UFO ROUNDUP Volume 10 Number 41 October 26, 2005
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LUMINOUS RED UFOs APPEAR IN ILLINOIS
“Unidentified flying red objects spotted recently over Tinley Park and Orland Park” in Illinois “have stirred up UFO investigating communities everywhere.”
“”National UFO Web sites are all over the red beauties.”
According to the National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle, Washington state, “Late Friday night, September 30, 2005, our offices began receiving reports of several peculiar red lights seen in the night sky above Tinley Park and Orland, Illinois.”
“Those peculiar pulses of red light floated over Southland skies last weekend, around 11:15 p.m. Friday night, and again at 1 a.m. Saturday, eerily similar to ones that showed up last year on mild weekend nights in August and September (2004). Hundreds of Southlanders saw the lights last weekend, too-and found them just as puzzling as their predecessors.”
“But a small circle of friends in Tinley Park believe they’ve debunked the mystery of the glowing red floaters.”
“”Dave Palagi was sitting with his wife around a fire in their friends’ backyard September 30, enjoying a lovely clear night when they all saw the oddity explained.”
“‘We could clearly see the red lights themselves were flares, and each was suspended by two balloons,’ he said.”
“‘An occasional ash could be seen dropping. Another member of the party then saw a third balloon, farther to the north and much higher. We were watching them actually rising-lazily drifting along and going up.'”
“Palagi figured the balloons were launched around 175th Street and 84th Avenue, not far from Wally and Maureen Bekta’s home in the 8200 block of Queen Victoria Lane where the group sat.”
“Maureen Bekta also saw the lights and ‘the balloon- type thing on top of the two that were lower and closer.'”
“‘It was low enough that we felt it was a prank,’ she said. The balloons themselves were dark-colored. ‘You could just see the outline.'”
“‘Aha!’ Palagi said, ‘This is how they did it. It was just such a revelation after seeing these things last year.'”
“It’s been anyone’s guess what the lights are, since everyone seems to know what they are not.”
“A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokeswoman said she checked into the lights last year, too. If they weren’t planes or helicopters, the FAA wouldn’t track them.”
“‘We don’t track lights,’ Elizabeth Isham Corey said.”
“Tinley Park police, who received some calls last weekend, denied reports of flares.”
“‘From all the reports we’ve received, they’re not flares with some helium balloons or anything like this,’ Tinley Park Police Commander Tom Boling said.”
“Boling said his department would not investigate the lights ‘unless there’s some reckless conduct that would endanger someone.'”
“‘We just don’t know what’s causing these red lights to appear in the sky,’ he said.
“The National Weather Services was also stumped.”
“But an astronomer at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, who concluded the lights weren’t meteors or comets or satellites, said they did appear to be man-made.”
“Dr. Mark Hammergren watched several tapes of last year’s lights at the request of the local Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) chapter.”
“‘One thing that makes me very suspicious is that these sightings have all occurred on weekends – (that) suggests that there’s some human activity connected with it,’ he said. ‘I would love to believe this, but I’m not going to base my career and spend my time on something that’s been cooked up by hoaxsters.'”
“There exists a ‘standard’ UFO hoax that uses a candle and a plastic dry cleaning bag to fashion a sort of glowing hot-air balloons, but these (Illinois) lights are too brilliantly red to be ordinary flames, Hammergren said.”
“He likes the road flare theory.” (See the newspaper The Daily Southtown of Tinley Park, Ill. For October 9, 2005, “UFOs have a flare about them.” Many thanks to Robert Fischer for this newspaper article.)
EIGHT FIREBALLS SEEN IN MARTINSVILLE, INDIANA
On Thursday, October 6, 2005, at 7:30 p.m., Kathleen Amity was outdoors at her home in Martinsville, Indiana, looking north, when she spotted “what first appeared as two fireballs behind a hill and the tree line. Then the two split into four smaller balls of fire. Seconds later, four more appeared directly to the west.”
“They all hovered above the tree line for about two minutes. Then they slowly sank behind the hill. They were extremely bright orange and let off an orange glow in the sky around them. It was 7:30 p.m. and had just gotten dark.”
She described the UFOs as “round, bright orange fire balls.” (Email Form Report)
UFO SIGHTED OVER BIRCH HILL, BERKSHIRE
“A noisy UFO woke Birch Hill residents in the early morning hours of Monday,” October 10, 2005, “as it zoomed over the sleeping suburb” in Berkshire, UK.
