ABC's 'V' reboot

I am not exactly clear as to why ABC has a 'problem' with 'V'. The claim is they don't think people are into epic Alien invasion stories. I'd like to ask them who exactly it was that thought a show about idiots on an island that may or may not be another dimension or whatever other crap J-Brams can come up with, was a good idea. The fact that 'LOST' even has ratings should prove that 'V' is on the right network. But still, there are misgivings. Apparently ABC will air 3 episodes and if it looks like anyone's watching, they'll air the rest. Whatever.

Here are the first 8 minutes. It looks promising, and it'd be a shame if ABC doesn't have any high hopes for such a venture. If todays tv viewing audience can get through a few seasons of LOST, I think they can get through anything.

Mac Tonnies

When I first started this blog, I was already intrigued with another one: POSTHUMAN BLUES. It was Mac Tonnies baby and it was a wonderland...full of futuristic, science fiction and paranormal references, links and thoughts. So I emailed him and I asked him what I could do to make Yufology as interesting. He was kind, intriguing and helpful. From then on I commented on our shared taste in music or movies. We twittered recently about District 9. He was never a friend I hung out with, but he was someone whose unique perspective gave me a reason to tune in and pay attention. I am very saddened by this irreplaceable loss to the esoteric community. A great thinker is gone. Mac Tonnies may you find all your answers.

Rest in peace.

They did the Mash...the Monster Mash...

I don't get out like I used to. Maybe it's got to do with the fact that the better half of my twenties was spent suffocating ( to this day large crowds freak me out). Or maybe it's more so the fact that it's really hard to find like-minded people. Which is why, every year at about this time I look forward to the MASS MONSTER MASH.

It's like a convention for super cool people who just so happen to like delving into the unknown. Because honestly, no matter what you may think about Ufologists, Cryptozoologists, Ghost hunters or just plain old enthusiasts of the Paranormal...they aren't your garden variety weirdos.

In fact, they are some of the finest, most intelligent people you will ever meet. Because what a lot of people fail to realize is it takes a certain amount of intelligence to try and comprehend the universe, its curiosities and the things that dwell therein. No idiots allowed. It's the lay of the land.

Tonight's MASS MONSTER MASH (or TRIPLE M, as I prefer to call it) was no exception. While Loren Coleman engaged us all in a trip through the life and times of Tom Slick, Nick Redfern had our attention at 'Chupacabra'. Jeff Belanger, humorous as always, enlightened us on White House ghosts. Matt Moniz spoke about the recent Bigfoot sightings in Massachusetts, while Christopher Balzano managed to scare the crap out of me with his presentation on Zombies and PukWudgies! (I think I am more afraid to go to bed tonight than I was when I saw 'Paranormal Activity'!)

The Hibernian Hall was packed and honestly, this year was far more interesting than the last. I found myself so engaged in the topics at hand that my best friend's iphone became our encyclopedia to the unknown. We spent the better half of the conference looking up data in reference to what the speakers were sharing with the world-at-large.


There were also great guests, who although weren't presenting, did not fail to round out the night with their knowledge and information. Derek Gunn was on hand with more great information on all of the unknown, untapped and just plain underappreciated archaeological mysteries around New England. Jeremy Vaeni (of Paratopia fame) and I talked about Ufology's unnerving need to never be second-guessed, with no small thanks to the people involved who fail to see the wheel turning.


I chatted with James Boyd (always a pleasure), signed up with the folks at BostonParanormal.org, and got to check out the awesome wares from believeittour.com, bigfootsurplus.com.


But the night would not have been complete with out Mr. John Horrigan, and Mr. Tim Binnall. Both personified the evening with their impeccable delivery, smooth execution of what was another great convention, the respect with which they handled both the guests and those in attendance, and mostly their friendship.


If I forgot anyone, or anything, it has less to do with my gratitude waning and more to do with the it being past midnight, because these days I have a mental curfew. Needless to say, I can't wait till next year!

Why Scientists can be whack-a-doodles and other things...

So, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) is being sabotaged by its own future. Yes, you heard it right. Because, "...God hates Higgs particles... " and because, well...crackpot theories can only come from respected scientists. Seriously. Consider the fact that had anyone in Ufology said, "The Large Hadron Collider is doomed to fail because its creation has already rippled back through time, thereby stopping it before it could create a Higgs boson!" there would have been enough backlash to keep CERN scientists in the spotlight for months.

Just imagining the flurry of smack-talk is enough to justify why some people prefer to keep their theories to themselves. There'd be wisecracks about this particular ufologist being a conspiracy theorist. There'd be jokes about scientists from the future, traveling back in time to sabotage the LHC. You name the jack ass theory and they'd have it all written, polished and ready to go. Because that's just the way things are.

