The Best Horror Film Ever Made Is 90 Years Old: The Black Cat.

“Supernatural? Perhaps. Baloney? Perhaps not. There are many things under the sun.”—Dr. Vitus Werdegast, The Black Cat.

By the mid-1930s, Universal Studios hit its stride with the horror film genre. For over the last decade, the studio released a number of fine movies but really made both cultural and financial impacts when in 1931, Tod Browning’s Dracula Béla Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Helen Chandler, David Manners and Dwight Frye was released (both Lugosi and Van Sloan appeared in the 1924 Broadway play; the studio also released a Spanish language version starring Carlos Villarías, Lupita Tovar, Barry Norton and Pablo Álvarez Rubio, which was directed by George Melford. Both were successful and over the next three years, Universal released Frankenstein with Boris Karloff, The Mummy (1932) again with Karloff; Lugosi’s Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932); Karloff’s The Old Dark House (1932); and The Invisible Man (1933) starring Claude Rains. Aside from The Old Dark House, the other films each would spawn a series of sequels that drew in audiences.

Universal wasn’t about to let up, so they decided to produce other films—and then someone had the truly brilliant idea of pairing the studio’s most popular actors: Karloff and Lugosi. The Black Cat was the first of eight films starring the two, all but one produced by Universal Studios. The film was notable for Lugosi as one of the “good guys” while Karloff essays one of his best menacing and villainous roles in his career.

Another great idea was hiring director Edgar G. Ulmer.

Ulmer was a highly versatile and talented filmmaker of Jewish-Moravian descent. Despite primarily working on B movies and low-budget productions in Hollywood, he gained a cult following among critics who praised his unique style and eccentric approach to storytelling. Ulmer was known as 'The King of PRC' for his remarkable output at Poverty Row studios. Some of his most renowned works include the eerie, atmospheric science fiction film, 1951’s The Man From Planet X and the moody, captivating film noir Detour (1945).

Ulmer, along with screenwriter/pulp mystery writer Peter Ruric—known by his real name, Gregory Sims—they developed the story, “suggested  by” Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat; Ruric then wrote the screenplay—and by 1934’s standards, even before the Hays Code took effect, it’s one hell of an off-the-hook story.

On their honeymoon in Hungary, American crime writer Peter Alison and his new bride Joan are told that, due to an error, they will have to share a train compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a Hungarian psychiatrist on his way to visit an old acquaintance. As the night progresses, the couple discovers that Werdegast left his home 18 years ago to fight in World War I and has not seen his wife and daughter since then, as he spent the last 15 years in a notorious prison camp in Siberia.

In the midst of darkness and heavy rain, Peter, Joan, Werdegast and Thamal, Werdegast's loyal servant, transfer to a small bus. As they draw near to Werdegast's destination—the secluded mansion built by Austrian architect Hjalmar Poelzig atop the ruins of Fort Marmorus—the driver loses control and crashes the vehicle. The crash claims the driver's life and leaves Joan injured, but Peter, Werdegast and Thamal can carry her to Poelzig's eerie house.

If the story sounds familiar, well, some have said The Rocky Horror Show/The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a remake of The Black Cat. The Black Cat is a better film.

Joan starts acting strangely and it’s quite apparent that Werdegast and Poelzig—who was based on infamous occultist Aleister Crowley while the name Poelzig was taken from Austrian architect, Hans Poelzig—share a sinister secret and scheming against one another. It’s soon revealed that Poelzig, after Werdegast was imprisoned somewhere in Siberia, marries Karen, Werdegast’s wife, and along with her daughter, also named Karen, build a new life. However, the elder Karen mysteriously dies and Poelzig marries the younger Karen.

Poelzig is also a satanic cult’s high priest and a full moon is about to happen—and he plans to use Joan for the black mass’ sacrifice.

Werdegast tells a frightened, bewildered Joan:

“Did you ever hear of Satanism, the worship of the devil, of evil? Herr Poelzig is a great modern priest of that ancient cult. And tonight in the dark of the moon the rites of Lucifer are celebrated. And if I'm not mistaken, he intends you to play a part in that ritual . . . a very important part.”

Despite Poelzig’s evil plans and having the odds in his favor, Werdegast hatches a desperate gambit to save the American couple and get his revenge—no matter what.

