Daily Prophet

111th Edition

Potter Discounts A Plenty

This article describes how many retailers, both online and in the physical realm, are slashing prices on the 7th and final installment of the Harry Potter series. These discounts, some analysts say, will result in little to no profit. Some of these discounts go for more than 50% off. Big chains such as Walmart and Barnes and Noble, and online juggernauts such as Amazon.com will be able to bite the bullet, so to speak, but can local bookstores meet the frenzy?

What do you duellers think? What will result in Walmart not gaining or even losing money when selling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows? Will its workers overseas or in the US be hit with mysterious unpaid hours? Will Amazon raise shipping costs for a few months? Will certain worker benefits be cut for a period of time? Will nothing happen?

The large chains won't lose money. They just won't make any. Or, they will make a few pennies from a second book you might buy. It's the small, independent booksellers who will feel it. It's the new world, unfortunately. The large corporations discount things and manage to put the small guys out of business.

What's so disturbing about this, to me, is that this is a prime example of what a "I want it and I want it now" world we have become! No one wants to wait a week or two to read it--they want to read it the nanosecond it comes out. By September, you won't be able to sell your copy for $4.

OK, I'll take that back. Maybe you can get $5. I just checked half.com and HBP is still selling at $5.00. But there are hundreds of copies available on half.com and ebay--and no takers. Of course, pretty much all of us would never part with our copy, and may, in fact, have to buy another one to replace a worn-out copy down the road. But not everyone is like us.

I can feel the pain of the smaller sellers. Books are not selling like they used to--the market is dropping off as we get more and more of our information from online sources. There was a used bookseller recently who made a statement by making bonfires of books! He had 20,000 books he wanted to give away and the thrift stores wouldn't even take them--said they had enough! So he put them out on the street--let people take as many as they wanted for a few dollars, and burnt the rest. Or, I should say, he's in the process of doing so.

HP is a book series people love to read! But instead of using it as the lifeline it is, the large retailers are cutting the price on it--a book people are totally willing to pay full-price for! Stupid! And harmful. And business as usual, unfortunately.

Now if we could could just get Big Oil to have a gas price war....

EDIT*** I was typing this as you were posting the new topic sorry!
I'm glad this is a hoax. I see two things with this story. the first is the fact that i agree that organ donation needs to be more publicized, but a reality show? i've worked in the medical field and have seen patients that are waiting. Its painful both physically and emotionally. Instead of publishing a "hoax" they could have spent the effort to really higlighting organ donation.
The 2nd point I thought about is we've finally reached the point of how far a reality show can go. Yes i like many of the reality shows out there, but come on enough is enough. Next we'll see a reality show auctioning off kids!
I guess this story hoax and all just goes to show how far we are willing to stretch our integrity.

You know, for the most part I agree that the small business owners will be hit the hardest with the deep discounts happening at the bigger retail chains. The upside to this is that because they are independently owned, the smaller bookstores can get really creative with marketing and incentives to bring customers into there quaint little shops. I know it may sound ridiculous, kind of like the plot line in the movie You've Got Mail and inevitably the small bookstore did go out of business, but the point is to get traffic into your store. The deep discounts achieve that purpose and as people flock throught their doors grabbing copies of Deathly Hallows come July, the big companies will have other incentives to keep us there and shopping for other things we may need/want.

Everytime I go into a Borders, I end up leaving not only witht the intended book I went in for but also something else as well. That is how businesses stay afloat. If the CEOs are so concerned about the profitability of carrying the last installment of the Potter series, they should have been planning already for ways to squeeze the almightly dollar from consumers once we are at their mercy and inside their store.

Being Australian we don't really have massive discounts on the HP books. We're still buying the first 6 for between 10 and 40 dollars each. I paid $30 to pre-order my copy of DH and on sunday I saw an expensive bookshop doing them for $25, so a $5 drop since I paid back in March or something. the booksellers here won't lower their prices. They know that whatever the price people will pay it. Places like Big W and K-Mart will have their books a little cheaper but only by a few dollars. I don't think it will affect them much though.

We have a small family run bookstore in our town that cannot afford to drop it's prices. On 20th July they are having a huge launch party, and since we live in quite a rural area all HP fans I know are going. Because they are doing this, most of us (that I know anyway) have pre ordered from them at full price £16.99.

I have to confess that I have also ordered the adult cover version from Amazon at £8.99, but that's only because I really couldn't affor to buy 2 copies at full price. I don't mind supporting independent retailers, when they put back into the community like our bookstore does. But, most stores that are advertising DH are doing so with a retail price of around £8.99. They aren't doing launch parties or anything, so I don't care if they don't make a profit.

I live in a large US city and as much as I try to support small bookstores, I have an extremely tight budget and I find it hard to pay their prices. I visit my local christian bookstore often but their prices are extremely high. I can get the same book over at Borders for much cheaper and like nevillesgirl I always end up walking out of there with way more than I entended I would. It really comes down to the fact that I love to have books on my shelf and I really need to go with the lower price.

Also, the little guys around here arent doing any kind of party but of course the big guys are!. My local HP meetup group have the whole night planned, and of course its at the Borders with the big party. Their really isnt a good way to fix the problem.

Greg,

The article announcing the TV show was in the Chicago Tribune one day (I believe it was last Wednesday - not sure), and the next morning there was a little blurb in about the same place in the first section about the hoax of the whole thing. It was a random thing that I actually was able to follow that story, and I thought to myself at the time - "I wonder if we'll be discussing this on VTM?" Hmmmm . . . anyway my feelings on this are as follows: Yes, we need people to be aware of donating organs and saving lives. The coverage of this event led my family and I to talk about it in the early morning hours. My Mom thought it was a disgusting way of getting attention, but then my sister pointed out that here we are talking about organ donation. . . If it gets the job done, and noone gets hurt?

The byline that someone said is this: "This show may be in poor taste, but people dying because of a lack of organs is even poorer taste." That was before the hoax announcement, and after it you could say this: The hoax is in poor taste, but people dying because of a lack of organs is even poorer taste.

Daily Prophet

112th Edition

iphone and Battery Life, Features

Link

Many, including CEO of Apple - Steve Jobs - says the iphone is revolution in technology and the phone. The battery life is said to last 8 hours for talking on the phone and a decent amount for watching personal videos and listening to music, among other things such as browsing the internet and using google maps. Unfortunatley, there is a partnership with singular so one cannot use their own phone service for the phone feature.

What do you duellers think of this device? Is it truly a revolution in technology? Is it well worth at least $499 for it (not including singular's service)? Will this force other PDA/Phone devices to update their own technology? Will this change the face of everyday life like the ipod did (no talking, just listening to music for example)?

Steve Jobs, is a very motivational speaker and a good salesman toboot. But the trouble with all this micro technology I fear, is that it comes too soon. The people who can afford this kind of technology are those with a good steady income. Not your i-pod listening college students. These are the types who will want it, and the only people of that age group who will be agle to afford it are the famous...singers, young actors etc.

