Don’t 'Elf' with Santa

Santa Clause, a.k.a. St. Nicholas is one of the most recognizable and mysterious symbols of the Christmas season. He is lauded by many as a gift-giver and bringer of joy to children. Still by others he is labeled a pagan distraction from Jesus whose birth the advent is meant to commemorate. But just who is the real man behind the beard? Regardless of whether you are a fan of Santa or a Santa hater, you probably don’t know much about the real St. Nick. What I’m about to share with you may totally change the way you see him.

Early Church records indicate that Santa was a real person. He was born to a wealthy Greek family in the 3rd century near the city of Myra in what is presently Turkey. His parents died and he used the family fortune to rescue people in need. One famous story surrounding old St. Nick is that he is said to have secretly put gold in stockings to save young ladies from a life of prostitution by giving them a dowry and thus making them eligible for marriage. In other words, Santa made it rain on them (would-be) hoes long before Lil Wayne threw his first dollar bill at a stripper. Could this possibly explain his laugh?

 Santa was made a Bishop at a young age but was known for much more than just his generosity. He had some serious street credibility among his Christian brethren. In fact, during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian he spent time in jail where he was tortured for being a leader in the Church. Torture methods used by Romans were notoriously brutal and left him disfigured. But Santa took it like a boss and never cracked. Christians who survived torture without denying their faith were called “confessors”.  It’s uncertain how many tattoos he received while locked up, but it’s probably where he picked up smoking.

Some protestant Christians don’t like Santa because they view him as a pagan symbol derived from Norse mythology. It’s true that both Odin and Santa enjoy flying and have epic beards. But that’s where the similarities end. The earliest historical traditions demonstrate that he was no friend of the pagan religions. During his time as Bishop of Myra, we are told that he directly challenged the old Roman gods at the Temple of Artemis and accounts tell us that “evil spirits fled howling before him.”  Santa was a Jedi.

Do you still want to call him a pagan? You better watch out. In fact, after Santa was released from prison he attended a meeting of church leaders in the year 325 called the Council of Nicea. At that meeting St. Nicholas is said to have knocked a brother out during a rather serious theological disagreement. This assault landed him back in jail. until according to legend, God spoke to one of the Church fathers in a dream and ordered St. Nick released from prison. Evidently Santa was super-tight with the Almighty.

All of these accounts make for a substantial contrast to our popular image of Santa in America which is principally derived from his depiction in the 1823 Clement Moore poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. It seems as though the real Santa has more in common with the Batman than his modern portrayals would have you believe. He was not a fat, jolly old guy but a heroic and generous individual. Of course he shouldn’t replace Jesus as the focus of Christmas, but I think he deserves a lot more respect than he receives. In other words don’t elf around with Santa and you’ll stay on his good list.

(As published in the Murreesboro Pulse December 2013)

Mysterious New England

While on a recent trip to  New England I was reminded of how

The Pilgrims Society

 

 

The sovereignty of the United States was recognized by Great Britain through the Treaty of Paris of 1783. However, some students of deep politics believe the United States never achieved true independence from the UK and that the British ruling elite still hold an extraordinary amount of clandestine influence over the United States.  The Pilgrims Society is one alleged vehicle for said influence.  In honor of Thanksgiving we will take a brief look at this prestigious gathering that has remained largely in the shadows until now.

Founded in 1902 this club was established to foster good relations between the United States and Great Britain. Its official patron is the British Crown and its ranks include a host of British aristocracy and industry leadership. It has also counted as members some of the most prestigious people in United States history including John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie and others from the highest echelons of society and absolutely no Indians.

What history forgets is that a faction of the Pilgrims Society was allegedly behind one of the most widely ignored conspiracies in American history known as The Business Plot.  In 1933 US Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testified before a congressional committee that he was approached by members  and asked to participate in a coup d’état to overthrow  the government and install a fascist regime.  While it sounds far-fetched, its membership list included several leading bankers and industrialists who were financial beneficiaries of the fascist governments in Italy and Germany prior to World War II. But at the end of the day nobody was prosecuted and some even called it a hoax despite  evidence to the contrary.

The Anglo-American establishment isn’t new. I contend that with the exception of that time when they burned the White House, relations have been good.  Our “founding fathers” even allowed the Crown to dictate the terms of the treaty heavily in its own favor a full two years after cessation of hostilities in 1791. In it the King retained rights to continue receiving gold, silver and copper from business ventures and the right to collect on all debt.  It would seem to me that America didn’t actually negotiate this treaty from a position of victory but instead, England simply changed strategy from a military approach to an economic one and the new Anglo-American aristocracy was born.

Today the list of Pilgrims continues to include some of the most influential people in mass media, heads of financial institutions, global corporations, ambassadors, high-ranking members of the intelligence community along with a long list of British nobility and still no Indians  . Could it be that this group functions as a vehicle through which the British Empire still exerts its influence?  An article published by the Institute for the Study of Globalization and Covert Politics makes a strong case for the reality of the group’s ongoing, non-democratic influence on American policy.

