Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Canadian UFO Reports
Finally sorted through the whack o' UFO reports I received this week. More than 100 cases from 2011 (not including the ones I had already received from earlier this year), including 43 from August alone. These have come from Vike, Sightings, UFOINFO, PsiCan, DND, and Ufology Research.
Still, that's a loooong way from a record. We had 128 cases in August 2008. So what you're hearing about "record numbers of UFOs" and "massive UFO fleets" doesn't match what we're actually seeing. I know that MUFON has seen a big jump in online case reports, but it's difficult to say what that's attributable to. In Canada, at least, numbers of UFO reports are high, but not at record levels.
Most recent report:
August 30, 2011 10:00 pm Saint John, NB
Witness wrote: "Noticed a bright debris trail like the tail of a comet was coming down. Object slowed down and then changed direction to parallel to the ground and travelled in view for about 4 minutes. Looked like one red light. It went over the tree line, so I lost sight of it. I have two witnesses of the red light travelling, [but] I am the only person I know of that saw the comet like entry. This was at a very high altitude, even after it changed direction and slowed down it appeared to be very high. Higher than an aircraft landing at the airport about 5 miles from me." (UFOINFO)
Thanks to all contributors.
Still, that's a loooong way from a record. We had 128 cases in August 2008. So what you're hearing about "record numbers of UFOs" and "massive UFO fleets" doesn't match what we're actually seeing. I know that MUFON has seen a big jump in online case reports, but it's difficult to say what that's attributable to. In Canada, at least, numbers of UFO reports are high, but not at record levels.
Most recent report:
August 30, 2011 10:00 pm Saint John, NB
Witness wrote: "Noticed a bright debris trail like the tail of a comet was coming down. Object slowed down and then changed direction to parallel to the ground and travelled in view for about 4 minutes. Looked like one red light. It went over the tree line, so I lost sight of it. I have two witnesses of the red light travelling, [but] I am the only person I know of that saw the comet like entry. This was at a very high altitude, even after it changed direction and slowed down it appeared to be very high. Higher than an aircraft landing at the airport about 5 miles from me." (UFOINFO)
Thanks to all contributors.
Labels: Canada UFO reports
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Ottawa, Please Advise
Going through the thousands of old Canadian UFO documents now available online (but not suddenly released through any "Disclosure," unlike what you may read on some sensationalist UFO websites), you can find some gems.
Most pages describe simple lights in the sky, and many are obviously stars and planets and meteors. But occasionally, you find some like this:
On July 30, 1968, while driving near Codner, Alberta, 51-year-old Irene Logan reported to the RCMP that at about 11:00 pm, she had seen a light in the sky that she thought was an airplane. Suddenly, the object zoomed up to her car and hovered in front of her car's windshield. It was a brilliant red in colour and looked like "two pie plates together," about four or five feet in diameter and about one to three feet from top to bottom. It also had a "3-4 feet grey rope-like tail."
That's not the weird part.
The object then "circled [the] car 4 or 5 times very quickly and each time passed by windshield, [its] tail touching car made sound like crack of whip."
The object then "went straight up at high rate of speed."
The recording officer then noted: "Logan non-drinker and extremely upset over incident." Which is likely an understatement.
The report was sent to the Commissioner's office of the RCMP by the Red Deer RCMP office, with the note: "Ottawa, Please Advise CANFORCEHED."
Apparently, the RCMP Commissioner's Office did just that, because the teletype online is from "Commissioner RCMP" to "CANFORCEHED OTT."
And that's it. No additional documentation or investigation.
Why that is significant is that other cases in the files contain extensive documentation, often running many pages, but usually only when they have an explanation or are shown to be hoaxes.
But not this one.
Did they just assume that she was crazy?
Most pages describe simple lights in the sky, and many are obviously stars and planets and meteors. But occasionally, you find some like this:
On July 30, 1968, while driving near Codner, Alberta, 51-year-old Irene Logan reported to the RCMP that at about 11:00 pm, she had seen a light in the sky that she thought was an airplane. Suddenly, the object zoomed up to her car and hovered in front of her car's windshield. It was a brilliant red in colour and looked like "two pie plates together," about four or five feet in diameter and about one to three feet from top to bottom. It also had a "3-4 feet grey rope-like tail."
That's not the weird part.
