Taking Time Off

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I'll be offline for about a week or so.

Mothman's Curse

One for the kids, coming next year...

Championing William Seabrook

I was asked the other day, on a radio show, if I had to spend the rest of my life on a desert island, what books would I take with me?

I think there was a bit of a surprise when there were no UFO/Bigfoot etc books in my reply.

I said I would have to take my Charles de Lint, Robert Holdstock, Charles Bukoswki, Jack Kerouac, Arturo Perez-Reverte, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon books.

And then there is my collection of William Seabrook books.

Born in 1884, he was kind of a real life Indiana Jones, who travelled the world having all sorts of crazy adventures in jungles, and investigating things like voodoo, zombies, cannibals, etc.

His Jungle Ways book (see my 1930s edition photo above) is one of my all-time favorites, demonstrating his great writing skills and ability to tell an excellent story. And one I would definitely have to take to the island.

Sadly, Seabrook spent most of his life battling mental illness and alcoholism, and eventually killed himself. But he left a great legacy.

Dream Invaders

Are our dreams simply random, internal things unique to each and every one of us? Or is something else going on? Is it possible that our dreams are being "invaded" by predatory, paranormal things? That's the subject of my new Mysterious Universe feature...

It's a feature that starts like this:

"Just a few days ago, here at Mysterious Universe, I wrote a review of Heidi Hollis’ excellent book, The Hat Man: The True Story of Evil Encounters. It’s a book I recommend to anyone interested in matters of a paranormal-, UFO- and supernatural-themed nature. In my article on Heidi’s book, I noted the following:

"'Many of the encounters occur while the victim is in a distinct altered state – that of sleeping. Nightmarish accounts of terrifying visitations, in the early hours of the morning, from the Hat Man abound in the pages of Heidi’s book. None of them are positive. All of them are negative. The Hat Man appears to be attracted to or provokes (maybe, even, both) bad luck, misfortune, ill-health, and even death. Soul-stealing may be one of the calling cards of the horror in the hat.'"

Albert Bender and the MIB - Again

As per my post of yesterday on Albert Bender and the Men in Black, here's my lengthier piece on the latest development, at Mysterious Universe.

It begins as follows and you can find it right here...

"Back in the early 1950s, a new aspect was added to the growing UFO phenomenon: the Men in Black. Yes, there were one or two pre-1950s MIB encounters (such as the saga of the sinister character that terrorized a certain Harold Dahl, one of the key figures in the notorious UFO event at Maury Island in June 1947). But, overall, it was the 1950s that saw the rise of the MIB.

"We pretty much have one person to thank for that rise. His name was Albert Bender. From his home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bender created the International Flying Saucer Bureau, and went on to publish a newsletter/journal called Space Review. It was filled with information on then-recent UFO encounters, letters from fellow researchers, and much more of a flying saucer nature."

MIB, Albert Bender, and Space Review

For those who may be interested, there's a new, bound collection of Albert Bender's early 1950s newsletter, Space Review, now available. Bender being the guy who played a major role in the development of the Men in Black mystery.

Here's the link...

I have written a more extensive piece on all this for the Mysterious Universe website and which will be published in the next day or two.

In the meantime, I can go one better than Bender's journals: here's one example of a number of Bender's letters I own.

This one (framed on my office wall) was sent from Bender to New Zealand researcher Harold Fulton in November 1953, and makes references to Bender's phone being "tapped," and things that will "disturb the learned ones."

Gray Barker's Bigfoot Shootout!

If you're into wilder, more controversial, side of Bigfoot, here's a book to buy:

A newly-published edition of an old (1983) one from Gray Barker: Bigfoot Shootout!

And here's the publisher's info on the book:

New Saucerian proudly presents Gray Barker's underground classic, Bigfoot Shootout: Terrifying Tales of Interspecies Conflict!

This 1983 book, which was way ahead of its time (thirty years before shows like "Shooting Bigfoot"), features Barker's musings on the unusual intersection of Bigfoot, UFOs, and firearms, as well as special reports submitted to him at his Saucerian headquarters in Riffle, West Virginia.

This smorgasbord of high-strangeness delves into alarming matters such as Bigfoot surveillance of livestock and humans, the kidnapping of prospectors and hikers by Sasquatch, and the mystifying aerial lights that seem to provide "cover" for these dastardly deeds.

Does Bigfoot occasionally kidnap, terrorize, hypnotize, and attack human beings? Can he shapeshift or disappear before your very eyes? If you shoot him point-blank with a machine gun, will he just laugh at you? Are the Apemen stockpiling weapons stolen from unwitting civilians, hoping to turn the tables at some future date?

These questions and more are answered in this special 2015 reprint, which features intriguing contributions from researchers like Jim Moseley, Dennis Pilichis, Fred Beck, Janet and Colin Bord, Brent Raynes, Stan Gordon, Roger Patterson, Justin Smeja, Jeffery Pritchett, Dr. Ogden Pearl, and William S. Burroughs.

