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What a way to kick off 2007. We've got an absolutely jam packed edition of the binnall report for you this week. So much so that I don't have anything to say here in the introduction.
We're going to look back on a wild week of theme filled Coast episodes, including Forecast 2007 in all it's ridiculous detail. We look ahead to a promising week of C2C, including the return of Walid Shoebat. We finish up the Coastie talk with lots of info on the 2006 awards. I finally get around to sharing details of the infamous Noory / binnall summit, including a historic picture of binnall & The Noor. BoA : Audio celebrates winning a Zorgy Award. binnall report mailbag returns, we dig into the C2C vault for a look back at Bart Sibrel's last Coast appearance, and, of course, we wish you a Noory New Year from Hot Newz.
So much stuff, it can barely fit in one binnall report. But we managed to cram it all in. So sit back, relax, and let's get 2007 started off right ...
The Week That Was
When we last left you, Ian Punnett was left in charge of the good ship C2C's Friday night episode, while Noory ran off and partied like a rock star throughout New Year's weekend. IP's guest was John Jay Harper, talking about solar cycles, in a full show interview, apparently. Ian turfs Friday into Saturday Open Lines ? Oh no, he didn't. Yes, he did. Ian, you go, girl.
Poor IP had to follow up Friday's all night solar cycle discussion with the early show on Saturday evening. The guest was Caryl Dennis. The topic was "vanished twin phenomenon." From the looks of Lesley's C2C Rewind recap, the previous long night of esoterica may have tuckered ol' Ian out, "Strangely, Ian seemed to know more about Elvis' twin than she did, but other than that she knew all kinds of weird little twin trivia. She also suggested that many of the vanishing twins were actually abducted by aliens. A pretty good show. Maybe it is just me, but Ian seems a little grumpy this week and not as fun as normal."
Following that marathon of Punnett proportions, Art Bell took over the helm of C2C proper on Saturday night for Part I of his annual New Year's Eve Predictions. I caught bits and pieces of this one and it was what it was. A fun episode.
Obviously, Part II followed on Sunday night for New Year's Eve. I caught more of this one than the previous night and enjoyed it quite a bit. I always like Art's interpretations of both last year's and this year's predictions. That said, is it just me or does every year's festivities always seem to feature Art raving about "this year's" predictions and how the callers are much more "in tune" than the previous year's callers. It got to the point of corny at times, but that actually made it kind of enjoyable, as soon thereafter a caller would ring in with the requisite retarded prediction. It's an annual institution, the New Year's Eve Predictions episodes, and one of few bonafide C2C traditions.
Monday night, The Noor brought together a true collection of esoteric misfits in the now-annual Forecast 2007 special episode. Some true masters of bullsh*t artistry were on hand for this showcase. We're talking some of the greatest minds in ... vague prognostication and skilled hindsight, peddling their wares and claiming victory over 2006.
Which reminds me that I felt kind of dubious listening to the various "prognosticators" gushing about how they were right in '06. I have a sinking suspicion that they just looked at their list from the previous year and only picked the hits out. I'll have to consult BoA psychic expert Simon "Aspie" Aspinnal what the record was for Forecast 2006, but I've a feeling that it wasn't good.
Irregardless of all that, The Noor still had a bunch of psychics on for Forecast 2007. For starters, Joe Jacobs led off. I heard this one and it was decent. Jacobs may be the least cheesy of the C2C psychic fold. This portion of the episode included Noory's bizarre story of what he got people for Christmas. This one had to be heard to be believed, just odd as hell. Paul Guercio and George Hart were on next. Most interesting prediction I see from them, "Mike Bloomberg (running under a third-party) are the likely Presidential candidate." That's a make or break one, right there.
Following that duo was C2C favorite "Numbers Lady" Glynis McCants. I heard some of this and Glynis was as chipper as ever. She continued her trend of "safe" predictions dealing with celebrities. Because, we all know that 2007 will hinge on Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts and their respective futures. Thankfully, following that was France's answer to Jerry Lewis, C2C prognosticator extraordinaire and friend of Gary Busey, the beloved Dr. Louis Turi. (How's that for an introduction ?) The good doctor threw out a boatload of dates and enough vague predictions that he may look really good next year. He even went out on a limb with this bold prediction, "Children will be more susceptible to negative forces and illnesses." Wow. That's less a prediction and more an observation, me thinks.
Nearing the bottom of the barrel, Sean David Morton followed. Being that my new year's resolution was to cut out the fat in my diet, I skipped this one. Here's a nice simple prediction from Sean that we can keep an eye on for next year, "The Dow Jones will go over 13,000." And, here's one that he'll surely call as a "hit" that has no way of being verified, "2007 will see a great division between people listening to their inner voice and those that don't." Seriously, what kind of horsesh*t is that ?
Susan Miller had the unenviable task of following SDM. I missed her, but apparently, she is an astrologist. She shared with us helpful information like, "Sagittarius is the celestial favorite until Dec. 17, 2007." Great. Just ... great.
