The Paracast Newsletter
January 7, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Something Completely Different: Discover the Sometimes Surprising Food Practices of Cults, Communes and Religious Movements with Christina Ward 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.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: And now for something completely different: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Christina Ward, an author, editor, and seeker. She is also the Vice President and Editor of Feral House, a publisher noted for their books on outré topics. The main topic of discussion is her book, "Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and New Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat." Religious beliefs have been the source of food "rules" since Pythagoras told his followers not to eat beans (they contain souls), Kosher and Halal rules forbade the shrimp cocktail (shellfish are scavengers, or maybe God just said "no"). A long-ago Pope forbade Catholics from eating meat on Fridays (fasting to atone for committed sins). Rules about eating are present in nearly every American belief, from high-control groups that ban everything except air to the infamous strawberry shortcake that sated visitors to the Oneida Community in the late 1800s. Even the followers of the Heaven's Gate cult had specific rules about food consumption. Ward's book also features over 75 recipes from religious and communal groups tested and updated for modern cooks.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on January 7: A further look at the sometimes surprising food rules from Christina Ward, author of "Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and New Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat." The book also includes over 75 tested recipes. She'll also talk with Gene and cohost Tim Swartz about the wild characters connected with some food practices. Ward also talks about some of the outsider and fringe books published by Feral House, of which she is Vice President and Editor, along with ongoing conspiracy theories. Ward can trace her Milwaukee and Wisconsin roots to the early 1800s. Her love of history comes from her father, who instilled the idea that we are all manifestations of our ancestors. Her interest in cooking began out of childhood necessity to feed herself and her siblings while her father worked in a factory. She prides herself on having a hungry mind interested in learning about people, the foods they eat, and the stories that arise from that convergence.
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. Visit our new online shop for great branded merchandise at: https://www.theparacast.shop.
Talking to Ourselves
By Gene Steinberg
Over the last 60 years, I’ve written perhaps millions of words on one topic or another. But before you regard that as a boast, please don’t forget that I’ve written around 30 books, mostly on consumer technology, such as personal computers, operating systems and so on. They were production books, meaning I had to churn out 60,000 reasonably coherent words in the space of a few weeks. It all adds up.
But I have also written a lot about flying saucers, starting in the early 1960s, when I was just a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn, NY who thought differently about things. I’ll leave it to others to decide the value of those writings. I’m not at all certain if I have copies after all these years to review for myself.
I would, of course, like to think that people actually read what I wrote — at least some people — and were influenced one way or another. Or maybe not.
After all these years, I realize that some people are less accepting of those who change their opinions. Sometimes that appears to be a betrayal, especially if it’s a politician who adopted a certain set of positions about one subject or another. Today they favor one policy, tomorrow they vote to oppose it.
In our little fringe corner of the world, I suspect this attitude is less relevant. After seeing their first — and usually only — UFO, witnesses who were formerly skeptical come to realize that something strange is indeed occurring. Perhaps they assume that they saw a spaceship from a far-away star system, or it was some country’s test flying machine. Indeed, seeking out evidence for the latter appears to be the main goal of the Pentagon’s UAP research project, presently bearing a highly awkward name, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
As a side note, that acronym is one letter off from the name of a famous UFO group from the last century, APRO (short for Aerial Phenomena Research Organization).
While APRO’s exploration of the possible presence of ET surely differed from the claimed goal of AARO, both abandoned the dreaded UFO label. For the government, it was Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, UAP, formerly Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. With APRO, it was UAO, for Unidentified Aerial Objects.
Either way, it was a clever — or desperate — move away from the alleged “stench” of the term UFO, which was, in its own way, a clever move away from the alleged “stench” of the term flying saucer.
After all, most of the objects observed by witnesses were not exactly saucer shaped, not even those nine flying things reported by Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947. But quite often the media puts labels on things that, right or wrong, catch on.
So much for all those little green men.
None of these labels or assumptions actually solve anything. But if you give things a label of one sort or another, it seems to imply knowledge of what’s really going on. So much for labels.
Over the years, unfortunately, it has seemed that a number of articles written about UFOs — or whatever you wish to call them — have simply contained assumptions rather than evidence.
Some wonder about the motives of our space visitors, while others are certain that ET is here to help us rather than to harm us. This despite the incidence of near-collisions with Earthly flying machines, or their curious behavior in the proximity of nuclear installations. Maybe they didn’t mean it; it was just the unfortunate consequence of a close survey of our planet.
