Screen shot of video footage cleared for public release and shared by Dr. Kirkpatrick during Wednesday’s Senate hearing on UAP, filmed with electro-optical sensors on board an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Middle East (Credit: DOD/AARO). In this film clip a silver spherical object moves across the frame. Given the source - the military and the government - this is a hard to debunk clip.
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Monday, September 16, 2024
Spheres and Orbs
Sunday, August 18, 2024
THE UFO THAT WASN'T: Project 1794 aka "Avro Aircraft" aka "Project Silver Bug"
The images were hits in newsreels, magazines, and all attempts at debunking any and all reports of unidentified flying objects. Long before there was any such project envisioned military and governments claimed they had "flying saucers" and they were really just radical experimental designs.
In late 1956 and 1957 the USAF entered a contract with the Avro Aircraft Ltd. company to design and construct a working prototype of an aircraft able to transcend some specific or particular issues. The AF was aware of the limitations of existing traditional landing and take-off situations - long runaway, wider runways, needing thicker and thicker substructure construction for the increased weight and loads of aircraft. They liked the idea of vertical take-offs and landing and explored numerous designs in early helicopter and vertical takeoff craft.
In February of 1955 "Project Silver Bug" seemed a viable solution. In the report to the USAF of that date they explained that the resulting disc shaped craft was not influenced by science fiction or accounts of objects in the skies but from designers and technical types trying to answer the Air Force's specified need for "dispersed base operations." They needed a craft that could get in and get out without the long runway hindrance.
A result was PROJECT 1794 aka Project Silver Bug.
I do not believe these were the products of copying downed alien craft; they would have worked better if that were the case. Sadly, the end result seen in old films is a less than stellar demonstration of an object struggling to stay level at only three feet of altitude.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
37th High Strangeness: 37th Parallel and Bizarre Activities
Does the parallel reveal a more bizarre history than other locations? The map seems to change depending on the amount earth curvature goes into the map. Some show a line at the Kansas-Nebraska border while others show the same line at the Kanas and Oklahoma borders. Bad geography or something else?
Landmarks on the 37th parallel include --
Santa Cruz, California; Gilroy, California; Madera, California; Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley;Colorado City, Arizona; the Four Corners at the intersection with the 32nd meridian west from Washington (the only place where four U.S. states meet at a point);
Cairo, Illinois;
Bowling Green, Kentucky; and
Newport News, and Hampton, Virginia. It enters the Chesapeake Bay at the northernmost tunnel entrance / exit of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and the southernmost point of Old Point Comfort on the former Army base, Ft. Monroe.
The question may be: is there a less US-centric way of looking at the issue? Based on all US cases they appear to occur within the 40-30 parallel range. This seems to reflect cases from Asia and Europe as well.
Where would the South America, African, and Australian cases fall? Would a similar grouping be found there? What might those results indicate? What could be learned from looking at it globally?
In the 1950s and 1960s reports of UFOs they tended to be seen them moving NW to SE or the reverse. SW to the NE was another frequent route. Were they using a circumpolar path? Are there similar trends in other nations that might add to this information and provided some additional clues?
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Fringe Topics: Barbara Bartholic and the Reptilian Overlords
The description of the book is short. "My research began with hosting the Heaven's Gate people before they were Heaven's Gate. I went on to work for seven years with Jacque Vallee. He was portrayed as the French scientist in the movie, 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' Vallee and I traveled around the U.S. and around the world researching cattle mutilations, UFO sightings and abductions."
Finally, the book was the work of Barbara Bartholic (Author), Peggy Fielding (Contributor). Bartholic was Tulsa, Oklahoma's well recognized UFO investigator and researcher. She used hypnosis and regression techniques as analytical tools. When troubled people who suspected UFO abduction in their pasts, learned of her work, they were (says the book blurb) relieved that there is someone whom they can call out to for help.
Bartholic, who was nationally, even internationally, known for her work in the field, also produced a number of video documentaries and written materials covering the UFO experiences of people from all over the U.S.
