Breaking UFO News Digest
for UFO Magazine February / March 2005 Issue
Guy Malone, Roswell New Mexico Editor@BreakingUFOnews.com
See BreakingUFOnews.com's archives for actual news links & in-depth coverage of
these stories
Military involvement with UFOs continues to become higher profile worldwide, although the sources of some stories remain questionable. India Daily published the story of a reporter's chance nightclub encounter with an unnamed but "very senior Indian Military official..." whom the reporter claims said "Extra Terrestrials have been visiting India and the rest of the world for thousands of years. In recent days most of the super powers have been formally contacted." The article continued to tell of a retired Indian Air Force Flight Commodore who spoke to schoolchildren about an underground UFO landing base in Ladakh, located inbetween India's incomprehensible mountain ranges. Quoting Tsering Spalzang, another senior official, "all paranormal activities are happening with the knowledge of the Indian Army," but the sensitive zones are blocked to curious Indians and Chinese by the Indian Army and Air Force.
At least two other nations have recently joined the group of governments forced to address "the UFO problem." Following "a rash of sightings" World Net Daily reports that "Russia and Iran have agreed to jointly study the UFO phenomenon" and to to work together in space research and in the construction of satellites. WND stated in April that Iran had been struck with UFO fever, after Rueters likewise reported that the state run television "broadcast a sparkling white disc flying over the capital of Tehran" and that people from eight towns ran outside to witness "bright extra-terrestrial lights." The Jerusalem Post more recently states that "Flying object fever has gripped Iran" and reports that "shoot-down orders" have been issued for any "unknown or mysterious objects" in Iran's airspace, since so many of the reported hundreds (according to Unknown Country) of UFO sightings are occurring over Iran's nuclear installations. Related articles on the sightings and Iran's aggressive stance have appeared in Mosnews.com (ie, "Moscow News), Resalat and Islamic Republic News Agency, as well as The Associated Press. However, only Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country mentions that Iran's flyovers parallel UFO flaps associated with American nuclear installations in the 1940s and 1950s, making U.S. spy satellites slightly less obvious suspects. Perhaps unaware of Strieber or America's past "Nuclear UFO Flaps" The Persian Journal and India Daily nonetheless argue that the "United States has excellent satellite imagery and hence do not need low altitude spy planes to monitor the activities" of Iran's nuclear facilities.
Dozens of newspapers and online sources reported on an "Exploding UFO" seen over China by hundreds of people, but it seems most likely that the word "UFO" was used repeatedly only for the sake of grabbing eyeballs with sensational headlines. The "UFO" was described as a streaking fireball, accompanied by one or more explosions and believed to crashed in the suburbs of Lanzhou. Local authorities received over 700 calls, and earthquake-like tremblings were reported 100km from where it is believed to have crashed. Most speculation argued that it was really a meteor, although no fragments or evidence of any kind has been found to support either the meteor or UFO hypothesis.
Australian news sources were kept busy with UFO activity in December - first with a sighting in Darwin that lasted close to two hours, consisting of flashing red, blue, and green lights, which "neither the RAAF or the airport" could account for. Several readers phoned the story in, according to The Australian. And in Mildura, a barbequing family reported a daylight sighting of first a single "shiny white object" that eventually remained stationary in the sky, only to be joined by two other similar objects in a mid-air rendezvous. ABC Victoria's site offers audio links to full interviews with the family members.
Continuing around the globe, Alberta Canada keeps breaking it's own records for UFO reports - one former "UFO nonbeliever" has even begun recording his sightings on film and via a journal, claiming to see as many as 4 objects in the sky at once. Rense.com offers a photo from Chile, with a bold "UFO Confirmed" headline, while in the UK, one area is seeing so much activity that the BBC has actually set up a UFO Webcam at a highway interchange on the Flintshire-Cheshire border. Web-surfers are invited to freeze photos and mail them for further investigation by local UFO researchers. Clicking any saucer on the online map will take you either to photos or a recent report.
Back in the USSR, Vladivostok News spotlights Russian biologist Valery Dvuzhilny, noted by them as one of Russia’s "most notable specialists in the investigation of unidentified flying objects." The story begins by recounting a 1980 expedition, where he and others witnessed a flying disc land. According to the article, Dvuzhilny runs a lab in his apartment with over 1000 samples from areas where other UFOs are thought to have touched down, has been featured in American and Japanese UFO documentaries, and "dreams of" opening Russia's first UFO Museum.
