Irony in Advertising

The Consumerist website offers articles related to “consumer culture”, and last week the site featured a selection of amusing ironic adverts from bygone eras. Top 10 Ironic Ads From History was compiled by Carrie McLaren and Jason Torchinsky, who are co-editors of Ad Nauseum: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture.

As mentioned in the article, old cigarette ads are a dime a dozen, but they also happen to be personal favourites of mine – like the one below. According to the ad, “three leading research organizations” surveyed men and women in “every branch of medicine”, asking what brand of cigarette they puffed on. “The brand named most was Camel!”



Because, you see, back in those days, there was a thing called the “T-Zone” – “T” for “Throat” and “T” for “Taste”. “See how your taste responds to the rich, full flavor of Camel’s costlier tobaccos,” boasts the advert. Ahh, I see…cheap tobaccos give you cancer.

….I always preferred Marlboros anyway.

You can view all the crazy old ads in the Consumerist article here:
http://consumerist.com/5306170/top-10-ironic-ads-from-history



by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

The Bliss Point

In a new book entitled The End of Overeating, David Kessler - former head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - suggests that food manufacturers and their scientists devise combinations of sugar, fat and salt to make their products irresistible. Kessler believes that the blame for the rampant increase of obesity and those with weight problems cannot be squared solely at the consumer. Rather, he suggests snacks, cereals and ready-made meals are created by food manufacturers with a specific goal in mind – to act on the reward centres of the brain, triggering the so-called “bliss point” and leaving the unwitting consumer hungry for more.

Kessler was best known for his attacks on the tobacco industry while at the FDA and in an article for The Times Online (UK) by science editor Jonathan Leake, he said that he believed the food industry manipulated their products in the manner that tobacco companies did/do to make their cigarettes more addictive. And while this may not be a new concept to many familiar with the pitfalls of processed foods, that an esteemed member of a former governing body has come forth with such a statement is important. Kessler makes a strong point that society has been shaped so that there is a food outlet on almost every street corner, allowing easy accessibility to unhealthy, “bliss-triggering” products whilst on the other hand organic, healthy foods increase in price and become less available.



By mixing precise combinations of sugar, fat and salt and texture, Kessler believes manufacturers create “hyper-palatable” foods to “stimulate feelings of pleasure”. He lists Heinz tomato ketchup and Starbucks’ Frappucinos as among the thousands of modern foods engineered to trigger the brain’s pleasure centres. Kessler ran the FDA from 1990 to 1997, and is now professor of paediatrics, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California. He says that most people have a “bliss point” where an individual receives the greatest pleasure from sugar, fat or salt.

“As more sugar is added, food becomes more pleasurable until we reach the bliss point, after which it becomes too sweet and the pleasure drops off, “ Kessler told The Times. The same applies with fat and salt. According to Kessler, the optimum point stimulates a person’s appetite instead of suppressing it. By combining certain quantities of sugar etcetera, the ‘bliss point’ can be consistently stimulated resulting in constant craving.

In 2001, the National Audit Office in Britain released a report stating that 20% of adults were obese – a number that has been estimated at 25% today (no doubt a conservative figure). In 2007, the government’s Foresight report said that modern foods “with their increased palatability and ability to heighten sensory stimulation (emphasis added), drive us to reward ourselves with more food.” Following the 2001 report by the Audit Office, England’s chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson was so alarmed that he labelled the situation a “health time bomb”. Of course, given all of the above information, proper nutritional education is also of the utmost importance in a motorised society conditioned to believe that there is little time for one to cook or prepare a healthy meal or snack.

by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)


(Source: The Times Online (UK) – Junk food triggers our ‘bliss point’ by Jonathan Leake)

Crossed Lines

If you’ve ever been disconnected from a phone call made to India, perhaps the photos below will illustrate why. Then again, it’s a wonder those pesky Indian telemarketers can actually get a connection to your home thousands of miles away. These photos, which appeared recently on rense.com, clearly display the shabby state of communications in some parts of the world’s second-most populous country.






by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

Chaiten Spectacular!

On the 3rd May, the Chaiten volcano erupted in spectacular fashion, 800 miles south of Santiago in Chile. The photographs below were captured at night as the volcano did its thing amid a thunderstorm.

About a year ago, the volcano erupted for the first time in what was believed to be around 9,000 years. Evacuations of the neighbouring town of Chaiten have since been a regular occurrence as the volcano proceeds through its new eruptive phase.






by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

No Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Last week, the Orange County online news service - www.ocregister.com - posted an image of the end of a rainbow. This rarely-seen sight was captured by one Jason Erdkamp, a resident of Lake Forest, as he was driving in northeast Orange County in Southern California. Unfortunately for Mr Erdkamp, there was no pot of gold lying on the highway.