Peggy Fielding is a writer and teacher of writers. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and taught writing at Tulsa Community College. She has degrees from Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma and the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, R.P. She is the author of several nonfiction books, two novels, hundreds of short stories and articles in local and national magazines.
It is interesting to compare this work with the work of Dr. John E. Mack, an American scientist who studied personality and related fields at Harvard, who traveled globally to study the ufo/abductee phenomena.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
There is Skeptical and then there is Skeptical
As a researcher who has poured over original documents, digitized copies, and explored many an archive and newspaper morgue, I have a broad understanding of the role of skepticism as it applies to the field of the unexplained.
J. Allen Hynek wrote in the early 1970's that the official stance to odd things reported was "such and such cannot happen" and therefore "it did not happen." The process of scientific exploration was sidelined.
Reviewing some past rebuttals in the historic record reveals some common behaviors.
1. Reject the Idea of anything out of the normal. This is clear when reports and news accounts are rejected and rebutted without anyone actually investigating.
2. Offer up A Substitute Explanation. It does not need to fit just throw it against the wall and see if it sticks.
3. Repeat as Needed.
In recent years, this routine has reappeared. This time the hecklers have expanded to social media, pod casts, etc.
Scenario #1- Person X shares a strange object they saw in the skies to an online social platform. Immediate responses showing the people had not read the entry in total (with mentions of directional changes, etc.). The posts - "it's a satellite"; "rolling eyes" graphic; "I knew the conspiracy nuts would show up!"
Scenario #2 - Person on Y shares a strange object and they KNOW what it was. The galactic overlords have arrived! They post an image that is clearly Starlinks, Falcon 9, etc. Yet, despite the informative posts they refuse to listen and accuse those voices of trying to silence the truth.
In many ways these are similar situations. In ech case is a lack of an open mind, willing to learn, test new ideas, and find facts.
Too much at either end of this spectrum is unhealthy to expanding human knowledge. The extremes are where the concept of "faith" or "science" takes over in oddly similar religious-like devotion. The skeptics worship a never changing science and the other extreme believes anything.
Target somewhere in the middle....
Friday, June 28, 2024
Friday, June 21, 2024
"Interrogation Forms": A Reflection of the Attitude to Witnesses
From the initial days of the US UFO story, there is ample evidence that the FBI and Military investigative services interviewed people about what they had seen. The FBI was brought in because they were concerned with the security clearances of individuals and because they had helped to investigate the backgrounds of many government workers it was natural they be involved. From the start they people - military and civilian - were not interviewed they were "interrogated." There was no "interview form" but there was an "interrogation form" that would be recreated and improved several times during the 1950's.
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary the term "interrogation" is defined as "a process of asking someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information, sometimes using threats or violence..."
Modern meanings, include those from the The Handbook of The SAS And Elite Forces: How the Professionals Fight and Win. (Edited by Jon E. Lewis. p.186-Tactics And Techniques, Evasion, Capture and Escape. Robinson Publishing Ltd 1997. ISBN 1-85487-675-9), that defines it as - "Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful information, particularly information related to suspected crime. Interrogation may involve a diverse array of techniques, ranging from developing a rapport with the subject to torture" (Wikipedia).
In essence, the process of interview and interrogation come from opposing ends of a spectrum of soliciting information.
Interrogation presumes hidden facts, motives, and actions. It presumes guilt.
Interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers. The purpose is to collect information, facts, data, and evaluates the skills of the observer and the nature of the observed event.
Was it any wonder the initial UFO history was fraught with problems? Many assumed witnesses were Soviet operatives or closet communists set to destabilize a government. Many assumed the craft were secret Soviet ships designed to lead an invasion. The authorities ALWAYS drove home the HOAXER, the CRACKPOT, and the DRUNKS as a primary causative for the sightings.
Ridicule did the rest...
