Call me a skeptic, but I find reports of ghosts to be immediately suspect. I can believe that something causes the phenomenon of "seeing ghosts," I'm simply not convinced that has to be something supernatural. Imagine telling someone in 1850 that one day the air itself would be full of voices you can hear with the right equipment, for instance. Seems normal in the age of radio, of course. There's an awful lot we don't know yet, like how to make an undetectable toupee, or get David Hasselhof to stop making albums.
I recently read on the Intertoobz a report that Northampton's Tunnel Bar was the sight of a haunting. (H/T to the Phantoms and Monsters blog, who posted the photo from someone with connections to our fair Valley.) The picture offered as proof is pretty mundane, but if you want some real fun, just scroll down in the story to the bit where jpeg artifacts are interpreted as faces. Is it any wonder people say things like,"What, did you read that on the Internet?" with such sarcasm.
Has anyone in the Valley ever heard a peep about "hauntings" at the Tunnel Bar? I haven't…
The photo does seem to depict a very scary coat, or possibly some wag carrying home his school marm blow-up doll (which is far scarier than a ghost, IMO). The blue-green thing down by the bar is your "ghost":
ADDITIONAL:
In the just plain cool department, here's a video of a National Geographic photographer who ran into an enormous leopard seal in Antarctica who tried to teach him to hunt and eat penguins:
Joe, what publication prints your writing?
Posted by on 11.19.09 at 7.16
The Advocate – comments section.
However, I'm not a writer by profession. It's flattering that wondered if I was and I thank you for that. I don't pretend to have the skill, talent, or viewpoint required to become a writer for The Advocate.
Posted by Joe on 11.19.09 at 7.29
