So, CNN decided they need to refute this story about the Taliban training attack monkeys. Because this is the kind of thing that needs clarification.

I mean, seriously CNN? Is it really that slow of a news day? Or do you really think that little of your audience’s intelligence?

I guess it is in keeping with the high journalistic standards we’ve seen from Jeanne Moos when reporting on pieces like the recent North Carolina Bigfoot reports (below) and from Larry King’s various UFO stories. One thing is for sure, I always know when I see a story of Fortean significance on CNN, they are going to make light and ignore any thoughtful witnesses or experts. Call it the trailer park tornado syndrome. If 20 people see something, no matter what it is, CNN is going to pick the one witness with three teeth, one eye, no previous knowledge of events, and a speech impediment.

By contrast, the local news story (video below) contained a much better report, and places the most recent sightings in a historical context of previous sightings. Does the most recent witness still seem somewhat dubious? Sure. But at least we now have a historical context within which to either substantiate his claims, or to look for a source to his delusions.

When we then look at a related opinion pieces asking “Why do we need to look for Bigfoot?” we find the commentator taking a grain of something worthwhile, potential psychological explanations for strange phenomenon, and twisting it all out of context and reason.

Monkey soldiers? Bigfoot? Anomalous animal carcasses? All the same to CNN.

Even at the most basic level, they seem to have a problem getting their facts straight when it comes to Fortean phenomenon. Take the chupacabras for instance (cabras, with an “s”… these aren’t monogamous goat suckers). First they spell it wrong, then they place its roots in Mexico instead of Puerto Rico. Then, after failing to do that basic bit of research about where the term and initial sightings originated, the author proceeds to confuse the quasi-mythic chupacabras (a creature who has now lent his name, as Jon Downes notes, to various boogie men across Latin America) with the hairless canines reported across the southwest. This does a disservice to the rich chupacabras lore of Puerto Rico and the rest of Latin America, as well as diverting serious scientific inquiry from the mystery canines that have been photographed, filmed, and even shot and killed.

If mange ridden coyotes or domestic dogs, they seem to be otherwise healthy and active (see video below). But if they are healthy and hair-free for some other reason, what is that reason? And just what kind of canine are they? These are questions that could be answered relatively easily with a little attention. Even if it turns out they are just mangy coyote. We would know, we could push the data out there, and we could move on to other topics.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

But as long as organizations like CNN and others cast a jaundiced eye at the realm of Cryptozoology and other odd Fortean phenomenon — painting us in the same broad swathes as monkey soldiers and ignoring solid data and serious researchers while trotting out drunken witnesses for silly-season filler — legitimate investigators, and science itself, will continue to suffer by association. News organizations don’t trot out alchemists in lieu of chemists, astrologers instead of astronomers. Yet anytime Tom Biscardi or the local trailer park prophet trot out a magic monkey hand, the cameras are rolling.

It’s enough to make a former newsman sigh.

It’s not clear to me that at the National Counter Terrorism Center today… (the computer system) will automatically cross search all the intelligence and law enforcement databases it has. I want to find out whether that exist and I’m afraid that it doesn’t.”

– Senator Joe Lieberman on NPR Morning Edition with Renee Montagne this morning, doing a heck of a job beating the dead scare-monger horse before he’s bothered to gather the facts. (Italicized emphasis is Senator Lieberman’s emphasis, bold is mine.)

Anomaly TeleVision » Blog Archive » MadCowProd Presents – New American Druglords trailer

Behind the forces fighting for control of the Venice Airport lie a treasure trove of secrets about America’s secret history, and a startling new discovery that finally made sense of the metamorphosis of the owner of Huffman Aviation—while Mohamed Atta was in residence—from retired midwestern insurance executive to clandestine services officer and international drug trafficker.

Wally Hilliard’s links to American intelligence go back (at least) to November of 1981, when his insurance company, Wisconsin Employer’s Group,  was bought out by Myron Du Bain, Chairman of Fireman’s Fund of San Francisco.