While never free of them entirely, in America, UFO stories seem to be graduating from "News of the Weird" columns. Los Angeles based talk show "Let's Talk Paranormal" featured Dr. Roger Lier, who discussed implants and his ten surgeries related to removing them. Kudos to host Tracie Austin-Peters for giving the topic airtime in such a large market, and also to Las Vegas' KLAS TV for a 2-night investigative report on black triangles, the text of which can still be read online. (The news station polled their southern Nevada websurfers, and over 25% claim to have seen a black triangle.) Florida Today - never shy about publishing UFO-related stories - revisits an alleged U.S. Military Encounter, described as a "UFO air battle that began in Florida, shifted to the Eastern seaboard and ended in an Air Force whitewash." Frank Feshino, author of a new book on the subject, claims that over a dozen USAF jet fighters were destroyed in the 1952 incident. Heading west, Deseret Morning News asks "Is Dugway The New Area 51?" Many believe that Groom Lake's most sensitive projects have been moved, and the online article details a remote region of Utah which the U.S. military seeks to expand by as much as 145 square miles, due to too much scrutiny by "alien-hunters" - specifically AboveTopSecret.com and "Alien Dave" who regularly photographs the region and reports on what he sees. Georgia's Augusta Chronicle included an interview with 2-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin, who spoke of his UFO sighting. And Earthfiles features an article by Linda Moulton-Howe (with Grant Cameron) arguing that former Presidential candidate General Wesley Clark was probably briefed on UFOs. When asked directly by noted researcher David Rudiak, he looked down, mentioned that he was visiting Roswell, then finally answered "'There are things going on. But we will have to work out our own mathematics."
On a weird note, rap star Eminem was named an "honorary priest" by the Raelian Religion, in honor of anti-war lyrics featured on his video "Mosh." According to HipHopDX.com, the singer has not yet responded to the Raelians for bestowing him the honorary title. In other music news Hip-Hop singer and "Pimp My Ride" host Xzibit somehow managed to get quoted in SouthFlorida.com as saying that "only white people" see aliens or ghosts, because "Aliens don't [expletive] with the hood."
Roswell New Mexico managed to avoid any UFO-related headlines the past couple of months, but was featured on CNN.com's homepage for an 8-inch snowfall, resulting in a rare white Christmas. Your BreakingUFOnews.com editor managed to miss that however, while visiting the folks in Nashville, which was only cold. If anything crossed the night skies over the weekend, I didn't notice, as a warm television and red wine kept me indoors most of the time.
Breaking UFO News Digest
for UFO Magazine December 2004 / January 2005 Issue
Guy Malone, Roswell New Mexico Editor@BreakingUFOnews.com
See BreakingUFOnews.com's archives for actual news links & in-depth coverage of
these stories
BreakingUFOnews.com is saddened to report on the deaths of both Dr. John Mack and Betty Hill. Dr. Mack was struck by an "allegedly" drunk driver while attending a conference on T.S. Elliot in the UK, while Ms. Hill passed away after a long battle with lung cancer. Dr. Mack brought international attention and much credibility to abduction research due to his tenured position at Harvard University, while Betty and Barney Hill will best be remembered as perhaps the nation's "first abductees," as a result of the book "The Interrupted Journey," published in 1966. NASA likewise mourned the loss of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, with a memorial service held at Johnson Space Center in early October. Cooper was the first astronaut to spend more than 24 hours in space.
Fortunately, author Whitley Strieber reports that wife Ann is recovering from her recent stroke, but may require 1-2 months of bed rest, and the couple solicits prayer at this late October writing.
On October 8, Fort Wayne Indiana residents were treated to footage of an Unidentified Flying Object by their local ABC and NBC News affiliates. Airport and Military officials offered no explanation, but the video clip can still be viewed online courtesy First Coast News. Hudson, Ohio's News Channel 5 likewise posted a six-photo slideshow of an Unidentified Flying Object sent in by a local viewer in mid-October, while their on-site poll of nearly 3,000 reveals that Channel 5's viewers "believe in UFOs" by a margin of 4-1. In September, both MSNBC.com and Space.com released articles on the rise of "flying triangles," speculating that they are secret spy planes. Their reports were influenced by findings published by NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science), which unrelatedly (?) closed their doors in October, bringing an end to one of ufology's more respected research organizations. The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune also featured a brief story of "odd lights" reported by many local residents, and mentioned in the article that both President Reagan and Carter claimed to have seen UFOs.
