Assignment Prompt & Instructions
[>Marketing homework help](https://www.sweetstudy.com/fields/business-finance-marketing)
– 2 years ago
**files (3)**
– ## PartABEngMAL.docx
– ## ParanormalInvestigationTeamHopesforAnswersinSCCity.pdf
– Paranormalexperiencessensory-processing.pdf
**## PartABEngMAL.docx**
**Part A (Mal)**
**Please be careful using Ai materials because instructors are only giving us one chance to correct this.**
**Assignment Instructions**
**Introduction**
Before writing your journal, choose one group of texts to view from the below options. Watch and read through the material carefully, making notes as you go of the obvious differences in how the texts differ in their approach to similar topics.
In a brief journal, compare and contrast the three texts in your chosen group. Do not discuss your feelings on the subject matter of the texts. Instead, offer a brief rhetorical analysis of each. You may address the following prompts in your response:
· How would you describe the
**tone** of each?
· How would you describe the
**bias** of each?
· Who is the
**intended audience**? How do you know?
· What
**research** did the writer/ speaker do to understand the topic? Describe the research process as it is articulated in the texts (this may be implied and not explicitly reported).
· Identify the specific ways in which the
**academic** approach to research and writing
**differs** from the other forms of popular media.
**GROUP 1: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
**Text 1:** [**"Did This YouTuber Prove Ghosts Exist? by John Wolfe**](https://youtu.be/-ezIbJfjMTQ?si=YLyGgPhZSpS4F_aT) **(New Media)**
Attached other resource for this
**Part B**
**Assessment 7-1: At Home in the Information Ecosystem (Click Here)**
Assignment Instructions
Introduction
In this formal, sourced, academic essay, you will revisit the framing text for the course from Module 1: "The Information Ecosystem," by Knute O. Berger and update it for the contemporary/ present moment. Where Berger discusses the rise of cable, telephones, and computers, you may focus on streaming, smartphones, and the Internet. Essentially, you should describe the current information ecosystem to include how information is created and shared as well as how information is consumed.
Assignment
Essays may discuss any/ all of the following:
· How the integrity of information changes when
_everyone_ has the ability to create and distribute that information
· What new and emerging technologies are playing or will play an essential role in information creation and consumption in the future
· How the information ecosystem today is better than it was in the past
· Dangers or pitfalls of the contemporary/ current information ecosystem
· Anything else you find interesting/ relevant
Sample Organizational Model
· Introduction: Your introduction may summarize the original article by Berger. What was the information ecosystem like in 1989? How did Berger feel about it? What were his concerns? Include a specific thesis that summarizes how you believe the information ecosystem has changed in the decades since.
· Body Section 1: Describe the benefits of contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 2: Describe the potential pitfalls of the contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 3: Discuss what you think the future might look like with regard to information creation and distribution. What is happening
_now_ that might set up the next radical change?
· Conclusion: Return again to the 1989 article and draw connections between the current/ future information ecosystem and what Berger saw happening in the late 80s.
·
["The Information Ecosystem"](https://www.context.org/iclib/ic23/berger1/) by Knute O. Berger (opens in new window): Originally published in 1989, Berger looks at changing technologies and their impacts on media and information dissemination
·
["Information Anxiety: Towards Understanding"](https://scenariojournal.com/article/richard-wurman/) by Richard Saul Wurman (opens in new window): An in-depth look at the evolution of information consumption–here, Wurman revisits his 1989 text, Information Anxiety in 2012
· Works Cited: A page that lists all sources you've used in your writing, including "The Information Ecosystem" and any other resources.
**## ParanormalInvestigationTeamHopesforAnswersinSCCity.pdf**
Paranormal Investigation Team Hopes for Answers in SC City
By Associated Press
Dec. 5, 2021, at 12:01 a.m.
By ROBERT JORDAN, Index-Journal
ABBEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Children love ghost stories. Some children never grow up.
Others grow up and become paranormal investigators. Ghost stories in Abbeville and
Greenwood counties piqued the interest of Patrick Welsh and Courtney Bautista. They,
along with members of their team, the Paranormal Society of Savannah, will visit Abbeville
to research alleged hauntings.
The visit to Belmont Inn in February was prompted by Bautista, who grew up in Abbeville
and related ghost stories she grew up with to her team members.
