Info-ParaNet Newsletters Volume I Number 358 Saturday, February 2nd 1991 Today's Topics: The Redshift Factor Forteana Paper God is ET and we're the kids! Global Greenhouse Winter JUST CAUSE Skepticism Re: SKEPTICISM Dave Webb/Spaur Neff Re: Skepticism (Please... spare us [Again!]) Re: Increase Apocalypse feelings! Kudos! Re: JUST CAUSE Skepticism ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Michael Corbin) Subject: The Redshift Factor Date: 1 Feb 91 15:58:00 GMT > From: snelson@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Steven Nelson) > > In one of his Visitors books, Whitley Streiber > mentioned a > then-unpublished book called _The Redshift Factor_, or > something similar, > which claimed to have translated some alleged alien > languages through Gaelic > into English. Has this book made it to press yet? We are checking into this. I will let you know. Mike -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Michael Corbin) Subject: Forteana Paper Date: 1 Feb 91 16:02:00 GMT This was uploaded by one of our contributors. This file was provided by ParaNet(sm) Information Service and its network of international affiliates. You may freely distribute this file as long as this header remains intact. ============================================================ For further information on ParaNet(sm), contact: Michael Corbin ParaNet Information Service P.O. Box 928 Wheatridge, CO 80034-0928 or Netmail 1:104/422 ============================================================ DOMINANT PATTERNS IN FORTEAN PHENOMENA Eight Fortean Categories There are in general nine basic classes of Fortean phenomena. These categorizations are not meant to be all-inclusive and in fact there are many cases of 'overlap' where one phenomenon could just as easily fit in one category as the other; likewise there are probably others which would not fall in any of these at all. But I believe it to be a passable start at a 'science of Forteana.' The nine categories are : 1) Apparitions. These are appearances of beings of unknown nature - phantom strangers, aliens, fairies, monsters, 'spirits', etc. Some apparitions appear to be 'phantasms' - that is, projections or 'tape recordings' that do not interact with witnesses; others seem to have some form of direction because they can interact with the world around them, signifying a controlling intelligece. 2) Manifestations. These are things that appear in places where they would not be found normally, either because they are anachronistic, extrinsic, or come from places where they could not possibly originate (such as the sky) - 'apports', OOPARTS (out-of-place artefacts), falling substances (such as blood or frogs), Holes In the Ice, etc. 3) Phantasmagoria. These are occurences that impact upon the senses, but, strictly speaking, are not 'things' - spook lights, singing sands, skyquakes, mysterous noises, upside-down rainbows, etc. 4) Wild Talents. These are 'paranormal', 'psychic', or otherwise extraordinary abilities manifested during times of other Fortean occurences: one notable example is the remarkable resistance to pain demonstrated by fanatics during the Welsh Revival of 1904-05. Such things include 'electric' girls, stigmata, levitation, firewalking, precognition, etc. 5) Disappearances. This category includes all things that have either disappeared out of existence altogether or that vanish and reappear at a later point in time - vanishing hitchhikers, ghost ships, lost planes, disappearing people, etc. 6) Synchronicity. These are otherwise 'normal' occurences except that they display outstanding features of having happened at the same time and/or in similar locations or circumstances - such as the death of persons with the same name on the same day. 7) Transformations. This category includes 'natural' things that demonstrate 'unnatural' properties - bodies that won't decay, grass that won't grow back, blood that won't coagulate, rocks that move nightly, etc. 8) Other Scientific Anomalies. This category includes astronomical, geophysical, biological, or meteorological occurences that defy accepted scientific description - planets that are where they shouldn't be, lightning that behaves abnormally, crop 'circles', 'magnetic' hills, abiogenesis of living things, etc. 9) Delusions. These are occurences where two or more persons hallucinate things that clearly are not there - such as the outbreak of people dancing in Italy because they claimed to be immersed knee-deep in blood or the hallucinations of St. Anthony's Fire in Europe. Spatial Patterns One of the most significant spatial patterns is the tendency for these phenomena to follow specific alignments - the 'ley' lines of John Michell and other researchers. Recent discoveries indicate that there may well be a 'World Grid' in the form of an alternating/ pulsating dodeco-isocahedron (much like the Dymaxion Sphere proposed by Buckminster Fuller) that envelops the planet - researchers like Bruce L. Cathie have noted how UFOs and other apparitions tend to follow