Tuesday 28 February 2012

UFOs: A True Unknown

Feb 28th 2012



What constitutes a good, solid and credible UFO incident? That’s a very good question, and one I get asked now and again. Well, my answer would be that such a case would, ideally, have the support of a number of witnesses, some form of evidence that can be analyzed, and on the record individuals whose words we can refer to and study. And, for me, this is typified by a highly notable affair that falls into this particular category, and which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in just a few months from now…
On both July 19 and 20, 1952, there were repeated sightings of unknown aerial objects in the Washington, D.C., airspace, something that, on July 24, led USAF Major General John A. Samford to state in a Secret memorandum for the attention of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations: “We are interested in these reports in that we must always on the alert for any threat or indication of a threat to the United States. We cannot ignore these reports but the mild hysteria subsequent to publicity given this subject causes an influx of reports which since the 19th of July has almost saturated our ‘Emergency’ procedures.”
The situation really escalated after the weekend of July 26-27. A two-page USAF document, prepared only days later, related the facts: “This incident involved unidentified targets observed on the radar scopes at the Air Route Traffic Control Center and the tower, both at Washington National Airport, and the Approach Control Radar at Andrews Air Force Base. In addition, visual observations were reported to Andrews and Bolling AFB and to ARTC Center, the latter by pilots of commercial aircraft and one CAA aircraft…”


The report continues:
“Varying numbers (up to 12 simultaneously) of u/i targets on ARTC radar scope. Termed by CAA personnel as ‘generally solid returns’, similar to a/c except slower. Mr. Bill Schreve, flying a/c NC-12 reported at 2246 EDT that he had visually spotted 5 objects giving off a light glow ranging from orange to white; his altitude at time was 2,200’. Some commercial pilots reported visuals ranging from ‘cigarette glow’ to a ‘light…”
And the deep strangeness only continued, as the USAF noted:
“ARTC crew commented that, as compared with u/i returns picked up in early hours of 20 July 52, these returns appeared to be more haphazard in their actions, i.e. they did not follow a/c around nor did they cross scope consistently on same general heading. Some commented that the returns appeared to be from objects ‘capable of dropping out of the pattern at will’. Also that returns had ‘creeping appearance’. One member of crew commented that one object to which F-94 was vectored just ‘disappeared from Scope’ shortly after F-94 started pursuing. All crew members emphatic that most u/i returns have been picked up from time to time over the past few months but never before had they appeared in such quantities over such a prolonged period and with such definition as was experienced on the nights of 19/20 and 26/27 July 1952.”
Although the portions extracted from this report speak for themselves, let us now examine an official transcript of a conversation, dated July 26, between staff at Washington National Airport and personnel from Andrews Air Force Base at the time of the sightings:
Wash: “Andrews Tower, do you read? Did you have an airplane in sight west-northwest or east of your airport eastbound?”
Andr: “No, but we just got a call from the Center. We’re looking for it.”
Wash: “We’ve got a big target showing up on our scope. He’s just coming in on the west edge of your airport – the northwest edge of it eastbound. He’ll be passing right through the northern portion of your field on an east heading. He’s about a quarter of a mile from the northwest runway – right over the edge of your runway now.”
Andr: “This is Andrews. Our radar tracking says he’s got a big fat target out here northwest of Andrews. He says he’s got two more south of the field.”


Wash: “Yes, well the Center has about four or five around the Andrews Range Station. The Center is working a National Airlines – the Center is working him and vectoring him around his target. He went around Andrews. He saw one of them – looks like a meteor…went by him…or something. He said he’s got one about three miles off his right wing right now. There are so many targets around here it is hard to tell as they are not moving very fast.”
Within a matter of hours of hearing of the events of July 26-27, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover instructed N.W. Philcox, the FBI’s Air Force liaison representative, to determine what had taken place and to ascertain the Air Force’s opinions on the UFO subject as a whole.
On July 29, Philcox made arrangements through the office of the Director of Air Intelligence, Major General John A. Samford, to meet with Commander Randall Boyd of the Current Intelligence Branch, Estimates Division, Air Intelligence, regarding “the present status of Air Intelligence research into the numerous reports regarding flying saucers and flying discs.”
Although the Air Force was publicly playing down the possibility that UFOs were anything truly extraordinary, Philcox was advised that “at the present time the Air Force has failed to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion in its research regarding numerous reports of flying saucers and flying discs sighted throughout the United States.”
Philcox was further informed that Air Intelligence had set up at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the Air Technical Intelligence Center, which had been established in part for the purpose of “coordinating, correlating and making research into all reports regarding flying saucers and flying discs.”
As Philcox listened very carefully to what Boyd had to say on the matter, he noted that the Air Force had placed their UFO reports into three definable categories. In the first instance there were those sightings “which are reported by citizens who claim they have seen flying saucers from the ground. These sightings vary in description, color and speeds. Very little credence is given to these sightings inasmuch as in most instances they are believed to be imaginative or some explainable object which actually crossed through the sky.”
Philcox then learned that the second category of encounters proved to be of greater significance: “Sightings reported by commercial or military pilots. These sightings are considered more credible by the Air Force inasmuch as commercial or military pilots are experienced in the air and are not expected to see objects which are entirely imaginative. In each of these instances, the individual who reports the sightings is thoroughly interviewed by a representative of Air Intelligence so that a complete description of the object can be obtained.”