“The craft spent half an hour hovering above houses in Jevington before zipping towards South Hill Park, according to witnesses.”
“Susan Mallia, who called the (newspaper) Midweek to see if anyone else reported the strange sight, said: ‘I have never seen anything like that before. It looked like a pile of scaffolding with lights-red, blue and orange ones.'”
“‘It also had a big spotlight that was moving around. I don’t think it was a helicopter because it sounded like a vacuum cleaner or a generator.'”
“‘Perhaps it was a weather balloon. It was very noisy, and it would have woken everyone in the area. It woke me at 2:30 a.m., and my husband and I watched it for half an hour.'”
“‘Just as he went to get his camera, it headed off to South Hill Park and was out of sight-but we could still hear it.'”
“Midweek’s sister paper, the Bracknell News, was invaded with calls of an extra-terrestrial nature over the summer as UFOs flocked to observe the town.”
“Nowhere in Bracknell Forest was left out of the spacemen’s tour, with the paper reporting sightings at the Coppid Beech Hotel (July 7), Birch Hill (July 14), Crown Wood (July 19), Binfield and College Town (July 28 and another in Binfield (August 30).”
(Editor’s Note: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used this area as the location of the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches.” Curiously, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson were in the area on April 20, 1889, which, of course, is the birth date of Adolf Hitler.)
“The News also interviewed local man Terry Walters, who claims he was operated on by aliens in the 1960s and has also exorcised a borough councilor’s home.”
“Since then, alien visitors seemed to have flown south for the winter, but it appears that they are once again spying on the town’s residents.” (See the Berkshire newspaper Midweek for October 11, 2005, “Latest UFO is spotted hovering over Birch Hill homes.” Many thanks to Robert Fischer for this newspaper article.)
FIVE UFOs SEEN BY THOUSANDS IN EASTERN BOLIVIA
Five unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were seen last Wednesday night,” October 12, 2005, “over eastern Oruro” in Bolivia, “causing curiosity and amazement in thousands of witnesses who managed to see the unknown images, which were captured by Canal (Channel) 39 of the Corporacion Orurena de Comunicacion,” a Bolivian TV network.
“The flying objects appeared in the sky at 10:30 p.m. They consisted of two strange objects located in the eastern region that drew people’s attention due to their red, green and blue lights. They also appeared and vanished in the firmament.”
Witnesses also reported that the multiple lights blinked in sequence.
“”The most notorious one was a silvery, circular UFO that presented two circumferences-a smaller one located inside the object and another outside the circumference, spinning at an impressive speed.”
“Canal 39 managed to record the UFOs’ presence as citizens phoned the television station to describe what they could see from their respective areas.”
“Abel Flores Mujica, one of the witnesses, manifested his surprise at having seen the unidentified object in space.”
“‘I refer to it as an artifact, since I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My daughter went outside, and I told her, ‘That’s a UFO. She replied that it wasn’t a UFO, that it was the planet Mars that was delayed in covering (moving through-J.T.) space. But that object had lights, and it wasn’t a star. Last night’s event startled me, and then my daughter said, ‘Look, it’s not the only one, there are others there,’ and it was evident,’ he said.”
“Canal 39 journalist and TV show host Pedro Rubin de Celis said that Wednesday night’s sighting confirms the theory that we are not alone in the universe.”
“‘This has been a marvelous presence of UFOs in the firmament, and many people stepped out onto their balconies to observe this spectacle. The camera zoom has shown us, beyond the vehicle’s flashes, a circle making concentric movements within other circles around the vessel and with a black dot at the center. The objects also had their own movement,’ he explained.” (See the Bolivian newspaper La Patria for October 14, 2005, “Channel 39 managed to capture images of five unidentified objects.” Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y Guillermo Gimenez of Planeta UFO por este articulo de diario.)
IMAGE OF DEAD PRIEST APPEARS AT A CHURCH IN CHILE
“The image of what appears to be a priest holding a child has mysteriously appeared on the wall of a church in Chile.”
“Visitors from all over South America are flocking to see the mysterious image, which appeared on the wall of Cristo Rey de Tome Church in Santiago de Chile, the national capital.”
