Paratopia

Paratopia Episode 43: Ghost Hunting Roadshow

paratopia — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:20:23 +0000

Nobody does a road trip like we do and tonight’s will haunt you. Jeff & Jer are joined by Lisa and Cody Ritzmann, Lisa Andrews (aka “Violet Rage”), and Jason Moorhouse for an all-night adventure in America’s most haunted land, Gettysburg, PA. First, the crew take to the Civil War battle fields for a history lesson and some EVP work. Then they set up ghost busting shop in Mark Nesbitt’s estate and settle in for a night of… terror? Laughs? Nothing? You will find out!

Finally, right before Jer gets on a bus and heads home, the unthinkable happens. (Apparently, some other paranormal fellas felt left out!)

Here it is, kids–our first ever Paratopia ghost hunt!

Jeff and Jeremy want to pay special thanks to Mark and Carol Nesbitt for their gracious hospitality and trust in allowing us to investigate their Gettysburg house.

Want a good time in Gettysburg? Go visit mark and Carol at the Ghosts of Gettysburg walking candlelight tours, and book your tours early in the day - they regularly sell out! Be sure while you’re there to pick up any one or all of Mark’s book series on the Ghosts of Gettysburg which chronicles history and sightings of ghost phenomena all around town.

Paratopia Episode 42: Graham Hancock

paratopia — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:08:59 +0000

Author/explorer Graham Hancock is best-known for his journeys into humankind’s ancient past. Tonight, he takes us on a journey of another kind: through the wormhole of mind and into the realm of Ayahuasca.

Then, Jeff & Jer do the Jeff & Jer thing for over an hour. You know how that goes.

For more on Mr. Hancock, please visit: www.grahamhancock.com

In Memory of Mac Tonnies

paratopia — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:53:15 +0000

“Consciousness is a potential technology; we are exquisite machines, nothing less than sentient patterns. As such, there’s no convincing technical reason we can’t eventually upload ourselves into matrices of our design and choosing. It’s likely the phenomenon we casually call “intelligence” will cease to be strictly biological as we begin to merge with our machines more meaningfully and intimately. (Philip K. Dick once wrote that “living and nonliving things are exchanging properties.” I suspect that in a few hundred years, barring disaster, separating the animate from the inanimate will probably be an exercise in futility.) Ultimately, we have two options: self-mutate by venturing off-planet in minds and bodies of our own design, or succumb to extinction.”

~Mac Tonnies

Paratopia Episode 41 - First Season Wrap Up

paratopia — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:47:29 +0000

Jeff and Jeremy wrap up Season One of Paratopia. Where we stand, where we went, and where we’re going. The next 2 weeks we’ll be on location in Gettysburg, PA for an all night ghost investigation lockdown, and securing more of the interviews you’ve come to expect from Paratopia. We’re also launching our new website, with more news, blogs and listener blogs, message boards and integrated chat rooms. Big things are afoot.

See you all in 2 weeks, for the premier of Season 2 of Paratopia!

Jeff and Jeremy offer their sincere thanks and appreciation for making Paratopia one of the top Paranormal Podcasts on the planet. We could not have done it without all of you.

Paratopia Episode 40: UFOlogy Must Die.

paratopia — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:49:39 +0000

Tonight is our 40th episode! First, Binnall of America’s Tim Binnall stops by to talk about the Mass Mystery weekend he’s producing. We also get into how he views his job as host of his own paranormal radio show. Then, Jeff & Jer have a conversation about the future of Paratopia, the present activity in our lives, and why…UFOlogy Must Die.

Paratopia Episode 39: Medium Laine Crosby

paratopia — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:05:46 +0000

Laine Crosby is an Investigative Medium, who works on missing person cases, and with authors, historians, archaeologists and paranormal investigators to help understand what history has not revealed. Until a few years ago, she worked in corporate America, juggling the work and mother dichotomy, when literally, she woke up one morning talking to dead people- and they talked back! Since then, she says her abilities have grown and she has given up the corporate world to answer to her conscience. Her first book will be finished this year, and available in 2009.

Laine earned an M.B.A. in marketing from Georgia State University, a B.A. in economics from Agnes Scott College, and certificates from Georgia Institute of Technology (ecommerce), the University of London (international law) and the University of Tours (international finance).

Laine works closely with our past guest and close friend of the show Mr. Mark Nesbitt of Ghosts of Gettysburg fame and they own and operate together the Ghost Channel, seen at (www.ghostchannel.tv), and the duo also host the popular Internet talk show, Ghost Talkers, available as a download on the Ghost Channel, and web cast at www.ghosttalkers.net.