The movie had a major impact on me was I was younger; I was 14 years old when I first saw it—one of the local TV stations showed old Universal horror films on late Friday nights, while on it was old mystery film series on Saturday nights, starting with Sherlock Holmes. I hadn’t heard of The Black Cat before so I didn’t know what to expect. From the very beginning, I was transfixed, mesmerized and totally blown away.

Even by Pre-Code Hollywood standards, Ulmer and Ruric pushed the envelope in many ways: The Black Cat unravels like a haunting nightmare, filled with disturbing scenes of serial murders involving women as victims, necrophilia, ailurophobia—the fear of cats—drug abuse, disturbing implications of incest, a deadly duel played out as a game of chess, brutal torture, skinning and a gruesome human sacrifice. This truly bizarre yet mesmerizing masterpiece, barely lasting an hour, complete with still jarring and unsettling images still lingering in my mind long after all these years.

The Black Cat's budget was $95,745 ($2.2 million today) and it made over $236,000 ($5.4 million today). The film was Universal Studios biggest hit of 1934.

The film has tension, a pair of great actors in their prime, moody, sinister atmosphere and briskly paced; again, clocking in at an hour or so, The Black Cat packs a punch and delivers more than any “modern” film made over the years. Like Halloween, there’s no gore but the shocking violence is present, it’s implied: Kristy Marlana Wallace, also known as Poison Ivy or Poison Ivy Rorschach—the Cramps’ cofounder and guitarist, as well as a horror film afficionado—once said: "(When) ******* gets skinned alive at the end but they show the shadow of it and somehow that's more gruesome.”

Reservoir Dogs. Michael Madsen’s Mr. Blonde cuts off the cop’s ear and Quintin Tarantino shot two versions: One where you see Mr. Blonde cuts off the ear; the second version is of the Mr. Blonde and the cop’s shadows are seen on the wall as the cop’s ear is sliced off.

Guess which version worked for the audience and used?

The second one. People found it more than gruesome.

Ulmer knew it’d work—but he had no other options but he made it work.

Both Carpenter and Tarantino knew it worked well.

If you’ve never seen The Black Cat, I think you should check it out. More than nine decades later, it holds well today and if you love certain aspects of filmmaking, from lighting and set design—in fact, Poelzig’s cavernous fortress-turned-home becomes a character itself. The Black Cat is available for rent or buy from most major streaming platforms. It’s even available to watch for free on the Internet Archive . . . it’s grainy but still watchable.

I hope you’ll take my advice and watch The Black Cat. You won’t be disappointed and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Be seeing you.

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SussuSudowrite.

I decided to give Sudowrite, the AI writing tool, a try. Hugh Howey, has used it and loved it; I’ve heard other good things from others, so I decided to give it a try. Now, it’s an AI assisted tool not generative. It’s like Grammarly on steroids and does more; it reminds me of being back in the newsroom, having that peer review which I found useful back in the day. In fact, reminds me of a writing tool software I used over a decade. It helps with tracking chapters and other things; when I have problems with a big rewrite and I’m hitting a wall, I can do quick rewrite, mix and match here or there.

I plugged various sections into a analysis box and I got the following—the last paragraph is a condensed version.

**Analysis of Writing Style**

**Tone and Mood:** The tone is gritty and cynical, reflecting a dystopian world filled with crime and moral ambiguity. The mood oscillates between chaotic vibrancy and dark foreboding, creating an atmosphere that is both lively and unsettling.

**POV:** The narrative is told in the first-person point of view, allowing readers to experience the protagonist's thoughts and feelings directly. The tense is predominantly in the present, which adds immediacy to the unfolding events.

**Vocabulary and Word Choice:** The vocabulary is a mix of technical jargon and colloquial language, reflecting a futuristic setting. There is a blend of formal and informal word choices, with a penchant for specificity (e.g., "suborbital shuttlecraft," "biosynth humanoid-looking bot"). The use of cultural references and slang adds depth to the world-building.

**Sentence Structure:** The sentences vary in length and complexity, with a mix of concise statements and longer, descriptive passages. The author employs fragments for emphasis and uses complex sentences to convey intricate ideas, creating a dynamic flow.

**Pacing and Rhythm:** The pacing is brisk, particularly during action sequences, while moments of introspection slow the narrative down. The rhythm is punctuated by short, punchy sentences that heighten tension, interspersed with longer, more descriptive passages that provide context and detail.

**Dialogue:** Dialogue is characterized by a mix of formality and informality, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of the characters. The protagonist's voice is sardonic and observant, with a tendency to critique the absurdities of the world around them. Unique dialogue tags and interruptions enhance the realism of conversations.

