UFO ROUNDUP Volume 9 Number 19 May 12, 2004 Editor: Joseph Trainor

XENDRA APPEARS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

A Xendra (pronounced Shenn-drah–J.T.), a kind of inter-dimensional gateway, appeared last week in Carlsbad, California (population 78,247), an oceanside city on Highway 521 about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of San Diego.

The Xendra originally appeared in South America. It first appeared in 2002 in Los Cipreses National Park near Rancagua in Chile. Last year (2003), it appeared over the seaport city of Maceio in Brazil. In South America, the manifestation appeared as a blue arch, but, in Carlsbad, it appeared as an amber cube.

Eyewitness Lee Smythe reported, “Last Saturday (May 1, 2004) I was outside with my cousin, and we were shooting the breeze (American slang for chatting –J.T.), and, out of literally mid-air, a strange amber cube appeared. Then, in a millisecond, the same sort of craft (UFO) I had seen previously (in December 2003) showed up in the middle of the cube, and then the cube disappeared, and the craft began to move from east to west,” out over Carlsbad State Beach and the Pacific Ocean.

“We called our entire family and watched it for a few minutes, and it went out of sight. It was the same amber light I had witnessed before. The first sighting was with my girlfriend, and other people saw it, too. I live in San Diego and witnessed it last December. Although this time it had that odd amber cube around it, which was hollow, like a cube made from neon lights. This was in Carlsbad, Calif., far to the north of my original sighting.”

“I would like to know if anyone else from the San Diego area has seen these lights. I can’t fathom what is going on and am wondering if it may be military, since there are many bases located around here.”

UFOINFO webmaster John Hayes, commenting on the sighting, said, “I will be interested to know what you think of this ‘cube.’ This is not really something I would think of, but for some reason I am still evidently thinking about a possible teleportation device. The ‘cube’ could create a safe area for the UFO to beam into. Pretty odd thinking for me, but if teleportation is possible, you need to know exactly where you’re going to end up.”

“The shape is different, and so is the color,” UFO Roundup editor Joseph Trainor added, “But in terms of manifestation, altitude and duration, the phenomenon in Carlsbad is the same as the Xendra witnessed by those 24 ufologists in Chile and the people in Maceio, Brazil. Who knows? Maybe the color is different because this time the Xendra appeared on a different continent–North America.” (Many thanks to John Hayes for this report. And, for more on the Xendra’s earlier appearances, see UFO Roundup, volume 7, number 20 for May 14, 2002, “Sixto Paz discusses the Xendra experience,” page 1; and UFO Roundup, volume 8, number 12 for March 19, 2003, “Xendra appears again, this time in Brazil,” page 1.)

EL UNYUDO TERRORIZES JUSTO DARACT, ARGENTINA

“It all began a few weeks ago when a young woman left school” in Justo Daract, a small city in western Argentina, “at around 11 p.m. and came across someone described as ‘dressed in black, masked, with long (finger) nails,’ who climbed deftly up the flagpole in Pringles Plaza, causing terror among the students.”

“Almost simultaneously it was said that a person involved with the Community Watch Program saw the strange entity in an open field between the Club Pringles futbol (soccer in the USA–J.T.) field and the barrio Libertario Ferrari (neighborhood), while others claimed also having seen it climb trees in the Plaza Juan Esteban Pedernera in the barrio Viviendas (neighborhood).”

“Rumors began to spread despite the fact that no formal complaint had been made, according to officials of the local sheriff’s office. Some locals said that the authorities had been apprised of the strange phenomenon.”

“Up to this moment, the descriptions of the persons who claimed having been startled in the dark involved a somewhat tall person wearing a mask and who appeared to have horns. Subsequent accounts changed its size, although descriptions of its agility and movement remained the same in all accounts.”

“Little by little, the intrigue increased, along with the collective psychosis, and manifestations of El Unyudo (Spanish for The Clawed One–J.T.) took place in a variety of neighborhoods, times and other circumstances and appearances.”

“Reliable official sources said that on the evening of (Monday) April 5 (2004) there were joint operations involving the police and Community Watch personnel to the south of the barrio Ilusion and the barrio Libertario Ferrari, where some claimed having seen the sinister character near a soccer field.”

“‘It jumped over the barbed-wire fence with remarkable agility and moved with such long strides that it appeared to be floating on air and was impossible to reach,’ said one witness to the enigmatic apparition, while adding that the chase and tracking were fruitless.”

“That same night, others claimed having seen the now ‘small’ character in the barrio Jardin Ferroviario to the south of the city and in barrio Viviendas to the southeast.”

