Showing posts with label things you must know. Show all posts
Showing posts with label things you must know. Show all posts

Friday, September 13, 2013

Top 10 Famous Real Ghosts!












Winter is a wonderful time for a good ghost story. In the long hours of dark and the twinkling lights of the holiday season, it is all too easy to imagine more shadows than there ought to be. The most spine tingling stories, though, are the ones sworn to be true. The following list is of these sorts of ghosts: Specific apparitions, witnessed by several people at different times in the same place. The more witnesses, the more respected the witnesses, the better. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these stories capture the imagination.


10 Kate Morgan Hotel del Coronado

The Hotel del Coronado is a stunning Victorian beachfront resort hotel in the very southern California city of Coronado, just south of San Diego. It was only four years open when a beautiful young woman named Kate Morgan checked in on November 24th, 1892. She was apparently very ill for the time she spent at the hotel, and it was later speculated she had taken a large dose of quinine in an effort to induce miscarriage of an unwanted child. That she was distraught there was little argument, so when she was found on the outside steps leading to the beach on November 29th, with a single bullet hole in her temple and a gun nearby, the death was quickly ruled a suicide. From that point on, strange phenomena have been reported at the hotel: strange noises, lights flickering on and off, and even the occasional ghostly woman in Victorian garb wandering the halls.

It is worth noting during my research on this story that the particular room number where most of the phenomena is witnessed varies from account to account. Whether because the accounts are second hand (and many of them are), or whether there is confusion due to the changing of the room number over the years as the hotel has expanded, I cannot say.
9 Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel
 


If you where staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and turned to channel 42 of your guest-room television, you would be watching one of my all-time favorite movies: The Shining. Doesn’t matter what time of day or night, or year for that matter, it is always on. That’s not supernatural, of course- merely a nod to their role as the inspiration for Stephen King’s novel. Employees report hearing the commotion of a great party in the grand ballroom when there is no one there. Children can be heard playing in the halls when there are no children at all, and many guests have reported seeing ghostly figures in their rooms at night, merely standing, watching. The fourth floor seems to be host to the most amount of activity, and there is one ghost in particular, purportedly Lord Dunraven, the previous owner of the land the property was built on, who can be seen standing over the bed or looking out the window of room 407. He is widely blamed for any jewelry or valuables that have gone missing in the hotel over the years.

8 The Brown Lady Raynham Hall
 


Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is home to the subject of one of the most famous ghost photos ever captured, the Brown Lady is named so because she appears in a rich brocade brown dress. She is widely believed to be Lady Dorothy Walpole, sister of Sir Robert Walpole, who married Charles, 2nd Viscount Townshend in 1713. She died under mysterious circumstances in 1726, and sightings of her began shortly after. Though reports of sightings have waned dramatically since the photo was taken in 1936, sightings before then had been reported by some fairly reputable sources. My favorite account is from a Major Loftus, who was staying at Raynham Hall in 1849. Retiring to bed one night, he and a friend named Hawkins observed a woman in brown brocade who vanished as Major Loftus approached her. Determined to confront the apparition, the next night he returned to she same spot and saw her again. He was horrified to see however, that when he looked into her face he saw only two black sockets where her eyes should have been. Unsettling to say the least!

7 Clifton Hall

If you have a spare £2.75 million laying around, you can be the proud owner of Clifton Hall in Nottinghamshire, England. The property was noted as far back as the 11th century, and was in the hands of the Clifton family from the 13th century until its sale in 1958. From there it became a school, then another school, then another school , then a planned set of luxury apartments, before finally settling as a private residence most recently belonging to a mister Anwar Rashid, his wife, and their four children. It boasts 17 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 10 reception rooms, a private gym and a cinema. Oh, and a few ghosts, of course. The Rashid family experienced unsettling phenomena their very first night in the home, in the form of a knocking sound and a man’s voice calling “Hello, is anyone there?” In one incident, Anwar’s wife, Nabila, went downstairs to prepare some milk for their 18 month old son at five o’clock in the morning and observed her eldest daughter sat in front of the television. When calling out to her gave no answer, Nabila got a strange feeling and went back upstairs to her daughter’s room, where the eldest was found still fast asleep in her bed. The Rashids fled the house after 8 months of putting up with the hauntings. Though their accounts are the most recent and easiest to find during research, there had been rumors and sightings on the property for as long as anyone could remember, including babies crying and a woman who could be seen through a window pacing in a room that had been bricked up and inaccessible.

