The Gralien Report

Below is a video of the New York-based girl group, “The Bambi Killers.” The gals are described as “an extremely unconventional rock’n'roll performance art trio in New York City who wear provocative costumes, drink blood onstage, and have cat fights while trying to get across their message about corporate aggression.” Note that early in the video, one of the girls states that all three are subscribers to Coast to Coast AM, and that they do actually believe that UFOs buzz the skies above us.

Interestingly, The Bambi Killers call their live show “The Patriot Act.” Enjoy this wild and very provocative bit of art-rock!

Thanks to Peter Bernard for sharing this link.

After years of scientific scrutiny being applied to ancient relics like the Shroud of Turin (which new studies have relied on in producing the “face of Jesus”), now one of the modern era’s most enigmatic ancient documents, the Voynich Manuscript, is undergoing closer study also, as depicted in a new documentary.

The document and its content, which have riddled scholars for centuries, depicts a variety of flora and fauna, as well as many strange cultural elements and various symbolism that have been associated with everything from early attempts at botany and the study of natural herbs and remedies, to medieval magic and alchemical studies. As has been the case with many documents from this its presumed era, a handful of scholars have gone so far as to offer the somewhat blase’ theory that it was penned by a young Leonardo Davinci.

The new studies, as reported by Fortean Times, represent what are perhaps some of the closest observations performed on the manuscript since previous carbon-14 testing performed at the University of Arizona, which dated it to the early 1400s.

Voynich Under the Microscope

Read the rest of this entry »

Robots have long been implemented in Western society, beginning with Greek Philosopher and mathematician Archytas, who was said to have constructed a small bird out of wood and used steam to power its movements. Conjuring images of the autonomous owl in the film classic Clash of the Titans, the robotic bird Archytas built was then suspended from a pivot bar that allowed it to fly as much as 200 meters before it ran out of steam!

Archytas may have been the first to attempt to create devices that would mimic the functions of nature according to the will of man,  but he was obviously not the last. According to an article that appeared recently at Space Daily, now the military hopes to secure funding for the implementation of robots that can outsource a variety of human-like tasks, as well as those of other creatures, for covert field operations (image above courtesy of DeltaMike via Flickr).

“Robots are automating military ground systems, permitting vital protection of soldiers and people in the field,” the article reads. “One vendor, BAE Systems has an ant size robot useful for reconnaissance and networking robots in development. As soldiers take up secure positions behind a wall, they deploy a small reconnaissance team.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In 1951, a strange thing occurred at a commune in the Gard département in southern France, that apparently involved the mass-poisoning of hundreds of residents, and even the death of seven individuals during the chaos that ensued. Pont-Saint-Esprit, famous for its ties to John Vernou Bouvier III (father of Jackie Kennedy), has long been thought to have succumbed to a regional spread of contaminants, either from bread tainted by seeds affected with mercury, or by the infamous fungus ergot, from which Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman synthesized LSD in 1943. Still, ergotism was, for the most part, vanquished from Europe centuries ago, thus many argue that the events that took place in 1951 weren’t likely to have been caused by such a contamination.

Drug Rehab Program

Therefore, other theories exist. An article appearing in the UK’s Daily Mail last week detailed the peculiar event, also making assertions brought forth in journalist Hank Albarelli’s 2009 book A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments, which makes the case for the events being the result of a classified CIA experiment involving LSD.

Read the rest of this entry »

It sounds more like something from a science fiction story, but it’s just as the headline reads: a new computerized “scientist,” with the semi-cryptically foreboding name “Adam” has now solved a decades-old genetics mystery involving various yeast samples. Along with “his” colleagues Professor Ross King and his group at Aberystwyth University, they believe this experiment not only provides “the perfect lab companion,” but will also shape the next step in the future of mechanized technologies that will assist humans in the future. For the entire story, click here.

Below is a video featuring Adam working around the lab:

The future is tomorrow…

In my book Magic, Mysticism and the Molecule, there are many instances where I discuss the various cultural parallels that exist between people around the world who use methods of entering mystical states (or altered states of consciousness) with interest in communicating with what might be some form of sentient, universal intelligence. In several instances, these parallels specifically involve the appearance of the spirits of the dead as well.

