THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
May 7, 2017
www.theparacast.com
The Paracast Presents The Crypto-Kid
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.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! 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 After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! We’ve just begun to add podcasts and videos from Paul Kimball’s “Other Side of Truth.” Check out our new lower rates, starting at just $1.49 per week, plus our “Lifetime” membership and special free print and eBook book offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
This Week's Episode: We’ve asked the question: Where are the young paranormal researchers, the next generation of people to take over after our generation passes on? Then we heard from Colin Schneider, a 16-year-old cryptozoologist from Ohio, who appears in a live Internet radio show as “The Crypto-Kid.” Colin says,” I have researched extensively include folklore of dwarves around the world; connections between fairy lore and cryptids; cryptid attacks of livestock; and Ohio Dogman reports.” After you listen to this brilliant young man on this fascinating episode, you’ll feel reassured that these fields of study are in good hands.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
The Crypto-Kid: Crypto-Kid
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on May 7: Gene and Chris talk about teens and the paranormal: How do we persuade young people to become interested in these subjects? Do the current methods of interacting via social networks really help people to become close friends? A possibility raised by Gene during an episode of The Paracast, about producing a paranormal reality show featuring teens, is discussed. Chris recommends the ideal motor vehicle for paranormal investigation, along with the equipment you need to keep it running when things go wrong in remote areas.
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.
Remembering the Teenage UFO Club Movement
By Gene Steinberg
I met most of my lifelong best friends as pen pals. In a world where social networks are the norm, you don’t see quite as much of that anymore.
But in the 1960s, placing long distance calls were expensive — the per-minute charge could be dollars rather than pennies — and so my parents urged me to write rather than speak. When I convinced them to allow me to call someone in another state — even another city meant a toll-call — it had to be planned carefully, and I was given strict instructions about keeping it short.
So I became a prolific letter writer, not just to people but to publications. So I had written a few letters to a sci-fi comic book, Forbidden Worlds. I was 16 years old when I received a letter forwarded to me from the magazine, from fellow reader, a 13-year-old girl from Alabama. We struck up a conversation that continues to this very day. We were barely adults when I finally met Geneva in person. We were married a few months later; it lasted all of 10 years before we split up on friendly terms. But we remain friends, and you’ve even heard her on The Paracast.
In addition to being a sci-fi fan, I was very interested in flying saucers, and I became part of the teen UFO movement. In order to seek out others who might join a little club I set up with Ken Alpert, a school chum, I submitted an announcement to Ray Palmer’s Flying Saucers magazine. Ray set up a special section, “Saucer Club News,” which carried such announcements.
Over the next few years, I got to know a number of fellow travelers, and I also made some friends along the way, some of whom you’ve also heard on The Paracast, such as Jerome Clark, Allen Greenfield and Rick Hilberg.
While many people who got involved in UFO research as teens eventually got a life and went on to other pursuits, being able to find like-minded people was an absolutely wonderful experience. Sure, some people drifted apart, some got involved in what are probably little more than silly feuds. But many of us continued chasing the flying saucers for most of our lives, and sometimes got sufficiently involved to give lectures, write books, edit and publish magazines, and even host radio shows.
To me, that little section in a small magazine was the source of what became a life-altering experience.
Now you’d think that the prevalence of so many social networks in the 21st century would, if anything, make it far easier for like-minded young people to get to know one another and become involved in the world of the paranormal. But I sometimes wonder how one becomes close friends with someone when the contact consists of little more than brief casual messages and selfies. There’s something special about just sitting down and talking to people, sharing ideas and just hanging out.
The long and short is that I’m just not part of that scene, and do not understand the relationships such interactions create. But I do wonder about the next generation of paranormal researchers. Most of the people who attend UFO-oriented conferences tend to be closer to my age than my son’s.
Yet hundreds of thousands of people of all ages will regularly show up at conventions devoted to comic books, and movie and TV shows devoted to the characters featured in those publications. Of course, Comic-Con International is big business. The movie companies and TV networks will use them to promote product, and often stage presentations featuring artists, producers and writers.
It’s show business.
The world of the paranormal can sometimes be show business too, but one hopes it’s also a source for public information, serious research, and there’s nothing wrong with some socializing.
