UFO ROUNDUP Volume 9 Number 41 October 13th, 2004 Editor: Joseph Trainor

“ALIEN INVASION” SENDS VILLAGERS FLEEING IN ROMANIA

“A Romanian village was left deserted after its inhabitants fled in panic after mistaking disco lights in a nearby town for an alien invasion.”

“Villagers in Cristinesti, in eastern Romania, thought they were under attack by aliens when they saw bright, multi-colored lights in the sky and started leaving the village en masse.”

“But police who were called out to investigate discovered the lights were coming from an open-air disco in the town of Herta, near the Ukrainian border, the daily (newspaper) Adevarul reported.”

“They persuaded the villagers to eventually return to their homes.”

“Costel Roman, one of the villagers, said, ‘Everybody was out on the streets and wondering what to do if aliens landed. We believed that we were seeing UFOs, and some old legends from around here about clocks stopping, animals going crazy and a previous UFO landing in the area suddenly came to our minds. We were terrified.'”

“He added, ‘We were so happy when we heard we had escaped an alien invasion.'” (See the Romanian newspaper Adevarul for October 5, 2004, “Fleeing villagers mistook disco lights for aliens.” Many thanks to Jim Hickman, executive director of Skywatch International for this news story.)

INDIAN SCIENTIST SEES A UFO IN THE HIMALAYAS

“A space scientist claims to have come across an unidentified flying object during a scientific expedition in Himachal Pradesh” state in northern India.

“Dr. Anil V. Kulkarni of ISRO’s Space Application Centre saw the object on the morning of (Monday) September 27 (2004) while leading the expedition in the Samudra Tapu glacier region near Chandratal” in the Himalayas “4,200 metres (14,000 feet–J.T.) above sea level. Other members of the team also witnessed the unusual object.”

“The sighting had been reported to authorities in Kullu-Manali and New Delhi, and the Ahmedabad Space Centre is analysing the photographs. While Kulkarni says it’s unlikely that the object he saw was a weather balloon (though it looked like one–Dinesh C. Sharma), a member of his team felt the ‘UFO’ could be an espionage device.”

“‘We saw the bright white object moving towards our camp at about 7 a.m. It moved down the hilltop (mountainside in the USA–J.T.) towards the bottom. Eight persons from our party moved towards it, but the object kept moving towards us. Then some porters made a noise, and it started retreating in the same direction without turning around. After a while, it turned and started to move towards the hilltop,’ said Kulkarni on his return from Kullu-Manali.”

“He said, ‘The background was rocky, so we could see the white object very clearly. It was about 0.9 to 1.3 metres (3 to 4 feet) tall, and balloons were attached to the head. One was red and the rest were white. It had what looked like two legs, and it looked as if it was floating a few inches above the ground.'”

“Since it was early morning, there was mountain shadow in the region. ‘The moment it came into contact with solar radiation (sunlight) its colour changed to black. Then it took off vertically and moved along the ridge for about three to four minutes in a southerly direction. Soon after, the colour changed back to white, and it moved towards our camp. It remained stationary overhead for three to four minutes and moved towards a northerly direction and disappeared,’ the scientist said.”

“Kulkarni rules out the possibility of the object being an experimental balloon.”

“‘The object moved in a slanting direction without touching the hill. It also changed colour and was moving in a direction different to the prevailing wind. All this suggests that the object could not have been a weather balloon,'” he added.

On Tuesday, October 5, 2004, at 10:20 p.m., a UFO was seen over the city of Jaipur, in India’s Rajasthan state. Eyewitness Sanket Sharma reported, “I’m an amateur astronomer and have been studying the skies for years. I have formed a habit of looking at the skies for a few minutes every night when I park my car. I was in for a surprise today (Tuesday, October 5, 2004) when, after parking the car, I looked up in the sky and found a rather big object with several lights below it. It came from a northeasterly direction and went straight towards the southwest. It was not moving very fast.”

“It was shaped like a triangle or boomerang with lights installed along the edges. Some of the lights were focused in different directions like it was searching for something. I ran inside and called out my mom and dad, but unfortunately, by the time they had come, it was gone. I saw it for a good five to six seconds.”

