Archive for December 4, 2007

What is The State of Ufology? Wrong Question!

After I listened to the last episode of The Paracast, I was, I guess you could say, disappointed. I know many people (including Mr. Biedny) would like to think of the dying field of UFOlogy as a valid topic for discussion, but quite frankly, I think that those who share this opinion may be falling victim to their own criticism. It’s true, what they say, UFOlogy has seen better days, but to think that “complaining” about will make any amount of difference is just simply not acceptable to me.

Frank Warren recently posted his thoughts on the subject, and I agree with him:

Content from external source:

Along with many of my colleagues, I routinely make the trek over to the Paracast to listen to the latest guest of interest (to me); recently the one closest to the top of the “archives” that met that criteria was author, “Rich Dolan.”

As usual I clicked on the link to start the podcast; was finishing some writing chores simultaneously, got about two minutes into the program, quickly paused it, then restarted it from the beginning; again, I got about two minutes into the program, stopped it, and started over again; about that time, the phone rang, and I wasn’t able to finish listening, and still haven’t as of yet.

The reason I repeated the first two minutes of Dolan’s interview, is because he articulated some of the most accurate, portentous and perceptive analysis of Ufology that I have heard in a long time, if ever!

David Biedny began the interview recalling previous discourse and reiterating his notion about the “terrible state of Ufology,” and the need for a restructuring; to that Dolan replied, “What is the structure . . . I really don’t perceive much of a structure.”

No truer words have ever been said in my view; pundits often criticize what they deem to be Ufology, and or it’s condition, good or bad, but what are they really impugning? They’re condemning the “state of Ufology” when they should be asking, “Where is the state located?

Barring individual research and study, and some small organizations, e.g., MUFON to name one, as Dolan correctly points out—“there is no structure!”

There are many “individuals” past and present who are more “visible” (and vocal to which I am one) via public speaking, and or that participate in various media venues, i.e., “TV interviews,” symposiums and conventions etc.; however, although these folks are the most prominent, this doesn’t mean that their respective ideologies are the “central theme” of Ufology.

Quite frankly it’s impracticable to criticize the “state of Ufology” as given the fact that a “governed body” doesn’t exist, one can’t offer a cure for an ailment to a patient that one can’t find!

Consequently, condemnation or praise for that matter (of Ufology) should be as individualistic as the field is at present; or, perhaps rather then criticize the “periphery of the problem” why not address the gist of it—that is the lack of any type of consortium period!

If the rest of the interview with Dolan is as worthy as the first two minutes, then I highly recommend a visit to the Paracast to check out the rest of the exchange.

Source

Listen to the Interview

Leave a Comment

Youtube – Ovni en Costa Rica

New video floating around the Youtube that was taken via cellphone camera by Sr. Marvin Badilla.

Leave a Comment

‘Spooky’ face on skin-bound book

This is just less than a week old, but an interesting story nonetheless.

Content from external source:

A “spooky” image of a priest executed for treason over the Gunpowder Plot has appeared on a 17th century book thought to be bound in his skin, it is claimed.Auctioneers said the face of Father Henry Garnet could be seen peering from the cover of the “rare and macabre” book about the Jesuit priest’s death.

The item will go under the hammer at Wilkinson’s Auctioneers in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Sunday.Garnet, was hanged in May 1606 for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot.

Sid Wilkinson, from Wilkinson’s Auctioneers, said: “It’s a little bit spooky because the front of the book looks like it has the face of a man on it, which is presumed to be the victim’s face.”

Role disputed

The book, called A True and Perfect Relation of the Whole Proceedings Against the Late Most Barbarous Traitors, Garnet, a Jesuit and his Confederates, was published in 1606 just after his execution.

The lot is considered so unusual there is no reserve price attached to it.

Garnet’s involvement in the plot to kill King James I was controversial. He claimed he knew about the conspiracy but was not involved.

Some scholars now believe he had been trying to prevent the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament rather than conspiring to kill the King.

According to legend, a piece of bloodstained straw found at the scene of his execution started to develop an exact image of the priest’s face.

