THE UFO CHRONICLES: December 2006

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Will New UFO Files Surface After Massive Secret Document Declassification?

U.S. to Declassify Secrets at Age 25

By SCOTT SHANE
The New York Times
12-21-06

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 — It will be a Cinderella moment for the band of researchers who study the hidden history of American government.

At midnight on Dec. 31, hundreds of millions of pages of secret documents will be instantly declassified, including many F.B.I. cold war files on investigations of people suspected of being Communist sympathizers. After years of extensions sought by federal agencies behaving like college students facing a term paper, the end of 2006 means the government’s first automatic declassification of records.

Secret documents 25 years old or older will lose their classified status without so much as the stroke of a pen, unless agencies have sought exemptions on the ground that the material remains secret.

Historians say the deadline, created in the Clinton administration but enforced, to the surprise of some scholars, by the secrecy-prone Bush administration, has had huge effects on public access, despite the large numbers of intelligence documents that have been exempted.

And every year from now on, millions of additional documents will be automatically declassified as they reach the 25-year limit, reversing the traditional practice of releasing just what scholars request.

Many historians had expected President Bush to scrap the deadline. His administration has overseen the reclassification of many historical files and restricted access to presidential papers of past administrations, as well as contemporary records.

Practical considerations, including a growing backlog of records at the National Archives, mean that it could take months before the declassified papers are ready for researchers.

“Deadlines clarify the mind,” said Thomas S. Blanton, director of the private National Security Archive at George Washington University, which obtains and publishes historical government documents.

Despite what he called a disappointing volume of exemptions, Mr. Blanton said automatic declassification had “given advocates of freedom of information a real lever.”

Gearing up to review aging records to meet the deadline, agencies have declassified more than one billion pages, shedding light on the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War and the network of Soviet agents in the American government.

Several hundred million pages will be declassified at midnight on Dec. 31, including 270 million pages at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has lagged most agencies in reviews.

J. William Leonard, who oversees declassification as head of the Information Security Oversight Office at the National Archives, said the threat that secret files might be made public without a security review had sent a useful chill through the bureaucracy.

“Unfortunately, you sometimes need a two-by-four to get agencies to pay attention,” Mr. Leonard said. “Automatic declassification was essentially that two-by-four.”

What surprises await in the documents is impossible to predict.

“It is going to take a generation for scholars to go through the material declassified under this process,” said Steven Aftergood, who runs a project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists.

“It represents the classified history of a momentous period, the cold war,” Mr. Aftergood said. “Almost every current headline has an echo in the declassified past, whether it’s coping with nuclear weapons, understanding the Middle East or dictatorship and democracy in Latin America.”

Anna K. Nelson, a historian at American University, said she hoped that the files would shed light on the Central Intelligence Agency role in Iran and deepen the documentation of the Jimmy Carter years, in particular the Camp David accords.

“Americans need to know this history, and the history is in those documents,” Ms. Nelson said.

She said the National Archives staff was buried in a 400-million-page backlog that awaits processing and is not publicly available.

Also, a budget shortfall has cut back on evening and weekend access to the major research center of the archives, in College Park, Md.

“They can declassify the records, but the archives don’t have the staff to handle them,” Ms. Nelson said.

The first deadline was imposed in an executive order that President Bill Clinton signed in 1995, when officials realized that taxpayers were paying billions of dollars to protect a mountain of cold war documents.

The order gave agencies five years to declassify documents or show the need for continued secrecy.

When agencies protested that they could not meet the 2000 deadline, it was extended to 2003. Mr. Bush then granted another three-year extension, but put out the word that it was the last one, despite the new emphasis on security after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and a new war in Iraq.

“The Bush administration could have said, ‘This is a Clinton thing,’ and abandoned it,” Mr. Aftergood, said. “To their credit, they did not.”

As an enforceable deadline loomed, the intelligence agencies that produce most secret material add workers to plow through files from World War II.

The C.I.A. has reviewed more than 100 million pages, released 30 million pages and created a database of documents, Crest, that is accessible from terminals at the National Archives. Although most of the documents are exempt, they can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

The National Security Agency, the eavesdropping and code-breaking agency, has released 35 million pages, including an extensive collection on the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to the escalation of the Vietnam War. The agency plans a major release early next year on the Israeli attack on the Liberty, an American eavesdropping ship, in 1967.

The F.B.I., by contrast, negotiated an exemption from the 1995 executive order and concluded last year that the 2003 executive order ended its special status. It has rushed to review material, seeking exemption for 50 million pages on intelligence, counterintelligence and terrorism, but leaving 270 million pages to be automatically declassified now.

Among those files, said David M. Hardy, the bureau declassification chief, are those on investigations of Americans with suspected ties to the Communist Party. Reviewers will keep working on the exempt material to see what can be released, but it is a slow process, Mr. Hardy said.

“The numbers of documents are staggering,” Mr. Hardy said.

The bureau is studying digitizing documents and using computers to search for classified material. Some experts say mass declassification is not the smartest approach. L. Britt Snider, a former intelligence official who heads the Public Interest Declassification Board, which advises the White House, said most government records, even top-secret ones, were pretty boring.

“Rather than take this blunderbuss approach,” Mr. Snider said, “I’d like to see the agencies concentrate first on what’s interesting and what’s important.”

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UFO . . . Mothman? No . . . It's Jet-Man!

Flying like a bird at 5,000ft, the winged wonder

By MICHAEL HANLON
The Daily Mail
12-30-06

Man has dreamt of flight ever since our ancestors first saw birds soaring into the sky.

And even after the dream was realised, first with hot-air balloons and later with heavier-than-air aeroplanes, the dream remained unfulfilled.

Because being truly at one with the air, able to swoop and soar like a falcon or an albatross, remained an impossibility. And in legends where the dream became real, as in the myth of the Ancient Greek birdman Icarus, the price was a heavy one; an ignominious crashing to Earth.

But for one brave Swiss pioneer, a former military pilot called Yves Rossy, the dream has become reality.

For as these amazing pictures show, Rossy, 45, has managed to come as close as it is possible to get to the feeling of being truly like a bird.

Back in 2003 Rossy, now a commercial airliner captain, began his Flying Man project, when he strapped a pair of stubby wings to his back and leapt out of a plane, swooping eight miles in freefall for the loss of just 1000ft in altitude.

Strapping on the contraption, which is made of various metals, fibreglass, Kevlar and carbon fibre, Rossy climbs into the small aircraft which is to launch him into his flight.

At an altitude of some 7750ft, he leaps out, just like a skydiver. But unlike a skydiver, he does not plummet to the Alps below.

There is just enough lift generated by the 10ft aerofoil strapped to his back to negate the effects of gravity. At first, after the wings are unfolded electrically, he becomes a glider then, when the four kerosene-powered engines are turned on, he becomes a jetplane.

Thanks to the engines, each of which develops 22kg of thrust, he can not only maintain altitude but actually gain height, he says, at a rate of several hundred feet a minute - until the fuel runs out six minutes later. He lands with a conventional parachute.

"There have been no proper aerodynamic studies of how to simulate this sort of flying," he says. "All simulations involve a rigid aircraft. My wings are rigid, but of course I am not." He steers the contraption, he says, 'purely by intuition'.

Like a bird, he can adjust his 'trim' with incredible precision with the flick of a foot or by simply leaning his body one way or the other.

"It is like how a child would fly," he says. He says his ultimate goal is to take off and land just using his Jetwing without an aircraft to take him into the air.

Now he has gone one better, strapping four, small kerosene-fuelled turbojet engines (mini-versions of the engines used to power airliners designed to power model aircraft) to his wings to create what is effectively the first rocket-propelled hang-glider: the ultimate microlight, jet-powered flight at its most minimalist.