**Descriptive Style:** The author employs vivid sensory imagery, using detailed descriptions to create a rich visual landscape. The use of bioluminescent flora and the contrast between modern architecture and retro fashion adds depth to the setting. Descriptions are often layered with emotional undertones, enhancing the reader's connection to the narrative.

**Themes and Motifs:** Recurring themes include cultural diversity, the complexities of identity, and the moral ambiguities of society. Motifs of surveillance, technology and crime permeate the narrative, reflecting the protagonist's struggle within a corrupt system.

**Cultural and Historical Context:** The piece reflects a futuristic, multicultural society influenced by various cultural elements from the 20th century. The blending of styles and the presence of crime syndicates suggest a commentary on societal decay and the persistence of human vices across time.

Overall, the writing style is characterized by its intricate world-building, sharp wit and a blend of humor and darkness, creating a compelling narrative that invites readers to explore a complex and flawed society.

Gritty and cynical, the first-person narrative unfolds in present tense, blending technical jargon with colloquial language. Vivid imagery and varied sentence structures create a chaotic yet immersive atmosphere, reflecting a dystopian world rife with moral ambiguity and cultural complexity.

I've been worried if I was hitting all the marks I'd set for myself and, to be honest, it's been stressful and leading to downward spiraling depression.I feel better, I'm hitting those marks and I feel good about it.

I feel good about myself.

Be seeing you.

-30-

 

The SF/F TV Series Renaissance of the 1970s: UFO

This week in 1970, the cult classic TV series, UFO, debuted. It became popular in both the UK and the United States and a second series (season, here in the States) was planned but it later became Space: 1999.

UFO was the first live-action series created and produced by Gerry Anderson (Fireball-XL5, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett). It was dark at times, downbeat; innocent, unaware civilians got caught in the crossfire and paid a terrible price—it was, after all, about a secret organization fighting an invasion of organ-harvesting aliens.

Instead of The X-Files saying “Trust no one,” UFO said “Trust us.”

From Wikipedia:

The series’ premise is that in 1980, Earth is being visited by aliens from a dying planet, who are abducting humans and harvesting their organs for their own bodies. The alien incursions may also be a prelude to a possible full-scale invasion. The series' main cast of characters are the staff of a secret, high-technology international military agency called SHADO (an acronym for Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) established by the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Germany (believed to be West Germany as the city of Bonn is mentioned along with Washington, Paris and Moscow) to defend Earth and humanity against the mysterious aliens and learn more about them, while at the same time keeping the threat of an alien invasion hidden from the public.

Operating under the cover—as well as literally beneath the premises—of the Harlington-Straker Studios movie studio in England, SHADO is headed by Commander Edward Straker (Ed Bishop), a former United States Air Force colonel and astronaut, whose "cover" is his role as the studio's chief executive.

SHADO has a variety of high-tech hardware and vehicles at its disposal to implement a layered defense of Earth. Early warnings of alien attack came from SID, the Space Intruder Detector, an unmanned computerized tracking satellite that constantly scans for UFO incursions. The forward line of defense is Moonbase from which the three lunar Interceptor spacecraft, that fire a single explosive warhead, are launched. The second line of defense includes Skydiver, a submarine mated with the submersible, undersea-launched Sky One interceptor aircraft, which attacks UFOs in Earth's atmosphere. The last line of defense is ground units including the armed, IFV-like SHADO Mobiles, fitted with caterpillar tracks.

On Earth, SHADO also uses two SHADAIR aircraft, a Seagull X-ray supersonic jet; a transatlantic Lunar Carrier with a separating Lunar Module; a helicopter (actually, a small VTOL airplane with large rotating propellers; and a radio-controlled Space Dumper. The Moonbase has hovercraft-like Moon Hoppers/Moon mobiles that can be deployed for transportation or reconnaissance.

The alien race is never given a proper name, either by themselves or by human beings; they are simply referred to as "the aliens". They are humanoid in appearance, and the post-mortem examination of the first alien captured reveals that they are harvesting organs from the bodies of abducted humans to prolong their lifespans. However, the later episode “The Cat with Ten Lives” suggests that these "humanoids" are actually beings subject to alien mind control, and one “alien” body recovered was suspected of being completely Homo sapiens, "possessed" by one of the alien minds.