And, finally, C2C brought back my personal favorite prognosticator, "trend forecaster", Gerald Celente. I have yet to hear the good Mr. Celente's appearance, since Coast decided to schedule him for the bowels of Forecast 2007, but I'm sure he was mad as hell and quite close to not taking it anymore. Also, it looked like Celente had some thoughtful predictions to make for the upcoming 12 months, including "'Medical Tourism' in which Americans are increasingly going overseas for medical treatment (especially dental and plastic surgery) will continue to grow this year." See, now that I can do something with.
Surprisingly not a bad episode, in that train wreck / junk food sort of way.
After all that, The Noor was ready for some time off and I don't blame him. But first he had to host a special night of Open Lines on Tuesday. What amounted to it being special was that he played 4 clips from the past year and had listeners vote for the best one (think of it as a half-baked / half-assed version of The Coasties). The four clips played were JC, Gary Busey, Dr. Morgus, and Bill Mumy. And the winner of the faux Coastie ... Dr. Morgus. Ugh.
Worthy of note was that Tuesday marked the kick off to Hoags to Hoags 2007, as RCH called in at the top of the 2nd hour to congratulate Noory on 4 years as C2C host. Sadly, Noory didn't congratulate him on having well over 100 appearances in that time.
In an ironic twist, on Wednesday, C2C rebroadcast the 2006 Best Episode Coastie award winning discussion on The Skinwalker Ranch with Colm Kelleher and George Knapp. I've no clue how that ended up being scheduled for replay before it had won the award, but it happened and it's just plain weird. Anyway, classic episode. Loved it the first time around and a must-hear if you somehow missed it.
And, finally, we wrapped up the week with Art Bell talking with Whitley Strieber on Thursday. Unfortunately, I missed this one, but I presume it was pretty damn good, given the Bell / Strieber chemistry and comaraderie. I'll try and check it out over the weekend.
All in all, a pretty sweet week for C2C. Certainly far from normal, but the endless decadence of it all was a nice change of pace and good for a once a year thing.
The Week That Is
We kick it all off tonight with Ian Punnett again being given the keys to the precious Friday night C2C slot. He must have gotten a stern talking to by The Noor, as tonight will feature the usual Friday into Saturday Open Lines. As additional punishment, expect Dr. Morgus to call in and Ian will be forced to endure a lengthy discussion on Morgus's latest experiment.
With just barely enough time to catch a bit of sleep and maybe a small bite to eat, Ian returns to action on Saturday with R. Gary Patterson on "Ian". RGP was the premiere guest on the 1st episode of C2C AM Live, so maybe this is some kind of anniversary thing. They'll be talking about rock and roll and all that good stuff that goes with it. One wonders if Ian will continue his Elvis obsession like last week.
Saturday night on C2C proper, it's back to business as Art has Lee Baumann on the program to talk about "light" and how it may have some theological ramifications. Sounds mildly interesting, though it may delve into alternative science tedium.
Sunday on Coast, Lynne McTaggart is the guest and "intention" is the topic. Damn, it's an ephemeral weekend it seems. This at least sound more tangible than the discussion on light and it should be something that Art will really sink his teeth into. Darkhorse candidate for best of the week.
Monday, The Noor returns to action with Joyce Hawkes to discuss "cell healing" and mind over medicine type matters. Sounds decent, but I have my fears that it will be boring as all get out.
Tuesday night, Steven Hairfield is the guest. Hairfield put in an excellent showing last February, but managed to predict that 2012 was actually 2006, so it will be interesting to hear how he spins that one. A doomsday scenario fan, Hairfield should be entertaining.
Wildcard Wednesday returns as C2C has TBA on tap for hump day. Your guess is as good as mine on the guest. This is probably as good a place as any to lambaste C2C for not having Jordan Maxwell on the show at all in 2006. Outrageous !
The week wraps up on Thursday with 2006 Alternative History Coastie Winner Walid Shoebat returning to the show. This is Shoebat's chance to show he isn't a one trick pony and to set about defending his Alt. History crown. Can he put in another ultra strong showing or have we already heard the proverbial "best of" Shoebat ? We'll find out Thursday.
Decent week, on tap, a tad too heavy in the alt. science area for my taste, but I can't complain about R. Gary Patterson, Steven Hairfield, and Walid Shoebat, a trio that should deliver the goods. Plus, Lynn McTaggart as well.
The 2006 Coasties ... Post Script
For those of you living under a rock the last month, BoA completed the 2006 Coastie season last week. After a rigorous four weeks of voting and campaigning, the best of the best on C2C in 2006 was determined.
Also, the BoA staff has joined in on the fun, posting their Coastie picks ...
Joe Vee's pick to be revealed tomorrow @ BoA.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all who participated !! We'll do it all again in 11 months for the '07 awards.
Noory / binnall Summit
Yes, kids, it happened.
So, I was in San Diego from 12.14 to 12.28 and, during my visit, none other than George "The Noor" Noory was also in town for a "Worker in the Light" book signing.
