Truthfully this blog could be filed under my Para-Events Blogs or my North America Blogs since it’s about how people who go beyond mere speculation about the Paranormal and outright believe in UFOs, aliens, Bigfoot (Yeti, Momo…), ghosts, and legends that are more Supernatural (spirits, souls, demons, angels, etc)! Without simply rehashing it, I’m talking about my trip to Silicon Valley, when I had attended the History Channel’s inaugural Alien Con in Santa Clara, California at the end of October of 2016: READ, PICS LINKED BELOW…
It was asked during the convention who was, and I quote, “a believer?” The overwhelming majority of those attendees that proudly call themselves “Believers” (raising of hands) in the Paranormal (most likely on a sliding scale between the various legends). But another experience I’ve personally had was with a podcaster from near the Toronto, Canada area–whose podcast I was a call-in guest and a caller for several months in 2017: Wolfman Mike of the Monster Castle Paranormal show. And, of course, to the most well-known Paranormal figures such as George Noory, Linda Moulton Howe, Richard Hoagland, and many others (reference my Alien Con blog)–though, I did get the sense that a couple of the Ancient Aliens contributors seemed, refreshingly, a bit more level-headed about the possibility of alien-visitations on Earth.
What sparked me to write about this, specifically today, was the Paranormal radio show Ground Zero, out of Portland, Oregon; with Clyde Lewis. My wife and I discovered him last year on one of our local stations, here in Lincoln, Nebraska and I finally called in and chatted shortly with him. Over the majority of a year I’ve been listening to his show, I’d say it’s safe to say Lewis’ show is a lot like Coast-to-Coast with Noory. Like I did with Noory when I ran into him at Alien Con ‘16, I told Lewis that I’m a Skeptic and not a Debunker, as well as a reference to Alien Con and me, also, meeting Bad Astronomy guru Phil Plait in 2007 (my word, those two must have had some bad encounters of a third kind!).
Look, I’m not out to create some controversy with any of these people I’m mentioning. But I’ve learned years ago it’s best to be honest with yourself and greater society. I make it a point, as I’m sure those who may have read my other blogs, to let others know that I’m an Atheist and Skeptic because there simply aren’t very many of us out there. Especially in the Paranormal community, which, I guess, I should really consider myself a part of now, since I’m interacting with the Paranormal community as often as I do. Plus me having started my own Paranormal investigative blogs, The Para-Event Blogs! Read number One, BELOW (with Links to the other blogs)… Mind you, I’m up-front with the readers that my research/investigations are from the Skeptic-angle and I’m still new to the field, even after starting seven months ago (almost a year since I tried to get others to join me in the research, but no takers; so on my own!). And I think with my Skeptical background and philosophy, I think I can contribute to the Paranormal conversations about these deeply-held beliefs and legends in society.
I have to publicly admit that I got burned, socially, by that burning belief in the Paranormal while being a call-in guest on that Monster Castle podcast out of the Toronto area. I think I offended not only Wolfman Mike with my adamant Atheism, but some of his other guests and/or co-hosts. I can be abrasive, I admit. But I will say a few of them seemed to take a defensive posture when they found out that I was not only a Skeptic but an Atheist as well! That, and as anyone who’s been on both radio and podcasts, being on a podcast show is basically a jungle of social etiquette since they’re not broadcast on radio waves and not under the control of radio corporations, and therefore, not subject to the same laws as radio stations…let’s just say on a couple of my appearances on the Monster Castle podcast there was a lot of cursing and testosterone between the others guests/co-hosts and I! I do regret that, but it’s one of the important things I’ve learned in dealing with the Believers-community within the Paranormal sub-culture. One that I’m learning how to navigate, if I am to successfully continue not only my own investigative-researches, but even when I write more of my own Paranormal ebooks!
~“Para-Events Blogs,” My New Blogging Series On the Paranormal: Anecdotes! >> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/para-events-blogs-my-new-blogging-series-on-the-paranormal-anecdotes/1552697304813624/
(!! To see pics AND THE VIDEO of the Event, please link to my Facebook page HERE >> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/para-events-blogs-no-3-with-video-captured-event/1736829933067026/ )
Joseth Moore·Wednesday, July 4, 2018
For the Para-Events Blogs series, this entry is the sixth “Event,” or claimed occurrence that is said by local people I know–or myself–to be Paranormal (or even Supernatural) in nature. I, being a novice ‘Para-Investigator,’ in turn, like to look into said-situation from the traditions of the Scientific Method as possible. I, also, like to remind the reader that I am an Atheist and a Skeptic of the Paranormal. Though, important to note, I’m not a Debunker. I’m, generally, open to the possibility that in this big Universe, to borrow a phrase from Albert Einstein, spooky actions can and do occur…
EVENT 6) As a caregiver at one of my two jobs, I’ve cleaned a particular China Hutch for well-over 25 years. The family in possession of said-Hutch will remain anonymous. The patriarch of said-family had died nearly 5 years ago (key to this Event), and the widow (my client) moved in with another relative. Said-relative’s house-basement is where this Hutch is located, and where I’ve been cleaning it and other of the family’s furniture for about 3 years.
