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Sunday, April 26, 2009

Spiders and Owls: Women's Exclusion From Bohemian Grove



I recently commented in a post for my blog Octopus Confessional on Alex Shoumatoff’s excellent article, Bohemian Tragedy, in the May issue of Vanity Fair. Shoumatoff’s article reveals the secrecy and greed of Grove members who are involved in “forest management” and “fire prevention” techniques by harvesting the redwoods in the Grove. Their cutting of the redwoods and other trees affects more than just private areas in a closely guarded compound; the aftermath affects entire eco-systems, within and without the Grove, including water systems and marine life.

Regarding the effects of these practices on the rest of us I wrote:
The Grove's arrogance, power and disregard has affected not just themselves in their inner circle, but the outside world as well; the peasants, us, the no accounts, yes, the measly proletariat. The issue of salmon is a huge one; affecting far more than the meal on our dinner plates; it affects the environment as well as economy in many ways. The Grove calls all this harvesting "forest management" but there's far more to this than simple "fire prevention" tactics, as Shoumatoff adeptly reveals.

The elitism, arrogance and power that is the foundation of Bohemian Grove is highly secretive, extremely protective of itself, and clings to these traits with rigorous tenacity. (Shoumatoff, a journalist, was kicked out of the Grove for trespassing -- the legality of his treatment is in question. Shoumatoff takes part in an ironic history: The Bohemian Grove was founded by journalists in the late 1800s; today however journalists are banned from becoming members and are considered enemies of Grovers.)

Men -- mainly white, Protestant men; few Jews or blacks, for example,have been members. As Shoumatoff writes:
They see themselves as the moral underpinnings of America’s greatness, whose central tenets are the Protestant work ethic: work hard and prosper and you’ll get into that great club in the sky. The Bohemian Club is like the Opus Dei of the Protestant American establishment. Very few Jews have made it in, and even fewer blacks.

The excluded include women,there are no women members. This shouldn’t be surprising, given the purpose of the Grove, which is to maintain power among the corporate-government complex. Herbert Hoover called the yearly meeting of fellow power elites “the greatest men’s party on Earth.” Sociology Professor Peter Philliips at Sonoma State, has said “This is a place men can go and hang out with people who are similar to them." (Unclear if he is a member; I believe he is but not sure. However, he is an apologist for the Grove.) There have been a few “honorary” female members, as well as female guests, but these women are restricted as to access and privilege. They’re allowed to visit during the day, but cannot go into buildings except the City Club, and there they are kept to the downstairs. Access to the other camps on the 2,700 acre property is prohibited. Women guests, for example, spouses, sometimes visit, such as on the annual “Ladies Hi-jinks” night.

In 1979 the Grove was sued by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing but the Grove won. Judge Robert Kendall ruled that since men at the Grove “urinate in the open” the inclusion of women would “alter” the men’s behavior in a negative way. Pissing against trees seems to be part of the undercurrent of ritualistic behavior of Grove members. Shoumatoff makes reference to this penchant for tree pissing:
Another hallmark of the encampment is the promiscuous micturition—guys standing up to the redwoods and relieving themselves everywhere you look. Maybe they’re trying to symbolically assert their primacy over nature. But the amount of drinking that goes on, plus the fact that many members are elderly and likely have prostate problems and can’t make it back to their camp fast enough, also plays a role in what has become, if not a formal ritual, a group-reinforcing collective activity.

But back to women. While women aren’t powerful or rich enough to become members of the Grove, they are useful enough to work for the Grove. In 1981 the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, ruled that the Bohemian Grove had to start hiring women; the Grove appealed to the California Supreme Court and lost. Female employees of the Grove are restricted however; working only in a few select areas or “camps.” Presumably this excludes the rumors of prostitutes who are said to be present in the Grove during gatherings.

None of this is surprising; what else to expect from the industrial-global-banker-entertainment elite? Yet the Grove isn’t all just doddering old white men who piss against Redwoods and other plant life due mainly to alcoholic gluttony and enlarged prostates; it’s also the Fortean irony of members like ex-Grateful Dead musicians. And while women are not allowed in, is it any kind of victory if women were to become equal partners in weirdly goofy yet somber occult tinged rituals in the dead of night? It’s no comfort to me to know that there are women of power and wealth, in positions where global policies are made and implemented, that keep the rest of us hoi poli in our place, while they revel in the Grove. Those sisters would also exclude. We’d have a grove full of Margaret Thatchers; no appeasement there.

