 Welcome to the June 2005 round up of news and views on UFOs, alien abductions, crop circles, ghosts, the paranormal, the unexplained, the weird and the wonderful.
The Scientific Evidence For UFOs
Details of what promises to be the most ambitious UFO conference held in the UK for several years have now been announced. The Scientific Evidence For UFOs is a one day conference being held in London on Saturday June 11, at the Friends Meeting House on Euston Road. Keynote speakers include Dr Richard Haines, Dr Vladimir Rubtsov, Dr Viktor Zhuravlev and myself. Click on www.wddty.co.uk/ufo_conference_info.asp for further details of this major UFO conference, which is latest in the series of conferences organised by Living The Field. Check out www.livingthefield.com for details of this organisation.
Festival of Near Death Experience
On July 29 a bizarre festival will be held in North West Spain, close to the border with Portugal. People who have had near death experiences come together to celebrate their resurrection as part of a bizarre event that one suspects the Catholic Church only tolerates with extreme reluctance, despite a nod to their patron saint of resurrection, Santa Marta De Ribarteme. Those who have had these experiences take part in a procession, carrying or lying in a coffin. The celebration is held in the town of As Neves in Galicia, but other towns in the region, such as Amil, have similar events. Search within the www.tourspain.es site for details, or try Google.
Astraea Magazine
I have just recorded a major new interview with Astraea Magazine, an exciting new internet magazine devoted to a wide range of esoteric subjects. Experts already featured include Dr Robert Lomas and Michael Cremo, while the subjects range from Egyptology and Black Madonnas to Freemasonry and UFOs. Check out www.astraeamagazine.com for more details.
New Jack The Ripper Theory
Author Trevor Marriott has a new theory about Jack The Ripper, which he has published in a new book, entitled Jack The Ripper: The 21st Century Investigation. Marriott suggests that the Ripper may have been a sailor, and draws parallels between the London attacks and killings in Nicaragua. He even identifies a cargo vessel on which he believes the Ripper may have served, and attempts to track his movements around the globe, tying them in to brutal murders that fit the modus operandi of the Ripper.
Results of Alien Abduction Study
Regular readers of this column will recall that I have featured the work of Professor Chris French at Goldsmiths College, University of London, who has recently undertaken a scientific study into the alien abduction phenomenon. I had a meeting with Chris and his team at the outset of the project, discussing methodology, helped promote the study and encouraged abductees I had worked with to take part. The analysis is now complete and Chris will be giving an overview of the study at a conference to be held at Liverpool Hope University College on Saturday June 4. Check out www.hope.ac.uk/anomalousexperience/programme.htm for details of this talk and other lectures in the Developing Perspectives on Anomalous Experience conference. Other topics covered will include séances, out of body experiences, hauntings and ESP. The full report on the abduction study will be ready shortly after Chris presents his overview on June 4. I will return to this in my column next month.
Crop Circles
The crops are ripening in the fields, and it will not be long before the debate about crop circles resurfaces, as it does every summer, in England. I await with interest the annual reports, and suspect that they will begin shortly. I suspect that in my column next month, I will have some interesting things to report.
UFOs on TV
Because of the fact that I used to head the UFO Project run by the British Government, I am frequently approached by television and film production companies, asking me to give interviews, act as consultant or present shows dealing with this subject. I try to help out when I can, although the pressure of other business precludes the time I have for such media projects. What I can say is that there are numerous UFO related media projects which will be appearing on your TV screens shortly. 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 |
