UFO ROUNDUP Volume 5 Number 08
Volume 5
Number 8
February 24, 2000
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
POLICE MOBILIZED AS UFO HOVERS OVER MEXICO CITY
On Monday, February 14, 2000, at about 2 a.m., Officers Javier Cedeno and Israel Valdivia of Unit (Car) 16156 of the Mexico City police were on routine patrol in the Azcapotzalco section of the city when they spotted a disc-shaped UFO hovering over a futbol (soccer in the USA--J.T.) field on the grounds of the Center of Technical Research and Investigation.
According to the newspaper, Diario El Norte, the two officers "described it as an object flying at low altitude with flashing multicolored lights."
"An alleged UFO seen in the early morning hours by elements of the Secretariat of Public Safety led to a sudden mobilization of police elements in the northern section of the city."
"The alleged UFO was seen by policemen from Unit 16156, who claimed to have had it in plain sight. The UFO was seen in a number of neighborhoods in the Azcapotzalco and Gustavo A. Madero sections of the city between 2:20 a.m. and 3 a.m."
The UFO retreated "in a southerly direction behind Cerro Tenayo (hill) in the municipality of Tlanepantla, state of Mexico."
According to Officers Cedeno and Valdivia, "the UFO remained suspended in the air some 3 meters (10 feet) over a futbol field located inside the Center of Technical Research and Investigation behind (Building) Vo-Tech Number 8 in the barrio Santo Tomas (neighborhood)."
"However, when (Mexican police) agents tried to enter the building to reach the football field, they were kept from doing so by members of the building's security force."
According to the newspaper El Universal, "sixteen Mexican police officers converged on the building." and saw the UFO "only three meters from the ground. The OVNI (Spanish acronym for UFO--J.T.) was 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter with two strong lights of different colors--red, green and blue. It hovered for 30 seconds."
"The first sighting occurred at 2:13 a.m." when "Officers Juan Carlos Duenas and Israel Gutierrez of Police Unit 16147 spotted the OVNI over the Vocational (Vo-Tech) Number 8 building."
"'Our watches stopped at exactly 2:20 a.m., when the object disappeared,' one of the officers said."
"Twenty-five minutes later, at 2:38 a.m.,Police Unit 01127 reported via radio that they had seen the OVNI over Colonia Palmititla, next to the Cerro Chiquihuite (hill)."
"Police Units 16079 and 16160 reported seeing the OVNI in Azcapotzalco, and Units 01899, 01875 and 13843 reported seeing it in the Gustavo A. Madero section of the city. The last report was received at 3:13 a.m."
"El Universal photographer Saul Navarro took two pictures of the OVNI and his report agrees with those of the police."
"''I watched the UFO hover close to the ground. It couldn't have been an airplane. Suddenly, it started moving and stopped over a house. It stayed there for ten or fifteen seconds and then dropped behind some trees,' Navarro said." (See the Mexican newspapers Diario El Norte for February 14, 2000 and El Universal for February 15, 2000. Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales, autor de los libros Chupacabras and Other Mysteries and Forbidden Mexico, y Virgilio Sanchez Ocejo para esas noticias.)
WOMAN SPOTS A UFO IN ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
On Friday, February 18, 2000, at 6:15 p.m., Jean J. was at her home in the Woodcroft section of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia, when she saw an unusual object pass overhead.
"The UFO appeared from the south and headed east," Jean reported. "I noticed a white ball-shaped object following a commerical plane. It didn't fly but rather floated along behind the plane, slightly off to the left. Keeping perfect speed and altitude. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before."
She described the UFO as "a perfect large white ball. Unmarked. No visible exit or entrance points or windows of any kind. It was going at the same speed as a commerical plane. I would like to know if anyone else witnessed it and reported it to the airport" in Adelaide. (Email Form Report)
DISC-SHAPED UFO SEEN IN NORTHERN ITALY
On Thursday, February 10, 2000, at 9 p.m., a woman in Pontelongo, a village 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the city of Padova in northern Italy, "was at her home and saw at a distance of a hundred meters (330 feet) a disc that projected a very strong light in the direction of her house."
