In this special 16-page issue, we cover things to do during Halloween while the pandemic still grips the world, mediums, a documentary about one of the world's longest ongoing paranormal investigations, and a special editorial page geared towards this year's election and the sincere hope that ideas can be discussed, protests can be had, and elections can happen, without the threat of violence.
The World’s Trusted Source for Paranormal News
Released in May of this year, amid
the CoVID-19 pandemic, the Pentagons
official release of unidentified aerial
phenomena, Floyd protests, and the
rumor of an invasion of Asian giant
hornets, the decade long investigation
of a bonafide haunted house in
Mississippi - got lost.
Directors Steve Gonsalves and
Kendall Whelpton, both from A&E’s
Ghost Hunters, have taken an in-depth
approach to unusual investigative
circumstances. To briefly describe
the plot: ‘After years of experiencing
life changing paranormal activity,
Alice Jackson has refused to spend
another night in her own home.
Looking for answers she opens her
house up to film makers who conduct
the first ever, decade long paranormal
investigation.’ This is a spell binding
documentary that chronicles the real
story of a homeowner and a team of
religious, scientific and paranormal
professionals who tell the tale of what
it is like to live in a true haunted house.
Alice Jackson, the current owner
lived in this house amid constant
unusual activity, flashing lights and
September/October 2020
Mediums Surprise Historical Author With
Alleged Messages From the Spirit Realm
Marti Parry produces a sketch she drew of a spirit she saw at the Neff
House. Her husband Michael is in the background. A member of the
La Mirada Historical Preservation Advisory Council said the portrait is
reminiscent of Andrew McNally, whose daughter lived in the house.
Photo by Andrew Perry
mysterious physical phenomena until
2011 when in a moment of sheer fright
– she fled the home. “Alice originally
left in the middle of the night due to
the intense activity, but could not
bear to sell it. This was her dream
home,” said Gonsalves, “It’s not an old
home, and the problems predate the
construction, which makes it all the
more frightening.”
Seeking the help of John Bullard
and Brad Cooney, who conduct joint
and independent investigations into
Andrew Perry
In the shadow of an old historical
house, mediums Michael and Marti Parry
astonished a local author with intimate
details not of the house, but of the author’s
own deceased relatives.
TCT News went on an exclusive tour
of the historical Neff House, located in
La Mirada, California’s Neff Park. The Neff
House complex is made of three buildings
built in the late 1800s: a large family house,
a barn, and another slightly smaller house.
Michael and Marti Parry claim to
be mediums. Essentially, a medium is
a person or thing that spirits can use
to communicate to those of us in the
physical plane. Michael hears spirits, and
Marti sees them and creates portraits of
the spirits she sees.
As TCT News toured with the
Historical Society, the Parrys sat back,
separated from the group and from each
other. Marti sat in the living room of the
the activity, the film makers join these
two gentlemen to set up cameras
throughout the house to record any
and all paranormal occurrences. And
this is where the movie picks up as
the four investigators try to unravel
the mystery behind this disturbed
Mississippi site.
Jackson says her home in Florence
has been haunted since before
construction began, “When we finally
got it built, doors began to slam and
doorbells would ring for no reason
Neff House and drew several sketches
and Michael sat outside, listening intently
to whispers that no one could hear and
taking notes.
“It sounds like people talking very
softly,” said Michael Parry. According to
Michael, the voices are audible, as in he
can hear accents and tell whether the
person is male or female. But sometimes,
the voices are very soft and hard to
understand.
Raymond Fernandez is one of the
members of the La Mirada Historical
Society, and a co-author of the book
Reflections From McNally’s Mirror.
Upon finishing the tour with TCT News,
Fernandez and the TCT crew sat down to
listen to what the Parrys had discovered.
First was Marti, who produced two
sketches: one of an older bearded man
and another of a young girl. According
to Fernandez, the author, the man was
reminiscent of Andrew McNally, who is
‘Neff’ Continued Page 8
A House Inbetween: A Documentary On A Decade Long Paranormal Investigation
Father Michael O’ Brian blessing The House Inbetween.
For CoVid-19 Updates, Visit HMG at LosCerritosNews.net
and objects would move around in the
house. I stopped sleeping alone in the
house back in 2011, due to mysterious
lights that started to appear in odd
places. Sometimes balls of light would
emerge and project beams out of a
‘funnel’ and sometimes the entire
room would light up in a blinding
glow.” Investigators were not able to
capture this activity but speculate
that this was balls of energy trying to
manifest … while Jackson hints to the
possibility of alien evidence.
Over the years the house has
gain notoriety, “It’s not a spook show,”
says Whelpton, “It is actually a well
documented haunting and we use a
‘House’ Continued Page 12
INSIDE
Editorial ... 3
Podcast ... 4
Events ... 5
Book Review ... 7
News ...6-10
Feature ... 12
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Editorial
TCTN’s Editors-in-Chief don’t like bringing politics into the paper, but the Nation is only a few weeks away from one of
the most important elections of this lifetime. Our editors have differing political views and have added the new Opposing
Opinion column to prove that it is acceptable to agree to disagree and still be friends and colleagues. The question in this issue:
Did America Really Become Great Again?
We hope their conversation is an example of how true democracy and friendship can be achieved.
TCT NEWS
(714) 450-5582
Managing Editors
Tammye McDuff
Andrew Perry
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TCT News
Ever read or hear a ghost story, or
alien encounter, or a miracle story, and
then find out later it’s not sourced well,
that it’s merely someone just telling a
story, and therefore not credible?
We hate that, too!
We know that people experience
these things. We know that there’s
more to our existence, that people
see things along with witnesses. If
the supernatural exists in such a
way that people can observe it with
any of their five senses, that means
this phenomena has an effect on the
natural world, and therefore can be
observed, even scientifically observed.
But we are not scientists, we are
journalists. That’s why we created TCT
News, to hold these stories up to the values
of journalistic integrity. We are looking for
video and photographic evidence. We’re
looking for corresponding witnesses, log
entries, documents, anything that can
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If that’s something that you
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and as always: Stay Curious!
