ParaPalooza.Com: February 2017

Friday, February 17, 2017

Washington State Legislators propose a Cryptid Bill

Washington’s Legislature has adopted more than 20 state symbols, from a state tree to a state folk song and, most recently, a state oyster and a state waterfall. But the state doesn’t have a designated “cryptid,” or cryptozoological creature — meaning an animal not proven to exist, such as Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.

Nor does state law make a single mention of Sasquatch, also commonly referred to as Bigfoot and sometimes Forest Yeti, even though an organization of bigfoot researchers rank Washington as the national leader in sightings of the legendary being.

Article is by Jason Mansfield: Anomalous Environmental Studies Analyst™ found at www.hauntedarkansas.net, Voice Over Artist, Film Maker/ Prop Designer/ Creative Consultant/ Concept Artist at Binary Entertainment www.binaryentertainment.com, Folklorist, Horror Enthusiast, Writer, Squatchologist™, Legend Hunter & Oddity Tripper™ #BlogOfOdd #WhatTheFringe #OddityTrippers

Winston Churchill essay reveals his thoughts on aliens

A recently discovered essay by Winston Churchill reveals the former prime minster's thoughts on alien life.

Nearly everyone who has looked up at the night sky has pondered life on other planets, even the British Bulldog Winston Churchill.
The no nonsense British statesman was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the empire's most perilous years, rallying his bombed-out country in a fight against Hitler.
But a long-lost essay acquired by Israeli astrophysicist Mario Livio shows the stubborn leader may have had a soft spot for thinking about the cosmos and its potential inhabitants.

In an interview with the BBC, Livio talks about Churchill's essay, the title of which asks a question scientists are still posing today: "Are We Alone in the Universe?"
According to Livio, Churchill delivered some stunningly accurate predictions about humanities search for life.
"One day, possibly even in the not very distant future, it may be possible to travel to the Moon, or even to Venus and Mars," wrote Churchill.
The prime minister also talked about the necessity of water for life and the "Goldilocks zone," a sweet spot in distance from a star where life can flourish without it being too hot or too cold.

Churchill originally wrote the essay for a newspaper in 1939, months before World War II sent Europe into a frenzy.
The buildup to the bloody war seemed to stifle Churchill's faith in humanity and may have actually reinforced his thoughts about not being alone in the universe:
"I for one, am not so immensely impressed by the success we are making of our civilization here that I am prepared to think we are the only spot in this immense universe which contains living, thinking creatures, or that we are the highest type of mental and physical development which has ever appeared in the vast compass of space and time."

Sadly, the 11-page draft was never published, and instead sat in a museum for decades before being discovered last year.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids Exhbit

The Science Museum of Minnesota has released the Kraken and opened a new traveling exhibit, “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids.”

The exhibit, originally developed by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, features statues, large-scale models and cultural objects of lore and myth including unicorns, blood-sucking Chupacabras, griffins, mermaids and sea Kraken.

“‘Mythic Creatures’ illustrates how humans gravitate toward the mythical for spiritual and creative expression. The exhibit also reveals how science and cultural understanding evolve,” according to a Science Museum news release.

Science Museum president Alison Rempel Brown said mythic creatures are symbolically important because they show how humans have tried to make sense of the natural world throughout history.

“‘Mythic Creatures’ will give us a chance to see creatures from around the world,” according to Brown. “Their roots in legend and history are fascinating to discover. Ultimately they teach us how scientific discovery changes over time in a very memorable way and shows us what is real.”

The exhibit will feature a 17-foot-long dragon sculpture, a 12-foot-tall kraken with its head and tentacles rising from the floor, models of a unicorn and a griffin, an 11-foot model of a mythic bird called a Roc, a jade dragon with carvings of Inuit spirits and a Gigantopithecus, a real, now-extinct ape whose fossils inspired stories of ape-men in Asia.

The exhibit was created in collaboration with The Field Museum in Chicago, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau-Ottawa, the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta.

It will be on display through April 16. Admission is included in the regular exhibit gallery admission price, $18.95 for adults; $12.95 for seniors and kids ages 4 to 12. The Science Museum of Minnesota is at 120 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

Mothman Documentary - Small Town Monsters KICKSTARTER

The guys at Small Town Monsters are at it again, and they need your Help.