There was a flurry of activity on the website following the post, with many questioning the validity of the image. Photoshop was discussed, prompting science writer/editor Gary Robbins to gather some professional opinions. He consulted with noted photographers, a graphic designer and meteorologists who all agreed the photograph had not been manipulated.

One witty reader on the website made the comment that the lack of a pot of shiny gold meant that the photograph actually depicted the beginning of the rainbow. This, of course, is a convenient excuse for those treacherous leprechauns.


by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

(Source: http://www.ocregister.com)

Close Encounters of the First Kind

The UFO research community has been buzzing after what appear to be two incredible sightings in the last few weeks. Among the myriad encounters that are reported nearly every day across the globe, these two events have prompted many to ask if we, the inhabitants of this planet, are on the verge of a major revelation regarding the UFO phenomenon. Yet there are others who yet again ask for substantial proof of these events (such as a clear photograph or video footage) other than the verbal testimony of eyewitnesses.

Just over a week ago, it was reported that a group of eight Chinese fire-fighters observed an object in Liu Pan Shui City for over an hour. The strange craft was filmed by one of the group and a still frame from the footage was released (see above). Similar craft have been observed in the past and described as “diamond UFO’s” – two rotating cones joined at the base and flashing a range of colours. Twenty minutes of footage was shown to staff at the Liu Pan Shui meteorological bureau. They were at a loss to explain the craft. The footage was then handed to government astronomical departments for further examination.

Many would consider the relegation of the footage to a government body as being the last time it would ever be seen. However, unlike their counterparts in the west, the Chinese media and government are more open to the possibility of alien visitation and regard the UFO phenomenon as fact, not fiction. Many in the UFO community are confident that the footage will soon be made available to the general public.

The other incident occurred in Saudi Arabia, and was reportedly witnessed by millions of people. On the evening of January 7th, a loud noise was heard in the sky and a bright object was observed, east of the capital Riyadh. Locals in the region said they heard an explosion and felt a tremor, indicating the object had crashed to Earth. Many stated it was nothing more than a satellite or meteor, yet others claiming to have seen meteors in the past, disagreed. It was reported that the object was a blue green colour and was discarding what seemed to be laser beams as it moved across the sky.

Again, the incident received no attention from the western media, but the usually conservative Saudi press has given the event much coverage. Many witnesses to the incident feared for their lives and began to pray – such was the magnitude of the sighting. The Saudi government has not released any information regarding the object or its supposed crash, but have reportedly sealed off the area where it was believed to have gone down. Many pictures have surfaced (such as the one below) but have done little to quiet the sceptics due to the camera focus problems that inevitably cloud the UFO issue.



by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

(Source: http://www.allnewsweb.com)

Selling Your Soul On The Internet

This is Natalie Dylan (a pseudonym). She is a 22 year-old college student who is auctioning her virginity online. That’s right folks – she is selling her hymen to the highest bidder. She sees this as a business opportunity – originally the idea was to pay for a masters degree in Women’s Affairs (yes, you heard right), but since the auction began in July last year, other doors have opened for this enterprising young whore (I mean, lady).

Ms Dylan first rose to infamy last September when she appeared on the misogynistic Howard Stern radio show in the US. So far, the auction has had over 10,000 responses, with bidding reaching US$3.8 million! An unidentified Australian businessman is the leading bidmeister. With that kind of money, who needs a college degree? With the offer to write a book and a possible movie deal in the works (please, nooooo!), Ms Dylan has not set an end date to her auction. Of course not – ya gotta milk it for all it’s worth.

Nat explained she is willing to undergo lie detector tests and gynaecological exams to prove that what she is selling is the real article. She says that she has been approached by all manner of weirdos and lonely guys – from men actually seeking a relationship (which is not on the table – it’s a strictly one-night affair) to others who are excessively graphic in their descriptions of what they would like to do to this young flower should they win the auction. Ms Dylan said the idea came to mind after her own sister paid for her degree by working for a time in a brothel.

Some might find this genius – but it sets a dangerous precedent. I mean, what is next on the horizon? Taboos are no longer taboo, sacred acts no longer sacred, and human dignity is being stripped to the bone without anyone even realising it. But, for fear it may leave me behind, I too am hopping on the ol’ gravy train. So you’ll excuse me while I go list my scrotum on Ebay.

by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

(Source: http://ninemsn.com.au)

The Battle of Los Angeles

On the night of February 24th and 25th, 1942, several unidentified flying objects were spotted in the skies above southern California, prompting an artillery assault from the US armed forces. Many explanations were put forth regarding the event, both from civilians and the military, and the ‘Battle’ has gained much attention in the circles of Ufologists. For no object was hit by the barrage of artillery and many reported that objects simply disappeared after the event – clear indication to some that the objects seen on that night were nothing short of alien craft.

