"Alien Mummy" Found in Peru


A strange mummy with a huge round skull was discovered near the city of Andahuaylillas in southern Peru. The mummy was originally discovered in 2009 by Renato Davila Riquelme, who works for the Privado Ritos Andinos museum in Cuzco. While not certain of what the creature is early investigations have suggested that it may not human.

A group of un-named anthropologists from Spain and Russia also came to the same conclusion.  "Although the assessment was superficial, it is obvious that its features do not correspond to any ethnic group in the world," said Riquelme. Some suggested that the creature may have been extraterrestrial due to the round shape of the head and large round eye sockets, but Requelme is not convinced, suspecting instead that it may be a genetically deformed child. Whatever it is, it definitely is mysterious.

The skull has some unusual features which differentiate it from other human skulls. There is a "soft spot" at the top of the head where the cranial bones join together which is common in human infants less than one year old. While this might suggest that the skull belonged to a child there are other features, such as a fully formed set of teeth with adult molars that suggest otherwise.

The size of the head is also unusual. The skull measures a whopping 20 inches which is almost equal to the skeleton's torso. The eye sockets are very large--much more so than any known species of hominid--and of a shape not generally found in ordinary skulls. The remains of an eyeball in one of the sockets may provide material for genetic testing.

Skeptics naturally dismiss the whole thing as a hoax, claiming that the skull is nothing more than a genetic deformity or disease, or a case of ritual skull binding. While these explanations may be possibilities there are problems with each of them.

Ritual skull binding, or artificial cranial deformation as it is scientifically known is a common occurrence among many different cultures throughout history. The procedure dates back to at least 45,000 years ago and seems to have evolved independently on several different continents.

An example of a skull that was ritually deformed

In ritual skull deformation the shape of the skull is modified or altered through the use of binding rope or cloth in order to flatten out or elongate the skull. This is usually done to newborn infants while the skull is very pliable. It is a very widespread practice throughout South America including the area where the skull was found.

The problem with claiming that ritual skull deformation is responsible for the Peruvian skull is that while the process of deformation may change the shape of the skull it does not change the size of the head or the shape or placement of the eyes. The skull found by Requelme is huge in comparison to a normal skull. The eyes are extraordinarily large also. This pretty much rules out intentional deformation as an explanation.

Strike one for the skeptics.

A second possible explanation is a genetic mutation or condition such as Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia which can cause unusual characteristics to appear in an otherwise healthy human.

Actor Michael Berrymore who displays symptoms of the condition

People who have this condition may have an altered or elongated skull as well as differences in skin, hair, teeth and sweat glands. The mutations are generally nowhere near as severe as those that appear in the Peruvian skull though. The heads of people with dysplasia are not much larger than a normal person's, and while the teeth may be different they are usually smaller and pointed which is the opposite of the large rounded molars found in the huge mystery skull. The dysplasia condition also does not normally effect the eyes.

Strike two...

Another possibility is a medical condition known as Hydrocephalus, or "water in the brain." This is an abnormal condition caused by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. The increase in internal pressure can cause massive swelling of the brain and can lead to an enlarged skull, possibly even as large as the one in Peru.

Infant with hydrocephalus

Side effects of Hydrocephalus are numerous and include, among other things, severe mental retardation, convulsions and in some cases, death. In order for the skull to become enlarged the condition would have to be present at a very early age, usually less than  three years old, and most severe cases end up being fatal. While this condition could potentially explain the abnormally enlarged skull it would not explain the enlarged eyes since victims of Hydrocephalus retain normal sized facial features. The eyes in the Peruvian skull are much too large to be a result of increased pressure in the brain. The fully grown molars present in the skull also seem to point away from this condition since it is doubtful that anybody suffering from such a pronounced case of hydrocephalus would have survived to adulthood. Nor would it explain the rather stunted growth of the rest of the body.

Strike three for the skeptics.

There is another possibility--that the skull actually does belong to an extraterrestrial being. It does seem to closely resemble the general description given of some ETs like the typical greys which have both an enlarged head and oversized eyes. Those descriptions do not normally include huge human-like teeth though.

Just what exactly this mysterious creature is remains to be seen. It could be some very strange and unknown genetic aberration or maybe a separate species or sub-species of humans. Perhaps it is an "alien" hybrid or a humanoid with some extraterrestrial or non-human connection. That would have to be proven through scientific testing however and so far no definitive results have been produced. At this point in time DNA testing still has not been completed.

Until the tests are completed it seems that people on both sides--both the UFO believers and the skeptics--will just have to wait for an answer to the mystery.

The First Pen on the Moon


When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon that fateful day back in 1969 they achieved the greatest accomplishment in the history of humanity...leaving the boundaries of the Earth and traveling through space to a distant alien world. It's no wonder that the men became legends in their own time. Even some of the simple little tools that they used obtained almost mythical status, and it is no wonder. The Moon landing was a magnificent moment and a remarkable achievement...one that will forever go down in the annuls of history. It may have only been a small step for man but it was definitely a giant leap for mankind.

Of course there were a lot of other people involved in the effort who also deserve some credit for that small step. In order to overcome the Earth's gravity and travel through space, rockets had to be built, fuel had to be developed, a capsule had to be designed that could provide the men inside with oxygen, as well as all of the other basic necessities of life. The proper calculations had to be made in order to keep the space craft from missing its target and whizzing off into the never-ending void of deep space. Space suits had to be created that would protect the astronauts from the burning heat and freezing cold temperatures that exist outside the atmosphere, as well as the deadly cosmic rays that bombard any space traveler who dares to leave the safe confines of their home planet. It took a whole team of hundreds, if not thousands of people to overcome all of these potentially deadly obstacles.

When all of the dangers and difficulties are taken into consideration it is amazing that anybody had the courage and fortitude to even try to take that giant leap. Neil and Buzz are definitely American heroes, as are the other astronauts who went into space before them.

Some credit for the Moon landing should also be given to the cosmonauts from the former Soviet Union. It was the Soviets and their space program that first galvanized the United states into action. When it was announced in 1957 that the tiny little Sputnik satellite had made it into orbit it caught the Americans completely by surprise. The thought of Russian space craft circling the earth armed with spy cameras or nuclear weapons was not a pleasant thought, especially in the middle of the Cold War when both sides were trying desperately to gain a military advantage over the other. When President Kennedy assumed office three years later he immediately announced the goal to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade and the space race was on.

It is interesting to compare the contrast between the two nations and how they went about attempting to achieve their goals. The United States was a capitalist country with a free market economy that produced enormous amounts of wealth that could be poured into the space program. The Soviet Union was a communist country where everything was owned and tightly controlled by the government.

In the USA individual citizens had the freedom and liberty to come up with new ideas, put them into action and succeed to the best of their abilities. In the USSR only the government was allowed to have new ideas and the people just blindly carried out their orders while trying to not draw unwarranted attention to themselves.

In the United States where practically every extravagance was readily available, more was never enough and too much was usually just right. In Communist Russia the emphasis was always on efficiency, expediency and constantly making do with less.

The difference in the social and economic make-up of the two countries determined the style and overall success of each of their space programs. While American scientists were working in spotlessly clean, air-conditioned laboratories with every modern convenience at their disposal the Soviets were stuck in old worn out warehouses with broken windows and dirty concrete floors. Instead of tables the Soviet engineers had to make do with a sheet of plywood placed on top of an empty cardboard box. For heat they burned firewood in old oil drums.

While NASA engineers were given virtually an unlimited budget to design and construct any part necessary to build their equipment, the Russian rocket scientists were scrounging around in junkyards trying to find parts that they could salvage and modify to fit their needs. Is it any wonder that when the big Saturn V rocket lifted the Apollo 11 crew towards the Moon the Soviets huge N-1s were still blowing up on the launchpad? Given the obstacles and disadvantages they had to overcome it is a wonder the Russians ever even got off the ground.

The fact that they beat their American counterparts into space and even managed to put a few things into orbit is a testimony to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Soviet engineers. They may not have had the bountiful budget that the NASA scientists had but they more than made up for it in pragmatic simplicity.

No greater example of the difference between the two countries and their space programs can be found than in their choice of writing instruments. The NASA scientists knew that the astronauts were going to need something to write with on their lunar voyage. Mathematical calculations would need to be performed, notes and ideas would need to be jotted down, and not just any old ink pen would work in the harsh environment of space. Lack of gravity and extreme temperatures have a tendency to make the standard ballpoint pretty much useless. NASA knew that something special would be needed to claim the title of the first pen on the Moon.

What they came up with was the Fisher Apollo AG-7 space pen, or astro pen. This little marvel of science was actually developed by a private entrepreneur, Paul fisher, who owned the Fisher Pen Company. He approached NASA about using the pen and after an extensive evaluation process it was eventually selected by NASA to be used by the astronauts on the Apollo missions.

The pen basically consisted of a nitrogen filled canister that was pressurized at a rate of 50 pounds per square inch. The gas pressed against a plunger that forced an almost solid mixture of thixotropic ink against a revolving ball point that liquefied the ink whenever it was rotated. The ball itself was an ultra hard Tungsten Carbide ball held in a stainless steel socket. In spite of the fact that it was still the same general size and shape as a standard ball point pen it was a thing of beauty and it worked as well as it looked.

