New book reports UFO encounters in Appalachia

By Steve Hammons

Eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings and strange encounters in the Appalachian Mountain region provide fascinating reading in a recently-published book by researcher, journalist and author Kyle Lovern.

Volume 2 of "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena" continues the exploration that Lovern began in the first volume, published in 2008.

Lovern brings a solid journalistic background to this challenging topic and the complex related factors involved.

He is an award-winning journalist from southern West Virginia with a background in newspaper work as an editor, columnist, reporter and photographer, recognized for his writing and photography. He has also worked in radio.

Recently freelancing for the Charleston Daily Mail, one of the state’s largest newspapers, Lovern also recently received first and third place awards in the 2008 West Virginia Press Association newspaper contest. As a reporter, he has also covered county and state sporting events. For several years he was a popular newspaper columnist in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky.

Lovern is a graduate of Southern West Virginia Community College and Bluefield State College. His work has also been featured in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia magazine, Goldenseal magazine of West Virginia traditional life and Marshall Magazine (Marshall University).

While Volume 1 of "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena" focused entirely on incidents in his home state of West Virginia, Lovern’s new book also goes outside that state’s borders to examine cases related to the Appalachian region of bordering states such as Virginia and Kentucky.

Lovern brings the objectivity and straightforward writing of an experienced journalist to the topic of unusual phenomena that is so needed in our society today. Like all good journalists, he looks at and tries to document important elements of a journalist’s main targets: the “who, what, when, where, why and how.”

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS

As with his earlier book, Volume 2 takes readers through the reports by down-to-Earth average people from different walks of life who have experienced something apparently quite interesting.

In addition, insightful quotes from famous public figures introduce each chapter and provide thought-provoking statements linked to UFOs and other unusual phenomena. Lovern uses quotes from astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edgar Mitchell and Gordon Cooper (Armstrong, an Ohio native, currently lives in Cincinnati, near the western Appalachian region).

Fascinating and sometimes cryptic statements by Sen. Barry Goldwater, Gen. Douglas McArthur and long-time FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover also lead readers into each chapter. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon are also quoted.

Scientists Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, J. Allen Hynek (an official U.S. Air Force UFO investigator with the Dayton, Ohio-based “Project BLUE BOOK”) and Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, M.D., provide similar insights. (Mack became well-known for his research into alleged abductions of humans by non-human beings.)

We even hear from filmmaker Steven Spielberg as we delve into one of Lovern’s chapters.

Each chapter is a detailed account of a particular incident, carefully taken from the statements of eyewitnesses and individuals who directly experienced it, as well as reporting by the news media. In many cases, there were multiple witnesses to the incidents. In some instances, local public safety personnel were involved.

For example, in Chapter 2, a community college psychology professor and his two teenage sons were driving home one evening in 2003 near Morehead, Kentucky, and clearly saw an oval-shaped object or craft in the sky nearby. They also observed “dazzling” bright lights near the object.

Meanwhile, local police were getting calls from local residents of a woman screaming.

Upon arriving home, the college professor and his sons soon were visited by peace officers checking the neighborhood for a possible woman in distress. Soon, approximately 20 public safety, rescue and law enforcement personnel were searching a nearby field where the oval-shaped object had been seen by multiple witnesses.

It’s unknown to the professor and his sons what happened to the UFO. A woman in distress was apparently never located.

DANGERS OF ENCOUNTERS

The potential dangers of encounters with UFOs were part of Lovern’s account of a sad and touching report of a young boy who had apparent close contact with a beam of strange light from an airborne source or craft, and who died of a brain tumor approximately one year later.

The 11-year-old boy’s family had moved from their home state of West Virginia to Detroit, Michigan, and in 1993 the boy and his friend were in the yard during a heavy snowstorm building a snow fort to play in.

Suddenly, an “aircraft” of some kind hovered approximately 50 feet above the boys and two beams of light flashed down on them. One light was reported to be yellow and the other blue, according to the boys’ statements. An adult neighbor and other witnesses also saw the lights.

The boys were quite frightened, and shortly afterward developed an unusual rash all over their bodies, as well as other physical problems. Their emotional reactions to the incident were described as terror and fear.

But much more serious than these outcomes was the subsequent diagnosis of a brain tumor in the boy from West Virginia. He passed on from this medical condition in 1994.

Did the brain tumor have something to do with the UFO? We will probably never know. But, there have been other reports of UFO witnesses developing symptoms similar to radiation poisoning.

In Chapter 13, the potential dangers of close encounters are again noted in the account of three women driving through Kentucky in 1976. They saw an intense red glow about 11 p.m. and later seemed to have experienced “missing time” until 1:25 a.m. They noticed raw skin, blisters and odd marks on their bodies and they were unusually thirsty.

Under hypnosis by a psychologist at a later date, all three women reported similar accounts of being in a hospital-like setting, being examined and experiencing medical-type procedures by small beings appearing like the so-called “Grays.”

Elsewhere in the book, Lovern also notes the public safety considerations of close encounters with UFOs that are addressed in the well-known firefighter manual "Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control."

This manual includes a detailed must-read chapter about the history and dangers of UFOs to public safety, including radiation, and the way public safety personnel should prepare and respond.

GROUPS OF WITNESSES

In Chapter 5, we read about the people at a West Virginia high school football game who saw a “large bright round object” moving slowly over nearby terrain in 1973. Witnesses from other locations also observed it. A local newspaper noted that it was the largest crowd in that region to ever have observed a UFO together.

When a local constable who observed the UFO from the football game was asked why he didn’t shoot at it, he replied that it wasn’t breaking any laws as far as he knew.