Created by Mike
America Has Become A
Failed State Under Trump
Andrew Perry
Is America great again? Almost four years after President
Trump took office, we can just look around. The answer is
easy. Hell no. While my opponent might parrot talking points,
what I say can be independently verified by you.
In 2016 we had an economy that was recovering well
from the previous Great Recession: the stock market was
trending upwards, and unemployment was still decreasing.
We had a positive relationship with our historical allies.
America was still the superpower.
After Trump first stepped into the office, this stability and
upward trend was his inheritance. What would he do with it?
Through sheer incompetence, he would run it like one of his
businesses and crash it into the ground in epic fashion. Most
Trump followers will point to the time before the pandemic;
I’m talking about where we are right now.
From the beginning we knew that he wasn’t scientifically
literate, but we imagined he would put the appropriate people
in charge of the appropriate departments. For example, like
his predecessor we trusted that Trump would put a scientist
or environmental expert in charge of the Environmental
Protections Agency.
That didn’t happen. Instead, he put in Andrew Wheeler. Not
a scientist, but he was an executive in the oil and gas industry.
In his current capacity, Wheeler worked towards removing as
many regulations as possible that would benefit his former field.
That’s just one example. He has placed many former corporate
executives in charge of various departments so that they would
see their respective industries benefit, at the expense of that
department’s responsibilities and putting us at greater risk.
Over and over, Trump put monied interests over science
and the public’s interest. That is corruption. In some cases, like
with Ben Carson and the Housing and Urban Development,
he put in people who were not of that field. Ben Carson is a
neurosurgeon; not a civil engineer. This is incompetence.
Corruption and incompetence are the hallmark of
Trump’s one term in office. Where does that leave us today?
Consider that we are basically in a Second Great
Depression: tens of millions unemployed, record amounts of
small businesses permanently closed, massive civil unrest, a
global pandemic where America is failing but the rest of the
world is doing okay. Because of Trump’s follies, the United
States is kind of a joke to the rest of the industrialized world.
During the pandemic’s early months, as tens of millions of
people were laid off, many of these people became in need of some
sort of financial assistance. Guess who got all the assistance?
The people who don’t even need it. Corporate interests and the
wealthy received trillions and trillions of free money to prop up
the stock market. What did regular Americans get: peanuts.
And we can’t forget the effects of climate change, which
became such a prominent feature these past few years, and this
year in particular. Aside from the global toll, like giant glaciers
in the Arctic and Antarctica breaking off and melting, consider
America’s toll: record wild fires in the American west, record
heating trends, record hurricanes in the South, and severe
droughts. Under President Trump’s administration, America is
actively trying to do the opposite of what is needed.
This isn’t a left or right issue anymore. This is simply what
happens when a leader is both incompetent and corrupt. So
no, America is not great anymore. It is a failed state.
3
President Trump Has Made
America Great Again
Scott Kline
Voting Republican in 2016 was the best choice I could have
made. The economic policy of the Barack Obama administration
was characterized by moderate tax increases on higher income
Americans, designed to fund health care reform, reduce the
federal budget deficit, and decrease income inequality.
Trump did not inherit a stable economy. Trump has rebuilt a
depleted military by authorizing a historic $738 billion for defense
spending. The National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]
provided the Administration requested for a 3.1% pay raise for
our troops which is the largest in a decade, with $5.3 billion being
authorized for disaster recovery at military installations across
the country. This bill also established the Space Force as the sixth
branch of the Armed Services, marking the first time a new
branch of the military has been established since 1947.
Being the leader of the free world carries immense
responsibility. Trump’s goal was to make sure the United States
became ‘energy independent’ and not reliant upon any other
nation, as a matter of fact he is leading an energy revolution.
American energy production is reaching new heights. Under
the Trump administration the United States has become the
world’s number one producer of oil and maintained our position
as the number one producer of natural gas. The deregulatory
actions taken by the Trump Administration are simultaneously
benefiting the American consumer and the energy sector by
lowering cost, speeding up projects and removing unnecessary
bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles.
Countries around the world are in support of Trump, flag
waving processions, boat parades, and non violent protests
for this American President. Democrats support the kneeling
and disrespect of our flag and country, allowing the names of
convicted felons on helmets, crime is rampant in Democratic
cities and states.
Those who want to blame Trump for the pandemic
crisis need to take a second a look. From January to June, the
coronavirus disease [CoVID-19] has evolved from an isolated
disease in a region of China to a global pandemic that has
brought countries to a standstill, pushed hospital systems to the
bring and dragged the global economy into a global recession.
During the earliest days of the pandemic, Trump was chastised
for cutting off travel to China, while Democrats focused on
impeachment. Trump took swift action to release guidance
recommending mitigation measures to slow the spread, with
Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx attesting to the fact that Trump took
action as soon as the data was presented to him.
When you have one party sabotaging the other party
continuously, you have a failed state. Yes Trump is arrogant
and brash and his Twitter feed needs to be monitored. But
he is bringing peace to nations. It was a Norwegian politician
that put Trump’s name forward for the 2021 prize, citing the
president’s role in the recent peace deal between Israel and
the United Arab Emirates. Trumps third nomination, from
Australian law professors, stating “The Trump Doctrine is
something extraordinary.’ He decided that we would no longer
have America in endless wars, which achieved nothing but the
killing of thousands of young Americans and enormous debts
imposed on the American public, and nothing solved in the
countries in which they were waged on.
There is a bigger picture if you can step outside of the
liberal shelter.
Podcasts
Ask the Oracles
Tammye McDuff
Many would tell you that an Oracle
is a method or vehicle of divination…a
person, object, or place who predicts the
future, offering mysterious answers
to life’s questions. An ancient priestess
who speaks words from another world,
a bag of stones cast on the ground
or cards laid on a table or a whistle of
wind through the trees … An ancient
medicine person entering into trance
and speaking in strange tongues. These
perceptions would all have truth to
them, if you lived in ancient Greece but
this is the modern era of zoom and –
well it is 2020.
Ask the Oracles is a brand new
weekly zoom where you can actually
speak with three of the wisest
visionaries you could ever have the
pleasure to meet. Monte Farber, Amy
Zerner and Jeff Pulver offer a 90 minute,
free, zoom talk show every Monday.
