Are paranormal "field trips" a rip off?

The cast of Paranormal state is throwing another one of its field trips, this one in New Orleans, according to its website (www.parafieldtrip.com) I must admit I am drawn to the idea of going on a field trip to a location with seasoned investigators, several informational and/or enternatining tours, and a legit investigation of a haunted location. At the very least it is a mini-vaca where you can meet some TV stars, not so bad. But then you notice it is a $250 for a regular ticket, $500 for a "full experience" ticket, plus hotel, plus flights, plus food and souvies, etc. Upon further reading that "Extended Ticket holders get everything listed in the Full Experience ticket, plus an extra day with the crew" the description is a little too vague for my liking. Can $250 bucks really be worth that extra day? Or am I overly judgmental in this instance?

Back in the day, as they say, I attended several volleyball camps and clinics during the summer months when I was on summer vacation. Not only me, but both my sisters as well attended minimum 2 volleyball and 1 basketball camps PER summer. Obviously the price varies depending on the quality of instruction, facilities and how many days the camp extended, but our Northern Lights volleyball all skills camps (the best one we went to) was four days, six hours per session, with some of the best instruction for a price tag of $275, per kid. Also, this did not include my parents having to drive us 45 min to Burnsville, MN (oneway).

To take it one step further, the latest I heard to purchase super bowl tickets was $2500! In the end, all these prices would not be set at what they are unless people were willing to pay them. Spend your money how you want to, if I didn't need to pay for a flight and hotel I probably would go on a paranormal field trip. It would be fun to see how "real" the cast members are, plus network with others in the paranormal field. And to meet chip coffey or Lorraine Warren would be crazy-cool! So hopefully they do something in Boston coming up!

Ghosts Use Cell Phones

So this article leaves me wanting more, but it is an interesting, and intuitive concept. If ghosts are able to interact with voice recording devices or EMF detectors, it follows that they most likely will be able to interact with cell phones in some way. Now if only I could get Jonathan's number (he's the ghost that "haunts" my parent's house). I'm sure there will be more news of this regard in the future, so I will keep this short and sweet.

http://www.sify.com/news/paranormal-expert-claims-ghosts-are-using-cell-phones-to-contact-friends-news-international-kkxpaegaeee.html

Devil's Toy Box

According to some people, mirrors can be used to create a portal to the "other side" in a similar fashion to Ouiji boards. The idea is that two mirrors facing eachother will be reflected into infinity, although how this suddenly becomes a portal to the other side is beyond me. Mirrors carry many superstitions, the most obvious one that if you break a mirror you will have seven years of bad luck. Saying the words Candyman or Bloody Mary into a mirror in darkened room a certain number of times will result in them appearing on the other side is another superstition that mirrors have. Although the idea of mirrors carrying these special functions is entertaining, I hold that mirrors remain a good way to decorate your house and check out your teeth, and have no paranormal qualities whatsoever.

The Devil's Toy Box is a concept I have only just come across and I thought I would spread the word on this fishy piece of flimflammery. To make one, simple take six mirror squares, all of equal width, and glue them so their faces are inward. SUPPOSEDLY, once this is done, a portal is made and things get trapped in the box. Experimenters have heard growling noises come from within the box. Then you give it as a gift to your worst enemy, so when they open it............nothing happens! However, it would be awesome to submit this idea to Myth Busters or do experiments on your own and see if you hear any growling (besides that of your stomach, that doesn't count!)

I read about it here:

http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1450

Adora BatBrat's vampire fangs

I just had to pass this on. Enjoy.

More FAQs:

Is your first name really Adora? And your last name BatBrat? Did you have it legally changed?

Where do you work? What does your boss or co-workers think of your new fangs?

How much did it cost?

Do you really think you are a vampire? Do you or will you actually use your new fangs? For what?

I will PM her, I wonder if she will respond....

Introductions Are In Order

Welcome to the Paranormal Inquiry blog! As the name implies, my contributors and I hope to share entertaining paranormal stories, videos and pics, as well as give our take on said items. As a first post, I wanted to introduce myself as well as tell you why I became interested in the paranormal. I call myself Betty Lou, and I currently am a Biology PhD graduate student at Boston College. As of now, my goals in life include finishing school and eventually opening my own lab focused on RNA-protein binding, RNA mutagenesis, and early RNA evolution (including the beginnings of life). Where did I come from? My hometown is in southern Minnesota where I attended Roman Catholic pre-school through high school; however, I would not call myself religious in any fashion at this point in my life. I went to UW-Green Bay for college where I played DI vball for four years, then I got a real job in a genetics lab for two years. February 2010 I decided to attend Boston College for my PhD studies and moved here in July.

The paranormal has always held a certain fascination with me. I grew up watching “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and reading Goosebumps books. At sleepovers, my friends and I would always watch scary movies like Scream. When I hit my teens I began hearing the supposedly real haunting stories, as well as UFO and cryptozoological stories, thanks to the internet. Although I always find paranormal stories entertaining, I firmly believe 99% of them have a natural explanation (and sometimes that explanation is that the story was made up). I have never in my life had a paranormal experience, and I look forward to the day that I do. The things that really interest me are the scientific explanations for paranormal happenings. For instance,

How exactly to EVP’s occur? Why do they only show up when the recording is played back?

Are near death experiences real? Can it be measured effectively?

What type of brain functioning makes some people identify themselves as vampires, mediums, psychics, werewolves, witches, and so on? How do their brain chemistries differ from a “normal” persons?

How legit or not legit is Paranormal TV? My gut tells me not very, but as Carl Sagan always said, “I try not to think with my gut. If I’m serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me into trouble”. Therefore, I hope to examine the evidence of all these questions and more in future posts. I hope to find some cool science mixed in with the paranormal, but I will also post anything just downright entertaining as well. Le chaim!