Welcome to my blog! This is a personal blog which will feature scientific and paranormal news, along with anything else I find interesting at the time.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Lloyd Pye Podcast
In the latest installment of the Book of THoTH podcast, Jeremy Vaeni spends some quality time picking the brain of Lloyd Pye. For those who don't know, Lloyd Pye is an author of multiple books, fiction and non-fiction, and the holder of the Starchild skull.
The nearly hour long discussion touches on many topics, and primarily focuses on the Starchild skull provenance, testing and mythology. However, they begin with a particularly grizzly discussion of the details of the one and only Bigfoot Lloyd says to have ever seen; The Minnesota Iceman body. He explains exactly why he believes it was a real cryptid, along with some very precise details of the state of the body when he saw it.
From there they go onto the Starchild skull. Lloyd discusses the case from the very beginning back when it was found, and follows it through each phase of testing which has been done thus far. Lloyd says this proves that the mother of the Starchild was human, and the father was not. How far off from human is it?
The Starchild mythology and legend is also dissected. Once again, starting with the local legends from where the skull was found, and then going forward until modern UFO stories are discussed. The similarities are extremely interesting and tell a story all of their own, even without any scientific evidence.
Lloyd finishes the Starchild discussion by bringing the Book of THoTH listener completely up to date on the standing of the scientific evidence, and each of the anomalies, along with an interesting tie in to Roswell. Where does the testing go from here? How long will Lloyd continue to follow the case? What does he really believe the skull is?
They finish with an extremely interesting discussion on the intervention theory, and why Lloyd is convinced it's the correct explanation of our human past mostly based on a very educational discussion of the human genome and it's differences from our distant ancestors. Is it possible that the only way to account for the differences is in a genomic laboratory?
This is a fascinating podcast with an extremely dedicated, intelligent and well versed man. Don't miss this one.
For those who have been with this blog since the beginning, I always thought it kind of an honor to those whom The Amazingly Fraudulent Randi took the time to single out and ridicule. It was actually a bit of a stated goal of mine to make it onto the News of the Scientific Woo Woo at some point, and I'm here to tell you all that I believe that is about to be recognized. Apparently I have made enough waves in the paranormal community at this point that Randi himself feels like I need to be knocked down a peg.
Yes, Randi himself sent me some hate mail a couple of days ago, and after going back and forth with him for a couple of days I've been informed that our e-mails(or his altered versions) are going up on his website and I shall be one of the features of his "newsletter". He even sent a couple of his minions after me when he got too tired to continue our discussion.
More on this to come as the day of my "calling out" by Randi approaches.
This blog will likely be moving elsewhere, and off of Book of THoTH, over the next month. I'll certainly be giving more details as the situation progresses, but I predict bigger and better things as I move forward.
In the latest installment of the Book of THoTH podcast we have a lot of trouble making...
Yes, two Zorgy award nominated troublemakers go toe to toe in what's certainly going to be an entertaining podcast. This time troublemaker Jeremy Vaeni interviews troublemaker Alfred Lehmberg(believe it or not, I used to have a beard like that...but that's a different story for a different time).
So what do they talk about? Who causes more trouble?
You'll just have to have a listen to find out for yourself.
You can listen to the podcast streamed from BoT at either the traditional podcast area or the BoT mp3 player. You can also download the podcast right here directly to your favorite mp3 player.
Over the holidays I finally had some time to sit down and read Red Moon by David Michaels and Daniel Brenton.
Be careful, once you start it, there's no way you're going to want to put it down. I found myself up in the middle of the night Christmas night trying to make my way through and find out what happened to Belinsky and the rest of the characters!
In all seriousness, this is a really great read. I know it's a bit of a cliche to say, but it really is a thrill ride. I can't think of any better way of putting it.
I've read a lot of fiction in my life, and seldom have I sat down with a book that had me so hooked by the end of the first few pages and kept me completely and totally enthralled straight through to the end.
My only complaint is that when it was over I was actually wishing there was more. Not because the ending was bad, but because I wanted to know exactly what happened next to each character.
One thing that really struck me as I read was that for a couple of guys who apparently haven't ever put together a fictional book like this before, it rivals New York Times bestsellers. If I had no idea who wrote it I would have assumed it was written by Tom Clancy. The style and the pace reminded me of the days long ago when Clancy first put out his most popular books. If these guys haven't sold the movie rights yet, I want in!
