With a vast and involved history having to do with research of the unexplained, we are fortunate to also receive some clarification from the retired Colonel regarding allegations made in The Men Who Stare At Goats, many of which he says were outright fabricated to fit a Hollywood screenplay.

Referring to the book the film was based on, Alexander states “While listed as nonfiction, the facts were extrapolated almost beyond recognition.” He tells in a review of the film appearing at the Films in Review website that, “With support of senior leadership, we were consciously pushing the envelope. It should be noted that all of the explorations undertaken were done based on solid rationale.” There were, however, a few allegations made in the film which don’t appear to have met this “solid rationale” that Alexander mandates, to which he emphatically states there was no participation, or even basis of reality to confirm these activities. Chief among these, regarding the use of LSD in government mind-science programs that involved remote-viewing and the like, he says “not only NO, BUT HELL NO.”

Among the projects for which he says there is a fact basis are hamster and goat-staring, “Jedi” projects, spoon bending (Alexander says this was taught to hundreds), cloud busting, computer crashing, fire walking, and many other activities. Strangely (or not), the practice of running into walls–perhaps one of the more mundane activities portrayed in the film–was never attempted.

For instance, today marks the day Dr. Stephen Greer will present a lecture to students and the general public at a University in Asheville, North Carolina, which is much anticipated here in my community. With all the whispers making the rounds about various political figures and their involvement with “911 Truth” websites, I find particular interest in the notion that Greer’s lecture happened to be scheduled for this weekend, and can’t help but wonder if he’ll have any insights regarding the most terrible American tragedy. According to some, UFO documents aren’t the only information being withheld by intelligence agencies, and regardless of one’s personal perspectives of the matter, the notion that some seek “disclosure” applies to a web of silence and misdirection that extends far beyond aliens and UFOs; if anything, they are only one piece of the puzzle.

Enough time seems to have passed by now… people have learned to breathe again. Nonetheless, a Post-911 America–as some call it–is certainly a different world from what it may have been had the terrorist attacks never occurred. This, we all wish, seems to be the general consensus: that it all could have been prevented. History, however, can’t be changed… it can only be re-written. In spite of the tragedy, are there still a few ways we are better for it? Does our heightened awareness of the dangers we face prevent us somewhat of becoming apathetic to legitimate concerns? It seems so; post 9-11 America has seen the publication of books like my pal Bill Forstchen’s One Second After, and although Bill’s book is fiction, it nonetheless serves as a grim reminder of what pure chaos might feel like.

For a few days back in 2001, I think most of us had a brief taste of it.

More synchronicity: today I received Nick Redfern’s new book Science Fiction Secrets from Patrick Huyghe at Anomalist Books. In a chapter simply titled 9-11, Redfern describes how an offshoot of the popular X-Files program called The Lone Gunmen featured in its first televised episode a strangely familiar scenario: a hacker managed to take control of a Boeing 727 from its departure point in Boston, directing it straight for one of the Twin Towers. The show outlined the reason for the attacks as being intended to increase the US military defense budget by blaming the attack on foreign dictators. Indeed, this does sound strange, right down to the similarities between conspiratorial views of the 9-11 disaster; strangely, The Lone Gunmen episode aired six months prior to the September 11 2001 attacks.

“I woke up on September 11 and saw it on TV and the first thing I thought of was The Lone Gunmen” said one of the show’s executive producers, Frank Spotnitz. Many others have drawn the same parallel, causing us to consider if this indeed was strange synchronicity, life imitating art, or something far more serious?

Fitting that brother Redfern’s book arrived today of all days; it serves as a fitting reminder, and readers might be able to discern that I’m a bit reflective now, especially from my apparent wrambling on the subject (”w” is intentional in this misspelling, as it denotes written rambling).

I can’t imagine a better time to be reminded of something we should never forget.

China and Russia have both spoken out in the past regarding the removal of the US dollar from its place as the international standard monetary unit. However, the report suggests proposals that would encourage such surplus nations to stimulate their economies and cut their own imbalances; the present system has deficit nations such as the UK and US taking the main burden of readjustment.

Back in 1984 (a pivotal year of dark significance for Orwellian scholars), Iowa statesman and American political activist Donald Kimball wrote in his book The Money and the Power that “The real money of mankind has come to have certain true qualities. Those are that any money that will have any lasting worth to man’s economic existence must have the three essential qualities that are a store of value, a standard of measure and a medium of exchange. When money does not have, or ceases to retain, those three qualities it will no longer serve its true purpose.” Kimball warned that, with time, “the pure purpose of money became distorted.” As opposed being a unit of currency with precious metals in reserve to back its actual worth, a flippant fiat system was put in place, allowing the mass production of currency as needed, with no actual worth behind it. Remaining a deficit nation, all the while shouldering the financial burden for so many countries that are fiscally considered “surplus nations”, has cause the US to take the brunt of the economic discourse that has led to the worst global economic crisis in ages… and it only seems to be getting worse.

