Paranormal Opinion: Bigfoot/Loch Ness Monster - Do I Believe?

(One of the most famous "Bigfoot" pictures around. This is from the short 1963 film, Patterson-Gimlin, which claims to show evidence of Bigfoot. However, some people believe it is just a man in a gorilla costume.)

The quick answer is, I doubt it. I know this is going to make Bigfoot experts and advocates of his existence very mad, but this is just an opinion. Like it's your opinion he does exist. "HE DOES!" That's okay. No need for a temper tantrum. I'm not here to shit all over your beliefs. Only to talk about what I think.

My mother is a fan of the Bigfoot shows. Any time there's "proof" she always has to tell me to change the channel and I tell her no. A very blunt, no, too. Don't waste my time. First of all, I don't believe anything from some reality TV show in desperate need for ratings is a valid source. That's also the main reason why I don't watch paranormal shows. I never trust anything attached to Hollywood as evidence. They need something to keep those ratings up and the higher the ratings, the more advertising money they receive.

For all we know, it could be just some wise ass dressing up, strutting past a (oddly enough) terrible camera and all of the sudden we have "evidence." People do find the fact that the cameras are always crappy kind of odd, right?

Secondly, like I tell her or anyone else that brings Bigfoot up, with all the technology we have, we've should've found evidence of Bigfoot's existence. I mean, if we can find the Titanic in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, then surely we can find a big, hairy, humanoid "monster." "Yeah, well, they knew where the Titanic sank, so bad example." Fair enough, I suppose. But with all the sightings of Bigfoot pinpointed in certain areas, then what's the difference? Unless, of course, he/it doesn't stick to one area for too long, then I can see your point.

I'm not saying Bigfoot outright doesn't exist. There is a difference between doubt and certainty. I doubt it, but I'm not certain of it. It's a lot like the Loch Ness Monster. Again, there's photographic "evidence", but even some of those have been proven to be faked or the photographer admitted it was fake (sources: 1, 2), but despite proof, people just won't let it go. Much like people who are obsessed with "orbs." Those have been proven, by science, to be nothing more but specks of dust or bugs. But people are determined to prove you wrong, even though in the end they're wrong, which is commendable in its own strange way, but at the end of the day, you're only looking like a fool in the end if you just can't accept it.

Bigfoot is a different bag, though. The legend has never been proven to be fake, but then again, it's never been proven to exist either.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I do doubt it. Especially with all the advances in technology, but then again, we can't be in all places at once. Maybe someone is just in the right place at the right time. It would be cool if Bigfoot did exist, but then again, it wouldn't. They'd probably catch him and turn him into an exhibit.

The Bull Truth: Bigfoot Conspiracy Revealed! with Bufford "Bull" Chitter

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first edition of Bull Truth with your host, the factual actual news correspondent, Bufford "Bull" Chitter. Take it, Bull!

Good evening, readers. Today we bring you the truth to the Bigfoot conspiracy.

Bigfoot, seen here either gesturing a simple hello or signaling that he is going to bash your skull in with a rock and drink your brains, has been a prospect of truth or lies since ... a very long time. People have been trying to find Bigfoot for decades and with new technology becoming more advanced, we may find him sooner rather than later. 

Or never? Hmm. I got your attention now, do I? Of course. 

Last week I took a trip out to Arkansas, (actually pronounced ark-en-sauce, although the locals kept telling me differently and giving me weird, disdainful looks) because of a call I received by a man who wants to tell the truth about the Bigfeet. The man wanted to meet on the outskirts of a camp at a small eatery. I figured that it was just some dumb, bucktooth hillbilly who wants to make his mama proud. I brought my Local to Yokel Dictionary with me just in case.

However, the man I met was not some idiot looking to impress his trailer park mama, but a man of sophistication. I was able to snap a photo of him while he was not looking. 

(He told me he bought it at Harry's Hairy and Scary "Clothes for Cryptos in Disguise" Outlet Store) 

When I approached the man, I didn't smell a stankly stench that gave my nose an aneurysm. I smelled a euphoric flower palace that gave my nose an orgasm. He told me it was the last gift his wife gave to him. Already we have a story.

