"Informationalist & Gonzo Alt-Media Proprietor"

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Remembering Erma Jean Staffen

Remembering Erma Jean Staffen

This morning, Facebook’s memories of past posts reminded me of a cute Ghostbusters/Dog-Shaming meme that my friend from the previous Reality Tunnels (pre-Pandemic / pre-Trump / pre-911 / pre-Y2k) had posted on my timeline back in 2016. That friend was Jean Staffen.

Still photo from interview videotaped in the 1990s by SMiles Lewis at the “Oxford House.”

Jean Staffen on her Facebook page circa 2014.

In 2016 we reconnected via facebook after many years. In 2017 she told me she was dealing with significant health issues. We exchanged brief messages until I stopped hearing from her in April of 2020. Today, because of that facebook reminiscence I did an internet search for her name…

Erma Jean Staffen 

AUGUST 1, 1939 – MAY 18, 2022

Erma Jean Staffen, age 82, of Bastrop, Texas passed away on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Erma was born August 1, 1939.  — NeptuneSociety.com

I think I first met Jean at a meeting of the local MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) chapter sometime between 1990 and 1992 when she formed Austin’s UFO/Abduction Support Group. She had mysterious memories of anomalous childhood experiences at age 3, 9, 13 and onward that led her to form this group. These were heady days and I recall many fantastic public meetings and private conversations with her and other members of the Austin UFO community.

A couple of years after founding and running the local UFO support group, Jean “got the call to go West.” She asked and I accepted the role of continuing that support and study group. I led the monthly meetings for the next four years. Jean returned to Austin in 1998 and disbanded the group. She started a new group called Truth Seekers, or similar. This monthly group met to discuss all manner of esoteric, metaphysical, and conspiratorial topics. One of the few I attended focused on an area of particular interest to me, the health effects of electromagnetic energy. 

Jean had contributed her own written thoughts on the subject of UFO encounters / alien abductions for Susan Lepselter’s UT dissertation and they both let me reproduce some of those writings in my print zine, E.L.F. Infested Spaces, back in 1994. 

We lost track of each other for many years until reconnecting in 2016 when she’d retired to Bastrop, Texas. I  never got to have a long talk with her and catch up on so much of Austin’ UFO history that she was a part of but it was nice at least messaging each other with links and cartoons every month or so until I stopped hearing from her. 

Well, I now know that she passed on in May of this year. Safe travels my friend…

 – Miles Lewis

 

Links:

 

Category:

News

Alex will eat your ass

Aaah, good times, right after the lockdowns beginning…

“I will eat Your leftist ass like corn on the cob – I’m ready!!”

And if you aren’t familiar with the folk music musings of Alex Jones, try this old standard:

Or if you’re more into dance, rave, house electronic tunes:

Category:

Art, Audio, Austin, Music, News, Video

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Hasan Minhaj’s Brush with Counter-Terrorism in 2002

Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester | Stifel Theatre

A few Sundays ago, my wife and I went out for an entertainment event for the first time since the pandemic lockdowns began in March of 2020. We bought the tickets to see comedian Hasan Minhaj (of PATRIOT ACT show fame) months ago. It was the first time we’d been in a crowd of any size; there were undoubtedly thousands at this very restrictive (vaccination / negative covid test required and cellphones bagged) event at the Long Center across from Auditorium Shores here in Austin.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the show and Hasan’s very personal stories about becoming a father at the same time as he was becoming a social media comedic-activist-icon.

Besides hearing about the dangers to his family’s safety resulting from his work on his PATRIOT ACT show – particularly his fears concerning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – he also described an incident from his childhood in 2002 that he says spurred his aspirations of becoming a comedian. 

Hasan related his childhood experience of with an extreme body-builder fellow who wanted to convert to Islam and joined the Mosque that his family attended. He told of how obvious it was that this non-Muslim was an infiltrating law-enforcement provocateur who was trying to spur young Muslim kids into confessing to wanting to commit acts of terrorism. Hasan went on to describe the police and anti-terror task force descending on he and his friends after he (Hasan) decided to prank the obvious government shill … all of which convinced Hasan of the power of humor to strike back against those who would abuse their power and influence as this infiltrator (and so many more, as it turns out) had done. 

He went so far as to show clips of the CNN news reports on these and other such FBI infiltration campaigns, including a report which specifically showed the body-builder agent~!

As someone who has reported for decades (with great concern for the implications for our country’s soul) about such FBI-entrapment efforts, this story was not surprising, and it made me very happy to know that someone directly effected by one of these ludicrous efforts had used it to turn his life towards a path of empowering himself and others against such discriminatory tyranny.

 – SMiles Lewis

 

For more on these types of FBI entrampment cases, see the links below.

For more on Hasan’s tour, visit: The King’s Jester with Hasan Minhaj

 

US citizens v FBI: Will the government face charges for illegal surveillance?