At said-relative’s basement, where the Hutch has been re-located since the widow’s husband died, the bottom-left cabinet door opens up without a human being opening it…and only the left cabinet door. Never the right one (that I can recall in the 3 years I’ve been cleaning it at the relative’s basement. And it was only while in this particular basement did the left cabinet door open: never the other houses where I’ve cleaned it before–that I can remember).
Now, by this point in this Blog, a more “believing” reader might interpret whether or not the late-husband’s “spirit,” perhaps, being the ‘force’ behind the opening of said-cabinet, Hutch door. Classically, many people throughout societies and for hundreds of years often connect a death in a family with such kinetic-Events, with family heirlooms–almost an atavistic response to the Unknown. The reader knows where I stand on such beliefs, but I leave that to the readers…
Speaking of which, this as-of-yet unexplained opening of (exclusively) the left cabinet, Hutch door would not, technically, be classified as a “Poltergeist.” Even if one were to believe that here. As the blog-site Psychokinesis Powers put it about Poltergeist events: “ “(term is) derived from two German words, “poltern” meaning “to make sound” and “Geist” meaning “ghost or spirit”, which literally means “a noisy ghost”. “ I’ve linked up not only 2 pictures of the China Hutch in question, but a video of the left door opening twice! (KEY note: it is always open when I go down to said-basement to clean…rare that it remains shut!) When one listens to the video, there are no odd or out-of-place sounds associated with the Event.
More to the point, and especially since it is only the left door, no “follow-up” Events happen. I simply close it; about a minute later the door quietly slides open and stays that way, until someone closes it…and slides open again. I’ve looked at the door and the space behind the door itself and found nothing in the vacant cabinet. The only reasonable speculation I can think of–based on apprx 3 years of observation of this Event–is a faulty or degraded cabinet-latch. After years of use, and perhaps a slight unevenness with the basement floor and/or the Hutch itself, most likely causes this.
More to the point, what I would have really been pumped on at a Paranormal-level with this Event, would have been if the door closed on its own! Even a hard-core Skeptic like me would have to start wondering about the dynamics of Reality at that point! Until then, it seems fitting to file Event number six as an UNKNOWN.
*!! UPDATE, my official “DEBUNKMENT” of Blog no. 3–and I put it in quotations because, like I said in my now-non-accessible video due to Twitter, someone has to, first, make a claim of an Event in order for it to be debunked. Why? I’ve been to that worksite several times and that same hutch door has remained closed. Even as recent as yesterday, December 25, 2019…Technically speaking, it still could remain in the Unknown file, but my speculation of a poltergueist and, literally a couple of years of observation and my investigation justifies a Debunkment. ~Joseth Moore , December 26, 2019.
**Please read Para-Events Blogs no. 1 HERE >> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/para-events-blogs-my-new-blogging-series-on-the-paranormal-anecdotes/1552697304813624/
(You can read my original Facebook post HERE>> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/why-we-progressives-should-not-try-to-abolish-the-immigration-customs-enforcemen/1731807106902642/ )
Joseth Moore · Sunday, July 01, 2018 10:53am
HEY, all, this is JOSETH MOORE; I met you yesterday at the Rally. I hope you don’t hate me, BUT I’VE DECIDED TO NOT ONLY, NOT GO TO THE MEETING, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN SUPPORT THE VERY GOAL OF ABOLISHING ICE–THOUGH I *PERSONALLY* WANT THAT TO HAPPEN…
long story short, like I was telling the young man (forgot his name–XXXXX): I’m one of those Lefties that has the approach of IF WE CANNOT LEGISLATE OUR PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, IT’S NOT WORTH OUR LIMITED EFFORTS. I DO see trump-impeachment as POSSIBLE>> A. 2 prez already impeached, so NOT unlikely. B. he violated ” emolument clauses of the constitution–experts say this with his hotels & foreign officials using them as “bribery”, etc.
BUT, based on political experts (on OUR side!), the abolish ICE issue COULD ONCE AGAIN SPLIT THE PROGRESSIVE VOTES COME MID-TERMS…SINCE THAT’S WHY WE’RE IN THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE (Bernie-voters splitting Hillary–whom WON the DEM PRIMARY), I DON’T WANT TO RISK LOSING THE POTENTIAL OF RE-GAINING THE SENATE &/OR THE HOUSE.
