Can dogs see ghosts when we can't?

I found thos clip on Youtube whilst browsing one day. This dog is reacting in exactly the same way my dog behaves on occasion. It is clearly directing its bark towards a specific area and not just barking in general. See what you think.

"The Sun" goes ghost hunting

Here's a video on The Sun's website of alleged poltergeist activity. I'm sure it's true if The Sun says so (cough).

The use of psychics on ghost hunts

Whilst a psychic can add to the fun and the overall atmosphere of a fee-paying ghost hunt, it does always leave the doors wide open to criticism. The psychic obviously has to know the name of the venue in advance. This means he/she will have ample time to research the history of a venue and come up with a whole list of accurate names and dates. I'm not saying this is what they do (for legal reasons) but it does leave any information they pass across as being suspect.

If I investigate a property, the last thing I want along is a psychic. I check for tangible and measurable results. I check for all the supposed anomalies such as spikes in EMF readings, temperature drops etc. Messages from the other side via a medium are anecdotal at best.

What I would like to see is a third party organise a walk around a building and just arrange to collect the psychic en route. There would have to be no communication with the psychic either before or on the way to the venue. Ideally the psychic would be blindfolded, driven to the venue and lead inside before removing the blindfold. Only then would I truly believe in their input. I can't help it - I have a scientific mind!

Here is my standpoint on ghosts and the paranormal:
Do ghosts exist? = I have no idea. I have seen too much weird stuff to know that anomalous events do happen. Whether this is just a phenomena that is as yet unexplained or they really are the spirits of departed people...well I wouldn't like to guess.


Is there an afterlife? = No idea.


Are mediums real or fake? = Again I have no idea. There do seem to be a lot of charlatans around, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are all fake. I do doubt whether any psychic can contact one of my departed loved ones on demand though.


Is a ouija board a useful tool? = I would never personally endorse the use of one. It is too open to abuse. It's easy to push a glass around and spell out a name, and you can't use on in the dark!


Can you measure the presense of a ghost? = Again, I don't know. I just go along with popular theory like everyone else. I take toys along such as EMF meters and lazer thermometers to try and "measure" any anomalies.


This may sound like I am a rampant skeptic. I am a skeptic, but I have a completely open mind. I am on a journey of discovery. I would love to prove the existence of ghosts and come up with firm evidence. As yet I haven't but I will still enjoy trying.

Psychic hears voices from other side (via a hidden earpiece)

TV's beloved psychic Sally Morgan has been accused of getting her messages from the other side via a hidden earpiece The Guardian claims. The article is attributed to Chris French. Apparently people who were attending one of her shows at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin heard a mans voice from a room at the back of the building passing information which was then repeated some 10 seconds later on stage by Sally. The trouble with stage psychics is that they are like any entertainer. They are expected to perform. If they turned up and said something like "nope - nobody here tonight - sorry", there would be demands for money back from the box office. Is it any wonder that TV programmes featuring psychics always begin with the phrase "For entertainment purposes only" ? I think there's a clue there if we look for it - don't you? You can read the article here