But is there any way to leverage the intense interest in a Comic-Con or some other well-attended event to excite new generations of paranormal researches?
It’s not that young people aren’t interested. A few show up from time to time in The Paracast forums, and, yes, at those UFO conventions. But it may well be that many of these people become active in these fields as individuals, and not as part of any group.
So the other day, I received an email from a young listener, Colin Schneider. He went on to say that, “I'm a 16-year-old cryptozoologist from Ohio. I've been actively involved in the field for over 3 years. I am an infrequent listener to your podcast and am currently trying to appear on a variety of podcasts. I thought that being a young researcher you might be interested in having me on the program.”
For someone so young, Colin had been real busy. “I'm the Ohio representative for the Centre for Fortean Zoology (the largest cryptozoological group in the world), I've been published eight or nine times in magazines such as Animals and Men and Cryptid Culture Magazine, I'm the host of a live internet radio show called "The Crypto-Kid" on WCJV Digital Broadcasting Network, and I'm working on several books (two with coauthors and one on my own).”
As you know, The Crypto-Kid appears on this week’s episode of The Paracast.
What you’ll notice right away is that he doesn’t come across as a kid. He presents a surprising level of maturity in his approach to cryptozoology. Although you can sense his youth in his voice, he has done his homework and clearly knows his stuff.
So this episode focuses not just on a young man’s entry into the world of paranormal research, but to the exciting case histories that he has read about or investigated. For someone so young, he’s also a good storyteller. It’s an important skill that will serve him well wherever his interests take him in the years ahead.
I’m sure there are counterparts to The Crypto-Kid out there. I’d like to hear from them, and we will consider featuring them on future episodes.
One thing is sure, however. If there are growing numbers of young people becoming involved in the study of these subjects, these fields will be in good hands when it’s time for people like me to retire. I would hope, though, that they can work together, rather than as lone wolves.
It’s a sure thing that the pursuit of the paranormal is incredibly invigorating. It keeps you on your toes and keeps your mind alert. As the days grow shorter, it’s a terrific way to spend one’s golden years.
Copyright 1999-2017 The Paracast LLC. 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 7, 2017
www.theparacast.com
The Paracast Presents The Crypto-Kid
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.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! 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 After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! We’ve just begun to add podcasts and videos from Paul Kimball’s “Other Side of Truth.” Check out our new lower rates, starting at just $1.49 per week, plus our “Lifetime” membership and special free print and eBook book offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
This Week's Episode: We’ve asked the question: Where are the young paranormal researchers, the next generation of people to take over after our generation passes on? Then we heard from Colin Schneider, a 16-year-old cryptozoologist from Ohio, who appears in a live Internet radio show as “The Crypto-Kid.” Colin says,” I have researched extensively include folklore of dwarves around the world; connections between fairy lore and cryptids; cryptid attacks of livestock; and Ohio Dogman reports.” After you listen to this brilliant young man on this fascinating episode, you’ll feel reassured that these fields of study are in good hands.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
The Crypto-Kid: Crypto-Kid
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on May 7: Gene and Chris talk about teens and the paranormal: How do we persuade young people to become interested in these subjects? Do the current methods of interacting via social networks really help people to become close friends? A possibility raised by Gene during an episode of The Paracast, about producing a paranormal reality show featuring teens, is discussed. Chris recommends the ideal motor vehicle for paranormal investigation, along with the equipment you need to keep it running when things go wrong in remote areas.
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.
Remembering the Teenage UFO Club Movement
By Gene Steinberg
I met most of my lifelong best friends as pen pals. In a world where social networks are the norm, you don’t see quite as much of that anymore.
But in the 1960s, placing long distance calls were expensive — the per-minute charge could be dollars rather than pennies — and so my parents urged me to write rather than speak. When I convinced them to allow me to call someone in another state — even another city meant a toll-call — it had to be planned carefully, and I was given strict instructions about keeping it short.
So I became a prolific letter writer, not just to people but to publications. So I had written a few letters to a sci-fi comic book, Forbidden Worlds. I was 16 years old when I received a letter forwarded to me from the magazine, from fellow reader, a 13-year-old girl from Alabama. We struck up a conversation that continues to this very day. We were barely adults when I finally met Geneva in person. We were married a few months later; it lasted all of 10 years before we split up on friendly terms. But we remain friends, and you’ve even heard her on The Paracast.
