Podcast interview!

Film-maker, and self proclaimed "outlaw for love", Paul Kimball recently interviewed your's truly on his revived podcast, The Other Side of Truth. You can listen to the podcast here. Here's the description of the episode:

In this episode, I spend an hour chatting with Fortean researcher / blogger Tony Morrill, one of the bright youngsters out there who are interested in the world of the weird and the wacky. In an eclectic conversation where we throw in everything but the kitchen sink, we start off with some background information on Tony, and how he became interested in the paranormal at a young age, and then follow up with a back-and-forth on everything from UFOs to ghosts to Bigfoot. We also find time to pontificate / ruminate about posthumanism, tip our caps to the work of the late Mac Tonnies, Greg Bishop, and Nick Redfern, and "imagine the imagination factory" - all while keeping our tongues planted firmly in our cheeks. We even managed to reference a couple of cartoon characters we like, and I slipped in a musical interlude that is tangential to the point of being apropos of nothing, but somehow it still fits. This was a fun episode to record, and reminded me more than a bit of some of my past conversations with my pals in the "Cabal". Tony has his feet planted firmly on the ground, even as he has his eyes set to the sky. It's a good place to be!

I also suggest checking out his other latest interviews with Aaron John Gulyas and Walter Bosley. 

Additionally, you can also head over to Binnall of America in order to find my most recent Fortean Ramblings column entitled "We didn't start the fire". That's about all I have for now. Come back soon for shenanigans!

Weekend Recommendations

Good evening dear readers. If you are anything at all like me, then you enjoy watching documentaries about Fortean topics. With this in mind I wanted to recommend two very fascinating and entertaining films for you to check out this weekend(or when you can get a chance to).

First up is Bob Wilkinson's Shades of Gray, below is the trailer.

The film tells the story of Gray Barker, an early Ufologist that is perhaps most famous for his involvement in the Albert K Bender saga and for his work on the Mothman sightings in West Virginia. The film is a fascinating look at his life both inside and outside of the Ufological field. Featured in the film are those that knew Barker; Jim Moseley, Jerome Clark, and Stan Friedman (among others).  They story is sad and also enlightening, especially if like me you enjoy learning more about the early days of Ufology. The movie is available for rent through Netflix or Blockbuster. Follow this link to head to the documentaries website.  Really I can't recommend this film highly enough. Also to hear an interview with the film maker, check out this episode of the Paracast.

Speaking of the Mothman events in West Virginia the next film I would recommend you checking out, is Eyes of the Mothman. The trailer is below.

 

This film takes the reader on a whirlwind ride through the events leading up to and surrounding the Mothman sightings that occurred in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the late 1960's. The film makers actually spend a lot of time in the town talking to townsfolk who were alive during the events about what they remember hearing and seeing. If you know nothing about the Mothman legend, or if you think you know everything, you will still likely learn a thing or two by watching this documentary. I did (I had never heard of the Curse of Chief Cornstalk before as an example). This film is available on Netflix instantly if you have the streaming option. Be sure to check out the website for the film. Also the film makers were interviewed on Tim Binnall's Binnall of America podcast, you can find the episode here.

Well that's all for tonight, until next time remember to keep your eyes to the skies

Book Review: Steve Volk's Fringe-ology

As mentioned previously, I finally finished reading Steve Volk's Fringe-ology. Volk is a journalist with the Philadelphia Magazine covering 'normal' news stories; such as crime, politics, and other assorted city stuff. Having experienced an unusual event in childhood (possibly a ghost or perhaps just a water pipe), Volk set out to research just what there might be behind paranormal events. UFOs, Ghosts, Psychic abilities, and even Lucid Dreaming all show up in this highly engaging book. Volk, who at all times tries to be open minded about the subjects, dives into these topics with some of the leading minds in the arenas.

Taking the reader along the journey with him, Volk brings up a major point that we certainly don't hear nearly as much as we should from either the True Believers or the Pseudo-Skeptics. Namely that at the end of the day we just don't know, and maybe that's OK. The book does an excellent job of introducing the subjects to those who may not be all that familiar with them. And I'll be honest with you, I actually learned a thing or two myself.

Launching from the 'I don't know' point, Volk asks the reader to realize that maybe we should be able to meet somewhere in the middle on these topics. For example, in the Remote Viewing section he talks to those that are studying the phenomenon and discovers that there is, statistically speaking, something to the phenomenon. But because it suffers from the “Paranormal Taint” (a term that Volk uses to describe mainstream sciences rejection of fringe topics simply on the basis that they are fringe) scientists aren't interested in exploring just what it could mean.

