Bucks County Pa Resident Take Pictures of UFOs (News Item)

Residents of Bucks County, Philadelphia have been seeing UFOs for years, according to local residents.

Fox 29 News Channel is reporting that pictures have reccently been taken. They have posted several with this news story. Some of the photos are quite intriguing, and could very well be alien craft. Some are less well defined, very colorful, and almost gaseous in form. Whatever they are, they are interesting to look at.

The article is sort, but it is interesting for the photos and as another geographical area that seems to attract UFOs.

Local Residents Snap Pictures of UFOs

Update on the Needles Crash (Aug 7th Blog)

During the first segment of Coast to Coast AM George Knapp reported on the crash in Needles California.

The great thing about this report is that he and his team has done a lot of digging themselves. Not just calling a few of the principles. George went to Needles and poked around a bit.

One of the points he made was about "Bob on the River". Of course, a lot of people had wondered what happened to Bob. George pointed out that Bob had been living off the grid for some time now. He must have his reasons.

It is most likely that Bob has decided to avoid all the "Men in Black" and news hounds. It is very probable that Bob has hoisted anchor and moved to quieter locals.

If you missed the show, you can sign up for Stream Link at the the Coast to Coast Web site.

Are Aliens Targeting Wales? (News Item)

There has been a lot of unexplained activity going on in the sky over Wales, and some believe that Wales is currently a place of interest for UFOs.

The most recent sightings have been possibly explained by Chinese Lanterns released from a nearby wedding. But there have been several others not so easily explained.

One spot is hot enough that the BBC has put the traffic cam ofor the area on their site. They are urging anyone that sees anything interesting to email them do they can investigate.

Are Aliens targeting Wales?

BBC Web Cam

The Church and Witchcraft.

It was an opening paragraph that startled me. I thought we were beyond this. It ended like this...

In this case it was the revelation that the guest speaker was a man representing a church in Dublin which advertised among its services a protection against witchcraft.

(The entire article)

For thousands of years we have fought against witchcraft, only recently has science overtaken fear and belief in witches has diminished.

Many of us want to believe in the paranormal, myself included. Most of us hold a healthy skepticism, demanding prove before we change our lifestyles and core beliefs. But we want to believe.

And I understand the fear of witchcraft, that feeling of vulnerability to a power you do not understand, and have no defense against.

Besides, it is easier to blame our misfortune on an evil entity rather than ubiquitous bad luck, or worse, our own foolish decisions.

Part of this story referances that the African immigrants to Ireland have brought a believe in evil spiritual magic. This man was probably using this fear to increase his church's membership. I simply wonder if it will lead to more fear and hatred than security.

Either way, I thought the article was worthy of note, and wanted to point it out.

University Students Learning Voodoo. (News Item)

The Dominion Post in Morgantown, West Virginia is reporting that students at Massey University are learning not just about Voodoo, but practicing it as well.

Apparently, for their first assignment for this course, students can make Voodoo Dolls, or "magical curse tablets". Students earn credit in either Classic, Religion, or History disciplines.

It is a wonderful thing that a university is teaching Voodoo as a religion. As far as I know, there are not many courses out there that touch on this religion. And in many parts of the world, including southern United States, Voodoo held an important cultural and religious place in the lives of many people.

Voodoo is a spiritual practice. Magic is just a part of it, and many people who practice that magic, called Hoodoo do not necessarily adhere to the spiritual beliefs.

It is clear that the teachers of this course do not believe that Voodoo has any magical validity. Students are encouraged to create Voodoo dolls of their professors, and I assume go through all the steps necessary to complete the ritual, including inducing pain.

Again, it is terrific to study other religions, but it is either disrespectful or foolish to have students actually practice magical rituals that could, if real bring about serious harm, or release evil spirits into this world.

No matter how respectfully presented, doing this is saying "Look at this quaint religion! Weren't they foolish to believe a doll could hurt anyone?"

How would YOU feel if you practiced Voodoo, and someone toyed with your rituals?

