THE CONSPIRACY TO FOG THE REAL PROBLEM

O.K., let’s file this one under …

THE CONSPIRACY TO FOG THE REAL PROBLEM

The weather is on the mind of almost everyone today, and Jeff and I are no different than any one else. 

Well, meybe we are a bit different than some of our neighbors, who are downstairs at the Korean delis, waiting on long lines, to buy dozens of bottles of water. 

This is, of course, New York City folks, the city that never sleeps.

I spent yesterday running around all over that very city getting shots of people talking about what they were doing to brace for the impact of the Hurricane. 

Some New Yorkers were given to high drama, others were given to deep cynicism. 

Sometimes those statements refer to what happens in this very apartment.

New York City hasn't had to deal with a Hurricane like this one is predicted to be like since the l938.  I've seen the archival video from that storm, and it wasn't pretty.  That was before Hurricanes were given names.  That started in 1950.

But our building stood through that un-named Hurricane of 1938, and stood through Hurricane Bob, and survived Hurricane Gloria, and several other Hurricanes with names which I've been acquainted while I've been down at NY1 over the past view days, so I'm confident our apartment will still be here on Monday morning, and my laptop will still be dry.  I can even walk to NY1 to be able to get stories of people who claim it was all “A tempest in a teapot” or how it the city just was not prepared to keep them safe from the eye of the storm.

I've long believed the old Mark Twain adage that "everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it."

Enter Jeff, on a well-timed commercial break:

Jeff:  You do know that Hurricane Katrina wasn't an accident?

I avoided saying, "No, it was a Hurricane", because saying that just didn't seem funny in the face of the aftermath of what happened to the city of New Orleans.

According to Jeff, the Russian KGB has been testing weather control technology and is using it against American cities.

Now, conspiracy theories about the weather are very attractive. The weather is constantly changing and, at the moment, beyond the control, except in regard to long term global warming.  It's very attractive to imagine that it's a man-made event and within the control of mad scientists.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Mad Scientist-

And Jeff is right.  Man can certainly alter local weather.  The Fog that engulfed London from the 17th to the 20th centuries, proves that fact, it was caused by human pollution.

The Best Time For Conspirators To Come Out And Play-

But the ability to create and target Hurricanes? 

Global warming aside, my logical brain cannot even embrace any scenario in which this could be possible by any sort of modern, or soon-to-be-developed technology.  It seems much more in the domain of super-hero-or science fiction movies.

And, face it, if the KGB wanted to destroy and American city, there are some ways currently available to do so, without stirring up the atmosphere and the ocean.

But, Jeff’s statement also fails on the fact that New Orleans was not devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  It was washed out when levees that had been constructed over the past three centuries to keep back the waters broke in the wake of Hurricane flooding.

Man Made And Monstrous-

Local and federal officials knew that the levees weren't good enough if a Hurricane higher than Category 3 ever hit the city.  But these officials allowed people to keep draining the wetlands that had naturally protected New Orleans from storms and to keep building homes and businesses below sea level. 

Severe flooding had occurred the last time New Orleans was hit by a hurricane in 1965.

So, in a way, a conspiracy theory like targeted Hurricanes, avoids the real, actual likely conspiracy, of government officials choosing to pocket much needed funds to improve infrastructure, or seeking to find ways to address the real problems, while upgrading local, substandard infrastructure,

So, Jeff, instead of creating bogies like the KGB, perhaps the focus should be on the real problem, and whether it's dishonesty or incompetence, or both, and protect humanity with better infrastructure.

I'll let you know if I'm right about our local infrastructure after we say "Good Night Irene".

Man Made Monster?-

Until then, keep safe.

THE CONSPIRACY TO VANISH INTO THIN AIR

O.K., let’s file this one under …

THE CONSPIRACY TO VANISH INTO THIN AIR.

Today, Jeff really surprised me.  He actually criticized a conspiracy theory. 

I take these tiny little victories whenever I can.  The pursuit of the truth can often be a very lonely journey, especially when one spends most of his time front of a computer screen, or looking through a camera. 

I’m sure many of you are booting up that violin computer program right about now…

Anyway, Jeff was reading one of those conspiracy websites that keeps him informed of all of the daily doings of the evil-doers who are constantly conspiring to take over the world.

