Lack of Posts

A couple of people have asked why there has been a lack of posts the past week or two. Well, I'm on vacation, but will be back to it Monday...

Loch Ness X 2

Over at his Loch Ness Mystery blog, Roland Watson has two good, new posts on the creatures of Loch Ness:

1. On the matter of why we don't, yet, have a corpse.

And...

2. On the infamous 1970's exorcism of Nessie.

Roswell & Indiana Jones

My latest Mysterious Universe article focuses on an alternative reason as to why the secret of Roswell has not surfaced, a reason that very few people take the time to consider.

It's what I call "The Indiana Jones scenario..."

Deaths of the Ufological Kind

In a new article titled Are You Still Alive? UFO Deaths, Revisited, Loren Coleman takes a look at the controversial matter of those in Ufology who have passed on, perhaps (in some cases, at least) under not altogether innocent circumstances - which is the subject of my next book, Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind, which is published on June 23.

The Black Shuck Mystery Solved?

Has the mystery of the phantom black dog of Suffolk , England (the legendary "Black Shuck") finally been solved?

Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reveals the startling discovery of the skeleton of an immense hound, right in the very area, no less.

It's an article you can find here, and which begins like this:

"It roamed the countryside spreading death and terror – a giant, ferocious hell-hound with flaming eyes and savage claws.

"For centuries, the beast that came to be known as Black Shuck struck fear into the hearts of all who crossed its path.

"Just a single glimpse was enough to impart a fatal curse; the briefest encounter sufficient to suck the life from any hapless victim."

Cattle Mutes and a Movie

 
My new Mysterious Universe article is an odd one. It focuses on a few weird parallels between (A) the cattle/animal mutilation phenomenon and (B) a fairly obscure British sci-fi/horror movie (starring horror-legend, Peter Cushing) that was released before the mute issue began (or, at least, before it is believed to have begun).

Here's how it starts...


"Back in 2003, when I was promoting my then-new-book, Strange Secrets, I was interviewed by BBC Radio. This was just two years after a catastrophic outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK that absolutely decimated the nation’s cattle-herd. Since one chapter of my book dealt with the matter of official files on cattle mutilations, the host wanted to focus on this particular topic, but chiefly from the perspective of the mutes having a down-to-earth explanation, rather than one of extraterrestrial, 'satanic cult,' or supernatural origins.

"During the course of the show, we got into the matter of Strontium-90 – a radioactive isotope that is produced via nuclear fission and which has a half-life of close to 30 years. Was it possible, the BBC host asked, that the mutilations could be due to clandestine, government programs checking on the cattle-herds? The purpose: to determine the extent to which they might have been affected by exposure to Strontium-90, from (a) nuclear tests undertaken in the 1950s and 1960s; and (b) the Chernobyl disaster of April 1986?"

A New John Keel Collection

 
If you're a fan of the writings of John Keel, you definitely won't want to miss this! It's a new collection of the man's writings, put together by Andy Colvin (of The Mothman's Photographer series of books).

Here's the write-up on the book, which is titled Searching for the String: Selected Writings of John A. Keel:

"New Saucerian Press proudly presents Searching For the String, a collection of magazine articles and lectures by John A. Keel, the man many consider to have been not only the premiere investigator of all things unusual and 'Fortean,' but who was also our own, twentieth-century 'Mark Twain.' Many of the articles in this anthology and its companion volumes, Flying Saucer to the Center of Your Mind and The Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone, were revolutionary, and explored ideas popularized in Keel’s classic books. Written in Keel’s engaging trademark style, they are sure to delight fans with their fresh, unparalleled insights into the nature of reality.

"In these pages, John Keel displays the keen observational skills and investigative tenacity that long made him the enfant terrible of ufology. In this no-holds-barred analysis – much of it written decades ago – Keel shreds most of the sacred-cow beliefs still held by many in ufological and 'cryptozoological' circles today, and presents theories so radical that they are only now becoming accepted: the '4-D' or 'interdimensional' thesis; the 'breakaway civilization' theory; the possible role of 'ancient aliens' in human history; the synthetic and/or hallucinatory nature of many 'alien abduction' and 'Men in Black' encounters; the role of spy agencies in paranormal research; and the alarming connection between UFOs, animal mutilations, and attacks on unsuspecting humans.

"Searching For the String showcases not only Keel’s wit and charm, but also his incisive and impassioned intellectual capabilities. This 2014 edition features an expanded 'Letters' section, several photographs, and introductions by the editor, Andy Colvin, and saucer pioneer Gray Barker."

UFOs: A Threat From The Skies

There's another Mysterious Universe article from me this week. The subject is a curious and little known one: a respected scientist from MIT who - in the summer of 1947, when the modern era of Ufology began - came to believe that Flying Saucers were being positioned in Earth orbit (perhaps by the Russians) to rain down either atomic bombs or "germ bombs."

Here's the link...

The Sound Of Bigfoot?

Listen for yourself...

UFOs: A 1915 Investigation, Pt. 2

And here's part-2 of my latest Mysterious Universe feature on a 99-year-old UFO investigation by the British military...

UFOs: A 1915 Investigation, Pt. 1

My new Mysterious Universe article is a two-part piece, the first of which has just been published.