His passion to fly like a bird began at the age of 30 when he began learning how to do free-fall parachute jumping. He has completed 1,200 free-fall jumps.

He said: "I had tried sky-surfing, but that didn't last long enough either, so I decided to create my own wings to enable me to fly for longer."

Rossy's flights have taken place from the Yverdon airfield in western Switzerland. Last week, after opening the wings, he glided to 7750ft, ignited the engines and waited 30 seconds for them to be able to stabilize and began to open the throttle.

At 5000ft, he achieved horizontal flight for more than 4 minutes at 115 mph, faster than the small aircraft which took him into the air.

He steers simply by shifting the weight of his body, and lands with the aid of a parachute once the fuel is exhausted.

"It was an amazingly good feeling, like in a dream. When you are in an aircraft you have to steer by a stick. You have no contact with the elements," Rossy told the Daily Mail.

His extraordinary flight can be seen on Rossy’s website, www.jet-man.com.

Like the semi-mythical flying jet-backpack (which was actually tested by the US military in the 1960s) Rossy's £150,000 flying machine, which with engines, wings and fuel weighs only 110lbs, sounds like something out of science fiction.

"It would be a great device for James Bond so he can go behind enemy lines," he says. "I want to fly, not to steer."

"Up there in my invention, I am as free as a bird."

Best not let the health and safety brigade hear about this

Friday, December 29, 2006

Ancient 'Ice Shelf' Breaks Free - Attributed to Global Climate Changes

Ancient ice shelf snaps and breaks free from the Canadian Arctic

Breitbart.com
12-29-06

Ancient ice shelf snaps and breaks free from the Canadian Arctic STEVE LILLEBUEN (CP) - A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada's Arctic, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.

The mass of ice broke clear from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 800 kilometres south of the North Pole. Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, travelled to the newly formed ice island and couldn't believe what he saw. "It was extraordinary," Vincent said Thursday, adding that in 10 years of working in the region he has never seen such a dramatic loss of sea ice.

"This is a piece of Canadian geography that no longer exists."

The collapse was so powerful that earthquake monitors 250 kilometres away picked up tremors from it.

Scientists say it is the largest event of its kind in 30 years and point their fingers at climate change as a major contributing factor.

"We think this incident is consistent with global climate change," Vincent said, adding that the remaining ice shelves are 90 per cent smaller than when they were first discovered in 1906.

"We aren't able to connect all of the dots .�.�. but unusually warm temperatures definitely played a major role."

The ice shelf actually broke up 16 months ago, but no one witnessed the dramatic event.

Laurie Weir, who monitors ice conditions for the Canadian Ice Service, was poring over satellite images when she noticed that the shelf had split and separated.

Weir notified Luke Copland, head of the new global ice lab at the University of Ottawa, who initiated an effort to find out what happened.

Using U.S. and Canadian satellite images, as well as data from seismic monitors, Copland discovered that the ice shelf collapsed in the early afternoon of Aug. 13, 2005.

"These ice shelves can break up really quickly, perhaps more quickly than we thought they could do in the past," he said.

"Within an hour we could see this entire ice chunk just disconnect and float away."

Within days, the floating ice shelf had drifted a few kilometres offshore. It travelled west for 50 kilometres until it finally froze into the sea ice in the early winter.

Derek Mueller, a polar researcher with Vincent's team, saw that Ellesmere's Ward Hunt Ice Shelf had cracked in half in 2002. He also saw that sea ice, which creates a buffer zone around ice shelves, was approaching lower and lower levels.

"These ice shelves get weaker and weaker as the temperature rises," he said.

"And the summer of 2005 had a combination of high temperatures and strong winds that probably blew the sea ice away, making this ice shelf much more vulnerable."

The Ayles Ice Shelf, roughly 66 square kilometres in area, was one of six major ice shelves remaining in Canada's Arctic.

They are packed with ancient ice that dates back over 3000 years, and scientists like Vincent treat their loss as a sign that the global climate is crossing an unprecedented threshold.

"We're seeing the tragic loss of unique features of the Canadian landscape," he said.

"There are microscopic organisms and entire ecosystems associated with this ice, so we're losing a part of Canada's natural richness."

Meanwhile, the spring thaw may bring another concern as the warming temperatures could release the ice shelf from its Arctic grip.

Prevailing winds could then send the ice island southwards, deep into the Beaufort Sea.

"Over the next few years this ice island could drift into populated shipping routes," Weir said.

"There's significant oil and gas development in this region as well, so we'll have to keep monitoring its location over the next few years."

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Investigation of The Great Lakes Dive Company
Part II

By James C. Carrion
International Director
The Mutual UFO Network, Inc.
November 1, 2006

Note—In the aftermath of the portentous claims of the so-called “Great Lakes Dive Company” as well as their mysterious disappearance, a few of us (myself included) have been actively involved in the investigation of these declarations as well as “authenticity of the company”; understandably MUFON took an interest in the claims of GLDC and it’s alleged mouthpiece, an individual calling himself “Adam Jimenez”; much of their (MUFON) investigative path paralleled my own; consequently we came up with the same results.

To that end I endorse the following report and applaud the efforts of MUFON, specifically Dave Watson & James Carrion; furthermore, I would like to extend my gratitude to both of them for their hard work, in-depth report and permission to publish it.

Finally, although the investigation is ongoing, based on my own research I can say with confidence that the GLDC and it’s claims can be considered as the “Great UFO Hoax of 2006!”-FW

See Part I

- Part II -

In July-August, 2006 issue of the Journal of UFO History, editor Dick Hall writes, “In answer to questions from the editor, Adam Jimenez of the Great Lakes Dive Company said that they had not yet found any positive identification such as a serial number (on the F-89).” However, in a September 11, 2006 e-mail to me, Mr. Jimenez contradicted the statement made to Dick Hall saying, “The ROV confirmed that the canopy is intact, but we were unable to see inside due to silt and the translucent nature of the canopy. One would assume that the crew is still inside. Yes the aircraft’s tail number is visible on the F-89c. This is how we were able to confirm we found the F-89, and not some other aircraft.”

Although stating the GLDC could not get permission to use their ROV in 2006 without unacceptable restrictions, Mr. Jimenez said they did use it in 2005, apparently without the permission he claimed was necessary.

“We did lower the ROV on the initial discovery (because we knew the risk existed that we may not be able to return to the site). We haven’t been able to use the ROV on the site since (or return to the site at all for that matter) this season; we had hoped to further explore the site in 2006. Weather issues in 2005 prevented us from thoroughly exploring the wreck-site. The confusion is that the accounts are talking about two different dive seasons.”

Elaborating on the supposed discovery, Jimenez said the GLDC wanted to check for radiation at the wreck-site because something was effecting their equipment (referring to the “mystery object”):

“We used a DX-1 hand held Geiger counter that was placed in a sealed chamber within the ROV and the speaker output was patched into the audio input of the digital camera of the ROV. We had to get the ROV close to the object to make sure the reading was accurate; however, the efficiency rating of the DX-1 is not 100%, but we were satisfied that it not radiation causing our electronic problems. We made the metallic determination based on the visual evidence from the ROV” (again referring to the “mystery object”). Jimenez’s statement alludes to GLDC illegally operating their ROV in Canadian waters without a properly issued license, and contradicts his previous assertion that, “we needed to stay on the good side of the Canadians due to our Gunilda project.” It is not clear how the Geiger counter was “patched” into the audio input of the ROV’s camera, as the DX-1 Geiger counters do not have an audio-out jack, but only an internal speaker.