Keeping the details to a minimum, suffice it to say, there was a decent sized audience of creepy to not-quite-so creepy Coast fans in attendance to meet and greet with The Noor. After a brief Q & A period, featuring such gems as "Where did you come from ?" and "Thank you for the bumper music." (That's not even a question, sir), Noory got around to signing books. During the Q & A, I wanted to stand up and ask Noory an actually relevant question, but I was afraid of being bludgeoned to death by a horde of angry Nooryheads.
Following a lengthy and surreal wait in line, which saw me meeting someone who is apparently a BoA : Audio listener and taking a pic with him. (Yes, I'm a quasi-celebrity now. I can die in peace.) I finally met The Noor.
Think of Ralphie from a Christmas Story after he finally gets up there to meet Santa. What does one say to a Nighthawk ? Well, first I told him my name. Then, he just about jumped out his chair and yelped, "Tim Binnall !" in his trademark Noory "excited" style. Apparently, he knows of binnall. That exchange ranks up there with some of the strangest experiences of my life. I wasn't quite sure what to say after that, but we gabbed for a brief moment while the Nooryheads behind me in line cursed my name for taking so long. And then I was whisked off, away from the rarefied air that surrounded the leather jacket clad Noor. Without boring you with the details of our conversation, I wouldn't be surprised to see our talks continue with a follow up Noory / binnall summit sometime in 2007.
Luckily, I had someone on hand to document this historic meeting ...
BoA : Audio : Season Two
Big thanks to all the great BoA : Audio listeners who helped to crown the program 2006's Best UFO Podcast in Paul Kimball's Zorgy Awards. We promise to not change a thing in 2007 and, hopefully, get bigger and better as well.
No audio this week. We're on our winter hiatus.
Until we return on 1.27.7, feel free to relive the highlights of the first half of Season Two, including Scott Corrales, Paola Harris, Stan Friedman, and our most recent, and critically acclaimed, episode with new MUFON International Director James Carrion.
binnall report mailbag
Hi,
I notice that on your front page and others, text is centered where readers would naturally expect aligned left - not section titles but the paragraphs themselves. It gives an unprofessional look.
Good luck, you provide a great service!
Rob Thanks for writing, Rob. I'm torn about this, though. After receiving this e-mail, I did change the format on the BoA homepage to see how it looked and I personally prefer the centered look. Professionalism be damned. I also kind of think it keeps it more readable in the columns where that text is. I've tinkered with aligning the text to the left, but it actually, in my opinion, makes it look more disjointed. Perhaps I'm just used to the centered text, though, I'm not sure.
Despite my opinion on the centering, I appreciate the feedback. I've been thinking of re-designing the front page during our winter hiatus from BoA : Audio and I'll keep your observations in mind when I go about our makeover.
Questions ? Comments ? Send them to tbinnall@hotmail.com
This Week in C2C History
1.5.2005 : The venerable Hilly Rose guest hosted a handful of episodes in the beginning of 2005, including snagging a rare interview with esoteric legend Zecharia Sitchen, who was as ornery as ever ... "The real story of this episode, was the 4th hour interview with Zecharia Sitchen. Oh where to begin. Firstly, we've been hearing from Noory about his failed attempts to get Sitchn on C2C for well over a year, perhaps two. And now that Sitchen appears on C2C, where's Noory ? That's right, on vacation, hamming it up in Cozumel with half soused college co-eds. The intrigue of this turn of events is enough to crush me. Meanwhile, Sitchen was a bitter old man who seemed to be hoarding secrets like Gollum and demanding we buy his book." (binnall report, 1.7.2005)
1.6.2003 : Less than one week into his reign as new C2C full time host and George Noory had to contend with a fired-up Bart Sibrel, fresh off getting punched in the face by Buzz Aldrin. Noory seemed exacerbated by Sibrel's rapid fire delivery, dogged assurance that there was a moon hoax, and his infamous run-ins with astronauts, which Sibrel described by saying, "You had one astronaut kicking me, one punching me, all we need is one spitting on me and we'll have a good trilogy" (c2c.com) Sadly, Sibrel hasn't been back on Coast since.
End Notes
There you have it, my friends. Quite a missive this week, thanks for sticking around for the ride.
Plugs : Tomorrow @ binnallofamerica.com, Joe Vee emerges from the shadows to cast his 2006 Coastie Ballot, complete with biting commentary on all the choices. Sunday, it's Lesley's C2C Rewind @ The Debris Field. Monday, celebrate 2006 @ BoA with a special retrospective feature on our past year. Tuesday, Lesley's Grey Matters covers her thoughts behind which episodes she chose for her Coastie picks. Wednesday, Khyron's The K-Files. Thursday, Hot Newz. And, of course, we wrap up the week with the binnall report on Friday.
binnallofamerica.com ... taking no side in the Rosie v. Donald Trump feud.
With that, I bid you farewell for another week. Until you hear from me again for more ramblings on esoteric minutiae, this is binnall ... signing off.