related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-08T16:45:17.487-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Buck's Ghosts and Hauntings"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/-/Paranormal+State?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/search/label/Paranormal%20State"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"3"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-7781783658032233817"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-09T14:11:00.008-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-09T15:40:58.928-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ParanormalState"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Paranormal"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"psychology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Investigators"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ovilus"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tarot"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ghost"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Paranormal State"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Need to Succeed"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"zemanta-img\" style\u003d\"margin: 1em; float: left; display: block;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/78191777@N00/2159064694\"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2392/2159064694_dc523fbc8c_m.jpg\" alt\u003d\"combo # 5\" style\u003d\"border: medium none ; display: block;\" height\u003d\"180\" width\u003d\"240\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"zemanta-img-attribution\"\u003eImage by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/78191777@N00/2159064694\"\u003eLegendary Classic\u003c/a\u003e via Flickr\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"You can fool some of the people all of the time, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eand all of the people some of the time, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"\u003ebut you can not fool all of the people all of the time.\"\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: right;\"\u003e--Attributed to \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln\" title\u003d\"Abraham Lincoln\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eAbraham Lincoln\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eAnd yet, people keep trying. Recently, I read a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/ghosthunting/Ovilus.php\"\u003ereview of the new gadget\u003c/a\u003e sweeping the amateur ghost hunting world, the Ovilus. I've mentioned it briefly in the past but did not delve into the inner workings of this new device. Honestly, I thought that the little device would never catch on. Sure, it made an appearance on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal_State\" title\u003d\"Paranormal State\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eParanormal State\u003c/a\u003e but that in itself should have been enough to make it verboten among many groups in the field based upon viewing habits.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday, I read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/ghosthunting/Ovilus.php\"\u003ea review of the device by Gregory Myers\u003c/a\u003e of the Paranormal Task Force stating \"the Ovilus is a “must have” device of value to any \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal\" title\u003d\"Paranormal\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eparanormal\u003c/a\u003e investigator desiring to gain an edge in researching the paranormal...\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eReading the entire review I was struck by the number of assumptions and overall poor utilization of the most basic scientific principles.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFirst, let's look at how the Ovilus works. The device relies upon a computer generated voice that translates electromagnetic or what the creator terms \"environmental\" fields into speech, phonetics and \"yes/no\" responses. Of course, it also features pretty blinking lights as well. The \"voice\" is actually a dictionary of some 512 words with another 70+ \"phonetic\" sounds that can sound out words or phrases. Already we can see the flaws if we look at this strictly with reason and intelligence.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, the group doing the \"experiments\" with the device took it with them to a site and began recording away. The \"voice\" spoke to them throughout the investigation and they were suitably impressed to call the experiment an unqualified success.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYet, no controls were run to see if the device inherently gave responses in \"non-haunted\" locations. The words available certainly seem to be general enough that they could be interpreted as \"accurate\" in almost any situation. Likewise, reviewing the \"phonetic\" phrases I found them to be very open to interpretation. Much like poor quality EVP, you can hear what you want to hear and in one clip an investigator is quick to \"interpret\" the phrase for others, thus insuring that they will also \"hear\" that phrase upon review.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, my purpose in this post was not to take apart the Ovilus per se, but rather to point out a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology\" title\u003d\"Psychology\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003epsychological\u003c/a\u003e phenomenon in paranormal investigation - the need for results.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe more people I meet in the field, the more I am convinced there exists a deep seated need to provide some sort of validation for the hours of mind numbing boredom involved in investigation. This weekend, as I sat with two other investigators in an historic hotel waiting for hours for something, anything, to happen, I became aware once again how easily one can easily begin to interpret almost anything as paranormal. After several hours of absolutely no activity it was quite easy to begin to jump to conclusions and set aside logic. Of course, I'm pleased to say that no one in my presence did that, yet the psychological pull was there to justify the time and expense by coming up with something of interest.