2016 Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure

 The 2016 Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure takes place May 6-8, 2016, in Farmington, Pennsylvania at Benner's Meadow Run campground. The weekend will include workshops, speakers, day and night hikes in known hot spots for Bigfoot activity, a group cookout and campfire, and more. The event is being put on by well known Pennsylvania researcher and investigator Eric Altman.

Speakers for the event include well known long time researcher and investigator Stan Gordon, Dr. Brian D. Parsons author, anomalous researcher and investigator and host of the Paranormal News Insider, and just announced Steve Kulls host of Squatchdetective Radio and long time Bigfoot investigator will also be a speaker. Workshops will be conducted on a variety of topics and will include information from Tom Ferrence, Dwayne Pintoff, "Ranger" Tim Cassidy, and Eric Altman.

For more information on how you can secure your spot at the campground (or find a local motel/hotel), get a ticket for the event, as well as more information please visit the home of the event: 2016 Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure or visit the official Facebook site for updates.

2013 Public Bigfoot Expedition

"I am honored to be a part of this event. I took part in a similar event like this, without speakers or workshops, with Eric Altman in 2013 and it was a blast. Not only for me being a researcher and investigator, but being an outdoorsman, hiker, and being surrounded by like-minded people.While I had a blast at that event this one promises to be even better and it will be the chance of a lifetime to meet some of these people and learn from them. I am beyond honored to be speaking next to Stan Gordon and Steve Kulls and I am even more excited to learn more from them. I finally met Stan at the Butler Paranormal Conference in early 2015 after following his work for years and got to talk for quite a while with him. He's a class act and will certainly have plenty of stories to tell. Steve Kulls is a guy I have yet to meet, but I have a lot of respect for especially the way he does not quit until he finds the truth. This is going to be something you don't want to miss if you have an interest in Bigfoot."

- Dr. Brian D. Parsons, speaker at the event, your host of the Paranormal News Insider, and author of "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist"

During the event  there will also be a Charity Fundraiser Auction at the event to raise money and awareness for two local charities.   The first is Unity A Journey of Hope. Unity is a certified 501C3 non profit organization founded by John and Bobbi Robinson.  Unity grants wishes to adults with life limiting illnesses. The other is Fayette Friends of Animals Animal Shelter in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

From the host of the event, Eric Altman:

 We will be raising funds and dividing them between the two organizations.  I have invited representatives of both organizations to attend the event and have a table to display organizational and promotional items during Saturdays event.    I am reaching out to my friends, colleagues, associates, researchers and enthusiasts to ask for your help. What I am seeking is donations of items relating to Bigfoot, Cryptozoology, Paranormal, and UFOlogy to auction off raising funds for the charities.  These donations may be in the form of autographed books, DVD documentary films, movies, artwork, T-shirts, collectibles or similar items. Proceeds from the funds raised at the auction will be donated between the two charities. 

If you know of someone who would like to participate by donating, or you yourself would like to donate, here is how to do it:   

Please send your donated item to care of Eric Altman 181 Cardinal Drive, Jeannette Pennsylvania 15644 before May 1, 2016. Anyone donating will be listed on the sponsors/donors page on the website. If you donate an item to the auction, please send me your contact information, any logo/banner or website links so that I may list you as a sponsor.  

#UFOSA #BUSTED Cape Town Green UFO Hoax

Finishing up the Paranormal News Insider report for December 1, 2015, I was concluding some research on the Cape Town UFO that was sending Twitter into a tizzy. I looked at each of the four purported photographs of the green UFO that was seen in the skies on Saturday night November 28, 2015 and felt something was off. Looking closely at each photograph I noticed the UFO was almost exactly identical only varied in size and angle.

I began to research each supposed site where the UFOs were seen and figured out one was taken at the Long Street Cafe in Cape Town, South Africa. Using my first search operation, I found stock footage that matched exactly that of the supposed green UFO. While this does not necessarily spell the end of the Cape Town UFO saga it certainly puts a major damper on the other photographs taken in the area since the green UFO is pretty much the same thing.

The big question about this UFO sighting is why? Why did this story become so viral so fast? Was this a legitimate UFO sighting seen by thousands and only photographed by four people? Of the four purported photographs, one photograph was taken at the Moses Mahbida Stadium which is in Durban, South Africa, which is about 900 miles as the UFO flies. Was this part of a viral story that people were just submitting photographs just to fit in? More than likely. While many speculate that this is a wormhole, alien visitation, the lights may have had a terrestrial ignition which set the Twitterverse on fire.

News 24 in Cape Town reports:

"The South African Astronomical Observatory told its understanding was the lights were part of a test for light show equipment at the Cape Town Stadium, based on information it heard mentioned on radio in the morning."

Source: News24.com

So, the UFO may have started out as something real and tangible, but once it got in the hands of social media it began to morph into the viral monster people are now giving wings to fly further on. For me, I consider this case closed.

Update, December 1, 6 PM:

The story didn't end there, in fact, new video surfaced of a green streaking UFO crashing in the city. Moments later a crash site was shown complete with a UFO! Did this continue the panic? No, people were now seeing through all of of this and News 24 has now revealed that the culprit was merely a drink company called Smart Drink that was behind the entire viral campaign. Now it's cased closed!