My investigation of this organization shows it to be like the other back-door think-tanks. ( e.g.  Bilderberg Group, Council on Foreign Relations etc...)  Since their inception such organizations have sought to control the United States and ultimately bring about a one world system of government through the manipulation of media and global financial institutions.  To demonstrate the historical reality of this fact I’ll end this peek into hidden history with a statement made by President Woodrow Wilson who wrote the following in 1913:

"Since I entered politics, I have mainly had men's opinions confided to me in private. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the Field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it."

(Murfreesboro Pulse November 2013)

 

Pilgrims and Aliens

When it comes to exploring the unexplained, UFOs are my favorite topic to investigate. So in honor of Thanksgiving, we will look at some surprising evidence of extraterrestrials that we find deep in America’s past. No, I’m not referring to the hundreds of Native American accounts we have of otherworldly visitors. Everybody knows that unless white folks write it down then it’s just mythology. Believe it or not, pilgrims (the whitest people ever) were the earliest Europeans in North America to record a number of UFO sightings.

The first known incident happened in 1639, just 9 years after the establishment of Plymouth colony. The report comes from The History of New England, 1630-1639, a book by John Winthrop, a puritan and the first elected Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His writings are considered the central source for the history of the area.
One night in March of 1639, James Everell “a sober, discreet man” and two companions boarded a small boat and set out for a trip on the Muddy River in Boston. They had been moving downstream for about a mile when the night’s mysterious events began. The three men were suddenly confronted with the appearance of a huge, bright light hovering in the sky. The light “flamed up” as it hovered and appeared to be about “three yards square.” As they watched, the light “contracted into the figure of a swine” and moved “swift as an arrow” in the direction of Charlton. For several hours, the light moved back and forth in the sky between Everell’s location and Charlton. When the light finally disappeared, the men noticed that they had somehow been carried against the tide back to the place where they had embarked. Wait a second. Either these pilgrims ate some magic mushrooms or this matches perfectly with what some modern UFO witnesses report with close encounters! Winthrop’s book offers us even more strangeness to consider.

In 1644, a rash of bizarre sightings was again reported in Boston. The account says that mysterious lights appeared about 2 weeks after the destruction of a ship commanded by Captain John Chaddock, a pirate whose ship was intentionally blown up in the harbor. On several occasions, Bostonians saw a light resembling the moon rise from the water near the site of the sunken ship that merged with an identical light and then separated again, repeating this over and over while shooting out flames and sparks. The people of Boston attributed the lights to the ghost of one of the dead sailors, a confessed necromancer allegedly responsible for the ship’s destruction. According to Winthrop, this anonymous person had “done some strange things by his art in his Avay from Virginia hither;” to make things even more strange, Winthrop reports:

“all the bodies blown up were found but his, which never was. Hence it is left to be inferred that the master teacher of the black art of necromancy took away the body as well as the soul of his pupil, at the moment of the catastrophe.” 

Were the strange lights, the ship’s destruction and alleged sorcerer whose body is never recovered simply a coincidence? Even when examined separately, they are wildly fascinating events worth more investigation. Could the “sorcerer” have actually been an extraterrestrial or a time traveler sent to change the course of history and then teleported away after sinking the ship? It would make for a great movie sci-fi movie script, Pilgrims and Aliens. Unfortunately, the truth about what really happened may remain a mystery like so many events in the distant past. When it comes to unraveling Earth’s biggest mysteries, I need all the help I can get, so your comments and stories are welcome. Keep exploring!



(Murfreesboro Pulse November 2012)

Murfreesboro's Most Haunted

(As featured in the October 2013 edition of the Murfreesboro Pulse)

Murfreesboro’s Most Haunted

I’m not a big fan of Halloween attractions like haunted houses.  Having spent a certain amount of time in the field researching real monsters and investigating actual paranormal phenomenon, it’s difficult to get excited about the fake stuff.  Don’t get me wrong. I like Halloween fun and have been known to disguise myself to play the occasional trick.  But for those curious about real paranormal activity, I have a special treat for you this October.

 The Murfreesboro’s Most Haunted list presented here was assembled based on the experiences of local paranormal investigators, reader submissions and my personal explorations in search of the unknown.   Here’s what made the list. 

Stones River Battlefield – It’s the site of more than 3000 deaths and one of the bloodiest  battles of the Civil War. Numerous sightings of ghastly apparitions have been reported for decades in and around this historic area. Entire troop formations have been seen here by witnesses here that disappear without a trace.  

 

Social (formerly Blue Rooster and Blues Boro) – I saw some pretty frightening things at this bar when I used to hang out there. But according to the Shadow Chasers of Middle Tennessee, a number of electronic voice phenomenon or EVPs (alleged ghost noises) have been recorded in the basement which sound people playing billiards in an area with no pool table.

Center for the Arts – Another submission from my friends at Shadow Chasers, the Center for the Arts is said to host more than just live performances. It seems the dead also perform their own kind of show at night and that the voices of children laughing have been captured by recorders.

Davis Market – Many know of the “curse of Davis Market”  and that it’s actually the center of the universe.  But there’s more to this place than these urban legends. Some employees have experienced strange happenings like objects moving, doors slamming and calculators running numbers with nobody around.

