Caught in the Net

The Cryptomundo post, "Bringing Weird To LA" , makes me wonder if that's like bringing water to the sea.

And for all those naysayers and paranoid conspiracy theorists who denounced the factuality of any moon landing, this brief at Phantoms and Monsters will probably.... Well, you probably still won't believe it.

Researching

Doing a lot of last minute research in preparation for the release of Stranger State, the sequel to the ever-popular Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma. If you have a personal account of the bizarre and would like to see it in print, I've still plenty of room in which to squeeze some more great details about Oklahoma spirits, UFO's, monsters, and just plain weird tales.

Monday Humor

Thriller, Indeed - Viewers Catch Sight Of Jackson Ghost

In this CNN report, it is being argued across the internet, one can see an apparition cross a hallway at the 08:22 minute mark. While a more thorough examination of the hallway would be needed (for example, is there actually a glass partition or such wherein a passing figure could be reflected), it remains a nonetheless intriguing find. Assuming this video hasn't been tampered with (I'd like to compare the original CNN video) prior to posting on YouTube. So far it has been very difficult to find this same footage on CNN.com, but that's often a problem of CNN. When I can track down the original, I'll post an update based upon what I find.

Here's another (over-the-top) version, seemingly from a different poster:



There's also this Anderson Cooper report that some are claiming also represents the King of Pop's specter, but I think since this is on a monitor in the background, it's simply a brief video image that is dark and out of the camera's focus range. A second after it fades you can see a white line at the top of the monitor, as if it were gearing up to run a video.

Michael Jackson's Ghost Haunts CNN | Celebrities | SPIKE.com

Freaky Freedom - The Paranormal Independence Day

At around 2 a.m. on July 4, 1977, a woman and her eight year-old son were driving south on I-35 between Oklahoma City and Moore when the woman saw what she described as a “revolving restaurant” traveling across the sky. Later, when relaying the account, both mother and son drew the same disk-like object, traveling at an angle [from Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma].

On July 4, 1969, Eldon Brackett spotted a 7½ foot tall Bigfoot north of Wildwood, CA. The creature left behind 16½ inch tracks with a 4 foot stride.

A group picknicking on Independence Day, 1947 in Smoke River Canyon, Idaho, spotted dozens of disks in the sky. This was just one of the more than 90 sightings by hundreds of people in 24 states that was reported that year. July 4th was the height of the '47 UFO flap. Only the day before, rancher 'Mac' Brazel discovered debris on his ranch north of Roswell, NM.

Paranormal investigation at Constantine Theater reveals findings

By THOMAS BERGER J-C Staff Reporter

The Constantine Theater in downtown Pawhuska once having hosted Vaudeville acts, silent movies, operas and original showings of movie classics such as “Gone with the Wind,” is now said to host ghosts. In fact, it is one of the top haunted sites in Oklahoma.

People have reported hearing the sound of opening and closing doors, footsteps going up and down the stairs and once reported was a mist seen drifting in the crawl tunnel underneath the theater’s stage.

Because of the strange experiences at the building, it has been investigated a number of times, with some of the investigations resulting in recordings of footsteps, a gunshot followed by a gasp and laborious breathing.

Originally built around 1880 as the Pawhuska House Hotel, the building was purchased by Greek immigrant Charles Constantine in 1910. He then renovated the building and turned it into the theater it is today.

“The first time we came here we walked in and we go, ‘Wow!’” said the co-founder of Northeast Oklahoma Research, speaking of the elegant Greek d/cor of the theater. He identified himself as Dustin and refused to disclose his surname to the Journal-Capital.

Dustin and his team of investigators from N.O.R.S. conducted an investigation on the theater on May 23 and from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. took approximately 40 hours worth of video and audio recordings focusing much of the equipment on the stage where most reports of paranormal experiences seemed to have their source.

N.O.R.S. returned to the theater Saturday evening to present their findings. to the public.
“The things on the Internet have been people walking across the stage during a bar room brawl kind of setting — hear glass breaking,” he told the dozen people in attendance at the presentation. “We didn’t experience that.”