"Sticks a big finger in the guns of Bigfoot hunters everywhere..." -Chip Plescher, "Mind Cemetery" Radio

Beware of the Hat Man

There's a new Mysterious Universe article from me, which begins like this...

"A couple of nights ago I finished reading the new book from Heidi Hollis, The Hat Man: The True Story of Evil Encounters. This is a fascinating book that deserves to be read by students of various areas of research, including UFOs, hauntings, alien abductions, demonology, other realms of existence, the afterlife, and much more, too, including the Men in Black - the latter being an issue I’ll return to later.

"I have known Heidi since 2005 when we took part in a week-long filming for a never-aired television show on the Roswell affair of 1947. I also know Heidi to be a skilled writer and researcher, and someone who knows how to grab the attention of her readers and write in a fashion that is both informative and entertaining. And, with that said, onto Heidi’s latest release...."

And here's the article...

More on the Roswell Slides - an Aztec Connection?

Kevin Randle - at his A Different Perspective blog - has a new post on the "Roswell Slides" affair.

When will it all end? It won't...

This one brings the infamous "Aztec UFO crash" of 1948 into the controversy. You can find a comment in the "Comments" section from me that may or may not be relevant.

Coming Next Year: The Chupacabra...

Coming in late 2015, from Llewellyn Publications...

Stringfield & Crashed UFOs: Back In Print

I don't know if this is a signal that all of Leonard Stringfield's books and reports are about to be reprinted, but for those who may be interested, there's a new edition published on the lengthiest of all of his reports on crashed UFOs, titled UFO Crash Retrievals: The Inner Sanctum, which was originally published in 1991 and that is packed with interesting data, as well as leads worth following up on...

The Tasmanian Tiger: New Book

If the saga of the Tasmanian Tiger (a.k.a. the Thylacine), and the theory that it still exists, fascinates you, then you won't want to miss this new book: The Tasmanian Tiger: Extinct or Extant?

With a foreword from Dr. Karl Shuker, and edited by Rebecca Lang, it's a book not to be missed.

And here's the publisher's info on the book:

"Does the Tasmanian Tiger still roam the island state, parts of the Australian mainland, and the northern land mass of Irian Jaya-Papua New Guinea? Despite being hunted to extinction in the early part of the 20th century, the Tasmanian Tiger continues to stalk the imaginations of people the world over. What's more, hundreds of reports of the striped dog-like marsupial with the fearsome gaping jaw are made each year in Australia. In The Tasmanian Tiger: Extinct or Extant?, biologists, geneticists, naturalists, and academics explore the evidence for and against the continuing existence of Thylacinus cynocephalus."

Brains: Abducted!

One of those "you couldn't make it up" stories: more than 100 preserved brains have mysteriously gone missing from the University of Texas, in the city of Austin. Since I don't live that far away, I may have to take a trip down there and whip up a few wild theories for the local press...

Government Vs "Govermnent"

Check this out: a company called Rosen Publishing Group is publishing a new (re-titled) edition of my For Nobody's Eyes Only, but with a new title.

The book isn't published until January, but you can find it online as a pre-order. But, that's not why I mention it.

Check out the cover image above. The word "Government" is spelled "Govermnent." LOL.

I hope, for their sakes, they catch the error before it goes to print. Then again, if a few of the skewed copies get thru the net, they just might become collectors items!

The Beast of Loch Morar

Everyone  has heard of Scotland's most famous cryptid: Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster (or, monsters, if they exist - since there clearly can't be just one).

But, it's a seldom discussed fact that Loch Ness is not the only Scottish lake with a monster tradition attached to it. Take, for example, Loch Morar, said to be the home of the menacing Morag.

In some respects, the stories coming out of Loch Morar are more intriguing than those from Loch Ness.

And here's a newly surfaced account from Loch Morar. It describes an incident that occurred many years ago, but which was recently provided to Roland Watson, who shares the facts at his excellent Loch Ness Mystery blog.

White Pongo: Monstrous Hokum

 

You might be forgiven for thinking that White Pongo is some form of embarrassing disease, one that is best not discussed in good company. It’s not: it’s the title of a 1945 movie that is one of my favorites, despite the fact that it's pretty bloody awful.

 

That's right: for me it falls into that "It's so bad, it's good" category. You might just think it's bad! And, yeah, I even paid money to buy the DVD.

White Pongo tells the story of a quest to find the truth of a legendary – some say folkloric – white gorilla said to live deep in the heart of the Belgian Congo and which is reputed to be the missing link between man and the apes.

 

The movie begins as a local tribe prepares to kill an unfortunate soul, a man named Gunderson. Fortunately, Gunderson is saved from the clutches of the Grim Reaper by the sudden appearance of a huge, albino ape, which proceeds to attack the tribespeople.

