Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 100

10 November 2019 - OUR BEAUTIFUL EARTH

OUR BEAUTIFUL EARTH
G'day folks,

Welcome to some great samples of where we live.





























Clancy's comment: Man, who would want to go to Mars when we have all this on earth.
I'm ...

9 November 2019 - BILL YARBOROUGH - GUEST AUTHOR - MK-ULTRA

 BILL YARBOROUGH - AUTHOR - MK-ULTRA -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview a man with an enchanting past. Brace yourself ...
Welcome, Bill ...

1.   Tell us a little about yourself and your writing journey.


I’ve enjoyed writing for many years. Since I retired I’ve embarked on a concentrated effort to publish my first novel, Memories of MK-ULTRA. It is inspired by experiences from my young childhood. I believe my brother, sister, and I were placed in the CIA’s MK-ULTRA mind-control program during the summer of 1958. I was four, my sister was eight, and my brother was two. We repressed these memories for 30 years, but in the 1980s we began to recall our buried past. We had common memories that surfaced of being kept in basement jail cells, as well as being subjected to electroshock, drugs, isolation, deprivation, psychological assault, and other traumas. None-the-less, we struggled to believe such things actually happened.


Then, in the 1990s, President Clinton released the results of a Presidential Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, which also addressed the mind control experiments conducted by the CIA. After that presidential report was released, we realized our recollections aligned with the testimonies of other child survivors of MK-ULTRA who testified before the Presidential Committee.





2.   For readers who are not familiar, give us some background on MK-ULTRA.


MK-ULTRA was a secret mind control program operated by the CIA during the 1950’s. The New York Times first exposed the program in 1974, and a Senate Committee along with other government investigations followed.
Among other things, it was discovered that the MK-ULTRA program was used to perfect interrogation techniques, to create split personalities for covert espionage missions, and to experiment with drugs on both willing and unwilling subjects. There were about 140 different programs with over 80 institutions involved.


Although MK-ULTRA experimented predominately on adults, it also experimented on children in a program designed to create super soldiers and spies. After the program was exposed, CIA Director Richard Helms destroyed thousands of pages of documentation. There have been a number of nonfiction books published about MK-ULTRA, including most recently Stephen Kinzer’s Poisoner in Chief, which was featured last month by The New York Times and NPR’s Fresh Air.





3.   Why do you think the U.S. government engaged in such activities?


I believe they were paranoid that the Russians and the Chinese were ahead in mind control research.
 
4.   Why were you placed in such a program and why did your parents allow it?


That is the question I most often get. My parents were pretty troubled in those days. My mother grew up in Nazi Germany and experienced a number of traumas, including the bombing of Dresden, Germany, which resulted in the highest civilian casualties in the history of warfare.


My father worked in the war crimes staff of the US Army after World War II where he interviewed the Nazis running the Dachau concentration camps. That is where the Nazis conducted mind control experiments and that is where the CIA recruited some mind control experts for MK-ULTRA. I believe that is the connection that led us into this program.


I also believe my parents may have been promised compensation and told the program would benefit our development. I recall my mother saying, “You will have wonderful futures if you go to this special school.” It’s possible that their minds were manipulated, too.  





5.   Did you discuss these memories with your parents?


Yes, I did confront my father on this issue. In his natural voice, the one I knew, he denied knowledge. Then, suddenly, in a strange whispery voice that I’d heard on rare occasions before, he displayed knowledge. As I mentioned earlier, one goal of MK-ULTRA was to create split personalities. Perhaps they did so with him.


I also discussed it with my mother. She became extremely defensive and claimed I was never out of her sight for one second as a child. Of course, that wasn’t true, given that I spent time at my friends and attended school and summer scout camps.
  
6.   How did the program impact you?


I grew up terrified of authority figures, suffered from irrational fears, avoided intimate relationships, and had an obsession to one day become President of the United States, which I later concluded was programmed into me.


After my repressed memories surfaced, I embarked on a healing journey. I’ve had years of therapy involving a variety of techniques: psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, EMDR, Reiki, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Other techniques like meditation, music, dancing, journaling, and creative writing helped to supplement my healing journey.


