Magazine Overview
This document is the April 2001 issue of MUFON Arizona, a newsletter from the Mutual UFO Network's Arizona Chapter. It details the organization's activities, recent UFO sightings, and related news within the UFO community. The issue features updates on chapter leadership, meeting information, and calls for public engagement in UFO research and disclosure.
Directors Message
Judy Varns, the new State Director, announces several changes within MUFON Arizona, including a new Maricopa County Section Director, Jason Ingraham. The newsletter will now be printed every two months, featuring at least 14 pages of sighting reports and investigator updates. Meetings have moved to the Scottsdale Civic Center Library. The MUFON AZ website, redesigned by Jason Ingraham, is highlighted as a resource for public information on meetings, sighting reports, and subscriptions. The message also thanks past State Director Bob Sylvester and past Maricopa County Section Director Jim Kelly for their contributions. Investigators are encouraged to join and contribute to the ongoing collection of sighting reports.
MUFON AZ Chapter Information
The newsletter provides contact information and meeting details for various MUFON Arizona chapters:
- Pima County Chapter: Meetings at Wilmot Library, Tucson. Contact George Parks.
- Pinal County Chapter: Contact Ken Kerber.
- Yuma County Chapter: Quarterly meetings. Contact Richard King.
- Maricopa County Chapter: Meetings every other month.
- Experiencer's Meeting: Contact Dr. Ruth Hover.
MUFON Meeting Video Tapes
Video tapes of past MUFON meetings are available for purchase through Argo Productions. Featured speakers include Dr. Nick Begich, Don Ecker, and Stanton Friedman.
Classified Ads and Article Submission
Classified ads are available for a fee, with business card-sized ads also offered. Article and letter submissions for the newsletter can be sent to Teri Acton via phone or email.
MUFON Membership Badges
Orders are being taken for MUFON membership badges, which cost $5.00 each. Information on how to order is available at meetings or via fax and mail.
Radio and Television Programs
Listings are provided for UFO-related radio programs such as 'Coast to Coast with Art Bell' and 'Dreamland with Whitley Strieber' on KFYI, and 'Mysteries Around Us' on KTAR. Television programs like 'Roswell' and 'The X-Files' are also mentioned.
Field Investigator Classes
The Phoenix chapter of MUFON Arizona is offering Field Investigator classes starting in July. Interested individuals must be MUFON members and signed up as Field Investigator Trainees. Information and manuals are available from Mufon International.
Special Announcement: World UFO Day
Haktan Akdogan, founder of the Sirius UFO Space Sciences Research Center, announces the initiative to establish an annual 'World UFO Day' on July 2nd, the anniversary of the Roswell incident. The goal is to raise global awareness and interest in the UFO phenomenon, encouraging public disclosure and a unified global understanding of UFO reality. The announcement calls for widespread circulation of the 'World UFO Day Declaration' and the organization of peaceful demonstrations worldwide.
Current UFO Cases and Sightings
This section presents several recent UFO sighting reports:
- Phoenix, Arizona (March 25, 2001): A silent, luminous object described as circular, then cigar-shaped, then chevron-like, streaked across the sky in the desert southwest at high speed.
- Bouse, Arizona (April 1, 2001): Three bright pulsating amber lights in a line appeared over the Plomosa Mountain Range.
- Prescott, Arizona (March 25, 2001): A large, pure white object, possibly with stubby wings, moved slowly west to east at a very high altitude.
- Puget Sound/British Columbia (March 13, 2001): A brilliant, yellow or orange fireball, described as maneuvering and jinking, streaked north at high speed. Witnesses included former military personnel.
- West Seattle, Washington (March 13, 2001): A bright, yellowish-orange light with 3-4 individual lights streaked horizontally at high speed, noted as being silent and much faster than conventional aircraft.
- Shoreline/Richmond Beach, Washington (March 13, 2001): A bright orange object with an oblong formation of lights streaked north at high speed, appearing to be very high in the sky and silent.
- British Columbia (March 13, 2001): An object was photographed with a sky-camera and reported by a group of astronomers.
- Calama, Chile (February 16, 2001): A circular, shiny, luminous object was observed by aeronautical personnel and commercial flight aircrews. Analysis revealed it was likely a MIR stratospheric balloon.
Senator John Glenn's Statement
A transcript of Senator John Glenn's appearance on 'Fraser' is included, where he expresses discomfort with past government secrecy regarding UFOs and states that people saw 'strange things' they couldn't talk about. He suggests that public media, like comedy shows, are becoming vehicles for disclosure.
Missing Legend: Amelia Earhart
This article discusses a planned sea search for Amelia Earhart's lost plane, aiming to solve the 64-year-old mystery. A team plans to search a 500-square-mile area of the ocean floor northwest of Howland Island. The article recounts various theories about Earhart's disappearance and highlights the research of Elgen and Marie Long.