He said the team did, however, have some findings but the events didn’t seem to occur on the stage as they had anticipated. Rather occured around the boardroom.

“The boardroom above the lobby ended up being a very interesting place,” he said, adding he regretted focusing the most highly sensitive equipment on the stage. He said if he were to do it over, he would put it in the boardroom. “That is were we had some experiences. That is where we heard someone walking up and down the stairs. It’s not disturbing its just a little awkward.”
He said the video evidence, although capturing some dark movements and shapes was overall not so impressive, but that rather it was the audio that was especially interesting.

He played audio clips of odd whooping, whipping sounds, and then later a knocking or tapping sound.

Then he played a recording of a whisper from what sounded like a male saying “Where is she?” He said the team members before the investigation agreed to speak at normal tones during the recording and if they accidently whispered, to tell the other team members and to log the instance so as not to mistake it as a paranormal event.

Dustin then played a clip of someone whispering “Peter, I was right here when the store closed.”
“Nobody that was with us is named Peter or rhymes with Peter. That is what we thought what interesting,” said Dustin. “We heard Peter clearer than anything.” He said team members debated whether the voice said “door” or “store” but the name Peter was clear. “So that was a little awkward.”

Dustin told the group at the presentation that he later learned a gentleman by the same name worked for Constantine from 1921-1923.

Sheesh! More Planet X Doomsday Speak

In reading a recent Coast 2 Coast newsletter post, I was annoyingly struck by a phrase that I wish would be banished forever. It's a variation on the classic cover-up line: Researcher X believes/knows/has proof that [insert government agency] knows all about [insert topic dujour] but is covering it up [usually for power, sometimes to quell panic, but mostly the reasons are never divulged], yet Researcher X has little to no evidence to support his/her claim.

In this most recent case, it's about our old friend Planet X (known by some as Wormwood, surely because of the hallucinations it would take to conjure such stories). "Eriksen maintained that NASA is aware of Wormwood's presence through their satellite data, but is covering it up." It's that old Chicken Little, the sky is falling obsession that some have on predicting the END OF THE WORLD (echoes out).

I've posted about Planet X and the human fascination with our own demise before. It still baffles me.

Tunguska Explained!

ScienceDaily (June 25, 2009) — The mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion that leveled 830 square miles of Siberian forest was almost certainly caused by a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, says new Cornell University research. The conclusion is supported by an unlikely source: the exhaust plume from the NASA space shuttle launched a century later.

Selman's Summer Bat Watch

The humid night is palpable, thick with anticipation as the sun dies in the west. Its last golden rays set the red rocky outcrops aflame like bonfires on the savanna. Setting aside their trepidation, scores have arrived to wait eagerly for the black torrent, a sinuous eruption of nocturnal carnivores to come streaming forth from the bowels of the earth.

For more than a decade, the Selman Bat Watch has been an exciting staple of warm summer nights in northwestern Oklahoma. Many gather each night at the Selman Wildlife Management area as millions of Mexican Freetail bats emerge in a writhing mass from caves at the Selman Wildlife Management Area, a 340 acre preserve near Woodward. The bats travel as much as 1500 miles each spring from their homes in Mexico to feast upon tons of Oklahoma insects each night.

The Watch is sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in an effort to raise awareness of the important roles bats play in a healthy eco-system. The bats are very beneficial to local farmers and ranchers. Each night they feast upon tons of mosquitoes, moths, and beetles.

Oklahoma is home to 22 bat species, including the official "State Flying Mammal", the Mexican Freetail. Sadly, in recent decades many of these species have seen sharp declines in population. In fact, Oklahoma's Indian, Gray, and Ozark big-eared bats are on the federal endangered species list.

Each nightly viewing can only accommodate 75 persons, so pre-registration is a must to insure you get a spot on the night you want. Adult tickets are $10 and youths under 12 pay $5. For more information about this fascinating and thrilling spectacle, visit HERE.

Solstice Sees Record-Breaking Pagan Gathering At Stonehenge

Did you miss the party? Click here to read more.

Proof Lakes Once Existed On Mars?