Although I’m not fully healed, I’ve made some real progress. Most significantly, I have had a long-term relationship with my wonderful wife, Inge. Likewise, my sister embarked on a healing journey. Unfortunately, my brother suffered lasting and extensive psychological damage. Like many other individuals who were children in MK-ULTRA, he spent a lifetime since the age of 21 diagnosed with a variety of mental illnesses before he died in his fifties.


7.   Why did you decide to write a novel rather than a memoir?


Partly because of my young age in the program and the nature of repressed memories coming to the surface 30 years later. Our memories often came to us in different fashion—mine, while consciously awake, my sister, while dreaming, and my brother, while in what his therapist called altered states of consciousness. However, our recollections were typically the same.


Repressed memories can be fuzzy though, and I couldn’t write in confidence that my recollections were fully accurate. I feared I’d be second-guessing myself if I wrote a memoir and chose to write a novel instead. I like to say the novel is inspired by my experiences.





8.   Tell us about your novel.


Memories of MK-ULTRAtraces the development of three siblings from their early childhood—marred by mind control experiences in the MK-ULTRA program—to their adulthood. It unfolds through two intertwined storylines. One, set at a CIA installation outside of Washington D.C., follows a Nazi-trained psychiatrist who is charged with engineering super soldiers and spies. But he also has an agenda of his own: acting as a puppet master to control world events by indoctrinating future political leaders.


The other storyline focuses on the coming of age of the three siblings during the turbulent 60 and into their early adulthood. As the story develops, an incredible chain of events uncover the dark forces shaping their lives . . . until an unexpected source of light appears. 


9.   What is that source of light?


Another child subject in the program. The CIA didn’t just place American kids into this program but Canadian, Mexican, and South American children as well. The three siblings in my novel are fortunate to be exposed to a teenage Indian boy from a shamanic tribe in Mexico with remarkable gifts who protects and comforts them as best he can. They repress the memory of this boy along with the rest of their MK-ULTRA experiences, but when they remember him, it has a transformative impact on their lives.


10.                Is this boy based on an experience you had?


Yes, I believe we were comforted and protected by a Mexican boy with shamanic gifts who was in the program with us. I suspect the psychological damage inflicted upon my sister and I was significantly mitigated by his influence. Although I believe he helped my brother, too, my brother was younger and more vulnerable, so he experienced more psychological damage.


11.                How are you approaching the publication of your novel?


Currently, I’m trying to get a literary agent. In the United States you need a literary agent if you want to be published by one of the big New York publishers. It is a daunting effort. I’ve been told that only I of every 6,000 query letters eventual leads to publication.


Actually, I was planning to self-publish, but I had my book reviewed by professional focus group which had 11 beta readers critique and rate my novel. They didn’t know me and were not told up front that my book was based on actual experiences. The representative of the focus group company told me my novel had one of the highest scores they’ve seen. Nine of the eleven readers liked it a lot or extremely much. She strongly urged to give the literary agent route a shot.


Outside of that focus group, I’ve had close to another 100 people read my manuscript, with a similar positive response. So I’m trying to obtain an agent. If I don’t obtain one, then I’ll query smaller publishers. If that doesn’t work, I’ll self-publish. In any event, I plan to aggressively market my novel.  








12.                How so?


Well, for starters doing interviews like this one. The media has historically had a strong interest in MK-ULTRA. I’ve noticed when MK-ULTRA books are published by traditional publishers, there is often good media coverage—like the Poisoner in Chief, the book I mentioned earlier. I will also open a website soon (billyarborough.com) in which I will ultimately market my novel and share the lessons of my healing journey. Memories of MK-ULTA is the first in a series, and the healing journey is definitely a facet of the novel series.


I’m also an experienced speaker and have just done my first speech on my experiences. I have a defined list of marketing steps I’m taking, including the use of social networks, like LinkedIn, which is how you and I connected for this interview. Of course, I’m new at this, and I have a lot to learn. But in the end, I believe word of mouth is the most powerful element in promoting book sales. I’m encouraged that a number of my beta readers have wanted their friends, family, and their book clubs to read Memories of MK-ULTRA.


