 Welcome to the March 2005 round up of news and views on UFOs, alien abductions, crop circles, ghosts, the paranormal, the unexplained, the weird and the wonderful.
Daily Mail UFO Article
Media interest in UFO documents and files released under the Freedom of Information Act continues, and many national and local newspapers have run features on the subject. I was commissioned by the daily Mail to write a full page article on this, which duly appeared on February 2. The article covered the history of the Ministry of Defence UFO project, and highlighted some of the most interesting sightings that the Department has investigated.
Newcastle Science Festival
I will be speaking at the Newcastle Science Festival on Saturday March 12. Details of the festival can be found at http://www.newcastlesciencefestival.co.uk while the hyperlink http://www.newcastlesciencefestival.co.uk/eventdetail.asp?e=49 should take you to brief details of my presentation. I spoke last year at the Cheltenham Festival of Science and have previously debated the subject at the Dana Centre, which is part of the Science Museum in London. I always welcome the opportunity to discuss the UFO phenomenon at a science event, as it presents an opportunity to explain that UFOs can and should be the study of serious study, done in line with proper scientific methodology. If you can get to Newcastle, I look forward to seeing you.
Species III
I have been doing some promotional work in respect of the forthcoming rental release of the new collectors edition DVD of the cult sci-fi movie Species III. The DVD will be released on March 28, and stars Natasha Henstridge and Sunny Mabrey. As anybody who has watched Metropolis or Barbarella will tell you, sex and sci-fi mix very well. Species III is a case in point. Look out for the DVD with its numerous special features, and for various UFO and alien related articles coinciding with the release. Sci-fi and horror fans alike will love this.
Aliens: Why They Are Here
Sunday Times cultural commentator Bryan Appleyard has a new book published in March, examining the UFO and alien abduction phenomenon in a cultural context. Although not yet received for review, the book - published by Simon & Schuster - is bound to provoke debate. More on this next month.
Blue Book Archive
The United States Air Force UFO research effort, codenamed Project Blue Book, was the big brother, so to speak, of the UK project that I stewarded from 1991 to 1994. The archives are extensive, and still a great resource for anyone with a serious interest in UFOs. Check out http://www.bluebookarchive.org for access to this fantastic ufological resource.
The Hijack - Remote Viewing Novel
Thriller author Duncan Falconer has written several best-selling novels dealing with terrorism and special forces. He knows his stuff, as they say. His book The Hijack, apart from being an exciting read, covers the subject of remote viewing. Alternatively known as psychic spying, this technique has been tried by various governments, to see if they can use it to locate submarines, drugs caches and other items of interest. When I ran the UK UFO project I had a steady stream of people volunteering to psychic spy for their county, simply because my office became the focal point for anything weird and wonderful. It is interesting to see the concept worked into a novel, especially one so gripping as this. Check out http://www.andrewlownie.co.uk/books/falconer.duncan/hijack.shtml for further details.
X-Conference 2005
The second X-Conference, organised by Stephen Bassett, will be held on April 22-24 2005, in Washington DC. Check out http://www.paradigmclock.com/X-Conference/X-Conference.htm for details of the conference, and check http://www.paradigmclock.com/ for details of the wider UFO disclosure orientated work undertaken by Stephen Bassett. The details of the participating speakers are now firming up and include Stanton Friedman, Ann Druffel, Robert and Ryan Wood, Jaime Maussan, Michael Salla, Paola Harris, Richard Dolan and Alfred Webre.
Psychic Detective
The TV show Psychic Detective is looking for people who have had a mysterious death or disappearance in the family, with a view to engaging a psychic medium to look into the case. I am not involved with this show, and sceptics would doubtless regard this as exploitative, but some people may want to engage in this, and one should never prejudge the results. The TV production company can be contacted by email on [email protected] or telephoned on 020 7515 2332. Ed's Note:
Nick Pope has written four books. Open Skies, Closed Minds is an overview of the UFO phenomenon with the emphasis on his official Ministry of Defence research and investigation. The Uninvited is an overview of the alien abduction mystery. Operation Thunder Child and Operation Lightning Strike are science fiction novels about alien invasion, incorporating UFO and abduction data. All four titles are available from most good bookshops and all the usual Internet book sites.
Nick Pope has a website, which can be accessed at www.nickpope.net |