The object then "circled [the] car 4 or 5 times very quickly and each time passed by windshield, [its] tail touching car made sound like crack of whip."
The object then "went straight up at high rate of speed."
The recording officer then noted: "Logan non-drinker and extremely upset over incident." Which is likely an understatement.
The report was sent to the Commissioner's office of the RCMP by the Red Deer RCMP office, with the note: "Ottawa, Please Advise CANFORCEHED."
Apparently, the RCMP Commissioner's Office did just that, because the teletype online is from "Commissioner RCMP" to "CANFORCEHED OTT."
And that's it. No additional documentation or investigation.
Why that is significant is that other cases in the files contain extensive documentation, often running many pages, but usually only when they have an explanation or are shown to be hoaxes.
But not this one.
Did they just assume that she was crazy?
Labels: UFO Canada documents files
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 2011 Canadian UFO Reports
For those who asked, here's a summary of some of the UFOs reported in Canada in 2011.
August 2, 2011 Edmonton, AB
While watching the ISS pass overhead, a dark object streaked W-E underneath it, and flashed a brilliant white light. Witness sees so many UFOs, notes: "They are becoming so commonplace, I am expecting them to drop in for tea." (MUFON)
August 6, 2011 McLean Lake, YK
Campers saw a fast moving lighted object that suddenly made "a figure 8" in the sky. The object seemed to have 3 lights on its underside. (Bretlyn)
August 8, 2011 ON
While starwatching, a witness saw a red light in the sky that soon resolved into a black, spinning disc. It hovered nearby for 10 secs, then flew quickly away. (MUFON)
August 13, 2011 10:21 pm NS
A ball-shaped light with "arcs of light coming horizontally from the center," like "reflections on a silvery surface," flew overhead at high speed. (MUFON)
August 14, 2011 10:15 pm Winnipeg, MB
Bright light like "shooting star" stopped in its path, was stationary for 10 secs, then made 90-degree turn and continued. (UFOROM)
August 16, 2011 9:40 pm Altona, MB
A bright object like a "flickering lantern" flew low across the horizon for a minute before going higher and disappearing. The witness did not think it was a Chinese lantern. (UFOROM)
August 17, 2011 11:00 pm Winnipeg, MB
A very bright spherical light flew over the city eastward. It "wobbled" and "zig-zagged" before turning a reddish colour and disappearing. (UFOROM & MUFON)
August 19, 2011 10:30 pm Lockport, MB
Three lights that seemed to be on a dark, blurry triangular object moved quickly overhead S-N at the speed of a low-flying plane. (PSICAN)
August 19, 2011 9:30 pm Winnipeg, MB
Two orange lights traveled across the sky N-S for about a minute, then vanished. (PSICAN)
August 21, 2011 9:30 pm Gander, NF
A "huge yellow ball" floated over the city E-W, without making any sound. At the same time, ISS was passing W-E overhead as well. (DND)
Thanks to all contributors.
August 2, 2011 Edmonton, AB
While watching the ISS pass overhead, a dark object streaked W-E underneath it, and flashed a brilliant white light. Witness sees so many UFOs, notes: "They are becoming so commonplace, I am expecting them to drop in for tea." (MUFON)
August 6, 2011 McLean Lake, YK
Campers saw a fast moving lighted object that suddenly made "a figure 8" in the sky. The object seemed to have 3 lights on its underside. (Bretlyn)
August 8, 2011 ON
While starwatching, a witness saw a red light in the sky that soon resolved into a black, spinning disc. It hovered nearby for 10 secs, then flew quickly away. (MUFON)
August 13, 2011 10:21 pm NS
A ball-shaped light with "arcs of light coming horizontally from the center," like "reflections on a silvery surface," flew overhead at high speed. (MUFON)
August 14, 2011 10:15 pm Winnipeg, MB
Bright light like "shooting star" stopped in its path, was stationary for 10 secs, then made 90-degree turn and continued. (UFOROM)
August 16, 2011 9:40 pm Altona, MB
A bright object like a "flickering lantern" flew low across the horizon for a minute before going higher and disappearing. The witness did not think it was a Chinese lantern. (UFOROM)
August 17, 2011 11:00 pm Winnipeg, MB
A very bright spherical light flew over the city eastward. It "wobbled" and "zig-zagged" before turning a reddish colour and disappearing. (UFOROM & MUFON)
August 19, 2011 10:30 pm Lockport, MB
Three lights that seemed to be on a dark, blurry triangular object moved quickly overhead S-N at the speed of a low-flying plane. (PSICAN)
August 19, 2011 9:30 pm Winnipeg, MB
Two orange lights traveled across the sky N-S for about a minute, then vanished. (PSICAN)
August 21, 2011 9:30 pm Gander, NF
A "huge yellow ball" floated over the city E-W, without making any sound. At the same time, ISS was passing W-E overhead as well. (DND)
Thanks to all contributors.