Black Fox Camp Springs – This general area is where some of the first settlers in Rutherford County made their homes.  It’s located along the Nickajack trace, an ancient Native American highway which ran all the way down to Spanish Florida. According to legend Chief Black Fox escaped an attack by diving into the spring and emerging three miles away at Murfree Springs.  I’ve heard drums beating here on more than one occasion and was unable to identify the source.   

 

The Black Cat Tavern – This abandoned underground speakeasy from the days of prohibition is not just a little spooky, but the first time I went inside the cave I heard voices and what sounded like music coming from somewhere deep underground. 

Smotherman’s Antiques   Melinda Blick of Stones River Paranormal considers this local antique store  to be a paranormal hotspot. It makes sense that it might manifest some activity. This business houses a collection of items belonging to dead people in a building that has its own lengthy history.

The old MTMC Hospital  – Although the lot where the old hospital stood is now empty, some vivid accounts were shared with me by former employees of the old hospital.  These included witnesses seeing floating objects as well as phantoms which appeared to comfort the dying.  

Big B Cleaners – The haunted drycleaners might not sound so spooky.  But Big B was once the site of a local taxi service back in 1920’s. It was during this period that a murder took place and it’s believed that the victim may still be lingering.  Investigators who have probed this location have witnessed mysterious lights and sounds coming from the building

 

 

Oaklands Plantation – Although it has never been formally investigated (to my knowledge), this stately home from the early 19^th century made the list by default. The location was home to a large number of slaves and was the site of an engagement between Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. Perhaps the Oaklands Association will someday allow an investigation of the house that will validate its place on this prestigious list of haunted places in Murfreesboro.

More Pictures coming soon! 

The Victorian Quarters: a Bed and Breakfast with a paranormal past

 It just dawned on me that August is almost over and I haven't recorded anything in the blog for about a month. I know my vast readership must be getting anxious and I have no excuse really. I've just been doing what I do. I guess the least I could do is share some pics from my recent  stay at an awesome bed and breakfast in Henderson KY that is most certainly haunted. It's called the Victorian Quarters. Constructed around 1860 by a prominent family, and operated as a household with a number of slaves.  Interestingly, some of these slaves took it upon themselves to dig a tunnel clear out to the Ohio river (across the street) so that they might escape or at least come and go as they pleased without waking the 'masa'.

 Koy (the owner) shared with me that the house is also the host to regular paranormal activity and that the house is indeed "haunted". In fact the statue in the picture below was knocked of its pedestal and decapitated during one such event.

She let us in on a number of stories regarding the paranormal events and EVPs recorded in the building and one day I'll get around to sharing more abut our own visit. I also have a lot more pics of a much higher quality on my wife's camera that I'll post at some point in the future. Until I can add more to this post just do your own research and you'll find this whole town is filled stories of paranormal activity.

Interestingly too Koy also shared with me a first hand account of a strange cryptid like creature that was in her rose garden that did not resemble any animal she had ever seen. Lots to write about here once I get around to it.

                                                                     

 The tunnel underneath the house leads from the basement level to the Ohio River across the street from the Victorian Quarters.

Inside the Black Cat Tavern

It’s an obscure landmark, but one that harkens back to an era that is both dark and fascinating all at once.   The Black Cat Tavern operated as a popular nightclub on the outskirts of Murfreesboro in the period during and after prohibition. It is best described as a cave to which a manmade entrance was added, creating an enclosed space. It consisted of three rooms which included a dance hall, a dining room and a kitchen in addition to the natural cave area with an underground stream.  Situated alongside a major highway but hidden by dense foliage, it remains virtually invisible to the average passerby.  

Little can be confirmed regarding details of this establishment’s history.  Although enough rumors and second hand stories exist that indicate it was a place that your mamma would have probably told you not to go. That didn’t discourage those back in the 20’s from hanging out at the underground jazz joint that some have  termed a “speakeasy”.  It’s even believed that Jean Faircloth MacArthur , the 2^nd wife  of American General Douglass MacArther  of WW2 fame partied  here on occasion. 

Overwhelmed with curiosity to learn more about the Black Cat, we decided to take a small expedition to this underground hideaway and see for ourselves.  Arriving at the location we cautiously slipped through the bars that block the entrance.  We then examined each room of the dank edifice with our flashlights, clearing away a jungle of cobwebs as we made our way through.   I’ll be the first to confess that the Black Cat is a little spooky.  It’s not a place that I recommend going for a night out.

 But the tavern wasn’t always such an eerie place. The walls were once covered in cedar planks and heat was provided by a set of fireplaces which surely provided a warm ambiance during its heyday.  It’s easy to imagine this place as a fun underground venue for nightlife.

We’ve all got romantic ideas about this era that are given to us by pop culture. But in reality it was still a relatively dark period in American history.  Poverty and disease were rampant.  At the local hospital women were often given scopolamine, tied to tables and left to hallucinate for days before giving birth. Sexy times eh? The Black Cat Tavern was nothing fancy. It was basically just a hole in the ground where people went to get drunk. But still it represents a part of American culture.  Even the darker elements of our past in my opinion should not be forgotten.

