Alien Mysteries: From Tank Man to Brazil’s Roswell

Welcome back to The Spiritual Skeptic you filthy animals! Todays episode explores 4 fascinating stories within the ET world:

1. The infamous "Tank Man" photo.

2. The "Solway Spaceman" photo. 

3. The "Ashtar Command" message. This shit was especially cray cray.

4. The "Roswell of Brazil." Also, cray cray.

ALSO, you will be introduced to Louis Palfrey's brilliant side character that keeps me humble throughout this episode/the rest of season 1...and after my horrendous British impression you'll hear, I certainly deserve it. Hope y'all enjoy.

Written and hosted by Seth Borkowski in collaboration with The Daily Drunk Mag.

Follow The Spiritual Skeptic on Twitter.

Music, sound design, editing, and additional voices by Louis Palfrey—mastermind behind your smooth listening experience (and the reason you won’t hear me open-mouth coughing). Check out more of his work at louispalfrey.com.

Transcript

Welcome to another episode of the spiritual skeptic by the Daily Drunk Mag, I’m your host Seth Borkowski and today we’ll be talking about a few, interesting mysteries within the ET world - dun dun dun! I guess that kind of doesn’t make sense since everything ET related is a mystery, but just let me have this, please. QUIET ON SET MOM.

Sorry about that, but I just want to confirm, my Mom lives with me - I don’t live with her. 

The first mystery we’ll briefly discuss is the iconic Tank Man photo. If you’re unfamiliar, picture a regular dude in a white tee and black pants holding two shopping bags, standing in the middle of a massively wide, dead empty street, defiantly refusing to move out of the way of a ton of tanks, lined up like dominos ahead of him. It really is insane.

This photo was snapped just days after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 which was a devastating time in history, as countless unarmed protesters were killed during the Chinese government's horrifying crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. Tank Man’s stand against this violence was incredibly heroic and while his identity has never been confirmed (wait for it…), his actions had a profound impact felt across the world. How profound, you ask?

In April 1998, Time magazine labeled tank man the "Unknown Rebel" in their issue called "Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century." This list included figures like Gandhi, The Beatles, Pablo Picasso, Walt Disney, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. 

Given the sensitivity in China around this time, one might assume this “unknown rebel” was likely murdered, tortured to death, burned alive, beheaded, dismembered, drowned or eaten alive because communism is literally the worst, but the family of taygeta offered a different perspective. I’m not going to deep dive into the family of taygeta as I’ve done it a thousand times in my earlier episodes, but tldr - they are pleiadian starseeds that offer great, alien disclosure. And pleaidians are an extraterrestrial race that look similar to humans and watch over humanity. Surprisingly, they didn’t suspect tank man was eaten alive, but they offered a lighter explanation, which I slightly trimmed for brevity, quote: 

“Tank Man is a pleiadian. He was actually surveying this area and became very interested and concerned in what he saw. His Craft had the Technology to land and not be seen. He did this because it was a stand against violence, not to be a hero (Not to be that guy, but I’m not buying it, why do anything if not for the glory, amirite?). He left after the incident and was never seen again. He is an honored Elder with the Galactic Forces. Well look at that, Mr. “I don’t want to be a hero” is an honored elder. Ain’t that something. Maybe I’m just jealous that Time also included this photograph in an article called "Time 100: The Most Influential Images of All Time.” For those of you listening, do you think maybe I could be a hero too? Good point, I’ll shut up now.

Now that you know that Tank man was in fact, an alien in disguise - let us continue onto mystery number two which is yet another photo - the famous solway spaceman photo. 

If you have a life, you’ve probably never seen this photo nor consider it famous, but odds are you don’t have a life because you’re listening to me. That’s not an insult by the way - it’s a cry for help. Thank you so much, it means the world. 

The actual photo is of a little girl holding flowers which thankfully doesn’t sound creepy at all for a grown man to say, BUT in the photo there’s literally a dude in a spacesuit behind her. It honestly looks like it was photoshopped, but there was no photoshop in 1964 my friends.

I have a passage that was on the family of taygetas website, which I believe was taken from a book (sorry I don’t know which one), but I’ve done the dirty work and trimmed it down to give you the spark notes, here we go:

One of the most mysterious images in the MOD files is a colour photograph of a little girl, holding a bunch of flowers, as a strange, space-suited figure looms behind her head (MOD refers to the UK's Ministry of Defence, which investigates unusual phenomena like, you know, a dude in a spacesuit). 

The photograph was taken by Jim Templeton of his five-year-old daughter on May 1964. Jim and his family saw nothing unusual at the time, as they enjoyed the wild scenery of Burgh Marsh, in northern Cumbria (No disrespect to Burgh Marsh in northern cumbria, but based on that name alone - I ain’t visiting). Continuing, when he collected the processed film the shop assistant said - 'That's a marvelous photograph, but it's rather spoilt by the big man behind her!' (ok beta, relax, thats an alien. Not too shabby an English accent either, huh? Proper smashing, innit? I’ll stop…for now).

