By Tim Binnall
Ghosts, the space race, and various facets of death were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. Meanwhile, at the C2C website, we told you about plans for a Loveland Frogman statue, a pair of wild big cat cases from Europe, and a jaw-dropping brown bear encounter captured by a dashcam in Japan. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
One of life's unfortunate certainties, death, was explored from several angles this past week on Coast to Coast AM. On Wednesday night's program, hospice pioneer Brad Stuart, MD, shared insights on end-of-life care and the process for preparing an individual for their inevitable journey to the 'other side.' Continuing that thread, on Monday night's show, hypnotherapist Jacob Cooper discussed the nature of grief and the phenomenon of after-death communication. Rounding out the proverbial journey, Tuesday's program featured author Sandra Champlain, who presented her research on life after death and cases that support the belief that there is 'something' beyond the realm of the living.
A pair of legendary regional cryptids had moments in the sun this past week, beginning with the launch of a campaign to create a statue of the Loveland Frogman in the Ohio city that the amphibious being calls home. Envisioned sitting atop a water feature in a park, the sculpture would pay homage to the creature that has become something of a sensation in recent years. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, an author announced that he is offering a whopping $60,000 to anyone who can provide proof that a legendary lake monster, dubbed Pepie, resides in the sizeable Lake Pepin. Procuring the prize could prove difficult as the bounty requires substantial tangible evidence of the serpentine creature.
The political history of the space race was revisited on Sunday night's program by historian Robert Zimmerman, who recounted the transformative era in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed for cosmic dominance. While the launch of Sputnik caused panic among Americans, he noted that the technology gap between the two countries was far less significant than was perceived at the time. Zimmerman lamented that relying solely on NASA ultimately hindered space exploration, pointing to the considerable advances that have been made in recent years with the emergence of the commercial sector.
Two rather compelling big cat cases made headlines this past week. First, in England, multiple people reported seeing a sizeable feline roaming around near a village. The sightings became so commonplace in recent weeks that residents have taken to calling the elusive creature 'Catfoot' in a nod to the legendary cryptid of North American lore, and police were forced to issue a statement acknowledging the encounters and cautioning the public to be safe. Later in the week, authorities in Germany launched a massive search for a suspected puma filmed by a hunter at a reserve near the Munich Airport. As is often the case with such creatures, the effort proved futile, and the mysterious feline is still at large.
Befitting the spooky season, ghosts were in the spotlight on two separate programs this week on C2C, beginning with Saturday night's show in which author John Kachuba talked about paranormal investigations and spirit lore. Noting that cultures across the world and throughout time have traditions of connecting with the dead, he observed that determining the true nature of these encounters with denizens of the 'other side' remains a fantastic riddle. Then, on Thursday night's program, paranormal researcher Chris Bores detailed his unique approach to ghost study, which involves trying to understand the mindset of a spirit rather than simply proving its existence.
This past week featured a particularly wild video from Japan, where a motorist encountered an ornery brown bear that tried to attack her car. The jaw-dropping scene, captured via dashcam, occurred during a drive through the community of Bifuka in Hokkaido. Encountering the brown bear and its cub crossing the road, the motorist dutifully stopped the vehicle under the assumption the animals would make their way into the adjoining wilderness. The moment took a frightening turn, however, when the larger of the two creatures pivoted back to the car, furiously leapt onto the hood, and began swiping at the windshield that, fortunately, protected the driver from falling victim to the aggressive bear.
Coast Insiders can check out all this week's shows as well as the last seven years of C2C programs in our enormous archive. Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.