The little six-inch long astro pen could write for more than seven miles which was 300% further than any other ball-point pen. It could write upside-down, against walls or any other vertical surface. It could reportedly write over butter, grease, sweaty hand-prints or even totally submerged under water. It could write in the burning heat or freezing cold of outer space, and even if it were bombarded with deadly cosmic rays. It was claimed that the thing would even be capable of writing when it was a hundred years old. The special ink that was in it was guaranteed to not clot, leak, clog, dry out or evaporate. It would always write instantly at the slightest touch, as long as the ball was contacting a surface.

According to contemporary promotional literature the AG-7 space-pen cost a grand total of one million dollars to develop back in 1969. That is a staggering sum for what was basically a glorified ink pen. Still, Paul Fisher and NASA both deemed it to be well worth the money. It was a perfect example of what the most prosperous nation in the world can do when the people put their best minds to solving a problem.

And what did NASA's competitors in the race to the Moon do to overcome the challenge of writing in space? When the Soviet Union was faced with the dilemma of finding an instrument that could write in zero gravity, in the freezing vacuum or burning heat of outer space...or even when being bombarded by deadly cosmic rays...they used the same simplistic solutions the Soviet scientists were famous for...they used a pencil.

Of course it wasn't just the Soviets who had to come up with simple solutions. Many people are not aware of it but Neil and Buzz almost didn't make it back from that first Moon mission. There was a minor malfunction in the space craft that could have turned into a major problem if a quick solution had not been found and legend has it that a certain little pen may have played a major role in it.

When the two intrepid explorers climbed back into the Lunar Lander after their final space walk they could see that there was a problem. Lying on the floor was a small piece of a circuit breaker that was part of the ignition switch that would launch the craft away from the Moon. Without the circuit breaker the craft could not take off. It was definitely not a good situation.

As an army of engineers mobilized back on Earth to attempt to solve the problem the astronauts tried to find a fix themselves. Looking at all of the different tools that they had at their disposal Buzz Aldrin realized that the tip of a pen could be used to close the circuit and activate the ignition without causing any sparks or setting anything on fire. He quickly pulled a pen out of his pocket, used it to start the engine and the astronauts were home free.

Naturally, as with any good legend, there is a bit of controversy over just which pen was used. The Fisher Pen Company, which changed it's name to the Fisher Space Pen Company, claimed it was their very own Fisher AG-7 space pen that saved the day and they proceeded to launch a major advertising campaign saying so. They were so successful at convincing people that the astro-pen was the real hero that even NASA picked up the story and added it to their official record. The space agency's stamp of approval just about gave the first pen on the Moon its legendary status.

There are those who question the accepted story however, one of them being Buzz Aldrin himself. According to Aldrin it wasn't the Fisher Space Pen that he used to get the engine started but a Dura felt tip marker. Neil Armstrong confirmed the use of the marker so that should have pretty much settled any controversy. It's not that easy to change a legend however. Even now, several years after the space pen story was refuted, its legendary status continues to grow and many people, including some senior officials at NASA still continue to credit the Fisher space pen with the heroic deed.

Regardless of whether it was the pen or the marker that actually started the space craft the legend no doubt will continue to grow. Paul Fisher's little space pen will always be remembered as the first pen on the Moon, and just like Neil and Buzz, it will forever be a part of history.

Ten Helpful Tips For UFO Witnesses

Unidentified Flying Objects are witnessed by millions of people all over the world each year. They are captured on film, video and in the memories of numerous eye-witnesses every single day. Thousands of investigators with a wide variety of scientific and technical backgrounds pour over this evidence with a fine-toothed comb searching for that one irrefutable bit of proof that will answer once and for all the question of whether or not the Earth is being visited by technologically advanced other-worldly beings. In spite of all of the evidence that has been gathered over the years, that question still remains unanswered.

One reason is because of the dubious nature of the evidence itself. Cameras, whether they be stills or video, are remarkably good at capturing a visual image of an event, but the details and clarity of that image are dependent upon the skill of the person holding the camera. Photos or videos that are blurred, shaky, out-of-focus, or pointed at the ground do little to help identify an object in the sky. Another drawback to photographic images is that they do not capture many of the other aspects of a UFO experience. Thoughts, sounds, smells, feelings, emotions, and the reaction of other things in the immediate environment can all play a part in helping an investigator to determine whether an unidentified object can ultimately be identified. Most of these details can only be acquired from eye-witness testimony, and unfortunately, eye-witnesses are notoriously unreliable.

Most people who suddenly find themselves confronted by an unknown object zipping across the sky do not have a clue what to do. They usually get excited and run around in little circles yelling and screaming about UFOs and making general fools of themselves. This is one of the reasons why many UFO witnesses lack credibility. Incoherent testimony given by some babbling, over-excited, wide-eyed witness do little to help the public's perception of the ufological community. This is also one of the reasons why it is so difficult to identify what many of these flying objects really are. It is hard to make good observations when running around in little circles.

This very thing happened to one of my good friends who looked out his bedroom window one night and was stunned to see a flying saucer hovering just above his back yard. He immediately panicked and ran amok through the house looking for a place to hide. After a few moments had passed his curiosity got the better of him and he crawled out from underneath his bed to find that the object, whatever it was, had vanished. This incident, while making a fantastic story to tell his future grand-kids, is of little use to a ufologist simply because there was little to no information to base an investigation on. Describing a UFO as being dark, covered with cobwebs, and resembling the bottom of a bed does little to help an investigator. Likewise, finding a three-week-old moldy piece of pizza does not qualify as the discovery of an alien life-form.

Since most people are not serious investigators, and since the average person does not have a clue what details are important to take note of during a sighting, I have come up with a list of ten tips to help UFO witnesses make the most of a potentially out-of-this-world experience. This is just a general guideline and is by no means meant to be a comprehensive discourse on ufological procedures. Following these tips will not automatically make a person a serious ufologist, but it may help an investigator identify what might otherwise have remained an unidentified flying object. Each case that is solved helps to bring us all one step closer to the truth.

1. Don't Panic

The first, foremost, and most important rule of all when spotting a UFO is to remain calm. In other words, do not panic and run around in circles like a lunatic. This does not do anybody any good. Getting excited and losing control of oneself is a good way to insure that an unidentified object will remain unidentified forever. In order to have a chance at identifying the object a person must take charge of the situation and maintain control over their thought processes. In other words, remain calm...focus...breath.

Most UFOs are actually just misidentifications of common celestial objects so there is no reason to become hysterical while witnessing one of them. Venus, meteors, aircraft, birds, bats, balloons and the debunker's favorite, swamp gas, have all been mistaken for flying saucers or alien space craft. A person would feel mighty silly if they became hysterical over something that turned out to be nothing more than a child's party balloon.

If it turns out that the UFO is an alien space craft then there is still no reason to panic. It is unlikely that an extraterrestrial race would be hostile, and if they are then panicking is not likely to do any good. If they have the technology to travel millions of miles through space to get here then they can probably find a person even if they are hiding under the bed. That does not mean you should stand out the open or walk directly under a hovering craft, just do not lose your cool trying to get out of the area. You are more likely to get hurt running madly away than by staying calm.

2. Check the Time

There are several reasons why a UFO witness should look at a clock or watch and keep track of the time during the sighting. First is to determine exactly when the sighting occurred so it can be cross-checked and matched up to other witnesses who may have seen the same thing. It is also helpful to know the duration that the event lasted. This might help an investigator determine what the object was. For instance, weather balloons hang around in the sky for a long period of time while swamp gas burns up very quickly. A meteor may streak from one horizon to the next in just a few seconds while a flying saucer may hover over your backyard for several minutes. Knowing how long the object was in sight can be a big help.

The other main reason why a witness should keep an eye on the clock is to check for "missing time." This is a phenomenon commonly associated with UFO sightings, and is especially prevalent in abduction reports. A person may look at the clock, then see a UFO, and five minutes later they check the time again to find that several hours have passed! What happens during that missing time is a mystery, and many skeptics argue that the time is not missing at all but caused by people who are just not paying attention and underestimate how much time has elapsed. This is why it is important to keep track of exactly how many minutes goes by.

3. Take Pictures or Videos

This is one of the most obvious things for a UFO witness to do but many people totally forget, so allow me to remind them. If you see a UFO...take a picture of it! You would be surprised at how many people overlook that one simple little thing. They either stand their totally transfixed by the unbelievable sight they are seeing, or they run around in little circles like a lunatic screaming madly about UFOs and flying saucers. Only later, after the flying object has flown away do they remember the camera that they had been holding in their hands the entire time.

This does not mean you should leave the scene of the sighting in order to go looking for a camera. It is better to have a detailed description of the UFO with no photo, than to have a photo with no description. Both would be ideal, so if a camera is readily at hand be sure to use it.

There are many different types of cameras available--film, digital, and video of both varieties. The best to use is a film camera because the photos come out sharper and with more clarity, and if any question of the photo's legitimacy should arise, the negative can be examined for signs of trickery.

Digital cameras are more popular in the modern era where practically everybody carries a camera, lap top or cell phone that is capable of taking photos. One of the main problems with digital cameras, aside from their generally poor resolution, is that it is very easy for a digital photo to be faked. Just about anybody with even mediocre computer skills could create a convincing photographic hoax, and unfortunately, many people do. Having to waste time wading through a bunch of phony photos is one of the most aggravating problems an investigator can face.