The 1987 “wave” of UFO sightings in Virginia is reviewed in Chapter 7. UFOs shaped like saucers, arrowheads and cigars were reported by hundreds of witnesses. Radio stations and other media outlets reported on these incidents.

One newspaper reported the case of a group of people in the parking lot of a local restaurant observing a UFO that looked like a Frisbee, with bright red and white lights on it.

Chapters 10 and 11 tell of the encounters of hunters in northern Virginia in 1965-66 who observed a flat ball-shaped object with a metallic dome for ten minutes, and the Navy Vietnam veteran who, along with forty other men, saw two huge lights near the West Virginia coal strip mine where they were working.

Chapter 12 recounts a particularly unique case when a CSX train carrying coal through Kentucky collided with three strange flying objects that were hovering just above the track. The metallic silver saucer-shaped objects with multiple lights were 18 to 20 feet long, according to the witnesses.

After the train’s electrical system was disrupted somehow, the automatic brake system kicked in, but it was clear that the train had collided with “something” since significant damage to the locomotives was apparent.

But what became more puzzling was when the engineer was directed by dispatchers to pull the train into an isolated location where unknown men in “weird outfits” began inspecting the train. The train workers were questioned while men in protective suits examined the locomotives.

Men who identified themselves as being associated with U.S. national security reportedly advised the train workers to remain silent about the incident, Lovern reports.

ANCIENT CHEROKEE APPALACHIA

The brief overviews above, describing a few of the book’s chapters, provide a window into the valuable information contained in Volume 2 of "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena."

Lovern doesn’t draw any conclusions about where these reported craft or beings come from. Are they simply from another planet? Or, is it a more complex situation involving multiple dimensions, wormholes and portals, or even time travel?

Many of today’s scientists are trying to understand the physics of these possibilities. Psychologists and others are also researching a variety of unconventional phenomena that could be related somehow. We might also wonder if our defense and intelligence services are also taking a good look at these situations.

Lovern respects readers’ ability to look at the information presented and come to their own conclusions ... or to simply digest the accounts and reports without coming to final concrete conclusions.

These may be mysteries that cannot be completely solved.

The chapters and elements in this excellent book provide part of the story of UFO encounters in the Appalachian region, the U.S. and the world over recent decades. But the situation may go back further in time.

The Appalachian region was the ancient homeland of the Cherokee culture and civilization, as well as other tribes, for thousands of years before Scottish, Scots-Irish and other immigrants also settled in the mountain country of Appalachia in the 1700s and 1800s.

Many Indian tribes throughout North America have legends and tales of beings from the stars or from other dimensions in Nature who visited the Indians from time to time.

In a chapter toward the end of his book, Lovern notes the ancient Cherokee legends of the “little people,” known as the "Yunwi Tsunsdi," according to the 1998 book "Cherokee Little People: The Secrets and Mysteries of the Yunwi Tsunsdi" by authors Lynn King Lossiah and Ernie Lossiah.

According to those authors and other sources, the little people are beings sometimes described in ancient Cherokee tales as being spirits or small human-like people, about two feet to four feet tall. According to the legends, these beings may have different types of appearances and may be of three or four different types.

Descriptions of the little people allege that they can be kind and helpful, especially to children, while also playing tricks on people. In addition, they can also be dangerous if a human intrudes on them. They reportedly have the power to confuse the mind of a human.

They have the ability to remain unseen and invisible if they choose and generally avoid being detected by humans. But, according to the ancient tales, at times they will reveal themselves.

Were the “little people” known to the Cherokee related to UFOs, inter-dimensional mysteries or some other unusual phenomena?

To explore these questions, Lovern also includes a creative tale from my fact-based fiction novel “Mission Into Light” when I used the real-life accounts of the Cherokee’s Yunwi Tsundi little people to try to illustrate a thought-provoking scenario from long ago in the Appalachian Mountains of the ancient Cherokee.

And, like the Cherokee and other Indian tribes of ancient days, we now seem to be dealing with mysterious forces and beings that visit us from time to time, conducting their activities in discreet and secret ways, while also occasionally revealing themselves.

And when they do reveal themselves, luckily we have researchers and journalists like Lovern to interview witnesses, carefully investigate and document their accounts, put the situation in context and inform the rest of us in effective communications platforms and books like Volume 2 of "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena."

Through Lovern’s book, we see not only how unusual phenomena like UFOs might be occurring, but how average people react. The down-to-Earth people Lovern interviewed responded with surprise, curiosity, intelligence, and appropriate concern and caution when faced with strange scenarios.

By picking up a copy of this book, we might further prepare ourselves with greater knowledge and understanding about emerging aspects of Nature and the Universe, or “multiverse,” that we are now beginning to more fully comprehend.

'Goats' movie helps us stare at human mind

By Steve Hammons

The new fact-based fiction movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats" deals with more than meets the eye. Or at least, we see some subjects touched on in quick and sometimes subtle ways that might trigger more thought.

In other scenes, certain topics are dealt with at length or even hit viewers between the eyes with a cinematic sledgehammer. Incredibly funny parts of the movie are juxtaposed with the troubling, tragic and frightening.

Besides looking at the concepts of the First Earth Battalion and its real-life outside-the-box leader Army Lt. Col. Jim Channon (played by Jeff Bridges), we also get a glimpse at the Vietnam War years and post-Vietnam U.S. Army. These were dark and difficult times in the military and in America.

Yet, the 1960s and ´70s also brought forth the "human potential movement" which included a variety of touchy-feely human encounter activities, experimentation with mind-altering substances, a renewed interest in planet Earth and the natural environment, as well as the value of peace and human love.

From the troubled years after the Vietnam War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, moviegoers are asked to consider some basic questions about human beings, the U.S. government and military, and even the forces of good versus "the dark side."

