It was fantastic.

A lot of time [...]]]> I clearly remember watching the original “The War of the Worlds” on TV as a kid. My face turned white and my stomach sank to my shoes as the first alien craft emerged from the pod. I was convinced there were probably aliens OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW.

It was fantastic.

A lot of time has passed since then. Lots of alien and alien invasion movies have come and gone. To get a better idea of the best ones, I compiled this list of Top 20 Alien/Invasion Movies of all time. There is a variety of themes and approaches in these works. Every director has their own unique vision of alien life and how to deal with aggressors:

1: Alien (1979)

The top alien film of all time is appropriately titled “Alien.” Director Ridley Scott spins a taught, wiry tale of horror aboard the spaceship Nostromo, a commercial tow craft that is returning to Earth after hauling a refinery.

The tone is set early on when there is no dialog for the first 6 minutes of the movie. The crew is awakened from hypersleep to investigate an unknown transmission from a planetoid. In their investigation, their ship is boarded by an alien who grows and proceeds to kill and maim as the crew struggles to fight back.

The original design of the xenomorphic alien had eyes. They were removed to make it look scarier. I don’t think they needed it- it’s hard to top “Alien” for pure terror.

2: E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982)

Elliot is an awkward kid who makes friends with an extraterrestrial who is stuck on Earth. With the help of his siblings, they try to help “E.T” get home while preventing their mother and government officials from finding out.

Made for only $10.5 million, “E.T.” was the highest grossing film in history until Jurassic Park was released in 1993. When Steven Spielberg was a kid, he created an imaginary alien friend to help him with the pain of his parent’s divorce. He drew heavily on that experience when writing the script. He said E.T. was like a plant and neither male or female. The working title was “A Boy’s Life” in order to keep the real plot hidden from competitors.

3: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)

In a classic small town in California, aliens have substituted people with humanoids that show no emotion. A doctor soon figures out what is going on and tries to devise ways to end their nefarious plans.

Many theories have been proposed for the meaning of the film. However, Kevin McCarthy, who played the lead role, said he spoke with the author who told him no political theme was intended.

When it was released in 1956, the movie garnered $1 million in the first month. By the end of the year, it had pulled in over $2.5 million in the United States. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved by the U.S. National Film Registry in 1994.

4: Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)

Inspired by the best-seller “Flying Saucers From Outer Space,” “Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers” is a 1956 production depicting aliens attacking Earth. At first impervious to modern weapons, scientist Russell Marvin develops a weapon that is effective in disabling and destroying the saucers.

The film used stop-action animation to create some of the iconic scenes of saucers flying over cities like Washington, D.C. The design of the saucers was based on descriptions provided by famous UFO “contactee” George Adamski, as well as the best-selling book by Major Donald Keyhoe on UFO sightings. (The term “UFO” was developed by the U.S. Air Force in 1953 to better categorize all the different references to flying “saucers” and “discs.”)

5: Superman II (1980)

A sequel to 1978′s wildly popular “Superman,” “Superman II” was directed by Richard Donner and Richard Lester and released in 1980. It featured Christopher Reeve as Superman, who battles General Zod and his cronies as they attempt to force the countries of Earth to surrender. Superman had given up his powers in order to follow his love for Lois Lane. Once Zod tries to take over the world, Superman tries to reverse the transformation of his loss of powers and take on the evil Zod to save the world.

With an 88 percent “fresh rating” from RottenTomatoes.com and a 6.7 rating from IMDB, the film is lauded by film critics and movie goers alike. Acclaimed critic Roger Ebert said it, “begins in midstream and never looks back…”

6: The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Based on the Harry Bates short story, “Farewell to the Master,” “The Day The Earth Stood Still” is a 1951 sci-fi movie starring Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal. The story involves an alien that lands in Washington, D.C. with an accompanying robot to deliver an important message: Humans must turn away from their destructive, warring ways.

Many critics consider “The Day The Earth Stood Still” to be one of the best sci-fi films, even better than many modern films. The producer intended to show the fear and suspicion of the 1950s Cold War era. He read hundreds of sci-fi short stories and novels to discover a suitable story.

7: The War Of The Worlds (1953)

“The War of the Worlds” stars Gene Barry and Ann Robison in an adaption of the H.G. Wells novel of the same name published in 1898. Released in 1953, it is one of the best alien invasion sci-fi films produced in the 1950s. It was chosen to be included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

The story follows the Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a scientist in California who witnesses a meteorite landing near his town. They decide to let it cool overnight, when the top of the object opens and a goose-neck extension emerges.  It fires heat-rays at humans and they are instantly vaporized. Other alien pods land around the world for a full scale invasion of Earth.

“The War of the Worlds” was a hit with both the ticket-buying public as well as movie critics. It earned $2 million and won an Oscar for special effects.

8: Independence Day (1996)

“Independence Day” was the biggest alien film of the 1990s. Released in 1996, it is a military-themed sci-fi disaster movie that stars Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller as he joins in a counter-attack against 36 alien ships that are positioned over major cities around the world. Hiller devises a high-risk plan to penetrate the mothership and spread a computer virus that will render the ship’s defense shields useless.

With an all-star cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid, Judd Hirsch, and Vivica Fox, “Independence Day” hauled in over $104 million in its first week, totaling over $816 million globally. Currently it is the 34th largest grossing film in history.

9: Predator (1987)

Originally titled “Hunter,” “Predator” is a science fiction action hybrid movie starring Arnold Schwarznegger. A special forces squad led by Schwarznegger goes to Central America to rescue a cabinet minister who has been taken hostage.

Little do they know the Predator, an almost invisible alien with a predilection for hanging bodies of its victims with the skin removed, has landed in the area. AH-nold and Carl Weathers fight back with major firepower and plenty of mud.

“Predator” spawned many clones. Its violence and mayhem is framed by a classic man vs. alien finale.

10: The Thing (1982)

“The Thing” is based on the classic short story “Who Goes There?” Directed by John Carpenter, it tells the tale of a shape-shifting alien who invades an Antarctic research station. The 12-man crew grows more paranoid as the alien repeatedly takes on the form of different crew members.

Considered by many as one of John Carpenter’s best films, it is a remake of the 1951 movie “The Thing From Another World.” It is highly regarded for its ground-breaking special effects of the time. To this day, it stands up well to current movies that have more advanced digital effects capabilities.

11: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

“2001: A Space Odyssey” is the result of over four years of collaboration between director Stanley Kubrick and noted science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. After producing Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick desired to create a classic sci-fi film that explored the topics of aliens and their relation to man, human development, and artificial intelligence–without the usual campy themes of horror and sci-fi films of the era.

Released in 1968, the bulk of the movie takes place on a journey aboard the Discovery One as it heads to Jupiter. The crew interacts and later battles with the ship’s computer, known as HAL 9000.

Kubrick decided not to depict aliens in the movie, deciding instead to “suggest” their existence and influence. 2001 is characterized by a lack of conventional movie dialogue and movie cues.

It premiered on April 2, 1968 in Washington, D.C. to both positive and negative reviews. It earned $15 million in the initial release, and $190 million worldwide.

12: Aliens (1986)

A sequel to the first film in 1979, “Aliens” catches up with lead character Ellen Ripley, again played by Sigourney Weaver, as she returns to the place where she and her crew battled the Alien. With a group of combat Marines, their goal is to investigate why a colony has lost communication with the parent Weyland-Yutani company.

Director James Cameron was coming off a huge with “The Terminator.” He was able to make “Aliens” for around $18 million, and it pulled in $131 million worldwide. He said he found much inspiration for the film from the Vietnam War, a scenario where a superior force with advanced technology was stuck in a battle in a foreign area. In fact, the AH-1 Cobra helicopter used in Vietnam was used as inspiration for the creation of the drop ship in the movie.

13: Fire in the Sky (1993)

Starring Robert Patrick as Mike Rogers, best friend to D.B. Sweeney’s Travis Walton character. In 1975, Travis Walton and some of his logger co-workers encounter a UFO as they return from work at night. Walton gets out of the truck to investigate. Soon he is hit with an intense beam of light from the UFO.  The others panic and run. Rogers decides to go back for Walton, but he is nowhere to be found. The local police suspect foul play.

The film is based on the book “The Walton Experience” by Travis Walton. It is one of the iconic UFO encounters among UFOlogists. The film got mixed reviews, and was able to post ticket sales of almost $20 million over a 4-week run.

14: Stargate (1994)

Unlike many alien films, “Stargate” presents alien worlds where the inhabitants are not as advanced technologically. A “Stargate” creates a wormhole allowing travelers to emerge in another location light years away. The Stargate on Earth is kept hidden form the people.

The story posits that aliens visited Earth years ago, interfering with the natural order of history, by using the Stargate to ship slaves to other planets. After a rebellion, the Stargate was hidden and forgotten, until the U.S. uncovered it in present day times.

“Stargate” was a hit and grossed over $200 million globally. It spawned a number of offspring in other media including a TV show, comics, and video games.

15: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

This 1977 sci-fi drama from Steven Spielberg is the story of a lineman who feels compelled to meet up with a UFO after he has an encounter with one on the job. He discovers he is one of many people that feel the same calling. The title comes from the classification of UFO encounters set up by UFO specialist J. Allen Hynek.

Richard Dreyfuss plays the lead role. Other actors that turned down the part include Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. Made for only $20 million, it eventually grossed over $337 million around the world.