MUFON then investigated how and when GLDC’s claims were first made public. The earliest known account MUFON could find was an August 22, 2006 posting to the UFO Updates mailing list where a certain “Preston Miller” forwarded what was labeled a Port Huron, MI, Associated Press (AP) news article on GLDC’s claims to Francis Ridge. Francis told MUFON that he doesn’t know who Preston Miller is. Checking with the Port Huron Times Herald, an authorized AP news source in Port Huron, managing editor Judith McCLean told MUFON that her newspaper did not originate the article. MUFON also contacted the Associated Press Michigan Bureau in Detroit and spoke with Joe Altman. Mr. Altman looked at the UFO Updates article on line and said that it was not written in the characteristic style of an AP press report, as it lacked any date references. Mr. Altman also searched all AP news feeds and could find no information that would indicate AP was the source of the article.

On Sept. 26, 2006, GLDC’s website content at www.greatlakesdive.com was removed and is no longer available. A week later, the GLDC message board, which had been hosted by excoboard.com, was also unavailable. Performing an Internet Whois.net query of the greatlakes.com Internet domain name revealed that the domain registrar is Melbourne IT Ltd, a company based in Australia. Thinking that GLDC’s claims may be related to the recent Australian UFO wave videos that were revealed to be a hoax, MUFON contacted the UFO wave perpetrator, Chris Kentworthy, who denied any involvement or knowledge of the Great Lakes Dive Company. Searching the Internet revealed various security bulletins warning that some fraudulent websites use this Melbourne IT, Ltd registrar and the related myprivateregistration.com service (which allows persons to register a web-site without revealing who they actually are). Jimenez is not currently responding to e-mails or phone calls.

In summary, MUFON, after many hours of investigation by a number of our dedicated field investigators, has not been able to substantiate any of GLDC’s claims. Until GLDC personnel resurface with more information, and definitive proof of the F-89 discovery, their claims will continue to remain doubtful. MUFON will continue it’s investigation and update our members and the UFO community as further developments unfold.

See Part I

MUFON

See Also: Diver's Find 53 Year-Old Plane and Maybe The UFO It Collided With!

See Also: The Mystery of "The Kinross Incident" Deepens

SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Montana a UFO Hotspot Dating Back to 1950s

By STACY HASLEM
The Great Falls Tribune
12-28-06

The story goes something like this:

The date was March 16, 1967. Missile maintenance crews from Malmstrom Air Force Base were camped out at a missile site about 30 miles north of Lewistown.

Suddenly an alarm horn sounded.

A Minuteman missile had gone off alert and become inoperable. Upset and believing that the maintenance personnel had failed to tell him they were doing work that would create this "off-alert" warning, a first lieutenant called the missile site.

He didn't get the response he was expecting.

An on-site security guard told him that no maintenance had been done on the missile that morning. A UFO hovering over the site was a more likely culprit, he said.

Soon other missiles started going off-line as well. Within seconds, the other nine missiles were down.

About 20 miles southeast at the Oscar flight, a topside airman reported to his below-ground crew commander that strange, nonaircraft lights were zigzagging around the sky.

The commander didn't take the report seriously and told the airman to call back if anything more significant happened.

After a few minutes, the airman called again, clearly frightened and shouting: "Sir, there's one hovering outside the front gate!"

"One what?"

"A UFO. It's just sitting there. We're all looking at it. What do you want us to do?"

Moments later, several other Oscar missiles were down as well.

*

This report and others like it have made northcentral Montana a UFO hot spot dating back to the 1950s.

"It's been a pretty active area, and there are a lot of world-documented sightings going way back," said Jeff Goodrich, state director of the Montana chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).

A video recording of two bright, silvery objects zipping around the sky on Aug. 15, 1950, brought national attention to the Electric City.

Nick Mariana, general manager of the Great Falls Electrics baseball team, noticed the objects and quickly scrambled to record the incident on the 16-mm camera he kept in his glove box. The "Montana Movie," as it came to be known, is considered one of the best UFO films of all time.

More recently, a series of mysterious cow mutilations has locals baffled and questioning whether space aliens have perhaps paid us another visit.

UFOs are for real

It's a fact: UFOs are out there. Astronomers, scientists, government officials and ufologists all agree on that. The dispute is whether little green or gray or purple men are piloting these aircraft, if that's even what the objects are.

Ray Kelly, owner of Kelly Signs, always has been a believer and even has a few sightings to boot.

"I've always felt this universe is just too vast for us to be the only people or living creatures," he said.

Kelly's first sighting came in the 1990s. As he pulled into his alley after work one night, a bright star caught his attention. Then, suddenly, it shot straight up.

Some years later, Kelly took direction from the popular 1990s television series "Sightings" and propped his Zenith camcorder on a tripod in his backyard and focused it on the sun's corona, or surrounding halo of light. If you block out the main part of the sun you'll catch bustling UFO activity in the outer rim, the theory suggests.

"These objects are kind of invisible to the naked eye until they fly into the corona," Kelly said.

Sure enough, Kelly captured glowing objects of all shapes and sizes moving at different speeds and directions in and out of the corona. He also recorded what he believes to be two UFOs traveling across the sky. One moves on a straight west-to-east plane. The other flies the same direction but instantly changes directions at two different intervals.

UFO mania

The UFO era began in June 1947 when a Boise businessman and pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported nine mysterious objects flying around Mount Rainier in Washington. He described them as flying close together, saying their movement reminded him of a rock or saucer skipping across the top of water. He is credited for coining the term "flying saucers."

Following Arnold's sighting and the alleged crash at Roswell, N.M., where ufologists believe an extraterrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants were recovered in July 1947, flying saucer mania began. The interest and curiosity in UFOs paired with the looming threat of nuclear attack by the Soviet Union had people nationwide and across Montana looking toward the heavens.

While the government opened an official investigation of UFOs, more reports trickled in from all over Big Sky Country. A couple weeks after Mariana's sighting, two Great Falls men reportedly saw a silvery mass over the eastern horizon near Geyser. They said the large, oblong object had a long tail and flew extremely high. It vanished over the western horizon in about eight seconds. The following week two Air Force veterans reported six amber-colored objects flying over Great Falls, passing each other at alternate intervals.

In November 1957, a Great Falls woman reported seeing an oblong, illuminated object that was twice as large as the moon and had a flashing light on one end. Later that month a Sidney resident reported a white ball of fire with towering red columns rising up and green lights projecting from the base moving slowly across the sky.

Several UFO reports have come from MAFB and its missile sites.

The investigation that followed the 1967 missile incidents turned up no reasonable cause for the missile shutdowns, though a number of airmen as well as the deputy launch controller from that day have come forward to credit UFOs. However, the Air Force reportedly maintains that no UFO incident ever has affected national security.

Public affairs officials at Malmstrom say the base doesn't have any records related to UFOs.

The hodgepodge of reports over the years indicate that UFOs come in all shapes, sizes and colors and travel at various speeds. Some are described as balls of light that explode in the sky. Others resemble flying cars.

Of course, there also are curious reports of what "visitors" leave behind.

Alien forensics?

The first Montana report of a mutilated cow came from the Sand Coulee area in August 1974. In the few years that followed, sheriff's deputies investigated more than 65 mutilation reports from Cascade, Judith Basin, Chouteau, Teton and Pondera counties.

The most recent reported mutilation occurred on Oct. 9 of this year on a ranch in Valier. There are similarities to the mutilations of three decades ago.

What's left behind has raised doubt that the killings were caused by humans or predators.