On the 24th, naval intelligence warned that an attack on US soil could be expected within hours. Around ten o’clock that night, the warning was lifted, but in the early hours of the 25th, radar picked up an unidentified ‘target’ approximately 120 miles west of Los Angeles. Anti-aircraft batteries were alerted and the unidentified craft was tracked to within a few miles of the coast where it subsequently vanished. Nearing 3am on February 25th, a coast artillery colonel spotted “about 25 planes at 12,000 feet” over Los Angeles. Four anti-aircraft batteries opened fire and the airspace above Los Angeles “erupted like a volcano”.

From here, reports of the incident vary widely. Great numbers of planes in the air were reportedly observed that night – anywhere from one to several hundred were seen, ranging in altitude and speed. The mysterious craft dropped no bombs and despite reports that four were shot down, no evidence of this was forthcoming. Hollywood residents perched themselves on rooftops and hills to watch the fiery parade of UFO’s and exploding shells. The only damage sustained to the city came from some shell fragments and car accidents, initiated by a military-enforced blackout. One citizen reportedly died of heart failure amidst the excitement – the first real taste of the drama of the Second World War for most Americans.

At a press conference on the 25th, Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox explained that the incident was a false alarm and there was no evidence supporting the presence of enemy planes. For it was not initially stated by anyone that the observed craft were alien in nature. The most common belief was that the craft were either commercial airlines or Japanese planes - the fact that no bombs were dropped signified a reconnaissance mission. The Army waited a day to issue any statements, interviewing witnesses to the event and eventually arriving at the aforementioned conclusions. After the war however, the Japanese insisted that no planes had been anywhere in the vicinity of Los Angeles on the night in question.

The actions of the military were put on trial in the media with reporters expressing concern at the lack of a satisfying response to the event. If no craft were actually present and it were a case of the jitters, the confidence in the actions of military personnel was extremely troubling. If the craft were indeed flying as low as 9,000 feet (as was reported by some), why were the aircraft batteries so ineffective? And moreover, why were no American planes sent to engage the objects even though they were put on alert? The question posed was what would the response have been if the incident were not a false alarm? Was this the kind of incompetence the public could expect?

These simple facts regarding the “Battle of Los Angeles” have been the source of much speculation from those researching the global UFO phenomenon. The vanishing objects, the lack of damage or downed craft and the supposed cover-up by the military have all lent credence in the eyes of the UFO community to the version of events relating to alien visitation. There is no denying that an event took place in the skies above Los Angeles in 1942, but its explanation could be as far from the aroused speculation as the distance covered by visiting alien life-forms.

by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

Project Censored

At the end of each year, the Project Censored website lists their selections for the years’ top 25 censored news stories. These stories received no mention in the mainstream media or were presented by the networks with limited and often misleading information. Details of these newsworthy items could be found on the internet, but in that way, not particularly accessible to the majority of the world’s population who receive their news from mainstream media outlets.

You can view the full list of censored stories at:
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/category/y-2009/

Below are three that I found most pertinent and alarming.

El Salvador’s Water Privatization and the Global War on Terror
In July 2007, community leaders and residents who were demonstrating the privatization of El Salvador’s water supply and distribution systems, were arrested by Salvadoran police and held in custody for almost a month. Fourteen people were charged as “terrorists” under El Salvador’s anti-terrorism laws, modelled on the USA Patriot Act. As Project Censored points out, criminalization of political expression and social protest presents a serious danger to the peace and human rights of Salvadorans that were secured after a twelve-year civil war.

Members of El Salvador’s water workers union (SETA) state that privatization of the country’s water would have the same devastating effect on the population as when the telecommunications and electricity sectors came under private ownership. Many workers were fired and forced to reapply for the same positions at lower pay and without benefits. But it seems that the ability to protest such actions of government will not be tolerated under US-backed Salvadoran authority. Salvadorans insist that fighting for water is a right, not a crime - but the quest for global domination by corporation is extending at a rapid rate that only spells doom for those caught in the middle.


Worldwide Slavery
Project Censored reports that twenty-seven million slaves exist in the world today – more than at any time in human history. Globalization, poverty and greed facilitate the growth of slavery and it is not simply confined to the Third World. According to the US Department of Justice, 17,500 new victims are trafficked across American borders every year, with about 800,000 trafficked across international borders. Slavery now rivals drug trafficking and illegal arms trading as the most lucrative criminal enterprise on the planet.

