THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
September 14, 2014
www.theparacast.com
Col. John Alexander Thinks Differently About UFOs on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why You Should Donate to The Paracast: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough to pay your humble hosts decent wages. Also, we do not receive any revenue from the ads placed on the show by our network or local stations. So we hope you're able to help fill the gap, if you can, to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch and utility bills. No contribution is too small (or too large
. It’s easy to send a donation. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. Or use the Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. You can also send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.
Attention U.S. Listeners: Help Us Bring The Paracast to Your City! In the summer of 2010, The Paracast joined the GCN radio network. This represented a huge step in bringing our show to a larger, mainstream audience. But we need your help to add additional affiliates to our growing network. Please ask one of your local talk stations if they are interested in carrying The Paracast. Feel free to contact us directly with the names of programming people we might be able to contact on your behalf. We can't do this alone, and if you succeed in convincing your local station to carry the show, we'll reward you with one of our special T-shirts, and other goodies. With your help, The Paracast can grow into one of the most popular paranormal shows on the planet!
Please Visit Our Online Store: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and an expanded collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt now featuring our brand new logo, just pay a visit to our online store at The Official Paracast Store to select your size and place your order. We also offer a complete lineup of other premium merchandise for your family, your friends and your business contacts.
About The Paracast: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast is a paranormal radio show that takes you on a journey to a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions. The Paracast seeks to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join long-time paranormal researcher Gene Steinberg, co-host and acclaimed field investigator Christopher O'Brien, and a panel of special guest experts and experiencers, as they explore the realms of the known and unknown. Listen each week to the great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Our guest, Col. John Alexander, needs no introduction. He is easily one of the most enigmatic and intriguing figures in ufology today. He has recently completed another in a series of world-wide journeys and we've invited him to share his thoughts on the interconnectedness of paranormal phenomena. He writes, "There is no doubt about the physical reality of some UFOs. The hard evidence, however, suggests they are part of a far greater mystery; one that engulfs many phenomena. Traditional Western science has created blinders and ignores inconvenient facts that are accepted readily in other societies." Alexander has firmly established UFO existence and will "explore their relationship to wonders long known to indigenous shamans all over the world."
Chris O’Brien’s Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Col. Alexander’s Blog: John B. Alexander - Home
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. We recently completed a major update that makes our community easier to navigate, and social network friendly.
Recalling Cold Cases
By Gene Steinberg
On the one hand, you’d think it’s most important to concentrate on recent cases of UFO activity. After all, eyewitness memories are less tainted, and there is still time to ask key questions not only of the individual or individuals involved, but of people in and around the area who might have something significant to contribute to the evidence.
The more time passes, particularly for the most sensational reports, the more time there is for people to compare and embellish their accounts for better or worse. The impact of popular culture will continue to contaminate the evidence, as witnesses try to relate what they saw to what they may have read, seen or heard about UFOs.
Worse, if a few decades have passed, getting accurate descriptions may be almost impossible, unless there’s a written record somewhere, perhaps a personal diary, of one’s initial reactions. The accuracy of the account may also depend on whether or not some UFO investigators were busy questioning witnesses. If the investigator allows a witness to tell their story without more than simple prompting to clarify details, all well and good. That might help in getting a thorough picture of the actual event.
But if the questions are leading, pushing the witness to consider details or reach conclusions that may not reflect the actual encounter, the report may be contaminated. This is the possible byproduct of inexperienced investigators and others interrogating witnesses over and over again.
Now imagine if a UFO sighting is more or less buried — or overlooked — for three decades. Suddenly from out of the blue investigators or would-be authors looking for a best seller, come calling, trying to dig up some new sensational information. How do you get an accurate portrayal of what originally occurred?
Certainly getting accounts from multiple witnesses is a plus. If they are interviewed separately, without referring to anyone else’s report and avoiding leading questions, it may still be possible to get a fairly accurate composite picture of what really happened. Again, written records of any kind are usually helpful, particularly if they were set down early on.
When it comes to second-hand stories, about someone telling someone something they saw or heard, the information may be next to useless. I recall a brief interview I had recently with a Roswell, NM resident about the legendary 1947 UFO crash. He told me of a conversation he had in the late 1950s, where a fireman who was in on the action, his former father-in-law, told him of seeing a total of six alien bodies.
That in itself may be compelling enough, assuming that this conversation was set down in writing when it occurred. But the person with whom I talked also admitted that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers. He seemed pretty sharp to me, but I would not assume that you can depend on his memories of a conversation that occurred more than five decades ago. Yes, I realize that older memories may be more accurately recalled in cases of dementia.
However, I do not doubt that an event that might have made a lasting impression on your life would be recalled with decent levels of accuracy. You can ask me where I was when JFK was assassinated in 1963, and I’ll tell you that I didn’t hear anything about that tragedy till the early evening, when my dad returned home from work and asked me to turn on the TV to find out what happened. I do recall riding my bike to the post office in the late afternoon to pick up some mail, where I noticed that both clerks and customers seemed downcast, but I did not think to question them at the time.
