UFO ROUNDUP Volume 7 Number 02
Volume 7
Number 2
January 8, 2002
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
RECTANGULAR UFO FLIES OVER AMMAN IN JORDAN
On Monday, December 31, 2001, at 8 p.m., a rectangular UFO flew over Amman, the capital of Jordan, and was seen by hundreds of residents.
The UFO, described as "a self-luminous rectangular object," first appeared over the Jorm district of the city. It flew in a southwesterly direction across Ameena Bint Wahab Street and over the top of the Jebel al-Hussein (hill). After passing over the Jebel al-Weibdeh (hill), the UFO "emitted a bright flashing light."
As it flew over the Weibdeh section or west end of the city, the UFO was seen by hundreds of residents. Many Jordanians voiced the opinion that the object was "a satellite," while others claimed it was "an alien starship."
The UFO was also seen by residents of the Shmeisani section. Police stations at Abdali and Wadi Abdoun were flooded with telephone calls reporting the UFO's flyover.
A spokesman for the Royal Jordanian Air Force was quoted as saying the light may have been caused "by a laser or a firework launched to celebrate the New Year."
According to ufologist Abu Zidallah, Jordanian UFO groups are very much excited by the sighting in Amman and plan to talk to witnesses. (See the Jordanian newspaper Al-Dastur and Agence France Presse for January 1, 2002. Many thanks to Ayesha al-Khatabi for forwarding this story.)
(Editor's Note: Two millenia ago, Amman was known as Philadelphia to the Romans. Yes, that's the same Philadelphia that's in Acts of the Apostles. The Roman ruins are in the east end of the city and include the Amphitheatre, built by Emperor Antoninus Pius in 150 A.D., the Odeon, the Forum and the Temple of Hercules.)
CATTLE MUTILATIONS SURGE IN NORTHERN MONTANA
"This is the kind of deja vu Everett King could do without."
"About 15 years ago, he discovered the grisly remains of one of his cattle that had died mysteriously."
"In October (2001), it happened again."
"King said it looked as though a surgeon had sliced into his seven-year-old Charolais, the way its right eye and right ear were cut off--not to mention the way its reproductive organs had been cored."
"What King finds most unusual, however, is that two months later, the carcass lies right where he found it, untouched."
"'Predators won't eat it,' said King, who ranches outside Valier (Montana), south of Lake Frances. 'It should have been cleared up and gone a long time ago.'"
"Ranchers" in Pondera County, northwest of Great Falls, "reported four mutilations between June and August (2001). Since then, there have been 11 more, and investigators are still searching for answers."
"The same bizarre circumstances haunted area ranchers and baffled law enforcement twenty years ago, sparking rumors about UFOs, cults and government conspiracies."
"The mutilations went away in the 1990s but began again this summer."
"The most recent victim--a 12-year-old Hereford--turned up earlier this month on a ranch north of Conrad," (population 2,900).
"'They skinned off the belly from her front legs to her back legs all the way around,' Pondera County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Campbell said, 'The complete bag (udder) was removed.'"
"The last three mutilations occurred within three miles (5 kilometers) of each other in the Dry Forks area, about 10 to 15 miles (16 to 21 kilometers) west of Conrad."
"In October (2001) members of the New Miami Colony, 18 miles (26 kilometers) west of Conrad, discovered two mutilated cows at the same time, 30 yards (27 meters) apart."
"The scenes were remarkably similar to mutilations researchers reported more than a decade ago, Campbell said."
"Most of the cows had the skin scraped off their faces. Often, the tongue, one eye and all or part of an ear had been removed. Part of the udder was usually cut off, as well as the genitals. And in most cases, the anus had been cored."
"A majority of the cows were four or five (years old); one was missing its teeth."
"In the late 1970s, a high wave of alleged mutilations in the southwestern states (of the USA) prompted a federally-funded investigation. The resulting 300-page report concluded that animal predators were responsible."
"Although some describe the Pondera County (cattle) deaths as a hoax or chalk them up to natural causes and predators, Campbell and fellow investigator, Sheriff's Deputy Dick Dailey, say they aren't convinced."
"Cuts on the cows are often circular or oval, and--as with King's Charolais--seem to be made with surgical precision."
"The animals seem to bloat faster than normal, and the missing hide doesn't reflect the work of predators, Campbell said."
