OVNI - 2013 09 - September-October

Magazine Overview

Title: OVNI
Issue: September/October 2013
Publisher: JOURNAL OF THE PHENOMENON RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
Country: UK
Price: £4 UK: EU:5 Euros

This issue of OVNI, the Journal for the discerning researcher, delves into a variety of unexplained phenomena, including recent UFO sightings, historical encounters, government acknowledgements, and mysterious animal mutilations.

The UFO that buzzed the ISS yesterday (Aug.19th) has been identified.

The journal reports on an incident where NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy spotted a strange object near the International Space Station on August 19th, 2013. After investigation, NASA identified the object as an antenna cover from the Zvezda service, classifying it as space junk and a growing threat to spacecraft.

CIA acknowledges existence of Area 51

This article details the release of newly declassified CIA documents that, for the first time, formally acknowledge the existence of Area 51 in Nevada. Previously thought to be a hub for black projects and military testing, the documents confirm the base's existence and its primary use as a testing ground for U-2 and OXCART aerial surveillance programs. While the documents do not mention extraterrestrial research or crashed UFOs, proponents believe this is the first step in further revelations. The information was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Jeffrey T. Richelson of the National Security Archives.

Local Derby News

This section presents two local UFO sighting reports from Derby, UK.

• Peel Street, Derby, sighting report: Sunday 12th August 2013: 'Ken' reported sighting three spinning 'pyramid' shaped objects, grey and silver, at an approximate height of 400/500ft. They travelled from West to East without sound and appeared similar to triangles.
• Alvaston, Derby, sighting report: Sunday 12th August 2013: Mr Harris reported an oblong shaped object, very bright with brighter ends, moving from West to East at 9.25pm. The object's length was three times its width, and no sound was heard. He described it as 'very bright like the sun shining on metal', with a silver colour.

The editor comments that while local UFO activity has been subdued, these two reports might be a coincidence or potentially linked to the Perseid meteor shower, though the witnesses were not specifically looking for meteorites. The two events are noted as distinct due to the different shapes and colours reported.

Historical Alien Encounter Report from the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary

This report details an encounter on February 27th, 1968, involving Constable 285 H.E.Hawkins and a witness named Andrew Norman Perry. Perry reported seeing a very bright, mushroom-shaped object with a brilliant silver colour about a quarter of a mile distant. As he approached, he saw five or six figures, about 4 feet in height, spread around the object. The figures then disappeared into the object, which ascended vertically with a high-pitched whirring noise. The object's noise intensified as it passed overhead, causing Perry's lorry engine to cut out. The object then became the size of a football and moved away at high speed.

300 Million Year Old Machinery Found in Russia

Reports from Russia indicate the discovery of a 300 million-year-old piece of aluminum machinery, described as a gear rail, found in Vladivostok. Yulia Zamanskaya discovered the artifact pressed into a piece of coal. Experts suggest it was manufactured, not natural. This find is compared to a zinc silver-incrusted vase found in Massachusetts in 1851 (dated to the Cambrian era, approx. 500 million years old) and an iron pot found in Oklahoma in a piece of coal aged 312 million years old.

The Russian Navy Releases Reports on Underwater UFO's!

This article discusses the declassification of Russian Navy records concerning encounters with unidentified objects. Compiled by a special navy group, these records detail incidents involving submarines and military ships. Vladimir Azhazha, a UFO researcher, states that 50% of UFO encounters are connected with oceans and 15% with lakes. The report mentions a nuclear submarine detecting six unknown objects in the Pacific Ocean, which then flew away after the submarine surfaced. The Bermuda Triangle is highlighted as a region with numerous mysterious events, including instrument malfunctions possibly caused by UFOs. Rear Admiral Yury Beketov recalls objects moving at incredible speeds, defying physics. Captain Igor Barklay notes that Ocean UFOs are often seen near naval fleet concentrations in areas like the Bahamas, Bermudas, Puerto Rico, the southern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Lake Baikal in Russia is also mentioned as a site for UFO encounters, with reports of powerful lights and objects emerging from the water. A specific incident in 1982 involved military divers at Baikal spotting humanoid creatures in silvery suits, resulting in casualties. Russian Navy officials, however, deny the existence of such UFO encounter records, attributing sightings to natural phenomena or misidentification. Busty Taylor also shares a recollection of her brother-in-law witnessing an object passing their ship underwater at over 200 MPH in the 1960s.