They are tackling 2 Documentaries at once. The awesome legend of The Mothman, followed by film #5 the Invasion on Chestnut Ridge the story about the Kecksburg UFO crash of 1965.

And here I thought they couldn't top the Boggy Creek Monster Documentary.

So here's where you come in. They need $9500 to get the Mothman Documentary into Post Production and cover all the costs of production for Invasion film.

They are already breaking records in funding. But you can still be apart of it.

Pop over to Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/minervamonster/the-mothman-of-point-pleasant-and-invasion-on-ches?ref=nav_search and help support Seth and the Small Town Monster Crew.

Boggy Creek Monster Documentary - REVIEW

This film, hits home with me. I met the filmmaker Seth Breedlove as he was in the area of Boggy Creek ie. Fouke, Arkansas. We were both scouting the area during a festival for filming purposes.

Seth and his Small Town Monster crew have been tackling some really cool stories, some I am filming about (i'm not done ...stupid OCD).

While our styles are different, I absolutely love his method.

The movie "The Legend of Boggy Creek" has inspired many Legend Hunters such as Lyle Blackburn and his book "Beast of Boggy Creek" and film makers such as myself and Seth and his Small Town Monsters Crew.

This one hit home because I've been in these swamps, I've also interviewed some of the same folks that this film introduces to the world. And with the phenomenal Kickstarter campaign that funded this film all I can say is WOW!.

They upgraded their equipment and lens, and it really translates the storytelling even more so. Great camera work and eyewitness storytelling with even more great Artwork. This one here I'm not sure they can top.

By far my favorite film from them so far. I'll add the trailer here but I will not tell anymore about the contents of the film other than while filming............. they too captured a Unique sound that can't be identified...."happened to us too"

Grab your copy today. http://shop.smalltownmonsters.com/

Beast of Whitehall Documentary - REVIEW

Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters are at it again. After crossing paths with Seth and his crew and checking out his Minerva Monster Documentary I knew bigger things were coming down the line.

With upgraded equipment, more staff, and a tad bit larger budget than the previous production. The crew headed out to reveal the Beast of WhiteHall in New York to the world.

And they nailed it again. With their signature style of letting those involved tell their stories in their own words, letting you the viewer connect, pulling you into the story.

Just like sitting and listening to an old friend tell you what had happened to them.

With the larger budget and connections made from the previous Documentary the Artwork has become collectors items. And Advertising a story or product starts with great Artwork, and becomes a classic in itself with the storytelling.

The trailer tells you what you need to know as I do not want to give any information away to detract from this great film. Sure to win some awards, and is just film #2 of many more to come. I highly recommend watching this if you are into Cryptid stories.

Grab your copy today. http://shop.smalltownmonsters.com/

Minerva Monster Documentary - REVIEW

Awhile back while out filming we crossed paths with a Gentleman and his crew after they had just introduced the world to a legend.

Seth Breedlove and his father were scouting around Fouke, Arkansas for an upcoming documentary at the Boggy Creek Festival in Fouke. We talked shop as we were also in the area for some B roll filming.

I grabbed a copy of the first film from his Company Small Town Monsters at his booth and hurried home with it.

And for someone's first film......I was thoroughly impressed.

The entire story is told from the perspective of people who were there and who witnessed the events or their aftermath.

You the viewer will feel as though you are
simply sitting in a room with the person on camera, hearing their story.

The story telling is incredibly well done, especially considering the fact that it is completely narrated by eyewitness and/or persons involved testimony. Never once did I feel something was “missing” from the story without dedicated narration. And as someone who is currently filming, I understand the interview process and how tedious it can be and the amount of time to get certain sections of the story in such a way that it could be placed together as seamlessly as the resulting finished product.

Overall, Minerva Monster is a great examination of a small town and its claim to cryptozoological fame. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in cryptozoology.

More exciting things coming from these guys... keep watching out for Small Town Monsters.

Grab your copy today http://shop.smalltownmonsters.com/