Category: Just The Facts

If ever you were in doubt, here are the facts on various apokryphunk.

Singing Jibberish GOP Candidate for US Senate

Posted on by GhostWriter

Kathleen Tonn Singing in Tongues in steam roomThis has got me steamed, pun intended. I actually toyed with the idea of moving to Alaska. Love the place, can’t wait to visit, but I’m not man enough to handle the weather there full-time, it takes a special breed of human being to brave Alaska. What else scares me is the woo springing from a particular steam room up there!

What is “Speaking in Tongues?” According to Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), “Speaking in Tongues is the speaking of a language one does not know by the Power of God.”

But researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, god I love Pennsylvania, monitored the brains of test subjects while they “spoke in tongues” and found that their frontal lobes, and I’ll quote the NYTimes here, “…the thinking, willful part of the brain through which people control what they do — were relatively quiet, as were the language centers.”

Clearly this indicates that the people weren’t thinking, and no language was actually being used. A study published in “Tongues of Men and Angels: The Religious Language of Pentecostalism – A Controversial and Sympathetic Anaylsis of Speaking in Tongues” by William J. Samarin, preceeds the neurological study by 33 years and they agree: no language is present. So clearly this can’t be really speaking in tongues. It’s more like just plain jibberish, but it makes these people feel good so what the heck.

“What the heck” is what the hell Kathleen Tonn, Alaska GOP candidate for Senate, is doing sining in tongues in a steam room in Alaska! This is pretty disturbing. People like this need to be ignored, because sometimes they actually go away. Unfortunately the internet and blogging spreads this bullshit around ad nauseam. And I will too, because I want you to see this display of human kookiness for yourself. It really is quite comical, but the sad part is that it is not a joke.

Fucked up.

NVidia Tegra K1 Crop Circle Project 192

Posted on by GhostWriter

NVidia K1 Crop Circle publicity stunt - Project 192“I’m a skeptic but, this could be aliens I don’t know. I’m always willing to believe something so…” rambled a gawker standing along side a field in Salinas, California, to check out the mysterious crop circle that was first discovered Monday, December 30.

The crop circle in question was eventually revealed to be a bit of publicity staged by NVidia to promote their K1 Processor, an “impossibly advanced” mobile processor which will deliver super-computer graphics performance to the mobile market. They explain the crop circle on their blog which includes a video. Check it out below…

The crop circle was realized rather quickly by seasoned crop circle artists, with a lead time of only about two weeks. The intricate crop circle contains braile which translates to 192, the number of graphics cores present in the chip which will deliver amazing graphics quality. A spokesman states that the NVidia K1 Processor will be found in mobile phones, tablets, cars, all-in-one desktop computers running Android, and as claimed will be the fastest chip in the universe.

That’s an extraordinary claim. Don’t they need extraordinary evidence to back it up? :)

Did an Object Hit the Texas Fertilizer Plant?

Posted on by GhostWriter

The video seen below shows raw footage of the Waco Texas fertilizer plant fire and explosion. There has been speculation, by some imaginative fantasy-prone individuals, that the explosion was caused by the impact of an object they claim to see entering the scene from the left, and only visible in one frame of the video.

There doesn’t appear to be an object in this video. A flash of flame or light can be seen on the left just before the blast, but nothing we can consider a physical object or projectile.

The main problem with this idea is that it ignores the fact that the fire was already burning. It started in a building called the “Dry Barn”, which is used to store ammonium nitrate (see TheVerge.com). Considering the volatile nature of this chemical in a fire situation, the likelihood of this and a possible combination of other chemicals igniting and causing the explosion is far greater than the possibility of an explosive projectile.

It makes no sense to overlook the most likely causes in favor of conspiratorial suspicion. Ockham’s Razor is a great logical tool, and should be employed by everyone, especially conspiracy theorists.

FBI Comments on Guy Hottel Flying Saucer Memo

Posted on by GhostWriter

FBI - Hottel Flying Saucer Memo“Sorry, no smoking gun on UFOs. The mystery remains…” ends the post made in the “Stories” blog at FBI.gov.

On March 22, 1950, a memo authored by Guy Hottel, then head of the FBI field office in Washington, D.C., was delivered to FBI Headquarters. It was subsequently recorded and indexed by the FBI.

The memo relates a story of downed, recovered flying saucers and their occupants, as told by an informant to an FBI Special Agent. The story claimed that an investigator for the Air Force made a statement that three “so-called” flying saucers were recovered in New Mexico.

The saucers were described as being 50 feet in diameter, circular with a raised center. Each craft contained three occupants, each 3 feet tall and dressed in a “metallic cloth” and “bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits worn by speed fliers and test pilots.”

There is no indication in the memo that this story has any connection to the famous Roswell UFO story, which was based on the misidentification of high altitude balloons used in Project Mogul between 1947 and 1949.