Article: Curses, the Students are doing Voodoo

Increased UFO Sightings (Opinion)

I had mentioned in my last pot that I have a third theory about what might be going on with the increased sightings. I have to admit that this one is my favorite. In many ways I hope that this is the reality.

I wonder if we are being prepared for the government to admit what they know about Alien races, and part of that admission is that our government has had contact.

The UK Ministry of Defense ahas already said that they are keeping an open mind on the subject. They have released years of data. Politicians have admited to seeing UFOs. And perhaps there is increased activity.

Why now? Perhaps, for whatever reason, the governments of the world and whatever alien race is in contact have decided that it is time for that contact to become public?

I had enough training in science in high school even to know that this theory is more about what I want than what is probably the truth. I don't mind, part of the allure of the paranormal and UFOs is thinking about "What if?".

Of course, that "What if?" remembers all those Star Gate episodes when the Aliens appeared friendly, but really had the destruction of human kind in mind..... (Insert dramatic music or evil laugh here)

Do you have any thought abour what is going on?

Australian UFO Sightings on Record Setting Pace

Australian UFO sightings are up this year, and during the winter there, when sightings typically dip due to weather.

This comes on the heels of the report that UK sightings have reached a record as well. The Ministry of Defense recently released their records of UFO sightings for several years, under their Freedom of Information Act.

In Newspapers in the U.S., sightings are up as well. With a Google search you can find either news of a new sighting once or twice a week, or an examination of a sighting from years ago.

I think there are three possible explanations for these increases and for the increased coverage.

The first reason is cultural. The new X-Files movie is out. People are ready to believe, and their minds are open. Like the movie, they "want to believe".

It's exciting to think you might have glimpsed an emissary from a distant world.

I happen to be one that believes that life imitates art, and that we are influenced by the stories we hear, even if we know it's fiction. So we are not so quick to dismiss the lights we see in the sky as swamp gas, the moon through the clouds, etc. Other series, such as Star Trek, Star Gate, and others have paved the way as well.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great thing. With a more open mind, we are more likely to look closely at an anomaly. Often, it will be nothing of interest. But sometimes, we might actually see something we would have dismissed without a second glance, had our minds been more closed.

The second reason is more scientific, but has the same effect. We are hearing scientists tell us they are find more
and more evidence that life, however rudimentary, might have actually
existed on Mars. If any form of life could have been on Mars, is it
such a great leap to think that intelligent life could have developed
somewhere in this vast universe?

As I noted earlier, the Ministry of Defense in the UK has released several years of reports. Not just from party goers and kids on Lover's Lane, but from trained observers, policemen, pilots, and others.


We have invested millions of dollars in the Seti program, and have people dedicated to sitting there, pretty much listening to static. If these people think it is worth their time and money, is it so far out?

These things again prime our minds to believe, or at least to accept that there might be something out there. We are ready to look with an open mind, and perhaps see what we would have dismissed.

These reasons taken together could account for the increases. We are simply more ready to believe, to keep an open mind about what is out there. If you have ever known a old Vermonter, or Texan, you know the practical minds they had. They were not given to over stimulated imaginations, and many of them would never report seeing something so out of the ordinary as a UFO.

Times have changed. Science, and our culture is more ready to back up our claims, or at least not dismiss them as the crazy ranting of a drunken friday night.

Perhaps there is no more activity than any other time in our history. It is just that we are more willing to see, and to report what we see.

I said that there were three reasons. Tomorrow I will examine the third. To be honest, I am too tired to develop it well, and this post is getting longer than I like.


Australian UFO Sightings Surge

A UFO Spotting Chicken Farmer Makes News as Politician

"A UFO-SPOTTING former chicken farmer could hold the balance of power in
the Northern Territory's new government after Labor took a hammering at
the polls."

I have stumbled across this opening paragraph, or something very similar many times in the last week.

Gary Woods is an Australian politician in what the Northern Territories. As far as I can gather, he has been in parliament since 2001, and now is in a position to hold an important vote.