People want answers as to why things are happening, she said. “This is the main reason we
do things, to give them closure.”
Welsh formed the team two years ago. He and his father had discussed it for years, he said.
“When COVID-19 hit, people were staying home and we were bored to death. I thought it
was a good time to go out and get stories.”
His dad, brother-in-law and a childhood friend agreed and they started the team and it
snowballed from there, he said. The team now has 17 members who bring a variety of
knowledge and skills to conduct investigations.
One goal is to teach people how to get answers. Welsh said the team will offer a class on
paranormal research. Investigative efforts are free. The class costs $20. The Abbeville class
is scheduled for 12:30-5 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Belmont Inn.
Paranormal activity covers anything that can’t be explained, such as supernatural
phenomena, ghost activity and poltergeists, Welsh said.
One purpose of classes is to teach people how to conduct an investigation, explain the basic
equipment and mistakes to avoid. Lessons also involve professionalism, such as getting
permission to go on to property.
Bad actors can get hurt and destroy property, or they vandalize, get drunk and bust up beer
bottles on private property, he said.
“We have talked to some residents and property owners who told us that and we had to
reassure them that this is not our cup of tea. We don’t vandalize; we respect each other’s
property,” Welsh said.
[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city)
You wouldn’t believe how many people go into places they shouldn’t and face black mold,
lead, asbestos or places that are falling down, he said. You always want to check a location
first.
“You enter a place illegally, some bad things can happen to you, health-wise,” Welsh said.
“We stress safety before every investigation.”
Bautista joined Welsh’s team in March. She said she was a member of another team and
had conducted a workshop and decided to come over. As a case manager her duties range
from handling phone calls and working on computers to graphic design, editing videos and
working with audio and video.
It’s a change from her jobs as a barista and a cemetery tour guide. “When I want to destress
I go through files and evidence,” she said.
One of Bautista’s favorite memories is her first investigation with team. At Grove Point
Plantation in Savannah, she and another team member contacted the spirit of a little boy.
Part of their equipment was a voodoo buddy (a heat-seeking teddy bear) that is really good
for use with child spirits.
They asked the spirit to touch it. She said the spirit literally flung the bear across the room
— it went flying off the table.
“I was losing it; it freaked me out a little,” Bautista said.
Welsh’s interest in the paranormal started as a child when he saw apparitions. Eventually,
he described a vision he had to his grandfather who said Welsh had described his great-
grandfather, a man who was killed in the 1930s.
His great-grandfather apparently was the meanest man in town. He was an alcoholic and
abusive. Welsh said one story involved his pistol-whipping a preacher who had chastised
him for his tardiness at a church service.
According to his grandfather’s explanation, his brother got tired of their father’s behavior
and shot him six times in the back.
“I had him visit me several times as a kid and never knew why,” Welsh said. He did research
and genealogy to find out why he was coming. “He wanted me to tell my grandfather he
was sorry. And that he had been in limbo that whole time.”
“I think he was given a choice to repent or stay where he was at, in limbo, but I never saw
him again after that,” he said.
“I think a lot of times they want someone to talk to, to listen, someone to play with. A lot of
them, I think, are fascinated by technology, such as running water and electricity. A lot of
them didn’t have that back then.”
Learning stories is one of the reasons he handles investigations. Welsh said he has learned
more history than he ever knew about.
“The general need people have of wanting to learn is what keeps us going,” he said. You
want to see and do more and learn of the history of cities they visit.
Abbeville, for instance, has a family atmosphere. “It feels like Mayberry to me. It’s a down-
home kind of feeling where everyone is so nice; it’s a beautiful town; then we heard all the
paranormal stories.”
Those stories involve the Belmont Inn, the Opera House and Bautista is interested in the
old Rock House in Greenwood County. Welsh said people have shared stories about
possible paranormal activity in Abbeville County through social media.
Investigations can take up to two weeks, Welch said. Team members check the history of a
place, talk to locals, then do research. Equipment includes laser grids, video and audio
recorders, radiation and EMF detectors.
The team features men and women with different voices as some spirits might respond to a
person with a high-pitched voice, while others prefer a deep voice.
Maybe half the cases the team gets involve paranormal activity, he said. Some people have
gotten upset because they believe their property is haunted, but the team didn’t find
anything.
