Like so many other media outlets, the folks at WTIC-TV in Hartford seem to have run out of material to fill their nightly news, to the point that they ran a story on exorcisms in my home state of Connecticut. I’ll grant the Nutmeg State has some history in that regard. It’s home to the famous ghost-hunters, the Warrens (Lorraine and her late husband Ed). The famous “demon murder trial” took place here in the 1980s. It was the setting of the 2009 movie The Haunting in Connecticut. Famously haunted places in Connecticut include the abandoned hamlet of Dudleytown, the defunct Norwich State Hospital, Union Cemetery in Easton, and Pettibone’s Tavern (now Abigail’s Grill) … just to name a few.
In their effort to pursue the “hauntings as news” motif I’ve blogged about so many times already, the folks at WTIC-TV ran this story on a paranormal-investigation group and one of their recent cases (WebCite cached version). Unfortunately this is a video report only, and there doesn’t seem to be any way for me to embed it here … so you’ll have to click on the link in order to see it.
They report — uncritically — that a “spiritual battle” is underway, and that “in recent years, it has intensified.” The group they follow is called Connecticut Spirit Investigators, and the reporter cites its claimed 40-year history as a way to grant the group credibility. The group’s high-tech equipment is also on display. What is never explained, is precisely how the group “knows” that a stray magnetic field or a cold spot in a room can only be caused by a ghost, spook, spirit, demon or devil, and can’t possibly have any mundane explanation. They also seem to think weird noises coming from their so-called “ghost box” are proof that supernatural entities lurk at a place; I think it’s proof only that these folks have deluded themselves.
The reporter also claims the group’s “investigation” (if one could call what they do “investigating”) led to an exorcism being performed by a “Bishop McKenna” who’d also exorcised demons in the famous Amityille Horror case. The reporter may have considered this impressive, but I don’t. The famous Amityville, NY haunting turned out to have been a hoax (cached)! Also, the “bishop” in question would have to be Robert McKenna, whose consecration as bishop is suspect, and who in any event is a schismatic (he claims the popes after Pius XII have all been illegitimate); it’s extremely unlikely that McKenna has ever received official approval to perform any exorcisms.
The reporter also brings in another evangelist for ghost-hunting, Fr Bob Bailey from Rhode Island (who’s also appeared on the show Paranormal State). Fr Bailey pontificates on the eternal “cosmic struggle” mentioned at the beginning of the piece, as though he’s an authority on the subject, and not a paid hack who makes money making such claims.
The reporter ends the piece by stating that none of the region’s diocesan offices would discuss the matter, and referred the station directly to the Vatican. That also didn’t go anywhere, apparently. And that’s no surprise … the Catholic Church doesn’t really talk about exorcism — at least, not officially.
At no time during this piece was there even the slightest hint that the interviewees’ claims were anything less than 100% true. At no time does the reporter point out that there is not one iota of objective evidence of the existence of ghosts, demons, poltergeists, devils, souls, Satan, haunted houses, possessions, or the slightest veracity for any of the “paranormal investigators’” antics. At no time does the viewer hear that there’s no objective evidence that any “spiritual battle” is going on at all, much less any evidence offered that it has “intensified in recent years.” At no time did the reporter ask any probing questions, such as “How does any of your equipment prove there’s a ghost or demon here?” There’s nothing about this story that suggests it’s anything other than a puff-piece on CT Spirit Investigators.
I guess this is what passes for 21st century journalism. Unfortunately.
RISEUP Paranormal CT, an affiliate of the Rhode Island based RISEUP Paranormal Group will be investigating the Warner Theater in Torrington, Connecticut on January 16th. The Connecticut based group is led by Gail Capolupo, Ann Collette, Don Krantz and Thomas Flanagan.
We are to be confident that these people are experts on ghosts, for reasons the RC carefully copies verbatim (I assume, since it reads that way) from the group’s press release:
RISEUP (The Rhode Island Society for the Examination of Unusual Phenomena) is a non-profit organization that specializes in researching, investigating, and documenting reported hauntings, UFO/USO experiences, and unidentified mysterious animal sightings. Members are trained to apply science in order to seek logical explanations about supposed paranormal events through the use of surveillance tools, recording devices and common sense. While RISEUP remains open to the existence of ghosts, spirits, extraterrestrial beings and crypto zoological animals, each investigation is conducted without pretensions allowing the group to conduct research as unbiased observers.