‘Bonded labor’ continues to be the most common form of this insidious racket. An individual can fall under the control of a wealthy person by simply accepting a loan. In impoverished circumstances, it is not that difficult to understand how easy this can happen. When the wealthy patron continues to increase interest and add inflated expenses to the original loan, an individual can remain servile their entire life – sometimes passing the debt onto family members. Despite the efforts of non-governmental abolitionists in liberating slaves, the mainstream media has tip-toed around this problem for some time, seemingly unable to accept that (yes, I’ll say it again) there are more slaves on the planet than at any time in human history.


Japan Questions 9/11 and the Global War on Terror
In the Japanese Parliament in January 2008, during a live television broadcast, Parliament member Yukihisa Fujita openly questioned the validity of the War on Terror and insisted that an investigation into the catalyst – 9/11 – be conducted by Japanese authorities. Even though twenty-four Japanese citizens were killed on 9/11, Fujita made the comment that no mandated criminal investigation had been carried out by the Japanese government.
The Parliament was meeting to debate Japan’s renewed ‘anti-terror laws’, which would result in a commitment of logistical support for coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Fujita felt it was timely and appropriate to discuss the ‘suspicious information’ being uncovered by independent journalists on the internet. Fujita presented slides to demonstrate these arguments and detailed such events of that infamous day including the lack of evidence of a plane crash at the Pentagon, the odd collapse of WTC7 and the preceding day’s insider trading – all details well known to “9/11 Truth” researchers. Incidentally, it was reported by Project Censored last year that the FBI had “no hard evidence linking Osama Bin Laden to 9/11”. This would be hard to accept for most Americans constantly fed statements by the mainstream media for the last seven years that told the contrary.

Author Ed Haas contacted the FBI to ask why Bin Laden’s connection to 9/11 was not mentioned in his profile on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Haas was promptly told that there was no evidence that could be presented to a grand jury that would convict Bin Laden of the crime! Haas posed the question as to the authenticity of the Bin Laden “confession tape”, released to the public on December 13th 2001. If the tape were authentic, it would provide enough evidence for a conviction. However, the FBI doesn’t seem to think that this is the case, throwing serious doubt on the tape itself, those who presented it as ‘evidence’ and the ethics of the seemingly corrupt mainstream media who continuously flogged the tape on air as proof and justification for the invasion of Afghanistan to “flush out Bin Laden”.

by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

Dropa – Fact or Fiction?

In 1937, a Chinese archaeologist named Chi Pu Tei discovered strange cave burial sites in the Baian-Kara-Ula mountain range, located in the borderland between China and Tibet. The skeletons found were roughly 4 feet tall, and displayed heads which were considerably larger than their slender frames. In each of the 716 graves, Chi Pu Tei found a stone disk approximately a foot in diameter and almost an inch thick. Chi Pu Tei published his findings stating that the burial sites were made by mountain gorillas and that the disks were placed there by later cultures. Chi Pu Tei was rightfully ridiculed by the Chinese archaeological community for this absurd claim.

The caves themselves had the appearance of being ‘carved’ from the mountain, according to Chi Pu Tei. The walls were squared and glazed and were more akin to an underground system of interlinking tunnels. The disks, upon closer inspection, were inscribed with a strange, unknown writing. In 1962, Chinese scientist Professor Tsum Um Nui managed to partially decode the inscriptions, telling a wild tale of an alien spacecraft that had crashed to Earth. Many of the occupants were hunted and killed by local tribes because of their strange appearance, and with no means to re-build their craft, were stranded on our planet. Indeed, an old Chinese legend describes a race of small, yellow-skinned humanoids, with large heads and slender, frail bodies. Their supposed descendants live in the area of the Baian-Kara-Ula and are of very small stature, encompassing none of the features associated with the Chinese, Mongols or Tibetans.

In 1947, Dr Karyl Robin-Evans travelled through Tibet bound for the “mysterious land of the Dropa”. He met with the Dalai Lama and eventually found the tribe, who were indeed small in stature and of strange appearance. He conversed with a language teacher of the Dropa who told him the same story of an alien race being stranded on Earth. Apparently they had been here roughly 12,000 years ago on an exploration mission, and that another craft had crashed here around 1014AD. Robin-Evans took a photograph of the supposed Dropa leaders (see below) but this seems to be the ONLY photo of this race of people in existence.



Russian scientist W. Saitsew published a paper in 1968 which raised the interest of extraterrestrial visitors in our past. Much of the information published was from the work done by Professor Tsum Um Nui, but included information of the make-up of the stone disks, which had large metallic traces such as cobalt. When the disks were placed on an oscillator, they produced a vibratory hum that suggested the flow of energy. The centre hole in the disks was cut with such precision that it defied explanation, considering the disks were aged at around 12,000 years.

