Sunday Orb

Binnall of America
Richelle Hawks, in her Medusa's Ladder column for Binnall of America, has an article on ghostly images in photographs: Pretty Puzzling Pareidolia: The False Head Photograph.

Speaking of Binnall of America, my new Trickster's Realm column will be up sometime tomorrow.

And Lesley's Gray Matters column; Deblunkians, (I love that title!) compares the right wing with the uber-skeptic.

Tina Sena's article for her Esoterica column, Myth and Malarkey discusses Santa, mermaids, and her grandmother's wisdom.

Richard Thomas, in his column Room 101, writes about disclosure, and how it will never come (I'm with him) in UFO Disclosure with a Capital "D"



Skazski's Blog
"Skazski" being my mom, who is eighty years (almost eighty-one) and just started blogging with her blog "why? . . . thoughts of an angry old woman." Nothing paranormal (at least not yet, you never know) but hey, she's my mom, so I'm promoting her here. I think it's great she gets on and rants about what's on her mind. She also campaigned for Obama; not in the greatest health, but she felt she had to do something, so she volunteered down at the Barack Obama campaign headquarters in her town. Anyway, stop by and leave a comment if you can; she loves that.

The Psychic Side to the UFO Phenomena
My article on UFO Digest: A Little Experiment: Pendulums, Telepathy and Aliens has generated several responses from others who have had similar experiences. People who, often, don't discuss these experiences with others, -- even while they may talk about their UFO or even alien encounter -- they leave out the "weird" part, for all the usual reasons. I appreciate everyone who's e-mailed me and I welcome these stories, and thankful others are willing to share their psychic and other high strangeness experiences with me.

It's interesting what elicits response, what doesn't. Sometimes I'll write something and am surprised and a little disappointed there isn't any response because I thought it was interesting, naturally :), or I wouldn't have written it. Other times, I think I'm way out there and yet I get responses affirming these things. Other articles that have generated a lot of response are the ones I've written about Bigfoot and "beeping" sounds, Beeping Creatures) and overall high strangeness along psychic lines concerning Bigfoot, and, UFOs.

Like it or not, that should tell us that there's something there that's been there all along (if you go back into UFO history) and we should continue to explore this in our UFO research.




Wedge Shaped UFO
I posted this image here because we saw one like this years ago in Eugene, Oregon. It was still light out but evening; the thing seemed like it was about three miles away, and huge and bright. We were driving, in the hills, and saw the object at a slight angle, down in the valley over the city. We slowed down and looked at it for a few moments. It was moving and turning very slowly. . . very odd. (We were on our way to the same house (just half a mile or so away) that, years later, we saw the UFO I discuss in the above mentioned article.)

The Lady
I'm reading Heavenly Lights, The Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon, by Joaquim Fernandes and Fina d'Armada. I posted something interesting about the interpretation of BVM apparitions on UFO-Mary.

More Magical Ladies
Danille Lee writes about her encounters with her guide in a beautiful piece: The Wisdom of Amaryss.

Bigfoot Threads on the JREF
The insanity continues on the James Randi Forum; several new threads about Bigfoot over there. I'm not going to list them or provide links; at last count there were something like thirty-seven or so, now there's more. But if you're interested just Google jref and take a look. For more on this you can visit my blog Frame 352: The Stranger Side of Sasquatch.



Woo TV: True Blood
I've gone all woo over on Snarly Skepticism. I've decided to "take back the woo!" I comment about True Blood, one of the many woo shows I've been enjoying this year. Tonight is the second to last episode of the season!

UFO Magazine Blog
Lots of meaty stuff over at The Green Room, UFO Magazine's blog. Including the "ditch digger" issue. Contributors are Bill and Nancy Birnes, Sean Castell, Gary A. David, Mike Good, Lesley, Micah A. Hanks, myself, Alfred Lehmberg, Siani, Jeremy Vaeni, and Farah Yurdozu.

Have a safe and healthy week!

Alien Faces: Maybe They Are The Way They Are Because They Are

image: Alien Face painting by Ted Seth Jacobs.

A recent comment on UFO Updates by John Valez inspired this post. There's a discussion going on about alien faces, and why they appear as they do. Mac Tonnies has written an article about this: "Alien" Faces. (By the way, you can join UFO Updates for a small monthly fee; they have various payment options. It's worth it if you're a researcher or deeply interested/involved in UFO research.)