“The body (fuselage) seemed black, and it was shaped like a triangle, a boomerang or an American Stealth bomber with about six to eight bright lights along the edges. I cannot estimate its height and speed precisely, but it was extremely low for a flying machine.”

Jaipur is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of New Delhi, the capital of India. (See the Hindustan Times for October 2, 2004, “A balloon, a spy-sat or a UFO?” Many thanks to Prasant Solomon of UFO India and Jim Hickman, executive director of Skywatch International, for this newspaper article. The Jaipur sighting was an Email Form Report.)

SASKATCHEWAN FAMILY SEES A UFO NEAR THE BIG DIPPER STARGATE

On Wednesday, August 25, 2004, at 11 p.m., eyewitness T.M. reported, “We were houseboating on Tobin Lake” in northern Saskatchewan province, Canada, “and were docked for the night. It was about 11 p.m., and we were sitting by a campfire when I had a brief but unforgettable experience.”

“I had been living down south for many years and was excited about the bright stars and was looking for the Big Dipper (constellation Ursa Major –J.T.) when I saw an extremely bright star and said to my group, ‘Wow! That star is really bright! Look…now it’s moving.’ And by

the time they looked, it had zipped out of sight.”

“What I saw was a bright light that was a bit brighter than any star and moved slowly from east to west and then abruptly stopped and went super-fast due north.”

 

“There is no way, first of all, that any plane could have moved that fast, and not to mention that there aren’t too many planes or jets in northern Saskatchewan. I am submitting this late because I can’t get it out of my mind and am hoping someone else has seen something similar.”

Tobin Lake is on Provincial Highway 35, located about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of Saskatoon. (Email Form Report)

(Editor’s Note: Amateur astronomer Ted Anderson also reported “heavy UFO activity” near the stargate in Ursa Major during August 2004.)

DAYLIGHT DISC SIGHTED IN HARLOW, ESSEX, UK

On Thursday, October 7, 2004, at 11:30 a.m., Pat Campion was outdoors at her home in Harlow, Essex, UK and reported, “Whilst viewing a normal plane up high in the sky” to the south “another object came into view, which at first appeared to be a plane but had no vapour stream (condensation trail or contrail in the USA–J.T.) as it crossed the path of the plane I was first observing. Then, as a small cloud, which obscured my view for about five seconds, had passed by, the object vanished unexplainably.”

Pat described the object as “Grey, circular, at a height of 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) similar to a plane.”

“I never reported on anything before, and this makes me feel a bit silly, but I know what I saw. If it was an aeroplane, then it was no ordinary plane. It looked like no other.”

“The closest likeness I can relate it to is observing a satellite in the clear night sky and, just as it passes over, the thing disappears. It was a clear sunny day with a blue sky and only a few clouds, and the object was a bit larger than a satellite, and I did not have to strain my eyes to see it.” (Email Form Report)

SAUCER IN THE BRONX

On Friday, October 1, 2004, at 5:46 a.m., Richard A.L. reported, “I was standing on the platform of the Buhre Avenue train station” in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City “waiting for the Number 6 train. I was facing east, looking up into the stars as it was a clear, crisp morning, still dark out. As I was looking up, I noticed a small, silver, round disc moving very, very slowly. Then, after a few seconds, it shot upward very quickly, then disappeared into the sky.” (Email Form Report)

TRIANGULAR UFO SIGHTED OVER BOISE, IDAHO

On Monday, October 4, 2004, at 9:50 p.m., Brad Mather reported, “I caught an object in my peripheral vision, coming over the house. Turned about 40 degrees very quickly (two-and-a-half to three seconds–B.M.) I lost sight of the object in the trees. Left no ‘tail’ like meteors do. Could have been a high skimmer but not like any meteor I’ve ever seen. I was curious if anybody else saw it.”

Brad described the UFO as “three points of light, triangular, would ‘fit’ inside the full moon. No describable body. (Maybe) three separate objects? Traveled in a straight line (but) nothing to gauge altitude or velocity by.” (Email Form Report)

NEW CATTLE MUTILATION REPORTED IN ARGENTINA

A new case of cattle mutilation was reported in a rural area south of General Acha, a small city in Argentina’s La Pampa province.

“At the rural estate known as Hucal, located south of General Acha in La Pampa (province), a total of three Aberdeen Angus cows was discovered on” three separate days–Friday, August 6; Thursday, August 12; and Thursday, August 26, 2004.

