There are many intriguing sidelights to the May 17th House hearing on UFOs (UAPs). Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett lists numerous reasons he believes what's behind much of the current excitement might not be mundane in origins. Tyler Olson has that story and background. Luis Elizondo asks pointed questions when the Ex-UFO Pentagon Program Chief Says DOD Has Much More 'Compelling Video' to Release on Sightings. On May 16th Bryan Bender discussed 'A Skull and Bones-Type Vibe': Spy Agencies Grapple with How Much to Share at UFO Hearing. Bender's article is important alone, but note its reference and link to the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies' "open letter." George Knapp makes excellent points as the UFO Hearing Fails to Answer Important Questions about 'Drone' Speculation. And Billy Cox "puts a bow on this all" while noting that UFOs are Still Begging for 'Adequate Attention'. Billy takes us back to the last Congressional hearing and up to the day before the May 17th event, commenting upon some of the above topics and wondering what's next. (WM)

Thanks to a recent reported sighting, Charles Paxton gives a good précis of Nessie appearances over the decades and speculates that they are "a function of human psychology rather than nature." He may be right, but no doubt many will disagree. And as one of the Scottish tabloids ungrammatically notes, The Loch Ness Monster Mystery as The Sightings Keep Coming . This piece, identical in parts to the Paxton item above, gives us nothing more than the usual ponderings, while Philip Hoare reflects on his personal fascination with the subject in From Loch Ness to the Essex Serpent, Why Are Humans So Keen To Invent Sea Monsters? Prompted by a new British TV series The Essex Serpent and by the recent new sighting, he looks back at how the sea and its strange critters have long been in the human psyche and interpreted in a great many non-scientific ways. (LP)

Here are two reports of women grabbing fear by its unmentionables and coming out as successful ghost hunters. First up is a woman who turned the tables on a years long polt attachment, becoming the hunter instead of the hunted. Next, this Aussie Ghost Whisperer Reveals the FIVE Signs Your House Is Haunted as She Reveals The Most Terrifying Moments She's Had on the Job: 'I Was Attacked by a Spirit'. The signs she lists are likely familiar to any Anomalist reader, but they're relevant and worth repeating, because ignoring a situation does not make it go away. (CM)

The first public governmental hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years generated considerable mainstream media attention. Julian E. Barnes summarizes the hearing's open portion, including a fleeting video glimpse of a UFO/UAP from an F/A-18 fighter jet and the explanation of "triangle-shaped" UFOs recorded by Naval vessels off the West Coast in 2019 as camera artifact-affected images of still-unidentified drones. Witnesses Undersecretary for Defense Ronald Moultrie and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray emphasized the need for sensor improvements, that public transparency on UAPs must be balanced with the need for secrecy, and the intent to enlist wider participation from other US departments in their new Pentagon investigation. Much testimony reflected reporting and recommendations in the June 25, 2021 Office of the Director of National Intelligence "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena." Politico's Bryan Bender offers Pentagon Getting More UFO Reports Now That 'Stigma has been Reduced'. Bender accentuates Moultrie's pledge to apply "rigorous scientific analysis" to the reporting. BBC News notes regarding UFOs: Few Answers at Rare US Congressional Hearing. The article sketches events since the last public Congressional interest, noting deficiencies already mentioned here. And NPR's Christopher Dean Hopkins and Giles Snyder headline The Military's UFO Database Now has Info from about 400 Reported Incidents. They include the video of the entire open session. (WM)

Reportage within the "UFO-literate Community" of the May 17th House hearing on UFOs/UAPs tends to be more detailed than in the mainstream media. The Observer covers "The Basics" of the participants and significant questions and comments. Note that AAWSAP wasn't mentioned as an initiative between Project Blue Book and AATIP. Micah Hanks also gives Highlights from the Congressional Hearing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Hanks specifies the exact time a particular question occurred. He remarks on Undersecretary of Defense Moultrie's pronunciation of the acronym AOIMSG as "Aim-Sog," and that the name (thankfully!) will likely be changed. The video of the open hearing is also included. Regarding the new UFO/UAP imagery, see John Greenewald's UAP Hearing Visuals Officially Released by the DoD - Download Them Here. The War Zone's Adam Kehoe says Congress's Big Hearing On UFOs Was Remarkably Down To Earth, subheading "The first Congressional Hearing on UFOs in 50 years was all about drones and foreign actors, not extraterrestrial visitation." The "drone threat" is a favorite War Zone theme. Kevin Randle thinks the Congressional UAP Briefing was history repeating itself--save for the reversal from the Condon Committee's conclusion "UFOs (not UAPs) were not a threat to national security." And Jason Colavito rather gloats while claiming the Congressional UFO Hearing Goes Badly for Ufologists. (WM)

