UFO HUNTERS - Hist. - Code Red

History Channel - Original Air Date: 4/30/08

This episode looks at reports of supposed UFOs over US Air Force bases.  The incident is an object (or objects) sighted at several locations on Edwards AFB and several nearby locations (5 areas altogether).  There are eyewitnesses and radio broadcasts from the time (Oct. 7, 1965).  The reports talk about UFOs (7 of them), and one of the air controllers says "We supposedly are having quite an invasion over here." Radar provides conflicting evidence, but people keep seeing strange lights in the night sky.  Aircraft tests seem unlikely, as the air controllers would have had to know about even secret flights in order to keep the airspace clear.  As one of the investigators points out, those scanning the night sky were looking for anything unusual, that could be called a UFO.  This does not mean the objects spotted, either visually or on radar, were alien craft; this was, after all, at the height of the cold war.  The team leader makes a big deal out of the base having a UFO officer -- though he seems to forget that UFO does not mean alien; it just means unidentified.  Official reports blame the sightings on weather balloons -- though the air controller doubts this explanation.  Eventually, an aircraft, an F-106, is sent to investigate.  The air controller tries to steer the plane to the UFOs, but they never catch up; the UFOs appear to be much higher than the plane, and then the UFOs vanish.  One expert believes that the objects were likely classified aircraft, possibly SR-71s or other secret projects.  The team then goes to check the official radar records, which were described by the military as unreliable because of weather conditions.  To at least one expert, the radar hits do not look like weather.  As to the radio reports, while the team leader claims, "The audio is the smoking gun," another member of the team points out that, "...There were a whole bunch of voices in that chatter that did not know what was going on."  That much, at least, is true.  And this, I think, shows clearly why scientists say that eyewitness stories are not evidence.

As usual with these historic reports, there's a lot of confusion at the time, and things haven't gotten any clearer since.  While "investigating" such reports may be good at building UFO mythology, it seems to serve little other purpose.  Remember, if you tell people to go out and look for strange things, they will find strange things -- even Air Force personnel are subject to this very human reaction. While something certainly had people excited that night, it seems unlikely that we will ever know for sure what those lights were.  Something strange happened, but the evidence for that something being alien craft is nearly zero.  If you want to hear these kind of UFO stories, watch this show; if you want investigation or some rational explanation for such encounters, forget it.  My best guess?  Test aircraft or high-altitude mirages/reflections.  As they say on Mystery Hunters, "Remember, things aren't always what they seem."

GHOST HUNTERS - Mount Washington & Ruffstone Tavern

SciFi Channel - Original Air Date: 4/16/08

Well into its new season, Ghost Hunters continues to be an amusing paranormal investigation show.  Things have calmed down a bit with the departure of Brian (to GH International), but that's probably good for the show's credibility.  In this episode, they investigate an amazing old hotel, the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire.  Jason and Grant continue to be the heart and soul of the show, and they continue to do good work debunking some of the more obvious hauntings.  During this investigation, they hear footsteps -- which they catch on tape -- and get an EVP (which they stretch out revealing for 3 commercial breaks) which seems to have a female voice interacting with investigators Steve & Tango, and Jason & Grant as well.  Is it the voice of the Princess who used to own the hotel?  I can't be sure, but it certainly seems to be a disembodied voice answering the investigator's questions.  It does not seem likely to be tape noise or the other usual skeptical explanations.  So, either it's a clever hoax by a PA or producer, or something actually uncanny.  It gave me the creeps (and I'm usually immune to these kind of "tricks").

The second (much shorter) investigation is of the Ruffstone Tavern in Providence, RI.  The tavern is experiencing sounds and smells, things falling, and perhaps even an apparition.  Investigating, the team finds a musty smell in a cabinet that isn't always open, and an out-of-plumb shelf -- which may explain the smells and the falling items.  High EMF levels are revealed to be wiring -- which may explain some of the eerie feelings.  (The show calls confined areas with high EMF a "fear cage" -- as it is believed some people may be made uneasy by such fields.)  Opening the main doors may create a reverse vacuum, explaining some of the other movements or sounds.  For once, there are is no unexplained evidence.  Such skeptical conclusions tend to bolster the Ghost Hunters'  paranormal claims -- though, personally, I think some of the sounds and "footsteps" they hear (hear and other times) can be explained by animals.  Living in the country for much of my life, I can attest that intrusive animals -- either inside or on the roof -- can make an amazing variety of sounds, from tapping to things that sound like footsteps.  Yet, I've never heard "mice" or "squirrels" or "raccoons" offered as an explanation for noises on this show.  Perhaps our intrepid plumbers should spend some time with an exterminator to bolster their experiences.  Still, exterminators or not, the TAPS folks continue to be a good watch.