16: Dark City (1998)

“Dark City” is a sci-fi noir film released in 1998. Lead actor Rufus Sewell plays the role of John Murdoch, who suffers from amnesia who is accused of murder. While trying to clear his name, Murdoch must deal with both law enforcement and a group known as “The Strangers,” endangered aliens who steal identity to see what the human soul is like. They use a person’s dead body as a host. Their goal is to discover some insight or knowledge that would help them survive.

The movie opened to poor ticket sales but has since become a cult classic. It has influenced many films like “The Matrix” and “Inception.”

17: Signs (2002)

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, “Signs” is a sci-fi thriller released in 2002. It stars Mel Gibson as a former priest turned farmer named Graham Hess who finds several crop circles in his cornfield. TV reports show similar crop circles are found all over the world.

Believing the circles were created by an alien invasion, Hess and his family soon hole up in the farmhouse, boarding up the windows and doors. Soon several aliens have penetrated their defenses. Hess discovers the aliens are allergic to water, and uses that knowledge to his advantage.

“Signs” does not show images of the invasion itself. The tension is built layer on layer. When Shyamalan is good, he’s really good, and some critics consider this to be his last quality movie.

18: District 9 (2009)

A sci-fi action film set in South Africa, “District 9” was released in 2009. It is the story of an alien craft that has parked itself over the city of Johannesburg. A landing team from Earth discovers a crew of malnourished aliens fighting sickness and ill health. They are sent to District 9, a special containment area outside the city.

The movie touches on various themes including social segregation and racism. It garnered Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing in 2010. Made for $30 million, it earned $37 million in the opening weekend, and went on to pull in over $210 million by November of 2009. Six different endings were filmed and the unique alien sound was created by rubbing a pumpkin.

19: They Live (1988)

Another John Carpenter sci-fi film, “They Live” centers on a drifter who figures out that the elite rulers in society are aliens that control society through signals in TV broadcasts.

Wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays the drifter named Nada. He finds a special pair of sunglasses that allows him to see the reality behind the outside world. People are controlled and contained by messages in media and advertising. “They Live” can be cheesy, as you might expect with Roddy Piper in the lead. Still, it is a good mix of sociological and political commentary.

20: Mars Attacks! (1996)

Released on the market in 1996. “Mars Attacks!” is a parody of campy sci-fi B movies. Directed by Tim Burton, it stars Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, and Annette Bening. Many other A-list stars appear in supporting roles including Natalie Portman and Christina Applegate.

Inhabitants of Mars attack Earth in a massive group of flying saucers. Politicians attempt to negotiate with the invaders but mayhem and chaos ensue. A teenager in Kansas finds out the Martians heads blow up when they hear classical music.

Warner Bros. produced the film for $80 million with another $20 million spent on marketing. All told, it captured slightly more than $100 million worldwide. It did not do well in the U.S., but enjoyed good success in Europe.

There you have my top 20 alien/ invasion movies of all time. It is a mix of classic and modern themes, and well as violent and lighter fare. How about you? What would you choose? Tell me about in the comments below.

The ATA is [...]]]> In the pristine wilderness of Northern California 42 dishes in the Allen Telescope Array–a group of centimeter-wave radio telescopes–constantly scan the heavens. Built on the Large Number, Small Diameter theory of radio telescopes, the ATA is constantly listening to the stars for the faintest sign that extraterrestrial life is sending out signals.

Seti@Home Screenshot

The ATA is just one of several large dishes, or dish arrays, around the world listening to the skies. It’s just a matter of time before they hear something, and finally prove the existence of extraterrestrial life.

In 1960, Frank Drake was the first astronomer to begin a formal search for intelligent communication from space. At the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, Drake used a 25-meter dish to tune in to two stars: Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti. Scanning for 6 hours a day for several months, the project was unsuccessful.

Drake Equation

Despite the failure, the next year Drake organized a group of leading scientists to expand the search for extraterrestrial life, nicknamed SETI. Drake developed the famed Drake Equation, the first tangible effort to break down the search with a scientific approach:

N = R x f_p x n_e x f_l x f_i xf_c x L

The Drake Equation says that the number of observable civilizations in our Milky Way (N) is a multiplication of:

• The rate at which stars in the Milky Way are born each year (R) x
• The fraction of these stars that have planets (f_p) x
• The average number of Earthlike planets around that star (n_e) x
• The fraction of those planets where life actually takes hold (f_l) x
• The fraction of those planets where intelligence life develops (f_i ) x
• The fraction of those intelligent life forms that develop radio communication that can cross space (f_c ) x
• The average lifetime of these intelligent civilizations (L).

Some estimates using the Drake Equation show that the nearest intelligent life would be around 500 light-years away, too far to have a friendly chat, but close enough to possibly receive a signal.

And we are getting closer all the time. While working at Ohio State University’s Big Ear Radio Telescope in 1977, Jerry Ehman received a signal 30 times more powerful than normal. Ehman circled the data on the sheet and wrote, “Wow!” Since then, the occurrence has been dubbed the “Wow Signal.”  However, the signal was never detected again.

SETI Global Efforts

Over the years, a number of SETI projects around the world have been conducted. Some are ongoing, or have ended operations for various reasons. They include:

• Project Beta, an undertaking at Harvard University and funded by a private organization called The Planetary Society, stopped operations in 1999 due to telescope damage from a wind storm.
• A volunteer group conducted a search at Ohio State University for 24 years. That operation finished in 1997 when the university closed the radio telescope.
• Current optical SETI programs are being conducted at Harvard University and Cal Berkeley’s Leuschner Observatory.
• Additional searches are being conducted in Australia and Italy.
• Several individual scientists and radio amateurs in various countries around the world are running small scale efforts.

What Is SETI@home?

SETI@home handles around 3 percent of the data processing of SERENDIP IV, a search conducted by the Arecibo Observatory located in Puerto Rico. Project participants install a special screen saver on their work or home computer (to date none of the participating computers are Apple products). When the computer is not being used, the screen saver “phones home,” allowing SETI@home to connect and use the local hard drive’s processing power.

This system overcomes one of the main challenges of supercomputers. Despite the size of the computers at the SETI dish installations, they still didn’t have enough computing power to analyze all the digital data they gather.

While one supercomputer is not enough, thousands of smaller computers combined together have huge processing power. David Gedye, currently Group Program Manager at Bing Mobile, came up with the idea of using interconnected desktop computers, each working on a little bit of data at a time concurrently. In 1995, he created SETI@home to explore the idea, and the project launched four years later.

Join the Team

And we’ve joined the party! RBFTP has created a team to help the SETI@home project and bring us fame and fortune. OK, may just some fame. There’s no money involved, but you can join Team RBFTP Networks, and watch our stats as we compete against other teams to see who contributes the most processing power to SETI@home.

This is your opportunity to join one of the most important scientific efforts in history. It is folly to believe we are alone in the universe. Scientists estimate there are billions of stars in the Milky Way alone! Perhaps our criteria for examining interstellar communication are too strict. For example, SETI says that a signal must repeat. And yet, the “Wow signal” did not repeat. So it is dismissed. How can we dismiss such a powerful indicator?

As the Society for Planetary Defense explains at their website (planeterydefenders.org): “Maybe it’s time to finally give the Wow signal the proper respect it deserves…it certainly fits the profile of an extraterrestrial signal. It just doesn’t repeat. A word that should have never been a part of SETI’s criteria for knocking a signal out of contention. Repetition would be nice, but remember in 1974 our largest radio telescope in Arecibo Puerto Rico beamed out a powerful signal into the cosmos….and never repeated!”

Inner Journey

One of the many reasons we need to confirm life on other planets is because our own origins remain a mystery. By confirming the existence of others “out there,” we can better understand our own existence.

In 2010, The SETI Institute wrote on ScienceBlogs.com, “Today, we still strive to survive but now life has also reached the point where its exploration path has come to question its own origin. Indeed, we do explore to understand where we came from and define the meaning, if any, of this wonderful universal journey of ours. It is fascinating to realize how, as we walk the Earth, the surface of other planets, soon the Milky Way and beyond, that this journey gives greater depth to our consciousness, for exploration is also very much an inward voyage.”

Part of the Solution

Here is how to get involved with Team RBFTP Networks:

1. Go grab the client by clicking here. We’ll keep you posted on client updates. They’re working on ‘em.
2. Tell yourself that you rule, and that you will smash all the other members of Team RBFTP Networks on our team stats page.

The stats page will also indicate the top members of the team. They shall receive mad props. If you find alien life, and it’s not in New York City, RBFTP Networks will buy you something as a gift.

When you join Team RBFTP Networks, you become part of the solution. It’s an amazing opportunity for individuals to make a real contribution to meaningful scientific and space exploration, and to prove once and for all we are not alone.

Why Dec 21, 2012? That’s the day the Mayan “long calendar” returns to zero. The last time it [...]]]> Look around you. Of the next ten people you see, it’s likely one of them believes the world is coming to an end on Dec 21, 2012 (Reuters). And there is a good chance they are right.

Why Dec 21, 2012? That’s the day the Mayan “long calendar” returns to zero. The last time it did that was 3114 B.C. The Mayan calendar returning to zero is considered to be a doomsday prophecy.

But how? What catastrophe will take place to wipe us off the face of the earth? There are plenty of ways we could meet our collective demise! Let’s look at the top five most likely ways the world will end in 2012.