In 1974, Austrian engineer Ernst Wegener was able to photograph two of the disks being displayed in the Banpo Museum in Xian. The museum curator could tell Wegener nothing of the disks, and when Hartwig Hausdorf visited the museum twenty years later, the disks had disappeared. Wegener’s photos are published all over the internet, but their quality is poor, having been taken with an old Polaroid camera. No inscriptions are visible, and while they are as they had been described in the past, the photos are hardly proof of anything.

For this is the problem with the story of the ‘Dropa Stones’ and the small skeletons supposedly found in the mountains of the Baian-Kara-Ula – the lack of proof. It is highly unlikely that Dr Karyl Robin-Evans trekked into Tibet and took only ONE photograph of this mysterious race of people supposedly descended from extra-terrestrials. There might be a logical reason for this, but it escapes this author. The other ‘facts’ of the case are suspect as well – for instance the reported transcription by Tsum Um Nui and the details regarding the properties of the disks. The complete lack of evidence to support a discovery of this magnitude lends credence to the idea that this is all an elaborate hoax. A number of photos have surfaced on the internet claiming to be the skeletal or mummified remains of the Dropa ‘aliens’, but most are proven fakes or from another location on the planet, passed off as ‘Dropa’. And where are the 716 stone disks supposedly discovered by Chi Pu Tei in 1937? Were subsequent expeditions undertaken to recover any disks or skeletal remains that were left behind? It’s a great story, but is it anything more than that…?

Of course, a discovery like this would invariably draw the attention of the world’s governments and it is quite possible that the entire discovery has been quashed. Perhaps the evidence is locked away deep underground in a top secret installation – deemed far too unsettling for the minds of the average person….

by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

A Convenient Truth

Former Presidential candidate Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in bringing to light the issue of ‘Global Warming’. Yet the hypocrisy of the award was not lost on some as Gore continued to travel to his speaking engagements in a private jet – a machine which, in one trip across the United States, burned more fuel than the average American family car would in an entire year.
Much criticism of the issue of ‘Global Warming’ has been expressed over the last few years since the release of Gore’s award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Many scientists in many fields have issued statements regarding the state of the planet, saying that any change in climate is due to naturally occurring phenomena and not from the actions of mankind. To suggest that man, in a relatively short time since the beginning of the industrial age, has screwed the planet to such an extent as to what is claimed by Gore and his supporters is sheer lunacy, some say. In the wide expanse of time since the planet was seemingly formed, man’s existence is the equivalent to a grain of sand on One Mile Beach. The planets’ climate shifts – it has always been so and there is nothing we can do about it.

Growing evidence seems to support the idea of naturally occurring climate change. Many of the graphs and illustrations used by Gore in An Inconvenient Truth were used in a way to support the thesis being presented. Yet alternate suggestions for these changes and even alternate data point towards the opposite. For example, the ‘frightening’ claim that the glaciers of the Himalayas – which provide one sixth of the water used by mankind – are vanishing and will have disappeared completely in 25 years seems entirely false. A British study, published by the American Meteorological Society in 2006, found that glaciers are only shrinking in the eastern Himalayas. West, in the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram, glaciers are “thickening and expanding”.

Many scientists argue that if temperatures are rising on one side of the planet, they are dropping on the other side. It is all relative. Botanist David Bellamy, writing in The Australian newspaper earlier this week, points out that 10,000 years ago Australia would have been under ice. Thank goodness for global warming, he says, or we all would not be here. Bellamy and others like him voicing dissent across the globe have been met with vicious hysteria. They are branded ‘paranoid conspiracy theorists’ even though their statements have nothing to do with ‘paranoia’ or ‘conspiracy’. These are learned people who should be heard, not censored for practicing free speech.

Lately, the term ‘Global Warming’ has been replaced by the term ‘Climate Change’. Is this a response to the growing evidence to support the fact that the idea of man-made ‘Global Warming’ is a bald-faced lie, perpetuated by a select group of people with a particular agenda? There is no denying that the planet is experiencing climate change, but given the knowledge that it is merely the earth doing its’ thing, why are governments across the world creating legislation (including taxation) to combat an issue which simply cannot be overcome? What is the proposed plan of action for a problem that doesn’t exist? Any move to reduce toxic emissions into the atmosphere is definitely a good thing, but not through the use of baseless fearmongering.

