The BBC has recently become the focus of conspiracy theorists with their show Conspiracy Files digging into the alternative theories of what transpired on 9/11 and 7/7 (the train-bombings of London). Mike Rudin, the producer of the series, posted three separate blog entries during June which addressed and debated a number of the topics involved.

"Controversy and Conspiracies", Part One, discussed whether conspiracy theories should even be given airtime, in response to recent criticisms that the BBC was paying a conspiracy theorist to participate in the feature on 7/7:

The stakes are high because conspiracy theories are spreading suspicion about the official account of what happened, ultimately questioning whether the authorities can be trusted. Establishing whether what is argued is true or false, and scrutinising the way proponents conduct themselves, is clearly in the public interest and is a serious and legitimate task for the BBC.

Parts Two and Three concentrated on the enigmatic collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 on 9/11 - which will feature in Conspiracy Files on BBC Two tonight. A news story by Rudin, posted on the BBC News website on Friday, features a trailer for this weekend's feature, and suggests that a long-awaited report will put the collapse down to fire:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, based near Washington DC, is expected to conclude in its long-awaited report this month that ordinary fires caused the building to collapse. That would make it the first and only steel skyscraper in the world to collapse because of fire.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's lead investigator, Dr Shyam Sunder, spoke to BBC Two's 'The Conspiracy Files': "Our working hypothesis now actually suggests that it was normal building fires that were growing and spreading throughout the multiple floors that may have caused the ultimate collapse of the buildings."

However, a group of architects, engineers and scientists say the official explanation that fires caused the collapse is impossible. Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth argue there must have been a controlled demolition.

These new blogs and documentary features on the BBC have riled many of those involved in promoting or researching the conspiracy angle, with plenty of commentary at Alex Jones' Prison Planet and 911Blogger.com.

Personally, I think a lot of the 9/11 conspiracy movement has become a belief system of its own, with a bunch of self-promoters profiting off it to the detriment of those who have something worthwhile to say. Having said that however, I equally dislike the faulty attribution of 'conspiracy theorist = crazy person'. There are very good historical reasons to not trust authority blindly (see Operation Northwoods for just one pertinent example), and I'm actually quite comforted to know that there are people out there who look closely at all the details of these type of events.

And when it comes to the details surroudning WTC7, even if the truth is that it was just fires (after all, it did burn all day, and many people reported hearing creaking and groaning noises coming from it, suggesting an impending collapse), you have to admit that you can't blame suspicious people for seeing conspiracy: The collapse would make it "the first and only steel skyscraper in the world to collapse because of fire". Rather than being investigated, the steel girders were removed from the site and melted down. The owner of the building mentioned on video that he told authorities to "pull it" (apparently referring to fire crews inside the building). News media including the BBC reported the collapse while the building was still standing. The BBC's satellite then went dead at that moment. Then the BBC claimed to have lost the tape of the report. The official report is only now about to be released, more than 7 years on.

If there are no elements of conspiracy behind these events, then it would make a wonderful case study in how a sequence of unrelated events can easily lead people to a certain, incorrect, belief. I've created a nice new controversial poll here on TDG, asking for all your thoughts - was there a conspiracy involved in the collapse of WTC7? Readers in the UK will probably want to check out the documentary tonight for a good overview. You can vote anytime on the poll, or check the results, via the block on the right-hand side of the page.

The latest issue of Fortean Times (#238) has been released on news-stands, so pick yourself up a copy if the contents catch your eye:

• The Golem of Prague: Seeking the truth behind the ghetto legend - and the secrets in the attic.

• Spring-heeled Jack in Liverpool: The bogeyman who terrorised Victorian streets.
• Retro UFO Conference: Journeying back to Giant Rock.
• When Aliens go to College: What happens when fortean subjects get the academic treatment?
• Central Park in the Dark: Conspiracies, cockatrices, Martians and monster koi carp in the middle of Manhattan.

Full details, and archived material from previous issues, are available at the FT website.

A few things to keep you busy over the weekend...