Now, I do not understand Australian politics, and do not wish to push into that aspect of this story. Something else strikes me everytime I hear about this.

Most of the articles on this man start off this way. You have to get deeper into the story to find his name, political leanings, or anything else about him.

First, I understand that he is making news because he could soon have more power as a politician. But are they surprised that a UFO sighter could hold power? Or a chicken farmer? Perhaps one or the other is ok, but to combine the two failings is amazing! Look what he has risen above!

And the UFO sighting isn't even a footnote. As I pointed out, it is right there, right away!

We have had our own politician in The United States who has reported seeing a UFO. To his credit, Dennis Kucinich was outed by his friend, Shirley MacLaine, when her book was published. Former president Jimmy Carter also claimed to have seen a UFO.

But these are footnotes in the American press. Interesting, something to throw in the mix, but ultimately, not a deal breaker. I think Kucinich benefited more than he was hurt by this story. He definitely got more name recognition from the story than he had before.

Later I am going to write a post that Australia is having a surge in UFO sightings I think Mr. Woods experience is quite fitting, considering the times.

UK UFO Sightings Reach 150, the Highest in Years.

UFO sightings in the UK have reached their highest level in years, according to the Ministry of Defense.


Malcolm Robinson said: "Something really bizarre is happening in the
skies over the UK." Mr. Robinson is the founder of the research group Strange Phenomena
Investigations.

Even the Ministry of Defense is keeping an "Open mind" regarding UFOs. In my experience when a government agency is keeping an "open mind" it means they are laying the groundwork to either save face, or release information.

This comes on the heels of the Ministry releasing years of UFO data. It seems a bit of a coincidence. Perhaps there are not more sightings, but more reported sightings. Perhaps people feel more comfortable reporting what they see because they know many others have reported before them?

Taking the two articles together, this one and the release of data, I am watching the UK and the Ministry of Defense for more interesting UFO news.


Telegraph's Report on increased sightings.

School Survalience Camera Catches Ghost on Tape.

On August 1st, around 3AM, a motion activated camera in a school in Asheville, N.C, caught what appears to be a ghost for about 24 seconds.

It definitely looks like a human form. One skeptic mentioned a bat flying around, but even he said that the flying bat theory doesn't make sense.

Apparently this camera is inactive unless activated by motion. My question is, if there was a ghost present, would it have been corporeal enough to have triggered the camera? And if so, why hasn't it triggered others, or at other times?

N.C. School Camera Captures Ghost

Phantom Mansion (Online Game)

On the lighter side...

This is a fun little time waster that I played instead of doing my blog research!

Help Hector save all the lost souls in the Phantom Mansion! But beware of the zombies and skeletons.

Phantom Mansion

UFO Sighted Near Needles, Reported on by Local News

Late in the night of May 14th, Frank Costigan saw a "turquoise hued object" crash into the desert near Needles, California.

I-Team: New UFO Mystery Surfaces


It seems that stories of black helicopters and men in black are coming true. I was stuck by the fact that "Bob on the River" is now missing, although if you live on a boat, you probably value your mobility.

It took the government only 17 minutes to respond to this, and they took something away with a sky crane. It seems fairly likely that they knew there was sommething going on before the crash.

I tried to find out more about this particular crash, but I could not find the promised follow up. If you find it, please share.

True Ghost Tales, Stories From all Over, Sent in by Readers

I loved ghost storied as a kid, and I still do today. My favorite segments of Coast to Coast are the ones where callers relate their personal weird stories.

True Ghost Tales is a huge site of ghost stories, told by the submitter. But it doesn't stop there. There are categories for everything from aliens to vampires.

There is also a forum, a paranormal blog, and a newsletter. Some things I found on the site...

1. Six Types of Hauntings
2. Myths and Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle
3. A Study on Reincarnation.

There is, of course, a lot more to explore, these were just some of my favorites. Technically, the site is easy to navigate, and has a professional feel.

Go here before your weekend camping trip for those 'round the campfire stories!

