I came across some cogent comments about crop circles on cropcirclenews.com . The site is in development by Allen Branson, a new listmember who got activated to the croppie cause by seeing the movie, “CROP CIRCLES: Quest for Truth” — you can buy a video or DVD on his site. If things go well for Allen, the site will be a central source for all things crop circle related, including conversation. In England, military helicopters are frequently seen above crop circles, and Allen has some interesting reflections about the military being involved in making them: The possibility has been raised that what's creating crop circles is a satellite technology being tested by the military — that precision masers (the microwave version of a laser) are fired from satellites, “cooking” the plants and causing the formations. Although we have those masers, which could be fired from on high in a tightly focused beam into the fields, and microwave energy is a credible explanation for what affects the plants, still there are unanswered questions concerning the application of such technology. How could the beam be precisely focused through cloud cover (a great many formations come in very bad weather)? Given the height of the crops in fields in which formations are found, and that the beam would have to be shot at an angle to hit the base of the plants, how could this be done without also “cooking” the tops of the plants nearby? And how, for instance, would such a device selectively flatten only one species of plant, leaving others standing (given that fields of crops usually have a few brightly colored poppies in them, and sometimes thistles or other extraneous plants which do not flatten with the crop that goes down)? Also, how about formations with several layers of floors that are patterned differently? There's another obvious question, given any explanation for the crop circle phenomenon that involves the military. Why would they test this technology out in the open, taking such pains to create beautiful art work that incorporates very sophisticated geometry? Is this what Sun Tzu meant by The Art of War? PS: When I was working on the filming of the movie, in England, someone interviewed me on video. Here's the video interview — it's about 10 minutes. It was shot where I was staying, and includes footage of the researcher community that I hosted all summer. The video on the Net is choppy, but the voice is smooth, with me giving some of my favorite opinions.
Category Archives: Crop Circles
Crop Circles
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COULD WE SPARK A CAMPAIGN?
12/20/02 (I'm late posting this)
I saw “8 Mile” last night. The slums of Detroit are another world. And worlds like this pocket America. Strange. And ominous.
The movie reeks with life. These people don't go to shrinks to deal with ennui. Just clinging to existence is a full time effort. And that involves a vitality that has no way to express but in toughness and violence. And creativity. Rappers are everywhere, and the street is right in tune with them. Talent is in long supply.
Thanks to the filmmaker for a graphic glimpse of world's colliding that can't maintain as a stable reality. So now what? My impulse is to speak out — to say that attention must be paid. You can't leave people in degradation. Bringing neighborhoods up to decent standards is imperative. It's gorgeous to build architecturally masterful new museums and to rebuild the World Trade Center, but those hallmarks of our excellence are nowhere near as important as clearing up what threatens to sink whatever we build. Then, the international situation is just an extension of these domestic realities, where we have to make the world a place where everyone gets a fairer shake.
We all struggle along, tearing our hair, worrying about terrorism, but the bullet of paying attention to what needs doing close to home, as the cornerstone of creating a more equitable world, we haven't bitten. Go see this movie. See if it's OK to just watch it as entertainment, or if it stirs you to action.
Could there be a campaign that social commentators spark? Could people who write what people read turn their full throttle attention to it? Could they advocate a fundamental change?
This morning, on the Today Show, they had the right idea. Here's what's on the NBC Website:
“Today” is pleased to announce that our ninth annual holiday toy and gift drive is now underway. Last holiday season, we shipped a record $9 million worth of toys, books, games, clothing, electronics and so many other items from our generous partners to more than 500,000 children. These children – from infants to 18 year-olds – are reached through more than 200 non-profit organizations all over the United States. Complete story: http://www.msnbc.com/news/827091.asp#BODY.
People who work on NBC shows and people in the audience who came to see the Today Show were the ones who were donating toys this morning. I was particularly struck when Katie Couric thanked the woman on the staff whose job it is to assemble the toys, that she also gets from corporations and wherever else she can find donors. The woman was said to have a very demanding job which she'd been working at for a long time. Since the project gets just a few mentions on the Today Show, it's essentially a gesture of altruism.
YES! Let all who can do so make serious gestures of altruism. Yes, yes, yes. Earn Brownie Points like crazy. Let corporations compete for how great their social services are. Can you imagine affluent auspices struggling to outdo one another to help humanity? I can.
I'm sending this to some people I post on this website, to see if I can enroll them in spearheading such a thing. A space has been opened here. It could take just a few powerful voices, in concert, to send waves out that embrace everyone. Could giving be what propels us in this new year?
An inspiration comes from the fight against graffiti that was waged in New York City. That effort was small time compared to fighting criminals, but it turned out to be a key to reducing crime. There's a chapter about this in
“The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.” In its review, Time Magazine pointed to the book as being “about the large consequences of marginal actions,” and said, “…such big crimes as assault and robbery happen where small decay, like litter and graffiti, is tolerated.”
Could tackling poverty in America result in dissolving the terrorist threat? Indeed, it could be THE way.
Soundbites
“These [psychedelic] substances, particularly the plants, are communicating with us, and that their message is that we (human-kind) are on the verge of destroying the planet and that we must take action before it's too late (and hopefully it's not yet too late). ” From the December Monthly Report
“The most fascinating thing that sets your website apart from others is that it addresses the crop circle phenomena on a much wider scale. In short, I've reached my destination. I've spent a good part of the day reviewing over the contents of your site and for whatever it's worth, I feel as it I'm home again.” New listmember Linda Genutis
“Much of what you said about the circles this time was new to me and just make me shake my head and say to myself in amazement, 'Wow…. ' even more. Truly a mystery. This does indeed sound like your Grail quest, finding a way to link the circles with the salvation of our seemingly spiraling out of control world.” Listmember Jim Dreaver, commenting on December Monthly Report
“The one thing Michael Moore does is show how Democrats are just as evil as the Republicans — same stupid white men with just different hats. “Bowling for Columbine” shows in detail how the American system is flawed, and how liberals as well as conservatives drive a system of fear down the collective American conscience. ” Listmember Philip McCabe“I really liked what Daniel Pinchbeck had to say [in a tape I sent him of an interview I did with featured conversationalist Daniel — Suzanne] about how the West is going to get out of this mess….by cleaning it up! Yeah, becoming Buddhists and the like ain’t going to do much for the toxic waste dumps, etc. A true Western spirituality will try to heal the mess our ancestors made of this place, as well as where we are leading the world to today (oblivion?). Very cool insight he had.” Listmember Wade Frazier
“The evidence for the reality of UFOs is now so great that a blind man can see it plainly! What is disturbing is that the American people have become so apathetic that they have lost all curiosity and desire to know more about themselves and their place in the Universe. It is as if they are all brain dead! ” Dr. Henry Monteith writing to me about a recent event in Turkey, where airline pilots photographed UFOs in the process of destroying a large meteor that was about to impact upon the earth.”How did [the Bush administration] have that tremendous confidence? I think it came from the fact that they couldn't doubt their own legitimacy because they were so absolutely certain that what preceded was illegitimate. They had an axis of evil before 9/11. It was Bill and Hillary and Ted and people like Jocelyn Elders, et cetera. They thought he should have been impeached. He was impeached in their hearts. He had no moral authority. And therefore, they felt that they just owned something that had been stolen from them.” Gary Wills on “Face the Nation“