Paranormal News Insider Xpress

In September of 2008 the Paranormal News Insider made its debut with a 6:29 segment heard during the (then monthly) Grand Dark Conspiracy. I had been the first guest earlier that spring and had been invited back to help steer the show away from the ghost guests that had started the show for the first few months. Dan Bautz, the host, and I had talked about a paranormal news segment and it didn't take long until it was born. Dan gave me full autonomy to create the show as I saw fit and I wanted to keep it ten or less minutes.

As the show went weekly in September of 2010 I was nervous that I wasn't sure if I could even get enough content to do a ten minute segment, but everything turned out fine and I did over a year's worth of shows without missing a week. There came a break in the show every now and again and ultimately in May of 2015 the Darkest Hours Late Night (the Grand Dark Conspiracy's Friday night show name that took main billing for the show as a whole starting in early 2015) turned off its mic for the last time as of this writing.

I had contemplated doing my own stand alone show since a break in the show the year before, but knowing we were close to getting on terrestrial radio on an AM channel in Marysville, Ohio kept me glued to that show. After the hiatus in May the show was supposed to start back up in mid-July, but never did. After a few weeks of weighing my options I prepared to go live. My beloved dog, Sasha, passed away in late August and I really did not feel much like doing paranormal radio let alone much else. At the same time I felt like I needed a distraction from things and I did not want to wait too long to get a show started. I had picked a great network and was forced to get an early time slot due to a new shift I was working at my job. I have enjoyed the first nine weeks of the hour long live show and there are only a few things I wish I could do different, but I highly enjoy what I do.

In talking with a few other show hosts I have heard that paranormal radio shows are slowly dying out. I think part of the problem is there are too many out there that share the same format. When this happens in regular radio the stations always struggle. The good news is the Paranormal News Insider is a rather unique format especially for what I bring to the table. I am not concerned about ratings, hits, or even sponsorship (but it would be great to have some paying sponsors!). But I have thought about how I miss producing my own shows with musical intros and backgrounds along with sound effects which the live show currently can not allow me to do. I had also thought about how some listeners state they do not like the longer two hour shows which is why I went after an hour format (I felt like 30 minutes might not be enough time).

On November 17, 2015 the WCJV Digital Broadcasting network had some computer issues which prevented me from having a live show that night. I was bummed and also worried that I would not be able to provide a show for the second time in a month (I did put on a Halloween special since the network had a scheduled down week for upgrades). I had quickly agreed to come on the following Tuesday to do two hours in which I will do back-to-back episodes. I had also thought about just recording an episode from my material for the 17th no matter the length of time. It dawned on me then that maybe it was time to test the new format I had thought of. A stand alone segment that was five minutes or less and essentially a summary of the hour long live show; a condensed version missing a lot of the detail and insight. Let's face it, many people don't have an hour to hear about five or six paranormal news stories no matter what valuable information is there. Others who work in the field may not need or want to hear all of those details so a quick and condensed version of the show might just take off. The other idea I had with the show would be to license the Xpress segment to other paranormal (or even non-paranormal) shows with the idea that it could help my show grow.

Like I said before, I don't care much about ratings. But, it would behoove of me to try and make my show the best it can be in content and in being as widespread as I can possibly make it. This latest segment idea is just one way I feel I might be able to help make the show grow.

Check out the first Paranormal News Insider Xpress episode: The episode, like all the new ones, is available through Podbean. With Podbean you can download their app for Apple or Google products and listen to the show on the go. If you do like the short format, please let me know!

New Website Enhancements

Following the switch to a standalone one hour show on the CJMARS Radio Network I have decided to add some new things to the Paranormal News Insider website.

When I first started the Paranormal News Insider in August of 2008, I created the website to be a running blog of stories that I was personally researching to any degree. I split the site up into cryptozoology, UFOs, ghosts, and strange Earth stories. Granted, at the time the PNI was a monthly show broadcast during the Grand Dark Conspiracy podcast. When the show went weekly in September of 2010 I knew I could not keep up with the website and I got rid of the blog format.

The biggest change is the addition of an rss feed of the Anomalist and Unexplained Mysteries paranormal news. I consider these two sites to be the leaders in reporting interesting and relevant stories that are seen by the masses. While these sites are affected by outside submissions they are not run by them. While these two sites essentially do the same thing the Anomalist tends to stick to traditional paranormal stories involving cryptids, UFOs, ghosts, and strange Earth mysteries. Unexplained Mysteries is a little more general in its approach, but also offers quality and noteworthy stories. The addition of this "News" page provides a one stop shop for anyone wanting to know what is going on in the world of the paranormal.

The second change involves a contact form on the "About" page. While this doesn't seem like much of a big deal I want to make a better effort to be able to provide simple and effective communication other than giving out my email address during the show. I have received a lot of emails this way and I hope the form makes things easier for people who want to communicate information quickly and efficiently.

I have also added Soundcloud and Mixcloud links to the new one hour shows for the latest episodes. I still allow the play of the file directly from the Paranormal News Insider webpage, but giving these other alternatives should help those who want to listen via phone or other device as well as provide alternative locations for the podcast to be available.

As always I am continuing to provide as many links to conferences and conventions as possible. I am also going back to accepting classes and tours in addition to smaller events. I have been told by many that my list is consistently one of the best.

Be sure to tune in every Tuesday night from 7-8 pm eastern and feel free to jump into live chat while you listen! Listening to the show on the go is easy as well with Tunein app as well as Live365.

As always, if you have any information about any event and would like to hear it on the show (or see it on the website) feel free to let me know at Insider @ Paranewsinsider.com.