Nonetheless, modern conspiracy theorists may read this headline and suppose that measures to shift global currency standards are another step toward the ultimate goal: establishment of a one-world-government. Is there a vast international conspiracy at work here, or is the faltering American dollar’s present state a product of its use (or misuse) over the last several decades? What do you think?

In reality, less than two decades after the publication of Stevenson’s novella, a real Mr. Hyde–Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde–began using tools of his profession as a doctor to cause the premature deaths of those in the family he had married into. Hyde had eloped with young Frances Swope, whose uncle was Kansas City millionaire Col. Thomas Swope. Trusting their gut, the Swope family had strongly opposed the marriage, believing that Hyde only wanted to marry into money. Had they only known to what extremes the mad doctor would go, extremes that included murder by bleeding and poisoning, he might have been shot before he walked down the aisle.

Crime historian Dan Norder has written an interesting history of the real Mr. Hyde, which can be read by following the link below:

The Strange But True Case of Dr Hyde: Poisoner

Gibbs is already being criticized by folks posting in comment forums on a variety of websites carrying this video, mostly due to the fact that he appears to be “snickering” as the caller poses his question. However, it seems that, when addressing politicians about this sort of thing, Gibbs’ handling of the question was far better than what we’ve seen in the past, even from Obama, who has been asked similar questions on a few occasions. For instance, recalling the late October 2008 Democratic debates we are reminded that Obama was asked by the late Tim Russert if he believed in intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe. Obama quickly dodged the question, using the opportunity to instead reflect his concern for “life here on Earth.” In addition to a wry grin similar to that displayed by Gibbs in the video above, I remember detecting a slight air of criticism in his voice as I watched that evening, likely at the notion that the commentators would use time given for debate to discus aliens and UFOs instead.

Indeed, when discussing politics, if you throw in questions about UFOs or other strange phenomena it’s unlikely at best to assume that you’ll end up sparking a debate that leads to any great revelation. After all, most people in positions of authority strive to protect their public image, and if indeed UFOs are of any interest to the Obama administration, they likely won’t be planning to go public with such info any time soon. Therefore, Gibbs’ approach, in which he says “Ryan, I take your question seriously, not simply because of the topic, but also because if you’re calling from Seattle and it’s a little after seven here, it’s a little after four in the morning there,” seems legitimate, in that he attempts to express that he is of a mind to take the subject seriously. Though he then admits that “I haven’t talked to the President about this topic,” this doesn’t necessarily indicate that he’s dismissing the caller; with all the concern over Health Care, the recession, threats from countries like North Korea, and other subjects the media bombards Gibbs with daily as White House Press Spokesperson, it is indeed likely that he and President Obama haven’t discussed UFOs.

Nonetheless, let’s hope at some point that they do find time to chat about this; like everyone else, I’ll admit that I’d find it interesting to see what Gibbs (or Obama, for that matter) would have to say about the matter under better circumstances.

OneNewsNow discussed the dangers of human-animal hybridization with Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council, who warns that he expects there will be many who will fight against the bill. ”There are already scientists who are planning and starting experiments to combine human and animal hybrid embryos for experiment,” he says. The proposed bill will not affect use of animals or humans in legitimate research, “but would ban creation in the laboratory of part-human, part-animal creatures that would blur the line between the species.”

Hollywood films ranging from Planet of the Apes to Star Wars have somewhat helped condition humans to the idea of what co-existence with human-animal hybrids might be like. Historically, in addition to studies performed by the Soviets in the early part of the twentieth century, as I noted in my post from last year titled Humanzees and Hybrids: Science or Monkey Business, “similar reports have been uncovered having to do with facilities in Italy during wartime, as well as in China in the 1960s. One compelling case allegedly took place in the United States in the 1920s, as reported by University at Albany psychologist Gordon Gallup who told of a human-chimp hybrid that “was successfully engendered and born at the old Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Orange Park, Florida in the 1920s”, and “destroyed” afterward by participating scientists. Another interesting report featured in issue 44 of National Vanguard magazine in 1976 described a “man of sorts” who some claimed was also a ape-human hybrid. “Bassou”, as he was called, ”lives in the Valley of Dades, near the town of Skoura, in Morocco. He sleeps in the trees there and subsists on dates, berries, and insects. He wears no clothes, uses no tools, and speaks only in grunts.”