According to Planeta UFO, “the animals were missing their udders, ears, eyes, entire tongues and also showed mutilations in their maxillaries (jawbones–J.T.). The state in which these animals were found are similar to those previous cases” in La Pampa province “and which destroyed 1,300 beef cattle during 2002 and 2003.”
(See Planeta UFO for October 6, 2004, “Mutilated cows in La Pampa.” Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y Raul Oscar Chaves para estas noticias.)

CROP CIRCLE DISCOVERED IN NOYAN, QUEBEC, CANADA

“A crop circle formation measuring 20 metres (66 feet) in diameter” was discovered in Noyan, Quebec province, Canada. It was the fourteenth crop circle formation found in Canada during 2004.

“The crop circle was first reported (Saturday) September 11, 2004 in Le Canada Francais newspaper,” reported Paul Anderson of Canadian Crop Circle Research Network. “There was a radial lay of plants from the centre outward to the edge of the circle. An investigation by CCCRN is now in progress.” (Many thanks to Paul Anderson of CCCRN for this news story.)

FIRE POLTERGEIST GOES ON A RAMPAGE IN NAMIBIA

“Police are investigating an occurrence of a ghost speaking through a 13-year-old girl in Ongolongela,” a village in the southwest African nation of Namibia, “after six huts allegedly burned down.”

“The headman of the village has asked the police to arrest a man whose name was mentioned by the girl, to protect her from angry villagers who want to kill her.”

“The police commander for the Ohangwena region, Deputy Commissioner Armas Shivute, told The Namibian (newspaper) is continuing his fieldwork for the investigation.”

“‘The story, as related to me, is terrible, but we cannot arrest the person the villagers are demanding. Because you never really have proof when it comes to phenomena such as witchcraft and ghosts. All we can do is take what actions we can to protect him,’ Deputy Commissioner Shivute said.”

“According to reliable sources at Ongolongela village, 13-year-old Ndapandula Bertha Kambwali started speaking in a strange voice last month (September 2004), saying ‘I am Ndemutikila Ngulu, and I am going to burn and destroy your huts and beat you all up in that village.'”

“Ndemutikila Ngulu, a woman living in the same village, is now in danger because villagers accuse her of witchcraft and destroying their huts.”

“According to the source, a total of six huts have burned down, and ‘a ghost’ has beaten up some villagers.”

“The fires always start after the threatening voice is heard from the girl, the source explained.” (See The Namibian for September 22, 2004, “Ghost burns huts in Ongolongela.” Merci beaucoup a Robert Fischer pour cette nouvelles.)

ARE GOTHS PLANNING NEW COLUMBINE MASSACRES?

“Two Central Texas high school students have been arrested and accused of planning to recreate the (April) 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.”

Police in Cedar Park, Texas (population 26,049) “have charged the 15- and 16-year-old boys with making terroristic threats, a third degree felony.”

“Cedar Park Police Captain Jeff Hayes says the boys planned to carry out the shootings during a school pep rally.”

“He told the Austin American-Statesman (newspaper) that they had even determined particular students they planned to target.”

“He said they were waiting for a cold front so they could wear long trench coats to conceal their weapons.”

“Police discovered the plans on (Tuesday) September 28 (2004) and arrested the boys Friday,” October 1, 2004.

A plot similar to the Cedar Park, Texas conspiracy was also reported in southern Massachusetts.

“A plan by a teenager to murder teachers and students in April (2005), the same month a massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado took place in 1999, was foiled by the arrest of a Massachusetts student last month, police said on Wednesday,” October 6, 2004.

“Police said the 16-year-old boy, being held without bail in a Massachusetts jail, was arrested after police in Marshfield (population 4,246) found maps of the teenager’s school that showed gas lines and doorways and evidence that he had exploded bombs in a wooded area and contacted Web sites for information on bomb-making.”

“Marshfield Police Chief William Sullivan told a news conference that the student had named teachers and students ‘who were going to be murdered’ next April.”

“In this month in 1999, two students in Columbine, Colo. launched the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, storming their high school with bombs, shotguns and semi- automatic weapons. They murdered 13 students and a teacher and wounded more than 20 before killing themselves.”