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn my case, I am always just as happy to be able to explain something as natural or man-made as to use it to prove a \"haunting.\" However, for many who are more invested in the spiritual aspects of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost\" title\u003d\"Ghost\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eghosts\u003c/a\u003e and hauntings the drive to produce is much stronger.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver time I have met clients who want very badly to have a haunting. That includes those who superficially profess fear or aversion to sharing their space with \"ghosts.\" Even for those people, hearing that a ghost is the cause of their problems is much more interesting than hearing they have loose pipes or that their windows face a street and the car headlights produce the \"shadow people\" they see in their living room.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRecently, it was reported that people in Great Britain have a stronger belief in ghosts than they do God. With the dismantling of traditional religious institutions in our daily lives, people turn increasingly to paranormal phenomena as their natural outlet for explanations of what happens to us after death and moreover, how to explain our relationships with those who have died. Into this new paradigm steps the paranormal investigator who is often seen as the High Priest or Priestess.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCertainly, there are times when I speak to clients who share far more personal details of their lives than they would most strangers. Indeed at times, I doubt many would share those thoughts and histories even with a therapist without months of developing a trust relationship. Yet, invariably they confess to me during interviews as they would a priest or minister. There are times when I realize that they are looking for absolution and closure from a rocky relationship that was never resolved in life.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOften these same clients express an interest in becoming \"investigators\" themselves and going on to help others. Into this mix steps people like Bill Chappell and his Ovilus device which provides a quick and easy way to \"communicate\" with the dearly departed. Now, rather than hours spent with no results, the investigator can whip out this piece of electronic equipment and provide quick and easy reinforcement for not only his or her beliefs but those of the client as well. Of course, in reality, it matters to neither if the feedback is accurate or real. The point is that suddenly rather than coming away empty handed the investigator now has \"EVP\" to share with the client. Even if the phrases seem nonsensical clients will be sure to find some validation as will the investigator.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am reminded of my years learning to read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot\" title\u003d\"Tarot\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eTarot\u003c/a\u003e. My first teacher was a staunch believer in the spiritual aspects of Tarot. Over time, I began to realize that the true value of the cards had nothing to do with spiritual pursuits but rather with the interpretation by the reader and client of the pictures themselves.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUsing the cards in this manner I have often helped people open up their own subconscious and consider patterns of behavior that have been destructive for them. This is not paranormal or occult but much the same as a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_inkblot_test\" title\u003d\"Rorschach inkblot test\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eRorschach test\u003c/a\u003e helping to understand underlying attitudes and behaviors.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn this way the Ovilus allows the investigator and client to \"interpret\" disjointed words and sounds in a way that allows them express subconscious thoughts and emotions. The sounds themselves have no meaning but the interpretation of those sounds and words holds the key to the core conflicts the client or investigator may be repressing in their lives.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMuch like Tarot with its \"supernatural\" connotations, the Ovilus may be more acceptable to some than traditional \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy\" title\u003d\"Psychotherapy\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003epsychotherapy\u003c/a\u003e. A person might refuse to see a therapist or psychologist but seek out a Tarot reader or now a paranormal investigator. The caveat here is that normally a tarot reader nor a paranormal investigator are qualified to deliver psychotherapy. Therein lies the danger.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Ovilus sells for $199 at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.digitaldowsing.com/Ovilus1.htm\"\u003eDigitaldowsing.com\u003c/a\u003e. The concept of the device logically would require a spirit that has an engineering background and can get into the device and divine its purpose and inner workings and manipulate those components to produce recognizable and directed speech. My math isn't up to calculating those odds, but I would guess they are infinitesimal.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe need to produce results on the part of an investigator and the need to get results on the part of clients create a perfect storm of expectation into which gadget makers step. There is nothing in this device that remotely indicates a paranormal use, yet I am sure that I will see it more and more in the field as quick and easy \"evidence\" can be produced regardless of the validity of those results as actual proof of paranormal activity.