We celebrated George Noory's birthday on this special show, as he was joined by four guests who appeared in separate hours. First, investigative researcher Mark Shaw shared his well wishes and updated his research into JFK's assassination and the work of pioneering journalist Dorothy Kilgallen who investigated the conspiracy. At the time of the murder, J. Edgar Hoover pushed the lone gunman theory of Oswald as the assassin, and he declared that "not one shred of evidence has been developed to link any other person in a conspiracy," Shaw recalled, characterizing it as an act of misdirection on the part of the FBI Director. When JFK was killed, Bobby Kennedy told many people that crime boss Carlos Marcello was involved, but the Warren Commission never investigated him, Shaw added.
SETI astronomer Seth Shostak appeared in the second hour, commenting on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Regarding NASA's recent hearing on UFOs, he thinks it's a positive sign as the government should rightfully be concerned about who or what is in our airspace. While Shostak contends that UFOs do not represent visitors from other planets, his long-standing work with SETI has sought to "eavesdrop on ET" and find signals from other star systems that might be from intelligent civilizations through radio telescopes and arrays. The Very Large Array in New Mexico, consisting of 28 telescopes, can do SETI research at the same time as it's doing astronomy work, he pointed out. Though the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico collapsed, China has developed a similar style spherical dish that has an even larger diameter, he reported.
Wishing George a happy birthday next was author and financial commentator James Paris, who recounted how he became a multi-millionaire by age 30 and then went bankrupt by 40 after he was the victim of an embezzlement scheme perpetrated by his brother. After his economic downfall, Paris discovered that by praying to God and then listening for a response, he could receive solutions for getting his life back on track. One of the most effective types of prayer, he said, is to ask God "for wisdom and for his plan to put you in a situation where you're able to be self-sufficient." Paris also talked about how giving to others and charity can bring you a special kind of blessing.
George's last birthday celebration guest was therapist Art Rosengarten who talked about how mental health issues and anxiety have become quite common for Americans to experience. He cited the work of psychoanalyst Carl Jung as an inspiration and noted the importance of people understanding and exploring their own psyches. That's why tools like the Tarot and meditation can really help people tune into the whole of their being and gain significant insights, Rosengarten suggested. Tarot cards can function as a kind of oracle and offer creative problem-solving in a way that other approaches may not, he noted. During the last segment, he gave readings for callers.
George Noory Birthday Cartoon by Ted Bastien.
News segment guests: Charles R. Smith, Sandra Champlain