In case the readers of this blog haven't noticed, there's a graphic and a link to the Red Moon site on this blog in the right hand column. I really can't think of any fictional book I'd more highly recommend reading at this point. Enjoy it folks, and then bug Daniel to put out a sequel, because you're going to be wanting more when you're done.
And, no, in case you're wondering...Daniel didn't pay me to write that. Just my honest opinion.
I just wanted to put out a heads up for those of you who have been wondering where I went and if my recent research has enveloped me.
Basically, there's been some things going on around Book of THoTH that have been keeping me away from this blog. I'm not sure how these issues are going to play out, and it's possible I'll be parting ways with the site permanently.
Since the site hosts this blog, it's also possible that I'll be either, not continuing, or moving the blog over to blogger in the future. So, if this address doesn't work anymore, the blog will have likely moved over there.
In the meantime, as things progress, I'll be doing my best to throw out some updates when time permits, and continue in my promised article on our past and future.
At the very least, if I don't get that article out here I'll be looking to put it up as a guest piece in the future on one of the many great blogs out there.
Thanks for the continuing patience in what's been a trying year at best!
Imagine where we are as a worldwide society and where we've come over the past 12,000 years. Early societies formed, everything continued to grow. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but always growing, moving forward. Technology grew, our ability to access it grew, but at the same time much was lost.
Think about where you are today. Sitting in front of a computer, eating packaged food, never having to worry about finding, hunting and killing your next meal, or braving the wildlife to get your next drink of water. It's certainly not equal around the world, but the world has completely and totally changed since nomadic peoples started villages, cities, etc. thousands of years ago.
Now, imagine that suddenly everything changes. There's a catastrophic, worldwide disaster. Struggling survivors remain in pockets. Knowledge of how the world worked just days ago is suddenly scarce. Do you know how to take raw materials and rebuild the world? As the years pass most of the knowledge is quickly forgotten as you and your tribe focus on basic survival.
In that instant everything changes. The world's back to what it was before the first society. Eventually people band together, put the knowledge that they have into starting over. Certainly, nothing is the same, however. Without complex infrastructure, specialists in many fields, some of which probably don't even exist anymore, and leadership to make it all come back together...it all begins again. You start over just as the first villages thousands of years ago.
The more I research, the more I'm convinced that this is exactly what happens every 12,000 years. I think it explains out of place artifacts. I think it explains much of mythology, and particularly shared mythologies from many places. I think it explains megalithic constructions around the world. I think it might even put a bit of an interesting twist on Mac Tonnies' Cryptoterrestrial Hypothesis.
In the end, I think it explains the information that the people from the distant past have tried to pass down in so many ways, but still was mostly lost, or misunderstood. I think it will hopefully even explain the importance of the year 2012, and what's going to happen to us all then when the stars, literally, line up in a very special way.
I'm working on it, and my problem with writing is generally that I have a pathological need to continue working beyond my original outlines, continually adding in new information as I get to it and process it.
At times, such as lately, I have writers block that completely stops me. I think, in an attempt to cure it this time, I'm going to release "chapters" at a time, as I get them done(a la Mac and the CTH), always open to rewriting and tweaking and addendums. At least I think I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere then.
Consider this the intro to the upcoming story of our past, and what it means for our future.
Stanton also touches upon the MJ-12 documents, skeptics, how he got into ufology in the first place, and whether or not he misses rival Phil Klass! All this and a very special and touching tribute to Albert Bourne. Don't miss this one.
It's a long one, but it's well worth the time and not one any UFO enthusiast(or debunker) should miss.
You can stream it on-line at either of the links below:
Just prior to Albert Bourne's passing, there was an interesting article put up on the Book of THoTH front page.
Written by the same author as "UFOs a Modern Phenomenon? Think again" Michael Bourne this time goes through Irish folklore and makes a case that the faeries that lived in the "Otherworld" were the resident's best explanation for the UFO phenomenon at the time in his article "Tuatha De Danann - Ancient Aliens?"
Obviously, a common theme around here and elsewhere, and Mike makes an interesting case for the common cause for some common European mythology and our modern UFO incidents.
I mentioned at the time that I thought I'd seen the pictures that were presented on other blogs before and forums before, and it seems as though I was right. They've been out there for a while, and in all likelihood they're fakes as apparently the pictures, minus the UFOs, have been floating around cyberspace since before the O'Hare incident.