These are not really valid “credentials” granting weight to any of their determinations, however. That they’re non-profit does not mean they can’t be deluded or incompetent. That they “document” things does not grant veracity to what they document. That they claim to “apply science” to things, does not mean they actually do. That these people are “open” to strange things means they may be too credulous to bother looking into mundane, non-mystical explanations for things. That they claim to investigate “without pretensions” does not mean they actually do. That they say they’re “unbiased” does not mean they actually are. For all I know, these folks may sincerely believe the pablum and nonsense they’re serving up. But that also does not grant them any veracity.
The only way to establish the veracity of ghosts, is to subject them to rigorous, valid scientific testing. To date, this has never even been attempted, much less tried and failed. Anyone who is certain s/he can do so, would do well to submit an application to the James “the Amazing” Randi’s One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, collect his/her prize, and become instantly wealthy.
And yes, the Randi Foundation has that money set aside. Yes, you will be allowed a say in how your own test is conducted. And not to worry if you don’t need all that money, you can always donate it to charity … so don’t let that stop you! If you’re right, you have absolutely nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by doing so.
Lastly … I’ve been to the now-magnificent Warner Theater in Torrington many times, beginning way back in the 70s when it was a dreary, run-down movie theater, rather than the art-deco live theater it is now. I’ve been in its backstage areas and all around the building. But never once have I seen even the slightest hint of anything that could even remotely be called a ghost. I grant that I’m a cold-hearted godless agnostic cynic and skeptic, so I guess the ghosts there have — quite obviously — read my mind, detected that, and steered clear of me so that I would remain skeptical.
If you live in the Burlington [Connecticut] area, no doubt you have heard of the Green Lady of Burlington. But, her only claim to fame is she’s boring!
No tales of being scared out of your pants in the middle of the woods.
No disembodied heads popping out of teapots.
No terrifying bedroom appearances in the middle of the night.
She just slowly fades in, smiles at you like Mona Lisa and then slowly fades out in a green haze.
Wow. What cutting-edge journalism. A news story about a ghost story whose main feature is that it’s totally unremarkable! A non-newsworthy version of a non-story. What an incredible waste of time and space in a newspaper and on a Web site!
This report even includes putative “proof” the Green Lady of Burlington (CT) exists:
Below is a YouTube video of a visit to the graveyard by Barry Dillinger, with the only recorded EVP ever made at this site. She sort of moans. Turn your volume up to hear it. …
I don’t know what you heard, but I didn’t hear a damned thing. But even if I had … who’s to say that it couldn’t have been something uttered by a living (not dead) person off-camera? This video — even if it did contain any discernible “moaning” sound — does not constitute “proof” of the Green Lady of Burlington’s existence. Far from it!
It would be nice if the RC refrained from this kind of bullshit reporting. But given they have a history of offering this kind of “news,” I don’t expect they plan to stop any time soon. More’s the pity.
Odd things are happening at the Deep River Public Library.
Staff member Pam Ziobron was working by herself late one Saturday. She had shut off all the lights except for the one at the circulation desk, where she was standing, when she had a strong sense that she wasn’t alone.
“It was just a feeling. … It was just so light and airy, like a female coming down the stairs. It was very, very real,” Ziobron said.
Oh well. I guess there’s no question about it, then. Whenever you get those “feelings … like a female coming down the stairs,” then it can’t possibly be anything else, now, can it?
The article goes on to cite a couple of “haunting” stories in the Deep River library, none with any better evidence than Ziobron’s. It also goes on to cite a presumed expert on the subject:
Michael Dionne, founder of Full Spectrum Ghost Hunters, said that about 1 percent of the cases he investigates are paranormal.
And of course we know Dionne can’t possibly be wrong about that, because … well … he makes a name for himself going around talking about the paranormal and electromagnetic fields and all. Right?
