The "Brady Derangement Syndrome"

#BradyDerangementSyndrome #PatriotsDerangementSyndrome

I recall this 'derangement syndrome' was coined by Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, author, political commentator Charles Krauthammer, first as "Bush Derangement Syndrome", defined as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency — nay — the very existence of George W. Bush". 

Later we had outbreaks of Palin Derangement Syndrome. And now, we've even seen it spread to the conservative world with Obama Derangement Syndrome, from which I freely admit I've suffered in the past.

As a former sufferer of the syndrome myself, I recognize the disease in others, never more so than with many NFL fans outside New England. A filming incident, in broad view of 80,000 people and more of an "F  you" from the Patriots coaching staff to the NFL and their newly emphasized rule (an incident that became known as "Spygate"), changed neurons in what were once viable brains of NFL fan bases outside of New  England, and was additionally compounded by an inability of these fan bases to accept 3 previous Superbowl wins by this team they grew to resent and hate. The mere mention of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Robert Kraft, or the New England Patriots is enough to send these fans into either deep depression or foaming-at-the-mouth apoplexia.

Clearly, the NFL management staff itself suffers from at least Brady Derangement Syndrome, if not full-on Patriots Derangement Syndrome, as anyone who has actually read the Wells Report, NFLPA rebuttals, appeals transcripts, and even the NYFed court decision should clearly see.  With no direct evidence whatsoever to any involvement by Brady in the desire to, wish to, or active participation in the deflation of footballs, the  league went from the silly "more probable than not" was "generally aware" that something was happening somewhere in the organization, to the full on insane claim that Brady now "knew about, approved  of, consented to, and provided inducements and rewards in support of a scheme" to deflate footballs.  Huh?  Even Judge Berman shook his head at that one.   I'm sure Goodell himself had to be talked down off the ledge of accusing Brady of actually carrying around a ball needle hidden in the cell phone that he "destroyed" (and which clearly contained not only his full confession to Deflategate, but also his role in the  9/11 takedowns and Oklahoma bombing).

So, I can see the Brady and Patriots derangement syndromes at play here, especially in this whole Deflategate thing, and I understand its debilitating effect on the intellect of those sufferers. I know it's a particularly difficult burden for fans of the Seahawks, St Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers, as well as just about every AFC team, who have had their Super Bowl dreams crushed at one time or another at the hands of the New England Patriots football team.  I will say, though, there is hope.  I myself have overcome my own form of derangement syndrome in the political arena (I actually think Obama is doing pretty good work, albeit I believe his mission is to destroy this country, but, hey, he's bringing his "A" game and I respect that).  There is hope for others.

A one-man band seeking truth about ... Cylindricals

by Dick Cabeza, on special assignment for the PEI Enquirer

Charlottetown, PEI -- John Wayne Terry didn’t feel like he was looking for the Cylindricals, as much as they were looking for him.

“Let me tell you, I’m not the kind of guy that goes nosing around looking for trouble,” he said, in a hushed tone, as if trying not to be overheard. “Gosh, no, I’m just a simple man from Cape Breton. But it seemed like every time I turned around that week, there was a Cylindrical in my face.”

That week turned out to be the week of July 14, 2007, when John and his wife Imelda set off to explore neighboring Prince Edward Island. Terry recalls his first encounter with the Cylindricals, mysterious cylindrical shaped objects that suddenly appear in groups throughout large, grassy areas. “I had driven by this beautiful grassy field on my way to Blooming Point on that Saturday morning. I remember remarking to Imelda that I had heartburn and wondered if chewing that tall grass might help it. It was joke, of course. But the next day, I was not in a joking mood.”

That is because on his morning walk the next day, he strode past the same grassy field. Only this time, things were different. “They were everywhere, and they were huge,” he said, spreading his arms wide. “One minute, there is a grassy field, and then – poof – Cylindricals everywhere.”

Recalling tales of similar phenomenon documented on radio programs such as Art Bell’s AM Coast to Coast – on which Terry is now a popular featured guest – he quickly realized he was on to something. But what?