Why someone's taken the time to add those back into a clearly legitimate event such as this press event makes me wonder. Perhaps they're the hoaxers? Whatever happened there, the fairly popular blog out there claiming to have been at the event which has those pictures in the middle of their wrap-up seems pretty suspect right about now in my opinion.
Things seem to be beginning to return to normal around Book of THoTH, so I think it's a safe time to begin blogging again.
I very much appreciate the fact that so many people that read this blog took the time to send well wishes onto the Bourne family. It's certainly helped everyone out through a rough time to know that there's so many nice people out there.
While I have some other stuff to talk about, it's not appropriate right now.
THoTH, aka Michael Bourne, the founder and heart and soul of Book of THoTH, has lost his father. Momma, a moderator and regular on the site has lost her husband.
It's hard for me to put words to what has happened. The Bourne family has become an extension of my own over the years, and, in part, I can feel the loss that they're feeling. Out of respect, this blog will remain silent for a short period to mark the passing.
The following is what Michael has written for his recently passed father:
Death Be Not Proud - Tho Thou art called Mighty
I was going to write a poem of sorts in memory of my father, who yesterday passed into the next realm. I can't do that, for what reason I don't know, so I will instead put thoughts to words here.
Seventy Four years you walked the earth, changing lives everywhere you went. You may not have noticed that, it's subtle but it was there. You cheered many when they were down. Helped in any way you could for those less fortunate than yourself. In many ways a real Saint of this age. Your work was hard, extremely tough, and agonising toward the end. Yet you did not ever, not once think to give in.
Albert Bourne March 6th 1933 - November 26th 2007
You and Momma were a match made in heaven. In many ways the role models for what I wanted to become. You helped and supported each other for all of the years. There were tears of happiness and sorrow. As life threw its many challenges your way. But you fought hard, and passionately each step of the way.
I'll miss you dad, that is obvious I know. Just as you'll miss us, but know this... It's all just temporary, although you've moved on. We'll all be seeing you soon, laughing and joking about everything..
You taught me so many things for life, and made me proud. Your message was strong, but rarely loud. I am so like you in many ways. Our love of knowledge, and although our views were different. Ultimately we were seeking the same thing. Because wisdom is a means to the same end. All quests are paths to the top of the same mountain.
Your intellect was enormous, although you were humble. Such pearls of wisdom I'd carry with me after our talks. I am so happy that I made you proud. Who'd have thought it would be me who interviewed A man from the MOD about UFOs. I got the confidence to do many such things from you.
Because deep down, I always wanted you and Momma To be proud of what I did, because I wanted to show you What a great job you both did, with all of us, not just me. Three loving kids and many more, who all looked up to you With pride,warmth,respect and most importantly love.
Before you moved on Dad, you discussed this site with Momma. Showing me that you think I did good, and that feels great. I dedicate it to you Dad, because one of the most important things. Is to work hard on what you believe in, I learned that from you.
This almost became a poem, but I wanted words not rhymes. Even though that happened at times :-) In the end though Poppa, words can only ever be . Small symbols that lack the reality of what I want to convey.
That can only be done in thoughts and feelings. You'll be in my thoughts Dad, every hour and every day. Until we meet again my Dear Father and Friend I'll wear your cap proudly, it gives me the strength The strength to keep fighting hard for that which I believe
I'll go now Dad, but only from this Keep watching over us, as your spirit keeps us alive. It's just a question of time Dad until we're together again I'll make the most of it here, give you even more reason. To see that you did well with us all.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I know I did. A few days off from work, lots of good food, and now a great new book to read!
Today, I got my copy of Red Moon by Daniel Brenton. I'm really excited to dig into it, and it looks like a great read. I'll certainly be reviewing it as soon as I get a chance to sit down and tear through it.
First off, I want to apologize. I was sure I posted about this podcast when it came out on Tuesday, but apparently I saved it instead of posting it.
So, with that out of the way...
This week in the Book of THoTH podcast host Jeremy Vaeni welcomes "Red Moon" co-author and Book of Thoth Forums adopted son, author and blogger Daniel Brenton to the program. Daniel's got a new semi-fictional, speculative, sci-fi book out, "Red Moon" and so the two of them spend...no time at all talking about it.