=========================================

In UFO, characters bickered and, at times, it was apparent they didn’t like each other. There was rarely any lighthearted fare or snappy, witty banter like the relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy; the storylines were also played straight and serious. Despite not being Star Trek or Lost in Space, UFO was a dark, moody and somber alternative to contemporary SF series—and I think that’s what people loved, and still love, about it. Again, the series is set in 1980 but the fashions including the Nehru jackets—that could be cringy but the rest of the series is still engaging. The opening theme by longtime Anderson associate, Barry Gray, is still amazing after these years. The special effects. The cast of British, American and Canadian actors were great—one of them, Wanda Ventham, who was Col. Virgina Lake, is more famously known as Benedict Cumberbatch’s mother.

It was different. Fresh. New. It’s easy to see why UFO has had a major impact on the genre and fandom for the last fifty-plus years; you can watch online and DVDs are available—yes, I have the complete series set. You can find the series here: 

The series is, yes, dated. I’m certain some will be upset by some of the sexism but, hey, it was 1970. No reason to get one’s knickers in a bunch. Cheesy yes but, as I’ve mentioned begore, it’s dark, paranoid and not a plucky comedic sidekick in sight.

UFO, in my opinion, was the first of the 1970s’ renaissance of SF series. It had a big impact on me as I a kid and I still love revisiting it over the years.

Watch and enjoy.

Be seeing you.

-30-

The CARET "Dragonfly Drone" Incident: Another Linda Moulton Howe Farce.

Whenever Linda Moulton Howe appears online or on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory—or any other paranormal radio show—you can be rest assured it’s going to be an off-the-hook batshit crazy dumpster fire of a train wreck.

During the early stages of her career, Howe focused on addressing environmental issues. As Director of Special Projects at KMGH-TV in Denver from 1978 to 1983, she produced impactful documentaries such as Poison in the Wind and A Sun Kissed Poison—both of which exposed high levels of smog pollution in Los Angeles and Denver. She produced others: Fire In The Water, which advocated for using hydrogen as a cleaner energy source and A Radioactive Water, which revealed the dangers of uranium contamination in a Denver suburb's drinking water. Her contributions were instrumental in WCVB-TV receiving the Institutional Peabody Award for institutional excellence in 1975.

At that time, cattle mutilations were happening throughout the western United States, which led to Howe producing a 1980 documentary called A Strange Harvest, which propelled her into the spotlight.

And enabled Howe to party crash the ufology field and its eclectic subculture.

A Strange Harvest postulated that mysterious wounds found on cattle were the result of extraterrestrial beings harvesting body parts and accused the U.S. government of being involved in a cover-up. For her work, she received a Regional Emmy award for Audio Achievement in 1981 and solidified her reputation as a fierce defender of these ideas.

Note that: “Regional Emmy award for Audio Achievement.”

Howe’s proud of that Emmy and its something she and her adherents never fail to remind us. It’s an award for sound achievement, it has nothing to do with the subject matter. But, hey, it sounds impressive and gives her some gravitas.

That said, it was a life changing moment for Howe; presenting herself as the ever-intrepid investigative reporter, she delved further into UFO conspiracy theories and made claims about connections between cattle mutilations, UFOs and government secrecy. While she claimed to have been shown secret documents by a government agent—one such claim was that in 1983, she was shown a secret presidential briefing paper that revealed how aliens created Jesus and placed him on Earth “to teach mankind about love and non-violence.”

So, basically, Howe’s work might have inspired the Ridley Scott Alien prequel, Prometheus.

While Howe won over some in the ufology field, there were critics, including author John Greer, who believed her evidence lacked credibility and was based solely on decaying cow carcasses.

As noted in Howe’s RationalWiki entry, many weren’t impressed with her brand of shoddy journalism, highlighted by her “gullibility and deceptive ‘reports’ have caused even staunch ufologists to give her extremely low marks for credibility.”

Other observations:

UFO Watchdog: “Someone once summed up Howe very well with two words: ‘Media entrepreneur’. While having been a major player in the cattle mutilation mystery, Howe’s credibility has gone way downhill as she sensationalizes everything from mundane animal deaths to promoting Brazilian UFO fraud Urandir Oliveira and the Aztec UFO Crash Hoax while selling alien books, videos and lectures. Howe dabbles in all things strange including Bigfoot, crop circles, alien abductions, and UFOs. Howe also sits on the board of advisors to the Roswell UFO Museum along with the likes of Don Schmitt. See Howe’s site—EarthFiles.com—which she actually charges a subscription for in order to access some stories. Also see Howe turning an explained animal death into an encounter with Bigfoot. A leap not even Bigfoot itself could make.”