I’m sorry, but I truly gave this a LOT of thought. I think you, as a small group, are very educated on the issue, AND UNLIKE WHAT HAPPPENED DURING THE 2016 ELECTION, you ALL are well-read & educated on this issue. I HOPE TO WORK WITH YOU ALL DURING THE MID-TERMS. Thanks, & sorry again…
~Joseth Moore
PS What I did not originally write to this wonderful group was I truly believe we should have those officials &/or any agents that exhibited RACIST motivations with the separating of the immigrant families into the US, OUSTED and replaced with objective, professionals!
(Pic of #FamiliesBelongTogether Rally/Protest; Lincoln, Nebraska; #USA–June 30, 2018…pic by Joseth Moore )
Joseth Moore·Thursday, June 21, 2018
Ok, whether you’ve read my inaugural blog or not, you should know that I’m not only a Skeptic about the Paranormal, but I’m an Atheist as well. Those two aspects of my life are not necessarily integral for investigating and researching, but it seems like a good fit to me, especially when one deals with investigating Paranormal ‘Events.’ Plus, as I’ve written about in Blog no. 1, so many people are truly “Believers” that I think there should be some representation from the Skeptics’ corner in the Paranormal somewhere!
This is not a long installment of Para-Events: a little foreshadowing, here; the situation cleared up quickly but it warranted a bit of research and slight investigation. If not, observation.
EVENT 5) Said-Event occurred at one of my jobs (which I will not name); the week of June 18 to the 20th, 2018. I say, week of, because it was two or three days said-Event was noticed. But the key conversation I’ve had with two people at this job-site happened on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.
At this work-site, one of my tasks is to clean windows. On the Monday of this week (June 18) the weather in Lincoln, Nebraska; USA was extremely humid! Indeed, the windows I cleaned were coated with water and water-droplets, which I had not seen in the approximate-three months of my employment there at said-time period. The next day, Tuesday, June 19, Employee A had asked if I cleaned the mirror to the women’s restroom. I informed Employee A I had not. Employee A asked another employee, Employee B–that also worked the first shift in opening the restaurant (only 3 of us)–whether or not s/he cleaned the mirror to the women’s restroom before opening to the public. Employee B also said that s/he did not.
Employee A quipped that there was, perhaps, ‘something’ at the restaurant (I noticed how s/he seemed to catch her/himself from saying the word “ghost”) that did it! *Key, around this point, I asked Employee A if there was some ghost story about the restaurant (my experience is, most restaurants have at least one or two ghost stories–I refer you to Para-Events Blog no. 1, linked below). Employee A said that many years ago (did not specify how many), on that same city block in downtown Lincoln, there used to be a “hospital,” as Employee A put it. Then s/he used the term “corrections,” as in an institute. If I remember correctly. Employee A, minutes later, took me a few yards away from the restaurant’s front doors and showed me antique, red bricks with names of some of the “patients” of reported-institution (later in my research, I learned the bricks were “Buffalo bricks,” produced by a defunct Buffalo Brick company out of Buffalo, Kansas. Great info from “Brick Names” website>> http://bricknames.com/brick/details/198 ). This is relevant, because, as stressed in Blog no. 1, reported Para-Events with some kind of tangible artifact(s) that exist could be considered a “buttressing” point to a story–thereby, giving support for a Skeptic, like me, to even bother examining the Event! By the way, one can see two pics of the actual Buffalo bricks with actual names on them from my work-site! Found below in the Comments section…
Later that same day (Tuesday, June 19) Employee B informed both Employee A and myself that s/he had previously seen how the bathroom mirrors in both men’s and women’s restrooms get so saturated with moister due to the humidity in the two, small and enclosed restrooms that one could see (handprints and smudges, specifically–my emphasis) what looks like streaks, and be gone a few minutes later–as if someone had cleaned said-mirrors!
Later that Tuesday, I checked the humidity in Lincoln, Nebraska: according to weather.com, it was at 69%–considered high. That correlated with Employee B’s account of humidity affecting the bathroom mirrors. Because of these conversations I’ve had with the two other employees, which were backed up with a simple reading from weather.com for the barest of empirical data, I can confidently file Event 5 in the DEBUNK pile.
Below, in the Comments section, the Reader can see all relevant pics from this Para-Event investigation…the ones with the vintage 1935 city directory of Lincoln, Nebraska was when I went to Bennett Martin Library to research the property where said-institution had once functioned. I did not find any actual reference to a “hospital” nor “corrections” facility that Employee A told me about, but the pic with the words in bold, “DR BENJ F BAILEY SANATORIUM” is the closest I’ve come. But that location is not where my work-site is, though close.
I did not find any actual reference to a “hospital” nor “corrections” facility that Employee A told me about, but the pic with the words in bold, “DR BENJ F BAILEY SANATORIUM” is the closest I’ve come.
