sometimes gets streaks running across their photos. Usually reddish to orange in color, guests will sometimes capture a single streak; others discover many streaks racing across their picture. Paranormalists are familiar with this phenomenon -- as are skeptics.

Believers report the streaks are typically uncovered at night or indoors and are found in paranormal hot spots. In our years of touring, we've found that individuals who have higher paranormal sensitivity tend to get streaks, apparitions and mist. These same people seldom get orbs. Conversely, the guests who capture a lot of orbs never get the streaks.

According to the organization Paranormal Study & Investigative Reseach Organization, squiggles and streaks "are caused by small objects caught on camera while it is in Night Mode or even if it just has the flash turned off."

With Night Mode (or the flash turned off) the camera's shutter is open to capture any available light. The slightest movement -- including one's heartbeat or breathing -- can cause blurring and/or streaking to occur.

This image was posted on PSIRO's site as an example of similar photos that many people send to them as evidence of spiritual or paranormal activity. Notice how the wall and window sill seems to be completely in focus. The organization's conclusion: The streaks are due to "low shutter speed and low lighting. The light streaks themselves can be caused by a number of variables from reflections of camera flash, red eye reducer, unnoticeable lights and reflections. The cause of the streak is simply the camera moving from shaking hands or walking about."

Sounds reasonable, logical, maybe even probable. But how, then, to explain the below photo? These streaks aren't even the "right" color.

For us, the jury is still out.