The third category of encounters, Boyd advised Philcox, were those where, in addition to a visual sighting by a pilot, there was corroboration either from a ground-based source or by radar. Philcox wrote to Hoover: “Commander Boyd advised that this latter classification constitutes two or three per cent of the total number of sightings, but that they are the most credible reports received and are difficult to explain.”
“In these instances,” Philcox was told, “there is no doubt that these individuals reporting the sightings actually did see something in the sky.” And to demonstrate that Boyd was well acquainted with the UFO issue on a worldwide scale, he confided in Philcox that “sightings have also recently been reported as far distant as Acapulco, Mexico, Korea and French Morocco… the sightings reported in the last classification have never been satisfactorily explained.”
The commander then came out with a true bombshell, as Philcox noted in his report on the meeting: “[Boyd] advised that it is not entirely impossible that the objects may possibly be ships from another planet such as Mars.”
Clearly, within both the military and the Intelligence community of the day, there was deep concern about the Washington events – something which led to the development of startling and intriguing theories, and the analysis of countless data. So, collectively, this is why – in my opinion – the July 1952 encounters over the nation’s capital were evidence of true unknowns in our very midst…

UFO Newspaper Clipping - Daily Express 25.8.1965.



'Alien' prequel features "new world, new ideas, new monsters" (Video)

By Robbie Graham


Director Ridley Scott has revealed more about Guy Pearce's role in Prometheus, the upcoming Ancient-Astronaut-inspired prequel to Scott’s own sci-fi classic, Alien.

Scott told Hungarian news outlet, Mozinezo:"When the first Alien movie and Blade Runner were made, I thought that in the near future the world will be owned by large companies. This is why we have the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner, and Weyland-Yutani in Alien. They sent the Nostromo spaceship.

The Prometheus is owned by an entrepreneur called Peter Weyland, and is played by Guy Pearce. That
s the connection between the two films, and nothing more. Prometheus is a new film, a new world, and is full of new ideas. And of course new monsters as well."*

But Scott is a big fat liar – his pants assuredly on fire – because the character of Peter Weyland is most certainly not the only connection between Alien and Prometheus, as was revealed recently by a tantalising image from the upcoming movie published in The Los Angeles Times.

Prometheus hits cinemas June 8, 2012. View the trailer here...
 

"Ancient" Artifacts Reveal UFOs and Aliens (Video)


Photo Credit: WikiMedia Commons

A video on YouTube is attracting a lot of attention, which claims to display Ancient "artifacts containing pictures of ufos and wormholes, stargates in operation."
Unfortunately, there is no mention of dates or where these artifacts come from, although one comment has suggested that they are Mayan in nature "and most likely discovered in Mexico and or South America."
It has also been suggested that this video might be a taste of what will be revealed in a "2012 Documentary" which is due to be released later this year.
I have to say, if these artifacts are genuine, they are without doubt the most revealing evidence of aliens visiting this planet and the most stunning discovery of all time.
Check out the video for yourself and see what you think. There are clearly many images of UFOs, Aliens and Stargates and I even noticed a couple of "all seeing eyes".

