Friday, October 2, 2015

Still Out There

Thought for the day:  Do the aliens on the moon pull down their pants and 'earth' their friends for fun?  [Matthew Heines]

[morguefile]
As promised, today we're gonna continue on with last week's post Outta This World  about hoaxes involving aliens and flying saucers. (Or are they hoaxes...?)

I've been convinced for a long time that the flying saucers are real and interplantary. In other words, we are being watched by beings from outer space. [Albert Chop, Deputy Director of NASA]

We all know that UFOs are real. All we need to ask is where do they come from. [astronaut Edgar Mitchell, 1971]

We all know that UFOs are real. Too many good men have seen them that don't have hallucinations. [Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker]

Until they come to see us from their planet, I wait patiently. I hear them saying: 'Don't call us, we'll call you.'  [Marlene Dietrich, 1962]

So where were we?  Ah yes, we just talked about the alleged landing of an alien spacecraft at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. Let's fast-forward to 1993, shall we?

That's the year Ray Santelli claimed to have original footage of an alien autopsy performed on one of the aliens who crash-landed in Roswell. Said he bought it from a retired military cameraman for a hundred thousand dollars. He then actioned off the rights to broadcast it. Highest bidder? FOX, which then showed it on TV in 1995. Eleven years later, it was shown to be a hoax. Although Santelli admitted that some scenes were shot in a London flat, using a body created by a sculptor, he also claimed he only did that because of the degradation of the original film. He said it was of such poor quality, he reproduced it. Still, he swore the original film was the real deal. Didn't stop him from producing a comedy film called Alien Autopsy, though.

"alien" on display in the GBI museum 
Now let's go back to 1953, when some Georgia police officers stopped to investigate a pickup truck sitting in the middle of the road. The truck's headlights were shining on what appeared to be an alien lying in the road... a  2 1/2 foot tall hairless humanoid with dark round eyes. The men claimed when they drove over the top of the hill, they saw a UFO and three aliens in the road. Although they tried to avoid them, they hit one of them. The other two took off in the spaceship, leaving a big scorch mark on the road in the process. The true story? Twenty-eight year old Ed Watters made a ten-dollar bet with his pals that he could get his name in the newspaper within the week. To do so, he purchased a capuchin monkey from the pet store... for fifty bucks. He killed that poor monkey, removed its hair with a depilatory, and chopped off its tail. The scorches in the road? The guys did it with a blow torch. It didn't take long for the authorities to identify the alien as a monkey, and Watters was charged with cruelty to animals, a charge he beat on a technicality. So he was fined forty bucks for highway obstruction. Yeah, all three of the guys got their names in the newspaper, and Watters won his ten bucks, but it cost him ninety. And he got so tired of being called the monkey man, he had to leave town. The monkey, however, stayed. It's still on display at the GBI museum. The cruel prank came to be known as the Great Monkey Hoax.

[morguefile]

Okay, you're gonna have to work with me here. Imagine you see some mysterious red lights in that picture of the night sky, okay...?

On several occasions in 2009, mysterious red lights were seen in the sky above Morristown, New Jersey. Turned out to be five helium balloons attached to flares. Perpetrators Joe Rudy and Chris Russo confessed to launching the hoax to prove how unreliable eye-witness accounts of UFOs are. They may have proven their point, as police stations were flooded with telephone calls about the strange lights. However, the police were not amused, and the two pranksters were each slapped with $250 fines and fifty hours of community service.

[wikipedia]
There have been all kinds of hoaxes over the years, but many people believe Betty and Barney Hill were actually abducted by aliens in 1961. Evidently, the state of New Hampshire believes them. The state erected this plaque on the 50th anniversary of the event.










This is one of my favorite stories. It occurred in Bad Axe, Michigan in 1958, when motorists started reporting sightings of a little blue man. A glowing little blue man. Reports got more and more fantastic, ranging from claims that he was ten feet tall (not so little!) to him running faster than any human being to him coming out of nowhere and then suddenly disappearing. None of which, of course, was true. Once again, the hoax was pulled by a trio of men. The costume consisted of long underwear, gloves, combat boots, a sheet with eyeholes, and a football helmet with flashing lights... all spray-painted with glow-in-the-dark blue paint. Of the conspirators, Jerry Sprague, Don Weiss, and LeRoy Schultz, only one actually wore the bizarre outfit. Sprague, and that's because the long johns belonged to him... and he was the only one who could fit into them. None of these guys were charged with anything; they were simply released from custody with a warning. (But that's quite a mug shot, isn't it?)