"'It was a bright orange color and the same size as the moon,' the witness reported, 'It also did not make any sound and was positioned at several meters above the ground.'"
The witness turned away briefly, and "several moments later, when she tried to locate the strange object again, she saw a glowing light in the sky of the same magnitude as a large star."
Padova is about 60 kilometers (48 miles) southwest of Venezia (Venice).
The previous evening, Wednesday, February 9, 2000, "a motorist traveling on the Autostrada (Highway) Milano-Genova observed two luminous objects of a bright orange color racing through the sky at a great velocity. The sighting took place at 11:37 p.m. It was last seen as a feeble point of bluish-white light descending towards the east." (Grazie a Alfredo Lissoni e Carlo Trimboli di Centro Ufologico Nazionale d'Italia per questi rapporti.)
FALLING CHUNK OF ICE HITS A MOVING TRUCK IN CANADA
Last week Canada became the fourth country to report a large chunk of ice falling from the sky. And this ice struck a pickup truck in motion in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta.
The incident took place on Monday, February 14, 2000 in the Ross Glen section of Medicine Hat (population 43,625), which is located approximately 178 miles (284 kilometers) east-southeast of Calgary.
According to the Medicine Hat News of February 15, 2000, the truck's owner was driving past the Ross Glen Elementary School when something slammed into his truck. Pulling over to the curb, the driver found that a large piece of ice had struck and penetrated the tough canvas truckbed cover.
The ice chunk was described as about two feet long, tapered and narrow at one end and blunt at the other. The truck driver reportedly has the ice chunk and hopes to have it tested or analuzed.
Previous ice falls have occurred in recent weeks in Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. (See the Medicine Hat News for February 15, 2000, page one. Many thanks to S.W. for this story.)
(Editor's Comment: The number of ice falls during the past month is unprecedented in history. Earth may be passing through a debris field in outer space composed of giant chunks of ice. I'm still waiting for the one that has Charles Fort's image on it.)
FOUR UFOs SIGHTED IN ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS
On Wednesday, February 16, 2000, at 9:35 p.m., Robert C. was at his home in Rockford, Illinois (population 140,000) when he heard his married daughter Christy call out.
"Last evening, my wife Fran and I babysat for our grandsons," Bob reported. "We do that quite frequently to give our daughter Christy and her husband Dave some personal time away from the children. It was about 9:35 p.m., and I had the garage door open. I left the family room door open, and Christy yelled for us to come outside."
"I walked out into the driveway, and she was pointing towards the sky and saying, 'Look at that!' I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw four large glowing objects traveling through the sky towards the southeast."
"The largest one moved to the right of the others but continued in the same direction. They began flickering out one by one, and the largest one was the last to flicker out. They were high enough (above the Earth--J.T.) to be in the sunlight. I first saw them when they were almost overhead and watched them for about six minutes before they flickered away."
Bobb added that the sighting was mentioned by newsman Andy Gannon on station WIFR-TV, Channel 23 in Rockford, a large city on Illinois Highway 20 approximately 83 miles ((132 kilometers) west of Chicago. (Email Form Report)
STAR DUST--THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
On Tuesday, February 15, 2000, the Air Force of Argentina dispatched a full-scale expedition to Mount Tupungato, a lofty peak in the Andes where the Star Dust, a British airliner with four propellor engines, vanished back in 1947.
The wrecked fuselage of the Star Dust and two of its Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were discovered in January by Juan Carlos Mouso, an Argentinian aviation enthusiast, and mountain climbers from the 11th Mountain Infantry Regiment.
The purpose of the expedition is "to solve the mystery of what caused a British Lancaster aircraft to crash 53 years ago." The Star Dust disappeared in a snow squall over the Andes on August 2, 1947 while flying from Asuncion, Argentina to Santiago de Chile, the last leg of its flight from London.