“We don’t make up stories, we tell them like it is,” Welsh said. “It’s kind of like fishing;
sometimes you don’t catch things, you don’t even get a bite, but you keep on coming back.”
And when they find something? Most of the time it’s playful spirits, Welsh said. In 30 years
of investigations, he has met a malevolent entity once, maybe twice.
In case anyone is wondering, Welsh said he has never seen anything like “The Exorcist.”
“That stuff creeps me out. It’s one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.”
When necessary, the team can do a blessing to help a spirit cross over. If there is a
malevolent presence, something above their pay grade, they’ll call in experts, he said.
Some people want to join a team after watching ghost-hunting shows on television, Welsh
said. “It’s something you’re either interested in or not, there’s no in-between.”
Qualifications to being an investigator include having a good sense of humor and good
listening and communication skills, he said. Nearly 300 people expressed an interest in
being on the team. The classes are meant to weed out people who, as Welsh explained, “are
not from planet earth.”
Just for reference, Welsh said it is no insult to be called “Ghostbusters.” “Most of us love
that movie,” he said. “We kind of take it as a badge.”
“Basically we’re interviewing the ghosts to see if we can come up with answers for the
owner,” Bautista said. “It’s worth it sometimes. You get some good stuff. I just hope we
bring Greenwood and Abbeville some answers.”
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tags: South Carolina, Associated Press
[http://www.ap.org/](http://www.ap.org/)
[https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina](https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina)
[https://www.usnews.com/topics/organizations/associated_press](https://www.usnews.com/topics/organizations/associated_press)
**Paranormalexperiencessensory-processing.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/paranormalexperiencessensory-processing-pdf-10189411)
**Paranormalexperiencessensory-processing.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/paranormalexperiencessensory-processing-pdf-10189411)
**## PartABEngMAL.docx**
**Part A (Mal)**
**Please be careful using Ai materials because instructors are only giving us one chance to correct this.**
**Assignment Instructions**
**Introduction**
Before writing your journal, choose one group of texts to view from the below options. Watch and read through the material carefully, making notes as you go of the obvious differences in how the texts differ in their approach to similar topics.
In a brief journal, compare and contrast the three texts in your chosen group. Do not discuss your feelings on the subject matter of the texts. Instead, offer a brief rhetorical analysis of each. You may address the following prompts in your response:
· How would you describe the
**tone** of each?
· How would you describe the
**bias** of each?
· Who is the
**intended audience**? How do you know?
· What
**research** did the writer/ speaker do to understand the topic? Describe the research process as it is articulated in the texts (this may be implied and not explicitly reported).
· Identify the specific ways in which the
**academic** approach to research and writing
**differs** from the other forms of popular media.
**GROUP 1: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
**Text 1:** [**"Did This YouTuber Prove Ghosts Exist? by John Wolfe**](https://youtu.be/-ezIbJfjMTQ?si=YLyGgPhZSpS4F_aT) **(New Media)**
Attached other resource for this
**Part B**
**Assessment 7-1: At Home in the Information Ecosystem (Click Here)**
Assignment Instructions
Introduction
In this formal, sourced, academic essay, you will revisit the framing text for the course from Module 1: "The Information Ecosystem," by Knute O. Berger and update it for the contemporary/ present moment. Where Berger discusses the rise of cable, telephones, and computers, you may focus on streaming, smartphones, and the Internet. Essentially, you should describe the current information ecosystem to include how information is created and shared as well as how information is consumed.
Assignment
Essays may discuss any/ all of the following:
· How the integrity of information changes when
_everyone_ has the ability to create and distribute that information
· What new and emerging technologies are playing or will play an essential role in information creation and consumption in the future
· How the information ecosystem today is better than it was in the past
· Dangers or pitfalls of the contemporary/ current information ecosystem
· Anything else you find interesting/ relevant
Sample Organizational Model
· Introduction: Your introduction may summarize the original article by Berger. What was the information ecosystem like in 1989? How did Berger feel about it? What were his concerns? Include a specific thesis that summarizes how you believe the information ecosystem has changed in the decades since.
· Body Section 1: Describe the benefits of contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 2: Describe the potential pitfalls of the contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 3: Discuss what you think the future might look like with regard to information creation and distribution. What is happening
_now_ that might set up the next radical change?