The reason I like this last story, and the reason I saved it for last, is so I could end with a video of a 1958 song. Called... what else? The Little Blue Man. (Believe it or not, Smarticus used to sing the chorus of this song to me...)


The only thing that scares me more than space aliens is the idea that there aren't any space aliens. We can't be the best that creation has to offer. I pray we're not all there is. If so, we're in big trouble.  [Ellen DeGeneres]

How would it be if we discovered that aliens only stopped by earth to let their kids take a leak?  [Jay Leno]

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


75 comments:

  1. My son and his girls friend saw a ship hovering over a nearby lake and then suddenly zoom off at super fast speed, It was within 0 yards him. Another neighbor also saw it. He was freaked out at the time...doesn't talk about it anymore.

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    1. Very cool, but I can see why your son doesn't talk about it much anymore. As much as people may be willing to believe some things about UFOs, they also seem to be more skeptical of the stories when told by someone they actually know.

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  2. It would be supremely egotistical to believe that we are the only (or even the MOST) intelligent life in the universe!!

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    1. Yeah, it would. It seems highly unlikely that we're alone, and even more unlikely that we're the most intelligent species in the universe. I think we're still pretty far down on the evolutionary scale.

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  3. I wuv this post.
    I am convinced there are other (probably) superior intelligences. Whether they have visited I know not.

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    1. Do you wuv it to bits...? :)

      With all the UFO-sighting claims that have been made over hundreds of years, it seems likely that some sort of alien life forms may have visited our planet, and if that's the case, they must be more intelligent by virtue of their impressive traveling capabilities. Then again... who knows?

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  4. This is a delightful approach to the UFO phenomenon, and an informative one. I had hoped, when people started carrying phones that could record pictures, there would be more photo evidence of sightings. So far, not so --or they're laying low. Those who have seen saucers know they can leave impossibly fast --like when you want to get a picture of a butterfly. I think you'll understand my own reservations about recounting an encounter --one sees, one's companions see, and there is no doubt-- as belief is dependent upon experience.

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    1. Interesting thought about the proliferation of cell phones leading to a proliferation of UFO pictures. Problem is, most people carrying them rarely look skyward. They're too busy looking down at their phones. :(

      Belief may indeed be dependent upon personal experience, but if you were to tell me you had a personal experience with a UFO, I would consider the source... and I would believe you. So my belief would be reinforced by your experience, rather than my own.

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  5. Hi Susan - lots of fun to be had here .. and tales to amuse just at the wrong time in a conversation. I have no idea ... but I'm sure we're not alone - whether we are the ones who find other life I suspect won't happen for a while.

    Love the smoking aliens - couldn't they have gone elsewhere?! Cheers HIlary

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    1. I'd like to still be around if and when alien lifeforms are discovered, but that probably isn't very likely, unless they HURRY UP!

      Heck, with the way we trash our own planet, is it any wonder aliens would feel justified in using it for an ash tray...?

      Cheers back atcha. Thanks again for alerting me to that cool car post. :)

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  6. Some of those hoaxes were amazingly inventive for their time. Those inventors could have worked as special effects people for movies.

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    1. Yeah, they could have worked special effects for movies of their time. Not sure their work would hold up against the technology used in today's films.

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  7. I am hoping there is intelligent life out there. Lord knows, we could use some help here.

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  8. I like the idea that we are the smoking area for other planets. Maybe that's contributing to our global warming effect? Have a good weekend

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    1. HA! Who knows? It's not "our fault"... it's "theirs"...

      You have a terrific weekend, too.

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  9. I saw something once in the night sky I couldn't identify abd I admit it was a little unsettling. I mean what if that was the beginning to the big alien invasion?!) Luckily it wasn't...or maybe it was just a scouting mission and they saw what a bunch of idiots we all were and high tailed it outa here.

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    1. Yeah, I reckon it would be a little unsettling. (But pretty darned exciting, too!)

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  10. I have to agree totally that it would be egotistical to think we are the only ones in this universe.

