THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
August 26, 2012
Strange Events and Strange Creatures Explored on The Paracast
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why We Want You to Send a Donation 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
. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. Or just 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 Brand New 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: Gene and Chris present Jerome Clark, author of "Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena." You'll hear about all sorts of unusual cases involving strange creatures and phenomena, and whether some of it might relate to UFOs. In addition, our guest will answer questions from our forum posters.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Our Strange Planet
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.
Are We Seeing UFOs in Their True Form?
By Gene Steinberg
So maybe you are among thousands or millions of people who have reported seeing strange objects flying in the sky. Sometimes these objects are circular, perhaps saucer-shaped, while at other times they are cigar-shaped, or perhaps resembling huge rocket ships in the sky. But there are loads of exceptions, such as Kenneth Arnold’s description, of the objects he saw on June 24, 1947, as “something like a pie plate that was cut in half with a sort of convex triangle in the rear.”
Not so much saucer-shaped in retrospect, but when he spoke of their motion in the air as “like a fish flipping in the sun,” the press glommed on to the implications and wrote of these objects as “flying discs,” and, of course, “flying saucers.” The latter name stuck, even though Captain Edward Ruppelt, when he was head of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book, renamed them “Unidentified Flying Objects,” or UFOs.
If you examine the history of the UFO mystery, which began long before Arnold’s sighting, you’ll find descriptions of different types of aircraft. In the late 19th century, there were reports of dirigible-like craft, which sometimes landed. The pilots were known to interact with witnesses, claiming that they were inventors who hoped to soon reveal their findings to the public. Of course, it never happened, although we never stopped seeing strange objects.
But what we see is very much influenced by the times in which we live. In the ancient world, we might have referred to ships in the sky as vessels dispatched by the gods to visit their minions on Earth. It was all part of the beliefs and expectations, and we try to view these events with our 21st century experience.
Certainly the possibility of visitors from space has infused our popular culture, and I can’t count how many movies and TV shows have depicted alien contact, for better or worse. While “ET: The Extraterrestrial” told the story of a child or child-like being who was left behind by his people, the director of the film, Steven Spielberg, is also an executive producer of a popular cable TV series, “Falling Skies,” where evil aliens conquer Earth. Although the overlords in the series are humanoid, there’s yet another race of six-legged worker drones, known as “skitters,” which may be good or bad, depending on which ones you meet.
But the one film that really impacted our UFO culture was the 1951 sci-fi classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” in which a wise alien, Klaatu, apparently human and wearing a silvery uniform, comes to Earth to warn us of our evil ways. Similar aliens were subsequently described by a number of so-called flying saucer “contactees,” who claimed to have met and communicated with these advanced beings.
As with Klaatu, the aliens would almost always claim to be concerned about our penchant for tribal warfare, particularly development of nuclear weapons. Unlike Klaatu, they didn’t threaten to destroy us if we didn’t take the righteous path.
Over the years, different types of beings have been described in connection with UFO cases. Rather than appear as human as you or I, many of these beings are said to be similar, but possibly with insect-like aspects, or perhaps they resemble reptiles.
As we continue to search for possible Earth-like planets in our galaxy, and there are already one or more possible candidates, it’s fair to wonder just what form ET might take. If we are seeing ET in its true form in connection with those UFO sightings, perhaps we have our answers. Lifeforms from other planets would seem remarkably like us, perhaps because their home worlds were similar to Earth. It begins to raise loads of questions about the implications of evolution and natural selection. Is it just logical that ET must be human and not something altogether different?
What about a race of space-faring beings who long ago decided to plant their seed on planets with conditions similar to their own? Would we be the product of genetic engineering of some sort? That would fit with the religious meme that God created us in his own image, or the belief that we are somehow descended from a race of higher beings.
But you have to wonder just how much popular culture influences what we really see. Is it possible our visitors are so alien to us that we cannot actually accept them in their true forms? What if their appearance, and the visions of the craft in which they fly, are deliberately manipulated for one reason or another? Or is it possible our beliefs and expectations color what we actually see?
In the movie version of “Contact,” Jodie Foster’s character, an astronomer, takes a “trip” in some sort of craft designed by ET. Physically, the craft seems to go nowhere, but the protagonist believes she has visited another planet and contacted a creature who takes on the form of her late father, because she could not accept its true appearance. Is it possible for ET to be too alien for us?
I’m not talking of the grotesque creatures that special effects designers and animators create for the movies. I’m looking at how this all may play out in our real world.
Yes, it makes perfect sense to expect UFO sightings and possible close encounters to be exactly as we see them. But trying to posit the true motives of beings who come from another world, another dimension, or wherever, may be an exercise in futility. If they do communicate with us, why believe them? If we see them, why assume we are seeing something that’s real and not something created just for our benefit? Is it even possible that our subconscious mind very much influences what we actually see when we confront a paranormal event? Or maybe ET is pointing is in another direction, to hide what they’re really up to.