Sunday, March 25, 2018 (Original Facebook post with pics >> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/nprs-science-correspondent-joe-palca-sci-chat/1623169987766355/ )
In the, admittedly stereotyping sense, NPR traditions of mostly middle-aged to Baby Boomer Liberals (me included) gathering for a nice, quiet chat over some esoteric issues, the informal TED Talk with Joe Palca went very well! Indeed, Dr. Palca (holds a PhD in psychology!) was serving as Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) of Lincoln, Nebraska’s guest-host while he conducted a laid back interview with two of University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s scientists: Dr. Robert Hutkins (PhD Food Microbiology and professor of Biological Sciences) and Dr. Ali Tamayol (PhD Engineering Sciences and professor; MSc from Sharif University of Technology–Iran). Though Palca was gracious to interview the two other scientists–Dr. Hutkins revealing a high-tech paint that deters barnacles and Dr. Tamayol discussed grafting-tech for dental purposes–we all knew that Joe Palca from NPR was the main reason of our attendance!
He’s got a sense of humor–you know, that self-deprecating wit that most of NPR’s anchors have that gives the Brits a run for their money. (Guess we’re talking the Pound these post-Brexit days instead of Euros!) One of the advantages of having him as a guest was he could tell us “how Nina Totenberg (NPR’s legal correspondent) really looks like!” Remember, Palca comes from the radio world… Dr. Palca went out of his way to emphasize that he sees himself as being in the ‘stead’ for the listeners. That when he’s able to have awesome opportunities to converse with scientists he wants the NPR-listeners to understand that he’d try to ask questions from an everyday person’s view.
One of the most powerful interaction came when Palca, talking with Hutkins on fermented foods, said he would brave tasting one of Dr. Hutkins’ non-conventional (my words) foods if someone in the audience would donate $100.oo to NET/NPR… An older gentleman graciously accepted the offer and Palca took a bit of the fermented substance! Nice way to bring the sciences of food home and still raise some money for public radio!
One of the most interesting subjects, to me, was when the matter of testing on animals for scientific studies came up. I don’t remember which scientist, but Dr. Palca said there was a scientist’s house that was either threatened or actually firebombed because this particular scientist’s work included testing on animals! It may explain why Joe Palca, all joking aside, honestly did not want to focus too much on the subject during the talk! I asked Dr. Tamayol (the discussion had fallen to him at this point) what did people who opposed animal testing wanted to do as an alternative? What of cloning? I mentioned that, as a science fiction author, I could relate to this section of the discussion. But the real science of cloning also had controversies in ethics, too! Dr. Tamayol, then, pointed out that lately there had been advances in (cloning, I believe) growing certain body-parts and utilizing them in a kind of ‘piecemeal’ way while conducting scientific tests…
The main thing to remember about Joe Palca is his “Joe’s Big Idea” >> https://www.npr.org/series/156490415/joes-big-idea . As his slogan goes, Exploring How Ideas Become Innovations And Inventions. I like the way he put it in person during the NET-science talk: with his Big Idea series, Palca likes to focus on the process of results… In other words, the science behind a lot of these headlines we read and/or hear about when they become tech-marvels or some ethical news story of the day.
Ever wondered if those smart speakers–the ones you talk to and they respond–record any of your conversations? The technological ability is there! What conversations would you prefer not go public?
…………
“Tech On the Wall ,” by Joseth Moore. Inkitt. Copyright @ 2018.
“Debbie, list articles on the Supreme Court’s hearings on the tech industry…”
The white pyramidal-shaped device, about the size of a can of soda, flashed its multi-colored lights to indicate that the smart speaker had received the young law student’s command. The device’s “voice” was female in e-gender with an American accent. Melissa Mendoza was seated at the dinner table of her dining room within the small apartment she rented out from downtown Miami. She was trying to complete a term paper for her class on the United States’ Supreme Court. She had gone to Orlando for a family funeral over the last two days and was now having to make up time on her paper for it!
“There are over five million, seven-hundred thousand articles on subjects related to the U.S. Supreme Court and the tech industry… First article—”
“Debbie, stop.” Melissa blew out a frustrated sigh and dropped her hair-cropped head atop her crossed forearms. After a while, she lifted her head up and grabbed her nearby smartphone and started scrolling for any updates from family and friends.
Melissa then checked the news cycle since she had been so engrossed in her paper for the entire day. She ran across an article by a major media journal source about how there had been several lawsuits over the technology industry’s smart speaker devices! She read the article on her phone and began to wonder about her situation.
“Debbie…” Melissa almost felt silly that she was embarrassed about talking sensitive subjects with a piece of technology! “Play back my conversation with Tyson.”
Melissa wasn’t sure if smart speaker tech had such features. She had heard about it before, but the article she had just read verified it was true.
