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The Palace Hotel

Started by PPI Brian, February 09, 2010, 07:22:50 PM

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PPI Brian

On Water Street in Port Townsend, WA, stands the Palace Hotel, a former brothel that has been transformed into a hotel and restaurant popular with the locals. But the place has long been believed to be haunted by "the Lady in Blue" and a team from Paranormal Investigations of Historic America (PIHA) went there last Friday night to see just what spirits might linger in the historic building. Is the ghost of the Lady in Blue the least of the spirits crying out from the Palace Hotel?

Here's a link to the article: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100207/news/302079994
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Debra

"If you're after gettin' the honey, don't go killin' all the bees." -Joe Strummer

Gary

I'm totally down.... I love a good road trip!! 
Gary \m/
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself!

ljiljanac

#3
I'm drivin!!!!!!    ;D    btw....what's a "parabolic dish"?

Damian

A parabolic dish, in terms of paranormal investigation, is a satelite dish-shaped thing where soundwave hitting on the interior surface area are all reflected back to a single point, and a microphone is positioned at that point to collect the sound.  It's also used for long distance eavesdropping, and you'll see huge ones being used from the sidelines during football games to capture the jabbering of the player and that satisfying crunch of player impacts.

Here's a link:  http://www.spooktech.com/listeningdev/dangibsonmic.shtml

"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It cuts the hand that wields it." --Rabindranath Tagore

"Me fail English? That's unpossible." --Ralph Wiggum

Damian

Some things came to mind as I read the article:

1. The earth-floor basement would be another great place for ground-penetrating radar... one could see if there were indeed babies buried there, and that leads me to my 2nd thought...

2. I know the bones of infants/newborns are remarkably flexible, which is what allows them to travel through the birth canal without injury during birth, and it takes some time for their bones to harden (not sure how long).  I wonder if the bones of a newborn, being soft, would decompose differently when buried compared to an older child or adult.  Wow, those are words that, taken outside the context of this forum, would be REALLY DISTURBING!

3. There seems to be a lot of inconsistancy regarding the paranormal moving of items.  Opening doors and moving small items seems to be common (relatively speaking), and I get suspicious when I hear of large items and heavy furniture being moved.  That type of item movement doesn't seem to fit the norm...it seems a little too fantastic to me.

4. I always have to remind myself to look for what is motivating any parties involved in a situation...paranormal investigation or otherwise.  I get suspicious when I see that Kathy Gavin led the investigation and she is also the president of the Lewis County Historical Museum.  And Vaughn Hubbard, who assisted in the investigation, said that the idea is to encourage people to travel to historic sites in Washington state, creating REVENUE (ding, ding, ding) for the site and the community.  Even though the PIHA is non-profit, their work is admittedly trying to drive attendance and revenue for state historical sites.  I'm not passing judgement on these people, I'm just pointing out that their motives seem suspect to me, and would warrant exploration.
"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It cuts the hand that wields it." --Rabindranath Tagore

"Me fail English? That's unpossible." --Ralph Wiggum

ljiljanac

Thanks Damian!   :)   (old man voice)   Scheisters!  All of em, I tell yah!  Scheisters!!!    ;)

PPI Jason

Quote from: PPI Damian on February 10, 2010, 11:50:48 AM
2. I know the bones of infants/newborns are remarkably flexible, which is what allows them to travel through the birth canal without injury during birth, and it takes some time for their bones to harden (not sure how long).  I wonder if the bones of a newborn, being soft, would decompose differently when buried compared to an older child or adult.  Wow, those are words that, taken outside the context of this forum, would be REALLY DISTURBING!

It's sad, but this is one area I am qualified to speak on. The bones of a newborn DO decompose faster than adult bones because a good portion of the growing portion of the bone (often called the growth plate) is made of cartilage. Cartilage decomposes more quickly then fully calcified bone. Younger children have more cartilage in their bones. This cartilage is replaced by bone increasingly until around age 25 when the calcification is generally complete.

However, many many other factors effect the rate of decomposotion more significantly than cartilage content. For example, exposure to the elements, exposure to moisture, temperature, different chemical compositions in the surrounding soil, and other environmental factors can significantly increase the rate of decomposition. On average, and this estimate is extremely rough and varies depending on circumstances, human bones take approximately 40 to 50 years to decompose to dust. However, look at dinosaur bones and fossils. It is clear that circumstances can exist that will greatly slow, or even halt, the decomposition process for bones for significantly longer periods of time.
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

Damian

It's scary that that knowledge has to be out there, but pretty interesting from an investigative and scientific standpoint.  Thanks Jason!
"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It cuts the hand that wields it." --Rabindranath Tagore

"Me fail English? That's unpossible." --Ralph Wiggum

PPI Brian

#9
Quote from: PPI Lillie on February 09, 2010, 11:57:35 PM
I'm drivin!!!!!!    ;D    btw....what's a "parabolic dish"?