Video cameras can also be used to document a UFO sighting, and they can provide much more information than a still camera is able to show. The sound of the object, its movement, and the reaction of other people or animals in the immediate vicinity can all be documented with video. One of the main problems encountered when filming with video is camera-shake. People have a tendency to get excited when encountering an unidentified object and as a result they lose their composure. Their heart beats faster, the adrenaline starts pumping, and in some cases they run around in little circles yelling and screaming about UFOs and flying saucers. If they are holding a video camera in their hand at the time the camera will be moving just as much as they are. Hold the camera still, rest it on something, preferably a professional tripod. The more still the camera is the more detailed the images will be. This tip applies to still cameras also. Just try to take the best photo or video you possibly can.

If no camera is available a drawing or sketch might suffice instead. In fact, one private UFO investigator said that in some cases a drawing may actually be preferable to a photo. A drawing not only can depict an image of the UFO, it can also provide clues to the emotional state the witness was in at the time of the sighting, as well as showing their interpretation of what they thought they were seeing. This is especially valuable if more than one witness is present at the scene so that comparisons can be made between them. In any case, whether it be a hand-made sketch, photo or video, it is good to have some type of image to look at.

4. Make Detailed Observations

While I picture may be worth a thousand words there are some things that a photograph just can not portray. Sound, for instance, or smell or feelings. All of these may be just as important, if not more so than a photograph or video. In order to solve an unsolved mystery an investigator needs as many clues as he or she can possibly get. This is why it is important to make detailed observations of all the different aspects of a UFO encounter.

How high was the object? Which direction was it heading? How fast was it moving? The more questions you ask yourself at the time of the sighting, the more answers you will be able to give later on.

Which way was the wind blowing? This may not be something that would be at the forefront of your mind while viewing an unknown object, but it may help to distinguish between a legitimate UFO and a more familiar object like our old buddy the weather balloon. If the object is moving against the wind than it is almost certainly not a balloon!

Other questions you might ask are in regard to how the environment responded to the UFO. Did dogs bark? Did animals run away? Did the grass or trees move abnormally? Was there lightning or thunder? An increase in wind? Even the most insignificant detail could become important later on.

Also, do not forget your own role in the unfolding of your UFO drama. How did you feel during the encounter? Did your hair stand on end? Were you afraid? Did your skin tingle or burn? Did you feel warm or cold? Many of these things could simply be caused by the excitement of the situation but you will never know unless you ask. And you never know what an investigator may ask you.

When it comes to gathering information it is a good idea to keep in mind a simple little rule...it is better to have too much than not enough.

5. Check For Electrical interference

This is a simple but often overlooked detail. Many UFO witnesses report a disruption in their electronic devices in the presence of an unidentified object. The radio will fade out or shut off completely, car engines will die, battery-powered devices will quit working. Usually power is restored once the UFO leaves the scene.

The best way to check to see if there is any type of electrical disruption is pretty obvious...just turn on whatever electronic devices you have and see what happens. If you are near a radio, turn it on. If you are wearing a watch, take a look at it to see if it has stopped. If there is some type of electrical interference, especially if multiple devices are involved, you can be pretty certain that you are dealing with something out of the ordinary.

6. Call Somebody

If you see a UFO one thing you might want to consider doing is to call somebody. This does not mean you should start yelling and screaming for help. Remember rule number one...do not panic. The type of call you should make is a phone call, preferably to someone you know who lives in the area, and ask them if they can see the UFO also. Two witnesses are always better than one, and having somebody there to verify your story might save you a trip to the loony bin.

When you call, ask your buddy to describe what he is seeing to you so you can verify that you are looking at the same thing. It wouldn't do much good for one witness to be looking at a mile-wide triangular-shaped alien space craft while the other witness is looking at Venus. What you want is corroboration rather than an argument. Just consider your phone friend a backup in case your memory isn't as good as it used to be.

7. Do Not Approach

If you are having a close encounter, whether it is with ET or a ball of light in the sky, you might be tempted to get closer to it to get a better look, or to make contact with what may potentially be visiting alien beings. This may not be a wise thing to do, for a variety of reasons.

Many times things that are reported as UFOs are actually naturally occurring phenomenon, but some of these can potentially be dangerous. Ball lightning for instance may look like a big ball of light in the sky, possibly following power lines or cars, and moving in what seems to be an intelligently controlled manner. It is still lightning though and it can produce a powerful electric charge. I can assure you that the last thing you want is to get zapped by a ball of lightning.

Another thing that might potentially be dangerous is the skeptic's old standby, swamp gas. According to some UFO debunkers methane gas can rise up out of a swampy area and somehow ignite producing a glowing colored flame. If true, it could potentially burn an unsuspecting witness. Personally, I don't believe there is such a thing as swamp gas. If the skeptics are going to debunk UFOs than I am going to be skeptical of swamp gas. Where is the proof? Where is the evidence? Still, it might be a good idea to keep your distance just in case.

Hypothetically speaking let us assume that a UFO really is a space craft from another planet and is filled with extraterrestrial beings. Would you really want to rush out and stand underneath it? Have you ever seen the movie Fire in the sky which was based on the experiences of a guy named Travis Walton. He saw a UFO, got out of his pickup and walked underneath it, and disappeared for five days. Judging by what he claims to remember about the incident he is lucky he is still alive and here on Earth.

Thousands of people have reported being abducted by aliens and some of the things they reportedly have experienced are not at all pleasant. And what if the beings are out hunting or on a search and destroy mission? Any innocent bystander could easily end up being their next victim so it is best to not be standing too close, innocently or otherwise. That does not mean you should run away and panic. If an alien race has the ability to travel gazillions of light-years through space than they probably have the capability to find you, no matter where you try to hide. Just don't make yourself an easy target.

Even if the beings are friendly I still would not recommend getting too close to their craft. People have reportedly been injured by doing so. There have been reports of radiation sickness and burns, as well as brain damage, blindness, nerve damage and nausea. Just as a precaution I would advise maintaining a little distance. If the beings want to make contact then let them come to you. Remember, safety first!

8. Get Contact Info

If there are any other witnesses in the area try to get their contact information. A name, address and telephone number would be good, and an email address might be beneficial too. Anything that can help an investigator get in touch with these people later on would be very helpful. It is best to have as many witnesses as possible to help provide details about the incident. The more info, the merrier the investigator will be.

9. Report The Sighting

Okay, you have spotted a UFO, you checked for missing time, you took photos and you made such detailed observations you even counted the number of leaves on the trees. You checked for electrical interference and you called your best buddy who saw the unidentified whatever-it-was too. You even wrote down the contact info of everybody within a two mile radius, including a cute little red-head who just happened to be passing by and didn't even know how to spell UFO. Now what do you do? That's an easy question. You report it to an investigator.

MUFON is probably the most obvious place to file a report. The Mutual UFO network is the largest civilian UFO investigative agency in the world, and even though their reputation has suffered in recent years due to improper management there are still some good investigators there who would be more than willing to take your report. Don't expect to get a lot of feedback from them though. MUFON is notorious for hoarding information. That is one of the most frequent complaints that people have about them and it is one of the things that drives a lot of people away. Even so, in spite of the negative reputation they have acquired, MUFON is still one of the best UFO investigative agencies around.

The National UFO Reporting Center is another good place to file a report. They keep a data base of all the reports that come into them, however, in spite of their long name they are actually a very small operation. NUFORC doesn't really investigate many cases themselves but they do share some of their more interesting finds with private investigators and it is possible they might be able to put you in touch with a good one.

Personally, I think the private UFO investigator is probably one of the best choices when it comes to conducting an investigation...assuming that you can find a good one. People who conduct investigations on their own are doing something that they are truly passionate about doing, and they can bring to an investigation a little more personal attention than you might get from a large organization. Just make sure you find a competent investigator, preferably somebody with an established reputation. The UFO community unfortunately does have its share of flakes and oddballs.

Other official agencies with which you might consider filing a report are the police and the military, especially the Air Force. It is doubtful that they will conduct any type of an investigation, but they will at least keep a record of the report, and if enough people call in to report something sooner or later even these big government beaurocracies will take notice.

Something else you might want to do when reporting a sighting is to get involved with various internet forums or websites. The more people you tell about your sighting or experience the more people will take notice of it, and the better the chance that somebody will look into it and possibly solve it. If nothing else, at least the information will be out there for other people to see.

Internet forums are a very good place to talk about your sightings. There are many forums that specialize in UFOs, like Open Minds Forum and UFO Casebook. The Edge of Reality deals with UFOs as well as other types of paranormal phenomenon and is a good  place to connect with others who may have had similar experiences. The people at these forums will be more than happy to listen to your experiences and offer advice.

10. Keep in Touch

Okay, you reported your sighting to an investigator who dutifully took down all of the information you gave him and promised to conduct a thurough investigation. Now what do you do?

Remain in contact. It is important that you stay in touch with the investigator just in case you have other experiences later on, or you remember more details about the first experience. Any additional details you can think of may prove to be a big help in the investigation.