· Conclusion: Return again to the 1989 article and draw connections between the current/ future information ecosystem and what Berger saw happening in the late 80s.
·
["The Information Ecosystem"](https://www.context.org/iclib/ic23/berger1/) by Knute O. Berger (opens in new window): Originally published in 1989, Berger looks at changing technologies and their impacts on media and information dissemination
·
["Information Anxiety: Towards Understanding"](https://scenariojournal.com/article/richard-wurman/) by Richard Saul Wurman (opens in new window): An in-depth look at the evolution of information consumption–here, Wurman revisits his 1989 text, Information Anxiety in 2012
· Works Cited: A page that lists all sources you've used in your writing, including "The Information Ecosystem" and any other resources.
**## ParanormalInvestigationTeamHopesforAnswersinSCCity.pdf**
Paranormal Investigation Team Hopes for Answers in SC City
By Associated Press
Dec. 5, 2021, at 12:01 a.m.
By ROBERT JORDAN, Index-Journal
ABBEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Children love ghost stories. Some children never grow up.
Others grow up and become paranormal investigators. Ghost stories in Abbeville and
Greenwood counties piqued the interest of Patrick Welsh and Courtney Bautista. They,
along with members of their team, the Paranormal Society of Savannah, will visit Abbeville
to research alleged hauntings.
The visit to Belmont Inn in February was prompted by Bautista, who grew up in Abbeville
and related ghost stories she grew up with to her team members.
People want answers as to why things are happening, she said. “This is the main reason we
do things, to give them closure.”
Welsh formed the team two years ago. He and his father had discussed it for years, he said.
“When COVID-19 hit, people were staying home and we were bored to death. I thought it
was a good time to go out and get stories.”
His dad, brother-in-law and a childhood friend agreed and they started the team and it
snowballed from there, he said. The team now has 17 members who bring a variety of
knowledge and skills to conduct investigations.
One goal is to teach people how to get answers. Welsh said the team will offer a class on
paranormal research. Investigative efforts are free. The class costs $20. The Abbeville class
is scheduled for 12:30-5 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Belmont Inn.
Paranormal activity covers anything that can’t be explained, such as supernatural
phenomena, ghost activity and poltergeists, Welsh said.
One purpose of classes is to teach people how to conduct an investigation, explain the basic
equipment and mistakes to avoid. Lessons also involve professionalism, such as getting
permission to go on to property.
Bad actors can get hurt and destroy property, or they vandalize, get drunk and bust up beer
bottles on private property, he said.
“We have talked to some residents and property owners who told us that and we had to
reassure them that this is not our cup of tea. We don’t vandalize; we respect each other’s
property,” Welsh said.
[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city)
You wouldn’t believe how many people go into places they shouldn’t and face black mold,
lead, asbestos or places that are falling down, he said. You always want to check a location
first.
“You enter a place illegally, some bad things can happen to you, health-wise,” Welsh said.
“We stress safety before every investigation.”
Bautista joined Welsh’s team in March. She said she was a member of another team and
had conducted a workshop and decided to come over. As a case manager her duties range
from handling phone calls and working on computers to graphic design, editing videos and
working with audio and video.
It’s a change from her jobs as a barista and a cemetery tour guide. “When I want to destress
I go through files and evidence,” she said.
One of Bautista’s favorite memories is her first investigation with team. At Grove Point
Plantation in Savannah, she and another team member contacted the spirit of a little boy.
Part of their equipment was a voodoo buddy (a heat-seeking teddy bear) that is really good
for use with child spirits.
They asked the spirit to touch it. She said the spirit literally flung the bear across the room
— it went flying off the table.
“I was losing it; it freaked me out a little,” Bautista said.
Welsh’s interest in the paranormal started as a child when he saw apparitions. Eventually,
he described a vision he had to his grandfather who said Welsh had described his great-
grandfather, a man who was killed in the 1930s.
His great-grandfather apparently was the meanest man in town. He was an alcoholic and
abusive. Welsh said one story involved his pistol-whipping a preacher who had chastised
him for his tardiness at a church service.
According to his grandfather’s explanation, his brother got tired of their father’s behavior
and shot him six times in the back.
“I had him visit me several times as a kid and never knew why,” Welsh said. He did research
and genealogy to find out why he was coming. “He wanted me to tell my grandfather he
was sorry. And that he had been in limbo that whole time.”