TRACKING THE UFO HUNTERS
Sunday, June 9, 2024
A Tale of Two Lights - August 25, 1951
The famed lights over Lubbock, Texas in August of 1951 are a fascinating case of unknown lights in the skies. Many accept the government claims of light reflections on migrating birds and others do not. One important element in historical research into the unidentified phenomenon involves locative vision. It is tunnel vision to a specific location. For the Air Force and other researchers, the focus was on reports for a specific time and location. Seldom were investigators encouraged to make the logical next step of asking "where did the lights go?" or "where did they come from?" It was very experiential and location oriented. Given that so much background data was keep from the public and other research inclined groups it was easy to keep such events locked in a single location.
Sometimes, however, that was hard to do.
ON August 25, 1951, around 9:30 p.m. in the community of Lubbock, Texas, three local professors from Texas Technical College observed from a back yard a very strange object fly overhead.
The "Lubbock Lights" would be seen several times and by many people. A few sightings were labeled birds but others did not fit that explanation at all.
Various claims in following days of sightings of what was dubbed a "flying wing" seem like scrambled attempts to explain something hard to explain. The professors in Texas and the witnesses in New Mexico had agreed strongly on one point - they object made no sound.
The idea they professors and others had seen migrating Plover birds was denounced by experts as a blanket explanation. Some things seen by people were migrating birds and they recognized them as such. They were reported to act different than the "lights."
A local youth took two good photos of the v- shaped object and was instantly labeled a hoaxer. The photos, however, had stood the test of time and recent tests with modern technology indicate they should be studied more.
Several hundred miles northwest (320 miles) of Lubbock, just about fifteen minutes after the professors watched the strange lighted object silently pass through the night sky...a couple was driving in the cool of a New Mexico night.
In the dark skies over Albuquerque, New Mexico August 25, 1951, (at about 9:45 p.m.), witnesses reported seeing an odd sight. In the region with its high population of experts and scientists of every field it made it almost a given the witnesses would be topflight quality and they were. They reported driving back from an evening out and seeing an object making no sound, lacking the standard, and required landing lights of normal aircraft, pass eerily just overhead as they slowed their vehicle.
The object appeared chevron shaped with 6-8 brilliant mercury white lights all along the trailing edge (back half) of the "wings." The witnesses estimated the thing was moving about 300-400 mph at 160 degrees and with an altitude of 1000 ft. One witness noted it was "similar to the Flying Wing but one and a half times larger than a B26..."
The object this couple witnessed was moving south to southeast and some other accounts of the object indicate seeing bluish-green lights.
The underside of the object had what appeared to be black strips. The black stripes reflected light, but no reflection was seen anywhere else. Of note is that if this had been caused by a reflection of birds the reverse would be seen). Also, stripes of white and black were used in wartime to distinguish "friendly craft" from unfriendly.
On November 10, 1951, the couple in New Mexico were shown a photograph and a letter regarding the sighting at Lubbock, Texas. The couple had supplied their own sketch of what they saw and when shown the photograph they felt it appeared similar to what they had seen.
The obvious conclusion is that both cases reflect people observing a startling similar object. Also flying low, no sound was observed, and the craft bore no standard anti-collision or required lighting. Its size, silence, and apparent speed (if indeed the same objects) are unique.
Was it a stealth balloon, a forerunner of the large covert dirigibles used to collect information? The silence seems to preclude traditional and conventional power sources. The dark reflective lines under the "wings" of the delta or chevron shape are also interesting. Radar reflectors to enhance or jam the craft being read by radar?
A truly interesting case that should have been studied in greater depth.
Friday, May 31, 2024
New Book Available on Amazon: 1965-The Summer of the Saucers by Marilyn A. Hudson
Following on the heels of "1947: Those Saucy Saucers" comes another important and pivotal year in the study of unidentified flying objects. Here are seasonal looks into what was being reported in skies - around the globe in 1965. The high point was the summer, but the spring months saw a buildup and the fall saw a decrease but also some incredible events.
Oddly, most online searches for events of that year return only one event: The Kecksburg Incident. It was a grand finale to a truly fascinating year of objects seen by some of the high levels of respected observers and they came from around the world.
It is impossible to truly understand what is happening today without understanding what really happened in the past. In both "1947" and "1965" there is crucial historical context given to reveal the scope and involvement of the sightings, the level of response by "investigators" and the rest of the facts often ignored at the time and since then.