Another reason you want to stay in contact with the investigator is to stay informed about the results of the investigation. Don't just give somebody all of your info and let them dissappear and never tell you anything about what they discovered. An investigation is a two-way street. You have just as much right to know the details of your experience as any investigator does. Don't let them stonewall you and refuse to share info that they may have discovered about your case. This unfortunately, is what MUFON is infamous for. They have a very bad habit of refusing to release information. If somebody tries to do this to you then I would suggest finding another investigator.

Nobody has more of a right to know the details of your experience than you. After all, you are the witness and it is your experience. An investigator should be there to help you just as much as you are there to help them. The ultimate goal should be finding an explanation for what happened.

Witnessing an unidentified flying object can be a profound, life-altering experience. Whether or not your UFO riddle is ever solved may determine what type of effect it has on you. It could be either positive or negative, large or small, profound or trite. The amount of time and effort you put into an investigation may determine the amount of satisfaction you get out of it.

Just remember, it is your experience...if you follow all of these helpful tips hopefully it will be a positive one.

On the Edge of Area 51

Area 51 has long been a mythical place in UFO circles. Rumor has it that alien spacecraft are being reverse engineered in Super secret underground bunkers connected by a spiderweb of hidden tunnels that spread out beneath the desert floor. Others say that actual extraterrestrial beings are being held in secret locations within the Top Secret facility while efforts are being made to communicate with them. Whether these rumors are true remains to be seen but regardless, the myth seems to have attained legendary status. If Roswell is the UFO community's Mecca than Area 51 is Heaven...or Hell, depending on how you look at it.

Many intrepid UFO hunters have tried to penetrate the veil of secrecy that surrounds the base...and many have been arrested and fined for doing so. The fine can be anywhere from $600 to $1000 dollars for the first offense, and much higher for those who didn't learn their lesson the first time. That still doesn't stop people from trying though. The lure is just too irresistible.

I have already written about the recent trip I took to Nevada and my journey down the Extraterrestrial Highway that culminated with a visit to the Little A' le inn...the local watering hole and alien-themed souvenir shop that sits on the outskirts of the Nevada Test range. This is usually the starting point for those attempting to make the journey to Area 51. People come from all over the world to do so. Having heard  all of the tall-tales about the infamous base, and traveling almost 2000 miles to get there, I was definitely primed for an adventure. The fact that I had a brief encounter with a shady man in black while at the A' le Inn only added fuel to the fire. I was definitely going, one way or another.

Believe it or not, despite the government's official denial that the base even exists, there are several methods one can use to get to it. The first is to drive aimlessly up and down the many dirt roads that criss-cross the desert until you accidentally wander across the boundary...or run out of gas, neither of which would be a good thing to do. Both the desert and the government can be unforgiving.

The second way is to hire somebody to take you there. There is actually a tourist guide service that operates out of Las Vegas and specializes in trips to the front gate of Area 51. The group is called Adventure Photo Tours and they can pick you up at the airport and drive you out to the middle of hell on Earth in air-conditioned comfort. In addition to the base, their tours can also include a visit to see the fleet of unmarked airliners that fly workers to and from the base, some Native American petroglyphs that supposedly resemble aliens, and a visit to the black mailbox and lunch at the Little A' le Inn.  It's not a bad way to see the sights if you don't want to go it alone.

The third way to find the base is with a map. I managed to procure mine from the bartender at the Little A' le Inn. (They sell them there for 33 cents)  In addition to giving detailed driving instructions to the front and rear gates, the map also shows the location of some of the other interesting sites in the area, like the "black" mailbox, Mailbox Road, and Groom Lake Road. Armed with this fiendish little device I hopped in my pickup and headed for Dreamland.

As I bumped and skidded down the dusty dirt roads I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for me. I had seen pictures of the base boundary before, (and even some of the base itself) so I pretty much knew what I was going to see, but actually being there in person is a whole different story. There is an aura of mystery that permeates the desert out there...a feeling that's very hard to explain. It's a sense of dread that echos off the mountains and flows down the dry ravines, sending cold shivers racing down your spine. It's a feeling of being watched...like somebody doesn't want you to be there. Every time I went around a curve I half expected a herd of MiBs to come stampeding out from behind the hills and drag me into some deep, dark, dungeon filled with little gray slanted-eyed cellmates. Definitely not a pleasant thought.

As I rounded the last curve before the base boundary my feelings of being watched were justified. Perched up on top of a hill overlooking the entrance was a white four-wheel drive pickup with two sinister looking guards in it. These are the infamous MiBs, or "camo-dudes" as some people call them because they always wear camouflage clothing. They are members of a private security firm contracted by the military to keep curious onlookers out and the base's secrets in. They reportedly take their job very seriously.

I was mildly surprised to see the Adventure Photo Tours people were there as well. Their big SUV was parked off to the side of the road just before the entrance marker. Two sun-shade wearing tour guides were setting up a camera with the biggest lens I had ever seen and pointing it in the direction of the camo-dudes. They could have counted the whiskers on an aliens face from a mile out with that camera. I was impressed.

I was also impressed with the lone tourist the tour guides were showing the sights to...a beautiful blond with big...uhh...eyes and an intoxicating smile. It was little wonder that two guides came along on the excursion with their single client. I had half a mind to sign up for a tour right there on the spot, even though I was already at the destination. The other half of my brain told me that Area 51 was nearby and waited to be explored. When the buxom beauty finally wandered over a hill to get a closer look at something or another I finally tore my eyes away from her and started reading the signs around me.

"Warning" they said. "Photography of this area is prohibited." That's nice, I thought, as I started snapping pictures. Most people aren't aware that it is actually legal to approach and photograph the boundary, you just can't go across. The boundary is clearly marked with signs and orange stakes stuck in the ground at regular intervals. There are no chain-link fences, minefields or concrete walls to keep trespassers out, but one false step will bring the wrath of the camo-dudes rushing down upon you. They even have miniature cameras and infra-red beams disguised as rocks and hidden in the cactuses just in case anybody tries to sneak across. Attempting to trespass into the interior would not be a good idea.

As I continued taking photos I kept a close eye on the white pickup sitting up on the hill. I wondered if the guards were watching me or the beautiful blond? There was no way to tell through the truck's tinted windows. In an attempt to find out I started to creep closer to one of the boundary markers...closer and closer I went. When I was only a few inches away from it I could dimly feel the camo-dudes giving me the evil eye and then, with a mischievous grin on my face, I reached out and touched the marker.

I know it was a silly thing to do and is probably something a thousand other people have done...but I couldn't help it. I guess the rebellious part of me just isn't going to rest until I get thrown in the slammer. I seriously doubt there was any possibility the guards would have come charging down from their lofty perch just because I touched a sign, but I was still a little bit giddy when I did it...especially since I made sure my foot was across the boundary line at the time. I can now triumphantly claim that I have set foot on Area 51.

Other than that there is not much to see out there. The base is completely surrounded by hills and the outer boundary is a long ways away from the inner perimeter where the action actually takes place. Anything secret would be carefully stored underground or out of sight and away from prying eyes. There used to be a couple of vantage points on nearby mountains where people could legally go and set up telescopes to observe some of the activity at the base, but thanks to the government's infamous land grabs in the 80s and 90s that is no longer possible. Both of the viewing areas at Bald mountain and Freedom Ridge are now off limits.

Whatever mysteries lie within Area 51 are going to have to remain mysteries for now. I don't see any way that anybody could get closer to the base than I did, at least not without getting arrested. The place may as well be an impenetrable fortress surrounded by miles and miles of cactuses, cameras, rattlesnakes and MiBs. Even the photos that I took are not much different than the ones I had already seen posted on the internet.

I'm still glad that I made the journey though. Being there gives you a feeling that you just can't get from looking at photographs. It allows a person to appreciate the isolation and sense of security that surrounds the base. Whatever the government has hidden there is definitely something they do not want people to see. Whether it involves aliens, UFOs or something more earthly in origin, the Top Secret experiments they are conducting there will have to remain a secret...at least for now.

Christmas Lights

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year...a time of peace and joy and goodwill towards all. A festive time of gathering around the tree, family get-togethers, yule tide carolers and colorful decorations. It is really a beautiful season, when sights, sounds and feelings all merge together in perfect harmony.

One of the most beautiful parts of Christmas is the lights. Every year I love to drive through the neighborhoods and look at the lighting displays that people put up on their houses. The yards and trees, inside and out are covered with a dazzling array of red, green, yellow and blue twinkling little electric orbs. It is a tradition that goes back as far as the light bulb.

You might be surprised to learn that it was none other than Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent bulb, who first strung a row of electric lights outside his house to celebrate the holiday season. A few years later, in 1882, Edison's good friend Edward Johnson, who was also the president of the Edison Company, used 120 colored bulbs to decorate the world's first electric lighted Christmas tree. It revolved on a rotating pedestal, and was considered a marvel of the time.

We have come a long way since then. Now there are drive-through Christmas theme parks with millions of tiny little multicolored lights creating dazzling pictorial displays like dancing Christmas trees, flying reindeer, hard working elves, and jolly old Saint Nick sliding down a chimney. One lighted theme park in Texas, called Santa Land, covers 24 acres and contains over two and a half million lights! The father of the light bulb would be proud.

