Phil Imbrogno gone from field - he faked his educational credentials

reply to post by lancemoody


I said nothing about your motives. Your motives don't interest me. I said I find it suspicious (just as I did here) that you are no longer sending out data, since you griped that no one asked you for it. No one's talking behind your back, I said it directly to you here. Also, it'd be wise for you not to presume what I have and have not done in checking into this. You have no idea what I have done.

I have received no emails from you, and there is not even anything in my spam mailbox. My email works flawlessly. Nothing there. Doesn't matter, I think you're probably correct in this issue anyway - but I find your sudden defensive posture and evasiveness rather odd. Were you in my shoes I think you'd feel much the same way.

"Needless to say, some of that suspicion might have served you well during the times you let the gentleman in question drone on and on during your show."

Agreed. Please inform every other show, podcast, expo/convention, newspaper and television show that too while you're at it.

Anyway...

I've said my last about it. As I said it doesn't change this field - it's a personality driven issue. So, you need not worry about any more prying from me. Good luck from here forward.

Originally posted by jritzmann
reply to post by lancemoody

 

Agreed. Please inform every other show, podcast, expo/convention, newspaper and television show that too while you're at it.

edit on 11-7-2011 by jritzmann because: additional info

Good point!

Jeff, I'm not the least bit defensive (well maybe a little bit) and I'm not trying to be evasive.
You and Jeremy (or maybe it is just Jeremy) say that the gentleman in question has a new plausible excuse that somehow has a time constraint and that you are willing to keep that excuse a secret for now.

From my perspective, you are working with him, perhaps unwittingly, to keep this thing going a bit longer.

As his spokespersons (so to speak), I am not interested in sending along all of my evidence until I hear about this new excuse. I hope that it really is plausible and doesn't involve more silly and dubious claims that any idiot could see through instantly if they were only willing to look.

It appears that you guys have decided to rest your own credibility on it so it must be a good one..

I re-sent the email--it looks like i had the address right.

Originally posted by lancemoody
You and Jeremy (or maybe it is just Jeremy) say that the gentleman in question has a new plausible excuse that somehow has a time constraint and that you are willing to keep that excuse a secret for now.

From my perspective, you are working with him, perhaps unwittingly, to keep this thing going a bit longer.

As his spokespersons (so to speak), I am not interested in sending along all of my evidence until I hear about this new excuse. I hope that it really is plausible and doesn't involve more silly and dubious claims that any idiot could see through instantly if they were only willing to look.

It appears that you guys have decided to rest your own credibility on it so it must be a good one..

Lance, I would appreciate, now that you know what you've written here is patently untrue, that you correct it. I do not wish to betray the trust of our conversation by posting here what I emailed you privately.

I will say no one on this end is resting their credibility on Imbrogno, and based upon everything I've written here no one should think that. When I state that I think Lance is right about this situation multiple times here, I fail to see how I'm some spokesperson of support for Imbrogno.

I'm sorry Lance, I know this post was before we spoke, but this is beyond the pale of ridiculous.

I will absolutely not stand for being accused or painted like we are supporting Imbrogno. It is an absolute untrue statement. So, please correct this.

Wait a second--I'm getting crapped on by Lance for keeping Phil's confidence but Jeff is keeping Lance's confidence? I'm sorry--what?

Ya think it's possible to not turn this Imbrogno investigation into a nonsensical "gotcha " moment against me, Jeff, or our show? I mean, it simply MAKES NO SENSE.

All I have every said is let's give Phil some time to make his case. Not infinite time. I said 2 months somewhere, but actually, the more I learn (having consulted an actual academic and doctor) it's looking more like... a week. I mean I'm not buying it either. I just asked for balance before convicting the man. You know--the RIGHT THING TO DO? So cut the crap.

I'm not Phil's mouthpiece. I'm barely even on the fence with this issue by now. I know it's a tough urge to fight, "getting" us, because look at the people on this thread. Not exactly my fan club! But here I am anyway, sharing information with you, doing my best to ignore the swipes. I don't actually care about those. They're your problem, not mine.

But trying to make us out to be doing something we're not to whatever public is reading this? That I won't stand for.

Jeff and Jeremy,

Lance was just winding you guys up with that inference. You guys make sarcastic jabs at people all the time, including several against Lance. No big deal.

Originally posted by owlseleven
Jeff and Jeremy,

Lance was just winding you guys up with that inference. You guys make sarcastic jabs at people all the time, including several against Lance. No big deal.

I beg to differ. And it's not just him.

Let's call a truce on this for the time being.

Jeremy, you have said that the excuse is reasonable and that it has a time factor (apparently somewhat puzzlingly under your own discretion) and I will allow for that.

Somehow.

Having now heard at least 4 poor excuses, I can certainly wait for a better one.

And we can leave it at that for a week, okay?