They offer insight and valuable advice
on everything except politics ….
Monte Farber is a master
astrologer, whose precision in reading
what the stars hold, and is by far
the most accurate forecaster of the
modern age. Farber is witty, inspiring,
articulate and his insights are laser
focused. Amy Zerner comes from a long
line of artisans and is one of the leading
collage artists in the world. Her use
of appliqué, found materials, vintage
textiles and amulets truly infuses her
tapestries, clothing and tarot cards
with mystical wonder. For forty years
these two have combined their love for
each other with self discovery to truly
create ‘The Enchanted World of Amy
Zerner and Monte Farber’.
Not taking questions about politics
is understandable; however Farber
will not take queries about someone’s
health. “I take health very seriously, and
I don’t take questions about people’s
health,” noted Farber. He says that your
attitude does affect your health to
certain degrees and if you have some
psychic tell you things, that may or may
not be true, he added, “I just don’t think
others opinions should be in your head.”
Jeff Pulver is a visionary intuitive
who changed the way the world
communicates. Literally. Throughout
his career, he has helped to launch
4
the VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol]
in 1995 to what is now a two trillion
dollar global industry. Pulver is known
for his shrewd perception, always on
the cutting edge of new technology. “I
launched the first phone internet back
in 1995, created the company Vonage
and in 2003, based on a premonition,
I petitioned the U.S. government for
regulatory clarity,” says Pulver, “and
in 2004 the FCC issued a ‘Pulver Order’
which opened the doors for people
like Google, Microsoft, Apple and Zoom
to offer communication services.”
Through this premonition, Pulver
changed the communication policies
not only for America but the world.
Farber calls Pulver ‘the Ryan
Seacrest of Zoom’. Through Zoom
you can capture the intimacy of
conversations that you could not on
other platforms. “It is one thing to
broadcast, where the speaker can
be seen by various people ~ but,” says
Pulver,” you can’t ‘feel’ them. By bringing
together a virtual audience you can
see the people that you are connecting
with, we can answer their questions
and build a community with a sense of
comfort and familiarity, holding a real
positive space.”
“Jeff is an old friend of ours, and we
have always considered him ‘our oracle’,
we advise each other,” stated Zerner,
“He has helped tremendously with
our social media presence. During this
pandemic it is a learning time for all of
us to find new ways and new tools to
communicate with each other.”
Pulver had invited the couple to
guest on one of his zoom talk shows
and as things go, the conversation
quickly turned to the three friends
building something together. “Which
is pretty much how we live our lives,
spontaneous and magical,” she added.
Pulver has his own psychic
techniques and usually the three
will converge in one complete and
synchronistic answer.
“ We are going to be learning new
channels to communicate one to one
and one to many,” said Pulver,” Making an
investment in home studio equipment,
makes total sense.” There you have it
from the tech-oracle himself!
Events
Herbie J Pilato
Think your home decorating can beat this? Show off your spooktacular
Halloween Spirit!
Halloween Decorating Contest in
Buena Park
Buena Park City News
Bring the Halloween spirit out for
everyone to enjoy! The City of Buena
Park’s Beautification-Environmental
Commission is holding their first
ever Halloween Decorating Contest!
The contest is free and open to all
residential homes in Buena Park.
Commission members will
judge homes based on creativity,
arrangement, special effects and
overall appearance. Because of
COVID-19, commissioners will not get
out of their car, they will judge the
display based on what can be seen
from the street at night. Judging will
take place during the week of October
19th through 23rd in the evenings.
Decorations should be turned on by
5:00pm during this week.
Winners will be notified Friday,
October 23, 2020. Winners will be
announced on the City’s website, and
awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will
be presented by City Council at the
City Council Meeting on Tuesday,
November 10, 2020.
Submit entries no later than
5:00 pm, October 16th to egenera@
buenapark.com or call(714) 562-3655.
Please include name, address, phone
number and email.
Harness the
natural healing power of
your body, mind, and spirit
Television host & acclaimed
author focusing on the lives of
classic television stars.
Check out Herbie on Amazon
We carry a wide variety of
stones & crystals, herbs, candles, incense,
jewelry, and our newest
“Sinful Indulgence” bath & body products.
5
Andrew Perry
While researching information about
psychics and mediums, I had the pleasure
of being in contact with the Chair for the
Center for Inquiry Investigations Group,
Mr. James Underdown. This group offers
$250,000 for proof of the paranormal or
supernatural. This is the largest prize for
paranormal claims. The previous largest
prize was through the ‘Amazing’ James
Randi fund, which offered $1 million for
the same. So far, nobody has collected.
Underdown and I spoke about people
who claimed to be able to communicate
with the dead. These people are referred
to as ‘mediums.’
“First, who wouldn’t want to be in
contact with a dead loved one?” asked
Underdown, rhetorically.
This desire to be in touch with a loved
one who has passed away leaves people
vulnerable to potential scams.
The Mechanics of A
Cold Reader
Every medium that Underdown has
encountered was found to be a fraud.
Usually, they are practicing something
called ‘cold reading’.
Cold reading is basically a set of
techniques used by a wide variety of seers:
including psychics, mediums, fortune
tellers, and mentalists. By applying these
techniques, these people can obtain a
great deal of information by analyzing
body language, and deploying guesses
based on high probability, which when
answered allows the medium to gain
more information.
“These people are very good at
churning out guesses at a high quantity.
They’ll give disclaimers, like: ‘It may be
fuzzy, it might not be inaccurate, I’m
not hearing well’ to lower expectations.
They’ll use a whole set of language that
is also fuzzy and allows for multiple
interpretations,” said Underdown.
For instance, the phrase ‘older male’ is
a fuzzy word, especially because everyone
in the world knows an older male who
has deceased - whether it is their father,
an uncle, or a grandfather.
“In a group of people, it’s easy to get
bites,” said Underdown.
The reason is that if the medium
says something like, “I’m getting an ‘A’
name, he’s an older male, and he passed
away because of some heart condition,”
that combination is likely to get a hit,
and someone in the audience will chime
in, usually with something like, “My Uncle
Alex passed away because of a heart
attack.”