• Andrew Gough presents Part Two ("Beewildered") of his in-depth feature on "The Bee" on his Arcadia blog. Part One can be found here.
• At Paranormalia, Robert McLuhan reviews Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer's Extraordinary Knowing, Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind (Amazon US and UK).
• Filip Coppens presents more Nazi esotericism in his latest essay, "Extersteine: the quest for Germany’s roots".
• At Cabinet of Wonders, Emps delves into the latest Serpo 'revelations' in his post "Jurassic Roswell".
• Over at Reality Sandwich, Antonio Lopez discusses the reaction to the recent news of the 'lost tribe' of the Amazon, in his post "Aliens in the Home World".
• The Book of Thoth has republished Daniel Drasin's classic essay, "Zen and the Art of Debunkery".
• Gloria Amendola interviews the Bloodline folk about their controversial discoveries and film.
• Greg Bishop gives a live blogging rundown of Day 1 of the Roswell UFO Festival, for UFO Mystic.
• Speaking of, you can check out the transcript for this year's Larry King Live Roswell special right here.
• The Societe Perillos pose an intriguing question: "Bérenger Saunière. Spy?"
• Anthony North takes a look at "Cosmic Synchronicity" at Beyond the Blog.
• In his Room 101 article at Binnall of America, Richard Thomas asks "Is The Bermuda Triangle A Good Place For an "Alien" Base?"

Enjoy!

Graham Hancock's 'Author of the Month' feature on his website has been a great way of providing for online dialogue between authors and readers on various topics (even if Graham sometimes slums it with authors like....er, me). This month should be a cracker though, with not just one, but four authors taking part: Rick Strassman, Slawek Wojtowicz, Luis Eduardo Luna and Ede Frecska - authors of the recently released book Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies (Amazon US and UK).

Most TDG readers would be familiar with Rick Strassman, as we've spoken to him previously about his exciting research into the entheogenic substance DMT. However, his co-authors on this new book are also experts in the research of psychedelic substances, so the discussions on GHHQ's Author of the Month messageboard should be absolutely fascinating. I'm hoping to spend some time there myself, discussing some of these intriguing (and controversial) topics - including some aspects of my own research into border experiences - so hope to see a few of you over there.

Last week Channel 5 in the UK ran a special feature titled "Legend of the Crystal Skulls Revealed". Emps gave a rundown of the show over at Cabinet of Wonders under the heading "Death of a Crystal Skull", so titled on account of the documentary's dismissal of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull as a modern forgery:

In it, the skull was subjected to the kinds of study that have revealed the British Museum and Smithsonian skulls to be fakes, and they found the same kind of tool marks. The people running the tests were pretty clear - they are from cutting machines that only appeared at the end of the 19th century.

However, the official Mitchell-Hedges website posted a prompt response to the Channel 5 feature, calling into question the motives of the producers, and in particular calling out a few dubious lines of reasoning:

[I]t is particularly annoying to see how throughout the length of the documentary, there were dozens of inaccuracies and false claims.

...The gravest of errors committed by the documentary is that it accepted the false premise that pre-Columbian cultures did not have any tools to make the skulls. It is none other than Michael Coe who has said this statement should not be taken as dogma, yet it is precisely that which several researchers, whether Jane Walsh, Margaret Sax, or television producers such as those making this documentary, hold...

Furthermore, the full verdict of the Hewlett-Packard and British Museum claims – both of whom did extensive testing on the skulls, unlike the few hours Walsh has spent with the skull – were not all fully put together and explained, as if they did not matter.

Perhaps the strangest piece of sleight-of-hand though is the removal of Thomas Gann from a photo of Mitchell-Hedges and his co-explorer in Lubaantun - and the photoshopping required to make the image look natural again.

Emps has since posted another entry looking at the Mitchell-Hedges critique, though finding much of it wanting. Also worth noting is that he has also posted YouTube videos of the actual documentary, so you can check it out for yourself.

I can’t believe the news today…

• Fireball in the Los Angeles sky remains a mystery. More here.
• As if the real ones aren’t bad enough… Fake pesticides: illegal chemicals in counterfeit products sold in Europe.
• Planetary headlines from the Messenger spacecraft: Mercury is shrinking. More here from Nat. Geo. about volcanoes and magnetic fields on Mercury.
• Awesome near-Earth asteroid graphics
• Thailand's Administrative Court handed down an injunction against the Thai cabinet's endorsement of Cambodia's bid to propose the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site, because such support "might undermine Thailand's future standing on a territorial dispute." Photo of said temple.
• Syria unearths 2300 year old pharoanic engraving.
• The ten worst moments of the Bush presidency.
• Obama backs "faith-based initiatives", and enrages atheist voters.
• Two kids in Spain admitted to mental health institution for the growing problem of mobile phone addiction. Srsly noobz.
• In other childish news... A kid in Sweden has caused political controversy by not inviting two of his classmates to his birthday party.
• Using causality to solve the puzzle of space-time.
• A former miner who’d never picked up a brush hears ‘spirit voices’ and creates ‘spirit paintings’, now on display in Paris.
• Pwnage news - FBI's next generation ID database to store face scans.
• Water-boarding is not a new Olympic event, but…China apparently inspired interrogations at Guantánamo.
• Super atoms turn periodic table upside down.
• The biblical allegories of Pixar's Wall-E.
• Right-Wings Apoplectic Over Pixar's WALL-E: 'Malthusian Fear Mongering,' 'Fascistic Elements'.
• David Byrne: From Talking Heads to musical buildings.
• NASA considers development of student-led 'Satellite Initiative'.
• Foreign security guards in Iraq — read Blackwater & Co. — may lose immunity.
• In space, someone can hear you scream. And by “you” I mean “Earth”…
• The shape of asteroids and space-rocks explained?
• And what would Independence Day be without an alien interview. Because vampires, ghosts and goblins are so passé…
• Green fireworks? Scientist work to build a better roman candle.