Bryan Sentes corrects skeptic Robert Sheaffer's perception regarding Jacques Vallee's use of the term "metalogic." Bryan goes further in The Superhumanities Avant le Lettre and other Observations: Notes on the Introduction to Jacques Vallee's The Invisible College. Here Bryan critiques Vallee's approach, sensing limitations in Vallee's and Rice University prof Jeffrey Kripal's constructions of the "totality of reality." Yet Bryan looks forward to Kripal's upcoming book on The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities. And Bryan recognizes Vallee's The Invisible College, published by Anomalist Books, as "a work that, on review, has proven prescient and influential." Bryan returns his critical eye towards Harvard astrophysicist and The Galileo Project co-founder in Whack-a-Loeb: The Latest Round. Sentes thinks Avi Loeb vastly underestimates the problem of real interspecies communication (as with ET) and overestimates AI "translation" capabilities. And Bryan has fun explaining why Avi Loeb is the Worst. But Bryan's excoriation of Loeb's How Can We Guide Our Life? tempts us to read Loeb's article, the fully to appreciate Bryan's points! (WM)

There's a lake on a mountain in Ontario, Canada, that appears to have no outside source and yet replenishes its fresh water, seemingly by magic. The Indigenous Mohawks of the area believed the lake to be sacred and home to water spirits, while early settlers were convinced the lake was bottomless.  While we're on the topic of water, Yes, Sometimes Animals Do Rain From the Sky . Lizards become stiff when temperatures drop, baby spiders balloon through the air, and fish get sucked up into waterspouts. And be warned, what comes up must come down. Cold lizards fall off perches, baby spiders land on whatever or whomever is convenient, and a fish dinner lands on the ground in front of you. A veritable Fort-fest! (CM)

Jack Brewer sees in the current situation instructive echoes of Donald Keyhoe's efforts to "generate Congressional hearings on UFOs during the 1960s." Jack excerpts from his recent book "Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC." One may wish to compare the treatment accorded the Keyhoe element and its context in UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry, Michael Swords and Robert Powell, eds., from Anomalist Books. More on the intersection of UFOs and the "Fed" comes from Curt Collins' The U.S. Government's Policy on UFO Hoaxes. Curt's historical article answers the question "Why aren't UFO hoaxers sent to jail?" And one of the most iconic, personal, and frightening of UFO close encounters reverberates even today in the mind of "a child of the 1980s." Revisiting the Infamous Hill Case in an Era of (More) UFO News and Government Secrets allows Nick Ripatrazone to note "the Reissue of John G. Fuller's The Interrupted Journey" and tell why "The Hill case still frightens me." (WM)

Updated: On the eve of the first public Congressional hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years, Marik von Rennenkampff asks a pointed question of the government. He is convinced the object displayed in a 2015 video proves "breakthrough technologies" demanding some form of governmental acknowledgement. What's behind his certainty is the remarkable The "Gimbal" UAP video analysis von Rennenkampff links to and summarizes. The open House hearing session airs on Tuesday, May 17, at 9 am on YouTube. Something making this whole "unidentified" dialogue more "acceptable" may be an emerging and belatedly acknowledged danger: drones. Loukia Papadopoulos says and asks regarding A New All-Electric Drone is Totally Silent. And it Uses Ion Propulsion? This would seem to expand the discussion of even publicly-known drone capabilities, highlighted by the recent Biden Administration move to develop a comprehensive approach to the drone threat. (WM)

