When Flying Saucers Attack!

[sdreid]

Mike - Hope you've gotten the ECG device off you by now.

Cel - We've had tornadoes all 12 months of the year but the "season" is March 21 - June 21.

[Celesta]

I know what you mean, Stan. We do, too, but we more commonly have the summer thunderstorm type events. Lots of lightning.

[Mike Covell]

Mike - Hope you've gotten the ECG device off you by now.

Thanks Stan, it's still stuck to me, at least for the next 15 minutes. I am allowed to take it off at 09.15 this morning, and I am not keeping it on a minute longer. It has been a nightmare trying to sleep, as I have to move the thing everytime I want to turn over, and I had to remove it and replace all the sticky pads yesterday as they came loose!

I did manage to get to local library though, and managed some ripper related research. I also managed to transcribe a couple of news reports from 1888, and read a "JTR The Final Chapter" so it's all good!

[Mayerling]

Hi all,

I have been busy on several other web sites recently and have been unable to get back to JTR Forum as I would like. I hope you are all feeling well and are prospering.

The only item of interest I noticed in the paper was the obituary notice on the death of German ghost expert Hans Holzer last week. I do not know how much credence is given to his "studies" on the paranormal, but his was one of the first names in the field I ever recall hearing.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[Mike Covell]

Hans is dead! I am quite shocked, I have loads of his books, and one of them is about 2 inches thick, and literally contains thousands of cases! What a shock! Thanks for letting us know Jeff.

[Celesta]

Hi Jeff,
Nice to see you. I hope all is well.

I don't know that Hans ever got much credence. He was working back in the days when they had little to go on but personal experiences and mediums. I read all of his books as a young person and, for awhile he seemed to disappear. I'm sorry to hear he's gone though. I did enjoy his books.

Hi Mike,
I'm sorry you're still dealing with the ECG. I've been very distracted by things and lost track of how long you were supposed to wear the thing. I hope it gives them some good answers about how to help you.

[Mayerling]

Hi Mike and Celesta,

Holzer's obituary in the New York Times about ten days ago or so was relatively small (not like, say, Jack Kemp's or Bea Arthur's in the last week).
It shocked me too - because it was unexpected. I always wondered what happened to his career after 1986.

My absence is due to the wicked pleasures of Facebook. I have been doing a great deal on that website, and to a lesser degree the Wikipedia.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[Mike Covell]

Hi Jeff, You have the facebook bug eh?
I have it on in the background as I am researching and typing and often find it a distraction, but great way to keep in touch.

I have been busy working on Alexander M Fowler, who was Stephenson's friend, (see my blogg) and he was quite a charector. I am due at the local heritage centre, and I am planning on taking a walk, even though it's raning, to obtain photo's of the locations that both Fowler, and Joseph Dawber had links to.

I worked for hours on Joseph Dawber's criminal indescretions over the last week, he was RDS's Cousin, and a Solicitor, who had a thing for fraud. He asked a local lady for £1,000 back in 1891 to invest in property, but she knew better, and gave him £800 and told the local police. Not sure if she got her money back, but her whistle blowing, opened up a pandoras box of dodgy dealings dating back to the 1880's!

Take care all, Bradley and I watched Men in Black 1+2 over the weekend, he is convinced, after looking at my alien books, that I am an MIB!

[Celesta]

Hey Jeff,

I believe Hans has a relatively new book out. I don't know when it came out but I saw recently and was surprised to see it. I think it was at Border's or Barns & Ignoble.

[Mike Covell]

Here is a book listing for him, the one I have is called "Ghosts"

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/hans-holzer/

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/hans-holzer/ghosts.htm

[Celesta]

I'm not sure now which one I saw, but it had a simple cover. I didn't see any on the list later than 2004 or 2005. I may go by tomorrow, since I'll be over there anyway, and see if I see it. It might have been Ghosts, The truth etc. Thanks, Mike.

[Mayerling]

Hi Mike and Celesta,

Yes it is true - I have been bitten by the Facebook bug. I've even reviewed three books on it dealing with criminal history.

Mike - thanks for the websites for Holzer's books. There was a time in the late 1960s that if I saw any paranormal books the authors were either Frank Edwards, Hans Holzer, or Vincent Gaddis. Subsequently Charles Berlitz could have been added. As for the granddaddy of all of them - Mr. Charles Fort, I was unacquainted with him until I read IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE by Martin Gardner. There was a chapter on Fort and the Forteans.

Holzer was not the only celebrity who died in the last two weeks. Bea Arthur,
Dom De Louise, John Marchi (a former Staten Island Congressman and one time candidate for Mayor of New York), and former Congressman, Cabinet Officer, and Vice Presidential Candidate (as well as football player) Jack Kemp, all passed on as well. Interestingly Arthur appeared in only one Mel Brooks movie: THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART I. De Louise appeared in it as well, as the Emperor Nero.

One final note. Today is May 6, 2009. It is the seventy second anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[Mike Covell]

I have all of Charles Fort's books, love them to bits, and I have every issue of Fortean Times, been collecting them for years, and they take up several shelves in the library/bedroom.

I have a couple of Holzer's books, I think the other one was called "Real Ghost Stories" it was sent from the USA, and had handwritten notes in the margin, all very strange!

I also have all of Berlitz's books, most of which are first editions, which I had given ( ) I then bought the more recent editions, so I am not reading the older books!
Atlantis, Philidelphia Experiment, The Bermuda Triangle, you gotta love em!

[halomanuk]

I have been occassionally reading Hans Holzer's 'Ghosts' book for well over a year - being over 1000 pages long and tiny writing inside it is a marathon slog but very interesting all the same.

[Celesta]

Sheesh, I had no idea it was that long, Barry. I was very tempted when I saw it but put off getting it, as I was buying Brisingr, which was almost $28!

Jeff, I heard about Kemp. It was just a crawler on one of the "news" channels. A shame, really, that a man can run for VP and not even get a mention. I heard about Dom DeLuise and Bea. I didn't realize, or remember, that this was the time of year that the Hindenburg disaster occurred.