Often the tongue, an eye and all or part of the ear are removed along with a portion of the udder, the genitals and the anus. Facial skin is scraped off with great precision, and the exposed bones are squeaky-clean. Many of the animals are drained of blood. There is no mess, no footprints and no one hears a sound.

What's even more bizarre, hungry predators steer clear of the carcasses for weeks.

The early cases from around the nation prompted a federally funded investigation that resulted in a 300-page report concluding the cows were killed by natural predators. Even still, ideas swarm about the mysteries, some pointing fingers at satanic cults, government or military conspiracies and, of course, space aliens.

Local UFO group

Various groups have formed over the years to investigate UFO sightings, of which a majority are re-classified as IFOs, or identified flying objects.

"The vast majority of them are misidentified known objects, some probably classified aircraft," said Goodrich, who's retired from the military and works for a civilian contractor at MAFB. "I think a small number of them would very well be alien spacecraft."

Goodrich has been involved with MUFON, a national organization dedicated to finding scientific explanations for UFOs, for 25 years. As state director he assigns field investigators to Montana sightings. But with a dwindling statewide membership (currently eight members), Goodrich said it's impossible to investigate every report.

"The ones that are more worthy of investigation are daylight sightings of metallic objects," he said. "They are much fewer in number."

Goodrich said that when folks see a UFO they either should fill out the sighting report form online at www.mufon.org or call the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) telephone hotline, 206-722-3000, in Davenport, Wash.

Goodrich said local law enforcement officers and public relations officers at Malmstrom usually direct UFO-related calls to MUFON or NUFORC. The NUFORC hotline is staffed 24/7, so it may be the better route, he said.

And while Great Falls has a reputation for some of the more credible UFO reports, Goodrich said folks aren't going to get much attention without a photograph or other physical evidence.

"Anecdotal evidence doesn't really go very far as far as reaching a firm scientific conclusion," he said.

Hogwash!

Arthur Alt, the author of the Tribune's daily Skywatch column who has a doctorate in science education and nine other degrees, doesn't believe aliens from outer space are visiting planet Earth, abducting its inhabitants and flying away with cow teat souvenirs.

"Everybody on this planet sees UFOs — unidentified flying objects," said Alt, a science professor at the University of Great Falls. "That does not translate into little green men flying spaceships. There is not one single solid thread of evidence that they exist."

Alt doesn't think the people who report UFOs are gullible or are telling tall tales. Rather they just have a hard time identifying what they see. Some of the explanations he offered for the misidentified objects in the sky include weather balloons, planets, meteors, iridescent goose wings, and lenticular clouds, which actually resemble flying saucers.

He added that hallucinations and optical illusions also play tricks on the brain.

"Our brain works in a linear fashion," he said, adding he teaches his UGF students to think in a nonlinear fashion and manages to change most of their minds regarding flying saucers by the end of the semester.

Though Alt doesn't believe space aliens are visiting the Earth, he believes they exist.

"I'm absolutely convinced there is intelligent life in the universe outside the Earth," he said.

However, Alt theorizes that the amount of energy, time and food it would take to visit the Earth would not be worth it to any species. He said the nearest star system is about 4 1/2 light years away, which would mean a 10-years roundtrip for a vehicle traveling at the speed of light.

And for what purpose? Ten years is a lot of time just to satisfy curiosity, he said.

Alt added there's no good reason why aliens would collect samples of unintelligent animals like cows, noting the missing cow pieces wouldn't provide much information about reproducing the animal. He believes people, perhaps cult members, are responsible.

Just another Montana Movie

Kelly doesn't have a theory on the cattle mutilations, but he does believe his video shows something of an extraterrestrial nature.

Relaxing in his lawn chair while barbecuing one afternoon, Kelly captured footage of an illuminated object moving across the sky. His video shows a UFO passing behind limbs of a tree and then eventually getting lost in the garble.

"I got pretty excited about it," Kelly said. "I showed my wife right away."

He reported the incident to MUFON and the "Coast to Coast" radio program, but it didn't amount to anything. He didn't pursue the effort further because he was satisfied enough.

"I finally saw one," he said. "I'm happy."

Kelly believes humans are being observed by other life forms from other planets or even dimensions.

"A lot of these could be government secret propulsion programs, too," he said.

And he doesn't believe UFOs pose any threat to himself, his family or mankind in general.

"I'm not afraid ... as long as I'm not a cow," he said.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

‘False Prophet Phenomenon’

By Brian Culp
Reporter Times
12-27-06

Filmmakers examine UFO summoner’s claims

Raising his hands and facing east, the man from Las Vegas, who has legally changed his name to Prophet Yahweh began praying — trying to attract UFOs.

A group of about 20 skeptical observers stood in a circle watching the wind whip through the trees at the edge of the town parking lot as the large man, who is a self-proclaimed prophet, scanned the sky searching in vain for a pinprick of light. He said it would start small, but get bigger, eventually hovering over the group.

But no UFO would appear the afternoon of Dec. 14 for the cameras of the 24-year-old documentary makers Abdullah Hashem and Joseph McGowen. Yahweh said after most of the 20 people who attended the summoning had left, that someone in the group was there to make fun of him. Because of that, the UFOs did not show, he said.

Ford's UFO Legacy: Unapproving of The Air Force's Explanation He Requests Congressional Investigation

By Frank Warren
The UFO Chronicles
© 12-27-06

The year 1966 was very active for UFOs in this country; in particular sightings were heavy in the state of Michigan, and understandably people wanted answers. The Air Force back then was still “officially” investigating the phenomenon and tasked “J. Allen Hynek” to “calm the waters” and offer an explanation; the answer he gave would haunt him the rest of his life. He attributed the bulk of the sightings to “swamp gas!”

Then Congressman “Gerald ‘Jerry’ Ford” being a diligent politician and in response to his constituents wrote:

"In the firm belief that the American public deserves a better explanation than that thus far given by the Air Force, I strongly recommend that there be a committee investigation of the UFO phenomena. I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility regarding UFOs and to produce the greatest possible enlightenment of the subject.

I have taken special interest in these (UFO) accounts because many of the latest reported sightings have been made in my home state of Michigan...Because I think there may be substance to some of these reports and because I believe The American people are entitled to a more thorough explanation than has been given them by the Air force to date, I am proposing either the Science and Astronautics Committee or the Armed services Committee of the House, schedule hearings on the subject of UFOs and invite testimony from both the executive branch of the Government and some of the persons who claim to have seen UFOs...In the firm belief that the American public deserves a better explanation than that thus far given by the Air Force, I strongly recommend that there be a committee investigation of the UFO phenomena. I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility regarding UFOs and to produce the greatest possible enlightenment on this subject."

That specific letter was received by the "House Armed Services committee" and the "House Science and Astronautics Committee" in order to instigate hearings on the matter; Ford’s efforts weren’t met with great enthusiasm; however, he did in fact get the ball rolling, and a “Congressional Symposium” did later take place, ironically chaired by then Congressman “Donald Rumsfeld.”

In a radio broadcast to his constituents on March 30, 1966 Ford stated:

"My friends of the fifth congressional district, this is your congressman, Jerry Ford, speaking to you from the nation’s capitol.

As you know, I have requested a congressional investigation of unidentified flying objects, UFO’s, as they are called.

I am most serious about this; this is the kind of subject that lens itself to some flak, a little criticism, and a shower of compliments.

One day this week, I felt an unidentified flying object whiz past my ear--my right ear naturally. Upon close inspection, I had no more trouble identifying this particular UFO than the Air Force did in telling the people of Michigan they have been seeing swamp gas.

The UFO I encountered was a brickbat tossed by an irate gentleman who believes Congress could use its time to much better advantage than in investigating what he calls "UFO hysteria."