Saucer Smear magazine: “The most hilarious web posting we have read in a very long time comes from Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country, dated 9/30/05. Linda Moulton Howe is described as ‘our Dreamland science reporter’. We ask—what, if any, are the scientific qualifications of this pleasant but extremely gullible lady?? Inquiring minds would like to know!”

Here’s a LMH sizzle reel of hijinks and conspiracy theory woo woo:

• Bigfoot DNA: Howe says Melba Ketchum has proof that Bigfoot exists.
• Strange Explosions Sweeping the US: Howe describes alleged booms, flashes of light, ominous trumpet sounds.
• Animal Mutilations Strike Again: Howe says it’s happening in Waddy, Kentucky.
• The Return of Ezekiel's Wheel: Howe describes recent “eyewitness sightings” of that Biblical thing in the sky.
• Pyramids Discovered in Alaska and Turkey: According to Howe, they are “immense structures not only built but used in some unknown way for a thousand years.”
• Unexplained Explosions Now Worldwide: Howe says the world is blowing up, supposedly starting with Clintonville, Wisconsin.
• Missing Time: Howe scoops “a rare case of documented missing time.”
• Unknown objects in our skies: What are we NOT being told—yes, there’s an Obama conspiracy to deny UFO presence, according to Howe.
• Kansas City UFO Wave: Howe says a “remarkable series of UFO sightings” are being debunked by the media due to some kind of conspiracy.
• The Rendlesham Code: Howe endorses a UFO contactee’s claims of having telepathically downloaded binary code numbers from aliens.
• Unprecedented Wave of Animal Mutilations: Howe warns of a “massive worldwide wave” of hacked-up animals.
• Project Serpo: Howe was one of the first to be taken for a ride by this hoax. As of 2017, she is still saying, with a straight face, that Ebens are our allies in some sort of galactic war.
• Thermo-nuclear war on Mars: Howe uncritically accepts and promotes the dotty ideas of John Brandenburg, thereby disqualifying herself as any kind of science reporter.

·         Secret extended Apollo missions: On 29 November 2018 Howe web-published a 3-part essay about Apollo missions 18, 19 and 20, which, she alleges, were carried out in secret and involved contact with aliens. Her information came from one Jon Harold Lavine, who claimed to have been one of the astronauts involved. On the same date Howe talked for two hours on this topic on Coast to Coast AM. She later retracted but characterized Lavine as a victim of MKULTRA memory-substitution rather than what he actually is—a fraud.

Along the way, Howe crossed paths with the infamous Air Force Office of Special Investigations officer Richard Doty. But that’s a story for another day.

In 2007, as Howe clicked through her inbox, she discovered a dozen photos of peculiar objects. This piqued her curiosity and sparked a desire to uncover their origins and purpose.

And, well, this is how the entire embarrassing situation started.

Howe later learned that from the span of 2006 to 2007, a plethora of individuals scattered across the United States claimed to have witnessed the same anomalous UFO. Described as a saucer-shaped object with thin wires protruding about 30 feet into the air, it measured at only 25 feet in diameter and two feet thick, making it impossible for any human pilot to control. Dubbed “Dragonfly Drones,” these objects baffled observers with their peculiar movements and seemingly remote operation.

Rumors swirled about their origins—were they extraterrestrial beings spying on our planet? Or perhaps a clandestine venture by the government's covert space program? The unexplained phenomena captured the imagination of Howe, who dove deeper into the mysteries surrounding the dragonfly drones. She would later learn that the pictures—all of them—were captured at the Big Basin in California, specifically in the Redwoods area.

Based on her vast experience in the UFO field –no, no—Howe’s history of willful gullibility, deceptive ‘reports and plain and simple shoddy journalism, she felt the photos were authentic and she believed the eyewitness reports.

Enter Isaac. That name has an interesting connection and I’ll talk about that in a bit.

Following the script, not long after getting the photos, Howe received a phone call from a man known only as Isaac. Not surprisingly, Isaac was connected to a top-secret government project known as CARET: Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology; the project was based in Palo Alto, Calif., and he had information on the Dragonfly Drone UFOs. 

Shortly after receiving the photos, she received a phone call from a person who said he had secret information about the dragonfly drones. He wouldn’t give his real name and only used the name Isaac.