The subject: a near-century-old UFO event in Devon, England that was investigated by the military.

Part-1 can be found here, and starts like this:


"When it comes to Unidentified Flying Objects and the British Government, there is one question that I am often asked: for how long have British authorities been investigating UFO-like phenomena? While it is generally accepted that the so-called modern era of UFO sightings began on 24 June 1947 – following the now-historic encounter of pilot Kenneth Arnold – documentation has surfaced showing that the British Air Ministry conducted investigations of both the “Foo Fighter” sightings of the Second World War and the Scandinavian “Ghost Rocket” phenomenon of 1946.

"Official investigations within the British Isles of unusual aerial phenomena, however, started earlier than that – much earlier, in fact. One of the most notable 'pre-Arnold' reports can be found within the archives of the British Admiralty and dates from, rather incredibly, 1915!"

I'll link to part-2 as soon as it's published.

UFO Manipulation

UFOs, the KGB, shadowy right-wing extremists and flying saucer-themed manipulation: they are all issues that surface in my latest Mysterious Universe article...

Goat-Man Bridge...

 My new Mysterious Universe article is on the strange saga of the eerie Goat-Man of Denton, Texas, which is said to haunt the town's old bridge...

The Monster of Ben Macdhui...

Over at his Shuker Nature blog, Dr. Karl Shuker has an excellent, new article on the "Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui," a somewhat "British Bigfoot"-type phenomenon - albeit one saturated in a wealth of Fortean phenomena and lore.

I wrote extensively about the "BGM" in my Wildman book, and the story is a strange one indeed - one that takes the mystery far beyond mere flesh and blood realms...

A Senator and the Blue Room

My latest Mysterious Universe article is on the enduring controversy surrounding the late Senator Barry Goldwater's words on the so-called "Hangar 18" and "Blue Room."

As to why I chose to write the article now, there's a not insignificant "50th anniversary" angle to the affair.

It begins like this...

"Born in 1909, Barry Morris Goldwater served as a Major-General in the U.S. Air Force, a Senator for Arizona, the Chairman of the U.S. Government’s Senate Intelligence Committee, and the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States in the 1964 election. Indeed, it was on May 2, 1964 – 50 years ago this very week – that Goldwater received no less than 75 percent of the vote in the Texas Republican Presidential primary.

"Had Goldwater won the election (he lost it to Lyndon B. Johnson), it’s not at all out of the question that we might, by now, have in our possession the full and unexpurgated facts concerning what the world of officialdom really knows about the UFO phenomenon."

A Shadow Person In My Lunch!

Now and again, like most people, I post pointless photos to Facebook, such as what I'm having for lunch  - which is one of several images I posted today.

But, even that - a shot of a piece of cake - ended up steeped in weirdness!

A comment was made that the photo (above) seems to show one of the "Shadow People," with an outstretched arm and hand and even fingers and a head!

I hadn't noticed it until it was pointed out, but, well, I guess it does!

Of course, it was just a coincidence, and a case of the brain interpreting random imagery as something more significant.

Needless to say, I didn't let it stop me digesting both the cake and "it"...

A Scottish Monster That's Not Nessie

The Scotsman newspaper profiles the Loch Ness Monster's little brother (sister? cousin?), Morag of Loch Morar...

Nessie and the Biker in Black

Over at his Bizarre History blog, "Dr. Beachcombing" provides an excellent overview of the very strange 1970s "Biker in Black" incident at Loch Ness involving the late Ted Holiday (author of The Dragon and the Disc, among others). If you're fascinated by (a) the Men in Black puzzle and (b) the weirder side of the Loch Ness Monster controversy, check it out!

Werecat Weirdness

Every few months I do an article for New Page Books' Creature of the Month column. And my latest has just been published. I have written about some weird shit in my time, but this has to be near the top of the list: Britain's Werecats...

But that's not all: I wrote and submitted the article to New Page Books last Friday. One day later, Saturday, I took a drive into Dallas to visit a second-hand bookstore I like to check out now and again.

It was while scanning the shelves containing old 1950s-era detective novels (my favorite type of novels) that I caught sight of the spine of a book titled Secret Society, written by Dillibe Onyeama.

I picked the book up and was amazed to see that the novel was about an African cult of "Leopard Men" that embark on a violent killing spree in London, England!

Were-Leopards are a staple part of the overall Werecat phenomenon

How weird is that? I write an article on Werecats in the UK, and then barely twenty-four hours later I stumble on a novel on Werecats in the UK!

The picture below shows me holding the novel (I snapped it up for a dollar):

Stalking the Herd - Reviewed

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a review of Chris O'Brien's new book, Stalking the Herd.

This is, in my opinion, the definitive study of the cattle mutilation mystery - no question.

Running at almost 600 pages and at a price under $20.00 it's great value for money, too.

If you think there's nothing new to say about cattle-mutes, you're wrong. If you think all those that came before Chris have nailed the mystery to the wall, you're wrong. If you think there's no mystery and the mutes are all the work of predators, you're wrong.

If you have an interest in the mute puzzle, you should get a copy of Chris' book right now. It's refreshingly unbiased in its approach to the phenomenon and it takes the reader down some dark and disturbing pathways...