Source

Comments (1)

Scientists get rare look at dinosaur soft tissue

This is indeed paranormal, if you take the word literally. What this group found blows me away. Sure, I have heard of a fossilized dinosaur, but a mummified one is a completely different thing.

Content from external source:

A high school student hunting fossils in the badlands of his native North Dakota discovered an extremely rare mummified dinosaur that includes not just bones but also seldom seen fossilized soft tissue such as skin and muscles, scientists will announce today.

Read:  Scientists get rare look at dinosaur soft tissue

Comments (1)

Experts in Nepal raise doubts over US ‘Yeti’ footprint claims

Content from external source:

KATHMANDU (AFP) — Mountaineering and wildlife officials in Nepal said Monday they doubted whether footprints found by a United States team from a science fiction programme were those of a Yeti.

The host and crew from “Destination Truth” spent around a week in the foothills of Mount Everest and returned to the capital Kathmandu last week with claims that they had found footprints belonging to the legendary creature.

“The footprints may be from a Himalayan bear,” Ang Tshering Sherpa, the president of Nepal Mountaineering Association told AFP after looking at pictures of the prints.

“It is believed that Yetis have only four toes but the footprints recorded by the US team have five toes,” said Sherpa, whose father went unsuccessfully looking for the legendary beast in the 1950s.

The Yeti — described as massive half-human, half-ape-like creature — has captured the imagination of explorers and climbers in the Himalayas for generations.

Dozens of costly expeditions have taken place, none of which have proved the existence of the beast.

After seeing what he thought was a fleeting glimpse of a Yeti in 1986, climbing legend Reinhold Messner began investigating the myths and stories that surround it.

In his 1998 book “My Quest for the Yeti,” Messner concludes that it only exists in peoples’ imaginations and the Himalayan black bear was probably behind most sightings.

“Destination Truth” — which investigates the existence of mythical creatures — is being made for an American science fiction channel.

Host Joshua Gates told AFP Saturday that the programme would further investigate the footprints, which were found last week on the bank of the Manju River, 150 kilometres (94 miles) northeast of Kathmandu.

“The footprint is 13 inches (33 centimetres) long and the toes span nine inches (23 centimetres) across,” Gates told AFP at a hotel in Kathmandu.

“This is really an intriguing piece of evidence and we all feel a little bit unable to explain what we saw,” he said.

But Laxmi Manandhar, a spokesman at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, told AFP: “People living in the high Himalayas believe in this strange creature called a Yeti but nobody has actually seen it.

“The footprint castings brought by the US television crew are strange, but there is no supporting evidence to back up the claim that these are footprints of the Yeti.”

Source

How did I know this was coming? Hmmm…

Leave a Comment

An open response on the “MiniBox”

 

Content from external source:

Rick Moran: By way of introduction, my name is Rick Moran and I am the Coordinator of the Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomenon, a 35 year old research and educational organization that by our own corporate charter is dedicated to seeking proof of the survival of the human spirit after death. We are a 501 ©(3) non-profit corporation that is now based in Texas, and was originally founded in New York City. We have been involved in dozens of major cases, from Amityville and Mothman to our present day work on cases like the Skinwalker Ranch, not to mention a few hundred more that never got any media coverage. In the past I have counted folks like Scott Rogo, Peter Jordan and Paul Hoffman old friends. I continue to write for Fortean Times, Fate, and yes, Haunted Times on a regular basis. I am pleased to say that the ASUP is a very serious group with serious aims. Two years ago a member of our group came to me with a report he prepared on ITC or more commonly known as Spirit Comm. I was intrigued and began to look a little deeper, which led me to the work of Frank Sumption and his creation, Frank’s Box. I reached out to friends in our field for the purpose of securing a Box for testing and then I waited and waited. Finally I found the flow chart for Frank’s Box on the Internet. I have been a ham radio operator for longer than I have been researching the paranormal, so the layout was easy to interpret. Later I came into the possession of a schematic diagram, courtesy of Frank Sumption and became even more intrigued but still even more puzzled about how this device could possibly communicate.

Read: An open response on the “MiniBox”

Comments (2)