13.                How has the agent hunt gone so far?


So far no offers of representation, but a number of them have urged me to keep on querying, expressing confidence that I’ll find an agent. My biggest challenge with agents is how to classify my novel. My novel does not fit into one neat genre box. It’s a psych thriller and a coming of age story but also a cross-gen novel that includes elements of a political and conspiracy thriller, dysfunctional family saga, historical fiction, healing journey, as well as aspects of the paranormal, magic realism, and sci-fi. I believe that is why it appeals to a wide spectrum of readers. I’ve had some very enthusiastic readers—but they’re often enthusiastic for different reasons.


14.                So, tell us about the paranormal, magic realism, and sci-fi aspects. Are they based on things you experienced?


Yes. There are reports that MK-ULTRA was into psychic experiments. There is no question the CIA engaged in such activities as remote viewing—using psychics to spy on enemy installations. MK-ULTRA was also deeply involved in experimenting with such drugs as LSD, including on children. I recall that the Indian boy I mentioned earlier possessed formidable shamanic abilities. Also, my brother and sister have displayed psychic talents on occasion. My sister suspects she was given drugs in the program, and I’ve read that severe trauma can produce out-of-body experiences.


So, I’ve had some memories crop up involving what could be described as the paranormal, mystical, or what they refer to in fiction as magic realism. Of course, when dealing with memories of non-ordinary reality that were repressed for 30 years or more, it’s hard to know for sure. But in a novel format you can certainly speculate.  





15.                What type of preparation do you do for a manuscript? Do you plan everything first or just shoot from the hip?


I’ve done both. I recently had a short story “Night Mother” accepted for publication by Jitter Press. I planned it out completely—although the most intriguing aspect of the story came to me after I’d finished the planning.


With Memories of MK-ULTRA I did very little advance planning—although, given it was based on my experiences, you could argue it was already mapped out. However, there are storylines that are different from my own experience, such as the main character embarking on a political career. That is something I desperately wanted to do before my memory blocks collapsed—but I never did.


16.                What do you enjoy most about being a writer?


I love most all aspects about it. First and foremost the creativity. And the editing and endless re-editing. As well as getting feedback and the marketing aspects. I particularly like to meet other creative people. My sister and I just collaborated on a short story and that was a lot of fun. I should add that since my novel was based on experiences I endured, writing it had a cathartic effect. 


17.                When did you first start writing?


In the early 1980s just after my brother had his psychotic break. It was quite traumatic—he and I were very close—and I had to escape into something, so I started writing horror short stories as a hobby. It was an auspicious pick, given I had no interest in writing up until that point.


18.                What have you done to develop your writing skills?


I first started writing on my own without seeking help. It allowed me to develop some confidence before seeking critical feedback. But after a while, I took steps to seek feedback and educate myself about writing. I joined various critique groups, attended writing conferences and workshops, read and reread a lot novels, studied books on writing, hired professional editors to review my manuscript, and used a lot of beta readers, including the professional focus group I mentioned earlier.


19.                What advice would you give to new writers?


Reread your favourite books and authors. Once you start seeking critical feedback, don’t dismiss too many suggestions outright. Often when someone made a suggestion to me, I thought, that won’t work. But I tried them out anyhow and was surprised how often those suggestions helped.





20.                Who is your favourite author and why?


Stephen King. When I read his books I feel like he brings the reader into the story as if they are experiencing the events themselves. I’ve strived to do that as best I can. The down side of that approach, is that a few readers have been triggered by my manuscript. It stirs up their traumas. One women ended up in the emergency room because her blood pressure soared. To the vast majority of readers though, it is another thriller—but one they tend not to forget. At least, that’s what they tell me. I know a number of them like to reread it.


21.                What is your greatest compliment you ever received from a reader?


Someone said, “I’ve never read a novel at work, but I read Memories of MK-ULTRA at work.”


22.                What was the worst comment from a reader?


That I should have killed off the protagonist. Since the protagonist was sort of based on myself, that was a bit rough.


23.                What did you do before you retired?


My day job consisted of working for a large public accounting firm, then in the financial industry for 35 years. During that time, I also served as president for two non-profits.