But this is one of the few criticisms I encountered in the more than 50 letters that I received since first proposing that UFO’s be investigated by either the House Armed Services Committee or the House Science and Astronautics Committee.

. . . And I do think that the American people want a better explanation of UFO’s than they have been getting. If my mail is any indication, there are many, many people who find it extremely difficult to believe some of the stories put out by the government on this and other subjects.

This is your congressman, Jerry Ford, saying--so--long for now, and I’ll see you nest week at this same time, same station."

The Air Force, and in particular, Lt. Col. Hector Quintanilla, the “Director of Project Blue Book” (The Air Force’s official investigation of the UFO Phenomenon) wasn’t happy with Ford’s statements, and obvious jab at the Air Force’s “lack of results” with “their” investigation of phenomenon.

He wrote:

"Congressman Gerald Ford got on the UFO bandwagon. It just so happens that Dexter was in Congressman Ford’s district. It was pure politics and he made the national news by demanding that either the Science and Astronautics Committee or the Armed Services Committee schedule hearings on the subject of UFOs....Congressman Ford did get his wish, a congressional hearing was imminent. Someone should ask Congressman Ford what it cost the American taxpayer to hold that hearing and ask him if he would like to reimburse for the expense; because that hearing was totally unnecessary."

On April 21st, 1966 Ford wrote:

"As I had expected, some persons have been ridiculed by the call for a congressional investigated of unidentified flying objects (UFO’s). These people are a fraction of those who have given their reaction to my proposal. The overwhelming majority of those expressing a view in letters to me believe a congressional investigation would be useful and is needed.

Those who scoff at the idea of a congressional investigation of UFO’s apparently are unaware that the House Armed services Committee has scheduled a closed- door hearing on the matter Tuesday with the Air Force and that rep. Joseph E. Karth, D-Minn., headed a three man sub-committee which held two days of hush-hush hearings five years ago on behalf of the Science and Astronautics Committee. Karth has confirmed in conversation with a member of my staff that he conducted these secret hearings.

The present Science and Astronautics Committee chairman, Rep. George P. Millar, D. Calif., has shied away from the UFO problem at this time, saying his committee does not have the jurisdiction over the Air Force. But the late Rep. Overton Brooks, D.La., obviously had different ideas because he tapped Karth to summon Air Force witnesses and question them after a flurry of sightings in 1961.

Karth has informed me that his subcommittee made an oral report to the full committee but never released anything to the public. According to Charles F. Ducander, the committee staff director, no record was made of the conversation between Karth subcommittee and the Air Force witnesses. The hearings, he said, took place in Karth’s congressional office.

I have never said that I believe any of the reported UFO sightings indicate visits to earth from another planet. Apart from the pranks and natural phenomena, some of these objects may well be products of experimentation by our own military. If this is so, why doesn’t the Air Force concede it and in this way reassure the American people/ there would be no need to go into detail on the nature of the experiments."

He further stated:

The Air Force has informed me it is arranging for a study by high-caliber scientists of some of the UFO sightings which have never been explained.

This study will be placed under contract soon after July 1, start of the new fiscal year. It will be carried out by a university which has no close ties with the Air Force so that the findings will be completely objective, Air Force officials tell me.

Those people engaged in the study will be high-caliber scientists who have never taken a position on UFO’s, the Air Force said. It will be made clear to them that they are not being hired to come up with findings in support of previous Air Force statements regarding UFO’s, I am informed.

The Air Force said there is too much effort involved to ask these scientists to make this study without pay.

The report will definitely be made public, The Air Force assured me. The whole purpose of the study is to make clear the air as far as the public is concerned.

This, of course, was my purpose in recently requesting that public hearings on the subject of UFO’s be conducted by either the Armed Services Committee or the House Science and Astronautics Committee.

It was as a result of my call for a congressional investigation that the Air Force now is arranging for a study of UFO’s by topflight scientists not connected in any way with the Air Force.

I would have preferred a congressional investigation with witnesses to include reliable persons from among those who say they have seen UFO’s. I still think this would be beneficial. But the UFO study by a panel of scientists, with the report to be made public, is a step in the right direction.

This of course did come to fruition and was the culmination of the Air Force's 20+ years of investigating the "UFO phenomenon," i.e., the "Condon Report."

Perhaps to no one's surprise, "after" Ford became president "it seemed" his "interest in UFOs" waned; years later he would comment:

"During my public career in Congress, as Vice President and President, I made various requests for information on UFOs. The official authorities always denied the UFO allegations."

As the nation mourns former President Gerald Ford, and remembers his many contributions, undoubtedly much will be attributed to him in regards to the healing of our country post Nixon & Watergate etc.; however, for those of us who pay attention to such matters, we will also herald his "lesser known" contributions made in the effort to unravel the "UFO enigma."

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UNEXPLAINED SIGHTINGS: UFO Hunters Closer To the 'X Files' Truth

The Evening Telegraph
12-23-06

THE truth is out there, and it could be closer than ever.

A UFO enthusiast plans to use the Freedom of Information Act to access previously secret government documents to uncover the truth behind unexplained sightings of flying objects around Peterborough.

Michael Hoffman, of Bruces Close, Conington, near Peterborough, who runs the UFO research group Sky Lights, hopes that the release of so-called "X files" held by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will finally shed light on why there have been so many alien sightings in the area.

He said: "I think the Act will give us quite a lot of information about UFOs, and it is something our group will definitely use.

"The MoD will not be very forthcoming with information and will find ways to block it, not release it. But I will use the Act to get information.

"They have a Freedom of Information Act in the USA, but still manage to hold stuff back which they want to keep a secret. I hope it will be different here."

This week, the MoD released secret papers under the Act showing that 91 sightings were recorded last year in the UK, including a report of "four dull red lights" hovering above Peterborough.

The latest files also revealed that a government meeting was held to investigate the existence of aliens in June 1951, but dismissed sightings of UFOs by RAF personnel, as well as a series of reports of "luminous bodies" by members of the public.

Minutes of the Government's Flying Saucer Working Party show that they regarded
the pursuit of UFOs to be a "singularly profitless enterprise" and recommended no further investigation of mysterious aerial phenomena.

However, a spokesman for the Peterborough Paranormal Society was not convinced that the Act would yield any great discoveries.

He said: "It depends what they release, but normally they just black out anything controversial.

"In the '80s and '90s there were a lot of sightings around Peterborough, but that is probably because they have been testing new aircraft in the area.

"We concentrate more on ghost sightings and have not had any reports of UFOs since we set up a few years ago."

> Anyone who has witnessed any strange flying objects can contact Michael Hoffman at link

The paranormal in Peterborough
> The first UFO sighting in Peterborough occurred in 1909 when two police officers reported a strange object hovering above the cathedral. It is thought to have been an early Zeppellin craft.

> A Peterborough postman claimed a pyramid-shaped cosmic craft performed acrobatic tricks just yards above his head. Thomas Thompson, of Lincoln Road, Peterborough, said he witnessed the glowing orange spaceship at a friend's house, in St Neots, in 1981.

> A jet black triangular-shaped UFO hovering above the A47, between Peterborough and Wisbech, in November, was seen by a student, his girlfriend, his mother and a friend, in November 1997.

> Bizarre crop circles, hundreds of metres wide, appeared at Sibson Airfield, near Wansford, in 1990.

> Brian Dunnett, from Netherton, saw strange lights in the sky at his Heaton Close home, in 1995.

> Two black shimmering discs were spotted gliding above Millfield, Peterborough, in November 1997, by Graham Palk, of Gladstone Street.

