By Tim Binnall
Planet X, deceptive entities, and cryonics were among the fascinating realms explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. And, here at the C2C website, we told you about a challenge surrounding the Shroud of Turin, a bizarre creature sighting in Argentina, and a 'ghost granny' terrorizing students in South Africa. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
Could angels and demons, entities which have long been believed to be adversarial, actually be working in cahoots to deceive the human race? Researcher Barry Fitzgerald explored this intriguing question on Sunday night's program and argued that, indeed, these two types of beings are really just manifestations of one singular force which manipulates people in a manner akin to the trickster. Noting the similarities between these entities and folkloric creatures, such as fairies and djinn, as well as alleged extraterrestrial visitors, he observed that these 'deceptive beings' all seem to have an aversion to iron and appear to draw power from our fear or discomfort.
While ghostly activity manages to manifest itself in a myriad of ways, from apparitions to haunted objects, this past week saw one of the more unique accounts of something from the spirit realm making an appearance in our world as a group of students in South Africa say that they were attacked by a "short granny-like figure with dreadlocks." The eerie entity, they claim, suddenly appeared in their classroom and began slapping the children until they cast the being away using salt. The case may sound like a bit of mischief on the part of the students, but apparently the incident was treated seriously in the community as not only were classes cancelled for the day, but the mayor of the town visited the school to investigate the matter.
The science of cryonics took center stage on Monday night's program as technology reporter Peter Ward discussed the tantalizing prospect of being able to freeze a person when they die and then revive them at a later date. While the concept has become something of a Hollywood cliche over time, he explained that there continue to be genuine efforts being made towards making the idea a reality. Ward detailed some of the companies that currently offer the service and the manner in which clients pay to have their bodies frozen for an extended period of time. During his appearance, he also talked about some of the controversies surrounding cryonics and what they might experience upon being thawed out in a whole new world.
The Shroud of Turin found itself in the spotlight this past week when a filmmaker issued a rather audacious challenge to the British Museum, offering them $1 million if they could duplicate the iconic relic. Director David Rolfe put forward the high stakes challenge in response to the institution's longstanding claim that the legendary image seen on the cloth is actually a medieval hoax. Skeptical of that assertion, he argues that the museum ought to be able to replicate the shroud if it really is fake and he's willing to pay them a hefty reward if they can pull off the 'miraculous' feat. Meanwhile, in a somewhat similar story, a priest in upstate New York was stunned when he opened church on Easter morning and spotted a marking on the floor that he believes was an image of Jesus Christ.
The worrisome possibility that there could be a rogue world that, every few millennia, swings past Earth and causes untold chaos was examined on Thursday night's show as Doug Elwell detailed his research into the theory of Planet X. Based on his work, he posited that this sizeable celestial object approaches us every 2,000 years and has been seen, in the past, as a harbinger of change. To that end, he postulated that the legendary Star of Bethlehem was actually Planet X and indicated that the ominous object as well as its satellites have begun entering our inner solar system. During his appearance, Elwell also talked about Biblical prophecy and tales of ancient giants.
As serious students of the strange and unusual know, mysterious creatures akin to Bigfoot are not solely an American phenomenon and this past week saw one of the famed cryptid's international 'cousins' pop up in the news when a farmer in Argentina reported encountering a terrifying bipedal beast known as a Ucumar. The unnamed witness claims that, earlier this month, he was investigating a commotion on his property when he stumbled upon an approximately five-and-a-half-foot tall hairy creature that sported a pair of menacing red eyes. The unsettling experience left the man deeply shaken as he is certain that he crossed paths with Argentina's version of Sasquatch.
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