Available in paperback and Kindle formats.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
The "Mandela Effect": A Twist in Reality?
One of the themes in modern UAP studies is the concept of redefining reality and opening the possibilities that reality is flexible, co-existing with other parallel realities, and may present a vast new understanding of how things work.
In 2008 the Hadron Collider went online but experienced a major problem requiring it to be down and out of service for most of 2009.
In 2009, a self-proclaimed paranormal researcher coins a term to describe what she observed happening with her memories and others. "The Mandela Effect" - a mass memory glitch where people mis-remember common things.
But - is that correct? Is there an "effect" or just common memory mangling?
Cited events:
- A children's book series: Berenstain Bears vs Berenstein Bears
Note: News articles for the books were found from the early 1990's with the "Berenstain" spelling.
- A logo for underwear: Fruit of the Loom w Cornucopia vs Without
Item: Part of the confusion may be there was a familiar cornucopia image /print that was distributed to students and homes via calendar's etc. and the two might have become conflated, Although, some have said they found shirts with the cornucopia in thrift stores.
-A movie called Shazaam! vs. Kazaam!
-A hot dog brand: Oscar Mayer vs Oscar Meyer
Note: Ads were found for "Oscar Meyer" - mostly local store ads. So, people could be remembering correctly if not the correct name.
- A brand of peanut butter: Jiff vs Jiffy
Note: Found "Jiffy Peanut Butter Ad" The Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 58, No. 19, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 22, 1971on Page: 20 of 20
Memory - key to witness testimonies and self-actualization - is important. It is also faulty. This why we have the written record, why we take notes, and have photographs.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Global Day of Disclosure: July 7, 2024
Disclosure. The truth brought into the open....
It is a special day on the calendar for several years but....Will 2024 by "Lies No More" or "The same - Just More?"
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Dying to Meet Them: One Woman’s Incredible Journey from N.D.E. to U.A.P., Author Mindy Tautfest
"Dying to Meet Them" is a book that should be widely read, and widely discussed, among academics, theologians, theorists, and any who dare to wonder what reality actually is and how life is lived and the nature of death.
Down Turns in Transparency
A couple of recent events have set up major roadblocks for the cause of government transparency.
A renewed emphasis on locking down information and access to that information. (See Former UFO boss: Pentagon needs to be less secretive - POLITICO).
The cause for this shuttering maybe simple. Within weeks of each other two more mysterious (because their origin was unknown) balloons were over or near the United States.
February 23, 2024 (a year after a famous spurt of Spy balloons) US Military tracked in air an unknown. A day or so later it was alleged to be a probable hobby balloon. (Balloon observed over southwest US likely a ‘hobby’ and has left US airspace, NORAD says (msn.com) Since flight paths are required even for hobby balloons; it should have been easy to eliminate the "probable" from that answer.
March 2024 - Possible spy balloon found by fisherman off the Alaskan coast. (Fishermen delivering possible spy balloon to FBI in Alaska | CNN Politics).
As a result, this author believes that the transparency issue will be placed on hold in the name of national defense. It is a protective screen and a favored tool in the debunking and misdirection kit of those in government.
Pentagon Released image |
Friday, February 23, 2024
Saucers and the Sunflower State: Author Marilyn A. Hudson Shares Experiences and Historic Accounts
Born and raised in Kansas, author-researcher Marilyn A. Hudson, has added two titles to her collection of UFO/UAP related works.
SUNFLOWER SAUCERS gives an overview of the historic cases reported in Kansas since the days of the Air Ships. A chronology of events with historic context and important details often ignored.
ENCOUNTER IN KANSAS is the author's own experiences and the results of her research into the time period for other - similar - accounts in the region fitting her personal experiences.
Previous works include Oklahoma Bad Girls, Bars and Bawds of Early Oklahoma, Sooner Saucers (vol, 1 & 2), UFOS over Oklahoma: a Short Guide to Route 66, and 1947: Those Saucy Saucers. Fictional works such as The Mound, Foul Harvest, and The Sword of Anath.