Those of us in the age groups beyond that are at a huge disadvantage when it come to micro technology like this. The size!! Personally I see mobile/cell phones/personal computers, all getting so incredibly small that to operate then, you need 20/20 eyesight and one of those little pointy stick things instead of your fingers. The phone I have at the moment has a touch sensitive screen and it drives me insane, because I only have to be off by half a millimetre and I'll dialling the hairdressers for a pound of steak!!

I don't care if it has a wonderful battery life, I will still forget to charge it, and it will still be dead just when I need to make an emergency call. If I want to browse the web, I'll do it from the comfort of my own home and if I want to watch video's I'll do the same. The only good thing is it will be an i-pod too. But why pay all those hard earned dollars when you can have an i-pod for so much less.

Personally I've been looking forward to the iphone for a long time now. However finding that it was $499 deffinitely ruins all hopes of getting it anytime soon. I would classify myself as being one of those people who is interested in the latest technology. Interested is the key term though... I may be interested but I rarely get any of it. As etphonehome said, the main people that will have it are celebrities, and everyone else will just admire basically.

I think the iphone sounds really interesting, and great that it's comprising two of the most popular technological devices (iPods and cell phones) but I wouldn't consider it revolutionary technology. To me, revolutionary technology is that new computer table like device that's a touch screen and works completely wireless. That's amazing. I think that from the release of this phone, other companies will try to meet the phones abilities and even try to surpass it, but probably sell theirs at prices that may be a bit more affordable.

As for if the phone will change the face of technology, no I don't think it will. I think it's just going to be another fad that everyone will want and a few people will get.

And how would you handle coming home to be told by your wife she just washed her new $500 i-Phone because she forgot to take it out of her pants pocket before doing the wash? It was so small she overlooked it when sorting clothes.

One thing I read today was that everyone who gets an i-Phone will be required to open an i-Tunes account for the phone to work. You do not have to buy anything, just open the account. It sounded to me like Jobs was treading dangerously close to the same anti-trust problems Microsoft is now facing. I can see down the road Apple being sued by the EU or US over anti-trust issues with their new i-Phone and i-Tunes.

I just no longer have any desire to race out and buy the latest technologies. I do not need a phone to play my music or take poor quality photos and videos. We all managed to survive just fine before the cell phone, fax machine, email, etc.. craze we are in now. I have seen news about people facing Blackberry withdrawal.

Pictures from the new high def televisions are not any significantly better than my sixteen year old CRT style TV. Yes there is a slight increase in picture quality in HD but is it worth the small fortune a HD television. I do not think so which is why I do not have one. Maybe I am just burned out on technology that is changing as fast as it is. It seems as soon as we get a new device, it is obsolete in three months to be replaced by a more expensive and better model.

If you get one, you will be stuck with Cingular/ATT as a provider for the next five years. That is the contract that Apple and them have drawn up. I do have Cingular and have not had any problems in my area. However, I vowed many years to never do business again with ATT. When my bills start coming with ATT on the cover, I plan to dump them. So there will be no i-Phone for me.

You see, that's exactly what I mean, you can't see the darn things. OK Ok, I put my hands up, I am the phantom cell phone launderer of the UK!! I do it at least once a year. Please tell me your wife does it too Greg, I need a kindred spirit

Oh I must've totally skimmed over the fact that you have to have Cingular which is now merged with ATT... That's deffinitely got me turned off of the phone as well. I haven't had the best of experiences with ATT. My family has a lawsuit against them right now (ironic?).

gaburdette, I like how you said that you're burned out on technology because once you get something "new" they come out with something newer right after. That's the problem with technology... it's never really new!


Once a year? Well it doesn't beat my record... I'm on my 7th phone (4th Motorola Razor)... 2 were caught in the washer... one came with me when I was thrown into a swimming pool, and one got a bottle of water knocked on top of it. I think I'm jinxed!!!

Sorry for misspelling Cingular in my original post.

I agree that its a fad, and an expensive one at that. I doubt the price will go down significantly because ipod prices haven't really gone down. Also, someone will come out with a different one, maybe not nearly as "cool" but it may allow you to use whichever phone service you want.

I bought a Dell Axim last Christmas with some extra money I had left over. It could pretty do what this iphone can do but not nearly as efficient as its being hyped up to be (refer to the keynote address Jobs gave). It did have the capability of being a phone (through skype), GPS, internet...everything...but I constantly found myself wondering why I had it. The internet was the PDA version and I rarely used it for that after a few weeks (when the coolness of it died down for me), no one I knew had skype so I couldn't call them...and I didn't have a bluetooth headset, no GPS device, etc. I mainly used it for the outlook syncing so I could use that for remembering dates. But I just wound up using my computer's outlook instead. If I hadn't sold it would have become just this cool looking paper weight.

To me it sounds like a waste of money. I understand the need for technology but enough is enough. To have a laptop that does the same thing is good enough for me. Technology makes my head hurt. for the cost and the exclusive Cingular service forget it. Also, i would think that if you took that on a plane you wouldnt be able to use it since it receives cellular service. I have a simple phone and that works for me, add a laptop and i'm set. There's no need to constantly change your phone because of the technology, I was raised to be a good steward of my money, and spending $500 on a phone seems like a waste. I could use it for the child that I sponsor or something more worthy than just having the newest technology.

Yes she does it too. She at first just dropped it into the bath tub. The last time was a few months after signing a new two year contract. At least she sent it through the dryer as well. That got rid of most of the water in it. I dried it out and managed to get everything working except the power button. So for almost two years we have had to make sure the phone was always charged. When it dies on us, it could be a few hours or a few days before we happen to catch the right magical moment when the power button decides to work again.

For this to be more than just a fad, the price will have to be comparable to current cell phones. I do not see a huge demand for a $500 i-phone when you can get a free phone from your provider and an i-pod nano for as little as $150 or a basic MP3 player for less than $100.

Hey, I resent that statement! My husband leaves things in his pocket way more than I do. I think I have forgotten my "wallet" in my pocket once in the past 5 years. My husband not only left his wallet several times, but he also left a $5000.00 check in his pocket from one of his customers (it was a check made out to his company, not us ) that I accidently washed when doing laundry. Then he blames me for not checking HIS pockets before washing them. How is that fair? He has since left another check in his pockets which I thankfully found in time before ending up in the watery abyss.

Anyways, I have yet to get on the technology bandwagon where i-pods and internet phones are concerned. I have a cell phone which is only used for that purpose. It can do other things, but I don't use them. I don't even have the bluetooth for it. We have a digital camera, but I prefer to use my trusty 35mm film camera. Call me crazy, but I can't seem to get the techno craze! I don't have an i-pod, either. Probably never will, but we'll see. If I'm away from home and want to listen to music, I listen to the radio in my truck. When I'm not in the truck, I don't have time to listen to music between my kids and the errands.

Now, we do have a bigscreen tv! Buts that's different. That's in-home entertainment. And when I want to get online, I use a normal computer. I can't think of anything important enough to need to check online from my phone. It can always wait till I get home.

But of course, to each his own. I'm sure there are those out there who may need those sorts of phones and technology whether it's for business, keeping up with loved ones, or the on the go worker who's home is on the road. But like others said, the majority of people who can easily afford it is not the average Joe. (Hee, hee. My husband's name is Joe)

And also like other's said, wait a few months, that iphone will be out of date and replaced by something newer. It's a vicious cycle to try to take more of people's money. There will always be something better and newer. And there are those out there that are willing to fork over the money just to have the latest fad.