Continuing, When Jim took a closer look he was amazed to find that on one of the prints, standing just behind his daughter's head, was a large figure dressed like an astronaut, in a white suit with a dark visor (now we’re talking). Jim sent the negatives for scrutiny to Kodak and the Cumbrian police. Both said the image had not been tampered with (Though it was reported that the photo was returned with a note on the back that said “thanks for the f shack” signed by dirty mike and the boys - podcast trivia what movie is that referring to? 3, 2, 1 second countdown…the other guys, well done! 

Jim died in 2011 at the age of 91 with the mystery unsolved. His last words on the subject were: 'It is up to you to draw your own conclusions. I am sure someone out there knows what it was and where it was from'. What a legendary comment, rest in peace Jim - now here’s an explanation from our family of taygeta amigos.

Quote - There Have Been Many Questions About Our Travel To Earth And Galactic Adventures. Curiosity About What We Wear And Our Many Crafts Are Understandable (Yeah tell me what you’re wearing, alien daddy. I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I seem to average at least 1 alien daddy comment per episode so maybe it’s just who I am). 

Continuing, It Is Important To Remind You That We Need Nothing To Travel. This Means That We Travel In Body Form, In Pure Light And In Multiple Types Of Crafts (Yeah lets see how that goes with my wife, “Hey honey I have an idea - instead of taking delta why don’t we travel in pure light?”). 

Continuing, In Speaking Of This, We Shall Clear Up A Photo That Caused Confusion To Many. In This Photo, A Pleiadian Stands With The Intent To Be Seen.

The Clothing Seen Is What You Would See As A Light Body Fitting Form (so basically he was wearing the alien version of lululemon). There Is Attached To The Head Covering, A Large Wide Band. The Band Has Transmitters Which Enable Continual Communication. (So lululemon paired with some fire alien bluetooth, got it).

GEOPE Is His Pleiadian Name. We Hope This Answers Many Questions For You! Mystery solved my friends, it was good ol’ uncle Geope your local, friendly alien!

The next story I want to talk about is the Ashtar command message. On a random day in 1977 a UK based news station was reporting the news like any other day. Probably saying some stuff like, “Hello blokes, today we’re reporting on tea and crumpets, fish and chips, football, cheeky wankers, and other dreadfully inaccurate, face-palmingly lazy stereotypes peddled by an utterly, idiotic American” when suddenly there was a weird, piercing noise, before the screen went black and subtitles appeared. With the news segment totally gone and nothing but a black screen showing, a deep male voice started to speak. He identified himself as Vrillon, a representative of the “Ashtar Galactic command.” Let's explore what he actually said and what the fuck the Ashtar Galactic Command is, but do note I trimmed it down slightly, as it was a long interruption, but you can easily find the full clip on youtube.

“…This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. For many years, you have seen us as lights in the skies. We speak to you now in peace and wisdom.

We come to warn you of the destiny of your world so that you may communicate to your fellow beings, the course you must take to avoid the disaster which threatens your world and the beings on our worlds around you, this is in order that you may share in the great awakening. (Quick pause here to remind you this was literally happening in the middle of a news broadcast, wtf). Continuing

Be still now and listen, for your chance may not come again (playing hard to get vrillon, i like it). The race of which you are a part may proceed to the higher stages of its evolution if you show yourselves worthy to do this (im worthy daddy, there I go again - stop it seth). Continuing, You have but a short time to learn to live together in peace and goodwill. Only those who learn to live in peace will pass to the higher realms of spiritual evolution (boringggg, but this is something I’ve previously mentioned, which we’ll explore in my episode about quote “the shift” AKA the alleged shift to a new earth in which those who are considered immoral, will be left behind. It’s essentially, like a positive version of avengers after thanos snaps his fingers).

Continuing, but lets add in some dramatic music for the vibes - Hear now the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. We have watched you growing for many years as you too have watched our lights in your skies. You know now that we are here, and that there are more beings on and around your Earth than your scientists admit.

We are deeply concerned about you and your path towards the light and will do all we can to help you. Have no fear, seek only to know yourselves, and live in harmony with the ways of your planet Earth. We of the Ashtar Galactic Command thank you for your attention. We are now leaving the plane of your existence. May you be blessed by the supreme love and truth of the cosmos…” 

Can you imagine watching this in 1977 in the UK? I’m sure most people thought it was a prank, but I bet some people were captivated and maybe even a little shaken like - wait a second am I living in the matrix? And as those brits started to contemplate their reality some newscaster probably popped back on and went “What the bloody hell was that, mate? Probably the government testing some new telly trick.” It has always frustrated me that British actors can so easily nail an American accent. It almost makes me feel dumb, but there ya have it, Brits. Two can play that game. Probably made a right mess of it, but there we are.