Huuuuuge thanks to Greg, Rick, Kat and RPJ… Happy July 4th!

Quote of the Day:

It's an amazing thing to think that ours is the first generation in history that really can end extreme poverty, the kind that means a child dies for lack of food in its belly. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don't have is the will, and that's not a reason that history will accept....

Bono

The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life recently released the 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. This comprehensive look at the religious affiliation and attitudes of over 35,000 Americans contains several fascinating discoveries. The Summary of Key Findings, broken down into two parts, Religious Affiliation and Religious Beliefs and Practices is an interesting read. Both the full summaries and the entire report are available as PDF downloads from the given link.

As I was reading this it occurred to me that the prominent atheist voices of our day, the irascible Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens and their brothers and sisters in arms would find a great deal of troubling data to peruse here. After all, a remarkable 92% of the respondents reported a belief in God, and nearly 83% reported an affiliation with a particular religion, while those identifying themselves as ‘atheist’ were represented by a miniscule 1.6% of respondents. It would appear that Dennett’s attempt to define the intellectual elites as ‘Brights’ is yet to sway the majority of Americans that secular humanism is the genuine path of righteousness.

Reading further reveals more interesting findings, however. ... Read More »

"The past is history, the future a mystery, but this moment is a gift…that’s why it’s called present"…That was some brainy turtle. Cool moves too.

• Justice from Beyond: Spirit message convicts paedophile.
• Vatican to probe Medjugorje 'Virgin Mary' apparitions.
• Pregnant women get morning sickness to protect fetus. Yet ANOTHER thing I will get bribed for on Mother’s Day…Sheeesh!
• Michelangelo Mangano—theoretical physicist at Europe’s CERN—discusses with Cosmic Log’s Alan Boyle the benefits of Black Holes (goodbye credit card debt!)
• Space probes show that the edge of the solar system is dented, not round. Which shows God was a reckless driver in His/Her youth.
• 100 years after Tunguska, it’s time for a protection plan—but wasn’t that the REAL purpose of Reagan’s Star Wars?
• The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is 40 years old. The world is still choke-full of nukes, but we are still here so that should count for something.
• Biofuels: A nice concept in the theory; but in the real world, you need to take the weather into account.
• Extinction risks vastly underestimated. Or maybe it’s our ‘intelligence’ what’s vastly OVERestimated?
• The latest Olympic nightmare for China: Algae bloom—What’s next, LOCUST?
• ”… And all I ask is a tall telescope, and a planet to steer her by”. New planet points the way for ET hunters.
• University of North Texas checks authenticity of 100-year-old UFO story.
• Buckminster Fuller & his amazing Dymaxion plans.
• Cyber-smearing—how unfounded rumours and disinformation spread online by a handful of individuals can sway a nation.
• Move over Iceland! Denmark is now the happiest country in the world—I suspect your bear-killing tendencies was the culprit. But don’t feel bad, America; you may not be the happiest, but you sure are the highest! ;-)
• 9/11 hero to be cloned. No, not a fireman… a dog.
• Washington’s boyhood home is found. Lincoln’s gold is still missing.
• 5000 year old Stone Age house found in England. Nice façade, and a good view, but no satellite dish?? This lemon will never sell ;-)
• The key to Stradivarius’ secret has finally been solved. Now about that Paganini dude…
• Cronenberg’s Fly goes to the opera. Maybe one day they’ll do the same with Ghostbusters, or The Planet of the Apes… Oh, wait!
• 'Hellboy' taps into ancient irish folklore. Hmmm… I didn’t know the old celtic gods fancied Mexican beer.
• Five superpowers from the Bible that put Marvel & DC to shame. Stan Lee vs Jehovah… tough call!
• Harry Potter 'deluxe' first edition set goes for $US35,000. That's not even 'real' first editions folks. Hold on to those 'Darklore Volume 1' hardcovers—US$160.40 on Amazon!—some day they’ll put your grandchildren through college.