Join Jeff and Jeremy for a thought provoking and provocative episode with Laine Crosby.

Mark Nesbitt’s Supernatural Summit

paratopia — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:36:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2009 CONTACT: Carol Nesbitt Ghosts of Gettysburg Ph:443.253.5766 hauntgburg@aol.com www.ghostsofgettysburg.com www.SupernaturalSummit.com Mark Nesbitt to Host First-Ever Virtual Supernatural Summit November 2009, Gettysburg, PA. – The weekend of November 13-15, 2009, Mark Nesbitt and The Ghosts of Gettysburg will be hosting the world’s first-ever virtual paranormal conference: Mark Nesbitt’s Supernatural Summit: A Virtual Paranormal Gathering!

During the three-day event, paranormal enthusiasts from around the world will be able to experience, at their convenience, presentations, networking, and a virtual exhibition hall. The Supernatural Summit program will feature over 50 hours of presentations by paranormal experts, including Eric Altman, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Mark Nesbitt, and Dr. Katherine Ramsland. The presentation archives will be available for at least 1 month after the event. The Summit Exhibition Hall, featuring virtual exhibitor booths, online stores, and chat rooms, will offer the very latest in paranormal equipment, groups, travel,media, personalities, and the metaphysical. Visit www.SupernaturalSummit.com for a list of confirmed presenters and conference information.

Register for the Supernatural Summit before October 31 and receive a $30 discount off the regular registration fee of $125. Exhibitors who purchase a booth before October 2, pay just $50, a 50% savings off the regular booth price of $100. “Make Contact” at what promises to be the most unique paranormal event of the year! Registration is available right now by visiting www.SupernaturalSummit.com!

About Mark Nesbitt Mark Nesbitt is a former National Park Service Ranger/Historian. He started his own research and writing company in 1977. Nesbitt started the Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours® in 1994. In addition to his “Ghosts of Gettysburg” book series, his stories have been seen/heard on The History Channel, A&E, The Travel Channel, Unsolved Mysteries, Coast to Coast AM, and numerous local television programs and specials. Mark and the Ghosts of Gettysburg Investigative Team were featured in The Travel Channel’s Mysterious Journeys: The Ghosts of Gettysburg. The Ghosts of Gettysburg Tours® was named the #1 Ghost Tour in the World 2009 by the readers of www.HauntedAmericaTours.com. Mark also owns and operates the Ghosts of Fredericksburg Tours in Fredericksburg, VA.

This virtual event is powered by Expos2—the first mass market, virtual event software to offer the “real-world” feel of a live expo. For more information go to www.expos2.com.

Paratopia Episode 38: Tiokasin Ghosthorse - The Lakota Perspective

paratopia — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:20:18 +0000

Activist/Musician Tiokasin Ghosthorse shares the Lakota perspective on consciousness and these beings we call “alien.” Then Jeff and Jeremy really get into it in the type of deep after-chat you’ve come to know and love. This one’s a personal favorite.

For more on Ghosthorse, please visit:

http://www.firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/tiokasin_ghosthorse.html

Paratopia Episode 37: Mitch Horowitz’s Occult America

paratopia — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:12:08 +0000

Mitch Horowitz is a writer and publisher of many years’ experience with a lifelong interest in man’s search for meaning. The editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin in New York, he is the author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation (Bantam, September 2009).

A frequent writer and speaker on metaphysical themes, he has appeared on The History Channel, The Montel Williams Show, Coast to Coast AM, and American Radio Journal. His writing has appeared in Parabola, Esopus, Fortean Times, Science of Mind, and with the Religion News Service.

Join Mitch, Jeff and Jeremy for a trip through Occult America!

Paratopia Episode 36: Author/Reporter Jason Offutt

paratopia — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:39:41 +0000

Author/Reporter Jason Offutt joins us on Paratopia for an entertaining, informative, and thorough discussion of a growing and misunderstood set of phenomena dubbed “Shadow People.” Then, Jeff finally breaks his silence on the new direction his experiences have taken since a seemingly human man showed up in his home to talk about… well… we’re still bound to silence on the bulk of it, but what he can now share, he does. (This is an afterchat we tried having twice but were ultimately told not to.)

All of that and, honestly?–A WHOLE LOT MORE on this must-listen, game-changing Paratopia.

For more on Jason Offutt’s work, please visit:

http://from-the-shadows.blogspot.com

Paratopia Episode 35: Phil Imbrogno

paratopia — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:40:14 +0000

Tonight on Paratopia, ufologist/scientist Phil Imbrogno takes us on a winding journey that starts with a simple suggestion from legendary colleague J. Allen Hynek and ends with the discovery of portals to other dimensions in Upstate New York.