“Police arrested the teenager, who also has been charged with being a danger to the community, because he had the ‘means and opportunity’ to create a substantial loss of life,’ Sullivan said. He added that police are still investigating whether the student was plotting alone.”

“‘We believe he was the primary mover, but we are checking out others,’ Sullivan said, adding that the school is now safe.”

Marshfield is on Route 3A and 139 about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south-southeast of Boston. (See the Austin, Tex. American-Statesman for October 2, 2004 and the Taunton, Mass. Daily Gazette for October 6, 2004, “Marshfield police say they foiled planned school massacre.”)

(Editor’s Comment: Are these just isolated copycats? Or is there something going on in the Goth underground, of which the alleged Columbine killers, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, were both members?)

FEMA LAUNCHES QUIET TRAINING PROGRAM

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has launched a quiet program to train local cadres for an unspecified emergency. But the controversial agency’s program has received little or no publicity.

According to Alabama researcher Mark Erwin, “On Tuesday (September 28, 2004), a new federally-funded FEMA- directed citizen training program began in my town called CERT.”

“CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team.”

“My neighbor’s teenaged son attended CERT’s initial orientation meeting and later showed me the equipment and materials he was given.”

“He received, free of charge, a backpack containing hundreds of dollars’ worth of gear, including a hard hat (helmet–J.T.), reflective garb for checkpoint/traffic control “duties, a high-beam flashlight, eye-guards (protective goggles–J.T.), etc.”

A few days later, Erwin’s source “was also given (again free of charge–M.E.) a special radio over which he can tap into the country’s emergency communications system.”

“Then he showed me his 300-page CERT Training Manual along with the training schedule for the upcoming weeks.”

During the 35 days of intensive training, the locally-based CERT recruits are expected to learn the following topics in their entirety:

(1) Disaster preparedness
(2) Disaster fire safety
(3) Disaster medical operations
(4) Light search and rescue
(5) CERT organization
(6) Disaster psychology

“But what really caught my eye were the last two dates on CERT’s training schedule,” Erwin reported.

“On Monday, October 25 (2004), CERT trainees will receive training on ‘Terrorism and CERT.'”

“Then, exactly one week later (Monday, November 1, 2004), CERT’s training program will conclude with a ‘Disaster simulation and examination.'”

“The final day of the CERT training program, the day CERT will climax with a ‘disaster simulation’ is none other than” the day before the USA’s Election Day.

(Editor’s Note: For the past month, there have been persistent rumors that the Bush administration will cancel the election and impose martial law as the response to a serious terrorist attack.)

Erwin added, “The CERT training timetable parallels exactly the training timetable for the Texas State Guard, leaked by a brave Guardsman to radio talk-show host Alex Jones. He told Alex that units of the Texas State Guard are being intensively trained to be ready for martial-law- style deployments the first week of November (2004).” (See “Is an Election Day Faux-Terror Event all but CERT- ain?” by Mark Erwin, copyright October 7, 2004. Many thanks to Rachelle Ward for forwarding this article.)

ANOTHER ISRAELI NABBED, THIS TIME IN OKLAHOMA

“A man responsible for the closing of a state highway in Delaware County,” Oklahoma “for three hours is familiar to the FBI, Undersheriff Dale Eberle said Monday,” October 4, 2004.

“A two-mile stretch of State Highway 20, east of Jay, Okla. (population 2,482) was closed Saturday,” October 2, 2004, “while an Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad searched the man’s car. Authorities had received a report of ‘possible terrorist activities.'”

“The FBI office in Tulsa (population 393,049) was notified, and agents were called to interview the man. He was released after being held for seven hours. The man, who identified himself as Israeli, was unable to show a passport or visa.”

“Eberle declined to identify the man since no arrests were made. The FBI received ‘some hits on his name and said they had dealt with him before,'” the undersheriff said.

“The man, approximately 40 years old, is married to a U.S. citizen, Eberle said. He did have an Arizona (driver’s) license with a Gentry, Arkansas address.”

“Saturday the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a man stopped at a convenience store near Jay and was asking directions to Oklahoma. He was driving a car with what appeared to be a pipe bomb attached to the roof.”

