Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Hello Earthlings

A woman and a small child stand in a field watching the mountainous horizon while an old style television set plays a black and white UFO movie. Image by George Cosmos Wagner

 Hello Earthlings! UFO Television is now live!

UFO sightings have been a topic of interest and controversy in the United States since the 1940s. During this time, there were reports of flying saucers and strange aerial phenomena that could not be explained. While some of these sightings may have been attributed to weather balloons or other natural phenomena, many people believed that they were witnessing evidence of extraterrestrial life.

One of the most famous and well-documented UFO sightings occurred in 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico. An object crashed on a ranch outside of the town, and some people claimed that it was an alien spacecraft. The US military initially stated that it was a weather balloon, but theories about a cover-up have persisted to this day.

In the 1950s and 1960s, UFO sightings continued to capture the public's imagination. Many of these sightings were reported by pilots, who claimed to have seen strange objects in the sky that moved in ways that were impossible for human-made aircraft. The US Air Force conducted a series of investigations into these sightings, known as Project Blue Book.

During this time, Hollywood also became fascinated with the idea of UFOs and began producing a series of movies that featured flying saucers and alien invasions. One of the most iconic of these films was "The Day the Earth Stood Still," released in 1951. The film tells the story of an alien named Klaatu who comes to Earth to warn humanity about its destructive ways. The film's depiction of a peaceful, humanoid alien and its message of peace and cooperation struck a chord with audiences at the time.

Other notable UFO movies of the 1950s and 1960s included "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (1956), "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956), and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). These films often played on people's fears of an alien invasion and the idea that we were not alone in the universe.

Despite the continued interest in UFOs and the countless reports of sightings over the years, there is still no publicly available evidence of extraterrestrial life. However, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence continues, and organizations such as SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) continue to listen for signals from other planets.

 UFO sightings have been a part of American culture since the 1940s, with many people believing that they have witnessed evidence of extraterrestrial life. While Hollywood has contributed to the fascination with UFOs through movies such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the search for extraterrestrial intelligence remains an ongoing pursuit. Whether or not we will ever make contact with intelligent life from another planet remains to be seen, but the search continues.

 

The image "Hello Earthlings" is an original work of art by American artist George Cosmos Wagner.


Thanks for stopping!

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Tombstone Showdown

Two gunslingers square off in the streeets of 1880's Tombtone Arizona in this subtly toned image of a day in the wild west by George Cosmos Wagner

 Tombstone Showdown- a gunfight in 1880's Tombstone, Arizona. The wild, wild west!

The sun beat down on the dusty streets of Tombstone, Arizona, in the 1880s, and the scent of sweat and gunpowder lingered in the air. It was a tough time in a tough town, where danger lurked around every corner and a man's word was his bond.


In those days, Tombstone was a bustling mining town, with silver flowing out of the hills and fortunes being made and lost overnight. But with that wealth came trouble, and the town was known as a hotbed of violence and lawlessness.


But there were still those who believed in justice and honor, and one of them was a man named Wyatt Earp. He was a lawman with a steely gaze and a quick draw, and he was determined to clean up the streets of Tombstone.


Wyatt had come to Tombstone with his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and they had all taken jobs as lawmen. But the Clanton gang, a group of rough riders led by the infamous Ike Clanton, had other plans.


The tension had been building for weeks, and it all came to a head one afternoon at the O.K. Corral. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and a young gunfighter named Doc Holliday confronted the Clantons and their allies in a showdown that would go down in history.


The gunfire echoed through the streets, and when the smoke cleared, three of the Clantons lay dead. Wyatt and his brothers had emerged victorious, but the cost had been high. Morgan had been shot and killed, and the Earps knew that the Clantons would be out for revenge.


Sure enough, a few months later, Virgil was ambushed and severely wounded. The Earps were in a fight for their lives, and they knew that they couldn't count on the town's corrupt lawmen for help.
So they took matters into their own hands. Wyatt and a few of his allies formed a posse and went after the men who had hurt Virgil. It was a dangerous mission, and they knew that they might not make it out alive.


But they were determined to bring justice to Tombstone, and they rode out into the desert with their guns loaded and their hearts full of courage.
They caught up with the Clanton gang at a place called Guadalupe Canyon, and the gunfire was intense. But in the end, the Earps emerged victorious once again, and the Clantons were either dead or in custody.


It was a hard-won victory, and the Earps knew that they couldn't stay in Tombstone forever. The town had become too dangerous, and they had made too many enemies.
So they rode off into the sunset, legends in their own time. The memory of their bravery and honor would live on for generations, and the Wild West would never be the same.


That's the story of Tombstone, Arizona, in the 1880s, a time of danger, adventure, and heroism. It was a time when men like Wyatt Earp stood tall in the face of danger, and the law of the gun ruled supreme.
And even though those days are long gone, the spirit of the Wild West lives on, in the hearts of those who believe in justice, honor, and the power of the human spirit.

Image by George Cosmos Wagner

Todays piece was inspired by my recent reading of the Louis L'Amour novel "The Quick and the Dead". It is an intricate melding of digital and analog elements featuring a very subtle earthtone toning.

Thanks for stopping!