So what do they talk about? Daniel speaks candidly about his out-of-body experiences, spirituality, and what it is that brings him into the world of ufology in this, the most conversational episode yet!
Those who think they know Daniel from his posts at Book of THoTH and his blog might find an entirely different side of him during this in-depth interview. Don't miss it!
After following up on the National Press Club event about UFOs from last week, it seems as though there was at least some coverage, and perhaps even some new information that came out of it. In the clip featured here, you can get an idea of what the press conference was about, and how it happened.
Looking around the 'net, I have to admit that I'm surprised at how many people are still talking about this event. Not only that, but so many blogs and sites have comments from people saying "I never thought that there was a chance that UFOs were real, but now I have to stop and think about it." I guess that's more than anyone could hope for from such an event.
It also seems like people are suggesting that there were some new pictures of the O'Hare UFO incident featured, one of which is below.
I actually thought I'd seen that before, but perhaps I'm mistaken.
The mocking continues for many out there, however. In the clip below, the CNN correspondent seems like he's really trying to cover the subject in a professional manner when the anchor, who honestly seems a little on the air-head side, giggles and says that when she thinks of people who believe in UFOs she thinks of freaks.
Not exactly professional, but, just the fact that CNN had the Larry King Live special, and then covered the NPC event speaks volumes to where the UFO enigma seems to have gone over the past few years. It's not a "career killer" anymore, like it used to be, for a news person to speak about in a serious matter.
After reading some of the testimony, parts really stand out in my mind, and I'll try to hit on the highlights of the discussion and comments from most of the attendees below.
I was glad to see Fife Symington, the former Governor of Arizona, apologize for his mockery of the Phoenix lights previously when he was the current Governor. For those who don't remember, he called a press conference claiming that he solved the mystery, and then presented a man in an alien costume. To set the record straight, he now claims that not only did he make serious inquiries into the event, but that he was also an eye witness. He's not making fun of it anymore, and he claims to be upset by the insinuation of the local Air Force that all he saw were flares. He called it a "silly explanation."
An interesting point was made by Roy Bower, a pilot from the UK. He claims to have seen two UFOs while flying a passenger jet. The UFOs were observed by passengers and another plane as well, and he says a radar hit may have been recorded as well. His point was that in the UK there's a system for reporting such incidents, and they are investigated. He was surprised to hear that the O'Hare incident seems to have never been investigated, and he feels that had that happened in the UK it would have been handled differently. He called it his "duty" to report what he saw in the sky, and says he's faced no ridicule for doing so. He urged pilots from the US to report what they see and what they've seen, and not let the FAA obstruct a real investigation into it.
Rodrigo Bravo Garrido followed that up by saying that in Chile, where he has investigated UFOs for the military, there's also a system for investigating UFOs. He made the point that he feels there can be dangerous consequences for an unknown object in the skies hovering around airplanes. He cited the case of a 737 coming into an airport to land, only to find that a "large white light surrounded by green and red" was in its way. The pilot had to make a steep turn in order to avoid a collision.
Next up, Wilfried De Brouwe, a retired Major General of the Belgian Air Force, added to the conversation by saying that investigating UFOs is no easy task. He talked about a "UFO wave" over eastern Belgium when he was in active service which included "a majestic triangular craft with a span of approximately 120 feet, powerful beaming spot lights, moving very slowly without making any significant noise but, in several cases, accelerating to very high speeds" which was witnessed by hundreds of people. That was followed up by hundreds of possible sightings over the next year of UFOs. While the local Air Force attempted to make contact by scrambling jets multiple times, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
Former Chief of Accidents and Investigations for the FAA, John Callahan, then followed with a personal story and an interesting discussion he claims took place with the CIA during the Reagan administration. He told the story of a Japanese cargo plane that was shadowed and "chased" by a UFO over Alaska. The pilot and the crew stated that they saw it with their own eyes and it was about four times the size of a 747. When he received the information, he not only received the radar information, but also the discussion amongst the crew inside of the plane and all of the related data. He found that the radar confirmed what the crew was saying, and so they relayed the data to a scientific staff from the FAA and CIA members. At the end of the briefing he claims that the CIA confiscated all of the data for their people to analyze, and when he suggested that they tell people about the incident, one of the CIA guys told him, "No way, if we were to tell the American public there are UFO's they would panic."
I hate the idea that one of the reasons incidents like this are withheld is because of fear of people's reactions, but, that's been discussed at length recently here.
