Sparks, Part II - The Empire Strikes Back

[Ankhes]

I just joined this forum and have begun listening to the Paracast. I began with the episode with Rob Fitzgerald of Dead Science. I really like his show and enjoy how he can tell a story, but, as much as I like him and find him credible, I had really hoped for a little more info about his experience. I am also a member over at the JREF Forums and am used to them being skeptical of such claims. I am pleasantly surprised to see skepticism and critical thinking over here. I really did not expect that! Wow, you guys are really sharp here. I hadn't considered Rob's story the way you have.
About Jim Sparks, I also wonder if he'll return for a third time. I have to admit that I find his account intriguing. I couldn't stop listening. But I also wasn't sure I believed that what he claims happened to him has. You all helped me by putting the finger on why. For the time being, I don't believe I'll spend the $25 for his book, interesting as it sounds.
Gene and David, you have a new listener! You two are good interviewers and know the right questions to ask, and you are tactful with your guests. Well, at least in the 2 I have listened to so far! I've downloaded them all and will catch up.
Sorry for such a long first post. I tend to get wordy sometimes.

 

[Tom Levine]

Welcome to the "critical thinking" forums of TheParacast, Ankhes!!!

 

[Ankhes]

Welcome to the "critical thinking" forums of TheParacast, Ankhes!!!

Thanks so much! I see I have quite a job ahead of me to scout around in here and get caught up on the discussions.
I just hope that when I do put in my 2 cents here and there I won't sound stupid. Being new to a skeptical community is intimidating especially when there are so many intelligent and well-informed people. I hope to become one of them someday.
In the meantime, to kind of stay on topic, I look forward to finding out if Jim will indeed return to the Paracast. Even if I don't really know what to think of his claims, he is quite an engaging speaker, imo.

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Welcome to the "critical thinking" forums of TheParacast, Ankhes!!!

Ack, "critical thinking" forums reminds me of Korff's site. Best thing about his forums was the porn spam. Funny.

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Thanks so much! I see I have quite a job ahead of me to scout around in here and get caught up on the discussions.
I just hope that when I do put in my 2 cents here and there I won't sound stupid. Being new to a skeptical community is intimidating especially when there are so many intelligent and well-informed people. I hope to become one of them someday.
In the meantime, to kind of stay on topic, I look forward to finding out if Jim will indeed return to the Paracast. Even if I don't really know what to think of his claims, he is quite an engaging speaker, imo.

There's many non-skeptics here too. A lot of people who are in between.

No matter who you are, you will sound stupid to some, ok to others, and brilliant to a percent as well.

I'll bet Jim will come back on if invited. Unless I missed something nasty said at the end of the latest show that is. I only listened to Jim so far.

 

[Yakuzablitz]

No matter who you are, you will sound stupid to some, ok to others, and brilliant to a percent as well.

Some people here will also tack you on to their ignore lists the minute you challenge them or disagree with something they say. Such is the way of forums, I suppose.

 

[Rick Deckard]

Some people here will also tack you on to their ignore lists the minute you challenge them or disagree with something they say. Such is the way of forums, I suppose.

Right! Just adding you to my ignore list....

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Some people here will also tack you on to their ignore lists the minute you challenge them or disagree with something they say. Such is the way of forums, I suppose.

Beats on going back and forth flaming. I have a few on mine. It's more so the way they are rather than the fact they disagree though. I think I know who you are referring to. That person is taking a break from the forums. He's always been kind to me.

 

[Tom Levine]

Yeah, I can't stand that. There's nothing worse than when someone starts going off on a tangent, spurring you into an argument about nonsense. Then, everyone else has to just sit on the sidelines and wait until the "sidebar" passes. It forces the rest of us to sway way off topic from the original intent of the thread.

Now, ummm...What were we talking about?

 

[musictomyears]

Yeah, I can't stand that. There's nothing worse than when someone starts going off on a tangent, spurring you into an argument about nonsense. Then, everyone else has to just sit on the sidelines and wait until the "sidebar" passes. It forces the rest of us to sway way off topic from the original intent of the thread.

