NCPR'S VIEW ON ORBS

We get a lot of pics and questions about orbs and we would like to share our view.  Remember, this is just our opinion. 

   We understand some people believe orbs are actual spirits.  Some people think orbs are created when spirits are drawing energy around them and the orb display is the by product.  Some people believe  orbs are just a natural occurence.  Whatever the belief is, it is definitely unknown why they exist because there is no way (yet) on how to prove any of this.  NCPR likes to keep an open view on exactly what they are but it is not the orb that is question to us.  It is the authenticity of the orb that is in question.  

   There are thousands of pictures and videos floating around the internet showing orb pictures.  While we have seen a few that look that they can be real orbs, the majority of them are not.  There are many ways that orbs can be caused using cameras.  Taking a picture at night with the flash on will definitely light up any dust particles in the air.  The reflection off of the dust will cause a orb like appearance. Same thing with bugs flying around.  These picture orbs are also caused by light refraction hitting the camera lens by reflection off of something ( example:  the flash from your camera can reflect off a wall or other surface and reflect back at the camera).  Moisture, pollen and anything else airborn can also cause orbs and even the flash on your camera being mounted so close to the lens can cause the same phenomena.  The same can be said for video when you're using Nightshot or IR (infra red) cameras.  The beams reflect off of the dust and cause orbs.  We've received comments that there isn't dust in the air because they were recording inside of a home.  That is just not a true statement.  Ninety percent of our investigations are in homes and we always get hundreds of orbs in our video footage.  The orb movement is caused by normal drafts in the home as well as movement caused by people walking around.  You'd be surprised at how much dust is in your own home!  

Remember, real orbs are balls of energy.  You should be able to see it with your own eyes.  If you are only able to see it in pics and video, then you might not be looking at a real orb. 

   Again, we are not saying that we take a stand on what orbs exactly are.  Is it possible that they are spirits?  Sure.  Is it possible that its just a natural occurence and isn't paranormal at all?  Sure.  We may never find out.  We have just become very skeptical of the pictures and videos that are considered authentic orbs.  If all pictures and videos of orbs were authentic, that would mean there isn't a place in the world that isn't haunted!  What if I take my camera to McDonalds and take a bunch of pics and get orbs?  Does that means that its haunted?  What if I take my camera 50 paces to the Blockbuster and get the same results?  Is Blockbuster haunted too?  Probably not.   

Hopefully someone will find the truth concerning orbs.  Until then, we will continue to be believers as well as skeptics....just don't believe everything you see.   

-NCPR

A Day Aboard The Uss Hornet

It was a long overdue sunny Saturday morning when Tom and I were finally able to dust off some of the equipment. We have been wanting to check out the old carrier for some time now, and we finally had a chance to do it. This visit was a mere tour, and not a full blown investigation by any means.  We brought along a couple cameras and the usual handheld minidv, and voice recorders just for good measure. They were a little dusy anyway. 

The Hornet's reputation for being a haunted ship over the years has always intrigued me. Tom and I both have experience aboard naval vessels, and we both have been really wanting to both see the ship and investigate it. This time around we were really only able to see it. The self guided and guided tours available on the Hornet give you a surprisingly good look at the ship's interior. Some of the areas available on the tour actually take you through some of the areas where people have reported strange activities. We spent hours aboard the vessel, taking our time snapping pictures and enjoying the ship's interesting history.

We're thinking of our nice little tour as groundowork for hopefully coming back to have an overnight investigation. With a large enough group, an overnight can be arranged. We'll be looking into this, I can't imagine a better shot at investigating the old ship.

-Joe

Downtime in Bermuda

Greetings all!  With the holidays, vacation, work and other NON paranormal commitments, both Joe and myself have been extremely busy!  We do plan on dusting off the equipment and getting out to do some hunting in the next couple of weeks or so.

I did get to visit a very interesting place while on vacation.  While me and the wife were vacationing in Bermuda, we decided to go to the town of St George.  St George is the original capital of Bermuda and is an extremely old town.  Walking around we ran into St Peter’s Church in the middle of town and decided to check it out.  Surprisingly, I noticed that the town cemetery is actually on the church grounds.  Most of the dates of the people buried there are from the 1700’s to the 1800’s.  There is also a connecting cemetery with a big plaque that read “ burial grounds for slaves and free blacks”.  It was definitely an interesting find.  Some pics were posted in the gallery and we will post more when we get the chance. 

