Haunted swing baffles scientists

[Owlscrying]

Firmat, Argentina - Scientists have reportedly been left baffled by a "haunted" playground swing that rocks backwards and forwards on its own.

Locals claim one seat swings nonstop for ten days before stopping dead, while other swings remain still. A teacher said: "One child called it the Blair Witch Playground. We believe it is haunted."

Parents and children are convinced a ghost is to blame for the phenomenon. They reported the swing to police after it began moving four months ago,

Police officers had to admit they were stumped and called in physics professors but they too failed to find a logical explanation.

Academics have now ruled out magnetic and electrical fields, and winds - and called in ghosthunters.

go

[SirRedeye]

i wonder if they got it on film yet?

(poor ghost-probly just wants someone to push 'em on the swing

[JustNormal]

Firmat, Argentina - Scientists have reportedly been left baffled by a "haunted" playground swing that rocks backwards and forwards on its own.

Locals claim one seat swings nonstop for ten days before stopping dead, while other swings remain still. A teacher said: "One child called it the Blair Witch Playground. We believe it is haunted."

Parents and children are convinced a ghost is to blame for the phenomenon. They reported the swing to police after it began moving four months ago,

Police officers had to admit they were stumped and called in physics professors but they too failed to find a logical explanation.

Academics have now ruled out magnetic and electrical fields, and winds - and called in ghosthunters.

go

COOL thanks for sharing..JN

[Jack-O-Lantern]

Firmat, Argentina - Scientists have reportedly been left baffled by a "haunted" playground swing that rocks backwards and forwards on its own.

Locals claim one seat swings nonstop for ten days before stopping dead, while other swings remain still. A teacher said: "One child called it the Blair Witch Playground. We believe it is haunted."

Parents and children are convinced a ghost is to blame for the phenomenon. They reported the swing to police after it began moving four months ago,

Police officers had to admit they were stumped and called in physics professors but they too failed to find a logical explanation.

Academics have now ruled out magnetic and electrical fields, and winds - and called in ghosthunters.

go

there is a park in Pocatello called Ammon park that also has a haunted swing set

[Blackwhite]

See weird video here:http://thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article385529.ece

There are three swings. A woman steadies the middle one so that it is still, then when she moves away it slowly starts to swing again and then is swinging properly as though someone is on it.

Edited October 25, 2007 by Blackwhite

[glorybebe]

See weird video here:http://thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article385529.ece

There are three swings. A woman steadies the middle one so that it is still, then when she moves away it slowly starts to swing again and then is swinging properly as though someone is on it.

That is freaky, yet pretty cool!

[Regency]

Thanks for the vid - at first you think it's the wind, but it goes pretty high hmmmm interesting.

[Fatal]

See weird video here:http://thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article385529.ece

There are three swings. A woman steadies the middle one so that it is still, then when she moves away it slowly starts to swing again and then is swinging properly as though someone is on it.

Saw the video. Damn, that's creepy.

[Purplos]

Call the cops? What did they think the cops would do?

911 - What's your emergency?

Well, we have this swing that is... uh... swinging.

[Nocturnal]

Call the cops? What did they think the cops would do?

911 - What's your emergency?

Well, we have this swing that is... uh... swinging.

At the very least a cop provides an impartial observer. If you saw something like this, and told a university prof they'd probably think you were trying to pull off a hoax and waste their time. If a cop comes by and sees the same thing it reduces the chance it's an obvious hoax.

[GirlInBlack]

Swings moving on their own are fairly common. I have heard of at least 3 other ones that move like this, but I have never seen a video before today. One of them involved a park that used to be a graveyard, and another was one where several children were abducted and murdered. I have never seen one that moved as often as this one though.

Anytime you get something like this that is predictable it's a great find. You would have a ten day in a row chance to run any tests you want, and not have to worry about it stopping.