Pandemic

A pandemic is a very real threat that could spread quickly and impact major populations. There have been four different historically significant flu epidemics, as well as other threats like SARS and HIV. Some scientists say that another major epidemic is almost assured. In 1918, a flu outbreak eradicated more people than were killed in World War I. If a similar deadly virus broke out today, it would spread significantly faster and infect much more of the world’s population.

The threat is not just from Mother Nature. Mankind’s own biological weapons could be the evil stroke of destiny that eradicates us all. Anthrax, cholera, and Ebola are all examples of biological phenomena that man has at one time or another made into a weapon.

Nuclear Holocaust

Many countries now possess nuclear capabilities in today’s world. On top of the destruction from the nuclear weapons, the radiation and contamination of food, water and air, and the elimination of power supplies affecting medical, transportation and communication efforts would create chaos. The following nuclear winter would seal the deal.

Nuclear weapons being detonated would put huge amounts of debris and smoke into the Earth’s atmosphere, which would reduce sunlight for a very long time, possibly years. The nuclear winter would create severe cold and hinder farming, planting and growing food.

In the early 1980s, a monitoring outpost near Moscow Russia received information that five nuclear missiles had launched from the United States and were heading toward Russia. The supervising officer was skeptical about the new equipment they had just installed, and decided to wait for more information. That was a good call–it turned out to be a false alarm.

While the Cold War is over, nuclear threat remains from old enemies and new. There are many terrorist cells and hate groups around the world. In 2008, a study from Physics Today reported that a regional war involving 100 bombs would plunge the planet into icy temperatures. The report said that a war involving thousands of nuclear weapons would basically eliminate most of the universe’s inhabitants.

Super Volcano

Several million years ago, a huge volcano erupted in the Northwest United States, sending miles of ash into the Earth’s atmosphere. The blast was thousands of times bigger than the amount of debris Mount Saint Helens sent into the Earth’s atmosphere in 1980. If a super volcano erupted today, it would impact the earth on a huge scale. There would be a huge loss of life, and airplanes could not travel for years.

We may be in for a super volcano blast soon because they take place around every 600,000 years. The last one was 640,000 years ago.

Although there is plenty of publicity about the dangers of global warming, the result of a super volcano would put enough particles in the air to block the sun, plunging our planet into icy storage. If the earth is covered in ice long enough, solar energy would be reflected back into the surrounding space settling earth into an icy state. Some scientists believe that the earth already has been in an ice age, completely frozen over, and the situation was remedied by some strong volcanic springs that turned the tide.

Zombie Apocalypse

Zombies are often portrayed in movies and TV as almost cartoonlike figures. However, we are surrounded by many aggressive viruses that could create proto-zombies. Rabies is an example of a virus that makes humans violent. If rabies were to spread through the atmosphere, you would have the equivalent of a zombie apocalypse. Many scientists agree that a rabies-based flu is possible.

Parasites are another way zombies could be created. For example, a parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii changes the brain. It is a single celled parasite that is spread by rats. The parasite infects the rat’s brains, and makes them even more likely to be eaten by cats. This is because the rats with infected brains don’t respond to cat scent, making them vulnerable to a cat’s attack. If a similar process took place in humans, it would not be long before zombielike humans are wandering the earth.

Robot Takeover

Technology is advancing so fast that some believe in the year 2012 a computer will become self-aware, and learn to duplicate itself, and take over the world. Very quickly, they would take over financial systems, medical hospitals and transportation hubs. Artificial intelligence allows computers to become smarter. Within a short period time they could learn to control all systems and eradicate humans.

Some experts, like scientist Stephen Hawking, believe that this is a real threat. Who’s to say that the reality we experience right now isn’t some computer program run by smart machines?

Less Likely (But Possible) Methods of Destruction

If these five scenarios aren’t enough to get us, there are some other possibilities that could send us to our maker. Some are dangers from the natural world. Others are man-made, self-inflicted wounds that could have been avoided. Here are even more ways that the world may end in 2012:

Solar Storms

Every 11 years the sun is more active–2012 represents a peak of solar activity including flares and solar storms. Solar storms produce tremendous amounts of electromagnetic radiation. They also produce huge gas bubbles containing magnetic fields. These giant plasma balls shoot toward Earth, and when they arrive, release tremendous amounts of visible energy. They emit giant static discharges that can knock out power supplies. Also, solar flares can hit the earth within a few minutes from shooting off the sun, and can have disastrous results.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States says that our power systems are so interconnected a large sun flare up could cut power to over 130,000,000 residents in the U.S. alone. The problems would take years to repair, and cost trillions of dollars.

Solar storms could be disastrous to Earth. In 2011, a solar storm catapulted particles at the earth at 4 million miles per hour, affecting the Northern Lights. It could be seen as far south as the southern United States. The Earth’s magnetic field takes care of the danger to some extent, as it absorbs much of these particles. Still, the particles create strong currents that can affect power grids for months, ruining major economies.

Planet X

The 10th planet in our solar system is known as Nibiru, or Planet X. The Planet X theory says that Nibiru’s orbit will come into the gravitational pull of the Earth sometime in 2012. This will cause major worldwide earthquakes, flooding and other destruction.

People that believe this theory point to weather data and earthquake records that show increasing influence from Planet X. They also point to historical Egyptian records that indicate the last time Planet X came close to the earth, it resulted in the great flood of Noah, and Atlantis being covered with water as it sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Many astronomical experts say there’s really no evidence to back up the Planet X theory. There’s also the story that many Planet X proponents originally thought that the Planet X phenomena would take place in 2003, and when it didn’t they changed their prediction to 2012. Too convenient.

Electromagnetic Pulse

The damage from a hand grenade is not only from the shrapnel of the exploding shell. Even more destructive is the increase in air pressure around the grenade. It can scramble a human’s brain.

In a similar way, a nuclear blast can create a large electromagnetic radiation pulse that could wipe out transportation, communications and medical structures in an instant. For example, a blast over North America would kill over 90% of human inhabitants within 12 months, according to a study by the Congressional EMP commission.

The electromagnetic pulse could also happen from solar activity. The destruction level would depend on how close to the earth’s surface that the electromagnetic pulse took place.

Huge Asteroid

Although Hollywood has entertained us with Armageddon and Deep Impact, the possibility of an asteroid hitting the earth is very real. Many people have seen craters on the moon. Those are the results of hundreds of objects impacting the moon over a long period of time.

If an asteroid a mile wide hit the Earth at extremely high speed, it would wipe out most of the animal, human and plant life on the planet. If you were unfortunate enough to survive, you would live in a world of ash-filled air and no food.

GammaRay Bursts

When a star passes on and explodes, it uses up all of its nuclear fuel and collapses into a black hole, pulling stars and other matter into it. Next, powerful gamma rays filled with charged particles would shoot into the surrounding stars.

These GammaRay bursts can be observed by scientists on earth. But anything in their path is killed quickly. The danger zone can be as wide as 3000 light years. There is a GammaRay burst in your average, everyday galaxy about every 10 million years. That means that the chance of us being impacted is small.

Ocean Acidification

After the dinosaurs passed from the face of the earth, carbon dioxide increased significantly in the Earth’s atmosphere. The waters of the oceans became very acidic as they absorbed carbon dioxide. The result was extinction for many species.

The problem is carbon dioxide is again on the rise. It’s rising 10 times faster than ever before. Scientists in England have created models, and report the damage is most visible in coral reefs around the world’s oceans.

If the reefs die off, it would be disastrous for 25% of the animals in the ocean. Many cities on our coasts would experience giant storms and huge waves. The destruction of the reefs would create worldwide economic and environmental problems.

The good thing is that ocean acidification does not seem to be an immediate threat to humans. The acid levels would attack deep-water animal life, but would probably not affect the fish caught by major commercial vessels.

Geomagnetic Reversal

While the magnetic North Pole is near the rotational North Pole, that wasn’t always the case. Many times throughout the earth’s life, the North and South have swapped magnetic poles. This is called geomagnetic reversal. It takes place only occasionally, between 100,000 to 1,000,000 years. The last one was 780,000 years ago. A magnetic reversal would cause the geomagnetic field to collapse temporarily, which would throw off power grids, communication satellites and energy pipelines.

Artificial Black Hole

The danger of atomic weaponry is not limited to the immediate destruction the weapon can render. A man sued to shut down the Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, in 1999 because he said that the collision of subatomic particles would create small black holes that would grow until the earth was swallowed up.

While the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory has not created any black holes, the same man is saying the same thing could happen at Europe’s large Hadron Collider. Scientists dismiss his claims, explaining that there is not enough energy in the colliders to produce black holes, and that cosmic rays in space contain much more energy.

The X Factor

There are some X factors that may not be conceivable in our present understanding, but may be potential dangers in the future. Several scientists believe there are threats we do not fully understand yet.

For example, there is a theory of “vacuum decay,” which states that our world might shift to different quantum state, effectively destroying everything inside it. Another theory says that invisible structures known as branes could smash into each other, also producing an apocalypse.

Astronomer Derrick Fox told Popular Mechanics he believes these theories are interesting but unlikely.

Yes, it’s possible that there are things out there in the universe there could be a threat to life on earth that we don’t know about yet, Fox says. But I don’t think these are the things we need to be most worried about. Every night, astronomers are looking into the universe, looking back 10 billion or more years into the past, and they’ve never seen any signs of the source of (these) things.