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The (Shotgun) Wedding

A curious spectacle was presented to those who witnessed the inauguration ceremony for the first Oklahoma governor on November 16, 1907 - a wedding, of sorts.

Symbolizing the unions of Oklahoma and Indian Territories were a bride (Mrs. Leo Bennett, a Cherokee) and Mr. C G. Jones, a prominent businessman. The two began the day, along with the Governor-elect, in a parade like none before seen in the region. Carried in sixteen carriages were prominent territorial officials and leaders from the "Five Civilized Tribes", including some who wore spectacular headdresses. A marching band beat out the tattoo to which mounted police and Army cavalry trotted. Finally, the parade ended at the steps of the Carnegie Library in Guthrie where the mock wedding began.

In the ceremony, which was officiated by Judge Frank Dale, the groom is referred to as a young, but stalwart man of only 18 years, being born in 1889 - the year Oklahoma Territory was established. When speaking of the bride, however, the speech takes on a sadder tone. "Despite the unhappy circumstances of her youth, which have cast a shadow of sorrow over (her) face... this beauteous maiden comes to him as the last descendant of the proudest race that ever trod foot on American soil..." He then goes on to say that she is bestowing upon her husband a dower of rich in fertile soil and productive mines.

Couple the sad and defeated words spoke to her with the fact that she was dressed not in native wardrobe but in the fashion of the time, and a surreal sort of shotgun wedding begins to form in the mind. I'm picturing a woman that must look like she's just been sold off into marriage.

But history is rarely generous in corroborative data and so we've little to go on but the words of others. The sole picture I could find of the event was taken from what must be 300 feet away. It is easy to get swept up in our own 21st century ideals when judging the past. For all we know, she might have been grinning from ear to ear, and feeling quite beautiful in what was described as floor-length lavender satin dress in a princess style, topped by a large "picture" hat.

Are Strange Explanations Looking Less Strange?

After more than a century of reported sightings and at least fifty years of hunting, proponents of the legendary beasts collectively termed Bigfoot are no closer to solving the riddle than they were when they began. Now, as then, there are only a scattering of intriguing tracks and a few curious but inconclusive odds and ends of data. It should come as no surprise then than more and more Bigfoot researchers are turning to alternative explanations for the creature's elusive behavior.

There was a time when those who professed seeing flying saucers, interdimensional portals, and vanishings in conjunction with Bigfoot sightings were ridiculed as fringe kooks. After all, Bigfoot - if it existed - was a flesh and blood animal, likely a primate. If reputable scientists such as Grover Krantz, Jeff Meldrum, and even Jane Goodall were weighing in on the topic, it had to be fodder for serious zoological inquiry. Right?

Not any more. While a certain core group (among which the devotees of the aforementioned scientists can be found) will always hold fast to the flesh-and-blood, terrestrial theory, other respected investigators are looking toward other fields to explain what was once dismissed as bunk. Suddenly, quantum physics mingles with exobiology in a strange melange that looks to incorporate data that are equally weighed, leaving no stone unturned but more than a few heads scratching.

Some wonder if this isn't a last-ditch effort to hold onto a belief structure that, at the dawn of the 21st century, can seem quaint - especially in light of some embarrassingly public hoaxes. The New York Times may have once declared 'God Is Dead,’ but the new millenium prefers killing off Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.

It makes sense, in a way. In order to progress, societies often kill off the past: rulers, myths, customs. Do Bigfoot and the like represent a naivete and nostalgia that a world weary from economic downfall, incessant war-mongering, and social decay can no longer find endearing?
By embracing cutting edge, theoretical physics to explain why we can't bring home the bacon when it comes to these fantastic creatures, are we essentially grasping at straws? Is the Bigfoot community clinging fiercely to something that simply isn't there?

On the other hand, could there be merit to multiverse explanations of creatures that exist in more than one dimension, explaining why we can't always see them? Are reports of hallucination-inducing subsonic vibrations true? And what are we to make of those who say that previous reports of unusual objects or lights in the sky around the time of Bigfoot sightings should be taken more seriously?