“Elderly people of the (Roman Catholic) parish identified the image, which shows the silhouette of a youthful priest in a soutane and hat holding a small child, as that of Father Luis Hurtado.”
“During the 1930s, Father Hurtado looked after orphaned and impoverished children of the favelas (slums- J.T.). After his death, Chilean Catholics submitted his case to the Vatican. Father Hurtado has already been beatified, and he is due to be canonized (formally declared a saint-J.T.) by Pope Benedict XVI at the end of October.”
“According to the priests at Cristo Rey de Tome Church, the image began to appear in early September (2005).”
“‘We don’t know what’s happening,’ Father Hernan Henriquez stated, ‘We cannot be 100 percent certain, but it appears that this image appeared out of nowhere.”
“A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile said the (Roman Catholic) Church was ‘aware of the phenomenon’ but added that the Church ‘traditionally moves very slowly in these matters. The Archdiocese will investigate these claims and submit a report to Rome.'” (See the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio for October 10, 2005. Muchas gracias a Monica Gaetano de Silva para este articulo de diario.)
PHANTOM PANTHER SHOT IN AUSTRALIA
“A Victorian hunter believes he may finally have solved the state’s big cat mystery.”
“Kurt Engel shot dead what is believed to be a leopard or a puma in Gippsland,” a region of central Victoria state in Australia.
“Mr. Engel photographed the dead cat and cut off its tail after shooting it while hunting deer in rugged terrain near Sale, Vic. in June (2005).”
“A sample of the cat’s DNA, taken from the tail, has been sent to an international laboratory for analysis.”
“The results, expected in about three weeks, will determine the feline’s exact species.”
“The breakthrough follows decades of sightings of mysterious wild big cats throughout Australia-but no physical poof of their existence.”
“Big cat researchers have hailed Mr. Engel’s kill as the best evidence ever uncovered to confirm the predators roam in the Australian wilderness.”
“Mr. Engel, of Noble Park, Vic., said he was hunting in scrub when he noticed large paw prints in a dry creek bed.”
“Shortly afterwards, he saw a dark creature move, then caught sight of a crouching big cat.”
“‘I could see the eyes of the cat, I kept very quiet,’ he said.”
“The predator charged in his direction.”
“‘He came very low to the ground. His chest was nearly on the ground (as the cat moved) and he came straight towards me. I saw his teeth and white eyes-I was only about 80 yards away,’ he said.”
“‘I pulled up the rifle and at that moment it turned to the left.'”
“‘He was making long jumps. On about the third jump, I shot him.'”
“The bullet entered behind the cat’s shoulder and blew its head off, he said.”
“Mr. Engel said he found the remains of a freshly- killed wombat nearby, which had had its skull crushed.”
“The 67-year-old said he had not believed big cats existed.”
“‘I think it was a million to one chance-I have been hunting in forests for 50 years and have never seen a big cat,’ he said.”
“The retired engineer said he lugged the cat back to his camp, but put the carcass into the river after removing the tail and photographing it.”
“Mike Williams, a representative of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, a body that researchers mysterious or out-of-place animals, said he believed it was concrete evidence that big cats are on the loose in Australia.”
“Hundreds of sightings have been reported over the years and a leaked government document revealed 59 sightings had been reported in Gippsland between 1998 and 2001.”
“The cats are said to be descendants of animals that either escaped from zoos or circuses or were released by U.S. airmen who kept them as mascots while stationed in Australia in World War II.”
“‘Kurt has killed an urban legend,’ Mr. Williams said. “He has proved all the hundreds of farmers have been telling the truth. There is a breeding population of big cats. The tail is 100 per cent-it is a concrete case.'”
“Scientists Bernie Mace, who has been researching big cats ibn Australia for 30 years, said the animal was far too big to be a feral domestic cat and predicted it would be identified as a puma (a cougar or mountain lion here in the USA-J.T.).”
“‘I feel this is a very important breakthrough,’ he said.”
“Richard Roswell, Melbourne Zoo’s keeper in charge of carnivores, examined a photograph of the dead cat this week but said it was inconclusive.”
“‘We don’t dispute that there is a possibility they (big cats-J.T.) are out there, but we are yet to see a photograph that proves it categorically,’ he said.”
“Mr. Roswell said the DNA would ultimately determine the breed of the cat.” (See the Australian newspaper Herald-Sun for October 10, 2005, “I shot the big cat.” Many thanks to Diane Harrison of the Australian UFO Research Network (AUFORN) for this newspaper article.)