The Paracast Copyright 1999-2012 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 26, 2012
Strange Events and Strange Creatures Explored on The Paracast
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why We Want You to Send a Donation 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
. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. Or just 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 Brand New 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: Gene and Chris present Jerome Clark, author of "Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena." You'll hear about all sorts of unusual cases involving strange creatures and phenomena, and whether some of it might relate to UFOs. In addition, our guest will answer questions from our forum posters.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Our Strange Planet
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.
Are We Seeing UFOs in Their True Form?
By Gene Steinberg
So maybe you are among thousands or millions of people who have reported seeing strange objects flying in the sky. Sometimes these objects are circular, perhaps saucer-shaped, while at other times they are cigar-shaped, or perhaps resembling huge rocket ships in the sky. But there are loads of exceptions, such as Kenneth Arnold’s description, of the objects he saw on June 24, 1947, as “something like a pie plate that was cut in half with a sort of convex triangle in the rear.”
Not so much saucer-shaped in retrospect, but when he spoke of their motion in the air as “like a fish flipping in the sun,” the press glommed on to the implications and wrote of these objects as “flying discs,” and, of course, “flying saucers.” The latter name stuck, even though Captain Edward Ruppelt, when he was head of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book, renamed them “Unidentified Flying Objects,” or UFOs.
If you examine the history of the UFO mystery, which began long before Arnold’s sighting, you’ll find descriptions of different types of aircraft. In the late 19th century, there were reports of dirigible-like craft, which sometimes landed. The pilots were known to interact with witnesses, claiming that they were inventors who hoped to soon reveal their findings to the public. Of course, it never happened, although we never stopped seeing strange objects.
But what we see is very much influenced by the times in which we live. In the ancient world, we might have referred to ships in the sky as vessels dispatched by the gods to visit their minions on Earth. It was all part of the beliefs and expectations, and we try to view these events with our 21st century experience.
Certainly the possibility of visitors from space has infused our popular culture, and I can’t count how many movies and TV shows have depicted alien contact, for better or worse. While “ET: The Extraterrestrial” told the story of a child or child-like being who was left behind by his people, the director of the film, Steven Spielberg, is also an executive producer of a popular cable TV series, “Falling Skies,” where evil aliens conquer Earth. Although the overlords in the series are humanoid, there’s yet another race of six-legged worker drones, known as “skitters,” which may be good or bad, depending on which ones you meet.
But the one film that really impacted our UFO culture was the 1951 sci-fi classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” in which a wise alien, Klaatu, apparently human and wearing a silvery uniform, comes to Earth to warn us of our evil ways. Similar aliens were subsequently described by a number of so-called flying saucer “contactees,” who claimed to have met and communicated with these advanced beings.
As with Klaatu, the aliens would almost always claim to be concerned about our penchant for tribal warfare, particularly development of nuclear weapons. Unlike Klaatu, they didn’t threaten to destroy us if we didn’t take the righteous path.
Over the years, different types of beings have been described in connection with UFO cases. Rather than appear as human as you or I, many of these beings are said to be similar, but possibly with insect-like aspects, or perhaps they resemble reptiles.
As we continue to search for possible Earth-like planets in our galaxy, and there are already one or more possible candidates, it’s fair to wonder just what form ET might take. If we are seeing ET in its true form in connection with those UFO sightings, perhaps we have our answers. Lifeforms from other planets would seem remarkably like us, perhaps because their home worlds were similar to Earth. It begins to raise loads of questions about the implications of evolution and natural selection. Is it just logical that ET must be human and not something altogether different?
What about a race of space-faring beings who long ago decided to plant their seed on planets with conditions similar to their own? Would we be the product of genetic engineering of some sort? That would fit with the religious meme that God created us in his own image, or the belief that we are somehow descended from a race of higher beings.
But you have to wonder just how much popular culture influences what we really see. Is it possible our visitors are so alien to us that we cannot actually accept them in their true forms? What if their appearance, and the visions of the craft in which they fly, are deliberately manipulated for one reason or another? Or is it possible our beliefs and expectations color what we actually see?
In the movie version of “Contact,” Jodie Foster’s character, an astronomer, takes a “trip” in some sort of craft designed by ET. Physically, the craft seems to go nowhere, but the protagonist believes she has visited another planet and contacted a creature who takes on the form of her late father, because she could not accept its true appearance. Is it possible for ET to be too alien for us?
I’m not talking of the grotesque creatures that special effects designers and animators create for the movies. I’m looking at how this all may play out in our real world.
Yes, it makes perfect sense to expect UFO sightings and possible close encounters to be exactly as we see them. But trying to posit the true motives of beings who come from another world, another dimension, or wherever, may be an exercise in futility. If they do communicate with us, why believe them? If we see them, why assume we are seeing something that’s real and not something created just for our benefit? Is it even possible that our subconscious mind very much influences what we actually see when we confront a paranormal event? Or maybe ET is pointing is in another direction, to hide what they’re really up to.
The Paracast Copyright 1999-2012 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!