The Mystery of Yeti and Other Strange Creatures Explored on The Paracast
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM (Central Time) on the GCN radio network.
The Paracast Humbly Requests Your Donations: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough, and we don't want to overwhelm the show with them, so we hope you'll be willing 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. 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, right below our logo. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.
You Can Now Order The Official Paracast T-Shirt: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and a collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt, just pay a visit to our new online store at http://store.theparacast.com/ to select your size and place your order. We now also offer a lineup of other premium merchandise featuring The Paracast logo.
Sunday, September 12, 2010: 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 hosts interview long-time researchers in the field, to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join us as we explore the realms of the known and unknown, and hear great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Co-hosts Christopher O'€™Brien and Nicholas Redfern present a return visit with paranormal author and adventurer David Hatcher Childress, author of "Yetis, Sasquatch & Hairy Giants."€
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 19: Co-host Christopher O'€™Brien introduces an elder for the Zuni tribe making his first radio appearance, Clifford Mahooty, who will discuss Indian legends, including those involving "€œstar people"€ who came to Earth in ancient times.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Reminder: Don't forget to visit our always-active Discussion Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal (and note our new Internet address): The Paracast Community Forums.
The Jaded View of UFO Research
One thing is certain, and that is, if you put half a dozen UFO researchers in the same room, you’re likely to get a two dozen different viewpoints of what’s really going on in our skies.
That may seem silly, but it’s also true that people who are engaged in UFO research don’t always understand the concept of “Can’t we all get along?” Yes, they may appear to be harmonious when they appear at public gatherings, where they are usually getting paid to show up, but that doesn’t prevent the constant back-stabbing that infects this field.
Indeed, you don’t have to wonder why very little has been learned about UFOs after all these years. As I’ve said in previous columns, it appears that much of today’s speculation is stuck in 1955, when Major Donald Keyhoe’s book, “Flying Saucer Conspiracy,” appeared.
Repeating and expanding the theories voiced in his two earlier books, “The Flying Saucers Are Real” and “Flying Saucers From Outer Space,” Keyhoe said he believed that UFOs were actual spacecraft piloted by beings from other planets, and that the U.S. military knew the truth but withheld it from the public. Later on Keyhoe decided that the CIA was the real source of the cover-up.
This is pretty much the UFO meme that has persisted to the present day.
There are, of course, different beliefs as to how much the authorities actually know. Some suggest that, despite the release of previously classified UFO reports in some countries, nobody really knows what’s going on. But since UFOs don’t seem to represent a threat to national security, or at least not in any overt fashion, perhaps it doesn’t make a difference.
When it comes to Major Keyhoe, some actually suggested he didn’t represent a potential solution, that he was part of the problem, a government agent of some sort who was hired to divert our attention from the real source of the UFO problem.
Now in all fairness to Keyhoe’s memory, I actually met him several times and he seemed a pleasant person, hardly the embodiment of evil. I do not claim to be able to understand anyone’s hidden motives, but he did strike me as fundamentally sincere, even if his beliefs and expectations might have been misguided.
Regardless, you can read articles about UFOs in 2010, and, whether they know it or not, the authors are essentially repeating what Keyhoe said, with little variation. That is, assuming they don’t also believe governments are in league with aliens, or that our visitors are engaged in an insidious plot to create a hybrid race that’s part human and part alien, and forget about why.
Add to that the possibility that the UFO enigma is far more complicated than a manifestation of explorers from worlds beyond our own. Indeed, those who attempt to approach the mystery fairly also have to come to grips with the fact that lots of strange things occur in the vicinity of UFO sightings.
It is not uncommon for some people to report other weird events, such as poltergeist-like phenomena, where conventional objects, such as dishes, seem to fly around in one’s home, the appearance of strange creatures, not to mention the troubling matter of UFO abductions.
Now when it comes to abductions, the simple theory is that ET wants to give us a physical, or perhaps tag us to watch our actions. It doesn’t stop there, for some suggest that the aliens carry out those abductions to engage in some sort of genetic manipulation, perhaps to spawn a new hybrid species.
It gets even murkier when some people report episodes of missing time, where suddenly several hours have passed for which they can’t account.
Now the skeptic might suggest that these apparent blackouts might have perfectly normal explanations that do not necessarily include the presence of ET. But that’s way beyond the scope of this commentary.
The long and short of it is that we are being confronted by a complex range of unusual events, and most people who investigate such things can’t even get together to decide what should be investigated.
I hope that situation will improve someday. Certainly my co-hosts and I are working hard to deliver compelling discussions about the nature and scope of our paranormal universe on The Paracast. And, yes, some of the guests we present have some really wacky theories. From here, though, the investigators will have to take the good stuff and see what’s worth further exploration.