Yes, I believe my memories are pretty accurate, and I can tell you about living in Brooklyn, NY, that the TV was turned to one of the major networks, probably CBS, since Walter Cronkite held such sway as a news anchor. I also recall not doing any homework, and mostly concentrating on exercise (I lifted weights in those years), with the TV constantly on in the background. If I ventured outside during that period, it wasn’t for very long.
So I would think that seeing the wreckage of an unknown craft, particularly during the early days of flying saucer fever, would create an indelible impression. Still, a lot of what happened is subject to interpretation. Accounts of seeing the bodies of small aliens would seem to be particularly suspect, although I don’t dismiss these claims.
Or maybe the witnesses read about possible alien corpses in books or magazines, or perhaps saw a TV movie or documentary. So memories were enhanced, or perhaps contaminated, by decades of pop culture, leading questions from friends, family, and UFO researchers.
What about death-bed confessions? Is there any possibility one or more of the people who recalled significant details about Roswell merely signed a statement without reading it thoroughly? What about an audio or video recording of the actual statement?
Now about that UFO sighting that more or less started it all, involving Kenneth Arnold, a private pilot who saw nine objects flying in formation at Mount Rainier in Washington state on June 24, 1947. If you pick apart Arnold’s recollections of this classic sighting, you’d see variations in some of the descriptions during the weeks and months that followed.
Still others saw flying discs in the same vicinity at the same time, providing descriptions that appeared to be roughly similar to Arnold’s. One of those witnesses, prospector Fred Johnson, said he saw six of those objects through a small telescope. Curious that he also claimed that his compass was somehow disturbed during the encounter, although Arnold did not report any difficulties with his aircraft, a single-engine Call-Air Model A-2.
What did Arnold see? And do any of the variations in his description give rise to the theory that he may have misidentified test aircraft of some sort? Was Arnold, as some suggest, prone to exaggerate? Maybe, maybe not. But the fact that similar objects were seen by others, in the same area at around the same time from different vantage points, indicates that something real happened. It was not, as the government suggested at the time, a mirage.
UFO researchers can never stop debating the meaning of these classic cases, although it’s difficult to expect anything new to come from giving them a second look. Well, unless some previously secret government documents about these cases are discovered, and the possibilities for such a discovery seem to diminish every year.
Copyright 1999-2014 Making The Impossible, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
September 14, 2014
www.theparacast.com
Col. John Alexander Thinks Differently About UFOs on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why You Should Donate to The Paracast: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough to pay your humble hosts decent wages. Also, we do not receive any revenue from the ads placed on the show by our network or local stations. So we hope you're able to help fill the gap, if you can, to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch and utility bills. No contribution is too small (or too large
. It’s easy to send a donation. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. Or use the Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. You can also send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.Attention U.S. Listeners: Help Us Bring The Paracast to Your City! In the summer of 2010, The Paracast joined the GCN radio network. This represented a huge step in bringing our show to a larger, mainstream audience. But we need your help to add additional affiliates to our growing network. Please ask one of your local talk stations if they are interested in carrying The Paracast. Feel free to contact us directly with the names of programming people we might be able to contact on your behalf. We can't do this alone, and if you succeed in convincing your local station to carry the show, we'll reward you with one of our special T-shirts, and other goodies. With your help, The Paracast can grow into one of the most popular paranormal shows on the planet!
Please Visit Our Online Store: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and an expanded collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt now featuring our brand new logo, just pay a visit to our online store at The Official Paracast Store to select your size and place your order. We also offer a complete lineup of other premium merchandise for your family, your friends and your business contacts.
About The Paracast: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast is a paranormal radio show that takes you on a journey to a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions. The Paracast seeks to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join long-time paranormal researcher Gene Steinberg, co-host and acclaimed field investigator Christopher O'Brien, and a panel of special guest experts and experiencers, as they explore the realms of the known and unknown. Listen each week to the great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Our guest, Col. John Alexander, needs no introduction. He is easily one of the most enigmatic and intriguing figures in ufology today. He has recently completed another in a series of world-wide journeys and we've invited him to share his thoughts on the interconnectedness of paranormal phenomena. He writes, "There is no doubt about the physical reality of some UFOs. The hard evidence, however, suggests they are part of a far greater mystery; one that engulfs many phenomena. Traditional Western science has created blinders and ignores inconvenient facts that are accepted readily in other societies." Alexander has firmly established UFO existence and will "explore their relationship to wonders long known to indigenous shamans all over the world."
Chris O’Brien’s Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Col. Alexander’s Blog: John B. Alexander - Home
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. We recently completed a major update that makes our community easier to navigate, and social network friendly.