UFO HUNTERS - Hist. - UFO Dogfights

History Channel - Original Air Date: 4/16/08

The show starts with a US Air Force pilot being skeptical about "dogfights" with UFOs -- pointing out that to have a dogfight, both craft have to be trying to shoot down the other.  As I watch, I expect this will be the last bit of skepticism in this show.  Next up is the story of an Iranian UFO encounter (3 years before the revolution), in which the (actual) F4E pilot describes and encounter with a UFO that shot balls of light toward his aircraft.  The equipment on the plane malfunctioned, and -- just in time -- the UFO broke off and he was able to escape.  Though he believes the UFO followed him until he touched down, with the UFO "crashing" nearby.  Of course, all the info about this crash is rumor, innuendo, or "classified."  The team runs tests but, as usual, they do it to prove the story rather than actually investigate what may have happened.  The point is to "prove" that what the witness described is beyond the capabilities of human technology, therefore, it must be of alien origin.  The hypotheses of optical illusion or electromagnetic anomalies, or other theories less outlandish than alien invaders, are -- as usual -- ignored.  They then set up an EMP which shorts out a computer panel and, as in the sighting, the panel then returns to life after the pulse.  (Which proves exactly nothing.)  Four years later, in 1980, an other UFO "dogfight" took place over Peru.  In this case, the pilot of the F-18 fired on the UFO, but the bullets seemed to pass right through.  More "experiments" prove -- again -- that the UFO encountered performed maneuvers impossible for terrestrial craft.  Again, the hypothesis that UFOs are not craft at all remains unexplored by this show.  The show does, however, make the fact that the US Air Force had a report on this incident seem very important.  Clearly, if the Air Force heard about it, it must be real?  Personally, I'd like to see the gun camera footage for these incidents -- but such shots are never mentioned.  (Were they not available on craft this old?)

If you want to hear amazing UFO stories, this show the thing to watch.  If you want truth, or hard investigation, or good science, forget it.  This show is not about truth; it's not even about hunting UFOs -- they never get near a UFO; it's about building mythology.  Or, perhaps, building circulation for UFO magazine.

DESTINATION TRUTH - Giant Anaconda

SciFi Channel - Original Air Date: 4/9/08

This final show of the 2nd season takes host Josh Gates and his crew deep into the Amazon jungle in search of legendary giant snakes -- like the ones in the film Anaconda.  Josh meets an anaconda in a local snake institute, and discovers just how dangerous the snake can be, as one of the keepers is badly bit.  Josh and his crew then board a paddle boat and head down river -- which, he notes, basically recreates the plot of the film -- to talk to natives and find the giant snakes.  Big boat soon gives way to small boats, and meetings with villagers ensue.  Josh sees a snake skin of a "baby" anaconda -- which looks pretty large.  He also hears amazing stories of the beast, which one native says can destroy 9-meter long boats.  Despite this, and despite lurking poisonous snakes (falling out of the trees, maybe), Josh continues his quest -- with the best night vision cameras on television.  Those cameras catch something large in the water, but Josh is out of range, and doesn't get back from his river search in time to check it out.  Eventually, they do find an anaconda, but it's only 3-meters long.  They then meet a native chief who claims to have once tangled with a giant anaconda.  He tells Josh where he saw a snake with a head about a meter long, so the crew sails out again.  After several near misses, they do find a huge boa -- perhaps 5 meters long.  Unfortunately, at that point, the Amazon rains drive the team (and their electronics) from the jungle.  Josh concludes that, while they didn't find any, it is entirely possible that huge, undiscovered snakes still exist in the Amazon.

As always, this is another fun show in perhaps the best paranormal-hunting series on TV.  The tone is congenial, and Josh Gates is a very engaging hose. I can hardly wait for the next season.  (Though perhaps, since the seasons are so short, it will really be part 2 of this season.)  I only hope in the future that Josh and his crew will be able to turn up more actual beasts.  Certainly, they could spend more time looking for anacondas, or ropen, or Yeti, or some fo the other beasts they've searched for in the first two seasons.  Big HOWL for Destination Truth.  Check it out.