I asked him, because I had a feeling: "Are you the Bigfeet?"

"Aye am, but not THE, a Bigfeet," he says. "And there are more like me. We're almost in the triple digits." 

Why, I almost spit out my overly priced Starbucks Coffee when he told me that. "Triple digits!?"

"Yes. And I got something else you need to know ... we're not really the cryptozoologic myths they keep on telling people we are."

I lean and I ask, "What are you then?"

He peers over his shoulder and then the other. There's nobody there. "I'm not supposed to tell, but we're going to keep my name confidential, right?" I nod (his name is Robert Chalowski. I think he gave me a fake alias, anyways, so no harm done). "The truth is, we're you."

"Me?" 

"We're humans."

"WHAT?!" I said with overwhelming shock. "How?"

"Most of us Bigfeet were married at one point in our lives. But our wives wanted too much out of us. I mean, we don't ask for much. A beer, maybe a sandwich, a (deleted in case my readers get offended by oral sex acts). But not much! So, we quit our jobs, packed our bags, and made our way out into the wild. We got hairy to adapt to the cold; we got big with muscles, because we eat mostly vegetation and walk everywhere. The point is, I'm telling you this to let the public know. Let the wives and girlfriends know ... treat your man better or you can see him later. Or actually never, because I don't think they will take us back like this. I mean, the only pleasure I've gotten in the past twenty three years is from a hole in a tree for crying out loud. You're not going to put that part in there, right?" (He'll never see this. They don't sell newspapers in Arkansauce, I don't think. I tell the whole story, because my readers deserves the Bull Truth!) 

With that, he bid me farewell and told me to tell his story to the whole world. On my way home, I thought about what he said. I thought he was full of it. But I remember something from my childhood. It was shortly after my dad left my mom and a hairy guy would visit me in my room that I realized ... 

Ron Perlman was Harry in Harry and the Henderson's!*

And with that, I realized the man who wanted to remain anonymous (real name: Robert Chalowski) is telling the truth. All because I remembered Ron Perlman running away from his wife and joining John Lithgow's family - the Henderson's. 

I, Bufford "Bull" Chitter, uncovered that truth for you! Because that's how we do on the Bull Truth! Take care and speed God. 

*You're the man, Ron Perlman. It's just a joke article! Hellboy for life! 

The Reigning Champion

Right next to the Jersey Devil and the Loch Ness Monster.

Manipulated Photos by Chris Chaos

"Manipulated Photos"
by Chris Chaos

On the internet there are many photos of unexplained ghosts, UFOs, beasts and odd occurrences that were captured from people around the world. Now with the low cost of computers, software, video cameras and photographic cameras available to the masses, there has been an explosion of intentionally faked videos and photos appearing on the net. It is quite simple for an intermediate computer user to successfully produce a somewhat convincing ghost photo.

       Over the years there have been many hucksters claiming to have evidence of Bigfoot, The Jersey Devil, ghosts, UFOs and various other spooks and specters. Ranging from video, photos, footprints, sound recordings and tufts of hair, they have not been in short supply. In the past, someone even painted a kangaroo green and tried to pass it off as The Jersey Devil and we all know of the famous Bigfoot video of the Patterson-Gimlin film (http://www.ourbigfoot.com/famous_bigfoot_videos.html) Then there are the dogs, coyotes or other members of the canine family that may have been shaved, mutilated or suffer from mange that people pass off as the Chucacabra. Some public presentations of cryptids, ghosts and the unknown may be out of greed, the seeking of fame, an intentional, mistake or sheer ignorance. A perfect example of sheer ignorance would be when we (Axis Video/Pine Barren Films) were filming the documentary, "The Search for the Jersey Devil", we stopped at a farm stand that claimed to have the skull of the Jersey Devil. It was interesting to say the least, but in all reality, if someone that had a little knowledge and experience with anatomy and wild life, they would see that in fact it was not a skull at all and would have given a proper explanation as to what the man at the farm stand actually was holding.

        Other examples are faked gaffes intended to fool the viewers into thinking that a beast has been captured, an example is the gaffe in this photo that was passed off as the Jersey Devil.