A rather obscure reference to a psychedelic substance used to evoke such an experience was recently discussed at Daniel Pinchbeck’s site Reality Sandwich, in which author Charles Shaw outlines the way the peculiar drug ibogaine, understood to have remarkable abilities in reversing addiction to drugs like heroin, is also used by African tribes to contact their elders (image, right, by Cliff1066 via Flickr).

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid, derived from the Tabernanthe Iboga plant found in West Central Africa. “The iboga root bark contains a powerful psychedelic that has been used as a religious sacrament for centuries,” Shaw explains. Among the Bwiti religion of Gabon, ibogaine is actually a common facet of their rituals, during which Shaw says that “large amounts… are consumed and the initiates are known to enter visionary states where they meet their deceased tribal elders — what they call “the work of the ancestors” — and confront their shadow selves as a means of becoming aware of negative behavior patterns and character traits which cause illness and impede spiritual growth.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Dubbed “Eerie Erie UFOs,” a series of strange lights witnessed for several consecutive nights over Lake Erie have experts baffled. NASA denies tests with aerial craft in Cleveland area, and now dozens of witnesses are wondering what on this Earth (or not of this Earth) they may have seen.

The video above, depicting footage that appeared recently on MSNBC of the strange aerial lights in the skies above Ohio, was sent along by veteran researcher Timothy Green Beckley (who earned the nickname “Mr. UFO” decades ago). Also, joining via the UK to provide special commentary is former MOD UFO special investigator Nick Pope, who lends his insight into the strange phenomenon in question. What were the strange lights recently seen over Lake Erie?

My friend Nick Redfern, author of Contactees: A History of Alien Human Interaction, was recently a guest on Shirley MacLaine’s radio program, Independent Expression, discussing the book. Here’s a link to the interview:

Nick Redfern on “Independent Expression Radio”

As posted at MacLaine’s site, “Nick Redfern’s Contactees contains the fascinating stories of the select group of people chosen by visitors to Earth to spread their message. Are aliens really among us? Don’t be too quick to dismiss their claims. Join us Sunday, March 14, 2010 for an in depth discussion with Nick.”

As a side note, many of you will also remember that actress Shirley MacLaine was the same gal who wrote about 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich’s own sighting of a UFO. Many political commentators poked fun at the incident, which later prompted a statement from then Presidential hopeful Barack Obama in which he said he didn’t know if life exists on other planets, but that he knew “life exists here on Earth.” Whether or not our President knows with any certainty the answers to the mysteries of space and the cosmos, Nick Redfern has objectively offered his own ideas about this subject in Contactees.

Recently, news about the Vatican’s chief exorcist was making the rounds again, thanks to an intriguing interview that was published and subsequently picked up by British news source The Telegraph). Late last week, I blogged about this story for my friends Down Under over at the Mysterious Universe website, which you can view by clicking the link below:

The Devil in Disguise: Demonic Dealings at the Vatican?

Right around the same time, my fellow MU blogger Amelia Crater did this excellent write up about the rather infamous Coast to Coast AM show where host George Noory had been toying with using what is alleged to be one of the occult’s most dangerous trinkets–the Ouija board–during a live broadcast of his popular late-night program. According to Crater, Noory claims that using Ouija boards nearly brought him to “the brink of an unfathomable black pool of chaos.” Here’s her story on it:

Ouija Board took Coast to Coast Host to “Brink of Unfathomable Chaos”

Image (above) by http://www.flickr.com/photos/hate/ / CC BY 2.0

The much anticipated new book by the late Mac Tonnies has been released by Anomalist Books, titled The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us. This book deals with a number of bizarre concepts, but placed forthright by Tonnies, accompanied by his usual intellect and powers of reason, they are afforded what is possibly the best interpretation of aliens as indigenous beings from Earth to-date. Nick Redfern, who in addition to providing the foreword for Tonnies’ book offered this excellent review, had this to share:

Mac was a very good friend of mine; and like all his friends I was shocked to the core when he passed away suddenly and tragically in October 2009, at the age of only 34.

But, I am pleased to say, Mac’s latest – and, inevitably, final – piece of work ensures that his memory, legacy and ability to think outside of the conventional ufological box will live on. That work is The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us.
Read the rest of this entry »