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cfieldset class\u003d\"zemanta-related\"\u003e\u003clegend class\u003d\"zemanta-related-title\"\u003eRelated articles\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/legend\u003e\u003cul class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul\"\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/history/survey-do-you-believe-in-ghosts-047406\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://siparanormal.proboards88.com/index.cgi?board\u003dequipment\u0026amp;action\u003ddisplay\u0026amp;thread\u003d83\u0026amp;page\u003d1\"\u003eOvilus Discussion at Staten Island Paranormal Society\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://terrifyingtales.blogspot.com/2008/08/ovilus.html\"\u003eTerrifying Tales Ovilus Article\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://beyondrealityevents.com/forums/index.php?topic\u003d1108.0\"\u003eEven the \"experts\" Are Gullible - TAPS \u0026amp; the Ovilus\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003eI wanted to include a link from James Randi here about how it can be debunked but his folks only carried on like children instead of actually debunking the device. Sorry.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.paranormalresearchinvestigators.com/Ovilus_I.html\"\u003eOvilus mention at Paranormal Research Investigators\u003c/a\u003e - their math is worse than mine!\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.skepticalviewer.com/forums/paranormal-state/ovilus/page-1/post-633/\"\u003eSkeptical Viewer Forum Discussion\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli class\u003d\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/11/yes-but-does-it-blink.html\"\u003eYes, but does it blink?\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/fieldset\u003e          \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\" class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie\"\u003e\u003ca class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie-a\" href\u003d\"http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/bb906b90-af0b-41cf-8067-087d3135b5f0/\" title\u003d\"Zemified by Zemanta\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border: medium none ; float: right;\" class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie-img\" src\u003d\"http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id\u003dbb906b90-af0b-41cf-8067-087d3135b5f0\" alt\u003d\"Reblog this post [with Zemanta]\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-7781783658032233817?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/7781783658032233817/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d7781783658032233817\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7781783658032233817"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7781783658032233817"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/12/need-to-succeed.html","title":"The Need to Succeed"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-5593586848365245383"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-01T13:47:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-01T14:07:08.038-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"TV Shows"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ghost Hunters Episodes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Paranormal State"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Paranormal Tiger Beat"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003eI spent roughly four hours of my life last night that I'll never get back. I'm speaking here of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/live/photos/index.html\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGhost Hunters Live!\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e the yearly live broadcast of a \u0026quot;paranormal investigation\u0026quot; on Sci-Fi featuring the casts of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGhost Hunters\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGhost Hunters International\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e along with a veritable panoply of lesser cable stars and wrestling heroes.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 5px 5px 5px 0px\" align\u003d\"left\" src\u003d\"http://www.magafake.com/images/fin/98881-39-th.jpg\" /\u003e I won't detail my thoughts on the show here. But as you can see the show was 7 hours long and I watched a bit over half. At that point I couldn't help wondering why I was watching. After all, I investigate claims of haunting all the time. As a former living history interpreter working as a volunteer with the National Parks Service I've been to enough historic forts to fill a book.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhen I realized I was watching only because I knew the topic of the day today on my groups public forums would be the show, I switched it off and returned to reading an article in a parapsychology journal. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eRecently, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/2008/10/eye-on-paranormal-issue-8-truth-from.html\"\u003ea blog post appeared elsewhere\u003c/a\u003e allegedly detailing fraud and manipulation on the part of the cast and producers of the popular Paranormal State. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eI posted a link to the article on our public forums as a curiosity. I wondered what the reactions would be and what lessons anyone would take away from the information.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe results were not surprising and divided nearly 50/50. Those who have long disliked the show's content were eager to proclaim the article as gospel truth. Those who either enjoy the show or are fearful of receiving criticism themselves were quick to say the article was probably an \u0026quot;exaggeration\u0026quot; and call for patience and proof. Interestingly, in most of those posts the primary sentiment was a call not to criticize other paranormal groups publicly.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhile an interesting psychological exercise, I realized in reading the posts that discussions of actual issues or ideas often runs quite thin. A post following an episode of a TV show can quickly add multiple replies in hours whereas those for more serious discussions can take days to develop, if ever.