The Top Five and A Few Extra

There you have it. The top five most likely ways the world will end in 2012, and a few extra dangers just as a backup. Because if we don’t get hit with a pandemic, nuclear holocaust, super volcano, zombies, or robots taking over, there’s always a chance we’ll see solar storms, damage from Planet X, a huge electromagnetic pulse, asteroids, GammaRay bursts, or ocean acidification.

Either way, the clock is ticking. And time is running out.

There hasn’t been anything like it since the last “Wedding of the Century”, when [...]]]> Two billion people around the world watched live on TV, and hundreds of thousands packed the streets and malls of London to watch the “Wedding of the Century”—a real-life fantasy pulled straight from the storybooks–Prince William marrying his fiancée Kate Middleton!

There hasn’t been anything like it since the last “Wedding of the Century”, when Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, married the young, shy Lady Spencer 30 years ago on Jul 29, 1981. Many young girls who swooned to the romance of that ceremony, with Diana’s legendary 25 foot train, joined their own daughters to revel in this new chapter in the ever unfolding story of the Royal Family. And (perhaps more importantly) to revel in the couture fashion, opulence, tradition, priceless jewelry, and the finest hats in the world.

New Era, New Style

William and Kate are the perfect couple to move the Royal Family into a new, modern era. While tradition is important, the Royals are also “representatives of the people” and must capture and reflect the spirit of the times.  Interest in the Royal Family has waned in the years since Princess Diana’s death. The mania around this wedding also speaks to the wide appeal of this young and attractive couple. They are young, fun and personable–a “breath of fresh air”, broadening the appeal of the Royal Family to a new, younger demographic–carrying the ancient traditions into the next era.

Image showing Princess Diana and Prince Charles kissing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after their wedding.

And yet, the comparisons of William and Kate to Charles and Diana are inevitable. While Charles and Diana tied the knot at St. Paul’s Cathedral, William and Kate married at the smaller, more intimate Westminster Abbey.  Diana travelled to the church in a glass coach—Kate was escorted in a Rolls Royce limousine (and William in a Bentley).

But, after the ceremony, Kate and her husband waved to the crowds along the processional route back to Buckingham Palace from a beautiful open carriage—a 1902 State Landau. It was originally made for King Edward VII for his coronation. Just in case, a glass coach was at the ready just in case of rain. They didn’t have to worry. The weather was perfect.

Perhaps the biggest difference between William and his father during their wedding day– during their ceremonies William actually looked like he was enjoying himself. He beamed as he saw his bride in her dress for the first time, telling her she looked beautiful. You could see how comfortable they were with each other, smiling and relaxed.

On the other hand, in 1981 Prince Charles smiled rarely, and was seemingly detached. That’s because he was. He was in love with another woman—Camilla Parker Bowles. Years later, Diana said that as she walked into the church that day, she looked to see where Camilla was sitting.

It’s hard to believe but Charles and Diana had only met 13 times before their engagement. A reporter asked Diana if she was in love. She said she was. Prince Charles chimed in with, “Whatever “In love” means.”

Diana was young (barely 20) and shy when she got married. Kate is older and has been dating William on and off for over eight years, even living together as they fell in love. Kate was a commoner before marrying into the Royal Family. To some people the word “commoner” gives the impression of a street urchin. In reality, Kate’s family is self made multi-millionaires. “Commoner” simply means that you are not royalty. Diana came from an aristocratic family but she was young, shy and bewildered.

Prince William

So who is Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and the (far away in the) future King? We’ve seen him on TV for years but what is he really like? While some people dream of being a prince, you could say Prince William at times dreams of being a regular person. When he spent time in Botswana’s Okavango Delta in 2010, he said, “The locals have no clue who I am. I love that.” He works hard to lead as normal a life as possible.

Prince William in RAF attire.

People find him very real—direct, likable, approachable. His whole life has been spent learning the ropes of royalty while trying to gain as much normalcy as his station provides. Many of us have indelible memories of him walking behind his mother’s coffin—shocked, confused and intensely sad. It gave you the impression his life would never be normal.

He was very close to his mother. She reportedly confided in him as well.  He has inherited her ease with people and you can often see flashes of her in his quirks and mannerisms, like when he was chewing his lip on the altar during the ceremony, much like Diana did years ago.

After they return from the honeymoon, William will go back to his job as a helicopter pilot and he and Kate will return to the farmhouse in Wales they are living in now. He tries to lead a normal life–as much as you can when you are in line to be King of the British Empire.

Catherine Middleton

Catherine “Kate” Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, grew up in the small village of Bucklebury and went to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland (should she become queen, she would be the first one with a college education). That’s where she met William for the first time in 2001. They started to date and had the ups and downs typical of most relationships– but grew closer together in 2007.

Her family ancestors were laborers and coal miners in Northumberland with a few Leeds businessmen thrown in the mix. Her parents met at work when they were both employed by British Airways. Later they started an online company that sells merchandise related to kids’ parties.  Over time they built it up and are now millionaires. Kate and her sister were models for the website as kids and still help out with the family business on occasion.

Image shows Catherine or “Kate” middleton posing with a jacket over her shoulder.

Kate’s mother Carole is viewed by some of the media as a “social climber” and supposedly talked her into attending St. Andrews with the hope that she would in fact, meet and fall in love with Prince William. British papers have compared her to Hyacinth Bucket- the hapless social climber character from “Keeping up Appearances,” a BBC sitcom.  However much she may have “engineered” the romance, it eventually worked.

Whatever her mother’s transgressions against high society, she seems to have raised a level-headed child in Kate. She has maintained a steady disposition with good humor over many years as she waited for her prince. It is that evenness that will serve her well in her new life in the public eye.

Bad Eggs

Like all of us, the royal couple has some relatives they would rather keep quiet. For example, Sarah Ferguson is the duchess of debt. In 2010 she was caught in a sting operation where she was shown selling exclusive entrée to her ex-husband Prince Andrew for $700,000. How did she try to explain her way out of that one? She said she was drunk.

Speaking of Prince Andrew, he’s come under scrutiny for being friends with an American billionaire who is a convicted sex offender. In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein was sentenced to a year and half in jail after he was convicted for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Prince Andrew also has other questionable friendships including the son of Moammar Qaddafi.

Kate Middleton’s uncle Jerry Goldsmith is another character. He’s crass, low class and he loves it that way. He is the brother of Kate’s mother and became rich when he sold his personnel recruiting company. He has been filmed by undercover reporters chopping up cocaine and telling party guests he would order prostitutes for them. He also regularly boasts about being connected to royalty.

14 Diamonds in White Gold

The royal couple got engaged during a vacation to Kenya in October 2010. While they had dated many years off and on, it was still a surprise to Kate when he proposed at the time. The engagement ring he presented to Kate once belonged to his mother Diana the Princess of Wales. She passed it on to Prince William and Prince Harry. It is a “whole cluster” ring with the sapphire center bordered by 14 diamonds and is mounted 18-karat white gold.

For the Prince, no ring is his future. No reason had been proved by him or the Royal Family. However, it is not unusual—Prince Phillip does not wear a wedding ring. When he married Princess Diana, Prince Charles did not wear a ring either. When he married Camilla Parker Bowles, he started wearing a signet band and a wedding ring.

Photograpgh of William and Catherine with the engagement ring clearly visible. The white gold ring has a blue sapphire center and is surrounded by 14 diamonds.

In all, 1900 people attended the service at Westminster Abbey – family, friends, politicians, royals from other countries, representatives of various faiths, celebrities, and more. About 650 people were invited to a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace given by the Queen. Around 300 people were invited to the dinner at Buckingham Palace given by the Prince of Wales.

The official wedding website gives a rough breakdown of guests including spouses:

• The majority of guests were drawn from Prince William and Ms. Middleton’s family and friends – over 1000
• Over 50 members of the Royal Family
• Over 40 members of Foreign Royal Families
• Over 200 members of Government Parliament and Diplomatic Corps
• Approximately 80 guests came from Prince William’s charities (including some people who were not in senior positions whom the Prince has known for a long time)
• 60 governors General and Realm Prime Ministers

As an example of their commitment to a regular life and “regular people,” William and Kate invited many commoners to attend their wedding: their postman, butcher and the pub owner from their favorite Bucklebury watering hole were all in attendance as well as the Indian owners of their local corner store. And they were not shuttled to the cheap seats. The pub owner said he was escorted to the second row right near the Queen.

Of course, there was a good complement of celebrities: David Beckham and his wife Victoria received their inevitable screen time as well as Sir Elton John and his partner. Comedian Rowan Atkinson, a good friend of Prince Charles, was there. Josh Stone, who sang at the memorial concert for Diana in 2007, was also in attendance.  Prominent foreign dignitaries like President Obama were not invited due to the fact that this was not a state occasion. The reason is that Prince William is neither the Sovereign nor the Heir to the throne.

Wedding Dress

For months fashionistas speculated: Who was to be chosen to design Catherine’s dress? The smart money was on Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen. It turned out to be true – moments after she emerged and got into the Rolls-Royce that was to take her to Westminster Abbey, fashion experts spotted it as a Sarah Burton original.

