Murder: Unsolved Cases
29 Tuesday Mar 2022
Posted Ghost Education 101, Unsolved Murders
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29 Tuesday Mar 2022
Posted Ghost Education 101, Unsolved Murders
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23 Thursday Dec 2021
Posted Ghost Education 101
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17 Sunday Oct 2021
Posted Ghost Education 101, Halloween, History, Rituals, Traditions
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I was honored to present “Haunted Halloween: Traditions, Superstitions, and True Crime” last week for Ghost Education 101. If you missed it, check out the Facebook link, https://www.facebook.com/GhostEducation101/. I was a last minute substitution; however, I was ready!
The three rituals I discussed were made up to help ease a female’s mind when she was worried about whom she would marry. The “Finding a Suitor” was done after the young adults played Snap Apple. Snap Apple was a game where an apple was attached to a stick or a string and lowered in front of couples. The first female and male (which did not need to be already a couple) to bite into the apple were headed to alter for marriage. Or so the legend told.
Here is a lovely oil painting by Daniel Maclise called Snap Apple Night (1833). In 1832, Daniel attended a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland. The painting inspired the lively work of art.
It’s worth noting that these rituals were created for the purpose of marrying off women. They are when women were told that their worth was intrinsically linked to a husband. This is no longer true. In fact, I would love for these games to be updated, reflecting our changing attitudes regarding gender identity.
The image is from Gecko Galz, an online digital products company found on Etsy. The image is a cabinet card, a photographic portraiture consisting of a thin photograph mounted on card stock. It was popular from 1870 until 1924, when people desired varying sizes for displaying and keeping photographs, specifically in photo albums. The origins of the name is unclear; however, it may have become vernacular as people originally displayed these photographs in their parlors. By the early 1900s, the Eastman Kodak Company was selling an inexpensive portable pre-loaded camera. People wanted to take their own pictures. This led to the cabinet card demise.
I’ll be sharing more Halloween tidbits and factoids in the coming weeks. If you’re looking for Halloween and Horror movie suggestions, check out the ones I’ve posted in prior years. I’ve broken the films down into different genres and types. There’s something for everyone! Happy Halloween!
13 Wednesday Oct 2021
Posted Ghost Education 101, Halloween, Haunted Houses, Superstitions, Traditions, True Crime, True Ghost Stories
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Tomorrow night (October 13th) at 9 PM EST, I will be stepping in to chat about the 2nd most popular holiday in America: Halloween.
Due to last minute changes in scheduling, I am thrilled to bring you tales of fright, based in facts to whet your appetite for the upcoming holiday. Join me in the Ghost Education 101 Facebook Group for a LIVE stream, where I will take questions & the chat room will be open, OR watch the encore episode on the Ghost Education 101 YouTube channel.
This is guaranteed to be spooktacular!
18 Saturday Sep 2021
Posted Christmas, Ghost Education 101
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16 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted Ghost Education 101, Midnight.FM, Paranormal Education, The Haunted Librarian Radio Show
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Alex Matsuo joins Lesia this Thursday night.
Show Description:
Podcasts and YouTube videos are incredibly popular, especially paranormal themed ones. Due to COVID, a lot of ghost investigations have been sidelined. Alex makes several suggestions on how to cope during the quarantine. In addition, author of 4 books on the paranormal, Alex proffers insight into paranormal investigations and other topics, shares some of her stories, and talks about joining Tik Tok and the Ripple Effect challenge on The Haunted Librarian Show.