Thanks to Rick, Greg & Kat.

Quote of the Day:

”I strongly suspect there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness.”

Ronald Inglehart, political scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research (and the greatest mind of our time IMO, for coming up with such insight) ... Read More »

The last few weeks has seen continued promotion of the 'Caret Dragonfly Drones' by Whitley Strieber and Linda Moulton Howe. This case is such an overblown pile of rubbish, with handy helpings of "will to believe" thrown in. And yet Whitley Strieber continues to say things like:

Last summer, the so called "drones" appeared. Linda Moulton Howe and I soon confirmed that the photographs were real, both by what photo analysis could done, and by numerous interviews with witnesses, many of whom were willing to go on the record with their names...

...Then there were the Carat documents. These were furiously rebutted on the internet, but when I suggested that somebody create similar images, nobody responded. The reason that they did not respond is contained in a comment made by an engineer, Michael A. Reed of Reed Development Associates, who recently looked at them at Linda Howe's request. He commented, "the things are so complex, they are a little mind boggling!"

Now, it's a simple fact that both the photos, and most especially the 'Carat documents', are easily reproducible with today's technology. Indeed, people have even created realistic CG films of the Drones based only on the photos, and the documents look pretty much like they are based on in the same genre as any of the "tech brushes" used in Photoshop. But Whitley Strieber has more:

I am leading in with all this because the purpose of these lies, and of the process now going on in England, where people are entering crop circles and secretly damaging them to make them appear manmade, have a purpose. It is the opposite of what I am going to be talking about here today.

...Last summer, when I read in the Carat documents the amazing concept of "self-activating software," I knew immediately that this is exactly what the crop circles are.

Now, I'm all for open minded thinking and speculation, it's one of the primary factors behind TDG. But with speculation should come caution and caveats, and a large dose of humour as well. Whitley Strieber is going down a very dark road here - hand in hand with Linda Moulton Howe. What is worse, because of their influential position in the 'UFO community' (the general public that is, not the research community), they are taking others with them, misleading members of the public who don't know any better. Not to mention dragging the reputation of serious researchers into the UFO mystery down with them.

With all respect to Whitley Strieber for his previous work and writing, and Linda Moulton Howe for other aspects of her research, both should be marginalised by the community until they can show more responsibility in their words and actions. Not likely to happen, but that's two cents. At least others are starting to call them out as well.

And as I mentioned in a comment elsewhere on TDG, it's really interesting to view the Drone fiasco through the lens of Vallee's Messengers of Deception, after having to spend plenty of time editing and re-reading it over the past few months...

In recent months my PC blew up, my mobile died and the repairman can't figure out why, my television stopped working, my mp3 player plays weird distorted sounds, my new Mac has faulty screen resolution, and the cat is looking at me like it's all my fault.

• New clinical trial praises beneficial effects of psilocybin mushrooms. Indigenous shaman around the world roll their eyes and say, "Duh!"
• Mad to live, mad to be saved, mad for mushrooms (with delicious recipes!). This humble fungus is a superfood.
• Rituals of the Andes: terrific feature on ayahuasca shamanism and Andean culture.
• Paintings by Augustin Lesage, a miner who had never painted before in his life and said he was guided by spirit beings, are on display in Paris.
• Salman Rushdie and the Renaissance, the fantastic, and the power of beauty. The Enchantress of Florence (Amazon US or UK).
• Good sailing, Ahab: Don S. Davis, 1942 - 2008. Best known for his roles in Twin Peaks and Stargate, he played Agent Scully's father in one of the best episodes of the X-Files, Beyond the Sea.
• Madame Marie, the psychic made famous by Bruce Springsteen, has passed to the other side aged 93. Her craft continues through the next generation of clairsentients.
• Since these tv interviews with Donald Keyhoe 50 years ago, have we advanced our understanding of UFOs? Still has the 'U' in it.
• Royal Navy engineer sees disc-shaped UFO above M5.
• Welsh 'Roswell' witness breaks his silence after 34 years.
• Here's an update on the cold-fusion demonstration in Japan a few weeks ago.
• About 330ft underground in Switzerland, it's about to reach absolute zero.
• Scientists reassure us there's nothing to fear from the world's biggest atom smasher. Got your trusty crowbar ready, RPJ?
• If scientists don't know what to expect from the LHC, how can we be so sure there's nothing to be worried about? Don't panic!
• Good news everyone! Stephen Hawking has an explosive new theory on the creation of the universe.
• I have some bad news, everyone: the unknown risks of nanotechnology.
• Accidental fungus may become promising cancer drug.
• Happy 150th birthday, Darwinian evolution! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you smell like a monkey, and you're descended from one too.
• The U.S. removes Nelson Mandela from their terrorist list as an early birthday present. You should see the presents they bring to bar mitzvahs.
• Bill Moyers -- it was oil all along.