Image of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress with the trail being held by one of the bridesmaids

It featured an elegant veil which allowed her long hair to be shown in a good light (which she was wearing down). The veil was made of ivory silk tulle with a hand embroidered trim of flowers. The flowers were embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil included a Cartier “halo” tiara which was lent to her by the queen. The train measured over 6 feet, the sleeves were long lace and the dress front was in a low V.

The official press release said that Kate wanted her dress to “combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. Ms. Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.”

The official royal wedding website said, “The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. ”

One of the most amazing things is that Kate was able to keep the dress top secret as well as the identity of the designer. Given today’s worldwide media, that’s quite an accomplishment. Her goal was to keep William from seeing the dress until she was actually at the altar. Her mission was accomplished as he did not turn his head until she joined him at the altar during the ceremony.

According to the official wedding website the Prince wore the smashing red tunic of an Irish Guards colonel– his most senior honorary appointment.  His uniform included a gold and crimson sash, and gold sword slings, both of which are worn in the presence of a Member of the Royal Family.  The Prince did not wear a sword. He wore the Garter Sash with the Wings of the Royal Air Force, the Garter Star and the Golden Jubilee Medal.

Prince Harry wore a Blues and Royals officer’s uniform in Dismounted Review Order, with a Forage Cap. It included aiguillettes, a cross-belt and gold waist belt with sword slings with no sword and the Wings of the Army Air Corps and Golden Jubilee and Afghanistan Campaign medals.

Hat’s Off

Just behind Catherine’s dress in media frenzy was the coverage of the multitude of colorful hats sported by the British ladies. Bookmakers even took odds on the color of the Queen’s hat (winner = yellow).

Shirley Hex, a milliner who has created hats for the queen and many other members of the Royal Family, told the Associated Press, “We’re British. Hats are just what we do. Choosing the right hat is important for the person wearing it, but it’s also important for a designer. The right hat can make a career.”

Philip Treacy is a “rock star designer” of custom hats that can run up to $5,000 and more. He was tapped to design the hats for many of the royal heads for the ceremony, including the bridesmaid’s headpieces.

Inside the Abbey, in keeping with Kate’s wish for “an unpretentious, simple and natural theme,” Maple trees (symbol of commitment, reserve and humility), instead of flowers, were placed in the choir and congregation areas. They will be re-planted at Prince Charles’ Highgrove estate after the wedding. It also reflects her country background and the classic Gothic look Kate wanted to display.

Two Choirs

The music was lush and gorgeous as it resonated through Westminster Abbey. It reflected Anglican and royal traditions. When Kate came down the aisle, they played “The Introit.” The congregation sang “Blaenwern,” a Welsh hymn after the ceremony (William and Kate will return to Wales to live as that is where he is posted.)

In all, there were two choirs, one fanfare club, and a full orchestra at the wedding–the Chapel Royal Choir, London Chamber Orchestra, Westminster Abbey Choir, and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. The program included the anthem “I Was Glad” during which Catherine glided down the aisle for three-and-a-half minutes to the altar as the choir sang. They also sang “Jerusalem” (words by poet William Blake).

The orchestral march “Crown Imperial” was played during the recessional. This was also performed at Charles and Diana’s ceremony. There were also selections from Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Welsh composer Paul Mealor, Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Britten’s Galliard, Delius and Finzi. There was one Book of Common Prayer ceremony–Kate’s brother read “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” (Romans Chapter 12)

Holding her bouquet of sweet williams with myrtle, lily of the valley and hyacinth, Kate joined Prince William at the altar. He beamed and TV viewers could make out his comment to her, “You look beautiful.” And so she did. Her natural charm combined with the watchful training of the Royal Family all came to the fore as she appeared poised, calm, and happy.

She did not promise to “obey” her husband, but pledged to “love, comfort, and keep” him. As they said their vows, the cheers from the crowd outside were easily heard inside the Abbey. It all went off without a hitch. OK, the ring acted stubborn as it refused to glide on to her finger smoothly. After a little jiggering, it was home.

Soon they went into the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor to sign the marriage register under the tombs of Henry V and Richard II among other former kings and queens of the monarch. Within a few short minutes, they emerged into the now sunny skies outside the Abbey to the cheers of the crowd, many of whom had camped for days to get the best seat possible.

Sealed With a Kiss

After the horse-drawn Landau made its way round to Buckingham Palace, the police led a happy crowd over to Buckingham Palace. Over 500,000 people excitedly (and politely) tried to find the best position to see the new Royal couple. One announcer said the noise “was thunderous.”

While watching it you got the feeling that Britons love royal weddings and the royal family. Thousand of breathless people waved banners and flags—one wordsmith wrote “Checkmate Kate, You Got the King.” Another is hoping to capture the next prince: “Marry me Harry.”

Certainly in this economy a joyous occasion such as this takes all of our minds off a struggling economy and bleak job prospects. But watching the wild crowd I felt that it’s even more than that—so many people were heartsick after Diana died—she was so young, beautiful and full of life. It was like a member of your family passed.

And now, the whole world is getting the chance to love a new Princess, both for herself and her special day, but also to fill the holes in our hearts still there from that terrible day Diana left us.

After a little teasing flickering of draperies along the windows of the Buckingham Palace balcony, the new couple emerged amid the cheers of the throng. Kids climbed nearby trees while fathers placed their toddlers on the back of their necks to see better.

And then their cheers were rewarded. Only 90 minutes after entering Westminster Abbey as Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge kissed her Prince. Not once. But twice.

The roar of England was heard in Madrid, Beijing, New York and throughout the world.

Kate and William kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

American Gaga

If you thing the British were excited, you should have seen the hullabaloo in other countries—like America. Around the country, people woke up in the middle of the night to watch the ceremony live. CBS-TV reported, “The British think it is cute how into it the Americans are. ‘You American’s are so excitable’ one Brit said.’”

And it’s true. Sandy, a mother from Ohio said, “I watched Di and Charles at age 18 and that was the best. I liked Kate because she is real and older and is at a better age to get married. Will is studly for a Brit! Like most people we just want to see the DRESS! And the jewels!!! Romance is so under rated these days-it is nice to see!”

Lauren, a mother in Florida said, “We are definitely getting up to watch!  It’s going to be mother/daughter with other mother/ daughter friends–fine white wines for the moms and sparkling juices for the babies…with fine desserts to boot. Instead of pot luck casseroles you bring dessert/wine.  We are interested because ‘It’s Disney come to life and romance thicker than a grocery store romance novel.’ Kate is a class act, much better role model for daughters then Lindsay Lohan. The prince is just that …a prince… Need more be said?  I think not.”

The Ties That Bind

Image shows William and Kate after the wedding in Buckingham Palace – now appearing as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Once the ceremony was over, old London town braced for thousands of rollicking parties. You didn’t have to walk far to find a “knees up.” The pints started flowing and the dance floors filled.

Reportedly some Britons find the whole Royal Family a farce, a wasteful expense. But they are in the minority.

The Royal Family is much more than the Palace Guard and a fancy wedding every ten years. In our increasingly separated society, they represent tradition and continuity that binds societies together. People tuned in by the billions because they long for the history of pomp and circumstance that England does better than anyone in the history of the world.

With the young, enthusiastic, fresh faces of Prince William and Princess Catherine growing in prominence, the Royal Family is a tradition that will serve England, and the world, for years to come.

Kyle wants to talk to his Mom about his homework. [...]]]> Online social network sites such as Facebook have revolutionized the way people interact with each other. However, these sites pose problems to society, and raise questions around family interactions, social skills and privacy.

Good Luck with School, Son – I Have to Milk This Cow

The Facebook logo

Kyle wants to talk to his Mom about his homework. But Mom Sandy has a lot on her plate right now. Today she has to milk the cows, feed the chickens, plow under 5 acres to get ready for soybeans, pull some vegetables out of the garden for dinner, trade some animals with neighbors and fix 2 tractors. She really doesn’t have time to help Kyle today.

Down on the Farm

But Sandy doesn’t live on a farm. In fact, Sandy and her son Kyle have lived in Queens all their lives. Sandy is one of over 60 million users of Farmville, the most popular application on Facebook, and the most popular social networking site in the world.

Farmville players manage a virtual farm—planting, plowing, harvesting, growing and raising livestock just as you would on a real farm. You start with an empty farm and build up crops and livestock that you can sell for “farm coins.” Using your farm cash, you can purchase more livestock and grow even bigger. Zynga, the developer of Farmville, says that people will regularly stay on Farmville for up to 12 hours a day.

Farmville is just one example of how Facebook is causing problems in our social groups and family interactions today.

Screenshot from Farmville on Facebook

According to Facebook, they have over 500 million active users who have an average of 130 friends each. People are spending over 700 billion minutes per month on the Facebook site.

Like a Drug

Do you have FAD? Facebook Addiction Disorder? No, that’s not a real medical term. But it could be. Many people are reporting spending excessive time on Facebook to the detriment of real friends and family. You might suffer from this malady if:

• You check Facebook when you wake-up, when you go to sleep, and 48 times on your iPhone in-between.
• You have no idea who 9 out of 10 of the people are on your friends list.
• You post more status updates in one day than you sent out in holiday cards last year.
• At your job you spend more time on Facebook than doing your actual work.
• Tipsy Facebooking – after a few glasses of wine, you start surfing Facebook for old flames.

Facebook and other social media sites let you connect to many more people than you could in “real life.” Some users find they are spending more time with their on-line friends than they are with people in real life.

