THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
October 9, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Parapsychologist Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove Featured 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.
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 new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Chris present Jeffrey Mishlove Ph.D, the author of many books and is considered one of the world's leading experts on the subject of human consciousness. Best known for his encyclopedic volume titled: The Roots of Consciousness, this classic, written in 1975, is considered to be one the best, if not the best, book ever written on the subject of human consciousness and is one of Chris O'Brien's favorite books in his library. Mishlove is currently director of the Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to helping create a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate their inner, intuitive resources. He also serves as program dean of the University of Philosophical Research.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Dr. Mishlove’s Video Channel: New Thinking Allowed
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 9: Gene brings up a few topics mentioned by Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D. in his appearance on The Paracast, such as the case of psychic and magician Uri Geller and his spoon-bending routine. Gene recalls an old girlfriend telling him of the time she was watching Geller on a TV show doing his thing, when a spoon bent in her hand. Gene repeats his concerns about Ted Owens, the PK Man. He also talks about an unusual character he knew years ago, the late Yonah Fortner, a pioneer in ancient astronaut research who evidently made up all or most of his evidence and the references he cited. Chris debunks the so-called UFO highway theory, which points to UFO events along the 37th parallel. Gene mentions another failed effort to demonstrate patterns in UFO sightings in a 1950’s book from Aimé Michel, “Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery.” Chris delivers a San Luis Valley C amera Project update.
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.
UFOs and Scientific Attention
By Gene Steinberg
The impression fostered by UFO skeptics is that mainstream science will absolutely not take the subject seriously. The main reason being, to them, there’s nothing to it. What this also means is that scientists who do call for serious study of the phenomenon may be at risk of hurting their careers. But some continue to investigate anyway.
Indeed, such well-known UFO figures as Stanton T. Friedman have authentic scientific credentials to cite. He is a nuclear physicist, but he has worked for decades as a UFO writer and lecturer. However, I also wonder how many employment opportunities came to him in his original field after he became famous for chasing flying saucers.
The leadership rolls of MUFON and other organizations do reveal a number of people with the appropriate degrees and experience in the scientific realm. But more than likely, they aren’t seeking grants from traditional sources to study the mystery, nor do you find comprehensive studies on the subject in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
To the scientific world, the subject of UFOs has essentially been damned. But that is true of any phenomenon with even a passing relationship to the paranormal. The scientists who are interested in the subject aren’t devoting their workdays to it. It’s usually a side interest, a hobby, which they may pursue with passion, but it’s not putting food on the table.
Some will wait till they retire to more fully embrace UFO studies.
What this means, of course, is that most UFO investigators aren’t scientists or engineers or even trained law enforcement personnel. They are just regular people who are no doubt doing the best they can, but they are hardly equipped to deal with the complexities posed by the mystery. So they mostly end up gathering information about sightings with the main focus on what was seen rather than the possible contributions to the incident by the witness.
With MUFON, there are canned report forms and brief training seminars, which guide field investigators as to what information is needed, and how to record that information. All this collected data is inserted into a huge database and usually forgotten, unless the details are lurid enough to merit space in the group’s monthly publication, or as material for a lecturer to discuss.
Now the world of science is hardly perfect. Quite often subjects are pursued not because of their merit, but because there are grants available to fund a study. That may provide an extra source of income for an underpaid academic, so it makes it doubly important. Topics of study that may have little or no financial reward are often ignored.
Consider the situation in pharmacy industry. The possibility of huge rewards from the sale of new drugs is a main reason why companies often focus on specific areas for new products. Just developing a better headache medicine may not have the same revenue potential, because they won’t be able to sell the pills for $500 each. People will expect to buy it at the local Walgreen pharmacy for $5.00 per 100 tablets.
It’s enough to make one jaded about the whole scientific process, but with all the benefits we’ve gained from research, it’s clear a lot of good is being done. People live longer, healthier lives, and have amazing gadgets with which to enrich their lives. Or spend their free time if they have any.