America Orders Spy Satellites
A brief report from The Times of London mentions a $25 billion project to build a vast new network of spy satellites for enhanced global surveillance.
Tom Dongo Presentation
An announcement for a presentation by author and researcher Tom Dongo on 'Mysterious Sedona' at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library on May 6th, 2001. Dongo will discuss Sedona's mysteries, UFO sightings, and share his collection of 'High Strangeness' photographs.
Inherited Photo May Show Alien Craft
This article details a 1977 photograph taken by Wilfred Stringer, believed by his grandson Claude Riendeau to be an alien spaceship. Riendeau has launched a website to sell merchandise featuring the image, and the photo has been examined by UFO experts like Dr. Richard Haines and Stanton Friedman.
Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance
The recurring themes in this issue include the ongoing collection and analysis of UFO sightings, the push for greater UFO disclosure by governments, and the exploration of historical mysteries like Amelia Earhart's disappearance. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging public participation in UFO research and advocating for transparency from authorities regarding the UFO phenomenon. There's a strong emphasis on disseminating information through newsletters, websites, and public events.
This issue of MUFON-AZ, dated April 2001, delves into a variety of intriguing phenomena and investigations, ranging from unexplained natural occurrences to scientific and governmental endeavors. The magazine features articles on mysterious ice rings, the search for extraterrestrial life, the declassification of top-secret documents, a scientific ghost investigation, and the U.S. Air Force's use of advanced technology to identify UFOs.
Strange Ice Rings Baffle Researchers
An article by Jim Bronskill from National Post Online reports on mysterious ice rings appearing in ponds and fields across Ontario and Quebec, Canada. These formations are being tracked by the Canadian Crop Circle Research Network, a non-profit organization that collects information on circles from farmers and other contributors. Paul Anderson, the network's director, notes that such round ice formations are rarely documented in Canada. Two specific cases are highlighted: one in Delta, Ontario, where a woman discovered an ice ring nearly five meters in diameter on a pond, and another on Lac Pelletier in Quebec, reported by a visiting British researcher. The report also mentions a series of circles and rings found on the same lake in 1999. While one theory suggests a current flowing into a pond forms the ring, Anderson states this is the only explanation that makes sense. The article contrasts these with crop circles, noting that seven crop circle formations were reported in Saskatchewan, two in Ontario, one in Manitoba, and one in Quebec in the past year. Some formations exhibited "significant physical anomalies," and in one case near Orillia, dogs refused to go near the formation. The odd occurrences suggest a possible source of electrostatic energy. The report also notes that many cases, like one in Alameda, Saskatchewan, occur too late for researchers to study, implying that uninvestigated circles may be more common than realized.
New Clue to Star Trek Version of the Universe
Tim Radford of The Guardian Online reports on indirect evidence suggesting the existence of billions of Earth-like planets in the galaxy, potentially harboring extraterrestrial life. Norman Murray of the University of Toronto explains that the distinctive light from more than half the stars in a sample of the galaxy, if containing iron, could indicate the presence of rocky planets. Murray posits that if such bodies are in orbit, the probability of life existing is significantly increased. Since 1995, astronomers have detected 55 planets, all Jupiter-sized or larger, orbiting distant suns. Murray further discusses the composition of planets like Earth and Mars (about 30% iron) and asteroids (about 20% iron), noting that iron is also present in comets. He suggests that lumps of rock and iron equal to the mass of a planet or two could be swept into the outer envelope of a sun in a solar system's life. Stars with a low iron signature in their light might lack orbiting rocky planets. Studying 640 sun-like stars, he found 466 had at least half a planet's worth of iron in their atmospheres. Given the vast number of stars in the Milky Way and observable universe, even a small percentage having rocky planets in the "habitable zone" could mean a large number of homes for life. Murray acknowledges that current methods cannot detect planets of this mass, but suggests this may change. He concludes that the presence of iron suggests a likely possibility that these systems resemble ours, with rocks having accreted onto stars, possibly perturbed by massive bodies.
Tomb of "Giants" Unearthed in Peru
Jennifer Mapes of National Geographic News reports on the discovery of tombs belonging to an extinct Peruvian culture, the Moche, who thrived between A.D. 100 and 800. The 1,500-year-old graves contained five unusually tall young men surrounded by textiles, ceramics, llama skeletons, and decorative metal works. The Moche were a farming and fishing community who built irrigation canals, pyramids, palaces, and temples. The origins of the Moche remain unknown, according to lead archaeologist Christopher Donnan. Skeletons found during a 1997-99 expedition may provide clues to their culture.
