OVNI - 2011 03 - March-April

Magazine Overview

Title: OVNI
Issue: March/April 2011
Publisher: JOURNAL OF THE PHENOMENON RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
Date: March/April 2011

This issue of OVNI, 'The Journal for the discerning researcher', delves into various unexplained phenomena, from missing government UFO files to recent sightings and even space exploration milestones.

UFO Files Reveal 'Rendlesham Incident' Papers Missing

Neil Henderson of BBC News reports on the discovery of a significant gap in Ministry of Defence (MoD) intelligence files concerning the 1980 Rendlesham incident. The disappearance of these files, which occurred near RAF Woodbridge, has led to speculation of a deliberate attempt to eradicate records. The article notes that former Admiral Lord Hill-Norton had written to the defence secretary in 1985 about the incident, suggesting an unauthorized aircraft may have entered UK airspace. Another report details a request from Lord Hill-Norton in 2002 regarding a UFO sighting by HMS Manchester, where the ship's log was reportedly lost overboard due to a 'gust of wind', an explanation the editor finds highly improbable.

The MoD files also contain a variety of citizen observations, including flashing lights and strangely behaving aircraft. Among the released documents are government briefing papers, a House of Lords debate from 1979, American documents from the 1950s, and a 1951 report prepared for Prime Minister Winston Churchill by the Flying Saucer Working Party. A peculiar anecdote describes a man from West London reporting an unexplained time lapse after observing a strange craft, which an official attributed to the clocks being turned back for daylight saving.

Witness Sketches and Encounters

An airline pilot and his son reported watching an object made of three circles fly past their garden in Hellingly, East Sussex. Although labelled a 'credible witness' by Air Traffic Control, a defence official later deemed the report to have 'nothing of air defence significance'.

More attention is given to an encounter by an RAF Tornado crew with an object the size of a C130 Hercules transport aircraft over the North Sea in 1990. The pilot described being overtaken by an unknown aircraft with lights and an 'engine area', though a possible explanation offered is a re-entering Russian rocket booster.

The Great Flying Saucer Hoax

Another released file details the 'Great Flying Saucer Hoax' of 1967, where six miniature 'flying saucers' were found across southern England. These objects, made of glass fibre and emitting a foul smell when opened, were initially thought to be dropped from an aircraft. However, police investigations concluded it was an elaborate hoax orchestrated by engineering students from Farnborough Technical College.

Marine Animal Die-offs

The magazine also reports on widespread marine animal deaths. In February 2011, thousands of fish, including stingrays, were found dead in the Rio Negro, part of the Amazon River basin in Brazil. Biologists noted symptoms consistent with lack of oxygen, possibly due to ash from forest fires, though locals dispute this theory. In Florida, thousands of dead fish washed up at Sebastian Inlet State Park, with officials suggesting a lack of oxygen due to a large school of bait fish. Similarly, millions of anchovies were found dead in a marina south of Los Angeles, with experts considering algae build-up, fish density, or toxic substances as potential causes.

Invisible UFOs Captured on Camera

An article discusses how digital cameras are increasingly capturing images of unidentified objects that were not visible to the naked eye at the time. A photographer in Felley Wood, Underwood, captured an image with an unidentified object in the background, described as having a light top surface and dark underneath, possibly a circular disc. The editor notes this phenomenon is becoming commonplace and suggests UFOs caught on camera may be visible to the camera's light spectrum but invisible to the human eye's narrow spectrum.

The article also references 'tubes of light' appearing in photographs, suggesting they behave as if intelligently controlled. Andrew Emmerson presented a series of slides showing what appeared to be UFO craft in clear blue skies, captured after military helicopters were heard hovering nearby. These objects were only visible after the photos were downloaded.

Andover: A Centre of UFO Interest

This section features a painting by Dan Butcher depicting a classic 'saucer' sketch originally drawn by Andover witness Miss J. Philpot. The article recounts Miss Philpot's sighting in 1966 of a star-like object that grew in size and was described as 'the shape of two soup plates, one on top of the other'.

