"1 visitor on the site" (and that was me.. the whole time i was writing this..)

http://www.ghosthaunting.com

The website ghosthaunting.com is the official site of the “Missouri Ghost Hunters.” Apparently there is a lot of paranormal activity in Missouri because the site featured story upon story of this groups experiences with haunted places and paranormal connections. Upon entering the site one is greeted with creepy music and a black screen. In addition to this mood, ghosthaunting.com provides support to those experiencing haunting as well as information about their organization. The founders, Brian and Lisa, are a married couple that claims to be reliable ghost hunters because of their expertise in law enforcement. Brian is an ex-Federal Police officer and applies what he knows about evidence and investigation techniques to their hunts. Linda has “experienced the paranormal most of her life,” so she brings that experience as her contribution.
Much of the site is dedicated to describing each of the team members along with their contributions. This group is set apart from other ghost hunters because of the unique identity they create for themselves. They say that their goal is, “to pick up where the Bible leaves off and search for a connection to the paranormal. We are God fearing people with a scientific approach to paranormal investigations.” They claim to have found many lines in the Bible that support the paranormal, thus justifying their hunts. This is unique because many people who believe in connections to the paranormal believe in physics and other similar ideas, which are forbidden in the Bible. This is confusing because in one of their team member’s bios, it was said that he has continually proved and has been especially useful because of his physic abilities. This was strange because there were so many references to “unreliable” machines and techniques that this elite group does not use, yet this man became an attribute. Not to mention that most “God fearing” people do not use physics since, according to the Bible, it is not allowed.
They are also set apart because they are so serious. There are many people who act as ghost hunters, and seek the paranormal but have no real idea where to start, and/or the authority to do so. This group is different, they have years of experience and have developed a long list of standards for their hunts. The standard include everything from cleaning the equipment to abstaining from alcohol and smoking. One of the best on the list was this: “We are highly trained in Photography and Investigations. We take what we do serious,” and I believe that says it all.

The Sokal Hoax

The Social Text was an academic journal that became a part of what became known as “The Sokal Hoax” in the 1980’s. Social Text catered to the academic elite, featuring articles about controversial issues, written by intellectuals. It had limited readers but thanks to editor Andrew Ross, “who cultivated an image as a kind of hip, radical, intellectual celebrity,” it had a prominent reputation. This reputation was shattered by Alan Sokal. A professor of physics at New York University, Sokal fit the intellectual type that could author an article in Social Text. He presented an article full of footnotes and complicated language, arguing that, “the traditional concept of gravity was just a capitalist fiction that would be made irrelevant by the socialist/feminist/relativist theory of 'quantum gravity.” This concept is confusing to the average person but according to Sokal, any professional, or any undergraduate math or science major for that matter would have easily recognized that his article was jibberish. However it ran in Social Text, and the same the spring issue was printed, Sokal wrote a letter in the academic trade publication Linguna Franca, “revealing that his article was intended as a parody.” Social Text, and its elite readers, looked ridiculous and the story gained publicity across the nation. There was controversy in the American university system at this time as Humanities departments grew more liberal and the sciences became more conservative. Sokal was in a study of these “Science Wars,” when he ran his article. The Hoax drew attention to the changing departments and Sokal certainly left the situation with the last laugh.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/sokal.html

Chupacabras

http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-05/delusions.html

In the winter of March 1975, there was a mass delusion in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican farmers claimed that their farm animals were being attacked by chupacabras. Chupacabras got their name from a crepuscular bird that steals goat’s milk. The mysterious creature has also been called a “goatsucker.” Goatsuckers, act just as their name implies. They drain the blood of farm animals and scoop out chunks of their flesh. Their bodies are completely drained of blood when found, which inspired another name for the creature: “The Vampire of Moca.” The victims’ corpses have been examined by professionals and police, but they cannot come to a conclusion about the attacker. “Everything from humans to snakes to vampire bats,” has been blamed. Attacks were identified with high screeches and the sound of flapping wings. And those who have seen it describe it as a “bristly, bulge-eyed rat with the hind legs of a kangaroo, capable of escaping after its crimes in high speed sprints.” This creature has caused many problems and much stress for locals. So stressed in fact, that some people have even had to be hospitalized. I find it interesting that as the stories of the goatsucker spread to Florida and Mexico, so did the sightings, mostly within Hispanic communities. Accounts of the Chupacabra even spread to Arizona. According to the article, “The Hispanic Goatsucker,”