As a testament to his attempt to be an open minded journalist, Volk freely admits that he stayed away from the topic of Alien Abductions because of his own preconception that those who are experiencing the phenomena are simply making it up. While I would disagree with such a blanket statement, I respect that he is able to recognize that bias and wisely chooses not to say anything at all. And really for me that seems to be the best take away from the book. If these kinds of phenomena are occurring, by their very definition we would be unable to really currently understand them. But guess what? That's OK. Because we really don't know everything yet. And so Fringe-ology is designed to let the reader in on that little secret. Whether you are a True Believer or you are a Super Skeptic, guess what? You don't know what's going on behind some of this stuff.

So do yourself a favor and pick up this book. And while you read, even if just for a moment or two, try to let your biases go and just absorb the information for what it is. After all, you just may learn something new. In addition to the book, Steve Volk runs a blog where he talks about anything and everything. You can find that here. Also if you want to hear some interviews with him, Volk was on Open MindsRadio and Mysterious Universe a few weeks back. OK Forteans, that's all I have for tonight. I have to go finish the rest of the books on my (seemingly never-ending) reading list.

And once more here is the trailer for the book. Learn about the book from the author himself.

Odds and Ends

Tonight is a very slow night for me. I had a test earlier in my religion class and then I had to come home and start work on my presentation for my psychology class. We have to give a 5 to 7 minute presentation on a disease, in my case I will be presenting on Alzheimer's Disease. It doesn't sound like a lot, the 5 to 7 minutes part, but I almost always end up having stage fright right before I get up to do a presentation. Which is funny because people tend to think that I am quite naturally happy in front of a group. And depending on the location, and my familiarity with the topic I can be. But I just have a bad feeling that I will get nervous and mess up somehow. Inevitably I will just sike myself up and get it over with as early as possible. Luckily I have to present on the first day, so I will probably go like 2^nd or 3^rd (never first because I like to gauge the classes reactions to other people's presentations first).

The start of the summer semester coincided almost perfectly with my decision to begin blogging again. I had originally started blogging back in October of 2010, which was also when I tried my hand at podcasting (which if you really want to you can find those episodes here). For one reason or another though I quit working on the blog and didn't really think anything more about it until earlier this year when Tim Binnall gave a call for new writers for his site, Binnall of America. As I was sitting at work listening to the podcast, I suddenly said 'Fuck it, why don't I try to write for BOA'. This caused many curious stares from my coworkers that apparently had never heard of 'BOA' before. Long story short after I wrote my first couple of columns for BOA, I sorta put it all out of my mind and went on about my

business as usual. But for some reason on a Sunday in May, May 8^th to be exact, I decided to start blogging again. I figured a couple of things; 1) that people must obviously care what I have to say, 2) my insights would be unlike any other ever in the history of the Fortean, 3) it can't be that hard to blog.

I was wrong on literally every single one of those points. Well not entirely wrong, rather I was just naïve about the whole process. The first thing I learned was that blogging was not nearly as easy as I had originally assumed it to be. Especially because I set the bar fairly high for myself. I was going to have new quality posts every single night. After all the sites that I like to frequent are the ones that, you know, update daily. To top it off, I couldn't have picked a worse time to start blogging. Less than a week into the venture, I started back at school. That would be night classes of course. And so most evenings I have to juggle between homework, the blog, reading (my ever growing reading list is evidence I can't spend much time with books). Typically I manage to get out a fairly decent post every now and then. But it can be pretty tough sometimes.

But if it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not. Really I have enjoyed working on this blog. It's been a crazy experience over the last couple of months. Watching the readership grow, seeing my blog listed on other people's sites. Especially sites of those that I admire and have a lot of respect for. Plus I've gotten a chance to talk with people I probably wouldn't have otherwise. So while it can sometimes be a huge pain in the butt to work on this blog, it's definitely a labor of love. It's come pretty far in just the two months that I have been posting at it, I can't wait to see were it will be by the end of the year. Or even the next year. It's success is thanks to you, whoever you are reading this right now. Maybe this is your first time here at Forteania (and if so let me say thanks for stopping by!) or you have been here for a little while. Thanks for sticking around and thank you to those that have commented.

In the end however I'm really doing this blog for selfish reasons. I think that I am hoping to learn something by doing this. Other wise whats the point right? Well that's all for tonight, this post was a bit rambling and I apologize for that. I just had to get these thoughts out, you know how it goes. I need to get going, because I actually have some down time so I can try and make a dent into my ever-expanding reading list. Until next time this is your friendly neighborhood Fortean Philosopher saying “Where's the beef?” (That can't still be copyrighted can it?)