Break out the popcorn and get ready for an eerie ride into the heart of ufology, which beats with a blood far, far stranger than any alien we can imagine.

Paratopia Episode 34: Dr. Richard Haines

paratopia — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:48:52 +0000

NARCAP’s own Dr. Richard Haines is here to answer the tough questions about NARCAP’s role in aviation safety and as ufology’s professional outsider agency. We explore the categories of unknown aerial phenomena NARCAP has identified and walk through their typical response to new cases. And we ask Dr. Haines the uncomfortable questions about the unknown, high strangeness, and outlier data. This is a very special interview not to be missed!

For more info on NARCAP, please visit: www.narcap.org

Paratopia Episode 33: Stacy Horn - Unbelievable

paratopia — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:42:55 +0000

Author Stacy Horn stops by to talk about her new book, Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, which details… well… look at the title, people!

To learn more about Stacy and her work, visit: www.stacyhorn.com You can buy your own copy of “Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory” by clicking here.

After the interview, Jeff and Jeremy talk about some recent events that’ll fall quite out of the normal.

Paratopia Episode 32: Richard M. Dolan

paratopia — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:57:14 +0000

Author and historian Richard Dolan stops by Paratopia for a two plus hour chat about his new book, what constitutes evidence of an unknown, and the controversies surrounding his relationships with certain others in ufology.

Paratopia Episode 31 - Ghosts of Gettysburg with Mark Nesbitt

paratopia — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:21:25 +0000

Tonight on Paratopia, Ghosts of Gettysburg series author Mark Nesbitt stops by to explain in-depth his work at the uber-haunted Gettysburg, PA.

Mark Nesbitt is a former National Park Service Ranger/Historian. He started his own research and writing company in 1977 and did research and advertising copy for some of America’s best historical artists. Beginning in 1978 he began writing books, including If the South Won Gettysburg (1980), 35 Days to Gettysburg (1992), Rebel Rivers (1993), Saber and Scapegoat: J.E.B. Stuart and the Gettysburg Controversy (1994), Through Blood and Fire (1996), and the best selling Ghosts of Gettysburg Series (1991- present). Many of his stories have been seen, and/or heard, on The History Channel, A&E, The Travel Channel, Unsolved Mysteries, Coast to Coast AM, and numerous other local television programs and specials. In July of 2004, his Ghosts of Gettysburg Series received the National Paranormal Award for “Best True Hauntings Collection” and “Best ‘Local Haunt’ Guidebook”.

Then we talk to Jeff Ritzmann’s friend, Jason, who is a Civil War reenactor in Gettysburg with his own ghost stories.

Grab the popcorn, pull up the blankets, turn on the air conditioner, and kick the dog to the yard–Tonight we’re telling ghost stories with the world’s most famous ghost hunter!

To learn more and check out all of Mark’s work and guided tours, check out: www.ghostsofgettysburg.com

Paratopia Episode 30: Maggie Jackson

paratopia — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:39:34 +0000

Tonight’s 30th episode is a special one….

In a world where standard paranormal shows turn to psychics, remote viewers, and prophesies for their glimpses of the future, Paratopia turns to award-winning author & Boston Globe columnist Maggie Jackson, whose new book Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and The Coming Dark Age is a greater wake-up call than anything Nostradamus had to say.

Also… did you catch Steve Greer’s speech in Barcelona, Spain? If not… we have our own version of that. All that and the cliched more tonight! To learn more about Ms. Jackson and her book, please visit: www.maggie-jackson.com

Paratopia Episode 29: Dr. Bruce Maccabee & The New Zealand UFO Case

paratopia — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:47:37 +0000

In an episode dedicated to the late, great Richard Hall, Dr. Bruce Maccabee takes us to New Zealand to walk us through one of the best-documented UFO cases in history. Then he tells us what Richard Hall meant to him as he reminisces about their early days with NICAP.

“The real question is, Are the unexplained UFO reports describing some presently unrecognized phenomenon? And if so what is the nature and significance of the phenomenon? This cannot be answered by citing percentages and studying only known instances of ‘noise.’”

Richard Hall 1930-2009

Our thoughts, condolences and prayers are with Mr. Hall and his family.

Richard Hall 1930-2009

paratopia — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:44:57 +0000

Mr. Richard Hall, Veteran UFO researcher, passed away after a battle with cancer this past Friday morning. I had met and communicated with Mr. Hall a fair bit in my earlier days of UFO research, and always found him to be generous and open with his findings and information. I wanted to tell this story of first meeting him.

