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| For article of Behind the Screams, Lucan the Defender, click here For article about 30th Anniversary of Halloween, click here |
INTRODUCING GHOSTS
By Noreen Blanchard
Do you believe in ghosts? If you answered no, too bad, because they believe in
you. That's why they're so pesky. It's all quite unfair really - the idea that they
can see, hear and try to communicate us but we don't reciprocate because we
can neither see nor hear them. But if you claim that you can, well then, they tell
you to get your eyes examined, you have an overactive imagination and, worst of
all, they say you're just plain nuts. I say you're just plain psychic.
Want to learn all about ghosts? The first thing you have to do is forget everything
you ever learned about ghosts. Regardless of what movie decade , you grew up
in, from the silent films right up to the present, we all cut our teeth on horror flicks.
Then there is the profuse amount of books written on the subject. The classic
Charles Dickens' novel, "A Christmas Carol," had many sub-plots, but it was first
and foremost a ghost story. Throw in a hefty helping of campfire stories,
superstitions, ethnic culture, folklore, old wives' tales and, my personal favorite,
Halloween yarns, and the result is that we think we learned all about ghosts, but
the bi-product of all this bad publicity is that we learned to fear ghosts.
They only come at midnight when it's dark and stormy, Machete in hand and
rattling their chains, they float their way through howling wind, torrential rain
crashing down, thunder pounding and lightning streaking across the blackened
sky just to chop your bloody head off!! Right? Wrong. Now let's explore the
facts, or at least the facts as the experts state them to be. In my own opinion, the
field alone disallows any claim of expertise because so much about the subject is
unknown. The very study of psychic phenomenon, called Parapsychology, is
relatively young. It is only within the last five decades or so that it has been
taught in colleges and universities around the country. One can now obtain a
Masters Degree or a Ph.D in "spooky."
Hauntings are classified into four categories and a combination of two or more is
possible:
Ghosts: Entities who, because of some unfinished business, cannot or will
not cross over and are stuck in between the physical world and the other side and
are usually reported in and
around the same area. Generally, they are confused and, as silly as it may
sound, many don't even know they are dead.
Spirits: Entities who have successfully crossed over and may "pop in and
out" occasionally for various reasons and are free to appear anywhere, anytime,
in many different forms;
Poltergeists: German for "noisy ghosts," these are the reports of objects
moving by themselves and can be, at times, violent and very scary for those
experiencing them. However, these activities can be caused by unknown and
subconscious telekinetic abilities, especially if very young children or teenagers
are present;
Residual Hauntings: These can appear anywhere, anytime, for no
apparent-reason because they are imprinted on the atmosphere whenever
extreme emotional force is exerted. It works much the same way as a video
camera recording a movie;
An important thing to remember is that ghosts and spirits share the same space
that we do. They are simply in another dimension, about three feet higher than
our own. They do not reside "up there" as believed by many groups to be where
heaven is. Heaven, or The Other Side, is not that far away. However, it is a
dimension of ethereal energy. Our physical world is cumbersome and heavy with
our walls, floors, buildings and all the obstructive solidity that we are so
accustomed to with our equally cumbersome and heavy bodies. Many people like
to call this entity the soul. When we are in the physical body, we require food, air
and water to survive. Ghosts and spirits have a body that looks exactly like the
earthly one but, because they are not physical, they do not require bodily
necessities. This is, indeed, the very essence of ourselves. Perhaps we can
liken it to the "mind" as opposed to the "brain." This is the part of us that survives
physical death. The body dies, not the personality.
Therefore, whatever type of a person you were on this side of the curtain, you will
remain on the other side. We will retain the same personality traits, warts and all,
with all the little idiosyncrasies, faults and character defects that we are so good
at justifying to our friends. Equally true is the fact that all the good, wonderful and
positive things about us remain, too, and even more strongly because, basically,
we are good people just trying to do the best we can.
We are students here on this planet Earth, attending the School of Life trying to
get our degrees in love, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and tolerance. When
we "graduate," we are then spiritually evolved enough to return to God.