Now in this climate, it’s hard to expect that, all of a sudden, there will be a massive call for the scientific community to take a crack at solving the UFO mystery, or the possible reality behind ghosts, Bigfoot and other paranormal events. There will be pockets of interest at the fringes, and room for hucksters and hoaxers to make a play to enrich their bank accounts. Or turn 15 minutes of fame to 30 minutes.
It all ends up consigning these subjects to fringe pursuits. People will still work at such things for decades on end hoping for eventual vindication. I got started in the UFO field when I was just 11, and at this point late in my life, I do not expect to be around when or if there’s a final resolution. I do not expect ET to land tomorrow, next week or next year. But I also do not expect that the U.S. government will suddenly reveal everything it knows, if it even knows much of anything that would lead towards a solution.
No doubt the disclosure movement, which can be traced back to the 1950s, is a way to give up responsibility for finding answers to the UFO enigma. If some agency somewhere knows the answers, it’s all a matter of convincing them, or browbeating them, to reveal what they know and all will be right in the world.
Well, all will be right if the UFOs aren’t hostile. But hostility would also be a valid reason to keep the secret, as military black projects are engaged in attempting to find a defense against them. Or if there is no defense, hoping to delay the awful revelation that we may be conquered by aliens in the hope that it won’t be so bad, or simply not to cause panic. Perhaps the end will be quick, or an enslaved humanity will find the situation isn’t so bad after all.
Long and short of it is that I do not think there’s a magic bullet to convince scientists at large to take the subject seriously. Or any paranormal subject for that matter. Instead, all these mysteries will remain fodder for the occasional human interest story from a news anchor or a reality show. So even though there’s a lot of interest in UFOs, it’s more about entertainment value than an ongoing presence that may affect us all.
Some might suggest that this impression is deliberate, created behind the scenes by the Silence Group to mollify the UFO research community, and keep the rest of the populace comfortable and in ignorance of what’s really going on. Or maybe that, too, is just part of the culture. These days, it seems almost everything is part of a reality show.
Copyright 1999-2016 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!
October 9, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Parapsychologist Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove Featured 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.
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 new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Chris present Jeffrey Mishlove Ph.D, the author of many books and is considered one of the world's leading experts on the subject of human consciousness. Best known for his encyclopedic volume titled: The Roots of Consciousness, this classic, written in 1975, is considered to be one the best, if not the best, book ever written on the subject of human consciousness and is one of Chris O'Brien's favorite books in his library. Mishlove is currently director of the Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to helping create a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate their inner, intuitive resources. He also serves as program dean of the University of Philosophical Research.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Dr. Mishlove’s Video Channel: New Thinking Allowed
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 9: Gene brings up a few topics mentioned by Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D. in his appearance on The Paracast, such as the case of psychic and magician Uri Geller and his spoon-bending routine. Gene recalls an old girlfriend telling him of the time she was watching Geller on a TV show doing his thing, when a spoon bent in her hand. Gene repeats his concerns about Ted Owens, the PK Man. He also talks about an unusual character he knew years ago, the late Yonah Fortner, a pioneer in ancient astronaut research who evidently made up all or most of his evidence and the references he cited. Chris debunks the so-called UFO highway theory, which points to UFO events along the 37th parallel. Gene mentions another failed effort to demonstrate patterns in UFO sightings in a 1950’s book from Aimé Michel, “Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery.” Chris delivers a San Luis Valley C amera Project update.
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.
UFOs and Scientific Attention
By Gene Steinberg
The impression fostered by UFO skeptics is that mainstream science will absolutely not take the subject seriously. The main reason being, to them, there’s nothing to it. What this also means is that scientists who do call for serious study of the phenomenon may be at risk of hurting their careers. But some continue to investigate anyway.
Indeed, such well-known UFO figures as Stanton T. Friedman have authentic scientific credentials to cite. He is a nuclear physicist, but he has worked for decades as a UFO writer and lecturer. However, I also wonder how many employment opportunities came to him in his original field after he became famous for chasing flying saucers.