But, you get some respectable scientists and you showcase their theory in, let's say THE NEW YORK TIMES and you got yourself a bonafide explanation for why such an expensive ass machine, which should only be running particles in circles, like a giant washing machine, would be so damn hard to put into commission.

Maybe it is being sabotaged from the future, and maybe the theory is sound. But that doesn't change the fact that it sounds ridiculous...even coming from the mouths of physicists.

Bigfoot (caught on tape)...

ESA: "Life on Mars"

I've watched the video and now I am stuck on the ESA website, and finding things...unbelievable things. I should be working...but this is far too
intriguing to ignore.

Brad Steiger's REAL VAMPIRES

Review courtesy of forteanreviews.blogspot

First, I have to say that, in my own opinion, this is one Brad's finest books - and for several reasons, upon which I'll now explain and elaborate.

There can be very little doubt that even the merest mention of the word "Vampire" conjures up imagery of either (a) the classic vampires of yesteryear as portrayed on-screen by the likes of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee (you know the ones I mean: they rather resemble pale-faced waiters in cloaks!); or (b) the latter-day vampires with whom Hollywood is so enamored and who resemble the offspring of some dark alliance between Marilyn Manson and TV's hottest Goth: the delicious Abby from NCIS.

As Brad is very careful to make abundantly clear to his readers, however, the cinematic vampire with which all of us are acquainted is - largely, at least - a creation of enterprising, enthusiastic and skilled screenplay writers, authors and horror-devotees. Separating the fictional vampire from the factual one, is a key aspect of the book - and a very welcome and informative aspect, too.

* I definitely have to get this!

The MOTHMAN festival

Read about it here.

What the 'EFF' is it?

I'm sure someone has the answer, but still...I've never seen a dog/kangaroo/thingy like that before. Never.

Add this to your list of crazy: WATER...on the MOON!

The new findings, detailed in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, come in the wake of further evidence of lunar polar water ice by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and just weeks before the planned lunar impact of NASA's LCROSS satellite, which will hit one of the permanently shadowed craters at the moon's south pole in hope of churning up evidence of water ice deposits in the debris field.

The moon remains drier than any desert on Earth, but the water is said to exist on the moon in very small quantities. One ton of the top layer of the lunar surface would hold about 32 ounces of water, researchers said.

"If the water molecules are as mobile as we think they are — even a fraction of them — they provide a mechanism for getting water to those permanently shadowed craters," said planetary geologist Carle Pieters of Brown University in Rhode Island, who led one of the three studies in Science on the lunar find, in a statement. "This opens a whole new avenue [of lunar research], but we have to understand the physics of it to utilize it."

Finding water on the moon would be a boon to possible future lunar bases, acting as a potential source of drinking water and fuel.

Plain as day

John Lear @ BOA Audio

BoA:Audio closes the book on Season IV with one of the more enigmatic and infamous figures in the history of UFO studies: John Lear. In this two hour conversation, we'll cover the wild days of the 1980's in Ufology including Paul Bennewitz, Bill Cooper, Bill Moore, the 1989 MUFON Convention in Las Vegas, the alien spaceship that allegedly crashed and was buried because it was too big to move, the concept of souls and reincarnation and how the aliens may fit into that, the incident at the Dulce Base between an ET and the Army, 'human mutilations,' UFO disclosure and when it may happen, 2012 as a scam, interesting things on the moon, the secret space program, undersea connections beneath the western half of America, John's theory on 911 that the planes were holograms & the towers felled via space weapons, Bob Lazar and the Area 51 story, the state of Ufology, Exopolitics, why the 'mainstream' branches of esoterica seem to be so far off from John's theories, George Knapp, Art Bell, why Ufology isn't a 'team sport,' and a shitload more stuff.

To esoteric newcomers, and even many veterans, John Lear is almost mythical and certainly mysterious. A lot of contemporary folks dismiss John's material because of the sometimes outrageous things he says, without realizing (or acknowledging) the massive impact he had on the field, specifically in the 1980's. Both Art Bell & George Knapp have credited him with planting the seed for their future exploits exploring the unknown and, as most people know, Lear was side-by-side with Bob Lazar as one of the godfathers of Area 51. He is most certainly someone who forever altered the landscape of esoterica.

In keeping with tradition, we finish up the season with a stratospheric guest in an interview that will be listened to and enjoyed for years to come.