    I like all these stories of how people tried to fake aliens... it's funny what people believed when some of those things were pretty phony.

    Saying all that I can see why people want to believe even the phony things... I think most of us would like to be able to say we had seen a UFO close up... pretty cool xox

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    1. Good point about people believing some of these things, even though they look quite phony. I think, to a certain degree, people believe what they want to believe, and are willing to overlook the phoniness to reinforce what they already believe... or desperately want to believe... to be true.

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  11. Agreed, if we are the most intelligent life, the universe is rather pathetic lol be funny if aliens stopped so their kids could take a leak. Never knew they had an actual sign for any abductees.

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    1. It's illogical to think we're the most intelligent species in the universe; some of us just like to THINK we are. :)

      If you're interested, the story of Betty and Barney Hill is pretty intriguing.

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  12. Pissing and smoking, sounds about right! I think they stop in when they want a good laugh! Now a days if you don't laugh, you'll pull your hair out in frustration. Laughing through my tears! Putting a sign out in the yard - TAKE ME WITH YOU, PLEASE!
    Happy Halloween!

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    1. Yep, we could be the universe's outhouse and ashtray. What an honor, eh?

      All we can do is laugh. If we don't see the humor in life, we're lost.

      If they take you, don't forget to send a post card!

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  13. If there is intelligent life 'out there' I'm pretty sure they'll be smart enough to stay away from us.

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    1. Yeah, you could be right. Our ignorance might be contagious. :)

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  14. Susan, I thought of doing something with balloons and lights when I was young and stupid. But 50 hours of community service? Not worth it.

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    1. Nah, not worth 50 hours of community service, but hey! That's only if you get caught! :)

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  15. Susan, I thought of doing something with balloons and lights when I was young and stupid. But 50 hours of community service? Not worth it.

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  16. I love me a good hoax story! But not the one with the monkey. That is sad.

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    1. Yeah, what that guy did to that poor little monkey was horrible.

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  17. Bad Axe, Michigan?? It would better have been called Bad Ass. I love the mug shot of the Faux Alien.

    When I first saw the Roswell alien autopsy (long ago) I immediately knew it was a hoax. I can't believe Fox News was so stupid......but, then again, maybe I can.....

    The fate of that poor monkey is appalling. The Cretin who did that to the monkey should have been subjected to the same form of torture.

    I've never believed in aliens from outer space - - - BUT, on lonely nights here in the TN wilderness, after ingesting a few beers, my imagination goes rampant. Heck, anything is possible........

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    1. By the way, I loved the little blue man video!

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    2. Oddly enough, as fascinating as I find the concept of aliens to be, I didn't even watch the autopsy when it was on FOX. Even then, I had misgivings about the "truthiness" of their reports.

      I agree. It's hard to understand how anyone could be so cruel as to do that to a poor monkey... and for what? A stupid ten-dollar bet? I'll bet the guy was inebriated at the time. Very inebriated. At least, I hope so.

      I'm glad you liked the video. I was kinda surprised to find any, since it wasn't exactly a number one hit song.

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  18. Thanks so much for your visit and watch out for my next post. Too many photos to go through so it may take me a while!!!

    You have an interesting post here. I cannot believe we are the only 'intelligent' creatures in the universe, there has to be something else out there somewhere. Star trek always seemed far to advanced but........ I may not be around to find out, but the children of today may see something totally 'out of this world'.

    Have a great weekend Diane

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    1. It was my pleasure to visit your blog. You showed a lot of awesome cars. I'll try to make a return visit to catch some more of them.

      Yeah, no telling what our grandchildren may see. We've certainly seen and experienced far more than our grandparents ever imagined.

      Thanks. You have a super weekend, too!

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  19. Loved those stories, apart from the one of the monkey which is incredibly cruel. I can't believe the guy got away with it!

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    1. I'm not sure what the "technicality" was that got that mean monkey-mangler off on those animal cruelty charges, but it's a shame he got away with it.

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  20. Who knows what's out there...and how do we know they are not trying to contact us. For all we know, they have been trying - we just can't hear them because they are using frequencies we can't hear.

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    1. They could be using frequencies we can't hear... or maybe we just can't hear them over the incessant noises of everyday living.