“Tuesday night (April 6, 2004) was restful, but Wednesday (April 7, 2004) caused the most comment and terrified many people, unleashing mass hysteria: an 11- year-old boy from Barrio Norte went into shock” as a result of meeting “the sinister creature of the night” who “tapped him on the shoulder and showed his terrifying face to him.”

“The boy was treated and released from Ernesto Pompeo Borsani Hospital. But it was primarily this medical center that became the scene of the rumors, since it is said that there a nurse, a doctor and an ambulance driver, along with security personnel at the site, caught a fleeting glimpse of the night creature, causing panic in some of the witnesses.”

“The (Argentinian) authorities were informed immediately, and a patrol car reached the site, but nothing could be gleaned except for the considerable fright experienced by some of the witnesses, particularly the nurse. Another security guard was doing his work when the event occurred. He said the police had been phoned and nothing had been found. Further details were unavailable since ‘everyone here was really scared.'”

“A truck driver living close to the Club Pringles stadium also claimed having seen the character appear over the wall of the building and, although this has not yet been ascertained, he fired some shots against El Unyudo, who seemed immune. A subsequent inspection of the site with a flashlight (torch in UK and Australia–J.T.) showed no signs of the apparition.”

“‘It had an ape-like appearance, standing no more than 1.2 meters (3 feet, 7 inches) and leaves footprints similar to that of a goat.'”

(Editor’s Comment: The truck driver’s description sounds like a Dero, one of a mysterious race of underground dwellers. A Dero was seen earlier this year near a canal in Buenos Aires.)

“There are some who claim to have seen the creature climbing the flagpole in Pringles Plaza, in the Club Pringles soccer field and on the cereal silos in the vicinity of Barrio Norte.”

“The apparition is linked to a young woman who was riding her bicycle back to her home in Libertario Ferrari around 3 o’clock in the morning on Friday, April 8 (2004). She saw a strange character jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the 331 Viviendas” block.

“Frightened, the young woman pedaled back to the bus station some 10 blocks distant, to take the bus and return home in tears, as was seen by the bus station employees who attended to the young lady.”

“Large and with a mask and horns; small and apelike, black or brown, with a nude upper torso and covered with tattoos; standing upright or on four legs; leaving goat- shaped footprints; climbing trees, pipelines or metal silos; jumping over wire fences or small lagoons, swift and elusive–the descriptions that have been given of El Unyudo, who has captured the public’s attention and caused fear in most.”

Justo Daract is in Argentina’s San Luis province, located about 600 kilometers (360 miles) west of Buenos Aires, the national capital. (See the Argentinian newspaper El Diario de la Republica for April 11, 2004, “Search for ‘the Clawed One’ continues.” Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales, Mario Luis Bracamonte y Carlos Iurchuk para esto articulo de diario. For more on El Unyudo, see UFO Roundup, volume 9, number 18 for May 5, 2004, “El Unyudo causes a panic in western Argentina,” page 3.) (Editor’s Comment: Madre de Dios! What’s next!? El Unyudo challenging Spider-Man to a battle on the Avenida Nueve de Julio in Buenos Aires!?)

CATTLE MUTILATION CASE REPORTED IN MANITOBA

“An Arborg cattle farmer made a horrific discovery Monday,” April 26, 2004, “when he found the partially skinned remains of one of his animals that was missing its tongue and apparently drained of its blood.”

“‘The whole thing has turned out to be more sinister than I thought,’ said Yvonne, a neighbour who examined the mutilated animal. She asked not to have her name used to protect her family.”

“‘What sort of weirdos have we got travelling in our neighbourhood?'”

“Gordon, who would only allow the Sun to print his first name, said he discovered the carcass on his farm Monday afternoon.”

“‘I don’t really want to speculate on what happened. I know what I saw,’ he said, adding that he is still shaken up by the find.”

Located in Canada’s Manitoba province, Arborg (population 1,012) “is 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Winnipeg.”

“The mutilation happened Saturday or Sunday night (April 24 or 25, 2004), Gordon said. No one heard anything.”

“He’s heard of several cow mutilations in the area over the past few years, Gordon said.”

“He called the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police– J.T.), reporting that the animal had been attacked by a predator. He has since changed his mind about the cause.”

“‘It was definitely a sharp object used,’ he said.”

“Acting RCMP Corporal Glenn Syme said he has never investigated an instance of cattle mutilation. The RCMP did take a call this week about a cow being attacked by a predator, likely from Gordon.”

“The animal was found with an incision under its chin. The skin had been pulled from the face, exposing the teeth.”