       The next is a photo of what the news report stated was the Jersey Devil in someone's backyard. Later on an alternative angle photograph surfaced and it showed what it truly was, a hairless squirrel. There were many things wrong with this story in relation to the Jersey Devil, first, the photo was actually taken in Oklahoma and not in New Jersey. Second, the creature in the photo beared NO resemblance to the Jersey Devil, no wings, no cloven hooves and was too tiny in stature, etc etc.

      There are even apps for your Android or I-Phone that you can insert ghosts into your existing photos. Anyone with a computer and a little bit of photo editing skill can easily make a somewhat convincing ghost photo. Prime example is as follows:

The 1st photo is the original, an early photo of a little girl standing next to a chair.

The 2nd photo has been edited, the background was cropped out, the colors altered, the image blurred and ran through various filters.

The 3rd photo was also manipulated by being cropped, grey scaled/black and white effect added, a soft filter applied and her eyes removed.

        Now if these altered images were added into a modern photo backdrop and properly blended in, they could be convincing to the untrained mind or a believer looking for confirmation and evidence that ghosts do exist.

      For the viewer of videos/photos that are presented on the internet, they go to a site with the assumption that they will find something and that their creature of choice DOES exist. For an example, when a believer in aliens and UFOs sees something unexplainable they automatically assume that it IS an alien or a UFO. They look for clues that confirm their own biases and discount any evidence that contradicts their assumptions. Same example for a so called ghost hunter, they hear stories that a location is haunted, go to investigate and collect "evidence" that is unexplainable to them and conclude that the location is haunted, all the while ignoring any collected negative evidence. Another example is "Jesus in the toast". Religious people will see a random pattern in burnt toast that resembles Jesus, other people might see Charles Manson and even more might see a slight resemblance to a human face and call it pareidolia.

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/Cursedbook

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)

Survey: Which (if any) do you believe exists?

Paranormal Humor: Bigfoot's Profile Pictures

Paranormal Humor: The Answer is A Lot!

The Poltergeist Effect by Chad Stambaugh

The Poltergeist Effect: The key to all Paranormal?

If a stressed individual can cause poltergeist activity, can a stressed society unconsciously create such phenomena as ghosts, UFOs, and monsters?

OF ALL PHENOMENA that are considered paranormal, poltergeist activity has been the most fascinating to me because there are physical manifestations. These are not fleeting apparitions or elusive shadow people glimpsed in one's peripheral vision, these are physical acts:
•Objects fly from tabletops
•Doors and cabinets slam open and shut
•Furniture is moved or even thrown about
•Stuff breaks and people are pushed and pinched
•Water drips inexplicably from ceilings
•Stones rain down from clear skies
•Objects - apports - appear out of thin air

In addition to these, there are unexplained crashing sounds, wall pounding, music, and odors from unidentifiable sources. Not all of these things happen in every poltergeist case, but these things (and much more) do happen and have been documented in case after case for centuries. There are multiple witnesses to these events, including scientists and police officers, and many volumes have been written about them.

I have witnessed first-hand a highly stressed person who caused sparks to shoot out of wall sockets and thick glass to shatter.

While for a long time these effects were attributed to ghosts and demons, most (not all) paranormal researchers think that these amazing phenomena are not caused by the spirit world, but by the minds of the person or people involved (called agents), who are usually under some physical, emotional or psychological stress.

MIND OVER MATTER

Think of it: the most spectacular - and arguably best documented - of all phenomena is caused by consciousness, usually working on a subconscious level. Consciousness manipulating matter. We do not yet understand how this works. Perhaps it has something to do with quantum mechanics, or perhaps some other mysterious effect we cannot yet comprehend. We don't have the mathematics for it.

Anyone who has seriously and open-mindedly investigated the phenomena, however, cannot deny that they occur. We don't yet know how to fit them into our rationalist, scientific view of the world. That is why the skeptics deny their existence: "It can't be real, therefore it isn't." But this is a very limited view of the world (and of reality), and history has shown time and again that those who deny the "impossible" ("space flight is impossible") have been proved wrong.