24.                Other than writing, what else do you love to do?


My wife and I love to travel, spend time with family and friends, take walks, and read. We’re big movie and theatre fans, too. Given my political programing in MK-ULTRA, I’ve been something of a political junkie since I was a kid—but I don’t want to go into politics anymore.   


25.                Besides writing your novel series, is there anything else you would like to do?


Sharing the healing techniques I’ve practiced during my healing journey. One of my favourites is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) sometimes referred to as tapping, which is based on Chinese acupressure and involves tapping on a set of energy meridians to relieve emotional and physical issues. It is something you can do on your own as the need arises. My wife and I have conducted several seminars on EFT, and I plan to share some of my healing experiences on my upcoming website.


26.                Anything you’d like to add?


I really appreciate your hosting me, Clancy!






 Clancy's comment: Welcome, Bill. Thank you. Extraordinary story. Good luck.


I'm ...

8 November 2019 - INTRIGUING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS

INTRIGUING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS
G'day folks,
If you enjoy discovering new things, you most likely enjoy reading through facts! After all, knowledge is power! Today, I bring you a list of intriguing facts about animals, that I'm sure you weren't aware of. For instance, did you know that tigers do not only have striped fur, but they have striped skin too? Or that pigeons are able to do math at a similar level to monkeys? Discover more interesting animal facts in the slides below. 







































Clancy's comment: Mm ... I'm not sure how scientists come to some of these conclusions.
I'm ...

7 November 2019 - A BUNCH OF INSPIRING QUOTES

A BUNCH OF INSPIRING QUOTES
G'day folks,
Here are some quotes that may inspire you ... Or someone you know.
























Clancy's comment: Pass them onto those who might need them.
I'm ...

6 November 2019 - SHOTS OF STUNNING AMERICA

SHOTS OF STUNNING AMERICA
G'day folks,
These photographs may inspire you to visit the USA. 




















Clancy's comment: Well, having lived there, I  certainly suggest that you get away from the politics and check out the beauty of this amazing country. Many thanks to the photographers.
I'm ...

5 November 2019 - THE GOLDEN HORN CHAIN - TURKEY.

 THE GOLDEN HORN CHAIN - TURKEY -
G'day folks,A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople can now be seen.  In the Middle Ages, the city of Constantinople, the prized capital of the Byzantine Empire, was nearly impregnable. It was surrounded by a double line of walls on land, and the strong currents of the Bosphorus Strait hindered the docking of enemy ships. However, there was a weak point: the calm waters of the Golden Horn. 
 The Golden Horn is a vaguely horn-shaped estuary that leads right into the heart of the city. This quiet anchorage would have allowed enemies’ ships to advance into a position where they could order an attack on both sides of the city. The solution to this problem was to stretch a long iron chain across the vulnerable waterway.

This defensive chain, estimated to date to around the 8th century, was extended from a secured tower just east of Topkapi Palace on the south bank to another point in a lost fortress on the north side of the city (where the Yeralti Camii underground mosque is located today). At first, the chain was floated on wooden floats or barrels. Later, a mechanism was installed so that it could be raised to allow the passage of friendly ships.




 Scholars believe that after the Turkish conquest of the city, the chain was placed in storage somewhere in the newly named Istanbul, and eventually, parts of it were given to various museums in the city to preserve. One section of the chain is now displayed in the Istanbul Archeological Museum. Next to the section, there is a modern painting (itself based on an engraving from 1493), which depicts the city walls and the monumental buildings within, as well as the formidable chain that closed the entrance to the Golden Horn. 


Clancy's comment: Extraordinary engineering, eh?I'm ...