In short, Isaac’s account was a modified version of Bob Lazar’s claims: A few hundred scientists, including Isaac, were attempting to reverse engineer alien or nonhuman intelligence technology—the Dragonfly Drones. Howe first talked about the Dragonfly Drones during a 29 May 2008 C2C AM appearance. Of course, Howe firmly believed the Drones were part of the CARET program; she would later present photos and documents from Isaac. Again, she was certain this was a black project program overseen by the government.

However.

A few months before, on History Channel’s seventh episode (season one) of UFO Hunters, Bill Birnes and the crew were in Colorado, where they met with Colorado MUFON—Mutual UFO Network—and they discussed the very same Dragonfly Drone UFOs. After some scripted antics, Colorado MUFON and the UFO Hunters felt that the Dragonfly Drones were some sort of psyops program or what have you. Titled “Reverse Engineering,” the episode was first broadcast on 19 March 2008.

It was interesting—and perplexing—that alleged UFO sightings from California ended up in the hands of Colorado MUFON instead of the California groups.

Oh well.

Flash forward to 15 Dec. 2008 and it’s the second season’s thirteenth episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles called “Earthlings Welcome Here.” Throughout the previous episodes, there are mysterious drones—later found out to be reverse from Terminator tech—appear and Sarah goes to a UFO Experience Conference, searching for a shadowy blogger named . . . .

Abraham.

The Old Testament, anyone? Abraham? Isaac?

Both “Abraham” and “Isaac” have knowledge of UFO drones—both drone projects reverse-engineered from advanced tech.

Yes. It was a viral marketing for TSCC. The link is here:

It should be noted that despite the truth behind the Dragonfly Drones and that it’s been known since Dec. 2008—people still believe they are here and real.

If someone at TSCC wanted to stir things up within the UFO community—sending photos and having a mysterious informant—choosing Linda Moulton Howe was a stroke of genius.

She’ll never learn.

She’ll keep falling for hoaxes and what have you for years to come.

 Be seeing you.

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Gaia Article on the Dragonfly Drones

Dragonfly Drone UFOs solved

UFO Hunters: Reverse Engineering

The photos Howe received from Isaac

Drone photos from the episode.

Netflix Docuseries Encounters: The Stephenville Lights.

Angelia Joined, staff reporter for the Stephenville Empire-Tribune, who broke the story about the Stephenville Lights UFO sightings. She would later lose her job.

On 8 Jan. 2008, one of the most famous UFO sightings happened in a central Texas town called Stephenville. It was the largest UFO incident since the 13 March 1997 Phoenix Lights event. From the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)—one of the largest private UFO investigation organizations—May 2008 reports:

On January 10, 2008, the MUFON Case Management System (CMS) began to receive more than its normal number of sighting reports. In less than seven days the system had received over 100 new sightings in central Texas. The Texas Chapter of MUFON was now faced with a large logistical problem of interviewing over 100 witnesses. After a discussion with Ken Cherry, the Texas State Director, it was decided that an email be sent out to the MUFON Field Investigators located in the cities surrounding the Dublin/ Stephenville area requesting assistance. Texas has over 40 Field Investigators.

An email request was sent to the FIs in Dallas, Ft Worth, Abilene, Waco and Austin, and eight investigators committed themselves to a project that has never been attempted in the history of MUFON—to interview a large number of witnesses at one time.

I contacted Angelia Joiner of the Stephenville Tribune; she was the first reporter to break the story on January 10. Among other matters, we told her of our need for a meeting location. A short time later, a meeting room was donated for our use by the Dublin Dr Pepper Co and the Dublin Rotary Club. MUFON Texas held a meeting on January 19 for witnesses to come forward and make reports. A second meeting was held February 23.

To give you some perspective as to the number of sighting reports received, we need to go to the MUFON online Case Management System (CMS). Since MUFON began computerized record keeping in 1995, 568 sightings have been reported online for the state of Texas, with sightings reported which date back to 1947. (Figure 1.) In contrast, during the short period from November 2007 to March 1, 2008, an estimated 300 new reports were recorded via CMS and in-person reports.

The months of January and February produced 259 sighting reports. On January 8 alone—the day of the most publicized sightings—CMS received a total of 19 sighting reports from across Texas, of which 10 were reports of sightings from the Stephenville-Dublin area. (Figures 2 and 3.) Many of the sighting reports described large lights in the sky coming on and going off in sequence. Descriptions were varied. There were two “official” daylight sightings of large objects. The object was described as gray in color, emitting no sound, and moving at a high rate of speed.