Coincidence of the day

Some people believe in Angels. Some don't. I am not going to argue for or against the idea of angelic beings. All I will say is, while watching a 2006 program on Ghost sightings (narrated by Jonathan Frakes), I had to stop and laugh when realizing that one of the most famous ghost/angelic photos ever taken (of the car accident of Rose Benvenuto), was by a woman named: SHARON BOO!

Yes. BOO. Boo, as in GHOST, as in CASPER. As in...BOO!

A photo of a ghost by a woman named Boo. I know I am not the only one pondering this.

Big 'Something-or-other'

Matt Damon to portray Bob Lazar

Yeah, okay...you know it's coming. I'm going to say something unsavory before this post ends. I'm not going to do it on purpose. I'm not aiming to disrespect anyone, but c'mon people! Throw me a bone here. Matt Damon was really itching to play Bob Lazar? Really? Did he read a script that was about anything but the whole story?

I mean, let's just think about it for a second: Bob Lazar (according to..Bob Lazar), worked for S4. S4-Sector 4 sounds like something out of a James Cameron film. It was located near Groom Lake (Area 51). He claims to have seen discs and knows how they travel.

I'm going to admit it, when I was like ---what--- twelve, I believed him. Okay, not believed, but I was fascinated by his story. What kid, totally in love with the idea of life in space wouldn't have found his story fascinating?

So, Atomic Element 15 (the element that Lazar says makes UFO's fly, not the element in Donald Trump's hairspray), supposedly produced effects akin to anti-gravity. But Bob Lazar has been under fire for various things that basically throw his credibility (if he ever had any) under such close scrutiny, Howard the Duck looks more respectable than he does.

Matt Damon is a great actor. Maybe he's looking for an artistic challenge. Personally I would suggest he do a David Mamet movie, but whatever. Actors are a strange lot. Especially the really good ones who make massive amounts of money. Maybe Bob Lazar's story should be told. Because who knows...maybe he is telling the truth.

The 12-year old Tina would have given him the benefit of the doubt.

The Loch Ness Boatster

It could be a monster. It could be a boat. I'm actually curious about the things to the left of the object, or from the viewers perspective, they're at 9 o'clock.

Hm.

The MASS MONSTER MASH cometh!!!

If you're in NEW ENGLAND, or from the neighboring states and thinking of something cool to do this fall, well then come check out the MASS MONSTER MASH!!! Every year the speakers and their topics get better and better. I have been to the TRIPLE M twice so far and it never ceases to amaze me; the people and the research. Everything you've ever wondered about...better yet all the things you thought you knew are covered. From the Bridgewater Triangle to the Ghosts of Rehoboth. This years special guest speakers include Loren Coleman and Nick Redfern (which I forgot to include in my last post, because 'Three Men Seeking Monsters'is still one of my all-time fave books...but I digress). Jeff Belanger (he's really funny), and Christopher Balzano (very knowledgeable) will also present. The always awesome John Horrigan will be host, with special thanks to Tim Binnall for his support in putting together this years event.

There will be refreshments, giveaways, books to buy and people of likemind to mingle with and make connections (the kind of people who will follow you into the dark unknown). Tickets are $25 and available here.

Come join the Dark Side! We have cookies...

The Legendary BUDD HOPKINS @ BOA

Budd Hopkins is part of what I like to call 'the holy trinity of Tina's esoteric madness'. John E Mack and Brad Steiger round out the tail end of my THREE. That's not to say I haven't got more favorites, because I do. Loren Coleman knows I am talking about him. So does Whitley Strieber with whom my fascination is more like 'where does that dude come from'?! But in a GOOD way. And I had/still have the greatest respect for John A. Keel.

When I was a kid, BUDD HOPKINS' 'Intruders', JOHN MACK'S 'Abductions', BRAD STEIGER'S 'Project Blue Book','Star People', and 'Overlords of Atlantis...', WHITLEY STRIEBER'S 'Communion', LOREN COLEMAN'S 'Mysterious America', and JOHN KEEL'S 'The Complete Guide to Mysterious Being's' rounded out my slow decline into the strange and fantastical.

It's a shame though. Because when I look at my list, there isn't a single woman on it. But I am working on that.

Go listen to Tim Binnall asking all the good questions, regarding BUDD HOPKINS life in Art and UFO's... @ BOA AUDIO.

Morning Glory Clouds

These mysterious clouds appear over Burketown, Queensland, Australia, and no one can figure out how they are made...

Fantastic Maps of old

(Courtesy of Dark Roasted Blend)

The World according to Ptolemy:


Sea Serpents figure heavily in old maps...




Giant Squid:



Gods and Angels: