Black Ring: No Aliens!

If you have followed the stupid fuss over the "Black Ring" seen over Leamington Spa, England, check out the new post from Kithra, which clears the matter up in definitively down to earth fashion.

For the record, there's nothing weird about such smoke rings: my father took the above photo way back in the 1960s - at an airshow in England.

And click here for more examples...

Nessie on Land...

Although the overall mystery of the Loch Ness Monsters fascinates me, the one issue that really intrigues me is that of the beasts allegedly being seen on land - and possibly even feeding on land too!

As to why I mention this right now: Roland Watson has an excellent new post on this very issue over at his Loch Ness Mystery blog.

You can find the article here and it begins like this:

"It is back to this blog's occasional series on land sightings and there is one interesting aspect to the Loch Ness Monster on land and that is its role as hunter. Of the thirty five alleged land cases I know about, three are reported with an indication of prey being carried away.

 

"Now sightings of a large creature in Loch Ness are interesting, stories of this monster lumbering about on land are even more fascinating. But stories of the monster helping itself to cows, sheep, deer and other animals around the loch boggles the mind and may make some a bit wary of  wild camping along secluded parts of the shore! Critics have often complained there are not enough fish in the loch to sustain a group of large predators, but what about on land? It is now time to indulge in some wild speculation!"

 

 

 

The NJ UFO Paranormal and Consciousness Conference

My photos from the NJ UFO Paranormal and Consciousness Conference this past weekend, which was a great gig (thanks to Patty, Dave and all the team), and got to hang with friends old and new...

Dead Kittens

Weird: I found two little black kittens dead this morning, next to a bush at the foot of the steps that lead to my second-floor apartment. They didn't look injured at all. They were almost curled up together and looked like they died in their sleep. Odd they were dead together though. Perhaps they had been living wild, as  I do see feral cats here now and again...

Mysterious Universe Articles...

There are several cool new articles over at Mysterious Universe:

1. One man's quest for the Japanese Wolf (by Brent Swancer);

2. Tom Head goes in search of a Martian lake;

3. And Martin Clemens on the legend of Utsuro-bune.

Lake Monsters Or Giant Eels?

My latest Mysterious Universe article focuses on the theory that at least some so-called "lake-monsters" may actually be giant eels. It starts like this:

"When it comes to the matter of lake monsters, two things can be said with a high degree of certainty: (a) sightings have been reported from pretty much all around the world; and (b) the theories for what they may be are as many as they are varied. Ogopogo, Champ, Morag, and the monsters of Loch Ness, Scotland have all captured the collective imagination of the public and the media, as well as the attention of cryptozoologists, the scientific community, and monster-hunters. But, if lake monsters really do exist – and I think they do – then what are they? That’s a good question…

"Certainly, and beyond any shadow of doubt (and particularly so when it comes to the matter of what lurks within Loch Ness) the most popular theory is that the creatures are plesiosaurs: marine reptiles that lived from the Triassic Period, thrived in the Jurassic Period, and finally met their demise at the end of the Cretaceous Period. If such beasts did survive extinction, such a discovery would not just be amazing – it would be beyond amazing!" (END OF EXTRACT)

The giant eel theory is one that has interested me for a long time and you can find other material on this very subject from me in my 2012 book Monster Diary (which includes an entire chapter on the subject, titled "The Great Eel Hunt"). The photo below relates to the story in the book.

Also check out this 2012 article from me (also at Mysterious Universe), one (from 2008) at my now-closed down blog, There's Something in the Woods, and a second one at the same blog, this one from 2007.

Moon Pilot

At his Silver Screen Saucers blog, Robbie Graham has a fascinating new article on an obscure UFO-themed romantic comedy movie from 1962. Contactees, human-alien hybridization, the Air Force, and the FBI: they all get a mention.  To be sure, this is a weird one!

The "White Mice" of Loch Ness

"Baby Nessies" or something else???

The Face on Mars: Q&A Pt. 2

And here's the second part of my latest Mysterious Universe article on the Face on Mars...

The Face on Mars: Q&A

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a Q&A with the late Mac Tonnies on his research into the "Face on Mars" controversy.

And it starts like this:

"This summer will mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Mac Tonnies’ book on the 'Face on Mars.' Its title: After the Martian Apocalypse. While, today, the 'Face' may not provoke the scale of controversy that it did a decade ago, there are still significant things to say about it. One of them is an interview I did with Tonnies just after the book was published.

"The Q&A was for a magazine that folded just after it barely began, which meant it never saw the light of day. But, I kept the interview on file and figured: why not bring it to your attention? It’s a long interview, so I’ve split it into two-parts. In the Q&A below, I am, of course, 'NR,' and Mac is 'MT.'"


 

On the Road...

Been on the road the last few days: Santa Fe, New Mexico and Denver, Colorado, but back to blogging tomorrow. Here's a few photos:

 

Paradigm Symposium 2014

For those who may be interested, I'll be speaking at the annual Paradigm Symposium (in Minneapolis) on October 2-5. I'll be speaking about my forthcoming book, Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind.