Another tidbit of irony comes to us by way of the Grove’s motto: “Weaving spiders come not here' (see note at end of article) meaning, leave your cares behind, all you big powerful men you. Rituals invoking this intent are performed at the Grove; the "Cremation of Care" ritual symbolically burns away the burdens of the outside world. It's tough being a member of the powers that be.

The reality is that policies and plans are put into place during these gatherings, and serious papers are presented on a variety of subjects affecting the world. For example, a list of topics presented at one Grove gathering are listed in a 2003 article by sociologist Peter Phillips for Counterpunch:
Additionally, there were daily lectures from world-class experts on global warming, war policy, school vouchers, mad deer disease, horse racing, stem cell research, terrorism, American-Russian relations, and marine ecosystem.

The paranoiac inclined Fortean can easily see the esoteric connections between those subjects.

The Grove’s two symbols, the Owl and the Spider, are both symbols of female wisdom. The Roman goddess Minerva is accompanied by an owl symbolizing the wisdom Minerva brings to the world. However, many, from the paranoid Christian anti-occultists to the unconsciously misogynist, the owl is the symbol of Lilith, which for many, represents Satan. This view ignores a more divine feminine perspective of Lilith. Regarding Spider, some Native American traditions “Grandmother Spider” weaves wisdom, bringing knowledge to others; but more importantly, Grandmother Spider is the creator! Women with Spider energy are powerful indeed.


Meanwhile, as cliché and basic Women’s Studies 101 it may sound, the fact is the men that are in power and come together at Bohemian Grove think little enough of women to include them in any meaningful -- powerful enough -- way. They’re useful, as servants, be they cooks, maids, clerks, hookers or wives of members but there their usefulness ends. In the Grove, what few women there are operate in a passive state, either as infrequent guests, or employees at the lowest rungs.

There are plenty of reasons to continue to rail against the Bohemian Grove meetings; for the above reasons, for the occult underpinnings, for their rape of the environment, to be a squeaky wheel. Take your pick.





Notes:
"Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you longlegged spinners, hence!
Beetles black approach not near;
Worm nor snail, do no offence." ~ William Shakespeare


"A quote from the 1st Fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, act 2, scene. 2. A charm to protect the sleeping Titania from tiny creatures common in England, all harmless, though once thought to be venomous." From: "Weaving Spiders, Come Not Here" - What Is This Bohemian Grove?" by J. Mark Sovegin, 2008.


Alex Shoumatoff: Bohemian Tragedy, in Vanity Fair, May 2009

Peter Phillips:US Elites Celebrate Patriarchy, Racism and Class Privilege, in Counterpunch on-line 2003

Images:
Minerva, public domain

Blue Maya: A Visit From Mary


My new Trickster's Realm will be up sometime tomorrow on Tim Binnall's Binnall of America site. This week I write about an experience I had while meditating invovling Mary and Kuan Yin. (Kuan Yin depicted here is in her manifestation as the Sea Goddess.)

Darklore III Now Available


The esoteric journal Darklore III is now available. Check out their website for ordering information, also, free pdf downloads of previous articles!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Through Alien Eyes!



I was at a Spring Fling party with a group of friends recently. I was minding my business enjoying a bite to eat sitting in a corner with my plate resting upon my knees.


I was listening to a conversation when an obnoxious fake laugh followed by a belittling comment lifted loudly over the conversation concerning a comment someone made about a recent UFO sighting recently seen over the ocean.


The loud scoffing man made the woman who brought up the UFO sighting feel humiliated and she immediately backed down. It was a scene that plays out over and over all over the world by those who experience these events and the dunder heads that refuse to accept or understand the world and space they live in.


I usually take dunder heads to task who do this to those who have a healthy curiosity about their environment but this night I just continued to enjoy the snacks on my plate. . I made this decision frankly as I had met the loud mouth who was insulting this woman before and knew I had a better chance of finding intelligent life in the wooden chair I was sitting on. So I kept chewing.