Social Skills

Social networking sites even affect how well we operate in real social situations. This is evidenced in the difference in how millenials interact compared with their mothers and fathers. Studies show young people are very comfortable sharing big parts of their personal lives on-line–it is all they know–some kids don’t know a world without the Internet. In contrast, older people are less prone to share themselves on-line, preferring to hold back personal information.

On the other hand, older people are better with real life face-to-face situations. They know how to introduce themselves to strangers at a networking event, for example. It is how they learned to socialize. Millenials test much more poorly in interpersonal skills in comparison.

Social networking has somehow made a whole generation less skilled in social interaction.

Cyber-bullying

More serious problems have surfaced with the rise of Facebook-like cyber-bullying.

• In Manassas, Virginia, a 16 year old female student of Stonewall Jackson High School was accused by police of creating a Facebook page called ‘Stonewall hoes’ which featured pictures of nine students with captions your mom would not approve of.
• In Florida, two schoolgirls were arrested for cyber-bullying when they created a fake Facebook page on a fellow student that included obscene photos and notes.
• In Suffolk County, NY, several incredibly hateful and vicious comments were posted on Facebook about a popular student; before, and after, she committed suicide.

Some studies have estimated that about 32% of teens on the web have faced harassment in some form. At the same time, Facebook has taken major steps to open up the data of users on the site. Many user details are exposed to even non-users unless you select the proper security settings to prevent it. And many people either don’t know how or don’t check. In many cases, anyone on the web can see your hometown, school, friends, daily schedule, “likes” and more.

In response to these conflicts, at the Whitehouse Conference for Bullying Prevention, Facebook announced a new group of tools to help protect users from bullying. There are two main components: an improved safety center and more social tools for reporting bullying or offensive content.

Please Rob Me

One of the security settings people forget to check on Facebook has to do with location. In an effort to compete with fast growing services like Foursquare, Facebook created Facebook Places. Like Foursquare, Facebook Places lets you use your smartphone to “check in” when you are in a pub, hotel or any location.  Doing so earns you special badges, discounts and more. When it first rolled out the service, Facebook made users willing participants by default–that meant anyone could tell where you were at almost any time without you knowing.

The site PleaseRobMe.com summarized the problem, The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home. So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the internet we’re not home.

Even if your security settings are up to date and tight, some people unknowingly are still leaving themselves at risk. In March 2010 in New Albany, Indiana, Keri McCullen and Kurt Pendleton updated their status on Facebook by indicating they would not be home in order to attend a nearby concert at 8pm. At 8.42pm, thieves entered their home and made off with $10,000 worth of electronics and other goods.

Too Much Information

The “Facebook Overshare” is a common malady affecting our social interactions. In real life, people seem much more guarded. Online affords a distance or isolation that seems to encourage “too much information.” At FacebookOvershare.Wordpress.com here are some of the tamer overshares:

• “The worst part about a scalp sunburn? The peeling.”
• “Hi. Thanks for including me as a friend. I appreciate it. – Dad”
• “Going to be late for work- my kid was expelled this morning.”

Ensuing Lack of Privacy

One of the major problems with social media is lack of privacy – and Facebook is no exception. Facebook is about “connecting” with others – people don’t join so that they can keep to themselves. People join social media to share their problems, experiences, events, pictures with “friends”.

The problem is: Facebook groups extend the concept of “Friends”.  A small Facebook group of friends can rapidly grow into a large group that possibly comprises of members who are not your friends and who are not friends of the creator of the group. As a result, people share a lot of information about their lives with “friends” who are in fact strangers or vague acquaintances.

…But there is some good

Facebook has allowed thousands of people to keep up with friends and family all over the world with status updates and photo albums. The online social network site has broad appeal – it does not exclude particular social groups. If you have a business, you can use Facebook groups as part of your marketing strategy to grow your business.

In spite of the positive attributes, Facebook has also adversely affected us: over sharing, cyber-bullying, FAD, and lack of social skills are just some of the maladies that can be traced back to the social networking giant. The challenge ahead is how to make the good better and eliminate the bad completely.

I’m on various medications for my anxiety, depression and slight [...]]]> So I’m somewhat of a worrier when it comes to my health. I’ve been in and out of hospital (mainly checking myself in) with various mystery conditions ranging from tick bites (the possibility of contracting Lyme Disease) to tingling nerve sensations all over my body.

I’m on various medications for my anxiety, depression and slight psychosis; I’m perfectly mentally stable…however my mind does wander, usually on to my health.

A few years ago I noticed an outbreak of these little red spots all over my body. Immediately I was worried, thinking I had some exotic disease or some part of my body was failing. I saw many dermatologists, chief haematologists and general doctors and they all called these red dots Cherry Angiomas or Campbell de Morgan spots.

The little red dots you can see are an example of Cherry Angiomas (Campbell de Morgan spots).

They all agreed that they were benign malfunctions of the skin and I had nothing to worry about. However, they all said it is unknown what causes them.

So me being me, I was determined to find the cause. Because in my mind, the strange onset of literally hundreds of these tiny red spots has a cause, either internally or from environmental factors poisoning my body.

They are sometimes large, but sometimes a lot smaller – almost the size of a pin head (or prick).

What I think causes these red dots

While there are many things that are know to cause cherry angiomas such as age, hormone imbalances and even exposure to mustard gas, the less documented and most probable cause is bromine toxicity.

Maybe I’m getting more that most people because I’m currently taking an antidepressant called Citalopram Hydrobromide (aka Celexa) which is Citalopram bound to bromide.

What is bromine?

Bromine is a chemical element that is found in many processed food sources such as bread. It is used to make food last longer before going stale and increase the shelf life.

Bromine was actually used during the World Wars to suppress the sexual drive of service men overseas.

Bromine is toxic to the human body and can be somewhat carcinogenic.

Bromine can build up in your body and take over cell iodine receptors because the atomic structure of bromine is so similar to iodine that the human body is mistaken. Eventually there will be nowhere to store this excess of bromine and from my own research and studying have realised that it is finally stored in the skin, thus resulting in cherry angiomas or Campbell de Morgan spots.

There is only really one way to flush your body of bromine and that’s by consuming good sources of iodine.

Why do we accumulate excess bromine?

We really have no way to process excess bromine and with modern day diets, we eat foods containing less and less iodine. A long while ago, companies started to add iodine to salt (iodized salt) however with the health scares of using too much salt on our foods, we are not getting enough iodine.

The RDA of iodine in the United Kingdom is currently set at 100 micrograms (100 µg). However, from research it is found that the people of mainland Japan are taking in as much as 12.5mg (12500 µg) daily from food such as sea kelp and certain kinds of fish.

The Japanese are one of the healthiest nations with extremely low cancer rates and low thyroid function problems. Could this be why?

Iodine rids the body of bromine and heavy metals, halides and toxins.

Every cell in our body is programmed to use iodine in one way or another. Iodine is also the partner to the programmed cell death and generating new cells in the body. Most of our iodine is stored in our thyroid gland and this gland uses the most iodine for its functions.

What’s the difference between Bromine, Bromide and Bromate?

Bromine is a base element, which bromide and bromate can be formed from.

Bromide is the ion. Formula is Br- (with the – at the top). Can be ionically bound to another ion, e.g. sodium bromide, NaBr.

Bromate is another type of ion, but there are oxygen atoms as well. Formula is BrO3- (with the – at the top).

Iodine and iodide has the same relationship between bromine and bromide.

- From Yahoo Answers

What can I do to get rid of these spots and clear my body of bromine?

Well I’ve recently started taking iodine supplements in high dosage.

I’ve started on a dose of 50mg per day for a period of three months. This will saturate my body with iodine and kick start the detoxification and repair process. Once optimal saturation has been reached I’ll then stay on a steady dose of 12.5mg for the rest of my life.

Along with iodine, I’m also taking a mixture of many vitamins to help the detoxification process.

The quote below is the suggested method for iodine supplementation, as recommended by a group of researchers – this was publicized at an iodine conference in 2007.

Recommended Iodine Supplementation program

• 50 mg Iodoral minimum for breast cancer (may start with 12.5 mg). – You can pick up Iodoral 50mg from Amazon here or 12.5mg here.
  Some practitioners may recommend another form of iodine such as Lugol’s solution. – You can buy Lugol’s solution here.
  Iodoral is the Lugol’s formula in tablet form especially designed to avoid gastric irritation.
• Vitamin C – 3,000 mg per day (more may be necessary to detox bromide). Get the Solgar brand here.
• 300-600 mg magnesium oxide (Iodine Investigation Project participants prefer magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate.) I actually prefer the Chelated Magnesium by Solgar; it’s the most absorbable version for maximum benefit. Grab it here. If you really want almost 100% absorbtion, you should use a “Angstrom” or ionic magnesium suppliment. You can pick up a great one here.
• 200 mcg selenium. The selenomethionine version is preferred by many. – Get the Solgar brand here.
• 500 mg niacin (B3) twice a day (NOT niacinamide). Start lower to avoid flush. - Solgar 500mg tabs here.
• 100 mg Vitamin B2 three times a day. – Again, Solgar is the best brand to get when it comes to vitamins and minerals so grab the Solgar 100mg B2 here.
• A comprehensive vitamin and nutrition program.

