Last Post On Blogspot

This is the last post Pasadena Paranormal will be making on blogspot, we have incorporated blogging software to our main website www.pasadenaparanormal.com and will make all future posts to that site.

PPS Poem

Today we were honored when one of our clients sent us a poem she wrote about our team. With her permission I am posting this along with a link to her poetry sites carolanns poems writersnetwork.com
Thank you CarolAnn

They are the Pasadena Paranormal team
If you got ghosts, nice or mean
They’ll come running to check your home
And they tell you if you’re not alone
So ghosts or spirits all beware
Pasadena Paranormal is coming here
So run and hide they’re coming soon
Pasadena Paranormal will be your doom

carolann 11/22/09

Daily Topic 11-3-09

I ran across this article in Wired Magazine which talks about an experiment conducted by London's Goldsmith College. In the experiment a room was designed in such a way as to produce high EMF levels and prove that hauntings are nothing than the result of EMF sickness.

I'm torn on this experiment, those conducting it are very skeptical and only created it in order to debunk ALL paranormal activity. Obviously the logic is flawed, to say that all paranormal activity is the result of high EMF levels is not much better than saying that because Hollywood can create the appearance of the same activity then all videos are fake. The other flaw in their results is that they were inconclusive. They were hoping to find proof that the EMF levels would generate the same experiences for all those who entered the appropriate areas. This did not happen and some noted these feelings in areas where the EMF generating devices were turned off. Their conclusion and I'm paraphrasing our experiment did not yield the results we hoped for so obviously its because of the power of suggestion. Yes they claim that because their experiment failed that it must be because the power of suggestion is so strong and this proves that ghosts don't exist.

I do believe that the power of suggestion is strong with some people and that it can cause them to experience things that are not there. I also believe that a lot of paranormal groups do not take this into account when conducting their experiments. Luckily PPS has a rule that removes that factor to an extent, obviously it will be in all investigator's heads that something is going on or we wouldn't be investigating. We only tell our investigators what they need to know and not all claims, the leads will know all about the property and maybe a select few of the other team members. Doing this allows our team to NOT focus on a single area but on the entire location as a whole. If someone on our team reports an experience in a location that has a claim then it gives more support for that claim. We also don't want our team to be focusing on one spot while some kind of activity is happening somewhere else.

Now the reason I'm torn on this article is that I think it could be a great experiment if done properly. The individuals who conducted it had an agenda and skewed the results to mean what they wanted it to mean. I would be interested to see what the results would be if they used several different groups of people, those who were told that paranormal activity happened and those who were told to simply note everything they observed. I also think it would be interesting to see at what levels people started to feel the effects of the EMF levels.

Maybe PPS will conduct a similar experiment in the future.

Happy Halloween

PPS wishes everyone a happy and safe Halloween!

For today's question I'd like you to share your favorite Halloween tale, this can be real or fiction or tell of any traditions you have.

Daily Topic 10-23-09 Activity

Today's topic is a general question to anybody.

The level of paranormal activity seems to be very high these days, do you think that it is truly more active or is it the same as its always been and it seems higher because of all the media attention? Do you think there are more believers today than there were 10,20,50 years ago?

Pasadena Voice Article

Paranormal Society Explores Pasadena’s Unknown

By: Hayley Gable

 
 

      As many people know, the grounds of Pasadena possess a vibrant past, dating back in time to 1733 when William Hancock, Sr. first became associated with the Bodkin Creek property that is today known as Hancock’s Resolution. With the rich amount of history that exists in the area, much of the community believes that there is more of a story behind the reportedly strange sounds and sites that have plagued certain homes and neighborhoods throughout the past.

      One such group that is dedicated to this type of investigating is The Pasadena Paranormal Society. Founded in the summer of 2007 by Pasadena residents David Schmincke and Brian Scott Duncan, the idea for the organization came after the pair had discussed several personal experiences they had each had with the paranormal. Additionally, the untimely death of Schmincke’s brother-in-law, who passed away at the age of 30, propelled the group’s start-up as it left Schmincke with many unanswered questions about the afterlife.

      The society, which currently has 13 active members, is based in Pasadena but travels all around for investigations, sometimes even traveling to sites in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania and Broad Channel, New York. David Schmincke, the group’s lead investigator, stated that each investigation the group has conducted thus far has netted appropriate evidence for paranormal activity. “Much depends on the physical make up of the site, as areas dense with limestone deposits or accumulations of water seem to retain more impressions of the past. We have garnered such volumes of audio evidence that we are working on a theory that spirit voices may not be site-specific, but are everywhere,” he said.

      Such “audio evidence” that the group collects during their site examinations is done with a basic digital voice recorder, a device which Schmincke says will pick up disembodied voices that are not heard at the time of recording. As most of their evidence comes in the form of audio evidence, there are many times during investigations when the group feels that nothing is going on. However, their audio evidence proves otherwise. “Our most prolifically viewed evidence on our website is a clip of an Electronic Voice Phenomena captured at the Cedar Hill Cemetery on Ritchie Highway of a little girl singing,” stated Schmincke. “Ironically, we were recording in the children’s burial section.”

      Aside from using audio recorders to track down any ghostly activity, the Pasadena Paranormal Society uses a variety of tools for their research, including infrared thermometers, an eight-camera digital video system that can record in complete darkness, and electromagnetic field detectors. “These high levels can cause a range of symptoms from paranoia to dizziness to nausea and skin irritations. We have ruled out a number of claims due to high EMF levels,” Schmincke said.

      Prior to any investigation, there is plenty of research that must be done by Schmincke and his team. “We take every aspect of the investigation into consideration before we give the client our findings on their site - the history of the site, the psychological state of the residents, and a thorough debunking of all reported claims,” he said. “We then meticulously analyze the video and audio evidence we have obtained, along with any personal experiences of our investigators and then review and present our findings.” An average investigation for the group involves approximately 20 hours of prep work and interviews, 5 to 10 hours of onsite investigation and several weeks of analysis.

      Pasadena certainly has its share of ghost stories, such as George Fox Middle School’s apparition of a former principal that allegedly roams the halls. The society is currently conducting an ongoing investigation on a Bodkin Avenue home in the Lake Shore area, which the group says has exhibited a tremendous amount of audio evidence where a child is calling for its mother. “A history of the site’s prior owners revealed a female relative of the owner had passed away at the age of three,” Schmincke stated. “The residents have a video of what appears to be something invisible running across their bed with a solid mass. We have had two investigators touched in the attic of this property at the same time as if something was moving past them.”

      When the group is not investigating, they are conducting experiments, testing out new techniques and questioning the validity of existing theories to help improve the paranormal field as a whole. “Our clients are looking for an explanation of what is happening in their homes and businesses. It is our responsibility to find the truth, whatever that entails, and help them to understand and cope with what they are experiencing,” Schmincke concluded.

Return of Daily Topic

Earlier this year I was posting daily topics that were open for discussion with the intent of posting something new everyday. I'm going to re-attempt this with a different approach, instead of sending out an email each day to our team members and posting their responses. I will simply make a post and allow anybody to comment on the website/blog/facebook page since all 3 will update simultaneously. Sometimes I will post a question to our team other times it may be a general question to all of our site visitors. Please post any comments to the site or the blog.

Today's question is directed at the members of PPS.
What separates PPS from the groups seen on TV?  ...besides the paycheck.