“I think he was given a choice to repent or stay where he was at, in limbo, but I never saw
him again after that,” he said.
“I think a lot of times they want someone to talk to, to listen, someone to play with. A lot of
them, I think, are fascinated by technology, such as running water and electricity. A lot of
them didn’t have that back then.”
Learning stories is one of the reasons he handles investigations. Welsh said he has learned
more history than he ever knew about.
“The general need people have of wanting to learn is what keeps us going,” he said. You
want to see and do more and learn of the history of cities they visit.
Abbeville, for instance, has a family atmosphere. “It feels like Mayberry to me. It’s a down-
home kind of feeling where everyone is so nice; it’s a beautiful town; then we heard all the
paranormal stories.”
Those stories involve the Belmont Inn, the Opera House and Bautista is interested in the
old Rock House in Greenwood County. Welsh said people have shared stories about
possible paranormal activity in Abbeville County through social media.
Investigations can take up to two weeks, Welch said. Team members check the history of a
place, talk to locals, then do research. Equipment includes laser grids, video and audio
recorders, radiation and EMF detectors.
The team features men and women with different voices as some spirits might respond to a
person with a high-pitched voice, while others prefer a deep voice.
Maybe half the cases the team gets involve paranormal activity, he said. Some people have
gotten upset because they believe their property is haunted, but the team didn’t find
anything.
“We don’t make up stories, we tell them like it is,” Welsh said. “It’s kind of like fishing;
sometimes you don’t catch things, you don’t even get a bite, but you keep on coming back.”
And when they find something? Most of the time it’s playful spirits, Welsh said. In 30 years
of investigations, he has met a malevolent entity once, maybe twice.
In case anyone is wondering, Welsh said he has never seen anything like “The Exorcist.”
“That stuff creeps me out. It’s one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.”
When necessary, the team can do a blessing to help a spirit cross over. If there is a
malevolent presence, something above their pay grade, they’ll call in experts, he said.
Some people want to join a team after watching ghost-hunting shows on television, Welsh
said. “It’s something you’re either interested in or not, there’s no in-between.”
Qualifications to being an investigator include having a good sense of humor and good
listening and communication skills, he said. Nearly 300 people expressed an interest in
being on the team. The classes are meant to weed out people who, as Welsh explained, “are
not from planet earth.”
Just for reference, Welsh said it is no insult to be called “Ghostbusters.” “Most of us love
that movie,” he said. “We kind of take it as a badge.”
“Basically we’re interviewing the ghosts to see if we can come up with answers for the
owner,” Bautista said. “It’s worth it sometimes. You get some good stuff. I just hope we
bring Greenwood and Abbeville some answers.”
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tags: South Carolina, Associated Press
[http://www.ap.org/](http://www.ap.org/)
[https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina](https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina)
[https://www.usnews.com/topics/organizations/associated_press](https://www.usnews.com/topics/organizations/associated_press)
**Paranormalexperiencessensory-processing.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/paranormalexperiencessensory-processing-pdf-10189411)
**## PartABEngMAL.docx**
**Part A (Mal)**
**Please be careful using Ai materials because instructors are only giving us one chance to correct this.**
**Assignment Instructions**
**Introduction**
Before writing your journal, choose one group of texts to view from the below options. Watch and read through the material carefully, making notes as you go of the obvious differences in how the texts differ in their approach to similar topics.
In a brief journal, compare and contrast the three texts in your chosen group. Do not discuss your feelings on the subject matter of the texts. Instead, offer a brief rhetorical analysis of each. You may address the following prompts in your response:
· How would you describe the
**tone** of each?
· How would you describe the
**bias** of each?
· Who is the
**intended audience**? How do you know?
· What
**research** did the writer/ speaker do to understand the topic? Describe the research process as it is articulated in the texts (this may be implied and not explicitly reported).
· Identify the specific ways in which the
**academic** approach to research and writing
**differs** from the other forms of popular media.
**GROUP 1: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY**
**Text 1:** [**"Did This YouTuber Prove Ghosts Exist? by John Wolfe**](https://youtu.be/-ezIbJfjMTQ?si=YLyGgPhZSpS4F_aT) **(New Media)**
Attached other resource for this
**Part B**
**Assessment 7-1: At Home in the Information Ecosystem (Click Here)**
Assignment Instructions
Introduction
In this formal, sourced, academic essay, you will revisit the framing text for the course from Module 1: "The Information Ecosystem," by Knute O. Berger and update it for the contemporary/ present moment. Where Berger discusses the rise of cable, telephones, and computers, you may focus on streaming, smartphones, and the Internet. Essentially, you should describe the current information ecosystem to include how information is created and shared as well as how information is consumed.