Cattle Mutilation Returns To Henry County, Montana, Vet Rules Out Animal Causes, Coyotes Shun Cattle Corpse

This section details a cattle mutilation discovered on July 19, 2013, on Lyn Mitchell's ranch in Northwest Henry County, Missouri. Investigator Margie Kay and Larry Jordan visited the site. The attending veterinarian determined the damage was not caused by animals and could not explain the cause of death. The mutilation involved surgical precision, draining of blood, and removal of organs. A possible landing mark and a strange darkened outline on the ground, appearing burned, were found. This is the third known mutilation on the same ranch. Chuck Zukowski and Debbie Ziegelmeyer are involved in the ongoing investigation, with camera traps being set up and samples submitted for analysis. The report notes that coyotes have not consumed the carcass, which is unusual.

Another report from July 10th describes a similar mutilation on the same ranch, with the rear end, tongue, and udder removed. The cow was a 7-year-old Black Angus, valued at approximately $2,000. The witness wonders if the selection of the 'best of the herd' was intentional. The hot weather conditions meant the carcass was decomposing rapidly.

Reports of cattle mutilations first surfaced in the US in the early 1960s, primarily in Pennsylvania and Kansas. The phenomenon gained wider attention in 1967 with the story of a mutilated horse named Lady in Pueblo, Colorado, which first linked such events to extraterrestrials and UFOs. By the mid-1970s, mutilations were reported in 15 states. Democratic senator Floyd K. Haskell contacted the FBI in 1975 due to public concern, citing 130 mutilations in Colorado alone. The article also thanks PRA colleague Jim Smith from Montana, who has exchanged UFO information with the journal and reports 'unusual lights' seen in Colstrip, Montana.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of OVNI are the persistent mystery surrounding UFO sightings, the potential for government disclosure (as seen with Area 51), the intriguing possibility of underwater extraterrestrial activity, and the disturbing phenomenon of cattle mutilations. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry and reporting on these unexplained events, encouraging readers to consider various possibilities while maintaining a critical approach, as indicated by the 'discerning researcher' subtitle and the editor's comments on local sightings.

This issue of OVNI magazine, dated July 22, 2013, features a review of David Marler's new book 'Triangular UFOs' by Peter McCue, an article about a large crop circle in Oregon, and a NASA news update on the MAVEN mission to Mars. It also includes a 'Tale Enders' section with news about Lloyd Pye's health and an upcoming presentation.

Book Review: 'Triangular UFOs' by David Marler

Peter McCue, a clinical psychologist with a background in psychical research, reviews David Marler's book 'Triangular UFOs'. McCue notes that while many UFO sightings involve unidentified lights, triangular UFOs have become the commonest shape reported in recent decades, with some described as enormous and seen flying slowly at low altitudes without sound. Marler, a UFO researcher and former state director of MUFON, is credited with providing the first book-length treatment of the subject.

The book's final chapter includes commentary from five other UFO researchers: Richard Dolan, Mark Rodeghier, George Wingfield, Omar Fowler, and Peter Davenport, who concur with Marler that triangular UFOs cannot be easily explained as 'black budget' terrestrial aircraft. The review highlights Marler's reference to an unusual aerial phenomenon witnessed over Labrador, Canada, in 1954, which he considers a significant UFO event. However, the reviewer notes that British ufologist Martin Shough suggests this sighting could be explained as an unusual mirage.