Sir Francis Bacon Gave us a Ghost Upon His Death, Just Not His

The world of the paranormal is mysterious, frightening, alluring, and sometimes funny.

Sir Francis Bacon's gave his life in the cause of science. Apparently, he stumbled upon the idea of refrigeration while riding a carriage in Highgate with the Kings Physician.

To prove his point, he jumped out of the buggy, rushed up to a nearby home and purchased a chicken, which he had her clean and feather. He then stuffed the unfortunate fowl with snow, put the chicken in a bag, and then packed snow into the bag.

Unfortunately, for early science, Sir Francis caught pneumonia, which led to his death a few days later. There is a reference that he tried to eat the snow covered chicken, after, I assume, it had been appropriately heated.

The humorous part is that for years later, the area of Highgate that Sir Francis stumbled upon this idea became haunted by the ghost of the chicken. Apparently, the ghost was so realistic that several people tried to capture it for dinner.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A14042099

Building on the Moon

These people are talking seriously about the technology necessary to build a society on the moon.

We are not talking about an eccentric millionaire, or a rogue tenured professor. This is a profitable company that answers to level headed (read profit seeking) stockholders.

I have to admit that my sense of romance has become jaded enough to be stimulated on;y by stories of magic or living on other worlds, so this excites me.

I am not a scientist, but I imagine that the scientific advances we will experience if this is accomplished will over shadow any other time in our history.

I know, by the way, that this is an ad.
http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=8703&x=7&f=177263#/nasa/

Ghost Central , a Primer for all Things Ghostly

Ghost Central is a great web site dedicated to one of my favorite subjects. (Ummm... Ghosts, of course)

I have always been fascinated by the afterlife, and ghosts are one of the areas that attracts my attention. After reading Ghost Central, I have a whole lot more knowledge.

I have never really had the time to study the paranormal the way I would like to. That's one of the reasons for starting this blog, to learn more. Ghost Central is a great place to start learning about ghosts.

The authors present not only the believer's point of view, but add a few skeptics theories as well. Different classifications are clearly explained, and they even tell you how to start out ghost hunting.

The writing is cool, designed for the beginner, with a nice little lexicon section. Fhis is one site that will have a spot in my bookmarks for research. Be sure to check out the "Ghost Stories" section.

My only problem with the site is it is way too cluttered for my liking. I have no problem with making money, I want to here, eventually. But too many ads make the site hard to read and navigate. But that's not going to stop me from using this site.

Happy hunting.

I Want to Believe

Like the movie, I want to believe.

There are so many cool things out there, that some of it has to be true. There is just to much going on. Here is some of what I believe.

1) UFOs
Yeah, there is life on other planets. And by life I mean advanced life, at least to the mammal level. And if you believe that there is advanced life out there, then it is not a big leap to believe that there are other societies out there that practice science.
I think a huge percentage of UFO sightings are Military, swamp gas, or an over active imagination, whatever. Maybe has high as 99 percent. But there have been too many reliable witnesses, who have opened themselves up to investigators.
Yes, I think we have been visited.

2)Crypto-zoology.
I have a hard time believing that there could be a race of Big Foot out there that we have not at least discovered a few bones from. I believe there a fish we have never seen, and perhaps insects left to be discovered. But we have pretty much combed every inch of the dry parts of this earth, and definitely every inch of countries like The United States, The United Kingdom, etc... I think we would have found evidence.

I remain skeptical, but I would love to be wrong.

Over the next few days I will share my beliefs in other areas. I want to know what you think? What areas of the paranormal are you convince are real, and what areas are not?

The Tunguska Event

In 1908 an explosion with 1000 times the force of the blast at Hiroshima leveled the forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia.

One hundred years later, we still have no real idea what happened.

There were only a few eye witnesses to this event, since it took place in one of the remotest areas of the earth, and the Russian governments were not all that interested in investigating way out there. So it was 19 years before any investigation took place.

Explanations run from as pedestrian as an asteroid exploding to angry deities smiting the earth. A mini black hole has been suggested, and an exploding UFO.