With that piece of information, the
medium has a piece of information that
can be exploited.
“If it’s one person, it’s a little bit harder,”
said Underdown. The best ones that are
reading body language.”
“They’re looking for someone who
is hoping to get a right guess.,” said
Underdown. And in an audience who are
there specifically to see a medium, that’s
probably entire audience.
The Believer
“When people pay to go to a psychic
or medium, that filters out the skeptics,”
said Underdown.
Because of this desire, audience
members who believe that the medium
is speaking to their deceased loved one
“will often misremember or shoehorn
information that the medium is giving,”
explained Underdown.
Shoe horning is basically making a
medium’s guess fit even if it isn’t quite
accurate. However, the guess might be
‘‘close enough.’
For example, if the medium says he
had a big beard, the believer will agree,
even though the deceased may actually
have had only a goatee.
Protecting Against
Charlatans
Generally, it’s always possible that
there is a genuine medium who can
speak to the spirits, but it’s also extremely
unlikely.
What’s a good way to determine if a
medium is genuine?
If there’s a genuine medium, that
person should have access to very candid
and private information.
Underdown said, “Ask for specifics.
Give limited feedback. Pretend like you’re
in the middle of a poker game and you
don’t want to flinch when the next card
comes. Don’t give any information to a
medium. “
Another interesting strategy if you
want to go out of your way to find a legit
medium is to try to fool them.
“Dress, act, and speak in any other way
than you currently are,” said Underdown.
Underdown recounted an incident
he had with a tarot card reader. He went
twice, but each time he wore something
different. In the first reading he dressed
relaxed, and the reader said he was laid
Feature
Cold Reading: An Interview with Center for Inquiry’s James Underdown
James Underdown is the Chair for the Center for Inquiry Investigations
Group, and has investigated many claims from psychics and mediums.
back and in need of a job,. In the second
reading he wore a high quality suit, and
the reader said that he needed a vacation.
If you are a medium, psychic,
mentalist, or fortune teller who thinks
they are the real deal, you are invited to
apply for the Center for Inquiry’s $250,000
prize at CenterForInquiry.org.
Underdown was even willing to
explain how they will test the medium/
psychic, etc. “We’re going to ask to talk to a
very specific person, and ask the medium
to give us very detailed information that
can not be guessed,” said Underdown.
In this video, Illusionist Derren Brown demonstrates how cold reading
can fool unsuspecting members of the public.
Check out Season One of Then
Again with Herbie J. Pilato,
starring classic TV stars like
Ed Asner and Burt Ward.
Find it on Amazon Prime.
For more information, visit
ThenAgainTV.com.
6
Book Review
Living With the Paranormal:
A Memoir
Tammye McDuff
“Living with the Paranormal” from
Jim Kelly is a potent account by the
author who, as a young man realized he
had a sympathetic paranormal gift. He
first became drawn to one particular
haunted house in the 1970s, and from
then on continued to capture strange
entities on camera at vortexes or life
and death sites … all of which prove
more than ever that there is a parallel
world to this one.
Kelly, a spirit photographer from
Allegany, New York, currently works
with a suicide prevention organization
to give troubled souls a reason to
live and has completed his new book
“Living with the Paranormal”, as a
chilling memoir.
The story begins with Kelly’s
introduction to paranormal activity
and spirits when he investigates
the odd happenings at a local spirit
inhabited site called the Hinsdale
House. Shortly after this, as he
developed the photos, he was
flabbergasted by what appeared to be
showing up in the pictures.
He embarks on a quest, searching
for the answers to why this is all
happening. Why has he been blessed
with such a gift? Spirits are appearing
in photograph after photograph as the
shutter snaps at all sorts of occasions.
Finally, Kelly receives his answer,
his eyes are opened. He has seen the
light. The story continues as Kelly
begins to share his personal thoughts
and experiences on his path to
enlightenment.
Published by Covenant Books of
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Kelly’s
book is an earnest effort to spread
awareness of the spiritual side by
sharing his truly unique gift and the
spine-tingling events that have helped
him understand the divide between
here and the hereafter.
Kelly humbly and confidently
manages to convince and shed light on
the relevance of these occurrences in
the lives of readers who refuse to turn
a blind eye to what they cannot see.
Readers can find “Living with
the Paranormal” at bookstores
everywhere, online at the Apple iTunes
store, Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Covenant Books is an
internationally owned and operated
publishing house, which specializes in
all genres of work.
For additional information or
media inquiries, contact Covenant
Books at 855.877.9820
Author Jim Kelly proudly reviews Living With the Paranormal.
The Hinsdale House, where author Jim Kelly says he was first introduced to paranormal activity.
7
News
En La Casa: 7th Annual Downey Dia De Los Muertos Festival
Staff Report
Due to the pandemic, the seventh
annual Downey Dia de Los Muertos Art
Festival will be going live on-line, Sunday,
November 1st beginning at 11:00 am.
An easy to navigate interactive
map connects viewers with the
Festival’s many attractions, including
movies, George Newnam’s “Casa
Calaveras” experience, a photo/music
montage; music from cumbia to juke
n’ jive, ballet folklorico performances,
DIY arts & crafts, shopping, and photo
galleries from past festivals.
Special this year are two new
original art exhibits: a Dia de Los
Muertos themed collection curated
by the Stay Gallery, and an interview
with urban artist Martin Sanchez that
includes a private, guided tour of his
studio/gallery.
Prior to November 1st, the Downey
Civic Theater will upload links, clips,
and tips to social media platforms
with “all you need to know” to make,
bake, buy, and decorate your own home
for a traditional Dia de Los Muertos
family gathering, from a recipe for pan
de muertos, to tutorials for face
painting, altar making, and how to
make and decorate calaveras (sugar
skulls) and where to buy the molds and
decorations.
Were you at past Festivals? The
Theatre is collecting your selfies,
pictures and memories. They will
post them on the virtual Festival
site. Upload your photos to social
media and tag #DOWNEYDDLM
Call to Community
Performers: Send in your videos of
performances: dance, music, and art.