And so, there you have it - a condensed introduction to ghosts. There is so much
more to learn about all the Caspers in our midst that I would like to fill in more
details for you at another time. While you're waiting, if you want to know more
about the subject, look no further than your home computer for a wealth of
information or your local library where there abides an abundance of books
written by all the well known, and not so well know, psychics, ghosts hunters, and
paranormal investigators around today. One quick word of forewarning: do NOT
confuse parapsychology and/or psychic phenomenon with the Occult. The latter
entails the dark side such as demons, dark and evil energies, demonic
possession, devil worship, ouija boards and black witchcraft. This can be a
dangerous neighborhood to go roaming around in, so stay away.
HAPPY HUNTING!!
By Noreen Blanchard
Do you believe in ghosts? If you answered no, too bad, because they believe in
you. That's why they're so pesky. It's all quite unfair really - the idea that they
can see, hear and try to communicate us but we don't reciprocate because we
can neither see nor hear them. But if you claim that you can, well then, they tell
you to get your eyes examined, you have an overactive imagination and, worst of
all, they say you're just plain nuts. I say you're just plain psychic.
Want to learn all about ghosts? The first thing you have to do is forget everything
you ever learned about ghosts. Regardless of what movie decade , you grew up
in, from the silent films right up to the present, we all cut our teeth on horror flicks.
Then there is the profuse amount of books written on the subject. The classic
Charles Dickens' novel, "A Christmas Carol," had many sub-plots, but it was first
and foremost a ghost story. Throw in a hefty helping of campfire stories,
superstitions, ethnic culture, folklore, old wives' tales and, my personal favorite,
Halloween yarns, and the result is that we think we learned all about ghosts, but
the bi-product of all this bad publicity is that we learned to fear ghosts.
They only come at midnight when it's dark and stormy, Machete in hand and
rattling their chains, they float their way through howling wind, torrential rain
crashing down, thunder pounding and lightning streaking across the blackened
sky just to chop your bloody head off!! Right? Wrong. Now let's explore the
facts, or at least the facts as the experts state them to be. In my own opinion, the
field alone disallows any claim of expertise because so much about the subject is
unknown. The very study of psychic phenomenon, called Parapsychology, is
relatively young. It is only within the last five decades or so that it has been
taught in colleges and universities around the country. One can now obtain a
Masters Degree or a Ph.D in "spooky."
Hauntings are classified into four categories and a combination of two or more is
possible:
Ghosts: Entities who, because of some unfinished business, cannot or will
not cross over and are stuck in between the physical world and the other side and
are usually reported in and
around the same area. Generally, they are confused and, as silly as it may
sound, many don't even know they are dead.
Spirits: Entities who have successfully crossed over and may "pop in and
out" occasionally for various reasons and are free to appear anywhere, anytime,
in many different forms;
Poltergeists: German for "noisy ghosts," these are the reports of objects
moving by themselves and can be, at times, violent and very scary for those
experiencing them. However, these activities can be caused by unknown and
subconscious telekinetic abilities, especially if very young children or teenagers
are present;
Residual Hauntings: These can appear anywhere, anytime, for no
apparent-reason because they are imprinted on the atmosphere whenever
extreme emotional force is exerted. It works much the same way as a video
camera recording a movie;
An important thing to remember is that ghosts and spirits share the same space
that we do. They are simply in another dimension, about three feet higher than
our own. They do not reside "up there" as believed by many groups to be where
heaven is. Heaven, or The Other Side, is not that far away. However, it is a
dimension of ethereal energy. Our physical world is cumbersome and heavy with
our walls, floors, buildings and all the obstructive solidity that we are so
accustomed to with our equally cumbersome and heavy bodies. Many people like
to call this entity the soul. When we are in the physical body, we require food, air
and water to survive. Ghosts and spirits have a body that looks exactly like the
earthly one but, because they are not physical, they do not require bodily
necessities. This is, indeed, the very essence of ourselves. Perhaps we can
liken it to the "mind" as opposed to the "brain." This is the part of us that survives
physical death. The body dies, not the personality.