Assignment
Essays may discuss any/ all of the following:
· How the integrity of information changes when
_everyone_ has the ability to create and distribute that information
· What new and emerging technologies are playing or will play an essential role in information creation and consumption in the future
· How the information ecosystem today is better than it was in the past
· Dangers or pitfalls of the contemporary/ current information ecosystem
· Anything else you find interesting/ relevant
Sample Organizational Model
· Introduction: Your introduction may summarize the original article by Berger. What was the information ecosystem like in 1989? How did Berger feel about it? What were his concerns? Include a specific thesis that summarizes how you believe the information ecosystem has changed in the decades since.
· Body Section 1: Describe the benefits of contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 2: Describe the potential pitfalls of the contemporary information ecosystem. Cite specific examples of new media and traditional media that illustrate your points.
· Body Section 3: Discuss what you think the future might look like with regard to information creation and distribution. What is happening
_now_ that might set up the next radical change?
· Conclusion: Return again to the 1989 article and draw connections between the current/ future information ecosystem and what Berger saw happening in the late 80s.
·
["The Information Ecosystem"](https://www.context.org/iclib/ic23/berger1/) by Knute O. Berger (opens in new window): Originally published in 1989, Berger looks at changing technologies and their impacts on media and information dissemination
·
["Information Anxiety: Towards Understanding"](https://scenariojournal.com/article/richard-wurman/) by Richard Saul Wurman (opens in new window): An in-depth look at the evolution of information consumption–here, Wurman revisits his 1989 text, Information Anxiety in 2012
· Works Cited: A page that lists all sources you've used in your writing, including "The Information Ecosystem" and any other resources.
**## ParanormalInvestigationTeamHopesforAnswersinSCCity.pdf**
Paranormal Investigation Team Hopes for Answers in SC City
By Associated Press
Dec. 5, 2021, at 12:01 a.m.
By ROBERT JORDAN, Index-Journal
ABBEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Children love ghost stories. Some children never grow up.
Others grow up and become paranormal investigators. Ghost stories in Abbeville and
Greenwood counties piqued the interest of Patrick Welsh and Courtney Bautista. They,
along with members of their team, the Paranormal Society of Savannah, will visit Abbeville
to research alleged hauntings.
The visit to Belmont Inn in February was prompted by Bautista, who grew up in Abbeville
and related ghost stories she grew up with to her team members.
People want answers as to why things are happening, she said. “This is the main reason we
do things, to give them closure.”
Welsh formed the team two years ago. He and his father had discussed it for years, he said.
“When COVID-19 hit, people were staying home and we were bored to death. I thought it
was a good time to go out and get stories.”
His dad, brother-in-law and a childhood friend agreed and they started the team and it
snowballed from there, he said. The team now has 17 members who bring a variety of
knowledge and skills to conduct investigations.
One goal is to teach people how to get answers. Welsh said the team will offer a class on
paranormal research. Investigative efforts are free. The class costs $20. The Abbeville class
is scheduled for 12:30-5 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Belmont Inn.
Paranormal activity covers anything that can’t be explained, such as supernatural
phenomena, ghost activity and poltergeists, Welsh said.
One purpose of classes is to teach people how to conduct an investigation, explain the basic
equipment and mistakes to avoid. Lessons also involve professionalism, such as getting
permission to go on to property.
Bad actors can get hurt and destroy property, or they vandalize, get drunk and bust up beer
bottles on private property, he said.
“We have talked to some residents and property owners who told us that and we had to
reassure them that this is not our cup of tea. We don’t vandalize; we respect each other’s
property,” Welsh said.
[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-12-05/paranormal-investigation-team-hopes-for-answers-in-sc-city)
You wouldn’t believe how many people go into places they shouldn’t and face black mold,
lead, asbestos or places that are falling down, he said. You always want to check a location
first.
“You enter a place illegally, some bad things can happen to you, health-wise,” Welsh said.