If chosen you could be featured at the
virtual Festival! A performer
application must be completed and
submitted along with a video link to
ashleyddlm@gmail.com.
Since 2013, the Festival has been
recognized for its authenticity and
wide range of how Dia de Los Muertos
is expressed through art.
Another spirit of a little girl who allegedly appeared to Marti Parry. No
one is quite sure who this girl is supposed to be.
Photo by Andrew Perry
8
NEFF, from Front
the founder of La Mirada, and the Neff
family who lived at the house was married
to one of McNally’s daughters. McNally
is famous for being the cofounder of the
Rand-McNally publishing company. As for
the young girl that was drawn, Fernandez
did not recognize her.
Michael was next. After a few
moments, he was presumably able
to speak to Fernandez’ grandfather, a
man named Jorge, and a friend named
Oscar who passed away. Astonished,
Fernandez confirmed this, and several
other statements that Parry said were
communicated from the deceased.
“I’m a bit amazed,” said Fernandez.
“Well, you should be,” quipped Michael,
in his British accent. “I’m very good at this.”
So, are the Parrys really mediums?
Fernandez seems to think so, and TCT
News is still on the fence. TCTN did some
additional research on the subject of
mediums and found some interesting
information.
Back in 2003, James Underdown,
Director of the Committee for Skeptical
The Festival is presented by
the City of Downey, and produced
by Downey Theatre staff.
The Downey Theatre is an area
landmark that has presented topnotch
drama, dance, and music to the
City for the past 50-years.
Join them November 1st the
Day of the Dead at http://ddlm.
downeytheatre.org
Inquiry Los Angeles, wrote an article
about mediums titled ‘They See Dead People
- Or Do They?’ in the magazine Skeptical
Enquirer.
“Cold reading, in a nutshell, is an
interactive technique where one fishes for
information while giving the appearance
of receiving that information from
supernatural sources,” wrote Underdown.
In an interview, Underdown
explained a little more about cold reading.
Underdown asked, “Who wouldn’t
want to be in contact with a dead loved
one?”
“But, these people are very good at
churning out guesses at a high quantity,
and providing disclaimers that the
messages may be fuzzy, inaccurate, or
that the spirits are speaking too softly.
Michael and Marti have appeared
on shows like Ghost Adventures and are
available for private readings. Marti is
also an artist, and sells beautiful portraits
of various spirits she’s come across.
Find out more about them at
spiritart.com.
News
Rust Moon
Rust or iron oxide, is created when
iron comes into contact with water
and oxygen; two things the moon
does not have, or so we have been told.
This has left the researchers at Indian
Space Research Organization who
obtained the data puzzled as to how it
has been created.
A reddish-black mineral form
of iron called hematite has been
discovered to be forming, especially
near the Moon’s poles, which is giving
it this unique coloring. Lead author
of the paper detailing the discovery
is Shuai Li of the University of Hawaii,
who described the findings ‘very
puzzling’. He added that ‘the Moon is a
terrible environment for hematite to
form in’.
Li then turned to JPL scientists
Abigail Fraeman and Vivian Sun to see
if they could help.
Based on the conditions present
on the Moon, this should not exist.
But since water has been discovered
water on the Moon, people have
been speculating that there could
be a greater variety of minerals than
we realize. After taking a closer look,
Fraeman and Sun confirmed that Li’s
data did indeed indicate the presence
of hematite at the lunar poles.
Sun said, “In the end, the spectra
were convincingly hematite-bearing,
and there needed to be an explanation
for why it’s on the Moon”.
The data found that the Moon had
more hematite present on its Earthfacing
side, which Li believes could
be due to traces of Earth’s oxygen.
According to NASA, the Moon has been
moving away from Earth for billions
of years, so it could be possible that
some of Earth’s oxygen transferred
over when the two planets were closer
to each other.
In regards to the water needed
to form rust, while the majority of
the Moon is bone dry, there has been
ice discovered on it; however, this is
located on the opposite side to where
the hematite was found. With this in
mind, Li proposes that fast-moving
dust particles that regularly pelt the
Moon could release its surface-borne
water molecules that are present
across the whole planet, mixing them
with iron in the lunar soil.
9
Following his findings, Li has
dubbed it an exciting time for lunar
science.
Original article from UNILAD.
Niamh Shackleton
Good Year Blimp Stops New Jersey Traffic, Drivers Thought It Was Aliens
Andrew Perry
A Good Year blimp stopped freeway traffic
in New Jersey on the evening of September 14, as
numerous passers by thought it was some sort of
alien spacecraft.
Technically an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO)
at the time, it very quickly became an Identified
Flying Object when Good Year acknowledged that
they were flying in the area at the time.
One of the people recording said, “Look, the
whole street is stopped! There’s a flying spaceship!”
Sure enough, dozens of cars were pulled over
on the side of the freeway gazing at the UFO.
“I don’t know, but everybody is stopped to see
the aliens,” said another.
Good Year said that the blimp was flying in
the area for the New York Giants game at MetLife
stadium that night.
So how could hundreds of people see the same
thing and all think it was some unknown aircraft?
The answer can be found in psychology.
In an article from LiveScience, writer Benjamin
Radford explains, “It’s not hard to understand
why there are so many UFO sightings. After all,
the only criterion is for some “flying object” to be
“unidentified” by whoever is looking at it at the
time.”
Radford goes on to say that the human
perception is rather limited. While we might know
that a car in the distance isn’t really that small, in
the sky it is much more difficult to gauge things
like distance and size.
Psychologists have also noted that when there
is missing information, the brain fills it in. And
of course, the imagination might also fill in the
context.
Radford used the example of the planet Venus.
Venus is about 25 million miles away, but at night it
appears to be bright.
Over the years, numerous sightings have been
revealed to be Venus. Imagine - a planet 25 million
miles away was interpreted as aliens five miles
away.
This in no way dismisses the concept of
extraterrestrial life. Almost all astrophysicists
believe that in this vast universe, there has to be
other forms of life out there. Have they visited
Earth? Maybe. But if we can keep in mind our own
limitations, we’ll be better able to spot the real ones
if they ever decide to make an appearance.