“‘It’s not the gore, we’ve seen that before. It’s the evil behind it,’ Yvonne said.”

“The tip of the animal’s tongue, cut from its root, was placed in the mouth, she said.”

“‘There’s not a drop of blood in the animal. The only way you can drain an animal of blood is (to cut into it–R.F.) with the heart still pumping,’ Yvonne said.”

“The cuts were very precise, as if made by a surgeon, she said.”

“‘You don’t know who you’re dealing with…the average wild and wooly neighbourhood brat wouldn’t be capable of doing it,’ she said.”

“‘I’m not saying it’s aliens…a lot points toward aliens, but there is no proof,’ he said.”

“Belzil said he has never encountered any evidence pointing to who or what is likely the cause.”

“‘It’s a real mystery,’ he said.” (See the Winnipeg Sun for April 29, 2004, “Cow cut, drained in Arborg.” Many thanks to Robert Fischer for this newspaper article.)

MORE UFOs SIGHTED IN IRAN

“More colorful unidentified flying objects have been spotted” in Iran “beaming out green, red, blue and purple lights in the Caspian Sea region of Golestan.”

Iranian newspapers “reported hundreds of people running out into the streets on the evening of Tuesday, April 27, 2004, to catch a glimpse of the bright extraterrestrial light.”

Eight towns in Golestan reported UFO overflights that evening, according to IRNA, the official Iranian news agency.

“People on the ground saw the brilliant object dipping in and out of clouds,” Iranian ufologist Kufa Yildaz reported.

“An (Iranian) Air Force officer of the Revolutionary Guards was quoted in the newspaper Vagha-ye Etefaghiyeh as saying Iran’s Supreme National Security Council should investigate whether these visitors from afar have hostile intent.”

“Sadollah Nasiri-Qeydari, head of the Astronomical Society of Iran, said the stories were ‘unfounded.'”

“‘In my opinion, flying saucers do not exist,’ he said, insisting that his telescope would have picked up invaders from outer space.”

“‘The people who have seen these things are not experts–farmers, villagers and pilots,’ he added.”

“He said what people reported are consistent with the planet Venus, whose intense light in its current position would be giving off different hues by filtering through the atmosphere.” (See the Iranian newspaper Vagha-ye Etefaghiyeh for April 28, 2004, “Strange lights seen over Golestan.” Many thanks to Ayesha al-Khatabi, UFO Roundup’s Middle East correspondent, for this newspaper article.)

LUMINOUS UFOs SEEN OVER LALOR PARK, SYDNEY

More UFOs were reported in Sydney, New South Wales, the largest city in Australia, last week.

On Sunday, May 2, 2004, at 12:30 p.m., eyewitness J.F. saw what “at first we thought appeared to be a star, but at around 12 o’clock in the arvo (nearly directly overhead–J.T.). Then my friend saw a red light next to it but further behind. They hovered for about 60 seconds, then took off in a northwesterly direction.”

The witnesses were outdoors in Lalor Park, in Sydney’s western suburbs.

J.F. added, “All the rest that followed were white lights. Some coming from what looked like the back of the sun, some from all directions. Some were alone; others in clusters. I shit you not…there were at least 15 to 20 of them, and I have three witnesses to the account.”

“One (UFO) took over three seconds to complete a span of the sky, which is pretty (expletive) fast in my books. I thought we were being raided right then and there.” (Email Form Report)

MAN VIDEOTAPES A UFO IN MANCHESTER, UK

On Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at 12:35 p.m., Peter B. Grant spotted “a shadow on my house in Brooklands, Manchester, England. This phenomenon had occurred at several times in the past, and I had the (video) camera in operation, looking out into the sky from my bedroom.”

“On viewing” the videotape “later that day, “there was a definite black rectangle which is clearer when magnified. The tape has been returned to me from MAPIT, whereupon they concluded that it was a UFO. Also, a letter had been posted to me saying that other anomalous objects had also been recorded on the videotape.”

“The reason I collect so many is because it’s my hobby. I have also been featured a couple of times in UFO Magazine.” (Email Form Report)

LOW-FLYING YELLOW UFO SPOTTED IN ARGENTINA

On Sunday, May 2, 2004, at 11:05 p.m., “a resident of the barrio Las Gemelas (neighborhood) in Capilla del Monte,” Argentina, “contacted (the UFO group) Proyecto Catent to report the transit of a yellow light that was reflected on the treetops and travelling in an east-west direction, that is to say, from the Sierras toward Dique El Cajon, at an estimated elevation of 150 meters (500 feet) above ground and not making any noise whatsoever. The caller’s parents were also witnesses to this event.”

