The SjN Chronicles

Para-UNnormal?

Ahhhh... The Ghost Hunters. T.A.P.S - The Atlantic Paranormal Society. For those that don't know, T.A.P.S is a paranormal investigation team that started this "little" show a few years back called the Ghost Hunters on the SyFy Network.

I've been a fan from pretty much the beginning. Loved the tech involved and the way they went about the investigations. However, I've always taken the paranormal footage generated with a grain of salt. I guess that's the whole scientist side of me keeping me in the realm of fact.

Today however was a bad day. You see, there is information coming to light that may paint a dark picture over the whole "science" of paranormal investigations.

While perusing Twitter, I came across some mentions of an interview conducted by a radio show called the Ghost Divas. They interview people in the paranormal business. They recently interviewed an investigator named Donna LaCroix who used to be a starring investigator on the show Ghost Hunters.

Take a listen to DONNA'S CONFESSION here.

It would seem that things are not as they seem on the Hit paranormal show. In a way I'm disappointed but on the same side of the coin, I can't say I'm surprised. I place paranormal investigation in the realm of crop circles, aliens and big foot. To which I quote the late great Carl Sagan:

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence..."

Yes, the T.A.P.S team produced some great evidence but if there is the slightest injection of doubt, you have to throw it all away. You can't believe just for the sake of believing. Donna's interview has the potential of doing some damage to the show and the field. We'll have to see how it plays out.

For you die hards out there, don't be too disappointed. Watch the show for the entertainment value. It's a great show but don't take every bit of evidence they gather as gospel. It is just a show after all.

Give it a listen. It's well worth the time! Oh, there are a few bad words riddled through out the interview so for those with sensitive ears, take heed.

SjN

Humankind's Last Stand

The date was May 1st, 1983. There had been advertisements airing on NBC for weeks about a new science fiction mini series known only as "V". The ads were somewhat cryptic and because of that, anticipation for the mini series grew. People weren't sure what to expect.

I fondly remember sitting around the television that night, armed with a Swanson's TV dinner (salisbury steak rocks!) and a cup of Kool-Aid preparing myself for the science fiction goodness that was about to befall me.

I gotta tell you, the series didn't disappoint me at all. It made quite the impression on my young mind. The idea of an alien race descending on Earth with peaceful intentions and then building up to realize that there are underlying overtones of world domination really captivated me.

One aspect of the series I loved were the parallels of Nazi occupation that went along with the film. There was even a Jewish family portrayed in the film that touched on the similarities between the Visitors and the old Nazi regime. It really got the gray matter working.

I won't go into too much detail in the event that you actually haven't seen it yet but at the time, the series definitely made it to my personal top ten list of must-see sci-fi flicks to catch. Heck, it could have made top ten for the kick ass visitor uniforms alone!

Fast forward 26 years. Saturday, October 17th, 2009. I'm sitting in my living room scanning my plethora of DVD's wanting to watch something. I come to my V Mini series DVD. I pull it from the shelf and slam it into my DVD player. I cooked up a giant batch of kettle corn and cracked open a root beer. Soon, I was relaxing on my couch munching away and getting lost in V. Now granted, the film DEFINITELY is showing it's age. Some of the special effects (well, a lot of the special effects) leave something to be desired. But hell, give the movie a break, it was filmed in 1983 after all! But surprisingly it still managed to captivate me and keep me there. I had a great time. As a matter of fact, I will be watching the second half "The Final Battle" today!

Style-wise, everything about the film was just so extremely cool for 1983. The uniforms, the ships, and this unbelievably awesome logo. To this day, I would LOVE to get this as a tattoo. Upon learing that it is actually a "science-fictionized" swastika however, I'm not so sure anymore.

I still think is cool ;-)

Anyway, if you haven't seen V, take a day or two, rent it and sit down for some good old science fiction fun.

Oh, watching the original might make the new series more enjoyable! Wha? New series?

YES!!

ABC is preparing to air a brand new series! Get ready, I'm hoping this turns into a GREAT remake of the original! Getting TiVo ready to rock and roll!

Well, I'm going to head downstairs and get ready for V - The Final Battle! Have a great Sunday everyone!

-=SjN=-