“Eberle said the ‘pipe bomb’ was a video camera inside tubes taking pictures of the area’s surroundings. The highway patrol determined the pipes did not contain any explosives, he said.”

“‘Our concern was for the Pensacola Dam and the two waterlands that feed Tulsa,’ Eberle said.”

“Eberle said the man was in Jay last week asking questions about the community’s industry. He also ate at a local diner, but he refused to use a metal knife or a glass because he didn’t want to leave his fingerprints, he said.”

Jay, Okla. is on State Highways 20 and 69, located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east-northeast of Tulsa. (See The Oklahoman for October 5, 2004, “FBI familiar with mysterious traveler.” Many thanks to Jim Danvers for forwarding this newspaper article.)

(Editor’s Comment: This just shows that Al-Qaeda isn’t the only group of fanatics Americans need to worry about. The Likud is perfectly capable of launching terror attacks inside the USA in order to stampede the Americans into fighting their war against Iran for them.)

MYSTERIOUS HORSE DEATHS REPORTED IN MINNESOTA

The mysterious deaths of 11 horses in Madelia, Minnesota (population 2,340) has veterinarians puzzled.

“Veterinarians and university researchers are still trying to determine why 11 of Ann Hoppe’s 32 horses suddenly died last week.”

“‘That’s the hardest part,’ Hoppe said, ‘The (veterinarians) were just absolutely dumbfounded…They thought they would find obvious signs when they got into the autopsy. They haven’t found that yet.'”

“On (Monday) Sept. 27 (2004), three of Hoppe’s horses became ill. Veterinarians from New Ulm (population 13,594) couldn’t determine the cause of the sickness. The next day, those horses and eight others died. The vets concluded that some kind of poison was responsible because of the quick onset of symptoms.”

“Hoppe said the veterinarians suggested white snakeroot as a culprit, but other officials aren’t so sure.”

Madelia, Minn. is just west of Highway 15 in Watonwan County, located about 103 miles (165 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis. (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for October 6, 2004, “Death of 11 horses remains mystery.”)

MERCURY 7 ASTRONAUT GORDON COOPER DIES

“Gordon Cooper, one of the (USA’s) original Mercury 7 astronauts died Monday,” October 4, 2004, NASA announced. He was 77.

“Cooper flew the sixth and final flight of the Mercury program–in a spacecraft known as Faith 7–in May 1963, becoming the first astronaut to sleep in space during more than 34 hours and 22 orbits of the Earth.”

“Cooper’s death leaves only three living Mercury astronauts: John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Wally Schirra. These men, selected in spring 1959 as the inaugural class of astronauts, were instant celebrities, girding to win the space race against the Soviet Union.”

In 1951, Cooper, then a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot stationed in Germany, witnessed the speedy overflight of a silver daylight disc UFO.

NASA did not release a cause of death for Cooper, who lived in Ventura, California. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and two daughters.”

“In a statement released by” NASA, “National Aeronautics and Space Administration chief Sean O’Keefe praised Cooper and extended condolences to his family.”

“‘As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America’s fledgling space program,’ O’Keefe said, ‘He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public so critical for the spirit of exploration.'”

“The youngest of the Mercury group, Cooper completed a 1963 flight that was more than three times longer than any American mission before it.”

“In 1965, he and astronaut Charles Conrad Jr. flew an eight-day mission,” Gemini V, “beset with problems.”

“Cooper left NASA and retired from the Air Force in 1970. He worked in a number of industries, including as vice president for research and development for the EPCOT theme park” in Florida. (See the Duluth, Minn. News- Tribune for October 5, 2004, “Original Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper was first to sleep in space,” page 5A.)

SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY STILL ALIVE AND ROVING

“NASA’s Mars rovers have lasted longer than expected, but the space agency won’t let them rest on their laurels.”

“Already on the second extension of their mission, rovers Spirit and Opportunity have lasted so long that mission scientists have left NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and returned to their own institutions, working via telephone and video conferences and remote networking.”

“Since landing on opposite sides of Mars in January (2004), both six-wheel robots have found evidence of water in the planet’s past–including new discoveries of rocks with polygon-shaped fractures that could indicate two eras of water activity in a crater named Endurance.”

“The rovers are still capable of work, and controllers may even have Opportunity leave Endurance Crater soon via a 25- to 30-degree slope dubbed ‘escape hatch.'”