While sitting U.S. Presidents remain traditionally silent, this election's Presidential candidates are speaking up about UFO secrecy! Well, not "The Big Two," but BreakingUFOnews.com editor Guy Malone landed and published a private interview with Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik on the subject of UFO secrecy in late August (following Badnarik's campaign visit to Roswell), and X-Zone Radio Host Rob McConnell interviewed Badnarik and 3 other Presidential candidates who offered their views on-air in late October, who likewise promised to disclose "the truth" if elected President of the United States. (If this keeps up, reserve your Stephen Bassett / John Greenewald Jr 2008 bumper stickers now - with apologies to Richard Dolan and Jim Marrs, but I don't want to waste my vote ;)
Also in UFO politics, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson followed (loosely) in the footsteps of the late NM Congressman Steve Schiff, by writing a one-page forward to Sci-Fi Channel's "Roswell Dig Diaries," calling for an end to the secrecy surrounding the famous 1947 event. A Richardson spokesman also told the Albuquerque Tribune that Richardson felt that if (and they emphasize IF) " ...there is any additional information, it should be declassified and released."
Has the chupacabra been identified? In Texas, a second "Elmendorf Beast" was shot, killed, and examined by animal experts who have as yet failed to identify the critters. The previously never-before seen animals are covered in blue-grey "mange" and are said to resemble small dogs with a deer's head, and as having long claws and fangs. The first was killed after a local farmer lost 35 chickens in a single night. The second body has been examined by a local game warden and by Stacy Pollack, who has over 20 experience as a veterinarian and zookeeper, according to WOAI (local NBC affiliate). Linda Moulton Howe is investigating this case as well. Close-up photos are posted.
The National UFO Conference (nufoc.org) has finally found a permanent home in Hollywood California! After 40 years of successful (and controversial) conferences, speakers and hosts in almost as many cities, NUFOC celebrated their 40th this Halloween weekend at the prestigious Renaissance Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where the conference plans to remain for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile in November, interested readers may still have time to add The World UFO & Paranormal Expo (wupe.net) and Denver Colorado to the growing list of annual UFO Conferences you can visit in person, as well as the 2nd Annual UFO Crash Retrieval Conference (ufoconference.com) in Las Vegas Nevada. While no online media seems to have picked up the story, Rense.com posted extremely convincing pics from UFOs photographed and video-taped for the second consecutive year at an airshow in the UK. Simon Anderson of West Sussex got a few shots in 2003, and came even more prepared (just in case) to capture UFOs on film in 2004, and was obliged! He probably won't be alone next time - could West Sussex in September 2005 be the next big UFO conference?
European scientists "intend to be(come the) world leaders" in the hunt for ET life, announcing a decades-spanning project that will combine satellites and mirrors, to better spot blue seas and vegetation on planets circling stars across the galaxy. Wired reports that University of Washington scientists are working with NASA to explore propelling earthbound craft using plasma beams. And the push to leave earth continues as well, as none other than actor William Shatner joins the ranks of those willing to pay for spaceflight. The Washington Post reports that 7000 people have now signed up, saying they are willing to pay the $210,000 fee to Virgin for a trip 70 miles above the earth. (If Priceline.com finally does dump Shatner for Leonard Nimoy, perhaps he should consider becoming Virgin's front man!)
Sociologically speaking, Aaron Sechluch of "The Triangle" (student newspaper for Drexel University) has been publishing a series of very well researched and though-out "skeptic" arguments related to UFO sightings, experiencers, and culture. Well worth a look. For the not-so skeptic, believe it or not Dr. Joyce Brothers herself counsels those who have seen a UFO to laugh with those who laugh, and to "save your passionate explorations of the subject" for those willing to take your story more seriously, in her syndicated King Features advice column. (Former President Jimmy Carter could not be reached for comment on Dr. Brothers' advice.) And in early September, indy film viewers were exposed to a film combining elements of child abuse and UFO/Alien abuse, while Baptist Baylor University began exploring "the religion of UFOs" as lecture topics.
No word yet on Farscape's future, but Sci-Fi Channel's "The PeaceKeeper Wars" apparently trounced all non-sports cable programming in ratings during it's premier nights, and success of the mini-series has fans crying "Movie! Movie!" (See SaveFarscape.com to join the cause.)
Way across the globe, one group of scientists in India made international headlines by inviting other scientists to mull over a certain photograph, pondering whether they're studying an odd spy satellite or something extra-terrestrial (with no consensus as yet), while humorously, a Romanian village "was left deserted" when residents fled a village in terror of a UFO invasion - that turned out to be disco lights!