For all the paranormal researchers and ghost chasers that drop in to read this post,  I should add that the Black Cat is near the top of my list Murfreesboro's Most Haunted locations which is the subject for a later post in October. 

The property is currently managed by the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department and closed to the public. Safety and adequate funding are likely the reasons that Black Cat has remained a low priority for historic preservation.  The collapsed floors and broken beer bottles left by previous visitors make it a hazardous hangout.    

 Many fascinating monuments to American cultural history such as this are lost either through urban development or simply allowed to deteriorate.  Some remain hidden because they represent dark and uncomfortable periods in the past and others are simply hazardous and inaccessible.

 With enough encouragement from others who are aware of its historical significance, I think a gradual restoration of the Black Cat site might be feasible. It’s certainly worth a call to city officials at the Murfreesboro Department of Parks and Recreation to express your support for the idea of preserving this old-time venue. What you do you think?


Here are a few pics from a recent trip to Black Cat.

Wine and Spirits: Wine-tasting and ghost chasing in Tennessee

Hidden within the highlands of the Upper-Cumberland region of Tennessee, Red Boiling Springs is a retromantic and mysterious destination for anyone seeking some Victorian era nostalgia, delicious wine and perhaps even an encounter with the unexplained.


Looking for an escape from the mundane, Angela and I booked a suite at the Thomas House, one of three bed-and breakfast style hotels in the small town. Before arriving at our intended destination we first stopped in for a visit at the Red Barn Winery a few miles away. The narrow lane which leads to the quaint vineyard epitomizes the rural Tennessee landscape that many who live in the urbanized areas surrounding Nashville forget exists.

The Red Bard Winery

Inside the Red Barn we found a welcoming atmosphere for tasting and a wide selection of wines that are made on site. This isn’t Napa Valley of course, nor is it trying to be. Tennessee wines have their own unique history and distinct taste. In fact, winemaking in Tennessee was purely a bootlegging industry after prohibition laws were in place after commercial wine production ceased. Not until recent decades have wineries begun to produce native varieties again for commercial sale. After my second time coming to Red Barn, I can confirm that it offers some of the best in Tennessee.


Leaving the picturesque vineyard, we then ventured to our final destination. The history of the Thomas House is interlaced with that of Red Boiling Springs which began as a resort town during the Victorian era. The location owed its popularity to the belief that local mineral springs had curative properties and restorative health benefits. Once boasting more than a dozen hotels, dance halls and an amusement park, it's popularity continued to roar through the 20's and 30's as a get-away for the well-to-do of society. However, the postwar era brought its decline as transportation to other places became easier with the new interstate system. Except for a small resurgence in the 1950’s its decay was steady until a flood all but destroyed the town in 1969.

Thomas House

The Thomas House is intriguing to say the least. It’s widely known for its paranormal activity, making it a frequent destination for researchers of the paranormal. It was even the location for an investigation which was featured in an episode of Sy Fi Channel’s Paranormal State. The building itself dates to 1890 and exists on the site of a previous hotel. An all brick structure, it has two floors and countless rooms to explore, mostly decorated in the flamboyant style of the Victorian era. Several rooms are also dedicated to various themes like ‘Gone with the Wind’, one full of antique Christmas decorations, still another one is full of children’s toys.

Gone with the Wind Room

We made reservations on a night when they were hosting a group of swing dancers which contributed to the timeless atmosphere of the hotel. After dancing we sat and talked with the Cole family who has owned the hotel since 1993. They relayed to us a number of strange encounters with apparitions that appeared to be living people only to disappear from sight. Unfortunately we had no experiences ourselves that could be characterized as paranormal.






This sort of destination isn’t for everyone. If you are too easily freaked out, require five star accommodations or enjoy the music of Ke$ha and Lil’ Wayne then you probably won’t get the beauty of this place. But the adventurer, the wine connoisseur or the artist will all find something here that captivates and refreshes them, much as it did for those who were looking for an escape more than a century ago.

Room at the Thomas House

Creepy Swimming pool

Donaho Hotel

Spring House behind Donaho Hotel

Vinyard 

Inside the Haunted Hospital of Murfreesboro

The Haunted Hospital of Murfreesboro

With the old Middle Tennessee Medical Center of Murfreesboro Tennessee now completely destroyed it’s a good time to share about my investigation of a place that I consider one of Murfreesboro’s most haunted. After all they can't sue me for trespassing in a place that isn't there right? At least I hope not.

Originally built in the 1920’s, it saw its share of patients come and go. However, some of these patients, it seems, have never actually left. Several medical professionals who worked at the hospital have witnessed things that can only be described as paranormal. They will share accounts of everything from objects floating across the hallways to ghosts that come to visit dying patients in the cancer ward.


My own experiences with the hospital are also quite eerie. In fact, while in college I used to deliver medicine to the hospital every night around 3 a.m. One night I delivered the wrong diagnostic medicine to a lab on the first floor. When I discovered my mistake, I went back to the lab and found the case containing the medicine had been opened, and the dose was lying on the floor. Nobody was ever working in that lab at 3 in the morning, and I had not even been out of the room for 5 minutes before returning.