From my own research I also recommend the following in addition to the above

• Bathing twice weekly in Epsom Bath Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) to increase your magnesium intake as it’s best absorbed and utilised through the skin. You’ll need a lot, but you can get a 20lb bag here. While Epsom salt baths are great for increasing your serum Mg levels short term, it’s better to use something more long lasting like the Ancient Minerals Magnesium Chloride oil that stays in your body properly.
• Daily use of a Liquid Zeolite detox programme – the Results RNA spray one is the BEST – it’s the most usable with much higher surface area for toxin extraction.
• Seriously increasing your magnesium intake – which I write all about here.

While I don’t know if this will clean up my cherry angiomas for good, I can tell you that after taking iodine for two weeks I’m already noticing a decrease in their size and numbers.

I have also started to apply Iodine topically to the cherry angiomas to see if that helps. I used Lugol’s Iodine which is part Iodine and part Potassium Iodide.

I’ll keep this blog post updated with the results as they unfold so stay tuned!

Update Nov 2012:

I have concluded that my main source of toxic bromine/bromide is from my antidepressant medication (Citalopram Hydrobromide). I have successfully weaned myself off this medication from 20mg/day down to 2.5mg/day, and as of next week I will be off of it completely (I’m going to blog about my experience coming off this SSRI medication and will link to it from here, so watch this space). You can view the official ChemWatch safety sheet information on Citalopram Hydrobromide here (PDF).

Once I’m totally off, I’m going to start my Iodine plan again after I have completed an Iodine/Bromide 24 hour urine test to see my level of toxicity. Hakala Research do a great test here.

Once I’ve loaded myself with Iodine/Iodide for a period of about 6-12 months (at 50mg Iodoral per day), I will check my saturation levels doing another urinalysis test and decide how much longer I need to continue loading after that. Once I’m at saturation, I will continue on 12.5 mg of Iodine/Iodide for the rest of my life to combat everyday interactions with these toxic elements – for example fluorinated water, fluorinated toothpaste, chlorinated swimming pools, sofas/carpet with bromide as a fire retardent – these toxic elements are all around us – it takes a moment to realize how toxic the world we live in today really is.

Update April 2013 – My Iodine Loading Test Results:

I forgot to mention in previous updates that shortly after I discontinued use of the Citalopram medication I sent off for a Iodine loading test and bromide excretion test. The box arrived to me in the UK and had a urine container, specimen vile and a 50mg Iodoral tablet for the test. I followed the test instructions, collected my urine samples and set off my specimen via UPS to the lab at Hakala Research in Colorado, USA. The test requires you to stop iodine therapy 48 hours before doing the test to get a better reading. The test required me to take an Iodoral 50mg tablet in the morning and collect my urine for a full 24 hours after taking it.

Shortly after them receiving my urine (the day after I sent it) the test results arrived back the same day via email.

My Iodine Loading Test Results

My results were as follows:

Iodine

24 hour excretion: 33.6 mg
% excretion/24 hr: 67%

This had a reference range of 0-50mg/24 hours because I took a 50mg tablet. They also mentioned on the results, “Iodine body sufficiency is achieved when the 24 hour urine collection contains 90% or more of the amount of iodine/iodide ingested”.

So this showed that I wasn’t totally deficient any more, I was actually getting somewhere with my therapy. However, this result can be a little inaccurate… which I will explain further down.

Bromide

24 hour excretion: 6.3 mg

This had a reference range of <5mg/24 hour. So I was over the reference range and excreting lots of bromide. I actually questioned this with Abbey at Hakala Research.

I said:

I have been taking Citalopram Hydrobromide (Celexa) for about 7 years which of course has given be lots of bromide over time. Before the urine collection, I had been off this medication for about two weeks.

With a 24h urine collection containing 6.3mg bromide (around 13mg for blood) – is that reading high or low in comparison to average test results?

And of course, if I excreted 67% of the 50mg Iodine in this test, could it be because my high bromide levels were causing the body not to “hang on” to the iodine and letting it pass through me? I.e. if I got my bromide levels down over time, perhaps the excretion % of iodine could actually decrease and then slowly increase as I continued supplementing with iodine?

Abby from Hakala Resarch replied with:

The 6.3mg Br is elevated compared to the U.S. average of around 2mg. Because bromide is excreted slowly from the body, I believe that if you would have done the test while taking the Celexa it may have been slightly higher.

You are correct about the iodine bromide interaction. Iodine will speed the detox. of bromide from the body, also, increasing your salt intake would help.

So I’m going to carry on with supplementing with iodine until I get around 90+% saturation. To get to 67% I was on 50mg of Iodoral for about 3 months (on and off).

I’d love to hear your comments below and your experiences with angiomas and iodine.

“Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot… Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot… Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot…”

The static continues as a sheet of white noise in the background. The woman continues:

“0,0,9,6…8,1,0,5…2,2,5,1…2,1,1,0…0,0,9,6…8,1,0,5…2,2,5,1,…2,1,1,0…”

These strange series of words and numbers are [...]]]> Listening intently to a steady stream of static, suddenly you hear a series of low tones followed by a robotic woman’s voice:

“Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot… Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot… Yankee… Hotel… Foxtrot…”

The static continues as a sheet of white noise in the background. The woman continues:

“0,0,9,6…8,1,0,5…2,2,5,1…2,1,1,0…0,0,9,6…8,1,0,5…2,2,5,1,…2,1,1,0…”

These strange series of words and numbers are not the crazy ramblings of a demented person. They are actual broadcasts from real “numbers stations.”

Numbers stations are shortwave radio transmitters that send out a constant stream of numbers, letters, words or song lyrics, all delivered by disembodied voices. The voices are male and female, young and old.

A radio tower, possibly used for broadcasting numbers stations.

To many laypersons that hear number station transmissions for the first time, they sound eerie and distant, as if from a barren, lonely post-apocalyptic future. For governments and others that need to transmit messages to their agents in foreign countries, however, they are extremely valuable.

How Numbers Stations Operate

Number stations, sometimes called One-Way Voice Links (OWVL) broadcast a series of loops of numbers or letters. Inside the string of seemingly nonsensical characters is a code which, if you have the decoding mechanism, delivers secret messages across borders and long distances to foreign agents (spies).

The majority of number stations operate on shortwave radio. This is because shortwave has characteristics that make it easy to send a signal extremely long distances. Although different types of transmission equipment have been used, a regular shortwave transmitter anywhere from 10 kW power to 100 kW is the most common form.

Even though spies have access to high-tech modern equipment, many governments find it advantageous to continue to use old-fashioned shortwave radio. It raises less suspicion than a bank of expensive high-powered equipment. Shortwave radio is also better than modern conveniences like cell phones and e-mail because it does not leave a digital trail.

Recording of a German Numbers Station

Below is a recording of a German Numbers Station dubbed “G06″ or “G6″ at 4792KHz on Dec 11, 2009 at 19:36 ZULU time.

Consistent Format

Number stations usually follow a consistent formula. Most broadcasts take place at the beginning or the bottom of an hour. Very often, the beginning of a broadcast will have a “signature” identifier or slogan—perhaps a saying or phrase; or clip of music, sounds or tones.

Usually there is only one message per each transmission. Just as the sign-on has a signature, sign-offs also have some sort of theme. For example, they may say the word “end” or repeat a series of zeros. You might also hear another snippet of music or sounds.

Number stations are broadcast out in the open but they don’t make any sense to most people. Some officials think they are nothing but a campaign of disinformation by governments to throw adversaries off their trail.

High Profile

Some number stations operate for years:

• One of the most famous, “The Lincolnshire Poacher,” was never acknowledged by the British government although it operated day and night for decades. Its name was based on the fact that they played the first two bars of the folk song, “The Lincolnshire Poacher,” for each string of numbers.
• “Magnetic Fields” is named after the multi-million selling 1981 album from French electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre. Before and after each set of numbers, the “Magnetic Fields” station played a Jean Michel Jarre track.
• A Spanish-speaking numbers station emanating from Cuba began their transmissions with the declaration “Atención!”

A WWI Submarine Radio Receiver

Number stations have been around since World War I. One of the original uses was for countries to communicate with their spies working in foreign countries undercover. Many number stations broadcasts are encrypted with a one-time pad. A one-time pad is a type of encryption method that has a key that is used once and never again. They are considered unbreakable.

Suspected Uses

Numbers stations have been used by criminals like smugglers to help transport illegal contraband such as drugs across borders. It is widely believed, however, that most number stations are run by governments to communicate with agents. Further evidence of this is that most number station broadcasts are in the part of the shortwave band set aside for international use. This band is not available to most citizens that might contemplate using them for criminal activity.

The first official public accusation of using number stations to transmit information to spies was the “Atención!” station of Cuba. A United States Court espionage trial came after the arrest of several Cuban spies in 1998. Prosecutors in United States said they were decoding numbers that came over the “Atención!” number station.

The FBI went to one of the accused spy’s apartment in 1995, gathered computer decryption equipment, and used it to decode their messages. During the trial, the FBI translated some of the spy messages. Here is one example:

“Under no circumstances should agents German nor Castor fly with BTTR or another organization on days 24, 25, 26, and 27.” 

“BTTR” represents the organization Brothers to the Rescue, an anti-Castro group. (Miami New Times Feb 01)

Conet Project

Perhaps the largest collection of number stations transmissions has been gathered by The Conet Project. They have assembled assorted transmissions onto CDs. The recordings have also been made available for free download for the nonprofit use of the general public.