THE HUMAN MIND

The movie, and the book upon which it is based, bring together various subjects in ways that give us the opportunity to reflect further about the larger, deeper and more complex aspects of the real-life material.

For example, the research and operational activities of Project STAR GATE, probably the most widely-known U.S. remote viewing program, was not part of Channon's First Earth Battalion.

However, as indicated by the scene when George Clooney identifies the contents of a small closed box as "a man sitting in a chair," remote viewing did turn out to be a real and valid human skill. Generally speaking, it is a sub-type of ESP, but conducted according to specific and scientific research and operational protocols.

Remote viewing-type skills are related to what we call intuition, gut feelings, instincts and the sixth sense. We probably all have these abilities and can practice and develop them further. Some of the Project STAR GATE personnel reportedly had quite excellent results at times.

On a separate topic, in the movie an entire Army outpost in Iraq is slipped a mind-altering substance, LSD, via the food and water. In fact, during Army and CIA research of LSD a couple of decades ago, unwitting troops, intelligence officers and civilians were reportedly given this substance to test its effects.

The dangers of this and other mind-altering substances are clearly demonstrated in one troubling and shocking scene. This danger is real and was an unfortunate result for many people in the '60s, '70s and beyond. In fact, certain mind-altering drugs continue to cause severe health, social and legal problems today.

The often valuable research into human consciousness, from the '60s to the present, has been marred in many cases by excess, ignorance, misuse and dangerous behavior. Defining, understanding and separating worthwhile and constructive approaches from stupid and destructive behavior continue to be a challenge now.

VICTORY WITHIN REACH

In the movie, we also get glimpses of the positive potential of human beings, our military and our society.

When the Jeff Bridges character has a near-death experience in Vietnam after being shot, we might wonder about the many reports of similar encounters that have been thoroughly researched and documented. And we might wonder what conclusions can be drawn from them.

The reverence for the Earth through various rituals by some of the characters can also be interpreted as a valid perspective that connects humans with Nature – and helps keep our feet on the ground as well as offering benefits to mental and spiritual health.

Mention in the movie of U.S. military humanitarian operations, peace operations, conflict resolution and similar activities might seem whimsical. However, these activities are now considered important parts of American foreign policy and important missions of the U.S. armed forces.

How fitting that the movie portrays some recent activities in Iraq and Afghanistan as being part of "the dark side."

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" is a funny, thought-provoking and very entertaining movie. It moves along quickly, but not like the rapid-fire pacing of a thriller. It is more like a gentle roller-coaster of humor and tragedy, action and more contemplative moments, with representations of good and evil, light and darkness.

Perhaps most importantly, the movie gives us insight into human nature at its best and worst.

The lessons that can be learned from the film, and the stories upon which it is apparently loosely based, are probably more valuable than we might think. Human consciousness is now changing and evolving in ways that might result in developments so positive that the goals of people like Col. Channon may finally be within reach.

‘Integrative perception’ useful in health, media, defense

By Steve Hammons

Human perception is related to a broad range of important endeavors in fields like health, media, national defense and many other areas.

New developments in human perception and consciousness probably have the potential to help us make progress on these and other fronts.

Perception is personal and also social. It affects families, communities, countries and the international community. Our perception and understanding of ourselves are key in the areas noted above and in many other ways.

We can take a look at a few examples to see how human perception affects progress in various activities and areas of interest: the health and medical field, entertainment and news media, as well as defense and intelligence.

HEALTH, HOLLYWOOD, DEFENSE

In the area of health, when well-known health and wellness expert and author Andrew Weil, M.D., appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” show on Sept. 10, he tried to apply his concepts of “integrative medicine” to the current perceptions of our national debate about health care.

Weil is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. He also serves as a professor of medicine and public health.

Another example of exploration about human perception is the new movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. This film takes a look at innovative exploration of human consciousness within the US military.

Although the movie and the book upon which it is based are slanted toward ridicule, many of these actual military and intelligence programs turned out to be quite valid and valuable. People who see the movie might become curious about these important and leading-edge efforts behind the scenes and explore them further.

Also related to defense efforts and perspectives, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently noted that the perception of the US internationally is still an area of concern, despite recent progress.

“Strategic communication” on the part of the US is directly linked to human perception.

In fact, in a paper for the Marine Corps War College some years ago, a Navy SEAL officer studying there noted that “transcendent warfare” may be a useful concept that optimizes forward-leaning research and activities in human perception and consciousness.

How can this research be applied to health, media and defense?

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

When Dr. Weil was discussing his views of health with King on CNN, he focused on the idea of integrative medicine. The concept of integrative medicine is similar to “alternative medicine” or “complementary medicine.”

Weil believes that leading-edge health and wellness methods can be successfully integrated with conventional Western medicine.

In his discussion with King, he suggested that Americans should take more responsibility for their own health and wellness through healthier eating habits, more exercise and other common-sense approaches. He stated that the over-reliance, in his view, on high-tech and expensive technological and pharmacological methods to treat health problems is unsustainable and not always particularly successful medically.

Weil seemed to be saying that physicians and health care providers, government officials crafting health care proposals and all of us should consider integrative viewpoints when thinking about human health and the administration of health care services.

According to the website site of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, “Since its inception, the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine has focused its efforts on three domains: education, clinical care, and research—with the primary emphasis on education.”

The site notes that the “Defining Principles of Integrative Medicine” include the following:

1) Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.

2) All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.

3) Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.

4) Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.

5) Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.

6) Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.

7) Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

8) Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

MOVIES, MINDS, INTELLIGENCE

Related to Weil’s views, we might wonder if this integrative perspective or integrative consciousness is applicable in other areas. Although Weil is now best-known for his work in health, wellness, nutrition and integrative medicine, his 1972 book "The Natural Mind" focused on human consciousness.

This actually dovetails with the movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" and the real-life activities by the US defense and intelligence communities regarding human perception.

Discoveries in the last few decades about human perceptual abilities have found that our instincts, intuition, gut feelings, extrasensory perception (ESP) and “sixth sense” appear to be quite real and valid.

A longstanding effort by the US defense and intelligence communities commonly referred to as Project STAR GATE found that humans have the capability to use “anomalous cognition” or unusual perception to gather intelligence. A specific protocol that was developed to do this came to be called “remote viewing.”

As our understanding about human perception and consciousness improves, it may become apparent that anomalous cognition is really not so unusual after all. Like the study of the health concepts of alternative and complementary medicine, the terms “alternative cognition” and “complementary cognition” might be more appropriate.

In fact, taking note of Weil’s perspectives, we might consider the terms “integrative cognition” or “integrative perception” to describe using the full range perceptual abilities and capabilities of human consciousness.

This also brings us back to Adm. Mullen’s concerns about important defense challenges in understanding our own internal and external national behavior and how this is perceived overseas, as well as advanced capabilities that can enhance national security in many ways.

By examining some of these innovative activities associated with human perception, we can surely make significant progress in many important fields to deal with challenges facing us today.

Media coverage on emerging discoveries improves

By Steve Hammons

Journalists and the news media seem to be taking a closer look at how they cover and report on unconventional scientific topics. Professional and objective news coverage seems to have improved in recent years when it comes to things like UFOs, human extrasensory perception (ESP), ideas about other dimensions and similar subjects.

In addition, movies, TV and other entertainment media also often explore these kinds of areas, sometimes with mixed results. Still, valuable perspectives often seem to be part of creative projects from Hollywood and elsewhere.

In many cases, journalists and scriptwriters do their homework and conduct fairly thorough research to get a feel for the state of knowledge and understanding about certain topics.

At the same time, some writers may not fully understand the background on some unconventional subjects and may, consciously or inadvertently, misrepresent the situation and put forth an inaccurate picture.

EMERGING VIEWS

Some researchers and observers who take a look at the UFO field have reported that the mainstream news media seems to have been covering that subject with greater objectivity and professionalism. This was especially notable in the 2008 cluster of incidents in the region around Stephenville, Texas.

After local residents contacted their small-town newspaper, a reporter there wrote objective and straightforward news stories. These were picked up and covered by the Associated Press and other national and international news media, also in a mostly responsible and professional way.

CNN’s Larry King has demonstrated professional objectivity and intelligent inquiry about the UFO topic in some of his shows.

Journalists and others in the media appear to be learning more about the scientific investigations into a number of unconventional areas. Sometimes, these investigations are discreet, low-key or even covert and secret.

What about discoveries in “weird physics” which seem to imply that our Universe and the nature of Nature may have interesting and unusual aspects that we may not fully understand? Physicists are finding some fascinating things in certain leading-edge research.

Another example of an unconventional area of study is that of ESP. It has been also called the sixth sense, intuition and anomalous cognition. Additional terms that might be useful are “alternative cognition” or “complementary cognition.” Thorough research, development and utilization of this kind of human perception and awareness have been conducted by the U.S. defense and intelligence communities.

A notable media portrayal that touched on some of this research is the 2004 book The Men Who Stare at Goats, by UK writer Jon Ronson. The book is being made into a movie starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Filming has been completed and the movie is currently in post-production editing and development.

Some people familiar with the topics in Ronson’s book say that his representation is incomplete in certain areas. While making fun of, and alerting us to the dangers of certain U.S. military activities, Ronson might also have missed some very important and valuable elements of advanced research that can be helpful.

The movie version, using the same title as the book, is planned for release Feb. 18, 2010, by Smoke House Pictures, a company owned by Clooney and Grant Heslov, who is directing it. Will the movie team add more insight and deeper perspective? We’ll see.

MEDIA RESPONSIBILITY AND REWARD

Whether we are talking about mainstream news journalists, writers, various kinds of new media or people in the creative media fields of TV and film, it seems that there continue to be mixed results in the coverage, exploration and portrayals of certain emerging subjects. As a result, the public is not as fully informed as it could be.

Average Americans and people around the world might benefit from greater understanding about the possibilities involved in some leading-edge research.

Every student in a journalism class knows that a topic should be covered by explaining the “who, what, when, where, why, how.” When we get into more vague or complex subjects, such as those involving unconventional phenomena topics, there may be a greater challenge and responsibility for the news media, and also greater reward.

In the entertainment field, this same situation seems to hold true as well. Examining and presenting complicated subjects in a context that works for the book, TV show or movie is not always easy.

Most consumers of media platforms and products probably want a truthful and complete picture of a given topic or combination of topics, even in an entertainment context. Truth seems to have a resonance that draws people to it. So, if attracting an audience is a goal, then including truthful portrayals of situations is a win-win.

In addition, Americans and people internationally may be getting increasingly sophisticated about emerging unconventional topics. People may want more information that is accurate and thorough on these kinds of issues.

There is probably a ready-made audience of human beings across our planet that is waiting for the next news article, book, TV show or movie that will take us a step further along in dealing with fascinating unconventional topics.

Twitter experiment, 'Goats' movie tackle 'remote viewing'

By Steve Hammons

What do a recent Twitter extrasensory perception (ESP) experiment and an upcoming movie starring George Clooney have in common?

Both address the topic of "remote viewing."