 

During the mayhem, a Professor Gerig, who lives with the tribe, quickly gives Gunderson a journal that tells of the findings of a now-deceased colleague of the scientist, a man named Dierdorf, who was obsessed with finding the truth of the White Pongo.

Gunderson finally makes his way, after an arduous, jungle trek, to a village-like environment  on the Congo River. Just before dying from fever, he hands over the priceless journal to a group of adventurers and explorers, more than a few over from England.

 

They decide to launch an expedition, one that will, finally, and once and for all, figure out the truth of the legendary creature. They succeed in doing exactly that, but not before we see the immense beast doing battle with a regular gorilla and kidnapping one of the party: namely, shapely Pamela.

 

Echoing King Kong of 1933, Pamela is freed from the clutches of the White Pongo and it's good news for everyone - except, of course, for the legendary white ape.

Rather oddly, an almost identical movie, The White Gorilla, was made in the very same year.

Evidently, for some unknown reason, albino apes, running amok in jungle environments, were all the rage in 1945.

Should you watch White Pongo? Sure, why not? Nothing wrong with an hour or so of mindless, over the top, hokum!

More Posts and More Posts

You may have noticed the lack of in-depth articles, links, etc., for the past month or so. No, I'm not getting bored with Forteana. The answer is simple: contractual book deadlines; several of them! Now that I have finally just put them behind me, I'll be able to devote far more to the blog - beginning tomorrow...

The Babes of Bigfoot!

Get them while you can!

Roswell Slides, Radio, and More

Still more on the Roswell slides:

1. A new article on the slides from Kevin Randle which reveals a great deal of behind the scenes information on the whole affair;

2. Check out Greg Bishop's Radio Misterioso show, as last night me and Greg spent a couple of hours discussing the matter of the slides, the background to the story, and a certain hacker...

And Even More On Those Roswell Slides...

The never-ending story of the "Roswell slides" continues to never end...

The latest...

Roswell Slides: More Controversy...

And...the next chapter in the Roswell slides saga...

Roswell Slides: The Latest

The latest on the "Roswell slides" issue...

You'll see a reference in the link to various people having been hacked by someone trying to secure more info on the slides. You'll also see a reference to one of those people who got hacked being me - which is absolutely true.

All of this occurred back in the summer...but the matter is far from over...

The New Daughter...

That's the subject of my new Mysterious Universe article...

Mysterious Mounds and Giants

A recent, fascinating article from Real Wolfmen author Linda Godfrey I missed until today: on mysterious giants and equally mysterious mounds...

Indonesian Man-Beasts...

That's the subject of my new Mysterious Universe article, which is far more "Littlefoot" than "Bigfoot" based...

"Bender Mystery Confirmed"

That's the title of a new book from Andy Colvin's New Saucerian Books, on the matter of Albert Bender's controversial claims concerning the Men in Black.

Here (below) is the info on Bender Mystery Confirmed from NSB, which is a "must buy" if you're fascinated by the MIB enigma!


In 1952, Gray Barker became a state representative in the first civilian UFO group, the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB), headed by a World War II veteran named Albert K. Bender. Bender, who had been stationed at Fort George Meade (home of the NSA), and Langley Field (today's aerial drone headquarters), seemed to be genuinely interested not only in UFOs, but also in the strange psychic phenomena surrounding their appearances.

After heading the IFSB for one year, Bender abruptly closed the organization, citing encounters with dancing blue lights and terrifying Men in Black, who could appear and disappear at will, and could teleport objects and people around the galaxy.

In 1956, Barker wrote a book featuring Bender's story, "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," which brought the horror of the Men in Black into public consciousness, and became popular around the world. In 1962, Barker published Bender's own book, "Flying Saucers and the Three Men," which also elicited an excited response from saucer enthusiasts. Controversy also ensued, as opinion became divided into different camps, ranging from those who believed Bender's account completely, to those who thought he had concocted the story for psy-ops purposes.

Later that same year, in an effort to come to some sort of conclusion about Bender's claims, Barker collected correspondence from Saucerian subscribers into this book, "Bender Mystery Confirmed." By reading these letters, one can examine the different theories about Bender, and come to one's own conclusion.

As the title infers, Barker came to believe that Bender was telling the absolute truth. Whatever Bender's original intentions, he had stumbled onto the real paranormal phenomena underpinning the UFO experience, and had paid a price for it.

This special 2014 reprint features Barker's original full-color cover design, which was impossible to print at the time, due to high printing costs. The interior is an exact facsimile of the original, which had become so scarce that only a handful of copies were known to exist prior to this republication. Get it while you can!

Conspiracy History - Reviewed

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a review of Andrew May's new book, Conspiracy History...

