Author: Laptop

The Paranormal Press
The Official Newsletter of the Northwest Indiana Ghost Trackers

Volume 2, Issue 9

SEPTEMBER 2006

FALL FESTIVITIES

Inside This Issue

Fall Festivities	1
Deadlines / (Headlines)	2-3
The Library	2
Haunts	4
What’s on Slab / (Upcoming Events)	5
Gravesites / (Websites)	5
Self-Promotion / (Halloween Party)	6
The Screaming Room / (Entertainment)	7

Newsletter Writers, Creator
and Creatrix
Chris & Jennifer
Mojica

AUGUST
August 26-October 28
Buckley Homestead Corn Maze (Lowell)
August 26-October 31
County Line Orchard (Hobart)
SEPTEMBER
September 6
Harvest Moon Night Hike (Stoney Run Park-Crown Point)
September 8
Fall Migration Hike (Gibson Woods-Hammond)
September 9
Popcorn Fest (Valpo)
September 16-17
Duneland Harvest Festival (Indiana Dunes-Porter)
September 21-23
Sleepy Hollow (Buckley Homestead)
September 24-October 29
Hayrides (Buckley Homestead)
OCTOBER
October 1-October 29
Hayrides (Deep River-Hobart)
October 5
Hunter’s Moon Night Hike (Oak Ridge Prairie Park-Griffith)
October 7
A Taste of Nature (Gibson Woods)
October 14
Fall Color Walk (Gibson Woods)
October 14-15
Fall Fest (Buckley Homestead)
October 23
The Beauty of Bats (Gibson Woods)
October 25
Campfire Chillers (Deep River)
October 27
Sights & Sounds of Halloween (Indiana Dunes-Porter)
October 28
Native American Fest (Valparaiso University)
October 28
IGT’S ALL HALLOW’S EVE BALL
(Hall of Justice-Crown Point)
October 29
Historic Halloween Fun (Chellberg Farm-Porter)
Check out all of these and more at www.casualcoast.com (for Porter County events) and www.lakecountyparks.com. Times and any fees are available on the websites.
So get out there and spend time enjoying all the spoils and splendors of autumn!
The sights, the sounds, the delicious smells...The greatest time of the year, in our humble opinion.

Volume 2, Issue 9

Page #

THE LIBRARY

DEADLINES

New Book Examines Science of the Paranormal
By Barbra Wolff

Fleeing Ghost Causes Fatal Fall

Stories about paranormal experiences don't surprise Deborah Blum, a professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blum recently published the book "Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death" (Penguin Press, August 2006).
"I'd tell people I was doing the book and they'd respond by telling me their own personal encounters with the supernatural. I'd never had anything like that happen before as a mainstream science writer. It adds up to a fascinating pattern.”
However, Blum adds that she is a complete neophyte to the paranormal.
“I’ve never seen a ghost, had a premonition or had any psychic insights,” she says. “I figured when I started the project I would be a perfect person to do the book.”
Her book chronicles the “best ghost hunt in the history of science,” she says, the efforts of a coterie of early 20th century intellectuals to quantify the paranormal and render the perception of ghosts in scientific terms. She says that their methods persist to this day in the infrared sensors and magnetic resonance detectors used by latter-day spiritualists.
Blum says that now as in the original Victorian day, at issue is the tension between empirical science and religious faith.
"The book covers the years between 1880 and 1910, the post-Darwinian era when many people were trying to resolve their doubts and fears about our moral future," she says.
The originals found a leader in American psychologist William James, whose brother Henry, the novelist, scored quite a supernatural coup of his own with his novella "The Turn of the Screw" (1898). William James' Society for the Psychical Research in America threatened to compromise his reputation. "I hadn't realized before this book how much time and energy James put into his psychical research. As you get into it, you begin to see how much he risked in doing it, and how much he lost in professional respect," Blum says. "I really learned to appreciate how much courage and determination it took on his part."
Initially, in the 1880s, James predicted that by the turn of that century science would resolve whether the dead could communication with the living. He also was fairly confident that the much-awaited answer would be yes. However, the researchers mostly found wanton fraud, although they did conclude that about 5 percent of reported incidents were legitimate.
Blum spent about three years on her project, doing research primarily at Harvard's Houghton Library, which houses James' papers, and the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR), which holds the correspondence of many of his colleagues.
She also spent a lot of time at the Memorial Library at UW-Madison.
"It has a wonderful collection of books from that period because Joseph Jastrow, who helped found the psychology department here, was an early member of the ASPR and then rejected its work and went on to crusade against it. Jastrow became convinced that only gullible people believed in the supernatural — he even engaged in a very public debate on the subject with Mark Twain," she says.
To date, science has failed to establish evidence on its own terms of life after death; nevertheless, scores of people remain convinced that it is a fact.
Blum thinks this belief is perfectly reasonable, in perhaps a paradoxical way.
"Science sets limits on the world. It's a very defined system of measuring what's real. I think many people tend to feel trapped within those limits. They want the world to be larger, more interesting, more unexpected. And that's not unreasonable.
"And it may not be wrong, either. After all, what is reality, and who holds the power to define it?"
This fall Blum will teach a graduate reporting seminar and a mixed graduate/undergraduate science-writing course. She will assign the new book in the latter class.
"I am using it along with Robert Park's 'Voodoo Science,' which is all about debunking pseudo-science. I thought it would be interesting to explore the different perspectives — I've always been fascinated by the intersection between science and society," she says.