Hi Lillie,

To add to Damian's response, I thought I would include a link to a relatively "inexpensive" parabolic mic. This model is self contained, patches to a digital voice recorder, and includes an 8x telescope to help pinpoint your audio source.  :)




http://www.spy-tronix.com/parabolicmicrophone.html
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Debra

"If you're after gettin' the honey, don't go killin' all the bees." -Joe Strummer

PPI Tracy


ljiljanac

Very cool, Brian!  Thanks!!!  You have figured out that I'm a visual learner to a large degree.   lol

PPI Tracy


Damian

How SWEET does that thing look!!!  You'd really look like you know what you're doing if you're walking around with one of those bad-boys.  But, conversely, if you decide to walk down the street with a parabolic mic, people will probably ask you where you tin-foil helmet and Batman cape are.   Ooooooo, I think I just gave myself a Halloween costume idea.   :D  Hurry up October!
"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It cuts the hand that wields it." --Rabindranath Tagore

"Me fail English? That's unpossible." --Ralph Wiggum

PPI Tracy

Personally, I think it looks like one end of a breast pump.  But....that's just me.  (I know...I'm warped.  I can't help it though you see.  I heard the remake of "We Are The World" this morning on the way to work and I think I now officially have dain bramage).   :P

ljiljanac


PPI Brian

#17
I admit that parabolic microphone would be cool. We currently use something a lot less pricey. Doesn't look as cool, but it does the job.  :)



They go for about $4.00 on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/ONTEL-PRODUCTS-CORP-LISTUP-CD12-Listen/dp/B000QJ9M2M
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy


TAPS Jen

Lol! Tracy - my first thought when I saw the pic was "Why is there a breastpump on this thread?" Warped minds think alike!  ;D
"Well behaved women rarely make history."

PPI Tracy

Quote from: TAPS Jen on February 17, 2010, 02:12:27 PM
Lol! Tracy - my first thought when I saw the pic was "Why is there a breastpump on this thread?" Warped minds think alike!  ;D

OMG!  LOL!  You KILL me, Jen!  (thank God i'm not the only warped mind!)   :D

PPI Tracy

Ahhem...um...hmmm....sorry guys.  As you were....

TAPS Jen

The worst part was when I thought it looked good in black (instead of my boring beige one) and wondered who made it and where I could get one!   :P

TMI?    :)
"Well behaved women rarely make history."

Gary

Ahaha.... wow!  It's times like this I am thankful to be a dude!!!   ;D
Gary \m/
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself!

Damian

Well, if you're gonna be using a breast-pump, might as well use one that's stylish right?   ;D
"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It cuts the hand that wields it." --Rabindranath Tagore

"Me fail English? That's unpossible." --Ralph Wiggum

TAPS Jen

"Well behaved women rarely make history."

PPI Brian

Quote from: TAPS Tracy on February 17, 2010, 02:54:18 PM
Quote from: TAPS Jen on February 17, 2010, 02:12:27 PM
Lol! Tracy - my first thought when I saw the pic was "Why is there a breastpump on this thread?" Warped minds think alike!  ;D

OMG!  LOL!  You KILL me, Jen!  (thank God i'm not the only warped mind!)   :D

LOL! The headphones didn't appear odd to you?  ;D
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Debra


LOL! The headphones didn't appear odd to you?  ;D
[/quote]


Is  this some kind of trick Rorschach thing???  :)
"If you're after gettin' the honey, don't go killin' all the bees." -Joe Strummer

ljiljanac

Quote from: PPI Brian M on February 17, 2010, 08:34:53 PM
Quote from: TAPS Tracy on February 17, 2010, 02:54:18 PM
Quote from: TAPS Jen on February 17, 2010, 02:12:27 PM
Lol! Tracy - my first thought when I saw the pic was "Why is there a breastpump on this thread?" Warped minds think alike!  ;D

OMG!  LOL!  You KILL me, Jen!  (thank God i'm not the only warped mind!)   :D

LOL! The headphones didn't appear odd to you?  ;D


Oh I don't know, guys.   It could be a carbon fiber breast pump with a built-in MP3 player.    ;)

PPI Debra

"If you're after gettin' the honey, don't go killin' all the bees." -Joe Strummer