A friend of mine who also heard the rude exchange over the UFO remark sat down next to me as I continued to taste my assorted snacks. She leaned over and whispered to me -

" Can you imagine what the aliens must think of us, honestly we are so dumb- we must give them a real laugh”. My friend then gave me pat on the arm and got up and went back to the party. I thought about her comment and knew she was never more right about anything than she was with that remark.


Years ago I knew a writer who told me of an experience she had that she called her ‘Mission in Life Event'. This writer was a lost time and abductee survivor who I met at a small gathering of people who had shared similar experiences in my area.

This group of experiencers was only able to meet a few times before the members split apart due to re- locations, illness and other normal life happenings. During the meetings I was fortunate enough to attend I often spoke with this woman who was the retired writer.


She told me she was going to come out of retirement and write about her opinions of where our society was heading. She told me it was not really her own idea but that of the aliens she encountered who suggested strongly that she should do this.


I was extremely curious to what she had to say as I found her to be a level headed extremely intelligent woman and really wanted to know what her abductors had directed her to write about.


She was a bit reluctant to tell me the details of her experiences but did admit that the aliens she had encountered where not happy with the course the human race was taking. She told me they felt we were far to violent as well as ignorant compared to other life forms in our universe. She added that a main reason the visiting Aliens keep us at arms length is the fact we are so naturally violent and primitive. She claimed they had been visiting for a very long time but did not see any great headway in our becoming less aggressive and warlike. She claimed the aliens suggested strongly to her that we have to start to take control of our own fate and people like her were being asked to start taking action by talking or in her case writing in order to reach society before it was too late.


I found my conversations with this woman very interesting. I know she started to write small articles for our local town papers on the condition of the human race. However I moved to another state shortly thereafter and lost all contact with this woman. I found out that she passed away a few years after we had that conversation but never did forget what she told me.


I think about the enormous differences in technology and science that stand between our civilization and those advanced enough to visit us. We are barely able to move beyond our own back yard as we now begin to reach out to space in our own solar system.


I cannot begin to conceive of how advanced those who freely travel the universe must be compared to us. I have been a long time believer that much of the technology we have developed came by way of a helping hand of these advanced civilizations.


Considering the idea they may view us as primitive killers may be the reason we are given a helping hand with our technical advancement in small increments. I am sure seeing how we behave towards our fellow humans has them concerned. They must wonder how we would get along with the rest of the universe if given the ability to reach them! I believe that is why although we have made incredible advancements in the last hundred years we are still keep in the dark concerning the entire Alien activity and or agenda on planet Earth.


I often wonder if we are the lowest level of intelligent life in the cosmos or if there are cave men or tribes somewhere else giving us at least one foot up on the ladder of intelligent life forms? I wonder about these things more and more as I watch the news each day. I also wonder how many other life forms also struggle with the same killing instincts that take place with mankind. I wonder often what we would do as a species if we were forced to face and fight other beings for this planet. Would we be able to stop fighting each other in order to save our own kind from another form of life?


I wonder how we must look to others viewing our world as they watch us in a constant state of conflict, war and hate. I feel embarrassed for mankind as I learn of the last attack or bombing, last horrific murder of a child or group shooting of some nut that decides to wake up and kill those around him over his bad grades or language difficulties at work.


I visit the Internet and listen to groups of fellow humans spewing long sickening rants of hatred about every subject from religion to politics and beyond. We seem to have evolved into a mass of hate filled ranting foul animals that want only to attack scream and demand instant gratification. Somewhere along the line we lost our ability to think or want to work for a better life, world for our children or continuation as a species. Can you imagine what those who are able to visit us from other places in this universe must think of us?


I watched Michio Kaku give an interview on a TV news show. He talked about how we are just now starting to understand and develop the science to use teleportation, like in Star Trek. as a real concept. He talked about our entering this area of science but also made it clear that it may be decades before we are able to fully understand or use this as a working method of moving objects through space.


I have listened to and spoken with enough humans to know that many have no idea we are entering this type area of advanced science. Many humans have little or no understanding of their own solar system or galaxy much less teleportation of matter in the fashion of Captain Kirk! I find it very hard to imagine that with us being so behind those that are visiting us technology wise that we have much chance of being considered more than a passing colorful primitive planet. We are the same to ET as we would be to a planet that is covered in rain forest and populated with dinosaurs or cave men. We may be an interesting view out a porthole window- but not a place to want to spend the night.