Labels: Canada UFO reports
Thursday, August 18, 2011
So why the secrecy about UFOs? Official Canadian docs give answers
One of the big buzzwords in ufology these days is "Disclosure," with a capital "D." It's something that in my opinion, by the current definition, certainly won't happen, but many UFO buffs are persistent in their belief that the "Government" (with a capital "G") will release all of its UFO-related secrets due to public pressure and lobbying by exopolitics types.
Ain't gonna happen, folks.
First, public pressure doesn't matter in this regard. Since we don't know what exactly is being withheld by the US government, they don't need to say anything about it. (Assuming there is something there.)
Second, if there's something really juicy, it'll continue being withheld. We still don't know anything about Black Projects that the US Congress approves every year to the tune of billions of dollars.
Third, we've seen what has been released already by the USA (e.g. Blue Book) and many other countries, most recently in another batch put online by the MoD in Britain. And it's mostly junk. A few cases of note, but nothing really interesting.
We already have thousands of pages of official UFO docs accessible by anyone who wants them, so the amount of material awaiting "Disclosure" is comparatively small.
Case in point: Canada. In my last post, I reported on Isaac Koi's discovery of how to access thousands of Canadian UFO docs in one fell swoop. Several down people have been grabbing them and sifting through them for something - anything - of interest. Since we had access to most of these docs already in paper format through personal visits to the National Archives in Ottawa, we knew what to expect. Lots of correspondence between departments and with members of the public asking for info on UFOs, with the usual standard responses.
I find the docs curious for several reasons. The contents of a consecutively-numbered small batch of files sometimes contains cases and correspondence from non-consecutive years. One from 1952, then 1968, then 1964, etc. Why?
Also, there are examples where we have a memo describing a particular document supposedly attached, but no attachment.
The cases that we do find are fairly unspectacular; many fireballs and "bright lights with tails" crashing to the earth - which are also fireballs. But speaking of crashes, remember the Clan Lake case, where an object was seen to fall into a lake in the NWT in 1960? That generated about ten pages of docs, total. In addition, the RCAF and RCMP made a lacklustre attempt to retrieve the object over the course of a few years, then lost interest. But only two years later, in 1962, two separate well-witnessed crashes of objects into northern BC resulted in major recovery operations involving helicopters, ground searches, witness interrogations and a full-bore investigations with dozens of pages of documentation. A metal "nose cone" from something was even found and taken for analyses.
Among the docs about the 1962 cases was a memo from 11 August 1975 by Dr. Douglas of the Planetary Institute (presumably the Herzberg in Ottawa). He was offering direction on how to handle a request by Canadian ufologist Gregory Kanon who was looking for official UFO docs between 1947 and 1964. Apparently, they didn't want to give him anything, and justified their denial by noting:
All are of historical interest and have been marked accordingly.
Besides reports from the RCMP that require the written permission from that force for access, they contain letters from private individuals who requested confidentiality in making the information available to this department. They are therefore to be considered as containing PRIVILEGED information and not for release until 2000. (emphasis in original)
Not surprisingly, the letter from Kanon requesting the information does not accompany this memo.
Two things of note about this:
1. UFO reports are of historical interest. This could mean that they are of cultural significance and should be documented and preserved. Furthermore, such reports might well be part of our Canadian heritage and might be studied with funds from government sources, like other heritage topics.
2. The reasons UFO reports are not made public is because some are official RCMP documents, which makes sense, and because others are private correspondence from citizens who request anonymity, which also makes sense. Except for one thing: hardly anyone who reported a UFO to the NRC or RCMP actually requested anonymity in their letters or reports. The case files don't contain witnesses' comments to this effect.