Friday, December 22, 2006

A Reader Shares His "Phoenix Lights" Experience

Phoenix Lights V-Shaped Craft As Seen By Tim Ley

By Ed Trejo
12-21-06
[unedited]

Check this out! March 15th, 1997. First off all my name is bravo 13, I live in Austin Tx.

Me and my father who is a vietnam vet. He was a gunner on Huey chopper.So he's pretty familiar with aircraft.He also faced fire fights, when they did drop offs & pick ups.

Anyway, we used to go white bass fishing,every early spring when the whites were running. On this year we took 120-140 mile fishing trip,lampasses there is a state park there's a fairly shallow river,the whites come up river to spawn,we had a great day we caught over eighty whites,that whole day.By the way my dad invited one of his friends.

He is also vet,my father & him worked at the veterans administration.After a long exciting day we pact up our gear and headed out. The entrance to the park where we fished was about a mile & half.So when we left it was about 8:15pm on our way back the sun just set,we noticed two amber colored lights in the horizon , the seemed really close we estimated a quarter mile not much further.they just sat there hovering,check this out all of the sudden the 3 more balls of light started materializing right in front of our eyes it made a straight line just sitting there.I asked my dad to please stop me & sam were pleading him to stop.My father never showed fear to me in my life,i was 30yrs old.

i don't really no if it was fear ,but he seemed unsure about stopping,anyway we got out except for my dad and watched this unbelievable sight it just hung there.It seemed like they were separate but we were really unsure ,it just sat there and started flickering very slowly off and on one at a time ,when i saw the phoenix lights about 5yrs later on a t.v. show i swear to this day it looked exactly like that except for the the boomerang shape i have never seen my dad confused like that or shocked,we were all excited and stunned.it defininitly defide the laws of physics as we know it.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

MEXICO: UFOs OVER CHILPANCINGO

12-16-06

Several unidentified flying objects were seen flying over the city of Chilpancingo for a little over half an hour, causing curiosity and a certain measure of concern among the dozens who took to the streets to observe the phenomenon.

The UFO presence – some 15 objects – lasted little more than 30 minutes, being seen from 9:30 to 10:00 o’clock.

Hundreds of people, including security guards from the Palace of Government and employees of the Servicio Medico Forense (SEMEFO) were witnesses to the flying objects.

“They were metallic grey in color, spinning from north to south, lit by the sun that rose in the east. That’s why they shone, since [the sunlight] was hitting them head on. They moved at an even pace and made geometric formations in the air. First nine UFOs went by, then two more, but the last two moved quickly and lower, making them easier to observe, or rather, they were larger,” agreed physicians and SEMEFO personnel who viewed the phenomenon with astonishment.

A reporter took several photos, but the camera did not pick up the objects, which were observed by dozens of people, in their majority employees of the District Attorney’s Office and the Office of Expert Services, who were able to observe them.

Ana Luisa Cid remarks: According to the opinion given by researcher Jesús Martínez Castro, who forwarded this story to me, it should be noted that on the very same date of the Chilpancingo sightings, and with only a few minutes difference, a military airplane belonging to the Mexican Air Force suffered an accident and fell into the sea at Pie de la Cuesta, a few kilometers from Acapulco. (16 December 2006 at 9:25 hrs.)

The causes of the accident remain unknown and none of the bodies of the crew of the Antonov AN32B, registration number 3103, have been recovered.

* SOURCE: “La Tarde” (newspaper)

* Translation (c) 2006. Scott Corrales
Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU)

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Mexico: Additional Shots of UFO Photographed Over Tepexpan

12-18-06

Vidcaps taken from a video recorded by Victor Gabriel Gonzalez on December 10, 2006 over the town of Tepexpan, State of Mexico.

The alleged UFO traveled from south to north, changing its shape in a noticeable manner.

The sighting had a duration of 15 minutes and the video was recorded at 3 in the afternoon.

NOTE - the images shown are cut-outs from the original vidcaps.

* Source: From: www.analuisacid.com

* Translation (c) 2006. Scott Corrales
Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU)

More . . .

See Also: MEXICO: UFO PHOTOGRAPHED OVER TEPEXPAN

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Monday, December 18, 2006

Investigation of The Great Lakes Dive Company

The recent statement by the “Great Lakes Dive Company” (GLDC) that they had found the USAF F-89C “Scorpion” that disappeared November 23, 1953 over Lake Superior while in pursuit of a UFO has created quite a stir of excitement within the UFO community. The claim was especially intriguing when GLDC added the statement that a “mystery object” had also been found just over 200 feet away from the aircraft on the bottom of the lake.

MUFON’s in-depth investigation of this case began with attempting to answer the basic questions. Is GLDC a valid company? Who are the principals of the company? What is their corporate history? Since GLDC claimed to be a Michigan-based organization, our inquiry began with a telephone call to the Michigan Division of Corporations, which did not have any record of a company under the name of “great Lakes Dive Company.”

When GLDC’s spokesperson, Adam Jimenez was questioned about this, he replied in an e-mail sent September 19, 2006:

“GLDC is in the process of switching from an incorporated company to an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) organization. We began as just a group of divers who would get together with our sonar equipment and sweep locations in the Great Lakes. As it became apparent that we would need to develop a business entity to interact with museums, obtain grants, etc.; we formed a company early on. Once the group downsized and became more focused with regard to who was involved, the main group members decided to form GLDC, LLC to better manage the direction of the company. This entity is still pending, and not yet available to public records. “

However, in an earlier e-mail sent on Sept. 6th, 2006 to MUFON investigator, David Watson, Mr. Jimenez contradicted his later statement by writing:

“Incidentally our company name is ‘Great Lakes Dive Company’ (not inc). We are technically an LLC (just for accuracy sake). We are in the process of putting together a ‘formal’ office, and I will give the mailing address when available.”

Mr. Jimenez also refused to reveal who the principals of the company were, the company’s operating structure, the number and type of marine vessel(s) used in their search, or any information on the technical equipment at their disposal, citing recent security threats made against them. When asked about the nature of those threats, Mr. Jimenez replied:

“Threats were made regarding the ‘salvage of the object, essentially ‘tell us where it is or else . . ..’ The individuals represented themselves as producers for the Discovery Channel. We made a few calls, found out that the group was fraudulent, and told them that we were no longer interested in any future dealings with them . . . that’s when the threats started. As a security precaution, we changed all phone numbers associated with GLDC, and have not included any company or personal information (like background info on the team) in any interviews. Until this situation (returning to the object) is resolved, we will not be providing any information on the project or the team.”

MUFON later learned that Mr. Jimenez had provided a cell phone number to various filmmakers and researchers, but switched to a new cell phone number soon after the threats were made. When MUFON tried to trace either of the phone numbers through Intellius.com both phone numbers proved to be untraceable.

Since trying to confirm GLDC’s corporate identity led to a dead-end, MUFON then attempted to corroborate some of the other claims made by GLDC. Mr. Jimenez claimed that GLDC was founded in 2001 for the purpose of shipwreck exploration and discovery with the goal of “solving the enduring mysteries of lost vessels in the Great Lakes.” In addition to the F-89 find, GLDC claimed they were searching for the French minesweepers, Cerisoles and Inkermann, and they were interested in filming in high definition on the wreck of the Gunilda, (which rests in Canadian waters in northwestern Lake Superior).

