Northern UFO News - No 144

Magazine Overview

Title: NORTHERN UFO NEWS
Issue: 144
Date: August 1990
Cover Headline: NORTHERN UFO NEWS SUBS: £6 for a

This issue of Northern UFO News provides a comprehensive look at UFO phenomena and related topics, with a strong emphasis on the burgeoning crop circle mystery of 1990. It features a mix of news, case reports, reviews, and personal accounts, reflecting the ongoing interest and investigation within the UFO community.

Editor's Comments and Content Summary

J. R. opens with apologies for continued delays, citing a serious car accident while investigating a Cheshire crop circle as the main difficulty. He notes that things are improving and hopes future issues will be more timely. He then provides an update on the crop circle mystery, highlighting the astonishing increase in press cuttings (650 between July and September 1990), which overshadowed UFO sightings during that period. He mentions that virtually no British newspaper failed to cover the subject, with new formations appearing regularly. The issue notes that while simple circles and rings were common in the north, complex pictograms, like the one near Alton Barnes in Wiltshire, were more prevalent in the south.

The content includes:

• Page 2-3: Crop Circle Mystery Update: Details the surge in crop circle reports, the media hype, and the debate surrounding theories like the 'ionized vortex'. It also announces the launch of a new magazine, 'The Crop Watcher', edited by Paul Fuller, which aims to provide a critical and evidence-based approach to crop circle research.
• Page 4: A REVELATION? by Ben Obina: A personal account of an alleged alien abduction experience at age 5, leading to a belief in multiple alien races implanting knowledge for a future 'formation' event.
• Page 5-6: FOR YOUR PERUSAL: A section reviewing various UFO and paranormal publications, including UFO Afrinews, UFO Universe, Rattler's Tales, UFO Times, SPI Enigmas, EARTH, UFO DEBATE, IUR, JUST CAUSE, ORBITER, and CAVEAT EMPTOR. It also reviews the book 'Phantoms of the Sky' by Dave Clarke & Andy Roberts, which terms UFOlogy a 'modern myth' but is praised for its honest attempt to address the subject's problems. The 'Atlas of Magical Britain' by Janet & Colin Bord is also reviewed.
• Page 7: MEDIA MATTERS: Discusses UFOs in the public eye, including an interview with Derek Longman of the East Anglia UFO Research Group, reports of a Russian MIG intercepting a UFO, and the erection of a plaque in Livingston, Scotland, to commemorate a CE2 encounter.
• Page 8-10: BRIEF CASES & OVERSEAS CONNECTIONS: This section presents several UFO sighting reports:
• A case from Western Australia involving lights that rose from a clay pan area and appeared to be on an invisible craft.
• A case from Ontario, Canada, where a driver experienced car engine, lights, and radio failure near a hovering, multi-coloured domed object.
• A report from Mark (USAF) who believes he may have been abducted as a child in Kentucky, USA, and subsequently developed ESP.
• A sighting over Dublin, Eire, by an elderly couple who observed approximately 100 UFOs emerging from a larger object.
• A case from Oughtibridge, Sheffield, where two grey oval objects were seen approaching at high speed.
• A sighting over Houghton-Le-Spring, Tyne & Wear, of an object hovering over a tree that disappeared silently.
• A case from Kiuss Park, Glasgow, Scotland, describing a grey object shaped like a cattle wagon with a curved roof and misty yellow light.
• A sighting in Glusburn, West Yorks, where a yellow light stationary above a mill split into two and became a large dark mass.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently promotes a critical yet open-minded approach to UFOlogy. It acknowledges the possibility of hoaxes and misidentifications but also presents evidence and witness testimony for genuine unexplained phenomena. The editorial stance appears to favour rigorous investigation and a scientific line, as exemplified by the endorsement of 'The Crop Watcher' magazine. There is a clear interest in the 'Cosmic Ecology' of phenomena like crop circles, suggesting a belief that UFOs and other anomalies may be interconnected and tied to consciousness or energy fields rather than solely physical craft. The magazine also highlights the importance of historical research and the need to sift through 'dead wood' to find the core of the UFO mystery. The coverage of international cases and reviews of other publications indicates a broad scope and engagement with the global UFO community.

Title: Northern UFO News
Issue Date: October 1989 (with content extending into early 1990)
Publisher: MUFORA
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of Northern UFO News presents a collection of UFO sighting reports and case histories from various locations across the United Kingdom. The publication focuses on witness testimonies, providing details of observed phenomena, witness reactions, and initial investigations by MUFORA and other affiliated groups.

Case Histories and Sightings

Case 8941 MUFORA (14 October 1989)

Reported by Mrs C in Penketh, Cheshire, this incident involved an object with five burgundy lights arranged like a figure '5' on a die face, seen in the north. Mrs C's husband also witnessed it before it vanished silently into the south. The object's appearance was described as strange and unlike any known aircraft, prompting a check with the local airport, which had no record of unusual activity.

CRACKLING UFO SCARED MY CAT (CASE 8931 BUFORA, 24 October 1989)

In North Arbury, Cambridge, 15-year-old Mr P and his friend observed two white lights stacked vertically, with only the lower one flashing. They initially considered it might be an aircraft but noted its slow movement. Mr P followed the object with binoculars for two minutes before it disappeared. During the sighting, their radio began to crackle, a sound that was tape-recorded and described as similar to normal static. The family cat also appeared scared. The following night, Mr P experienced a shaft of bright white light entering his bedroom, striking the wall and ceiling, described as being 60 cm wide and very fuzzy at the edges. Mr P insisted these events were unusual.