Muslim citizens are suing the FBI for subjecting them to undercover surveillance after 9/11 in violation of rights

by Ed Pilkington, Sunday 7 Nov 2021 / SOURCE: TheGuardian.com

 

See also:

Interviews with the author by Scott Horton:

 

 

Category:

911, Activism, Art, Austin, Comedy, Events, News

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Babies Through a Window

Babies Through a Window

Reflected clouds in the sky

Category:

News

SMiles Lewis is this week’s guest on TRUTH WANTED

Truth Wanted 04.11 with ObjectivelyDan

and SMiles Lewis (Anomaly Archives)

Friday, March 19th at 7pm CST

Call the show Fridays 7-8:30pm CT at 1-512-991-9242 or call with your computer 💻 http://tiny.cc/calltw

Truth Wanted is a show about getting to the bottom of beliefs, whether it’s karma or Christ, Bigfoot or crystals. Truth Wanted would like to know how you know it’s true. Hosted by ObjectivelyDan, Truth Wanted takes calls from the community (that means YOU!) and features new guests every week, emphasizing thorough conversations over name-calling and scoffing (most of the time). Truth Wanted focuses on how and why people believe what they believe, and how you can talk about beliefs in more effective ways. Join us for truth investigations and lively conversations every Friday at 7:00pm CT!

https://www.youtube.com/TruthWanted/

 

 

Category:

Anomaly Archives, Austin, News, SMiles, SMiles Lewis, Video

PsiOp-Radio-LIVE, Sunday, June 7th at 7pm CST

Join hosts Mack White and SMiles Lewis for another episode of PsiOp-Radio-LIVE, Sunday, June 7th at 7pm CST.

Be advised … Twitter, in it’s infinite “wisdom”, has “temporarily restricted” or “suspended” most of my Twitter accounts, including the PsiOpRadio, AnomalyRadio, and my many others… for no apparent or stated reason – on or about, May 26th.

YouTube.com/user/AnomalyRadio/live

 

Category:

News

Solar Halos?

Solar Halos?

January 25, 2020 -Austin, Tx

December 4, 2019

Category:

News

Austin Jogger Attacked, July 4th on Hike and Bike Trail near “Secret Beach”

Map of Roy G. Guerror Park and Hiking Trail

Austin Jogger Attacked, July 4th

on Hike and Bike Trail near “Secret Beach”

UPDATE: 7/9/2019

If anyone has information on the suspect who attacked a jogger in Guerrero Park, please contact Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-893-TIPS (8477).

Suspect description: Black male, late 20’s, dark skinned, 150-160 lbs., medium build, 5’9″-5’10”, unknown eye color, dark and short full head of hair wearing blue t-shirt with line of white near collar, dark cargo shorts, black, round corded headphones covering ears, dark socks, dark tennis shoes

7/4/2019 – This morning my wife and I were going to go walk the dog at a trail we’d not walked in a long time. It’s the Roy G Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park trail that starts where Grove Blvd hits the river.

As we drove into the parking area I was telling my wife about the naked man in the Travis Heights / Big Stacy Park area that had caused a lockdown at the elementary school and was presumedly linked to multiple attempted sexual assaults in the area that same day – last Monday the 24th – the day after we had last walked the dog there in the Big Stacy Park area.

I parked the car and we exited the vehicle and proceeded to the trail. As often occurs, the dog pooped almost immediately. Just as I put the bag in the trash and was turning/ walking back toward the trailhead I heard a woman screaming for help / that she’d been attacked. We rushed along the trail towards her screams and saw a young lady running towards us looking bloody and terrified. Her face was bloody and swollen beyond anything I’ve ever seen in person- the kind of facial swelling / bulging you only see in photos on the faces of boxers and wives beaten within inches of their lives.

She was attacked by a man who began following her while she was jogging. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground and hit her in the face. She was able to push him off of her and ran.

I called 911 and directed the police and EMS to our location. There were at least half a dozen police vehicles and the ambulance deployed in the area in response to the call over the course of the 25-30 minute experience from when we heard her screaming and left later once she was in the ambulance and the cops continued the search. I don’t know if they found the assailant or not – its a big greenbelt area along that stretch of riverfront there from that trail entrance at Roy G Guerrero youth park fields (near the “family friendly” “secret beach”) that extends west to the Krieg Field Softball Complex and the Roy G Guerrero Disc Golf Course and south to the entrance of the Roy Guerrero Trail.

Attacks of this nature along the river’s hike and bike trails have been a recurring problem here since as long as I can remember- at least since the mid 1980s.

I’ve heard of so many assaults and known so many sexually assaulted women that I’m always on guard and pray everyone else is as vigilant.

I hope they catch this latest inhuman… and my heart goes out to the woman whose life intersected with ours because of such a horrific inhuman assault.

Please be careful and cautious out there. I love humanity even as I reel from the all too common horrors our worst visit upon us.

I’ve not yet seen any news report today about this incident but I am watching and waiting and ready…

 

– Miles Lewis

austinparks.org/roy-g-guerrero-metro-park/

 

Category:

News

Vocal Talent Ken Nordine Passes

Ken Nordine narrated this iconic Levi Jeans television ad from the year I was born.