The Star Dust was an Avro Lancaster Tudor, which had been a Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bomber during World War II but was converted to civilian use after the war.
Eleven people were on board the aircraft, including a crew of five and six passengers.
The crew consisted of the pilot, Captain Reginald Cook, a former RAF Bomber Command pilot with hundreds of hours of experience flying Lancasters; First Officer Norman Hilton-Cook; Second Officer Donald Checklin; Radio Operator Dennis Harmer and Stewardess Iris Adams.
Among the passengers was Paul Simpson, 44, a "King's Messenger," or personal diplomatic envoy of King George VI (ffather of Queen Elizabeth II--J.T.)
"'This is an expedition requested by the investigating federal judge,'" Alfredo Manuel Rodriguez, "'for a special Argentine armed forces patrol to find the remains and clear up what caused the accident,' said military spokeswoman Gabriela Cantinga."
"The crash site, littered with the plane's shattered fuselage and three frozen torsos was only discovered in mid-January by a five-man team traversing the 21,484-foot (6,500-meter) Tupungato volcano in western Mendoza province," about 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of Buenos Aires, the national capital.
The wreckage is spread across a glacier on Mount Tupungato at an altitude of about 17,600 feet (5,500 meters)
"The cause of the disaster remains under debate. Official reports raised the possibility of pilot negligence while others have theories that it was a result of sabotage in a competitive airline market."
"'We've never really known what happened. It's always been suspected from the very start it was sabotage,' said John Parker, brother-in-law of pilot Capt. Reginald Cook."
"'It could have been engine failure or navigational errior as well, of course,' said Parker who spoke to Reuters from his home in Melbourne, England."
"Strewn about the (crash) site are pieces from two of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, a propellor, woolen jackets, a shoe with RAF on the sole, green berets presumably belonging to the crew and a tattered passport."
The remains of four humans were also found at the site, leaving another seven unaccounted for. Included in the seven is royal envoy Paul Simpson.
Other theories concerning the Star Dust include
(A) The Lancaster was struck by lightning.
(B) The Lancaster was destroyed by a bomb
with a detonator rigged to go off when the aircraft climbed above 22,000 feet.
(C) The Lancaster was shot down by the Saturn-shaped UFO seen at Bauru, Sao Paulo state, Brazil ten days before the mishap.
(D) Aboard the aircraft was Lieutenant Naomi Selff, the U.S. Army nurse who reportedly told mortician Glenn Dennis about the aliens being autopsied at Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947.
The mysterious mid-air explosion and crash of the Star Dust took place one month after the incident at Roswell. (Many thanks to Jim Hickman for this news story.)
(Editor's Comment: Another possibility is that the bomb was meant for the royal envoy. Who Killed Paul Simpson? Sounds like a novel by Agatha Christie. Round up "the unusual suspects"-- Winston S. Churchill, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden and the Duke of Windsor. Wow! Hercule Poirot would have a great time with this whodunit.)
ROUNDUP MYSTERY VAN SEEN AGAIN IN TUCSON
The mysterious white van with its high-tech antenna array, Georgia license plates and logo of UFO FIELD INTERCEPT TEAM on the rear has once again been sighted in Tucson, Arizona (population 405,370).
On Wednesday, February 16, 2000, William H. spotted the elusive white van just south of Tucson. Contacting UFO Roundup, Bill reported, "I also spotted the van described on your website in Tucson, Ariz. on February 16. at about 5:00 p.m. MST (Mountain Standard Time--J.T.) It was eastbound on Valencia Road, which is south of town and the main road to exit the Tucson International Airport."
"I also did not know of your website until I saw the address on the back of the van."
The white mystery van was first spotted in Tucson on February 3, 2000. An Arizona dentist saw it at Park Mall. For more details, refer to UFO Roundup, Volume 5, Number 6, the issue for February 10, 2000.