After that, other pilots continued to tell their stories before Charles Halt told his. He is a retired US Air Force Colonel who was stationed in the UK in 1980 when he witnessed lights in the woods outside of his base, and found some interesting effects from what he witnessed. Shortly after finding three 1 1/2" indentations in the ground, he, and others, witnessed a "bright red/orange oval object with a black center" which he thought looked like an eye. There were broken branches and mild radiation present, and when they approached it "it receded and silently broke into five white lights which quickly vanished." They stepped out of the woods and watched the lights change shape and then several other objects approached. One of them "sent down a concentrated beam near our feet" while another object "sent down beams into the weapons storage area." This incident went on for about an hour while they had trouble communicating using their radios the entire time. He finished his statement by saying that he's sure what he saw was under intelligent control.
Another military incident was relayed by Parvis Jafari, a retired general of the Iranian Air Force. He told a story of a UFO event in which he personally piloted a fighter jet in which he attempted to intercept and engage a UFO. He described it as an "intense red, green, orange and blue light so bright that I was not able to see its body." He locked onto it with radar and says that it had a signature equivalent with a 707 tanker. Shortly thereafter, four objects broke off of the main one. He claims to have attempted to launch a heat seeking missile, fearing he was under attack. Not only did his missile instrumentation go out when he attempted, but he says that whenever the objects came close to him his weapons jammed and his radio communication went out. There was physical evidence also, as one of the objects landed in the sand and left a mark.
James Penniston, formerly of the United States Air Force, then told his personal story about the now infamous Rendlesham incident. His story is actually much like that of Charles Halt. He said that when he went into the forest to investigate what he thought was a downed aircraft he actually found a "ilhouetted triangular craft about 9 feet long by 6.5 feet high..." He also reported problems with his radio as he got close to it, also reported bright lights "swirling" around the outside. He reported that he felt like the air around him was electrified, and that he felt it in his hair and clothes. Interestingly, the team then took the time to attempt a full investigation of the craft. They took photographs, took notebook entries and studied symbols on the side of the craft which were approximately three inches high, and went two and a half feet across the outside. The largest was a triangle in the middle, and the rest were pictorial in design. After 45 minutes the craft lights brightened and it took off at a speed which he called "impossible" and disappeared. All of the photos came back to them overexposed.
At the event he had his actual original log book with the drawings of the symbols on it, but I haven't seen any pictures of that around the 'net. If anyone knows where they might be, I'd love to take a peek.
Shortly thereafter Nick Pope gave his accounts of what he knows. In case you don't know, Book of THoTH did a DVD interview with him which you can purchase here from Amazon. He was formerly with the British Ministry of Defense, and he certainly seems to know exactly what he's talking about.
To end the conference, Oscar Santa Maria Huertas presented his experience as a retired pilot of the Peruvian Air Force. His tale should be a cautionary tale as to the futility of attempting to attack a UFO(as the US military found out when they thought they were shooting at Japanese planes). His unit commander witnessed what they called a "balloon" which was in restricted airspace and refused to communicate or leave the area. The decision was made to take it down, and despite firing sixty-four 30mm shells, at it his "wall of fire" didn't do a thing. He feels as though the shots that were direct hits were actually absorbed by the UFO. He chased it for a while, locked onto it a few times, but was never able to get another shot at it. He did get within 300 feet of it, and described it as "30 feet in diameter. It was an enamelled, cream-colored dome, with a wide, circular, metallic base. It had no engines, no exhausts, no windows, no wings or antennae. It lacked all the typical aircraft components, with no visible propulsion system."
At the end of all of that, I still find it interesting that so many people poke fun at the UFO enigma. No matter what it is, no matter who has seen UFOs, no matter what anyone says, there's something going on, and it would be a major injustice not to take the time to make a legitimate study of the enigma.
I haven't seen too much info on the National Press Club event from Monday yet, but I haven't been anywhere near a computer, TV or even newspaper for the most part this week. If there's been a lot more reported than what I know, I'd love to hear about it.
After taking a quick look around, I see that a couple of people have written about it, and Reuters picked up the story, as did PhysOrg, at least. While it doesn't look like there was much "new" information for those who know about the UFO enigma, it's nice to see that there was some positive, non-mocking information presented by the types of people that will probably carry some weight with the average person.
