Northern UFO News - No 142

Magazine Overview

Northern UFO News, issue 142, dated April 1990, is a UK-based magazine focused on UFO phenomena. The cover features a striking illustration of a woman wearing large sunglasses, with the main headline promoting subscription offers. The issue includes a table of contents listing articles on explained UFOs, a Mersey mixture of cases, a tornado sighting hoax, and a psychic nightmare.

Editorial Stance and Key Articles

Comments by J.R. (Jenny Randles)

Editor Jenny Randles opens with a commentary on the growing trend to explain UFOlogy through natural phenomena, citing Hilary Evans and Dr. Terence Meaden. She acknowledges the validity of this approach, especially in light of new crop circle research and her own lecture titled 'The death of UFOlogy.' However, she cautions against dismissing all UFO research and highlights the contributions of others like Paul Devereux. Randles suggests that phenomena like super ball-lightning, earthlights, and the 'Meaden Vortex' may explain many classic cases, including the Trans-en-Provence sighting, which could be reinterpreted as a vortex rather than a spaceship. She also draws a parallel to a ghost tale from Utterby Halt, suggesting that a broader understanding of UFOs as atmospheric phenomena could solve other mysteries. Randles concludes that ufology is entering a new era, potentially becoming a recognized part of science.

News Round-Up

This section provides a rapid-fire update on various UFO-related activities and publications:

• WAPIT is rebranding as 'Lancashire Ghostbusters' to cover broader paranormal topics.
• NUFORC reported a successful meeting and is undertaking a historical archives search of local newspapers for UFO cases.
• Ken Phillips, a BUFORA investigator, is seeking witnesses for a study on witness-based UFO cases, utilizing unique testing methods and facilities. He is collaborating with psychologist Dr. Alex Keul.
• Dr. Rima Laibow, an abduction researcher, announces a new award from her institute (TREAT) to commemorate Dr. Dan Overlade, which will be given annually for the best paper advancing the understanding of Experienced Anomalous Trauma (EAT).
• New Publications are reviewed, including:
• 'UFO Lexicon' (BUFORA), an 11-language dictionary of UFO terms.
• 'Portraits of Alien Encounters' by Nigel Watson, a self-published work discussing North England close encounters.
• 'OUGRAP Proceedings', a pamphlet reviewing events from the Open University UFO symposium.
• Susanne Stebbing, a bookseller, is promoting her latest listing of UFO and related titles, including 'Clear Intent' and esoteric contactee material.
• A letter inquires about UFO sightings in Australia.

For Your Perusal

This section reviews several UFO-related publications:

• The UFO Debate (David Barclay): A publication with a wide range of content on UFOs, including 'Do UFOnauts do it?'
• Challenge (edited by David Barclay): Features content on ancient astronauts, magic, and earth mysteries.
• UFO Times: Reports on the Belgian wave and includes Part 2 of John Spencer's 'Close Encounters' analysis, plus a report on the Cannock Chase landing.
• SPI Engimas: Covers ghosts, psychics, and includes an interview with the CE IV rock group.
• Earth: A publication with esoteric content on shamanism, meditation, and 'new age' topics.
• IUR (International UFO Reporter): Features a critical review of psycho-social ufology and Dr. Jacques Vallee's changing views.
• MUFON Journal: Includes varied cases and a piece on investigating hoaxes.
• Just Cause: Continues its search for cover-up related UFO evidence.
• Orbiter: Described as a sensible, middle-of-the-road UFO journal.
• UFORA Digest: A publication from Australia providing updates on UFO reports from 'down under'.

Books of the Moment

• Spheres of Influence by Nigel Mortimer: An illustrated booklet exploring legends, earth forces, dreams, and strange events in the Yorkshire Moors, using dowsing as an investigative tool. It is noted for its unique perspective and reasonable price.

Media Matters

This section reviews UFO coverage in the media:

• Take a Break magazine reviewed Tim Good's 'The UFO Report 1990' and featured a map of UFO sightings in Britain, noting Southend as a 'UFO capital'.
• The Sport reported on aliens teaching a farmer to grow tomatoes.
• The Daily Star featured Elsie Oakensen's case, linking it to a BUFORA weekend college course.
• The Guardian criticized a UFO course, focusing on a photo of a woman drinking tea and questioning the nature of aliens.
• Western Mail provided fair coverage of John Spencer's rationalist ufology.
• Weekly News interviewed Jenny Randles about the decline in photographic UFO cases.
• New Scientist featured psychologist Nicholas Humphrey suggesting abduction cases should be taken more seriously.