UFO HUNTERS - Hist. - Invasion Texas, 2008

History Channel - Original Air Date: 4/9/08

Investigating a recent sighting is a new tack for this show, thus the team heads to Stephenville, TX to track down what they can about the January 2008 incidents. At first the government said there were no military aircraft in the area; later they recanted, saying that ten F-16s were conducting a training exercise.  Stephenville residents aren't buying it, as they insist the objects made no sounds.  The crew sets up their HQ in Stephenville, goes on the local radio station, and starts taking calls and eyewitness reports.  One eyewitness has a video, and though his testimony is compelling, the fourteen minutes of video is still just a blur of light in a darkened sky.  When slowed down by the show, it makes amazing multicolored ribbon shapes.  But, are these shapes real, or operator error/vibration?  A good scientific set of tests fairly well duplicates the ribbon and multicolored lights; for once the team scientist concludes this video is of a terrestrial aircraft seen at great distance.  A MUFON member insists that the incident in January is just part of a larger "mass sighting."  The show also digresses briefly into stories of cigar-shaped UFOs and century-old airship sightings.  A second video doesn't show UFOs, but does seem to show a mysterious beam of light coming from the sky, but not touching the ground.  Though this looks like a reflection to me, it coincides with other witness reports of UFO activity.  Stephenville, though, is virtually surrounded by military bases.  The team tries to triangulate the sightings, to see if they coincide with military bases or flights.  The team then recreates the sightings using a balloon and lasers.  According to the team's findings, the object on January 8th hovered at 1000 feat near the Stephenville airport -- a place where no aircraft were reported to be.  With the show's history of dodgy investigation and recreation, I'm not sure I buy that.

Several things the show doesn't point out in its usual rush to be sensational: first, that seeing a strange light in the sky doesn't necessarily equate with alien craft.  The second, vis the airships, is that newspapers 100 years ago often printed stories that had been completely fabricated.  (Even before the days of the late, lamented Weekly World News.)  Such fictitious "news" stories have started many a rural US legend.  You may also want to check out my Howl's & Growls segment on Uncanny Radio 011 (David Walks-As-Bear) for a discussion of Radio Lab, the War of the Worlds, and what astonishing things frightened/and or confused people will believe.  Recently, I caught the end of a show titled "An Alien History of Planet Earth" (a.k.a. UFOs: The Secret Evidence).  I hope to catch up with the whole show to do a review one day.  One of its conclusions was that most UFO sightings are military aircraft.  (And the military may be using UFO hysteria to cover up secret tests.)  To me, this seems a likely explanation of Stephenville.

IS IT REAL? Miracle Cures

National Geographic Channel - Original Air Date: 2005-7

People all over the world believe in faith healing and other miracle cures, but are these things real?  This show examines cases from Lourdes to the US to Brazil and beyond, and features interviews with people who believe they have been cured miraculously.  The show also looks into TV evangelists like Leroy Jenkins, who makes amazing healing claims.  Clips from his show indicate there is a lot of money to be made here, even by selling tap water.  Though Jenkins says his bottled water is nothing special (the healing comes from God), believers buy it up eagerly.  A Brazilian faith healer claims to perform magical surgeries while in a trance; he even has an assistant who lived through a "fatal" brain tumor and attributes his recovery to his boss.  Certainly, there is a history of miracle cures throughout the world.  The Catholic Church even has a system to certify miracles -- and has certified that several have taken place at Lourdes.  Despite the hundreds of thousands of people who've been to Lourdes, though, very few (under a hundred) have been certified as miracle cures.  Other faith healers perform surgery, without ever having been to medical school -- though they claim the real healing is performed by God.  Skeptics say that the desire to be healed makes people put aside their critical faculties, and accept the claims of these "healers."  But is there any evidence that faith heals?  Not according to the studies done at the time of this show; groups prayed for showed no better outcomes than groups who were not.  The placebo effect, however, is well known; people who believe they will be cured, by faith healers or medicine, experience better outcomes.  "The power of suggestion is potent at a healing site," one skeptic notes.  Skeptics also prove that the cutting done in these "surgeries" is not medically significant.  So, while miracles can't be entirely ruled out, ordinary remissions, the placebo effect, and scientific medicine seem a better bet for explaining miraculous recoveries.

IS IT REAL? Extreme Sleepwalking

National Geographic Channel - Original Air Date: 2005-7

Can you kill someone in your sleep?  This edition of Is It Real? looks at parasomnia and other sleep-related and sleepwalking disorders.  There are many causes of sleepwalking, but lack of proper sleep tops the list, according to this show. Alcohol and stress are also factors.  The show studies several people who have sleep problems, including sleep walking, sleep talking, and sleep eating (all parasomnias).  It's amazing what some of these people do while asleep -- very complex actions, like opening locked doors and preparing food.  One man drove 14 miles and killed his mother-in-law (he was acquitted), another stabbed his wife 47 times and drowned her (he was convicted).  Clearly some people do strange and amazing things in their sleep.  But, whether murder is one, or sleepwalking is just a killer's clever defense?  Even after this show's examination, the jury is still out.