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  21. If Willy Dunne Wooters sang that song to me, I'd kill him. It's making me sick.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. HA! He just sang the "I wuv you, I wuv you, I wuv you to bits" part. (Hey! We were young!)

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  22. I returned to say I still think I might vomit because of that song.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Don't do that! Just... ♪ try a little peppermint ♪

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  23. I appreciate a good hoax as much as the next person, but anyone who would kill a monkey to win a ten-dollar bet is scum. IMHO, of course.

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  24. What is always surprising about sightings and stories of aliens is that they always resemble an "earthly" form, human or animal, or a combination. I don't think that our brain is at that level yet where we can imagine a being that does not look like anything that we have referenced before in our lives. A being to whom (which?) our human geometry cannot be applied because there is no symmetry, nor lines, or rectangles or squares.

    Great post.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. I don't know if assumptions that any alien lifeforms will look like us is more indicative of ignorance or arrogance. At any rate, it's probably a bit naive.

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  25. I remember reading books and watching shows about aliens and they scared the heck out of me...especially that so-called alien body from Roswell. That sent shivers down my spine, but now that I'm older I'm sure it's a fake, although I believe in alien life.

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    1. I think it's normal to have a fear of the unknown, but a sign of maturity to acknowledge the existence of things we don't know or understand.

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  26. Poor monkey. :-/ Pranks are one thing, but hurting an innocent creature for a bet is just cruel.

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    1. Agreed. It's unconscionable to think that guy considered it okay to sacrifice that poor monkey.

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  27. I wonder if the Little Blue Man is still in therapy. He only became creepy when he opened his mouth. You and I could have both played his stunt double in the staircase.

    Lots of wild hoaxes that must've been pretty frightening at the time.

    Julie

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    1. HA! Yeah, the poor little blue man may and his broken heart may still be in therapy. Hey! Are you insinuating that I'm less than graceful??? Curses; you know me too well, :)

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  28. Oh, no. No hurting should ever be done in pranks.

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    1. Yeah, I know. Pranks involving cruelty shouldn't be characterized as pranks. They fall more into the realm of criminal activity,

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  29. These are great stories, and most of them are new to me. The one about monkey man made me sad. Such a cruel act.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the stories, but you're absolutely right about the poor monkey,

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  30. I like that last story too! I kinda feel like no aliens have come to our planet, yet. I mean.. if they did why would they take Billy Bob from middle of nowhere Kentucky? They are obviously light years ahead of us.. they'd do a show of power. But then again, we don't have many resources to offer them. Except maybe labor. :) I don't know. I can't see that in the vastness of the universe no other planet has evolved life.

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    1. Why would they take Billy Bob from the middle of nowhere? I dunno. Maybe they follow the same principle as lions. You know, preying on the weakest in the herd...?

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  31. I bet pulling an alien-related hoax would be a blast. Getting probed by actual aliens? Not so much. Also, I feel like aliens haven't really visited yet. I mean, I don't believe aliens wouldn't just travel a million light years to stick things up a person's butt, but maybe that's just me.

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    1. I think it'd be a blast, too, as long as no critters get sacrificed in the process.

      HA! "Butt who nose?" Aliens could have a heinie fetish. :)

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  32. New for me stories...but sad about monkey getting hurt.

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    1. I'm glad the stories are new to you, and you're right about that poor monkey. What that man did to him was horrendous.

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  33. "We are not alone...."
    Maybe one day we'll find out for sure. I hope it's a pleasant experience.

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    1. I doubt if I'll still be around, but I hope it's a pleasant surprise, too.

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    1. Yeah, he was. If he's still alive, I hope he regrets doing that.

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  35. The poor monkey. How can anyone do such a thing?

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    1. I dunno how anyone could be so cruel. Zero empathy, maybe? Plus a bunch of adult beverages, and a stupid bet. Made for a bad equation.

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  36. It's crazy how many pranks have been pulled in the name of aliens. Still, having been to Roswell, I don't think anything went down there. (Gosh, monkey man... Awful.)

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    1. These stories are just a tip of the proverbial iceberg. I'm sure thousands of similar pranks have been pulled over the years.

      Yeah, monkey man was a real bird brain.

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  37. Sad for the monkey. Not good of humans. Aliens is a subject which always fascinate people.

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    1. No, not good of the human at all. Sometimes we act more like animals than the animals do.

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