1. Comment #151343 by aquilacane on March 28, 2008 at 2:28 pm

I think the first line was meant to read:

IOWA CITY, Iowa - County officials have given their informal OK for ghost hunters to be checked in to a one-time Iowa insane asylum for believing that spirits are lurking about.

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2. Comment #151347 by VanYoungman on March 28, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Iowans are normally quite sane. Honest. I married one.

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3. Comment #151356 by D'Arcy on March 28, 2008 at 2:42 pm

This definitely calls for a spirited response!

If the state of Iowa needs some help in ghostbusting, I believe the Vatican may be able assist.

If the ghosts are more than say 300 years old, maybe they need to consult the local native American medicine man, or "witch doctor" as it's better known elsewhere.

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4. Comment #151359 by Animavore on March 28, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Who ye gonna bleedin call (said sarcastically)

This really is tiring. I'm going to retire for the night. Night night.

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5. Comment #151360 by Prankster on March 28, 2008 at 2:48 pm

Just tell them to be careful with the proton packs and not to cross the streams......

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6. Comment #151368 by epeeist on March 28, 2008 at 2:57 pm

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors took the initial action on the request from the Johnson County Historical Society, which gives tours of the 153-year-old building.

Why are they looking for ghosts in such a new building?

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7. Comment #151372 by Dr Benway on March 28, 2008 at 3:00 pm

At first I figured the Historical Society's plan was to use the ghostbusters as PR for their tours.

But at the end, they mention that disabled people are living in the building. You can't have a sight-seeing tour in such a place. That's a set up for recurrent HIPPA violations.

Sos weird.

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8. Comment #151380 by flobear on March 28, 2008 at 3:27 pm

epeeist: Why are they looking for ghosts in such a new building?

epeeist: America might be young by European standards, but we have increased paranormal effects due to the prevalence of Native American burial grounds. What else would make those people insane?

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9. Comment #151381 by Elles on March 28, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Ah... Lovely.

Ghost hunters taking themselves to the insane asylum. No objections here.

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10. Comment #151384 by SPS on March 28, 2008 at 3:33 pm

I've wondered, if there were ghosts, why would they hang around to do stupid shit? Doesn't make sense...probably because they don't exist.

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11. Comment #151385 by mcain on March 28, 2008 at 3:35 pm

This is my first post ever but as a student at UofI & resident of Iowa City I had to speak up. This town has a real problem with lots of woo from psychics to the Marahishi Enlightenment Center, and this doesn't surprise me. Maybe staring at corn for too long has some strange affect on people's mind.

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12. Comment #151389 by D'Arcy on March 28, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Maybe staring at corn for too long has some strange affect on people's mind.

Nice one mcain! This effect could also explain why the Scots around Loch Ness are reputed to have seen monsters, or guys in the hills seen Bigfoots or Yetis.

Hell this could be the start of a whole insane tourist industry. The non-Discovery Institute might be persuaded to provide funds for the hype!

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13. Comment #151397 by Cartomancer on March 28, 2008 at 3:59 pm

Yes, the "ghost hunters" are clearly delusional or charlatans or both. That kind of goes without saying. That county officials in a supposedly 21st century advanced society are taking them seriously almost beggars belief. What I most object to, however, is the news report itself. Were I one of our putative visitors from mars I could pick this article up and from it conclude that paranormal activity really does exist on planet earth. Nowhere does the reporting state that these things are just primitive superstitions from a credulous age - the impression is given that there might actually be some validity to these claims.

When people can pick up their newspapers and switch on their televisions to such unwarranted fence-sitting, is there any wonder that the superstition industry is going from strength to strength?

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14. Comment #151400 by Double Bass Atheist on March 28, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Can someone explain why this story is on our main page?

Granted, I understand the belief in ghosts is analogous to belief in god(s), but why this particular story? There are lots of magazine articles, stories, TV shows, etc., about paranormal investigations just about every day. Why is this rather innocuous one "news" here on RDnet???

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15. Comment #151402 by Corylus on March 28, 2008 at 4:09 pm

It is interesting the buildings that people deem to be liable to haunting. They are often buildings associated with death like morgues or regular hospitals. Ok. This is understandable. Lots of people dying in one place, if you are going to find ghosts anywhere it will be one of those places.

However, other buildings seem to get picked not because of deaths occurring, but by virtue of the fact that people find them intimidating. Courthouses, jails etc. and, as it appears here, mental hospitals.*

Brandon Cochran, museum operations assistant for the historical society, said there have never been reports of ghosts or bizarre happenings at the building and bringing in a paranormal team is "kind of taking the pre-emptive approach."