The family of Taygeta, interestingly, doesn’t delve into who Vrillon specifically was. However, we do know Vrillon was associated with the Ashtar Command, a group led by, you guessed it, Ashtar. Ashtar is apparently a high-ranking extraterrestrial who leads this special unit within the Galactic Federation which is the essential government of the universe founded by the pleiadians. And apparently, the Ashtar Command’s missions can include things as bizarre as interrupting news broadcasts.

Now, why did they do this? Come on, people—it’s a warning! “Only those who learn to live in peace will pass to the higher realms of spiritual evolution.” Translation: don’t be a dick, or the aliens aren’t giving you a passport to that shiny new planet waiting for us.

The final story we’ll discuss today is a bit more tangible than some random photos and a British broadcast. We’ll explore what’s often referred to as the Roswell of Brazil. For all of you  uncultured riff raff that don’t know about Roswell, that would almost be like saying to a huge Oasis fan, “Have you ever heard the song wonderwall?” So if you haven’t heard of Roswell, go research it, alright pal? Because I don’t want no scrubs. That wasn’t a TLC reference, but rather another Other Guys reference - man I’m on a roll today, but let's dive right in and hear about the Brazilian Roswell from the family of Taygeta which I’ve trimmed down slightly,

In 1996, over the area of Brazil, a small craft that was occupied by six beings from a planet called Noz-Tek had been hit hard by debris. Much higher than the Earth's atmosphere, the small craft had a large gash and was losing Altitude (This is getting spicy quickly).

In a panic mode, they descended as more power was lost. They scrambled for a plan to make contact, but to their dismay, they landed hard and the craft was incapacitated. They were injured and terrified. Poor aliens.

A rush of people from the area along with military officers brought more fear as these aliens were surrounded, not being able to move from their injuries and gasping to breathe another density which made them weak and frail 

They were grabbed, plastic was thrown over them to gather them for an inspection and one young officer in particular used his bare arms with no covering and when his skin made contact with the skin of this extraterrestrial, it absorbed a bacteria unknown to Earth's physiology. This Caused The Young Man To Become Sick And Die. This feels like a moment for a cheesy shark tank pitch. And that’s when it hit me sharks, anti-bacterial sanitizer for alien encounters. I call it E.T. Eraser. Had an encounter with a bacteria-carrying alien? Forgot to cover your bare arms? Don’t worry, E.T. Eraser has you covered. We’re seeking 100 thousand dollars for a 10% equity - you’re right, that's my bad. That wasn’t even remotely funny. Let’s continue.

Their Bodies Became A Top Secret Operation As The Sealed Containers Of The Remains Of The NOZ Were Sent To US Military Bases In Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (that’s the name of this race btw, the Noz from planet Noz-tek) They Remain in Fort Bragg, North Carolina As They Have Been Sealed And Dissected. (you thinking what I’m thinking? Road trip!).

NOW, one thing that sneaky family of taygeta did NOT mention is not all of the aliens were caught. One of those fuckers got away! And it was running amok in Brazil! So what exactly was running amok? What do they even look like? And how did they even crash? Aren’t aliens supposed to be masters of technology? Were they drunk? Were they drunk flying? Are there alien police officers that handle such affairs? Random questions aside, lets learn a tad more about our friends from Noztek from the family of taygeta:

The NOZ Stand 4 Feet Tall With Oily Brown Skin (hot). Their Head Is Larger Than Humans With Very Large Red Eyes (not as hot). They Have No Nose (seems inefficient) And A Slit Mouth That Serves For Breathing, Consuming Sustenance And Communication.

The NOZ Are Millions Of Years Old, Yet Live In A Very Primitive Manner, Content As A Non-Progressive Race With No Advertising, Drugs Or Toxins Sprayed On Their Water Supply, They Find Joy In A Simple Life (Honestly just sounds commendable. Basically they’re sober, organic and anti-instagram). 

The NOZ Desired To Explore And Over Time They Created Simple Crafts That Were Flown In Nearby Pathways And Returned To NOZETEK With Great Excitement. Sometimes they Came Close To Earth As The NOZ Were Fascinated At The Endless Activity Of Humans.

And then my friend's tragedy struck in the form of a UFO car accident. It’s a tale as old as time- curiosity killed the alien. 

Anyway, this crash landing is scrutinized in a documentary by James Fox called “Moment of Contact” so if this story sounds interesting, which if it doesn’t then I’m not sure why you’re still here, but if it does, definitely check that film out! Also, please don’t leave.

So, as I was saying - one of the fuckers got away! Run Alien Forrest Run! 