Prior to that, the van was seen at a casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana (population 70,500) in October 1999. For details, see UFO Roundup, Volume 4, Number 27.
The van was first spotted in Warsaw, Indiana In July 1999. For details, see UFO Roundup, Volume 4, Number 16.
The van's mission and the reason for its presence in Arizona are unknown.
"Again, I would like to remind everyone that UFO Roundup does not own or operate this van," newsletter editor Joseph Trainor said. "Its mission is as much a mystery to us as it is to the people who have seen it."
The van is white with small dish antennae arrayed on the roof and sides, plus the logo UFO FIELD INTERCEPT TEAM in big black letters on the rear, with the website address http://ufoinfo.com/roundup in smaller black letters just beneath the logo. (Email Interview)
from the UFO Files...
1217: UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
Like California's Mount Shasta or Spain's Mount Moncayo, Switzerland has a mystic mountain of its very own.
It's called Mount Pilatus, and it's located in the Alps near Engelberg, about 59 kilometers (37 miles) east of Bern, the national capital.
Throughout the Middle Ages, there were reports of gnomes (aliens?) living on the upper slopes of Mount Pilatus. These gnomes were described as humanoids about one foot (0.3 meters) tall with snow-white hair, while long beards flowed down over their breasts. The gnomes not only watched over the chamois (goats) bounding from rock to rock but tended the fish sporting in the depths of the mountain streams."
The strangest tale of the gnomes of Mount Pilatus took place in the spring of the year 1217. A teenaged girl named Magdalen was caring for her widowed mother, who was confined to bed with a serious illness. With spring approaching, Magdalen and her mother were nearly out of food. She could see her mother growing weaker day by day. Finally, Magdalen decided to climb up to the Kastelnalp, a high altitude cirque on Mount Pilatus, and ask for help from Uncle Johann, her mother's cousin.
"Please, Uncle Johann, you must help us," Magdalen said, her shawl drawn about her shoulders as she stood in the kitchen of her uncle's Alpine chalet. "We have neither food nor medicine in the house. Mother is deathly ill."
Johann shook his head sadly. "That is unfortunate, my dear. But there is nothing I can do."
"But-But you're her cousin," Magdalen touched his sleeve. "Her kinsman. Surely you have a little food to spare. Perhaps a single cheese from your storehouse?"
Johann, "who had stored away cheese after cheese in his cellars," merely shrugged. "It's been a hard winter for me, as well." He sighed. "That ne'er-do-well she married should have left her better provided for."
"Please, Uncle Johann, we need your help."
"Your father was a good man, I'm told." Unable to face Magdalen, he turned away. "Still...your mother could have made a good marriage. Instead she chose to marry for love." He shrugged again. "Now she must live with the consequences."
"Uncle Johann! My mother will die unless you--"
"I'm sorry, Magdalen," he said, opening the door. "But there is nothing I can do."
Johann "sent home Magdalen empty-handed and in tears."
"Overtaken on her way down the mountain by a sudden thunderstorm, the girl sought shelter in the hut of her lover, a herdsman to whom she confided all her sorrows."
"A generous, noble-hearted fellow, Alois no sooner heard of his sweetheart's destitution then he ran to get a small cheese, the only food he had in the house, and forced her to accept it for her starving mother."
Once the thunderstorm ended, "Magdalen set out again with lightened heart, but her foot suddenly slipped on the wet grass. She let go of the precious cheese, which, bounding from rock to rock, rolled over the edge of a precipice (cliff)" and disappeared.
"Magdalen's tears now flowed afresh. But while she sat there, wringing her hands in despair, she suddenly felt a twitch at her dress."
Looking down, Magdalen saw one of the gnomes standing there. The creature carried a leather cheese pouch on his shoulder and held a bunch of medicinal herbs in his hand.