Despite this, the band Wilco used several of the transmissions for a music album without permission. They were subsequently sued and eventually decided to settle out-of-court. They paid for the commercial use of the transmissions as well as legal costs. The Conet Project recordings have been used by noted music groups like Boards of Canada and Faith No More, and in commercial films like Vanilla Sky.

You should be able to pick up a copy of “The Conet Project” over at Amazon here.

Interference and Jamming

Interference and jamming of number stations takes place. Even though the stations are on open frequencies, jamming is somewhat difficult due to the limited number of transmitters available that are capable of jamming a transmission.

Nonetheless, there have been interferences recorded over the years:

• North Korea interfered with the Lincolnshire Poacher station in 2006.
• One dangerous jammer affected critical aeronautical transmissions in the Caribbean in 1990.
• A West German based numbers station interfered with Radio Moscow broadcasts.
• The Mossad station Uniform Lima X-ray clashed with the “Independent Voice of Zimbabwe” broadcasts.

A number of large jamming sessions took place in 2005 and 2006 from what is known as the “Chinese Music Station,” which emanates from the mainland of China.  Many suspect it was an attempt to jam the broadcast of a Taiwanese station named “Sound of Hope.” There were no spoken numbers or letters as in a traditional numbers station broadcast – only a cacophonous mixture of music, songs, sounds, drums, and flutes. (IARU Region 1 report)

There have also been reported jammings of the Lincolnshire Poacher station in the 1990s, the CIA station “Cynthia,” and the Mossad station “EZI 1.”

Fringe Radio

Despite jamming attempts, interference, arrests, and trials over the years, numbers stations continue to survive. In a fast-paced, high-tech modern world, their low-tech, low-profile nature has worked to their advantage. It’s hard to believe James Bond may be getting his next assignment from a simple shortwave radio.

Conclusion

Nobody knows for sure who is transmitting the eerie, robotic numbers and letters across cities, towns, and borders into foreign countries. Many assert they are government agencies communicating to a far-flung spy network, or simply trying to outwit a rival country’s espionage effort. Others believe drug smugglers have learned to use technology to move their product.

All we know for sure is they will continue to send their eerie message across the void as they have for years, “5,2,8,4…6,2,9,7…4,1,6,2…8,8,5,3…”

She begins to use hypnosis on select patients as [...]]]> In 2009, Universal Pictures released The Fourth Kind, a thriller that follows the life of psychologist Dr. Abigail Emily “Abby” Tyler, who lives in Nome, Alaska with her husband. After he mysteriously passes away, she resolves to continue his clinical research with clients suffering from insomnia.

She begins to use hypnosis on select patients as part of their treatment. The hypnosis reveals that several of them have had very similar experiences. They each report waking up at 333 a.m. and seeing a white owl outside their window. Shortly after that, they hear violent sounds outside their room followed by someone, or something, dragging them out of their bed against their will as they scream and howl in protest. Then they black out.

These occurrences follow similar descriptions from alien abductees around the world. Many abductees report seeing animals such as owls, monkeys or raccoons outside their windows at or around 330am right before their abduction.

Charlotte Milchard plays Dr. Abigail Tyler in The Fourth Kind.

Marie D. Jones, a paranormal researcher, was interviewed in a video featurette provided by the film’s producer, Universal Pictures. She calls the appearance of owls a “trigger object.” She said it is a way of calming the abductees before they are taken.

She also explained the time phenomenon. “Time prompts are number sequences that show up over and over again in a person’s life, usually in the form of time,” she explained.  “333am is one of the most common time prompts. It is a ‘trigger time’ for abductions to take place.”

In the film, Tyler begins to believe that these episodes are actually close encounters of the fourth kind. Alien encounters are measured on a scale developed in 1972 by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a noted astronomer and famous ufologist. He researched UFOs with the US government, working with various Air Force sponsored studies including Project Sign (1947-49), Project Grudge (1949-52) and Project Bluebook (1952-69). The levels of close encounters are:

• First Kind: Sighting- visual sightings of flying saucers, unknown aerial objects, and odd lights.
• Second Kind: Evidence- observations of UFOs and the physical evidence of them including heat, damage to train, scared and skittish animals, lost time (gaps in memory), crop circles, and paralysis.
• Third Kind: Contact- there are six levels of contact described by Hynek, from observing inside a UFO, to experiencing “intelligent communication” with aliens.
• Fourth Kind: Abduction- a human is taken aboard a UFO.

A New ‘Blair Witch’ Ruse?

Is The Fourth Kind real? In the beginning of movie, Milla Jovovich says, “I am actress Milla Jovovich, and I will be portraying Dr. Abigail Tyler.  This film is a dramatization of events that occurred October 2000.  Everything in this movie is supported by archive footage. Some of what you are about to see is extremely disturbing.”

The movie studio said the film was based on “archival footage” of a therapist who discovered “the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented” while conducting her hypnosis and therapy sessions. It sounds legitimate, except no one in Alaska has ever heard of Dr. Abigail Tyler. She does not appear in any records of the state Psychologist’s Association or Licensing Board.

However, there actually had been a disturbing number of disappearances in and around Nome, mostly travelers coming to and from surrounding native Inupiat and Siberian Yupik areas. Distraught friends and family were frustrated by the lack of attention from police, believing that there may be one or a group of serial killers at work.

Mysterious Disappearances

In 2006, the Anchorage Daily News reported on the disappearances, saying, “A string of disappearances and mysterious deaths of native villagers visiting Nome was not the work of a serial killer… An FBI study of 24 missing persons and suspicious death cases assembled by Nome police said excessive alcohol consumption and the harsh winter climate were common ties in many of the cases. In 9 of the cases, where no bodies were ever found, state and local investigators said they will continue to search for new leads.”

The article began after a native named Eric Apatiki, 21, disappeared. A tribal council leader, Delbert Pungowiyi, for years had been trying to get an investigation going about various disappearances. “People disappear over there and where are the bodies going? Where are the remains going?” Pungowiyi asked the newspaper. He called Nome “a boneyard for the region because there are so many remains there that have never been found.” The FBI began their investigation in response to the growing frustrations of the native population.

The Daily News concluded that there were no abductions, and the number of missing persons and unresolved deaths is what a small town of Nome’s size would see on average. The newspaper pointed to the FBI investigation, again citing the high incidence of alcoholism and extremely rugged weather conditions.

The nonprofit group that brought the cases to the attention of the general public is not happy about the movie. They claim that it takes away from any real investigation into the disappearances. “The movie looks ridiculous,” said Kawarak, Inc. vice president Melanie Edward told the Daily News. “It’s insensitive to family members of people who have gone missing in gnome over the years.”

A few of the deaths were caused by people suffering from exposure to the cold, or from falling into the freezing waters of the Snake River. Pungowiyi told the paper that he is still under the belief that his uncle disappeared due to some criminal activity. His uncle had arrived in Nome in 1998 to buy a snowmobile. He never returned to his village of Savoonga. He said he believes that some of the deaths, including his uncle, were racially motivated, and believes that one or two people were murdering natives.

Fake News Site

Putting further doubt about the movie’s veracity is the fact that Universal Pictures was sued successfully after they created a fake news site called AlaskaNewsArchive.com. They had a fake story that was reportedly from the real-life Nome Nugget newspaper. The “news story” actually used the name of the Nome Nugget Editor, Nancy Maguire, in the byline. The Alaska Press Club, on behalf of the newspaper and Maguire, sued Universal and settled out-of-court for $20,000.

Alien posession footage from the film

Universal admitted creating the fake online news archive. They said it was part of a “viral marketing campaign.” They even went so far as to create a fake site called AlaskaPsychiatryJournal.com, which listed a bio for Dr. Abigail Tyler and exhibited several scholarly articles she had supposedly written in medical journals on hypnotherapy, hypnotic regression and sleep problems. It was later discovered that Universal Pictures had registered the domain name a month before the movie was released. Both sites are gone now.

Nome residents are also entertained by the obvious difference between the film version of their town and reality. The film was shot in the mountainous areas of Bulgaria, New Zealand, and parts of Alaska. The town of Nome is shown nestled in among mountainous terrain. In reality, Nome is on the edge of a treeless flat expanse up against the Bering Sea in the middle of Alaska’s West Coast.

A Fib On Top of Fabrication

In the final analysis, The Fourth Kind features a therapist, who has a high probability of being fictional, and “archived footage” that is in actuality reenactments with professional actors. In addition, no one seems to be able to find any record of an Abigail Tyler having lived or worked in the Nome area.

Couldn’t they have just checked her Facebook profile?

Many people just brush the movie off as a complete fabrication. However, the producers were not interested in clear cut facts as much as profitable entertainment.  It succeeded on the profit scale, pulling in $25.4 million dollars domestically on a $10 million investment.  On the entertainment side, it fell a little short. IMDB.com raters peg it at 5.9 out of 10, and RottenTomatoes.com gave it a 25% rating.

The film’s tagline says, “It’s Up to You to Decide.” Abduction skeptics say that no abduction episode has ever proven true. However, no one knows for sure. As you watch The Fourth Kind while gripping the arm of your chair as tight as you can, you realize you aren’t sure yourself.

You can pick up The Fourth Kind on Blu-Ray here.