Remote viewing refers to a method of using human consciousness to obtain information and understanding about situations, places, things and people that are not known to the remote viewer. Additionally, the remote viewer has no other means to obtain the information about the "target" other than what is perceived via the mind.

However, there could be significant misperceptions about this topic in the Twitter exercise and the movie, titled "The Men Who Stare at Goats," based on the book of the same name.

It may be useful to look at the subject of unconventional human perception, as well as the Twitter project and the "Goats" book and movie, to help obtain a more comprehensive view of this subject.

LIMITED EXPERIMENT

The Twitter experiment, conducted in early June 2009, was conducted by psychology professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK in association with New Scientist magazine, a weekly science and technology publication.

Wiseman used more than 7,000 volunteers via Twitter to try to use ESP to determine his location. During the four-day experiment, in each of several exercises, he posted five photographs of locations. Four locations were decoys and one was the actual place where he was located.

According to a subsequent article written by Wiseman, one of his goals was to test "both whether the group as a whole was psychic and whether believers outperformed disbelievers."

Wiseman reportedly has a reputation for debunking phenomena associated with "anomalous cognition," another term referencing unconventional human perception.

Wiseman also asked participants whether they believed in human ESP functioning or did not. Apparently the group was divided into "believers" and "skeptics."

His premise was that if some participants selected the correct target more often than a percentage expected by chance, it would have significance and indicate possible ESP. He also wanted to determine any variation between the believers and the skeptics.

When the project was completed, Wiseman reported that both groups identified the correct targets at a rate no better than random chance guessing. Although believers felt more strongly that they were perceiving the correct targets, this proved to not be the case, Wiseman said.

Some researchers familiar with remote viewing might suggest that certain elements of Wiseman's experiment were problematic.

A significant aspect that stands out is the view that while possibly all humans have perceptual abilities related to intuition, hunches, gut feelings, ESP and anomalous cognition, most people do not have the natural talent, training or skills for statistically successful remote viewing.

As a result, the Twitter experiment may have very little in common with the U.S. military and intelligence programs referred to as Project STAR GATE, conducted during the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

Identifying individuals with natural skills, then creating effective experimental and operational protocols were key factors involved in the successes of the STAR GATE programs.

HOLLYWOOD VERSION

This brings us to George Clooney and the "Goats" book and movie.

The book was written by UK writer Jon Ronson and published in 2004. Ronson claimed to have interviewed credible sources about operations within the U.S. military and intelligence communities that involved remote viewing and other unusual activities.

Related to the book was a three-part TV show in the UK called "Crazy Rulers of the World." The three parts of the show were titled "The Men Who Stare at Goats," "Funny Torture" and "Psychic Footsoldiers."

The new movie is being produced by Smoke House Pictures starring Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Director Grant Heslov and Clooney formed Smoke House Pictures in 2006. The script was written by Peter Straughan and the film is planned for release Feb. 18, 2010.

In a June 15 article in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, retired Army Col. John Alexander, who worked on unconventional military and intelligence projects, offered the view that the Ronson book is "5 percent true and the rest extrapolated beyond belief."

Alexander, a senior fellow for the Joint Special Operations University, was quoted by Sun reporter Joe Schoenmann as equating remote viewing to athletics. "I can run all I want, but I'm never going to break a 4-minute mile. But some will. I see it as there are superstars in every endeavor, from art to athletics to science, and the same is true of remote viewing.”

Other people have compared remote viewing to musical abilities. It takes training, practice and natural talent to be a great musician, though all of us have some measure of musical ability.

Author Ronson has claimed that he had credible and authentic sources for his book, although we don't know to what degree there were exaggerations, misinterpretations, misconceptions or creative fiction on his part or by his sources.

When we look deeper into the scientific rigor of the STAR GATE-related programs and evaluate the interesting accuracy of many of the remote viewing operations, it seems probable that Ronson's views and presentation about these activities might be open to question.

The Project STAR GATE activities were reportedly shut down in the 1990s because significant success was not demonstrated. However, the scientific committee that evaluated the program for the CIA had differences among themselves as to the reality of remote viewing success.

In addition, some of the most significant evidence of this success was not available to these reviewers because of the sensitive nature of the military and intelligence operations involved. The reviewers did not have the necessary security clearance to see that information.

We can assume that Clooney, Heslov and their Smoke House team are editing and fine-tuning "Goats." What will end up on the cutting room floor and what will we see on the big screen next February? Maybe some qualified remote viewers can tell us.

TRANSCENDENT WARFARE

What can we take away from the recent Twitter experiment and the "Goats" book and movie?

One obvious point is that there is much misinformation in various media about the nature and background of research and activities surrounding human anomalous cognition. This misinformation can take different forms and shapes, either pro- or anti-ESP.

Misrepresentation on these kinds of topics may be intentional, accidental or simply a product of conscious or unconscious bias or belief. It is a complex issue, full of interesting surprises.

There are many credible and reliable sources of information about these kinds of topics. One of these is a 2001 academic paper researched and written by a Navy SEAL officer as part of studies at the Marine Corps War College, Marine Corps University, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Virginia.

The paper, "Unconventional Human Intelligence Support: Transcendent and Asymmetric Warfare Implications of Remote Viewing," took a deep look at the Project STAR GATE activities from 1972 through 1995.

The author suggested that learning about human anomalous cognition could be part of a unique way of looking at military, intelligence, geopolitical and other situations, resources and assets. He used the term "transcendent warfare" to describe the utilization of updated perspectives about emerging and leading-edge developments such as remote viewing.

A related idea makes that researcher's transcendent warfare concept a component of "hard power," "soft power" and "smart power" by using the phrase "transcendent power." This term, too, reflects the intelligent use of new knowledge and understanding – even about unconventional situations.