Little is known about Cylindricals -- the name Terry has given them, in an attempt to describe their odd shapes -- and scientists around the world are curiously silent about them, a fact that concerns Terry. "You know, I'm not a big conspiracy guy or anything, but these things are all over the place. I just don't understand why scientists are ignoring the signs. It's almost like ... " Terry weighs his words carefully, "... almost like they are afraid to step forward and speak the truth."

Terry says these are the indisputable facts about Cylindricals, as he knows them:

• Cylindricals appear in open grassy fields
• The sudden appearance of Cylindricals is often preceded by reports of mechanized noises and bright lights that can be seen by night
• People on neighboring properties never agree to be interviewed
• After several days, the Cylindricals then vanish altogether

Terry is no stranger to exploring phenomena that are totally overlooked and disregarded by the entire scientific community. Teaming with fellow enthusiast Paul Chambers, whose groundbreaking work on the phenomenon of snow angels catapulted him to regular caller status on AM Coast to Coast, Terry most recently brought to light unusual and unexplained rock formations that began appearing on certain Canadian beaches. Again, the scientists rebuffed his research and discredited his data.

"These structures were remarkable, spontaneously arising in the clay sands on a number of beaches in the Maritimes," he said, showing one of several photographs recording the phenomenon. "And, yet, no other researchers would dare to take a stand on them. Paul and I were hitting brick walls everywhere we turned. It was as if we were uncovering a secret never meant to be revealed."


The next step for Terry is to make the world aware of the Cylindrical phenomenon -- before it's too late. "I think we are all in grave danger if we don't understand what is happening here," he says. "We can't ignore the signs all around us, whether it be crop circles, alien abductions, the steady formation of a one-world government, or even sightings of Bigfoot, Yeti, Nessie, or other cryptids. To quote an old rock song, 'There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear.' We need to understand. Our civilization may very well be hanging in the balance."

John Wayne Terry knows there are haunting truths that the world may not be ready to hear. He vows to continue his research into the Cylindrical phenomenon. "The paranormal need not be feared. There are beings trying desperately to communicate with us through these events. I can see them. I can hear them. And I will not rest until these voices in my head can be heard by the entire world. It's the least I can do for the survival of humanity."

* * * * *











Snow Angels

© Paul Chambers, reprinted with permission from the Art Bell Unexplained Phenomena archive, Roswell, New Mexico

I Live a Life of Oxymorons ...

I'm the shy outgoing type who also happens to be cheerfully pessimistic. I've also been described as an aging yuppie who is awfully nice but clearly misunderstood -- a talkative mime, if you will, who wears loose tights and seems to live in constant chaos.

It's a well-known secret that I occasionally take working vacations, often going nowhere and just acting like a dim wit -- or is that a smart ass? Oh well, same difference.

I love gourmet fast food, especially jumbo shrimp, which is really a new classic. I also enjoy eating kosher ham, and drinking icy hot fresh frozen decaffeinated coffee from a half-empty plastic glass. I like to follow that up with some 12 ounce pound cake, with dry ice and fried ice cream for dessert. And, of course, I insist on having paper tablecloths and plastic silverware. Nothing but wicked good stuff for this idiot savant!.

I also enjoy science fiction, simple calculus, and listening to military music on my noise-cancelling loudspeakers. I like to have some serious fun, as you can see.

If this all sounds strangely familiar to you, and you understand the absurd logic of it all, then, good grief, let me hear from you!

AM radio waves ...

I was helping a friend clean out her cellar recently when I came across an old vintage radio, circa 1950s, with all its tubes intact. She said I could have it. The reason I wanted it? To pull in distant AM radio stations late at night, when the waves can travel incredibly far distances. Old tube radios, when they heat up, have amazing AM reception abilities.

When I was around 10 or 11 years old and in bed for the night, I would turn to an old AM-only tube radio that used to be my grandmother's (just like the one pictured), and I would start at the low end of the dial and just turn the tuner carefully and slowly. In the quiet darkness, I would hear faint signals that would get stronger for several seconds – long enough to sometimes hear the call letters and location of the station. From the Boston area, I would routinely pull in stations from places like NYC (WABC) … Cincinnati (WLW, a forerunner to TV’s WKRP) … Detroit (WJR) … Chicago (WLS) … Montreal (CKAC) and Fort Wayne IN (WBCL). These were among my “regular” stations that I picked up without much problem.