Perhaps hybrids have already existed… if this is the case, it also begs the question: would enacting legal measures really conclusively prevent such things from occurring again?

Now Bassett claims that wielding such evidence may bring UFO disclosure to the forefront of American (and global) politics. This weekend, he issued some remarkably bold statements while CNN’s cameras rolled, telling the audience “This is not a threat,” then joking that “you don’t threaten the United States government, they’re heavily armed.”

However, next he issued an ultimatum: “If disclosure has not taken place (by the end of May 2009), PRG has… a substantial network and quite a bit of documentary evidence connected to (UFOs); particularly politically, particularly to the Rockefeller initiative and the Clinton Administration, and we’re going to be extensively putting that out to the media. It’s going to make this is as difficult on them as possible.” Below is the direct link to Bassett’s statements from above:

Bassett’s Ultimatum

Expopolitics, in the sense that Bassett and others might consider it, isn’t described all-too-often on this blog, though I must admit that serious pushing for disclosure of anything UFO-related in such a way may (politically) be one of the most viable modern means of representing the field of Ufology. It seems that if headway is to be made, perhaps the issues must be required to extend beyond the demographic of fringe publications (like this one) and into the minds of the mainstream media of today.

Could such political activism result in that “ultimate disclosure” thing we’ve been waiting so long for?

But for those of you who may be superstitious types, fear not. National Geographic reminds us that “three Friday the 13ths is the yearly maximum, as long as societies continue to mark time with the Gregorian calendar, which Pope Gregory XIII ordered the Catholic Church to adopt in 1582.” Indeed, it just so happens that we had two of them falling within consecutive months in 2009; at least we get a little break before the next one.

However, there are other strange coincidences that occur within our calendar regarding this most unlucky of numbers. According to Underwood Dudley, a professor emeritus of mathematics at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, the 13th actually falls on Friday more often than any other day of the week. Dudley told National Geographic that this is “just a funny coincidence.” But is the prominence of the number 13 throughout various cultures so simply brushed aside as something trivial, or could there indeed be more to the equation?

As far back as 1780 BC, the thirteenth law was omitted from the Code of Hammurabi, sixth king of Babylon; perhaps the earliest recorded omission of the number thirteen due to superstition. Persians also once believed they had to leave their houses to avoid bad luck on the thirteenth day of the Persian Calendar, since the thirteenth constellation of the Zodiac represented chaos. According to the Christian faith, we are reminded that there were in fact thirteen disciples seated at the Last Supper, the unlucky last to seat being (you guessed it) Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Christ. Similarly, in Norse traditions it is maintained that the evil and mischievous god Loki crashed a dinner banquet of 12 (making him the thirteenth “guest”), where he killed Baldr with a mistletoe spear. Even some of the darkest periods in American history have associations with the number, which include, for instance, the period of Prohibition, which lasted for thirteen years.

Such traditions have helped thirteen maintain its position as an unlucky number for the last several centuries, especially in Western society. Since the 1800s, Friday the thirteenth has been considered a dark day, with fear of the number thirteen being recognized as a valid phobia (called Triskaidekaphobia). With such rampant superstition prevailing at various times, in 1881 a group of aristocratic New Yorkers that included Civil War veteran Captain William Fowler came together to put an end to the unlucky number. A dinner cabaret club was formed, and given the original title “the Thirteen Club.” At the group’s first meeting, held on none other than the 13th of January 1881 (a Friday) at 8:13 PM, 13 people sat down to dine in room number thirteen of the restaurant they had chosen, each guest strolled under a ladder to enter the room, and each was seated among piles of spilled salt. Miraculously, each and every one of the guests survived the experience. As a result of the meeting, a peculiar trend toward Thirteen Clubs began to emerge, with similar groups appearing all over North America for the next 40 years. Among the ranks of these groups would be five future U.S. presidents, including Chester A. Arthur and Teddy Roosevelt.

Another famous attendee of many Thirteen club groups was Robert Ingersoll, an American political leader and defender of agnosticism during the late 19th century. At an address at a Thirteen Club Dinner in 1886, Ingersoll stated, “If I have any superstition, it is a superstition against superstition. It seems to me that the first things for every man, whether in or out of office to believe in, the first things to rely on, are demonstrated facts. These are the corner stones, these are the columns that nothing can move, these are the stars that no darkness can hide, these are the true and only foundations of belief.” Ingersoll also famously included belief in the supernatural, miracles, spells, charms, dreams and prophecies as elements of what he collectively called superstition.