Thanks Greg and Kat.

Quote of the Day:

Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination.

Bertrand Russell ... Read More »

Last year I noted some research by 'Daz' Smith into the extent of the UK Ministry of Defence's interest in remote viewing, a story which had broken earlier in the year:

I have been using the UK FOIA to try to release some of this information. A recent reply to one of these requests is enclosed and details branches of Defence Intelligence have a 1000 page document on remote viewing and PSI activities.

Daz has now posted an update on his 'Cosmic Spoon' blog regarding his FOAI request, with a PDF of the documents sent to him by the MOD freely available for download (only 33 pages though, from circa 1999). Oddly enough, it seem to have nothing to do with remote viewing. Though it's still good fun to read through (if a little confusing with the redacted information etc), with mentions of everything from dangers of cell phone radiation/electromagnetic hazards, through to homeopathy and morphogenetic fields. There seems to be a particular emphasis on Russian research into the latter topic - I caught mention of Novosibirsk in there, and theories about morphogenetic fields obviously have their origin in the work of Alexander Gurwitsch. There's also plenty of mentions about foreign research, and the need to translate.

Perhaps the most fun memo to read was the one I've listed below, on the topic of 'superimposed low-frequency patterns' in broadcasts. It's enough for a conspiracy theorist to run with for a year, though the memo itself proves nothing - it could be just some guy's personal paranoid theory (although that 'guy' seems to have been an advisor to the MoD). For US readers, Neighbours is an Australian television 'soap' series, which enjoyed great success in the UK:

The soap Neighbours has for years had a feel-good frequency (7.8 Hz) superimposed on the sound channel. An electrically sensitive patient spotted it and told me...it may be a feature of ---- 'dubbing' equipment or it may be that the company is a part of Richard (sic) Murdoch's empire and he has the technology 'in house'". That was as far as I could get in the ---- Commercial Library with tracing the company tentacles.

And you thought Kylie Minogue was so sweet and innocent...

A few crumbs short of a fruitcake...

• Ancient crashed UFO claimed to be from the dinosaur age.
• My strangest UFO abduction case.
• Tunguska event at 100. More here.
• Get out of your own way
• The motives that ought to encourage us to the sciences.
• Yellow science.
• OOBEs and grasping the ungraspable.
• Invention: jet engine silencer.
• Planet's magnetic field varies much faster than expected.
• Forget viagra, eat watermelon.
• Japanese firm offers weddings in space. Next it will be divorces.
• Cancer cells revert to normal at specific signal threshold, researchers find.
• Saturn's thermogenic vertex.
• Your brain can lie to you.

Quote of the Day:

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.

Josh Billings ... Read More »

In two months time (September 1), the Daily Grail will be ten years old. For some time, I've been seeing this date as a moment to ask myself whether it's worth continuing on with TDG. That's not to say that I don't enjoy it, or that I don't have big plans - simply that the requirements of living a happy family life (I've been married and had three children since starting TDG) have meant that I need to start justifying the time and expense I sink into the site.

The upshot of all this is that TDG needs to stop being a hobby, and more the thing that I do professionally. I have a number of ideas on how to achieve this (website improvements, advertising and marketing, diversification projects), but to do so the Daily Grail first needs some working capital, to help fund these future developments.

I have always been averse to people paying a subscription for TDG - I sincerely believe in information being a free resource. As such, with TDG's tenth birthday approaching, what I am doing is simply asking for a retroactive, completely voluntary subscription, for the ten years of information TDG has provided thus far. This donation/voluntary subscription drive will run for the next two months, till September 1st. To begin with, below is a Donation button for both Paypal and credit card/bank account transactions. I'll post details for snail-mail cheques in the coming days, and will occasionally post reminders until TDG's birthday. The donation amount is completely your choice - what has TDG been worth to you?

