Topic: Chad

Host Greg Carlwood introduces the Higher Side Chats, a podcast exploring esoteric layouts, energy vortexes, and ancient megaliths. Guest Chad Stemke, author of Stargate Detroit and Mystic Michigan, joins the program to discuss his years of investigating urban portals and sacred landscapes. Stemke’s research focuses on how modern cities are built atop ancient Native American sites and the symbolism hidden within these urban environments.

Chad Stemke introduces "Project Great Lakes," an initiative to catalog and connect hundreds of stories regarding anomalies in the region. He suggests that ancient structures like the underwater henge in Lake Michigan may have served as solar clocks to predict the opening of magnetic portals. Stemke invites other researchers to collaborate and visit his website to explore his findings on Michigan's esoteric history.

The nation of Chad is currently a battleground for corporate control between ExxonMobil and Glencore. While ExxonMobil owns 75% of the country's oil infrastructure, the Chadian government went into massive debt to Glencore to purchase Chevron's 25% stake. This $1.3 billion loan, due in 2018, has placed the government under the direct influence of Glencore, effectively turning the country into a middleman for competing multinational corporations.

In November 2016, the government of Chad filed a $74 billion lawsuit against ExxonMobil, an amount five times the country's annual GDP. The lawsuit is interpreted as a desperate move to secure funds to repay the Glencore loan and avoid total corporate takeover. ExxonMobil, which earns approximately $16 billion in annual profit, is expected to settle for a lower amount or potentially use military pressure to protect its interests if the government refuses to flex.

Chad Lewis joins the program to discuss his 20-year career investigating paranormal phenomena, ranging from lake monsters to haunted sites. Lewis explains that growing up near Elmwood, Wisconsin—one of three "UFO capitals" in the state—sparked his initial interest in the field. His professional path began in psychology, where he studied why individuals believe in the unusual, eventually leading him to conduct field investigations based on public requests.