“Last week, on Wednesday,” April 28, 2004, “researcher Hector Picco revealed that he had seen a small white light coming from the Sierras and vanishing into the rocky floor of an abandoned piece of property adjacent to his home.”

“A local fisherman said that in the year 1993, while on a fishing trip with his friends in Dique Los Alzanes (in the region of La Toma–S.C.) he had seen a UFO with several lights that went below mountain level between the Uritorco and the Overo hills.” (Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y Proyecto Catent para esto informe.)

TRIANGULAR UFO SEEN IN VARNVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA

On Tuesday, April 27, 2004, at 11:35 p.m., Kevin Delgado reported, “It was a clear night. I was walking my dog” in Varnville, South Carolina (population 2,074) “when, all of a sudden, these lights started blinking at a distance. It looked like it was stopping in the air. But, all of a sudden, it started to move east very slowly. The two lights in front of the object were green and red.”

“When it passed almost directly over me, it looked like three white lights on the bottom, almost forming a triangular shape. I could not see the lights on the bottom until it had actually passed by. Then it looked like it went to the side for a little bit, then back to the normal position. It kept traveling east very slowly.”

“I could not tell what shape it was. It was a good 500 yards (450 meters) away. It had three white lights on the bottom of it. It was moving at about 30 to 45 miles per hour (50 to 72 kilometers per hour–J.T.).”

Varnville, S.C. is on Route 68 approximately 44 miles (70 kilometers) north of Savannah, Georgia. (Email Form Report)

DAYLIGHT DISC CAUGHT ON VIDEOTAPE IN MISSISSIPPI

“Wowzers!” exclaimed eyewitness Lisa McDaniel, “I was checking out the WAPT-TV Weather Cam” in Jackson, Mississippi (population 184,256) “and I saw this UFO. I had saved the two pics but unfortunately you can’t do that with a Webcam shot without it automatically refreshing itself. I have already contacted the (TV) station to see if they have the still shots, by any chance.”

“At any rate, at 12:15 p.m., (Monday) May 3, 2004, there was a silver disk over Jackson, Miss., just to the left of the Standard Life Building (the tallest building in the pic–L.M.) and about midway up. The second one (image) was dated 12:21 p.m., so just minutes later, it was gone. It is a gorgeous, sunny, clear day and not a cloud in the sky and no rain whatsoever.”

Lisa estimated that the UFO remained hovering for about six minutes but was unhappy with the fact that she’d been unable to save the images. “I’m just really disappointed about this!”

Jackson is the state capital of Mississippi. (Email Form Report)

MYSTERY LION SEEN BY MANY NEAR COLUMBUS, OHIO

“In the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio’s most populous city, a lion sleeps tonight. At least, some residents hope so.”

“The reported sighting of a lion in the woods Monday night,” May 3, 2004, “has sent this affluent commuter town,” Gahanna, Ohio (population 34,000) “into a tizzy.”

“Police aren’t sure it really was a lion. Several dozen police officers on Tuesday,” May 4, 2004, “searched a 1-square-mile area on foot and by helicopter. All they found were deer tracks and a big dog.”

“‘I’m the first person to disbelieve these kinds of reports,’ says Gahanna Police Lt. Jeff Spence. ‘But we do have three credible, consistent, independent sightings.'”

“The witnesses say they saw a 300 to 400-pound cat with a low-slung tail. The animal appeared agile and walked low to the ground. It had no mane.”

“A Columbus police officer was the first to report seeing the lion, in daylight, at 7:30 p.m. A trucker says he saw it at 9:30 p.m. Railroad workers say they saw it about midnight.”

“The sightings occurred in a wooded area near Port Columbus International Airport. Ten other sightings were reported after the initial reports, but police discounted them.”

“Mountain lions, which can weigh about 150 pounds, were hunted to near-extinction or driven from the eastern USA more than 100 years ago. But sightings are sometimes reported in mountainous areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia about 200 miles from Columbus.”

“Game officials generally dismiss such reports for lack of solid evidence or consider the animals as escaped pets.”

“Zoos and animal breeders in the Columbus area say none of their lions is missing. Spence says animal experts told him that the lion, if there is one, is likely to travel at night and avoid people.”

“But some Gahanna residents were being cautious.”

“Chris Tidwell, 52, owner of a wallpaper shop, kept her front door closed Tuesday. ‘We’re still amused by the lion, but why take chances?’ she says.”

“But others love the idea of a local lion rather than fear it.”

