Swing thing

I don't know what to make of this news story about a "haunted swing" in an Argentina playground. Sounds absurd, yet if you watch the video, it's somewhat unsettling to see the unoccupied swing begin to move by itself and then go higher and higher, continuing for the two minutes of the video.

Could it be faked? Sure, but the news article claims that police and physics professors have already investigated it.

Look at the video and see for yourself.

Hat tip: Ace of Spades, where the commenters offer a variety of explanations and opinions, such as:

Harmonic resonance from a nearby road or building.  Freaky but not hard to explain.

I suspect a magnet buried in the sand under the swing.  At the beginning you can see the two swings to the sides being affected to move inward and then outward.

Simple physics.  The frame resonates after the women gets off causing the center swing to start moving.  The top bar of the swing vibrates a small amount but the amplitude of the vibration is greatest in the center.  These tiny vibrations build up causing the center swing to move.

It's someone with a thread attached to the closet side of the swing.  Watch the way it moves.  Very easy to do with a black thread of piece of thin nylon.

Word: there are no ghosts. They are a myth. No Santa Claus either.

All they did was twist the chains in two different directions so that each pulls and twists the swing until the other twisted chain causes a reverse motion.

My grandmother's house was haunted.  The ghost liked to hang out near a hole in the floor in the attic that, if you stepped into it, would land you at the bottom of the stairs (it was used as closet space, and due to the slope of the roof it made more sense to leave the hole open with a clothes rack at the top, and have full-length dresses hang down below floor level).  When it was seen, it would back into the hole and disappear.  Completely freaked my mom's ex out, she thought I was standing near the hole in the middle of the night and told me to go back to bed, then woke me up with her screams when she thought I fell down the hole.

Comments

[Leo]

Word: there are no ghosts. They are a myth. No Santa Claus either.

This is putting up a strawman ghosts have been researched. There is a lot of evidence that ghosts get trapped on this physical plane until they seek help and move on.

[Leo]

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

Interesting

[Urban Mystic Dee]

I love how everyone makes the claim that ghosts are not a "logical" explanation. I think by "logical explanation" people really mean "story concocted to debunk a claim."

[william]

Nonbelief can be as devastating to an open mind as belief. What would life be without these mysteries? We humans seem to find some joy in these challenges to solve these mysteries. Dean Radin is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

When I watch my 18 month year grandchild almost everything is a new discovery to her. Took her about six weeks to put my keys into the ignition then once she did that several times no more interest. Moved on the something else challenging.

I have seen one ghost in my life in an old house in Illinois where a person had died in that house. It did not walk it floated across the room. My son now tells me he saw a ghost all the time in that room as a child.

Also I heard something one night while alone in another house making so much noise I finally said what is wrong? Why are you making so much noise? Are you mad about something? After those questions not a sound. My son claims that one night he and his girlfriend saw footprints walk across the patio near our pool at that same house while they were sitting on the side of the pool.

Yep I have to say I believe in ghosts. My research suggests that some spirits stay earth bound for a variety of reasons like Leo stated here.

Try to convince my wife and her sister there was not a ghost in the hospital room with her brother a few minutes before he was passing from his physical body. Physical things moved in the room at the very moment she ask her brother “do you see our dad in the room”. Her brother passed exactly 10 years to the day that his father passed and at the same time of day within the same hour of the day. Whatever her brother saw he then become very peaceful and then passed shortly thereafter.

My mother passed on my dad’s birthday. Coincidence maybe but after awhile coincidences for all of these mysteries start to sound like a broken record.

[Cyrus]

Ghosts, also known as spirit people (also known as trans-dimensional people, also known as humans after they died) are real, have been videotaped, recorded, and communicated with, and witnessed by millions. Sigh. When will we ever get it...

[Marcel Cairo]

Hold on a second... I am from Argentina and lived my youth in Buenos Aires. I'm pretty weird, so maybe the place just breeds freaky. :-)

I should point out that Argentina is famous for its storytellers and its love for a good mysterious yarn.

Just two days ago, my mother was reminding me that I am related, through my father's side of the family, to the "Vidals," the couple at the center of one of UFOlogy's most enduring tales of teleportation.

I finally decided to research the story in depth for the first time and have just discovered that this famous story, and my supposedly being the great Nephew of Mr. Vidal, is just a myth on top of a myth.

My connection to the story begins with my dear father who passed away a few months ago. My father, one of Argentina's most charming "chantas" (con man/grifter), was the Zelig of his day. In his mind, not only was he just the nephew of Mr. Vidal, he was also involved in the capture of Adolf Eichmann from Argentina back to Israel.

Yes, my father had a million stories like this. Stories so well woven and intricate with detail, even if you suspected that they were made up, it was really impossible to discover the truth.

That would seem to be the case with this haunted swing. It's either a great yarn/hoax or it's my father in spirit on that swing.

That's the thing with the Argentine spirit, it endures with the same passion that inspired the tango and two World Cup Championships. Anyone who thinks they can figure this out have never met an Argentine storyteller before.

[Joseph Capp]

Dear Mr. Prescott,
I like what you had to say. I think we need more research on what is happening here.

This is for some of the comments made. How does anyone know there are not ghost. From all the evidence something has been experienced and recorded at certain spots.
None of the scientist have done any research in this area and those that have find repeatable experiments at certain places.
I don't know what it is but if you don't want to go there and repeat the experiences please don't be so dame stupid to call it all a hoax or just non-existent
I hate scientific proclamations.

As someone smart once said "if you stop asking questions it becomes a religion".

Those are no peer reviewed documents to prove what is going on is not metaphysical until some of these self righteous people actually go on site and do something even remotely, resembling objective scientific study - please kindly put in your words "I believe" because that is all your words mean.
People don't let anyone think for you including me. There is too much of that around now. Think and research for yourselves prove me, or the others wrong, on your own watch, for yourselves. I believe what you will find may surprise you.

Joseph Capp
UFO Media Matters
Non-Commercial Blog

[Pete]

I vote magnets. The center swing is clearly metal. and shiney on top. The other two swings are red on top. Look at them as the camera person walks beside the swings while filming.

The phrase "Academics have ruled out magnets, etc." does not make it so. There are NO sources of professionals named. There is ZERO evidence that any scientist ruled out magnets or strings or whatever. There is only one crappy video and a bunch of words.
No ghosts here. Case closed.

[Mark Turner]

You know, that sand would make it quite easy to bury some electromagnets. Just sayin'.