Valez commented (I'm paraphrasing) that, all these theories about why the faces look like they do, etc. are interesting but how about this idea: people are reporting exactly what they're seeing, because it's what they're seeing.

I found this particularly timely because I've been thinking about this idea -- once again -- recently. I just said to my husband the other day something along the lines of "You know, we just have to relax and admit it. We've been tagged." I was being flippant, but I meant it, and he knew exactly what I meant. He just said "Yep." (I was referring to abductions and UFO experiences.)

After years of going around and around, of exploring all kinds of theories and conspiracies, comparing and contrasting experiences and witness accounts, and so on, I come back to an extremely simplistic, somewhat naive, yet nonetheless very likely answer: it happened because it happened. Yes, there are aliens, and that's what I've seen/heard/felt. Yes, there are aliens, and that's why I've had missing time within a UFO encounter. Yes, there are aliens from outer space, simply because, there are really aliens from outer space.

As Valez said, he finds it incredible we dance around this idea. I do too.

Now, after saying all that, after all my of my life long experiences with this, I'm still not convinced 100% what I've been experiencing, (and experiencing along with others, spouse, family members, close friend) is that simple.

Could it be that avoiding the simplest, and most obvious, explanation is some sort of defense mechanism on our part?

Which is more mad: coming up with sometimes extraordinary theories to explain these encounters, or acknowledging -- accepting -- that they happen just as witnesses say they do?

What is it about these contacts, these encounters with entities and craft, that compels us to deny the experiences as they are?

I don't know why. Maybe because it is so fantastic, which causes us to ask: why is it so fantastic? It isn't anything new; human history, cultures all over the world, have entire mythic constructs that influence morals, behavior, art, religion, based on this idea. And yet we can't just come out with it. We dress it up as an institutionalized belief system (Christianity, etc.) or dismiss it outright as delusions and ignorance (the uber-skeptic) and everything in between, like entertainment, except for the literalness of the phenomena.

When you think about it, it's really very bizarre that we do this.

Even after all that ranting, I still can't quite go there all the way. For example, I just have a hard time taking, literally, the alien abduction scenario as put forth by the Dr. David Jacobs of UFO research.

However, that is my problem. I recognize that, whether or not Jacbos or any other researcher is correct or not, they are at least doing something.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to explore these experiences, including my own, and go where it takes me.

Promoting Mary

I'm shamelessly self-promoting my blog UFO-Mary. Visit it, leave comments, get the widget.

A Little Experiment: Pendulums, Telepathy and Aliens

I have an article up at UFO Digest on my personal experience with UFOs and aliens: A Little Experiment: Pendulums, Telepathy and Aliens

Three different times I’ve had the eerie experience of knowing that “they” were in the room with us. Who “they” are, I’m not sure, but a few things I just know to be true are: “they” are related to UFOs, “they” are not human, and yet have a connection to us, and “they” are very much aware of us; far more than we are of them

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You might be wondering what Popyeye and Jeep have to do with anything; well, read it and you'll find out!

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Thank You . . .

As always, so many blogs, not enough time, (I think I'll have to do categories) but Thank You! to:

The Daily Grail
The Anomalist
The Debris Field
Beyond the Dial
AltNews
Reality Sandwich
Cliff Pickover's Reality Carnival
Alien Casebook
Alien Worlds

for all the daily listings of UFO, paranormal, high strangeness, Fortean goodness in every way. Remember, these bloggers do this for free, not asking for anything -- some may ask for donations, which is understandable (and I've donated) but no fee is required to check their sites, as often as you like, and get the latest links on UFO and other paranormal news. So, thank you!

There are others, no doubt, that give us daily listings, if so, and I missed you, send me an email and I'll check out your site.

Information vs. Experience, Proof vs. Evidence

Musings on these things . . .

Information, as in research, data from investigations, records, documents is not the same as experience.

Experience is not the same as information, but, it is information. My experience is information, in a sense, even data, but it's not "Information." Some might sneer and say it's anecdotal . . . they are ignorant of the use of the word anecdotal, mistaking it for worthless, substituting it for a variation of "old wives tale," . . . also mistaken for being worthless. . .

Evidence is endless, extends upwards, outwards. . . we have tons of it, bunches of it, piles and heaps and baskets full of it . . .

We have evidence, we have experience. . .

We have information, even . . .