PHANTOM PANTHER GOES ON THE PROWL IN SCOTLAND
“A huge, puma-like cat, dubbed the ‘Beast of Balbirnie,’ is prowling a public area of woodland in Scotland.”
“Police are hunting the massive feline after a paw print measuring 4 inches (10 centimeters) by 3.5 inches (8 centimeters) backed up numerous sightings by walkers in the area.”
“And they yesterday (Thursday, October 6, 2005) appealed to the public to take care in the area because of the beast, which is believed to have ripped a large swan to pieces two weeks ago.”
“They believe the beast, which is described as being taller than a Labrador dog and twice the length, could be a puma or leopard.”
“It is prowling an area near Markinch, Fife, which was once described as ‘Scotland’s Serengeti’ because of the number of sightings of big cats there.”
“Big cat expert George Redpath said yesterday there had been more than 30 sightings in Fife in the last year alone.”
“This figure, he said, did not include hoaxes and those made by callers who appeared to be drunk.”
“Retired policeman George, 61, who believes that there are more than 10 different large cats in the area, said: ‘Fife is a real hotspot for big cats.'”
“‘We only register sightings from credible witnesses. We’ve logged calls from doctors, lawyers, teachers and policemen, some of whom were originally very skeptical.'”
“George said the area around Balbirnie Woods had seen a lot of big cat activity in recent weeks. Two greenskeepers at the local golf club watched a large black animal sunning itself on a grassy bank.”
“The men kept a close eye on it for over an hour.”
“Two weeks ago, the ripped up remains of a large swan were discovered by a rambler.” (Hiker in the USA- J.T.)
“Police initially thought the bird had been hit by a car. But they decided it must have been attacked by an animal larger than a fox.”
“Pet care expert Susan McNab saw the ‘beast’ while walking one of her customer’s dogs last month. Susan, 36, who studied cats and dogs at college, said it was the size of a leopard and jet black.”
“She said: ‘I saw this beautiful animal walking towards me down a path. It was clear as day and about 50 yards away. It had a large round head and long tail and looked very powerful and sleek. I remember saying out loud to the dog, ‘That’s one cat you won’t be chasing.””
“The latest paw prints were discovered next to a rabbit warren and experts at Edinburgh Zoo are examining it.”
“Fife Police wildlife expert Mark Maylin said: ‘The next step is to try to capture the animal and have it relocated in an environment that is safer. From the witness reports I’ve seen, the most likely species to be living in the Fife area would be lynx or puma.'”
“It is believed big cats were released into the wild after 1976 when keeping them was banned by law” in UK. (See the newspaper The Daily Record of UK for October 7, 2005, “Big cat roaming Scottish woods.” Many thanks to Robert Fischer, UFO Roundup’s phantom panther expert, for this newspaper article.)
“JAWS” SHARK IS REAL!
“A New Zealand fisherman got the surprise of his life this week when he found a 15-foot (4.5-meter) great white shark tangled in his fishing net.”
“Warrick Harris was fishing several miles off” the coast near Raglan, New Zealand “when he found the female shark barely alive in his net.”
“The shark was about 15 feet (4.5 meters) long and weighed almost 3,500 pounds (1,750 kilograms).”
“A New Zealand Conservation Department marine scientist said it was the largest shark he had ever examined, with the average size for great whites around New Zealand being less than 10 feet (3 meters).”
“A section of the shark’s spine was taken to determine its age, and samples and organs were collected for research.”
“Harris said he is trying to sell the shark’s jaw and fins to collectors.”
“‘Jaws’ was the exact reaction, really,’ Harris said, ‘It was quite unbelievable. I just couldn’t get over the sheer size of it.'” (See the newspaper Timaru Herald for October 21, 2005, “Giant shark caught off New Zealand.” Many thanks to Kirsty MacLaren for this newspaper article.)
(Editor’s Comment: “Bruce,” the shark in the 1975 movie Jaws, was about the same size as Harris’s captured female shark. Another case of life imitating art.)
SATANIST HOMICIDE IN CALIFORNIA LINKED TO THE FAYETTE FACTOR
“The teenager arrested in the slaying of a prominent defense attorney’s wife once drew a pentagram on the ground at school” in northern California “and told other students he was reading from the Book of Satan, according to former classmates.”