It seems in the middle of the news feed about mind control, secret societies, and other such fodder for this blog, Jeff came upon a what I now have learned is a persistent conspiracy theory about the late singer, Michael Jackson.

Supposedly, Michael Jackson faked his own death. 

The theories of why Jackson did so did so include his desire to avoid bankruptcy, or to avoid another round of accusations of pedophilia, or to get out from under the thumb of a domineering father.

This is how the conversation went down:

Jeff: Oh c’mon.  This is the sort of thing that gives conspiracy theorists a bad name.

Me:  O.K. I’ll take the bait.  What sort of thing?

Jeff:  That Michael Jackson is not really dead.

Me:  Neither was Paul McCartney.

I’ll leave it to your imagination, whether or not Jeff laughed at my response.

But of course you can reference the prior bog called THE CONSPIRACY OF THE DEAD MOP TOP.

But… Michael Jackson… He might have been just crazy enough to do something crazy.  That’s what crazy people do.

Michael Jackson was married for a short time to Elvis Presley’s daughter.  So, perhaps, the former lead singer of the Jackson 5 - the true boy wouldn’t grow up - might have learned the ins and outs of faking one’s own death from his father-in-law who, as we all know did the same thing, a generation ago.

Why is it that some celebrities might try, and perhaps even succeed at faking their own deaths?  

Why is it such a popular conspiracy theory?

Take James Dean for instance…

The actor had a brief, but stellar, career in the 1950s.  He lived a movie-star life and had a tremendous love of racing cars.  His custom Porsche 550 Spyder would ultimately lead to his demise.  Or, if you believe the conspiracy theory, his way out of the limelight.

On September 30, 1955, he was driving the car on Route 466 in California, and was hit head on.  Dean was pronounced DOA at the hospital.

Some of those who later examined the wreckage of his car said that the damage to the vehicle was supposedly too light to result in a victim who would be killed instantly. 

Scene of the accident-

The theory is, that just like the driver of the other car, Dean walked away from the accident. 

Logic just doesn’t support the idea that James Dean would use such a method to fake his own death.  A car accident seems such a messy and uncertain way to stage such an event.  Plus the other driver had no connection to the actor, and would be risking his own life to pull off the “ruse.”   Also, there were just so many people involved in the aftermath for the dead James Dean to make a clean getaway. 

Years later, singer Elvis Presley supposedly found a more private place to fake his own death: his own bathroom.

The superstar was found dead in his Graceland mansion, on August 16, 1977. 

Graceland-

Two separate autopsies into the cause of death (one in the aftermath of the incident, and a second one performed in 1994) concluded that drugs did not play a part, and that Presley was killed by a sudden heart attack. 

However, given Presley’s widely documented prescription drug abuse, most experts believe that he really overdosed on a cocktail of drugs.

Because the cause of death is so subject to question, it has opened the door for myth making.  By far the most persistent theory is that Elvis Presley chose to stage his death in a bid to boost flagging record sales.  

For me, this also falls into the category of “Oh, C’mon.”

Yet, Elvis Presley and his music are still a multi-million dollar business.  So, if that was his intention in faking his death, it certainly worked.

Again, let’s apply simple logic… The second autopsy was performed in 1994 and the body was still recoverable.  So, unless an entirely new set of people were let in on the conspiracy, dead is dead. 

Singer Jim Morrison of the group The Doors had actually really tried to fake his own death once to create some career buzz, so it’s not entirely out of the question that he would try do so again.

So when he was found dead in his bathtub in his apartment in Paris, on July 3, 1971 at the age of 27 the seeds were planted early. 

Fueling speculation of history repeating itself was the fact that there was no autopsy, and his death was not immediately revealed to the public.

The Paris apartment building-

Unlike the prior incident, the theory this time is that he faked his death to avoid the trappings of fame, which was the very reason he had moved to Paris. 

Three years later, his girlfriend Pamela died of a heroin overdose.  Seems like a hell of a legacy for someone to leave, just to avoid living in the spotlight.

Several more celebrities have been said to have staged their own demise for various reasons:  Walt Disney and Tupac Shakur are among the best known. 

Disney’s “death” even plays into the upcoming investigation on the video blog.

If you want to simply leave your old life behind, I guess anything is possible.  Perhaps there is an entire dead celebrity colony on the island of Atlantis. 