Who can say for certain. However, I predict that in moving forward more and more researchers will begin to look toward these fringe theories and alternative explanations in their further quest to prove the existence of these enigmatic creatures. As ground-breaking work in physics (such as that taking place at CERN) brings us ever closer to understanding just how truly weird our universe is, we might just find ourselves rethinking what we once thought odd. A flesh-and-blood unknown primate? How boring!

Schooling Sci-Fi On A Better Class Of Films

With all the garbage the Sci Fi Channel offers up (Alien Apocalypse, Yeti, Rock Monster) where we are invariably forced to see bad CGI run amok, it is refreshing when they air truly well-crafted films. And I wonder why they can't do it more often.

It's not just the bad acting and crappy special effects (just because your monster is made in a computer doesn't make it Jurassic Park), the writing plays a big part. That's true for most films. Even if audiences can suspend disbelief and forgive less-than-stellar performances, the film will fail without good writing and direction. It's a complex orchestration with all parts needing to pull their weight to achieve a successful project.

Yet, time and again, the various production companies upon which this network relies are all-too-satisfied to proffer up scripts riddled with holes, lacking motivation and without any thought to what makes a strong character. They rely too much on blood and CGI gimmicks, which aren't well executed. FYI, the reason the first Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween films were effective is because they didn't show you the monster. You keep it half-hidden. The reason isn't only to disguise limitations, but to understand that fear exists in the spaces between. Yes, the cinematography can be decent and visual moods are usually well established, but that won't matter one bit if that former porn star (because, let's face it, they often hire pretty over talent) can't choke out a line or two from that horrid script with enough conviction to suspend your disbelief.

Now that I've unleashed my vitriol, let me applaud those projects that Sci Fi should look to as the bar to which they should hold all future series, miniseries, and films.

Taken (2002) - This Steven Spielberg-produced epic alien abduction miniseries, which spans five decades and three families, won both the Emmy and Golden Globe for outstanding miniseries in 2003. At a staggering 15 hours long, it made other miniseries seem like YouTube shorts. Stars Dakota Fanning, the Blair Witch Project's Heather Donahue, and Saturn Award-winning actress Emily Bergl lent gravitas to the well-crafted script that follows a complex hybridization process involving human and alien lineage. Why does it stand out? Well, excellent writing, directing, and special effects don't hurt, but ultimately it is because they understand that the story is about people and not little green men or CGI marvels. After all, it is understood that in the Aristotelian Unities, character IS plot, in that one's motivations are what ultimately drives his actions. In Taken, we aren't bombarded with fancy alien abduction scenes that cost millions to fashion in post-production, we see the struggles of identifiable human beings as they attempt to understand why this is all happening to them.

The Lost Room (2006) - Oh, but let us not discount the power of plot either. A well-crafted science fiction plot is a rare gem, indeed. We find such a beauty in the cleverly-wrought and well-directed miniseries, The Lost Room, starring Six Feet Under's Peter Krause and ER alum Julianne Margulies. When a strange event in an old roadside motel room rips a forgotten hole in the universe, the objects therein find themselves imbued with strange powers to alter reality in various ways. For forty years, various cabals have sought the items and their powers, but when a police detective loses his daughter in the room, he will stop at nothing to get her back. The series isn't without its detractors, though. Some have pointed out logic errors and plot holes, but most feel the "holes" actually resulted from the fact that this was meant to be a series. Unfortunately, it got the ax before it got the chance, leaving us to settle for what amounts to a long film. The series was executive-produced by Richard Hatem (The Dead Zone, Supernatural, Tru Calling, The Mothman Prophecies) and Laura Harkcom.