If the knowledge that climate change is not the cause of man, what is the possible agenda to ignore the evidence and create solutions for a non-existent problem? That is the question worth asking.

by Max Drake

(Sources: The Australian; The Telegraph (UK). Read the articles at:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C24700827-7583%2C00.html and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/23/do2310b.xml )

Aurora, Texas (1897)

On April 17th, 1897, in the town of Aurora, Texas, a cigar-shaped craft was supposedly seen in the sky. Shortly thereafter, the object crashed to earth, destroying the windmill on the farm of the local judge. A small humanoid occupant was reportedly ejected, and was buried that same day in the town cemetery.

Newspaper reports at the time described the incident with candour and sincerity. One local newspaper made mention of the peculiar metal that the craft seemed to be constructed from as well as maps and writings found which were a strange type of hieroglyphic. Indeed, reports at the time from all over the country appeared in various publications all describing similar craft seen in the sky prior to and after the Aurora crash.

In the 1970’s, the mystery of the crash gained some recognition in certain circles. Many began to investigate the incident, including author Jim Marrs and aviation writer Bill Case, the latter having followed the incident for many years. But details of the crash and the truth of the matter remained elusive. Local townspeople that were interviewed, who had been alive at the time of the crash, were divided on whether the story was factual or an elaborate hoax. Others knew the story, and many had made judgements on its authenticity based on hearsay of family members.

Yet there were some aspects of the mystery that defied conventional reasoning. Brawley and Etta Oates bought the judges’ farm in 1945, and Etta confessed to the fact that nothing grew for years in the spot were the craft allegedly crashed. They also suffered cysts and goiters – the cause of which, they were told, was from drinking the radioactive water out of the well near where the craft had struck the earth.

The grave where the ‘alien’ was said to have been buried did in fact exist. The grave was smaller than a normal man, and bore a strange headstone. Inscribed on the stone was a “V” lying on it’s side with three circles etched inside it, like portholes. Case, Marrs and others moved to have the body exhumed, but were stopped by the local council. A few days later, the headstone was stolen. Case told Marrs that he had scanned the grave with a metal detector some time before the exhumation request. He found three positions within the grave that showed metal to be present. After the request and the subsequent headstone theft, the metal was gone and Case showed Marrs three small holes in the earth where the metal had obviously been extracted. When Marrs asked Case who he thought had taken the metal, Case replied “The government.”

By Max Drake

(Read: “Alien Agenda” by Jim Marrs; and visit http://www.abovetopsecret.com

The Nazca Lines

High on an arid plateau in Peru, some 300 figures and geometric shapes are etched into the sand. The Nazca desert, south of Lima, is home to one of the most enduring mysteries of South America. Commonly called the Nazca Lines, these impressive ancient artworks were first discovered when commercial airplanes began to fly over the region. They cover an area that stretches over 400 square miles and their creation has been the subject of many weird and wonderful theories.

Perhaps the most famous of the Nazca Lines is the so-called “Astronaut” (see below). First discovered in 1982, it has led to the notion that these designs were created by an extraterrestrial intelligence. Other figures include animals and birds, a weird figure with two hands (one with five fingers and the other with four), symbols, and various objects. The creations are attributed to the Nazca people who dwelt in the region some 2,000 years ago and mysteriously disappeared 500 years later. Yet it has been impossible to accurately estimate the actual age of the Lines.

For the Nazca desert retains conditions that have preserved the massive artworks over what could amount to many thousands of years. Annual rainfall is nominal, and the surface of the plateau is stony and flat – preventing disturbance to the Lines by wind. It is only now, after much exploration by modern man and the tourist attraction the region has become, are the Nazca Lines of Peru beginning to deteriorate.

by Max Drake
(Max is a freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

For more on the Nazca Lines of Peru, visit: http://www.crystalinks.com/nazca406.html

The Morgellons Enigma

In 2002, Mary Leitao – a former electron microscopist and immunohistochemist – noticed sores on her two year-old son’s lip. The child complained of ‘bugs’, and when Leitao examined the sores she discovered small red, black, blue and white fibres. Leitao took her son to numerous doctors who could find no evidence of any disease or allergy. After consulting one pediatrician at Johns Hopkins, he recommended Leitao would benefit from psychiatric evaluation.

Indeed, this is the stance of nearly the entire medical community, who view the ‘disease’ mostly as a form of delusional parasitosis. Yet, sufferers of ‘Morgellons Disease’ (a name chosen by Leitao) tell a different story. In some cases the symptoms may in all likelihood be delusional on the part of the victim, or involving Munchausen’s by proxy in the case of adults with ‘afflicted’ children, but the majority of Morgellons patients are definitely not crazy.

Mary Leitao and her husband Edward were convinced that their son was suffering from “something unknown” and set up the Morgellons Research Foundation (MRF) in 2002. Morgellons symptoms include sensations of insects crawling beneath the skin, skin rashes and legions that do not heal, muscle and joint pain, cognitive disfunction and the aforementioned fibres that appear beneath the skin and can be extracted from the sores.
Forensic examination of the fibres found no match to any known fibre in the FBI’s database.