“‘I hope it’s true,’ says Jordan Still-Barnes, 19, who works at Jersey Mike’s Subs. ‘It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened around here in a long time.'”

“A search for an elusive lion was suspended Friday morning,” May 7, 2004, “after authorities found no sign of the animal.”

“Almost an hour earlier, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office asked (TV) Channel 4 to investigate a possible sighting.”

“The sighting occurred slightly before 10:30 a.m. in the 6500 block of Taylor Road, north of Blacklick (population 9,518) and east of Gahanna.”

“NewsChannel 4’s Beth Dal Ponte reported that the Sheriff’s Office was taking the report ‘very seriously.'”

“A homeowner along Taylor Road reportedly saw the animal run across a field and into a creek bed. NewsChannel 4 reported that the homeowner said that he has been concerned about nearby livestock.'”

“Video taken from Chopper 4 showed several law enforcement personnel searching nearby woods. No paw prints were seen from either the air or the ground, NewsChannel 4 reported.”

“The animal was reportedly spotted Thursday evening,” May 6, 2004, “near a lumberyard, NewsChannel 4 reported.”

Police in Whitehall, Ohio (population 19,201) “received a call from someone who reportedly saw the wild animal near Yearling and Poth Roads.”

“Whitehall police at one point said they might have the ‘large animal with a big tail’ cornered in a nearby lumber yard but would not say that it was a lion.”

“A search was performed until about 6:30 p.m. and then was called off.” (See USA Today for May 5, 2004, “If it’s a lion, Ohio hopes it’s a fraidy-cat,” page 3A; and the Columbus NewsChannel 4 broadcast of May 7, 2004. Many thanks to Loren Coleman for this news story.)

CHUPACABRAS’ SKELETONS DISCOVERED IN CHILE?

“A group of workers made a strange discovery as they came across three carcasses of a strange animal while they worked on a house located on the Calle Condell (street) in the commune of Providencia” in Chile.

“The three skeletons at first report were reminiscent of the feared Chupacabra.”

“‘All three were the same, without any front legs. We were told to dispose of them, but we were stunned and are still confused. They can’t be rabbits by their shape, the teeth, the long legs, and the fact that they lock hands,'” the workers told Chilevision Noticias.”

“The animals have skulls similar to a cat’s, 15 ribs, huge fangs separated by a one-centimeter (0.4-inch) gap and only two hind legs.”

“‘We’d all like this to be a Chupacabra or the offspring of a Chupacabra. I’ll be famous, but I don’t know if that would be the case,’ the worker said.”

“The skeletons will be examined by veterinarians of the University of Chile.” (See the Chilean newspaper La Tercera for April 30, 2004, “Chupacabras in Providencia?” Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y Gloria Coluchi para esto articulo de diario.)

ANOTHER MINI-SUB SUNK BY A USO?

Another miniature submarine has disappeared at sea under mysterious circumstances.

“The U.S. Navy has called off the search for a miniature unmanned submarine that vanished during tests off Norway a week ago, the Norwegian military said Friday,” May 7, 2004.

“The 11-foot (3.3-meter) long mini-sub, known as a Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, is programmed before being launched to search for mines and, if necessary, to destroy them.”

The BPAUV “did not surface as expected while being tested during a military exercise last week off Norway, leadings its mother ship, the USS Swift, to break off from maneuvers and launch an extensive search.”

Like the similar incident in the Pacific Ocean a few months ago, the loss of the BPAUV has ufologists wondering if the mini-sub was destroyed or captured underwater by an Unidentified Submerged Object (USO). (See the Minneapolis, Minn. Star-Tribune for May 8, 2004, “Navy ends search for missing mini-submarine,” page 18-A.)

CHEMTRAILS SIGHTED IN CALIFORNIA, INDIANA

On Wednesday, May 5, 2004, eyewitness E.B. was outdoors at his home along Clear Lake, California, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of San Francisco and just east of Ukiah. He reported, “Yesterday we had perfectly beautiful weather in the county in which I reside. The air traffic overhead has been sparse since 9- 11 (September 11, 2001–J.T.), so I was shocked when contrails began filling the sky in all directions. But these contrails did not quickly evaporate. They just kept spreading and dispersing until they had all merged into a wispy overcast.”

“From what I have heard and seen on the radio, this looks like a classic example of a chemtrail attack.”

“I was in the (U.S.) Air Force and know a contrail (short for condensation trail–J.T.) when I see one. In fact, we enlisted men frequented the Contrail Club on Lowry Air Force Base near Denver (Colorado) in the mid- sixties.”