6 The White Lady Balete Drive
 


Oh, the ghosts of the Philippines! A Lady in White is undoubtedly the most common type of ghost anywhere in the world, and joins a laundry list of spirits in the Philippines for this story. I will say in research I have come across two accounts from locals of Quezon City, Philippines that say this is just a hoax, but I will stick with the majority opinion that there is something there. Believers report a woman in white with long black hair and her face either completely blank or obscured by blood standing in the middle of the road on Balete Drive. It is said you should avoid driving there at night – but if you do, make sure your back seat is full of passengers. Apparently it is in empty back seats that the White Lady will hitch a ride, spotted by the unfortunate driver in their rear view after they experience a dreadful ominous feeling.

5 Chloe and The Myrtles Plantation


Legend has it Chloe was a slave in the house of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana who had a bad habit of listening at keyholes to the goings on of the residents. Caught one day in the act by the Master of the house, he lopped off her ear as punishment, forcing her to wear a green scarf over her head to cover the wound. As punishment, she baked a cake with oleander leaves, a common plant in the south that is immensely poisonous. Though the master of the house was her target, her victims became his wife and two daughters, who died in agony a couple days after eating the cake. Chloe fled the house and was lynched by field slaves on the plantation for the wicked light she cast on the rest of them.

Fortunately or no, there is no historical evidence to back up this story, just an intriguing photo. True or not (probably not), there are certainly plenty of other ghosts to keep you company, including a young girl frequently spotted in a mirror on the stairs, and another young girl who chants voodoo over people who dare to sleep in her room. The Myrtles is currently a Bed and Breakfast that gives regular tours to those curious enough to want to see the house- just not alone after dark.

4 Resurrection Mary
 


Traveling northeast on Archer Lane between the Willowbrook Ballroom and Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, young men might find themselves tempted to pick up a young woman hitchhiking on the side of the road. She has light blond hair and blue eyes, is wearing a white party dress, and has been dead since the 1930’s. If you pick her up, she will stop you in front of Resurrection cemetery and vanish from the car. She is a classic example of the vanishing hitchhiker legend, a type of ghost story that has been around for at least a few hundred years. What makes this one so distinctive is the consistency of the story- the girl looks the same, wears the same dress, disappears in the same spot. Also worth noting stories of this particular hitchhiker popped up suddenly in the mid thirties and have been going strong ever since, and not just for those in the know. An account from 1973 sees a cab driver inquiring at Chet’s Melody Lounge across the street from the cemetery about a girl who fled his cab without paying her fare. Only his description of her sounded mighty familiar to the customers: Resurrection Mary had struck again!

3 The Flying Dutchman

 It was 1641 when Captain Hendrik van der Decken swore he would round the Cape of Good Hope if it took him till doomsday. At his current rate, it probably will. The captain’s ship, known as The Flying Dutchman, has been seen frequently around the area, a phantom ship often so close the witnesses would swear it was on a crash course for their ship, only to see it vanish before them. It is always viewed as a bad omen to see the ship. Such a sighting was witnessed by the future King George V of England in 1881. He wrote: “At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our bows. A strange red light as of a phantom ship all aglow, in the midst of which light the masts, spars, and sails of a brig 200 yards distant stood out in strong relief as she came up on the port bow”. Later that morning, the sailor who originally spotted the vessel fell to his death.

2 Abraham Lincoln
 


Legend has it Lincoln saw his fate before he was assassinated. He reported a dream to his cabinet in which he wandered into a funeral at the white house, and when he inquired of one of the mourners who had died, the man responded “The President… he was killed by an assassin.”

Lincoln’s ghost has been spotted by many visitors and residents of the white house, among them First Lady Grace Coolidge, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and even Winston Churchill, who of course had something clever to say on the occasion. He claimed to be fresh from the bath, in the nude (what an image!) walking into the bedroom when he saw Lincoln standing near the fireplace. He quipped “Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”, after which Lincoln smiled softly and disappeared.

1 Anne Boleyn
 

Second Wife of Henry VIII and mother of a future Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn had three years as queen consort before Henry tired of her. Accused (most historians agree falsely) of adultery, incest and witchcraft, she faced an executioner’s sword with her head held high on May 19th, 1536. The executioner was reported to have said “Where is my sword?” before striking the single blow necessary, apparently in an effort to ease Anne’s anticipation by making her think she had a few moments more.

Her ghost has been spotted by several different people in several different locations: Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, Salle Church, Marwell Hall, and perhaps most famously the Tower of London. Though she is most often seen just as she was alive- a beautiful woman in a beautiful gown- some sightings are a bit more upsetting. More unlucky individuals will see her as she was just after death- headless, often with the head tucked under one arm. It has become such an iconic image it is often parodied in movies and television, and more elaborate Halloween costumes. One must not forget, however, what you would think if such a vision approached you in some dark corridor one night.