However, as incredible as all this may seem, I feel I have to add a precautionary "BUT" to the proceedings.
As I watched the video I couldn`t help but notice that it contained images on a wide range of topics, and you can almost guarantee that someone watching this will find something that appeals to them. Is this just a coincidence, or did someone plan it that way? The video is almost like a webpage that contains a large number of "keywords`, which are designed to attract visitors searching with certain words (UFO, alien, stargate etc.)
One comment mentioned that these "artifacts" are specially made for the tourists and until their date can be verified, this may well be true. It might also explain why the images are so familiar to us, especially the one showing a Stargate (almost the same as the one from the film).
This is not the first time I have seen a "promotional stunt" that follows the style of this video and they are quite effective. Millions of people are tempted into watching the documentary (the main purpose) and we later discover that the artifacts are indeed tourist items made a few weeks ago. Everyone involved is sorry and just as shocked as the rest of us at discovering the items were not genuine. The public are of course angry at being fooled, but quickly forget the incident and prepare for the next one.
With all the talk that December 2012 may prove to be a significant time for our planet (the end of the Mayan calendar), it is natural that people are keen to obtain whatever information they can on this subject. Whether we will experience an "End of Times" later this year remains to be seen, but if that is our destiny, there is very little we can do about it.
All I can say is that certain parts of South America do seem to reveal some potential contact with aliens and maybe some of this knowledge has been passed on in various ways. Were the Mayan`s told (by aliens) that something catastrophic would happen in 2012, hence the end of the calendar, or did the calendar simply reach the end of its current cycle?
If I was to make a bet on the outcome, I would say that we will still be here next year. However, we seem to have enough people (humans) on this planet keen on killing each other, so we can`t be sure of what the future might bring. Perhaps it would almost be a kindness if we did witness an "End of Times", as we don`t seem to deserve this beautiful planet and all that it provides.

UFO Hunters - Alien Harvest (Video)




Mysterious orbs confound NC county for decades

By TOM BREEN
Associated Press

 
Picture added by Mac
(Credit Google)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Two orange orbs, just about 10 feet off the ground, floated past Steve Woody and his father as they hunted deer more than 50 years ago. The mysterious lights passed them, then dropped down the side of a gorge in the Blue Ridge foothills.
For at least a century, the Brown Mountain Lights have confounded residents and tourists in a rugged patch of Burke County, bobbing and weaving near a modest peak. Are they reflections from automobile headlights? Brush fires? A paranormal phenomenon, or something natural not yet explained by science?
"I didn't feel anything spooky or look around for Martians or anything like that," Woody said. "It was just a unique situation. It's just as vivid now as when I was 12 years old."
Whatever the explanation, tourism officials are hoping all those decades of unanswered questions add up to a boost in visitors making their way to scenic outlooks around Linville Gorge with the goal of spotting something mysterious.
Unexplained mysteries like the Brown Mountain Lights have been the subject of cable TV documentaries and have fueled vast online communities of amateur investigators. Ed Phillips, Burke County's tourism director, is hoping to capitalize on that.
Earlier this month, a sellout crowd of 120 paid $20 a head to attend a symposium on the lights at Morganton City Hall, and there was a crowd outside the door hoping to get in at the last minute.
"It's a good problem to have," Phillips said. "I could have sold 500 tickets."
Interest in the lights has waxed and waned since the first known printed reference to the phenomenon appeared in The Charlotte Observer in 1913. John Harden, a Raleigh-based radio personality, devoted an episode of his 1940s series "Tales of Tar Heelia" to the lights, saying they "not only have attracted the attention of the people of this state, but have aroused the curiosity of a nation as well." There was also a folk song, recorded by The Kingston Trio and others that posited the lights came from a slave wandering the hills with a lantern in search of his master.
The profile of the lights has dimmed in recent years, although the number of reports doesn't appear to be falling off. Making the area a destination for fans of the unexplained and anomalous helps give Burke County an edge, Phillips said.
"When you look at everything, you look at what people are really interested in, and the Brown Mountain Lights was something I really wanted to bring back to people's attention," he said.
There are plans for another symposium and a contest with a cash prize for the best photo or video of the lights. There are even T-shirts and refrigerator magnets for sale in the area now.
Also in the works is a regular event tentatively called the Brown Mountain Paranormal Expedition, where people will pay to hear a presentation on the lights at a dinner, then travel by bus to overlook sites where the lights have been reported. The events will be guided by Joshua P. Warren, an Asheville native and paranormal investigator who plans to allow attendees to use equipment like night vision goggles in hopes of spotting the lights.
"The folks who attend will have a true firsthand experience of what it's like to be out there trying to judge what's happening with this mountain," Brown said.
The Brown Mountain Lights have drawn serious scientific interest since the 1920s, when the U.S. Geological Survey issued a report concluding the lights were reflections from automobiles, trains and brush fires.
Daniel Caton, a professor in the physics and astronomy department at Appalachian State University, thinks that's part of the explanation for what people have reported seeing over the years. But Caton thinks there's more to the lights, at least in some cases.
Caton said that about seven years ago, he was ready to give up studying the lights when he began hearing from people who said they saw them from mere feet away, not miles across the Linville Gorge. Those accounts sounded to Caton a lot like firsthand reports of ball lightning, a little-understood but naturally occurring phenomenon involving luminous spheres often said to move or bounce about in the air.
Caton hopes to eventually set up cameras at viewing sites that will feed to his website, allowing anyone to watch for the lights at any time. While he's skeptical, guessing that 95 percent of reports of the lights are something like airplane lights, Caton still thinks there are eyewitness reports worth checking.
"The cool thing is, if ball lightning is preferentially made by nature in the Linville Gorge, at least we have a place to look for the conditions that might create it," he said. "Otherwise, it's hopeless to try and study ball lightning because it's just randomly made and you don't know where to look for it."
Joshua P. Warren's website: www.brownmountainlights.com
Daniel Caton's website: www.brownmountainlights.org