On Thursday, April 29, 2004, at 6:30 a.m., chemtrails appeared over Indianapolis (population 791,926), the largest city in Indiana. Witnesses reported that they were first seen over Beech Grove and Five Points, in the southeastern section of the city.

The next batch of chemtrails were seen over Fishers, Augusta and New Augusta, suburbs on the northwestern side of Indianapolis.

One witness reported, “At 6:30 p.m., the sky was clear with just a few clouds in the sky. By 2 p.m., it was completely overcast.” (Email Form Reports)

MURDERS AND MYSTERY FIRES DOMINATE FAYETTE NEWS THIS WEEK

Murder dominated the headlines in Fayette County, Pennsylvania last week.

“Accused multiple killer Mark D. Edwards testified in his own defense Thursday,” May 6, 2004, “that police told him what to write in a lengthy, disjointed confession that has him facing the possibility of execution.”

“Edwards is on trial for the April 14, 2002 shooting and arson that left four members of a North Union township family dead and a fifth seriously wounded inside her burning house. Larry A. Bobish, 50; his wife, Joanna M. Bobish, 42; their pregnant daughter, Krystal Bobish, 17; and her unborn son died in the attack.”

However, on Friday, May 7, 2004, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all four charges. Edwards now faces sentencing.

A second murder case also made headlines in Fayette County when “District Judge Deberah Kula assigned” a woman named Straughters” of 602 Lenhart Avenue, Irwin, Pa. on a charge of criminal homicide and committed her to the Fayette County Prison.”

(Editor’s Comment: If there is no “Fayette Factor,” then why does this small rural county of 148,644 people have a homicide rate comparable to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the largest cities in Pennsylvania?)

In Brownsville, Pa. (population 2,804), “police in Fayette County said they shot a motorist following a car chase. Police aren’t identifying the victim other than to say he’s a 37-year-old man from Fayette County.”

In Menallen Township, Pa., two cars collided on a rural road. “The Fayette County road was closed overnight as (Pennsylvania) state police reconstructed the accident.”

Elsewhere in the USA, in Georgia, “the stores at the Fayette Pavilion (mall), just off Georgia (Route) 85 in Fayetteville were evacuated just after 2 p.m., according to store employees at the scene. Authorities ordered customers to leave several stores of the Fayette County shopping center after some patrons began complaining that they were feeling sick.”

In Kentucky, “the body found in St. Michael has been identified as James ‘Jamie’ Richard Sinkhorn, a report from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office said.” Sinkhorn, a student at Lexington Community College, had been missing.

In Texas, a mysterious gas fire broke out in Brenham (population 13,507), and “the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded along with firefighters from La Grange, Giddings and Winchester Fire Departments.”

In upstate New York, “one person is dead after an early evening fire in Fayetteville. Officials have confirmed that three people were taken to the hospital. One of them has since died.” (See the newspapers the Connelsville, Pa. Daily Courier for May 7, 2004, “Fayette County: Edwards claims police coerced confession;” the Pittsburgh, Pa. Post-Gazette for May 7, 2004, “Fayette County man found guilty of four murders;” the Uniontown, Pa. Herald-Standard for May 8, 2004, “North Union man stabbed to death;” the Connelsville, Pa. Daily Courier for May 6, 2004, “Lone survivor testifies of seeing murders;” the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat & Chronicle for May 2, 2004, “Fire in Fayetteville;” the Brenham, Texas Banner Press for April 26, 2004, “Gas fire cause still unknown;” the Lexington, Ky. Herald-Leader for April 27, 2004; and the Atlanta, Ga. Journal-Constitution for April 28, 2004, “Odor causes evacuation of Fayette stores.” Many thanks to Loren Coleman for these newspaper articles.)

OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE GIANT CRATER ON MARS

“Perched on the edge of a 430-foot (130-meter) wide crater, the Mars rover Opportunity has spied a new treasure trove of rocks that promise to tell a richer, deeper story of the planet’s geological past.”

“At a news conference Thursday,” May 6, 2004, “at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Steven Squyres, the mission’s principal investigator, called a high-resolution color panorama of the crater ‘surely the most spectacular image yet from this mission.'”

“The photograph of the crater, named Endurance after Ernest Shackleton’s ship in the 1914 expedition to Antarctica is spectacular not just for ‘sheer scenic grandeur,’ Squyres said, but ‘also for the scientific potential that it offers.'”

“Opportunity will spend several weeks circling the outside of Endurance as mission managers try to figure out whether the rover can safely enter it and, more uncertain, make its way out again.”

