Caveats to Mysteries Explorers, Investigators & Students ... In this web site, our aim is to see whether we are any nearer to understanding the 'Mysteries', and even perhaps to see whether we are close to 'solving' them or reaching some other kind of closure. Please note that, although I am not a scientist, I am quite Science-grounded so that this site is also Science-grounded ... and I embrace such ideas as are embodied in: Occam's Razor, or the principle of parsimony — to look for the simpler explanation or solution. The following brief note from Louise B. Young's The Unfinished Universe (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1986) is rather interesting and pertinent: ... it sometimes happens that the same set of facts can be explained in two or more different ways; when this happens the simplest explanation is preferred. A principle known as "Ockham's razor" (proposed by William of Ockham in the fourteenth century) says that it is unsound to set up more than one hypothesis to explain a phenomenon when one will suffice. And this principle has been respected throughout scientific history. The significance and elegance of a scientific theory are measured by its simplicity and the degree to which it makes sense out of what appeared to be unrelated and disorderly facts. the cautionary exhortation of the Nobel-prize winning physicist Dr. Richard Feynman — that the easiest person to fool is ourselves, and that we should be aware that we do not get caught up in 'cargo cult' sciences and practices (of the advertising people, politicians, educationalists, sociological sciences, especially); the admonition of CSI (previously CSICOP) founders Dr. Carl Sagan and Professor Marcello Truzzi, to any investigator and explorer and student — that "Extraordinary claims require or demand extraordinary evidence (or proof)"; and the mind- and eye-opening presentations and writings of Dr. Michael Shermer, Executive Director of the Skeptics Society and Publisher of the Skeptics Magazine — e.g., how our "cognitive bias" (which could be inborn-innate, learnt, and even suggested to us by another person) make us believe in "strange things" or "weird ideas", such that these bias affect what we think we 'see' or 'hear' or 'perceive', especially when we fool ourselves in seeking and seeing familiar patterns such as faces, figures and pyramids on Mars ... or the Madonna on bread buns and glass fronts and tree barks ... or the Loch Ness 'monster' and plesiosaurs and so-called 'paranormal creatures' or 'cryptids (cryptozoological creatures)' and also UFOs and ETs/Aliens in vague photos and videos (usually at someone's suggestion) ... or even hearing the word 'Satan' and 'Hell' in reverse-playing music or songs (and this recognition can dramatically increase after someone's suggestion of the keywords to listen out for)! However, note the following caution from Dr. David Noel Friedman (who is described as a "Dead Sea Scrolls Scholar for Over 50 Years") and Dr. Pam Fox Kuhlken in their book What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter? (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 2007): Two favorite mantras of mine are "Be skeptical", which you have to be if you're a scholar, and "Be especially skeptical of the skeptics", because skepticism is too easy a position to assume. If someone routinely says of every new discovery, "It's a fake", then they dismiss it and it's over for them. They never have to change their minds or consider new ideas. The fact is, every new discovery may open a door we didn't even know was there. I'll tell you something about spotting fakes, though. The fact that we have found something we haven't seen before or don't understand doesn't necessarily indicate a forgery. On the contrary, if it's a fake, we would expect it to conform very precisely to authentic material that has already been found. Otherwise it wouldn't convince anyone. Who would take a chance like that? And the argument that fakes turn out to be clumsy is self-defeating, because that would mean that a fake attempts to be exposed, when it actually intends to elude detection.