Myron Du Bain was a World War II OSS/CIA operative who had life-long ties to the CIA, including two stints at the helm of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), famous for its classified research into psychic viewing, the results of which are currently on display in George Clooney’s new movie, “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”

The man who owned the flight school that taught Mohamed Atta to fly got rich selling his insurance company to the man who paid “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”

http://www.danielhopsicker.tv/

http://www.madcowprod.com/

This Week’s Anomaly TeleVision Round-Up:

• Fall of the Republic Volume 1: The Presidency of Barack H. Obama
• One Mainframe To Rule Them All: IBM and Verichip – The Human Microchipping Agenda
• Jack Blood Interviews David Icke 10/12/2009
• Blob-Like Robot Unveiled in US
• Orgasms During Child Birth
• Bigfoot on Display in Downtown Portland (At Loren Coleman’s New International Cryptozoology Museum!)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anomaly TeleVision » Blog Archive » Flo White – Chemtrails

I found out about this video on 10/13 at a friend’s 33rd birthday celebration at Julio’s Cafe in Austin.  While eating dinner another friend mentioned this video and she said Freeman is in it and that part of it was filmed at her house.  Turns out the video was uploaded onto YouTube on 10/13.  Kinda weird.  I’m a big fan of Freeman and I just thought I’d let y’all knwo about these synchronicities!

This Week’s Anomaly TeleVision Round-Up:

• Homemade Flying Saucer Balloon Scam
• Phelim McAleer Asks Al Gore About Significant Errors In An Inconvenient Truth
• Alex Collier at the Project Camelot Awake and Aware Conference 2009
• 10/6/2009 Strange Cloud Formation/ UFO Mothership Over Moscow?
• New Dyson Bladeless Fan

"And in this frame, if we blow it up enough, we can clearly see all the way to the coast and this blip here, this is Patty's brother, out on the ocean, jumping the shark."

This Thursday, I’m just wondering… is MK Davis the Andy Kaufman of the Bigfoot world? Is the Bluff Creek Massacre story his slow-burn version of wrestling Freddie Blassie?

I really hope so. I’d love to be able to actually sit back and comfortably chuckle at the strangeness of it all.

I mean, personally, I see the same twisted logic in the “Why doesn’t John Green just tell us what is on his back if not a camera?” argument from Davis supporter David Paulides that I see in the Gilbert Gottfried inspired  “Did Glen Beck rape and murder a young girl in 1990?” meme.

For those not familiar, the joke originated with a celebrity roast of Bob Saget where Gottfried asked why Saget never denied rumors that he had raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. A rumor that never existed until Godfrey created it, and that the comedian quickly followed with a proclamation that, while he himself didn’t believe it was true, it was curious that Saget never denied it.

The creative mind behind the Glenn Beck riff on this joke is skewering a tactic Beck often employs himself. That is, blind siding a guest with a ridiculous charge that he claims not to believe; but that he wants the guest to refute.

It would be great if Davis and friends were doing the same. Simply skewering the Bigfoot world’s sacred cows and inserting some levity in a field that sometimes takes itself too seriously, instead of jumping the shark after doing some undeniably worthwhile work stabilizing the PG footage.

Laughter is, after all, the best medicine.

But methinks the truth may be that MK needs something just a little bit stronger.

Anomaly TeleVision » Blog Archive » David Icke Talks to Freedom Central in Amsterdam – September 2009

This Week’s Anomaly TeleVision Round-Up:

• Just Get Your Damn Vaccine?
• Surviving the Matrix Interviews Jane Burgermeister About The Swine Flu & Vaccinations
• Dr. Steven Greer Presents “The Promise of New Energy” at the European Exopolitics Summit 2009
• Iron Triangle: The Carlyle Group

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anomaly TeleVision » Blog Archive » TIME Magazine Interviews: Ron Paul

This Week’s Anomaly TeleVision Round-Up:

• Police Embroiled in Violent Battles with G20 Protesters
• Military Uses Sonic Weapon and Tear Gas on Protesters at G20 in Pittsburgh
• AE911Truth at AIA Headquarters in Washington, DC
• Esoteric Science Roundtable with Kory Kortis & Guest Jack Blood 3/29/2007
• Google’s Mysterious UFO Logos
• Bizarre Creature Found In Panama

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anomaly TeleVision » Blog Archive » Russia Today on the 9/11 Truth Revolution

9/11 truth protests fill New York on the 8th anniversary of the worst tragedy in America’s modern history. RT’s Anastasia Churkina follows the hundreds of people who are still not getting the answers they want.

This Week’s Anomaly TeleVision Round-Up:

• Soldier, Former State Trooper Speak Out On Forced Vaccinations
• Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Russell Blaylock Discuss Flu & Vaccines
• Charlie Sheen on the Alex Jones Show 9/15/2009

So instead go check out this new MMO under development by Funcom (the folks who brought us the Age of Conan MMO). Set in the modern world, it’s based on the premise that, besides the everyday world we all know, a Secret World of demons, monsters,  and shadowy secret societies and conspiracies exists and exerts a very real influence on the “real” world.

You can read more about it, from folks who know more about it than I do, at Kotaku here, here, and here.

