 Welcome to the May 2005 round up of news and views on UFOs, alien abductions, crop circles, ghosts, the paranormal, the unexplained, the weird and the wonderful.
London UFO Conference
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. Keynote speakers are Dr Richard Haines, Timothy Good, Dr Vladimir Rubtsov, Dr Viktor Zhuravlev and myself. Click on http://www.wddty.co.uk/ufo_conference_info.asp for further details of this major UFO conference.
Countdown To Oblivion
Recently received for review, an extraordinary new book about alien abductions, entitled Countdown To Oblivion. Written by D J Haskell and published by Trafford Publishing (UK) Ltd, this book reads in many ways more like some of the old contactee titles. Some may see this book as quite New Age in its approach, and sceptics will doubtless question much of the material, especially that part relating to the enigmatic entity referred to as The Stranger. However, this is an intriguing addition to alien abduction literature, and is bound to spark debate about the true nature of the UFO phenomenon and the alien abduction mystery. Check out www.trafford.com for further details.
Mars
In the aftermath of the ill fated Beagle 2 mission, the European Space Agency has announced its intention to return to the Red Planet, with a new mission due to leave the Earth in 2011 and arrive in 2013. This new mission would again include a roving robot, and a key aim would be to search for evidence of life. The details of the mission have yet to be agreed, but the intention is clear. One option being considered is a mission to return Martian rocks to Earth for study.
Nexus Conference
Nexus magazine runs an interesting mix of esoteric material, conspiracy theories, allegedly suppressed information, ufology and the paranormal. Their annual conference is due to take place from May 13 - 15 in Amsterdam. Speakers will include Laurence Gardner, Linda Moulton Howe, David Hatcher Childress, Alfred Lambremont Webre and Nexus publisher and editor Duncan Roads. Subjects to be covered include the Tunguska incident, Mary Magdalene, UFO crash retrievals, ancient Egyptian knowledge, mind control and out of body experiences. Check out www.nexusmagazine.com for details.
Moon Dust
Andrew smith has written a fascinating new book about the space programme, focusing on how the Apollo astronauts adjusted to life back on Earth. This is an extraordinary book about some extraordinary men. The views of Edgar Mitchell are interesting, and his deeply spiritual beliefs have already been published in his own fascinating book, The Way of the Explorer. Nonetheless, one is left with a sense that these extraordinary brave individuals have found it difficult to adjust to life back on Earth, as if everything that followed their brief adventure was an anti climax. Fascinating, tragic and a little disturbing.
More Planet Earths
British scientists at the Open University have published new theories supporting the idea that approximately half of all planetary systems could harbour a planet like Earth. The new theoretical models suggest that such planets may exist in far greater numbers than previously suggested, offering the tantalising prospect that extraterrestrial life could be far more widespread than previous estimates made by SETI scientists such as Frank Drake. The research has been published in Astrophysical Journal.
New Piatkus Catalogue
The new Piatkus book catalogue is out, detailing titles due to be published in the second half of 2005. Piatkus publish a wide range of paranormal and New Age titles, and books in the latest catalogue include Phenomenon by Sylvia Browne and Life Before Life, a book by Dr Jim B Tucker about reincarnation claims made by children. Check out www.piatkus.co.uk for further 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 |