Cold Polar Rings Help Form Clouds That Destroy Ozone
An article from SpaceNews.com explains how newly discovered, narrow rings of cold air over Earth's poles help create colorful clouds that destroy ozone. According to a technical paper in the journal Science, these Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) form inside narrow temperature rings around Earth's poles. Strong winds then disperse these clouds, filling the polar air with ozone-destroying particles. The ozone layer protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The paper's lead author, Azadeh Tabazadeh, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, notes that the aerial extent of these clouds can be larger than the United States. The PSCs form in the stratosphere, between 9 and 30 miles altitude. They provide surfaces that convert benign forms of chlorine into reactive, ozone-destroying forms. The process of "de-nitrification" also removes nitrogen compounds, which normally moderate chlorine's impact on ozone. Increased de-nitrification over the Antarctic has caused the ozone hole to grow, with the largest hole ever measured over the Antarctic occurring last year. There is a possibility that the Antarctic ozone hole may spread farther. Conversely, the warmer Arctic climate is becoming colder, potentially leading to more dramatic ozone loss in the Northern Hemisphere. NASA satellite observations have shown widespread de-nitrification in the Arctic stratosphere during the 1999-2000 winters. This increased de-nitrification can delay ozone layer recovery, despite declining chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) levels due to international agreements. Scientists previously believed that as chlorine levels decreased, the ozone layer would recover, but greenhouse gas and soot emissions, which warm the surface, cool the upper atmosphere, promoting the formation of more ozone-destroying clouds.
Most Complete Scientific Ghost Investigation Begins
From Paranormal News, this article details the start of a comprehensive scientific investigation into the existence of ghosts in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 5, 2001. Over two and a half months, 10 researchers and 200 citizens will use state-of-the-art equipment to document the presence of spirit beings in locations like Edinburgh Castle and the vaults beneath South Bridge. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist leading the investigation, is open to being convinced of the existence of ghosts, noting the use of more sensitive equipment than previously employed. The team chose Edinburgh due to its high concentration of paranormal activity and unusual events. They will utilize thermal imagers, geomagnetic sensors, temperature probes, and night vision equipment. Wiseman shared a previous investigation where claims of Catherine Howard's ghost were attributed to physical causes like cold drafts. He believes that understanding why people have these experiences is key, even if the interpretation of events is debated.
Secret Agency Labors to Release Its Secrets
This article from The Sun reports on the National Security Agency's (NSA) efforts to declassify a vast collection of aging top-secret documents. Housed in a large warehouse, thousands of boxes contain millions of pages of information dating from the Vietnam War to the Persian Gulf war. Since former President Bill Clinton ordered the public release of documents 25 years or older, the NSA has been sorting through a massive volume of paper, tapes, photographs, and film. The "Declass Factory" employs contract workers, many former agency employees, who sift, sort, and review documents from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The process is methodical, with reviewers handling 100 to 200 documents daily. Last year, over 15,000 boxes were processed, and since 1996, 50 million pages have been reviewed, with 35 million released to the National Archives. The agency aims to reveal more about its role in national defense, hoping that showcasing past successes will garner public support and understanding. The factory is also beginning to review Freedom of Information requests, which are currently six years behind. In addition to documents 25 years or older, they review congressionally ordered material and any paper leaving the agency's Fort Meade campus.
USAF Searches for UFOs
According to a Reuters report, IBM sold the U.S. Air Force a supercomputer to aid in identifying unidentified flying objects. The Air Force's Space Surveillance Team in Maui, Hawaii, will use the system to detect and identify approximately 9000 objects in Earth's orbit, including old satellites, foreign spacecraft, and potential UFOs. The IBM system can process 480 billion calculations per second, making it about 40 times faster than the IBM "Deep Blue" supercomputer. This processing power will enhance blurry telescopic images, allowing defense officials to identify objects. The new supercomputer is part of a $10 million system upgrade.
Rantings from a Frustrated Ufologist
Jim Kelly, a MUFON Field Investigator, expresses frustration with the current state of ufology, particularly lectures and some investigators. He criticizes lectures that focus on financial gain and dismissive attitudes towards those seeking information. Kelly advises seeking out reliable investigators like Stanton Friedman, Kevin Randle, and Timothy Good. He also points to television media as a significant problem, stating that it often interviews people who make outrageous claims, prioritizing ratings over accuracy. Kelly suggests that the "new buzzword in Ufology is Cosmic" often leads to disappointment and a lighter wallet. He also mentions a comparison between the Fatima Miracle and the Phoenix Lights incident. The newsletter section encourages reader submissions and provides contact information for the MUFON-AZ newsletter.
Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance
The MUFON-AZ newsletter consistently focuses on unexplained phenomena, particularly UFO sightings and related investigations. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, encouraging scientific investigation and the sharing of information. There is a clear emphasis on distinguishing between credible research and sensationalism, as seen in Jim Kelly's "Rantings." The magazine also highlights governmental transparency efforts, such as the NSA's declassification project, and the use of scientific methods to explore paranormal claims, as demonstrated by the ghost investigation in Edinburgh. The underlying theme is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding in areas that lie beyond conventional explanation.
