An Inspiring Film

I went to see The King's Speech the other day. Really enjoyed it. I came away with three things on my mind:1. I had been so engrossed in the film that I didn't realise I had been sitting there for over two hours until the credits began to roll.2. It's a simple story. A man – albeit the King – has a speech impediment. He hires an expert to help him overcome his difficulty. The chap cures him. Yet they...

The Rhine Research Center

Whenever I think of parapsychology, images from Ghostbusters leap to mind.  I see Ray and Igon telling the dean about their research right before they lose tenure and are asked to leave the University.  The truth about parapsychology as a field can be found at the Rhine Research Center.  The Rhine Research Center...

The Haunting of Halcyon House

Halcyon House is one of the most prominent and historical houses in the Georgetown area.  It sits beside the Potomac with a quiet, historic beauty that invites ghost stories and its history doesn't disappoint.  Halcyon House was built by Benjamin Stoddert, the first secretary of the US Navy.   The...

The Archetypes of Hauntings

The more I read about hauntings and discuss hauntings the more I have come to believe that hauntings fall into very similar categories and types.  I am open to disagreement on this subject, but it seems  to me that no matter where you are in the world most hauntings fall into one of several categories.  In psychology...

One Small Step

I often see comments by writers in blogs and magazines who claim that almost every time they tell someone what they do for a living they get the response 'I'd love to write a book'. They then go on to reflect on why these people don't do just that so I thought I'd put forward my own ideas. To me it's very simple. Writing is BLOODY HARD WORK.O.k. maybe it's not too difficult to think up a scenario...

Holding Lawyers

From: Mr. Donald Lee Subject: RE: REQUEST FOR YOUR RETAINERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP AS COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE. Date: January 16, 2011 4:58:42 AM PST Reply-To: donaldlee_ceo@yahoo.comDear sir, My name is Mr Thomas Donald Lee the C.e.o of DONLEE HOLDINGS, HONG KONG and i require your legalrepresentation for our North American Customers to help me receieve payment with your TRUST ACCOUNT and i will...

The Cemetery in the Snow

It rarely snows in the South.  It snows so rarely that all of life seems to freeze when the first snow flake hits the ground.  School stops, work stops, the stores are quiet.  The snow casts a strange silence in the South and I couldn't help but wonder what the cemetery would look like draped in quiet white.  ...

All is quiet

Things have been slowing down in the phisherman arena. I am sure this is, in part, because I am not listed on some of the sites that I formally did. So, for fun, I am throwing this beauty up. Honestly, if you even considered this one for a second, you should not have made it through law school. From: Webmail Administrator. Subject: Verify Your E-mail Account Date: January 15, 2011 10:30:44 AM...

The Ghosts of Antarctica

 Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest continent in the world.   It is also the loneliest continent in the world.  The very whisper of its name brings to mind images of desolate snow covered landscapes and abandoned, snow covered towns wrapped in silence and ice.   When I was...

The Haunting of Snow Hill Inn

If I were a rich woman,  I would have bought this house.  Snow Hill Inn is located in Snow Hill, Maryland and until very recently it was for sale.   The Inn at Snow Hill has been many things.  Its been a post office, a doctor's office, an apartment building, and an inn.  It is a beautiful colonial...

From: Rika Takahashi Subject: ENQUIRY Date: January 9, 2011 1:45:15 PM PST Reply-To: rika-taka7730@hotmail.comDear Counsel,My name is Rika Takahashi. I am contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex husband Landscott Takahashi who resides in your jurisdiction.I am currently on assignment in S.Korea. We had an out of Courtagreement (Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to...

Alice's Short Version

A short one from Alice. From: Alice Goldbery Subject: RE: Legal Consultation (Divorce Settlement) Date: January 9, 2011 10:48:34 AM PST To: undisclosed-recipients:; Reply-To: alicegoldbery@aol.com-- Attention:counsel,My name is Alice Goldbery. I am soliciting for your legal consultationagainst the divorce settlement with my ex-husband (Allen .G.Goldbery) whoresides in your jurisdiction. I...

Should We Fear Ghosts?

The long history of ghosts and ghost stories is deeply rooted in horror and fear.   From such classic horror stories as The Haunting to the ghost lore that saturates folklore ghost stories are given a malevolent quality.  They are told around the campfire to scare children and they are brought out at Halloween...

The Cathedral of Learning

 Last year I went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a writer's conference.  While I was there,  I met a young writer who had a passion for ghosts and ghost stories.  She was working on a young adult novel about a ghost hunter.   I was lucky enough to  have her give me a tour of her home town,...

A Look Back at 2010

It is now officially 2011 and a new year has begun.   New Years day is traditionally a day to make resolutions and plans for a better year, it is also a time to look back.  I did a lot of blogging last year and it is interesting to me which of my posts were the most successful.   The posts I spend the most time on and love the most usually aren't always the ones...

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to all our readers - as they used to say in the Beano.Is it really 50 years since Biffo the Bear wrote 1961 on a wall and stood on his head to prove it read the same upside-down? Of course it was - do the maths!Those were the days. When teachers were literate, only men had tattoos and us kids were actually encouraged to eat the fatty bits on meat because it 'put hairs on your chest'....