Random Mac Tonnies stuff

Thanks to the Daily Grail for tweeting this video earlier. It coincides with this New York Times article on the Digitial Afterlife. Discussed in the video and article is the late Mac Tonnies. The video is from the excellent (yet sad in a way) blog the Post-Mac Blues. Be sure to follow the link for the video its well worth the watch if you haven't seen it. In other Mac Tonnies related 'news', earlier today Ashley was image searching for some other pictures of him when she stumbled upon this:

Click for larger image

For whatever reason a picture of yours truly popped up during the image search. In all fairness, a picture of Paul Kimball, Greg Bishop, and Nick Redfern came up as well. I certainly don't think of myself in the same leagues as Tonnies. Although he is definitely a role model of mine, at least intellectually. And he has in many ways helped to inspire my outlook on the UFO phenomena specifically, but also most things Fortean in general. The saddest part for me is that I never got to correspond with him. I had heard of him through Binnall of America, Radio Misterioso, and the Paracast; but for whatever reason I never tried to reach out and talk to him.

This was partly to do with my being a Closet Anomalist and because I was under the mistaken impression that he and his compatriots were in many ways 'untouchable'. Sadly I found out too late that they aren't. Both Greg Bishop and Paul Kimball have been great supporters of my blog in it's relative infancy, through comments and suggestions and other things like this. It will probably be one of my greater regrets that I never got to know the guy who has influenced me in so many ways. I think that in a lot of ways, it was also Mac Tonnies that was the real inspiration for this blog.

So take some time today to remember Mac Tonnies.

-Tony 

 

Monday night blues

Well dear readers allow me to apologize for tonight. For whatever reason I can't seem to get focused enough in order to do a proper post. I will most likely be going to bed now as I am quite tired. Between work, class, the blog, and working on that magazine article (yes that is still in the works believe it or not), I have just about run myself completely down. It's possible that either tonight or tomorrow night there will be a guest blog by another blogger. I will be giving her the chance to write a post for you guys.

Other than that I don't have too much to say, today is definitely one of my off days. They happen every now and then. You know where its really hard to focus on anything? Yeah one of those. Oh and as a follow up to this post here, Greg Bishop interviewed Jeffrey Gonzalez on his Radio Misterioso show yesterday. And now the podcast is up for you to check out here. I suggest giving it a listen and then deciding for yourself what to make out of Gonzalez group's claim about their Bigfoot 'evidence'. Well that's all for tonight, until tomorrow night remember "No mystery is closed, to an open mind." Tim White (the sign off from Sightings)

Older and hopefully wiser

I was a pretty young child when I got interested in Fortean topics; although at the time I had never really heard that word. That story has already been told here and here. When I first began to read about aliens, UFOs, ghosts, and Bigfoot; I was hooked. I mean who wouldn't be right? The thing is at that young age (I was around 8 or 9 I think) I was positive that I was going to prove the existence of these things, scientifically, to the world. That's right, yours truly was going to go down in history as the guy that brought the reality of the paranormal to the average Joe on the street.

I know, its pretty funny even to me now as I am typing it. But keep in mind I was, like most kids I guess, kind of naïve about well life in general I suppose. Certainly I was naïve about Fortean topics. In order to 'solve' the problem of the paranormal; my friend at the time (again I was about 8 or so) Billy and myself created the PSA or Paranormal Society of America. The aim of this organization was to scientifically investigate claims of the paranormal. Soon we would recruit our younger brothers and the four of us proceeded to 'investigate' paranormal activity. We never really saw anything, nor for that matter did we ever really investigate anything, but we had a blast doing it. And through it I was slowly introduced to many of the concepts that I kept for years. Concepts that I have discussed many times, mostly about the ETH.

What's funny about all this, well OK there is a lot funny about this but I mean in a hindsight sort of way, is that I still have our 'Case Files' in my paranormal notebook (which I may share with you guys one day). My hope was that each PSA investigator was going to have their own notebook. Of course eventually the PSA kind of faded away as most things in childhood do. But still I held out the goal, I guess, or maybe desire to one day somehow 'prove' the paranormal. In a lot of ways I suppose that I was looking for some kind of validation. As I have recounted on this blog previously; when I was younger, other kids would often make fun of me for my interests in these paranormal topics. So, my reasoning went as a child, if I could prove the paranormal to these people they would have to apologize  to me.

But as I got older I began to start questioning that motivation. It definitely seemed like a selfish perspective to take. I mean my interest in the paranormal lead me to really think about life in really cool and exciting ways, so why couldn't I just share that with people? Why did it have to be in an 'I told you so' kind of way? That didn't really seem to work out too well either though, as I quickly discovered that people pretty much have accepted into their reality tunnel as much as they are willing to. The more that I tried to talk with people about these topics, especially about UFOs for some reason, the more they would act like the kids did back in elementary school.