“Playing latest conversation with Tyson,” the device spoke.
Melissa heard her voice and that of her, now, ex-boy friend from a few days ago. The quality of the recording was sharp, but given that people move around a lot within their homes, it wasn’t perfect. But that was not what was bothering Melissa…
“Debbie, stop!” The recorded argument ceased and left an eerie silence in Melissa’s dining room. As with so many humans, she unconsciously walked up to the triangular device as if talking with another human being. Confusion was on Melissa’s face. “Debbie, how many conversations are there of Tyson and I?”
“There are over five conversations recorded with Tyson. One with Melissa and four others.”
Now that wasn’t right! Melissa had just bought the smart speaker nearly two weeks ago, and there was only one conversation that Melissa had with her then-boyfriend in the apartment since purchasing the device!
University term paper long-forgotten now, Melissa’s mind was reeling! “Debbie…play all conversations of Tyson without Melissa!”
“Playing all conversations of Tyson without Melissa… ‘Hey, Paul, when are you coming over? I don’t have that much time before she comes back!’ ” It was Tyson’s voice. He was apparently on his phone talking with someone that Melissa had never heard of in her ex-boyfriend’s life. “ ‘Yeah, bring her, too! Melissa usually get’s here around six…don’t worry about it; I told you I sold all that! But you better make sure you take your bag out of your car in case the cops stop you on the road, dude! Ha-ha! Yeah, I was—’ ”
“Debbie, stop!” Melissa felt there was something off about Tyson, but she had no idea that he was selling drugs! Was there more to him? Usually, hard-core drug culture had other drama associated with it. “Debbie, play next recorded conversation with Tyson.”
“Playing next recorded conversation with Tyson…” This recording was different. There were several other people’s voices in it with Tyson’s. A party in Melissa’s apartment on a day she was out of town; without Tyson telling her? But within the hoard of other voices, Tyson’s stuck out to Melissa. “ ‘Hey, just let it go, dude…I told you I don’t have it! And I tell you what; the next time you threaten me, it’ll be the last thing you—’ ”
“Debbie, stop!” Silence. “Debbie, what was the day of the second recording of Tyson you played?”
Those flashing party lights on the small, white pyramid. “Yesterday; six thirty-nine pm.”
“Yesterday,” Melissa said to herself. Smart speaker tech was such that the smart device would only respond to the user upon the device’s name used first, so there was no response from the pyramid. She thought further. “Debbie, play most recent recording with Tyson!”
“Playing most recent recording with Tyson… ‘You killed Tyson, you idiot! Paul, hurry up and get this place cleaned up before she get’s back from Orlando…no, put him in the garbage barrel…tomorrow’s trash day!’ ”
Melissa had wondered why the trash barrel was so full when she got back to Miami…
//
There’s no way in hell I was not going to the Martin Luther King, Jr. march today in Lincoln, Nebraska–sponsored by the Lincoln Public Schools, amongst myriad of others. Not with the Trump-era. I’ve been to something like 16 of these marches. That’s 16 years, folks, though it’s been about six years since I’ve participated. Mostly due to me working. I have to say, after attending the Women’s March, the Science March, and one or two other marches in Lincoln when there have literally been thousands of protestors/rally-attendees in Winter-Spring 2017, in the post-Trump regime-era, this was pretty small. Maybe 200 marchers?
The main reason why I’m filing this in my North America Blogs is because my personal history has a extremely sad northern-America precedence: my parents were born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, under the Jim Crow eon!
They were both born in the middle of the Great Depression period and had suffered under the systemic, codified segregation laws of the dreaded South. Trust me folks, it was always separate and never equal! My mom, born Charlie Mae McClain (Moore, later), cleaned the beautiful homes of rich, Southern upper-class Whites and my future father had attended the “school of hard knocks” in Birmingham’s streets; later, other, bigger cities in the North, as he tried to get away from the racist South.
You know that egregious KKK bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four African-American girls that many of us read and hear about in the history books and the news media? Well, my mother told me, fairly recent, that she was just across from the street when those terrorists bombed that church! My mom told me how she remembered seeing the gaping hole on the side of the church after the bombing…
This is the same terrorist organization that is still active in 2018 that, now, supports much of Trump’s racist policies toward minorities on immigration, voter suppression, blocking Muslims from entering the United States, etc.