Lance

It would shed even more light on this sad situation if Lance Moody or Ron Collins investigate Phil Imbrogno having a B.A./B.S. and a teaching certificate. To teach in public schools, one has to have a teaching certificate and at least a B.A./B.S. I remember reading Phil's comments, in some of his books, about teaching science to his students. I assumed it was in a public school system, but perhaps I was wrong. Teaching in private schools might not be as stringent with requirements (for ex. - some Parochial and other religious schools do not require teaching certificates, but pay less in comparison to public school systems).

At the very least, can an undergraduate degree be verified? Can it be found out if Phil works or worked (maybe he's retired or semi-retired now)?

TIA......

~ Susan

Philip Imbrogno? Ok if he was using a different name while attending Texas University, Boston College and MIT Why, then was he putting a middle named "Initial" J with the name he always used Philip Imbrogno? Sorry but i don't believe this excuse at all.

The only way Phil could have successfully passed those exams and achieved that alleged MIT chemistry master's degree of his, would be, if he was attending a number of classes at MIT full time or part time? It normally takes at least five to six years of hard study and research to achieve a master degree.

The Fact is anyway MIT administration has already responded back to Lance enquires about Philip Imbogno having went to their university and MIT has claimed not Lance to have no record of attendance and no educational record for a person going by the name, Philip J Imbrogno. Game, Set and Match, as far as I am concerned.

Phil also here has decided to pull away from any future UFO research for now like, nobody made that decision for him to quit! If he was innocent, he wouldn't have not tried to hideaway from these allegations? Honestly truly its hysterical, that some folks really don't find this at all peculiar, this has happened now and and at this time.

With Phil having lied to this extend about his educational credentials then nobody should be further shocked if it turns out to be the case his life is all a lie (the middle school teaching job been one example!)

The only thing this has ever been about are the claims of Philip J. Imbrogno, despite what anyone may have attempted to make it out to be otherwise. The "War of the Paranormal Divas" is just a bunch of unnecessary racket.

Originally posted by owlseleven
Jeff and Jeremy,

Lance was just winding you guys up with that inference. You guys make sarcastic jabs at people all the time, including several against Lance. No big deal.

A sarcastic jab is a bit less than saying someone is a mouthpiece or spokesperson when you aren't. As Hynek used to say, you all get tarred with the same brush. I don't stand for being portrayed as Lance has time and gain tried to slide in his inaccurate and unfounded inferences.

Now that we've made this abundantly clear, I'm all for leaving this discussion and hearing more about what is found out. Despite how we've been maligned here, I still think Lance and others have done a bang up job initially looking into the educational claims. It certainly flew under my radar, and I'll freely admit that. Imbrogno was the last person I would have suspected, just due to his longevity. It's greatly disappointing if it is in fact all true.

I guess the old TV adage is right. Trust no one. Pathetic that it has to be so.

Is it just me or have Jeremy Vaeni and JRitzman become the most butthurt people on the entire internets? : getting 'offended' and fighting with people all the time, trying to make everything about them?

Granny:

Shocking that people who take jabs at us are from The Paracast, home of the Jacobs apologists and/or Cult of Biedny. Truly. This is wildly unexpected. (Note: THAT is sarcasm.)

Lance:

That's fine. I just want to clarify that although his excuses sounded plausible, if unlikely, to me a week ago, they don't really seem plausible anymore. They didn't rely on what you got from MIT or UT, which is why I couldn't just accept that your answer was the final one. It's like the ending of LOST--you think you know where it must go based on all the information of 6 seasons and BAM! A completely unsatisfying swerve into a parallel universe.

And the reason for keeping his silence sounded absolutely necessary--assuming his excuses were real. But they were separate issues that still relied on the same thing: his truthfulness.

So here endeth my participation in this thread for now. I asked Phil for the name of a professor we could call. If I don't get an answer this week (or if Ecker or you or whoever ends up nailing it shut before then), I'll state publicly that the wait and see game is over for me. Phil dun us all wrong.

reply to post by granny smith


It's just you. Maybe I ought to lay your name, to something patently untrue. Oh, I forgot, you're anonymous...so it doesn't matter. The idea that we fight with people "all the time" shows you don't know you backside from a hole in the ground.

Thanks Jeremy,

If you ever get to the point that you can just say plainly what the claim was, I would certainly like to hear it.

To tell you the truth, I never really paid much attention to him prior to this. I never listened to his plentiful interviews.

After now listening to many of the podcasts featuring the man (to document some of his educational claims), I REALLY wonder why no questions were previously raised.

There were so many handles that could have been checked. He mentions all sorts of evidence that, IF anyone had asked him to provide it, might have begun to show the cracks in his stories.

To be perfectly frank, most of the stuff I heard was incredibly dubious.

Lance

Originally posted by davidbiedny
As I've stated, while I might not see eye to eye with Lance Moody on a number of issues, in this case, he has done some good work (along with at least one other person who was also looking into Imbrogno, that I know). I appreciate his tenacity, and am thankful for what he has done here.

And while I know that the Paratopia guys would love to bait me into an exchange, all I'll say right now is this - based on what I know about them (which is substantial, given that I introduced them to one another), I find neither of them trustworthy in the least (and I have emails to back this stance up), so anything coming from them is _totally suspect_, IMO.

dB

Turns out David Biedny was right after all.

jritzmann & Jeremy_Vaeni The Abbott & Costello of Ufology
and about as memorable.