Access remains exactly the same here on TDG, whether you donate or not. If you can't spare anything, there are other ways to help - such as by spreading word about the site to others. When one reader becomes two, our advertising revenue (theoretically) doubles. So that's how easy it is to give back a little to the Daily Grail.

My appreciation and thanks for all assistance provided!

A strange assortment to get you through the week...

• At Cabinet of Wonders, Emps mourns "The Death of a Crystal Skull".
• Paul Kimball goes underground after talking about "The Godfather of Exopolitics", at Above and Beyond.
• This week's Binnall of America audio interview is with Bill Guggenheim, discussing the newly-emerging field of After-Death Communication (ADC) research.
• Michael Prescott takes you into the "Dreamtime".
• The latest Skeptiko podcast features Alex talking to skeptical researcher Dr Clive Wynne about the 'Dogs that Know' telepathy research project.
• Anthony North takes you to "Paranormal Reality" at Beyond the Blog.
• At UFO Mystic, Nick Redfern reviews Jon Downes' new book Island of Paradise: Chupacabra, UFO crash retrievals, and accelerated evolution on the island of Puerto Rico (Amazon US and UK).
• Randi's latest newsletter digs up Padre Pio, and corrects some rather huge errors he made in describing Rudolf Steiner.
• The latest podcast at the Psychedelic Salon features Terence McKenna talking about "The Importance of Human Beings".
• Robert McLuhan touches wood at Paranormalia.
• Filip Coppens looks back at "The Tunguska Explosion" on his website.
• UFO Casebook #313 and Filer's Files #26 have the latest ufological roundups.
• The June 2008 MAPS Email News Update is now available online.

Enjoy!

On June 30, 1908, something exploded over Siberia, leveling an area the size of Tokyo. The Tunguska Event has gone on to become a part of modern 'dark' lore, with mentions on The X-Files and other similar programs, through to spawning alternative theories ranging from an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship to human weapons testing. Orthodox scientists paint a more prosaic, but equally devastating scenario:

The explosion near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River on June 30, 1908, flattened some 500,000 acres (2,000 square kilometers) of Siberian forest. Scientists calculated the Tunguska explosion could have been roughly as strong as 10 megatons to 20 megatons of TNT -- 1,000 times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The longstanding theory regarding the cause of the event is a cosmic impact from an asteroid or comet. In the last decade, researchers have conjectured the event was triggered by an asteroid exploding in Earth's atmosphere and measuring roughly 100 feet wide (30 meters) and 617,300 tons (560,000 metric tons) in mass -- more than 10 times that of the Titanic.

But recent supercomputer simulations suggest the asteroid that caused the extensive damage was much smaller.

Astrobiologist Dr David Morrison deflected the desire for a solution to the mystery in the direction of impending threat: "As interesting though Tunguska is, I'm more interested in the next Tunguska."

The Space.com article also touches on other theories, such as Wolfgang Kundt's speculation that the devastation may have been caused by an eruption of natural gas, as well as the more 'imaginative' scenarios. They also link to video from a mid-century newsreel which discussed Tunguska. The Wikipedia page on the Tunguska Event also has plenty of links to follow.

Kat's away at a not-so-secret cat conference for a feline new world order, but she still managed to find half of today's news.

• Loren Coleman gives us an update on his fight to save the cryptozoology museum.
• Was shamanic astral traveling involved in the Nazca lines? I was pondering the same thing last week. Alas, Evan Hadingham's Lines to the Mountain Gods is out of print (wink wink, Greg).
• UFOs buzzed a family's home recently in northern Australia, but were they F-35Bs? I'd drive up there to find out, but Greg's closer.
• Central Australia is a hotbed of UFO sightings, with the secretive US base PIne Gap in the middle of it all. Crikey, it's Steve Irwin meets David Icke!
• Can aboriginal myths of sky people be linked to UFOs in Australia?
• On your marks, get set... GO! Buzz Aldrin warns America must invest in NASA or lose space exploration to Russia and China.
• After decades insisting they're safe, the US has issued health warnings for mercury tooth fillings. I can't receive Coast To Coast, just a Mexican folk music station.
• Research suggests marijuana is a powerful medicine -- but it toasts your memory.
• A zombie tale of old New Orleans, with eyes to die for.
• Texas Supreme Court throws out case against exorcism.
• Five psychological experiments that prove humanity is doomed.
• Researchers at Harvard, MIT, and Yale have found evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Om.
• Helping cyclone victims has rejuvenated Burma's buddhist monks.
• Snow leopards survive 30 years of war in Aghanistan, only to face a new threat.
• Amazing photos of thousands of stingrays migrating to new waters.
• The disappearance of bees poses a disaster for us all.
• Inspiring photo of a wildlife officer saving a drowning bear. Get him a job in Iceland.
• Paris is 3000 years older than previously thought, and the celebrity isn't happy.
• Aztec whistles of death. I heard that whistle in Kill Bill 1.
• Egyptologists find ancient painted coffins, some dating to the 13th century BC.
• Looters have taken all but one relic from an ancient Hindu temple in Pakistan.
• Happy birthday to Nelson Mandela, who turned 90 years young last week and is passing the baton for the fight against poverty and oppression to those more able.