This brings me to where I am at in this stage of my life. I have come to the conclusion, at least temporarily because as a Fortean I am always ready to cast this ideal aside for a better one, that I will just learn what I can from people that are older/wiser in these topics than I am and to share what  I learn with whoever is willing to listen. It seems that if there is some kind of 'point' to studying Fortean phenomena; it's simply to allow us the chance to evolve. At least on an individual basis. I know for sure that my life has never been the same since the day that I picked up my first UFO book. I think it's definitely for the better as well.

So for the foreseeable future the best that I can hope for is to continue having a conversation with those that are teaching me things. Greg Bishop has mentioned on his show Radio Misterioso more than once, that he does the show so that he can learn something. Because he wants to talk to the guests and if other people like it then thats great. I really like that philosophy a lot, so I freely admit that I have taken it and adapted it to my own life.

Besides, who knows maybe one of these days you will see me on the news having finally 'proven' a paranormal event. And if not, well hell you'll be able to find me here at Forteania. That's all for tonight, thanks for listening guys and gals.

                                    Fortean Philosopher
                                            Tony

Great Daily Resources (or these sites don't suck)

There have been a few posts in the past that have demonstrated how I got frustrated with the Alien/UFO section on ATS, which if you haven't read yet you can find here and here. The conclusion that I came to after the first of the posts was that I will look for resources that I enjoy and that actually teach me a thing or two. Because beyond hopefully coming to a better understanding about Fortean topics, I'm really hoping to actually learn something from this endeavor. Because, if I'm not learning anything, really whats the point? So with this in mind allow me to take this post to plug some of the better resources for learning that I have come across thus far. Among them are some of the biggest influences on my current model of how the Fortean functions. These are sites that I check on a daily basis.(Also they are in no particular order by the way, they are simply in whatever order that I happen to remember them in).

First up is a blog that I highly recommend people check out. Paul Kimball's The Other Side of Truth. This blog has a little bit of everything; UFOs, politics, religion, philosophy, and most importantly Paul Kimball's transformation as he stays on top of the Ufological/Paranormal world (but mostly as an observer). Paul Kimball is a film director whose credits are far too many to list, but the main one I would recommend (and do regularly) would be his 2007 film Best Evidence. It collects the 10 best UFO cases, and you would be hard pressed to disagree with the choices he has made.

Next is one I only discovered recently, and that is Who Forted?. This is a blog that takes a look at the realm of the Fortean in the only sane way you can, with a big sense of humor. They definitely seem to know there stuff as far as Fortean topics are concerned, but at the same time they have an excellent sense of humor about all of it. (For example check out their review of Syfy's Haunted Collector Reality TV series.) When not openly mocking people, which I mean come on who doesn't love that right?, they have some really cool stuff up on their site daily. Definitely a must visit daily site.

One of the better Paranormal podcasts in existence is Tim Binnall's Binnall of America. The show, which has been running now for I think 6 years, has literally interviewed everything one in the realm of esoterica that you can think of. And even some folks that you can't think of, or in my case may never have heard of until they came on Tim Binnall's show (Bruce Rux I'm looking at you). The show mostly comes out on a bi-weekly basis and is a definite must listen to.

In addition to an amazing series of interviews, the show also is home to some of the best writing on  fringe topics in the columns section of the site. Leslie, Regan Lee, Richard Thomas, Marla Pena, Richelle Hawks, Tina Sena, Bruce Priddy, and to a lesser degree yours truly the original Closet Anomalist Tony Morrill. With the exception of Bruce Priddy and myself, the other writers have archives that go back years that are full of all kinds of Fortean goodness.

On the topic of podcasts, Greg Bishop's Radio Misterioso is another must listen to. Especially now that Greg Bishop seems to have gotten his old show archives sorted out and seems to be adding them back to his site. Radio Misterioso is great because, in addition to some of the coolest music you are likely to ever hear, Greg Bishop interviews a lot of cool people. The conversations always seem to go in weird and unexpected places, and I can easily say that this show has introduced me to many of the people that have shaped my understanding and reasoning on Fortean topics. Definitely should check on this one daily.

Along those same lines, Greg Bishop writes for another site that some BOA writers and Nick Redfern all contribute to. UFO Mystic is a great place to visit at least semi-daily for all sorts of great writings by Nick Redfern, Greg Bishop, and a seemingly never ending supply of contributing writers. All in all a great site to visit.

As a general all around great resource for news, there are actually two that tie. First is Daily Grail, which isn't just a news site but that is like my favorite part of it. Seriously I check there daily for a great list of crazy Fortean news stories. The second one is very similar to this, The Anomalist. Like Daily Grail, the Anomalist collects all kinds of random Fortean goodies for you the reader to enjoy. You know now that I think about it, Fortean Times also has this same kind of feature. A Daily roundup of weird news.

Well that about wraps it up. The sites that I have listed above are the ones I visit on a daily basis in order to get my Fortean fix. If you have any suggestions for sites that I should visit, please let me know.

