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Review of Scott Wolter's Akhenaten to the Founding Fathers (Part 1)

10/8/2013

• Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 •

Before I can begin reviewing America Unearthed host Scott Wolter’s new book, Akhenaten to the Founding Fathers: Mysteries of the Hooked X® (North Star, 2013), I must first confess my own contribution to the volume in question. It comes on the copyright page, where, as a result of A+E Networks’ efforts to force me to tell readers that my book about America Unearthed is not affiliated with them lest readers become confused, I goaded A+E into requiring Wolter to do the same in order to avoid charges of hypocrisy. Strangely, though, A+E didn’t require Wolter to place the disclaimer on the cover as they did with me, when they claimed that a copyright page disclaimer (which I always had in my book) was not good enough because readers never read that page.

On Wolter’s copyright page you’ll see an additional, ungrammatical sentence that caused a long delay in making the book available, as the publisher was forced to change the book before its original release date: “This book is not associated with America Unearthed™ television series not sponsored by, endorsed or authorized by A+E Networks®.” It’s quite the vote of confidence from a company Wolter previously praised for standing with him in the fight against academia.

32 Comments

Review of Ancient Aliens S06E02 "The Crystal Skulls"

10/8/2013

24 Comments

The crystal skulls have been debunked so many times that I’m not sure how anyone could possibly produce and entire hour on them in all seriousness. The claim that the crystal skulls are real depends on accepting the Mitchell-Hedges narrative at face value, which conflicts with documentary sources, and it depends on assuming that the crystal skulls are beyond the ability of humans to replicate, which is also not true.

Now here is where the problem comes in: There are many different types of crystal skulls that began to show up in art markets and in antiquarian reports in the nineteenth century and upon which the large skulls of the modern era are based. These earliest reported crystal skulls, however, measure only one to seven inches in size, and none can be shown to be genuinely Mexican—indeed most passed through the hands of a very few collectors and jewelers in Europe. Ancient Aliens chose not to differentiate between small skulls and the life-size skulls, which are almost certainly fake. Ancient Aliens wants us to believe there are twelve full-size genuine crystal skulls, but this is simply a modern lie; the number was selected by numerologists from among the dozens of fakes. The fact remains that not a single crystal skull has ever been excavated in a documented archaeological context, or ever documented as being in the possession of actual Native peoples.

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"American Templars" Movie Pushes Sinclair-Templar Myth

10/7/2013

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In the late eighteenth century, theater critics blasted Matthew Lewis’s play The Castle Spectre (1797) because it depicted a ghost on stage, which they believed could have the terrible effect of increasing the public’s belief in the supernatural. To this, Lewis replied:

Against my Spectre many objections have been urged: one of them I think rather curious. She ought not to appear, because the belief in Ghosts no longer exists! In my opinion, that is the very reason why she may be produced without danger; for there is now no fear of increasing the influence of superstition, or strengthening the prejudices of the weak-minded.

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Review of Atlantis S01E02 "Girl by Any Other Name"

10/6/2013

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For today, I have two topics to discuss. The first is a review of last night’s episode of Atlantis, and the second will take a look at who is visiting my websites and why. We’ll start with Atlantis.

As Atlantis moves into its second episode, the shape the series plans to take has become clear, and I’m not entirely sure that I like it. The first episode wore its Greek mythological pedigree rather heavily, but this episode could easily have swapped out the Greek elements for any other fantasy monsters without changing anything. Here such mythological figures as the Maenads, satyrs, and Medusa are little more than window-dressing, fulfilling functions I’ve seen done better on such bygone syndicated fantasies as Beast Master or Legend of the Seeker, neither of which exactly qualifies as the highest tier of television drama.

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Did Jason and the Argonauts Find a Cure for Depression and Cancer?

10/5/2013

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Remember how alternative writers like Scott Wolter complain that peer review is a tool used by an academic conspiracy to suppress alternative views? Well, it turns out that it’s apparently much easier to get into academic journals that alternative writers think—if you’re willing to pay for it, and aren’t too picky about the particular journal involved. A Science magazine sting found that 157 out of 255 open-source science journals tested were willing to print an obviously fake cancer drug study so long as the authors ponied up fees of up to $3,100. With that kind of “peer review” surely ancient astronaut theorists and alternative historians could find some academic journal to publish their work for spurious credibility.

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Skulls, Hoaxes, and Dragons: News from the October 2013 Fortean Times

10/4/2013

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It’s often the case that we in the Western world tend to downplay how utterly horrifying so much of the world was before modern medicine. As a result, when we see the frightening results, many, especially “alternative” theorists, are prone to attribute the unusual to extraterrestrials and lost civilizations when more mundane explanations better fit the evidence.

Fair warning: What you are about to see contains disturbing images.

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Lawyers, UFO Disclosure, and Apocalyptic Expectations

10/3/2013

32 Comments

The modern UFO movement is a little bit beyond my usual area, but this post over at the Above the Law blog seems worthy of a few comments, especially since I’m not yet able to start my review of Scott Wolter’s new book due to yet another shipment delay.

UFO activist Ed Komarek believes that major law firms will soon team up with UFO disclosure activists to open up government UFO archives when they realize that disclosure lawsuits will pay better that acquiescing to U.S. government conspiracies. Komarek believes that “huge amounts of profit” can be made both from suing over UFOs and offering “protection from” UFO lawsuits.

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Is the Bosnian Pyramid Depicted in Paleolithic Cave Art?

10/2/2013

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Fair warning: This post contains some political opinions. I am a human being and do occasionally have off-topic thoughts. I don't get mad at people for disagreeing with me, but remember: Giorgio Tsoukalos offers liberal opinions on his Twitter feed and Erich von Daniken lobbied the U.S. government for conservative causes. I wrote a couple of paragraphs.

This isn’t a blog about politics, so my own opinions about the causes and consequences of the U.S. government shutdown are not particularly relevant here. However, what is relevant is the reaction of religious extremists who use ancient texts and ancient history to support a call for revolution against the U.S. government. On Monday, Dominionist preacher Rick Joyner released an internet video calling on God to authorize a U.S. military coup d’état to remove Barack Obama from office. Joyner told viewers that “no election” would return a moral leader to office, and he said that America’s “only hope is a military takeover, martial law.” He then asked God to “raise up” a military leader to save the country from tyranny by imposing a dictatorship.

Dominion theology arose in the 1970s as a Christian nationalist movement that claims God’s grant of dominion to Adam in Genesis 1:28 means that humanity needs to be governed by a conservative theocracy.

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Review of Ancient Aliens S06E01: "The Power of Three"

10/1/2013

35 Comments

After more than five months away, Ancient Aliens returns to TV on its original channel, History, where the network seems determined to ensure that the largest possible audience is exposed to its soul-crushing, mind-numbing inanity. I wanted to start off season six (but only its fourth calendar year) with something clever to say, but after this sorry hour about the mystical nature of triangles and the number three, the only thing passing through my head was the old They Might Be Giants song “Particle Man”:

35 Comments

Forward>>

Review of Scott Wolter's Akhenaten to the Founding Fathers (Part 1)

Review of Ancient Aliens S06E02 "The Crystal Skulls"

"American Templars" Movie Pushes Sinclair-Templar Myth

Review of Atlantis S01E02 "Girl by Any Other Name"

Did Jason and the Argonauts Find a Cure for Depression and Cancer?

Skulls, Hoaxes, and Dragons: News from the October 2013 Fortean Times

Lawyers, UFO Disclosure, and Apocalyptic Expectations

Is the Bosnian Pyramid Depicted in Paleolithic Cave Art?

Review of Ancient Aliens S06E01: "The Power of Three"

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