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Thursday, May 09, 2013

Just the Facts?: Twitter Verifies Bigfoot's Account -- Early History of 'Remote Viewing' -- Is Paranormal Photography Possible?


Twitter verifies Bigfoot's account

If anyone is wondering whether Bigfoot is real or not, Twitter has taken the mystery out of the question by granting verified account status to a subscriber going by the name of "Me Sasquatch."

Being granted verified status on Twitter is the Holy Grail for anyone trying to break through the chatter of millions of Tweets posted every minute on the hugely successful social networking site. And without that designation, prominent public figures don't stand a chance of establishing a significant web presence.

The account, which points back to a webpage owned by Jack Links beef jerky sticks, is obviously a publicity stunt. But a brilliant one filled with charm and good humor.

Tweets uploaded since the account was opened on April 22, 2013, have quickly evolved from big-thumbed nonsense texting to a more sophisticated language which shows how well a Sasquatch can blend in with its environment. Sort of.

At this point, Me Sasquatch seems to be more concerned with roasting squirrels (Bigfoot has fire!) than existential questions. But a few musings about clouds and the beauty of nature have slipped in. That means there's plenty of room for growth.

Taking the concept one step further, Sasquatch is apparently worried about the conservation of the environment and the welfare of the world by following accounts like National Geographic, the World Wildlife Fund, and, bizarrely, Jimmy Kimmel.

But, after all, Sasquatch is a wild creature. Which explains his (her?) fascination with Kitty White, a host of animal mascots, and, most ominously a common squirrel.

So, the world has its answer. Sasquatch (or Bigfoot) is as real as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. And, in less than two weeks, has managed to build a following of thousands. - Bubblews

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Paranormal photography: Is it possible?

I enjoy watching television shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and this is where the start of my own ghostly adventure had its beginning.

A few months ago, one of the locations investigated on one of these shows was the Charleston Jail, in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the southern United States.

When I went on vacation to Charleston with my family over the March break, I just had to include a tour of this haunted hot spot.

As our group waited for our tour guide outside of the main doors, you could see the expressions of apprehension on many faces. Several were wondering if they had made the right decision.

Would they see a ghost?

Tucked away in the heart of historic Charleston, the Old City Jail stands as a haunting reminder of the city’s darkest past. The jail, which was operational from 1802 until 1939, housed the city’s most infamous criminals, slaves, 19th-century pirates and Civil War prisoners.

Our guide explained how tens of thousands of human tragedies unfolded inside the jail’s walls.

The most famous of its paranormal residents are John and Lavinia Fisher, who were held in the Charleston Jail for reportedly having committed many murders. Lavinia was sentenced to hang in 1820 and is one of many ghosts frequently seen throughout the haunted building.

Is she the one in my photo? I don’t really know.

During our tour, I snapped hundreds of photos in several rooms once everyone in our tour group had moved on.

When I took this particular photo, there was only other person in the room who is clearly seen in the photos. I was waiting for him to leave so I could once again have the room all to myself, but kept snapping photos while I waited.

There was no one else near us.

When reviewing my photos in our hotel room later that night, I noticed there was nothing out of the ordinary, until something very extraordinary happened.

“I’ve got one,” I thought, as I noticed a ghostly image in one of the photos. It was one of the last photos I shot that evening.

I have no explanation for the image in the photo. Is it a paranormal being? Perhaps, but I’m now a believer.

Ghost tours have grown in popularity over the years. Today, most cities (including Kingston) have Ghost Walks.

Kingston has its own ghost celebrities. There have been reported sightings in Chalmers Church, Hochelaga Inn, Fort Henry and the carriageway between Princess, Brock and King Streets, just to name a few. - Kingston This Week

The Paranormal Caught On Film

Paranormal Investigations: The Proper Procedures and Protocols of Investigation for the Beginner to the Pro

The Best of Ghosts Caught on Film: The Paranormal and Supernatural Caught on Camera


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Cherilyn Sarkisian (Cher) - age 13 - unlawful operation of a motor vehicle

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78,000 People Apply for One-Way Trip to Mars

An ambitious project to establish a human colony on Mars has attracted applications from tens of thousands of would-be astronauts, just two weeks after applications opened.

The mission, a private venture by the Dutch non-profit organization Mars One, aims to send a crew to the Red Planet in 2022 – and, due to the physiological change in the human body after a stay on Mars, there’d be no coming back. That hasn’t deterred people, though: so far, over 78,000 people have applied to become one of Mars’ first immigrants (the company is expecting 500,000 applicants by the time applications close on August 31). “This is turning out to be the most desired job in history,” says Bas Lansdorp, co-founder of Mars One.

Day-to-day life on Mars will be no picnic: The organization says that the daily routine on the planet would involve construction work on the colony (installing greenhouses, for example), maintenance of the settlement’s systems and research into Mars’ climate and geological history–all in an inhospitable environment with unbreathable air and an average temperature in the planet’s mid-latitudes of around -58 degrees Farenheit.

But Mars One says it is not looking for applicants with specific skills, such as a science degree, that might be useful during an interplanetary posting. Instead, they are looking for people who “have a deep sense of purpose, willingness to build and maintain healthy relationships, the capacity for self-reflection and ability to trust.” They also want volunteers who are “resilient, adaptable, curious, creative and resourceful.” Candidates will receive a minimum of eight years training before leaving Earth, the company says.

“Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria for selection. Now, we are more concerned with how well each astronaut works and lives with the others–and for a lifetime of challenges ahead,” said Norbert Kraft, a former Senior Research Associate at NASA and Chief Medical Director for Mars One in a statement published on Mars One’s website.

Candidates hailing from over 120 countries (although the vast majority are from the U.S.) uploaded a video to Mars One’s website explaining why they’re suitable for the mission. Kyle, a 21-year-old grocery store clerk from the U.S., says he wants to be “an explorer and pioneer at the forefront of history.” Steven, a 43-year-old American who works in electronics, has even higher hopes for the mission: “I would like to go to Mars… to discover new life,” he says.

In addition to people skills, successful applicants must be good fundraisers too: Mars One plans to raise much of the mission’s $6 billion estimated cost through a reality TV show following the applicants as they undergo preparations for the one-way trip to Mars. They’ve got a little way to go yet, though: as of April 29, the money raised through donations and merchandise stood at $84,121. - Time Newsfeed

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Russell Targ Talks About the Early History of 'Remote Viewing'

Russell Targ is a well-known figure in the field of parapsychology, being a key figure (along with Hal Puthoff) in experimentation with techniques of 'remote viewing' in the 1970s. The talk above was given last month at the 'ExTED' conference "Brother Can You Spare a Paradigm" (formerly TEDxWestHollywood until TED withdrew their support in the wake of last month's controversy) in Los Angeles. In the talk he regales the crowd with tales of his work with everyone from psychics like Pat Price to the military and C.I.A. Told with a nice dose of humour, it's a fun little talk that also acts as a neat introduction to this topic if you haven't read the books about it. Video can be found here.

Remote Viewing: The Complete User's Manual for Coordinate Remote Viewing

Limitless Mind: A Guide to Remote Viewing and Transformation of Consciousness