The Paracast Newsletter
May 26, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Discover the Status of the Roswell Crash Investigation and UFO Abductions with Preeminent UFO Author and Investigator Kevin D. Randle on The Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2023 and 2024 now feature better audio and fewer ads.
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 a special version of The Paracast with all the 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: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present the return of Kevin D. Randle, who is seen as one of the preeminent experts not only on the UFO phenomena in general, but also with the reported UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. In this episode, he will discuss such topics as the ongoing research into the Roswell event and other early cases, along with his observations about reported UFO abductions and their cause or causes. Randle is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and in Iraq as a battalion intelligence officer. He began writing for UFO magazines and eventually moved onto books. His writing is not limited to the UFO field. He is the author of more than 100 books that cover not just UFOs, but action-adventure, mysteries, science fiction and even a vampire novel called, cleverly, "VAMPYR." Randle's notable UFO-related books include: "Roswell in the 21st Century," "Levelland," and UFOs and the Deep State." He has been a frequent guest on The Paracast over the years. You can find his blog at: A Different Perspective.
eep State." He has been a frequent guest on The Paracast over the years. You can find his blog at: A Different Perspective.
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.
Ghosts and Other Critters
By Gene Steinberg
I hesitate to write about things I don’t know much about, but that certainly doesn’t stop most people. So I might as well get on swith it.
Now The Paracast is often criticized for emphasizing UFOs too much. What about all the other paranormal encounters out there, such as Bigfoot, ghosts, possibly near-death experiences and lots more?
Some of you want us to focus on those other topics — and we do — after which other listeners ask about the latest scuttlebutt in the UFO field.
To be fair, I think the UFO mystery involves more possibilities than other episodes involving the strange and unknown. As you know, it’s not just about unknown flying things, but possible personal interactions with presumed alien beings. And what about USOs, objects seen entering or emerging from rivers and oceans?
Are they all due to the same cause? Or are there many causes?
That’s the subject of another column. For this one, I’ll take a look at the creatures best treated in a humorous fashion in the Casper The Friendly Ghost cartoons or in the blockbuster movie from 1984, “Ghostbusters” and its various sequels.
But the basic theory about a ghost is that it is someone who died, but for whatever reason did not go on to where dead people go. It hangs around, somewhat removed from the living, but still making itself visible from time to time. Sometimes it can even generate physical effects. Poltergeists? Well if they do not represent the psychic actions of pubescent teenagers of course.
There are theories, of course. One is that there is unfinished work that needs to be completed, something they were supposed to do before the passed on. Once that task is accomplished, if it can be accomplished, they will disappear for good. It’s also possible that the spirit died in a violent fashion and is stuck at the scene of the murder, possibly until the crime was solved.
That is similar to the premise of the 1990 movie, “Ghost.” Directed by Jerry Zucker, one of the three directors of the classic comedy movie, “Airplane,” it tells the story of a banker, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) who is murdered by a hitman after he discovers evidence of shady business deal at his office.
He isn’t transported to heaven or h ell. He becomes a ghost left wandering the Earth until the person responsible for the hit is brought to justice. While invisible to most people, a fake psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) sees and hears him and helps him discover that his business partner Carl Brunner (Tony Goldwyn) was the one responsible for his death.
Once Brunner is brought to justice, he has a brief reunion with his girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), after which he sees the “light,” enters the doorway and embarks on his final journey.
A more horrific take on the ghost concept is depicted in a 1982 movie, “Poltergeist.” Here a typical middle class family lives in a new home beset by ghost-related phenomena. such as poltergeists. Their arrival is signaled by a curious phenomenon involving a TV displaying nothing but white noise. This was a condition that appeared when a station went off the air. In a telltale scene early in the film, the five-year-old daughter, Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) announces, “they’re here.”
And so they are.
The reason for the presence of evil spirits appears to be the result of a stunt pulled by the developer of that housing development. It was built upon a cemetery, only the developer did a cheap out when it came to clearing the property. Yes, he removed the headstones and moved them to a new location. But he left the bodies where they were, and thus the house was attacked in response to such irresponsible behavior.
In the final scene, as the house is engulfed by evil forces, the family has set up in a hotel until they find a new home.