On a real good night, I might hear stations as far south as Raleigh NC, Nashville and Memphis … maybe even Atlanta … as far west as Kansas City, Minneapolis, and even Omaha! But the most amazing pick up I had was on one cold winter night, when I heard a station giving the weather for Boise Idaho! It was only for about 10 seconds or so, but I heard “You’re listening to KTIK, Boise’s number 1 radio for news. The time is 9:45 ... and now a check on our weather.”

I remember thinking “Boise? Where’s that? It’s 11:45 here!” And it was a “K” station. Well west of the Mississippi -- over 2000 miles from Boston! The atmosphere must have been perfect for AM radio wave bouncing.

The funny thing is that my wife told me that she, too, used to do the exact same thing at about the same time, (of course, long before we met). She knew the same stations and then some! We often muse that we could have been listening to the same distant radio stations on the same nights way back then, unknowingly linked by AM radio waves in a way that only the angels in heaven could have known about :-)

So now I’m doing the same thing here in 2007 with this old tube radio, pulling in faraway stations and once again being transported by that strange sense of travel and connection that I loved so much as a kid. I still enjoy being airborne.

That disappointing Summer Solstice

On June 21st – which marks the beginning of summer here in the northern hemisphere – we experience what will be a string of the “longest days” of the year. In fact, looking in my almanac, I see that June 19 – 21 are each of the same length of day, making them the longest days of the year (15hrs 17min from sunrise to sunset).

Lady String and I always make it a point to be outdoors on Summer Solstice evening and celebrate the longest day together. We try to have dinner at an outdoor restaurant, weather permitting (not all that many choices in the southern Boston region, actually, since it is a very short season), and then just take in the evening until the glow in the horizon gives way finally to the night. We were able to enjoy just such a night last week, with splendid, clear skies and short-sleeve warm temperatures.

The sun sets at its latest, here in the Boston area, between June 24 – 29, setting at 8:25pm. Civil twilight is probably around 9:20pm or so, and it is dark well before 10pm.

And that, to me, is such a bummer, because on June 30th, the sun will start setting earlier, beginning at 8:24pm and working it’s way methodically back to it’s earliest setting point, 4:12pm, from December 4 through 13. How can it be that the summer is just beginning and the days are already getting shorter? Shouldn’t we peak in the middle of summer, around August 1st? What was God thinking? That’s just not right.

And it just seems like even at its longest, the sun just sets way too early around these parts. Now, in Hammerfest Norway -- the land of the midnight sun -- the sun simply does not set at this time of year, or when it does, it only dips below the horizon for a few minutes before rising again. I’m not sure how fun that would be to live in (it must throw your sleep patterns off like crazy) but it would be a lot of fun to experience, and I hope to do so someday.

But here in eastern US, 8:25pm just does not seem like a late night. My brother lived in Grand Rapids, MI, which is on the western edge of this time zone, and he said that the sun didn’t set there until around 9:30pm at this time of year, and with the twilight, you could still be finishing up your golf game at 10pm. Now that seems to me to be a little more like it.

And two years ago I was on a beach in Den Haag, The Netherlands on June 21st, watching the sun set at just after 10pm. At 11:00pm we were still playing volleyball on the beach and having no problems with seeing clearly. By 11:20pm we finally stopped playing and decided to go have some beers. The only problem was that this Eastern-Time-Zone-dependent body somehow got fooled into thinking that the night was young as we headed to the pub for what turned out to be three rounds of Heinekens. My 6am wake-up call was not gentle the next morning. But after experiencing a lengthy, sunlit evening like that, I am even more aware of just how shortchanged we are getting in the Boston area as far as length of sunlit summer evenings go.

Lady String and I have vowed that if we move in the future, we will go someplace where the climate is kinder than it can be in New England, and will be on the western edge of a time zone, so that the summer nights can be brighter. We will also want to be near the ocean, so getting all three to line up will take a bit.

In the meantime, we will enjoy what we have here in New England, and will savor what we can of the summer days ahead … even though we have tasted longer evenings and know how sweet they really can be. But we are on the hunt.