During the early phases of demolition, I began to hear rumors that paranormal activity in the facility had increased dramatically. In an off-the-record conversation with a hospital official, I was even told that more than one security firm had been frightened away by all the ghostly events. Did the hospital’s demise aggravate the spirits that remained in the old building?


Recognizing that I had only a short time to investigate before the entire building would be gone forever, I began planning a self-guided tour. After all, two of my daughters were born there, and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to sneak into the hospital. I had also done so the night my wife was in labor. The entire hospital was put on lockdown because a man had just shot himself in the head outside the emergency room. One more troubled spirit joined the club of restless souls that evening.

Inside the old MTMC

The night we chose to explore the old building, it was cool but dry and perfect for a creepy foray into the unknown. We entered the hospital through an open ground-floor entrance. The three of us, with our cameras and flashlights, moved about carefully as we walked and listened. Very few places are more scary than an abandoned hospital. Imagine floor after floor of rooms that served as host to the neverending symphony of human experience and emotion ranging from childbirth and joy to lives ending in the throes of agony and depression. I briefly split from the group with these thoughts in my head and rounded the corner of a wide hallway when suddenly the image of a horribly deformed baby crawling toward me in the dark entered my mind so vividly that I almost question whether or not I imagined it at all. It’s my innermost fear. I’ll fight wild animals, bigfoot or angry voodoo zombies but deformed ghost-children are where I draw the line. Finally, I was able to clear my mind and rejoin the others as if nothing had happened. No ghost-baby. No problems. So we finished looking around, and we left as quietly as we came. Unfortunately, our investigation yielded no verifiable evidence of paranormal activity. No EVP, no voices and no visual contact with anything paranormal.


It will be interesting to watch what happens in the future when the site is reopened, hopefully, as a park or green space. Will the spirits continue to roam the place where the hospital once stood? We will see.

Spanish Version

El hospital embrujado de Murfreesboro

Con el viejo Middle Tennessee Medical Center ahora completamente en ruinas es un buen momento para compartir sobre mi investigación de un lugar que considero uno de Murfreesboro más embrujado. Originalmente construido en la década de 1920 vio su cuota de pacientes fluctuar Sin embargo, parece que algunos de estos pacientes realmente nunca han marchado. Varios profesionales médicos que trabajaron en el hospital han sido testigos de cosas que sólo pueden describirse como paranormales. Tienen en común haber visto de todo, desde objetos flotantes a través de los pasillos a fantasmas que vienen a visitar a pacientes moribundos en el pabellón de cáncer.

Mis propias experiencias con el hospital también son bastante inquietantes. De hecho, mientras en el la Universidad yo trabajaba entregando medicamentos al hospital cada noche alrededor de las 3 a.m. Una noche entregó el medicamento equivocado de diagnóstico a un laboratorio en el primer piso.Cuando descubrí mi error volví al laboratorio y encontré que el caso que contiene la medicina había sido abierto y la dosis estaba en el suelo. Nadie trabajaba alguna vez en aquel laboratorio a las 3 de la mañana y yo ni había estado fuera de la habitación 5 minutos antes de regresar.

Durante las primeras fases de demolición empecé a oír los rumores de que actividad paranormal en el establecimiento había aumentado de manera espectacular. En una conversación privada que tuve con un funcionario del hospital el funcionario indicó que dos empresas de seguridad había sido amedrentados por todos los acontecimientos fantasmales.Es posible que la demolición del hospital se agravaba los espíritus que siguieron en el viejo edificio?

Reconociendo que yo sólo tenía un poco de tiempo para investigar antes de que todo el edificio se ha ido para siempre, me empezó a planificar un recorrido autoguiado. Después de todo, dos de mis hijas nacieron allí y no sería la primera vez que tuve que de entrar a escondidas en el hospital. También lo había hecho la noche en que mi esposa estaba de parto. Todo el hospital fue cerrado con llave porque un hombre disparó un tiro en su cabeza fuera de la sala de emergencias. Uno espíritu turbado más se unió al club de almas inquietas esa noche.

La noche que decidimos explorar el viejo edificio hacia frío pero era seco y perfecto para una incursión en lo desconocido. Entramos en el hospital a través de una entrada de planta que estaba abierta. Los tres, con nuestras cámaras y linternas se trasladaron cuidadosamente caminado y escuchado. Muy pocos lugares son más terrorificos que un hospital abandonado.

Imagínese piso tras piso de habitaciones que servían como anfitrión de la interminable sinfonía de la experiencia humana y todas las emociones que van desde el parto y la alegría hasta la agonía de algunos que terminan su vida, la cantidad de angustia y de muerte. Brevemente me separó del grupo con estos pensamientos en mi cabeza y redondear la esquina de un ancho pasillo cuando de repente la imagen de un bebé horriblemente deformado arrastrándose hacia mí en la oscuridad entra en mi mente tan vívidamente que casi pregunto si era mi imaginación o era cierto. Es mi temor más íntimo.