While it is highly useful to maintain a healthy skepticism about certain unusual phenomena, it also seems helpful to keep an open mind when we evaluate all evidence and indications about such phenomena.

New book examines West Virginia UFOs, strange encounters

By Steve Hammons

West Virginia journalist Kyle Lovern brings us a straightforward, down-to-earth and amazing picture of UFO encounters and other mysteries from his home state in his new book "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters."

An award-winning journalist born and raised in West Virginia, Lovern uses his professional experience from newspaper and radio work in his interviews with other West Virginians about their unusual UFO sightings and other experiences in the Appalachian Mountain region.

He chronicles sixteen separate incidents in which average people came into contact with UFOs, strange creatures and other mysterious situations.

In some cases, Lovern’s interview subjects told him of events long ago – in their childhoods for some of the people. Other accounts reported more recent incidents.

He points out that he used only the most credible cases from highly-reliable witnesses.

At 98 pages in length, the book gets to the point and reports facts and witness accounts in ways that are convincing and very interesting.

SIGHTING AND ENCOUNTER CASES

Most of the book is structured with chapters focusing on each of the 16 cases, although Lovern includes relevant background material at the beginning and end of the book.

In “Sighting One,” 18-year-old Dave, who would later be drafted for the Vietnam War, spots a large somewhat triangular UFO while hunting in the woods. Years later, he has another surprising encounter and may have experienced “missing time.”

“Sighting Two” tells the story of a couple, Bill and Jane, who see a large cigar-shape object. At the same time, their truck engine and electrical system malfunction mysteriously.

In “Sighting Three,” readers learn about the story of a Walt, a man who was 6 years old in 1952 when a bright multi-colored UFO hovered over his rural home. Although his mother witnessed it too, his father seemed in a daze of some kind and did not respond to the extraordinary event.

The sixteen cases are all unique in various ways.

One is a 1966 too-close sighting of the anomalous creature known as the “Mothman” that was seen by many witnesses in West Virginia in the 1960s.

In another incident, a witness named Mary tells of when she was 16 years old in 1955 and saw several cigar-shaped lights flying at tremendous speed over her home in southern West Virginia.

After reading all of Lovern’s 16 cases, readers will get a good picture of the many unusual sightings and fascinating encounters over the decades experienced by West Virginians from all walks of life.

The author notes that West Virginia is not far from Washington, D.C., to the east, or from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to the west in southwestern Ohio where UFO activities have reportedly taken place over the years.

Lovern wonders if these might be factors related to West Virginia sightings.

In a sense, Lovern’s focus on West Virginia can be seen as a microcosm of other parts of the Appalachian Mountain region as well as other unique areas of the U.S. and the world. Ancient legends of UFOs and visitors from elsewhere are found in many cultures around the globe.

Although we think of modern-day UFO sightings as beginning with the “foo fighters” spotted by U.S. air crews during World War II, other research indicates that UFOs were observed over the U.S. in the 1800s and possibly going back in history for centuries.

MOUNTAIN STATE MYSTERIES

Is there anything else about West Virginia worth looking at when it comes to mysterious phenomena?

The Appalachian Mountain range, sometimes referred to as the Allegheny Mountains, extends approximately 1,500 miles from Alabama north to Newfoundland, Canada.

However, we most often think of the Appalachian region in terms of the southern part of the range, which runs through the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Eastern and southeastern Ohio, along with western Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, are considered in the central and north-central part  of the Appalachian Mountain Range.

Spanish explorers in Florida in 1528 encountered a tribe whose name was interpreted as or referred to as the Appalachee, which evolved into the word Appalachia and identified the mountain range to the north.

Many people today think of Appalachia as an economically stressed region known for coal mining and rural mountain life. However, the region has a very rich and ancient history.

West Virginia and the Appalachian region were the homelands of many Native American Indian tribes. Indians who lived West Virginia and the surrounding region include the Shawnee and Cherokee. Native Americans had lived there for thousands of years.

Europeans who came to the region in the 1700s and included explorers and settlers of English, Welsh, Scottish, Scots-Irish – Celtic backgrounds.

In those days, many marriages between these Europeans and Cherokee Indians occurred. The significant genetic merging of these groups is evident today as many families from the region recall Cherokee ancestry in the family tree.

The Celtic traditions and Native American Indian cultures both have been a focus of interest by some researchers in regard to unique modes of thinking and awareness, and possibly “anomalous cognition,” a term referring to unique kinds of human perception and experiences.

Lovern’s second book on UFOs and unusual phenomena is due out later this summer. If it is anything like "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters," it is sure to be a level-headed and factual look at situations that we do not fully understand at this time.

By reading Lovern’s books and getting more information from many sources, we can become more aware of unusual things going on around us, and within us.

Former astronaut says Roswell UFO crash true

By Steve Hammons

According to a CNN report April 20, 2009, former astronaut Edgar Mitchell told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that the basic story of a 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, is true.

Mitchell was an astronaut on the Apollo 14 mission to the moon in 1971 and he spoke at the National Press Club after the fifth annual X-Conference, an event focused on research involving UFOs.

CNN reported that Mitchell told journalists that there is firm knowledge that extraterrestrial life exists and this information is being held back from the general public in the U.S. and internationally.

Mitchell was raised in Roswell and knew many of the townspeople there. He said they confided to him years later about what they knew, although they had been told to keep the information quiet.

In addition, Mitchell said that about 10 years ago a Navy admiral working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed to him that a UFO had crashed at Roswell.

Citing the existence of evidence, Mitchell stated, “No, we're not alone.”