CASE 8942 BUFORA (November 1989)

A 10-year-old girl in Prenton, Wirral, reported seeing a strawberry-flavoured 'ice cream cone' shaped object with flames sprouting from the rear at 17:55 hrs.

CASE 8943 BUFORA (25 November 1989)

In Chester-le-Street, Durham, a white light twinkling red was observed for about 35 minutes. The following day, Mr P (21 years old) saw a black cigar-shaped UFO in the north-east. Two jet fighters flew towards it at high speed, passing very close, which Mr P described as 'the nearest miss you will ever get'. The UFO then vanished.

UFO WITH PETAL-LIKE LIGHT BEAMS (Case 8933 BUFORA, 16 December 1989)

Mr and Mrs G in Skegness, Lincolnshire, reported a strange sighting. While wheeling his bicycle home, Mr G saw a white light he initially took for Jupiter. As they watched, the light, which was in the wrong part of the sky, slowly drifted northward. With binoculars, they observed it as a pulsing red glow with a green light. The object then stopped, and a white light beam projected from its left side, striking the ground for about five seconds. Mrs G described the beam opening up like flower petals. Mr G noted a possible 'aerial' outline behind the light. The object then drifted out to sea. The report notes similarities to a previous case at Saltfleet and suggests rejecting the air-sea rescue helicopter explanation.

CASE 9002 UFORM (7 February 1990)

Mr M and Miss A, driving on the A5 towards Rugby, spotted three strange lights in a triangular formation. The object flew over, stopped dead above fields at an estimated 200 feet, and hovered, wobbling from side to side. The lights did not flash like normal aircraft lighting, and there appeared to be a solid mass behind them. The object then moved back, glided silently over the car, banked, and zoomed away at incredible speed towards Warrington. The witness, Mr A, works in aeronautical engineering, and the investigator, Reg Burton, could not explain it as a conventional aircraft.

CASE 9005 MUFORA (23 May 1990)

Mr B in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, saw a white disc studded with smaller lights in the north-west. It moved away to the south-east over 10 minutes.

CASE 9006 MUFORA (25 May 1990)

Miss D (aged 17) and another witness in Thornton, Lancashire, observed a pink light in the sky. The light remained stationary and then faded. The investigator suspected a flare, which was later confirmed by Liverpool coastguard.

CASE 9007 MUFORA (1 May 1990)

Two teenagers in the Lyme Park area, Cheshire, reported a group of red lights amidst a yellowish mist. The lights formed an arc, then descended, and the hill behind them began to glow with a misty yellow light. MUFORA concluded this might have been a ground-distorted mirage of lights beyond the horizon.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER AT TODMORDEN (2) (Case 78-289 MUFORA, 30 November 1978)

This case, investigated by Randles/Sandbach, details the experiences of 'J', who reported childhood encounters with balls of light in her bedroom. She also described developing psychic abilities, remote viewing, and a vivid out-of-body experience. J has had premonitions and a classic ghost encounter. She also reported losing time (up to two hours) at age 17. J declined regression hypnosis but expressed a belief that the truth would be revealed and that any superior intelligence would be vastly different from humans.

CLOUD ABDUCTS WITNESS OVER ROCHDALE TOWN CENTRE (CASE 9003 MUFORA, 13 March 1990)

Mrs W, a cleaner in Rochdale, Lancashire, reported seeing a large 'circumference arc' with circles and spirals in the cloud, describing it as filling half the sky. She noted a metallic whirring sound and observed one driver slow down to look. She experienced physical symptoms, including an itchy rash, migraine, and stomach pains, after the event. Mrs W also described recurring dreams of abduction by thin, pale aliens with dark eyes and specific uniform-like clothing. She believes these are dreams but they are preventing her from sleeping.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER AFTER A NIGHT ON THE TOWN (CASE 9004 MUFORA, 17 March 1990)

Mr H, in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, reported seeing two lights side-by-side in the sky after a night out. He felt something watching him, and as he turned, everything seemed to stop, with even the grass and trees making no sound.

Future Events and Groups

International UFO Conference

The next international UFO conference for Britain is scheduled for August 16-18, 1991, at Sheffield Central Library. This event is a joint venture by BUFIRA, MUFON, and IUN.

BUFORA Lectures

Several BUFORA lectures are announced: Manfred Cassirer on paranormal happenings (6 Oct), and Michael Green on crop circles, ancient sites, guardians, and dowsing (3 Nov). John Spencer will report on his Florida visit to investigate the Gulf Breeze case, and Jenny Randles will present an update on Crop Circles 1990.

NUFON Regional Groups

A list of NUFON regional groups across the UK is provided, including contact details and locations for groups such as SPI, SRUFO, NLUFOIG, HSWL, FUFOIG, Ghostbusters, MUFORA, CONNECT, IUN, CUFOSC, SSPR, SKYSCAN, PARASEARCH, LUFOIC, and NUFORC.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed reporting of UFO sightings, witness accounts, and the challenges in identifying the phenomena. MUFORA, the publisher, appears to maintain a stance of serious investigation, presenting cases with varying degrees of certainty regarding their explanation. The editorial stance seems to be one of open inquiry, documenting reports while also considering possible conventional explanations or the need for further investigation. The inclusion of witness dreams and psychic experiences suggests a broad approach to anomalous phenomena. The publication also serves as a hub for the UFO community, promoting lectures and regional group activities.