According to the blog post at FBI.gov, the memo had been made public in the 70s and was present on their site for some time but gained wide interest when it appeared in the FBI Reading Room Vault, which contains other information made public through the Freedom of Information Act.

Contrary to the opinion of some, the release of the Hottel Flying Saucer Memo was not related to the release of information under the FOIA. It was made public much earlier.

No official investigation was ever launched. But it’s interesting that an Air Force investigator made the statement. Either it’s a joke, a story related with tongue in the cheek, or the statement made by that USAF investigator was legitimate. If so, why was it never investigated?

Well, [insert wry smile here] maybe it’s true… No follow-up means no information to make public, therefore, if the initial story is real, and the FBI knew it, they don’t have to release any information if they don’t investigate. Right? There’s a conspiracy for you.

I’d like to know who this USAF investigator was.

Ketchum Sasquatch DNA – Human Bigfoot Hybrid

Posted on by GhostWriter

Dr. Melba Ketchum. Bigfoot DNA SequencingIn November of 2012 a report was released by DNA Diagnostics, well, a press release really. The following claim was made:

Our study has sequenced 20 whole mitochondrial genomes and utilized next generation sequencing to obtain 3 whole nuclear genomes from purported Sasquatch samples. The genome sequencing shows that Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to modern Homo sapiens, but Sasquatch nuDNA is a novel, unknown hominin related to Homo sapiens and other primate species. Our data indicate that the North American Sasquatch is a hybrid species, the result of males of an unknown hominin species crossing with female Homo sapiens.

A few things smell funny about that claim from Dr. Melba Ketchum (pictured above). The first thing that wafts of a wet Sasquatch is that in her official statement about Bigfoot DNA sequencing she uses the exact phrase “…testing the DNA of purported Sasquatch hair samples…”

The study is flawed to begin with since the scientist — and I use the term loosely — refers to the material examined as purportedly belonging to the subject in question. You don’t run a DNA test of purported evidence for a creature we only have anecdotal and questionable evidence for in the first place, and then claim you’ve made some amazing scientific discovery. It’s bogus.

Could Bigfoot exist? Sure, why not. But we don’t do DNA testing on something to determine it’s origin, unless we know we have something. Get it?

The other issue is the credibility of this “scientific journal” Ketchum’s report was finally published on. I say “on” because it’s an online-only journal, and I quote “scientific journal” because the site in question came into existence very shortly after Ketchum’s study was turned down by mainstream science journals. How convenient.

Ketchum, unable to actually prove where the DNA came from — which negates the study from the start anyway — apparently referred to the DNA as “angel DNA.” Why? Does she actually think there are angels who’s DNA we can obtain and test? Does she think Bigfoot are angels, or somehow not of this world?

Scientific study is about developing plausible theories based on observation, then testing those theories with rigorous experiments to disprove the theory. That’s how science works. That’s why science works. But you need legitimate evidence to examine in the first place, not purported evidence.

In the case of Sasquatch mainstream science has generally been off the case because even a passing examination of the idea that these creatures exist clearly indicates that they probably do not. I’m sure there are many scientists who would love to look closer at the subject of Bigfoot if more compelling evidence were provided. That fact is, anything provided is the same old blurry crap. The field of Squatchdom is rife with hoaxes, people who want their 15 mintutes of fame, and people who just want to believe in something.

Strange Days Not Befalling Me…

Posted on by GhostWriter

I’ve been strange encounter free for some time now. I used to have such a great desire to believe in things that go bump in the night, things unknown and unexplained. The unidentified, and creatures of the outer edge. Sorry, Loren, had to borrow that one, it’s a nice title, and it sums up a lot of what we seek.

What we are really drawn to, in so many ways, is the outer edge. The places we can’t see into. The dark, the hidden. We love to imagine things greater than ourselves, mysterious, monstrous, or powerful. We can venture down any number of, what may seem logical, passages to come to conclusions that suit us. Often, the passage we choose is the one that supports what we believe. After all, why would we venture down passages that contradict what we hope is true?

Human’s often pick and choose data to support their beliefs, ignoring contradictory data. We jump to conclusions, make assumptions, and ignore the obvious if it goes against what we hold dear. Like a child, apprehensive, afraid to grow up and shed childish ways, many of us hold on to our beliefs, and remain conveniently ignorant so we can avoid hard truths.

I used to believe in a god, ghosts, UFO’s, Bigfoot, and other supernatural, paranormal or cryptozoological mysteries. A strong imagination loves to find adventure, wander, and wonder about strange, and amazing things. What if Bigfoot is real? What if aliens, or time travelers are visiting our planet in amazing spaceships? What if ghosts of the long dead can interact with us?

A common denominator, for me, is the sense of mystery and excitement I get from reading scary stories, or watching shows about UFOs or mysterious monsters. I love that stuff, always have. But I’ve come to recognize it as an entertaining sidetrack for my imagination, not evidence of a paranormal reality lurking behind some wispy, magical veil.