More recent sightings in Andover, Hampshire, include a massive red light observed at 8 pm on February 27, 2011, below cloud cover near 'TESCO'S'. The light was observed for about 20 minutes, moving and changing appearance. The local media carried no reports of this sighting. UFO incidents are noted as being common in the Andover, Basingstoke, and Marlborough areas.

South Yorkshire UFO Lights 12 Jan 2011

A personal account describes a sighting on January 12, 2011, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The witness and his wife observed a horizontal line of minty green lights with brighter white lights at the ends, resembling a 'tie-fighter from Star Wars'. This object was later perceived as forming one side of a dark triangle. As they continued driving, they observed three crisp bright white lights in a triangle formation, which pulsed and faded.

The witness returned later with a camcorder and binoculars but saw nothing further. He also noted a man on the high street looking up at the sky, suggesting others may have witnessed the event. The account mentions workmen on a new school site who might have seen the lights.

Midlands UFO Reports on the Increase

A report from Doncaster describes a sighting on February 26, 2011, of a cluster of 30 to 40 small star-like lights with a blue hint, forming a boomerang shape that moved slowly east. The object was difficult to see as it appeared camouflaged against the sky.

Historic First: A Spacecraft Orbits Mercury

This section shifts focus to space exploration, detailing NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft achieving orbit around Mercury on March 17, 2011. This marked the first time a spacecraft had accomplished this milestone at the solar system's innermost planet. The mission aims to revolutionize understanding of Mercury. The spacecraft's main thruster fired for 15 minutes to slow it down for orbit insertion, a journey of 96 million miles from Earth. The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will focus on ensuring the spacecraft's systems function in Mercury's harsh environment, with instruments to be turned on and checked out starting March 23.

UFO Lights Over Dudley, West Midlands

On March 10, 2011, a couple in Dudley reported hearing a roar and seeing four red objects flying very fast. They captured a photo of the last two objects. Their daughter also spotted a UFO probe changing color from white to red at high speed. The reporter notes being in a 'hot spot' for UFOs, having seen them for 12 months.

Another UFO Case from the MoD Files

Paul Teed reports on a case from October 1998, where a man in Barnes, London, contacted the MoD after a 'cigar-shaped vehicle' with a flashing white light underneath appeared over his house. The craft had projectiles on its sides like wings and bright lights at the front. The MoD stated it lacked resources to investigate but mentioned that the possibility of aliens had been discussed at high government levels, including a House of Lords debate in 1979.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of OVNI are the persistent presence of unexplained aerial phenomena, the challenges in obtaining official information due to missing records or dismissive explanations, and the increasing number of witness reports, often captured by modern technology. The magazine also touches upon the scientific exploration of space, contrasting it with the more mysterious and often unverified reports of UFOs. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into these phenomena, encouraging the sharing of information and questioning official narratives, while also acknowledging the possibility of hoaxes and misidentifications. The inclusion of the NASA Mercury mission suggests an interest in all aspects of unexplained phenomena, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial.

This issue of OVNI, dated 2011, focuses heavily on the phenomenon of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP), also referred to as 'voices from space.' The primary article, 'VOICES FROM SPACE' by G. Gilbert Bonner, details the pioneering work of Fredrich Jurgenson, a Russian-born Swedish film producer, who in the late 1950s made the first actual tape recordings of these voices. The phenomenon brought to the attention of parapsychologists, attracted leading experts in electronics, physics, and psychology who were unable to find a physical explanation.

Key Figures and Research

Fredrich Jurgenson's research was supported by the Vatican, with him being decorated by Pope Paul VI. Professor Dr. Hans Bender, a leading parapsychologist, investigated Jurgenson's work and stated that the paranormal origin of certain recordings was 'extremely probable.' Tests of Dr. Raudive's recording methods were conducted in England by Belling & Lee, supervised by electronic expert Peter Hale and Ralph Lovelock, using sophisticated equipment in a Faraday cage to exclude external interference. These tests yielded hundreds of voices on playback.