Now, ummm...What were we talking about?

This is now off topic...

... but isn't that be the point at which the moderators must take a stand, and sanction the offending party, or parties? What's the point in being tolerant to people who themselves aren't tolerant to other people's views?

Not everybody has such a thick skin, that they will return to a forum, when chances are they might get offended for no reason. I know I'm not.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

This is now off topic...

... but isn't that be the point at which the moderators must take a stand, and sanction the offending party, or parties? What's the point in being tolerant to people who themselves aren't tolerant to other people's views?

Not everybody has such a thick skin, that they will return to a forum, when chances are they might get offended for no reason. I know I'm not.

Saying you don't "buy" someone's story and then castigating them for lying may be a bit much. At best, we can express our opinions, ask the difficult questions, and we can all make decisions of what it all means.

Certainly, there are guests who wouldn't be comfortable in an environment where they know we will probe. They'd rather deal with a "yes" person who will just be a cheerleader or egg them on to say something even more outrageous.

But we have to show a little tolerance, too, even when we don't agree completely with what someone's saying.

Except for Sylvia Browne, of course.

 

[musictomyears]

Certainly, there are guests who wouldn't be comfortable in an environment where they know we will probe. They'd rather deal with a "yes" person who will just be a cheerleader or egg them on to say something even more outrageous.

Hi Gene (I got here via the MacNightOwl), the part that I quoted from your post is totally mysterious to me. Would you mind explaining again what you are saying..?

I made my comment (and I am glad you picked up on it), because I recently left an open forum because I felt it was not moderated, or policed, very well. On paper (or would that be: On screen?) there were, like, half a dozen moderators, yet they frequently took the side of what I would consider trolls, or posters who made troll-type remarks. You know, when somebody doesn't address the topic of a thread, but repeatedly tries to stir the conversation towards some mindless controversy, using plenty of name-calling and insinuation along the way.

So, I was basically wondering if the mods here (you and David?) are aware of this type of dynamic, which seems rather common.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Hi Gene (I got here via the MacNightOwl), the part that I quoted from your post is totally mysterious to me. Would you mind explaining again what you are saying..?

I made my comment (and I am glad you picked up on it), because I recently left an open forum because I felt it was not moderated, or policed, very well. On paper (or would that be: On screen?) there were, like, half a dozen moderators, yet they frequently took the side of what I would consider trolls, or posters who made troll-type remarks. You know, when somebody doesn't address the topic of a thread, but repeatedly tries to stir the conversation towards some mindless controversy, using plenty of name-calling and insinuation along the way.

So, I was basically wondering if the mods here (you and David?) are aware of this type of dynamic, which seems rather common.

We keep it fairly open, but if someone uses abusive language or otherwise acts in an abusive fashion, they are banned.

Each of you has the power to ignore another member if you don't like what they say and how they say it. That affords you a greater measure of power. That way, people who just want to troll and start trouble will end up being ignored and eventually look for another playground.

 

[musictomyears]

Cool. Best regards.

 

[idris33]

I was happy to hear the interview. I stated in an earlier post that some of his material reminded me of Robert Monroe's OBE-style accounts and, after he said that he saw a duplicate of himself, that clinched it for me. I think he is probably experiencing these things in an OBE state. My readings of Monroe lead me to believe that it can seem very real, similarly to lucid dreams, but I don't believe that his experiences are physical in origin.

One thing about the way Jim communicates also dawned on me (I really don't mean this to sound mean, he really seems to be a decent guy). When I heard him in the first interview (and much of the second), he spoke so fast, and so much, that he seemed to me to be trying to take up time during the interview. For me, when he spoke this way, the vocal monotony made me so irritated that I mentally (and possibly unfairly) branded his account as untrue. After I heard him mention a few times about how the creatures he encountered could telepathically understand his intentions and thoughts, and respond faster than he could vocalize, it dawned on me that he may grown over the years into a "fast talker" in response to the speed with which his hosts communicated with him over the years.