So, if consciousness, working on some level that we do not understand, can generate the amazing range of physical phenomena recorded in poltergeist cases, of what else is it capable?

A possible answer to that question may be that it is capable of almost anything. Perhaps it is capable of manifesting a wide array of phenomena that have proved unexplained and elusive, including:
•Ghosts and apparitions
•UFOs and aliens, including abductions
•Creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and Mothman
•Bizarre cases of missing time and slips in time
•Miracles and religious apparitions
•"Demonic" manifestations and possession

TULPAS AND CREATED REALITY

Perhaps all of these things that elude and frustrate researchers are not things outside of ourselves; perhaps they are generated and brought into the physical world - if only for a short time - by our own consciousness. They are all in our heads; or maybe more accurately, out of our heads (or wherever our consciousness lies).

In Tibetan Buddhism, such thought forms or creations are called "tulpas". As anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz describes it , "The process consists of giving palpable being to a visualization, in very much the same manner as an architect gives concrete expression in three dimensions to his abstract concepts after first having given them expression in the two-dimensions of his blue-print."

The difference with the paranormal phenomena described above is that we might be creating them on an unconscious level rather than consciously. But the intention for them exists in the deepest fears and highest desires of an individual or large groups (even entire cultures) of people.

Let me emphasize that because these phenomena might be brought about by consciousness does not make them any less real. What is reality, after all, other than all that we perceive with our senses? And that reality might only be temporary, which accounts for the elusive nature of these phenomena.

It has been rightly argued that it is not helpful to explain an unexplained phenomenon by offering another unexplained phenomenon. And I suppose that's what I am doing here. But it is a way, perhaps, to think about these phenomena in a different way and to consider that they all might have a common genesis.

GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS

If the unconscious mind can cause a heavy piece of furniture to slide across a room on its own, could it not just as easily create an apparition of recently deceased grandma, or a shadow person, or any of the other variety of ghostly entities reported? Could it not even relay a message of comfort the living witness needs to hear? Perhaps it could even relate knowledge unknown to the witness by tapping into the greater "collective unconscious."

Such a power could cause the manifestation of a "residual haunting" by triggering the repeating event that is somehow recorded on the environment (again, by consciousness). "Intelligent hauntings" could be created by the desire of the individual(s) to encounter them. Let me say again, this does not mean they are imaginary.

If you don't think this is possible, read about the Philip Experiment, in which the Toronto Society for Psychical Research "created" a ghost along with all of its ghostly phenomena.

Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) perhaps are not the voices of spiritual entities at all, but the creations of the subconscious minds of the paranormal investigators - unconscious thought physically encoded in the voice recorder.

UFOs AND ALIENS

In his 1958 book Flying Saucers, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung famously speculated on the psychic impact of the "modern myth" of UFOs. "In the threatening situation of the world today," Jung wrote, "when people are beginning to see that everything is at stake, the projection-creating fantasy soars beyond the realm of earthly organizations and powers into the heavens, into interstellar space, where the rulers of human fate, the gods, once had their abode in the planets."

Jung wasn't necessarily saying that UFOs are the physical manifestations of the unconscious mind... but could they be? This would account for the improbable appearance of extraterrestrial craft in our skies that can maneuver at impossible angles and zoom away at impossible speeds.

Look into the bizarre high strangeness of many UFO and alien encounters and you may be looking into the "projection-creating fantasy" generated by the complicated psychology of mankind - and fully capable of radar hits, landing impressions, and even scoop marks on the skins of abductees.

BIGFOOT AND OTHER CREATURES

Could Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the rest of the fantastic menagerie of crypto-creatures be tulpas? They have been seen, smelled, tracked and even photographed, yet they remain frustratingly out of reach.

If they are physical creations of our collective imaginations, this would explain why they are elusive... why Bigfoot tracks sometimes seem to just end, as if the creature vanished into this air. And if a poltergeist can make it rain in a house, then the Bigfoot manifestation could leave footprints in mud and strands of hair on tree bark.

ALL THE REST OF IT

You get the idea - from time slips to religious phenomena to so-called demonic activity - they all could be the most far-out creations of consciousness.

