Multiple UFOs near the ISS? Observation of March 1, 2012
Saturday, 3 March 2012
UFO Congress Had Good Amount Of Skepticism, But More Is Needed
By: Lee Speigel
Writer; Reporter; Paranormal expert
There was a time when UFO conventions or seminars only drew the lunatic fringe audience -- those who believe benevolent extraterrestrial beings are watching over us, to make sure Mankind doesn't destroy itself through warfare and bad decisions affecting planetary climate.
At the recent 21st annual 2012 International UFO Congress near Scottsdale, Ariz., there was certainly some of that purchase-an-ET-trinket mentality.
But during my visit, I observed something else more telling: not everyone present was a UFO fanatic.
Under the well tuned guiding arm of Open Minds Production, the IUFOC was truly an international event as nearly 2000 folks from around the world attended the six-day festivities.
I've been to other UFO conventions that catered to the out-of-this-world element, but was impressed with several aspects of this event.
Skepticism was welcome here. There was arch skeptic Robert Sheaffer's daily critical observations as he wandered in and out of the main speakers and vendors rooms.
In my own presentation, I urged the audience not to believe every UFO item they hear about on the news, in magazines and, especially, online.
What surprised me the most throughout the event were the many folks who came up to me to say how skeptical they are about most flying saucer stories and sought my advice on where to get better, more critical information about it -- and these were people who were already believers to some extent and who wanted to share their own personal encounters.
While many of the topics addressed at the IUFOC -- UFOs, cattle mutilations, alien abductions, alien implants, government conspiracies, 2012 predictions and crop circles -- border on what mainstream media refers to as fringe, there were numerous moments where skepticism filled the air.
Ben Hansen's presentation of how the media interacts with technology to add to the confusion of what's real and what's hoaxed was a key moment. Hansen is one of the stars of the SyFy Channel's "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files," and he comes at this whole UFO subject showing how technology can often get in the way of the truth.
It was refreshing to see Bryce Zabel -- former chairman of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and CNN correspondent -- give his take on what may happen after the powers-that-be finally acknowledge that some UFOs may turn out to be ET visitors. I was very happy to share the stage with Hansen and Zabel on a panel discussing UFOs and mass media.
Whitley Strieber, author of the 1987 New York Times No. 1 non-fiction bestseller "Communion," and his wife Anne spoke about his efforts to try and understand his close encounter with "intelligent non-humans" and their catalogue of thousands of witness accounts. To this day, Strieber approaches his story with a skeptical mind set.
If total credibility was on the plate at the IUFOC -- and shouldn't it have been? -- I opted for the appearance of Chilean Air Force General (Ret.) Ricardo Bermudez, director of the Committee of Studies of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (or CEFAA), Chile's official UFO research organization. (At right, Bermudez and I chat about his desire to bring the UFO subject to the United Nations.)
A former fighter pilot, Bermudez now leads a group of scientists and aviation experts who are trying to get to the bottom of numerous UFO reports in Chile. Some of the recordings he played of actual sightings by pilots and air traffic controllers were riveting.
Credibility is of utmost importance when dealing with a subject like UFOs.
When I repeatedly ask people, "Who do you believe?" I'm not just referring to the news media for its often fact-less reporting. I also target those who proclaim that the space brothers and sisters are here, walking among us.
Many of these true believers, who hope to buy a one-way ticket onto some Pleiades-bound spaceship, feel the need to sell books and ET jewelry, supposedly in the hope of unifying Earthlings to welcome their space brethren.
I also notice that many UFO convention visitors don't want to be in the same room with skeptics.
Isn't it time for the UFO community to begin to modify its view on this? Skepticism should be embraced rather than shunned or hated. Those who think that some UFOs are visitors from other worlds or dimensions need to work a little harder to get the non-believers to bend.
Unless, of course, some convention vendors of alien gifts are only in it for the money.
If more skeptics were welcomed at UFO conferences, it might elevate these events to higher newsworthy positions on television news programs.
What I would ask of the skeptics is to think twice before debunking or ridiculing UFO eyewitnesses to the point of where lives may be ruined because people dare to speak out and report UFO encounters.
At the IUFOC, I was completely overwhelmed and more than humbled when honored with the Researcher of the Year award. (I'm with Open Minds producer Jason McClellan below.)
Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without the support of the Huffington Post Media Group, who trust me to bring some needed credibility to the whole UFO issue.
A Lifetime Achievement award was given to Colin Andrews, the man who coined the term "crop circle" in the mid-1980s.
The IUFOC also included a film festival awards ceremony and the first Spanish UFO panel, which drew about 300 people.
Local network news affiliates covered the IUFOC, and it would be great if future conventions could attract more media outlets. Because there's often newsworthy information that can come out of such an event, it would be a shame to miss it because of any fringe elements that might discourage such coverage.
Some personal standouts at the convention included Clifford Clift, the departing director of the Mutual UFO Network; filmmaker Christopher Garetano, whose well-crafted "Montauk Chronicles" was a finalist at the film festival; Antonio Huneeus, who spoke on the best UFO cases from ancient times to 2012; and catching up with Paola Harris, who's prepping for her upcoming Women's UFO Symposium in Texas.
The excellent master of ceremonies for the event, Alejandro Rojas, used the right amount of authority and wit to keep the presentations moving along. And the entire Open Minds organization is to be commended for an amazing job behind the scenes.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank John, Angela, Maureen, Tom, Jason, Heather, Michael, Dakota, and of course, Lorraine.
2012 UFO Congress Lifetime Achievement Colin Andrews (Video)
Colin Andrews was awarded the Open Minds Production Lifetime Achievement award. The award was presented to Colin at the 2012 International UFO Congress at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Friday, 2 March 2012
UFO News Links For Friday 2nd March 2012
worldufospace: Alien Ship Allegedly Found by Apollo 16 Astronauts
SETI enlists public assistance in finding UFO and alien activity -...
A stroll into prime UFO country – This is Bath
Conwy UFO Sightings- Creepy Conwy – North Wales Weekly News
Massachusetts UFO sighting will be investigated by local chapter o...
SETI, Adler offer way to listen in if E.T. phones home – Chicago Sun-Times
Want to see a UFO? Try North Bergen – The Star-Ledger
Was It a Meteor? A UFO? - Patch.com
UFO sightings explained in Utah? – ABC 4
Seti Live website to crowdsource alien life – BBC
Karoo farmer can't wait to invite flying saucer aliens to his braa...
NASA’s Next Space Telescope Could ‘Sniff’ Out Alien Planets – Space.com
Is a face of a Reptilian ET in the Bishop's Pontifical Chartres Orleans in 1237?
Could truth be out there? – Eastwood Advertiser
UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock: Gigantic UFO Lunacy?
Buzz Lightyear-shaped UFO spotted over Carrickfergus – Belfast Telegraph
Dan Aykroyd: a comedy legend’s spiritual side – The Telegraph
worldufospace: Alien Genetic Material
Alien UFO Sightings and Contactees Are We Messengers or the UFO Generation?
The best ‘cloud UFO’ video you’ve ever seen – i09
35 years later, the ‘wow!’ signal still tantalizes – PhysOrg
Silver Screen Saucers: Another day, another Triffid
AZ law enforcement agency investigates UFOs (Video)
Mar 01, 2012
UFO sightings routinely result in torrents of phone calls to newsrooms and police stations. And while some police stations find UFO reports to be an unwanted nuisance, a law enforcement agency in Arizona welcomes reports of UFOs and other paranormal phenomena.
Ten years ago, according to KPHO, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix, “officials on the Navajo Reservation decided to stop the snickering, to treat these witnesses with respect and thoroughly investigate.” This agency, known as the Navajo Nation Rangers, is a federal law enforcement resource, according to retired Lieutenant John Dover, and the management of national parks, fish and wildlife services, and archaeological sites are a few of the agency’s responsibilities.
Dover’s investigations have revealed a “wealth of information,” and KPHO reports that the Rangers recently shared with them photos and documents from dozens of paranormal investigations. Here is the station’s description of one of the UFO cases contained in these files:
Retired Lt. John Dover. (Credit: KPHO CBS 5)
In one of the most solid cases, a mother and daughter describe a mass of lights floating over uninhabited reservation land in January 2012. As they watched, the lights blinked out after a few seconds, followed by a sonic boom, a black domed craft and the entire town of Chinle losing power.Dover told KPHO, “Maybe we don’t believe it . . . Maybe we don’t hold every belief that you do, but we’re going to investigate it rather meticulously and professionally. We’ll report it and let the chips fall where they will.” It is this willingness to take reports of paranormal activity, and the promise to be thorough and discreet during the investigation process, that make witnesses feel comfortable dealing with these officers.
