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Welcome to the April 2006 round up of news and views on UFOs, alien abductions, crop circles, ghosts, the paranormal, the unexplained, the weird and the wonderful.
Rendlesham Forest
The March issue of the Ministry of Defence magazine Focus contained an article that I wrote on the Rendlesham Forest UFO incident. I wanted in particular to nail the lie that this sighting was simply lights in the sky, so the article was illustrated by sketches taken from one of the United States Air Force witness statements, depicting the UFO and the strange hieroglyphs seen on its hull. Check out http://www.nickpope.net/latest_news.htm for the full text of the article.
Rendlesham Forest UFO Cartoon
The abovementioned article was accompanied by a cartoon linking my Rendlesham Forest UFO article with another story about the launch of the latest Skynet satellite. It shows two aliens in a UFO orbiting Earth and witnessing the Skynet satellite being launched. One alien is saying to the other "It's a UFO alright! Do a quick sketch and report it to the Flying Saucer Working Party". Note that the symbols on the side of the alien spaceship are taken directly from the sketch in the official United States Air Force (USAF) witness statement written by Jim Penniston. It is always interesting when ufological motifs are incorporated into popular culture, but seeing them incorporated into government publications is comparatively rare. Click on http://www.nickpope.net/images/UFO_SKYNET.jpg to see the cartoon and http://www.nickpope.net/images/UFO%20Symbols.jpg to see the symbols from the USAF witness statement. Finally, click on http://www.nickpope.net/images/UFO%20Sketch.jpg to see the sketch of the craft from the USAF witness statement. Sceptics think the UFO sighting was caused by the beam of a lighthouse, shining through the trees. Look at the images from the official USAF witness statement. What do you think?
Just Flights Of Fancy?
On 21 March the London newspaper Metro ran an article on UFOs, reflecting the resurgence of media and public interest in the subject. Check out http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?
in_article_id=11101&in_page_id=2 for the text of the article. I was quoted and even the dear old Fortean Times got a mention, with the current editor contradicting the previous editor, who had suggested that ufology was dead.
Alien Autopsy
On 7 April the new Ant and Dec film Alien Autopsy will be released in the UK and will re-ignite the debate over one of the most iconic pieces of film footage of the modern era. Prepare for controversy.
Sky One Alien Autopsy Documentary
In parallel with the abovementioned films, some television documentaries are to be broadcast, focusing on the alien autopsy film footage that caused so much controversy among ufologists. Channel Five are to screen a show, and Sky One are to broadcast a documentary on Saturday 4 April at 8pm. I took part in this latter programme and look forward to the debate on this subject being re-ignited.
Forbidden Knowledge Conference
I occasionally still lecture in the UK, though I have had to cut back my appearances recently, due to the pressure of other commitments. One conference I am very much looking forward to attending is the Forbidden Knowledge conference, due to take place on 1 July, in Stoke on Trent. Organised by Philip Gardiner, author of 'The Serpent Grail', the conference will feature presentations by Andrew Collins, Karen Ralls, Alan Alford, Graham Phillips, Michael Cremo and many more. Check out http://gardinerosborn.com/forbidden_conference.html for details. The conference will concentrate on esoteric and forbidden knowledge as opposed to ufology, but given the popularity of books such as 'The Da Vinci Code', this one is bound to be popular. The media will be there in force. Tickets are selling fast, so book now.
Paraquest Conference
Another UK conference at which I am speaking is the Paraquest conference, taking place on Sunday 14 May at Sale Masonic Hall, Sale, in Cheshire. Check out http://www.paraquest.org.uk/ for more details.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 |
