OMNI

Magazine Overview

Title: OMNI
Issue: October 1985
Volume: Special 7th Anniversary Issue
Date: October 1985
Price: $3.00
Publisher: OMNI
Country: USA
Language: English

Cover Story: Education and the Future Mind

The cover prominently features the headline "EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE MIND," with several bullet points detailing its contents: "77 SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE," "THE POWER OF A NEWBORN BRAIN," and "SEYMOUR PAPERT AND THE TEACHING TURTLE." This suggests a significant focus on educational innovation, cognitive science, and the potential of the human mind.

The Great UFO Contest

Another major highlight on the cover is "THE GREAT UFO CONTEST," with the intriguing tagline "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS THINK LIKE AN ALIEN." This indicates an interactive or participatory element for readers related to UFO phenomena.

Free Poster-Map

Readers are offered a "FREE: PULL-OUT POSTER-MAP OF THE MILESTONES AND MYSTERIES OF AMERICAN SCIENCE," suggesting a supplement that explores significant achievements and enigmas in the history of science in America.

Anti Matter: UFO Update - Betty Hill's Continued Experiences

The "Anti Matter" section, a regular feature, provides an update on Betty Hill, described as "the most celebrated abductee in history" and "the Madonna of UFO lore." The article details her ongoing fascination with UFOs, twenty-four years after her initial alleged abduction experience with her late husband, Barney Hill.

Betty Hill's Current Activities and Beliefs

Betty Hill continues to lecture and pursue UFO sightings, believing UFOs are manned by extraterrestrial visitors. She actively seeks sightings in an empty field near her Portsmouth, New Hampshire, home, particularly during extremely cold temperatures. Although she states she has not been taken aboard a UFO since her initial experience, she reports having as many as 80 sightings a night and claims to have communicated with UFO occupants, citing an instance where lights on a UFO formed the letters "IUC" in response to her words.

Scientific and Skeptical Perspectives

Psychiatrist Berthhold Schwarz, author of "UFO Dynamics," visited Hill's sighting location and observed the lights, noting they would blink out and return. While Schwarz leans towards a psychic explanation for UFOs, he acknowledges that police officers once attributed the lights to airplanes, highlighting the subjective nature of perception. He also notes that UFOs can "disguise themselves as familiar objects, airplanes, helicopters, or even shacks."

An example of this alleged disguise is an incident on May 2, 1980, where Hill and companions encountered a white shack with a peaked roof that appeared to be made of wood and elevated on pilings. As they approached, Hill claims the shack turned on its base and "walked away," disappearing by the next day.

Aerospace engineer and UFO skeptic James E. Oberg expresses doubt, questioning why UFOs would disguise themselves as common objects if they could also appear as policemen or magazine writers. Oberg suggests that while Betty Hill may genuinely believe she sees UFOs, many sightings are likely "honest misinterpretations" of identified flying objects (IFOs).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of OMNI Magazine, in its 7th anniversary edition, continues its tradition of exploring the intersection of science, technology, the future, and the unexplained. The cover's emphasis on "Education and the Future Mind" alongside "The Great UFO Contest" and a science history poster map suggests an editorial stance that encourages intellectual curiosity, forward-thinking, and an open-minded investigation into both established scientific progress and anomalous phenomena. The "Anti Matter" section, in particular, demonstrates a willingness to cover controversial topics like UFO abductions, presenting personal accounts while also including critical perspectives from scientific and skeptical viewpoints. The magazine appears to aim at a readership interested in cutting-edge ideas, scientific advancements, and the enduring mysteries of the universe.