ROSWELL AND SECURITY

Mitchell’s statements are not surprising to many researchers and average citizens. Other people might find Mitchell’s comments unsettling because there is also a natural skepticism about claims of UFOs and visitation to Earth by beings from other planets (and/or dimensions).

Claims of this kind coming from a respected and highly-trained person like Mitchell are not easily dismissed.

Information about an alleged crash of a spacecraft piloted by intelligent beings has been around for decades. Books, articles, movies and TV shows have told the story.

However, thinking about the possible reality of such a situation leads to many other questions: What else has happened in the area of UFOs? Have we made contact with other civilizations visiting our planet? Are they friend or foe? Can they help us solve some of the problems of the human race? Why has there been so much secrecy?

In the many accounts and tales about the Roswell incident, it is often noted that in the summer of 1947 the U.S. had just ended a devastating period during World War II. Military secrecy and security had been of the utmost importance during the war.

Some of the first people to learn about the Roswell crash were Army Air Corps (forerunner of the U.S. Air Force) personnel from the nearby Roswell Army Air Field, including intelligence officers.

Despite an intriguing press release that was issued to the media by the RAAF public information officer about a flying saucer being obtained by base officials, higher command quickly dismissed the story as a case of mistaken identity – the debris found was actually a weather balloon-type device, news reporters were told.

Behind the scenes of such a scenario, it would be logical to consider that the Truman administration, Pentagon and intelligence officials would have been shocked and concerned, both about the incident itself and the psychological, emotional and social ramifications for Americans.

ACCLIMATION THEN AND NOW

Are we any more psychologically prepared today than in 1947? Mitchell seems to think so. And so do many other researchers.

Despite the perceived need for robust security reportedly involved in the Roswell incident and subsequent developments, some researchers say that the American public has slowly and steadily received “acclimation” to get used to the idea of extraterrestrial visitors.

Some of this acclimation has allegedly been through the entertainment media and in fictional form as well as the management of information carefully released in indirect ways to the public.

American kids raised on TV and movies since the 1950s have become used to the idea of extraterrestrials coming to Earth. Of course, a real-life situation takes exciting movie adventures to another level and could naturally cause anxiety.

We humans don’t have a great track record getting along with each other, let alone extraterrestrial beings who might be quite different from ourselves.

In addition to strange visitors, the situation could be quite complex. Our understanding of science and nature, the Universe, spirituality and even the human race itself could be given quite a shock.

If Mitchell is accurate in his statements, then certainly much has been learned since 1947 by people who have been given the task of handling such an important and complex situation. How much information is the public able to understand and accept? Is it good news or bad news, or a mixture of both?

If the Roswell incident was real, as Mitchell claims, what has been going on since that time related to extraterrestrial visitors? Were some of the security measures, scientific research and other activities questionable – either by human officials or visitors?

One thing seems clear, Mitchell has moved the ball forward on acclimation of our society and people internationally about the possibility, or probability, that the human race and Earth are being visited from elsewhere and that we need to prepare ourselves.

Ancient American Indian legends include mystical woman

By Steve Hammons

Does current scientific understanding have connections with ancient accounts of mystical and metaphysical phenomena?

When we hear modern scientists discussing parallel dimensions and mysterious discoveries, can we draw any conclusions about traditional legends of the “First Americans,” Native American Indians?

As we learn about the stories from the Hopi and other tribes regarding visitors from the stars, do we wonder if there is an association with modern-day reports of UFOs?

In 2005, NASA helped promote “Sun-Earth Day,” an observation and celebration that happens on or near the spring equinox each year. As part of this activity, the NASA Web site featured the section “Ancient Observations, Timeless Knowledge” and a sub-section called “Native American Connections.”

MYSTICAL WOMAN, SACRED PIPE

Among the Native American Indian scholars, astronauts and others featured on the site, a brief biographical overview of Joseph Chasing Horse is included.

The NASA site explains that Chasing Horse is a Lakota and “ambassador to the United Nations for the Lakota Sioux Nations, an ordained Sundance chief and a descendant of the great spiritual leader, Crazy Horse.”

The NASA site also notes that, “With expertise in the fields of educational and environmental issues, he has worked with NASA. As a cross cultural consultant he has assisted JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in developing Lakota Star Knowledge curriculum. He also serves as liaison between NASA and many traditional Indian communities …”

In addition, the NASA site points out that Chasing Horse, “serves as emissary to … the nineteenth caretaker of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe.”

What is the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, and what meaning does it have for us today?

From other online resources, we can learn about the time long past – said to be 2,000 years ago – when a mystical being came to the Lakota. Her name was White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Other Native American Indian tribes reportedly have similar legends of such a being.

According to Chasing Horse, “They say a cloud came down from the sky, and off of the cloud stepped the white buffalo calf. As it rolled onto the earth, the calf stood up and became this beautiful young woman who was carrying the sacred bundle in her hand.”

“She spent four days among our people and taught them about the sacred bundle, the meaning of it.”

“When she was done teaching all our people, she left the way she came. She went out of the circle, and as she was leaving she turned and told our people that she would return one day for the sacred bundle. And she left the sacred bundle, which we still have to this very day,” Chasing Horse said.

“The sacred bundle is known as the White Buffalo Calf pipe because it was brought by the White Buffalo Calf Woman. It is kept in a sacred place … by a man who is known as the keeper of the White Buffalo Calf pipe.”

Chasing Horse tells us, “When White Buffalo Calf Woman promised to return again, she made some prophecies at that time. One of those prophesies was that the birth of a white buffalo calf would be a sign that it would be near the time when she would return again to purify the world. What she meant by that was that she would bring back harmony again and balance, spiritually.”

CONNECTING THE DOTS

As the human race struggles today with many problems and challenges around the world, we might find valuable information in ancient accounts, such as that of the White Buffalo Calf Woman and the sacred pipe.