Mr. Jimenez was quoted in an August 29th, 2006 article in the American Chronicle:

“2006 began as an ambitious project season for us, we were looking foreword to further work at the F-89 site,” said Jimenez. He added, “then we received some bad news. The Canadian government refused to allow us to use our ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at the wreck site without first providing them the GPS coordinates of the site and allow either a coast guard escort or a government official to accompany the expedition. We were stuck. We don’t want to give up the site (especially because of the object and it’s potentially huge significance) but we needed to stay on the good side of the Canadians due to our Gunilda project, which involves a lot of other contributors.”

MUFON contacted the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and spoke with Mr. Michael Johnson, manager of the Ministry’s Heritage Operations Unit, whose office issues work permits for survey or exploration work in Lake Superior. Mr. Johnson told MUFON that no one had requested a permit for exploring or surveying either the F-89 jet or the “mystery object,” nor had his office received any related correspondence. Mr. Johnson further stated that the Ministry would not require a coast guard vessel or government official to accompany any expedition, but would allow the licensee to work under his own cognizance. He added that the wreck’s GPS coordinates did not have to be provided up front, as long as they were included in a “final survey report.”

On the radio program Coast To Coast with George Noory, Linda Moulton Howe played an interview she recorded with Adam Jimenez wherein he stated that “Canada automatically claims ownership of any wrecks in Canadian territorial waters.” However, “Mr. Putt” from the “Ontario Receiver of Wrecks” told MUFON that the original owner of the wreck (ship, aircraft, etc.) maintains ownership and would have to grant permission to salvage the wreck site. Therefore, the F-89 would still be considered U.S. Air Force property. Mr. Putt elaborated by saying “if the wreck’s owner is not known, which would be the case for the ‘mystery object,’ then the Ontarian Provincial Government would become the custodian for a year, and if the original owner could not be found, then the Ontario Receiver of Wrecks could sell it to the salvor or to the public.”

In the same Coast To Coast interview, Linda Moulton Howe stated that Adam Jimenez graduated in 1990 from Kettering Technical School (run by General Motors) with a degree in computer engineering. MUFON contacted the registrar’s office at Kettering University (which had changed it’s name in 1998), and Becky Ibbotson, the registrar assistant, told me that no one named “Adam Jimenez” had ever attended Kettering.

Giving GLDC the benefit of the doubt, MUFON posted messages to the public message boards on Scubaboard.com asking if anyone from Ontario’s dive community knew GLDC or any of the exploration work they had performed prior to 2006. After hundreds of viewings, no one could provide any information to shed light on GLDC’s claims.

MUFON also contacted Tom Farnquist, CEO of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, whose organization has been actively searching for the French Minesweepers Cerisoles and Inkermann. Mr. Farnquist had heard of GLDC’s F-89 claims from a local newspaper article, but had not heard of any of their other exploration work. The Soo Evening News wrote an article on GLDC’s claims, and mistakenly attributed the F-89 find to the “Great Lakes Dive Company of Rockford Michigan.” MUFON verified with the Rockford company owner that his company had no connection with GLDC.

MUFON sent copies of GLDC’s F-89 side-scan sonar images to “Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute” in Massachusetts, and a Woods Hole scientist, who wishes to remain anonymous, offered his professional opinion that they do not appear to be side-scan sonar images, but rather photographs which are altered using computer software to look like side-scan sonar images. MUFON also contacted a professor at “Michigan Tech University,” who also wishes to remain anonymous, who stated although the GLDC images looked to him like genuine side-scan sonar images, they could have been fabricated by a dedicated person.

See Part II

MUFON

See Also: Diver's Find 53 Year-Old Plane and Maybe The UFO It Collided With!

See Also: The Mystery of "The Kinross Incident" Deepens

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Bristolian Wants to Identify Flying Objects

By Khristopher Brooks
The Bristol Herald Courier
12-18-06

One August evening in 2003, Kim Shaffer saw something that piqued his curiosity.

"Through the tree branches, it was a copper-colored round disk," he said. "It had no features. It was perfect."

Shaffer and his family spent 15 minutes videotaping the craft. It amazed them, he said. Ever since that day, Shaffer, 50, has devoted most of his free time to researching Unidentified Flying Objects.

He doesn’t necessarily believe the UFOs are alien space crafts, but doesn’t know what they are, Shaffer says.

"I don’t believe in little gray men or little green men, but I have seen things I can’t explain," he said. "And I got videos of it."

Shaffer started his research by joining the Mutual UFO Network, a national nonprofit research organization based in Bellvue, Colo.

In May 2004, Shaffer became the East Tennessee state director. In that role, he has collected hundreds, maybe even thousands, of possible UFO pictures and videos from Tennessee residents.

"Wouldn’t we all like to know what those things are?" the Bristol native said. "It just does something to you when you’ve seen one."

One of Shaffer’s strangest stories is of Sidney Daugherty.

The 43-year-old Kingsport resident said a silverish, triangle-shaped object flew over him in October 2004. It roared loudly and made him retreat. He tried to videotape it, but his body started radiating.

"And I felt that all through me," Daugherty said. "I felt like I was hot and cold at the same time, and my hair stood up on me."

Shaffer begged Daugherty to go to the hospital because the Kingsport man had severe burns on his shoulders, and his hair started falling out, Shaffer said.

"My hair was falling out," Daugherty confirmed. "When I got up that Sunday, I remember seeing a handful of hair on my pillow."

Since that sighting, Daugherty said he sees UFOs all the time. His last sighting was little more than a week ago, he said. Not only is he seeing more UFOs, he says they’re affecting his health.

"My health is going downhill bad," he said.

Every time Daugherty sees something, he notifies Shaffer, who said he realizes people think he’s crazy for talking about UFOs. People have even asked if he’s been abducted or probed.

He has not.

"Most people say, ‘Well, why haven’t I seen a UFO?" Shaffer said. "And I say, ‘If you look up long enough, you’re gonna see something you can’t explain.’ "

Shaffer left MUFON in January and decided to start his own group – the Appalachian UFO Research Center.

AUFORC consists of 20 members who, like Shaffer, solicit footage and reports from Tennessee residents about UFOs. The organization posts most of its reports on its Web site, www.auforc.com

Shaffer has bought three video cameras and three digital cameras to capture UFOs.

He doesn’t want to be caught off guard like in 2003.

"I’m doing this as a hobby because, frankly, I’d like to know what they are," he said.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Los Angeles 1942: Some Witnesses Describe UFO as "Giant Butterfly"

The Attack on Los Angeles

The Reno Evening Gazette
February 26, 1942

click on image to enlarge

The Attack on Los ANgeles - Reno Evening Gazette, Feb. 26, 1942

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Saturday, December 16, 2006

‘Ridicule Factor’ Fading, UFO Buff Says

By Chuck Tobin
The Whitehorse Daily Star
12-15-06

Among the 26 people who attended a local UFO conference last Saturday night was a Wolf Creek resident who also saw two large orange balls floating over the area in February 2005.

A report of the sighting over the Mary Lake subdivision next door to Wolf Creek was filed with UFOBC by a couple who watched the unidentified flying objects together with the husband’s parents.

It was later learned that others also witnessed the UFO event. They included a couple of building contractors who were in the subdivision looking at a house project with some children in their company.

It’s reported the group actually took refuge under the house because the objects appeared so close there was a fear they would actually land on the roof.

The conference host was Martin Jasek, a former Yukon resident who helped found the Yukon UFO chapter in the 1990s. He said the Wolf Creek resident shared his story last weekend about seeing the orange objects the same night.

The numbers attending the conference were down from the 60 who showed up at the 2002 gathering and just a faction of the 300-plus for the inaugural millennium event in 2000.

Jasek, however, remains insistent that openly discussing and questioning the unexplained remains as important as ever.