What is it that people find so intimidating about these places? I can only conclude it is the residents. What sort of attitude does it show towards the mentally ill that this place is considered a possible haunting site?

Maybe I am being unfair and it is simply because the building is old and just looks unappealing?? Fine. Renovate it.

This worried me.

Chatham Oaks officials said there wouldn't be a problem with the paranormal team coming in as long as it didn't disturb residents.

These people are vulnerable, changes to routine and unfamiliar faces can cause a great deal of distress. You cannot assume that something that would not disturb a resident of a regular hospital will not disturb a resident of one of these places (especially a long term resident, set in their ways).

I do not think there are ghosts here. However, I am more worried about this shows about attitudes towards the residents than unthinking acceptance of the paranormal.

* The one exception to this is old public houses, which are fun places, however, the increased profits made by people visiting pleasant 'haunted' establishments (and owners spreading rumours accordingly) might account for this one.

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16. Comment #151413 by DamnDirtyApe on March 28, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Maybe these guys should play the video game Silent Hill: It'll blow them away!

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17. Comment #151426 by MelM on March 28, 2008 at 5:07 pm

The building now houses some people with mental disabilities. Might I suggest that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors move their meetings to the building? Or, perhaps they should take up permanent residence.

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18. Comment #151430 by DamnDirtyApe on March 28, 2008 at 5:15 pm

This sounds like an episode of Scooby Doo...

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19. Comment #151434 by kaiserkriss on March 28, 2008 at 5:27 pm

HA-HA! (Nelson's voice of the Simpsons)jcw

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20. Comment #151438 by Richard Morgan on March 28, 2008 at 5:37 pm

Hehehehe! I'm going to astrally project myself into the Asylum when the "paranormal" team is interviewing ghosts.
I'll have the machines record my voice, and I'll say, in my ghostly British accent....

...

Over to you guys - anybody feel like writing my script?
This is going to be fun.

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21. Comment #151446 by neander on March 28, 2008 at 6:01 pm

I like to phone the local psychics, astrologers etc. and not say anything. I hang up when they ask, "Who's there?"

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22. Comment #151448 by mmurray on March 28, 2008 at 6:02 pm

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors took the initial action on the request from the Johnson County Historical Society, which gives tours of the 153-year-old building.

Brandon Cochran, museum operations assistant for the historical society, said there have never been reports of ghosts or bizarre happenings at the building and bringing in a paranormal team is "kind of taking the pre-emptive approach."

They are checking this building for ghosts because nobody has seen any ? Huh ? It has to be a PR stunt.

Mcihael

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23. Comment #151457 by quantum tuba on March 28, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Will someone please ask these "ghost hunters" to go away until they can come up with a reliable methodology for their ridiculous studies of paranormal phenomena. How can they "investigate" if they don't have any way of gathering and analyzing data? Oh well, it never stopped theologians, and it won't stop any other anti-rationalists.

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24. Comment #151460 by rod-the-farmer on March 28, 2008 at 6:28 pm

I agree with Corylus and mmurray

Brandon Cochran, museum operations assistant for the historical society, said there have never been reports of ghosts or bizarre happenings at the building and bringing in a paranormal team is "kind of taking the pre-emptive approach."

sounds too strange to be true. I get a lot of similar calls at my home, often during supper-time, asking if I would like to have my carpets, or more frequently, my ducts cleaned. (These are the hot air ducts used to pipe warm air from the furnace, if you have one. Apparently these collect dust bunnies over time.) I always say "We don't have any." (True statement, at least about the ducts. The bunnies we deal with ourselves.)

Based on the Iowa precedent, I guess I should NOW say "Sure, come on over !" Just as long as they don't disturb the other inmates at our house. (My wife looks pointedly in my direction.)

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25. Comment #151464 by Mitchell Gilks on March 28, 2008 at 7:33 pm

I have to laugh when I hear about all their "ghost detecting equipment". There is absolutely no evidence that any of it works at all, they might as well staple some tinfoil to a baseball cap and call it a ghost detector.

Damn crazies. Why an insane asylum? Last I checked, sane people die too. Are insane people more likely to haunt? Where did they get that information exactly?

When kids play pretend, it's cute, and they even know they are playing pretend...when adults do it, it's a pitiful sight indeed.

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26. Comment #151470 by mattyohe on March 28, 2008 at 7:52 pm

I can't believe I'm reading this. Really, most of us are not like this! (I live in Iowa City, IA)

Here is the team of investigators' website: http://www.carrollareaparanormalteam.com/

Here are the minutes: http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/min/080327_1-min.htm

"A majority of the Board expressed support for the proposal to move forward, with the exception of Harney. Chappell said that he will get the appropriate legal items in place before it is placed on a formal agenda for approval."