Lucharé con animales salvajes, bigfoot o zombies de vudú pero niños muertos y deformes son donde se encuentra mi límite. Finalmente borre la imagen de mi mente y volvi a los otros como si nada hubiera pasado. No bebé. No hay problemas. Así que terminamos mirando alrededor y dejamos como tranquilamente como llegamos. Lamentablemente, nuestra investigación había arrojado ninguna evidencia verificable de actividad paranormal.

Será interesante ver lo que pasa en el futuro cuando el sitio es reabierto ojalá como un parque o espacio verde. ¿Seguirán los espíritus a ocupar el lugar donde alguna vez estuvo el hospital? Vamos a ver.

Losing Bigfoot: Is the discovery of Sasquatch a Pandora's box?

 The Bigfoot  phenomenon is all the rage right now and is the subject of numerous websites, documentaries and even a reality TV series  called Finding Bigfoot featured on the Animal Planet.

I may not have my own investigative reality TV series but what I do have is a wild curiosity for the unknown and a camera. In September of 2012  I traveled to Newton County, Arkansas, after learning my relatives own property in a mountainous area bordering a national park that is known to be a hotspot for Bigfoot. What I found on my solo camping adventure was eye-opening.

Wishing at first to avoid contact with locals I made camp in an isolated hollow with no cell phone service and 10 miles from any paved roads. It was prime squatching territory with a myriad of indicators that nightfall would be interesting. However, after a day of exploring, a storm forced me to move my camp early. My vehicle barely made it up the rocky hill. The rain was making the trail muddy and almost left me stranded. So I continued my search elsewhere for signs of Sasquatch.

Between hikes through the dense forest I explored the nearby community asking questions at opportune moments. Having a connection to the area helped open conversations and I was able to get a handful of witnesses to speak to me about their experiences with Bigfoot. What I uncovered was a surprise. One couple I spoke with has owned real estate in the area for 30 years. They said that on several occasions they saw a 9-foot “person” covered in hair but didn't report it. Several of their guests had also seen the creature. Two gentlemen I met at a local café said they had seen it cross the river last winter. Whenever I asked about reporting these incidents a fascinating theme emerged. They didn’t fail to report out of fear of being ridiculed. Instead they believed that if the authorities were to find out, life would change.

Would recognition by mainstream science of a large primate in North America force unwanted changes on Americans? Once Bigfoot is found, we cannot lose him.  In order to manage and protect Bigfoot’s natural habitat land in many regions where Sasquatch lives could be taken using the Endangered Species Act through eminent domain as has been the case for thousands of Americans in the past. Furthermore, a beast having characteristics so similar to that of humans you might even have some trying to put it on food stamps and section 8 housing.

To make matters more interesting, it was suggested by one witness that spoke with me that enough photo evidence has been suppressed that if revealed it would “make a believer out of anyone.” I have no reason to doubt what I was being told and the attitude of this particular witness seemed pretty indifferent to whether or not I believed the tale or not.

Thus it seems the tendency on the part of some locals to avoid the topic, suppress information or simply not report sightings serves as a bulwark to change. Add to this the commercial interests like the logging industry which might be impacted. The result is a coalition of silence working against official discovery.

On the hunt...

What I have uncovered here isn't news to the Bigfoot research community. But the public needs to know that there are many credible eyewitnesses who don’t come forward because the discovery of a new species where they live isn't a good thing for them. Since I have family who could also be affected by this discovery I understand the complexity somewhat better than some who are unconnected. It may just be a horrible Pandora's box that society can never shut. The fact of the matter is that once we find Bigfoot, we won't lose him again. We will be forced to reckon with a host of implications which will be both costly and controversial. What will it cost the taxpayer? What will be the laws that govern human-Bigfoot interaction?

 The price of finally acknowledging Bigfoot as a species will be high in many regards. That being said  the recognition of Bigfoot is inevitable and some say overdue. In any case it must coincide with protection for the little guys. By little guys of course I mean homo sapiens . The 9-foot super-primate with night vision has the proven ability to protect themselves without government help or food stamps.

Links to other Bigfoot articles:

Size Matters: Why Sasquatches might have made good lovers 15,000 years ago

http://exploretheunexplained.blogspot.com/2012/12/size-matters-why-sasquatches-might-have.html



Some great stuff from Facebook Find Bigfoot!

Mars Mission: Been there done that?

As featured in the February 2013 Edition of the Murfreesboro Pulse

Mission to Mars: Been there done that?

2013 will be a year in which a handful of bold explorers will launch expeditions to some of the most remote places on our planet. Yet no expedition to the heart of the African Congo or even the Antarctic can compare to what will be required to accomplish what the Mars One Project seeks to achieve by establishing a permanent colony on Mars. The project, started by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp in 2011, intends to take space exploration to the next level by putting the first four colonists on Mars in 2023, sending four additional colonists every 2 years.