I think the word we're looking for here is consumerism. It seems the whole notion behind the electronics industry is "Invent something, and in 18 months change it to the point where everyone has to go out and buy something new to replace what they bought in the first place." We had it with VHS, Beta, Laser Discs, now DVD's, and the whole blue ray technology. Other examples that have already been discussed are the HDTV revolution, as well as the whole recording industry. The only way this method of marketing will stop (because face it, they are marketing a change in format to us, and it's one we have to accept, or we won't be able to use it) is if consumers say No! with their wallets. I don't plan on buying an iPhone. I don't own an iPod, and yes here I am typing on a computer, but it's not the latest and greatest, but it works.

On another note . . .
I love this topic! Some of you may know that I'm a big sailboater girl, and this spring when we were dropping our boat in the water (can't have it in Lake Michigan in the winter unless you like chipping ice off of your dock lines), I had a mishap that involved trying to grab the dock and hold onto the boat at the same time. Needless to say, I ended up in Lake Michigan on May 10th, and I believe the water was a nice crisp 40F. Brrrrr! I was fine, but then I realized I had my phone in my jacket pocket. Oops! After 24 hours on the charger, it seemed to dry out fine, and it's working perfectly now. Phew!

I was discussing this topic with my stepdad and he brought up some interesting ideas. Firstly, that the phone is virually a waste of money for someone who has an ipod or a cell phone, because even though it's a combination of the two, you're basically throwing away the money you paid for whichever of the devices you have.

Also, he said that the phone is only 2 giga bits? I'm not sure if that's completely correct and if I had more time I would check, but I do know that that's another thing that the phone lacks. If you're using it for music purposes, most ipods have larger GB amounts than that. For instance, I have the 30 GB video ipod, and I am only about 7 GB off from having it filled. This just shows a flaw in the phone. The flaw is that usually Apple is trying to upgrade their newest products to make them hold more, but the phone hold's much less than about half of Apple's other products. I
m also assuming that with such little space, the phone doesn't play videos?

This all just shows that the phone isn't exactly an upgrade, and that it leaves so much room for improvement, whether the improvement comes from Apple or competitors.

*deap breath* Alright, that's enough for now.

I definitely think it is just a waste of money, but there will be those people who say "Wow, this is amazing! I must have it!" even though they already have an iPod, a camera/video phone, and a computer. I saw a commercial for the iPhone about accessing YouTube from the phone, but I think if you have a computer already, why pay extra to watch a couple of videos on your phone?

And if the iPod has more memory than the iPhone, why get the phone? Just get the iPod. I'm sure it's cheaper and you get much more memory. But I guess I am one of the few teenagers who doesn't think buying a new phone every other week is cool

Bottom line: there are better things to waste your money on. Buy some clothes

Hey Guin, how come we don't talk more? We are so on the same wavelength so much of the time!

I agree with the way everyone's thinking about this. I especially got a kick out of what Guin and Greg said. And BamaGirl, so true! I've noticed that, most of the time, when people are watching stuff on their phone, or even talking on their cell phones, they are ignoring the REAL PEOPLE that surround them! Chris, sorry if this seems really off-topic, it's just that these new gadgets that come out trigger a repsonse in me that goes beyond the most current toy itself.

I cannot even summon the slightest interest in this gadget stuff anymore. Guin's right--consumerism. But also, it's about economic growth. No big business wants to do just as well as last year--they always want to do better. But there's only so much people can afford to buy! Yet they keep coming out with these crazy gadgets, spend all kinds of money to convince the public they need this stuff or they won't be organized, they won't be 'on top of the game,' or they won't be COOL. And a lot of people care a lot about COOL. Big Business knows how to manipulate our emotions, to make us want to be the first one to own something 'COOL.'

Over the past few years, I've been severely restricted economically. And it seemed really hard at the time, but the weird thing is--I got to liking it! I would love to fix my van but right now I ride my bike. I don't have to pay for insurance, repairs, or *gasp!* gas. I have never owned a cell phone. I think Blackberrys are weird-looking.

About three months ago, one of my son's friends picked us up for something. She had a new Ipod and she was listening to it while she drove, holding it out, making sure we would see it and be impressed. It made me wonder just how much of this stuff people waste money on is just to impress other people? And I wasn't impressed. She was so busy listening to tunes and showing off her new toy, she was worthless for conversation!

I came across a most interesting website recently, it's about anti-consumerism:

Overcoming Consumerism

I don't necessarily agree with every article on the website, but the concept is worth considering. It isn't about buying nothing at all, but in being really choosey about where your money goes. It's about really thinking why it is that you feel you have to have something. Now that I will have money, I am really glad I was forced off the 'buy-buy-buy' cycle for awhile. It made me see that what was COOL about me wasn't what I owned, but who I was. Even my son, when faced with the high prices of the latest games systems, said "No, that's too much money for what it is." He's the leader among his geek-gang and they all followed suit! All it takes is one person to stand up and say they won't fall for it anymore. We can let the corporations manipulate us, or we can turn the tables.

Steve can keep his gadget! OMG...I'm turning into a hippie! Well, without the drugs, anyhow. lol

I like it! Looks really neat and smart and I want one! I love gadgets, I have lots of things, a fancy phone, an iPod, a digital camera, computer, a Nintendo DS, the only thing I don't have really is an HD TV, but i really want one. I want an iPhone too, but i think it's out of my pockect Apple can annoy me at times. Like Greg said you can get an MP3 player for £30 now, when 3-4 years ago the same one cost £100. When a new one comes out the old one becomes a little bit cheaper until finally it's in the bargain bin at Woolworths at £4.99.

Apple don't do this. My iPod broke, which I may add left me heart broken. I didn't do anything to it, it was a cold winter and i left it in a draft and i don't know, it got cold. It was always playing up freezing and the like, I went to the mannie at the shop where it was brought and he said there was probably something always wrong with it Alas, it broke a month after the year garuntee ran out. It was an christmas present, and my mum decided that because I hadn't broke it, it broke, they would replace it thinking that it would be a bit cheaper than when they originally bought it. Not get me a better one. Replace. But they couldn't do this, they had to get the one up, because the one I had before had now been discountinued. This is the only thing that annoys me with Apple, they don't reduce things, they discontinue. It's mean and it's unfair, and again like Greg says they're making them selves out to be as mean as Microsoft, not the nicer, non-capitlaism-ish alternative.

Luckily I still got my iPod. i'd die without a music player. I don't own an iPod because it's cool and funky or as a symbpl of how rich I may or not be. I bought one because i use it. I use it a lot. every single minute when I'm not in company i'm listening to it. I'm a music fanatic, i physically cannot walk down the street without having music in my ears. My ears had moulded to the headphones. I've been doing this since I was 12. And i got an iPod because I had iTunes, which is without a doubt the best music player your computer can have it's so easy to use.