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) refused to acknowledge the existence of Morgellons as a new disease, the MRF began an online petition that was eventually sent to members of Congress. In 2006, the CDC created a task force to investigate the Morgellons enigma and in 2008, the CDC enlisted the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the American Academy of Dermatology to assist with the investigation. This, of course, would leave sufferers and conspiracists with little or no confidence in the investigation finding a prompt and satisfactory resolution.

For there are many theories regarding Morgellons. Personnel at Tulsa Police Crime Lab who studied the fibres from a Morgellons patient, stated that the fibres were not manmade and did not come from a plant, adding it may be some byproduct of a biological organism. Others theorise regarding pollutants and pesticides, others regarding military bioweapons and still others on the subject of alien experimentation. Another theory gaining some credence is to do with nanotechnology. Whilst this relatively new technology is certainly incredible, its application in our society has gone forth with little or no study into its potential risks. Only one thing is certain – the symptoms of Morgellons are real and widespread across the United States, and to a lesser degree in Europe and even Australia. In addition to the sores and fibres, sufferers complain of difficulty walking and even a sagging mouth when speaking. It is by all accounts a living hell.

by Max Drake

(Max is a freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

Montauk, SAGE & The Monster

Controversy has ranged in many circles during the past week regarding a strange creature that washed ashore on Montauk Beach, Long Island. The creature, which appears to have a “beak”, has been written off by many and salivated over by conspiracists. Some say the “creature” is merely a dog with its snout bitten off and its hair eroded after some time in the water. Others argue it is a product of the continuing projects run by the US Military at the infamous Camp Hero on Montauk Point.

The Montauk Project has long been held by conspiracy theorists as the continuation of the Philadelphia Experiment – that disastrous 1943 project, the intention of which was to render the USS Eldridge invisible. Myths abound regarding the 1943 incident, said to have resulted in men being ‘fused’ into the hull of the ship as it entered hyperspace, and two men being transported to the year 1983 where they found themselves at Montauk AFB on Long Island. This was all documented in an 80’s film titled, imaginatively enough, The Philadelphia Experiment.

It is reported that the project was moved to Montauk, where a massive underground installation was built to house personnel and equipment. Originally, The Montauk Project was based at Brookhaven National Laboratory, but was moved due to the fact that, at the time, the nearby Camp Hero was one of the only locations that still had a functioning SAGE radar – considered essential to the project. SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Environment) was used by NORAD as an automated control system to track and intercept enemy aircraft. Operating from the 1950’s to the 1980’s, its manufacture was directed by MIT and IBM, leading to the latter’s domination of the computer industry in years to come. SAGE sites were erected near urban cities without residents even knowing what they were. The sites, traditionally, were massive concrete blocks housing four stories of equipment and the largest computer ever built – the AN/FSQ-7. The system was so advanced in its day that it could send automated instructions to an aircraft’s autopilot redirecting the craft to engage an enemy.

But what was the purpose of the Montauk Project and the SAGE installation at Camp Hero? It depends on what you are willing to accept. Anything from time travel to subliminal redirection of human thought via the SAGE radar. Most importantly, it was said to be a continuation of the electromagnetic shielding technique so disastrously attempted in 1943. But how could a base be built underground in the 1950’s and just how do personnel get into the facility without being seen?

Camp Hero was officially closed in 1969 and donated as a ‘wildlife refuge/park’, although, technically, the Montauk AFB remained in operation until 1987. Some state it was a provision of the land donation that ‘everything under the surface’ would remain the property of the United States Air Force. The fact that the SAGE installation has not been demolished is testament to some that the site remains operational. It apparently has underwater access and is still fenced off from the public. There have been reports of government officials and military personnel warning stray hikers to keep clear of certain areas.

But back to the monster….
It’s very possible that this ‘creature’ is nothing more than a freak of nature discarded by its human owners as defective. It’s also very possible that it was ejected through a wormhole from a parallel dimension – a freaky alternate world where Rottweilers have beaks and hooves and humans have ears on their shoulders. Now that is something you’d want to keep from the public.

by Max Drake


(Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have regular posts on this blog.)

For more conspiratorial outrageousness, visit www.rense.com

Great Balls Of Stone

In the 1940’s, plantation workers clearing tropical jungle areas in Costa Rica discovered hundreds of spherical balls hidden beneath the foliage. The largest weighed almost 16 tons and was as tall as a man; the smallest was roughly the size of a tennis ball. When seen from the air, the balls were arranged in patterns – gigantic triangles, circles, squares and cosmological arrangements.