Ain't gonna happen, folks.
First, public pressure doesn't matter in this regard. Since we don't know what exactly is being withheld by the US government, they don't need to say anything about it. (Assuming there is something there.)
Second, if there's something really juicy, it'll continue being withheld. We still don't know anything about Black Projects that the US Congress approves every year to the tune of billions of dollars.
Third, we've seen what has been released already by the USA (e.g. Blue Book) and many other countries, most recently in another batch put online by the MoD in Britain. And it's mostly junk. A few cases of note, but nothing really interesting.
We already have thousands of pages of official UFO docs accessible by anyone who wants them, so the amount of material awaiting "Disclosure" is comparatively small.
Case in point: Canada. In my last post, I reported on Isaac Koi's discovery of how to access thousands of Canadian UFO docs in one fell swoop. Several down people have been grabbing them and sifting through them for something - anything - of interest. Since we had access to most of these docs already in paper format through personal visits to the National Archives in Ottawa, we knew what to expect. Lots of correspondence between departments and with members of the public asking for info on UFOs, with the usual standard responses.
I find the docs curious for several reasons. The contents of a consecutively-numbered small batch of files sometimes contains cases and correspondence from non-consecutive years. One from 1952, then 1968, then 1964, etc. Why?
Also, there are examples where we have a memo describing a particular document supposedly attached, but no attachment.
The cases that we do find are fairly unspectacular; many fireballs and "bright lights with tails" crashing to the earth - which are also fireballs. But speaking of crashes, remember the Clan Lake case, where an object was seen to fall into a lake in the NWT in 1960? That generated about ten pages of docs, total. In addition, the RCAF and RCMP made a lacklustre attempt to retrieve the object over the course of a few years, then lost interest. But only two years later, in 1962, two separate well-witnessed crashes of objects into northern BC resulted in major recovery operations involving helicopters, ground searches, witness interrogations and a full-bore investigations with dozens of pages of documentation. A metal "nose cone" from something was even found and taken for analyses.
Among the docs about the 1962 cases was a memo from 11 August 1975 by Dr. Douglas of the Planetary Institute (presumably the Herzberg in Ottawa). He was offering direction on how to handle a request by Canadian ufologist Gregory Kanon who was looking for official UFO docs between 1947 and 1964. Apparently, they didn't want to give him anything, and justified their denial by noting:
All are of historical interest and have been marked accordingly.
Besides reports from the RCMP that require the written permission from that force for access, they contain letters from private individuals who requested confidentiality in making the information available to this department. They are therefore to be considered as containing PRIVILEGED information and not for release until 2000. (emphasis in original)
Not surprisingly, the letter from Kanon requesting the information does not accompany this memo.
Two things of note about this:
1. UFO reports are of historical interest. This could mean that they are of cultural significance and should be documented and preserved. Furthermore, such reports might well be part of our Canadian heritage and might be studied with funds from government sources, like other heritage topics.
2. The reasons UFO reports are not made public is because some are official RCMP documents, which makes sense, and because others are private correspondence from citizens who request anonymity, which also makes sense. Except for one thing: hardly anyone who reported a UFO to the NRC or RCMP actually requested anonymity in their letters or reports. The case files don't contain witnesses' comments to this effect.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Crash Go the UFOs: Falling Skies in Canada
Diligent researcher Isaac Koi has published on his blog some details about some unusual space debris that was found in northern Saskatchewan in 1968. It was the largest piece ever found to that date, and was definitely considered to have come from space. However, the Canadian military and government could not definitively explain what it was from.
Koi got the docs and photos from a collection of UFO-related material held by the Canadian National Archives and made available online.
I have noted before that this is not "Disclosure" because the Canadian government has been making UFO docs available for decades at the Archives in Ottawa. It's only recently that they scanned several thousand docs and put them online.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread736264/pg1
http://www.ufoupdateslist.com/2011/aug/m16-001.shtml
Anyway, I replied to Koi in Errol Bruce-Knapp's UFO Updates and noted the found space debris was one of a number of known, documented crashes of objects in Canada.
http://www.ufoupdateslist.com/2011/aug/m16-006.shtml
Here's my updated, annotated list:
The significance of the above events is that each has official documentation and was investigated by authorities. The U-2 was technically not a crash or a UFO incident, but it's interesting it took place in a region where other events are now know to have occurred. Largely uninhabited, what else might have happened in the Canadian north that is yet to be discovered?