Wrong. These ad hoc, self-appointed “experts” have no objective, verifiable basis for any claim they make. Yet the Courant — which has the distinction of being Connecticut’s newspaper of record — touts one such person as having indisputable veracity.
Sheesh. What bilge. Get with it, Courant, and report some news, not useless tripe like this.
The “hauntings as news” trope has gotten old and tired, yet journalists continue to pound out “haunting” stories — even though hauntings are not news. But this latest example is a twist on that trend. A nearby paper, the Torrington Register-Citizen, reports on the cessation of a haunting rather than one that’s ongoing (WebCite cached article):
The horses do not mysteriously switch stalls at the Santos farm anymore.
Nor does the cat’s bowl move from one step to another step to another.
Donna Santos believed spirits were at work inside her house and inside her barn on West Hill Road.
Ms Santos credits some help she received, for getting rid of her “ghosts”:
Eventually, she heard about a group called the Northwest Connecticut Paranormal Society. Comprised of people who believe they have experienced a paranormal activity, the society scrutinizes instances in which people report suspected supernatural activities. …
John Zontok, the founder of this paranormal society, describes himself as a skeptic and a critical thinker. With its goal being to educate people, the society includes a college professor, a professional photographer, a paralegal, a business executive, a Marine, a Reiki master, college students and a dog, according to the organization. …
“Our main goal is to find something to show that paranormal activity exists,” Zontok said. “I am a sceptic regarding the paranormal.”
Let me clear something up right now: No genuine “skeptic” is going to run a “paranormal society” that finds ghosts. It doesn’t happen. What Zontok is doing, is to claim to be a “skeptic” so that he can appear to disarm other, genuine skeptics. To paraphrase, “I’m a skeptic, and I believe in this stuff. If you’re a skeptic, you should too … and if you don’t, then you’re not a ‘real’ skeptic and are just being unreasonable.”
Sorry Mr Zontok, it doesn’t work. You don’t get to call yourself a “skeptic” but then run around acting like a hypercredulous nut chasing every ghost you hear about. I’m not stupid enough to fall for that maneuver. As for how a dog can be an expert on the paranormal … well … that hardly merits comment.
Ever since the paranormal society people investigated, the unexplained phenomenon have stopped, according to Donna Santos.
Ms Santos, have you considered that these “unexplained phenomena” have ended — because there never were any ghosts in the first place? Perhaps whoever had been pulling tricks on you, decided to stop, after you reeled in the Northwest Connecticut Paranormal Society to check things over?
The “Ghost Hunters” who invaded Hartford’s historic Mark Twain House earlier this fall didn’t go away empty-handed.
When the famous duo of plumbers-by-day from Warwick, R.I., were dispatched to Hartford in September with their crew, they encountered all manner of noises and shadows and electromagnetic fields.
In the Twain episode of “Ghost Hunters,” which premieres tonight at 9 on the Syfy network, members of the Atlantic Paranormal Society set up their equipment and spend a dark night at the home in September, just before the Twain House, built in 1874, opened itself up for a series of sold-out “Ghost Tours” in October.
And although it is not good form to spill the results of the investigation before an episode airs, let’s just say that the Twain House may have to double the number of haunted tours next year.
I’m so glad these two cranks “didn’t go away empty-handed.” Somehow I doubt they ever “go away empty-handed” from any reported “haunting” … because ultimately it’s it’s all contrived, anyway.
To be clear: There is no such thing as the “paranormal.” This in turns means there is no such thing as a “haunted house.” Period. Anyone who has any evidence of the paranormal, should go and collect a million dollars from James “the Amazing” Randi. (While many have claimed to be able to “prove” the paranormal, and even participated in testing by the Randi Foundation, curiously, none have been able to get the money. Hmm.)
Memo to Courant editors: Give us more of your exposé of the Catholic Church — and of other kinds of corruption and misdeeds in Connecticut — and less of this insipid non-news. OK? Thanks.