I have to confess my envy of those selected for this historical undertaking. But will this project really be man’s first endeavor to colonize Mars? The reason that I ask this seemingly ridiculous question is that there are a number of people who claim to have knowledge of a preexisting colony on the red planet and a secret space program unknown to the public. One such individual is the great-granddaughter of America’s 34^th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower who I interviewed in 2010. Laura Magdalena Eisenhower says that an agent working for a mysterious group called The Aviary pressured her to join a secret survival colony on Mars long before any official Mars projects by NASA or private firms. This secret group even threatened to kidnap her if she didn’t cooperate. Not creepy at all right?

Since my interview with Eisenhower, I’ve investigated information surrounding other claims about the existence of a secret colony on Mars and the reality of a secret space program unknown to the American public. Among those who corroborate her story of a cover-up, which has been labeled “Marsgate”, is Andrew Basiago, an attorney from Washington State who is the president of Project Pegasus and the Mars Anomaly Research Society and others who claim they were teleported to the colony during the 1980’s.

Let’s look at more evidence. In what was deemed by the Bush Administration as the “Biggest military computer hack of all time” Gary McKinnon, a hacker from Great Britain, says that he illegally viewed computer files pertaining to a project called “Solar Warden”. He claims to have viewed documents listing “Non-terrestrial officers” and even some detailing a fleet of 8 cigar–shaped mother ships and 43 scout ships operating under US Naval Network and Space Operations Command. In 2002 McKinnon was indicted on 7 counts of computer related crime, each carrying a 10 year prison sentence. However, efforts to extradite the hacker stalled. Some believe he wasn’t extradited because a trial might lead to subpoenas of Pentagon officials and exposure of classified information.

Now if you think the US government isn’t capable of keeping a project of this magnitude a secret, you are mistaken. The Manhattan Project was responsible for developing the first Atomic bomb during WWII, employed nearly 130,000 people at more than 30 sites and cost the equivalent of 25.8 billion dollars.

As we’ve seen with the Manhattan project, it wouldn’t be the first time massive scientific projects have been hidden from the public. It might also explain what appears to be a lack of progress in our manned space explorations and the reason for the reductions in funding for NASA programs by the current administration. If you are still skeptical, do your own research before dismissing any of this. There are literally hundreds of eye- witness testimonies which have been collected over the years by the Disclosure Project and other private efforts investigating alleged cover-ups and secret technologies. It’s my own belief that someday we’ll find out that our space travel capabilities are a lot more advanced than we are made to believe. Given the wholly uninspiring lack of progress that NASA has delivered over the past decade, I think we would all like to believe the American space program is secretly awesome.

As always, I encourage everyone to do their own research and seek the truth no matter what others tell you. Until next time, keep exploring!

Nazi Explorers of the Amazon

Nazi Explorers of the Amazon in 3-D  is title I would have preferred,  but I wish I could say this were just a pulp adventure story turned B-film. It isn't.

On a tiny island situated on a tributary of the Rio Jari of Northern Brazil stands a nine-foot high wooden cross decorated with a Swastika, the unmistakable symbol of the 3rd Reich. The memorial in the photo above states that Joseph Greiner “died of fever in the service of German Research Work.”  This was three years before WWII officially began in 1939 and over a decade before Nazi’s began making their infamous exodus to South America to escape prosecution for war-crimes.  So what were the Nazi's doing so deep in the Brazilian jungle in 1936?  Well, it just so happens that the Nazi's were up to all kinds of stuff in many parts of the world before they made any military efforts at world domination. In fact the exploratory mission in 1935 by Nazi Germany to the Amazon region of Brazil serves as a testament to just how expansive the Nazi’s imagined the Reich would become.

The expedition was lead by S.S. officer Otto Schulz-Kampfhenkel and his staff which included a significant number of hired locals who participated in the endeavor. Secretly it was known as the Guayana Project and was a highly classified effort by SS intelligence. However, the project which was actually a study on how the 3rd Reich could establish a bridgehead against American influence in the region was conducted under the auspices of collecting samples of the indigenous flora and fauna of the region. Kampfhenkel even produced a film about his adventures called Rätsel der Urwaldhölle, but the secret project was of course not mentioned.

At the conclusion of the study Kampfhenkel submitted a report with details about how the Nazi’s might infiltrate and begin colonizing the country for themselves. He included details on how German soldiers should live and adapt to the environment.  It was suggested that since there was already a significant German population in several South American countries, it was feasible to establish a South American extension of the Third Reich's Empire.

‘The two largest scantly populated, but rich in resources, areas on earth are in Siberia and South America. ‘They alone offer spacious immigration and settlement possibilities for the Nordic peoples… For the more advanced white race it offers outstanding possibilities for exploitation.’ Like a dedicated Nazi who believed in the ideals of racial purity As one might expect from an S.S. man who believed in the ideals of Nazi racial purity, his report said the people who lived there 'cannot be measured in civilized terms as we known them in Germany.'

The mission was overall less successful than it's leader had hoped. Greiner, another S.S. officer died of malaria while on the expedition and after review of Kampfhenkel's report by his superiors, the plans to expand into Brazil were shelved because of bureaucratic obstacles, and a lack of immediate interest. ‘Given time, the plan may be submitted again” wrote Heinrich Himmler in response to Kampfhenkel's report.