Put your money where your mouth is! I did.

It is likely painfully clear to any regular reader of Forteania, that I am not the world's biggest fan of so called, with no apparent sense of irony, 'mainstream' Ufology. I mean one only has to look at literally any of the posts I have made on this blog to figure that much out. Along those lines I am constantly on the lookout for anything that can offer a sliver of hope for the quagmire that is Ufology. As I have pointed out ad nauseum, we need to move past the "UFOs=aliens" paradigm we have been saddled with for the past 60 plus years.

With all of this in mind, I was extremely happy to hear that Paul Kimball was working with Tim Binnall in order to produce a 'sequel' to his amazing Best Evidence documentary which, as I have pointed out a number of times on Twitter, is one of the best UFO documentaries that I have ever seen. Best Evidence, which Paul Kimball has put up for free on Vimeo (find it here, seriously watch it then come back and finish this post), is an excellent film that through ten amazing UFO cases does a superb job of demonstrating that there is, in fact, an objective (hah that's not a loaded word) reality to the UFO phenomena.

Once we understand that there is a reality to the UFO subject, which probably most of you reading this have come to that conclusion already, where do we take it from there? The main answer for years has been the ETH, which contrary to what I may sometime indicate on this blog, is a valid hypothesis. But it is not the only one, and this is the problem that the newest project that Kimball and Binnall are working on seeks to solve. In Beyond Best Evidence, they seek to give the viewer all of the different options for what is behind the UFO enigma. ETs? Yep they are gonna be in the film with the respective ETH guys, like Kevin Randle and Stan Friedman. Ultraterrestrials/Interdimensionals? You bet. Hell even the Cryptoterrestrials will make an appearance.

Essentially the hope is that this documentary will allow you the viewer, to understand that the UFO problem is far more complicated (in an exciting way) than just alien visitor's from Zeta Reticuli. So what can you do, oh loyal readers of Forteania? I'm glad that you asked. As it stands Paul Kimball and Tim Binnall are trying to raised $25,000 in order to help fund this project. As of this posting they have only reached $1580, but you can help. If you, like me, are ready to make a change for the positive in Ufology or just to get people to be more open to a myriad of possibilities, please support this cause in anyway you can. Unfortunately the fund-raising part only has 3 days left at this moment, but I think we could do it if we all pitch in.

So like the title says, I put my money where my mouth is will you? If so head to the Indie GoGo page for the film to donate whatever you can! For more information on the project from the gentleman running it, check out the latest Binnall of America podcast up now to learn more about this film. And after that seriously go watch Best Evidence. Hopefully together we can make this documentary a reality, sooner rather than later. Well that's all I have for now, check back later for more Fortean shenanigans.

No post tonight sorry!

My dad is in the hospital (he's OK it seems), so obviously that took precedence over the blog tonight. Sorry guys and gals, but I will be back tomorrow night with all sorts of Fortean goodness. 

 It's OK Michael I will be back tomorrow night I promise. In other news check Paul Kimball out on the latest episode of Binnall of America here.

Short posts coming throughout the night

I have my first test in my Religion class on Monday. As such I have to do some studying this weekend. So tonight and tomorrow will have some short posts throughout the day and nights. The first one tonight is about Eyes of the Mothman. I mentioned on Twitter how  I finally got a chance to check it out. Heres the Trailer.

I highly recommend that you check out this movie. Its a great introduction to the Mothman mythos that John Keel and Gray Barker had made famous in the 60's. Even if you think you know all about the Mothman events of Point Pleasant, the movie does a great job of introducing you to some really cool facts. Definitely recommend you check it out. Also as I mentioned on Twitter, you can find an interview that Tim Binnall did with the producers of the film here. Well that's all for now, I should be back a little later with more Fortean goodness. Until then check this film out and enjoy yourselves.

Definition of Insanity?

I have often heard that an unofficial definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same task yet expecting a different out come each time. As an example jumping off a roof hoping that eventually you will be able to fly. Well I have recently decided that I must be insane. I have related a few times on this blog that I on occasion frequent the forums over at AboveTopSecret (ATS). The only topics that I tend to gravitate and respond in are typically the UFO/Alien topics. I mean 'go with what you know' right?

Well with that in mind I went to a thread entitled 'UFOs are Alien: Evidence!'. Now I just couldn't resist going in to that thread and reading what evidence was going to be offered. I was really excited, not because I thought the evidence was going to be particularly compelling (turns out I was right), but because I knew it was going to be eye roll worthy. The original poster opens with this phrase:

A new theory emerged, that the flying discs (that we call UFOs) are all made by our Governments. It is true that our Governments are now able to replicate 'UFOs', but the originals belong to extraterrestrial beings.