It’s become an old refrain in newspapers and television news rooms. They’re looking for stuff to fill the newshole and occupy airtime, so they resort to “make-news” on whatever crap they can find. “Hauntings as news” is something I’ve addressedseveral timesalready here, and there appears to be no letup. The venerable Hartford Courant … no stranger to this kind of paranormal “make-news” … is treating us — once again! — to yet another non-story about a non-haunting in one of Hartford’s most famous places — complete with a not-so-clever headline:
Ghosts were companions of Mark Twain throughout his life.
They were something he encountered way back when he was a newspaper reporter in Nevada, writing of “spectres starting up from behind tomb-stones, and you weaken accordingly — the cold chills creep over you — our hair stands on end — you reverse your front, and with all possible alacrity, you change your base.” …
So it may not be a stretch to imagine spirits still roaming the large, fanciful Victorian in Hartford’s West End, where Twain lived for 17 years.
Whispered about for years, the stories have accumulated enough to draw TV’s popular “Ghost Hunters” to town last month for a full investigation. And seeing a trend, the Mark Twain House & Museum is opening its doors this month to point out the spooky doings for a series of special “Graveyard Shift” nighttime tours.
I kid you not, people. This is the bullshit that passes for “journalism” these days. How utterly pathetic.
One last thing: Ghostbusters is a truly great movie … perhaps one of the best comedies of all time (I say that in spite of the fact that I don’t believe in ghosts, spooks, specters, etc. at all). But can we please, please, please knock off the quotes from the movie in anything that’s ghost- or haunting-related? I mean, come on … using “Who ya gonna call?” in the headline of this story on a haunting? It’s juvenile, and it’s not even creative. What bilge. Enough already!
The Pfister [Hotel] is Milwaukee’s most regal address, having hosted every U.S. president since William McKinley and scores of celebrities who can take a self-guided tour of the hotel’s Victorian art collection. Today, it’s the place to stay for upscale business travelers and out-of-town visitors, including many Major League Baseball teams. Commissioner Bud Selig, a Milwaukee native, is a frequent visitor.
But some players don’t care for the 116-year-old hotel’s posh accommodations and reputation for privacy. They swear it’s haunted.
Yes, folks, this is exactly the sort of urgent, breaking news we need the AP and Fox News to provide us! That ballplayers are afraid of a hotel because — they say — it’s haunted. They can provide all sorts of stories to back up this claim, and the article itself lists a number of them. There are even some Milwaukee locals milking the presumed haunting of the Pfister for their own gain:
Allison Jornlin, who leads haunted history tours for the folklore research organization Milwaukee Ghosts, said guests have reported seeing a “portly, smiling gentleman” roaming the halls, riding the elevator and even walking his dog. The apparition is said to resemble Charles Pfister, who founded the hotel with his father, Guido.
“His ghost is thought, usually, to behave very well,” Jornlin said. “But MLB players seem to bring out his mischievous side.”
Why’s that?
“Obviously, he’s a Brewers fan,” Jornlin said.
But even some of the Brewers won’t stay there in the offseason.
There’s a problem with this assumption; Charles Pfister cannot have been a Milwaukee Brewers fan … he died in 1924, but the team didn’t arrive in Milwaukee until 1970. (There was a Milwaukee Brewers team in Pfister’s time, but they moved long ago, and have been the Baltimore Orioles since 1954.) This means Jornlin’s claim is chronologically impossible!
With mass media outlets suffering due to the recession, and newspapers failing around the country, one would think journalists could find something more substantive to report on, than “hauntings.” But I guess not. Sigh.
Like so many other media outlets, the folks at WTIC-TV in Hartford seem to have run out of material to fill their nightly news, to the point that they ran a story on exorcisms in my home state of Connecticut. I’ll grant the Nutmeg State has some history in that regard. It’s home to the famous ghost-hunters, the Warrens (Lorraine and her late husband Ed). The famous “demon murder trial” took place here in the 1980s. It was the setting of the 2009 movie The Haunting in Connecticut. Famously haunted places in Connecticut include the abandoned hamlet of Dudleytown, the defunct Norwich State Hospital, Union Cemetery in Easton, and Pettibone’s Tavern (now Abigail’s Grill) … just to name a few.
Entries (RSS)