Bio:
Alex is a paranormal researcher, singer, and author. She is the founder of the Association of Paranormal Study and runs the blog and YouTube channel, Singing & Spooky Stuff. She was recently seen on Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America, as well as Truth or Legends in Your Hometown. In addition, she is the host of the podcast, Informal Paranormal. Alex has written several books about the paranormal including, The Brave Mortal’s Guide to Ghost Hunting, The Haunting of the Tenth Avenue Theatre, More than Ghosts: A Guide to Working Residential Cases in the Paranormal Field, and The Haunted Actor. She holds an MA in theatre from San Diego State University and currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Social Media Links:
YouTube.com https://www.youtube.com/user/athespiangirl
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/matsuoalex/
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Alex-Matsuo/e/B00I4JEKR8%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
12 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted Gadgets, Ghost Education 101, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal Education
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You don’t need to purchase expensive gadgets to investigate. There are plenty of household items at your disposal that may generate better results. I learned of a few watching the Facebook Live Ghost Education 101 session with Philip Wyatt, as host, and Heather Leigh Landon, who presented “Non-Technical Paranormal Investigation Tools” last Tuesday. Here is a link to the presentation: https://www.facebook.com/101483755012255/videos/974627249720267. All of the panels are archived and accessible online. While I own quite a bit of the items mentioned, I did not own an electroscope; therefore, I made one!
From the YouTube creators Science Buddies, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=wso0FqcnG7g&fbclid=IwAR3gm8kgYKUA0L3jsN4rGCE_TZXsgs5TLqtJIMGvgY3WU10bzoDc8oBqoRU&app=desktop, I learned how to create an electroscope from items I already owned. It was rather easy to make and more fun to experiment with.
The electroscope works on the static electricity theory whereby everyone produces static electricity. Although there is much discussion on whether a person who dies maintains her energy, the concept presumes that a ghost has energy and gives off that energy that can be measured with different paranormal tools. The electroscope measures these electrically charged ions that are not visible to the naked eye. The electroscope that I made measures the static electricity when the teardrop-shaped aluminum foil resist and pull apart.
Make your own with the following items:
Watch the short video from the link and create your own electroscope.
In order to test the theory, you will need a piece of Styrofoam and piece of wool. You will also need the remaining hanger from above. Rub the Styrofoam over the wool to create static electricity. Then bring the Styrofoam close to the curved metal without touching it. Notice how the aluminum foil pulls apart. It will be slight. Next, rub the Styrofoam over the piece of wool. Again, bring the Styrofoam close to the curved metal. The aluminum foil teardrops will close back together. Finally, rub the Styrofoam over the wool. This time touch the Styrofoam to the curved metal. The aluminum foil will noticeably pull apart. This is how static electricity works.
Of course, my homemade electroscope decided to work differently. The foil might be too thin. The teardrops move together. I had to take them out and flatten them more in order for them to hang together touching. Once I did that, bingo—it started to work! The flaps separate quickly. I didn’t even need the wool (I reside in Atlanta and don’t own any wool clothing). All I did was rub the Styrofoam on my cotton shorts.
In ghost hunting, the electroscope measures when a ghost passes by as the aluminum foil will separate and pull apart, showing that static electricity is near or touching the curved metal. The key is for no one to be walking or resting near the electroscope. This invalidates the experiment.
Once I begin investigating again, I will bring my homemade electroscope along to test out. I will keep you posted on any developments!
07 Monday Sep 2020
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Posted by The Haunted Librarian | Filed under Ghost Education 101
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07 Monday Sep 2020
Posted Ghost Education 101
in≈ Comments Off on Ghost Education 101: A Paranormal Forum Live Streaming on FB
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With COVID suspending real time paranormal investigations, turn to a new online paranormal forum that live streams panel discussions. Barely one month old, Ghost Ed brings experts in the field onto panel discussions ranging from how to complete an investigation from start to finish to drilling down on popular topics like poltergeists. The monthly streams are on Tuesday evenings at 9 PM EST. Viewers are encouraged to participate and to ask questions. This is the perfect opportunity to strengthen your paranormal wheelhouse in order to put this new information to use once we can begin to safely conduct investigations post-COVID. The next live stream discussion titled “Non-Technical Paranormal Investigation Tools” is Tuesday, September 8th at 9 PM EST.
For more information, check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GhostEducation101/?ref=page_internal.
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