From what I've seen, it seems like they mostly called for more government investigations(which might nor might not do anything at all even if carried out), pulled out the 9/11-national-security-card, and told their own stories. Certainly nothing ground breaking there, but, progress is progress, I guess.
Seems like the search for the truth probably isn't going to go too much faster than the slow pace it seems to be going at right now, however, just being forward moving is pretty good right now, I think, seeing as how that hasn't always been the case.
I just got back late last night from another wonderful birthday adventure around Florida. Much like +last year, I'll be posting some pictures of the places I went and the things I saw. I just have to actually get some sleep before I get too deep into that...
Basically, the actual solar cell is made up of a "silicon nanocrystalline ink" in a solvent which can be poured into any shape or form required, dried of the solvent, and used just as any conventional solar panel.
Even beyond that, they're projecting costs of 50% less than conventional solar panels, and efficiencies approaching, or surpassing, current thin film technology.
There doesn't seem to be much more than that out there at this point, but if it works out as well as reported, the
The question has me thinking quite a bit lately. It started out when I got involved a bit in Paul and Mac's discussion on contact, and what it's ramifications would be, and it's continuing now with the recent Larry King show on UFOs and the upcoming event at the National Press Club.
It's actually quite an interesting time to be keeping an eye on UFOs and the public reaction recently. O'Hare really seemed to open a lot of eyes, and got mainstream press that wasn't purely mocking. As little as it seemed at the time, it really looks like a step forward now. Of course, recently, Dennis Kucinich was asked about his sighting during a "debate" for democratic nominee for President, which only served to keep the ball rolling it seems.
Momentum seems to be gaining now, even though I was prepared to be completely and totally offended by the Larry King special. To be clear, I haven't actually seen it yet, but I've read the transcript available here. It seems to have been a fairly level headed discussion, on national TV, to a large audience. I almost feel like I'm suddenly in a parallel world here. Have we actually gotten to the point where it's not taboo to discuss this?
From what I've seen lately, I'll stick with my previous thoughts on whether or not we're ready. Some people are, some probably aren't, but it's time to understand what's going on around us. Of course, disclosure and contact are different, but I think they'd likely have similar results.
Imagine all of the world's governments coming forward with what they know and what they don't know. Would we suddenly realize an alien presence among us? Would we be forced to accept cryptoterrestrials right here on our planet? Perhaps we still wouldn't know what, exactly, we were dealing with, but we'd understand that there was something legitimate going on that we had to study. Any one of those would certainly open up a new dialogue amongst all of us.
It seems to me that we must be reaching some sort of a critical point in the study of UFOs. Whether that's "disclosure" or whether that's the opening of legitimate scientific study I'm not sure, but I'll take either one at this point.
I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open over the next few days to see what comes out of the upcoming National Press Club event. It seems like if there's ever going to be something of importance come out of such a gathering, it's going to be this one(and certainly not Hoagland's). There actually seems to be some sort of momentum gathering in this regard, and I, for one, hope it continues.
I was planning on posting about the 2007 Zorgy Awards before I got home from work today. So, I got home from work, checked Paul's site to see if the nominees were up, and I have to admit that I was thoroughly shocked to see this blog as a nominee for best paranormal blog.
Thanks to whoever nominated me. I'm not going to solicit any votes, because I honestly don't think this is the best, but I'm proud to be mentioned in the same space as the other nominees. It's always a goal to be the best at whatever you do, but if you visit them all, you'll know where my vote's going this year.
Beyond all of that, be sure to check out all of the other categories and nominees. There's some great stuff there, as expected.
So, while I won't campaign for myself here at this blog, I will say that I think Book of THoTH deserves all the recognition it can get. Anyone who's spent time there I think realizes that it's a bit of a special place. Please do vote for BoT.
Also, I know we're fairly new to the scene, but if you've listened to the new Book of THoTH podcast over the past couple of months, I think you can see there's something good going on there, and I think that deserves some recognition, too. Jeremy Vaeni has been great as the host, and we've been lucky to get some great guests. The next one isn't locked in yet, as he's on vacation, but I know you aren't going to want to miss it.
Interesting title for my post announcing the newest Book of THoTH podcast, isn't it? Well, this one has turned out to be more than a little different, and I think you're all going to want to find out what the interviewee has to say in this episode.