And we’re supposed to just shrug and say, Elections have consequences…? This is why I strongly support the new ANTIFA movement and no way will I ever go back to being a pacifist! That, and why I’ve been active in the Democratic Party and several Progressive, non-governmental organizations. I could go on about the importance of citizenry resistance when needed and me being on-board with the California- (CalExit) and the US Northwest-independence movements, but that would detract from the main meaning of this post. Besides, you can read about my thoughts on the Progressive-secessionist movements on my other blogs >> https://www.facebook.com/joseth.moore?sk=notes_my_notes
My late-father, the first pastor of the First Pentecostal Holiness Church of Lincoln, Nebraska, told our family and his congregants that he and a cousin of his used to break with the Jim Crow laws and drink from the Whites Only drinking fountains from time to time! Ha! And some people in Lincoln’s political, polite society wonder where I get my rebellious streak from! And, in large part (though the search for a new church outside of Birmingham, Alabama was a bigger reason), because of my father’s dislike of the South’s racial-regime, the Moores packed up and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1969. A year later, I would be born here. We did move back to Birmingham for a couple or months or so when I was about four years old, but I was told we ended up moving, yet again, to Lincoln. I still don’t have a full picture of that puzzle of my family’s history for some reason…
Today’s March was very energetic; up-beat–despite the over-all negative climate of America for minorities in the Trump regime. I told a White brother attending that, several years ago, I used to be opposed to all the music and dances of Lincoln’s MLK commemorations because I was so hard-core then. Besides working on most March-days, that was another reason why it had been so many years since I’ve attended the Marches! Now, as I’m in my late-40s, I appreciate seeing the youth carrying on the Civil Rights traditions with their social media tools and Millennial sub-culture! This is the way it should be, given how we, Generation-Xers have, now, replaced the Baby Boomers in all the Progressive marches and rallies and even political campaigns!
Below, in the Comments section, the readers can see my pics from today’s March. I let most of those pictures speak for themselves. All pics were taken by Joseth Moore
(Image: the Martine Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally and March of Lincoln, Nebraska; USA)
Just do a Google-search or go to my LinkedIn page and the reader can see my paperback science fiction novels and ebooks. But I’ve also done several paranormal ebooks, too! Not surprisingly, given I’m an atheist, I’m a skeptic about such things–but not a debunker! And that’s a key difference. From the physical aspect of the paranormal field–UFO’s possibly being other, tangible beings from other tangible planets (or, less likely, solar systems); a Bigfoot or Sasquatch being(s) dwelling in various, thick forested areas and trying to avoid the predatory species called homo sapiens; those kinds of more “practical” paranormal stories, I can see a possibility of such events occurring…
And that word, Events, is key to this new blogging series, Para-Events Blogs. Because, most times, some kind of event happened. Whether someone perceiving to see a Shadowperson, to a creepy feeling someone had at some house, most times some kind of Event happened. It’s just that most people are superstitious and/or of some kind of Faith and they tend to interject their biased beliefs that some “supernatural” or paranormal being or event is there!
With that said, it’s still good to have either one or (preferably) more people who are as objective as possible and with some kind of knowledge of the Sciences and various Cultures so that they could investigate various sightings or reported, well, events… I mention the Sciences and Cultures because it’s good to have the scientific method as a foundation to sift through the bull shit that is out there. It’s popular for those in the paranormal communities to out-right accept any and every paranormal story told to them–or at least act like they do. I believe they do that so that others will do the same for them when they tell their own paranormal stories, as well!
Ok, there are two key aspects to this new paranormal blog-series I intend to do: A] I come at these, admittedly amateur, paranormal research and investigations being a Skeptic! Again, not a debunker. The investigative field of the paranormal is a kingdom of “Believers,” as those in attendance and guest-speakers at the History Channel’s Alien Con in Santa Clara, California in 2016 actually called themselves! I was as much an attendee as the Believers, but I didn’t pursue the issue further than mentioning it to #GeorgeNoory as we crossed paths. B] I think it’s important for me to document the actual items and/or location of said-paranormal events. This is actually pretty common in the paranormal community. Think, the Anabelle movies. I suggest the reader to do a search for the real doll–it looks more like a Raggedy Ann doll than the pernicious porcelain stuffie we see in the movie…the point is, whatever the events that happened–real or imagined (I’m inclined to doubt the main thrust of the movies/books), Ed and Lorraine (the wife is still alive!) Warren really existed and so does the Anabelle doll in a case at the Warrens’ Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. Those are true Events. Hence, the importance of the doll, itself! (Some day I’d like for my wife and I to visit the Warrens’ museum!)
That’s where I’m coming from with this new series of the Para-Events Blogs…
Now, for my inaugural blog, I start with myself:
EVENT 1) Around 1979-to-1980, my brother and I (nine years old and ten years old, respectively) were out playing in the cul-de-sac of our family’s neighborhood; in Lincoln, Nebraska’s Chiswick area. It was in the Spring season, if I remember correctly. It was pretty foggy out–one of those thick, gray fogs that you can only get during Spring-time, or early-Summer. We couldn’t see about seven yards in front of us, due to the fog, but we heard a scraping sound coming toward us: like someone dragging their feet. Yet we saw no one! We didn’t wait to see who–or what–it was; we ran straight into our house! By my thirties, I really started thinking on this Event. I’ve even written a SciFi ebook partially based on this Event, “There’s No Place Like Zone” (Smashwords . com and Inkitt . com). Sorry I don’t have any pics for this Event. Happened approximately 38 years ago! No way to really retro-investigate this Event. I classify this in the UNKNOWN category, or results.