Dr. Konstantin Raudive, a Latvian psychologist, studied Jurgenson's claims in Sweden and became convinced of their reality, publishing his findings in 'The Inaudible Becomes Audible' and later an enlarged work titled 'Breakthrough.' The article notes that much of the current research into EVP is based on techniques advocated by Raudive, which differ slightly from Jurgenson's.

Possible Origins of EVP

The article explores three main possibilities for the origin of these voices:

1. The voices of the dead: This is the explanation favored by Jurgenson, Raudive, and the author.
2. Extraterrestrial beings from space: This possibility is also considered, potentially explaining peculiarities of speech and linking to UFO phenomena.
3. A product of the experimenter's unconscious: This concept, preferred by many psychologists, suggests the experimenter's unconscious mind projects material onto the tape, possibly via psychokinesis (PK).

However, the author finds the unconscious projection theory psychologically unsound, especially given the varied frequencies, polyglot speech, and content of the recordings. The article also mentions Soviet research on the physiological state of subjects using PK, contrasting it with the author's findings of relaxation in EVP experimenters.

Technical Aspects and Characteristics of EVP

Voices can be recorded using various methods, including a simple microphone or a radio mike. While radio intrusions (picking up signals from earthly transmitters) are possible, the article asserts that such errors are rare and do not account for genuine paranormal voice recordings. The author has made successful recordings on medium and short wave but found VHF disappointing. A 'noise source' is required for voices to manifest, and microphone voices are weaker and sentences shorter than those obtained by radio mike methods. Extended dialogue, lasting up to 20 minutes, has been achieved, representing two-way communication.

Some researchers, like Professor Alex Schneider, suggest voices might be constructed from homogeneous noise spectrums. The author experimented with 'noise' as a source, with the first recorded sentence being 'We are here.' This suggests a 'modulation' of sound, audio or electromagnetic, takes place.

The characteristics of the recorded voices include addressing individuals by name, identifying themselves, discussing personal matters, speaking at a fast rate with peculiar pitch and rhythm, using clipped sentences, and sometimes exhibiting polyglot speech. The author states that these entities can hear and see experimenters in detail, which is 'amazing' and challenges conventional understanding.

Other Articles and News

Shuttle Discovery Ends Stellar Space Career: This news item reports on the final mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery, which landed on March 9, 2011, concluding its career as the most-traveled member of the U.S. space shuttle fleet.

A Frozen Wave on Lake Michigan: A spectacular photo shows a wave frozen solid on Lake Michigan, USA, during an extremely cold period.

Atlas Rocket Sends Secret Military Shuttle to Space: This article details the launch of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on a Saturday, noting its potential to stay in orbit longer than its predecessor.

'Classic Case to Ponder': This section recounts the story of Paul Simonton, a chicken farmer from Wisconsin, who in 1961 claimed to have witnessed a disc-shaped craft land on his farm, with three human-like beings emerging. They asked for water and offered pancakes in exchange. This incident was assessed by the U.S. Air Force and remains 'unexplained.'

The Next PRA Meeting: An announcement for an upcoming meeting at the Royal British Legion in Allenton, Derby on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. The presentation, by Andrew Johnson, is titled 'An evening with Andrew Johnson' and will examine evidence suggesting the Apollo Moon shot program was false/fake, looking at motives, history, photographic and video evidence, astronaut statements, and new lunar evidence.

Editorial Note: The editor adds a note regarding the article on EVP, questioning what message the voices passed to the listener and noting the lack of detail leaves a dilemma.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the exploration of unexplained phenomena, particularly Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) and UFOs. The magazine presents evidence and theories surrounding these topics, leaning towards the acceptance of paranormal explanations, especially for EVP, with the author favoring the hypothesis that the voices are from the deceased. The issue also touches upon space exploration and the possibility of hoaxes related to historical events like the Apollo Moon landings. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, encouraging readers to consider possibilities beyond conventional scientific understanding, while also acknowledging the need for rigorous investigation and evidence.