The balls were originally thought to be a product of perhaps Incan or Mayan civilisations, yet some archaeologists estimated their age at 400,000 years! Further examination revealed that the balls were almost perfectly symmetrical within a centimetre or two, and it was highly unlikely that they were the product of man. Incredible rumours began to spread regarding the ‘power’ of the balls – it was said that electronic equipment refused to function in their immediate vicinity, and that people experienced abnormal behaviour after coming into contact with them.

Found mainly in the Diquis Delta region, the balls are also found on Isla del Cano, to the west of Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast. In the subsequent years since their discovery, many of the balls were looted and can be found in the streets and gardens of San Jose. Some believed that riches could be found within the stones, which lead to many being destroyed by zealous thieves. In the late 1970’s, three large balls discovered near Guadalahara were sent to the American University in New York state. The balls were cut and analysed, revealing the complicated internal structure – a coiled alloy of rare-earth metals whose chemical properties were mysterious. The scientists at American University declared that the balls were not man-made, but most likely formed by natural events.

Yet this does not explain the patterns the balls formed when first discovered. Would natural origins arrange the balls in triangles and circles and squares? It is said that there are no straight lines in nature, which lends speculation to the ‘natural’ theory. Of course, many theories have been expounded relating to the ‘Giant Balls Of Costa Rica’, the most outlandish being that they were used by giant creatures for some sort of gameplay. Similar balls have been found in other parts of the world and continue to fascinate to this day.

by Max Drake


(Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have regular posts on this blog.)

For more on the “Giant Balls Of Costa Rica”, visit http://www.mysteryspheres.com/info.htm

But Can She Cook?

Sega Toys in Japan has produced a robotic girlfriend that kisses on command. Named “EMA” (Eternal Maiden Actualisation), the 15 inch tall “toy” runs on batteries and uses infrared sensors to enter “love mode” when a human head gets close. EMA can also hand out business cards and sing and dance, yet Sega will target “her” to a market of lonely men.

“Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype,” said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for Sega.
“She’s very lovable and though she’s not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend.” (Are you kidding me?)

EMA will go on sale in September for around US$175 and Sega hopes to sell 10,000 in the first year.

Japan, the undisputed leader in robotic technology, envisions a ten billion dollar market for artificial intelligence in a decade. Like something out of the Spielberg/Kubrick hybrid A.I., it is envisioned by some that sex with robots will be commonplace within 50 years.

I can see the advantages of robot love - you can turn her off if she begins to complain. And it’s not so hard to imagine given the battery-powered aids already in circulation. But devices such as EMA will only further detach an already technology-drunk population. Besides, if she can’t cook you a meal, what good is she?

by Max Drake


(Source: Reuters. Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have regular posts on this blog.)

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For more robotic madness, check out the video of the humanoid at the 2006 Akiba Robot Fair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1SADcP5g1o&feature=related

MINDBOGGLING CROP CIRCLE

Mathematicians were confounded after a crop circle formation was discovered in a barley field near Barbury Castle in Wiltshire, England on the 1st June 2008. The circle is, apparently, a coded image representing the first ten digits of pi.


Measuring 285 feet in diameter, the formation had experts and enthusiasts perplexed until it was eventually identified by retired astrophysicist, Mike Reed.

Maths codes and geometric patterns have long been important factors in crop circle formations – the most famous of which was a formation in a field near Stonehenge some 12 years ago which depicted a complex set of fractals known as The Julia Set.

Yet despite the abundance of crop circle formations each year, their occurrence is rarely mentioned in the mainstream media, if at all. Most people still consider the crop circle phenomenon a hoax, regarding as proof the infamous TV demonstration many years ago of a circle being formed by a couple of guys with some rope and board. However, as most crop circle researchers attest, the most intricate geometric and mathematical formations (such as the recent pi formation in Wiltshire) would be impossible to create with such precise detail and on such a scale.

Other factors which should not be dismissed include the magnetic energy often recorded in the centre of crop circles and the biological changes that occur in the affected crops. These and many other factors cannot be explained by the ‘rope and board’ theory.

So what the hell are they? Who or what causes the formations to appear? Many theories have been extrapolated regarding crop circles, from electromagnetic fields to extraterrestrial meddling. Perhaps it is beam weaponry technology – maybe some bored NASA geeks using orbiting satellites fitted with invisible beam weapons are making their ‘hoax marks’ on the Earth’s surface.

Then again, maybe the extraterrestrial theory is more plausible.

by Max Drake


(Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have weekly posts on this blog.)

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For more on the crop circle phenomenon, including a more intricate explanation of the 1st June Wilshire formation, visit http://www.cropcircleconnector.com