“The rovers together have sent 50,000 images to Earth.” (See USA Today for October 11, 2004, “Mars rovers keep going and going…,” page 7D.)

FBI TAKES CONTROL OF OTHER FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

“Attorney General John Ashcroft quietly has issued a sweeping directive that authorizes the FBI to use hundreds of law enforcement agents to help investigate any terrorist plots that target the” USA’s November 2, 2004 elections.

“The directive–the first of its kind since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks–allows the FBI to tap agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as part of a nationwide effort by FBI-led counterterrorism units to seek out and stop any plots against the elections.”

“U.S. law enforcement officials continue to say that beyond intelligence reports indicating that Al-Qaeda wants to disrupt the elections, they have no specific information about an existing plot, method or target of a potential attack.”

“The directive was issued without fanfare at a time when the Bush administration is being accused by Democrats and civil-rights activists of using terrorism alerts to discourage people from voting. But it offers insight into the government’s ongoing concern about an attack similar to the deadly train bombings in Madrid last March, just before the Spanish elections.”

“‘In this time of heightened threat, I am directing that all of the (Justice) Department’s law enforcement resources be available…if and when necessary to prevent terrorist attacks,’ Ashcroft said in the directive, a copy of which was obtained by USA Today.”

“FBI and Homeland Security authorities have acknowledged that the (USA’s federal) government has deployed an undisclosed number of agents across the country to improve security during the presidential campaign and through the inauguration in January (2005).”

“Ashcroft’s directive, which remains in effect for 60 days, allows FBI field supervisors unusually broad authority to use personnel from other agencies to conduct interviews, assist in any surveillance of potential terrorism suspects and help in other anti-terror duties.”

“It’s not clear whether the FBI has used this special authority.”

“But agents have begun meeting with Muslim leaders across the country to try to gather intelligence–a move that some Muslims have criticized, saying it puts them in a position of being forced to reveal their political views or talk about their neighbors.”

“Agents have begun surveillance on an undisclosed number of people, whom the FBI views as potential terrorism suspects. Agents are also asking owners of rental storage units whether they have noticed any customers moving suspicious materials into and out of the facilities.”

“The frenzy of law enforcement activity is similar to what took place before the national political conventions and the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, where authorities were concerned that Al-Qaeda might attempt an attack.”

“But the persistent warnings about terrorism also have drawn skepticism from some Democratic (Party) election officials and civil-rights advocates, who have accused the Republican White House of creating a climate of fear that, among other things, could suppress voter turnout. Heavy voter turnout has historically favored Democrats in U.S. elections.”

“Some local officials in Indiana accused Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Republican, of trying to intimidate voters after he asked election clerks to develop responses to ‘an immediate and present danger.'”

“Engy Abdelkader, civil-rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that Arab- Americans and other minorities could choose to stay away from the polls if they believe that federal agents will be questioning people there.”

“This could have a very politically chilling effect on our community,’ Abdelkader says, ‘We are monitoring this very closely.'” (See USA Today for October 7, 2004, “FBI to get help on Election Day plots,” page 3A.)

(Editor’s Comment: For the past month, there have been persistent rumors in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Utah that the elections will be cancelled and martial law will be declared on November 1. Ashcroft’s directive has pushed us closer to the brink than ever we were during the run-up to Y2K five years ago.)

SPY BLIMP APPEARS OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.

“A whale-sized naked white blimp hovered over the nation’s capital last week, testing high-tech surveillance gear and unnerving some Washingtonians.”

“‘It didn’t have any markings on it. I didn’t know what it was doing,’ said Amy Marks, who lives in Washington and works for the National Organization for Women. ‘It was pretty strange.'”

“The Army leased the 178-foot (54-meter) airship from the American Blimp Corp. and mounted sensors and infrared and electro-optical cameras on it, to test its utility to detect possibly threatening ground movements.”

“The blimp could provide real-time images for the surveillance of pipelines, shipping channels and ports, according to an Army statement. It also could help catch or deter anyone planting roadside explosives.”

“‘What we’re looking at is just a proof of concept,’ said Navy Commander Mike Giauque, who’s working on the project with the Army’s Air, Space and Missile Defense Office in Huntsville,” Alabama.