Click this link for the report.

On the same night, nearly 1900 miles to the northwest in Yreka, Calif.—and the surrounding Northern California and Southern Oregon region, there were a number of UFO sightings. I got the assignment and spoke with witnesses, California MUFON investigators and even called Angelia at her newsroom.

That’s how we met.

I wrote the story and kept in touch with Angelia. Friended one another on Facebook. Then, she told me that she had been fired; she alluded that the Empire-Tribune was getting pressure from either the government or military. Angelia said she’d walked into the newsroom and her computer was missing from her desk.

Someone took her work laptop. Remember that.

When editor Sara Vanden Berge informed Angelia that she’d been fired, Berge demanded that all reporter’s field notebooks had to be handed over too.

Berge, Angelia told me, was very insistent.

In the Netflix docuseries Encounters, the first episode is about the Stephenville UFO incidents and Berge is interviewed. Angelia died from Covid on 7 Jan. 2021, a day after Covid had taken her husband, Randell.

Sara Vanden Berge.

Berge was never thrilled with the UFO articles and was unhappy about the coverage; she was embarrassed and worried that these articles would make her look bad. There were rumors Berge was jealous of the attention Angelia received—from TV and radio interviews, talking to Art Bell and Larry King and so on. In fact, it was rumored that Berge was very bitter and all too eager to fire Angelia.

So, I watched that first episode. It brought back a lot of memories, stories, things Angelia had written and told me. It was well done and I’m glad my friend got the credit she deserved.

Watching Berge, however, was sickening. In my opinion, Sara Vanden Berge is a vile, lying manipulative wench. Her final scene was very passable acting, as she reflected on “firing” Angelia.

Angelia Joiner was a damn fine reporter. She took the subject seriously and treated the eyewitnesses with respect. Overall, she was a very decent person.

She was a friend too.

She deserved better.

Be seeing you.

-30-

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Doggerland.

Ever heard of Doggerland? Well, here’s some information about it. From Wikipedia and cited sources:

Doggerland was an area of land in Northern Europe, now submerged beneath the southern North Sea. This region was repeatedly exposed at various times during the Pleistocene epoch due to the lowering of sea levels during glacial periods, though the term "Doggerland" is generally specifically used for this region during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. During the early Holocene, the exposed land area of Doggerland stretched across the region between what is now the east coast of Great Britain, the Netherlands, the western coast of Germany and the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, Doggerland was inundated by rising sea levels, disintegrating initially into a series of low-lying islands before submerging completely. The impact of the tsunami generated by the Storegga underwater landslide c. 8200 years ago on Doggerland is controversial. The flooded land is known as the Dogger Littoral. Doggerland was named after the Dogger Bank—which in turn was named after 17th-century Dutch fishing boats called doggers—which formed a highland region that became submerged later than the rest of Doggerland.

The archaeological potential of the area was first identified in the early 20th century, and interest intensified in 1931 when a fishing trawler operating east of the Wash dragged up a barbed antler point that was subsequently dated to a time when the area was tundra. Vessels have since dragged up remains of mammoths, lions and other animals, and a few prehistoric tools and weapons. Most archaeological evidence of human habitation dates to the Mesolithic period during the early Holocene.

As of 2020, international teams are continuing a two-year investigation into the submerged landscape of Doggerland using new and traditional archaeogeophysical techniques, computer simulation, and molecular biology. Evidence gathered allows the study of past environments, ecological change, and human transition from hunter-gatherers to farming communities.

As ice melted at the end of the last glacial period of the current ice age, sea levels rose and the land began to tilt in an isostatic adjustment as the huge weight of ice lessened. Doggerland eventually became submerged, cutting off what was previously the British peninsula from the European mainland by around 6500 BCE. The Dogger Bank, an upland area of Doggerland, remained an island until at least 5000 BCE. Key stages are now believed to have included the gradual evolution of a large tidal bay between eastern England and Dogger Bank by 9000 BCE and a rapid sea level rise thereafter, leading to Dogger Bank becoming an island and Britain becoming physically disconnected from the continent.

A recent hypothesis suggests that around 6200 BCE much of the remaining coastal land was flooded by a tsunami caused by a submarine landslide off the coast of Norway known as the Storegga Slide. This suggests “that the Storegga Slide tsunami would have had a catastrophic impact on the contemporary coastal Mesolithic population . . . Britain finally became separated from the continent and in cultural terms, the Mesolithic there goes its own way.” It is estimated that up to a quarter of the Mesolithic population of Britain lost their lives.  A study published in 2014 suggested that the only remaining parts of Doggerland at the time of the Storegga Slide were low-lying islands, but supported the view that the area had been abandoned at about the same time as the tsunamis.