Koi got the docs and photos from a collection of UFO-related material held by the Canadian National Archives and made available online.
I have noted before that this is not "Disclosure" because the Canadian government has been making UFO docs available for decades at the Archives in Ottawa. It's only recently that they scanned several thousand docs and put them online.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread736264/pg1
http://www.ufoupdateslist.com/2011/aug/m16-001.shtml
Anyway, I replied to Koi in Errol Bruce-Knapp's UFO Updates and noted the found space debris was one of a number of known, documented crashes of objects in Canada.
http://www.ufoupdateslist.com/2011/aug/m16-006.shtml
Here's my updated, annotated list:
Known and documented Canadian "UFO crashes" include:
March 15, 1960
A U-2 spy plane made a forced landing on Wapawekka Lake in northern Saskatchewan.
http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Saskatchewan/u2_drops_in.htm
Few people know that there was another U-2 incident other than that of Francis Gary Powers. It's a good thing that Flin Flon was more friendly than Russia. As far as we know, no one saw the U-2 make the emergency landing in Saskatchewan, which might have resulted in a UFO report.
June 22, 1960
An object is seen to fall into Clan Lake, Northwest Territories.
http://uforum.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html
The RCMP officer who met the witness recalled in 2010 that he was a reliable and trustworthy individual, not prone to exaggeration and well-liked in the community. If it was a meteorite under the water of significant size, you'd think the scientists would want to recover it.
October 4, 1967
A bright object was seen by several witnesses to fall into Shag Harbour, off the coast of Nova Scotia.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread736264/pg1#pid11980698
Called "Canada's Roswell," it's actually a bit better because we have official docs that something really happened, unlike Roswell.
October 17, 1968
Fragments of a "space vehicle" found near Wollaston Lake in Saskatchewan are received by the NRC.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread736264/pg1
Koi notes that this chunk of metal was the largest such debris found to that date, and yet it still didn't make it into any list of known space debris recoveries.
January 24, 1978
Cosmos 954 crashes into northern Canada, mostly near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories but also, of course, Saskatchewan.
http://sciradioactive.com/Taylors_Nuke_Site/Operation_Morning_Light.html
This radioactive Russian spacecraft was seen to fragment and fall over a very wide area in the largely uninhabited Canadian north. Still, radioactive debris was painstakingly tracked, located and taken to the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment in Pinawa, Manitoba, for examination. Aboriginal people throughout the area were given medical examinations and tested for radioactive contamination.
The significance of the above events is that each has official documentation and was investigated by authorities. The U-2 was technically not a crash or a UFO incident, but it's interesting it took place in a region where other events are now know to have occurred. Largely uninhabited, what else might have happened in the Canadian north that is yet to be discovered?
Labels: UFO crash Canada documents space debris
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
BoLs, LITS and other recent UFOs in Canada
Peter Davenport, PSICAN and YouTube all came up with a new batch of UFO reports recently. These, plus those that came directly to me or Ufology Research, all contribute to a new list of recent Canadian UFOs.
July 1, 2011 11:45 pm Niagara Falls, ON
"I have to stress I'm a normal person! NOT CRAZY!" Witness and his family saw a light make an "S" in the sky, then "take off." (PSICAN)
July 11, 2011 1:00 pm Iqaluit, NU
More than 60 (sixty!) people watched a "blue light rotating around another stationary blue light" that hung in the sky for 3 hours, then "took off" after a flashlight was shone in its direction. (NB: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were all in the daytime sky that day. Maybe Venus?) (YouTube)
July 16, 2011 11:00 pm Grand Bend, ON
Three orange lights rose from the SSW horizon then separately flew slowly overhead at a constant speed. With binoculars, one appeared disc-shaped with smaller blue lights underneath. (NUFORC)
July 16, 2011 9:00 pm Hamilton, ON
Many people reported seeing slow-moving orange lights over the region. The objects were identified as Chinese lanterns. (UFOROM)
July 16, 2011 4:00 pm Red Deer, AB
A "black, pipelike object" flew across the sky W-E in 15 seconds. Each end had "bump outs." (MUFON)
July 17, 2011 11:00 pm Ignace, ON
Five people saw two bright orange objects flew together, then diverged and vanished into the clouds. (UFOROM)
July 23, 2011 9:41 pm Hamilton, ON
More Chinese lanterns were reported as UFOs.