the lines of this grid. Others, like Soviet scientist Zhirov, note that the Grid overlaps with points of extreme geological, cultural, or mystical significance - ranging from Ponape in the Pacific to the Giza Plain in Egypt to the 'natural atomic reactor' found in Gabon, West Africa - and also demarks Ivan T. Sanderson's ten 'vile vortices' such as the Bermuda Triangle and the Devils' Sea off Japan. Another important spatial pattern is the affinity that Fortean occurences have for certain localities - schoolyards, trailer parks, crossroads, garbage dumps, and swamps. In fact, Fortean phenomena seem to be recurrent in many areas, often given "devil" names, such as Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Temporal Patterns Fortean phenomena seem to follow a definite 'flap' factor - when a 'flap' breaks out, all hell breaks loose. These 'flaps' seem to center in certain years - as UFO researchers have already noted with peak years of the phenomenon. Some of these 'flaps' seem to follow a mysterious periodicity, like the multiyearly cycle of locust migrations or the sunspot cycle. Likewise, Fortean events seem to cluster in certain months (as Loren Coleman and other researchers have noted), showing an avoidance for May but definite peaks around certain dates of significance, such as June 24 - St. John the Baptist's feast day, otherwise known as Midsummer's Eve, and November 1 (the Celtic Lammas festival). And researchers like John Keel have noted weekly periodicities - a definite propensity for Wednesdays and Saturdays around 10 PM is frequently shown. Another significant factor is that the phenomena tend to occur during times of ecological change - the Gaia factor - such as during extreme activity of the Earth's magnetic field, freak weather, extreme temperature, or seismic acittvity. Relational Patterns The most important relational factor is the 'Name Game' played by the phenomena. They tend to focus around people or geographic localities with unusual names such as Fayette or McDaniel. Jim Brandon calls this part of the 'Rebirth of Pan' - a magical game of sympathetic attraction where certain names seem to attract certain mysterious forces. People separated by miles with the same last name may be harassed with similar occurences; sometimes the phenomena even inexplicably draw the two individuals together. Other symbolic patterns turn up though ... numbers like 23 (a favorite of Robert Anton Wilson) and 33 (important to the Masons) frequently turn up in connection somehow with the occurences, as do certain icons such as the Greek letter Sigma or the swastika. Certain colors even seem to be favored... a recent wave of phantom snipers all drove blue cars when they carried out their tasks. Many of these patterns suggest a universe linked by information (events, associations, and allegories) rather than one linked by space and time. More than coincidence, these patterns may be clues to synchronicity - the 'acausal connecting principle'behind the phenomena. Fortean Phenomena and Cybernetics(Systems Theory) Many Fortean researchers have seriously begun the application of systems theory to the Fortean problem of 'teleportation' - why certain things are brought from one place to another. Many believe that these phenomena may well demonstrate our universe to be an open system, constantly transferring matter the way a thermostat moves around masses of air to maintain a constant temperature. Indeed, the whole resistance of life to entropy and its strange way of drawing in energy to generate increasing order suggest that the whole cosmos may well be, as Plato suggested, a living being - and the cosmic currents of space are its 'arteries.' Perhaps there are cosmic streams of orgone, as Wilhelm Reich supposed, linking the worlds and creating new potentialities through their superimposition. This is no idle fantasy; many astronomers such as Fred Hoyle have maintained the panspermia hypothesis, suggesting that the chemical 'seeds' of life may be blown through space, generating life when they discover a suitable world. There need be no 'intelligence' behind it; as nature abhors a vaccuum, perhaps when the supply of frogs is low on our planet, a new batch may be 'teleported' in to meet the need, just as our bodies dispatch antibodies automatically upon detection of infection. What Bait for Goblins? On the Borderland The famous cryptozoo hunter F.W. "Ted" Holiday wrote a remarkble account of his insights into the 'Nessie' phenomenon in his book, The Goblin Universe. He had explored much of the Anglo-Saxon and earlier lore surrounding Loch Ness and discovered that the 'Orm' or serpent of the lake was often iconographically connected with the 'Disc,' usually assumed by antiquarians to be a sun-symbol. However, he knew that the area had always been host to a great deal of UFO sightings and that the 'Disc' might well represent something else... what thrust him even more into paranormal waters was the elusiveness of Nessie, who tended to vanish into "thin water" and