The thing that I don't get though about the iPhone is why? It seems a little pointless IMO. I think it's cool, but i can't see Apple breaking the phone market. If you take the average gadget lover, they will have an ipod in one pocket and a Nokia/sony erricson/motoroller in the other. (The three most popular mobile companies as far as I'm aware.) I don't think Apple can compete with them. I love my Nokia N73, which cost me a whopping £0.00.

Which is another thing. Who here actually paid for they mobile while on a contract? I don't know how it works in the US but here in the UK you take out a contract and they give you the phone. I know you probably have paid for it by the time your contract is over, but then you get an upgrade. You don't have the fish out the money to pay for your phone which may cost you £300. Is that what it's going to be like with the iPhone? With Apple discontinuing old iPods so people have to part with their money for the new one and not save their pennies and buy the older cheaper one, I don't think they'll be giving them away, I could be wrong though.

As for the internet one phones? I don't just think that it's a bit silly as i have fast internet at home. I hate it being on my phone, i'm always connecting to it by mistake. I think everyone's done it and it costs a fortune. It's stupid, it should be done away with IMO.

As for putting it in the wash? I've never done that before. The worst I've done is wash a £5 note (which i did today) and it lived. And dropping it in the sink? I have a bit of an OCD about water ad my loved property. nothing I like or hold value to goes near the sink or water. I won't take them out my pockets on a bridge etc. So i think i'm safe of water damage there!

All that said, I still want one. Or, you know, have a play with it at least!

LOL--Guin got a chuckle out of that website I linked to--yeah, some of the articles are kinda bizarre. My faves are dumpster diving...somehow I don't think I'll ever really get into that.

I think maybe I am getting old. I do remember wanting everything new when I was in my 20s--it was all so tempting. I can't believe how all that stuff I thought was so cool is now ancient history! OMG, a Walkman! You can play cassettes on it too! A new VCR! The tapes are only $80 each! lol

As for the new phone, though? I dunno...seems to me that the more a device does, the more features it has, the sooner something goes wrong with it! I can use the bikes my son and I bought as comparison. Neither of them are the super-fancy kind, just nice Trek bikes. His is a twenty-speed, I think. Mine is a one-speed, a beach cruiser, like this: bike

Mine is silver, but it has a basket just like that. I just wanted a regular ol' bike for getting about town, so I thought that one was quaint. Well, James has his bike in for repairs about twice a year, because the brakes run down or the seat breaks or whatever. I've never had to have mine fixed. His is more complicated, so more can go wrong.

I'm sure at some point I will have to give way and get a cell phone. And I do think Ipods are pretty cool--the way you can have all those songs at your fingertips. But who really needs a phone that can play YouTube videos? lol Not for nearly $500, anyhow! And then you wash it and it's dead.

Nah. This ol' lady will wait-n-see.

Daily Prophet

113th Edition

News of the Paranormal: Mothman and the MIB

*This is a "pilot" to see if the paranormal can be made into its own topic in the Duelling Club.*

Link

The man in the linked article says that when he was younger there was constant surveillance from the MIB (Men In Black), possibly investigating or covering up the supposed sightings of the Mothman in Point Pleasant, Virgina, USA. Many believe that the MIB are indeed just government agents sent around to investigate the paranormal, especially alien activity, and possibly cover it up or instigate fear into the witnesses. However, on more than one account, the MIB are reported to look fake themselves, or not human.

The Mothman, on the other hand, is a completely different story. For more information on this entity, click here (wikipedia). While the entities actual powers, for lack of a better word, may be unknown, there have been reports of seeing UFO's (alien in nature, possibly), MIB, etc. once the mothman is seen or reported.

What do you duellers think of the Mothman and the MIB (outside of the movies)? Are they believable?

*Note: Sorry if this isn't a great article, I'm more inclined to post cryptozoology articles *

EDIT: Additional information from wikipedia:

Men in Black always seem to have detailed information on the persons they contact, as if the individual had been under survelliance for a prolonged amount of time. They will also seemingly be confused by the nature of everyday items, such as pens, eating utensils or food, and use outdated slang. The behavior of Men in Black wildly varies from individual to individual, however. They will either act as if they are from an agency trying to collect data about the unexplained phenomena their subject has seen, or they seem to be trying to suppress information, trying to convince their subject the phenomena never existed. They will sometimes behave exceedingly furtive or be completely outgoing, with wide grins and disconcerting giggles.

Men in Black accounts often feature "High Strangeness" or the "Oz Factor" (the latter term coined by ufologist Jenny Randles). Both terms are used to describe a strange sensation of "otherness", or of a dreamlike dissociation that accompanies some UFO reports. Such reports have led to speculation that Men in Black accounts are not part of any objective reality, but are best explained as altered states of consciousness, such as fantasy-prone personalities, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic states, and the like.

In support of this hypothesis, Dash cites research by ufologist Nigel Watson, which suggests that many Men in Black witnesses "are often undergoing some sort of mental upheaval at the time of their encounter." (Dash, 162) Furthermore, Dash also cites work by folklorist Peter Rojcewicz "who himself encountered a possible MIB in his university library after entering what appears to have been an altered state of consciousness." (Dash, 416) See above for an account of Rojcewicz’s encounter.

More on the MIB

Concerning the Mothman:
A large collection of first-hand material about Mothman is found in John Keel's 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies,[4] in which Keel lays out the chronology of Mothman and what he claims to be related parapsychological events in the area, including UFO activity, Men in Black encounters, poltergeist activity, Bigfoot and black panther sightings, animal and human mutilations, precognitions by witnesses, and the December 15, 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge spanning the Ohio River.

More information here. And here.

I waited out the day to allow any latecomers to respond to Chris' articles above. Unfortunately, it seems that not too many Duellers are interested in discussing the paranormal. We'll give it one more "trial run" with the next DP article, but otherwise, I'm not too sure about a thread. Please, feel free to discuss/comment on the articles presented by Chris above, as well!

Daily Prophet

114th Edition

Bigfoot Expedition



This article describes an expedition to be held in Marquette County, following the most recent Bigfoot (a.k.a. "Sasquatch") eyewittness account. Most experts consider the Bigfoot legend to be a combination of folklore and hoaxes, but there are a number of authors and researchers who think the stories could be true. In 27 out of 30 Bigfoot expeditions held by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization in the past, investigators have either glimpsed the creature, or have been colse enough to hear it.

Dr. Grover Krantz, a scientist specializing in cryptozoology, believes Bigfoot is a "gigantopithecus," a branch of primitive man believed to have existed 3 million years ago. However, many mainstream scientists tend to dismiss the theory as a pseudoscience due to unreliable eyewitness accounts and a lack of solid physical evidence.

What do the Duellers think? Is Bigfoot an existant creature? Could the sightings be real? Is it a hoax or a fraud? Should the possibility of such a creature existing even be taken into consideration?

I don't know a whole lot about the Mothman, to be honest. I just figured a lot of people interested in the paranormal or cryptozoology would be interested. What I do know about it came from the movie "The Mothman Prophecies" which showed the creature to be more of a being that messes with you mentally. It kind of fiddled around with the town, I guess. And it had the main character, played by Richard Gere, losing himself trying to figure the thing out since it was messing with his mind. Check it out (I didn't do it justice trying to explain it).