This is an excellent study of numerous conspiracy theories, many of them barely ever even touched upon by others in the field of conspiracy theorizing.

Buy it!

Kecksburg UFO and More

Here are a few photos from this past weekend's Pittsburgh MUFON conference in Youngwood PA at the Westmoreland County Community College, of various friends, John Ventre, Thomas Lee Curtin, Jr., and Stan Gordon.

As well as shots from a road-trip with John V to check out the town of Kecksburg, the home of an alleged UFO crash in December 1965, and which the town celebrates every year with a festival. They have also made a life-size model of the UFO, as you'll see.

MUFON, a Gig, and the Kecksburg UFO

Had a great time this past weekend the Pittsburgh MUFON conference in Youngwood PA at the Westmoreland County Community College. Thanks to John Ventre for putting on a great gig and for the road-trip to Kecksburg, the site of a reported UFO crash in 1965...

Texas Mysteries: A New Q&A

A couple of days ago, Matt Fulkerson, of the University of Texas' Shorthorn newspaper, interviewed me about sightings of weird creatures and UFOs in and around the Dallas area.

The Aurora UFO crash, the Lake Worth Goat-Man, the Stephenville UFO, and water-based monsters: they're all in there.

And here's the link...

The Rendlesham UFO: Multiple Theories

My new Mysterious Universe article is on the infamous Rendlesham Forest affair of December 1980.

But, it doesn't deal with the UFO angle, as such.

Rather, it focuses on the more down to earth (and, in some ways, even more controversial) theories for what might have really happened.

You can find it here...

An Alternative History of Mankind

Over at Mysterious Universe, I review John Ventre's new book, An Alternative History of Mankind...

Weird Winged Things: Pennsylvania

Stan Gordon updates us on the latest wave of strange, flying creatures in his home state of Pennsylvania.

He begins:

"There has been a long history of giant bird sightings in Pennsylvania. The term 'Thunderbird” has been used to describe these generally very large, normally black or dark brown birds with massive wingspans. Not all of the descriptions of these flying cryptids however are the same. Some witnesses

"I have Interviewed in past years have stated that what they saw looked more like a giant bat.
Others reluctantly told me what they observed looked more prehistoric and similar to a pterodactyl or teratorn. More than one person told me that the huge flying creature they saw could only be described as a dragon. And yes, some who have witnessed these creatures have hesitantly used the term gargoyle.

"In recent months there has been a noticeable increase in reports of these mysterious flying creatures. The following is a brief summary of these reports that have come to my attention. I have received other such reports from the eastern region of the state but I have not been able to interview those involved."

And here's the complete article, which makes for cool reading...

Mysterious Universe - Twice

 
There are two new articles from me at Mysterious Universe.

One is Halloween-themed, while the other is a review of George Romero's movie, The Crazies...

A Cemetery Monster

There's a new Creature of the Month article from me at the New Page Books blog, and which starts like this...

"A cemetery in Guadalajara, Mexico that is noted for its highly decorative architecture, pillared buildings, elegant tombs and spacious, tree-enveloped grounds, Panteon de Belen was built in 1848 and closed its doors four years before the dawning of the twentieth century. But, that hasn’t stopped its residents from being highly active – which is somewhat notable since each and every one of them is, of course, quite dead!

"Not only that: Panteon de Belen can boast of being home to more ghosts, ghouls and fiends of the night than pretty much any other cemetery in Mexico – and quite possibly even the world, too. That same body of supernatural entities includes just about everything from pirates to bloodthirsty, undead vampires, and spectral hounds to a ghostly, shrieking nun. And such is the interest and fascination in the specters of Panteon de Belen, that guided tours of the cemetery have become incredibly popular, and particularly so – and certainly most appropriately - during the course of the Mexican holiday of November 1-2: Day of the Dead. And, now, you shall see exactly why."

The Jessup Dimension

Does anyone know the answer to this? Just recently, Andy Colvin republished the book, The Jessup Dimension by Anna Genzlinger, about Morris Jessup and the Philadelphia Experiment.

The original was published in 1981 by Gray Barker's Saucerian Press.

However, I have a different copy, which is basically a photocopy of Barker's original (minus the original cover; see the photos).

Was this third version I have also published by Barker or by someone else?

There's no other publisher name etc on this copy. I've had this for around 25 years, but can't remember where I got it from.

The Boggy Creek Festival

A few photos from yesterday's Boggy Creek Festival in Arkansas, with various friends and colleagues, including Ken Gerhard, Tom Shirley, Christy Newhouse, Lyle Blackburn, Sandy Blackburn, Craig Woolheater, and Larry Parks. There were lots of cool lectures (all on various aspects of the Bigfoot mystery), plenty to eat and drink, and a good time was had by all!

My Top 5 Movies For Halloween

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a bit different - it's my favorite, top 5 movies for Halloween...