UFOTV: God, Man & ET Debate - The Question of Other Worlds In Science & Theology (Video)


The conclusions presented here will shock and amaze you! Boldly going where no scientists have gone before... The Debate! The Conclusions! The Wonder! Scholars, Theologians and Scientists came together at the University of Wisconsin for an all-day, mind-blowing discussion on the questions of "God, Man, and E.T." Captured in spectacular cinematic style, packed with stunning imagery, computer animation and a Symphonic music soundtrack, this program (the final debate in the series) is the result of this historic event and compelling, wide-ranging discussion. Hosted by former CNN Anchor, Cheryll Jones. Features: Richard C. Hoagland, David Flynn, Dr. Hugh Ross, Dr. Michael S. Heiser and Dr. Paul Nelson.




Group to probe UFO reported over Acton/Littleton line

By Margaret Smith

Acton UFO
Volunteer investigators hope to track down the source of this object, which they said a motorist passing through Acton last July saw and photographed in the Route 2 vicinity

Volunteer UFO investigators would like to learn more about a strange object they said a passing motorist reported and photographed at the Acton/Littleton line last July.
Steve Firmani, director of the New England Mutual UFO Network, confirmed the organization received a report and photograph depicting an object a motorist reported seeing over Route 2 near the Acton and Littleton town lines on July 31.
In the report, the unnamed motorist described seeing a “reflective, black tube-shaped object traveling in an easterly direction.” The driver, headed west on Route 2, stopped at the Newtown Road exit to take a picture.
The object is described as about 30 feet long and six feet in diameter and was perhaps 200 to 300 feet in the air when first spotted.
At this time, the motorist said the object was now about 1,000 to 1,500 feet high and still traveling east.
The photo attached to the report was taken with a 35-millimeter film camera, the report said.
The report describes the model of camera and speed and type of film used, as well as the zoom of the camera used to take the photo.
The Mutual UFO Network, commonly known as MUFON, is a multi-chapter organization of volunteers that fields reports of unidentified flying objects and other mysterious sightings.
Volunteer investigators interview those who report sightings and may call in expert help to examine evidence that is offered, such as photographs.
Firmani, of Leominster, said his MUFON chapter hopes to assign an investigator to the report soon.

Ruling out possibilities
Firmani said the majority of sightings received by his and other MUFON chapters turn out to be ordinary objects.
“Right now, you could say, this case is ‘up in the air, 'pending assigning an investigator and asking some questions,” Firmani said.
“The first thing we do is try and contact the witness and set up a phone interview.”
He said, “Eighty-five to 90 percent of UFO sightings can be explained as manmade or natural phenomena – such as stars, planets, even birds. We have had situations where a sunlight is reflecting off a bird.”
Firmani said satellites are another common source of so-called UFO sightings. In strictest terms, "UFO" simply means "unidentified flying object," with no implications as to its origin.
Firmani said in recent years, a commonly reported sighting is that of triangular lights; a tubular object such as the one described in the report is less common but not unheard of.

In UFO lore, one celebrated case describes a glittering, tubular-shaped object crashing into windmill in Aurora,Texas in 1897.
Firmani said regional differences in linguistics or descriptions can make it difficult to tell if viewers in different parts of New England or the country have seen the same or a similar object.
Acton police said no one called to report an object like the one the MUFON report describes.
As with most police departments, Acton police receives calls from time to time about unusual or erratic lights or objects, but generally receives these reports at night.
One such report concerned a gleaming light a caller saw early in the morning but that turned out to be light reflecting off a hot-air balloon.
In popular culture, the sightings of UFOs have been linked to a belief in extraterrestrial crafts or visitors.
Firmani said the investigators at MUFON strive to examine such reports objectively and without bias.
“Just because we can’t find an explanation for the sighting, it doesn’t mean it is some kind of alien space craft,” Firmani said.