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhy do actual paranormal investigators feel the need to discuss television entertainment and the stars as though they were teenage girls reading \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTiger Beat\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e magazine? Perhaps, in part the topics are popular with \u0026quot;arm chair\u0026quot; investigators who are guests on the forums. Perhaps it is a prurient desire to emulate the monetary success. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIt's quite hard to say really, perhaps one day I'll do a study on it. (joking) But, one thing that became abundantly clear to me today is that I have no reason to watch nor discuss these shows.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eHere is a portion of a post I made in response to the debates on the \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eParanormal State\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e blog article:\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e   \u003cp\u003ePersonally, I have been taking an online course to refresh my knowledge of statistics and psychological reporting after 20+ years out of college. In between doing that, I'm writing reports for a group that is interested in advancing the field.      \u003cbr /\u003e      \u003cbr /\u003eI look about me and see Paul and Kale and Jim working on new technology to help the field. I see a research team toiling tirelessly to gather information and provide any member of the organization, clients, and even other groups with top notch research and I see investigators traveling long distances and spending many hours to review evidence for absolutely no pay or recompense.       \u003cbr /\u003e      \u003cbr /\u003eWhen I see that I wonder... why am I watching entertainment shows and more to the point why am I debating their veracity? Would I sit and debate the veracity of NCIS or CSI with an FBI agent or a professional in forensics? No.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAnd I suppose that is the point in the last paragraph. Why do people who are actually doing the work in the field feel the need to discuss entertainment programming as if it were legitimate extensions of our work? Do you think that there are large groups of forensic scientists sitting at computers in their labs discussing what happened last night on CSI as though they might gain some new insight into their work? I seriously doubt that. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eDuring the show I watched the \u0026quot;Live\u0026quot; site for a while. The questions were sycophantic at best: \u0026quot;Where can I buy my own K2 Meter?\u0026quot; \u0026quot;Can I join TAPS?\u0026quot; \u0026quot;What's the scaredest the guys have ever been?\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAs a curmudgeonly exercise I submitted the following question based on the frequent questions about EMF meters on the ticker:   \u003cbr /\u003e\u0026quot;Have the guys had a chance to review the information recently published in the journal CORTEX on Christopher French's experiment that failed to show a correlation between EMF and the symptoms they often state to clients and public? Do they feel there is a methodological or statistical flaw that would invalidate his results?\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eNeedless to say that question was never passed through to the \u0026quot;guys\u0026quot; and we can all draw our own conclusions as to why from it simply being something TV viewers wouldn't understand to the fact that the folks producing this show have never read a study on EMF but base their spiel on urban legend and misreading of \u0026quot;consumer awareness\u0026quot; websites.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIn my opinion, despite the claims that these are \u0026quot;reality\u0026quot; shows, they are not. Last night we saw cues being given when the live shot came back before the participants were ready. We actually heard producers giving instructions to people on what to say or where to go. Is that real? Certainly not. Just because a formal script is not followed does not mean the show never departs from reality and becomes a pseudo-reality.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eSo, why are we discussing them when we could be discussing \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id\u003dghost-lusters-if-you-want\"\u003ethe latest findings\u003c/a\u003e in the journal CORTEX regarding their failure to once more prove a causative link between high \u003cabbr title\u003d\"Electromagnetic Fields \"\u003eEMF\u003c/abbr\u003e and \u003cspan class\u003d\"acronym\" title\u003d\"Extreme Low Frequency Sound\"\u003eELF\u003c/span\u003e and reports of \u0026quot;haunting type phenomena\u0026quot;?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThere's no reason, really. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eSo, what do \u003cem\u003eyou\u003c/em\u003e think of the findings in CORTEX?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-5593586848365245383?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/5593586848365245383/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d5593586848365245383\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5593586848365245383"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5593586848365245383"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/11/paranormal-tiger-beat.html","title":"Paranormal Tiger Beat"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-8060350090597438681"},"published":{"$t":"2008-05-19T13:22:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-05-19T13:39:11.435-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"TV Shows"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Paranormal State"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Disingenuous Ryan Buell"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SDHcd7WfFsI/AAAAAAAABw8/5UO4J-rVZjo/s1600-h/ryanparanormal.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SDHcd7WfFsI/AAAAAAAABw8/5UO4J-rVZjo/s400/ryanparanormal.