What interested me about the article I posted was the MIB. I've read things about them really being aliens or robots of aliens. I know its a kind of out there theory. Its been said that when people are being interviewed by the MIB, they're said to look fake and talk in strange accents...or look way too thin...among other attributes. I just found all that a little interesting.

I do believe in Bigfoot. However, there are many pranksters out there that make it appear as if its been a prank all along. There's a history of Sasquatch longer than the US has been in existence. I think Bigfoot should be taken into consideration.

Many ponder why they haven't found a body. Its not like you can walk into a forest and come upon a body. Animals would eat the remains, the bones would get dispersed. Maybe fellow Bigfoots bury them? Bears and other animals are also hard to find (their remains that is). I at least consider the being to be real but that doesn't mean I blindly say that it is real. If there is genuine proof that it is fake (that is, they find out every single video, picture, hair sample, foot cast, etc. is fake), then I'll stop thinking about it. I can't dismiss accounts. Many are given by credible eye witnesses. What do you guys think?

I think the trouble with the whole sasquatch pictures is that all of us believe them to be fake. It's a shame really because, all stories like these has some grain of truth in history. I love Bigfoot stories, I especially like the Harry and the Hendersons one...what, that wasn't real!! Honestly though, these tales must have come from somewhere, they may have snowballed out of proportion at some point but someone somewhere must ahve seen something.

The Men in Black are real, I swear they are but not like Will Smith, that's just too obvious. I am more of a believer in more of an X-Files type unit really. But if that were so, then they would just come out and say,they were government officials investigating blah blah. They wouldn't skulk in dark corners waiting for someone who allegedly saw something to go to the loo or whatever.

The Mothman Prophecies, brrr, I saw that film, it freaked me out. I think this is just one of those urban myths that has gotten out of control. But then, I wouldn't want to walk through Point Pleasant on a dark night on my own to find out!

We have a few of our own strange creature here in the UK, The Beast of Bodmin Moor is the most famous. This is thought to be a large black 'big cat' like a jaguar. The rational explaination for this is that someone once owed a cute Jaguar cub as a pet then it got too big and since they owed it illegally, they just took onto the moor to let it go. Not so paranormal after all then

I do believe in "Bigfoot" or at least some kind of creature. I was doing some research online and came across the different names of this creature. In the Himalayas it’s known as the famous Abominable Snowman; In the Amazon it known as the Mapinguari; Australia the Yowie; the skunk Ape in the everglades: and of course the Famous Yeti in Asia. The reason why I list the all these names is because, this is something that is “sighted” all over the globe. Something that is seen all over should not be dismissed.
I was watching a Discovery channel documentary about this creature which had some very convincing evidence. They had heard the call of Bigfoot and while they were out in the forest (I can’t remember where) when they got back to their cars, one of the SUV’s had a handprint on it. They brought a forensic CSI type in and He compared it to a human hand and also to a bear. Being that the print was large and not specifically a traditional “handprint” of a human they wanted to do a forensic comparison. He concluded that it was not human and when they compared it to a bear print it wasn’t even close.
I don’t know if he exists or not. But just because there is not conclusive evidence doesn’t mean that it’s not out there. There discovering new species all the time. As for aliens, I don't know either. Theres a lot of weird stuff in this world, and this is a big world. I believe more in bigfoot than aliens. Mothman? I saw the movie and it freaked me out. there's alot of evil in this world so who know. But hey, it gives us something to chat about.

I'm not entirely sold on aliens on earth. Why travel all this way to poke around in the sky or mutilate cows? Maybe some events happen, maybe others are more explainable. I think aliens may exist on other worlds since its an even bigger universe...

Hey, don't forget the Yeren (sp?) in China, the Orang Pendek in Malaysia (I think that one is slightly different), the one in Johor supposedly, among others. I've also heard Australians call the Yowie the Yahoo. Those documentaries are pretty interesting. I've seen many, too. In one, this radio broadcaster went out into the swamps of Texas since he was worried that eventually the Bigfoot there would go extinct. He thought they would because many had been described as deformed so he thought they were interbreeding. When he arrived with his friends at night, they were searching around and on their way back they found tree branches bent and all out of wak, so they thought that maybe the Bigfoot was giving them a warning not to come back.

I've read some too. One had it where a logger in, I think, Alaska or Oregon, decided to spend the night in the forest. During the night something suddenly dragged him several miles and he couldn't escape because whatever it was...was holding the exit of his sleeping bag closed. Finally he was let go and he saw that he was in the "den" or what have you of a three family Bigfoot (mother, father, and daughter). I think they made him stay for three days until he finally gave the father some tobacco which made him lose it for some reason and he made his escape.

There's many others...what do you guys have? Like I said before, I believe in Bigfoot and the other cousins of it around the world.

I thought the article and Chris’ comments about the MIB interesting. My husband and I were at an air show a little while back and we were discussing Area 57. I fully believe that most of the UFOs and other strange happenings were top secret government experiments.

Think about the Stealth Bomber and it’s predecessors being tested 40 years ago and more. People had no idea the futuristic designs being worked on. They would look otherworldly and alien. The Mothman can fall into this category also, although I don’t know why they would be testing in that part of VA unless it was the CIA or another alphabet agency.

The MIB, I believe, are the (you pick the agency)’s cover up men. The differences in personality and modus operandi are just human nature. Using old slang? Hey I still use ‘cool’, and some other ‘out of date’ slang. Does that mean I’m an alien? And giggling, I laugh my tucus (spelling?) off at some of the people I meet as a teacher. Can you imagine some of the people the MIB investigators would meet? Truly fringe types.

There are so many creatures from deep forests and deeper seas that we had no idea exist that it wouldn’t surprise me if there was some merit to the Big Foot stories. What about Nessie? I do find it hard to believe that we have never had concrete evidence other than eyewitness accounts and a few questionable photos but then some of those strange fish we never had concrete evidence of until they were caught or found.

Big Foot, or whatever you choose to call him is global so there must be some kind of merit to it right? Kind of like Noah's flood. Many cultures have stories of a cataclysmic flood so....?

I like this topic. Give it time Chris, it should take off.

Ghosts anyone? Those I have witnessed...

Cris

We were planning on creating a paranormal thread to discuss all this, but it hasn't gone smoothly in here so far (not many responses). We'll try again on Wednesday to see if more discussion is generated

Daily Prophet

115th Edition

EU-Turkey-Britain-Germany

As for now, I would like to thank Laudine for suggesting this article. It talks about a German man who is being accused of sexually assaulting a British 13 year old girl, and the man is being held in a Turkish prison. Because of protests from the Germans, or rather a group of Germans, the Turkish government is having doubts about its involvement with the EU, among other things involved in those doubts. The victim, known as Charlotte M, returned to Manchester where the Turkish government hopes to ask the British government for help in questioning her. The suspect, Marco Weiss, has made a statement in which he said he accompanied Charlotte M back to a hotel where they "kissed and cuddled," and medical authorities claim this to be true. This may very well lead to a 'he said she said' case.

Please click to read article.