News
Halloween House: Spooky Drive-In Films At Heritage Square in Los Angeles
Staff Report
A new type of drive-in theater
is emerging just in time for October
festivities. Inspired by Tim Burton’s The
Nightmare Before Christmas, comes a
2020 version of Halloween Town.
Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween
returns! And this year they are taking
the annual Halloween event on the
road – literally. Even ghosts need to
stay socially distant and Halloween
House won’t let social distancing
or a pandemic get in the way of a
spooktacularly haunted event.
From October 2nd through
October 4th visitors can drive through
still-to-be-detailed tricks and treats,
play games and enjoy performances
inspired by nostalgic picks from Hocus
Remembering 9/11: The Night America Changed
Deb Smith
It was the evening of September 10,
2001, a night like any other. That day had
been completely normal, but that night
changed me forever. I have always been
a sensitive with precognitive tendencies.
My dreams began coming true at the
tender age of nine, a blessing … or curse…
that continues today. But, on September
10th all night I had nightmares, tossing
and turning all night long, getting very
little sleep. And what I did get was filled
with terror.
Fires, I kept seeing huge fires, fires
everywhere, buildings collapsing and
thousands of animals sitting … waiting
at doors or looking out windows ….
waiting for owners to come home. No
one ever came home. I sensed confusion.
Dogs whimpered and barked, cats cried
and jumped wildly about. They were
hungry, they were thirsty, and they
needed to go to the bathroom. This left
me and them so baffled.
When I finally dragged myself from
my bed on Tuesday, September 11th, I
poured my coffee and turned on the
television only to see the first aircraft,
hijacked American Airlines Flight 11,
flying into the Twin Towers. The flames
were the same I had seen in my dream
the night before. As the country watched
in horror, I sat there praying for all the
beautiful animals that were left in their
homes to either die of starvation, heat
exhaustion or fire.
Three days later Doreen Virtue
held a memorial service to help all the
deceased souls to pass into the light.
During the meditation, a pup wondered
into our group and refused to leave. This
beautiful golden retriever came and
sat directly in front of me, looking me
Pocus and Ghostbusters.
Halloween Road promises more
sets inspired by Freeforms October
month long marathon of family
friendly Halloween movies, everything
from Casper to Willy Wonka and
The Goonies, an outdoor immersive
experience all behind the wheel of
your car.
It all goes down at Heritage Square
straight in the eyes, reminding me that
all the beloved pets needed help too.
The owner later told our group that she
could not get the dog to heel or stop; the
dog literally dragged the owner into our
meditation.
I explained to Virtue the need to pass
these fur babies over for five days. Some
were still waiting at the door of apartments
and homes near the devastation. The
owner and her dog stayed with us through
the meditation and then left.
Our small group of people helped to
soothe the souls of all the confused and
lost pets that perished at the time, we
helped their souls find peace, to know they
were loved and know they will be missed.
Each year on the anniversary of 9/10 I
relive the horror of those innocent babies
waiting and waiting for the owners that
never come. I am deeply honored to the
ones our group was able to cross over.
Museum, Northeast of Los Angeles
final resting place for some very scary
and appropriate Victorian Homes.
Tickets are totally free; look for
reservations to open and immediately
fill on Saturday September 12th
beginning at 10:00 am.
Drive through ~ if you dare!
Check out the movie schedule on
Page 11.
SHAMAN ISABELLA
ISABELLASTOLOFF.COM • 714-603-8624
10
Feature
11
Feature
Alice Jackson just wanted to build and live in her dream home. The unseen
had other plans....
House, from Front
lot of science based experiments mixed
with the supernatural equipment. It
was as if the house was predetermining
who was going to be involved to tell its
story. I have never seen anything like
this house before.”
Earlier this year These Curious
Times had the opportunity to interview
Jill Marie Morris, the psychic medium
who worked on the film. Morris
arrived on a Saturday in the afternoon
and the crewed filmed until midnight.
“I will usually begin to sketch on the
impressions I receive on a particular
property a few days prior to actually
visiting the place. I was already picking
up on things.
One of the sketches I sent to the
directors ~ and I can share this ~ is a
walking stick beside a door. The owner
of the home collected walking sticks
and it plays a prominent part in the
movie.”
The movie presents believable
proof of the paranormal and does it in
a way that is completely genuine. The
House in Between is a highly interesting
and truly authentic documentary that
captures the attention of the audience.
It’s scary because it’s real. “We have
never seen anything like this place,”
said Gonsalves,” It is an absolute game
changer for the paranormal field.”
As the documentary winds up
and film crews pack up and attempt
to close the doors … there appears to
be one last testament from the spirits
who inhabit the house. Not going to
spoil it for you, but when you do rent
the movie …. Watch it all the way to the
end.
Now available from Gravitas
Ventures on Prime Video.
“The House in Between” Directors
Kendall Whelpton and Steve Gonsalves
frame up a selfie.
Nerdtography
Christopher Ludwig & Dakota Berger
12
A scene at the LA Natural History Museum that is familiar to millions.
Here Come the Dinosaurs
Staff Report
People have been taking bets on
what unusual event will occur this
month and if you placed your bets on
dinosaurs, you win!!!
For over a century people from
around the world have been inspired
by the dinosaurs at the Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles
County. Dinosaur fossils are just
some of the 12 million specimens
that comprise NHM’s paleontology
collection, which is the largest on the
West Coast.
Celebrate this rich history of
exploration and the impressive
collection, by joining in a weeklong,
online festival celebrating dinosaurs,
their prehistoric past and the
science that brings their world
back to life. Meet world renowned
paleontologists from the Museums
Dinosaur Institute, dig into hand on
activities at home, and explore the
famous Dinosaur Hall and the world’s
only Tyrannosaurus Rex growth
series online.
Begin the journey on Tuesday,
September 22nd with a live Paleo chat.
During this discussion attendees
will meet Erika Durazo and Valeria
Jaramillo, two alumni of Proyecto
Dinosaurios [Project Dinosaurs].