Before photography was invented, humans had the cave paintings, cuneiform depictions, written texts and spoken tales of UFOs and extraterrestrial beings.

I think this is pretty good evidence that UFOs are mainly of Extraterrestrial origins. Long before we were able to use 'anti-gravity' flying vehicles, our ancestors witnessed them in the skies.

As far as posts go on ATS its about par for the course. I wasn't entirely sure what the author was trying to convey. I thought that basically he was saying that because we had strange cave paintings and other such early human images of strange things, that they must by definition be ET. Knowing me as you probably do by now, especially if you have been reading this blog for some time, I responded with the well reasoned (of course I might be biased) post below: (Also keep in mind I was posting from work so my initial response was a little short)

Well just because there might have been advanced technologies in antiquity does not necessarily make it ET. It could just as likely have been an advanced human civilization that is currently unknown or suspected to have existed (think Atlantis or Lemuria).

Great response right? I know I'm a genius. All joking aside my point was that simply because we find depictions of what we interpret to be 'flying objects' on rock walls or whatever, doesn't necessarily somehow indicate an ET presence in our prehistoric Earth. Well it wasn't long until the original author was ready to offer a rebuttal. His response:

                        Why, because ETs don't exist?

Now, I don't think that I'm 'in' Ufology the same way that say Greg Bishop, Nick Redfern, or Paul Kimball are. But I imagine that response was akin to being called a disinfo agent or a skeptic/debunker. I have to be completely honest, I was a little flattered. I don't think that is what my response had said, or to be more accurate it wasn't what I was trying to imply. Much like with my posts on here about the UFO phenomena, I just don't think you necessarily have to shout ET every time something strange is brought up. Which brings me to my reply to his question:

No but you don't necessarily have to evoke the 'ET' meme in order to explain things like ancient cave paintings. In his book Supernatural Graham Hancock explores the possibility that rock art was created while under the influence of hallucinogens such as ayahuasca. That wasn't to say that what they were seeing wasn't 'real' but that it didn't exist in our realm of 'reality'. Of course the likelihood of their being ET intelligences in our universe is almost an inevitability. And I am even a fan of the Paleo-contact Theory. However I feel that there is far too much emphasis on the ET part of the ETH. For instance perhaps the technologies that were witnessed by our ancestors could have been of the Cryptoterrestrial civilization that was proposed by the late Mac Tonnies. Sometimes I fell that people need to be more willing to think outside of the 'ET' box. Just my 2 cents.

That isn't anything you haven't heard me say on this blog a million times (bit of hyperbole there for you). And it has gotten to the point where I have said it on ATS to where I almost blue in the face. The original author of the thread (as of now when I am typing this) has yet to reply to my response. Perhaps he gave up, or he wasn't going to change his mind anyway. Which brings me to the point of this post. I have repeatedly stated on ATS my views and opinions on the UFO phenomena and its possible origins to absolutely no avail. And after my final response in this thread here:

Yeah it was the works of Jacques Vallee and John Keel that really got me to open my mind to the multitude of possibilities that may exist out there. You're right in that some UFOs could or even probably are an ET presence of some form or another. The problem as I see it though is that we have been thinking that it was Aliens for over 60 yrs now in this field (you know at least the majority Vallee and Keel notwithstanding) and yet we haven't really learned anything at all. For reasons like that I was really attracted to Mac Tonnies' book, which of course was just an option and even he didn't necessarily believe that was the 'Answer'. Because whatever the ultimate 'answer' ends up being it will likely be something so far beyond our current comprehension that we may have to evolve more to even hope to understand it.

I have decided that I'm not really learning anything from that website, at least not by contributing anyway. I'm not arrogant enough to think I have the right answers or anything. I just hope that I am at least looking at this phenomena with the right attitude. I think that one reason I haven't won any fans over on that site is that I refuse to be pigeonholed. I'm not a believer, but at the same time I'm not a disbeliever. I am simply a Fortean Philosopher. To me the answer, if we can ever even find it let alone understand it, probably lies somewhere in the middle of the believer/disbeliever dichotomy.

And so for the foreseeable future I am done with that website, I don't begrudge the people that would go to it and I still would recommend those that are interested in Alternative News/Views check it out. Just be advised that the UFO/Alien part suffers greatly from the True Believer vs Pseudo-Skeptic thing that much of the Ufological 'field' suffers from. So as always I am left with posting my rantings and ravings here, listening to the few good podcasts that exist out there (RadioMisterioso and Binnall of America), and talking on Twitter to the one person I consider to be friend in this 'field', Paul Kimball. Thats all my bitching for tonight, so until next time I will leave you with a (probably) familiar Charles Fort quote.

“I conceive of nothing, in religion, science or philosophy, that is more than the proper thing to wear, for a while."