"Weep no more," the little humanoid said gently. "The hard-hearted owner of the Kastelnalp shall be punished for his refusal to help you. In the meantime, take these herbs, which will restore your mother's health." With a ghost of a smile, he added, "And I'm sure you and your mother will enjoy this cheese."
"The little man then vanished, leaving his gifts behind him, and Magdalen hastened joyfully home."
At home, she prepared "herb tea for the patient, whose health was miraculously restored as soon as she had tasted it."
Opening the leather pouch, Magdalen found a smooth golden cheese. It reminded her of the full moon the way it glowed. Picking up a kitchen knife, she tried to cut it. But the blade failed to penetrate.
"This cheese is as hard as a rock," she told her mother.
"Maybe the knife needs sharpening, Magdalen.".
"Wait a minute! This is no cheese." The girl's voice trembled with amazement. "Oh, my God! Mother! This is solid gold!"
True enough. "The cheese the kind-hearted gnome had given her" was in reality "a solid lump of pure gold. She and her mother were so rich with this treasure that they soon purchased the Brundislalp, where Magdalen and Alois, a happy husband and wife, tended their flocks together."
But what of Uncle Johann?
Meanwhile, back up at the Kastelnalp...
Johann sat before the fireplace, engaging in his favorite evening pastime. Opening the strong box and counting all the gold and silver coins inside. Soon he'd be adding to their number. After all, everybody on Mount Pilatus was running low on food, and Johann had plenty of cheese to sell.
All at once, he heard a strange noise coming from outside. A weird humming like a thousand angry bees. The sound seemed to be coming from right above his thatched roof.
Curious, Johann closed the strong box, hid it under a blanket and, donning his heavy woolen cloak, went outside. A weird intermittent blue light lit up the farmyard.
As he peered upward, Johann's mouth fell open. Hovering several meters above his chalet was a giant silver disc. The object's outer rim was rapidly rotating. Red, blue, green and white lights pulsated on the craft's underside.
"Gott in Himmel!" he muttered.
A strange voice floated down from the craft. "Hey, Johann! How fast can you run?"
How fast can I run!? He blinked in confusion. What kind of a question is that!?
Just then, a sizzling bluish-white sphere rocketed away from the huge saucer, heading straight for the rocky peak of Mount Pilatus. A future generation of moviegoers might call it a photon torpedo. But for Johann, there were no words in his vocabulary to describe the awesome phenomenon.
The object struck the peak high on the right side, obliterating a cliffside. The blast vibration rocked Johann on his heels. The entire peak lit up for several seconds. The noise of the explosion was like a physical blow. Yelling, Johann clapped his hands over his ears.
The blast died away into a low-throated rumble. The peak was dark once more. The saucer rose rapidly, vanishing amidst the bright stars
Johann noticed that the ground beneath his feet was still shaking. He glanced at the peak once more. A cloud of dust wreathed the summit. The rumbling sound grew louder.
And then the first gigantic boulder rolled into the Kastelnalp. The mammoth stone smashed the barn into kindling and continued rolling downslope, the vanguard of the landslide caused the by the blast. Rocks the size of locomotives tumbled through Johann's farm, crushing everything in their path. Screaming in terror, he turned tail and ran.
The landslide "covered his alp with such a mass of loose stones that that not a blade of grass has ever been seen on it since."
""Besides this, a fragment of rock struck the owner as he fled, and breaking both his legs, left him so badly crippled that he never walked without crutches again."
The gnomes of Mount Pilatus are kind and generous to the people under their protection. But to their enemies, they show a slightly different face.
And if they ever ask you, "How fast can you run?" don't just stand there, dreaming up clever comebacks. Run for it!
(See the book Legends of Switzerland by H.A. Guerber, Dodd, Mead and Co., New York, N.Y., 1899, pages 212 to 214.)
We'll be back next week with more UFO and paranormal news from around the planet, brought to you by "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you then!
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2000 by Masinaigan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO Roundup on their websites or in newsgroups provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of issue in which the item first appeared.