In addition to being a sci-fi fan, I was very interested in flying saucers, and I became part of the teen UFO movement. In order to seek out others who might join a little club I set up with Ken Alpert, a school chum, I submitted an announcement to Ray Palmer’s Flying Saucers magazine. Ray set up a special section, “Saucer Club News,” which carried such announcements.
Over the next few years, I got to know a number of fellow travelers, and I also made some friends along the way, some of whom you’ve also heard on The Paracast, such as Jerome Clark, Allen Greenfield and Rick Hilberg.
While many people who got involved in UFO research as teens eventually got a life and went on to other pursuits, being able to find like-minded people was an absolutely wonderful experience. Sure, some people drifted apart, some got involved in what are probably little more than silly feuds. But many of us continued chasing the flying saucers for most of our lives, and sometimes got sufficiently involved to give lectures, write books, edit and publish magazines, and even host radio shows.
To me, that little section in a small magazine was the source of what became a life-altering experience.
Now you’d think that the prevalence of so many social networks in the 21st century would, if anything, make it far easier for like-minded young people to get to know one another and become involved in the world of the paranormal. But I sometimes wonder how one becomes close friends with someone when the contact consists of little more than brief casual messages and selfies. There’s something special about just sitting down and talking to people, sharing ideas and just hanging out.
The long and short is that I’m just not part of that scene, and do not understand the relationships such interactions create. But I do wonder about the next generation of paranormal researchers. Most of the people who attend UFO-oriented conferences tend to be closer to my age than my son’s.
Yet hundreds of thousands of people of all ages will regularly show up at conventions devoted to comic books, and movie and TV shows devoted to the characters featured in those publications. Of course, Comic-Con International is big business. The movie companies and TV networks will use them to promote product, and often stage presentations featuring artists, producers and writers.
It’s show business.
The world of the paranormal can sometimes be show business too, but one hopes it’s also a source for public information, serious research, and there’s nothing wrong with some socializing.
But is there any way to leverage the intense interest in a Comic-Con or some other well-attended event to excite new generations of paranormal researches?
It’s not that young people aren’t interested. A few show up from time to time in The Paracast forums, and, yes, at those UFO conventions. But it may well be that many of these people become active in these fields as individuals, and not as part of any group.
So the other day, I received an email from a young listener, Colin Schneider. He went on to say that, “I'm a 16-year-old cryptozoologist from Ohio. I've been actively involved in the field for over 3 years. I am an infrequent listener to your podcast and am currently trying to appear on a variety of podcasts. I thought that being a young researcher you might be interested in having me on the program.”
For someone so young, Colin had been real busy. “I'm the Ohio representative for the Centre for Fortean Zoology (the largest cryptozoological group in the world), I've been published eight or nine times in magazines such as Animals and Men and Cryptid Culture Magazine, I'm the host of a live internet radio show called "The Crypto-Kid" on WCJV Digital Broadcasting Network, and I'm working on several books (two with coauthors and one on my own).”
As you know, The Crypto-Kid appears on this week’s episode of The Paracast.
What you’ll notice right away is that he doesn’t come across as a kid. He presents a surprising level of maturity in his approach to cryptozoology. Although you can sense his youth in his voice, he has done his homework and clearly knows his stuff.
So this episode focuses not just on a young man’s entry into the world of paranormal research, but to the exciting case histories that he has read about or investigated. For someone so young, he’s also a good storyteller. It’s an important skill that will serve him well wherever his interests take him in the years ahead.
I’m sure there are counterparts to The Crypto-Kid out there. I’d like to hear from them, and we will consider featuring them on future episodes.
One thing is sure, however. If there are growing numbers of young people becoming involved in the study of these subjects, these fields will be in good hands when it’s time for people like me to retire. I would hope, though, that they can work together, rather than as lone wolves.
It’s a sure thing that the pursuit of the paranormal is incredibly invigorating. It keeps you on your toes and keeps your mind alert. As the days grow shorter, it’s a terrific way to spend one’s golden years.
Copyright 1999-2017 The Paracast LLC. 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!