“Cameras and sensors that provide security for U.S. troop encampments in Iraq and Afghanistan are mounted on platforms or small, tethered balloons.”

“Mounting the cameras and sensors on blimps, Giauque said, would give the system much more range. ‘You wouldn’t just have your sensor sitting outside your camp– it would give you that mobility.'”

“James Thiele, the president of American Blimp, which is based in Hillsboro, Oregon, said he hoped the military’s interest was a sign of the long-ignored blimp’s renaissance in military circles. It has been proposed for border-security patrols, too, and it could be used in urban counterterrorism surveillance, although the Army has no plans for domestic use.”

“Unlike helicopters and other aircraft, blimps can remain in the air for several days while consuming little fuel, Thiele said. They’re all but immune to puncture wounds because they’re so big and the pressure of the helium that keeps them afloat is so low.”

“When you combine some of the unique characteristics of an airship with the new surveillance technology, it’s got a pretty incredible potential,’ Thiele said.”

(Editor’s Comment: You also get scenes straight out of Michael Moorcock’s 1973 science fiction novel, The Warlord of the Air. Blimps could conceivably take over the New World Order’s 24/7 aerial surveillance duties, freeing up the black helicopters for a combat role.)

“‘Since 9/11, there’s certainly been a more open mind about any technology that works,'” Thiele added.

“The blimp, which also cruised over Chesapeake Bay to test its utility in shipping surveillance, heads to Huntsville next for further tests.” (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for October 3, 2004, “Spy blimp test makes some Washingtonians jittery,” page 19A.)

READER FEEDBACK:

A LOOK BACK AT SUMER

Concerning UFO Roundup volume 9, number 35, for September 1, 2004, “4000 B.C.: Iraq’s mysterious pyramids,” page 12, reader Iris Freelander wrote, “I am grateful to be on your mailing list and for the fascinating information that you give us. When you recently wrote about Iraq, it was particularly interesting to me for it gave credence to information that I received in a Meditation that I experienced with two friends in Sedona, Arizona in 1995.”

“Ed had asked me if I had ever described, in past- life recall through Meditation, times the three of us had been together. My response was, ‘No, but let’s ask right now.'”

“Subsequently revealed to me was a life in Sumer, in Mesopotamia (Not ‘Macedonia,’ I was told–I.F.), located between the two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. I had been a priestess in a temple. Ed had been my son, who created and maintained the lighting system in the temple. The other friend, Evelyn, had been a healer who would very sucessfully heal with herbs.”

“Thanks again for your fascinating information.” (Editor’s Comment: Iris’s letter tweaked my curiosity, so I dug out my copy of The Ancient Near East, my source book on the Sumerian civilization. Sure enough, there was an order of priestesses dedicated to Ninkarrak, the goddess of healing.)

Report From the Editor

If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. This CGI-fest is truly “the movie for the nerds, by the nerds.” It has the look and feel of a “lost sci-fi film” from the 1930s. Among the scenes that me laugh were the miniaturized elephant (similar to a scene in Dr. Cyclops, 1940); the underwater wreck of the S.S. Venture (from King Kong, 1933); and the partially-submerged dinosaur on Dr. Totenkopf’s island (primordial Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, 1980).

The Day After Tomorrow is now out on DVD, joining Fahrenheit 911 and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed on the shelves. I can’t decide which scene is funnier–Attorney General John Ashcroft trying to sing like Mel Torme, or Scooby on the dance floor at the Faux Ghost.

From the UFO Files…

1908: RAGGEDY ANNE IN SPACE

I came across this odd little case while researching the UFO flap in the USA’s six New England states during October 1908. Just three days before a black spherical UFO was sighted in Bridgewater, Massachusetts by John E. Flynn and Philip S. Prophett, there was this strange disappearance in Walpole, Mass., just 14 miles (23 kilometers) to the northwest.

Here it is:

“Tired and bedraggled after their all-night search, the 250 men who beat the bushes in this vicinity returned today (October 28, 1908) without finding a trace of pretty little three-year-old Emma Schneider, who disappeared yesterday (October 27, 2004). In spite of the fact that they are pretty well exhausted, the search was revived again.”