There are other types of lights that sometimes appear around Christmas time, the kind that UFO enthusiasts take an interest in. These are the unidentified lights that mysteriously appear in the sky. While UFOs do not limit their appearances to only December 25, there have been some pretty interesting sightings that have occurred on that specific date.

The first would be the original Christmas UFO, or what is commonly known as the Christmas Star, or Star of Bethlehem. This is the heavenly light that supposedly guided the "three wise men" to the place where Jesus was born. While some scholars debate whether or not the incident actually even occurred, others try to find rational scientific theories to explain it. Comets, planetary conjunctions and supernovas have all been put forward as theories to explain what has so far remained an unexplainable event. There is just not a lot of evidence to go on, other than what is written about it in the Bible.

The Gospel of Mathew states that several magi, or wise men, saw the star in the east and traveled to Jerusalem to ask King Herod where the "King of the Jews" had been born. These learned men very likely were astronomers, or astrologers, who had read the ancient manuscripts which prophesied that the birth of a messiah would be heralded by an astronomical event. The prophesy also stated that the birth would take place in Bethlehem.

After they had met with the King they set out again, "and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy." Obviously, the reason they were rejoicing is because they knew they were witnessing an extraordinary ufological event. If the Star of Bethlehem could be considered the first Christmas UFO, then the three wise men were the first Christmas ufologists! They investigated, using the best scientific methods of their time, and proclaimed it to be a holy miracle.

In the many centuries since then many debunkers have tried hard to debunk the miraculous nature of the Star of Bethlehem. In the year 1614, a German astronomer named Johannes Kepler speculated that the Star of Bethlehem might actually have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. If these two planets were to line up the result would be an unusually bright star-like object, however, the closest year that such a conjuncture occurred was in 7 BC, and at that time there was a gap in between the two so the result would not really have been visually extraordinary.

Another possible explanation that the skeptics propose is a supernova. Chinese astronomers observed a very bright star-like object in the year 5 BC. It lasted for a duration of 70 days and could very easily have been what the "wise men" in the Bible were following. It is unknown what exactly the object really was, though, so it is still unidentified.

Of course, many skeptics claim that it is a waste of time even trying to determine which astronomical phenomenon was present at the time of the birth of Jesus, since nobody knows exactly when he was born. While it is true that both the day and year of his birth is unknown, that does not mean that the Christmas star had nothing to do with Christmas. Just because it is not known for certain that he was born on December 25, it also can not be proven that he was not. Therefor, the light and the birth very easily could have gone together. Since the 25th is the traditionally accepted date, that is the one I have chosen to use for this article.

In December of 1758 another light appeared in the sky on Christmas. It was first seen by a German astronomer named Johann Georg Palitzsch, and was later named for the English astronomer who predicted that it would appear...Edmund Halley. It eventually came to be known as Halley's comet.

Halley's is the most famous comet of them all. It is a short term comet that makes a complete orbit around the sun once every 75 years. Other comets may take over a thousand years to make a complete circuit. Since Halley's has such a short orbit it is the only comet that can appear twice in a person's lifetime. The fact that it was discovered on Christmas day only added to its reputation. Incidentally, it is also one of the potential possible explanations for the Star of Bethlehem, so its reappearance on Christmas day may have been more than just a nice little coincidence.

Religious visions and holy miracles seem to have a habit of making an appearance during the Christmas holidays. In fact, the word holiday is actually a derivative of the words Holy Day, so it is only natural that the number of miraculous visions would increase during one of the most important religious days of the year. Over the centuries people have claimed to have seen lighted crosses in the sky, visions of angels, and images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Skeptics naturally scoff at these claims, but the people who see these miracles are touched in ways that often have a profound impact on their lives.

The Roman emperor Constantine is one such example. In the year 312 just before he was to undertake a major battle, he supposedly saw a lighted cross imposed over the sun with words saying "In this sign be victorious." He was so inspired by this vision that not only did he win the battle, but he became a Christian, ended their persecution and converted much of the Roman empire to the new religion as well. It was also he who proclaimed December 25 to be a celebration of the birth of Christ...all because he had seen the light.

In 1914, another miraculous Christmas light occurred, but this time it was not up in the sky, it was in the muddy trenches of a European battlefield. World War 1 was in full bloom and German and British soldiers had been killing each other with a passion. Anger and hatred filled the air and the opposing armies wasted no opportunity to attack one another. The foes were both hunkered down for the night on the eve of the holiday when suddenly the darkness was pierced by a strange light...then another, and another. Not miraculous crosses, comets, or UFOs, but candles.

The German soldiers were lighting candles and singing hymns. The joyful sounds of Stille Nacht filled the air, and the guns indeed fell silent. Throughout the night, and the following day men who had been enemies exchanged gifts, shared food, and ventured into no-man's land to meet and greet their former foes. They met not in battle, but in friendship.

The men buried their fallen comrades, held short prayer vigils, and then engaged in lively games of soccer and baseball. The high commands of both armies were not pleased about the convivial goings on, and ordered the fighting to resume, but the spirit of Christmas prevailed and nobody dared violate the unofficial truce.

As December 25, came to an end the soldiers once again returned to their trenches and the battle was on again, but for one brief, shining moment the light of Christmas had shone through the darkness of war, and left a brief, shimmering glimpse of peace.

In 1947 the modern UFO era began...that is when a pilot by the name of Kenneth Arnold first spotted a group of unidentified objects zipping through the air. He reported his sighting to the news media and the flying saucer craze was born. In the decades after thousands of people reported seeing strange flying objects or lights in the sky. Among those reports were many very interesting sightings that took place on Christmas day.

In 1976, in Winslow, Maine, a young family looked out their living room window and saw two lighted saucer-shaped objects sailing through the sky towards them. The objects were described as being like two pie plates placed open side together, with a pale yellow light on the bottom. They appeared to be about 30 feet in diameter and made of a shiny, polished metal. They passed directly over the house and continued off into the distance...probably on their way to an intergalactic Christmas dinner.

In 1985, in Ridgefield, Connecticut, a teenage couple saw another saucer shaped object outside their window. It was a massive craft hovering about 200 feet above their front yard. They ran outside to examine it closer and noticed an eerie glow pulsating around the edge, and a humming noise that they could feel in their bodies. After yelling for their parents to come take a look the object produced a vaporous cloud and disappeared from view.

Late one Christmas night in 1978, a group of campers in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, watched a huge glowing object descend behind some mountains and into the sea. It was witnessed from a distance of about two miles away and was described as "large orange glow that must have been between 100-300 feet in length. Within the elliptical glow were two smaller ellipses, perhaps one third of the way in from each side, which were brighter glows within the large orange glow and close to the color of a white florescent light."  This incident was witnessed by a large group of people, including one lady who claims she saw a large flying saucer hovering over some brush close to the campground. Upon closer examination the next day, the bushes underneath where the object had been hovering were reportedly burned to a brown color. What would the three wise men have thought if they had witnessed that?

In 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri, a mother and son were driving home from midnight mass when they noticed a large amber moon-like object following their car. They quickly drove to the police station to report it and as they got out they saw a helicopter circling around the mysterious round object. After a few minutes the object quietly faded away and was gone.

Another close encounter involving people in an automobile happened right at midnight on Christmas eve of 1977 near Jackson, Mississippi. The car was stopped at a stop sign when suddenly an orange, glowing four foot wide saucer-shaped craft descended in front of them. The occupants of both vehicles observed each other for a few moments then the flying saucer flew straight up and out of sight, leaving several befuddled witnesses behind.

There was a very interesting event which took place in Bellmar, New Jersey in 1965. A family of four was driving home through a light snow after attending a family Christmas Eve get-together when they spotted a very, very large, dark triangular-shaped craft over the treetops. According to one eye-witness, "The delta shaped object was very low, perhaps just two hundred feet, and moving slowly enough that it was almost hovering – heading or facing northwest. It was large enough that it obscured most of the sky. It was silent. The leading edges of the delta shaped object were brightly lit in what at the time seemed the strangest possible way. A single light on each of the two leading edges ran the entire length of the leading edge. It emitted collimated ‘sheets’ of light, which slowly swept across the ground, homes, and trees from each leading edge."

What the witness remembered next was even more strange. "I became aware of four beings, three males and one female. The female was speaking, or more like singing to me. It seemed the three males were ‘singing’ to everyone else...I mean everyone else in the area around the ship and car. I became aware of the presence of our car from another perspective, perhaps looking down at it from some altitude, at the tops of the homes and trees. The female voice kept singing to me. It was the sound of a lullaby but had intense imagery and concepts attached to it. I understood that I was to take it all in."

Singing aliens? Or were they angels? Or was it just some more of that mysterious Christmas magic? Whatever it was, when the incident was over the family was left sitting in their car with a three inch blanket of snow covering it!

In 1990, two young boys from Gonzales, Louisiana, were lying in bed late at night anxiously waiting for Santa Claus to appear. Instead, they spotted a flying saucer outside of their window! It was surrounded by a cloud of some strange glittering substance that gently fell like snow to the ground. After hovering for a few minutes the craft suddenly levitated up and disappeared from sight.

In 1966, in Rockford, Illinois, a six year old boy was asleep in his bed when he was awakened by a strange whistling sound. Thinking that it might be Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, he opened his eyes to see thousands of deep red oval lights swirling around the room. They were moving rapidly in all directions, along the floor, the walls and the ceiling. He and his younger brother watched in shock and amazement before jumping out of bed and running for their parents. That was definitely a Christmas they will never forget.