http://xzonenews.com/hamiltonufosolved.htm
July 27, 2011 12:19 am Fort McMurray, AB
For more than 30 minutes, two people watched a lighted object in the sky move "slowly diagonally," "sit there in the sky a bit" and then move back. When they tried to take photos, "half the time it wouldn't appear" in the picture. (NUFORC)
July 27, 2011 4:40 am Markham, ON
Two members of an airport ground crew watched a blinking white light moving southward. They later saw another blinking light they thought was unusual, and "sent out positive vibes" to it in hope of communicating with it. (MUFON)
July 30, 2011 midnight Hecla, MB
Three people camping in a tent with a screen top watched a "large circle shaped object [that] floated over our tent for over 5 seconds." (PSICAN)
July 30, 2011 Hamilton, ON
Video of UFOs that hovered "above the once great city of Hamilton." (YouTube)
July 30, 2011 11:40 pm Ile-Perrot, PQ
A UFO was seen to follow a satellite across the sky heading NE. (PSICAN)
July 31, 2011 12:10 am Tillsonburg, ON
An orange light moved silently and slowly over the town. During the two minutes it was in sight, it was resolved into four lights surrounding a central light. (NUFORC)
August 1, 2011 Ville Marie, PQ
Four people watched an orange light changing direction as it moved over the town. (UFOROM)
August 6, 2011 10:28 pm Vancouver, BC
A large luminous object was captured on a UFO skycam as it moved along the NE horizon. (UFO Global Reporting Center)
I also heard from Michel Duchamps that a UFO was seen in the Cobden-Ottawa area one night during the first week of August. Phone lines to a radio station were reportedly jammed. However, I have been unable to find any reference to this in any media reports. He's checking...
Thanks to all contributors.
July 1, 2011 11:45 pm Niagara Falls, ON
"I have to stress I'm a normal person! NOT CRAZY!" Witness and his family saw a light make an "S" in the sky, then "take off." (PSICAN)
July 11, 2011 1:00 pm Iqaluit, NU
More than 60 (sixty!) people watched a "blue light rotating around another stationary blue light" that hung in the sky for 3 hours, then "took off" after a flashlight was shone in its direction. (NB: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were all in the daytime sky that day. Maybe Venus?) (YouTube)
July 16, 2011 11:00 pm Grand Bend, ON
Three orange lights rose from the SSW horizon then separately flew slowly overhead at a constant speed. With binoculars, one appeared disc-shaped with smaller blue lights underneath. (NUFORC)
July 16, 2011 9:00 pm Hamilton, ON
Many people reported seeing slow-moving orange lights over the region. The objects were identified as Chinese lanterns. (UFOROM)
July 16, 2011 4:00 pm Red Deer, AB
A "black, pipelike object" flew across the sky W-E in 15 seconds. Each end had "bump outs." (MUFON)
July 17, 2011 11:00 pm Ignace, ON
Five people saw two bright orange objects flew together, then diverged and vanished into the clouds. (UFOROM)
July 23, 2011 9:41 pm Hamilton, ON
More Chinese lanterns were reported as UFOs.
http://xzonenews.com/hamiltonufosolved.htm
July 27, 2011 12:19 am Fort McMurray, AB
For more than 30 minutes, two people watched a lighted object in the sky move "slowly diagonally," "sit there in the sky a bit" and then move back. When they tried to take photos, "half the time it wouldn't appear" in the picture. (NUFORC)
July 27, 2011 4:40 am Markham, ON
Two members of an airport ground crew watched a blinking white light moving southward. They later saw another blinking light they thought was unusual, and "sent out positive vibes" to it in hope of communicating with it. (MUFON)
July 30, 2011 midnight Hecla, MB
Three people camping in a tent with a screen top watched a "large circle shaped object [that] floated over our tent for over 5 seconds." (PSICAN)
July 30, 2011 Hamilton, ON
Video of UFOs that hovered "above the once great city of Hamilton." (YouTube)
July 30, 2011 11:40 pm Ile-Perrot, PQ
A UFO was seen to follow a satellite across the sky heading NE. (PSICAN)
July 31, 2011 12:10 am Tillsonburg, ON
An orange light moved silently and slowly over the town. During the two minutes it was in sight, it was resolved into four lights surrounding a central light. (NUFORC)
August 1, 2011 Ville Marie, PQ
Four people watched an orange light changing direction as it moved over the town. (UFOROM)
August 6, 2011 10:28 pm Vancouver, BC
A large luminous object was captured on a UFO skycam as it moved along the NE horizon. (UFO Global Reporting Center)
I also heard from Michel Duchamps that a UFO was seen in the Cobden-Ottawa area one night during the first week of August. Phone lines to a radio station were reportedly jammed. However, I have been unable to find any reference to this in any media reports. He's checking...