Their drawings are strikingly vivid – blue, orange and white colors stand out against a dark landscape.
Dover will reportedly be a special guest at the Harkins Shea 14 Theatre in Scottsdale, AZ on March 11 for the screening of the documentary The Phoenix Lights. The event marks the 15th anniversary of the famous mass UFO sighting that took place in Arizona in 1997.
National UFO Alert: Six states report 211 February cases
By Roger Marsh
The National UFO ALERT Rating System has been updated March 1, 2012, with California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan and Arizona moving to a UFO Alert 3 as the highest reporting states during the month of February 2012, filed with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
California was the leading high-reporting state in February with 71 cases, down from 90 cases filed in January.
Those states in a UFO Alert 4 category with 13 or more reports include: New Jersey, Washington, New York, Missouri, Illinois, Virginia and North Carolina.
All other states move to a UFO Alert 5 category with lower numbers of UFO activity. The Watch States - with 10 or more cases - are Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky.
MUFON released February statistics March 1, where the total number of reported UFO sightings is listed by state. The UFO Examiner uses these statistics to rate states. The entire country was moved back to the lowest alert level - UFO Alert 5.
California takes the lead with 71 cases (down from 90 reports in January); Texas, 47 cases; Pennsylvania, 37 cases; Florida, 33 cases; Michigan, 30 cases; and Arizona, 23 cases.
Those states with 13 or more reports, the next reporting tier level, are a UFO Alert 4 status: New Jersey, 21 cases; Washington, 20 cases; New York, 18 cases; Missouri, 17 cases; Illinois, 16 cases; Virginia, 14 cases; and North Carolina, 14 cases.
Our Watch States this month are - with 10 reports or more: Georgia, 12 cases; Indiana, 12 cases; and Kentucky, 10 cases.
The sphere remains the most-reported UFO shape with 168 February reports. Other shape reports include: star-like, 102; circle, 92; triangle, 78; other, 75; disc, 74; unknown, 73; oval, 59; fireball, 59; flash, 32; square/rectangular, 26; cylinder, 25; cigar, 21; Saturn-like, 12; boomerang, 12; diamond, 11; egg, 10; bullet-missile, 10; blimp, 9; chevron, 7; teardrop, 7; cone, 6; and cross, 4.
The object's distance from the witness includes: Less than 100 feet, 70 cases; 101 to 500 feet, 72 cases; 501 feet to one mile, 142 cases; over one mile, 177 cases; unknown, 168; and no value stated, 17.
In addition, there were "13 landings, hovering, or takeoffs reported and 0 entities observed."
The most interesting UFO reports do not necessarily come from high reporting states - but those states with higher numbers do account for some of the most interesting evidence to study. While UFO sightings seem to pop up randomly around the country, this list is meant to offer a small insight into where Americans are filing reports.
Fastwalkers - UFO Documentary (Video)
Fastwalkers, reveals the truth about UFOs and Extraterrestrials that has been suppressed and hidden for centuries. Fastwalker is a code word created by NORAD (North American Air Defense Command) to classify (UFOs) unidentified flying objects which approach our Earth from space and enter our atmosphere. It has been reported that from its subterranean facility deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA, the Air Force NORAD facility tracks a rough average of 500 of these Fastwalkers each year. For the first time, Fastwalkers in a feature length documentary form discloses information you were never meant to know. Amazing UFO photos and footage gathered from around the world that you were never meant to see. Never before has there been such a wealth of information presented by such unbiased experts who focus on providing a "World View" of what is really happening on planet Earth, rather than what "we are told is happening."
STARRING:
Dr. Steven M. Greer, Steve Bassett, Jim Marrs, Robert O Dean, Dr. Michael Salla, Stanton T Friedman, Alfred L Webre, John Greenwald Jr., Dr. Len Horowitz, Dr. Richard Boylan, Jaime Maussan, Paola Harris, Jerry Pippin, Dr. Bruce Maccabee, A.J. Gevaerd, Sean David Morton, Graham E. Bethune, Col. Wendelle C. Stevens, Monsignor Corrado Balducci, James W. Deardorff, & More.
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