-Tom

NCPR Investigates / Private Residence

NCPR gets called on to investigate a home near Santa Cruz Ca. While our clients wished to keep their personal information private, we were able to post some of the details of the case here .

San Remo Hotel, San Francisco Ca

There is no shortage of vintage hotels in San Francisco, each with their own colorful pasts and colorful histories. The San Remo is no different. A vintage hotel in North Beach, the San Remo was built in 1906. Fully restored to its original grandeur, this little Hotel has also seen time as a brothel in its ‘checkered’ past, (the correlation between haunted places and former brothels is getting scary!). Like the Queen Anne, the San Remo also has had reports of paranormal activity. From ghostly Madams to roaming child apparitions, the San Remo shows promise for investigators.

SF Ghosthunt: Great Time with a Paranormal Experience!!

While NCPR was setting up to investigate the San Remo Hotel in SF, we said to ourselves,"What the heck. Lets kick back and have some fun for a bit". We decided to drive to the Queen Anne Hotel and attend the SF Ghost Hunt. It was definitely a good decision. If you've never been, you should go. The tour starts at the Queen Anne and is a good way to tour SF, learn some history and see some of the most haunted areas of SF! Jim Fassbinder, your guide and founder of the tour, has been doing this for over 8 years and has a vast experience with the paranormal. He's been on several documentaries on the Travel Channel and has been referenced in many paranormal books. Not only is the tour entertaining, but it is also a great source of information for any paranormal researcher. Oh, as far as the paranormal part: we were in front of the Mansions Hotel when Jim decided to try an experiment. He reaches in to his coat pocket and pulls out this...this....now you think I'm going to give up any info on the tour??? All I can say is that Jim Fassbinder and the SF Ghosthunt is a must for anyone that wants to have a good time and is willing to open their minds to the unknown. Jim stressed to me that it is important for people in our field to work together and to try our best to explain the "unexplained". Thanks Jim and NCPR will keep in touch! Check out www.sfghosthunt.com

Loyd Auerbach's GHOST HUNTING class

hosted by HCH

Yet another class! This one is the first of four classes taught by Loyd Auerbach on the subject.  The class is also included in the Parapsychology Studies Certificate Program.  I was surprised to see a fairly large turnout for this class.  Besides BAPI, I was not able to find out if any of the other people in attendance were part of a formal or active group.  We might actually do an investigation as part of this class.  Now that would be cool! Loyd is going to look into it and let us know.  Three more Ghost Huntings sessions to go!

Loyd Auerbach’s Introduction to Parapsychology : (a pre-requisite for the Certification course)

held at HCH  in Lafayette, Ca.

A great lecture and an oppurtunity to meet Loyd Auerbach.  Loyd discussed a variety topics as an overview to his Parapsychology Studies Certificate Course.  Loyd is a very knowledgable and experienced instructor/investigator.  There was a good deal of discussion on paranormal activity, and Loyd's significant background in the field was immensely useful.  Hopefully we can keep making his lectures and gradually get certified.

Paranormal Researcher / Investigator Round Table

arranged by: Bay Area Paranormal Investigations

         First of all, many thanks to Michael Cline for getting us all together for this discussion. We are very fortunate to have been invited to this venue. Tom and I were able to meet and talk with several active groups in the Bay Area. It was held at Spellbinding Tales, a great bookstore tucked away in beautiful and haunted Alameda.  There we all met and talked about a variety of topics: responsibilities as investigators, ethics, methods, equipment, and some personal investigation experiences were shared. 

         I personally, was very pleased to find out what I had hoped I would; our fellow investigators were very serious and professional when it came down to field of Paranormal Investigating.  All groups that attended were well represented with several members each chiming in to the discussion.  I have to say I learned a great deal about the field that day.  After the round table had concluded, most of the group diverted over the USS Hornet for a tour, and hopefully some basic investigating!  Tom and I had a pretty tight schedule that day so we left after the meeting had ended.  Which is fine, we are currently working on getting access to the Hornet, so hopefully we'll get our time on the big ship soon enough.  I look forward to meeting and working with our newly met 'comrades in arms'.

Thanks again to BAPI, and Spellbinding Tales books!!