Thanks to all contributors.
Labels: UFO Canada sightings reports
Monday, August 01, 2011
Summer Reading
While on vacation, I had many opportunities to sit back and get some reading done. There's nothing better than sitting on a deck by the water and reading a book while the sun is setting. And first thing in the morning. And after a nap. And under a tree looking out over a field.
So what do ufologists read for relaxation? Well, a lot of it is about UFOs, not surprisingly, but there's an interesting mixture of things to stimulate the mind, but some stuff just to read for its mush value.
Like Hybrids by Whitley Strieber.
http://www.amazon.com/Hybrids-Whitley-Strieber/dp/0765323761/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312232726&sr=1-2
I didn't get it. Yes it's a thriller, and yes, it's kind of about aliens, although the alien presence is a carryover from previous storylines. They helped a mad scientist create several kinds of superhuman cyborgs that war with one another.
So I went looking for his other book that came out this year, The Key, which actually is an expansion of his writings about an apparent contact experience a decade ago.
http://www.amazon.com/Key-True-Encounter-Whitley-Strieber/dp/1585428698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312232726&sr=1-1
The book illustrates the fundamental problem with contactee literature: it's literally unbelievable. Strieber feels that an ultraterrestrial visited him in a Montreal hotel room and imparted to him deep and mystical knowledge. This, despite the fact his notes on what the being told him show nothing but vagueness and confabulation. e.g. Strieber asks: "Was there a Eucharist before Christ?" The Key (Being) replies: "I don't want to answer." Strieber asks: "Why are universes created?" The Key replies: "Being serves joy." WTF?
At an SF convention, I picked up The Real UFO Invasion by Ray Palmer (1967), one of the few UFO genre paperbacks I didn't have yet in my collection.
http://www.amazon.com/real-UFO-invasion-Raymond-Palmer/dp/B0007FMB0A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312243564&sr=1-1
In Wisconsin, I picked up Why We Are Here! by Gloria Lee (1959), or rather, as it notes on the cover: "written by a BEING from JUPITER and instrumented by GLORIA LEE."
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Are-Here-Instrumentation/dp/B002J00KYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312243783&sr=1-1
It reads very similar to Strieber's Key. e.g. "We of the solar system wish only to lend our hand so you can proceed into the new vibration of your Golden Age." In fact, the messages are almost identical.
For lighter fare, I picked up two early juvenile lit books: The Boy Aviators' Treasure Quest by Captain Wilbur Lawton (1910) and The Radio Boys and the Sending Station by Allen Chapman (1922). These are fun reads, predating series like om Swift and the Hardy Boys, and were their originators of the genre.
http://www.amazon.com/Aviators-Treasure-Quest-Golden-Galleon/dp/B000NPRZ0K/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312249815&sr=1-5
http://www.amazon.com/RADIO-SENDING-STATION-MAKING-WIRELESS/dp/B001Z79OZE/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312249875&sr=1-5
A surprise find was Crop Circles of Wessex, edited by Jane Drake (1997), which I purchased for only a buck. It has articles by Kent Goodman and Pat Delgado, and a foreward by Reg Presley.
http://www.amazon.com/Crop-Circles-of-Wessex/dp/B001VFB9IU/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312250092&sr=1-6
My two favourite books of the summer reads were quite unexpected.
First, Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (1992). It's a small paperback that is mostly reprints of earlier works, in which Bradbury describes his philosophy and offers practical ways of honing the craft (art) of writing. He gives some amazing insight, and imparts some serious wisdom. Probably the best book about writing that I've seen.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Writing-Releasing-Creative/dp/0553296345/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312250506&sr=1-1
And finally, UFO in Her Eyes by Xiaolu Guo (2010). Okay, so I got it for the title, but I was pleasantly surprised that it really has not much to do with UFOs at all, but is a sad romance set against the political landscape of rural China. Written as a series of letters and reports to government officials, it's a delightful book and may become one of my top 10 favourite reads of all time!
http://www.amazon.com/UFO-Her-Eyes-Xiaolu-Guo/dp/0099526670/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_5
So what do ufologists read for relaxation? Well, a lot of it is about UFOs, not surprisingly, but there's an interesting mixture of things to stimulate the mind, but some stuff just to read for its mush value.
Like Hybrids by Whitley Strieber.
http://www.amazon.com/Hybrids-Whitley-Strieber/dp/0765323761/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312232726&sr=1-2
I didn't get it. Yes it's a thriller, and yes, it's kind of about aliens, although the alien presence is a carryover from previous storylines. They helped a mad scientist create several kinds of superhuman cyborgs that war with one another.
So I went looking for his other book that came out this year, The Key, which actually is an expansion of his writings about an apparent contact experience a decade ago.
http://www.amazon.com/Key-True-Encounter-Whitley-Strieber/dp/1585428698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312232726&sr=1-1
The book illustrates the fundamental problem with contactee literature: it's literally unbelievable. Strieber feels that an ultraterrestrial visited him in a Montreal hotel room and imparted to him deep and mystical knowledge. This, despite the fact his notes on what the being told him show nothing but vagueness and confabulation. e.g. Strieber asks: "Was there a Eucharist before Christ?" The Key (Being) replies: "I don't want to answer." Strieber asks: "Why are universes created?" The Key replies: "Being serves joy." WTF?
At an SF convention, I picked up The Real UFO Invasion by Ray Palmer (1967), one of the few UFO genre paperbacks I didn't have yet in my collection.
http://www.amazon.com/real-UFO-invasion-Raymond-Palmer/dp/B0007FMB0A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312243564&sr=1-1
In Wisconsin, I picked up Why We Are Here! by Gloria Lee (1959), or rather, as it notes on the cover: "written by a BEING from JUPITER and instrumented by GLORIA LEE."
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Are-Here-Instrumentation/dp/B002J00KYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312243783&sr=1-1
It reads very similar to Strieber's Key. e.g. "We of the solar system wish only to lend our hand so you can proceed into the new vibration of your Golden Age." In fact, the messages are almost identical.
For lighter fare, I picked up two early juvenile lit books: The Boy Aviators' Treasure Quest by Captain Wilbur Lawton (1910) and The Radio Boys and the Sending Station by Allen Chapman (1922). These are fun reads, predating series like om Swift and the Hardy Boys, and were their originators of the genre.
http://www.amazon.com/Aviators-Treasure-Quest-Golden-Galleon/dp/B000NPRZ0K/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312249815&sr=1-5
http://www.amazon.com/RADIO-SENDING-STATION-MAKING-WIRELESS/dp/B001Z79OZE/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312249875&sr=1-5
A surprise find was Crop Circles of Wessex, edited by Jane Drake (1997), which I purchased for only a buck. It has articles by Kent Goodman and Pat Delgado, and a foreward by Reg Presley.
http://www.amazon.com/Crop-Circles-of-Wessex/dp/B001VFB9IU/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312250092&sr=1-6
My two favourite books of the summer reads were quite unexpected.
First, Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (1992). It's a small paperback that is mostly reprints of earlier works, in which Bradbury describes his philosophy and offers practical ways of honing the craft (art) of writing. He gives some amazing insight, and imparts some serious wisdom. Probably the best book about writing that I've seen.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Writing-Releasing-Creative/dp/0553296345/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312250506&sr=1-1
And finally, UFO in Her Eyes by Xiaolu Guo (2010). Okay, so I got it for the title, but I was pleasantly surprised that it really has not much to do with UFOs at all, but is a sad romance set against the political landscape of rural China. Written as a series of letters and reports to government officials, it's a delightful book and may become one of my top 10 favourite reads of all time!
http://www.amazon.com/UFO-Her-Eyes-Xiaolu-Guo/dp/0099526670/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_5
Labels: ufos books SF