My reading of this so far, without the personal asides, is that everyone here, including J&J, are more or less on the same side of the street here. We've had a lot of people over the years claim fake degrees, but that has not always diminished their research. And we've had people with bona fide degrees turn out absolute crap. I don't think many of us here were very surprised when it turned out Dan Burisch and Kenneth Reed weren't real PhDs since their stuff is so much rubbish anyway. If you don;t have any credibility initially, it's hard to lose any.

But Imbrogno got away with it. Perhaps it was his association wioth Hynek, perhaps his long time in the field, but it is becoming more and more obvious that not only are his degrees fake--so is his research. Perhaps that wasn't always the case. I've never read his stuff. That's disheartening, of course, but it also shows how personality affects credulity. If UFOWatchdog still existed (It's archived, but no one is updating it) he'd definitely be in the Hall of Shame.

Im shocked at the allegations but until I see some solid proof that he did inded fake his credentials he still does have the right to innocence till proven guilty in this country. I will feel betrayed if this comes out to be true and will toss his one and only book I have by him. hoever til lsuch time I will respectfully see what comes.

Yes this is Phil you know who.. I wanted to respond to all of this before my internet is shut down. First of all the only excitment that you people in the paranormal seem to have both skeptics and true believers is finding dirt on people. I let this go this long because I wanted to see who would actually come and support me... only one person. I have to admit I have been feeling like a celebrity here. This is the most attention I have ever got in my thirty years! I am glad I could give you all thrills and excitment before I pack it up for good.

I would NEVER give out my real background in a field that is full of people looking to cut throats and make a name for themselves. Over the years I have tried to keep my professional life out of UFOs the paranormal and so on, but more people are tracking me down. For example: people have showed up at my school pounding on the security door yelling to talk with me because they think aliens are after them. Also, phone calls, People have even tracked down my 88 year old mother trying to talk her into giving them my number..This stuff has never happened before, I think some of thenfault comes from other paranormal investigators who have been giving out my personal information.I know for sure that a number of podcasts have actually given out my address and cell phone number.

When pressure for a school I have always thrown out a differemnt name, didn't anybody pick up on that.It seems this is the most entertainment you people have had in months. In the old days the paranormal and UFOs was interesting and lots of fun with happy people. What happened to you all.. even the skeptics were fun to deal with Even Phil Klass would laugh you guys are too serious.

In the early days I thought there might be something to all of this UFO stuff and so on.. However, there is no science in any of the books we write or lectures we give. There is no funding! All we do is speculate, thats what I do. My first two books were quite dry, and boring Night Siege would put you to sleep.. Nobody reads stuff like that today, today people want to hear about aliens all kinds of government conspiracies.. exciting, but for the most part its not true.

Inew if I put the MIT thing in you would all go wild! Actually I was always refused even though I did spend quite a bit of time up there attending most of the lectures, presentations, # I was ready to clean the toilets to get in the grad program. REally, you guys should go back to the old days and see what a great time it was especially in UFOs. All I see know is people argueing, insulting each other and trying to make a name for themselves any other way because they can't get a book published.

Today people pick up paranormal books niot to learn but to get scared, have fun and be entertained. If you people were watching in the past rarely went to any UFO conference,, despite being invited I stayed away.
I finshed out my publishing contract and I am out of here for good!

About a month before I allowed the web information to be released I retired after thirty years of teaching.It was geeting more difficult to teach serious science with my nmae being thrown out there.Now you people can make what you want of this I don't care. I still think my later books are more entertaining than most.

One last thing Don, you are a great guy if you want my military record DD214. It will show I was a medic in the USAF and did a tour in indochina It might show I was attached to the army for a while I don't know when and where it was all pretty disorganized. I was part of a specialy trained group of medics (the first in line of what today is called a PA in medicine) Much more that a coreman, more than a nurse, but less than a doctor. I was primarily stationed in Thailand, but was attached to a number of army units over the tour. I believe I was in every country in that area The hope was to increase the survival rate of the wounded getting aerovacted out.Get my DD214 it will show 90250 training... # I got punished and article 15 and had to run the VD clinic for a week.

In closing, I am retired and moving soon to live a life without all this fighting and finger pointing in a field that used to be interesting. I hope I provided you all with at least a week of soemthing to do. I am normally a very private person and will do what ever I can to protect my privacy.Most people who know me will agree I don't even like people visiting my home,

Don't try to send me psycho emails, my internet goes off in the morning .
Take care and be happy!
Phil

Originally posted by badboy666
...Today people pick up paranormal books niot to learn but to get scared, have fun and be entertained.

Don't know if you are the real deal or not, but if it makes you feel better to believe that bs above you should be ashamed of yourself.

Why not publish it as Fiction? Because integrity escapes you obviously.

Nobody is perfect though, so enjoy retirement. Just try to not bamboozle folk anymore.