EVENT 2) From 2012 to 2013 I had two jobs; one of them at the 48 Bowl bowling alley in central Lincoln (pics below, in the Comments section). I heard about a young woman who was, apparently, murdered in that bowling alley by her boyfriend, years prior, and supposedly workers in the alley had witnessed some paranormal Events in the alley since then. One of the Events told to me (I went over today; January 19, 2018, by a former co-worker I talked with before I wrote this blog), was a situation where a manager (same guy pictured below with the chairs) was closing the alley by himself and it was late-night. No one else was at the bowling alley at the time, at least that this manager knew–that’s my input. The chairs used by 48 Bowl, as one can see in the pics below, are designed where the chairs can be stacked relatively high without tipping over…that night, the manager heard some noise in the section behind the pinball area. This same manager demonstrated for me how the chairs were stacked that night (pic); five-high. We both pushed on the stack of chairs, simulating someone bumping into them. They did not fall. Not until he deliberately let some topple over in order to show me how the fallen chairs looked that night. This manager insisted (again, I worked with him for a while; he’s a straight-shooter) no one else was in the bowling alley that night while he closed. Indeed, the manager actually looked at the recorded video footage of the back area–several times! Yet, he saw no one else walk through the back door to the area of the bowling alley. Of the four Events I’ve blogged about in this inaugural posting of Para-Events, this is the only one where I was not a witness. So that makes it even harder to judge for me. But, like I said, this manager is a level-guy. But I place this in the UNKNOWN category.
EVENT 3) In the Summer of 2014, my wife was in Kansas, where she’s from, to take care of some business while I stayed behind in Lincoln; looking for a new job at the time. I went to, and eventually got hired onto, the north 84th and “O” street Burger King (pictured). Months later, during the morning shift, I had a conversation with the general manager of the store. She claimed that there was a ghost in the fast food restaurant after a rectangular, plastic container had unexpectedly fallen off a wire-shelf! She said it had happened often. Ok, I had admitted, it was weird that no one was even in the grill area at that time, but I took it upon myself to conduct an impromptu paranormal investigation–right there; in the grill area of a Burger King store! Well, it turned out, the container had fallen again that same day, and it was due to vibrations on the surface that the wire-shelf (mind you, a slick surface against a slick plastic container!) rested on–I had simulated bumps or as if someone walked by and the surface shook slightly. Also–and this was the main point–it was only that particular wire-shelf did anything fall…nowhere else in the restaurant. That’s key, because it showed there was a pattern. Had there been other items that (often) had fallen off different shelves with different surface-textures, then I could have seen someone going to something paranormal. It’s safe to say that I had conducted my very first (amateur) paranormal investigation and I was solidly able to DEBUNK this particular Event. No joy nor disappointment in that; just objectively observing the Events around us at that time! Oh, by the way, I told my manager of my little investigation and the results, she insisted it was still a ghost.
EVENT 4) Now we’re in contemporary time; January 19, 2018. Another kitchen, the name of the business I’ve decided to keep anonymous. Today, a co-worker and I were on dishwashing duties for the day. It was a slow business day and around noon-ish when all of our co-workers present were in the front section of the establishment while my co-worker, on dish-duties with me, and I were in the main kitchen area; talking about something I’ve forgotten about. In the back area–where the large, industrial-grade dishwasher is located and had automatically turned off minutes previously!–there was a clanging sound! We both heard it, and it was quite loud! We both went to the washing machine area (again, it was off at this time!) and I spotted a small catering-spatula that I had picked up earlier and had put it in a washing-basket for the machine to clean–but earlier in the lunch period! Indeed, my co-worker insisted she had washed it earlier and had placed that particular spatula in a drawer! You better believe I took a picture of that spatula, specifically for this investigative blog. Indeed, it was because of this Event today at my morning job that I decided to create the Para-Events Blogs! I will say, there are at least a couple of things with this Event that bring out the Skeptic in me: a) In that back area with the washing machine, we always leave an oscillating fan on there so the dishes will dry faster (always on the locked position). So, it’s very possible that the blowing air from that fan could have, over time, finally blew that spatula off of whatever surface that spatula was on. b) Being a busy kitchen, we have several small, catering-spatulas. It’s possible my co-worker and I had seen a different one. But that point still would not explain why and how the spatula fell to the floor when no one was in the washroom and the machine was not running! Again, that’s were the oscillating fan might come in–though I’ve never seen any other utensils blown to the floor due to the fan in the seven-plus months I’ve been employed at this kitchen… I would classify this Event as UNKNOWN.
