THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
August 17, 2014
www.theparacast.com
The Paracast Explores Cutting-Edge UFO Research with Micah Hanks
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 It's Important for You to 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: In response to a recent article from New York magazine about the alleged sad state of the UFO field, cutting-edge theorist Micah Hanks joins Gene, Chris and forum moderator Goggs Mackay to suggest that the most productive research is actually going underground. He expresses the thought in a recent blog, Micah Hanks | News From the Edge. So is it time to give up on Ufology and let it die a well-deserved death, or find ways to make it relevant all over again?
Chris O’Brien’s Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Micah Hanks Blog: http://www.micahhanks.com
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.
The UFO Death Watch
By Gene Steinberg
There has been some recent talk that the UFO field is dead or dying. It’s not necessarily because there are no sightings, since that’s clearly not the case. Indeed, a fair number of UFOs were reported to MUFON and other organizations, particularly in 2013 and 2014.
A recent article in New York magazine, entitled “The End of UFOs,” typifies the claim, though, as if this year’s MUFON conference, held in Cherry Hill, NJ, near Philadelphia, somehow typifies the dying state of the field. The author, Mark Jacobson, writes that a “mere” 400 people, mostly over the age of 50, attended that event, and that the speakers were like aging comics, relying on the same old acts without change.
It reminded me of an article that appeared in the Fall 1971 issue of Caveat Emptor, a magazine that I published with my first wife, Geneva. The piece, “The Death Throes of Ufology,” was written under a pseudonym by the late flying saucer “court jester” himself, Jim Moseley.
Jim’s argument was similar. Recent UFO conventions had fewer attendees, but sightings also appeared to be on the decline, and there were few compelling cases. But Jim’s piece came in the wake of the 1969 Condon Report that argued against UFO reality and resulted in the end of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book.
It’s fitting to mention that a major UFO flap occurred in 1973 that made any suggestion that the field was dying inoperative.
Thus it has been in the UFO field from the very beginning. There’s a flurry of interest following sightings that generate worldwide coverage, after which things die down and people go back to more mundane lives. This routine repeats itself every few years.
Besides, as some have already suggested, Jacobson’s premise is inherently flawed. He’s taking a single event in a single location as evidence of the state of the field. He mentions that previous UFO conferences could attract far larger audiences, but he also ignores the apparent success of all those UFO-related reality shows on cable TV. Besides, it appears other events with a UFO connection have been able to attract far larger audiences. One blogger cites the alleged success of the recent “Contact in the Desert” conference in Joshua Tree, CA, which featured a large cast of lecturers representing both the scientific and extreme factions of the field.
But the blogger in question, whom I do not wish to embarrass, claims some 4,000 people attended, implying the event was a huge success. But there are other accounts listing attendance at 2,000, still quite high as such events go, citing unhealthy conditions and overpriced food. Paying $10 for a burrito represented the cheap meal.
Now I didn’t attend either event, but the suggestion that the audiences for a UFO conference skew older is not terribly new. One key reason is that they can be expensive, with average prices of $250 for a ticket. Add to that the cost of travel, lodging and meals. Even if the edibles at the event are expensive, and that is not an atypical situation, it’s clear young people aren’t generally able to afford such luxuries, or at least that’s theory.
Yet another theory that may carry more relevance is that young people consume media in different ways than older folk like me. Rather than attend physical events, they’ll watch YouTube, Netflix, and listen to their favorite podcast. And don’t forget Facebook and Twitter, but it’s true that the audience for such social networks is wide. Even senior citizens are actively staying in touch with family and friends online.
What’s more, being young and short of cash clearly doesn’t stop millennials from coming up with enough money to attend concerts featuring their favorite musical acts. And don’t forget the Comic-Con, in San Diego. This year’s conference had an estimated attendance of 130,000 fans of all ages, a number that’s no doubt far more than all of the year’s UFO conferences combined.
To many, being able to see their favorite comic book writers and artists, not to mention the directors and stars of genre movies and TV shows — including Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck, the latest actor to portray Batman — is clearly a far more compelling experience than listening to a bunch of aging flying saucer lecturers regurgitating their classic routines.
But this doesn’t mean that all of the people who lecture about UFOs are necessarily baby boomers. An example of the new generation of UFO is author Micah Hanks, age 31, who hosts the “Gralien Report” radio show. His point of view is decidedly not the sort that folks who strictly believe flying saucers are alien craft would appreciate.
He is not dogmatic, however, and is clearly able to embrace a wide range of views about the scope of complexity of the topic. Hanks, who is heard from time to time on The Paracast, represents an approach to the field that isn’t chained to the past.
This doesn’t mean such cutting-edge theorizing is altogether new, of course. A number of UFO researchers back in the 1960s eschewed the conventional wisdom that we were being visited by ET and looked closer into a whole range of mysteries of the ages in search of possible connections.
But such theorizing comes in fits and starts, and is frequently overwhelmed by renewed interest in UFOs as media coverage increases. Unfortunately, what you see about the subject on TV these days is still lost in the past, repeating the same tired stories about the Roswell crash plus some more recent cases, such as the UFO at Rendlesham Forest. But don’t forget that Rendlesham occurred 24 years ago, and that story evidently still has not been fully told.
Still, it would be nice if we could all attempt, from time to time, to move the focus away from past sightings and past conspiracies and try to be more relevant to an audience that is seeking the new and the different. It’s also true, though, that those who are involved in chasing after flying saucers still haven’t learned the lessons of the past.
No, the UFO field isn’t dead — at least not yet! At times I do wonder, though, whether it might make sense to throw it all away, and seek a new approach.