Thanks Greg, Kat, and our feline overlords.

Quote of the Day:

Every age has its massive moral blind spots. We might not see them, but our children will.

Bono

There's dead, and then there's mostly dead: the most recent eSkeptic newsletter features an article by Mark Crislip titled "Near Death Experiences & the Medical Literature". The article primarily looks at NDE studies - in particular the famous Lancet paper published by Pim van Lommel et al, which is one of the most important of the NDE literature.

I read the article from the perspective of a practicing physician who spends all his time in an acute care hospital and has been involved with many cardiac arrests over the years. The NDE question in this study hinges on whether the [sic] were dead or nearly dead. In the article the authors “defined clinical death as a period of unconsciousness caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain because of inadequate blood circulation, breathing, or both. If, in this situation, CPR is not started within 5–10 min, irreparable damage is done to the brain and the patient will die.”

Crislip's article brings up some good points in regards to how we define death, and is intelligently written. Nevertheless, there are elements of nonsense debunkery which should be set straight:

a) The whole article appears to take on the validity of the Lancet paper, on the basis of the "clinically dead" definition ("The NDE question in this study hinges on whether the [sic] were dead or nearly dead"). However, this is only a part of the paper. In fact, the Lancet article explicitly points out that NDE's happen in contexts that are not related to brain-death, such as "fear-death" situations in which bodily health is never affected...the experiencer just believes they are about to die.

a) Crislip points out discrepancies in reports over time, noting that "Some of the NDEs were, it seems, implanted memories." While this may be so, historical surveys show quite clearly that the NDE is a real phenomenon, not simply implanted. NDEs have been written about well before they entered the public consciousness. Crislip's statement may be of note though in giving percentages of people who have had NDEs - but not in the reality of the experience (reality as in 'it occurs', not that what is experienced is real).

b) Crislip finishes by saying "I am certainly not going to disagree with the idea that nearly dying is transformative..The knowledge that you are truly mortal is life altering. Cancer survivors can have the same epiphany without the cardiac arrest." However, the Lancet article explicitly notes that "The process of transformation after NDE took several years, and differed from those of patients who survived cardiac arrest without NDE", discussing these findings in detail within the article based on a longitudinal study. The study notes that the transformation was not because of the knowledge of mortality, but "a significant increase in belief in an afterlife and decrease in fear of death compared with people who had not had this experience"

There's a few other things, but just wanted to point out these items while they were in my head. Both articles are well worth the read though.

Any Tool fans out there probably noticed that Daily Grail Publishing actually published *two* books last week. While all the attention was on Jacques Vallee's UFO classic Messengers of Deception, we also released another, more esoteric work - Blair MacKenzie Blake's book of occult poetry, Ijynx, which you can check out on Amazon US and Amazon UK. Blair - who is the content manager for Tool's website - has been a good friend of TDG (and myself personally) for years now, regularly linking to us, as well as contributing his impressive knowledge of esoterica to our publications Sub Rosa and Darklore.

Here's the blurb for Ijynx...

Incorporating a magical vocabulary and nightside symbolism, IJYNX is a unique collection of occult prose-poems by an author who has been studying, experimenting, and writing about the western esoteric tradition for over twenty years. While some of the mystical verses attempt to convey ritually-machined hyperdimensions of consciousness (including encounters with the trans-mundane entities that inhabit these parallel continua), others contain, rather inexplicably, detailed knowledge of a higher Arcanum involving the alchemical entelechy of the dead. And still others challenge even the author's initiated interpretation of things perceived in the ontological spectrum of a 'Magizoth', other than to suggest, upon a closer examination of the cryptic word play, that they are anti-apotropaic in nature, and offer, at the very least, rare fleeting glimpses of the Grand Dreaming of a Treasured Eye.