That is until the inevitable sequel arrives.
I could go on with ghost-related movies, such as “Amityville Horror” from 1979. Only this film was loosely based on what were supposed to be real events.
In all this, ghosts are described as restless spirits of one sort or another. They are stuck on Earth perhaps though no fault of their own, but become part of some divine plan to complete certain tasks before they can be released from being imprisoned in a state that is neither life nor death.
Followers of paranormal lore will discover loads of ghost sightings, usually connected to a haunted house of one sort or another. Sometimes an exorcism will free the dwelling from the presence of supernatural forces. Sometimes nothing can be done, other than to make the place a site for ghost hunters to investigate or tourists to visit.
That takes us to a popular form of TV programming devoted to such matters.
Now I won’t identify a specific ghost-hunting show. No doubt you’ve seen some of them. But most suffer from the same shortcomings typical of reality programming. A one hour show on TV in the U.S. has less than 43 minutes of content, with the rest devoted to advertising. Within that time, the goal or plot of the episode is usually resolved. In other words, the existence of the ghost is confirmed.
Now I am not going to suggest that all these programs are fictional. What you see represents the highlights of the story, the significant events over a visit that might have taken hours or days to complete.
But if nothing really happens, what then?
Besides, even if videos of alleged ghosts or various forms of supernatural activity are shown, are they genuine? Has the experience been, shall we say, enhanced, extrapolated for the sake of ratings? Are all or some of them simply fake?
If it’s just meant as entertainment, perhaps it doesn’t matter. No reason to take a reality show seriously; it’s just scripted entertainment where the players more or less ad-lib their dialogue to convey a sense of reality. Supposedly.
Now I am not suggesting there are no ghosts. Lots of people around the world, some of whom have been interviewed on The Paracast, report weird and sometimes frightening encounters with the unknown. They don’t appear to be lying or exaggerating the details of those encounters.
So where does that take us? Well, since seeking a direct meeting with a supernatural creature may involve a one-way trip, maybe it’ll take more devoted researchers doing their things with state-of-the-art gear to someday figure out what’s really going on.
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!
May 26, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Discover the Status of the Roswell Crash Investigation and UFO Abductions with Preeminent UFO Author and Investigator Kevin D. Randle on The Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2023 and 2024 now feature better audio and fewer ads.
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 a special version of The Paracast with all the 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: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present the return of Kevin D. Randle, who is seen as one of the preeminent experts not only on the UFO phenomena in general, but also with the reported UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. In this episode, he will discuss such topics as the ongoing research into the Roswell event and other early cases, along with his observations about reported UFO abductions and their cause or causes. Randle is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and in Iraq as a battalion intelligence officer. He began writing for UFO magazines and eventually moved onto books. His writing is not limited to the UFO field. He is the author of more than 100 books that cover not just UFOs, but action-adventure, mysteries, science fiction and even a vampire novel called, cleverly, "VAMPYR." Randle's notable UFO-related books include: "Roswell in the 21st Century," "Levelland," and UFOs and the Deep State." He has been a frequent guest on The Paracast over the years. You can find his blog at: A Different Perspective.
eep State." He has been a frequent guest on The Paracast over the years. You can find his blog at: A Different Perspective.
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.
Ghosts and Other Critters
By Gene Steinberg
I hesitate to write about things I don’t know much about, but that certainly doesn’t stop most people. So I might as well get on swith it.
Now The Paracast is often criticized for emphasizing UFOs too much. What about all the other paranormal encounters out there, such as Bigfoot, ghosts, possibly near-death experiences and lots more?
Some of you want us to focus on those other topics — and we do — after which other listeners ask about the latest scuttlebutt in the UFO field.
To be fair, I think the UFO mystery involves more possibilities than other episodes involving the strange and unknown. As you know, it’s not just about unknown flying things, but possible personal interactions with presumed alien beings. And what about USOs, objects seen entering or emerging from rivers and oceans?
Are they all due to the same cause? Or are there many causes?
That’s the subject of another column. For this one, I’ll take a look at the creatures best treated in a humorous fashion in the Casper The Friendly Ghost cartoons or in the blockbuster movie from 1984, “Ghostbusters” and its various sequels.
