Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Coast to Coast AM - 2011.12.13 - Space & Faith

Space & Faith

Date:	12-13-11
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Brother Guy Consolmagno

Astronomer at the Vatican Observatory, Brother Guy Consolmagno, discussed space issues such as the question of ET life, Russia's interest in going to Phobos, dark energy, and the big bang theory as well as how faith and science can coexist. He explained that the Vatican's interest in the cosmos is driven by "the same sense of curiosity and mystery that fueled people to look at the sky since the beginning of time." In looking at the tremendous leaps in scientific insight over the last few years, he marveled that "half the things" he originally learned about space are now suspect, while radical ideas from as recently as ten years ago are now viewed as entirely possible.
Consolmagno shared an analogy that captures the difficulties faced by humans in trying to better understand our universe. He started by noting that the moons of Jupiter and Saturn are believed to have liquid water beneath a surface layer of ice. Supposing that there was intelligent life in those oceans, they would be restricted by the ice above them and the ground below, knowing only that world as their universe. These beings, Consolmagno said, would never be able to know they were just a small part of a much larger system of moons, planets, stars, and galaxies. "And then you ask, 'what are the things that we don't know that we don't know,'" he pondered, "what are the boundaries that are part of our universe that even we can't be aware of?"
Contrary to the idea that science and faith are mutually exclusive, Consolmagno said that every religion, even those that seem hostile to science, have scientists which belong to them. On a personal level, he attributed his faith as a key motivator behind his ongoing scientific work. "It's that sense that I'm touching the stuff that God made," he mused, "day in and day out, seeing how the universe works, I'm in a conversation with the creator." Additionally, he contended that greater understanding of our universe does not threaten the idea of God, but, rather, "as our universe gets bigger, I would say our understanding of the creator of the universe gets bigger."

TSA Issues

In the first hour, constitutional lawyer Jonathan Emord talked about the misguided approach of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He pointed out that the agency spent 57 billion dollars in the last 10 years and has 65,000 employees, yet a recent investigation by Congress' General Accounting Office found that 17 known terrorists were able to travel, on 24 different occasions, and pass through 8 separate TSA screening locations. "The whole thing, sadly, is a game of smoke and mirrors," he lamented. During his appearance, Emord also detailed the FDA's attempts to regulate mobile medical apps and their court battle over putting graphic images on cigarette packages.

UFO Buzzes Russian Protest

An intriguing new video from Russia captures what appears to be a UFO hovering over a large pro-democracy protest in Moscow. Witnesses claim the object flew without the means of a conventional engine, flashed red and blue lights, and featured five tendrils emanating from the center of the craft. Skeptics claim the UFO was likely a spy drone deployed by the Russian government or a camera used by the news media to film the protest. More on the story at The Daily Mail and video of the object can be seen at The Telegraph.

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Coast to Coast AM

Coast to Coast AM is a North American (U.S. and Canada) late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently airs seven nights a week 1:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Pacific Time. As of 2006, the show attracts an estimated 4.5 million listeners every night, making it the most listened to late night show in North America.

Coast to Coast AM covers unusual topics and is full of personal stories related to callers. While program content varies, most nights are focused on paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects such as the occult, remote viewing, hauntings, shadow people, psychic reading, metaphysics, conspiracy theories, UFOs, crop circles, cryptozoology, the Hollow Earth hypothesis, and science fiction literature, among others. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the events of that day (as well as alternate theories surrounding them) and current U.S. counter-terrorism strategy have also become frequent themes. George Noory also takes interest in the 2012 phenomenon and believes something will happen.

