CISU Sicilia - No 02 - settembre 1996

Magazine Overview

Title: CISU SICILIA
Issue: Numero 2
Date: Settembre 1996 (September 1996)
Publisher: Coordinamento Regionale per la Sicilia del Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici (Regional Coordination for Sicily of the Italian Center for Ufological Studies)
Type: Periodic Bulletin

Editorial Introduction

The bulletin opens with a message from the Regional Coordinator for Sicily, Antonio Blanco, welcoming readers to the second issue after a nine-month interval. He emphasizes the goal of fostering broader and more open discussion on various ufological themes among Sicilian enthusiasts. Blanco invites readers to send in their impressions, judgments, criticisms, and suggestions. He highlights the importance of collaboration and introduces the idea of connecting with other local enthusiasts. To facilitate this, the issue includes a list of CISU members and enthusiasts in Sicily who are willing to collaborate.

The editorial stresses three main directives: deepening mutual knowledge, rolling up sleeves, and collaborating. It also proposes that readers suggest initiatives and study projects. A significant collaborative effort announced is the project to create the first catalog of UFO sightings in Sicily, following the model of similar projects in other regions.

The "Regional Catalogs" Project

This section details the "Cataloghi Regionali" (Regional Catalogs) project, launched in 1981 by future founding members of CISU with the aim of cataloging and analyzing UFO sighting reports across Italy. The project was inspired by the "Catalogo regionale Piemonte-Valle d'Aosta" and evolved into local, decentralized archives that feed into a national database managed by CISU in Turin. These archives collect press information, direct testimonies, and investigation findings.

The CISU Ufological Database, continuously updated with new cases from local collaborators, is described as the most comprehensive in Italy. The digitization of this data makes it highly organized and accessible for further study.

The Sicilian Regional Catalog

• In Sicily, Francesco Sortino initiated the regional catalog project, later succeeded by Antonio Rampulla as the current project leader. The objectives of the Sicilian catalog are:
• To collect and systematically archive all UFO sighting material in Sicily from 1900 onwards.
• To establish and maintain a regional archive of this casuistry.
• To produce and disseminate a catalog of this regional casuistry.
• To develop and stimulate studies and analyses of the collected documentation.

How to Collaborate

• The realization of a regional catalog requires the work of several individuals in specific roles:
• Archive Curator: Responsible for the physical, audio, and video archive of local sighting documentation (currently Antonio Rampulla).
• Catalog Editor: Responsible for creating the written report, including essential data, a summary of facts, and source indications (currently Antonio Rampulla, with collaboration from Antonio Blanco and Giuseppe Verdi).
• Computer List Administrator: Responsible for loading case data into electronic databases (currently Blanco and Verdi).

Crucially, the project relies on the collaboration of readers who can report sightings they are aware of, enabling cross-verification and expansion of the archive.

Definitions

To clarify the scope of the project:
1. "UFO cases" include lights or aerial/ground objects not identified by the witness or associated with the term "UFO." The catalog covers all unusual aerial phenomena, including those not identified after analysis (strict UFOs) and those later identified with known causes (IFOs).
2. The project serves as a reference for future investigations, thus requiring the collection of all cases regardless of typology, credibility, strangeness, identifiability, source type, or data completeness.

This includes borderline cases such as isolated humanoid entities without UFOs, photos/films of UFOs not visually observed, radar/instrumental detections without visual sightings, temporal or spatial anomalies without sightings, and physiological, electromagnetic, animal, or vegetal effects similar to ufological descriptions but occurring without a visual sighting.

• Key concepts are also defined:
• Phenomenon: The observed object by one or more witnesses.
• Sighting: The observational experience.
• Report: The document detailing a sighting.
• Source: Any document containing information about a sighting.

An "instance" (caso) is defined as the set of information related to all sightings occurring on the same date, around the same time, and in the same municipality, even if reported by independent witnesses. If multiple witnesses are in the same municipality, it's one case. If they are in different municipalities, even if the sightings are simultaneous, they constitute separate cases.

Work Status

As of the current date, the regional catalog file contains 526 entries, distributed by province: Agrigento (43), Caltanissetta (39), Siracusa (36), Palermo (100), Ragusa (26), Trapani (30), Enna (14), Catania (154), Messina (84). The revision and updating process has restarted, with many new cases to be added.