“The crater is up to 60 feet (18 meters) deep with slopes of 20 degrees and steeper. But Squyres said it was conceivable that Opportunity would be sent in even if the mission managers were convinced it would be a one-way trip.”

“The scientists want to examine the crater’s bedrock closeup with a suite of instruments on the rover. The $835 million mission of Opportunity and Spirit, its twin on the other side of Mars, is to look for signs that the planet was once much warmer and wetter than it is today, perhaps even an environment amenable to life. Both rovers are able to operate through at least September (2004).”

“Based on the analysis of bedrock of the small crater that it landed in, Opportunity has already discovered compelling evidence that the vast, flat plain known as Meridiani Planum was once.

“Opportunity crawled out of the first crater, Eagle, in March (2004), headed east toward Endurance Crater, almost half a mile away. It arrived last Friday,” May 7, 2004. “Since then, the rover, sitting a foot and a half from the rim, has been taking photographs and other measurements.”

“The Endurance crater exposes the same bedrock layers seen previously, but also reveals deeper layers. ‘We see enormous outcrops,’ Squyres said, ‘much bigger than anything we’ve seen before of layered rock.'”

“The mineralogy of the lower rock layers appears markedly different, Squyres said, rich in basalt and lacking the sulfates seen in the upper layers, and there are hints in the photographs of large angled layers that might be the remains of (prehistoric) sand dunes that turned to stone.”

“‘We’re going to be looking for evidence of a beach environment–was there something like that going on?’ Squyres said.” (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for May 7, 2004, “Mars rover considers exploring vast crater,” page 5A.)

ANCIENT MAYAN CITY FOUND IN GUATEMALA

“Archaeologists excavating a 2,500-year-old Mayan city in Guatemala have unearthed buildings and massive carvings indicating the presence of a royal metropolis of more than 10,000 people at a time when scientists previously believed the Maya were only simple farmers.”

“New studies at the Peten jungle site of Cival have unearthed the oldest known portrait of a Mayan king and two massive stone masks, discoveries indicating that the Maya developed a complex and sophisticated civilization hundreds of years earlier than previously believed.”

Cival, a “city of towering pyramids and sweeping plazas, is also yielding other surprising artifacts, including jade and ceramic offerings to the gods that may mark the beginnings of the Mayan dynasties, Vanderbilt University archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli said Tuesday,” May 4, 2004, “at a National Georgraphic Society news conference.”

“Estrada-Belli ‘is pushing back the time for the evidence of Mayan state institutions by several centuries,’ said archaeologist Elsa Redmond of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.”

“‘We had hints of these kinds of buildings from El Mirador,’ another Mayan city of the Pre-Classic Period, which dates from about 2,000 B.C. to A.D. 250.”

(Editor’s Comment: Which means that Cival and El Mirador were thriving cities at a time when the Biblical patriarch Abraham was toddling around the ancient city of Ur in Sumeria (now Iraq–J.T.) in his diapers.)

“The Mayan civilization came into full bloom at cities such as Palenque and Tikal, in the Classic Period, beginning about A.D. 300. But other Pre-Classic sites have been built over, often repeatedly, rendering interpretation of the findings problematic.”

“Cival, for reasons that are not clear, was abandoned about A.D. 100 ‘never to be occupied again,’ Estrada-Belli said, and has lain relatively untouched ever since. ‘It is very unusual to have a completely preserved Pre-Classic city that was not buried by subsequent building,’ he said.”

“Cival, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Tikal,” and 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Guatemala City, “was originally discovered in 1984 by Ian Graham of Harvard University. Most of the site was overgrown by jungle, however, and Graham’s team thought it was a minor outpost.”

“Estrada-Belli has been studying the nearby Classic Period city of Holmul and was using satellite imaging and GPS positioning to explore the surrounding area when he re-discovered Cival four years ago,” in 2000. “The new technology showed that is ceremonial center spanned half a mile, more than twice Graham’s initial estimate.”

“Estrada-Belli and his colleagues have been digging there ever since with support from the National Geographic Society.” (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for May 6, 2004, “Mayan excavation unearths ornate city,” page 11A.) (Editor’s Comment: Ever wonder which one of these ancient cities will contain the Grand Prize, proof positive of alien visits to Earth thousands of years ago?)

From the UFO Files…

1973: LAND OF THE YOWIES

“The rugged eastern mountain ranges of Queensland,” in Australia, “extending from the Lamington Plateau and McPherson ranges in the south-eastern border country all the way up to Cape York, still contain many vast regions of inaccessible forest, seldom if ever visited by many.”