SO - SEVEN days after the ship crash was reported three women were walking in Varginha, Brazil when they stumbled upon this alien on the loose. Here's an an excerpt from a New York Post article that I trimmed down slightly, that dove into exactly what happened, 

Sisters Liliane and Valquíria and their friend Kátia were walking through an empty lot in between two houses when they spotted the creature just eight feet away.

“I was in the front and they were a little farther back,” Liliane, who was 16 in 1996, explains in “Moment of Contact” directed by James Fox.

I looked and I saw the creature. It appeared to be suffering from the heat.” I always found this interesting, poor little Noz getting wrecked by Earth’s heat.

“When Liliane screamed, I looked and felt fear,” said Valquíria, who was 14 at the time. “I looked into its eyes and saw that it was frightened. Just as I was frightened, the creature was also frightened. I saw that it was afraid of us. It was an exchange of fears. It for ours. Afraid of us in the same way we were afraid of it. A being we weren’t familiar with.” OKK Valquiria well done giving us this freudian-esque analysis.

“What I saw stopped me in my tracks,” says Katia, who was 21 at the time. “It glued me to that spot. It had red eyes, oily skin. I couldn’t see an open mouth. Not smiling… Sad expression. Shrunken back. It didn’t have hair. Eyes three times bigger than ours.” 

After Liliane screamed she started running away and the two girls joined her.

“What we saw wasn’t human and wasn’t an animal either. Nowadays I do think it was a being from another planet,” says Liliane. “It wasn’t a man, it wasn’t an animal. What it was, I can’t say,” says Valquíria. “After we ran for a while we stopped and asked what we saw and then we ran to our mothers. “I came out to meet the girls,” their mother, Luiza, says in the film. “Because mothers have a sixth sense. Plot Twist, their mom was an alien in disguise. Sorry, continuing:

“We were children of Catholics and thought it could be a demon. That’s why we were so scared,” said Liliane.

Luiza, the Mother, made the girls return (classic alien undercover move) and when they got back to the spot, they saw a footprint in the dirt, which they drew for filmmaker James Fox. It was a round foot with three long toes.

“For 20 days I smelled its smell,” said Luiza. “I couldn’t stand the smell. I don’t know where it came from. I even washed my nose with alcohol and water. “It smelled worse than sulfur. Alright they didn’t need to go there, but we’ve learned the Noz smell like shit. Poor bastards catching all kinds of strays.

Finishing up, they told their story to the press and were met with ridicule at the time. But the girls have not changed their testimony in the 25 years that passed between the event and the making of the film in 2021. !That’s alien hero shit right there, y’all! Stick it to the ridiculing man!

Now the person who got sick from touching the alien was named Marco Chereze and apparently, he spoke openly about what happened because well, he was fucking dying. I mean I get it, if I was dying from touching an alien and a doctor asked me, “so what seems to be the matter?” I don’t think I’d be coy. “Well I definitely didn’t capture an alien doc, don’t be ridiculous.” No, I'd blurt out the truth. Fuck government secrecy at that point.

GUYS - can we just take a second to appreciate that an alien was lost in Brazil for a week? Like what if the scenario was flipped? What if we knew there were other planets where aliens existed that didn't know about us and we went on a little space trip to observe - like going to the zoo or something. “Honey I’m gonna take the kids to a new alien exhibit planet, I’ll be home for dinner.” 

So you take a little trippy-trip except you crash and all of a sudden these little brown, red-eyed aliens, who were convinced they were alone in the universe are like, what the fuck are you? But you get away. You get away from the little brown alien police. But now you're stuck on their planet. And you're like, what the fuck, it's really hot here. And god I smell even shittier than usual. 

And suddenly you’ve got the plot of a captivating movie. Try this for size.

It was the perfect weekend, “Hey kids, you wanna see some aliens?”

Little did they know “Daddy, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Everything was about to change - “We’re going down kids!!”

Coming this November, Varginha: Alien Escape! 

“Dad look out!!!!”

Rated A for Aliens. Viewer discretion is advised.

I don’t know man, I wrote that joke and I knew it was unforgivably dumb, but I couldn’t let go of it so I guess that’s how we’ll end today’s episode (laugh).

But just to recap what we discussed today:  

1. The Tank Man photo? That was a Pleiadian protesting violence.
2. The Solway Spaceman photo? That was also a Pleiadian, rocking the Lululemon version of a spacesuit.
3. The British news interruption? Courtesy of the Ashtar Command—basically the Navy SEALs of the Galactic Federation, which is like the United Nations of the universe but, you know, with aliens.
4. I do a horrendous British accent.
5. And finally, the aliens that crashed in Varginha, Brazil? Small, oily, and brown with big red eyes—they’re called Noz, from the planet Noz-tek. And if I had to guess, Spielberg will be calling me any minute to discuss my movie idea. Yep, that’s totally realistic.

Thank you for listening my friends and you have yourselves a god damn beautiful rest of your day.