I told a co-worker who’s into the #Paranormal about my new #blog series & I told her the importance of EVENTS & OBJECTS & SETTINGS to it. I like how she put it: ‘ yeah, because otherwise you’re just telling ghost stories.” !!
I’ve blogged from Silicon Valley and Orlando for my North America Blogs. This time I’m blogging from my hometown; Lincoln, Nebraska. A friend of mine, Nathanial Hamel , is comic book artist that just had his inaugural gallery opening for his comic-themed boutique called Behind the Glass. It coincided with Lincoln’s First Friday art-walks; the first Friday of every month in the capital city. I met Nathanial about a year ago at one of my favorite vintage stores where I can buy old comics and collectible toys, Toys From the Past, located in the Indian Village barrio of Lincoln: to those who don’t know Lincoln, Nebraska, a kind of Hipstery, Hippie, Blue Collar neighborhood just South and West of Lincoln’s Near-South area. One could say Lincoln’s sound-bite answer to New York City’s Greenwich Village–the last stop in NYC my first wife and I did after a week in America’s largest city back in November of the year 2000; less than a year before the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Nathanial–some call him Nate–is a muscular, Steampunk-mustached, and tattooed dude who defies that old cliché of what we geeks look like! And just as image-defying is his commitment to his daughter, as one can sense from his Facebook page. He got his break in Denver a few years ago. Here’s an interview with Nathanial done by ComicPact back in 2015 >> comicimpact.com/2015/03/artist-spotlight-nathanial-hamel/ . Yes, those answer well-reflect how Nathanial talks! Aside from his new gallery, his other big project is the Barbarians: A Story of Two Badasses series. I’ve purchased a copy of the first two issues so far and Nathanial has been kind to autograph them both!
Behind the Glass comic gallery’s first guest artist was Langdon Foss. Perhaps Foss’ best-known work are: Get Jiro!–a production of famed-chef Anthony Bourdain, with Joel Rose, in a near-future Los Angeles is controlled by master chefs, much the way under lords controlled cities in the 19th and 20th centuries! Google Books >>https://books.google.com/books/about/Get_Jiro.html?id=D417tgAACAAJ&hl=en . Also, illustrations and designing for role-playing games of Wizards of the Coast and White-Wolf Games (Google Books). That’s pretty impressive…most impressive!
Other artists on hand were Chris Ralston; as is advertised on his business card: custom sketch cards, comic covers, art and more. I love his Star Wars pieces! My wife, Deni Moore , and I met Chris at Lincoln, Nebraska’s version of Comic Con, ConStellation Nebraska. Here’s Chris’ Instagram >>https://www.instagram.com/R10Creations/ .
There was also Caitlin Abele. Awesome artist with the acrylics, watercolor, and even digital mediums (For some reason, on a couple of her pieces I think of Edgar Allen Poe!) >>https://www.redbubble.com/people/ladyholmes25 .
There was another artist, but the gentleman was dismantling his table when I came across him and I did not want to impede him. He said he’d be there again, so I’ll make sure to blog about him later…
I had touched upon Nathanial’s Barbarians comic series. As one looks at the cover to issue no. 1, you can see the axe wielded in the series (sorry, in my pic of the two issues, the axe is partially covered). Had to give a shout out to Nathan–not Nathanial, in this case. But a friend of his that crafted the pictured axe BEHIND THE GLASS (couldn’t resist!), at the front of Nathanial’s gallery. There’s also a pic of Nathan (don’t remember his last name) standing next to his work-smith…speaking of ‘smith: Nathan and I had a conversation on how he crafted that axe–folks, that shit’s real steel; heavy, and could literally sever your head! It made the experience of the opening even better for me. I thought about the many trips my wife and I have gone to, at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival (KC Ren Fest) in Bonner Springs. We’d see modern-day blacksmiths (and, yes, they actually learned that ancient art!) working on their wares in their Medieval apparels…propagating that ancient art into the 21st century!
It was great seeing the turnout for Nathanial’s first show! I even loved the vintage, and actual-functioning Atari Asteroids Deluxe video game from the 1980s! Those who’ve read my posts on my vintage comics know how much I love vintage and even the 80s-culture! I look forward to seeing how Nathanial’s Behind the Glass comics gallery will help put Lincoln on the map of the Geekdom on the North American continent!
**You can read the original Facebook post HERE, WITH great pics! >> https://www.facebook.com/notes/joseth-moore/behind-the-glass-comic-book-gallery-my-north-america-blogs-edition/1539307436152611/
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