All available on Amazon. Author-researcher available for Zoom or phone interviews/presentations. Use the contact form.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
IS IT or ISN'T IT?
None of the images seem to have information, chain of evidence information, etc.
Strange Sounds in the Sky: What Are They?
Out of the vast sky come sounds of trumpets, of metal grinding against metal, booming noise, buzzing, humming....
For over a decade there have been reports worldwide of 'strange trumpet like sounds' in the skies. The explanations are varied and seem to have a 'toss it at the wall and see what sticks' line of thought.
The explanations offered include:
Apocalyptic horns - Religiously inclined tend to hear these are some sign of the end times, yet Biblically, there is little support for any warning trumpets of the random nature reported. What is in the Bible is from the Book of Revelation, where seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to cue apocalyptic events seen by John of Patmos in his vision1. The seven trumpets are sounded by seven angels and the events that follow are described in detail from Revelation Chapters 8 to 111. The trumpet sounds are meant to punctuate the Great Tribulation period with ever more disastrous effects2. Most of these trumpets and their effects have already been discussed in the section on World War III, because they reflect the worldwide consequences of a massive global war fought between the main military powers at the end2. (Wikipedia)
Sonic Booms. These are LOUD but also very, very short in duration. Duration of sonic boom is brief; less than a second -- 100 milliseconds (.100 seconds) for most fighter-sized aircraft and 500 milliseconds for the space shuttle or Concorde jetliner. (Wikipedia)
Aircraft - In the 1950-1970's populations near major flight bases or test sites were often subjected to regular sonic booms. Some instances, the government even conducted tests to see what impact they had on the population. Since then, however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has created guidelines to minimize the impact of sonic booms on the ground 1. According to the 49 U.S. Code § 44715, the FAA is responsible for controlling aircraft noise and sonic boom to relieve and protect the public health and welfare 2. The FAA prescribes standards to measure aircraft noise and sonic boom and regulations to control and abate aircraft noise and sonic boom 2. Sonic booms are not categorically illegal in the United States, but they are subject to certain regulations 1. Compliance with regulations is crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of communities. Since not all the reported sounds have been over the USA, it is possible some are being caused by living in a country where there is laxity in protecting the communities from regular flyovers with attendant booms.
Sky quakes - Heard widely these are largely mysterious but are believed to be caused by any number of things, including air pressures , earthquakes, and weather fronts. A skyquake is a phenomenon where a loud banging sound is reported to originate from the sky. The sound may cause noticeable vibration in the ceiling or across a particular room. Those who experience skyquakes typically do not have a clear explanation for what caused them and they are perceived as mysterious. See Skyquake - Wikipedia
A careful hearing of the videos suffer from similar problems and cannot be taken seriously because of those issues.
Problems: Most videos or audio are suspect. They offer no real evidence that is supported by news articles, police reports, or similar evidence. It is too easy, and has been for several decades, for such things to be hoaxed. Playing with special effects and new video recorders can lead to some interesting results. They are often produced with heavy, sensationalized graphics, titles, wild theories, and bad music.
What would help support such a video?
- Captures of people unrelated to the one taking the video reacting to the sounds. even film in cities has been too void of traffic and people. Surely, if the noises were that loud and that long lasting....people would be out on the streets.
- A newspaper or broadcast - something - that would verify place and date and time.
View: The Proof Is Out There: 4 DISTURBING SOUNDS CAUGHT ON TAPE (youtube.com)
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Interesting Sighting (Stroud, Oklahoma)
2023
Nov. 8
The depictions here reveal the "look" and the movements associated by the object. The graph shows the abrupt changes in movement. The witness first thought that it was an airplane or even a satellite - it was bright red with orange-white tones - but the sudden shift in position from #3 to #4 was sharp and sudden. It moved on to the northwest but then made another sharp change in location. These did not fit aircraft and the fluid, almost graceful movement of the object - glowing constantly - did not match any known object. The glow of the object was not lights (exteriors) or reflections. The conditions and movements did not match balloons or drones either. Neither was the object a bird.Lighting and changing contrast did reveal the object as it moved away to the north-northwest.