I will have to attend the meeting when it is formally on the agenda.

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27. Comment #151486 by dragonfirematrix on March 28, 2008 at 8:25 pm

Wait a minute! Wait a minute!

I have repeatedly heard that from the religious in the Forest/Lynchburg, VA, area that God does not make junk.

So...

What is the following quote from the article saying: "The remaining wing was built in 1855 and housed mentally ill patients who were deemed insane."

The quote is saying that the Christian god is proven to make junk. That makes this god incompentent and not worthy of being followed.

Personally, I want a god who knows what he/she/it is doing :) Since science comes closer to the facts and truth than any god, I choose science.

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28. Comment #151490 by utelme on March 28, 2008 at 8:46 pm

I check out the local pub if I want to see spirits. After a while I might even see God. LOL

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29. Comment #151501 by lievemebe on March 28, 2008 at 9:30 pm

The remaining wing was built in 1855 and housed mentally ill patients who were deemed insane.

No doubt the ghost busters are mentally ill but not deemed insane. Maybe the county officials could be deemed insane without actually being mentally ill patients.

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30. Comment #151504 by black wolf on March 28, 2008 at 9:51 pm

dragonfirematrix,
they'll be smugly satisfied with playing the 'Demonic Possession' card, or ye olde 'Satan Mind-Warp'.

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31. Comment #151531 by Big T on March 29, 2008 at 12:11 am

Exactly how does ghost detecting equipment work? Thermal imaging? If a ghost is supernatural, outside the laws of physics, not made up of mass/energy, how can thermal imaging equipment detect one? Sound recording? If a ghost has no mass/energy, how can he/she make sounds? How can you see a ghost? How can light be deflected by his/her body? How can ghost detecting equipment be tested to see if it works? I was going to ask more skeptical questions, but I've just been slimed by a ghost! Bill Murray, where are you when I need you?

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32. Comment #151549 by JemyM on March 29, 2008 at 12:58 am

I do not have a problem with this compared to organized religion. People have a deeply rooted interest in mysteries and often enjoy them even if they know they are false. I prefer that they spend their energy on this instead of totalitarian scripture that orders death for all sorts of weird reasons.

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33. Comment #151567 by ricey on March 29, 2008 at 2:07 am

People love ghosts because they are exciting. Maybe it's a mis-firing of the evolutionary need to be wary of things that go bump in the night. An adrenalin rush, originally much-needed by our ancestors for fighting off sabre-toothed tigers and such, that stumbled into their caves at night!

Now we seek the fear-rush via ghost stories, horror flicks, etc - while knowing at a rational level that it's not real. The Demon-Haunted World (Carl Sagan) will be with us for a while yet.

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34. Comment #151582 by Mal3 on March 29, 2008 at 2:43 am

These guys have a hard enough time getting any kind of evidence from "haunted" sites, so why are they going to one that isn't haunted in the first place?

At any rate, it always boils down to a bunch of grown men and women running around and scaring each other in the dark which, while fun, should be kept to mental institutions that aren't still housing crazy people.

Just a thought.

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35. Comment #151586 by Bertybob on March 29, 2008 at 3:00 am

I hope the citizens of Iowa are not going to be paying for any of this?

Getting the "legal papers" (as mentioned above) drawn up is in itself costing taxpayer dollars. Some Iowa citizen needs to call the board on the matter.

We have a complete charletan "paranormal" investigator over here in the UK called Derek Ancora. Everytime I see him on TV or listen to him on the radio I want to vomit! http://derekacorah.org/

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36. Comment #151600 by JemyM on March 29, 2008 at 3:37 am

Right on!
Where I come from, they call that "science"!

No, the thrill with a mystery is to not know.
Science ruins the mystery by spoiling the ending.

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37. Comment #151613 by Vadjong on March 29, 2008 at 4:08 am

I agree with the county officials.
Let these people have their sleep-over in a spooky place. I'm dead certain they will record at least one inexplicable phenomenon that scares the bat shit out of them. (Any guesses?)
If not, the usual excuses will manifest themselves without fail the morning after (equipment not sensitive enough, the ghost of James Randi lurking, wrong moonphase, joke played on them ...).

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38. Comment #151637 by MrPickwick on March 29, 2008 at 5:34 am

I bet they will find 4 moronic dudes in there.

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39. Comment #151658 by Thor'Ungal on March 29, 2008 at 6:28 am

JemyM

No, the thrill with a mystery is to not know.
Science ruins the mystery by spoiling the ending.

Funny that sounds almost spot on what ended a conversation with a friend once.