The fact that this particular type of conspiracy theory is so enduring is somewhat of a mystery to rival the acts themselves. 

For the performer, fame can be very isolating.  It leads to drug abuse, alcoholism, depression, thoughts of suicide…

I guess the opportunity to start fresh could come in a more lucid moment.  Maybe some even act on it.  Money can buy a lot of things.

As far as the fans, maybe they simply cannot let go.  They faked death theory allows them to think that their idol is still out there somewhere.

Michael Jackson left three kids behind, and his daughter’s tears looked very real at the memorial service.  I weep for him, if he spent his money fabricating his death and caused that much pain to those so young.

Over the years Michael Jackson fabricated his appearance so much, maybe it was always part of his plan to step into a new identity.

Long Before Plastic Surgery-

Sometimes I am sure we would all like to start fresh…

And on that thought, I too must vanish into thin air.  Except you know I’ll be back, just like they say about Elvis…

As always, emails comments, and even floral arrangements are welcome.

THE 9TH DOT 101 – THE BASIC TRUTHS

O.K., let’s file this one under…

THE 9TH DOT 101 – THE BASIC TRUTHS

Lee Falk, who created the comic strip The Phantom, regularly included a series of four panels at the beginning of his comic strips that began: “For those who came in late”.

This explanation of the character of The Phantom’s origin and purpose was literally for the audience who might stumble upon the comic strip for the first time, and would need this “Cliff’s Notes” version to be brought up to speed. 

So I thought it would be helpful to do somewhat the same thing here periodically.

The Phantom comes to mind because the character is timeless in more ways than one.  He’s a hero who walks as a ghost through the ages fighting evil-doers.

There seem to never be a shortage of those.

The Phantom legend is not only about human heroism, but also about perception.  This same concept is also central to this blog.  The same event perceived from various points of view.  Only one of which can actually be the truth.

So for those who came in late to this blog…

My roommate Jeff and I have been living in this same apartment since film school.  We get along about as well as two guys probably can when crammed into a tiny East Village two bedroom.

Jeff’s a self proclaimed conspiracy theorist. 

Jeff’s world-view is that there is a Phantom with an agenda much different than that of Lee Falk’s… 

A man behind the curtain holding the control levers… 

An unseen Geppetto holding the strings… 

Actually, Jeff thinks there are many more than just one of these men, since the very nature of a conspiracy theory requires multiple unseen, malevolent individuals. 

Perhaps Jeff is just a little bit paranoid, so his last name is not included here. 

As to me, some would call me a debunker. 

But I would like to debunk that label right here and right now.

I’m an actually investigator. 

I try to be a reality check in a world where reality has come to be more and more manufactured.  That sad fact has actually helped to give credence to the possible existence of those very men behind the curtain.  

Of this, I am painfully aware.

But, sometimes, bad things are simply done by lone individuals.

You know why I think the paparazzi follow celebrities?  They are looking for that one real moment.

I know that less and less is left to chance.  It’s this lack of randomness which also helps give rise to conspiracy theories.  People need to give order to a world that becomes increasingly harder for one person to fully grasp.

But, sometimes things do happen randomly.

I do not deny that there are bad people who do bad things, sometimes working together, and even working in secret. 

And, Jeff does not deny that sometimes there is randomness and sometimes there are loners. too.  

That is what keeps us friends, and keeps our arguments healthy.

Both Jeff and I have agreed to keep an open mind in pursuit of objectivity. 

Like the nine dots of the puzzle that gave its name to this blog, we both try to think outside the box and let our journey take us where it might.

I’ve also been making little documentaries about our investigations and arguments about some of Jeff’s theories since film school. 

We’ve got a great one coming up, I’m editing nightly.  I’m not certain where it will lead yet either.

It’s about someone who dared to think outside the box as well.

That’s the fun of being an investigator, you don’t know the answer until you get there. 

So pass on the URL to this blog, you never know from where the next piece of evidence is going to come, or where that evidence might take us…

One thing I have always admired about Jeff, his intentions are good, he desires to expose those whose intentions are not so good.

That is an agenda I am happy to share and, like the character The Phantom, one that is worthy enough to continue for generations.

So for those who came in late, glad that you found the blog.  

Feedback is always welcome.

Sam Moore