The First Six Months of '96

This section summarizes the ufological activities and events in Sicily during the first half of 1996.

CISU on TV and in the Newsstands

• Television Appearances: CISU Sicilia participated in three television programs:
• On January 11th, Antonio Blanco appeared on Antenna Uno's talk show "Buonasera," engaging in a debate with contactee Giovanni De Amici, who accused Blanco of being a discrediting agent.
• On February 2nd, Antonio Blanco was featured on "Villaggio Sicilia" (Telecolor-Video 3), a program dedicated to UFO phenomena in Sicily, including testimonies and filmed reconstructions. The program benefited from CISU's consultation, facilitating contact with witnesses and local ufology figures. Rosario Pavone, from the contactee group Nonsiamosoli, also participated.
• On March 29th, Giuseppe Verdi served as an expert on "Navigando" (TCVI, Vittoria), a program that aimed to clarify UFO phenomena and present CISU's approach.
• Publications: The publication of the "Appunti di Ufologia" column, curated by Antonio Blanco, continued in the regional quarterly "Sotto il Vulcano."

Recent Sightings

Few UFO sightings were reported in Sicily during the first semester of 1996. Two filmed cases were produced, but their ufological significance was deemed low.

• Catania Sighting (February 19, 1996): A young student, D.P., filmed an observation of five lights (three red, two green) arranged in a trapezoid around a central white light for about an hour. The lights moved in a coordinated manner. However, the footage was severely degraded by a video camera malfunction. Subsequent checks ruled out a causal link between the malfunction and the phenomenon. The fact that a similar, though slightly different, event occurred on February 23rd suggests it might have been an astronomical phenomenon perceived unusually.
• Pantalica Sighting (April 8, 1996): Sig. G.B.C. filmed a dark, ill-defined, mostly stationary object for about six minutes. While it could be a kite, the image resolution leaves room for other explanations.
• A-18 Catania-Messina Highway Incident (December 15, 1995): A potentially more interesting case involved a car carrying students D.P. and P.G. being allegedly pursued for about half an hour by a "luminescent plasma mass" that split into three spheres before disappearing. However, the witnesses' reticence and the source of the report (a press release from the group Nonsiamosoli, whose members are sympathetic to the witnesses) necessitate extreme caution regarding its reliability. The description and dynamics of the phenomenon could suggest the lights from a disco laser, but without a proper investigation, a definitive conclusion cannot be reached.

UFOs and Etna

Mount Etna is presented as a location that seems to attract UFOs frequently. CISU's Catania section has initiated a program to analyze potential geophysical, sociological, and folkloristic causes for this phenomenon. The primary goal is to collect all sighting reports related to the volcano. Antonio Rampulla and Salvatore Foresta are actively involved in this research, interviewing witnesses and protagonists of strange events around Etna. Readers are encouraged to report any similar episodes they are aware of.

Towards the Fiftieth Anniversary

The bulletin notes that June 24th will mark the 50th anniversary of the famous "first" UFO sighting by Kenneth Arnold. In anticipation, CISU is planning a series of events across Sicily, including conferences, debates, school outreach, and media broadcasts. They are seeking collaboration from readers to promote these initiatives in their local cities, offering to participate upon invitation.

Who We Are, Where We Are

• This section provides a list of CISU members and collaborators residing in Sicily who are up-to-date with their 1996 membership fees. The list includes:
• SOCI (Members):
• Antonio Blanco (Regional Coordinator)
• Antonio Rampulla (Local Representative)
• Giuseppe Verdi (Local Representative)
• COLLABORATORI (Collaborators): Salvo Briga, Giuseppe Castiglione, Salvatore Foresta, Man Noto, Sebastiano Pernice, Fabio Pescatori, Francesco Spampinato, Giancarlo Vispo.

Individuals wishing to be added to this list are asked to contact the CISU telephone secretariat (095.497602) with their full contact details. Members are also reminded of the new bank account number for membership fee payments.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the active promotion of ufology in Sicily, emphasizing collaboration, data collection, and public awareness. The editorial stance is one of open inquiry, encouraging participation from enthusiasts, and systematically documenting reported phenomena. There is a clear commitment to building a comprehensive regional database of UFO sightings and engaging with the public through various media. The bulletin also highlights the importance of historical anniversaries in ufology, such as the Kenneth Arnold sighting, as opportunities for broader engagement.