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM (Central Time) on the GCN radio network.
The Paracast Humbly Requests Your Donations: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough, and we don't want to overwhelm the show with them, so we hope you'll be willing 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. 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, right below our logo. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.You Can Now Order The Official Paracast T-Shirt: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and a collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt, just pay a visit to our new online store at http://store.theparacast.com/ to select your size and place your order. We now also offer a lineup of other premium merchandise featuring The Paracast logo.
Sunday, September 12, 2010: 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 hosts interview long-time researchers in the field, to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join us as we explore the realms of the known and unknown, and hear great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Co-hosts Christopher O'€™Brien and Nicholas Redfern present a return visit with paranormal author and adventurer David Hatcher Childress, author of "Yetis, Sasquatch & Hairy Giants."€
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 19: Co-host Christopher O'€™Brien introduces an elder for the Zuni tribe making his first radio appearance, Clifford Mahooty, who will discuss Indian legends, including those involving "€œstar people"€ who came to Earth in ancient times.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Reminder: Don't forget to visit our always-active Discussion Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal (and note our new Internet address): The Paracast Community Forums.
The Jaded View of UFO Research
One thing is certain, and that is, if you put half a dozen UFO researchers in the same room, you’re likely to get a two dozen different viewpoints of what’s really going on in our skies.
That may seem silly, but it’s also true that people who are engaged in UFO research don’t always understand the concept of “Can’t we all get along?” Yes, they may appear to be harmonious when they appear at public gatherings, where they are usually getting paid to show up, but that doesn’t prevent the constant back-stabbing that infects this field.
Indeed, you don’t have to wonder why very little has been learned about UFOs after all these years. As I’ve said in previous columns, it appears that much of today’s speculation is stuck in 1955, when Major Donald Keyhoe’s book, “Flying Saucer Conspiracy,” appeared.
Repeating and expanding the theories voiced in his two earlier books, “The Flying Saucers Are Real” and “Flying Saucers From Outer Space,” Keyhoe said he believed that UFOs were actual spacecraft piloted by beings from other planets, and that the U.S. military knew the truth but withheld it from the public. Later on Keyhoe decided that the CIA was the real source of the cover-up.
This is pretty much the UFO meme that has persisted to the present day.
There are, of course, different beliefs as to how much the authorities actually know. Some suggest that, despite the release of previously classified UFO reports in some countries, nobody really knows what’s going on. But since UFOs don’t seem to represent a threat to national security, or at least not in any overt fashion, perhaps it doesn’t make a difference.
When it comes to Major Keyhoe, some actually suggested he didn’t represent a potential solution, that he was part of the problem, a government agent of some sort who was hired to divert our attention from the real source of the UFO problem.
Now in all fairness to Keyhoe’s memory, I actually met him several times and he seemed a pleasant person, hardly the embodiment of evil. I do not claim to be able to understand anyone’s hidden motives, but he did strike me as fundamentally sincere, even if his beliefs and expectations might have been misguided.
Regardless, you can read articles about UFOs in 2010, and, whether they know it or not, the authors are essentially repeating what Keyhoe said, with little variation. That is, assuming they don’t also believe governments are in league with aliens, or that our visitors are engaged in an insidious plot to create a hybrid race that’s part human and part alien, and forget about why.
Add to that the possibility that the UFO enigma is far more complicated than a manifestation of explorers from worlds beyond our own. Indeed, those who attempt to approach the mystery fairly also have to come to grips with the fact that lots of strange things occur in the vicinity of UFO sightings.
It is not uncommon for some people to report other weird events, such as poltergeist-like phenomena, where conventional objects, such as dishes, seem to fly around in one’s home, the appearance of strange creatures, not to mention the troubling matter of UFO abductions.
Now when it comes to abductions, the simple theory is that ET wants to give us a physical, or perhaps tag us to watch our actions. It doesn’t stop there, for some suggest that the aliens carry out those abductions to engage in some sort of genetic manipulation, perhaps to spawn a new hybrid species.
It gets even murkier when some people report episodes of missing time, where suddenly several hours have passed for which they can’t account.
Now the skeptic might suggest that these apparent blackouts might have perfectly normal explanations that do not necessarily include the presence of ET. But that’s way beyond the scope of this commentary.
The long and short of it is that we are being confronted by a complex range of unusual events, and most people who investigate such things can’t even get together to decide what should be investigated.
I hope that situation will improve someday. Certainly my co-hosts and I are working hard to deliver compelling discussions about the nature and scope of our paranormal universe on The Paracast. And, yes, some of the guests we present have some really wacky theories. From here, though, the investigators will have to take the good stuff and see what’s worth further exploration.