	More Caveats ... It's incredible the things that people believes in ... such as Cryptozoology, with its collection of impossible-to-find 'cryptids' (aka 'paranormal' creatures), prominent examples of which are Bigfoot or Sasquatch , the Loch Ness Monster, Skunky, and Chupacabra. "Penn & Teller [Bullshit!] - Cryptozoology" (Excerpt) And, of course ... as an intelligent and non-gullible person, you should not believe in such nonsense, unless there is proof! Extraordinary claims must be accompanied by extraordinary evidence or proof. But so far, no such evidence or proof has been offered that would satisfy anyone whose explorations are reality-based or whose investigations are truth-based ... such reality- and truth-based explorations-investigations are conducted by the mainstream scientists (like the late Nobel-prize winning physicist and all-round maverick, prankster and amateur bongo player, Dr. Richard Feynman) as well as by the professional skeptics (such as the famous and much-sought after speaker who is also the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, Dr. Michael Shermer). It is so easy to fool ourselves — many of us are surprised to learn that the easiest person to fool is often ourselves! — as Dr. Feynman warned us when he gave a lecture about Science, especially that bogus variety that he called "cargo cult science". We also tend to see what we want to see or we believe what we want to believe — as Dr. Shermer observes and cautions in his writings and many presentations in conferences and appearances on TV. "Cognitive bias" and/or "perceptual errors" are terms that Dr. Shermer uses to refer to the matter. Besides errors of cognition, there is also a tendency to interpret many things according to our affective bias, meaning an emotive state which is engendered by being easily influenced emotionally by events ... And we should be aware that we also may be plagued with 'selective memory' to boot, so that we interpret events out of the time sequence in order to fit our beliefs, prejudices and interpretations of the events ... Unknowingly, many people suffer from both cognitive and affective biasnesses — I happen to know a few of them in the real world, but these people don't seem to live in the real world ... For example, while declaring themselves as members of 'the church' or 'the true church' or 'the universal church' or some such nomenclatural claptrap — which means a situation of 'rituals without relationship' with God; where they practise or embrace non-Biblical 'traditions' and ideas, including pagan ideas such as the Winter Solstice festival known as Christmas, or such as the Spring Equinox-related festival known as Easter, or such as the 'Good Friday' which can't obviously be true because the Gospels say that the Messiah rose on Sunday morning after having declared he will be dead for 3 days and 3 nights and it will be nothing less than the sign of Jonah who also was in the belly of the marine beastie for the same duration ... etc., etc., etc., etc., etc. ... especially as many of these traditions and ideas are explained in extra-Bible sources and appear nowhere in the 'canonical' books; or they believe in such nonsense as "Perpetual Virginity", and they break the Second of the Ten Commandments with their crucifixes, crosses, statues, stained glasses, and pictures, etc.; in other words, they've got their religion, which is simply equal to 'form without power'; — they still secretly [sheesh ... mustn't let the priest or deacon know about it!] consult the I-Ching book as well as Feng Shui 'masters' (or other equally esoteric texts or so-called 'authorities' or 'gurus') when going about their lives, e.g., when buying properties/real-estate, or decorating or renovating their homes, or making investment decisions, or planning some trip or journey! And they use traditional or alternative or folk medicine when sick or unwell ... unless the illness is really something major or life-threatening, in which case, suddenly Western medicine, or surgery, or therapy, seems to be the Real Deal ... or Real Thing! It's so sad to see such delusions and gullibility operating in their lives! They really need to get a handle on their lives — they really need to "get a real, scientific life"! They are so proud that they are so 'open-minded', being able to visit this or that shrine or temple or place of worship, etc., etc., etc., ... showing respect to idols of stone and metal and wood. Actually, their minds are so 'open' that they haven't got any to speak of or to use! As Penn & Teller would say, it's all unadulterated BULLSHIT ... and, perhaps, horseshit as well! Let's look for the simpler explanation rather than the dramatic or sensational, and often, impossible, explanation — applying with care the principle of parsimony (where less is often better), or Occam's Razor. Remember: a possibility does not equal to a reality! Many things are 'possible'; they have a tiny chance or probability of occurring, but they usually do not happen or cannot happen at all. Finally, if you want to see if you are delusional, biased, prejudiced, gullible, and totally ungrounded in reality or Science, then check out whether you have fallen into the trap that I call 'The Fringe'.