The leadership rolls of MUFON and other organizations do reveal a number of people with the appropriate degrees and experience in the scientific realm. But more than likely, they aren’t seeking grants from traditional sources to study the mystery, nor do you find comprehensive studies on the subject in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
To the scientific world, the subject of UFOs has essentially been damned. But that is true of any phenomenon with even a passing relationship to the paranormal. The scientists who are interested in the subject aren’t devoting their workdays to it. It’s usually a side interest, a hobby, which they may pursue with passion, but it’s not putting food on the table.
Some will wait till they retire to more fully embrace UFO studies.
What this means, of course, is that most UFO investigators aren’t scientists or engineers or even trained law enforcement personnel. They are just regular people who are no doubt doing the best they can, but they are hardly equipped to deal with the complexities posed by the mystery. So they mostly end up gathering information about sightings with the main focus on what was seen rather than the possible contributions to the incident by the witness.
With MUFON, there are canned report forms and brief training seminars, which guide field investigators as to what information is needed, and how to record that information. All this collected data is inserted into a huge database and usually forgotten, unless the details are lurid enough to merit space in the group’s monthly publication, or as material for a lecturer to discuss.
Now the world of science is hardly perfect. Quite often subjects are pursued not because of their merit, but because there are grants available to fund a study. That may provide an extra source of income for an underpaid academic, so it makes it doubly important. Topics of study that may have little or no financial reward are often ignored.
Consider the situation in pharmacy industry. The possibility of huge rewards from the sale of new drugs is a main reason why companies often focus on specific areas for new products. Just developing a better headache medicine may not have the same revenue potential, because they won’t be able to sell the pills for $500 each. People will expect to buy it at the local Walgreen pharmacy for $5.00 per 100 tablets.
It’s enough to make one jaded about the whole scientific process, but with all the benefits we’ve gained from research, it’s clear a lot of good is being done. People live longer, healthier lives, and have amazing gadgets with which to enrich their lives. Or spend their free time if they have any.
Now in this climate, it’s hard to expect that, all of a sudden, there will be a massive call for the scientific community to take a crack at solving the UFO mystery, or the possible reality behind ghosts, Bigfoot and other paranormal events. There will be pockets of interest at the fringes, and room for hucksters and hoaxers to make a play to enrich their bank accounts. Or turn 15 minutes of fame to 30 minutes.
It all ends up consigning these subjects to fringe pursuits. People will still work at such things for decades on end hoping for eventual vindication. I got started in the UFO field when I was just 11, and at this point late in my life, I do not expect to be around when or if there’s a final resolution. I do not expect ET to land tomorrow, next week or next year. But I also do not expect that the U.S. government will suddenly reveal everything it knows, if it even knows much of anything that would lead towards a solution.
No doubt the disclosure movement, which can be traced back to the 1950s, is a way to give up responsibility for finding answers to the UFO enigma. If some agency somewhere knows the answers, it’s all a matter of convincing them, or browbeating them, to reveal what they know and all will be right in the world.
Well, all will be right if the UFOs aren’t hostile. But hostility would also be a valid reason to keep the secret, as military black projects are engaged in attempting to find a defense against them. Or if there is no defense, hoping to delay the awful revelation that we may be conquered by aliens in the hope that it won’t be so bad, or simply not to cause panic. Perhaps the end will be quick, or an enslaved humanity will find the situation isn’t so bad after all.
Long and short of it is that I do not think there’s a magic bullet to convince scientists at large to take the subject seriously. Or any paranormal subject for that matter. Instead, all these mysteries will remain fodder for the occasional human interest story from a news anchor or a reality show. So even though there’s a lot of interest in UFOs, it’s more about entertainment value than an ongoing presence that may affect us all.
Some might suggest that this impression is deliberate, created behind the scenes by the Silence Group to mollify the UFO research community, and keep the rest of the populace comfortable and in ignorance of what’s really going on. Or maybe that, too, is just part of the culture. These days, it seems almost everything is part of a reality show.
Copyright 1999-2016 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!