We begin with the story from a well-known American field biologist from1972, during his time working for Wyoming Game and Fish Department. This was his first Bigfoot experience and his employer promptly shut him down, which was unsurprising given his government-issued tent was essentially bear bait. Next we look at a questionable tale by Two hikers Claim They've Spotted Scary Bigfoot Creature While Walking in Woods. Whatever they spotted—maybe an overheated buddy in a costume—it seemed to be wandering about without any purpose whatsoever. If the video is genuine, someone needs to send Bigfoot a map and some antidepressants. But we also have good news: Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters have a new release available for viewing on YouTube: Bridgewater Triangle Bigfoot - Bigfoot Beyond the Trail (New Sasquatch Evidence Documentary) is exactly what we've come to expect from Breedlove. It's gritty and real and lacks any kind of sensationalism, and draws us in just like we were trekking through the dark woods with them. It's absolutely worth watching. (CM)

Ufological gadfly Rich Reynolds lists the shortcomings of numerous different ways to study the phenomenon. Only Rich contends they aren't really studying the "phenomenon" per se; they're missing the real questions. Rich enumerates some of these questions, believing they may relate to a "phenomenon beyond human scrutiny." But what about The Intellectual Approach to UFOs? Rich says "That's okay with me but it's all wrong for the phenomenon." Here he expands upon the apparent ineffability of the subject. Rich also has thoughts about The Magic of God (and UFOs). He offers "a suggestion, one almost too bizarre to delve into," about the origin of UFOs. It's on the order of the late Mac Tonnies' thinking, as developed in Mac's book The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us, published by Anomalist Books. Rich further develops this in The Malevolence of the Gods (and UFOs). Rich considers the apparent passivity of UFOs to large-scale evils in human history. "But that is about to change and is changing. More on that upcoming." (WM)

What needs to be said here is the unconsciousness is the kind which comes with anaesthesia. Rather than completely shutting down the brain, the cortext remains lively on all levels and Arjun Bharioke gets down to the science behind this curious activity. Less scientific, but more common sense, has Michael Grosso exhorting his readers to Turn Off Your Brain And Be Enlightened. Except one doesn't merely turn off their brain, but control and focus the brain from unnecessary distractions. The weird bit is how Mike deftly draws a parallel with St. Joseph of Copertino and near-death experiences worthy of contemplation. In a similar vein Mark Frauenfelder wants to share how After You Die, Your Eyes Continue To See For Up To Five Hours! While a far cry from vindicating Wilhelm Kühne's maverick theory of optograms, it does suggest death may not truly be the end on a biological level. Kinda surprising how our neurological system can remain so resilient despite millennia of brain shrinkage. Yet despite our conceits of enlightenment and being surrounded by whiz-bang tech, human brains are smaller than those of our ancestors. Chris Baraniuk looks into Why Human Brains Were Bigger 3,000 Years Ago suggesting it's not what you have but how you use it. Familiar with that one, fellas? (CS)

While Perserverence is the earthbound media's darling, her sibling Curiosity continues to do serious science and take provocative photos on the red planet. A recent snap beamed back home caught Becky Ferreira's attention, and she gives the image a couple of pokes to see how it stands up. On the other hand Tom Metcalfe feels the need to say The 'Doorway' Seen On Mars Is Not For Aliens. Here's How It Really Formed. Funny thing is the areologists consulted by Tom just hypothesize "natural forces" rather than getting specific. Typical. While 21st century Earthlings ardently believe they are not alone, Tim Brinkhof answers the burning question, "Did Ancient Greek Philosophers Believe In Aliens? Let's just say that the more things change, the more things stay the same. From Tim's essay the ancient Greeks were annoyed by the lack of evidence for existence which is a great segue to Ben Turner's own meditation upon Why Have Aliens Never Visited Earth? Is it our body odor? Our small talent for war? Russia? It may be that we're not to blame, nor can one fault a seeming lack of faster-than-light travel. Rather powerful alien civilizations may have their own mundane challenges preventing diasporae or conquering fleets from plying the void. (CS)