Many years ago I gave a lecture in Washington DC, in which I related what was then a very unpopular view among the UFO community. That the experiencer phenomena and possibly the UFO subject was a very toxic one, and that there seemed to be a connection with focus of intent preceeding the experience. I presented cases I’d investigated where people’s lives had been utterly torn apart by the subject and it’s involvement with them.

This was to me, the equivalent of throwing myself to the dogs. I was standing before a lot of people, and telling them that the “space brother” and “little green/gray men” scenario was likely nothing but a mask of something else…and that something else might be inherently negative.

A couple of women in the back of the hall stood up and walked out. Later my wife told me they muttered “we don’t have to sit and listen to this.”

While the talk was seemingly well received (rather shockingly so to me) you always wonder if people are only being nice, or whether you truly got your point across in a cohesive way. As I left the podium, the conference organizer gave a Jeff Ritzmann apologist comment of some sort. Clearly, despite how well I thought it went I ruffled plenty of people.

As the rest of the speakers and myself entered a post-conference dinner, Dick Hall walked up out of the crowd directly at me. “Holy shit”, I thought, “Dick Hall was there in the audience?” Mr. Hall was one of my first influences in this field, and he was for me, UFO royalty. (Although I’m sure he’d scoff at that title.) I have to say, I swallowed a lump in my throat as I saw him walking up to me.

“Jeff, my name is Dick Hall” he said in that sort of high-pitched yet wizened voice.

“Yes sir, I certainly know who you are, and it’s a pleasure sir.” I said, not quite believing this.

Dick clearly saw my nervousness and smiled, “Jeff I just wanted to congratulate you on your talk, well done.”

I of course was completely no good after that. I’m not usually so struck by anyone in UFOlogy, but this was a man I never thought I’d have the opportunity to meet. Then all of a sudden, there he is, and not only that, but making a point to speak to me.

He’ll never know how his very simple words effected me that day. It gave me encouragement, beyond what anyone in this field ever has - to speak my mind and feelings honestly and openly about this relationship with the unknown. When I get sick of death of all this, the infighting, name-calling stagnated nonsense we call the UFO community, I remember there’s been people like Dick Hall in this longer than any of us. He will continue to be in my mind one of the most kind and upstanding human beings I have ever met in this field, not to mention the toughest to hang inside it as long as he did.

When I dropped out of UFOLogy I trashed most of my books and files, but I always hung onto the copy he gave me of “Uninvited Guests”. Later Mr. Hall became increasingly disgusted with the UFO subject and it’s players (not unlike me and a hell of a lot of others). I had sadly not spoken or seen him in some years.

Knowing Mr. Hall’s longevity in this subject, one can only imagine the desire he had for answers. As I recently said on Paratopia, I don’t know that there’s ever going to be definitive answers to this UFO mystery - until your heart beats it’s last, and the answers finally come in some kind of bizarre cosmic reward for even asking the question to begin with.

Just maybe, Mr. Dick Hall finally has his answers.

Rest in Peace sir.

~Jeff Ritzmann

Paratopia Episode 28: The Georgia Guidestones

paratopia — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:41:48 +0000

Dubbed by Wired Magazine as “The strangest monument in America,” The Georgia Guidestones have remained a mystery since their construction in 1980. Tonight, Jeff & Jeremy ponder their meaning with Charles Reed, an architect who was given the original plans for its construction in 1980 by the banker who funded it–a complete stranger to Charles. Why would a stranger give him something so secret? Was it because the whole affair was a well-funded tourist trap? Could it have to do with Charles being an experiencer?

Charles is joined by his daughter Melissa Reed, the fantastic artist some of you may know as Culture of Contact’s art show curator.

But that’s only the first hour.

In the second hour-plus, we discuss not just the Guidestones but the so-called alien enigma with its fear and confusion and hints of spirituality, and expose these topics to the deep, rich discussion they deserve. If you’ve been waiting for the chat that will sock you in the gut, this one is not to be missed!

————–

To view some of Melissa’s artwork online, please visit: www.mreedartworks.com

To read up on the Guidestone, visit: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones

Pataopia Episode 27: Harold Egeln

paratopia — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:23:56 +0000

Harold Egeln is an experiencer of high strangeness so varied that it gives even us pause. Through it all he has remained unafraid. We explore some of Harold’s experiences and see if we can’t figure out how it is that he is able to take it in stride when so many of us are terrified. Harold has nothing to sell and never has. But if you’d like to sign up for his free news letter on space, science, the paranormal, and sci fi, please check out this page.