“Authorities would not identify the 16-year-old, but the boy’s name was widely publicized after his arrest late Wednesday,” October 19, 2005. “Police were still working to determine a motive for the beating death of Pamela Vitale, the wife of lawyer and TV legal pundit Daniel Horowitz.”
“‘Although we have a suspect, the investigation is still going on,’ sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said.”
“Vitale, 52, was slain over the weekend at the hilltop estate where the couple were building their dream home in the wealthy San Francisco suburb of Lafayette.”
(Editor’s Comment: Bingo! The Fayette Factor!)
“The teenager lived down the hill on a remote canyon road.”
“Ivan Golde, a friend of Horowitz and his co- counsel, said Horowitz didn’t know the teen well.”
“‘Dan knew the family somewhat but he didn’t really know this kid. He had no connection to this kid,’ Golde told NBC;s Today show on Friday,” October 21, 2005.
“The suspect was described as a quiet student at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, where he stood out because of his attire.”
“‘He was really Gothic, always wore a long, dark jacket,’ said Kevin Etheridge, 16, ‘He’d hang out with a few kids, but he was pretty quiet, pretty much to himself.'”
“Another student remembered him drawing a pentagram on the ground with chalk in junior high school and dancing around it with other students.”
“‘He told people the book he was carrying and reading from was the Book of Satan,’ Keith Kingon said.”
“A man at the house where the suspect lived declined to comment Thursday,” October 20, 2005, “as goats and chickens wandered around the property. A potbelly stove, a bathtub and dozens of baseballs littered the yard.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “citing an unidentified law enforcement source, reported that investigators believe the killing was related to a scheme that involved using stolen credit-card numbers to fund a marijuana-growing operation.”
“The source said the boy had ordered equipment for the pot operation and mistakenly thought the supplies were delivered to Horowitz and Vitale’s home, the newspaper reported on its Web site.”
“The teen went there Saturday,” October 15, 2005, “looking for the equipment and got in a fight with Vitale, striking her dozens of times in the head with a piece of molding that was left behind at the scene, according to the source.”
“The boy apparently had scratches on his arms and legs from the fight, the newspaper reported.”
“If the boy is convicted of murder as an adult, he would face up to life in prison. If convicted as a juvenile, he would be freed on his 25th birthday. He is too young to face the death penalty.” (See the Modesto Bee for October 21, 2005, “Teen suspect said interested in occult.” Many thanks to Tiffany Burton for this newspaper article.)
Letter From the Editor:
First I’d like to apologize for not having issue 41 ready in time for October 19, 2005. My “Model T” computer is up and running. However, my current server will not allow me to connect and claims I am using obsolete software. So now I have to find a new server or else newer software before I can get back online.
While away from the Net, and deprived of my usual news sources, I have been consoling myself by watching Jimmy Neutron and Taradise on the relatives’ cable TV. My favorite episode of the former…”I Dream of Jimmy,” which is a nice take-off on Dennis Quaid’s 1983 film Dreamscape.
They have some great one-liners on that show. Here’s an example:
Jimmy’s Dad: “I’ll never forget my first sleepover. The food fights, the practical jokes, the crying for Mom…”
Jimmy’s Mom: “That was our honeymoon, dear.”
And then there’s Taradise, which stars Tara Reid, who seems to have replaced Jessica Simpson as the world’s dumbest blonde. Occasionally, Tara issues pronunciamentos called “Tara-Facts,” which are truly eye- opening.
In one segment, a British reporter asked our heroine, “Did you visit the island of Lesbos?”
Tara replied, “No. What’s that?”
(Editor’s Comment: The buzzsaw noise you hear is Sappho spinning in her grave.)
Visiting Croatia’s seashore, Tara said, “This is the highest spot on Earth.”
And in the most recent episode, Tara proclaimed, “Biarritz is the greatest country in the world!”
(Editor’s Note: Actually, it’s a seaside resort city in southwestern France.)
Well, that’s an F in geography for Miss Reid. Somebody sign up that girl for summer school.
And we’ll be back soon…hopefully…with more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the planet Earth, brought to you by “the paper that goes home-UFO Roundup.” Hope to be seeing you all again soon.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2005 by Masinaigan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO Roundup on their Web sites or in news groups, provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of issue in which the item first appeared.