somehow managed to jam the cameras in his presence. This put ol' Nessie into the category of other phantom beasties who tended to jump on peoples' windshields and then disappear in the face of hot pursuit. The bugger might not just be hiding in the crags of the loch, craftfully dodging numerous radar sweeps, but vanishing into... where? The most common theory employed by most cryptozoologists is the 'hideout' theory - that the elusive critters are simply species that are so well concealed as to have avoided both cataloguing and capture. But these 'flesh-and-blood' cryptozoo hunters are often disappointed when their hairy prey fails to leave behind much more than a footprint or an awful stench. It may be they are chasing something not quite from this world - such as the 'blob' found on a beach in 1952 which seems to have melted back into the nothingness out of which it came. There is a possibility here that these monsters - and much else that is 'damned' by tunnel-visioned science - may not quite be from our world, but instead hail from a borderland which is a place of transit between our reality and another - a place where such traffic is, for the moment, one-way. The World Grid and 'Forteana' Magnets At such places, the phenomena may recur for centuries, taking distinct forms in each new era - phantom airships in the 19th century, flying saucers in the 20th, etc. The 'Flaps' of Gaia Games Nonpeople Play Teleportation Systems Theory The Cyberbiological Component It is clear that the human biological system is affected by external influences of many kinds - electromagnetic, chemical, meterological, astronomical, etc. What Michael Persinger and others have noted is that, under proper stimulation, people often undergo powerful reality-altering experiences. While Persinger discusses in particular the temporal lobes within the brain and their role in psychomystical experience, Dennis Stillings and others involved with the Archaeus project have been looking at the human bioenergetic system as a totality and how EM fields may actually influence perception and/or behavior. (Much of this research is interesting in light of Carlos Castenada's descriptions of Don Juan's art of seeing , where beings are seen as blobs of light with central discs which are known as centers of attention. Don Juan and other masters were able to shift the center of attention and in so doing literally wrench the perceptions of their disciples to another reality. ) Researchers like Robert O. Becker have firmly demonstrated that electromagnetic fields act upon our health, either negatively or positively, depending on their nature; radiobiologists building on the work of Georges Lakhovsky realize that EM oscillation may be an important form of communication in the animal world. But most amazing is the groundbreaking research suggested by Peter Redgrove and others which shows just how dependent people are on their hidden senses constantly being informed by their electromagnetic environment - what Redgrove calls the 'continuum.' In a similar vein, Andrija Puharich and others have noted how the human brainwave frequency may be altered by the resonance of low-frequency (ELF) fields. With the health effects of such low-intensity fields around power lines being such a hot debate currently, further research on EM physiological effects on people may be indefinitely stalled. A Modest Proposal Fortean researchers certainly will have their hands filled dealing with these questions in coming years. Until we have universities willing to teach courses in paradigm revision, anomalistics, and such, there will not be much headway taking place there. But how about it? Wouldn't a Department of Fortean Studies be a wonderful thing to start an an open minded university? Any takers? Those interested in such cataloguing might consult William R. Corliss' Sourcebook Project for further guidance. Childress, David Hatcher. Anti-Gravity and the World Grid. see also, Tompkins, Peter. Mysteries of the Mexican Pyramids. Coleman, Loren. Curious Encounters. Keel, John A. UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse. see Brandon, Jim A. The Rebirth of Pan: America's Earth Spirit. see Michell, John and Rickard, Robert M. Living Wonders. Much of this was documented posthumously in the book by Colin Wilson, Mysteries. Redgrove, Peter. The Black Goddess and the Unseen Real, A good summary of recent controversies may be found in Robert O. Becker and Gary Selder's book, The Body Electric. END PARANET FILE NAME: FORTEANA -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Kurt Lochner) Subject: God is ET and we're the kids! Date: 31 Jan 91 08:34:21 GMT I don't know if I've got the hang of addressing this to you, so let me know what happens..... > > From: User > > Finally, I would like to put forth an extension of the > GOD = ET theory > in that we are presently in the end stages of the > 'human drama'. I have > a hunch that this Gulf thing has to do with all of > this... maybe a long shot, but still. I doubt