I do not know if with the advancement of technology comes a decrease of violence and hate. I do know that I have been told on my own journey through the paranormal by more than one person that have had encounters with other life forms that we are considered a highly dangerous species.


I am sure that many areas of this universe have species that also are violent and considered dangerous. I doubt we are alone with that title. I am sure there are many others who have evolved past those aggressions and watch in curiosity those who continue to struggle.


However I cannot help wish we were one of the civilizations of the cosmos that were able to climb past our barbaric and uncivil ways. I think that type of civilization would be a much better world to experience life. That is just my opinion, as I have grown tired and weary of both the hate and violence. It disgusts and shames me.

I think we can all imagine how we appear to Alien eyes if we are honest and truthful. I think we all can understand why becoming an active part of our civilization is not top on the alien ‘Things to Do- list ‘


Maybe years from now if we begin to rise above the killing and fighting we will become advanced enough to deserve more attention from the other advanced life forms. For now I think the aliens like things just as they are.


The Aliens visit our planet and will continue to do so at their pace. They will continue to examine and interact with us on their terms. I realize that we are being visited and abducted for reasons known only to those taking us. I also think that this may not change until we change. I see no reasons for them to increase contact with us as they seem to come and go as they please. They abduct us when needed and keep us firmly kept in the dark to more information or contact with them. I do not think we are as important to the Aliens as we seem to think we are. They come and go, take and toss back what and whom they want. I do not think we are very important members of the cosmos at this point in time. I believe they deal with us for whatever reasons they may need. Past that I think most visiting life forms look at us- shake their heads and move on. I do not think they are anxious to join the civilization of man until we stop being our own worst enemy.


Copyright © 2008- 2009 Chris Holly all Rights Reserved

Chris Holly’s Paranormal World- http://endlessjrny.blogspot.com/
http://www.fttoufo.com/chrishollysparanormalworld.htm

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Insidious Round About Book Banning


Vintage children's books -- vintage being anything printed before 1985 -- are now illegal. You can't sell them, Goodwills and libraries, etc. are urged to remove these books from their shelves, and sellers of vintage books, on-line and not, are also urged to stop selling their books.

Some places have gone so far as to burn these books, others have put them in storage, and others, in acts of civil disobedience, ignore this new law. (The law was passed in January of this year.) Others however are paranoid and have stopped dealing with vintage books altogether. There seems to be a loophole; that you can deal in the children's books as long as they're listed as collectibles and sold to collectors -- adult collectors -- of children's vintage literature.

The reason for this law? Lead. The U.S. government has decided that the lead content in printer's ink used before the 1980s (though they admit they're not sure exactly when) is dangerous to children, even though there's been no documented cases of lead poisoning concerning books and children.


This is a weirdly under-reported story. For more see my item on my blog Octopus Confessional, which has many links to sources about this story.

I plan to keep reporting on this; for example, I'm curious how many people are aware of this law, what the local schools, libraries and booksellers are doing, and so on.

Italian scientist Levi Montalcini: 100 and Still Going Strong

She sounds like a witty and strong woman; Levi Montalcini, 100 years old, celebrated her 100th birtday Wednesday. Montalcini won the Nobel Prize in 1986. She lived under Mussolini's rule, and had to give up research at the University. Being Jewish, she was considered "inferior" and had to work out of her home. More here.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Richelle Hawks:A Girl in Trouble is a Con/temporary Thing: Women on Myster



Richelle Hawks has an insightful piece on gothic novels and cover art for her Medusa's Ladder column at Binnall of America: A Girl in Trouble is a Con/temporary Thing: Women on Mysteries.

I have a guilty secret: I've long been a fan of gothic novels. They're romance novels, but with that extra vibe of preternatural weirdness; moors and castles, lighthouses, quaint English villages on the surface but some weird secret seeping through...the cover art used to have, as Richelle points out, the heroine standing in front of castle/lighthouse/foreboding estate. Strong yet vulnerable kind of thing. But now, the cover art shows parts -- pieces of the woman -- not the whole person. What does this mean? Read her article to find out!



