'Think of What You're Saying'

Where does one begin?

Thanks (I think), Brett.

IN SEARCH OF -- syndication profits

When the syndicated TV series IN SEARCH OF debuted in 1976, I was spellbound. Leonard Nimoy was host. "He used to be Spock on Star Trek", my cousin told me. With my 9 year old TV-saturated brain I assumed that since Spock was logical and smart (and Nimoy wore a suit jacket and turtleneck and seemed informed) then IN SEARCH OF info must be true. I knew nothing about disclaimers or teleprompters.

The series conducted "investigations" into the pseudoscientific and paranormal (ie: UFOs, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster). Additionally, it featured episodes about mysterious historical events and personalities such as Anna Anderson/Grand Duchess Anastasia, the Lincoln Assassination, the Jack the Ripper murders, infamous cults (ie. Jim Jones), and missing persons, cities, and ships (ie: Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Hoffa, D. B. Cooper, the Titanic, the lost Roanoke Colony).

Some shows were really creepy and you didn't want to watch them alone. The film reenactments (of hunters terrorized by Bigfoot) could be captivating and terrifying.

Opening verbal disclaimer (by Nimoy): "This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture. The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily the only ones, to the mysteries we will examine."

End Credit Narration (by Nimoy): "Lost civilizations, extraterrestrials, myths and monsters, missing persons, magic and witchcraft, unexplained phenomena. 'In Search Of...' cameras are traveling the world, seeking out these great mysteries. This program was the result of the work of scientists, researchers and a group of highly-skilled technicians."

148 half-hour episodes were produced through 1982.

Fun facts:
There was a soundtrack album on AVI Records, released in 1977 and produced by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder, that featured the In Search Of Orchestra.

A few years later, Series creator Alan Landsburg would give TV audiences THAT'S INCREDIBLE! hosted by John Davidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby (presenting fun factoids and real life freaks).

Happy "Heathens" Rejoice

Hell in a hand basket?

The new American Religious Identification Survey shows that Americans identifying themselves as belonging to a religious group is down across the board, with self-identified Christians down 11% in the last 18 years. The change is the greatest in the Northeast and the West, but in all 50 states, Americans saying they have no particular religion are on the rise. Because the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, the ARIS survey was the first comprehensive study of how people identify their spiritual expression…

The ARIS research also led in quantifying and planting a label on the "Nones" — people who said "None" when asked the survey's basic question: "What is your religious identity?"

The survey itself may have contributed to a higher rate of reporting as sociologists began analyzing the newly identified Nones. "The Nones may have felt more free to step forward, less looked upon as outcasts" after the ARIS results were published, [ARIS co-researcher Ariela] Keysar says."

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There are several good non-theist subject films available on DVD:

Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God
http://www.juliasweeney.com/letting_go_mini/index.html

Bill Maher's Religulous
http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/

and BBC's Jonathan Miller's A Brief History of Disbelief
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/atheism.shtml

The Mascot

Classic animation short by Wladyslaw Starewicz.

Scary Poppins

You'll be Ozified!

Street of Crocodiles

I hope you enjoy this animated short by Brothers Quay, uploaded to YouTube in two parts by jonbeinart.

Alice in Tellyland