And here is a tour of his studio…

Farewell fond voice of generations.

– SMiles

 

ETA (Edit To Add) … WOW! Two more (and another….) iconic Levi’s commercials that I recall from my youth that undoubtedly triggered my love for animation and CGI / video effects:

 

 

 

Category:

Audio, News, Video

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Random Synchronicity: Amok Elephants 1/6/2019

 

Today I was reviewing the wikipedia entries for Running Amok phenomena and had noticed it included a “see also” listing about elephants who’ve run amok, specifically one 911-named pachyderm:

Osama bin Laden, named after the infamous elusive terrorist, was a rogue bull elephant responsible for at least 27 deaths and destruction of property in the jungled Sonitpur district of the Indian state of Assam. After a two-year rampage from 2004 to 2006, an elephant was eventually shot; but some were doubtful that the right animal was killed.

Within hours, my wife randomly selects a TV series available for streaming on Amazon Prime … the Independent Television (ITV) series, Vanity Fair. As far as I know, neither of us knows anything about this series. Within a few minutes of the show, a character brings up a story of him having witnessed an elephant “running amok” in India.

Thank you Synchronicity Matrix?

 

– SMiles Lewis

 

Here we go: Vanity Fair was certainly modern. The opening credits sequence showing the lead characters spinning round on a Victorian fairground ride to the sound of the famous Jimi Hendrix anthem All Along The Watchtower was a bit of a clue

“The opening credits sequence showing the lead characters spinning round on a Victorian fairground ride to All Along The Watchtower was a bit of a clue.”

Olivia Cooke seemed destined for stardom and Vanity Fair had some modern touches, by Jim Shelley | Daily Mail Online

 

 

 

Category:

News, SMiles, SMiles Lewis, SynchroMystic, Video

Flashback February Nest

Category:

News, Photography, Photos

Synthetic Synchronicity, Surveillance State Advertising or Pure Coincidence?

At the end of a lunch meeting today, I mentioned UT Professor Dr. Pennebaker and his textual analysis work. Within an hour and a half of that conversation, Facebook puts this “Suggested Post” in my mobile fb feed:

Lecture: James W. Pennebaker, “Expressive Writing and Health”

Public · Hosted by Humanities Institute at The University of Texas at Austin

I’ve not been performing recent searches for the unique name of Pennebaker so I don’t think this is a case of algorithms predicting things to put in my path but… perhaps so.

– SMiles

 

FLASHBACK: My first experience of this phone / advertising / synthetic synchronicity phenomenon, circa Thanksgiving 2011:

…so riddle me this … GPS data mining / colocating for cross-platform advertising? …

This day before turkeyday I was at a relative’s house. They had just gotten new hardwood floors. We talked about it a lot. I was there less than 24 hours. Next morning I am leaving and begin the drive to other relatives house. I am listening to Pandora in the car on my phone and an advert I’ve never heard before comes on.

It was for the same kind of hardwood flooring! And NO I’d not searched for the info on my phone or otherwise.

Re: Evidence that your phone is spying on you

by elfismiles » 01 Dec 2011

. . . and another circa 2014 and shared again circa 2017:

 

“Is this real or simulated?”

“True” Internet synchronicity is harder and harder to discern because of the beast-system information trawling surveillance state.

… and …

Diana – just to be clear, I was referencing a “synthetic synchronicity” moment I experienced back in December 2014 …

“Here’s to Jacques Vallee’s Melchizedek Moment in Messengers of Deception and my moment-a-go realization of the beast-system’s technological adaptation / adoption of the synchromystic associative cosmic bulletin board conspiracy gnosis of the UFO’s coincidence matrix … @BIBENDUM BIBENDUM BIBENDUM”

… and …

“I was trying to encapsulate my sense that our new internet marketing mechanisms have duplicated the synchronicity engineering that Vallee suggests might be part of the mechanisms of the cosmos allowing interaction / cocreation between mind and everything else. Yesterday morning I had commented on my friend Mack White’s posting of several Michelin Man / Bibendum images and then later that night on a random webpage I visited the cookie-detecting / facebook enabled targeted advert on the sidebar was my new avatar: an advert for Michelin tires featuring Bibendum himself making a “thumbs-up” gesture. It really felt like a significant synch for me at that moment – DESPITE my knowing full well the likely advertising mechanisms operating behind the scenes to make it happen. So basically a modern technological mechanism that approximates the possibly innate nature of Universe as described by Jacques Vallee as the cosmic bulletin board / associative universe that “reads” our “intentions” or desires to be connected to certain things / information.”

. . . and another example circa 2015:

This has been increasingly happening to me …

So last night I spoke of spray foam insulation to my wife within earshot of our phones. And this is what I see in my FuckBook news stream this morning… 

Re: Evidence that your phone is spying on you

by elfismiles » 22 Oct 2015

Category:

News, SynchroMystic

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