It's always an excellent gig, so get along if you can!

Atmospheric Lifeforms

Tony Morrill has a cool, thought-provoking new article at Forteania, which begins as follows:

"As anyone who has visited this blog in the past is likely aware, I’m a fan of alternative theories. Usually the more out there, the better! With this in mind I want to take a look at the old-fashioned (out-dated?) concept of Atmospheric Lifeforms. That is, actual living entities which make their home far above the ground high up in the atmosphere. At first blush this idea sounds a bit preposterous, but let’s look into the history of the concept a bit and reserve judgement until a little later."

Check it out!

Gargoyles - A Movie Favorite

There's a new Mysterious Universe article from me on one of my all-time favorite movies.

It starts like this...

"Very often I get asked: what do you think of the way in which the movie industry treats the world of Cryptozoology? Well, that’s an extremely good question! There’s no doubt that, in my opinion, there are some excellent creature-themed movies out there. Unlike a lot of my friends and colleagues in the field, I really enjoyed The Mothman Prophecies that starred Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Alan Bates. Bob “Bobcat” Goldthwait’s Bigfoot-themed movie, Willow Creek, is fantastic. And I have a lot of great memories of The Valley of Gwangi. But, my favorite all-time movie of the cryptozoological kind? Without doubt it’s Gargoyles.

"Now, some might say that Gargoyles is not strictly cryptozoological. Instead, it might be argued that it’s a straightforward monster movie. I, however, disagree! And I’ll tell you why I disagree."

The Eighth Tower - Reviewed

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a review of Anomalist Books' recent re-release of John Keel's often overlooked 1970s book: The Eighth Tower.

When Keel submitted his manuscript for The Mothman Prophecies to his publisher, they edited out around 50 pages.

So, Keel opted to significantly expand upon that missing/abducted 50 and turned it into The Eighth Tower. 

And it's a bloody good job that he did, as it's classic Keel and definitive reading!

Here's the review...

Monster Reptiles Down Under?

Do giant reptiles - ones that are presumed to have become extinct in the distant past - still exist in certain parts of Australia?

Check out this new article, which makes for excellent reading!

UFOs: The Disinformation Angle

There's another new Mysterious Universe article from me. This one follows on from my "alien bodies or special-effects?" article of a few days ago. The subject: a wider look at how the UFO subject has been manipulated...

Here's the link and here's how it starts:

"My recent article on how the UFO subject (and specifically the issue of 'alien bodies on ice') has been used as a tool of disinformation has provoked a lot of people to email, Twitter and Facebook me on this thorny, controversial issue. And many of those same people seem to be missing the point. Hardly surprising, since disinformation is a murky mixture of fact and fiction. It’s chiefly designed to confuse the targeted individual or group – whether the Nazis during the Second World War, the Soviets at the height of the Cold War, or, in today’s world, maniacs who want to provoke terror.

"But, to what extent has the UFO phenomenon been used and manipulated to confuse both enemy targets and the UFO research community? The answer is: to a huge extent! If you read my latest article on this very subject (as linked to above), you’ll know it focused on claims that, in the mid-1950s, the U.S. Air Force secretly commissioned the creation/manufacture of a number of very lifelike 'dead alien bodies.'"

The "Roswell Slides" Latest...

Kevin Randle has a new post on the controversy of the forthcoming "Roswell slides," a saga I'm slightly involved in...

The Anomalist and the Bodies

The Anomalist has linked to my new Mysterious Universe article (on the idea that at least some reports of "alien bodies on ice" might have been born out of Cold War-era disinformation games) and states:

"Nick Redfern shares his favorite case from his Fascinating But Frustrating Files (hey, we have one of those too!). Redfern thinks he's solved the mystery of the enigmatic mystery of the Roswell alien bodies and not surprisingly, the solution involves Hollywood and a lot of money."

Well, hardly!

I don't think I have solved the "enigmatic mystery of the Roswell alien bodies" at all!

Roswell was 1947. I make it clear in the article that this supposed disinformation operation didn't even begin until the mid-1950s. So, in that sense, Roswell is still an enigma.

It's entirely possible that the government has real dead aliens on ice, but chose to present photos of fabricated, special-effect-based creations to the Soviets as a means to spook them and to identify a Russian spy-ring (which is the thrust of the article). Indeed, it's very unlikely they would show them photos of the real bodies (if such things exist).

The facts are few and the scenarios are many, but that "...Redfern think he's solved the mystery of the enigmatic mystery of the Roswell alien bodies..." is definitely not one of those scenarios!

A Backwards Beast

As bizarre as it sounds, there are numerous folkloric tales (from all around the world) of fantastic beasts that displayed one particularly oddity: their feet faced backwards!

Here's a link to a good article on the subject.

As to why I'm bringing up this matter, my new Mysterious Universe article focuses on a 2014 case that falls into this very category...