 

[Mogwa]

Does anyone know the history of alien abduction.... like, when was the first case of a Gray contact, or a reptilian contact?

The first written accounts of alien abductions by both grays and reptillians can be found in the sacred texts of Shumer, circa 3000-3500 b.c.e.
The Gala or Galatur were described as pale, sexless artificial life forms, smaller than an average human male and having extremely large eyes. They served as servant drones to higher status entities. Their duties included spying, kidnapping, cattle theft and murder. Children and young women seemed to provide especially tempting victims for abduction. They very rarely ventured out in daylight, much preferring the night to carry out their duties.
Reptillian species came in two varieties, the Utukku and Pazuzu. The Uttuku could supposedly had wings and a serpent like visage that resembled a cross between a bird of prey and a viper. Pazuzus had tails, scales, and a protruding mandible we would identify today as a physical feature common to raptor-like dinosaurs. Both reptillian species exhibited a taste for human flesh and blood. It seemed to be within their power to command the Gala at will.
Although the Utukka could fly or glide under their own power like birds, all three of the entity types were associated with the phenomenon today we would call spheres; balls of light of various colors and sizes able to float slowly across the terrain, or traverse the entire horizon in the blink of an eye. The Gala were also capable of rising up from the ground and passing effortlessly through walls.
The home base of these alien creatures was allegedly in a location called Kur or Ki Gal, a term that translates into colloquial English as "the Great Below." Kur could be found on the earth itself, in vast systems of subterranean caverns and tunnels, rather than on some distant world.
Res ipsa loquitur. Make of it what you will.

 

[Ankhes]

One thing about the way Jim communicates also dawned on me (I really don't mean this to sound mean, he really seems to be a decent guy). When I heard him in the first interview (and much of the second), he spoke so fast, and so much, that he seemed to me to be trying to take up time during the interview. For me, when he spoke this way, the vocal monotony made me so irritated that I mentally (and possibly unfairly) branded his account as untrue. After I heard him mention a few times about how the creatures he encountered could telepathically understand his intentions and thoughts, and respond faster than he could vocalize, it dawned on me that he may grown over the years into a "fast talker" in response to the speed with which his hosts communicated with him over the years.

I at first thought much along the same lines. I did not come to your conclusion the way you did, but from realizing that I, myself, am guilty of speaking rapidly sometimes. When I am relating a story my mouth tries to match the speed of my brain and I am frequently asked to slow down, as I speak too rapidly for my listeners. So, plain and simply, some of us are just fast talkers.
As a sort of aside, John Edward does this, I believe, on purpose to keep people from interrupting his guessing games. So, it is quite possible Jim Sparks is doing the same. Or else he has told this story so many times now that it just pours from him without effort.

 

[The Hawk]

Anyone who has been telling their stories like 20+ or who knows how many times will sound rehearsed after awhile. I would not trust a person who sounded like they were trying to recall an event every time they are asked about the same story they have told 20 times. That would be problematic; those are the people who retell stories differently every time. I've paid close attention to dynamics like this with the tens of thousands of interviews I've heard. For some bizarre reason some individuals (like some of those in our Sparks topics) find someone with a rehearsed story like that to sound less credible..

 

[Tom Levine]

...The Gala or Galatur were described as pale, sexless artificial life forms...

Gee, there's a joke in there somewhere...

Seriously, very interesting post. Thx!

 

[musictomyears]

That's fascinating, Mogwa, would you mind sharing with us the source(s) of this information?

What you say reminds me quite a bit of David Icke's interview with the Zulu shaman Credo Mutwa. I am not usually a big fan of Icke, but I think this interview is outstanding.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000068TUG/?tag=rockoids-20

Mutwa repeatedly describes what sounds like "Chitahuri", humanoid creatures with reptilian heads. God only know how credible it all is, but it sort of blends in with a lot of modern day reports on reptilians.