What do you duellers think? Does this create more of a rift between Turkey and the EU? Will this lead to a 'he said she said' case?

It'll certainly lead to a 'he said, she said' case. The sad thing is that this is a 17 year old boy (and in my eyes he still is a boy) who fell in love with a girl, which happens often on holiday, who didn't know how girls 'tick', who understood it all wrong, didn't think with his brain and now he's in jail for over ten weeks. He claimes he didn't know how old she was and I actually believe that because once being a girl myself I know that we girls like to tell we're older when we're teenagers.
So Marco Weiss didn't think for 17 seconds or so, thought she wanted it and now there's the mess.

Do you have to make a whole political discussion out of this? No, I don't think so. What else is Turkey to do. There's a mother claiming this boy/man has sexually abused her daughter, they have to arrest him. It's their law. It's also the law in Germany, it's also the law here in Switzerland. So I don't think Turkey did anything wrong. Okay, they could have let him out until the trial, but that's their law and the 'crime' was commited in Turkey.

I don't think Turkey should be a member of the EU, but not because of this. I think tehy're doing what they have to do here.

I do not believe that Marco Weiss abused that girl on purpose, he 'just' didn't understand that sometimes when girls say yes, they mean no.

Who is to blame now? I think it's the girl's parents. Because what 13year old can walk around on holiday all alone during the night and take a boy to her room? Could have done that? I didn't. I was watched, I was cared for, I was looked after. And I would have been way too scared anyway to take a boy to my room. Where were the parents when she took that boy to her room?

Daily Prophet

116th Edition

Ghosts

What does the Duelling Club think about when it comes to ghosts? Are some threatening? Giving a warning? Are of a nature to stick around for a while to see how everything is going death as it was during life? According to various sites and forums, the general thoughts on ghosts is that they are entities that have 'passed on' from the living, transcending into this state for a certain amount of time. Some tend to stay where they were killed or died (perhaps forming into a poltergeist), while others are said to follow friends/family around and protect them or warn them in some shape or form. On countless ocassions, some "something" has appeared in photographs from the past and the present, presenting an eerie image of a "something" in the still, whether its an orb of light or something resembling a misty human form.

At times, people report hearing whispers when there is no one to be seen. Others report a shadow, typically referred to as the "shadow people", in which an entity appears out of the corner of their eye and then vanishes as soon as they are supposedly seen. Throughout the world ghosts and spirits have been reported and interpreted.

What could they be or what do they want/intend to do? Are they watching us now?

Ghosts do exist (I have experienced, first hand, at least two in my lifetime). I am not sure exactly what they are. I have not been able to reconcile them with my Christian faith. They are some kind of energy left over from the person either trying to get a message out or stuck in a loop like a record with a scratch (for you older people ).

Both of my experiences happened at college. They were completely different experiences but I am convinced both were spirits/supernatural.

1) The first was very benign. I lived in the oldest dorm on campus. I was on the 3rd floor, the 4th floor had once been attic but was now converted into rooms. They were few and placed differently than the rest of the dorm because of the layout of the attic. My room was a corner room and had tile floors. There were 2 wooden chairs, 2 desks, 2 dressers and 2 beds.

My freshman year strange things happened, like the TV or radio being turned off in the middle of the night. We also heard noises from upstairs that sounded like high heels clicking on the floor, pencils being dropped and rolling, marbles rolling on the floor, chairs being scraped on the tile floor etc. My roommate and I thought the girls upstairs were nocturnal, clumsy, and rude. They would wake us up at 3am with these noises.

I was back in that room my junior year with a different roommate. The same noises happened. I couldn’t believe that the same girls were above us since those rooms were taken by upperclassmen and this was 2 years later.

My roommate was studying religion with the plan to be a nun (but she was no saint, she swore, drank, smoked many things, more than most guys I know). We had a couple of different experiences with supernatural in that room. Lights blinking, strange wind, feeling the door open and someone come in when there was no one….

But back to the noises: We were upstairs one afternoon and realized that there was no room above ours. The closest girls were halfway down the hall. There was also no carpeting up there. We could not be hearing people up there moving around.

I don't know why these or this beings were doing this. There were always rummors that a nun (the school was origionally a Catholic Womens college), had gotten pregnant and hung herself in the attic of the dorm. Perhaps that was the sounds we were hearing?

2) The second experience I had was with a different roommate in a different building. Actually the ‘ghost’ was not even in the school. We encountered it outside of school on a midnight run for food during an all-nighter. (I am abbreviating greatly for space reasons)

We were a little lost, I didn’t know the area at all and my roommate, who was driving, was unfamiliar with this part of town. She was another strange person. She was sensitive to things supernatural and would begin wheezing and crying when confronted with ‘the real deal’. We turned down a very dark road. She started reacting but I couldn’t see much. It was frightening because she was driving and it appeared she was having an asthma attack. When we got to the end of the road she cleared right up.

On the way back from the store she insisted on going back down that road and it started almost immediately. I had to hold the steering wheel because she couldn’t. I was also looking around to see what was there. I saw mausoleums and a cemetery. When I mentioned this, she screamed but later didn’t know she had screamed. When we got back to school my roommate started looking through the bible for guidance. I was so freaked out I had called my parents in the middle of the night. While my roommate was reading the phone rang. She began screaming and screaming. I grabbed her and shook her. I answered the phone and it was my parents telling me to leave it alone. They had prayed and got a message that we shouldn’t pursue this anymore.

When I went back to my roommate and asked her why she had reacted like that and what she had been reading she told me that she hadn’t seen me – though her eyes were open- all she saw was a charred and burned person grabbing her and shaking her. She could not see a face. She told me she was reading passages about drinking and dying and revenge.

Skip ahead about a week. My roommate was in a friend’s room and saw some pictures on her desk. She didn’t recognize one of the guys in the picture. Our friend told her that it was her best friend from High School, Chris. She then explained that Chris had died in a drunk driving accident almost exactly a year ago and she had just found this role of film, not knowing what was on it, she developed it. My roommate asked her where he was buried. She said White Haven Cemetery. You guessed it, the very same cemetery we were at…We all know, without a shadow of a doubt that this was Chris, reaching out, angry and wanting revenge.

I also didn’t mention the date because you might think that I was kidding. It was October 31, Halloween night spilling into All Hallows Eve, Nov. 1st. That made it even scarier.

Questions? Comments?

Cris

I could say I was a skeptic, because most things have a logical explaination, and Cris your experiences show that logic can go straight out of the window in some cases.

I have my own 'ghost' story.

The house I grew up in had only ever been lived in by one family except ours, and they only lived there for one year. I never had any strange experiences there until a huge renovation project was finished on the house when I was about 19.

One night I was late coming home, it was well after mignight and I was trying to creep up the stairs without being heard or putting on any lights. About halfway up the stairs I was aware of someone going into my bedroom and the light being flicked on. I thought I'd be caught out, so boldy stomped the rest of the way up and turned into my room, only, there wasn't anybody in there! I hadn't been drinking if that's what your thinking, and immediately I started to rationlise this in my head. The light was already on, the shadow I saw was cast from a car's headlights, you know, that sort of thing. I climbed into bed but didn't swtch off the light and it took ages for me to fall asleep. I told my mum and she laughed, assuming I had been drinking.