Here's a great site I found that pays tribute to the gothic novel: Labyrinth13: In Praise of the Gothic Novel (and other Victorian delights.)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

"Random" Killings

I've been noticing in recent days the number of "random" killings; murders, suicides,a lone gunman opening fire. Men killing their children and or wives, often before turning the gun on themselves, suicides, including a strange one in my city of Eugene, where a man shot and killed himself inside a movie theater while the movie was playing. The movie was Watchmen. A recent news item reported that statistically, the number of suicides are higher than usual since January. I'm not sure what this means, but it seems as if it means something. A part of myself is suspicious and can't help but think it has to do with mind control MKULTRA type of stuff; it's all wrapped up together at any rate, and certainly a signal...watching the signals...it seems that they just keep coming. . . you can read more at Octopus Confessional, where I have a few posts about specific reports.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Sighting Re-Visited Long Island in the 60’s a UFO Central!


During the 60's Long island was a wealth of paranormal events and UFO sightings as well as reported abductions and lost time events.


One of these sightings took place in Bayport, a small coastal town on the Atlantic Ocean coast side of Long Island by a young man named Jack Stampfel and his friend Steve.


I wrote an article about this sighting called- The 60's A Hot Bed Of UFO Activity for Long Island New York.

In the article I told the story of two teenage boys who encountered a huge UFO over Long Island while returning their boat to its dock on the Long Island coast.


Jack and Steve were approaching the inlet where they docked coming home from Fire Island on Jacks speedboat across the Great South Bay to their hometown of Bayport. The night was black as pitch with a sky full of bright stars.


As they made their way across the bay they first noticed a odd light overhead like a yellow light bulb that stood still for a few minutes, then took off straight up until

it mingled with the stars and was gone.


“ We were looking up when we saw 4 of these things to the left and 4 to the right. We stopped the boat. One from the left formation changed color from yellow to green and began dippingslightly from its level position.


With incredible speed this thing crossed the sky and joined the 4 objects on the right. What was even more amazing is that it then came to a complete stop and just was standing there still with the other 4 on the right.


Watching this made Steve and I really nervous as we afraid we might be abducted and wanted to get out of there as fast as we could. “


The boys sped towards Bayport creek as fast as that boat could travel thankful that the water was calm and windless that night.

“We entered the creek proceeding down it a lot faster than usual. I finally throttled down and came to a stop. No one was around. We were hoping there would have been someone.


We also saw that the formation of 8 yellow lights were gone which made us feet a bit safer.”


At harbor speed the boys slowly cruised about half way down the creek near to Jacks docking

space on mirror smooth water along that dark country creek. That is when it happened! Jack described what they saw:


“Out from behind the trees that lined the creek came the most perfect saucer anyone could ever dream they would see. It was directly in front of us.


At the end of the creek the trees dipped in the middle, like an old tree lined road. As this happened I first veered left and crashed into the reed bank. But seconds later something changed in my mind and I reversed my boat, straightened out and proceeded slowly towards this thing hovering over the waters edge. I don't know if Steve agreed with this decision but he stayed in the boat anyway.


It was large and I realized much further away than I thought. It had a yellowy green glow around it, which stood out against the black of a dark night. It was perfectly clear. I've seen it many times since in my minds eye.


Most peculiar was a flat topped (truncated) black pyramid shaped door or scanner part of the craft that slowly moved around the top portion. I have estimated it took about 45 seconds or less for this part to make one complete circuit. We kept moving towards it till it slowly banked and tilted to the left revealing maybe 6 glowing lights underneath towards the rim. It then slipped from view behind the trees and was gone.


As my memory serves we were a bit stunned and after the UFO floated behind the trees and out of sight we just turned the boat around and motored to my dock. We tied up, got out, and went home. I can't remember talking much about it to Steve, but we must have shared something.


He went to his home about a mile away and I went into my house to find I was home alone.


I picked up the phone and called the police to report the sighting, but first I asked whether there had been any carnivals with Ferris wheels passing through Middle Road (the heart of town) in Bayport that night? The answer. Was no so I gave my report about the huge UFO on the creek to some desk clerk and went to sleep.”


The next morning Jack woke up about 10:00 a.m. A police officer knocked on the door. His cruiser #310 was in the driveway.


He asked if Jack was the one who phoned in the report. The police officer and Jack sat at Jacks dining room table while the policeman wrote down Jacks report about the sighting.