Rose Red (2002) - Rising from the mind of horror master Stephen King, Rose Red stars Nancy Travis, Julian Sands, and (among others) a young Emily Deschanel (the eponymous character on FOX's Bones) in what had to be the best haunted house work since Poltergeist. While King's story seems almost formulaic in its Legend of Hell House plot involving a group of paranormal researchers and psychics who attempt to ferret out the supernatural mysteries surrounding a sprawling mansion known as Rose Red, the master still manages to take dem old bones and give them new life. The only thing more sprawling than the ever-growing manse (it continues to build onto itself - in more than one dimension) was the depth of its back story. In fact, the barely hinted-at back story was eventually turned into a film as well. We understand in every frame of this film that King had LIVED here for quite sometime. His deep understanding of the world he has created lets us share the space intimately with the main characters. Chief among these is Prof. Joyce Reardon (played occasionally too over-the-top by Travis), a controversial and self-serving psychologist hell-bent on proving her theories correct. Countering Travis' sometimes shrill performance is the artfully subtle and thoroughly enjoyable Julian Sands who plays a powerful telepath. However, in trying to "awaken" the dormant forces at work within Rose Red, Prof. Reardon is banking it all on the powerful mind of a young autistic girl (Kimberly J. Brown).

The Triangle (2005) - Helmed by Dean Devlin (producer behind Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Librarian, Eight Legged Freaks, and the new series Leverage) and Bryan Singer (the X-Men films, Superman Returns, and FOX's House), The Triangle presents a solidly (if occasionally plodding) miniseries about a group of scientists (and one journalist?) who are charged with solving the mystery of the Triangle to the satisfaction of a billionaire shipping magnate who has lost too many vessels to the strange forces said to lie within its boundaries. What prevents this story from being another Trite-angle fiasco is its clever twist, which I won't give away. Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Bruce Davison, Sam Neill and others lend good acting chops to roles that would seem campy in lesser hands. The well-crafted writing helps with that, too. Even if the we-are-three-dimensional-characters back stories seem forced at times. Lou Diamond Phillips also shows up in a B-plot role that seems pointless, relevant to nothing and headed nowhere. But all this is, ultimately, forgivable because the overall film is solid enough to weather the worst the Triangle has to offer visitors to its mysterious depths.

Boy's Past Life As A WW2 Pilot Subject Of Book

For those who believe in reincarnation, it is possible for the soul (or some part of it) to live on by inhabiting a new body. While some mystical traditions require that the soul move up through lesser organisms before once again inhabiting human form, not all believe this is requisite. Some, like Dr. Ian Stevenson, a Canadian psychiatrist, believe past-life memories, especially among children, represent reincarnated souls who often seem bent on reconciling past conflicts.

At the age of two, James Leininger began reporting vivid, disturbing nightmares of World War II dogfights involving fighter pilots shot down and consumed by flame. The boy recounted highly detailed elements of the dreams, including intimate knowledge of aircraft from the period - knowledge, it seemed, he should not have possessed.

James' parents were deeply concerned and confused. When his grandmother suggested that perhaps the boy was reliving a past life, his mother, Andrea Leininger, began to wonder.

From his dreams, James often recalled how his airplane was shot, crashed, and caught fire, trapping him inside - a horrible vision for any 2 year-old to suffer. However, he seemed to have taken the visions in stride after a while, as evidenced by responses to some of the many questions asked of him. Early on, as his mother tried to ferret out more information, she once queried whom exactly had shot down James' plane. In typical 2 year-old fashion, James rolled his eyes and replied in exasperation, "the Japanese", as if the answer were obvious.

While his mother had warmed to the concept of past-life memories, James' father was harder to convince. Yet, when many details James had supplied regarding the specifics of his dreams (names of ships, where he crashed, names of fellow pilots) began to coalesce and jibe with recorded fact, his disbelief sublimated also. While a frightening possibility, increasingly it seemed to the Leininger family to be the only plausible explanation.

Together, the family began researching the salient details of the boy's visions and the picture they ultimately assembled shocked them beyond belief. His statements matched with astonishing accuracy the details surrounding the life and demise of US Navy pilot James M. Houston, who had been shot down over Japan some 60 years before. Eventually, the Leininger family met Houston's relatives and were able to confirm everything James had been dreaming.

James and his family then headed to Japan. There, near where Houston died, they held a quite memorial service in honor of the fallen pilot. Since then, James' nightmares have faded like bad dreams.

Andrea Leininger has published her story in hopes that other parents faced with similar inexplicable situations will understand past-life memories and reincarnation are possible.