“The sympathy of the whole town has been evoked for John and Emma Schneider, parents of the child. The little one is a great favorite, and the townspeople took her strange disappearance to heart and promise to remain on the hunt until she has been located, no matter how long this may take.”

“All yesterday morning, the little girl played about the yard of her house on Norfolk Street” in Walpole, Mass. “with her (Raggedy Anne) doll, toys and kitten. In the afternoon, a group of gypsies passed the place, yet Mrs. Schneider thought nothing of it. A short while later, she looked for little Emma, who could not be found. Then the frantic mother ran and gave the alarm. The town and church bells were rung, calling out the entire populace.”

“When the facts of the case became known, search was immediately begun, and a body of men, thinking perhaps the little one had strayed into the cedar swamp near the house, scattered and went through it, going over every inch of ground without finding a single clew that gave an inkling as to the whereabouts of the child.”

“Early today (October 28, 1908), in another part of the forest was found a little kitten crying and straying, thoroughly bewildered. This gave a ray of hope as it was thought that the child had carried her pet with her. The search was renewed with renewed vigor but nothing resulted.”

“While the woods were being searched by the volunteers, the police officers of the town started off after the gypsies. They trailed them (south) for some distance and arrived at the conclusion that they were camped somewhere in Mansfield. The chances are that the camp will be visited sometime today, although the searching of the woods, too, will be continued.”

“When the little girl was last seen, she had on blue (denim) overalls, such as children wear while playing, black shoes and no hat. She is described as having blue eyes and light hair. On her there is a scratch received in playing.”

Just as hopes of finding the girl began to fade, Emma made a startling reappearance.

“After a search all night Tuesday and the greater part of today (October 28, 1908), Emma Schneider, 3 years old, was found in a swamp about a mile and a half from her home. The child was suffering somewhat from hunger and exposure but was otherwise all right.”

“Her tiny face wan and white from 34 hours’ exposure in the dismal cedar swamp where she had strayed, Emma Schneider, 3 years old, was returned to her anguished mother at three o’clock yesterday afternoon (October 28, 1908) by Fireman William Donohue, who found the child after an all-night and all-day search by the (Walpole) police and fire department and 300 citizens.”

“Around the mother and the big fireman crowded the army of searchers, and the weeping woman clasped her child to her breast and covered the little upturned face with kisses, hats were thrown in the air, and a mighty cheer burst forth. In her moment of supreme joy, the mother fainted.”

“Until the child recovers from her fright and exhaustion, how she came to be lost in the cedar swamp cannot be told, and even then her baby prattle may not fully explain the mystery.”

Emma’s beloved doll, Raggedy Anne, remained missing.

As I pointed out in my Fortean Studies article on the 1908 UFO flap, “The day before Emma Schneider went missing, two boys, Charles Kirby and Edward Murphy, both aged nine, became lost in the woods in Holliston, Mass. The boys were found after three hours by local police officers and 50 volunteers. This party searched a wooded area three times as large and far more rural than Emma’s neighborhood in Walpole. Yet somehow little Emma managed to elude her 300-man search party for 34 hours.”

The Emma Schneider case properly belongs to a category that Fortean researcher Bob Rickard calls Taken Away and Brought Back (TABB). There is no real proof that she was abducted by aliens.

But I can’t help but wonder if Emma, at age 72, having taken her grandchildren to see the premiere of Star Wars in 1977, experienced a strange inexplicable feeling of deja vu as she watched the movie.

One other thing–Walpole, Mass. is also famous for the disappearance of Peter Rugg and his daughter in the Eighteenth Century. Rugg has entered Bay State folklore as “the man who’ll never return.” But this wasn’t a TABB case. Pete and his daughter were “taken away”…period! (See Fortean Studies – Volume 3, “Monkey Business: The New England UFO Flap of 1908” by Joseph Trainor, John Brown Publishing, London, 1996, pages 270 and 271. See also the Attleboro, Mass. Sun for October 28, 1908, “Hundreds Search All Night for Little Girl,” and for October 29, 1908, “Walpole Child is Found in Swamp;” and the Pawtucket, R.I. Times for October 29, 1908, “Child Found,” page 2.)

Well, that’s it for this week. Join us in seven days for more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the planet Earth, brought to you by “the paper that goes home- -UFO Roundup.” See you next time!

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