Brief Cases

This section details several recent UFO investigations:

• Mersey Mixture (2) by Margaret Fry:
• A sighting of a 'brightly glowing golden object' in Liverpool in 1971.
• An 'orange object' hovering over Sefton Park in April, which opened into a fan shape.
• A sighting near Hazel Grove, Stockport, in August 1979, of a disc with windows and a flickering red light, potentially linked to the Rendlesham Forest incident.
• BITS:
• UFO sightings in the Horncastle, Lincolnshire area were linked to a paratrooper exercise.
• Reports of a plane crash over the Pennines were attributed to a bright fireball meteor.
• An update on case 8906 stated that a Tornado jet allegedly fired a missile at a UFO over Blackpool, but the investigation concluded it was a hoax.

Mother Ship UFO Over Walsall

• CASE 6307 (BUFORA, August 1963): Mrs S reported a massive, silent, cigar-shaped UFO ejecting four saucer-shaped objects over Aldridge, Walsall.
• CASE 6734 (GHOSTBUSTERS, 10 August 1967): Police officer Steve Parsonage saw a 100 ft diameter white UFO flying east at high speed over Hindley, Wigan.
• CASE 77-348 (MUFORA, 31 October 1977): Mrs P reported a vivid green strip of light and a subdued golden ball over Shrewsbury.
• CASE 8432 (UFORM, November 1984): Mr M observed a bright light over Hinckley that paced an aircraft before shooting upwards.
• CASE 8841 (UFORM, 21 May 1988): A family in Tamworth witnessed a sighting lasting 50 minutes, deemed unlikely to be aircraft refuelling.

Further Brief Cases

• CASE 8927 (NUFORC, 4 July 1989): Ernie Still witnessed a silver object with a protrusion over Corby, Northants, which faded in and out of mist.
• CASE 8928 (UFORM, 6 October 1989): Mr B saw a circle of bright yellow lights that gyrated and tilted over Earl Shilton, Leics.
• CASE 8914 (IUN, 20 October 1989): Mr E, a student, saw two red lights and other UFO types moving erratically over Halewood, Merseyside.

Police Involved in October Flap

• Essex Reports: Two motorists and two police officers reported a light manouvering in the sky near Chelmsford. This was later identified as a stolen Warrior PA 28 light plane.
• Cheshire Sighting: Near Delamere Forest, Mr B (an off-duty police officer) and his family witnessed a large 'silent vulcan' or triangle object with white, red, and blue lights. The investigation was hampered by police refusal to cooperate.
• Sandycroft Industrial Estate: A dark object, described as a 'stingray' or 'diamond' shape, was seen altering course as a security guard shone a torch at it. Vapour was observed directly above.
• Morecambe, Lancs: Two angled tubes of white lights were seen pointing skyward.
• Anlaby, Humberside: A youngster reported a classic fairground balloon-like object.

Case Histories: A Psychic Nightmare

This extensive case history details the experiences of a woman, referred to as Mrs G, living in South Wales. Her experiences began in childhood with vivid 'waking dreams,' seeing strange people, and a 'black cat' figure. She also reported feeling gentle pressures and gazing at the sky with longing. Her family dismissed these as imagination. At age 12, she encountered a tall figure. A period of illness (c. 1970-1972) led to personality changes and drug therapy, with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. She experienced unexplained 'time lapses' in the hospital.

Her 'abilities' were later incorporated into Spiritualism. In 1975, she experienced regular sleepwalking. In 1977, she woke up feeling disoriented in unfamiliar places. She reported 'rushing noises' and 'flashing lights,' leading to out-of-body experiences and lucid dreams. In 1980, she witnessed a silent, illuminated 'huge liner' on the beach at Bracklesham Bay. A more clearly UFO-related sighting occurred in Wales in 1983, involving a 'large white moon' object. Mrs G has continued to experience ESP and precognitive dreams, as well as UFO dreams, up to 1989. Having recently discovered abduction stories, she hopes this framework might help her understand and stop these events.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue strongly advocates for a more scientific approach to ufology, moving away from purely speculative or 'supernatural' interpretations. Editor Jenny Randles champions the idea that UFOs might be a form of novel atmospheric phenomenon, capable of explaining many sightings and mysteries. There's a recurring theme of re-evaluating classic cases in light of new scientific understanding. The magazine also highlights the importance of rigorous investigation, as seen in the debunking of the Blackpool missile incident and the detailed reporting of various sightings. The 'Media Matters' section indicates a cautious optimism about increased sensible UFO coverage in the press, despite some instances of sensationalism or misrepresentation. The 'Psychic Nightmare' case, while focusing on psychic experiences, is presented within the broader context of UFOlogy, suggesting a potential overlap or connection between these phenomena.

Title: Northern UFO News
Issue: 11
Date: Undetermined (content suggests 1980s)
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of Northern UFO News delves into various aspects of UFOlogy, including a specific case study, official records, and upcoming events.

UFO Abduction Dilemma

The editorial section opens with a discussion on the complexities of UFO abduction cases. It highlights the challenge for UFOlogists in interpreting witness accounts without imposing pre-existing frameworks, referencing John Spencer's book 'Perspectives'. The author suggests that abduction scenarios might sometimes be an 'enforced' interpretation, potentially arising from psychic experiences, medical conditions, or new wave beliefs, rather than objective events.