	This website is predicated on the basis of the following categorization of the Sciences ... Four Categories of Science By Stanton T. Friedman (Former Nuclear Physicist) Some people have insisted that if I can't provide a piece of a [flying] saucer or an alien body, there is nothing to support my claims. I was quite surprised during my last visit with Carl Sagan in December 1992, when he claimed that the essence of the scientific method was reproducibility. In actuality, as I wrote Sagan later on, there are at least four different kinds of science: [Category-1 Science]  Yes, there is a lot of excellent science done by people who set up an experiment in which they can control all the variables and equipment. They make measurements and then publish their results, after peer review, and describe their equipment, instruments, and activity in detail so that others can duplicate the work and, presumably, come to the same conclusions. Such science can be very satisfying, and certainly can contribute to the advancement of knowledge. However, it is not the only kind of science. [Category-2 Science]  A second kind of science involves situations in which one cannot control all the variables, but can predict some. For example, I cannot prove that on occasion the moon comes directly between the sun and the Earth and casts a shadow of darkness on the Earth, because I cannot control the positions of the Earth, moon, or sun. What can be done is predicting the times when such eclipses will happen and being ready to make observations when they occur. Hopefully the weather where I have my instruments will allow me to make lots of measurements. [Category-3 Science]  A third kind of science involves events that can neither be predicted nor controlled, but one can be ready to make measurements if something does happen. For example, an array of seismographs can be established to allow measurements to be made at several locations in the event of an earthquake. When I was at the University of Chicago, a block of nuclear emulsion was attached to a large balloon that would be released when a radiation detector indicated that a solar storm had occurred (something we could neither produce nor predict). Somebody would rush to Stagg Field and release the balloon. When the balloon was retrieved, the emulsion would be carefully examined to measure the number, direction, velocity, and mass characteristics of particles unleashed by the sun. [Category-4 Science]  Finally, there is a fourth kind of science, still using the rules to attack difficult problems. These are the events that involve intelligence, such as airplane crashes, murders, rapes, and automobile accidents. We do not know when or where they will occur, but we do know they will. In a typical year more than 40,000 Americans will be killed in automobile accidents. We don't know where or when, so rarely are TV cameras whirling when these events take place. But we can, after the fact, collect and evaluate evidence. We can determine if the driver had high levels of alcohol in his or her blood, whether the brakes failed, whether the visibility was poor, where a skid started, and so on. Observations of strange phenomena in the sky come under this last category. In all the category-4 events, we must obtain as much testimony from witnesses as possible. Some testimony is worth more than other testimony, perhaps because of the duration of observation, the nearness of the witnesses to the event, the specialized training of the observer, the availability of corroborative evidence such as videos and still photos, or the consistency of evidence when there is testimony from more than one witness. Our entire legal system is based on testimony — rarely is there conclusive proof such as DNA matching. Judges and juries must decide, with appropriate cross-examination, who is telling the truth. In some states, testimony from one witness can lead to the death penalty for the accused. We should take note of the fact that even instrument data is dependent on testimony from the observer of the instruments, and on appropriate calibration and validation under standardized circumstances. Also, our courts place limits on requirements for testimony, such as that against one spouse by the other. Furthermore, there are rules about hearsay testimony, and rules regarding legal evidence are complex and detailed. When it comes to flying saucers, we must remember that the reason most sightings can be determined to be relatively conventional phenomena, often seen under unusual circumstances, is that most people are relatively good observers. The problem comes with the interpretation of what was observed. People watching the sky late at night may get excited about a very bright light that moved very slowly. Checking on the position of the planets at that time may reveal that that light was Venus, because we have good information as to the angle of observation, the direction of the light from the observer, the relatively slow rate of motion, the location of Venus at that time, and so on. On three occasions, when living in Southern California, I was called by people who described an unusual object moving rapidly. I tried to make sure that I analyzed their observations, such as, what time was it? In what direction were you looking? In what direction did it seem to be moving? Was there any sound? What was its apparent size, say, as compared to the moon (just covered by an aspirin held at arm's length)? Two of the people wanted to tell me that the object was just over the next hill. I stressed that this was an interpretation, because even huge objects far away can seem to be small objects nearby. In all three cases, I felt that what was being described sounded similar to a rocket launched down the California Coast when the sun had gone down, but while the object was high enough to still be in sunlight. I had seen such a spectacular case once myself. I checked, in all three cases, with Vandenberg Air Force Base, which launches many rockets down the U.S. West Coast. Indeed, there had been a launch at the right time in each case. One case was especially intriguing, because several witnesses were looking out across the ocean from a beach area and described the thing they saw as similar to a string of popcorn. It turned out to be the launch of a special weather satellite with extra solid boosters being dropped off multiple times. The people were good observers. To say the least, it would be irrational to say that people are good observers when their input allows us to identify the object being observed, and yet poor observers if we can't identify the UFO as something conventional.    — Stanton T. Friedman (Nuclear Physicist)         Flying Saucers and Science         Subtitle — A Scientist Investigates the Mysteries of UFOs: Interstellar Travel, Crashes,            and Government Cover-Ups         (Chapter 1 - "The Case for the ET Origin of Flying Saucers")         (Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2008) Source: Stanton T. Friedman (Nuclear Physicist) Flying Saucers and Science Subtitle — A Scientist Investigates the Mysteries of UFOs: Interstellar Travel, Crashes, and Government Cover-Ups