Kuala Lumpur—While filming a stunt for a horror film, 42-year old Malaysian stuntman, Nazari Omar, leapt to his death from a third floor balcony.
The scene called for a stuntman to portray being chased down a hallway by a supernatural entity before jumping off the third floor during a shoot late last month.
The veteran stuntman over shot his mark missing the safety padding and landed on the ground. He sustained severe internal injuries from the three story fall.
“I became aware that something had gone wrong only when I saw everyone rushing towards the area where the stuntman had landed,” said the movie's director, Ahmad Idham.
Nazari was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
He is survived by his wife and his five year old daughter.

“Ghost Hunters” Cause Blaze

PERU, Maine -- A fire that swept through a portion of the former Diamond Match Co. mill was caused by a group of teenagers hunting for ghosts. That's according to Maine Fire Marshal Sgt. Joel Davis.
Davis said six teens came forward to say they'd been inside the darkened building on Monday night. He said one of them reported seeing a spark and smelling smoke after attempting to turn on the lights of a front-end loader in the building.
The teens said they were looking for ghosts, and they shared with investigators pictures that they'd taken. Davis said the teens have not been charged, but investigators plan to review their findings with the district attorney.

Volume 2, Issue 9

Page #

DEADLINES

WORTHINGTON, Ohio - A teenager out looking for ghosts with friends was shot in the head and critically wounded near a house considered spooky by local teens, police said.
A man who lives in the house, Allen S. Davis, 40, was charged in the shooting and told reporters from jail that he was trying to drive off trespassers and didn't intend to hurt the teen girls, whom he called juvenile delinquents.
He said he fired his rifle out his bedroom window Tuesday night after hearing voices outside the home, which is across the street from a cemetery and blocked from view by overgrown trees and shrubbery.
"I didn't know what their weaponry was, what their intentions were," he said. "In a situation like that, you assume the worst-case scenario if you're going to protect your family from a possible home invasion and murder."
The 17-year-old girl, Rachel Barezinsky, and two of her friends got out of their car parked near the home about 10 p.m. and took a few steps on the property, police Lt. Doug Francis said. They jumped back in when a girl in the car sounded the horn, and they heard what they thought were firecrackers as they drove away.
The girls - all seniors at Thomas Worthington High School in suburban Columbus - drove around the block, and Barezinsky was struck while sitting in the car as they passed the house again and heard a second round of what turned out to be gunshots, Francis said.
Davis, a self-employed nonfiction writer, said he had prepared the rifle after numerous previous instances of trespassing, but he didn't know until Wednesday that teens considered his house haunted. “Police should charge the teens with trespassing,” he said.
"It's really something how homeowners defend themselves and the way the laws are written, we're the ones brought up on charges while the perpetrators get little or nothing."
Francis said police do not intend to pursue criminal charges against the girls at this point.
As the girls' car drove away from the house, the driver noticed she had blood on her arm and passengers in the back seat also discovered blood, police said. They saw Barezinsky had collapsed in the front passenger's seat and drove until they could flag down two police officers. The other girls were not injured.
Some classmates at the high school, which has about 1,700 students, were planning a vigil Wednesday night at the football stadium.
Principal Rich Littell said he had talked to Barezinsky, a well-known cheerleader, at a freshman welcome dance on Monday night.
"It just kills you. She's a great kid, very, very athletic. She was looking forward to ... the tumbling she was going to do at the football game," he said.
Davis, who was charged with five counts of felonious assault, told officers he had been annoyed by trespassers and that he was aiming for the car's tires from his first-floor bedroom, police said.
"He admitted to never calling the police, but it just had been occurring and he got frustrated and he was upset saying someone trespassed on his property and he was protecting his property," Francis said.
Barezinsky, who was struck in the shoulder, was taken to Ohio State University Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The hospital would not provide an update on her condition Wednesday.
Francis said Davis' home had a reputation at the high school for being haunted by ghosts and witches, and students have been daring each other to knock on the door or go in the yard.
"Something we learned is that high school kids have been going into cemeteries and looking for ghosts," he said.
Zoning officers have visited the home where Davis lives with his 64-year-old mother because of complaints that the property has not been kept up, police said.
Betty Davis, 69, who lives around the corner, said Allen Davis was quiet and kept to himself. She said she's not related to him.
Her children played with Davis when they were young, she said. She was surprised he owned a gun.
"I guess last night was the last straw," she said. "I think it blew everybody's mind it would come to this."
AP
-Get Permission to be on private property when ghosthunting !!!!