And you shouldn’t forget all those abductions, people who assert that unworldly visitors kidnapped, or persuaded them, to go aboard a spaceship and submit themselves to physical exams. But taking an unwary innocent person and forcing them to get onboard hardly seems a friendly approach. Surely there are less intrusive, less fearful ways to examine humans.
Consider, for example, that some abductees report PTSD symptoms in the wake of an abduction. I recall speaking to one of these people, who used the name “Doug,” where he told me of his frightening experiences and how he suffered from various forms of emotional trauma thereafter.
Friendly?
A more extreme example of the alleged evil intentions of UFO occupants is the belief that they are somehow demonic. This would make them more psychic than physical, since they appear to have magical powers.
Indeed, you can send them away, some say, by engaging in such curious acts as reciting the “Lord’s Prayer.”
By this I mean: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Clearly it’s a common sense statement, but is that sufficient to invoke a magical spell that directs the demons piloting UFOs to flee? I suppose if you accept the proposition that there are magical forces afoot.
This response actually reminds me of the days when I first began to question the conventional wisdom that UFOs were spaceships. I recall an all-night talkfest, on New Year’s Eve 1965, when my old friend Allen Greenfield and I propounded a theory that he labeled “alternate reality.”
Using the fantasy stories under the title of “The Incomplete Enchanter” as an influence, we posited the existence of other realities or dimensions where the laws of physics as we know them may not govern how things work. Instead, it was all about magic.
So what if UFOs, emerging from this other place, still retained their magical qualities? Thus, if you utter the appropriate incantations, you’ll cause the appropriate result. But how would those powers function in our physical reality?
Then again, there are enough strange encounters in our world to indicate that we do not fully understand the nature of reality. We only have a glimpse of it, and what we regard as magic may just be a reflection of physical laws we have yet to document in a scientific fashion.
Imagine how our ancestors might have reacted to the presence of a jet airplane, a rocket ship, or even your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. To them, our mainstream technologies might be regarded as examples of some sort of magic.
Of course, if our reality is simulated as some speculate, those in charge, whatever they are, may regard themselves as gods of physics who can change the rules.
Copyright 1999-2024 The Paracast Company. 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!
January 7, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Something Completely Different: Discover the Sometimes Surprising Food Practices of Cults, Communes and Religious Movements with Christina Ward 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.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: And now for something completely different: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Christina Ward, an author, editor, and seeker. She is also the Vice President and Editor of Feral House, a publisher noted for their books on outré topics. The main topic of discussion is her book, "Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and New Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat." Religious beliefs have been the source of food "rules" since Pythagoras told his followers not to eat beans (they contain souls), Kosher and Halal rules forbade the shrimp cocktail (shellfish are scavengers, or maybe God just said "no"). A long-ago Pope forbade Catholics from eating meat on Fridays (fasting to atone for committed sins). Rules about eating are present in nearly every American belief, from high-control groups that ban everything except air to the infamous strawberry shortcake that sated visitors to the Oneida Community in the late 1800s. Even the followers of the Heaven's Gate cult had specific rules about food consumption. Ward's book also features over 75 recipes from religious and communal groups tested and updated for modern cooks.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on January 7: A further look at the sometimes surprising food rules from Christina Ward, author of "Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and New Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat." The book also includes over 75 tested recipes. She'll also talk with Gene and cohost Tim Swartz about the wild characters connected with some food practices. Ward also talks about some of the outsider and fringe books published by Feral House, of which she is Vice President and Editor, along with ongoing conspiracy theories. Ward can trace her Milwaukee and Wisconsin roots to the early 1800s. Her love of history comes from her father, who instilled the idea that we are all manifestations of our ancestors. Her interest in cooking began out of childhood necessity to feed herself and her siblings while her father worked in a factory. She prides herself on having a hungry mind interested in learning about people, the foods they eat, and the stories that arise from that convergence.
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. Visit our new online shop for great branded merchandise at: https://www.theparacast.shop.
Talking to Ourselves
By Gene Steinberg
Over the last 60 years, I’ve written perhaps millions of words on one topic or another. But before you regard that as a boast, please don’t forget that I’ve written around 30 books, mostly on consumer technology, such as personal computers, operating systems and so on. They were production books, meaning I had to churn out 60,000 reasonably coherent words in the space of a few weeks. It all adds up.