Very little physical evidence remains of this ambitious effort to colonize the jungles of Brazil. There are the graves of those who died in pursuit of this goal and some bricks from an old building that bare swastikas. However, the true economic and psychological impact of the Nazi foray into the jungle may be incalculable. According to local accounts it appears as though  the project employed a significant number of slave laborers obtained from local orphanages. Some of these former slaves are still alive and seeking acknowledged of what occurred and even restitution for this sinister legacy left behind by the Nazi cohort.

I  find this story to be highly fascinating and worthy of additional research. Even today we continue to unearth secret Nazi projects from around the world and remnants of their various exploits. It obvious that S.S. Intelligence were even interested in exploring Siberia too judging by the statements in Kampfhenkel's report and it's well known their efforts to colonize Antarctica in the years before WW2. What else were they up to that has not yet been uncovered?


                                                     'The Nazi Graveyard' as it looks today.

Misión a Marte: ¿Hemos ido ya?

English Version coming 2/1/2013   (AS FEATURED IN THE MURFREESBORO PULSE)

2013 será un año en el que un puñado de audaces exploradores lanzarán expediciones a algunos lugares más recónditos de nuestro planeta. Pero ninguna expedición al centro del Congo africano o incluso a la Antártida se puede comparar a lo que será necesario llevar a cabo en el proyecto MarsOne, que busca lograr el establecimiento de una colonia permanente en Marte. El proyecto iniciado por el empresario holandés Bas Lansdorp en 2011 pretende llevar la exploración espacial a un nivel sin precedentes, y poner a los cuatro primeros colonos en Marte en 2023, así como enviar a cuatro colonos adicionales cada 2 años.

Tengo que admitir mi envidia hacía los seleccionados para este hecho histórico. ¿Pero será realmente el primer esfuerzo del hombre para colonizar Marte? La razón por la que hago esta pregunta, aparentemente ridícula, consiste en que hay gente que afirma tener el conocimiento de una colonia preexistente en el planeta rojo y un programa espacial secreto y aún desconocido al público. La bisnieta del trigésimo cuarto presidente de América, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a la que entrevisté en 2010. Laura Magdalena Eisenhower dice que un agente que trabaja para un grupo misterioso llamado“la pajarera” la presionó para afiliarse a una colonia de supervivencia secreta en Marte, mucho antes de cualquier oficial por la NASA u otras firmas privadas. Este grupo secreto incluso la amenazó con secuestrarla si no cooperara.

Desde mi entrevista con Eisenhower he investigado la información que rodea a otras reclamaciones acerca de la existencia de una colonia secreta en Marte y de un programa espacial secreto desconocido para el público estadounidense. Entre aquellos que corroboran la existencia, según su relato, de una operación encubierta que se ha denominado "Marsgate", está Andrew Basiago, un abogado del Estado de Washington, que es el presidente de Proyecto Pegasus y del Marte Anomalía Sociedad de Investigación, y otros que dicen que fueron teletransportados a la colonia durante la década de 1980.

Echemos un vistazo a más pruebas. El que fue considerado por la administración Bush como el "hack del equipo militar más grande de todos los tiempos" Gary McKinnon, un hacker de Gran Bretaña, dice que consiguió ilegalmente archivos informáticos relativos a un proyecto llamado "Guardián Solar". Afirma haber visto documentos listado "oficiales no-terrestres" e incluso algunos detalles de una flota de 8 buques de madre y 43 buques pequeños. En 2002, McKinnon fue acusado de siete delitos, cada uno causa de una pena de prisión de 10 años. Sin embargo, los esfuerzos para extraditar el hacker no dieron fruto. Algunos creen que no fue extraditado porque un juicio en su contra podría conducir a citaciones de los funcionarios del Pentágono y a la exposición de información secreta y clasificada.

Si usted piensa que el Gobierno de Estados Unidos no es capaz de mantener en secreto un proyecto de esta magnitud, se equivoca. El proyecto Manhattan fue responsable de desarrollar la primera bomba atómica durante la segunda guerra y casi 130.000 personas en más de 30 sitios y costó el equivalente a 25,8 billones de dólares.

Como hemos visto con el proyecto de Manhattan, no sería la primera vez que los proyectos científicos masivos se han escondido del público. También podría explicar lo que parece ser una carencia del progreso en nuestra exploración del espacio tripulada y la razón de las reducciones de la financiación para programas NASA de la administración actual. Si todavía es escéptico, haga su propia investigación antes de rechazar cualquier hipótesis. Hay, literalmente, cientos de testimonios que han sido coleccionados durante años por el Disclosure Project y por otros grupos privados en la investigación de presuntos encubrimientos y tecnologías secretas. Yo creo que un día averiguaremos que nuestras capacidades de navegación espacial avanzan mucho más de lo que nos quieren hacer creer. Considerando la falta de progreso que la NASA ha experimentado durante la década pasada, creo que nos gustaría a todos creer que el programa espacial americano es fenomenal pero en secreto.

Como siempre, animo a cada uno a hacer su propia investigación y buscar la verdad sin hacer caso a lo que los otros le dicen. ¡Hasta la próxima vez, siga explorando!