But at this point, 100 years later, there is still no evidence to support any theory.

I have to think that if it were an explosion, there would have been some residue, although the proponents of the exploding asteroid say that all remnants disintegrated in the atmosphere.

Imagine what it must have been like as a trapper or a trader in that lonely area to have the sky split open and 800 square miles of forest destroyed. One man described it as “The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire Northern side was covered with fire. At that moment I became so hot that I couldn't bear it, as if my shirt was on fire” Very likely, these people thought that Hell itself was raining down on them, and that Armageddon was indeed at hand. Imagine if this had happened over London, or New York. Siberia was pretty much uninhabited, but that ind of destruction could have killed thousands.

No matter what it is, it is the biggest event ever witnessed on earth, at least during recorded times. And no matter what we believe, we still don't KNOW what it was.

The UK Releases UFO Data

The British Government is releasing ten years worth of UFO sightings. They are for the year 1978 through 1987. I also found the years 1997 through 2007 on the Ministry's web site, with a promise for the year 2008 to be placed in January of 2009.

Not that the Ministry of Defense puts any credence in UFOs. According to a CNN news report in a detailed Ministry briefing:

"There is nothing to indicate that ufology (the study of UFOs) is anything but claptrap and no evidence at all of 'alien space craft,'" read the briefing, prepared by the ministry for Lord Strabolgi, then government chief whip.

Kinda makes you feel a little silly for wanting to see that stuff, doesn't it?

In other reports I have seen, the Ministry is taking a more moderate approach, stating that they will “keep an open mind”.

I look forward to the day that the United States Government releases what they know about UFOs. I know that many are fighting for this, but I'm not sure they will win.

I know that it is the nature of governments to keep secrets, but if the first was true, that ufology is “claptrap” why bother to keep most of these secret?

What do you think? Should we be told what our governments know about UFOs and aliens? Or would we as a people panic, and hysteria ensue? Is that an acceptable consequence for learning the truth?

Honestly, I would want to know, I am curious that way. But like a lot of people, I figure that I could handle it, and probably most of the readers of this blog could handle it. But I can just imagine my mother finding out that she has been sharing the supermarket with little green men!

http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/freedomofinformation/publicationscheme/searchpublicationscheme/uforeports19972007intheuk.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/14/britain.ufos/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCText

http://www.ufoevidence.org/news/article248.htm

Jim Buckland Predicts LA Eartquake

Last month, Jim Buckland predicted an earthquake in LA for this month. Yesterday, it happened. Now, everything I've heard says that you cannot predict earthquakes, but this guy disagrees. And he claims an accuracy rating of around 75 percent to back it up.

I listened to him on Coast To Coast AM tonight, (Well, last night now) and he has some pretty convincing logic behind his predictions. Apparently, if your pet, and a lot of other pets, start acting strange, you need to pay attention. Of course, there is a lot more behind his thought process than just animal behavior, but he claims to have data compiled from newspapers showing a spike in lost pets just before an earthquake.

He posts his predictions and the results for each month on his web site, so it's right there for everyone to see. He is obviously has the courage to state his beliefs publicly, and his results are there for anyone to track.

I tried to search a couple of science magazines to see if he had published anything, or if he was quoted or mentioned. I also searched the web a bit trying to find any dissenting voices. Now I grant you that the web is huge, and I only looked at the very beginning of each search, but I could not find any other mention of Mr. Buckland, agreeing or disagreeing.

So, according to Mr. Buckland, and my own admittedly cursory research, the mainstream scientific community is ignoring him.

I look at this the way I look at a lot of those miracle drugs on TV. You know the ones that offer to cure all your ills by cleaning out your colon? If these things really worked, why isn't my Doctor recommending them to me?

Mt Buckland might have a great system for predicting earthquakes. I want to hear what the arguments against him are before I decide for sure. So until then, I will remain skeptical. But on the other hand, I'm no going to book any unnecessary travel into any cities he mentions as hot spots, either!

What do you think? Is his work science? Or hype?

http://www.syzygyjob.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1