“I would like to see it accepted by the mainstream,” Jasek reiterated in an interview Monday. “I think it is all of our responsibility . . . to ask officials questions.
“So the next time there is an election, and somebody is knocking on your door asking for your support, ask them what they think about the UFO issue,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Jasek, a professional engineer who studies river flows in B.C., came to Whitehorse specifically to host the conference, which was to mark the 10th anniversary of what Jasek refers to as the giant UFO sighting. The event was witnessed by at least 31 Yukoners, from motorists travelling the highway near Fox Lake, to residents of Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Mayo.

He said it was unfortunate the giant UFO anniversary of Dec. 11, 1996 doesn’t fit well with the approaching holiday season and the ongoing office Christmas parties, which he suspects are part of the reason for the lower numbers.

Jasek and conference co-ordinator Cher Davidson of Whitehorse travelled to Pelly Crossing last Sunday for a meeting sponsored by the Selkirk First Nation and organized by Jean Van Bibber.

Van Bibber, a candidate in October’s territorial election, was witness to the 1996 sighting, and was one of three attending the meeting.

Still, Jasek and Davidson are not deterred, and plan to host another conference in 2008 at a different time.

“I have always been interested in weird stuff but I really did not get involved until the millennium conference,” said Davidson, who has witnessed more than one inexplicable event.

One of the events involved a golden, V-shaped object in the sky over the area at the south end of Lake Laberge, she said.

Like Jasek, Davidson believes there is a need to maintain open discussions about UFOs, to advance the subject as something that needs to be talked about openly.
“I think the ridicule factor is slowly diminishing, but there is still a lot of it out there,” she said. “But we will take your calls seriously, and we will listen to them and offer such support that we are able to.”

Jasek: “The more people talk about it, the more people will take it seriously.”

Friday, December 15, 2006

EXCLUSIVE
Lights Over Los Angeles

By Caitlin Hammer
© Sept. 2006

- Part I -

A milky glow appeared in the second story window of the white stucco house at 2500 Strand, in Hermosa Beach. Inside, Scotty Littleton lay beneath his sheets reading by dim flashlight. His parents had recently bought an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica, and Scotty would often choose a volume at random, uncovering the mysteries of nature and history. The big guns of the antiaircraft batteries along the coast had quieted, leaving the rhythmic creeping of the tide to soothe strained nerves.

The war was still fresh in February 1942, a dubious Christmas package delivered to the American people by President Roosevelt via radio the day after Japanese air fleets attacked Pearl Harbor. Angelenos had caught the war fever on a grand scale. Since January, their challenge to the Japanese replayed nearly every night in mock attacks, when Navy batteries would hurl shells at targets towed by Army planes. To eight year-old Scotty and his neighborhood buddies it was entertainment, like nocturnal clay pigeon shooting or a fireworks show. But it always stopped around Scotty’s bedtime –before 10 o’clock– a little gesture of gratitude for all of the Angelenos who would face another long day at one of the factories, galvanizing the tools of victory.

Scotty turned off the flashlight and hid it under his pillow. It was a school day tomorrow, Wednesday, February 25, but he would wake to a sound more ominous than the rattle of his alarm clock.

***

Further north, eighty-thousand watts of white light branded “Hollywoodland” into the nightscape above Los Angeles. The 25-foot letters projected the symbol of silver screen glamor and easy riches as far as Terminal Island, in east San Pedro. Most of the Terminal Islanders were Issei fishermen, first-generation Japanese immigrants, whose trawlers moved easily in the familiar Pacific.

Thirty-one year-old Dr. Fred Fujikawa was not one of them. In 1942, he’d lived on Terminal Island for six years, and walked to his office each morning from his house on Seaside Avenue. It was a good practice; the islanders lived simply and had simple problems. Dr. Fujikawa also made house calls to several non-Japanese patients who lived along the coast. If he felt comfortable ministering to people of both cultures, it was because he was Nisei, or second generation Japanese –born in San Francisco, educated in Berkeley and Los Angeles, interned at L.A. General Hospital. All of his patients were doing well, but the comfort level had plunged since that infamous Sunday two months ago.

On December 7, Dr. Fujikawa was loafing around his office, tossing a comment now and again to a friend who sat behind an open newspaper. The radio was on, likely tuned to The World Today, a CBS news show, because at about 10:30 A.M., the announcer thanked Golden Eagle Oil and then an Oahu correspondent relayed news of the attack. Fred’s friend called him closer to the radio and they stood still in disbelief for five or ten minutes until the connection abruptly went dead. As the news sunk in, Dr. Fujikawa grew anxious. His parents, like most Terminal Islanders, were Issei. He may have been all-American in spirit, but he looked Japanese. His confidence as a respected community doctor suddenly meant little; he feared for his family’s safety.

That same Sunday night at 7:00 P.M., the entire West Coast had been blacked out as the Army prepared for another secret attack. On Terminal Island, FBI agents emerged from the darkness, rapping on doors and secreting away all of the Issei fishermen they had marked as dangerous. Community leaders were taken first, their boats confiscated and moved to a government-owned dock. Streetlights went out on Terminal Island every night thereafter and people awaited a knock at their door.

This particular February evening, Dr. Fujikawa groped his way home from the office. Scant moonlight reflected off storefront windows and puddles. He and his wife had dinner and drifted upstairs. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and yet within seventy-two hours not one Japanese Terminal Islander in a community of three thousand would remain.

***

Thirty miles east of the island, Goldie Wagner was just waking up. Arcadia was a growing suburb of Los Angeles and to Goldie and her milk delivery mates, growth was measured by the gallon. The area around Arcadia had been pastureland for the fifty years Goldie had lived in Southern California; the smell of earth and animal clung to clothes and hair like cigarette smoke.

The Hillcrest Dairy Company was likely one of the small town dairy outfits that saw big opportunity in the new war. Blue collar workers from all over the country hopped off trains at Union Station every day by the thousand, settling into the suburbs that hugged airplane and rubber plants. And if the average Rosie spent her daylight hours popping on rivets, who was going to do the family’s grocery shopping?

Goldie provided the essentials. People would mark the milk they wanted: whole, buttermilk, chocolate; and then there were the extras like cream, cottage cheese, pudding –even eggs. Breakfast just wasn’t the same without her. So when the streetlights suddenly flickered and went out around 2: 45 A.M., Goldie must have sensed the morning stretching out before her. But she had plodded through one war before and must have discovered that consistency was the key. What was more consistent than cold milk at your doorstep? She got on with her route.

***

It helped to be awake when you were trying to save the city. Maybe Tom Herbert had put in a couple hours of overtime at his day job, or he and his wife had gone to see a late showing of “The Pride of the Yankees.” Whatever the reason, the air raid warden responsible for his Hollywood block had to be roused by his landlord at about five minutes to 3:00 A.M.

While Tom dressed, nearly thirty-three thousand other volunteer wardens swarmed in the streets of Los Angeles. From the rooftops they looked like newly hatched insects still carrying a bit of protective shell on their heads –white fiberglass helmets with a red-and-white striped triangle at front. Armbands cinched their sleeves. They had all been through enough drills to break in their boots and develop a confident gait, but some of the assurance waned under the cold moonlight. There was something different about this morning. Darkness crowded the city, and their job would entail making it darker still. Some wardens had to smash shop windows to douse lights that might invite enemy aircraft.

In the darkness they were vulnerable. Just like new hatchlings, a few would never make it to the local Civil Defense Headquarters. A car killed one warden downtown, and many blacked out intersections made crossing painful for other volunteers. Swarming into the defense offices around the county, they conferred. It’s the real thing, brother, they said to each other. Somethin’s goin’ on for real this time.

***
See Part II

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See Also:THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES

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