The most unbelievable Christmas sighting of all may have been made by a young girl in Austin, Texas, who saw a bright red light zoom over the top of her house. She swears she heard the sound of sleigh-bells and a jolly old man saying "Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas!"

Who knows? It could have happened. Santa and his flying sleigh are no more unrealistic than some of the other weird encounters that have been described over the centuries. Mysterious stars, miracles and visions of Jesus have given way to flying triangles, saucers and reindeer. Heavenly angels have been replaced by otherworldly aliens. A handful of lighted candles has somehow evolved into millions of twinkling electric lights, blazing their colorful Christmas message for all of the world to see.

We have come a long way since the very first Christmas. Long ago when people saw strange lights in the sky they considered them holy miracles...now we think they are visitors from other planets or gift-giving elves. But are things really all that different?

Two thousand years ago the Christmas star heralded the birth of the messiah, the savior of the world, a man who would bring about joy, love and hope...hope for a better tomorrow, for a world filled with peace and goodwill towards all men.

In modern times people are also filled with hope. Children hope that Santa Claus will fill their stockings with goodies and toys, and leave lots of gifts under the Christmas tree. UFO enthusiasts hope that their long lost space brothers will reach across the galaxy to help man-kind cure our ills, save the planet, and end pollution and war and strife. We are all searching for a better tomorrow, one filled with peace and joy and love.

That is the true meaning of Christmas. It is what the three wise men sought as they trudged across the barren desert searching for a babe lying in a manger. It is what those muddy, war-torn soldiers were yearning for when they lighted those candles of peace. That is the light that has been burning brightly for more than two thousand years...and it just may be the most beautiful Christmas light of them all.

The Death of Ufomania

It was almost exactly one year ago today that our old forum, Ufomania, began the slow process of self destruction. What had once been one of the hottest new UFO forums on the internet had reached a turning point and I and many of the other former members had finally decided that we were no longer happy with the direction it was headed in. That is when we decided to leave and start a new forum that became The Edge of Reality. At the time I predicted that Ufomania would not survive for much longer if it continued heading in what I believed was the wrong direction, and it seems that I was right.

I just read an announcement that was made this morning by the Ufomania admin. It says:


To all members and guests of UFOmania forum,

After a thorough discussion and assessing the current situation of this forum and in ufology at large, I and JJFlash concluded that we are not willing to spend more time and energy on maintaining another place on the internet for UFO related discussions. Although we both share mutual desire for intelligent and open but level minded discussions on the paranormal, we realize that the best way for now to resist the irrational pressure of absurd claims, lies and blatant ignorance, pouring through all cracks of the UFO forums on the net today, is to close this place and to move forward with our personal research and interests.

We especially appreciate the support of our most regular members and their contributions to the forum. We hope that you found here some interesting discussions and information. I and JJ have the intention to continue our research and presence on the internet and we hope to meet you again.

The forum will not be deleted but only closed for reading and posting. The reason to close it for reading is that the majority of its past and some of the present content is still of a quality that only perpetuates the spreading of untruthful information and ill beliefs. I am the initiator and fully responsible for this decision. I consider it an act of responsibility mainly to the young generations to discontinue the access to this place as a source of disinformation.

I want to express my immense appreciation to JJFlash for his full support of this decision and for his time and efforts as a moderator and active contributor to the forum. JJ, you are the best!

You still will be able to read JJFlash articles and exchange thoughts with him on his personal blog, The UFO Trail, at: http://ufotrail.blogspot.com

The forum will be closed on 16 January, 2012. After this date, everyone who would like to receive copies of particular posts and information from the forum can contact me by e-mail at stiverinmypocket at gmail dot com. The authors of the posts will be able to receive full copy of their original writings. Requests for posts, containing writing of other members or quotations from third parties will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The forum can exist closed for quite a long time. However, there is no guarantee that Proboards will not delete it due to inactivity after a few months or a year. For this, if you want to save any particular posts for your archives, I suggest you to do this yet in the next two weeks, while the forum is still open.

Best wishes to all!
stiver


It seems the inevitable has finally happened.

Over the past year I have kept a watchful eye on what was happening over there. I didn't have any particular reason for doing so since I was banned from the forum and could no longer take part in it...but I was still interested nonetheless.

What I saw was one member take control over the forum and its content and lead it down the road of skepticism, and toward its eventual final destination and ruin. He tried to turn the forum into some kind of a scientific discussion group where only serious people could have serious discussions about serious topics. I tried to warn him before that by catering only to the skeptical elites he was going to be shutting out the vast majority of the people in the UFO community, but my warnings fell on deaf ears. He was determined to have his way, and the administrator, because of her friendship and admiration for him, seemed equally determined to give it to him.

While I could to a certain extent understand their desire to bring respectability to the forum by limiting frivolous conversations and wild speculations I also realized that by imposing their own version of censorship on the people they were eliminating the one thing that makes a forum so special...freedom of speech. Without the freedom to share ideas and opinions without restrictions there can not be a forum. If everybody has to conform to one person's ideals then it may as well be a personal blog or an isolated podium. For the administrators of a forum to be deciding what can and cannot be posted it is no different than if the government of a country were to tell the news media what can and cannot be reported. The free exchange of ideas just can't exist under those limitations.

I have said countless times in the past that a forum is not just about the content, it is about the people. An internet forum is a community of people who all share a common interest. UFOs may be the subject that brings us all together but it is the people and the friendships that they form that keeps us all here...and it is the conversations that we have and the variety of ideas and opinions that makes it all interesting. Each person brings something unique to the forum and those differing ideas are what allows us to learn and grow.

Way back when we first started Ufomania I was hoping it would be a place where everybody in the UFO community would be welcome, where skeptics and believers alike could take part in the discussions without name-calling or derision. I wanted us all to be able to peacefully coexist with one another...agreeing to politely disagree at times...but treating each other with respect and dignity in the process. I suppose it was a little bit naive for me to think that we could make it happen.

The UFO community at times seems to be its own worst enemy, where constant bickering breaks out between the believers and non-believers, and people who were once friends are ready to turn on one another at the slightest provocation. I have seen it happen over and over again, and I admit that I may have been guilty of it myself on occasion. It is a shame that it has to be that way but it is. I suppose it is not surprising that people who are constantly surrounded by conspiracies might sometimes give in to paranoia. Everybody makes mistakes...it's what we learn from them that makes the difference.

What I have learned is that the past cannot be recreated. Once it is gone it is gone. By initially trying to replicate the MUFON forum we were effectively dooming ourselves to disaster because Ufomania was not the old MUFON forum. And by that same measure, The Edge of Reality is not Ufomania...nor do I have any desire for it to be. In order for us to survive we have got to continuously move forward. We must look to the future while consciously making an effort to not forget the lessons of the past.

There was a time when Ufomania was a very special place, when we all worked together as a team to achieve success and to try to recover the internet community which had been so abruptly stolen from us. For a brief period of time we almost succeeded...we almost managed to obtain the unobtainable...but then it all came tumbling down. Now, it is gone forever.

I can't say that am surprised to see it go. Nor am I particularly sorry that it is ending. I am no longer a part of that forum so it no longer has any relevance for me. I admit I may be just a little bit sad. I have always kind of regretted what happened over there, and especially the way it happened. It was all totally avoidable but because of a few minor misunderstandings that got blown way out of proportion I ended up alienating several people who at one time were my good friends. I am sorry that had to happen...and I am especially sorry if I hurt anybody...but like I said before, we can't relive the past. All we can do is look to the future, and my future is here at TEOR.

A little piece of the UFO community has died today...but the rest of us are still going strong and we will continue to do so for as long as we can. The Edge of Reality will continue to exist for as long as there is anybody interested in exploring the unknown. Our forum will continue to grow and evolve as new members continue to come and go and leave their mark upon it. We have the opportunity to make our future whatever we want it to be.

As for the old MUFON forum...and Ufomania...their struggles are finally over. May they both rest in peace.

Driving The ET Highway

September 15, 2011

I have always wanted to drive the ET Highway. Ever since I found out there was such a thing as an Extraterrestrial Highway I have wanted to drive down it, just to see what is there. I figured that they must have given it such a name for a reason and whatever that reason was it is bound to make a good story.

The fact is that the lonely stretch of two-lane road running between the tiny towns of Warm Springs and Ash Springs in Nevada has had more UFO sightings than any other stretch of highway in the country. So many in fact, that in 1996 the state legislature decided to name the highway after the many alien visitors that it seemed to be attracting...thus the Extraterrestrial moniker. It seems to be a fitting name.

I have been to Nevada many times in the past but always managed to bypass the ET highway in favor of other, more well-traveled and populated paths...those typically traversed by most tourists either on their way to the mountains further west or the bright lights of Vegas to the east. Since I recently became a UFO investigator however, and since I am now taking a greater interest in the study of ufology, my priorities have changed. I was not about to let the ET highway pass me by again. This is how I recently found myself driving through the tiny town of Ash Springs and turning west onto highway 375...the Extraterrestrial Highway.