They will share their journey into
paleontology and their favorite
excavation will be moderated
by Michelle Barboza, Science
Communicator and Professor of
Geology at California State University,
Fullerton. Tune in at 11:30 with the kids
for the live animal program ‘Survivors
of the Dino Age’, to find out which
animals actual survived the great
extinction and why.
Meet on of the Dinosaur puppets
Creative Commons
and puppeteer from the Museums
Performing Arts team on Wednesday
for a virtual performance, where
you can see firsthand how these life
size puppets bring science to life. On
Wednesday afternoon join Science
Communicator, Dustin Growick in
conversation with Dinosaur National
Monument Paleontologist, ReBecca
Hunt Foster and Lead Paleontologist
of the Petrified Forest National Park,
Dr. Adam Marsh as they discuss the
scientific research that takes place on
public lands and the importance of
these national landmarks.
Thursday, September 24th,
attendees will be able to meet and
speak with museum paleontologists
Dr. Luis Chiappe, Senior Vice President
of Research and Collections; Gretchen
Augustyn, Director of the Dinosaur
Institute and Associate Curator of
the Dinosaur Institute, Dr. Nathan
Smith. They will share their journeys
in to paleontology, their favorite
excavation stories and all about the
museums fossil collection.
Winding up the week long
excitement is a Facebook Live story
time just for the kids, another dino
puppet meet and greet and digging
deeper into dinosaur’s discussion. Dr.
Lindsay Zanno, Head of Paleontology
at the North Carolina Museum of
Natural Sciences discusses what it
is like discovering new species of
dinosaurs and how these creatures
continue to inspire people of all ages.
Hands on activities will include dying
dino eggs, Dinosaur Hall Scavenger
Hunt, Dinosaur Shadow puppets and
coloring sheets.
For more information on the
festival and view the live schedule of
events visit their website at
NHM.ORG/dino-fest.
Release Me
Wyspersoul
The tapping and spattering of
small raindrops slap at the window
and roll down the glass blurring her
face.
Pressed against it hiding the pain
dripping from her eyes, her mascara
smudging and cloaking her face in a
mask of shadows ~ dark and light.
Watching the world through the
blurry glass, trees take odd shapes and
houses whir by as she tries her best to
hold herself together. Laughter erupts
in the cars around her, music blaring
out of the speakers, friendship tested
by time and trials bursts at the seams
unaware of the dying pain she felt
inside.
Assuming she was fast asleep her
face cloaked by a black hoodie, they
talk of love and sex and teasing one
another with their follies of growing
up and embarrassing mistakes made
when trying to learn. The conversation
turns to October’s adventure and
spending a week on the lake paring it
to Camp Crystal Lake.
Teasing and poking fun at one
another about haunted houses and
creepy woods that surround them,
she listens to them prattle on while
the pain of feeling lost and unattached
deepens within her heart. Why was
she here, she didn’t belong to this
group. These friends from childhood
they said …. She felt so distant so lost,
would they even notice her missing if
she was gone?
Would they be aware of her empty
presence?
The world whispers of haunted
homes and secret places but what
about haunted humans? She herself
was a haunted house; an empty soul
a dark and dusty shadowed attic. Do
people understand that souls and the
living can be hallow and haunted?
How do you explain that at night in
the quiet hours of evening time, when
hunters and innocent prey scurry
about ~ when your mind
is supposed to be resting
and quiet ~ that the empty
attic in your head comes
alive with spirit and fire?
Slithering on bellies
and crawling on knees
from the shadows, they
emerge to dance and
laugh and feed at the pain
in your soul.
The car hits a bump
and she cracks her
forehead against the glass
snapping herself back
into the present, looking
around as the trees grow
closer and the tires crunch
onto the gravel road.
Ten more minutes of
sloshing and sliding down
the road. The car pulls
into the driveway of their
home for the next week. Smiling and
in acknowledgment to her friends
their vacation begins. Everyone starts
to pull bags and boxes from the car
and head for the front door.
From behind she hears a sharp
snapping sound and turns to face it.
Looking deep into the woods, her eyes
play tricks as shadows dart and dance
from tree to shrub. Her eyes betray her
and hide the prying of those spirits
staring at her with intent.
Ignoring the calls of her friends,
she takes the first steps toward the
woods. There is a feeling in her chest, a
pull that begs her to come and play, she
feels the shadows of her mind begin to
dance and shout at the idea of chaos
being opened.
She feels the sloppy clay based
mud grab at her toes and yank her
flip flops off her bare tender feet. The
mud squishes between her toes as the
rain rolls down her face dripping over
her breast and body, sharp flashes of
lightning snap and bite at the top of
the canopy and thunder rattles in the
deepest roots of the old trees.
Short Story
As she walks deep into the woods,
darkness cradles her and the wind
whips and bites at her exposed flesh.
Unaware of how far she has walked
from the house and unaware of the
dangers swirling around her, she
saunters on, her black skirt getting
caught on the branches as she walks
by. The reach for her grabbing and
slapping her exposed pale skin. It
begins to marble from the cold wind
nipping at her thighs.
Emerging from the shadows and
standing firm in her way, brooding and
strong, she is cloaked in darkness. The
sputtering fires embers dancing off
the craggy bark catch her breath and
she stops and stares. Fear begins to
bleed out of her pores. She realizes she
is completely naked, having no idea
when her clothing was ripped from
her body. Scared wanting to turn and
run but being unable to free her feet
from the mud that was now grabbing
and locking into her ankles she is
sucked into the earth.
He steps toward her, his footsteps
rattle like the bass of a speaker, his
hand reaches for her bare exposed
throat, fingers clinching deep against
her flesh, her lungs wheeze and
whistle as oxygen becomes sparse
and her ice blue eyes grow wide in
terror. His hand lifts her dangling
body to the sky.... a quiet peace settles
over her soul as she starts to fade in
and out of consciousness. She lifts her
gaze upward as the sky seems to be
coming and going rushing at her face,
“Freedom!” he screams.
With a bright yellow flash of
brilliant energy, the woods ignite; her
body explodes into hundreds of bats
that take off, soaring up to the heavens
and the stars. Her essence is gone.