I’ve had strange experiences, heard noises, voices, seen strange lights, but I always looked for a logical explanation. I always knew their was some rational explanation for what I experienced, and I didn’t make the jump to supernatural, or unexplainable. Sure, the events were scary, and uncanny, but in that respect I consider myself lucky to have experienced them. Because they were neat, and entertaining.

I’m still entertained by ghost stories, the notion of extraterrestrials soaring overhead in UFOs, and by tales of mystery creatures like Sasquatch, Mothman, or Nessie. I still love it all, but I don’t believe it all. Could Bigfoot exist? Sure, it’s possible, thought not probable. Nessie? Less so. Mothman? I’d consider that an incredible stretch of the imagination inspired by sightings of known, but misidentified, creatures. It’s all still fun nonetheless.

There is nothing wrong with imagination, and being entertained by these things, but if one doesn’t admit they could be wrong in considering these things part of reality, they are not fully evolving as individuals. There are many reasons we believe, and not all of them can be turned off like a switch. Maybe people believe in such things because it makes them feel good, or because they are unwilling to admit that our world could be so mundane compared to imaginative fantasy.

Whatever the reason, when our world is explored through science, you find that it really is very far from mundane.

UFO abducts 11 year old Russian Girl

Posted on by GhostWriter

Was 11 year old Lisa Hlupinoy abducted by a UFO? Probably not, but of course that can’t be confirmed until she is found alive or (I hope not) dead

There is a story of a Russian girl, Lisa Hlupinoy, who has gone missing after venturing into the woods near her home with some male friends. Apparently all efforts to find her have been exhausted and authorities have given up. Strangely, there is no mention of her on any missing person database, and no original news story about her dissappearance can be found on the web.

All I can find are very few articles churning out the same nonsense about abduction by a UFO, a theory proposed by UFOlogists. Experts of course. It’s also mentioned that police turned to a psychic for help in the investigation.

If the story is for real, and it is confirmed that the boys had nothing to do with her dissappearance, then it is likely she was abducted, but most likely by some sicko right here on earth, in an automobile, not a UFO.

Let’s hope, that if it is for real, the girl is found safe.

All News Web – Did a UFO abduct 11 year old Lisa?.

Balloon Hoax Drama… Criminal Charges Pending.

Posted on by GhostWriter

Felony charges are pending for the parents of “balloon-boy” as he has come to be known in media headlines. Charges will include contributing to the delinquency of a minor, attempting to influence a public official and providing false information to authorities. Now Richard Heene and his wife are avoiding media attention. Gee, they got all the attention they wanted, and now that they might get in trouble for perpetrating a hoax which resulted in police involvement, they’d like to be left alone.

The world watched as a homemade helium balloon, resembling a silvery, saucer shaped UFO, soared at altitudes reaching an estimated 7,500 feet. We were transfixed, all believing that a little boy was trapped on that balloon, accidentally launched while his parents were not present. As the story unfolded we learned that the balloon had been recovered and the boy was not aboard. We thought the worst: the boy had fallen out of the balloon and was probably dead.

People reported seeing something fall from the balloon, and authorities searched the ground along the flightpath of the balloon. They found nothing.

The next day we learned that the boy had been hiding above the garage, apparently after being scolded by his dad for playing around the balloon. He was hiding alright, but we found later that it was because he needed to be out of sight while the hoax was perpetrated. Someone who had gone into the home commented that in order to get into the attic the boy would have needed quite a boost.

Heene and his wife met in acting school and had appeared on the Reality TV show Wife Swap. As the story of the balloon boy hoax unwinds, we learn more about the egotistical, desperate Richard Heene, who wanted to gain publicity in order to launch his own reality TV show.

Take one look at the antics of Richard Heene and you see an idiot caught up in his own ego, trying to become famous. Watch the home video released of the accidental balloon launch, and you’ll notice two things: the kid wasn’t on the balloon in the first place (Heene knew it), and Heene also exhibits his lack of self control, throwing a tantrum and kicking at the launching deck, after realizing his wife forgot to hold on to a tether to prevent the balloon’s launch.

Former business associate to Heene and a fellow science enthusiast, Robert Thomas, has come forward with info about Heene and his scheme. According to Thomas, Heene wanted to get his TV career started with an alien hoax that would be “Bigger than Roswell.”

Like Heene’s story, but on a grander scale, the Roswell “incident” was a complete fabrication. The story was inadvertently created by UFO proponents and “investigators” after the fact, which actually involved a downed high altitude balloon used in the top secret Project Mogul defense system employed by the US Military.

Heene’s story comes nowhere near Roswell lore. What Heene has done is effectively make himself, and his family, a mockery in his attempt to gain fame. He’s a loon, and — I was just about to say I’m amazed, but I’m really not — that mass media would spend so much energy on a story like this. They’re giving the guy what he wants.

Heene was looking for the limelight, but he’s made a fool out of himself trying to get there.