How can a 200 plus year old house not be haunted, wonders Mayor Eric Adams and Tim Donnelly, but historians, ghost hunters, and employees disagree with Hizzoner. Still there are a few who back up those claims, and they're definitely spooky. If you plan on visiting the Big Apple and holding vigil at the mayor's mansion, prepare yourself for what might be seen with these two ghost reports courtesy of Tim Binnall. First on the docket a Hospital Security Guard Films A Shadow Figure and there's footage so you can judge for yourself. nota bene — The video was posted on reddit where folks say and post anything for imaginary internet points. A little less doubtful is how one Security Camera Captures Ghostly Activity At The University Of Argentina just last Thursday. And if it was faked by the security guard, why would he jeopardize his job by being filmed running away like a scared little girl? (CS)

Keith Basterfield notes the latest "mystery within a mystery" in the UFO universe—the brief appearance and then disappearance of the Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) database from a new website. However, Keith also captured "Two other startling reports" from the same area and general era as the 2004 "Tic-Tac" incidents. Christopher Mellon has some Draft Issues and Questions for the House UAP Hearing on May 17th. Mellon makes his usual excellent observations and, if most of the hard questions he poses for the witnesses this Tuesday aren't in fact asked, they should be! Kevin Randle has something to say about Open Hearings of UFOs and a Couple of Pictures. Kevin's got little confidence that the Tuesday hearings will feature the right experts and produce any results different from previous (read "1948," "1953," and "1966-1968") governmental investigations. (WM)

Yes, there is water not he Moon; lots of it. But where did it—or does it—come from? NASA's forthcoming Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper will tell us about the distribution of that water and perhaps its origins. And in doing so, it may lend support for the late space physicist's small comets discovery. If Louis Frank is correct, small comets should be delivering a relatively homogeneous layer of glacial ice within the polar craters. In other Moon news, Chinese scientists have analyzed the lunar soil collected and brought back by their Chang’e-5 mission and concluded that Lunar Soil Has the Right Stuff for “Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis”, the water for which could be sourced from lunar ice. (PH)

Intriguing news! Douglas Dean Johnson breaks this unconfirmed selection of Dr. Kirkpatrick to direct the Pentagon's new UFO office. Johnson cites relevant portions of Kirkpatrick's background, family, and their dogs. (Does anyone remember what happened when the last UFO study was headed by a physicist back in the late 1960s?) Johnson highlights aspects of the two recent AOIMSG job postings and provides a video snippet of Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby's comments about the AOIMSG and the upcoming Congressional UFOs Hearing. Kirby, like everyone else, has trouble with that acronym! Meanwhile, Keith Basterfield has been Mining the "PhenomAInon" BAASS Database for Information on those DIA AAWSAP Documents. Keith summarizes and comments on 11 seriously scary poltergeist-type incidents. Also of import and mystery is Keith's note that "as of 12 May 2022, the website seems to have removed the BAASS database from the site." We imagine Keith's excellent reporting will keep us apprised of further developments. (WM)

Some cool maverick science to end the week. It's already known that transplanting poop from a healthy colon into a diseased colon can help the diseased colon heal itself. Gross but not worrisome. Now scientists have figured out that gifting the poop of younger poopers to older poopers may help slow down or reverse cognitive decline—at least in mice. Be sure to flush folks, because things could get messy. It gets weirder though, because researchers have finally proven what zombies have known all along: Old Mice 'Rejuvenated' With Injections of Brain Fluid From the Young. So the questionable lifestyle of vampires has been validated by the folks in lab coats. And we've known for a while now that Young Blood May Be Rejuvenating The Old. So to recap, the future of aging looks like blood banks, brain juice smoothies, and public toilets that pay you to make a deposit. (CM)

A sighting last month produced a cellphone record and a more interesting story, as the witness' description of the object's aerial antics proves. What's more, she apologizes for previous criticisms of blurry UFO videos. Argentina: The LUCI Phenomenon (03. Yo Fui Testigo)—"I was a witness" concerns a marvel first recorded in Argentina, but if Demetrio Charalambous is correct it seems a least Western-Hemisphere-wide. The witness does consider mundane possibilities, but the described antics of the object are remarkable. Researchers Nelson Polanco and Luis Burgos discuss the area where ufology and folklore seem to coalesce in OVNIRADIO- ICOU 03. The Invaders (Humanoid Case Histories - "The Lilliputians, Part 1". Polanco and Burgos come up with a new classification for very tiny humanoids, and tell several detailed and beguiling but puzzling stories. (WM)