Saturday, October 31, 2009

See ladies, Johnny promises you'll make the blog, and you make the blog

Just one of a few pictures we'll be running from the Halloween parade through the West Village in NYC tonight

RUTGERS! Oh my goodness, that was SCARY COOL!!

Rutgers down 24-21 to UCONN with 39 seconds to go on their own 19 yard line. On first down Rutgers hit an 81 yard slant play for the touchdown and the lead LATE in the game. WOW

How about we start Halloween proper off with a ghost story?

The story of Emily's Bridge, up in Stowe Vermont, somewhere Johnny has been to to see if he could find Emily. In fact, that's Johnny's picture gracing this story.

EMILY'S BRIDGE
by Davy Russell
POSTED: 1 June 2001

The Gold Brook Bridge, also known as Emily's Bridge for the famous ghost that haunts it.


People will warn you that you must be careful when crossing Emily's Bridge in Stowe, Vermont, and many refuse to cross it after dark. It is said that a ghost named Emily haunts the historic covered bridge, and she's not just a spooky specter that allows the watcher a fleeting glimps before vanishing back into nothingness. This ghost is feared as she is known for shaking cars and slashing victims with invisible claws.

For about 150 years, horses and cars have been mysteriously clawed. People have heard a woman's voice, seen ghostly figures, and witnessed strange lights at Emily's Bridge. Photographs often develop improperly without explanation, and many have found whispy streaks or "orbs" appearing in the photos.

In Joseph Citro's excellent book, "Passing Strange, True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors", he describes a chilling tale of some locals who sat in terror as Emily's Ghost circled their car and shook it one night.

There are a variety of legends about Emily ranging from a jilted lover who hung herself from the bridge 150 years ago to a woman who claims she invented the ghost story in the 1970's to scare her own children.

Kevin Kierstead, founder and president of the newly formed Paranormal Research America, has been staking out the haunted bridge during the past few weeks shooting video, taking pictures, EMF readings, sound recordings, even scattering flour on the bridge to check for footprints or unexplained disturbances. So far, he has gotten some interesting results, although inconclusive.

On 28 May, the X-Project Magazine was invited to Kierstead's most recent stakeout at the bridge. While Emily did not appear during the four-hour-long "ghost watch", some interesting things did happen. As was expected, numerous "orbs" showed up in some of the photographs taken from within the bridge. While often associated with hauntings, orbs are likely caused by moisture or dust particles in the air that reflect light into the camera lense causing tiny luminous globes that are unseen until inspection of the photograph.

Furthermore, as is also reported at haunted places, our photography equipment repeatedly malfuntioned while taking photographs inside the bridge. One digital camera turned itself off after taking each photo, and displayed photos while the lens was open (something this camera is not supposed to be able to do and never has done before). Even though the high-quality batteries were purchased that afternoon, the camera repeatedly malfuntioned in the bridge. When taken outside the bridge, the camera turned off less frequently. Away from the bridge completely, the camera functioned normally. The second digital camera drained it's new batteries after only 40 photographs were taken. Perhaps it was only the cold, humid air.

After dark, we stood in the center of the bridge and listened. While no distinctly human voices were heard, many peculiar sounds suggested a plethora of causes...footsteps, grunting, things rubbing the sides of the bridge. Due to the hollowness of the structure and the very loud, babbling brook just below the bridge, I am certain one would hear just about anything, especially with the wind howling through the wooded surroundings or the rain beating upon the roof.

Interestingly, numerous fireflies were seen near the bridge. Could these account for the lights that witnesses have described associated with Emily's Ghost?

While Emily's Bridge has a serene beauty by day, at night the covered bridge takes on a more dramatically spooky look. It takes a certain bravery to enter alone after dark; and with the loud rushing of water clouding your sense of hearing, and the pitch blackness of nightime in the country, the mind easily recalls every chilling story associated with the bridge.

Late night open thread

How fitting a heavy fog or fine mist would settle over our fair city tonight. For that perfect eerie Halloween glow all we need are gaslights downtown.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday, October 30, 2009

It's 11 pm on All Hallows Eve Jersey City, turn down the lights and light a candle

And get in a nice comfy place and push the play button and listen to James Earl Jones reciting the famed Edgar Allan Poe poem 'The Raven'.

That last Flametrick Subs song sounded like another one

So let's keep the 2009 SPOOKTACULAR humming right along with The Flametrick Subs with 'Plastic Jesus, Beer Run'


Oh, yeah, headphones on this if you're at work or you don't want the kids listening into why you're thrashing your head to and fro

I see from the old mail bag we've ratcheted up interest, so here it is

The 2009 Jersey City Desk SPOOKTACULAR!!! We totally blew off today to be showmen making sure the regulars would come back as they know Johnny loves a holiday done right. Was something wrong today? Something amiss? Nope, just building up the suspense...

We kick off the Halloween SPOOKTACULAR with the best psychobilly rock band ever, The Flametrick Subs (and their SPOOKTACULAR minions the Satan's Cheerleaders)!

Lookout, they're "Creepy Dead Folk"

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Late night open thread

So, the empire strikes back and ties the World Series winning game 2, 3-1 Baseball lives to be relevant past Halloween.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

See, it's not just Johnny pointing out the ongoing corruption cloud over this years elections

SOME people seemed to take the call out on running afoul of the law and still running for public office as a personal vendetta. Far from it. In fact here's yet another article showing the overarching community concern with the elected officials being on the up and up while they represent the public.

NJ.com has more here.

How's THIS for contempt for YOU the voter

Indicted Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone, who represents most parts of Jersey City and Bayonne sees no problem in getting re-elected next Tuesday, after all, what's a little corruption among friends, right?

Bayonne, Jersey City, it's up to people like ourselves to make sure crooks like Chiappone do NOT represent us. Only WE can send this clown a message.