Recalling Cold Cases
By Gene Steinberg
On the one hand, you’d think it’s most important to concentrate on recent cases of UFO activity. After all, eyewitness memories are less tainted, and there is still time to ask key questions not only of the individual or individuals involved, but of people in and around the area who might have something significant to contribute to the evidence.
The more time passes, particularly for the most sensational reports, the more time there is for people to compare and embellish their accounts for better or worse. The impact of popular culture will continue to contaminate the evidence, as witnesses try to relate what they saw to what they may have read, seen or heard about UFOs.
Worse, if a few decades have passed, getting accurate descriptions may be almost impossible, unless there’s a written record somewhere, perhaps a personal diary, of one’s initial reactions. The accuracy of the account may also depend on whether or not some UFO investigators were busy questioning witnesses. If the investigator allows a witness to tell their story without more than simple prompting to clarify details, all well and good. That might help in getting a thorough picture of the actual event.
But if the questions are leading, pushing the witness to consider details or reach conclusions that may not reflect the actual encounter, the report may be contaminated. This is the possible byproduct of inexperienced investigators and others interrogating witnesses over and over again.
Now imagine if a UFO sighting is more or less buried — or overlooked — for three decades. Suddenly from out of the blue investigators or would-be authors looking for a best seller, come calling, trying to dig up some new sensational information. How do you get an accurate portrayal of what originally occurred?
Certainly getting accounts from multiple witnesses is a plus. If they are interviewed separately, without referring to anyone else’s report and avoiding leading questions, it may still be possible to get a fairly accurate composite picture of what really happened. Again, written records of any kind are usually helpful, particularly if they were set down early on.
When it comes to second-hand stories, about someone telling someone something they saw or heard, the information may be next to useless. I recall a brief interview I had recently with a Roswell, NM resident about the legendary 1947 UFO crash. He told me of a conversation he had in the late 1950s, where a fireman who was in on the action, his former father-in-law, told him of seeing a total of six alien bodies.
That in itself may be compelling enough, assuming that this conversation was set down in writing when it occurred. But the person with whom I talked also admitted that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers. He seemed pretty sharp to me, but I would not assume that you can depend on his memories of a conversation that occurred more than five decades ago. Yes, I realize that older memories may be more accurately recalled in cases of dementia.
However, I do not doubt that an event that might have made a lasting impression on your life would be recalled with decent levels of accuracy. You can ask me where I was when JFK was assassinated in 1963, and I’ll tell you that I didn’t hear anything about that tragedy till the early evening, when my dad returned home from work and asked me to turn on the TV to find out what happened. I do recall riding my bike to the post office in the late afternoon to pick up some mail, where I noticed that both clerks and customers seemed downcast, but I did not think to question them at the time.
Yes, I believe my memories are pretty accurate, and I can tell you about living in Brooklyn, NY, that the TV was turned to one of the major networks, probably CBS, since Walter Cronkite held such sway as a news anchor. I also recall not doing any homework, and mostly concentrating on exercise (I lifted weights in those years), with the TV constantly on in the background. If I ventured outside during that period, it wasn’t for very long.
So I would think that seeing the wreckage of an unknown craft, particularly during the early days of flying saucer fever, would create an indelible impression. Still, a lot of what happened is subject to interpretation. Accounts of seeing the bodies of small aliens would seem to be particularly suspect, although I don’t dismiss these claims.
Or maybe the witnesses read about possible alien corpses in books or magazines, or perhaps saw a TV movie or documentary. So memories were enhanced, or perhaps contaminated, by decades of pop culture, leading questions from friends, family, and UFO researchers.
What about death-bed confessions? Is there any possibility one or more of the people who recalled significant details about Roswell merely signed a statement without reading it thoroughly? What about an audio or video recording of the actual statement?
Now about that UFO sighting that more or less started it all, involving Kenneth Arnold, a private pilot who saw nine objects flying in formation at Mount Rainier in Washington state on June 24, 1947. If you pick apart Arnold’s recollections of this classic sighting, you’d see variations in some of the descriptions during the weeks and months that followed.
Still others saw flying discs in the same vicinity at the same time, providing descriptions that appeared to be roughly similar to Arnold’s. One of those witnesses, prospector Fred Johnson, said he saw six of those objects through a small telescope. Curious that he also claimed that his compass was somehow disturbed during the encounter, although Arnold did not report any difficulties with his aircraft, a single-engine Call-Air Model A-2.
What did Arnold see? And do any of the variations in his description give rise to the theory that he may have misidentified test aircraft of some sort? Was Arnold, as some suggest, prone to exaggerate? Maybe, maybe not. But the fact that similar objects were seen by others, in the same area at around the same time from different vantage points, indicates that something real happened. It was not, as the government suggested at the time, a mirage.
UFO researchers can never stop debating the meaning of these classic cases, although it’s difficult to expect anything new to come from giving them a second look. Well, unless some previously secret government documents about these cases are discovered, and the possibilities for such a discovery seem to diminish every year.
Copyright 1999-2014 Making The Impossible, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