Just as a deeply stressed agent can cause all manner of science-defying havoc in a poltergeist case, so might a profoundly stressed, psychologically complex society generate ghosts, UFOs, monsters and other phenomena into our reality, yet do not allow examination with laboratory instruments.

The older I get and the more I read not only about paranormal phenomena but about mainstream science as well, the more it becomes obvious to me that we know next to nothing about the true nature of reality, our place in the universe, and our improbable existence on this tiny planet in the unimaginable vastness of the cosmos. All is mystery.

New Feature...Starring You! (Writers Wanted)

I just went Universal Studios Orlando on you by doing that (by the way, its Disaster...Starring You! reference for those who want to know). Anyways, I've been interested in bringing in more new features on this website. One new feature I really want to do is having other writers/bloggers/journalists, etc. come on here as featured guests on Scared Sheetless. Here's how it works...

I'm always looking for readers to submit their stories of how they got into the paranormal, it can either be their first experience; an investigation; or what have you. Because this field and all the respectful people in it are not going to get any respect or redemption for the naysayers if we just lay in isolation. But on the same token, I can understand if you want to share your story, yet remain anoynomous. So send me a story and if you want your name removed, then that's fine. 

Short Story writers - I actually posted this today on my Scared Sheetless Facebook about the idea of having writers come in and post their fictional stories and surprisingly a lot people were interested in it. I actually got a guy who's going to be sending me his story soon. If you're interested, let's do a Q&A:

What kind of story are you looking for?
It has to do with the paranormal: ghosts, aliens, bigfoot. I'm also a huge fan of psychological thrillers that mess with the readers minds. If its scary - I want it! To put it bluntly. But it doesn't have to be a horror. It can be a comedy for all that matters, it just has to pertain to the paranormal. This site is Scared Sheetless after all.

If I submit my story, does it belong to Scared Sheetless?
Nope. It's your work; you put the effort into it; it's totally yours. I'm just giving you a place to show off your talents. That and I have no clue how to do copyrights anyways!

Word count?
It can actually be as long as it wants. The only thing is if its a long story, then I will have to cut it down into segments. If you have a story like that then I would like to do it as if its like a show. "Tune in next Tuesday for Chapter 2!" Or what have you.

Can I post material I have published elsewhere?
That's a thin line, I believe. I know some self-publishing companies don't care if you do, but for right now I'll say no.

I don't want to submit my entire story, but I would like to have a sample on your site. Is that fine?
By all means it is fine! You got to get your name out somehow. Unless you're already a well known name, then by all means.

Do you edit my mistakes?
By no means am I a editor or a proofreader, so no. The only way I would reject your submitted story is if the grammar is unreadable. Use Microsoft Word or Office, there good programs for finding your mistakes.

What's your rating? *Let's go with movie ratings*
I like to keep Scared Sheetless PG-13. But for the sake of this feature - I'll let it slide. That doesn't mean I want a million F bombs or sex sequences everywhere though! I do have parents who say their kids go on this website. I'll just put a warning before your story begins if its mature content. It's up to the parents to make sure what their kids are viewing or reading anyways. Unless I get a lot of complaints then I'll have to tone it down, but until then, bring it on!

I have a zombie story I would like to post on this site. Is that okay?
Sure! I mean, zombies are not really paranormal, but they are scary.

How about FanFiction?
Fan Fiction is welcomed, as long as it has a warning at the beginning that says that you don't own the characters and put the respective owners on it. For example: Say you are submitting a Ghostbusters FanFiction on here (it was the first ghost movie that came to mind), then you put down, "I do not own the characters. Harold Ramis and Dan Akyroyd are the respective creators as well as Sony Pictures." It's pretty easy.

Can I, at anytime, request for my material to be taken off?
Of course. Just send me an email requesting it.

Will my material be removed?
It will stay on the site for as long as you'd like or if Scared Sheetless was to ever "close." The only way your material will be removed is if we got a lot of complaints or you ask for it to removed.

Can I make edits to an already submitted story?
Of course. Just let me know where.

Will you have contests?
I would love to have contests for like book of the month or year. That would be great. Healthy competition is not a bad thing. It drives you to up your game. The only way I would have contests is if I get a lot of stories. If I got, say, five stories in one month then we could do a contest.