More synchronicities!

I related how a few weeks back that I had luckily been able to pick up a copy of the late Conspiracy Theorist/Researcher Jim Keith's Casebook on the Men in Black (Read more about that story here). I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since last year when I read Keith's equally excellent Saucers of the Illuminati. If you haven't been able to figure out yet by reading this blog (or if you are a new reader) I really enjoy anyone who is willing to go beyond the ETH when it comes to the UFO phenomena. Keith's Saucers of the Illuminati is just what it sounds like, namely that most (if not all) of the 'UFOs' that are sighted by people are in fact the instruments of the ubiquitous government (or shadow government). I don't necessarily agree with this theory, but I applaud the 'out of the box' thinking that is involved. And off-topic I highly recommend that you check out this book, it really is a fascinating read.

After I read this book sometime last year I looked up some other books by Keith. Two in particular stood out to me as must reads; the first Mind Control and UFOs: Casebook on Alternative 3, the second was Casebook on the Men in Black. Unfortunately I have been unable to get a copy of the Alternative 3 book (which by the way if you haven't heard of Alternative 3 you should really look into very strange conspiracy stuff), but as previously noted I was able to happen upon a copy of Casebook on the Men in Black at my local bookstore. Because of school and work my progress has been rather slow unfortunately, but that isn't because the book isn't a great read. Having read about some MIB encounters in John Keel's work, it was nice to see another researchers treatment of the topic. Not entirely unlike his Saucers of the Illuminati, Keith isn't as quick to jump on the 'MIBs = Aliens' as some have suggested. Instead he focuses more on the idea that they may be representatives of an Earthly organization of some form.

At the same time however, he doesn't overlook the history of figures dressed in black that have shown up from time to time. Instances of witches reportedly cavorting with 'Men cloaked in black garb' or one really interesting story he relates a story first recounted by Freemasonic historian Manly P Hall

It was during the evening of July 4, 1776, that the second of these mysterious episodes occurred. In the old State House in Philadelphia a group of men were gathered for the momentous task of severing the last ties between the old country and the new. It was a grave moment and not a few of those present that their lives would be forfeit for their audacity. In the midst of the debate a fierce voice rang out. The debaters stopped and turned to look upon the stranger …. they had never seen him before, none knew when he had entered, but his tall form and pale face stirred them to their very souls.... As the stranger sank into a chair exhausted, a wild enthusiasm burst forth. Name after name was placed upon the parchment: the Declaration of Independence was signed.

That is just one of the strange stories that he recounts in his book. Again I haven't finished yet so this isn't intended as a proper review. Rather the above is a backdrop for my strange synchronicities of late. Yesterday I was listening to the newest episode of Binnall of America, (yes I don't just write a column for the site, I also really enjoy Tim's show) Tim was interviewing documentary film makers Matthew J. Pellowski and Anastasia Konstantinou about their new film Eyes of the Mothman. Which I haven't been able to check out yet but am looking forward to. The film documents a non-John Keel view of the events of 1966-1977 Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Included, obviously, is the Mothman and other assorted bizarre Fortean events (like the Men in Black [synchronicity #1]). One item that stuck out in my mind for no particular reason was the story of Woodrow Derenberger and his 'friend' Indrid Cold.

This was a classic 'conctactee' case. Where Derenberger claims to have meet an ET named Indrid Cold. I'm not going to give the whole story (check out the documentary for that!). But keep Indrid Cold in mind. So this morning before work I was getting some reading of Casebook on the Men in Black and as I was finishing the chapter I was on I turned the page to find the next chapter which was entitled 'Indrid Cold' (Synchronicity #2). But we are not done just yet. This afternoon as I was listening to the latest Radio Mistierioso episode, Greg Bishop had Paul Kimball and Walter Bosley on the show. During the second half of the show, Paul and Walter really got going on a weird synchronicity kick. As they were going through all of the different synchronistic events that had occurred to them, Walter Bosley brought up how the #9 had some mystical connotations to it. My final synchronicity of the day? The chapter that I was starting that was entitled 'Indrid Cold' ….. was chapter 9.

News follow up

I related in last nights early post, that after weeks of procrastinating I was finally able to complete the article that I will be submitting to a UFO magazine (to be named once confirmation has been received that the article is being published for sure). For many reasons I had put off completing the article, some legitimate others not so much. Either way yesterday around 2 in the afternoon I had finally completed the damn thing. Once it was done I wanted someone to read over it, you know to make sure that I didn't sound like a complete imbecile (which is something I suspect when or if I ever re-read previous posts here at Forteania or my column Fortean Ramblings over at Binnall of America).