Here in North America, we have many direct links to the ancient perceptions of Native American Indian peoples. Not only do we have a vast array of historical literature and tribal stories available, but millions of Americans today have Indian ancestry.

In addition to single-tribe full-blood Indians, many people are a mix of two or more tribes. Other Americans have a diverse blend of European and Indian bloodlines. Black and Hispanic Americans also often have Native American Indian DNA within their genetic backgrounds.

In fact, this reality may be not fully understood because many American families do not even remember those long-ago Indian ancestors far back in the family tree.

But, could greater awareness associated with this situation be emerging now? Is the consciousness that people like Joseph Chasing Horse describes rising in America today?

Research into DNA mapping is really just beginning, as are the connections between our DNA, consciousness and even more unconventional theories about human genetics.

Significant scientific discoveries in many fields seem to be pointing toward unusual and surprising developments that make connections between our modern world and ancient understanding. These connections cross different fields of study. They provide a more cohesive picture derived from joint studies and observations.

They may fit in to a new kind of transcendent awareness about Nature and the reality around us and within us.

As we consider the possibilities of emerging new consciousness and understanding, we might wonder about the ancient Lakota reports of the White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Does she represent the qualities of Nature, Earth and the Universe (or “multiverse”) that we are reconnecting with today? Will she be returning soon? And if so, how?

Funding for ‘soft power’ R&D needed now

By Steve Hammons

In a recent open letter to President Obama, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Pedro L. Rustan, told the president that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) could be helpful in renewing our economy and optimizing “human capital.”

DARPA provides funding for leading-edge research and development of technologies and systems to help the Defense Department. Of course, other federal government and private organizations also provide grants and funding assistance for a wide range of useful R&D activities.

Although the focus is sometimes on devices and technologies, it has also become apparent that “soft power” resources can be as valuable, or sometimes even more valuable, than “hard power” technologies and weapons. User of soft power can also be merged with and enhance hard power elements.

Soft power approaches generally refer to diplomacy (including public diplomacy), persuasion, information and communication, economic pressures and incentives, psychological operations, public relations and similar activities.

These may be overt, covert or some combination of both. They may be geared toward friendly nations or hostile adversaries. They may be aimed at the international community or at the American people.

Research funding geared toward new and advanced understanding of soft power may be helpful.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

In international and U.S. defense matters, whether we consider the “winning the hearts and minds” efforts of the Vietnam War era or a newer concept such as optimizing the “human terrain,” there seem to be important factors that can lead to success or failure.

The same could be said about economic issues, social progress, health and medical care, education, cultural affairs and a wide range of other human endeavors. Studying and applying leading-edge aspects of human perception, awareness, understanding and consciousness can be used to make progress in all these areas.

However, we can look at defense matters as an example.

Not to be confused with “mind control,” deceptive propaganda activities or manipulative psychological operations, an emerging concept sometimes referred to as “transcendent warfare” incorporates a new view of soft power.

The idea of transcendent warfare includes the use of knowledge and understanding about leading-edge research into human consciousness. How to best apply this awareness in pursuit of legitimate goals is something that seems worthy of research and funding from federal government-related organizations.

According to a recent Associated Press report, “As it fights two wars, the Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls ‘the human terrain’ of world public opinion. An Associated Press investigation found that over the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 percent, to at least $4.7 billion this year.”

These expenditures and efforts reflect the recognition that soft power, information operations and communication activities to influence human consciousness can have value.

They can also backfire, or create “blow-back” if people feel they are being lied to or manipulated for questionable purposes.

THE HUMAN MIND

When trying to understand human behavior and the underlying thoughts, feelings and beliefs that motivate behavior, we might sometimes think in outdated ways. Various conventional theories of psychology indicate that our understanding of the human mind is evolving and that there are many views about what is involved in human consciousness.

The human mind involves a myriad of factors including the conscious and unconscious, thoughts and feelings, dreams and imagination, biological and biochemical aspects, creativity and destructiveness, health and pathologies, cultural and sociological influences, gender, age and maybe even genetics, among other influences.

Some longstanding psychological theories even include the idea of some kind of collective consciousness or group subconscious. Spiritual and philosophical approaches have long proposed that humans can connect to a transcendent consciousness through prayer, meditation or other methods.

Newer research has included indications that the human mind has capabilities and potential to perceive more, and in different ways, than we previously understood. Some of this research was funded by the U.S. Government in recent past decades and it did yield very promising results.

Sometimes called “remote viewing,” sometimes called “anomalous cognition,” these capabilities of the human mind were discovered to be quite useful in our current times. They probably also existed in ancient humans and in other creatures because they can be key to sensing danger and survival.

The ability to perceive may not be limited in space and time in ways we were brought up to understand.

APPLY AND DEPLOY

How do we take this new understanding and deploy it for American society, U.S. national interests, our public diplomacy and our international activities?

Can the existing research be leveraged to enhance U.S. prosperity and successes of various kinds? Can the research results be utilized in our economic situation, peace operations, humanitarian operations and other worthwhile efforts?

How do we blend transcendent warfare concepts with constructive engagement in the international community while also making progress at home? How do we apply lessons learned from anomalous cognition research to our own people, our economic engines, our armed forces, our intelligence community, our educational and health care systems?

These questions seem to need answers. Appropriate research funding to examine possible ways forward could be helpful on many fronts.

After all, anomalous cognition may not really be so “anomalous.” It may be quite normal and natural. Learning ways to apply existing research seems like the next logical step – a step that can be applied widely and probably with good results.

Let’s get moving on this aspect of developing human capital and using leading-edge and emerging understanding about human consciousness.