These jungles are the home of the Yowie, the Australian creature that closely approximates North America’s Bigfoot or the Yeti of the Himalayas.

“It is from these high, imposing, rain-forest-covered peaks and deep valleys–the fringes of which only hardy timber-cutters (loggers in the USA–J.T.) and other bushmen dare to penetrate–that eerie stories of mysterious manlike giants have been emerging since the early years of European settlement” in the Nineteenth Century.

“Old timers of the Tully district” in the early 1900s “used to warn travellers not to enter the Cardwell range, inland from the town, because of the ‘great hairy men’ that roamed the mountain country thereabouts.”

“Further south, and north of Townsville on the coast, lies the town of Innisfail, many of whose inhabitants of the last 100 years or so have believed in the ‘Milla Milla Monster’–giant hairy hominids that Aborigines and early settlers alike believed inhabited the rain forests and mountains of the region.”

“The ‘hairy men’ of the Innisfail district have been known collectively as the Milla Milla Monster since the many reports of their activities were rife” in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century.

“During 1990, two campers found huge footprints of one of these monstrous man-beasts near Milla Milla, for a time reviving many of the old stories.”

“Earlier, in July 1973, Innisfail residents were alarmed when Bill Towns, a bushwalker, and ‘Mark,’ a mate, sighted a group of primitive-looking hominids comprising a small male, a larger seven-foot (2.3-meter) male, as well as a small female and a larger, seven-foot female moving through a rain forest late one afternoon.”

“This is what happened in Bill’s own words:”

“‘We were hiking through forest on the edge of a

sugar-cane field above an embankment next to a creek. Mark suddenly stopped me. ‘Quick, ahead of you,’ he said.'”

“‘There was something moving in the bushes near us next to the track ( trail in the USA–J.T.). Then, barely a few feet away, a large hairy male creature emerged onto the track, pushing aside the foliage on either side as it did so.'”

“‘We were terrified and stood fixed to the spot as the creature, a seven-foot male with large genitals visible, looked at us, then slid down the embankment and into the creek. As it stood in the creek, it let out a loud howling sound towards the forest behind us.'”

“‘As he did so, a smaller male appeared of about five foot (1.3 meters) height and then a female of about seven feet (2.3 meters), and a smaller five-foot female, all of whom assembled on the opposite bank of the creek, looked up at us, then ran off up the bank and into forest cover. The adult and smaller males then re-appeared and began screeching at us.'”

“‘By now we were looking about us for some large pieces of wood with which to defend ourselves. The big muscular male was by now screeching all the more and shaking a tree with rage. He then dashed back along the creek towards us, and we ran off in terror. However, he may have only wanted to frighten us off, as he did not climb the embankment.'”

“Freshly-made footprints of immense size were claimed found in the forest on the edge of Tully township on numerous occasions throughout the 1960s and the 1970s.”

“But then, hairy man-beasts are nothing new to the local residents. Back in 1876, a two-legged, five-foot- tall manlike creature approached a survey party outside Tully and roared at them. The incident was the subject of an official report.” (See the book Mysterious Australia by Rex Gilroy, NEXUS Publishing, Mapleton, Queensland, Australia, 1995, pages 224 to 227.)

Report From the Editor:

On Sunday, May 9, 2004, I took a break from writing this week’s issue and journeyed to Mariner Mall in Superior, Wisconsin to catch the new horror-adventure movie Van Helsing. I thought, Sunday afternoon, the matinee show, I’d have the theater to myself. Boy, was I wrong! I got there twenty minutes before showtime, and the seats were already 75 percent full.

And no wonder! This movie is just as good as last year’s X2: The X-Men United. The film features three of Universal’s most famous monsters–Count Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein–all pitted against filmdom’s latest hero, vampire hunter Gabriel Van Helsing. The action and pacing never let up, and the computer-generated imagery will boggle the mind.

Just a couple of comments.

To parents of our youngest readers: the CGI-images of the werewolves and Count Dracula and his brides in their Nosferatu form are extremely realistic and may trigger nightmares. So check it out yourself before you let the under-10s go.

To the film’s editors: Nice scene of the count romancing Gypsy princess Anna Valerious at the masked ball in Budapest. Unfortunately, later on in the film, it’s revealed that Dracula is a son of the House of Valerious. Which means he was dirty-dancing with his umpty-times- great-niece. Ooops!

If this is an example of what’s coming, we’re going to have a great sci-fi summer movie season.

And we’ll be back next week with more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the planet Earth–and occasionally, Mars–brought to you by “the paper that goes home–UFO Roundup.” See you next time!

UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2004 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.