[Im-postle-able]

Here are a heap more videos... does anyone speak Spanish? I'd love to hear what they are saying but it's so hard to hear them OVER THE WIND!!! Well i guess with all that WIND blocking out their voices we'll never know why it is moving like that...

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHqCm0wNi4

Just another very short sensationalistic news story.. Lets get some names of those academics who said they can't find an explanation.. anyone.. whats that you say? no REAL study was performed? damn shame... must be ghosts then!

[Lycos]

Let us hope the swing doesn't break before ghost hunters get there! lol ;P But yea, that is quite strange indeed but for some reason I'm having a bit of trouble thinking it's a ghost. I believe in this sort of stuff but...idk this seems very "uncharacteristic" of a ghost to me. I don't see why or how a ghost would do this for 10 days straight, I know most "hauntings" don't make sense but at least most of the time...you can find a reason. The only thing I can really think of is maybe it has a similar way of happening as Gravity Roads do? But I'm sure the ruled that out as well. Also the fact that it is just the one swing in the middle of three. I'm just totally baffled by this.

If you want to think it's a spirit, it can't really be a "good" one I don't think because I don't think a "good" one would want to possibility scare children and maybe an "evil" one would want all that attention. This is the problem though...you ask the question why? And you come up with absolutely nothing. Maybe it could be like a poltergeist and I am pretty sure Argentina has a pretty decent amount of limestone. That's all I can come up with and poltergeists with limestone isn't even anywhere close to a fact. This is just...out there....

[Clovendearhoof/faceman]

awesome. I like it.

[JackalnChainz]

Great thread. I see nothing freaky or anything to give me the impression of paranormal activity. In fact, the way the motion starts, and effects both swings next to it, and is not in parallel or straight line motions, gives me the distinct impression, this is anything but paranormal. It is most likely some kind of an earth disturbance, if not emf. IMHO. I put it right up there with rivers that run north, mass expusions of methane from the ocean floor, etc. ~Jackal

Edited October 26, 2007 by JackalnChainz

[JustNormal]

Here are a heap more videos... does anyone speak Spanish? I'd love to hear what they are saying but it's so hard to hear them OVER THE WIND!!! Well i guess with all that WIND blocking out their voices we'll never know why it is moving like that...

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHqCm0wNi4

Just another very short sensationalistic news story.. Lets get some names of those academics who said they can't find an explanation.. anyone.. whats that you say? no REAL study was performed? damn shame... must be ghosts then!

That is not in English so no clue what they are saying. How can it be the wind when the trees are not moving at all? DRATS no scientists available..

[Lycos]

Great thread. I see nothing freaky or anything to give me the impression of paranormal activity. In fact, the way the motion starts, and effects both swings next to it, and is not in parallel or straight line motions, gives me the distinct impression, this is anything but paranormal. It is most likely some kind of an earth disturbance, if not emf. IMHO. I put it right up there with rivers that run north, mass expusions of methane from the ocean floor, etc. ~Jackal

I agree 100% agree with you hear, it does not have that "paranormal feel." at least for me it doesn't. I hope when the check it out they come to the limestone conclusion. If it does that almost cements the theory of poltergeist activity is caused in some way by limestone.

[Im-postle-able]

That is not in English so no clue what they are saying. How can it be the wind when the trees are not moving at all? DRATS no scientists available..

le'sigh

Yes i KNOW it's not english.. thats why i asked "does anyone speak Spanish"

You mean to say that your proof that there is no wind is that you can't see the horribly pixelated and really far away trees moving?

LISTEN to every video which has sound.. the wind is CLEARLY audible

[JustNormal]

le'sigh

Yes i KNOW it's not english.. thats why i asked "does anyone speak Spanish"

You mean to say that your proof that there is no wind is that you can't see the horribly pixelated and really far away trees moving?

LISTEN to every video which has sound.. the wind is CLEARLY audible

The audio is poor, I agree. But I watched the trees located pretty close. and the onlooker's clothing, which didnt seem to have the wind effect. I dont know if its paranormal, but whatever, its cool to watch..JN

[JackalnChainz]

I dont know if its paranormal, but whatever, its cool to watch..JN

Agreed! Very cool!