 

4 November 2019 - STRANGE POUCH ANIMALS IN AUSTRALIA

STRANGE POUCH ANIMALS IN AUSTRALIA
G'day folks,
Yep, we have some weird and wonderful animals in Australia. We also have some weird and wonderful people as well.
The Continent of Australia is a zoological marvel, housing some of the world’s most bizarre and unique creatures, including the egg-laying platypus, some of the largest spiders in the world, the cassowary, a dangerous horned bird and the emu, a cousin of the ostrich that has somehow wound up in faraway Australia. But perhaps most interestingly, Australia and its neighboring islands are home to most of the world’s species of marsupials, with the exception of the American opossums.
Marsupials, or pouch mammals, are a fascinating family of animals that differ greatly from fellow mammals in several major ways, the most obvious being their reproductive system.  Apart from possessing several genitalia (females have three while males have two), pregnancy in marsupials is incredibly short, typically lasting mere weeks, and they give birth to underdeveloped, hairless and blind young that are about the size of a jellybean. The helpless young crawl on the mother’s fur and enter a pouch where they stay and feed on milk for months until they are sufficiently large and can begin fending for themselves.
But, beyond all of the sciency stuff, marsupials are just gosh-darn adorable! Have a look at some of these cute Australian critters:




















 Clancy's comment: There ya go. Now, click on the kangaroo link below and watch this incredible video on the birth of a kangaroo. I'ts truly amazing.
KANGAROO
I'm ... 

3 November 2019 - ARTISTIC BUBBLEGUM ALLEY IN CALIFORNIA

 ARTISTIC BUBBLEGUM ALLEY IN CALIFORNIA
G'day folks,
Welcome to an alley covered with 20 years of bubblegum. 
The Bubblegum Alley to end all bubblegum alleys is located in San Luis Obispo, CA. There, the Bubblegum Alley is a local tourist landmark and one of the town’s “most-talked-about landmark(s).”



A sizable 65 feet long and 15 feet high, this alleyway began in the 1950’s, though it is unclear exactly how or why it began. Among the favorite of the explanations is a rivalry between the San Luis Obispo High School and Cal Poly students.

What has been more impressive is the gum alley’s tenacity. Fully cleaned twice in the 1970’s, it came back each time. By the 1990’s, the gum alley had been there for so long that when the local business association tried to have it cleaned once again, they were politely refused.



  The gum alley is by far the most famous in the world and has been featured on The Tonight Show, MTV, That’s Incredible!, Real People, PBS and written about in newspapers from the San Francisco Chronicle to The Guardian in Manchester, United Kingdom.






The local business, however, are less enthused about it and still feel that the alleyway should be cleaned up, or gated in the night when people leaving local pubs tend to leave both gum and bodily fluids behind.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... Art has many forms, eh? Why not bubblegum?I'm ...

2 November 2019 - A COLLECTION OF MAGNIFICENT MUSHROOMS

A COLLECTION OF MAGNIFICENT MUSHROOMS 
G'day folks,
As always, I'm searching for things that we humans rarely see. Here is a collection of mushrooms from all over the world. 
























Clancy's comment: Wow. Extraordinary, eh?I'm ...

1 November 2019 - CARMEN TOWER - MEXICAN LANDSLIDE SURVIVOR

CARMEN  TOWER - MEXICAN LANDSLIDE SURVIVOR  -

G'day folks,This lonely tower survived the landslide that devastated much of a Mexican mining town.   Near the town of Tlalpujahua stands the Carmen Tower. It’s a stalwart survivor of the tragic day a massive landslide buried a large chunk of the town beneath layers of mud and debris.    Tlalpujahua was once home to the Dos Estrellas Mine, which, at the time, was among the leading producers of gold in the 20th century. The tons of earth extracted from its depths, along with the water and cyanide they were mixed with, were stored atop the ravine, inside an improvised dam. 

But that ramshackle dam had damning consequences. On the night of May 27, 1937, tragedy struck. After intense rain, the dam collapsed early in the morning, burying the town in tons of mud. Villagers had to dig through the debris to hunt for survivors or recover the bodies of their relatives and friends.



Now, little remains of the parts of town that were buried beneath the mud. The Carmen Tower, a remnant of an old church, is the only surviving above-ground structure. The area is now considered an archaeological site. To reach it, you have to cross dirt corridors, within which the ground and the original details of the streets and some houses can still be seen. In front of the tower, it’s even possible to see some tombs from the old cemetery and the original floor of the church.

According to local guides, all the land was deserted, but when the settlers placed a layer of fertile soil atop the mud, grass began to grow. However, it’s said there are no trees because the earth still contains the cyanide that the mine sheltered as waste.

Clancy's comment: Sadly, natural disasters have changed so many lives.I'm ...