After the theme song is played (Giorgio Moroder's "Chase" from Midnight Express), the broadcast is typically kicked off with a reading of current events or news stories by the host, usually with at least one bizarre or peculiar story. This is usually followed by a guest interview for the rest of the first hour (with open phone lines if there is enough time), then a lengthier three-hour interview with a second guest. For the last hour of the show, people may call in to ask questions of the second guest. Every so often, host George Noory will flip the show's format and have the longer interview guest on first to fill the first three hours of the show. In this format, the primary interview begins after the reading of the news and then the first break. In the last hour in this "flipped" format, the last hour will sometimes feature guest with a shorter subject or, more often than not, be simply an hour of open lines. Occasionally, round table discussions are held on one of the show's common topics. Conventional topics are sometimes discussed, with interviews with notable authors and political talk sometimes featured.

On rare occasions, hosts have cut interviews short when it became clear that guests were being dishonest, unethical, unintelligible, abusive, or patronizing. When this happens, the rest of the show will be filled with open lines. Guests that have interviews cut short due to bad phone connections for example, or at the last minute becoming unavailable are generally rescheduled for a later date.

Some guests have been challenged. However, the overall tone of the show is generally friendly toward paranormal and fringe views, and apart from panel discussions and advertised debates, guests are generally free to air their views unopposed.

In 2008, George Noory volunteered an elaboration of the show's policy respecting the controversial opinions of regular guests. He explained that, provided there was no element of hostility toward third parties, it was program policy to allow expression of opinion unchallenged. He gave as an example Richard C. Hoagland's contention that features on Mars are artificial, constructed by a civilization that once inhabited the planet. Noory accepted that this opinion has no support whatsoever in the planetary science community, but said that Coast to Coast AM exists in part to provide a forum for such eccentric ideas. He added that, since guests are never paid appearance fees, it is inevitable that promotion of books, videos, and web sites is often a motivation for guests to sacrifice a night's sleep.

During hours of "open lines", calls are taken and put on air. Under George Noory, open lines have added topics for callers to share their experiences or stories about a particular issue or situation. The show has multiple call-in numbers for:

"East of the Rockies"
"West of the Rockies"
"First-time callers"
"International callers"
A "wild card" line
Skype (when Noory is hosting)

They are all announced at the beginning of each broadcast by Ross Mitchell. Since 2007, Coast to Coast AM rolls out more numbers on special occasions, including lines that are reserved for special "themed" callers, for example those who claim to be from other dimensions, time periods, and those possessed by spirits.

The Halloween edition of Coast to Coast AM becomes Ghost to Ghost AM, as listeners call in with their ghost stories. The New Year's Eve show usually entails listeners calling in their predictions for the coming year, and the host (commonly Art Bell) rating the predictions made a year earlier. In recent years, the host of the New Year's Eve prediction show has been cautioning the open line callers that they may not predict the assassination of any person or the death of the US president.

The 2006 first person shooter Prey featured Art Bell as a guest star and featured him as himself in mock episodes of the show with guests calling in to discuss the various extraterrestrial or mythical phenomena making up the game's story line, sometimes to advance the plot and other times simply for humour.

George Noory hosts the show on weeknights and the first Sunday of every month. Ian Punnett hosts the show on Saturday nights. Either Ian Punnett or fill-in host John B. Wells hosts the show on the second Sunday of every month. George Knapp hosts the 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month, and when there is a 5th Sunday, Art Bell or a fill-in hosts the show. On some 3rd and 4th Sundays, Rob Simone fills in for George Knapp.

Coast to Coast AM is broadcast on over 500 United States affiliates, as well as numerous Canadian affiliates, several of which stream the show on their station's website. The show's Streamlink service offers live Internet feeds of the show by subscription. The program is also broadcast on XM Satellite Radio in the United States, on Talk Radio 165, for 11 hours per day. Due to XM Satellite Radio's operational assistance agreement with Clear Channel, Coast to Coast AM was forbidden from broadcasting on Sirius Satellite Radio until XM and Sirius merged in 2008.

The show's complete schedule can be found on its website. Because the show is so frequently repeated, audible cue signals are inserted at the beginning and end of commercial breaks, to facilitate substitution of commercials by local stations.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Coast to Coast AM - 2011.12.13 - Space & Faith

Space & Faith

Space & Faith

TSA Issues

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UFO Buzzes Russian Protest

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