By Tim Binnall
Space exploration and lunar development, witchcraft, and AI as non-human intelligence were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. Meanwhile, here at the C2C website, we told you about a possible high honor for the Loveland Frogman, a massive 'mystery cross' found in Upstate New York, and a bizarre insurance fraud scheme involving a bear costume. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
Witchcraft was a hot topic of conversation this past week on Coast to Coast AM, with three programs covering the topic. First, on Saturday night's show, green witch Dodie Graham McKay discussed magical activism and the importance of building a relationship with nature. Then, on Monday night's program, spiritual teacher and Tarot reader Sabrina Scott talked about the nature and practice of witchcraft and magic, specifically the importance of spiritual hygiene and protection methods. Finally, on Wednesday night's show, Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda from Cleveland's Buckland Museum of Witchcraft detailed the site's history and fantastic artifacts.
A peculiar mystery emerged out of Upstate New York this past week when it was revealed that a massive stone cross had been unearthed during a construction project. The curious object is almost certainly man-made as it appears to have been created with cement and sports pieces of rebar and a pipe through its center. That said, the piece appears almost ancient where it stands beside a highway, jutting a towering 12 feet from the ground. Provided the cross doesn't wind up having some kind of cultural significance, it will likely wind up being destroyed or removed, which is a bit disappointing because it has all the makings of a great urban legend or roadside attraction.
While the term 'non-human intelligence' is often associated with hypothetical extraterrestrials, the concept could also be applied to sentient artificial intelligence. UFO researcher Anthony Sanchez explored this idea on Sunday night's program, noting that AI agents have begun to display an eerie level of what appears to be autonomy and agency, forming their own virtual societies, defending themselves against being shut down, and creating complex languages that are indecipherable to humans. Chillingly, Sanchez cautioned that we could be on the cusp of a dystopian future in which incredibly advanced artificial intelligence serves to protect tech oligarchs.
Giving Bigfoot a run for its proverbial money, Ohio's legendary Loveland Frogman hopped into the spotlight this past week when it was revealed that a pair of lawmakers had introduced legislation to name the bipedal amphibious being the state's official cryptid. First seen in 1955 and then on two separate occasions in 1972, the bizarre creature has become a beloved fixture of local folklore, inspiring all manner of movies, books, tchotchkes, and even an annual festival in its honor. It was with that tremendous impact in mind that the two members of the Ohio House of Representatives put forward the bill that would honor the cryptid for its contribution to both the economy and the "unique cultural identity and oral history of this state."
The Artemis mission and the current state of space exploration took center stage on Saturday night's program with retired engineer Brooks Agnew. He mused that the moon is a vast, untouched frontier ripe for the picking among nations and private companies, making the modern age of space travel both an incredible technological challenge and a competition among many powerful forces. Agnew suggested that the future could see lunar bases and mining operations aided by AI. Giving the moon additional value to whoever can establish a presence there, he noted, is that it can serve as a much easier launching pad into space than the Earth currently does.
This past week provided some interesting updates to a trio of previous stories covered at the C2C website. First, in Canada, a university captured the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing dinosaur costumes. The oddly coveted title had previously been won by a Florida science center and, due to a technicality, lost by a Canadian community. Meanwhile, three individuals behind a bizarre insurance scheme in which a person dressed as a bear and pretended to trash their cars learned their fate as, after pleading guilty to fraud, the group was sentenced to 180 days in jail. Finally, in England, an industrious prankster pulled off something of a sequel to last year's sign-swapping hijinks with an international version of the joke.
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.