But I have also written a lot about flying saucers, starting in the early 1960s, when I was just a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn, NY who thought differently about things. I’ll leave it to others to decide the value of those writings. I’m not at all certain if I have copies after all these years to review for myself.
I would, of course, like to think that people actually read what I wrote — at least some people — and were influenced one way or another. Or maybe not.
After all these years, I realize that some people are less accepting of those who change their opinions. Sometimes that appears to be a betrayal, especially if it’s a politician who adopted a certain set of positions about one subject or another. Today they favor one policy, tomorrow they vote to oppose it.
In our little fringe corner of the world, I suspect this attitude is less relevant. After seeing their first — and usually only — UFO, witnesses who were formerly skeptical come to realize that something strange is indeed occurring. Perhaps they assume that they saw a spaceship from a far-away star system, or it was some country’s test flying machine. Indeed, seeking out evidence for the latter appears to be the main goal of the Pentagon’s UAP research project, presently bearing a highly awkward name, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
As a side note, that acronym is one letter off from the name of a famous UFO group from the last century, APRO (short for Aerial Phenomena Research Organization).
While APRO’s exploration of the possible presence of ET surely differed from the claimed goal of AARO, both abandoned the dreaded UFO label. For the government, it was Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, UAP, formerly Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. With APRO, it was UAO, for Unidentified Aerial Objects.
Either way, it was a clever — or desperate — move away from the alleged “stench” of the term UFO, which was, in its own way, a clever move away from the alleged “stench” of the term flying saucer.
After all, most of the objects observed by witnesses were not exactly saucer shaped, not even those nine flying things reported by Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947. But quite often the media puts labels on things that, right or wrong, catch on.
So much for all those little green men.
None of these labels or assumptions actually solve anything. But if you give things a label of one sort or another, it seems to imply knowledge of what’s really going on. So much for labels.
Over the years, unfortunately, it has seemed that a number of articles written about UFOs — or whatever you wish to call them — have simply contained assumptions rather than evidence.
Some wonder about the motives of our space visitors, while others are certain that ET is here to help us rather than to harm us. This despite the incidence of near-collisions with Earthly flying machines, or their curious behavior in the proximity of nuclear installations. Maybe they didn’t mean it; it was just the unfortunate consequence of a close survey of our planet.
And you shouldn’t forget all those abductions, people who assert that unworldly visitors kidnapped, or persuaded them, to go aboard a spaceship and submit themselves to physical exams. But taking an unwary innocent person and forcing them to get onboard hardly seems a friendly approach. Surely there are less intrusive, less fearful ways to examine humans.
Consider, for example, that some abductees report PTSD symptoms in the wake of an abduction. I recall speaking to one of these people, who used the name “Doug,” where he told me of his frightening experiences and how he suffered from various forms of emotional trauma thereafter.
Friendly?
A more extreme example of the alleged evil intentions of UFO occupants is the belief that they are somehow demonic. This would make them more psychic than physical, since they appear to have magical powers.
Indeed, you can send them away, some say, by engaging in such curious acts as reciting the “Lord’s Prayer.”
By this I mean: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Clearly it’s a common sense statement, but is that sufficient to invoke a magical spell that directs the demons piloting UFOs to flee? I suppose if you accept the proposition that there are magical forces afoot.
This response actually reminds me of the days when I first began to question the conventional wisdom that UFOs were spaceships. I recall an all-night talkfest, on New Year’s Eve 1965, when my old friend Allen Greenfield and I propounded a theory that he labeled “alternate reality.”
Using the fantasy stories under the title of “The Incomplete Enchanter” as an influence, we posited the existence of other realities or dimensions where the laws of physics as we know them may not govern how things work. Instead, it was all about magic.
So what if UFOs, emerging from this other place, still retained their magical qualities? Thus, if you utter the appropriate incantations, you’ll cause the appropriate result. But how would those powers function in our physical reality?
Then again, there are enough strange encounters in our world to indicate that we do not fully understand the nature of reality. We only have a glimpse of it, and what we regard as magic may just be a reflection of physical laws we have yet to document in a scientific fashion.
Imagine how our ancestors might have reacted to the presence of a jet airplane, a rocket ship, or even your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. To them, our mainstream technologies might be regarded as examples of some sort of magic.
Of course, if our reality is simulated as some speculate, those in charge, whatever they are, may regard themselves as gods of physics who can change the rules.
Copyright 1999-2024 The Paracast Company. 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!