Anyway I put it out of my head and all was fine and dandy for a week until I was woken in the early hours by a shoving sensation in my back. Thinking it must have been a dream I tried to get back to sleep, only for it to happen again, only this time with such force that I almost fell out of bed. Have your ever screamed silently....you know made all the motions but nothing comes out? Well I thought I would make such a din, but no sound came at all, it was as though someone had gagged me. I flew out of bed and turned on the light without looking towards by bed...nothing was there.

The first incident was isolated, nothing like it happened again, but the second would happen regurlary for six months every month or so, until it stopped as quickly as it began.
I never thought much about it for a few years. I married, moved house and had my first child. In 1985 my dad passed away and mum was alone in her house and a year later, just after my son was born, we decided to buy it. Mum was in my old room, although the thought of my experiences crossed my mind, I assumed that mum was ok since she had said nothing.

A few years later, when my daughter was 3, we moved her and my son into my old room. Almost straight away, Jenny talked of a naughty little girl who emptied the toys out of the box or pulled the books down off their shelves. I thought that she had an imaginary friend to blame her own naughtiness on until one day, Sam said that the little girl who came into the room at night and patted him on the back was bleeding from her face!

When me and mum sat the kids down to talk about this, it was then that mum admotted that she has been getting pushed out of bed for years by unseen hands, but didn't want to frighten us. We tried to find out about the family that lived in the house before us but nothing surfaced.

We sold the house within the year.

Wow, that was scary!!!!

It's one thing when it is you but something completely different when it's your kids.

Yes, I try to find a logical reason for everything. There were no logical happenings for these things. At the first house my husband and I bought, when we first moved in, I would hear very faint music walking up the stairs. I could never make you the song but could hear the noise. About a year later we had a problem with an outlet in the upstairs bathroom - right at the top of the stairs-my father-in-law came and looked at it. It was not grounded and never had been. When he fixed it, the 'music' stopped. I can't tell you the mechanics of it but I can tell you that the 'music' wasn't ghostly. It had a logical cause.

I have read so much about poltergeist. I know there is something there. Many say poltergeist are human teenagers going through changes and accessing PSI abilities but then some don't 'outgrow' them...They are even followed. What is this then? It can't be the teenage surgence of hormones/abilities/psyche whatever....

Perhaps it is some kind of 'demon'. I believe in the devil but he has a purspose: to try to separate you from God. What is the purpose of a 'demon' causing poltergeist activities? Many people turn to the church to solve it. What does the church usually do? Say there is no such thing, so I guess that is getting people away from the church and eventually away from God?

It is a perplexing thing. But I know it is there and can be very frightening. I keep telling myself that I have never heard someone hurt by this type of entity - driven to hurt themselves, yes but not physically by- but that doesn't seem to help.

Cris

I'm not going to say that "ghosts" or anything do or do not exist because I know there are those out there that have had strange experiences. I personally have never had any such experience to make me believe completely that there are indeed spirits among us.

I have always been fascinated by the idea, though. I've heard of places being haunted and tried going there out of curiosity to see if anything happened or to hear anything. As of yet, nothing has occurred when I'm around. Where I live now, there are no such places for me to go that I have heard about. Well, I take that back. There is one place that they claim the spirit of the former owner still roams around at night in certain places moving things around, but it isn't open to the public during such times. When the owner died, it was donated to the city (as per the will) to be turned into a public place to visit. It's this enormous and beautiful mansion and area of landscaped land. Anyways, there is no way to verify their accounts of the spirit.

I had a friend once tell me she had a spirit in an old house of hers. It would close the door for her. Apparently it didn't like the doors to be open. Anyways, when the house burned down, she said she saw the spirit in the middle of the flames. This friend was a little strange and untrustworthy at times so I'm not sure if she was telling me the truth. Since I came along after the house burned down, I never saw this for myself.

Anyways, I think it would be neat to experience something like that if there are truly spirits out there, but I can also see it as very scary at the same time. Some of those stories involve some pretty "mean" entities.

Oh my gosh. Elaine, your story has left what feels like permanant goosebumps! That's really, really freaky!

Alright well I've had one paranormal experience.

Well when I was about 12 or 13, I was laying in bed reading Charlotte's Web (I don't know why I remember that!) while my Grandma Harriett sat in the family room (dfiferent than the living room) watching television. I heard someone yell Harriett followed by a large *thud*. I freaked out, but couldn't move. I don't know how I eventually fell asleep, but when I talked to my grandma the next day I found out that my Great Grandpa Jim had died of a heart attack in that same house. He had been sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when it struck and he hit the ground. Before he did, he supposedly screamed "Harriett!" (My great grandma's name).

Then a couple days later I was sitting in the living room reading and I realized I was hungry. I called for my grandma, and when I got up to walk into the kitchen, I tripped and fell out of the chair.

I realize that this might not mean much to most, but for some unexplainable reason that haunts me. I just hope it wasn't a sign of something.


My opinions on the ghost issue is that I believe in the chance. There's been so many instances of proof that I just can't deny the possibility.

~Ashley

I have had different experiences in which nothing actually hurt me or touched me physically. Growing up, I lived in this apartment on the side of a hill. I'm not entirely sure how old it was but if I had to guess, I'd say it was made sometime in the early to mid 1980's. Anywho, if I or my sister were walking up to the second floor, it always felt as though something was watching us. At times the TV or a cabinet would open in the kitchen without anyone being there. If one of us were in the bedroom sleeping (at that time we shared a bedroom), and looked at the doorway, it would look like there was a dark human figure standing there just watching us (of course, it doesn't help if our mom would sneak in and scare us from time to time ). I also remember hearing my name being whispered and strange breathing in rooms in which no one was in them.

And then I moved my bed so that it faced the doorway. One night I opened my eyes and across the hall (there was a hallway between this bedroom and my mom's bedroom) there was this little person not 1 foot tall walking or creeping his way towards me. I couldn't make out any features but he did have a pipe hat on and was somewhat chubby. Everytime I opened my eyes he would come a little closer. It was hard to fall asleep but I did so. Several years later I told my sister's friend about this and he said his little brother had actually interacted with this thing. It would come into his room and fly around laughing at him in the night. This guy also comes from a father who would practice witch craft and a very religious mother. He's had some weird experiences but hasn't really gone into them.

When my mom died my sister's friend's mom said that while at the memorial, and while the pastor was asking if anyone else had something to say, she said she saw a golden entity behind him who wasn't looking at anyone, just standing there. Finally, when everyone was done saying what they wanted to say, she turned and disappeared.

If anyone is truly interested there is a great book This House is Haunted. It is a great documentation of a haunting in England.

I also love watching Ghost Hunter on the SciFi channel. It's chronicles this group called TAPS who try to debunk hauntings. I have seen a few that have amazing footage. I took it as kind of a joke in the beginning but have watched enough to believe it's not film tricks or anything.

For those who wish to have an experience...? I don't know. Some of it is not for the 'faint of heart' as they say. The experience I had in the dorm room was annoying but that was all. The other experience I had was truly frightening. I don't know that I'd want to go there again.