Another view speculates that the Storegga tsunami devastated Doggerland, but then ebbed back into the sea, and that later Lake Agassiz (in North America) burst, releasing so much fresh water that sea levels rose over about two years to flood much of Doggerland and making Great Britain an island. The difference in the distribution of broken shells between lower-lying and high-lying parts of the area also suggests the survival of land after the Storegga tsunami.

Here’s an idea:

What if a highly advanced civilization—I mean highly advanced, hundreds of years ahead of us—existed in the Doggerland region?

What if that civilization was the basis for the Atlantis legend?

In the Zedverse, Earth/Tehrani/Terra has a co-orbital twin, another Earth or Counter-Earth called Tellus. Tellus is in a similar Ice Age that gripped our Earth thousands of years ago.

Yes, the Doggerland region exists on Tellus . . . along with other mysteries.

Oh.

One more thing: Tellus has three moons.

For more information:

National Geographic Doggerland

Smithsonian Magazine Doggerland Article

Be seeing you.

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Don't Let It Happen Here . . . Again.

I’d first heard of this book while reading about mainstream writers who wrote—not on purpose, some would say—science fiction. I was 13 at the time. I was blown away by it.

The novel was called It Can’t Happen Here. From Wikipedia:

Sinclair Lewis’s It Can't Happen Here is an alarming, eerily timeless work. The Chicago Tribune described the book as “written at white heat,” for Lewis was outraged as he created it, tormented by Hitler's aggression, the murderous events in Franco’s Spain, and nationalism rising in America. This book remains a warning about the fragility of democracy, juxtaposing hilarious satire with a blow-by-blow description of a president “saving” the country from welfare cheaters, sex, crime and the liberal press by becoming a dictator.

In 1936, American Senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip enters the presidential election campaign on a populist platform, promising to restore the country to prosperity and greatness, and promising each citizen $5,000 per year. Portraying himself as a champion of “the forgotten man” and “traditional” American values, Windrip defeats incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Democratic nomination, and then beats his Republican opponent, Senator Walt Trowbridge, in the November election.

Having previously foreshadowed some authoritarian measures to reorganize the government, Windrip outlaws dissent, incarcerates political enemies in concentration camps then trains and arms a paramilitary force called the Minute Men—named after the Revolutionary War militias—who terrorize citizens and enforce the policies of a corporatist regime. One of Windrip’s first acts as president is to eliminate the influence of Congress, which draws the ire of many citizens and the legislators themselves. The Minute Men respond to protests harshly, attacking demonstrators with bayonets. In addition to these actions, Windrip's administration, known as the Corpo government, curtails women's and minority rights then eliminates individual states by subdividing the country into administrative sectors.

The government of these sectors is managed by Corpo authorities, usually prominent businessmen or Minute Men officers. Those accused of crimes against the government appear before kangaroo courts presided over by military judges.

Most Americans approve of these dictatorial measures, seeing them as painful but necessary steps to restore American power.

Sound familiar?

It happened here in 2016. We cannot let it happen again.

Get a copy of the novel. A man ahead of his time, Lewis profoundly understood the American character and ripped away smug platitudes to give readers the truth. In 1935, the Springfield Republican called It Can’t Happen Here “a message to thinking Americans.” Thinking Americans still need to hear it.

Be seeing you.

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HEO: Hyper Enabled Operator

Say goodbye to the Ironman battlesuit concept: The United States military wants more James Bond than Tony Stark.

More brains, less brawn. Enjoy the read

The Hyper-Enabled Operator.

Be seeing you.

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Readers: Tell Me Something . . . .

 Hello there.

Welcome to the page. Thanks so much for the likes and follows.

Oh.

This is a character of mine from the Fallout 4 roleplaying game. More or less, this is a good visual of what Zed looks like in Night Zero and other future stories.

I need some input from all of you.

As readers, what do you like or want from the main character?

And, well, what do you dislike or don't want?

I'm looking forward to your responses.

Circa 2095 CE: Orbital Habs & Sunjammers

Here are some visual inspirations for the orbital habs and a sunjammer-class vessel that will appear in Night Zero.

Enjoy.