Teen Shot in Head While Looking for Ghosts

Allen S. Davis (left), 40, has been charged with shooting Rachel Barezinsky, 17, outside his home.

Volume 2, Issue 9

Page #

HAUNTS

Best US Haunted Trails

Nothing says Fall like a hike through a leaf-covered dirt trail on a cool sunny day. And nothing says Halloween like a spooky ghost story. So what can be better than a Fall stroll down a haunted trail?!
Here is a list of such trails compiled by USA Today:
1) Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Maryland: Spirits of miners called "Tommy Knockers," killed in a collapse, haunt the dark recesses of a mine in this park.
2) Yosemite National Park, California: The Miwok Indians believed Yosemite's spectacular waterfalls were haunted by an evil wind called Po-ho-no. The wind, they said, entices the unwary to the roaring brink of the falls and then pushes them off the edge.
3) New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve/Wharton State Forest, New Jersey: Hundreds have seen or heard a yellow-eyed creature with a bat's wings, a dragon's breath and a kangaroo's tail that, according to legend, makes the Pine Barrens its home.
4) Virgin Islands National Park, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands: The idyllic Jumby Beach and many park trails are haunted by mischievous spirits the locals call "jumbies."
5) Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky: With more than 150 documented paranormal events, Mammoth Cave is one of the spookiest natural wonders of the world.
6) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado: Since the 1950s, visitors claim to have seen black triangles, cigar-shaped red orbs and multicolored lights hovering over the park.
7) Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon: Hike the Big Tree Trail where, in July 2000, a psychologist witnessed Bigfoot spying on his family.
8) Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: Park employees have long told stories of the North Rim's "Wailing Woman," crying and moaning over the son and husband she lost to the canyon.
9) Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia: Backpackers say a toddler's ghost haunts the Appalachian Trail leading to Bluff Mountain and that his youthful spirit annoys those brave enough to spend a night inside the Punchbowl Shelter. 10) Big Bend National Park, Texas: Among the ghouls wandering this desert range are a betrayed Indian chief, a troop of long-dead Spanish warriors and a ghost steer seeking revenge against the cowboys who branded him with the word 'murder.'

Great Party;
Eerily Terrific!
-The Paranormal Press
Last year, I nearly
crapped my pants –
twice!
- Masato Masachono

When make-believe and nightmares become one.