And still there are so many that balk and cry for proof . . . PROOF!!!!! . . . forgetting, too, that proof is no magick entity that will end it all, for there will still be those who'll argue over that. . . asking is it proof enough? how to you know it's proof? Prove the proof to me that it's proof...

when it comes to the fantastic, the hard to accept, even if it's your experience, no proof will suffice, if you have to deny, even when it's right in front of you, or above you, . . .

New Looks, New Links . . .

I have a new look at Mothman Flutterings, which was a mistake but we'll see.

I also did some clean-up on Snarly Skepticism, along with a couple of new items, including a review, kind of, of True Blood.

I respond to Frank Warren's piece about UFO Hunters -- really, one point he made -- on UFO Proletariat. (UFO Hunters: Ditch Diggers?) And Frank responds, in a comment. You can also read this on UFO Magazine's site/blog, The Green Room.

Cathcing the Bug of Synchronicity by Paul Levy

I love this article: Catching the Bug of Synchronicity, by Paul Levy on Reality Sandwich. A beautiful piece that says it all about synchronicity, and why it's important.

The End of the World As We Know It by Daniel Wojcik

NOTE: this wasn't done by Wojick; someone else did this and put it up on Youtube about Wojick's book. I have no idea if Prof. Wojick has seen this or not.

Well, this is a neat find. I was a student of folklore Professor Dan Wojick, author of this book, and my little contribution was to share my UFO library with him, for which he kindly acknowledged me in his credits. Professor Wojick is also very interested in Marian apparitions, (though I don't know or not if he shares my views on UFOs and Marian apparitions.) He was a great professor, his classes were all very enjoyable but more importantly, took a risk and addressed aspects of both folklore and Fortean type phenomena that not too many academics do.

Wojick is also interested in folkart, including folkart that has to do with UFOs, aliens, etc. Send images his way if you have any and are so inclined, or send them to me and I'll forward them.

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Read about McMinnville UFO here!

Bah Humbug and More on Stepheville

I recently posted a piece about the
creepy beam" of light in Stephenville, Texas, aired on the UFO Hunters program last season on UFO Magazine's blog, The Green Room. A comment left: "bah humbug." Bah humbug?! On what; the light, my comments, UFOs,? LOL, I know, just a troll, still. . . don't you wish when trolls post, they at least make sense?

Lisa Shiel has a post over there on her UFO sighting while living in Texas, and a good comment full of data left by aliencontactee, so be sure to check that out.

Legend Tripping with Iowa's Black Angel and Mothman

I have a new post at Mothman Flutterings: Legend Tripping with Iowa’s Black Angel and Mothman

The Castle Personality Test

You have no problem diving into new experiences. You're so brave that you don't even notice how courageous you are. You like to think that people see you as dramatic and fascinating. You do your best to seem mysterious. You are a very realistic person. You see the world as it is, flaws and all. Right now, stress occasionally makes you feel trapped in your life. You usually have a clear perspective on things though! Overall, your life is dramatic and unpredictable. You life in interesting times. You aren't optimistic about the future. You worry about what will happen to the world and if we'll be able to clean up the messes we've made.

The Castle Personality Test

Busy, busy . . .

New Trickster's Realm up at Tim's Binnall of America: "Poor Bandit!" about Newell Partridge's dog who disappeared during the Mothman days.

I also have a piece up at American Chronicle (We Love Bigfoot, Even Though We Hate Him) on the many, many, many Bigfoot threads on the JREF (James Randi's forum.) Which elicited an e-mail from Randi himself!

I ask, over on The UFO Proletariat, Is Peter Davenport Pooped?

I write about the return of the Stephenville, Texas UFO on UFO Magazine's "Green Room" blog in The Return of the Stephenville Lights and a Creepy Beam of Light.

Thanks to all who have visited my mom's blog and left comments. She's come up with a screen name and is encouraged by having a blog on blogger. Visit her blog, "why? . . . thoughts of an angry old woman" here. (And now you know where I got the blog-bug from.)

It's still early but I'm tired; working all day, time change, all that.

One final thing: wondering if I should keep the black blog I have going here, or change it.

Happy Birthday Jim!!!!!

Everyone else, good night!

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Read up on juicy McMinnville-UFO stuff here!

VOTE!

VOTE! Make sure you know your rights, where to vote, and get out and vote!

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Read about juicy McMinnville-UFO gossip here!

Is Peter Davenport Pooped?

Is Peter Davenport Pooped? It's possible.

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Read about juicy McMinnville UFO gossip here!