Not surprisingly, the Thirteen Clubs’ popularity did begin to curb people’s fears in many popular superstitions of the day. Still, many of these same beliefs  prevail in modern times; whether or not they are taken completely seriously. Perhaps folks like Ingersoll have succeeded in helping combat people’s unfounded fears over the years. Still, it seems that even if fear itself is all people have to be frightened of, humanity has always, and will inevitably continue to find things to concern themselves with; whether or not they truly exist.

At the Sunshine Week website, the following information is outlined:

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.

Sunshine Week is led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and is funded primarily by a challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami.

Though spearheaded by journalists, Sunshine Week is about the public’s right to know what its government is doing, and why. Sunshine Week seeks to enlighten and empower people to play an active role in their government at all levels, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better and their communities stronger.

Sunshine Week is a non-partisan initiative whose supporters are conservative, liberal and everything in between.

The only requirement for participants is that you do something to engage in a discussion about the importance of open government. It could be a large public forum or a classroom discussion, an article or series of articles about access to important information, or an editorial. The extent to which you participate is up to you, the individuals involved, and the ways you hope to help in efforts to achieve disclosure. In my hometown, writer Jon Elliston with the Mountain Xpress decided to do his own “Xpress Files”, with this week’s cover story featuring his own local efforts to promote shining a little light on the darker areas of our government. If you’d like to participate, you can learn more about the Sunshine Week project by visiting the link below:

http://www.sunshineweek.org/

What is collectively less well-known about Twain is his involvement with the mystical things that sometimes reach from beyond, touching those of us who, perhaps by way of magic… or more likely mere circumstance, tend to play against the fates and influence our lives.

Twain was born only two weeks after the closest approach of Haley’s Comet in 1835, and perhaps it was a sprinkling of the cosmic dust of the comet’s tail that peppered the youth with such seeds of an unconventional life. He would go on to befriend many of the world’s most famous people of the day, including oil tycoon Henry H. Rogers, Hellen Kellar, Booker T. Washington, and famed inventor Nikola Tesla. In fact, Tesla once credited Twain with saving his life; having fallen ill at an early age, Tesla claimed that it was the joy he took from reading Twain’s works that helped him through his sickness. Indeed, Twain’s influence may have saved Tesla, but conversely one must take into account that perhaps Twain was also influenced by the great inventor just as well, since the writer is also credited with the invention of a variety of things ranging from bed clamps for infants to steam engines.

In spite of his interesting lifestyle and variety of colorful colleagues, Twain was no stranger to encounters with the mystical. In the late 1850s, Twain is said to have experienced “an unusually vivid dream” where the body of his brother, Henry, was seen lying dead. Specific details of the dream included a large metal coffin in which Henry rested, positioned in the center of their sister’s sitting room. The coffin sat upon two chairs, and a bouquet of flowers with one red rose in its center lay across Henry’s chest. To Twain’s shock and surprise, Henry died only weeks later due to injuries sustained in a boat accident. Twain attended the wake, and just as it had appeared in the prophetic dream, he found Henry lying in a metal coffin supported by two chairs. Only one item was missing… and just as Twain entered the room, a woman close behind him appeared with a large bouquet of flowers, placing them on Henry’s chest. A single red rose rested in its center.

Twain not only was able to predict the death of his brother, but also accurately foresaw his own last days. “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835,” he once said. “It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together’.” Not surprisingly, Twain’s prediction was accurate. He died of a heart attack on April 21 in Redding, Connecticut, just a day after the comet’s closest approach to Earth in 1910.

In spite of the time and circumstances of his death, is it possible that Twain’s overwhelming presence and character might have lived on? Between 1915 and 1917, struggling novelist and newspaper writer Emily Grant Hutchings, along with Spiritualist medium Lola V. Hays, claimed to have authored several stories that were “dictated” to them by Twain from beyond the grave using a Ouija board. Similarly, in the 1960s Missouri residents John and Mildred Swanson also claimed to have used a similar apparatus (they called it a “Nona board”) to conjure the deceased novelist. Was it their imaginations that created the semblance of one of America’s greatest writers, speaking to them from beyond the veil of death? Or, could it be that the strong-willed Missourian did indeed reach through to these individuals, perhaps just to “stir the pot” as he so often did with his own writing while he lived? It’s hard to say, but Sam Clemens couldn’t be a likelier candidate for such spooky activity, and remnants of his life and work, whether or not they’ve been dictated through occult means, will continue to meander in our minds for as long as the Mississippi is wide.