Jack gave the details of his sighting to the policeman who told Jack that the police had over 1000 calls from others who also witnessed something.


Jack asked the police officer if the craft had been over his small town of Bayport and was stunned when the policeman told him that it actually seemed to be about 10 miles away over the center of Long Island.


The policeman told Jack that they thought it was estimated at somewhere like a mile in diameter. It was proceeding eastward down the center of the island. He told Jack they thought the UFO’s course took it over Brookhaven National Laboratory along the electric power lines, down the center of Long Island till it went out to sea past Montauk Point. Thousands more were suspected to have seen it that did not or could not call in to leave a report.


When Jack shared that story with me I was fascinated as I too saw a UFO the year before that in 1965 about 7 miles from the location he did.. I too noticed a revolving top on the craft and I too reported the incident as was told many others had called in the sighting from my hometown.


I knew that Jack was haunted all these years by his clear outstanding sighting of this huge UFO. I also knew Jack was going to try to contact others that also may have seen that large craft that night.


I recently heard from Jack. He sent me the original drawings he made for the police that day in 1966 of the UFO he saw that night. For me it was a extreme event to view Jacks drawings of what he and his friend Steve had seen that night as the UFO Jack drew was nearly identical to the one I saw in October of 1965 the year before and only a few miles away from where Jack and Steve had their sighting.


The ships were very similar especially the top moving section. The main difference for me was a band of windows that ran across the center of the ship I encountered. Otherwise they were alike. Obviously we were all viewing the same type of craft along the same area of Long island during the same time period.


Jack not only sent me the drawings that brought my own sighting clearly back to me- but found another witness to the sighting he had on the same night.


Jack joined classmates, the site used to find those you went to high school with, and was contacted by a woman who remembered jack as one who reported the UFO sighting over her town the summer of 1966. The woman told jack that not only did she see the same UFO that night but so did her entire family and neighbors.


Pat told Jack that she recalled the exact date of this event as being August 14th 1965 and that the craft had been almost directly over her house that night. She told Jack that no one had the guts to phone in a report of the sighting, which I found to be very strange reaction to a huge UFO directly over your house, but one that seemed to be common at the time.


Jack did call in his sighting and Jacks report ended up on the front page of the SUFFOLK COUNTY NEWS ON SEPT 1st 1966.


Jack was amazed to find that the father of this woman had saved that article for the last 44 or so years, which I have included with this article.


It is clear that Long Island had a surge of UFO sightings in 1965. The 60s were a time of active paranormal activity for Long Island including the big east coast black out that was filled with many reports of UFO sightings and abductions in the New York area.


During this time Long island had a working Air Force base, Brookhaven National Lab. Plum Island as well as being a landmass that sticks out to the open Atlantic Ocean. The 60s was also a time when Long Island was made up of a great deal of unpopulated land along the coast line and miles of undeveloped land around the above listed labs and bases making it a understandable area to anticipate UFO sightings.


I think visiting UFO’s would be seen all over this country and most of the entire world if we were not as brainwashed to stay numb and dumb and disinterested in our surroundings.


Few of us spend time sitting under the open sky watching what goes on above our heads. Not only have we become a willing numb society to this type of event we have been trained to ignore or laugh at those who do notice strange events and taught to ridicule those who have the courage to report them.


We would be far more advanced and far more knowledgeable about our own reality if we all had the brave and honest approach of Jack Stampfel.


I am pleased to have Jacks artwork of what he saw that night and the actual article of his reported sighting. I wish we all had Jacks courage and instincts in handling these things. Jack documented his sighting and reported it.


With the tools available today to us all be sure to take a photo of things you see that seem strange to you so you have proof to back your words. If you do see something or encounter something, say something. It is the only way we will ever break free of our Dark Ages approach to the unknown and become aware of what truly is going on around, above and below us!


Pay attention to your surroundings, keep looking up and always be careful out there.


artwork by Jack Stampfel all rights reserved 1966-2009

Copyright © 2008- 2009 Chris Holly all Rights Reserved

Chris Holly’s Paranormal World- http://endlessjrny.blogspot.com/
www.fttoufo.com
http://www.fttoufo.com/chrishollysparanormalworld.htm