Therefore, whatever type of a person you were on this side of the curtain, you will
remain on the other side. We will retain the same personality traits, warts and all,
with all the little idiosyncrasies, faults and character defects that we are so good
at justifying to our friends. Equally true is the fact that all the good, wonderful and
positive things about us remain, too, and even more strongly because, basically,
we are good people just trying to do the best we can.
We are students here on this planet Earth, attending the School of Life trying to
get our degrees in love, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and tolerance. When
we "graduate," we are then spiritually evolved enough to return to God.
And so, there you have it - a condensed introduction to ghosts. There is so much
more to learn about all the Caspers in our midst that I would like to fill in more
details for you at another time. While you're waiting, if you want to know more
about the subject, look no further than your home computer for a wealth of
information or your local library where there abides an abundance of books
written by all the well known, and not so well know, psychics, ghosts hunters, and
paranormal investigators around today. One quick word of forewarning: do NOT
confuse parapsychology and/or psychic phenomenon with the Occult. The latter
entails the dark side such as demons, dark and evil energies, demonic
possession, devil worship, ouija boards and black witchcraft. This can be a
dangerous neighborhood to go roaming around in, so stay away.
HAPPY HUNTING!!
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The Doom Patrol: Overlooked Heroes
By Eric S Brown
In June, 1963, DC Comics introduced a new team of superheroes known as the
Doom Patrol. The team was so odd and strikingly different from other
superhero titles of its era, it left readers shocked and perhaps a few even
disgusted. The Doom Patrol was an attempt by DC to merge their popular
horror/monster comics with the much more glamorous superhero genre. The
title became an instant cult classic among more mature readers and maintains a
loyal following of fans to this day despite four cancellations and reboots of the
series.
The original and core Doom Patrol team only consisted of three members. Cliff
Steele, better known as Robot Man, who was a successful race car driver that
died in the flames of car accident to be reborn in a metal body. He is also the
only member of the team to stay a member throughout the years. Cliff is a good
man with a big heart existing only as a brain trapped in a man made vessel
which doesn't allow him to feel the rain on his face or the touch of another
human.
The second member, Larry Trainor, was a test pilot, who became the host body
for a being of negative energy. The negative being can exist outside of his
body for 60 seconds at a time leaving Larry weakened and near death until its
return. During these outings, the negative creature can fly and use other
superpowers such as intangibility under Larry’s direct mental control.
And the last member, Rita Farr, was a famous actress who was injected against
her will with a serum that allowed her to grow and shrink both her body as whole
and in parts. She can grow her body to the size of a giant with superhuman
strength or shrink to the size of a pebble. One interesting fact about her is that
she is the mother of Beast Boy, a member of the much more popular DC team,
The Teen Titans.
These three were tragic figures unlike Superman, Wonder Woman, or the other
DC heroes. Robot Man had lost most of what makes us human and allows us to
enjoy life by being alive only as a brain trapped in a metal body. Negative Man
had to wear treated bandages like a mummy at all times just to keep from killing
those around him from the ambient radiation produced by the thing living inside
of him. Elasti-girl suffered not only the death of her career as actress but
endured a mental breakdown that left her believing she was a monster and no
longer beautiful in the eyes of the world. None of them wanted or asked to
become heroes and their powers were much more curses than blessings
however time and time again they rose up to save the innocent and stand
against evil because it was the “right” thing to do.
Throughout the last forty five years, the stories of the Doom Patrol series have
always focused on more adult themes such as personal loss, personal sacrifice,
religion, and even politics. The Doom Patrol has been described as the team
one calls when the rational world collapses and insanity breaks free. They have
known madness through their personal pain and in themselves and are no
longer frightened by it. Batman may save Gotham City from the crime infesting
its streets and Superman may soar through the sky above to give us hope but
the Doom Patrol is the team to call when sanity itself fragments and the
impossible drops by for a deadly visit. They have nothing left to lose and
everything to give in the cause of what’s right. They are also the superheroes
who can teach us the most about what it truly means to be human.