As always the views of Mr. Hallen do not necessarily represent the views of myself or AnomalyMagazine.com, but are presented here in the nature of free information and debate.  Please read, consider, and comment.

Secrecy… but not as you know it

by Oliver Hallen

The famous nuclear physicist Edward Teller well described the effects of confidentiality in this short yet inquisitive way: “Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction”. I find that this quote is no truer than in ufology where not only is secrecy seen as commonplace, but it’s expected as a primary part concerning the so-called official forces apparently at work regarding the field. The history of this subject is inundated with alleged instances of how complex and well organized actions work to keep that all ambiguous truth concealed. Even though it can’t be proven, you’d imagine that if this were true the resources needed would be rather substantial and the people involved beyond trustworthy; then factoring this in over long periods of time, different departments, and even countries, it makes it all the more unlikely.

The fact of the matter is humans are lousy at keeping secrets and controlling sensitive information. As we’ve seen in the news, to the dismay of many, the British government has certainly shown how inept it can be at handling data with occurrences such as the mislaid personal details of millions of people which they were entrusted with. These incidents included factions like the Ministry of Defence, Home Office, and Foreign Office. If these important agencies, as an example, can’t even perform such duties what hope would there be of keeping a major cover-up under constant wraps and in operation regardless of size, scope, or country? This is one of numerous questions that have never been satisfactorily answered by ardent supporters of this, at least not to me anyway. What’s been claimed as evidence has absolutely no solidity when faced with serious questioning. There is real contradiction here; people claim that the authorities have a large, secretive, and well-oiled operation, yet this same project is not only common knowledge, but the perpetrators of this can’t even contain information which people use against them as alleged evidence of this so-called esoteric conspiracy. But if it’s anything to go off regarding previous lapses of security, like the ones mentioned above for instance, we most probably would have found out the truth long ago or at least have some idea about what’s going on concerning anything strange. However, no conclusive data has ever come to light to back a paranormal perspective which for me says much about the weakness of such accusations.

One well known and controversial element in all this is the Men in Black whose duty is to seemingly hassle and silence UFO witnesses. Surely if a special government program to keep this issue under control and wraps was being conducted in such a comprehensive and ruthless way as proposed, there wouldn’t be much need for individuals like this to perform these tasks (if we presume that they are in some way connected). Considering for a moment an ‘MIB division’ or ‘divisions’ exist, whatever jurisdiction, if any, it might be under (earth-based or otherwise) it certainly shows that the cover up effort in this area is performed in a rather insecure, reckless, and ineffective way. Especially when you think you’ve got suspicious looking and acting spooks making the rounds on particular cases and that details, unconfirmed though they are, are publicly available on them in different forms. Logically though, what harm could a witness do with no irrefutable evidence and no means by which to threaten the authorities purported program? There must definitely be more pressing things on a government’s alleged secret ufological agenda than a collection of witnesses who will probably not be taken that seriously or receive a great amount of attention except within the UFO scene which, by all rights if accurate, they should already be very well-informed on. To take such a needless risk like this is nothing short of crazy when, if true, you have so much to lose.

The reality of the situation is a lot more mundane however, as we’ve seen internationally regarding the various releases, statements, and investigations over the years which have gained much attention. Whilst there is interest here it’s definitely not to the style and depth of what has been claimed for so long by particular parties. No doubt a counter to this argument is that we’re being fobbed off with more ordinary and safe data whilst the real stuff is locked away in top secret, all the while government’s can claim good PR for their frankness having superficially answered the allegations. This, again, is totally unfounded.

When calls for openness are met, rejection is expected due to the fact that said calls run in opposition to established conspiracy lore held so dear by its proponents. Nonetheless, it’s a win-win situation for them as if the release is positive they get what they want and, if not, they can call foul and continue to point the finger at whomever they see fit. Sadly, all the information in the world would not satisfy them if it went against what they believed. Everyone must be reminded that releases generally come when it’s best for the authorities, not the public. Regarding the uses of data though, people need to recognize that it’s not enough to just know, it must be understood and applied in an appropriate way relevant to what you’re doing.

If I could pass on a good piece of advice it would be the need to look at yourself and the secrets you have; then place this in the context of governmental circumstances. It’s always been in the interests and nature of command to employ confidentiality as a valuable tool and asset concerning its work. With regards to ufology this fact has shown how erroneous the conspiracy angle actually is.

Finally, it’s important to mention that one of the many reasons I have such a skeptical attitude towards this field is not just because the answers are usually very normal, but because they can be overlooked in favor of the fantastic. It seems the last thing most ufologist’s want is a simple answer and if that requires self deception, then god help them.