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!
August 17, 2014
www.theparacast.com
The Paracast Explores Cutting-Edge UFO Research with Micah Hanks
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 It's Important for You to 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: In response to a recent article from New York magazine about the alleged sad state of the UFO field, cutting-edge theorist Micah Hanks joins Gene, Chris and forum moderator Goggs Mackay to suggest that the most productive research is actually going underground. He expresses the thought in a recent blog, Micah Hanks | News From the Edge. So is it time to give up on Ufology and let it die a well-deserved death, or find ways to make it relevant all over again?
Chris O’Brien’s Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Micah Hanks Blog: http://www.micahhanks.com
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.
The UFO Death Watch
By Gene Steinberg
There has been some recent talk that the UFO field is dead or dying. It’s not necessarily because there are no sightings, since that’s clearly not the case. Indeed, a fair number of UFOs were reported to MUFON and other organizations, particularly in 2013 and 2014.
A recent article in New York magazine, entitled “The End of UFOs,” typifies the claim, though, as if this year’s MUFON conference, held in Cherry Hill, NJ, near Philadelphia, somehow typifies the dying state of the field. The author, Mark Jacobson, writes that a “mere” 400 people, mostly over the age of 50, attended that event, and that the speakers were like aging comics, relying on the same old acts without change.
It reminded me of an article that appeared in the Fall 1971 issue of Caveat Emptor, a magazine that I published with my first wife, Geneva. The piece, “The Death Throes of Ufology,” was written under a pseudonym by the late flying saucer “court jester” himself, Jim Moseley.
Jim’s argument was similar. Recent UFO conventions had fewer attendees, but sightings also appeared to be on the decline, and there were few compelling cases. But Jim’s piece came in the wake of the 1969 Condon Report that argued against UFO reality and resulted in the end of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book.
It’s fitting to mention that a major UFO flap occurred in 1973 that made any suggestion that the field was dying inoperative.
Thus it has been in the UFO field from the very beginning. There’s a flurry of interest following sightings that generate worldwide coverage, after which things die down and people go back to more mundane lives. This routine repeats itself every few years.
Besides, as some have already suggested, Jacobson’s premise is inherently flawed. He’s taking a single event in a single location as evidence of the state of the field. He mentions that previous UFO conferences could attract far larger audiences, but he also ignores the apparent success of all those UFO-related reality shows on cable TV. Besides, it appears other events with a UFO connection have been able to attract far larger audiences. One blogger cites the alleged success of the recent “Contact in the Desert” conference in Joshua Tree, CA, which featured a large cast of lecturers representing both the scientific and extreme factions of the field.
But the blogger in question, whom I do not wish to embarrass, claims some 4,000 people attended, implying the event was a huge success. But there are other accounts listing attendance at 2,000, still quite high as such events go, citing unhealthy conditions and overpriced food. Paying $10 for a burrito represented the cheap meal.
Now I didn’t attend either event, but the suggestion that the audiences for a UFO conference skew older is not terribly new. One key reason is that they can be expensive, with average prices of $250 for a ticket. Add to that the cost of travel, lodging and meals. Even if the edibles at the event are expensive, and that is not an atypical situation, it’s clear young people aren’t generally able to afford such luxuries, or at least that’s theory.
Yet another theory that may carry more relevance is that young people consume media in different ways than older folk like me. Rather than attend physical events, they’ll watch YouTube, Netflix, and listen to their favorite podcast. And don’t forget Facebook and Twitter, but it’s true that the audience for such social networks is wide. Even senior citizens are actively staying in touch with family and friends online.
What’s more, being young and short of cash clearly doesn’t stop millennials from coming up with enough money to attend concerts featuring their favorite musical acts. And don’t forget the Comic-Con, in San Diego. This year’s conference had an estimated attendance of 130,000 fans of all ages, a number that’s no doubt far more than all of the year’s UFO conferences combined.
To many, being able to see their favorite comic book writers and artists, not to mention the directors and stars of genre movies and TV shows — including Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck, the latest actor to portray Batman — is clearly a far more compelling experience than listening to a bunch of aging flying saucer lecturers regurgitating their classic routines.
But this doesn’t mean that all of the people who lecture about UFOs are necessarily baby boomers. An example of the new generation of UFO is author Micah Hanks, age 31, who hosts the “Gralien Report” radio show. His point of view is decidedly not the sort that folks who strictly believe flying saucers are alien craft would appreciate.
He is not dogmatic, however, and is clearly able to embrace a wide range of views about the scope of complexity of the topic. Hanks, who is heard from time to time on The Paracast, represents an approach to the field that isn’t chained to the past.
This doesn’t mean such cutting-edge theorizing is altogether new, of course. A number of UFO researchers back in the 1960s eschewed the conventional wisdom that we were being visited by ET and looked closer into a whole range of mysteries of the ages in search of possible connections.
But such theorizing comes in fits and starts, and is frequently overwhelmed by renewed interest in UFOs as media coverage increases. Unfortunately, what you see about the subject on TV these days is still lost in the past, repeating the same tired stories about the Roswell crash plus some more recent cases, such as the UFO at Rendlesham Forest. But don’t forget that Rendlesham occurred 24 years ago, and that story evidently still has not been fully told.
Still, it would be nice if we could all attempt, from time to time, to move the focus away from past sightings and past conspiracies and try to be more relevant to an audience that is seeking the new and the different. It’s also true, though, that those who are involved in chasing after flying saucers still haven’t learned the lessons of the past.
No, the UFO field isn’t dead — at least not yet! At times I do wonder, though, whether it might make sense to throw it all away, and seek a new approach.
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!