Currently there is no ongoing series of the Doom Patrol being produced by DC
comics but the company has been re-releasing Grant Morrison’s famous 1987
run on the book in paperback form which one can easily find at such online
retailers as Amazon. The Doom Patrol has also made many recent
appearances in other DC titles such as being rebooted once more in the wake
of DC’s Infinite Crisis in the issues of the current Teen Titans series and
teaming up with the Flash in The Brave and Bold last year. I believe with the
state of the industry today and the ever re-emerging popularity of comics in
general, another Doom Patrol title is likely just around the corner.
By Eric S Brown
In June, 1963, DC Comics introduced a new team of superheroes known as the
Doom Patrol. The team was so odd and strikingly different from other
superhero titles of its era, it left readers shocked and perhaps a few even
disgusted. The Doom Patrol was an attempt by DC to merge their popular
horror/monster comics with the much more glamorous superhero genre. The
title became an instant cult classic among more mature readers and maintains a
loyal following of fans to this day despite four cancellations and reboots of the
series.
The original and core Doom Patrol team only consisted of three members. Cliff
Steele, better known as Robot Man, who was a successful race car driver that
died in the flames of car accident to be reborn in a metal body. He is also the
only member of the team to stay a member throughout the years. Cliff is a good
man with a big heart existing only as a brain trapped in a man made vessel
which doesn't allow him to feel the rain on his face or the touch of another
human.
The second member, Larry Trainor, was a test pilot, who became the host body
for a being of negative energy. The negative being can exist outside of his
body for 60 seconds at a time leaving Larry weakened and near death until its
return. During these outings, the negative creature can fly and use other
superpowers such as intangibility under Larry’s direct mental control.
And the last member, Rita Farr, was a famous actress who was injected against
her will with a serum that allowed her to grow and shrink both her body as whole
and in parts. She can grow her body to the size of a giant with superhuman
strength or shrink to the size of a pebble. One interesting fact about her is that
she is the mother of Beast Boy, a member of the much more popular DC team,
The Teen Titans.
These three were tragic figures unlike Superman, Wonder Woman, or the other
DC heroes. Robot Man had lost most of what makes us human and allows us to
enjoy life by being alive only as a brain trapped in a metal body. Negative Man
had to wear treated bandages like a mummy at all times just to keep from killing
those around him from the ambient radiation produced by the thing living inside
of him. Elasti-girl suffered not only the death of her career as actress but
endured a mental breakdown that left her believing she was a monster and no
longer beautiful in the eyes of the world. None of them wanted or asked to
become heroes and their powers were much more curses than blessings
however time and time again they rose up to save the innocent and stand
against evil because it was the “right” thing to do.
Throughout the last forty five years, the stories of the Doom Patrol series have
always focused on more adult themes such as personal loss, personal sacrifice,
religion, and even politics. The Doom Patrol has been described as the team
one calls when the rational world collapses and insanity breaks free. They have
known madness through their personal pain and in themselves and are no
longer frightened by it. Batman may save Gotham City from the crime infesting
its streets and Superman may soar through the sky above to give us hope but
the Doom Patrol is the team to call when sanity itself fragments and the
impossible drops by for a deadly visit. They have nothing left to lose and
everything to give in the cause of what’s right. They are also the superheroes
who can teach us the most about what it truly means to be human.
Currently there is no ongoing series of the Doom Patrol being produced by DC
comics but the company has been re-releasing Grant Morrison’s famous 1987
run on the book in paperback form which one can easily find at such online
retailers as Amazon. The Doom Patrol has also made many recent
appearances in other DC titles such as being rebooted once more in the wake
of DC’s Infinite Crisis in the issues of the current Teen Titans series and
teaming up with the Flash in The Brave and Bold last year. I believe with the
state of the industry today and the ever re-emerging popularity of comics in
general, another Doom Patrol title is likely just around the corner.