[CopeML]

The audio is poor, I agree. But I watched the trees located pretty close. and the onlooker's clothing, which didnt seem to have the wind effect. I dont know if its paranormal, but whatever, its cool to watch..JN

Well how bout the piece of trash that blows directly towards the cameraman about 1 minute in on the ground? As for the swing I get the feeling that someone is out fishing with fishing line showing everyone his big catch.

[Im-postle-able]

Oh my GOD i don't believe i'm doing this... ok everyone gather around... this is what is called looking at the EVIDENCE!!

First of all the most logical solution to this would be WIND. The shape of the seat is more than capable of catching the wind, then as it reaches the apex of the swing, it twists and the wind propels it a little the other way. Each increase in swing is a little more than the last. Considering it is a gradual and cumulative effect this ALSO lends credit to the wind theory as the swing would slowly gain more momentum as it was propelled little by little.

Think of the shape of the seat... if the seat twists slightly, the wind is caught by the leading edge and is funneled to the other side. Lika so....

As the wind doesn't have enough power to keep propelling the seat, so the leading edge reaches it's apex & starts traveling the other direction.. followed by the trailing edge. Now the seat is catching the wind with the same side, but twisted the other way.. again catching the wind, and funneling it out the "back" (in relation to the direction it is now traveling. .. like so....

The news reports said that the wind wasn't a factor in the swings movement. This is clearly false....

By watching the motion of the seat in the first video it is always "leading" its movement with the side closes to the camera. Therefore we can make the prediction that the wind is traveling towards the person filming across the axis of the seat.

Video 1 case study

_______

<a href="http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHqCm0wNi4" target="_blank">http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHqCm0wNi4</a>

1. At timing .55 a leaf can be seen to be blowing towards the camera person thus confirming that there is WIND and this wind is in the correct direction for the seat to catch it & propel it forward little by little in a cumulative manner.

2. At timing 1.46 a woman with red pants and long hair enters the frame, her hair is clearly being blow by the wind, again from the right direction.

3. At timing 1.49 a woman with a black parker and long hair ALSO has her hair blown

4. JN you mentioned that no-ones clothes were being moved by wind, this is due to everyone wearing heavy cold weather gear.

5. JN you also mentioned that you couldn't see any trees moving, this is because if they were moving the quality of the video is poor and shaking considerably. Over long distances the effects of a shaky view point is grossly exaggerated, even if the trees ARE moving, you cant see it because the camera is jumping all over the place.

_______

Video 2 case study

_______

<a href="http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QpvBGnv2E" target="_blank">http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QpvBGnv2E</a>

If the wind was a contributing factor then the swings would have to "lead" with the edge farthest from the wind. If we look at motion of the swings and land marks this means that the wind would have to come from the road in this video (co-incidentally the same direction as the other video)

1. Immediately it is audible that the wind is blowing

2. At timing .03 the second man from the right has his pants being blown by the wind... from behind him.. which is towards the road.

3. At timing .25 there is a couple standing, behind them is a shrub which can be seen being blown around by the wind.

4. At timing .25 there is also a man with a red shirt, his pants are being blown by the wind, the motion of his pants confirms that the wind is originating from his right.. this direction of the road.

_______

This type of critical thinking is what we need to address the "unexplained" NOT a wishy washy "oh the audio is bad, i'm not sure, it might be paranormal"

Edited October 26, 2007 by Im-postle-able

[Regency]

Say it was the wind - why is only one swing going crazy? They're identical seats.

[Im-postle-able]

Say it was the wind - why is only one swing going crazy? They're identical seats.

Correct length of chain, correct starting position etc etc

[Regency]

Correct length of chain, correct starting position etc etc

Obviously, I cannot get my tape measure on it, but they look pretty level to my naked eye.