Well folks, I think that's all I have right now. Unless you have a question. If you do shoot me an email (located below.)

Submit your content at: scaredsheetlessncn@hotmail.com

Bigfoot of Bald Mountain

Bigfoot of Bald Mountain
Ossipee, NH

Bigfoot is actually a relatively new addition to the field of the paranormal, even though people have claimed to have seen him (or it) as early as 4,000 years ago written on twelve clay tablets and found in the ruins of Ninevah (which is now apart of modern-day Iraq). The writer of the story claimed that this wild, hairy creature, named Enkudu, would drink with the wild animals of the dessert in the watering hole. But, something as Enkudu or the story of him, is just an epic tale, but the thought of Bigfoot was born into myth, which some say, might be legend.

The first official sighting happened in 986 AD when Leif Ericson, a famous explorer of his time, came to what is now America and saw these beastly creatures "that were ugly, hairy, and swarthy and had black eyes." As far as I can recall in my Lisbon Regional School U.S. History days, I do not recall Mr. Younkins telling us that Christopher Columbus discovered these same creatures several centuries later in 1492

Although, Bigfoot has been seen a few notable times in New Hampshire, there is one story that I've read that I found to be quite interesting (and I'm not that much of a Bigfoot person personally.) The story I read was written by Ed Parsons of the Conway Daily Sun and depicts an event a friend of his, his girlfriend, and their dog encountered this one day while hiking in the woods one day. This man, by the name of Peter Samuelson, had been hiking the woods for forty years, but never did he know what they would experience this summer day of 1979.

The sight that Samuelson described was 100 yards away from Connor Pond where he saw a structure that would puzzle anyone. It was stones stacked onto one another and a roof made out of thatched hemlock bows; through a doorway they saw a tall, big, hairy man, who stood about 7 feet tall and was covered with gray hair about three inches long. This half-man/half animal looking creature had its back to them.

What a sight it was, Bigfoot in the flesh! How gentle he may look to those...that was until there other hairy companion started growling at him. The creature heard and started making noises himself to show that he would not be intimidated by an inferior dog. The noise startled Samuelson's girlfriend and they decided to hightail it out of there before they could see if Bigfoot was of the meat eating kind. Halfway down the mountain they realized these two revelations: 1. they had a camera; and 2. They could of gotten their experience on film.

A year later, he built up the courage to return to Bald Mountain and see if his furry friend was still around, but he was met with another awe striking sight, it was gone. All gone, there was no sign of the once structure that was there. He swears he isn't crazy, but did the big fellow just pick up and leave? Not even leaving a single crumble of rock behind?

His girlfriend, Holly, didn't join him this time around, but she did tell him a story that back in the 1890s there was another reported incident with Bigfoot in the Ossipee Range at Connor Pond. A man witnessed this hairy beast come out of the woods and chase the person's dog before it retreated back from where it came.

If there was one there in 1890s, 1970s, is there one there now?

In the next few weeks you will be seeing some new additions to Scared Sheetless. Not only will ghosts be talked about, but also I will be introducing some other elements of the paranormal as well such as UFOs. And a new addition called Scary People where I will show you that sometimes the living can be more scarier than the dead.


Sources: www.bigfoot-lives.com
www.bigfootencounters.com
Ed Parson's "Hiking: Myth versus reality of Sasquatch in Ossipee Range"-Conway Daily Sun (c) November 24th, 2006.

James Paradie is a paranormal columnist as well as a paranormal investigator who has been seen in such newspapers as the Northcountry News, Littleton Record, the White Mountain Shopper, and the Trendy Times. His stories can also been seen on paranormalnews.com and mostlyghosts.com where he is a regular contributor.

Video: Bigfoot AKA Knobby

The legendary hairy icon, Bigfoot, has been caught on camera. This latest video was caught by a person (they don't leave a name on the video description) while driving down Golden Valley Church Road. Check it out and maybe you'll see Bigfoot waving towards the end(or perhaps the person who thought they saw that is crazy---which is me.) Or maybe it's just an April's Fools joke. You decide!