Courtesy: listverse.com
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8 Ways to Apologize Without Saying “I’m Sorry.”


The phrase “I’m sorry” is supposed to make its recipient feel better, but thanks to a lifetime of misuse, it rarely completes its mission.  Indeed, it often requires assistance to have an impact, such as repetition, further explanation, multiple exclamation points, or even…groveling.

Somewhere along the way of evolution, the words “I’m sorry” picked up a couple of permanent connotation hitchhikers:  assumption of guilt and admittance of wrongdoing.  So when you say the words to someone, there is an implication that you are in some way responsible for the situation.

And yet, the word “sorry” is employed for a laughably wide range of circumstances, even those for which we are not to blame…from condolences over a death (I’m so sorry for your loss) to asking a speaker to repeat a sentence (Sorry…what did you say?) to the absolutely brilliant application my cab driver shouted at someone who cut us off last week (Get your sorry ass out of my lane, you @#$*!).  

The upshot?  We’ve all become desensitized to the word “sorry.”  So, when you really ARE at fault for something, its use as an apology seems trite and unrepentant.  And when you’re NOT at fault for something, its presence in your response gently paints you with a brush of culpability.

How do you win this communication war against the word’s multiple personality issue?  Stop using it.  Find other, more meaningful ways to express your feelings, and put careful thought into the appropriate response for the situation at hand.  Here are eight different phrases you can employ that express either justified remorse or peripheral acknowledgement of a situation:
It’s unfortunate that…
How sad for you that (this) happened…
I sympathize with your situation/disappointment/frustration…
What a shame that…
Will you please forgive my insensitivity/error/indiscretion…
I am completely at fault here, and I apologize…
I am unhappy about (or I regret) the pain/inconvenience you’ve been caused
This situation has filled me with regret…

These options are merely a short list…there are many other ways you can craft a suitable response without actually using the phrase “I’m sorry.”  So the next time you’re about to use it, check back to this list to see if one of them applies, and if not, spend a few moments defining your expression’s true meaning.

As to the cab driver, we’ll leave his colorful use of the word “sorry” alone.  It’s all part of what makes a cab ride in NYC so memorably entertaining, and offers humorous inspiration for topics on www.redpointspeaks.com.  Yep, we’re selfish…sorry about that.

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5 Ways to Handle Sexual Harassment

Yes, we know: This shouldn't be your responsibility. But these rules will help prevent an uncomfortable situation from getting worse.



As a woman and a 20-year Silicon Valley veteran, I'm intrigued by Ellen Pao's well-covered sexual harassment lawsuit against VC firm Kleiner Perkins. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, including both Pao and KP, but certainly both sides of the case seem to have valid arguments.

Regardless of what happens, it's a reminder of just how male-dominated the business world remains in 2012--and why women who want to succeed in this world have to learn how to thrive in it. When it comes to dealing with unwanted attention or even all-out harassment, the challenge is how to take the incident seriously but manage it successfully, so that it doesn't stifle your business ambitions or sap your confidence. Here are a few takeaways that have helped me along the way.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Part of working together every day with the same people includes joking around and, yes, even a bit of teasing. How many times have you heard a man give another man a hard time about his clothes or his habits, or even his work? It's how men often relate, and it's typically not personal. Men don't cry or shut down; they either roll their eyes or dish it back.  Learn to do the same. And if you get good and clever at dishing it back, you might be surprised at the additional respect you gain.

Draw a hard line.

Some joking and bantering is fun and tolerable; some isn't. When it isn't, call it out--immediately. Completely change your demeanor, be direct, make it very clear they've crossed a big line. It can be as simple as "OK, that wasn't funny" or as serious as "you are making me feel very uncomfortable right now, please stop." Even better if others are around to hear you. Trust me--no individual wants to be the accused in a harassment situation and if you treat it seriously, the other person probably will too.

Rise above the haters.

Sometimes it is personal and potentially damaging. My good friend Christine is VP of business development at a biotech firm. She is wicked smart, young, and beyond beautiful. She had spent months devising an M&A strategy for her company and was presenting for the first time to an all-male board. It was a risky recommendation to shift from forming partnerships to seeking acquirers and she anticipated some tough questions. An older male board member eyed her up and down obnoxiously, clearly not listening and attempting to throw her off her game. As she was speaking he interrupted and said to the CEO, "The first thing you need to do is get rid of the GIRL." Many would falter in this situation, which is what he wanted, but Christine thought "Oh, bring it on, Baldylocks." She stood a little taller, looking a bit more beautiful, looked him straight in the eyes, and shot back: "Well that's one option, or we can further examine the facts..." and went on to provide even more info for the board.