So, who's being interviewed by Jeremy Vaeni this time? Maitreya Friend, the founder of a religious movement. His site bills it as "God's Eternal Universal Religion" and his site calls it the path to God. Lofty statements, and ones which he thoroughly believes in.
I don't want to make this post a "what do I believe in in terms of religion" post. I think that's nothing that anyone cares about, and I don't want to start any kind of religious argument. I can't stand those, and I think they're completely and totally pointless. More or less, I think that organized religions are far more of a problem than they are a solution, and in terms of spirituality, I think that all rivers lead to the ocean. There's no "correct" way, and anyone who tells you that theirs in the only way should be looked at warily.
Now, first off, Maitreya tells a very compelling story, and one which I thoroughly believe. He had an accident at age eight which he believes set into motion a series of events leading him to where he is today. He had a near death experience, coupled with another one later, in which he saw images, "heard" his mandate, and has fulfilled his part of the deal which he made.
I find that very "paranormal" and well within the limits of my beliefs. I believe he had these experiences, and I believe he is only doing what he sees as what he needs to do to save everyone's souls. A worthy mandate, for certain, and I congratulate him for taking it up and standing up for what he believes in.
As I stated for the Book of THoTH front page:
In this episode Maitreya Friend gives a rare, inside look at the mind of a religious figurehead. Through his in-depth interview with Jeremy Vaeni, he takes the listener through his near death experience at 8 years old, his spiritual awakening, and then relates how the two are actually intertwined.
He explores his belief in God, his understanding of the universe, what he believes happens to souls, and how he believes he can change the world through his spiritual mandate. Maitreya says that he has made a sacrifice for the souls of the people on earth, listen and find out what he means.
Interviews like this don't come around everyday, and Jeremy needs to be congratulated for stepping outside of the box and asking Maitreya to do it. If you go to Maitreya's website, the title is "God's Eternal Universal Religion" and this interview gives a fascinating look at what makes him tick, why he's starting his own religion, and really gets to the heart of his beliefs.
There was absolutely nothing about the man that struck me as anything more than he claimed to be. He's a man who is trying to make sense of the world, the universe, and the great beyond just like the rest of us. Only difference is that he believes he has found some important answers, and he's dealt with that by starting his own religion and proclaimed himself as the head of that religion. Seeing as how I believe that all paths are equally good, and he wasn't clear on whether you're only moving on if you're blessed by him or not, I probably won't be signing up anytime soon, but I bear no ill will toward his beliefs. As I said to him in an e-mail, anyone searching for the voice in spirituality that speaks to them should give his a listen along the path of finding the right one for them.
So, I was surprised to receive a very negative e-mail from one of his followers within 12 hours of the podcast being put up. Particularly seeing as how I believe he got a very favorable interview, the likes of which he probably wouldn't get in almost any other venue.
Basically, he felt that Jeremy's use of the term "cult" in the opening minute of the podcast(even though it was not specifically used to identify their movement, and was clearly used in the meaning of any new religion) offended their beliefs. Not only that, but he opened up the discussion with multiple thinly veiled threats such as:
You are bordering on SLANDER, if not outright being slanderous
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If you don't edit out that slanderous part, I'm not sure what he (and especially other members) will do.
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They might threaten legal action, I don't know yet.
Unfortunately, I seem to be a magnet for this kind of thing. Am I really that offensive? I'm fairly used to threats, the outright kind and the thinly veiled kind, so I responded as I usually do(which, I know that I probably shouldn't).
Let me start by saying that I'm offended by your threats. I don't deal with them well, and running a site that deals with so many touchy issues I've had plenty of them over the years. I'm tempted to just dismiss you out of hand and let you do whatever you feel like doing due to the fact that you don't seem able to deal with issues like an adult. Please, lets not go down that back and forth road.
That said, I'll have a talk with Jeremy and the owner of the site to decide what we feel is best.
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if you walk up to me on the street and say, "If you look at me I don't know what I'll do," I'll get the hint.
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I'm sensitive to your issue, and even though you throughly turned me off to your cause, I'll look into it and see what we are going to do about your complaint.
Unfortunately, this was followed up by many backs and forths, which probably shouldn't have ever happened. I simply don't deal well with threats or bullying. Every time I get one on a subject, I scream and yell about it even more. Just my way of dealing with people who I feel want to destroy information, I guess. He claimed that he wasn't threatening anything, and I continued to show that I saw it as a threat.