it seriously......still, it could become just like we all have fears of it doing. > I think we should focus more on the Ancient > Astronauts theme instead of getting bogged down on > recent UFO material. Hard to say though I've been reading some about it. > > Also, the model of FLATLAND (2 dimensional universe) > applied to us, in a 3D versus 2D interaction, > can explain ghost sightings, etc... (as a > higher dimension interaction) and LIFEMAKER's model > can explain our telepathy, clairvoyance, etc... Yeah, I've got a feeling that could explain why most scientific instrumentation fails to give any evidence. > > Any takers? > > P.S: And this explains the 'missing link'. In > Genesis they tell of how supernatural beings mated > with human females... but there's a textfile on that. > Oh, I've been reading the original book about that. It's pretty tiresome to read but it is thorough enough that I can give it high marks for veracity. I've wondered about the asteroid belt for a while, though there's calculated to be only 1/10 the mass a planet in that orbit might have. Any replies? -- Kurt Lochner - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Kurt Lochner) Subject: Global Greenhouse Winter Date: 31 Jan 91 08:54:52 GMT In jest, we poked fun at Sagan's new book release... > > > Better yet, give Carl Sagan another grant! He'll find > out & tell you & Ted Koppel! > Hmmm, yeah...I saw that interview on one of my satellite dishes one fine early am. I've read through about half of the book, which is 70% reference to previous papers. Not exactly "light reading" to be sure, but I do have the education in physics and meteorology to accept some of the Nuke Winter Scenario. Still, there's alot of atmospheric interaction with the magnetosphere that hasn't really been considered in this "model" that the book is based on. > > (I knew there was more mileage in his old Nuclear > Winter model! Maybe if he got a 286 to run it on, he > could warn us about similar catastrophes every two > months or so! Hehehehehe) > That's why I bought a '286, to run simulations of a patent I've been working on. Somehow, working on a solar energy related device in 0il-Rich 0klahoma seems a bit of an oxymoron..... > > Best, > Clark > Ha! Back to you .... -- Kurt Lochner - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Kurt Lochner) Subject: JUST CAUSE Date: 31 Jan 91 09:16:56 GMT In a recent post... > The one thing that makes America different from most > other country's is the value that we, as citizens, > place on our freedoms. I can go along with that, but here's what that postal worker said that made me post a reply to you... > " Has money become such a god in this world that elected > officials can so openly rob their own citizens of > basic rights and income, while just as openly granting > themselves huge salary increases and expecting to be > admired by those very same people who are now made > criminals for using the printed or spoken word? This is relevent to many discussions, perhaps it's some aspect of human culture that we might examine history for some kind of lesson. I don't think that the enactment of this particular law was directed at anyone other than former government officials that write about "inside" goings on in governments.... -- Kurt Lochner - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Kurt Lochner) Subject: Skepticism Date: 31 Jan 91 09:19:18 GMT Hey ... What would it take to get Lynn over here on ParaNet? I kinda miss his discussions and wit over on UFO/Fido. I can't get Fido/UFO here and wouldn't want it again.... -- Kurt Lochner - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Kurt.Lochner@f22.n14766.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Pete.Porro@f414.n154.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Pete Porro) Subject: Re: SKEPTICISM Date: 30 Jan 91 20:10:46 GMT When you see the replys I hope you get another laugh. Could not help myself from being silly. Healty debate of issues and skeptic questioning is necessary to maintain some control over the flow of information and disinformation. -- Pete Porro - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Pete.Porro@f414.n154.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cwns1.ins.cwru.edu!aa440 Subject: Dave Webb/Spaur Neff Date: 2 Feb 91 12:15:26 GMT From: aa440@cleveland.freenet.edu (Dale Wedge) Dave, CUFOS was quite good in supplying information. The letter from Mark Rodeghier states as follows, 'As promised, enclosed is a great deal of the material in the Ravenna, Ohio case from April 17, 1966. The amount of material we have is quite extensive, and I've sent along initially Weitzel's report plus some additional investigative documents and clippings. As time permits, we'll try to send along some more copies of file documents.' So, from this you can see that they have send alot of info. Basically what I have are all of Weitzel's files up to about October of 1966. I do not have any documentation by you, or any subsequent work that was done was the