With a nod to the rising storm
he turns to the wild woods, drops
to his knees taking the form of the
wolf. With eyes intense and as silver
as moonlight, he stares into the night
watching the last few traces bats and
lets out one lone long passionate howl.
Into the deep black of the sky and
the storm, with one last glance at the
house aglow with life he turns to the
woods that consume him into the
shadows of time.
13
Feature
ParaCon Season Continues With UK’s Festival of the Unexplained
Dee Dee Mason
We all enjoy a good ghost story
don’t we and 2020 has given the world
too much of a fright. This is the time of
year when many of us look forward to
the numerous paranormal conventions.
It is Paracon season and one innovative
events company located in the United
Kingdom has decided not to let nature’s
bad timing and a pesky pandemic get in
the way.
Karen and Eddie Fray owners
of Keap Paranormal Events [KPE],a
successful West Midlands based
business branched out into running
small to medium size festivals across
the heart of England and have gained a
loyal following not only from visitors but
vendors and exhibitors as well. For the
Fray’s the move to offering their festivals
online was an obvious choice. The Fray’s
knew they needed the right team and so
the search began.
It took a couple of months; many
emails, phone calls and planning to bring
everything together but finally after the
majority of the work load was dealt with,
they needed to add the final touches and
begin the massive marketing plan.
Doing due diligence, Mason & Gant
Multimedia Group was recommended.
MG was established in 2016 and would be
able to provide all the digital marketing.
The Frays were impressed by how MGMG
responded and decided it was a good fit.
MG also runs an Indi content
department and is in their first season
of a new paranormal web series entitled
True Paranormal Blogs. MG created
a brand new website within a week,
established a brand for the festival
and set out to market Festival of the
Unexplained.
Things to Do for Halloween 2020
Stranger Things - Drive Into Experience
This Stranger Things-themed experience will
bring the Netflix series to life with an hour-long
adventure that transports visitors to Hawkins
and the Starcourt Mall circa 1985. And as the name
implies, you’ll be able to take it all in from the safety
of your own car. Hatched by the UK’s wildly creative
Secret Cinema, the experience will take groups of
24 cars at a time through “a world of bitchin’ tunes,
mullets and monster hunts,” including sets complete
with actors in costume and special effects. You’ll
drive through the Starcourt Mall, Russian labs and
the Upside Down and stop for extended periods of
time at each to see different scenes play out.
LA’s Haunted Hayride
Like seemingly all pop culture horror
experiences, this year’s Haunted Hayride is headed to
your car. For its 12th installment, the annual hayride
is pivoting into a “live drive up experience.” All from
within the safety of your car, you’ll venture down “All
Hallows Lane” for a slew of Halloween-y elements,
14
Festival of the Unexplained was host
to exhibitors such as …… who were able
to showcase their wares and services to
international customers from all over
the world.
Karen and Eddie sourced, booked
and confirmed a plethora of guest
speakers all with their own established
name in the paranormal world. There
were psychic mediums and witches
such asKatherine Sorilos; Marti/Michael
Parry and Thoth Witchcraft. Vlogers
Nicholas Bonanni of Haunted Diary,
Courtney Mroch of Haunt Jaunts, and
Dee Dee Mason True Paranormal Vlogs.
The two day festival held August
28th and 29th was a massive success that
has created a new type of fan following
who proudly and loudly demanded
another festival.
That is why the Frays have thrown
themselves right back into organizing
including a show screened on a 40-foot screen, scenic
environments from previous hayrides and live
characters from Midnight Falls—the sort of Sons
of Anarchy meets Twin Peaks setting from last
year’s traditional hayride. The switch to a car-based
experience isn’t the only major change: Griffith Park,
where the hayride has previously set up, simply
couldn’t accommodate a trail of cars, so instead the
event is moving a ways east to Bonelli Regional Park
in San Dimas.
Urban Legends Haunt
Halloween is basically canceled and seemingly
every other event in SoCal has made the jump to the
drive through. So it was only a matter of time: A drivethrough
haunted house is coming to Costa Mesa.
Urban Legends of Southern California will roll into
the OC Fair & Event Center most evenings in October.
The experience will translate bits of spooky folklore
into a series of special effects and creature-filled
sets, plus three interactive show zones that you can
park inside of. The event comes from the producers
of Winter Fest OC and the creators of the Queen
Mary’s Dark Harbor. As you might expect, you’ll need
to remain in your vehicle the entire time and keep to
a 3mph speed limit.
Hauntoween Los Angeles
Trick or treating will look a little different this
year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the whole
family together for a drive-through experience to get
spooky. Coming to Woodland Hills on October 9th, a
new Haunt’oween L.A. event promises jack-o’-lantern
tunnels, pumpkin picking, family-friendly sights
another event for Halloween week
October 24th and 25th , making it
bigger and better, overloaded with
everything that you could expect from
the best virtual paranormal convention.
Guests will include more international
interviews from across the globe and
will be the world’s first ParaCon to run
36 hours.
If you missed the first festival, no
need to sit and sigh, head over to the
dedicated website at:
www.festivaloftheunexplained.
com and catch up then save the date for
their next Paracon.
Check out Keap Paranormal Events
at www.keapinsidetheparanormal.co.uk
For your digital and marketing
needs head to Mason & Gant Multimedia
Group at www.mgmultimediagroup.
com
and even a bit of “door-to-door” trick or treating—all
socially distanced, of course. The new drive-through
event will run through Halloween and comes by way
of Experiential Supply, a company that recreates
sets and builds immersive activations for big-budget
movies like IT and Ready Player One. If you want to
keep the memory of Halloween going all year round,
and don’t we all, every car gets a photo op and a green
screen video to remember the trek.
Halloween Horror Nights
Confront familiar foes at Universal Studios’
annual Halloween festivities, where big-budget
scares meet iconic horror movie characters. Navigate
multiple mazes and scare zones—this year’s themed
attractions include the return of a Stranger
Things maze plus ones based on Ghostbusters, Killer
Klowns from Outer Space, Creepshow, House of 1000
Corpses, “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” and
“Holidayz in Hell.”
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