Cosmology Newslink - No 06

Magazine Overview

Title: COSMOLOGY NEWSLINK
Issue: INTERN'L NO: 6
Date: SEPTEMBER 1973
Publisher: Edward Harris
Country: England
Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of Cosmology Newslink is presented as an 'Emergency Issue' due to 'mitigating circumstances' and a shortage of foolscap paper, with the intention to return to normal by March 1974. The publication acknowledges that it contains the same material as previous issues.

Editorial and Production Issues

The editorial section addresses the perceived lull in UFO sightings and publications. The editor questions 'WHERE HAVE THEY GONE!' referencing the past abundance of UFO-related content in magazines and reports. Lionel Beer, producer of 'Spacelink', is quoted explaining the significant delays in his publication, attributing them to the time-consuming DIY production methods to keep costs down and the loss of a key freelance worker. Despite these challenges, Beer promises to bring Volume 7, Number 1 out by summer, and the editor expresses hope for Spacelink's return.

The editorial also laments the disappearance of other UFO magazines such as 'Gemini', 'Interplanetary News', 'Probe', and 'Awareness', which contributed to keeping the public informed about ongoing UFO activity. The editor calls for groups to unite and for more proactive engagement.

A discussion arises about 'stupid pranks' by young people, such as sending up hydrogen balloons and igniting them, which Ufologist Rex Dutta is reportedly dealing with. The editor expresses confidence that the determination of skywatchers will outlast these practical jokes and suggests that those responsible might regret their actions if they witness a UFO themselves.

Rex Dutta has issued a challenge to a nationwide television team for a return sighting to support his case and his new book. Brinsley le Poer Trench is mentioned as writing another book on UFOs and has joined Cosmology Newslink as a special consultant writer.

A new 'Complaint Section' is planned for the magazine.

Recent Sightings

The magazine reports on various UFO sightings from around the world:

• Scotland (England): Philip Reid (19) reported seeing a submarine-shaped UFO on March 1970, described as metallic blue with a silver tint, humming, and drifting at high speed (estimated 200 MPH) at a distance of 200 yards.
• New Zealand: A huge, bright yellow and red, cigar-shaped UFO was sighted over Dunedin, travelling at a minimum speed of 1800 mph.
• Canada: On February 28, 1973, Edward Groves and his wife sighted a UFO going at great speed over Burlington, which appeared to land near the Joseph Brant memorial hospital area before taking off again and landing a second time.
• England (Portsmouth): On February 10, 1973, two schoolboys observed a UFO, about the size of a football, going round in circles.
• Australia: Three women in Lecton reported seeing a UFO shaped like a shark, with lights in the nose and along the body.
• England (Watford): A mysterious object was seen hovering near a road, described as a big yellow glowing ball. A driver reported his car cutting out but restarting when the light rose. BUFORA is investigating.
• America: Mrs. Betty Jones' UFO photograph, taken earlier in the year, is mentioned, but its quality is too dark for reproduction.
• South Africa: A report of UFO activity at Fort Beaufort is mentioned, involving a Post Office technician, with the full report to be reproduced in the next issue.

Contact Section and Extraterrestrial Communication

This section discusses humanity's attempts to establish contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. It highlights the vast distances involved in space travel, noting that even at rocket speed, reaching the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, would take at least 80,000 years. The possibility of technological civilizations surviving for millennia suggests a greater number of them existing simultaneously, increasing the chances of communication.

Astro-physicist A.G.W. Cameron suggests that the longevity of our own species is a key factor in the argument for communication. The article notes that human terrestrial signals have been inadvertently sent into space for about 15 years, with the nearest technological race potentially receiving them by 1976. If a message is sent back, it might reach Earth by 1996.

Other formidable problems in communication are discussed, including finding the right frequency and language. The article references scientists like Frank Drake and a Russian astronomer who detected signals from a mysterious radio source, initially believed to be from a 'supercivilisation'. Cambridge astronomers Anthony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell's 1967 detection of 'blips' from space, playfully named 'LGMs' (Little Green Men), is also mentioned.

Seeds from Space? Hoax or True?

This article investigates a story originating from the UFO KONTAKT magazine of Denmark about space beings who reportedly offered a handful of strange seeds, reputed to keep them alive for hundreds of years, to an old man who declined a trip to their home planet. The seeds were planted and grew profusely, but their identification remained elusive. Cosmology Newslink tested four seeds, with results suggesting they might be wild oats, known for their ability to lie dormant in soil for extended periods. Mark Stenhoff is mentioned as offering to analyze the seeds, and a second seed was sent to Dagenham University college for examination, where M. Burden Esq. was unable to make a positive identification.

Close-Up on Ufologists: Dr. Frank Stranges

Dr. Frank Ernest Stranges is profiled as an evangelist with degrees in Divinity, Psychology, and Philosophy, making him qualified to discuss the strange and unnatural. He is described as an expert in Flying Saucer investigations, with numerous press write-ups. Stranges produced a film titled "PHENOMENA 7.7" and hosted a TV series "Flying Saucers HERE AND NOW." He is also involved with NICUFO, his UFO research organisation, and produces the "UFO CONFIDENTIAL NEWSLETTER."

The article notes that NICUFO is doing significant work in investigating UFO phenomena in the USA. Dr. Stranges is credited with undertaking a hard, unrewarding job to inform the public about extraterrestrial sky machines.

Other Publications and Advertisements

The issue includes advertisements and listings for other UFO-related magazines and publications, such as:

• Foresight: A bi-monthly magazine on spiritual aspects, mysticism, and psychic development, with some UFO content.
• Project EL International: An organisation seeking to solve mysteries of our times.
• Cosmic Reporter: A monthly periodical exploring strange and unknown events.
• Emergency Press: Announced as ceased publication.
• UFO Report: A bi-monthly magazine covering UFO topics.
• Interplanetary News: Announced as 'NOW OUT AFTER A PAUSE'.

Information is provided for contacting these publications and for submitting correspondence to Cosmology Newslink, including details for UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the challenges and delays in UFO publication, the reporting of recent UFO sightings globally, and the ongoing scientific and investigative efforts to understand and potentially contact extraterrestrial intelligence. The editorial stance appears to be one of concern over the decline in UFO-related media presence, a call for greater unity and effort within the ufology community, and a commitment to continuing the investigation and dissemination of information despite obstacles. There is also an underlying tone of skepticism towards hoaxes and pranks that detract from serious UFO research.