A Cumbrian Encounter (May 1980)

A significant portion of the magazine is dedicated to a case study titled 'A Cumbrian Encounter', which occurred in May 1980 and was cataloged as Case 80-105 by MUFORA. The experience was reported by a Mrs H, who had the encounter with her ex-husband, a civil engineer, during an Easter or Spring holiday weekend. The sighting took place on iron ore tips near Wetherlamb, between Langdale and Coniston, on a bright, sunny day with patchy high cloud.

Mrs H described an odd feeling, likened to the pressure before a thunderstorm, which prompted her to look up. She then saw a strange object, described as being like a "steel kettle in colour and shaped like a ball bearing, with striations on the surface in no set pattern as if someone had gone over it with steel wool." A heat haze or shimmer surrounded the object, despite the weather not being particularly hot. Mrs H insisted the object was "dark bluish/grey... very definitely solid and heavy looking" and approximately 2-3 ft wide.

The object then moved down the slope towards them, following the contours of the land. It maintained a height of no more than 3 feet off the ground and came to an abrupt stop about 50 feet away. After hovering for two minutes, it shot skywards and vanished rapidly.

During the encounter, a sound was perceived, described as a "very low almost sub-audible humming." Mrs H stated she 'felt' this more than heard it, and that it was real and disappeared with the object. She was convinced this noise precipitated her feeling of apprehension and a sense of 'doom', making her glad when it was gone. She questioned whether the feeling was physical or psychological.

Her ex-husband, Mr H, confirmed seeing the object. When Mrs H asked if they should report it to the police, he declined, bundled her into the car, and drove them 300 miles south. They never spoke of the incident again.

The article speculates that this UAP might be a form of 'super ball lightning'. A fascinating clue mentioned is that Mrs H recalled her childhood home on the same hill being frequently struck by lightning during storms, possibly due to the attraction of buried iron ore.

Final Words: MoD UFO Records

This section features a letter from Clive Neville at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to Stephen Graham. Neville states that, to the MoD's knowledge, no reported UFO sightings have been accompanied by definitive photographs or radar traces. He clarifies that UK radar coverage is primarily focused on approaches to the UK rather than the homeland.

Files related to UFO incidents are generally released 30 years after the last action has been taken. However, the MoD has granted dispensation to answer specific queries about particular incidents that have occurred recently. Neville provides figures for sightings received at the MoD during the decade:

• 1980: 350
• 1981: 600
• 1982: 250
• 1983: 390
• 1984: 215
• 1985: 175
• 1986: 120
• 1987: 150
• 1988: 400

This totals approximately 2650 sightings for the decade. Neville also refers to a figure given by John Stanley in the House of Commons to BUFORA president Patrick Wall on October 24, 1983, stating that 190 sightings were reported in the last ten weeks of 1983, following the 'Sky Crash' story.

The section also briefly mentions that readers who missed the March issue of 'UFO Brigantia' missed critical views on UFOlogy from 'MJ-12' and a load of 'BOLS' (likely referring to 'Big Other Little Stories' or similar). It encourages readers to top up their NUN subscription for a magazine a month for £5, payable to 'NUFON'.

Calendar of Events

The magazine lists several upcoming events:

• BUFORA Lecture: On June 2nd at the London Business School (18:30 hr), featuring Ken Phillips on his anamnesis work.
• Crop Circle Symposium: On June 23rd at Oxford Polytechnic (10:30 - 17:00 hr). This is described as the world's first scientific symposium on crop circles, with professors from Britain, Japan, and the USA, along with British crop circle researchers like Fuller, Meaden, Randles, and Taylor. The cost is £20 (£10 for students, OAPs, and unemployed), including conference proceedings. Contact Dr Derek Elsom at Oxford Polytechnic for places.
• Phantoms of the Sky Conference: On July 14-15th at Sheffield Central Library. John Keel is no longer attending, but Budd Hopkins will be present. Dr Vladmir Rubtsov from the USA, described as the first Soviet UFOlogist to lecture in Britain, will also be speaking. For details, call 0924-444049.

Readers are encouraged to stay up-to-date on all events via UFO CALL 0898-12 18 86.

NUFON Regional Groups

A comprehensive list of NUFON (presumably National UFO Network) regional groups is provided, along with their contact details (address and postcode). These groups are located across various regions of the UK, including Scotland, Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, East Midlands, and Northants.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue reflects a balanced approach to UFOlogy, acknowledging the challenges in case interpretation while presenting detailed sighting reports. There's an emphasis on official records (MoD data) and a commitment to keeping the readership informed about current research and events within the UFO community. The inclusion of regional group listings suggests an effort to foster a connected network of enthusiasts. The editorial stance appears to be one of critical inquiry and information dissemination, encouraging scientific approaches (as seen in the crop circle symposium) while also documenting anecdotal evidence.