We've released Ijynx as a hardcover book, priced at $34.95. You can take a look at the typesetting and inside contents by clicking on the thumbnails that accompany this post. You can also read Blair's own write-ups over at Tool's website. I'm really pleased to have helped Blair get his book out there in hardcover at last, as he's done so much for this site, and has such great insights into esoterica, ufology, and so many more of the topics we discuss. Not to mention he was kind enough to steer and beer me around L.A. when I was there a few years ago - that kind of hospitality is bound to earn a seat reservation on the ferry to the 'Island of the Blest'...

Also upcoming from Daily Grail Publishing will be Darklore #2 (and there's some great content in there!), and also a reprint of Paul Devereux's seminal book The Long Trip, which catalogues the prehistory of psychedelia - both probably in the next month. So much great reading for y'all, I'm sure you'll dig them. And then...I need a break!

"I always question the received reality. The consensus reality is often potentially misleading…"

• Last Sunday, the one and only George Carlin made his grand exit. The world may never be as funny, observantly deconstructed or well-skewered… Thanks for the decades of laughter, Rufus…
• Martian soil comparable to grandma’s veggie garden? More here.
• Back from the future, it’s the steampunk desk.
• Did an object collide with the Earth in ancient times, creating a haven for life with it’s impact?
• Something wicked this way comes? The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Artifacts and 1991 VG.
• Just how smart is the octopus? All hail our cephalopod overlords...
• Rain on Mars? Sounds like a forgotten ELO album.
• Hidden area beneath Antarctic ice where Hitler's hidden base is located,
  revealed? Even *that* would’ve made a better Indiana Jones movie…

• Japan Airlines plans biofuel test flight. Engineers fear the jet fumes might attract Godzilla. Mothra called in to consult.
• Melbourne's graffiti to be considered for heritage protection. So they’re protecting it from… MORE graffiti?
• Pubs in Yorkshire have banned hats so CCTV can more easily identify people. Try doing that in Texas.
• Wars around the globe have killed three times more people during the second half of the 20th century than previously estimated. Whoops.
• India has rolled out its first electric-powered car, the REVAi, and Norway plans to sell its own in the USA in 2009.

Big Danke Schöen to Greg, Rick and RPJ…

Quote of the Day:

“The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done...”

George Carlin ... Read More »

Loren Coleman, renowned cryptozoologist and a contributor to Darklore Vol. 1 (Amazon US, & UK), aswell as the upcoming Darklore Vol. 2, finds himself in a rather unpleasant situation. In his latest post at Cryptomundo, he describes the long and stressful legal battle he has fought with the IRS during the last year; how he had to convince them that Cryptozoology is a serious career and not a curious pasttime, and why the International Cryptozoology Museum that he founded and administers is an integral part of his research.

Alas, this whole situation has proven to be taxing (no pun intended) to say the least, since Loren had to hire lawyers and accountants to organize his defense and help him understand the intricacies of the law —something I'm sure may shock most of you, since fiscal legalisms are SO clear and intuitive!

The thing is this: To the IRS and their rules, the museum is currently nothing but a hobby; in the past Loren had a policy of not charging regular visitors but ask for donations instead, and to let film companies access for a fee—with his combined income from book sales and lectures Loren was able to keep his long-term plans of moving the location of the museum to a bigger premise in 10 years or so— But now in order for the government to acknowledge the museum's rightful function and purpose, the museum needs to make more money, or it ceases to exist.

"Realistically, for the museum to continue alone, I have set a goal of $15,000 to raise for the museum in the next three months, to keep the International Cryptozoology Museum alive and deal with finding and moving into new space. I need to find a location that is affordable, which gets good people traffic. In the future, in a new location, the museum will charge a bit and be set up to sell many kinds of cryptozoology books (beyond my own) and cz objects."

If you wish to help, you can send contributions to Loren via his Paypal account (lcoleman@maine.rr.com). If you are planning to visit Maine in the near future, you could also contact Loren & make a reservation to visit his museum —something I personally wish to fulfill someday— and if you would like to hire the services of an internationally famous cryptozoologist to give a lecture at your school, college or community center, you need to look no further.

Oh! and you should also keep in mind that all the contributors of Darklore receive direct revenues from the book sales... I'm just saying, why not kill two birds with a single stone? ;-)

RPJ