OCTOBER 28TH

Volume 2, Issue 9

Page #

WHAT’S ON SLAB

SEPTEMBER

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1	IGT / Meeting
3	4 / Labor Day	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21 / Welcome	22 / Fall!!!!	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30

Notes:
Valpo Library, Meeting room B, 2-4:30 (dinner and hunts to follow-dress accordingly)
See Page One for September’s Fall Festivities throughout our area

www.givingforum.org
Tips on starting Giving Circles (philanthropy)
www.slasherpool.com
For horror movie aficionados
www.corsinet.com/trivia
Weird facts, unusual info, misc.
http://unusualchurches.blogspot.com
Weird, wacky and funny churches found on the internet

GRAVESITES

September 1st is 61 days til
HALLOWEEN

INDIANA GHOST TRACKERS
Presents

The 5th Annual
ALL HALLOWS’ EVE
BALL

Located in the “haunted” old courthouse!

Costume
Contest!

DJ & Live
Music!

$$Cash Bar$$

Saturday, October 28th, 2006
8pm-1am
$10/Person 21 and up
220 South Main Street
Crown Point
The Hall of Justice
For more info: www.indianaghosts.org

Â

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Â

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We’re dying to meet you!

“We have murders in New York without
benefits of ghouls and goblins.”
Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow,
1999

Quote of the Month

Traditional Buddhists
believe salt repels evil spirits. The belief is that salt should be thrown over the shoulder before
entering your home after a funeral. It scares off evil spirits that may be clinging to your back.

Eerie Fact

OFFICERS

Northwest

Director
Denise Williams
Secretary
Jen Jacob
Treasurer
Michele Walavich
Public Relations
Wendy Deiotte
Trainer
Mary Shea

Volume 2, Issue 9 Page 7

SCREAMING ROOM

Legacies Return

In the Works!
(Dates and information are subject to change)
Requiem, Rated:NA, Release Date:10/20/06
This German limited release is actually a remake of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Who would know the story of Anneliese Michel better than those who were the closest to the actual incident.
How I Met My Boyfriend’s Dead Fiancé, In production
Supernatural comedy, starring Eva Longoria, is about a psychic who falls in love with a man who recently lost his fiancé (Longoria). Her ghost tries her best to keep the two from falling in love?!
Deadman, pre-production
Adapted by Warner Brothers and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy), DC Comics will see yet another comic book character on the big screen. Boston Brand was a circus trapeze artist who was murdered during a performance. His spirit was given the ability to possess the living in order to find his murderer and to help the innocent in the process.
Halloween, Rated:N/A, Released Date: 10/19/07
The Halloween franchise, like Michael Myers, just won’t die! This new version, directed by horror musician Rob Zombie, is the newest prequel to hit the screen. Like all other prequels, the film will focus on the main character and what created the monster.
Half Light, Rated:PG13, Release Date:NA
Demi Moore stars in this supernatural thriller. After losing her son in a tragic accident, novelist Rachel Carlson (Moore) moves to a remote Scottish village to write her next book. While there she feels the spirit of her dead son has followed her.
On September 26th Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release two of the silver age’s most legendary supernatural icons on DVD: Dracula: 75th Anniversary Edition and Frankenstein: 75th Anniversary Edition.
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff brought nightmares to generations with their chilling portrayals of Transylvania’s Count Dracula and
Frankenstein’s Monster.
Digitally re-mastered and presented in their original format (full screen and in black and white), both sets will contain two disks. DVD extras include exclusive documentaries, original score, exclusive interviews, two feature commentaries and much more.

Movie Memorabilia

Would you like to own a piece of horror movie history? If so you could purchase a variety of motion picture props and costumes from several different films. To view all items for sale log onto: www.premiereprops.com

Silent Hill

Exorcism of Emily Rose

E-mail submissions for The Paranormal Press to: paranormalpress@hotmail.com

Paranormal Press

It’s been over 10 years since The Nightmare Before Christmas was released and for Tim Burton fans it’s been 10 years too long since we have been blessed with one of his dark fantasy stop animation film. The Corpse Bride, now playing, is based on an old Russian fairytale about a

http://playtonium.com/g.php?g=halloween
(knock over ghosts & ghouls; if you dare!)
www.oakalleyplantation.com
(haunted Louisiana)
www.hauntedvoices.com
(EVP, articles)
www.frightshop.com
(Halloween supplies)
www.wicca.com
(self explanatory)
www.halloween-website.com
(history, recipes, party ideas)

CREATURE FEATURE

Volume 1, Issue 4

(Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed here are strictly of this film school graduate and should in no way be taken to heart.
Don’t take my word for it, see it for yourself!)

Volume 1, Issue 6