“We stress safety before every investigation.”
Bautista joined Welsh’s team in March. She said she was a member of another team and
had conducted a workshop and decided to come over. As a case manager her duties range
from handling phone calls and working on computers to graphic design, editing videos and
working with audio and video.
It’s a change from her jobs as a barista and a cemetery tour guide. “When I want to destress
I go through files and evidence,” she said.
One of Bautista’s favorite memories is her first investigation with team. At Grove Point
Plantation in Savannah, she and another team member contacted the spirit of a little boy.
Part of their equipment was a voodoo buddy (a heat-seeking teddy bear) that is really good
for use with child spirits.
They asked the spirit to touch it. She said the spirit literally flung the bear across the room
— it went flying off the table.
“I was losing it; it freaked me out a little,” Bautista said.
Welsh’s interest in the paranormal started as a child when he saw apparitions. Eventually,
he described a vision he had to his grandfather who said Welsh had described his great-
grandfather, a man who was killed in the 1930s.
His great-grandfather apparently was the meanest man in town. He was an alcoholic and
abusive. Welsh said one story involved his pistol-whipping a preacher who had chastised
him for his tardiness at a church service.
According to his grandfather’s explanation, his brother got tired of their father’s behavior
and shot him six times in the back.
“I had him visit me several times as a kid and never knew why,” Welsh said. He did research
and genealogy to find out why he was coming. “He wanted me to tell my grandfather he
was sorry. And that he had been in limbo that whole time.”
“I think he was given a choice to repent or stay where he was at, in limbo, but I never saw
him again after that,” he said.
“I think a lot of times they want someone to talk to, to listen, someone to play with. A lot of
them, I think, are fascinated by technology, such as running water and electricity. A lot of
them didn’t have that back then.”
Learning stories is one of the reasons he handles investigations. Welsh said he has learned
more history than he ever knew about.
“The general need people have of wanting to learn is what keeps us going,” he said. You
want to see and do more and learn of the history of cities they visit.
Abbeville, for instance, has a family atmosphere. “It feels like Mayberry to me. It’s a down-
home kind of feeling where everyone is so nice; it’s a beautiful town; then we heard all the
paranormal stories.”
Those stories involve the Belmont Inn, the Opera House and Bautista is interested in the
old Rock House in Greenwood County. Welsh said people have shared stories about
possible paranormal activity in Abbeville County through social media.
Investigations can take up to two weeks, Welch said. Team members check the history of a
place, talk to locals, then do research. Equipment includes laser grids, video and audio
recorders, radiation and EMF detectors.
The team features men and women with different voices as some spirits might respond to a
person with a high-pitched voice, while others prefer a deep voice.
Maybe half the cases the team gets involve paranormal activity, he said. Some people have
gotten upset because they believe their property is haunted, but the team didn’t find
anything.
“We don’t make up stories, we tell them like it is,” Welsh said. “It’s kind of like fishing;
sometimes you don’t catch things, you don’t even get a bite, but you keep on coming back.”
And when they find something? Most of the time it’s playful spirits, Welsh said. In 30 years
of investigations, he has met a malevolent entity once, maybe twice.
In case anyone is wondering, Welsh said he has never seen anything like “The Exorcist.”
“That stuff creeps me out. It’s one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.”
When necessary, the team can do a blessing to help a spirit cross over. If there is a
malevolent presence, something above their pay grade, they’ll call in experts, he said.
Some people want to join a team after watching ghost-hunting shows on television, Welsh
said. “It’s something you’re either interested in or not, there’s no in-between.”
Qualifications to being an investigator include having a good sense of humor and good
listening and communication skills, he said. Nearly 300 people expressed an interest in
being on the team. The classes are meant to weed out people who, as Welsh explained, “are
not from planet earth.”
Just for reference, Welsh said it is no insult to be called “Ghostbusters.” “Most of us love
that movie,” he said. “We kind of take it as a badge.”
“Basically we’re interviewing the ghosts to see if we can come up with answers for the
owner,” Bautista said. “It’s worth it sometimes. You get some good stuff. I just hope we
bring Greenwood and Abbeville some answers.”
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tags: South Carolina, Associated Press
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[https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina](https://www.usnews.com/topics/locations/south_carolina)
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**Paranormalexperiencessensory-processing.pdf**
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