	Nine Points to Note Recently, we added a simple blog so that you would be apprised of the latest changes to the Mysteries of the World Website. To get the updates automatically, CLICK HERE to subscribe to our RSS (you will get a new window or 'tab'). Thanks and cheers! Warning to the unthinking (and to the control freaks and power junkies) ... You probably won't like the following 'thinking' observation ... But it's an important part of any exploration, investigation, study, etc. of the Mysteries of the World ... SEVEN DOORS TO SEVEN ROOMS OF THOUGHT Accept the statement of Eminent Authority with­out basis, without question. Disagree with the statement without basis, out of general contrariness. Perhaps the statement is true, but what if it isn't? How then to account for the phenomenon? How much of the statement rationalizes to suit man's purpose that he and his shall be ascendant at the centre of things? What if the minor should become major, the recessive dominant, the obscure prevalent? What if the statement were reversible, that which is considered effect is really cause? What if the natural law perceived in one field also operates unperceived in all other phases of science? What if there be only one natural law manifesting itself, as yet, to us in many facets because we cannot apperceive the whole, of which we have gained only the most elementary glimpses, with which we can cope only at the crudest level? And are those still other doors, yet undefined, on down the corridor?  — Mark Clifton     Eight Keys to Eden     (London, UK: Pan Books, 1962) Eight Keys to Eden -- Kindle e-book: CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE This website — Mysteries of the World Website — aims for simplicity when examining the Mysteries ... Here is a TED talk about the topic of Simplicity (note:- TED = Technology, Entertainment, Design -- check this out: The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED) ... Please do not assume or conclude that, just because I present many views (in the form of textual notes, pictures/stills, and audio and video clips) — as well as many advertisements, some by me and some automatically by Google Adsense and Amazon — on this website, it does not mean that I am in agreement with or that I believe in the views and/or ads offered-proferred ... That would be displaying such a parochial and provincial attitude, towards this website and towards me as well! As an ex-military officer, I assure you that I am in the habit of reading, viewing and digesting lots of stuff that I don't necessarily believe in ... We call all the stuff we read, view and digest, 'military intelligence' ... The same applies with 'business intelligence' in the business world, of course. Our aim, as usual, is to find out what others (including our friends, enemies, competitors, suppliers, strategic partners, business partners, etc.) believe in. In order to do that effectively, we have to 'get out of the way', so to speak — we have to remove our humongous ego! — else we will never ever really have gotten started in our journey of exploration and discovery of the Mysteries of the World. Furthermore, similarly and additionally, as a "Charismatic Christian", there are lots of stuff presented in this website that I do not believe in ... which had even led some to label me as "Fundamentalist"! ... Whatever! Matthew 7 1Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.    — Jesus the Christ         (Yahoshua ha Mashiach; Yeshua/Yesua; Ieosus; Joshua),         "Sermon on the Mount" If you want to hear the NIV — specifically, from The Visual Bible: Matthew (1993) — please click the audio player below: In short, in this website, I present many things that, I am hopeful, would be of interest to a student, explorer and investigator of the Mysteries of the World ... but this doesn't mean that I believe in any of the stuff presented. ... Got it? ... Right! Here is a purpose that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ... [Mysteries, Monsters, Mutants, Myths, Miracles & Much More ...] Our purpose ... is to describe the rich variety of anomalous, unexplained, sometimes totally bizarre phenomena that people have experienced in all times and places and that are still occurring today. ... the nature of the world and of our existence are quite different from that which we were taught at school. The reality is far more interesting, humorous and expansive than any religious or rational, scientific world-view can possibly accommodate. It is not our intention here to dispute anyone's beliefs or theories — but we should like to point out their limitations. There are things that happen in this world - and have occurred throughout the whole of human experience - for which there has never been a lasting explanation. Explanations are temporary products, coming and going in response to fashions. Meanwhile, the happenings they are supposed to explain carry on as mysteriously as ever.    — John Michell and Bob Rickard         The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena (Rough Guide Reference)          (New York, NY: Rough Guides Ltd, 2007) Here is a sentiment that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ... As I sit down to redo this book for an American audience, what rises before me is last night's dream: I'm in a broad and beautiful land among many trees. It's night. I look up at a huge old tree that's dark against the starry sky in its detail of twig and branch. There is room enough here for all of us, I realize, here in this big, intricately textured park. But I see that some want to cut down the trees and level it out, so huge throngs of people can gather to gaze up at the sun's glare. I watch dark twigs fingering the remote, untouchable stars. A voice speaks: "Don't turn this into a Copernican Garden." Waking up, I remember that I went to sleep wondering how to put this book together. And I take "Copernican Garden" to mean a parking lot vista where masses gather to honor the bright sun of traditional science with its old rules as the center of the universe. So I will not cut down the trees and level this book out. It is between you and me [or you and I], a conversation as we stroll along in a moonlit fractal garden past webby connections of thought that merge to patterned insight. Here hidden delights nestle in scaling patterns of self-similar but never quite repeating beauty. Here the tree of life hold stars in its branches. No matter how huge, this garden stays human-sized because we have a place in it, you and I. No need to cut down the connective forest and level things out for that bright Sol [sun] of left-brain logic whose daytime dazzle — so close and glaring — can blind us to the myriad constellations beyond. [...]    — Katya Walter, Tao of Chaos         Sub-title: Merging East and West         (1994, 1996) Here is an observation (adapted) made in the Acknowledgement page of a book ... It takes many minds to produce a book [including an e-book, of course]. Although most authors [especially of non-fiction books and articles] would prefer not to admit this fact, fundamentally they are merely 'synthesisers' of accumulated knowledge. The process of synthesising may unveil a new reality map, or paradigm, which, in due course, will be used by future pioneers to unveil further paradigms. This principle was summed up by Sir Isaac Newton when he remarked: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". [...]    — Christian von Nidda, Our Secret Planet         (2005) Here is an observation about UFO-Aliens cover-up or conspiracy that may be of general interest, although some readers would not agree with the observation (e.g., they may say that some whistleblowers, such as Bob Lazar on the Roswell-type flying saucers in secret Area-51 labs, have already come forward) ... If any long-term coherent cover up of UFO information does exist, however, then it must operate at all levels of government and the media. It must encompass all the relevant written materials, from the briefest handwritten note in government files to entries in squadron log books to letters in the personal papers of members of the Establishment. Hundreds of politicians, service personnel, police officers, clerks and officials, over half a century, would be required to excise any reference to the reality of UFOs from official documents and the media. The number of people who would have taken part in this cover up would be vast, yet not one person has broken ranks to 'blow the whistle' on the greatest story ever told. Meantime, millions of dollars are being spent every day on space probes and radio telescopes that are searching for evidence of alien life. Would there be any reason for a conspiracy of silence if that evidence already existed?    — Dr David Clarke and Andy Roberts, Out of the Shadows         (2002) Check this out: The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-Life Sightings Even though I am a "Charismatic Christian", the views presented herewith, in this Mysteries of the World Website, will NOT be colored by this fact of being a Charismatic Christian. Rather, where and when I find it necessary (and usually, I would NOT find it necessary, since I find it tiresome to repeat myself, again and again and again ..., ad infinitum ..., but if I should find it necessary to repeat myself), I will then state what my Charismatic Christian beliefs lead me to believe in — even though I am aware that my own Charismatic Christian beliefs may or may not be the same as, or in accord with, those beliefs of others who also may want to regard themselves as Charismatic Christians (nb/note well: there appears to be so many varieties of Charismatic Christian beliefs, including from those who are simultaneously of the traditional-historical denominations — such as the Roman Catholics, with their purgatories, mortal and venial sins, and their Mother this and Mother that. Shudder! Shudder! Shudder!). Thus, for example, I do not necessarily "believe" in "ghosts", even as I (will later) examine the entire gamut of so-called "paranormal events or phenomena", especially of those with a psychic bent (truly, these are bent!, as in less-than-straight, aka "crooked", thinking variety). Many so-called "ghosts" are probably some form of "fallen angels" or "demons" of the Biblical kind, masquerading as either gods, demons, spirits, ghosts, or even "angels of light" (when they are obviously "fallen" and are "angels of darkness", or "sons of darkness" as used in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e. The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness). Anyway, the author of 1 John, gave us a simple test against any "spirit" to see whether that spirit is of light (God; Christ/Son of God; Holy Spirit of God/Comforter/Advocate/Paraclete/The One; Jehovah/Yahveh/Yahweh/God the Father) or of darkness (Satan, Lucifer, the Devil; the Anti-Christ; the False Prophet; the Beast): 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.    — First Epistle of John         (1 John 4:2-3; New International Version/NIV)         (Note: many Catholics like NIV and dislike KJV! Tough!) Whatever the case may be about "ghosts" and other "apparitions", in this website, I have stated that we will be truth-based and science-based. Despite this, definitely, I will not be ashamed of being a Charismatic Christian or of God's Word: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Luke 9:26; NIV) If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Mark 8:38; NIV) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans; Romans 1:16; NIV)

As stated in our Mysteries Blog, the ' Mysteries of the World' Website does NOT aim to sensationalize any particular 'Mystery', although we will examine and explore all possible viewpoints pertaining to each 'Mystery' — including the fringe AND the mainstream. We will, of course, come to a conclusion (eventually!) about each 'Mystery' ... even if that conclusion may eventually turn out to be 'as yet unresolved' or 'unexplained to our satisfaction'.

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