In the end, we've settled on an agreement, which I will adhere to here. I will add Jeremy's disclaimer to the podcast which I have linked to in this post:
I just want to make it clear that in the intro, when I refer to this as a "cult" I mean that in the sense of a new religious movement, not in the nefarious evil cult sense. I don't think Maitreya has secret evil intentions. I think I made that clear but one never knows.
Jeremy
I harbor no ill will toward Maitreya nor any of his followers. As I've said before, all pure spiritual paths are good as far as I'm concerned, and I've seen nothing to make me believe that this one is not good in anyway. I hope that we've found some common ground in the end, after a rocky start. I actually look forward to dealing with them again in the future.
It's nice to see Jeremy Vaeni continuing to get some support out there. I've said it many times before, but I think he's an important element in the paranormal world. He's intelligent, he's well spoken, he's witty and he's not afraid to say what he thinks. I'm very proud to have him doing the BoT podcasts. I think his interview style is excellent, and more than one of the first four guests have e-mailed me to say that Jeremy was a joy to work with and did such a great job that they thought they sounded better for having spoken with him. High praise.
It seems that practically everyone knows about the Kucinich UFO "debate" question by now. I put "debate" in quotes because, as Mac Tonnies said, only here in the US does that pathetic display count as a debate. But, that's not the point, and I'll save that rant for a moment when I'm feeling more like arguing politics.
If you haven't seen it, here it is below:
For now, I'd like to stick to the reasoning behind the question, and the fallout from it. There's quite a few people out there basically giving the old "any publicity is good publicity" line on what it's going to mean for UFOs and the mainstream.
Generally, I can't disagree with that. There's going to be some people who realize that the UFO enigma is real for the first time after hearing that a presidential candidate saw a UFO and they'll go on to tell others, etc. I think Paul Kimball made some good points on the subject.
However, the way the question was asked, the forum it was asked in, and the way that Russert jumped in with stats of his own reeks of political sabotage. Now, lets not harbor any illusions that Kucinich was going to the White House for anything other than a visit. He wasn't, and he isn't. My own belief is that it's mostly because he's too decent and honest to be a politician, and we like our politicians slick and sleazy around these parts, but that's another post for another day.
So, why do I think Kucinich was asked that at this point? Because we're getting down to the "traditional" presidential race time. The final year is when the "real" candidates separate themselves and move on, and the rest fall back and drop out to make way for them.
I think, basically, Kucinich was the slowest prey in the herd. Russert took him down with the easiest way to make him seem like a wacko possible. He brought up UFOs. You can't believe in UFOs, or anything else for that matter beyond what your publicist tells you is OK, in the two party system. It's a joke, it's broken, but, once again, arguing the two party system is another debate for another day.
I was actually proud of the way Kucinich handled himself. He didn't lie, he said he saw it, and he deftly pointed out that it was an unidentified object in the air, not an alien mothership. I imagine that subtle point was lost on about 80% of americans, but that's not his fault. He tried to explain, and get in a shot at Bush at the same time, but he was basically shouted down by Russert, who interjected himself into Kucinich's time with stats.
My question at this point was, and still is, what is the "moderator" doing with stats of his own that he's throwing out there while a candidate is trying to talk? When Hillary Clinton throws out a stat about health care does Russert have the latest polls ready to throw back in her face? I mean, the poor guy only had 30 seconds to try to explain why he's not crazy to begin with, trying to talk over a suddenly rowdy crowd as well as the moderator doesn't help.
The guy was thrown under the bus in an effort to try to get him to drop out of the race, I believe.
I'm sure most people really don't care. Like I said, he wasn't going to win anyway, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who thinks he would. However, it was a political cheap shot and one that Russert should be ashamed of.
Like him or not, Kucinich actually brings a lot of knowledge, outside the box thinking, and political experience to the debates. He's not afraid to talk about subjects that other candidates won't touch, and he's honest and willing to talk real life. I think that's something that we should all demand more of in our politicians and is particularly necessary in these phony staged events called debates.
In the end, will this help people understand the UFO enigma? Maybe. Probably not. A few more people might begin to realize that there's something going on, but it's more likely to stir up dissent and mocking from those who can't believe and won't think about it. I sincerely hope something good comes from this, but it probably killed one presidential run dead in its tracks, possibly killed one political career, and even managed to make a mockery of what was already a shameful "debate" system in my mind.
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