He was talking about science not being able to discover everything. I agreed tentatively but asked how else he proposed knowing about it. He brought up ESP, ghosts, remote viewing, etc. I remarked that it was very much in the domain of science and was fairly constantly demonstrated to be a result of tricks or psychological phenomenon. Also that if it did exist it would be eventually unearthed since it clearly left "footprints" in physical reality.

To this it was remarked that not everyone wants to know how things happen. That it ruined the magic in life.

I'm glad we had got that in the open. I recommended he not act irreversibly on one of these hunches and I no longer bring up the subject.

Some people really don't want to know.

Thor'Ungal

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40. Comment #151664 by Frankus1122 on March 29, 2008 at 6:44 am

Joe Nickell at the Center for Inquiry does this kind of thing all the time.
In one Point of Inquiry interview he said that he is skeptical of ghosts and other paranormal activity. He was willing to be convinced that such things are real if the evidence presented itself.
However, after 30 (?) years of investigating paranormal claims and NEVER finding ANY evidence, he tends toward the belief that ghosts and the like do not exist.
I love the understatement.

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41. Comment #151670 by Divineosaur on March 29, 2008 at 7:09 am

There is no Dana, only Zuel.

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42. Comment #151691 by sarah95 on March 29, 2008 at 8:00 am

This is my first post ever but as a student at UofI & resident of Iowa City I had to speak up. This town has a real problem with lots of woo from psychics to the Marahishi Enlightenment Center, and this doesn't surprise me. Maybe staring at corn for too long has some strange affect on people's mind.

HA! As a Minnesotan, I enjoy more than a few jokes at Iowans' expense, but this is just great. I know there are some perfectly sane Iowans, but seeing the headline for this on the RD.net mainpage just made my day.

I agree about the corn thing. Before I got to travel to different parts of the world and country, I thought the bleak flat yellow landscape of the midwest would steal my sanity. It's a good thing we're nice people in the midwest, or I wouldn't have recovered.

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43. Comment #151701 by _J_ on March 29, 2008 at 8:24 am

Maybe staring at corn for too long has some strange affect on people's mind.

Could be something to that. Heard or read the other day some researcher's thoughts on how big, open environments might play havoc with your mind's hazard detection kit, leading you to 'detect' the presence of threats or companions where there are none, and then to interpret this 'presence' in supernatural terms. Don't know whether there's anything to this idea (I think it was mentioned in the context of Jesus' sojourn into the desert).

One the reliability of the ghost hunters' detection equipment, I suggest a simple test. If they come back with evidence of Carl Sagan's dragon, the kit works. I'm sure the dragon will be there.

On which note: Richard Morgan, you're joking, of course. You already have the perfect script:

'...'

I guarantee they'll pick that up.

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44. Comment #151744 by asupcb on March 29, 2008 at 9:48 am

What's sad is that one of my friends who calls himself an atheist believes in ghosts. Is is just me or if you believe in ghosts you aren't really an atheist?

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45. Comment #151776 by perkyjay on March 29, 2008 at 11:11 am

epeeist:'why are they looking for ghosts in such a new building ?'.

I'm a transplanted Yorkshireman, living in a British Columbia village,(not very much older than I am), and people are looking for ghosts in the hotel here which was built in 1893, only 37 years before I was born. On the whole Canadians are wonderful people, but lack true historical perspective.

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46. Comment #151785 by Colwyn Abernathy on March 29, 2008 at 11:36 am

"IOWA CITY, Iowa - County officials have given their informal OK for ghost hunters to check out a one-time Iowa insane asylum to see if any spirits are lurking about."

OOO! I can answer that!

No...and that didn't cost you anything. ;)

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47. Comment #151801 by D'Arcy on March 29, 2008 at 12:33 pm

We need a proper expert here. Send for Phil Spectre!

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48. Comment #152046 by rod-the-farmer on March 30, 2008 at 3:52 am

Let's see now. People who believe an insane asylum is haunted by ghosts, want to check out if it is haunted, despite no evidence or reports to justify this idea. Let them in, then lock the doors behind them. Problem solved.

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49. Comment #152061 by irate_atheist on March 30, 2008 at 4:17 am

Bell-ends, one and all.

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50. Comment #152066 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:24 am

46. Comment #151744 by asupcb

What's sad is that one of my friends who calls himself an atheist believes in ghosts. Is is just me or if you believe in ghosts you aren't really an atheist?

Only if he starts worshipping them!

Just because we don't believe in gods doesn't necessarily make us completely rational in all areas.

I have a primitive superstition that wooter can eventually be cured, for example, despite all evidence to the contrary.

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