As soon as I made the turn I glanced at my watch. It said 3:33 Pm. Repeating numbers...that was an ominous sign. Or maybe not. I still haven't figured out what the number thing is supposed to mean. Which ones are good and which ones are bad...I still don't have a clue. Not even after it had been explained to me by several different people. It didn't really matter. Even if it meant that death, destruction and an entire armada of aliens waited for me I still would have driven down that highway. I was determined to do it, regardless of what the numbers meant.

Before I was able to think about it further I quickly found myself slamming on the brakes and making a U-turn. In my haste to start my journey I had accidentally driven right past the ET Highway sign. I had to go back to take a picture of it. I was not about to undertake such an interesting endeavor without documenting my adventure. Of course, there wasn't really much to document. The sign was plastered over with dozens of bumper stickers and spray-painted graffiti. It seemed as if everybody from Terlingua to Tahiti had left their mark there. I looked closely to see if any of them said Andromeda or Pleiades but could not find anything unearthly. I guess since their civilization is so advanced the ETs must have gotten past the primitive and juvenile stage of marking their territory...either that or they just haven't invented the bumper sticker yet. I don't even know if UFOs have bumpers.

I started driving again and just as quickly came to another screeching halt as a giant gray alien zoomed past me on the right. Actually I was the one doing the zooming, the gray alien was standing still. It was probably because he was made out of metal. So was the building he was standing next to. I quickly made another U-turn and pulled into the parking lot.

The building was a big rounded metal thing kind of like an old World War ll airplane hanger. A sign on it said "Alien Research Center." The alien must have been standing guard over it, possibly doing research into what kind of people would stop at a place called "The Alien Research Center." He peered down at me with his lifeless alien eyes, watching my every move. I moved towards the front door and pulled the handle. It was locked.

A sign on the door said it was open on Saturday and Sundays. It was Sunday afternoon but there was nobody there except me and the thirty-foot metallic ET. Through the glass I could see alien themed T-shirts, coffee mugs and more of those infernal bumper stickers. At one time it must have been some kind of a tourist attraction but there was not a tourist in sight. Hmm...Maybe they all got abducted.

A few minutes later I was driving westward again and a few minutes after that I was once again pulling to a stop. This time it was just to admire the scenery. The little two-lane road threaded itself through vast expanses of open desert that stretched out for miles and miles on each side of the highway. Mountains arose off on the horizon. A few Joshua Trees and Saguaro cactuses put their arms in the air and waved at me as we went by. Other than that not a living thing could be seen in any direction.

If anybody wanted to hide something, like an invading alien base or a Top-Secret military installation, the middle of Nevada would definitely be the place to do it. The land is inhospitable and arid, with temperatures routinely topping 100 degrees in the summer. Any traveler who found themselves wandering down the winding stretch of road in the middle of nowhere would certainly not be there by accident. It kind of reminded me of what the old-timers used to say about West Texas, "it's a thousand miles from civilization and two feet from Hell." That describes central Nevada pretty well.

It is also unbelievably beautiful. The day I was there puffy, white cumulus clouds were casting shadows all over the land, turning the desert into their playground. The colors and patterns were amazing. A blue azure sky hung over purple mountains that flowed red and orange into the valley. Dark green cacti and golden scrub grass changed colors as the shadows passed over head. I couldn't help pulling to the side of the road every few miles to take pictures. At the rate I was moving it probably would have taken an entire day to get from one end of the 98 mile-long highway to the other, but I didn't care. I was enjoying my trip immensely.

So engrossed was I in marveling at the desert's beauty that I almost didn't even see the "black" mailbox that was supposed to be on the left side of the highway. This is the infamous landmark that marks the intersection of Mailbox Road, the mysterious dirt path that leads to Groom Lake Road and the entrance of the legendary Area 51. Of course it did not help that somebody had stolen the street sign at the intersection. More confusion was caused by the fact that the "black" mailbox isn't actually black, although it used to be.

The mailbox is owned by a guy named Steve Medlin, who owns a ranch in the area. Since there is no home mail delivery he has to make a six mile drive to and from the mailbox every day to get his mail. There were a few times he was surprised to find strange people going through his personal letters looking for Top Secret correspondence that may have been headed to the nearby military base.  On more than one occasion he even found bullet holes in the box and his monthly bills. Finally he decided to replace the original black mailbox with a bulletproof white one made out of steel plates. The original was reportedly sold on Ebay.

The mailbox has become sort of a legend in conspiracy theorist circles. Every night UFO watchers gather at the box to look for unidentified flying lights. A few times each week they claim to see them...weird glowing, pulsating things that rise up from the mountains to the west then dance around the skies like oversized fireflies. I didn't see any strange lights while I was there but I did see the box. It was locked with a padlock and plastered with the obligatory bumper stickers. I took a few photos then headed down the road to another famous ET highway landmark.

The Little A'le'inn (pronounced "alien") is the local watering hole for ranchers and alien hunters alike. Located about midway down the highway in the small town of Rachel, The A'le'inn is the only restaurant in the area and despite its remote location has become world famous. Of course its fame doesn't come from being in the middle of nowhere but rather from its close proximity to Area 51, the mysterious military base where government-built UFOs are rumored to be hidden. It was actually the military base that put Rachel on the map...and gave the ET highway its name.

Back in the 1980s Rachel was just an old mining town that had seen better days. The mines had long since closed and most of the residents had moved away. The few hardy souls that remained struggled to eak out an existence. That all changed in 1989. That was the year that a fellow by the name of Bob Lazar started telling stories of a Top Secret military base where the government hid reverse engineered alien space craft. No sooner had the stories made news headlines than eager UFO hunters started flooding the area.

At first, the local people tried to ignore the new arrivals and their crazy tall tales but they soon discovered that no matter how far-fetched their stories seemed to be, the ufotourists were good for business. The little restaurant that had been on the verge of closing was suddenly beginning to make a profit, and the isolated little town was quickly becoming famous. People from all over the world were choosing Rachel as a vacation destination. Even the stars in Hollywood began to take notice.

In the early 1990s a movie called Independence Day was created using the officially nonexistent Area 51 as part of its plot. Naturally, the military tried to discourage the use of the name Area 51 anyplace in the movie but the film makers refused to give in. In fact, some of the filming for the movie actually took place just on the outskirts of the base near the town of Rachel. A few of the locals took part in the filming and can often be heard swapping stories about their brief moments in front of the cameras.

The film was released in 1996 and quickly became very successful, especially among UFO and alien buffs. Its popularity attracted the attention of state lawmakers who decided to capitalize on the fame of the film by renaming the highway in honor of the movie. That same year the little bar also changed its name to the Little A'le'Inn.

Although at first dismissing the UFO craze and conspiracy theories as a bunch of nonsense some of the people living in the area soon learned to embrace it themselves. The restaurant owners and many of the people who hang out at the little bar have become experts on the Top Secret base, and they even sell maps showing visitors how to get there. There is even a guide service that will take people on a tour of the area's UFO related attractions for a fee. A stop at the Little A'le'Inn is always included on the tour.

The Inn itself is not all that spectacular...just a small white building that serves as a bar with a few mobile trailers parked out back for guests to stay in. It must be the atmosphere that attracts people to the place. What else would you expect from a town that lists its official population as "Humans...yes, Aliens...??" I pulled into the gravel parking lot, past the the sign that says "Earthlings welcome," past the tow truck hauling the fabricated flying saucer, and parked next to a sinister black pickup with government plates.

Inside, about a dozen sun-roasted ranchers, tanned tourists, and wild-eyed UFO enthusiasts were scattered randomly amongst the tables. A couple of kids were laughing and pointing at a green-skinned, inflatable alien that stared down at them from the shelf. A group of tourists poked and prodded at the alien-themed T-shirts and souvenirs. At the bar a Man in Black was engaging a local rancher in conversation. Naturally, the MiB was pretending to be ignorant of the whole UFO phenomenon but I know a Man in Black when I see one, so Ha!

I wandered around for a few minutes checking out the dozens of UFO photos that adorned the wall. Many of them I recognized as already proven hoaxes or obvious IFOs but that didn't stop the owners of the bar from putting them on display. They were good attractions for the tourists who often forked over their hard-earned cash in exchange for a copied photo. I wasn't interested in any cheap souvenirs so I moseyed on over to the bar and took a seat next to the MiB.

He seemed to be grilling the rancher on everything he knew about Area 51...where it was, how to get there, whether or not there was any secret ways in...as if he didn't already know. The rancher then told a story about a friend of his who went rabbit hunting one day and accidentally wandered across the military boundary. He quickly found himself handcuffed and in jail where he was interrogated for five hours and then forced to pay a $600.00 fine before they would let him go free. The MiB's eyes lit up when he heard that story. I later heard that the rancher got off easy.

I ordered up an "alien burger" (that turned out to be the size of a chicken mcnugget) then washed it down with a couple of cold brews. Afterwards, the bartender sold me a map with directions on how to get to the front and rear gates of Area 51. I then headed back outside, watching the Man in Black give me the evil eye as I walked to the door. I imagine that all of the other MiBs in the area already had me under surveillance. They must have been reading my mind.

The Little A'le'inn may not have been much to look at but my short stay there had thoroughly aroused my sense of adventure. The most secretive military base in the country was just a few miles away and there was no way on God's brown Nevada Earth I was going to miss an opportunity to see it...even if it did mean risking jail time and a huge fine. It was a forbidden land calling my name. How could any red-blooded conspiracy theorist ignore a siren song like that? I had to go see it.