The meeting ended with near-unanimous support for her recommendations and a renewed respect for her from the rest of the board and her CEO. The board member was later removed due to his behavior in the meeting. She wins big, he loses. I know it's easier said than done, but in most cases you'll find that people don't want to see others harassed. Be confident in your intelligence and skills and rise above the jerks.

Put your business and pleasure mixture on ice. 

I can't say don't do it, or I'd be a hypocrite, but dating people you work with often leads to issues. One of Pao's claims is against a man with whom she says she had a consensual sexual relationship. I'm not saying he didn't harass her--maybe he did, and if so then it was wrong. But maybe he was someone she should have steered clear of in the first place? Think long and hard about whether or not a relationship at work is worth the risk. If it is, then keep your eyes open and be ready to handle the potential consequences.

Tell. Now.

If you're truly feeling harassed, document the situation immediately and report it. One of the biggest knocks against Ellen Pao is that supposedly she endured harassment for some time before officially reporting it. How can you get the support you need if no one knows what you're experiencing? If you're harassed by a co-worker or boss, talk to HR, as they are trained to deal with such matters with discreetness and in confidence.

The situation is obviously trickier if you're a female entrepreneur and the harassment comes from, say, a board member or potential investor. But remember: You never should have to endure harassment. Talk about the situation with someone you trust, perhaps another board member or investor and get their support. Then go directly to the harasser. Be clear and strong, and insist that the situation change--or you will make it change. It may seem extreme to think of removing one of your board members (or forgoing a much-needed investment), but it's really the only solution. You can't be an effective leader if you're more worried about your safety than your business--and your other board members and investors will surely agree.

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25 Secrets of Mona Lisa Revealed!

 
New images uncover 25 secrets about the Mona Lisa, including proof that Leonardo da Vinci gave her eyebrows, solving a long-held mystery.

The images are part of an exhibition, "Mona Lisa Secrets Revealed," which features new research by French engineer Pascal Cotte and debuts in the United States at the Metreon Center in San Francisco, where it will remain through the end of this year. The Mona Lisa showcase is part of a larger exhibition called "Da Vinci: An Exhibition of Genius."

Cotte, founder of Lumiere Technology, scanned the painting with a 240-megapixel Multi-spectral Imaging Camera he invented, which uses 13 wavelengths from ultraviolet light to infrared. The resulting images peel away centuries of varnish and other alterations, shedding light on how the artist brought the painted figure to life and how she appeared to da Vinci and his contemporaries.



"The face of Mona Lisa appears slightly wider and the smile is different and the eyes are different," Cotte said. "The smile is more accentuated I would say."

Mona Lisa mysteries

A zoomed-in image of Mona Lisa's left eye revealed a single brush stroke in the eyebrow region, Cotte said.

"I am an engineer and scientist, so for me all has to be logical. It was not logical that Mona Lisa does not have any eyebrows or eyelashes," Cotte told LiveScience. "I discovered one hair of the eyebrow."

Another conundrum had been the position of the subject's right arm, which lies across her stomach. This was the first time, Cotte said, that a painter had rendered a subject's arm and wrist in such a position. While other artists had never understood da Vinci's reasoning, they copied it nonetheless.

Cotte discovered the pigment just behind the right wrist matched up perfectly with that of the painted cover that drapes across Mona Lisa's knee. So it did make sense: The forearm and wrist held up one side of a blanket.

"The wrist of the right hand is up high on the stomach. But if you look deeply in the infrared you understand that she holds a cover with her wrist," Cotte said.

Behind a painting

The infrared images also revealed da Vinci's preparatory drawings that lie behind layers of varnish and paint, showing that the Renaissance man was also human.

"If you look at the left hand you see the first position of the finger, and he changed his mind for another position," Cotte said. "Even Leonardo da Vinci had hesitation."

Other revelations include:
Lace on Mona Lisa's dress
The transparency of the veil shows da Vinci first painted a landscape and then used transparency techniques to paint the veil atop it.
A change in the position of the left index and middle finger.
The elbow was repaired from damage due to a rock thrown at the painting in 1956.
The blanket covering Mona Lisa's knees also covers her stomach.
The left finger was not completely finished.
A blotch mark on the corner of the eye and chin are varnish accidents, countering claims that Mona Lisa was sick.
And the Mona Lisa was painted on uncut poplar board, contrary to speculations.

In the larger picture, Cotte said when he stands back and looks up at the enlarged infrared image of Mona Lisa, her beauty and mystique are apparent.

"If you are in front of this huge enlargement of Mona Lisa, you understand instantly why Mona Lisa is so famous," Cotte said. He added, it's something you have to see with your own eyes.

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