Alien Art Exhibit

I may have mentioned that I work as am alternative fuels consultant, so it's not unusual for me to get emails with the word "Hybrid" in the subject line. Usually it's referring to a Prius, so when I got yet another "Hybrid" email the other day I figured it was work-related and I would check it out over my coffee break.

The subject line screamed "Are ET Hybrids among us? Find OUT!" Despite the emphatic ALL-CAPS finale, I still didn't think anything of it. Maybe Toyota's newest hybrid is called the ET, and maybe they are among us, or at least at the nearest dealer.

To my surprise, it wasn't about Pruises. It was about the other kind of hybrid: the human-alien kind. The email, it turned out, was an invitation to this year's MUFON International Symposium, to be held at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort this July 18-21.

Does this mean there will be human-alien hybrids at the Symposium? If there were, I would be booking my trip right now. Sadly, though, there is no mention on the website of any kind of hybrid presence at all. So it was all a tease. Shame on you, MUFON. You of all people should know not to make claims about extraterrestrials that you can't back up!

Alien...

Still, I can't help but think that Toyota or Ford are missing out on an incredible marketing opportunity here...

I also got something in the email the other day that made me very happy. You may have read my past blogs here and here in which I was desperately searching for "A. Ranfone," the Van Gogh of alien illustrations.

Well, I have heard from someone who knows Anthony Ranfone, or at least did once. Here's what she posted in the comments section:

"I knew Anthony Ranfone(Tony) in Boston in the 70's. I think he was from N. Andover, Ma. He went to Art School on Huntington Ave. He was and incredible artist not only as an illustrator but realistic oils and most mediums. I last saw him in 1975 when he told me about just creating the "Energy Ant" for the Government publications. He also asked me if I had heard of the Blue Book Project, but he didn't tell what it was. If you find him tell him Lxxxx and Jxxx say hi."

... and Ant. Energy Ant, that is.

I don't know what's more exciting: the fact that I finally have a real link to Anthony Ranfone, or the fact that in 1975 Mr. Ranfone was asking people if they had heard of Project Blue Book, the UFO investigation project that had been cancelled by the Air Force several years earlier.

Clearly, there is more to Mr. Ranfone's interest in UFOs and aliens than meets the eye.

Mark my words, and make no mistake, and hear me well: I will find Mr. Anthony Ranfone, and when I do, I fully intend to tell him that Lxxxx and Jxxx say hi.