But the basic theory about a ghost is that it is someone who died, but for whatever reason did not go on to where dead people go. It hangs around, somewhat removed from the living, but still making itself visible from time to time. Sometimes it can even generate physical effects. Poltergeists? Well if they do not represent the psychic actions of pubescent teenagers of course.
There are theories, of course. One is that there is unfinished work that needs to be completed, something they were supposed to do before the passed on. Once that task is accomplished, if it can be accomplished, they will disappear for good. It’s also possible that the spirit died in a violent fashion and is stuck at the scene of the murder, possibly until the crime was solved.
That is similar to the premise of the 1990 movie, “Ghost.” Directed by Jerry Zucker, one of the three directors of the classic comedy movie, “Airplane,” it tells the story of a banker, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) who is murdered by a hitman after he discovers evidence of shady business deal at his office.
He isn’t transported to heaven or h ell. He becomes a ghost left wandering the Earth until the person responsible for the hit is brought to justice. While invisible to most people, a fake psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) sees and hears him and helps him discover that his business partner Carl Brunner (Tony Goldwyn) was the one responsible for his death.
Once Brunner is brought to justice, he has a brief reunion with his girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), after which he sees the “light,” enters the doorway and embarks on his final journey.
A more horrific take on the ghost concept is depicted in a 1982 movie, “Poltergeist.” Here a typical middle class family lives in a new home beset by ghost-related phenomena. such as poltergeists. Their arrival is signaled by a curious phenomenon involving a TV displaying nothing but white noise. This was a condition that appeared when a station went off the air. In a telltale scene early in the film, the five-year-old daughter, Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) announces, “they’re here.”
And so they are.
The reason for the presence of evil spirits appears to be the result of a stunt pulled by the developer of that housing development. It was built upon a cemetery, only the developer did a cheap out when it came to clearing the property. Yes, he removed the headstones and moved them to a new location. But he left the bodies where they were, and thus the house was attacked in response to such irresponsible behavior.
In the final scene, as the house is engulfed by evil forces, the family has set up in a hotel until they find a new home.
That is until the inevitable sequel arrives.
I could go on with ghost-related movies, such as “Amityville Horror” from 1979. Only this film was loosely based on what were supposed to be real events.
In all this, ghosts are described as restless spirits of one sort or another. They are stuck on Earth perhaps though no fault of their own, but become part of some divine plan to complete certain tasks before they can be released from being imprisoned in a state that is neither life nor death.
Followers of paranormal lore will discover loads of ghost sightings, usually connected to a haunted house of one sort or another. Sometimes an exorcism will free the dwelling from the presence of supernatural forces. Sometimes nothing can be done, other than to make the place a site for ghost hunters to investigate or tourists to visit.
That takes us to a popular form of TV programming devoted to such matters.
Now I won’t identify a specific ghost-hunting show. No doubt you’ve seen some of them. But most suffer from the same shortcomings typical of reality programming. A one hour show on TV in the U.S. has less than 43 minutes of content, with the rest devoted to advertising. Within that time, the goal or plot of the episode is usually resolved. In other words, the existence of the ghost is confirmed.
Now I am not going to suggest that all these programs are fictional. What you see represents the highlights of the story, the significant events over a visit that might have taken hours or days to complete.
But if nothing really happens, what then?
Besides, even if videos of alleged ghosts or various forms of supernatural activity are shown, are they genuine? Has the experience been, shall we say, enhanced, extrapolated for the sake of ratings? Are all or some of them simply fake?
If it’s just meant as entertainment, perhaps it doesn’t matter. No reason to take a reality show seriously; it’s just scripted entertainment where the players more or less ad-lib their dialogue to convey a sense of reality. Supposedly.
Now I am not suggesting there are no ghosts. Lots of people around the world, some of whom have been interviewed on The Paracast, report weird and sometimes frightening encounters with the unknown. They don’t appear to be lying or exaggerating the details of those encounters.
So where does that take us? Well, since seeking a direct meeting with a supernatural creature may involve a one-way trip, maybe it’ll take more devoted researchers doing their things with state-of-the-art gear to someday figure out what’s really going on.
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!