My girlfriend, who is my unofficial editor, was at work so that ruled her out. My brother has an extremely bizarre sleep schedule and likely wouldn't be awake for another few hours and I really wanted to get the rough draft sent in the event that the magazine editor decided that they no longer wanted to use my article. Then I thought about a friend of mine who is very supportive in all of my writing exploits (he even listened to every episode of my very short lived podcast I did with another friend). I texted him to see if he too was at work or at home. His response was that he would be out of town for the remainder of the day. At this point I was so desperate for anyone to read my article that I actually contemplated running out into the streets and flagging down cars just to have someone read the damn thing.

Luckily for me it is unbearably hot outside right now where I live, so that option never left the planning stages. Instead I thought, 'Fuck it I will just send the article anyway'. Kind of a lay it all on the line scenario. Plus I had already decided that if, for whatever reason, the magazine didn't want the article I would just sell it to another magazine. So with all of this in mind I emailed the editor my rough draft of the article and spent the rest of the day not thinking about the email at all.....




I wish. As soon as I sent the email, I immediately regretted the decision and wanted to call it back. Unfortunately I'm unaware of any way to So the rest of the afternoon was spent with me secretly checking my phone for an email response. Even though I knew it was unlikely that he would have gotten back to me so quickly. I managed to more or less go about a normal daily routine. Posted up a couple of things up here, watched a movie or two, and read some more of Wake Up Down There: The Excluded Middle Anthology. Finally I went to bed pretty late. When I woke up just a few short hours later (I have a terrible sleep cycle, if I'm lucky I will get 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night) and there was an email waiting for me on the phone.

I checked and, as you could probably guess, it was from the magazine editor. With much trepidation I slowly opened the email, took a deep breath and slowly began to scan the message. Immediately I breathed a huge sigh of relief, he liked the article a lot and thought it was really good. I was ecstatic. Now the only thing that stands between me and being a published writer are a few illustrations that my girlfriend (remember she is also my editor) is working on for the article. Once she has these completed, I will send everything to the editor and hopefully not too long after you will be able to pick up a magazine from the newsstands that has an article written by yours truly.


OK well thats all for now readers, I will return in a little while with some more posting (and likely more photos, because photos are fun). Until then remember “Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you”

The First Church of Ufology

In many churches all over America, no matter the religion or denomination, you will likely see a similar scenario play out. A speaker is at the front of a group of people, he is passionately waxing philosophical about some topic that is pertinent to the believers. Perhaps he is admonishing them that the end of days is upon them, or that they are all sinful and in need of salvation. But whatever the message is about, if you were to look out amongst the crowd of faithful you would see heads nodding in solemn agreement. Whatever the particulars of the talk may be, all of the members of the audience likely already believe what is being spoken is 100 % valid and true. For many it is a confirmation of their beliefs.

I bring this up because earlier today I was listening to the Paracast while at work. (I fortunately have the good luck to work at a company that allows us cubicle zombies to at least listen to music in order to pass the otherwise monotonous hours away). I was listening to the episode from about two weeks ago, when Gene and Chris had on Grant Cameron a Ufologist that operates Presidential UFOs. Cameron is definitely what I would consider a 'mainstream' member of ufology, as ironic as something like that is to say. Even so Cameron accepts as fact that the Earth is being visited by Extraterrestrials and that the Government is not only covering it up, but somehow is simultaneously letting some information out as a means of allowing for the gradual disclosure of the 'Other' to your average Joe Shmoe on the street.

A little over two years ago I would have been sitting down listening to that podcast (which I recommend you taking a listen to by the way), and just like the people from my earlier example I would have sat nodding my head at some of the things discussed. Majestic 12 was a secret group set up to liaison with the Extraterrestrials or other assorted activities. The Government was keeping the secret from the people because it would only cause panic. The best way to avoid the panic, it was thought, would be to gradually disclose the reality of the ET's to mankind.

After having read such classic Fortean writers like Jacques Vallee and John Keel, reading all of Mac Tonnies work, and listening to people such as Greg Bishop, Paul Kimball, and Nick Redfern, I slowly came out of my 'believer' paradigm that I had been trapped in. Up until I was introduced to these great thinkers, I was just like the attendants at the church. I just nodded in solemn agreement with what was said. Whenever someone spoke of Roswell, I knew automatically they were talking about the recovery of a flying disc that was piloted by diminutive Greys from Zeta Reticuli. Now however I let my mind wander and realize that the possibilities are endless for what may, or may not, have occurred that summer night in July back in 1947.

Cameron on the other hand sounded to me like a 'true believer'. He was still like one of those attendants at the religious meetings. From the interview it sounded to me like Cameron already knows the reality that is attendant with the UFO phenomena, but as those Fortean writers/thinkers have pointed out in their work we still don't really have any idea what is going on. If we already 'know' the answer's to what is behind the phenomena, why keep asking questions?