My thoughts on the unexplained

First and foremost, my own personal beliefs have nothing to do with this post. I am writing it to try and give a balanced perspective. The unexplained is a fact. It does exist. If it didn't the word "unexplained" wouldn't exist. This does NOT mean that anything unexplained must be of a paranormal nature. It simply means that no logical reason for an event or occurence has yet been categorically explained in normal terms. On the other hand, this does NOT mean that there MUST be a non-paranormal answer. The simple answer is that no-one knows whether ghosts do exist or they don't. I am personally in that camp myself. That said I have personally witnessed occurences that, as yet, I can see no logical explanation for. The paranormal does seem to polarise opinions and initiate responses from extremists on both sides of the belief spectrum, from the diehard skeptics who believe that anything paranormal is complete and utter bunkum, and that anyone who hold such beliefs are deluded simpletons, right through to people that believe that EVERYTHING they seem to see is governed by fate, the afterlife or paranormal entities. Somewhere between probably lies the truth. I have no idea! The paranormal is, at best, an amusing diversion and a bit of fun. To, at worst, damaging and mentally scarring. Our own imaginations are very powerful, and dabbling in the darker side can have implications undreamt of at the outset. Death is a reality. What happens after death is speculation. The birth of paranormal TV shows have fuelled the debate in recent years and spawned quite a lucrative trade in paranormal tours, ghost hunts etc. There has also been a massive surge in ghost hunting teams who ply their trade (most often free of charge) to the general public and business owners. My website www.ghost-investigators.co.uk lists dozens of such teams. The interest in ghosts has been around for generations. The victorian era saw a rise in mediumship and seances. Many were fraudulent. The backwash of this is that most mediums today are still viewed by many as fakes. This is another argument completely, and another one where my mind is split on whether they are genuine or not. Again, I just don't know, but I have personally witnessed them come out with some remarkable pieces of information previously unknown to either the medium or the recipient. I suppose I am trying to say that I believe extremes are never a good thing. Only when absolute and undeniable proof is available can one side or the other crow out loud "SEE, I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT".

Acronyms by the dozen

Whilst researching on Google for new paranormal investigation teams (or P.I.T's seeing we are discussing acronyms) I am always amused at the imaginative way that some of these teams try and make the initials of the teams name spell somethink like G.H.O.S.T or S.P.O.O.K or some such. Cute though it is it makes me question their dedication to their allotted cause. Maybe I am just growing into a grumpy old bloke! Diversity is the spice of life. Long may they all continue to flourish!

Why is it always Jesus?

Whilst trawling through the weirder sections of the internet (all in the name of research of course) I stumbled across another visit by the almighty on someones property. This time it was a tea towel. To me it just looked like a brown stain. I think she should change her detergent to another brand. After examining the photograph for an insane amount of time (about 15 seconds) I concluded that it looked more like Orville, the fluorescent green duck and friend of ventriloquist Keith Harris. This led me to thinking. Why is it that when something resembling a face appears on something do they always think Jesus (or whatever deity suits their particular religion). No one alive has ever seen these deities, and there is obviously no photographic evidence to compare these stains to so we can say "yep - that's him alright!". One face that appeared on a piece of toast I saw a picture of recently looked more like Bette Midler in my opinion. LOOSEN UP EVERYONE!!!!. I am sure if Jesus or Buddha or whoever wanted to talk to you they would find a better medium of communication than bread products and towels.

Warming up for the new season

I decided to get out my little box of tricks to check out all my ghost hunting toys to see if they still all worked. Fortunately they did. Even the ones I had stupidly left the batteries inside! I have in my box: 1 Torch (Flashlight to those in the US) 2 EMF Meters 2 Motion detectors 1 Lazer thermometer 1 Night Vision Monocular 2 Digital cameras 1 Franks Box (which I rarely use because I find it so annoying) 1 Digital voice recorder 1 First Aid Kit (you never know) 1 Stainless steel thermos flask (lovely hot soup on those long night vigils) 1 Notebook and pen (to note down times of weird stuff) What do any of you have in yours over and above these?

Michael Jacksons psychiatrist in the afterlife!!!

Dr. Abraham Tribesky proclaims himself to be a psychiatrist to deceased Hollywood stars, and has penned a book entitled "Michael Jackson is Being Harassed in Heaven".
The 95 year old claims to be in regular contact with the spirits of departed celebrities, and has regailed us with stories with such titles as:

DJ Decapitates Fan with Flying Vinyl.
Lady Gaga’s CDs Torched in Rock ‘n Roll Heaven.
Karen Carpenter Blasts Brittany Murphy: “No Fatties Allowed on the Other Side!”
Sinatra’s Frank Advice for Justin Bieber.
Same Ghost Appears in 20 Episodes of Paranormal State!

You have to love the entrepreneurial spirit of these people don't you?
Compiling my website Ghost Investigators has meant quite a lot of online trawling through the weird and wonderful. I tend to think I have seen and heard it all, but occasionally something so outlandish and ridiculous crops up and reminds me that I haven't.