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202181451295954626\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;\" \u003eI\u003c/span\u003e do read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ryansblog.pennstateprs.com/2008/05/18/are-we-ready-for-the-next-step.aspx\"\u003eRyan Buell's blog\u003c/a\u003e. I'm not sure why I read it, but I do. Today he had a post discussing \"where we go from here\" in the Paranormal Community. It began as a legitimate discussion of groups forming large organizations to share information and assistance but quickly dipped once again to his normal theme in almost every post: justifying the rank religiosity of his group and their show.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLet me be frank and say that I find much of \"Paranormal State\" to be unpalatable. The pandering to religious beliefs and the reliance on religion first and science second really raises my ire. Beyond this they are one of those groups that always seems to find some horrible negative entity somewhere to validate their own religious beliefs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRyan makes a big deal that he has a Pagan on his team as though this will convince us all that his group is not basically a religious rather than scientific organization.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut what always gets me is that he goes back to this argument or rather whine:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eIt’s somewhat ironic that investigators who spend time trying to document proof of the afterlife, spirits, poltergeists and the demonic are so quick to dismiss spiritual/religious tones. But the bottom line is that there are just as many groups out there who strongly believe that spirituality and paranormal investigation go hand-in-hand.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003eAnd of course, that's where the problem lies. Paranormal investigation, if you are seeking to advance the base of knowledge is inherently scientific. This means that you are working from theories and seeking to test those theories to gather data. If you are coming at the whole process with the notion that what you learned in church must be the truth then you begin with a false premise and are seeking only evidence that reinforces that belief. A theory if proved wrong is easily discarded but a religious belief is a bit harder to throw aside even when the evidence may scream otherwise.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAn example would be Ryan's group who seems to have a propensity to find \"demons\". They take no time to consider that if the phenomenon is valid what besides \"demons\" might account for it. Are there other types of spiritual activity that have yet to be studied? Could demons be something else entirely? Are demons the mythical creatures of Bible fame or is this a misinterpretation of another type of entity? What evidence are they using to even classify something as a demon? Is the Rituale Romanum the basis and if so, what corroborating evidence is there that it is even correct?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen you begin your study with a concrete belief in how the world and paranormal works then it's like starting a race with your shoes untied. You might make it to the finish line but the smart money says you're going to get tripped up.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere is certainly room for religious or spiritual practice within the field of Client Relations as it concerns groups. Clients who wish some type of comfort or cleansing look to spiritual practices for these things. Likewise, groups must always be sensitive to the beliefs of their clients. Therefore, it is necessary to have members who are well versed in various religious beliefs and practices to better understand the client and work with them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, contrary to Mr. Buell, I don't consider this an argument to break out the rosary and crucifix during an investigation. Clients who are frightened of activity seek relief within the idiom of their own beliefs. A Catholic might request an exorcism or blessing, a New Age spiritualist might request a cleansing. Regardless, this is not an investigative process but one to help the client psychologically deal with their environment. That is the role of religion and has been since the beginning of time. Furthermore, this process of post-investigative and more a social services function than a scientific one.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SDHgN7WfFtI/AAAAAAAABxE/iwxOy22HOxA/s1600-h/cobalt_blu_angel_ros_lg4.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SDHgN7WfFtI/AAAAAAAABxE/iwxOy22HOxA/s400/cobalt_blu_angel_ros_lg4.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202185574464558802\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, when Ryan makes his argument about this he forgets one thing: a good paranormal group can often find natural explanations for events and give a family or client relief by helping them to correct the physical environment that might be causing their distress.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI certainly understand where some Ryan's dis-ease comes from. In his article he takes a couple swipes at TAPS calling them \"Ghost Busters\" and hinting that the reason the TAPS Family exists is because we all want to be on TV too. Let's face it, Ghost Hunters, is one of the top cable shows out there and has advanced the field by bringing in talented and level headed people within an umbrella organization that is now worldwide to share and review evidence. On the other hand Paranormal State remains in the lower ratings tier although cash flushed from it's network and therefore has been accused repeatedly of sensationalism.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePerhaps that's the real gist of his article.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-8060350090597438681?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/8060350090597438681/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d8060350090597438681\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/8060350090597438681"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/8060350090597438681"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/05/disingenuous-ryan-buell.html","title":"The Disingenuous Ryan Buell"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SDHcd7WfFsI/AAAAAAAABw8/5UO4J-rVZjo/s72-c/ryanparanormal.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}}]}});