Marler emphasizes that his book focuses on 'triangular UFO sighting reports' and is cautious about linking them to phenomena like alien abductions and cattle mutilations, stating he has found no evidence of a relationship. This surprises the reviewer, who points out the overlap often reported between UFO sightings and other anomalies. The review mentions Omar Fowler's account of a triangular UFO sighting in North Yorkshire, England, in 1996, associated with 'missing time' and an abduction experience.

McCue observes that Marler maintains a conservative stance, not theorizing extensively about the nature of UFOs but rejecting the secret military aircraft explanation. The reviewer suggests that the book would benefit from subheadings and that square brackets would have been clearer for editorial insertions than round brackets.

McCue also points out several factual errors in Marler's book regarding the United Kingdom, including equating an MP with a 'local government official', misinterpreting 'MP' as 'Minister of Parliament', substituting 'England' for the UK, referring to the 'Pennine Mountains' instead of 'Pennine Hills', and misplacing Radnorshire in England when it is in Wales. The review notes that Chapter 8 contains a transcript of an interview conducted on April 14, 2013, and that the book was published in June 2013, suggesting a delay for proofreading would have been beneficial due to grammatical and punctuation errors.

'13 Mile Long Crop Circle In The Desert?!'

This article reports on a massive crop circle, purportedly 13 miles long, found in the middle of a dry lake bed in Oregon. The formation, discovered in 1990, was described as a 'Sri Yantra Mandala Formation' and was precisely created with lines 10 inches wide and 3 inches deep carved into extremely hard compact dirt. The article questions whether it was manmade or 'otherworldly', noting the absence of cars, tire tracks, or footprints at the site, and the lack of any 'manmade' tools or human presence. The report dismisses a claim by four individuals that they created the formation using a 'garden cultivator' over 13 miles, citing discrepancies and the implausibility of the feat, suggesting the claim was an exercise in imagination.

Interestingly, the skies above the crop circle site are used for Idaho Air National Guard pilot training. A lieutenant pilot who first spotted the pattern on August 10 reported that no pilots had seen a design in progress, and the pattern had simply 'appeared'.

NASA NEWS: MAVEN Mission

This section details NASA's launch preparations for the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission. Unlike previous probes that explored the surface, MAVEN will orbit Mars to sample its upper atmosphere and study signs of atmospheric change over billions of years. The mission aims to test theories about how the sun's energy eroded Mars' atmosphere, leading to its current dry and desolate state. David Mitchell, MAVEN's project manager at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, states that scientists believe Mars once had a thicker atmosphere and surface water.

MAVEN will carry three instrument suites: the Particles and Fields Package (built by UC Berkeley, CU/LASP, and Goddard), the Remote Sensing Package (built by CU/LASP), and the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (provided by Goddard). Lockheed Martin is providing the spacecraft and mission operations, while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will navigate it. CU/LASP will handle science operations and data packaging.

The spacecraft is undergoing launch processing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is scheduled for launch on November 18 from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, beginning a 10-month cruise to Mars.

Tale Enders: Lloyd Pye's Health and PRA Meeting

This section reports that Lloyd Pye, known for his research on the Starchild Skull, had been diagnosed with aggressive cancer. An appeal for donations for specialist treatment in Germany received a tremendous response, enabling him to begin treatment. Pye reports that he is feeling much better, approximately 90% recovered after chemotherapy, and expresses gratitude for the support. The report mentions a similar case of successful treatment for someone named Richard.

Additionally, the section announces the next PRA meeting will be held in Derby on September 24, 2013, featuring a presentation by Andrew Johnson on 'Mars, Pyramids and Changes in the Solar System', with a UFO book raffle. Non-members are welcome for a £2 fee.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently covers UFO phenomena, with a focus on specific types like triangular UFOs and unusual aerial events. It also engages with related topics such as crop circles and space exploration, as seen with the MAVEN mission report. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into anomalous phenomena, while also maintaining a critical perspective, as evidenced by the reviewer's comments on factual accuracy in Marler's book and the questioning of the Oregon crop circle's origin. The inclusion of personal health updates, like that of Lloyd Pye, suggests a community-oriented approach, connecting readers with figures in the field.