I put my truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot leaving the A'le'inn, the ranchers and the mysterious MiB behind. The ET highway...and Area 51...lie ahead.

To Report or Not to Report?

August 1, 2011

I have seen two UFOs in the past two weeks. They were not really anything to get excited about since one was only a bright white light in the sky that blinked on for one second then disappeared, and the other just looked like a big, giant, silent exploding firework. They are both still unidentified so I call them UFOs. Since the two sightings occurred I have been struggling with a question; should I report them or not?

The first answer that might come to mind is that of course they should be reported. We are never going to solve the mystery of the UFO phenomenon if it is not thoroughly investigated and each sighting helps increase our knowledge a little bit more. Looking at it from that perspective, no matter how insignificant it may seem, a report definitely should be made.

There is another side to the argument however. Actually, there are several arguments in opposition, the first being, who would I report the sightings to?

MUFON, the largest and most established of all the civilian UFO investigative organizations, is in the middle of an implosion and the resulting civil war between the members has left them far from competent. In recent times they have gotten so unorganized that they have not even kept up with the sighting reports on their website which is languishing several days behind. MUFON still has a lot of good people, and there are still some excellent investigators there but they are being shackled by poor decisions and bad leadership from the upper management. This has caused a lot of people, including myself, to lose faith in them.

EPIC, the Extraordinary Phenomena Investigations Council, is still a fairly new organization and is still struggling to establish itself. Made up largely of disenfranchised MUFON investigators it has much of the training and enthusiasm that MUFON used to have but without the established infrastructure or a fully functional data collecting system. In a few years EPIC may be one of the best paranormal investigative organizations in the world but right now they are still learning the ropes.

The same can also be said of ARIRA, the Aerospace Research Investigation Reporting Agency. They are even smaller and less established than EPIC is with even fewer investigators and less infrastructure. ARIRA is a very young agency that once again has a lot of potential but it will take a while to develop it. Besides, it would probably be a waste of time to have them investigating a simple light in the sky report. I am sure they have much bigger and better cases to invest their time in.

That doesn't leave many options for having my two little UFO sightings investigated, and there is not really much investigating that could be done anyway. Like I said, they were just a couple of anomalous lights that mysteriously appeared in the sky. There is not much that anybody could learn from them.

Being an investigator myself, albeit an amateur one, there are a few things that I could deduce from my sightings on my own, and since I am the one who saw them I am probably the best person to conduct the investigation. At least I won't have to worry about whether or not I am a credible witness or if I am telling the truth.

I know the first sighting was not a meteor because it did not move and it had no tail. I know it was not an airplane because the sky was clear and I could have seen a plane if there had been one. Also the fact that the light was much brighter than a plane and only blinked once pretty much eliminates a terrestrial aircraft as an explanation.

The light was not a satellite because like I said before it did not move. We can also rule out weather balloons, swamp gas and Chinese lanterns because none of those fit the description of what I saw. I think we can also eliminate Venus, the Moon, or other planets or stars as potential explanations because those do not blink on and off.

So what does that leave us with? Not much really. The truth is, I don't know what the thing was, but I doubt anybody else would know either. There just is not a lot of evidence to go on in this particular case.
The second sighting is pretty much the same as the first as far as potential explanations. The thing it most closely resembled was a giant sparkling firework display, except that there was no noise nor any other fireworks being shot off at that time. The sparkles did not actually sparkle either, but kind of slithered like lighted snakes or a school of minnows flashing in the sunlight. I'm still not sure what it was.

So the question still remains, should I file a report or not? Well, after much deliberation and weighing the pros and cons over the past few days I finally decided that they should be reported. If for no other reason than to have them on file, they should be reported. That way if other people happened to witness them and file reports also than they could be cross-checked against each other. Maybe there really is a simple explanation for them that I am just overlooking. Or maybe not. We will never know if I keep the info to myself.

So which investigative agency did I decide to file the reports with? Believe it or not, none of them. Instead I am going to report them to NUFORC, the National UFO Reporting Center. That way they will be on file but they won't cause any serious investigators to waste their time pursuing them. That sounds like a win-win situation all around. Now I can go back to staring at the sky with a clear conscious, knowing that I did my duty as a UFO witness. Maybe I'll see something more than lights in the sky next time...and if I do I won't have to ask whether or not It should be reported.

MUFON's Dirty Tricks?

July 18, 2011

It would seem that the Mutual UFO Network will stop at nothing when it comes to protecting their image, even if it means destroying that very same image in the process. A recent incident involving the Jerry Pippin Show is a perfect example.

Jerry was scheduled to interview Elaine Douglass, the founder of The Committee to Reform MUFON, on Wednesday, July 13, but something happened right as the interview was supposed to be broadcast. Suddenly and without warning the broadcast was taken off the air due to a "denial of service." What that means is that somebody launched a cyber attack against the Pippin Show's Internet Service Provider and tried to shut it down or make its content unavailable, which they succeeded in doing for the duration of the show.

Elaine was supposedly going to reveal some potentially "bombshell" information that would expose all of the corrupt practices that MUFON had been engaged in and blow the lid off of the UFO organization's mild-mannered cover once and for all. It would therefor be understandable why Clifford Clift, MUFON's International Director, and the rest of the Board of Directors would want to stop it. However, by doing so they may have exposed themselves for who and what they really are.

Not just any John Doe off the street can hack into a computer system and deny service to a radio broadcast. It would take somebody with some serious computer hacking skills to pull it off. Perhaps even somebody with high-level government connections. We all know there are several members of the Board of Directors who would fit that description.

John Schuessler has a national security clearance that he obtained via help from Bigelow Aerospace, Tom Deuley used to work for the NSA, Clift and several other board members have backgrounds in Military Intel, and let's not forget Deputy Director of Investigations Chuck Modlin, who according to former MUFON STAR Team manager Chase Kloetzke once boasted that he had shaken hands with every US president except Bill Clinton. When it comes to connections, there aren't many higher levels of government than that.

Of course just because several of MUFON's board members have federal ties that does not necessarily mean that they used their influence to interrupt a radio broadcast. It could have just been a random occurrence...couldn't it?

If it had happened only once that would be a distinct possibility, but a few days later the underhanded trickery continued. On Sunday, July 17, Jerry Pippin planned to pod-cast a prerecorded interview that he had done with Elaine Douglass the day before. The pod cast was set to be unveiled at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Almost immediately after it was announced somebody once again tried to hack into the system and put a stop to it.

This time Jerry was ready for the cyber assault but even so the pod-cast was once again delayed, first for 30 minutes, then another 15. Finally the interview was divided in two and worked on i two different places. Part one eventually was released at 10:45 the night of the 17th, while part two was released the next day.

I just got finished listening to both parts and I must say that I was not at all shocked by what I heard. The accusations that Ms. Douglass made about MUFON were basically the same things that many people have been suspecting all along; that they have been taken over by the government, that they are working behind the scenes with billionaire businessman Robert Bigelow to further his own personal agenda, that they have been tampering with their own Case Management System in order to hide the best cases from the public while releasing nothing but worthless disinformation...even that they themselves have become part of the shadow government that is covering up the truth about UFOs. The accusation has even been made that MUFON is nothing more than a disinformation agency for Big Brother.

None of this has been conclusively proven of course, but MUFON's latest actions have gone a long way towards convincing people that it is true. Why else would they tamper with a radio broadcast and try to censor information? Of course, this isn't exactly the first time they have tried to control the flow of information either.

In July of 2010 MUFON actually canceled their own Internet forum because they did not like some of the discussions that were taking place. A handful of people were critical of MUFON and the BoD so hundreds of people had their forum taken away, without even as much as an explanation for why it happened. It just suddenly vanished without a trace. This forum was easy for MUFON to cancel because they actually owned the rights to it. All they had to do was push the "delete" button. There were other forums that were not so easy to deal with.

After the MUFON forum was shut down some of the former members decided to create their own forums. Three of them eventually came into being, all made up of very disgruntled MUFON forum refugees. One forum in particular was very critical of MUFON's International Director Clifford Clift and the rest of the board members and it wasn't long before that forum paid the price for their outspoken attitude.

Just a short time after the forum was created somebody hacked into the forum provider's main server and deleted the entire UFO section of the forum. Once again, this is not something that any computer-user on the web could have perpetrated. It took somebody with some serious cyber-hacking skills, possibly even government connections, to pull it off...and it was almost certainly MUFON that did it. They were not even trying to be subtle about it. Just like the latest incident with the Jerry Pippin Show...it is obvious to everybody who the culprit is.

The only question left is, if MUFON is responsible for perpetrating these dirty tricks why are they being so obvious about doing it? Are they so desperate to protect their image that they are willing to tarnish it in the process? By doing so they are only convincing people that the suspicions they have about the once highly-regarded UFO organization are correct, and that MUFON really has been corrupted by outside influences.

Of course it is possible that they just don't care about their image anymore. Maybe their unholy alliance with Bigelow and the Intelligence community has made them so big and so powerful that they no longer have to care what anybody thinks about them. Maybe they are finally revealing the truth about who they really are...and that might just be the dirtiest trick of them all.