end of 1966 to now. That is really what I am looking for. Those things that other people gathered during this time who were not in the Weitzel report and anything afterwards. Again, I praise CUFOS for their releasing of the documents to me and I hope that mark reads this and releases more. I'm sure he is bogged down with other requests. Best, -- Dale B. Wedge-----(aa440)----(xx044)----Co-SySop----UFOlogy Sig \\\\\\\\WE DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH YET TO SAY WHAT THEY ARE///////// ////////SO WE MUST CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE UNTIL WE DO\\\\\\\\\ -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cwns1.ins.cwru.edu!ak842 Subject: Re: Skepticism (Please... spare us [Again!]) Date: 3 Feb 91 04:16:02 GMT From: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu (Douglas Dever) Please... The very sarcastic skeptic (Lynn Parham) seems to fail to notice the fact that 'skeptics' often fail to give proof or evidence for their claims. The door seems to swing both ways... *** Proud member of The Cleveland FreeNet UFOlogy SIG *** -- Douglas A. Dever INTERNET: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu Cameraman (1st Class) -- Co-Technical Director Rocky River High School Video Crew -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cwns1.ins.cwru.edu!ak842 Subject: Re: Increase Apocalypse feelings! Date: 3 Feb 91 04:37:28 GMT From: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu (Douglas Dever) Dale, I, too, hope that 'they' are all wrong. However, although I do not believe that this is 'the beginning of the end' , recently I have at times considered the thought. The reason is, you hear so much from everyone about how the war of 'blood for oil' will be where the end starts from. Also, how the Bible gives a 2,000 year deadline. I believe, however, that the war in the gulf is for so much more than oil and that these people are wrong. However, when you keep hearing it from everyone, you do begin to wonder... many begin to believe. *** Proud member of The Cleveland FreeNet UFOlogy SIG *** -- Douglas A. Dever INTERNET: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu Cameraman (1st Class) -- Co-Technical Director Rocky River High School Video Crew -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cwns1.ins.cwru.edu!ak842 Subject: Kudos! Date: 3 Feb 91 04:38:41 GMT From: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu (Douglas Dever) I would like to publicly tell Info-Paranet how much I enjoyed the EBE series of 18 messages. I found the article extremely enjoyable and informative. The information is one of the many reasons why I read the net. Great Job! *** Proud member of The Cleveland Free-Net UFOlogy SIG *** -- Douglas A. Dever INTERNET: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu Cameraman (1st Class) -- Co-Technical Director Rocky River High School Video Crew -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cwns1.ins.cwru.edu!ak842 Subject: Re: JUST CAUSE Date: 3 Feb 91 04:39:28 GMT From: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu (Douglas Dever) I can't believe that the government is trying to get away with this. I am a high school free-lance writer who is working on his second short-story but more importantly than that, writes for his school newspaper. I write some editorials that have given me a small fight over censorship, so I can say , I know how it feels when you are censored. The government *cannot be allowed* to infringe on the 1st amendment. It goes against everything all of our soldiers (and everyone else who is an American) has ever stood up for... and is still standing up for to this day. If the government can do this to one of our most sacred rights... which one can they take next. Write your congressman (women) and demand that this be repealed. We the people cannot allow the government to start taking rights away from us... and we are the ones who have to do something about it when they do. So, take a stand! *** Proud member of the Cleveland FreeNet UFOlogy SIG *** -- Douglas A. Dever INTERNET: ak842@cleveland.freenet.edu Cameraman (1st Class) -- Co-Technical Director Rocky River High School Video Crew -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Michael Corbin) Subject: Skepticism Date: 2 Feb 91 16:02:00 GMT > What would it take to get Lynn over here on ParaNet? > I kinda miss his discussions and wit over on UFO/Fido. Do you know how to get in contact with Lynn? I would be happy to call him, if we can find access to him. Mike -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Michael.Corbin@f4.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG ********To have your comments in the next issue, send electronic mail to******** 'infopara' at the following address: UUCP {ncar,isis,boulder}!scicom!infopara DOMAIN infopara@scicom.alphacdc.com ADMIN Address infopara-request@scicom.alphacdc.com {ncar,isis,boulder}!scicom!infopara-request ******************The**End**of**Info-ParaNet**Newsletter************************