I have scared myself silly reading ghost stories and horror books (Stephen Kings Ghost Story and Pet Cemetery just about stopped my heart). There are also regional ghost story books in most libraries.

There is an area around here that I absolutely refuse to go to. I have read all the regional books and that area is loaded and people are mean. We were looking in that area before I knew. Now I wont even vacation there. Funny too because it is old and rich in history....

Cris

The freaky thing about ghost stories and ghosts in general in Hawaii is that they are almost all tied into ancient legends about the islands. Very old battles between chiefs for territory and such took place over every surface of the "rocks" here and there is definately paranormal activity going on. Almost everyone I know has experienced something...especially in their homes because Hawaii is getting so over populated. The contractors even come across ancient burial sites, artifacts and bones when excavating a potential housing project or mall development and basically without any regard for hawaiian tradition just hand the stuff over to the local museum and continue on their progression. No wonder the spirits overturn their tractors and machines. No wonder the security guards are blinded by unexplainable lights and mist. No wonder the ancient warriors "beat up" unsuspecting construction workers with out being seen. It is very wierd.

The most memorable ghost story I can think of happened on the Big Island with who I can only assume was Pele...the fire godess. She is very jealous. You are supposed to always offer a ride to a lone lady with jet black hair usually dressed in white on the side of the road that leads to Kilauea (the vent that is still errupting) If you do, she is often seen traveling in the backseat of your car for a few miles and then she is miraculously gone. If not, you usually get car trouble...most often she overheats your engine. Sometimes she has been known to cause vicious accidents. I don't know how much of this is true. My friends swear up one side and down the other that it is. All I know is that whenever I visit the Big Island, nothing like that ever happens to me.

I know compared to everyone elses scary stories and personal experiences, this may seem kind of lame. I just pray that I never have to experience it.

The History Channel usually runs a program called Haunted History and they chronicle a lot of southern states (civil war stuff is popular) I have never seen Hawaii on one of those episodes though.

I dont know if I believe in ghosts or not but i do believe in spirits. I spent 2 weeks in Haiti doing missions work and we saw things there that were truly freaky. one night a friend and I were walking across the courtyard and saw this strange looking bird, when we got closer to it, it disappeared and left a red glow. We werent the only ones that had this type of experience. I've seen my angel that keeps an eye out for me several times. I've waken up and seen her standing over my bed looking down or standing in my doorway.
So is this considered a ghost? I dont think so i consider the Haiti incidence a demon, and my angel well an angel.

Bethany, that is so cool that you have seen your angel. My niece has seen her crown.

Yeah, I believe there are entities that are stuck, or just some kind of impression left by some momentous event and then there are the more destructive things are intentional and, well, demonic.

Amanda, yeah, Hawaii would be full of stuff like that. That is kind of cool. Just don't tell me where when I come so I wont be freaked out where ever I go. Of course I will probably be too old to know the difference.

Cris

...and if you really are interested, come and stay with me for a week. I live in Glouv=cestershire and we have so many reputedley haunted houses. In fact I visited one just a few weeks ago, called Woodchester Mansion. This place has a lot of wierd history.

Don't even get me started on Pet Semetary, that kept me awake for years lol!!

In the Uk we have a programme called Most Haunted, which although I think it's supposed to be serious, does make me giggle. Saying that though, it is one of the most popular TV shows on UK television. The presenter , who is getting braver I concede, does scream her self silly on occasion as does the resident medium David Wells, who is softly spoken Scots man, who has been known to run from knocking sounds. If you eve get a chance to watch it, you really must. I know it's broadcast in the US on FTN. Anyway, the point about this series, is it gives you a wonderful tour of the most haunted places in Britain and beyond, (they did once visit the Queen Mary).

I am really enjoying reading your spooky stories. I vote for it having it's own thread

We no longer have cable/satellite. We watch way too much tv. The thing I miss most are the SciFi channel (STARGATE!!!). On Halloween I would volunteer to stay home, while the husband takes the kids out Trick or Treating, so that I could hand out candy and watch the Haunted places serieses on TV. They have some awesome shows. Some are completely hysterical and some are down right frightening.

There were some where people would volunteer to go into a known haunted place and spend the night. It was hysterical watching grown men cry. I loved it. WAHAHAHA. I have really spooked myself once or twice.

Cris

I guess I have't been watching the right haunted places or houses programs. All the ones that I have seen have been a joke or really boring. Someone hear's a bump or feels a chill. Ooooh...scary. I have yet to see them show any real proof or activity on the programs I have seen. The main extent is a person (I can't remember the name they call them) who can channel the spirits walking through a place saying "I can feel a present here. This one is happy." or " This one is angry and doesn't want us to be here. We better leave." But there's never any proof. Any suggestions...for here in the US?

Laura

The Travel Channell has some shows about Haunted places. That is more of just stories but it is interesting. The SciFi Channel had the more interesting shows. They have Ghost Hunter and I think that 'reality' show where they send in the average people and watch them scare themselves. Sometimes they get some really compelling things on film, other times it's just funny. A&E has shows around Halloween too.

Cris

I tried to post this earlier, but for some unknown spooky reason VTM bombed out on me...just on this window, I had 3 open at the time

Anyway, you really must check out the story of The Angel of the Thames. It's facsinating. Also click on amazing sighting on the site and watch the video of the Koreans singing...it happens so fast you barely see it, but there is a still photograph.

Weird!!!!

Ooh ghosts stories.. I love it!

Ok, a story from my grandfather.. he swears this is true. Whether it is or not, I'll leave for you to decide... I believe it, however, because it's my grandfather, and I trust him

Where my grandfather grew up in Pennsylvania there is a mountain called Blue Mountain. There had been a story at the time that a certain bend in the road would cause your engine to stop if you just put your car in park. After the engine stopped a white mist would roll over the road (obviously this was to be done at night) and one would see a lady in white. Simple story really. Well, my grandfather and his friend wanted to see this phenomena so they made their way up Blue Mountain in search of the bend in the road. It happened that they searched for a while, but just couldnt find it in the maze of winding mountain roads. He says they found a house with a light on and they stopped to ask if they knew where the Blue Mountain Lady could be found. They knocked on the door and saw an old couple inside but they didnt answer. He says from the angle he saw them through the window, it looked like they were asleep.

Anyway, with no directions they went back down to town having not seen the ghost. The next day they asked around about the ghost and told of the house they stopped at. My grandfather's Uncle asked which house it was and then proceeded to explain that the house burned down years ago, killing the elderly couple who were asleep at the time inside.

Naturally perplexed, my Pap and his friend went back up the mountain to see if the story was true. They certainly had seen a house and a couple inside, very much alive, the night before. Reaching the point they KNEW was where the house was they found nothing. An empty lot with remnants of the foundation in the overgrown grass. My Pap says he was never so creeped out in all of his life.

My mom remembers hearing the story as a child, and she says he remembers taking her and her sister up the mountain and showing them the old foundation. However, since then the mountainside was resurfaced and a strip mall and walmart now cover where the Blue Mountain Ghost Lady would have been as well as the burnt down house, so I have not been able to visit these places myself.