"'I've never seen an animal cut just the face off a cow when there's lots of other stuff they go after,' he said."
"One mutilated cow looked like it had been burned. Another seemed to have bruises around its neck as though it had been strangled. One had a long cut with a perfectly-ridged edge, as though the hide had been sliced with a tool similar to pinking shears."
"Also strange is that in most cases, no tracks or footprints were detected around the animals' bodies, even in mud or snow."
"A misconception is that the cows had been drained of blood. Natural coagulation makes it look the creatures' fluids had been drained, Dailey said."
"Dailey, who lives in Dupuyer (Montana), spent several nights this fall camped out in dark fields, trying to catch the culprit in the act. He has reviewed all the facts and checked out dozens of Web sites looking for answers."
"Still, nothing."
"'I've read everything I can read on it, and I really don't know what in the heck it is,' he said."
"Ranchers aren't sure what to think, either."
"In September (2001) Jim VandenBos discovered the body of one of his $850 two-year-old Angus (cattle) lying dead in his pasture."
"The right side of its face was skinned, and the exposed jawbone was so smooth, it looked like it had been polished, VandenBos said."
"Its tongue was cut off along with its right ear, eye and reproductive organs. A tennis-ball-sized patch of skin on its shoulder was hard like plastic."
"Again, coyotes--even other cattle--steered clear."
"VandenBos has been ranching southwest of Valier (population 500) for more than 30 years and remembers the last wave of mutilations well."
"'It's kind of a spooky thing,' he said, 'I haven't worried about it too much because it's something I can't control...but I'd like to find an explanation.'"
"Toward the end of October (2001), a neighbor found the 750-pound steer that died at Glen and Ruby Bouma's dry creek bed, three miles (5 kilometers) west of Conrad."
"'There was a little tail of grass pushed up like it was shoved up underneath it,' Ruby Bouma said."
"The hide was missing from the calf's stomach and its reproductive organs were gone, but there were no tracks, no bullet holes and no claw marks."
"The calf, No. 95, was about a year old and worth $600. It was one of the friendliest animals the Boumas owned."
"A local vet said it died of dust pneumonia, but Glen and Ruby have their doubts."
"'That's possible because it's so dry,' Ruby Bouma said, 'But I think we would have known if it was sick. We took special notice because it was one of two calves that are like pets to us. It would come up and smell your hand or your pant leg.'"
"The whole thing is peculiar, if you ask the Boumas. When a cow dies of natural causes, for instance, predators will usually chew into its flesh."
"Glen and Ruby's calf was missing only its hide. And when they checked on Thanksgiving Day (November 22, 2001), predators were still keeping their distance."
"Some folks in the area think the U.S. Air Force or aliens are behind the mutilations but not Ruby."
"'I'm sorry, but I personally think it's somebody local...they're doing it for kicks,' she said."
"One difficulty lead investigators have encountered in cracking the case is gathering evidence."
"After two or three days, collecting evidence becomes a lost cause because the cattle are so badly decomposed. And in the summer, carcasses rot faster and often go undiscovered for weeks."
"'Pondera County deputies also hope a Nevada laboratory will answer some of their questions."
"This fall, Campbell and Dailey chopped the head off a mutilated cow, packedit in dry ice and shipped it to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) in Las Vegas," Nevada.
"The privately-funded institute pays scientists and retired police officers to investigate bizarre phenomena including mutilations and UFO sightings. A spokesman for the institute said researchers are nearly finished with their study and will send a copy of the report to the Pondera County Sheriff's Office in a couple of weeks."
Conrad is located just west of Interstate Highway I-15, approximately 58 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Great Falls, Montana. (See the Great Falls, Montana Tribune for January 3, 2002, "Cattle mutilations back--Ranchers, lawmen baffled by crime wave" by Katie Oyan, page one. Many thanks to Louise A. Lowry for this news story)
LARGE TRIANGULAR UFOs RETURN TO BELGIUM
A new wave of "Flying Triangles," large triangular UFOs "as large as buildings," has been reported in Belgium.
The current flap is similar to the mass sightings of "Flying Triangles" over Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp and Tournai back in 1990.
Eyewitnesses report seeing "blue lighting on the undersides of the large crafts" plus yellow and orange lights.
In mid-December 2001, two men in their twenties "reported a very close encounter with a silver, cylindrical-shaped UFO" over the industrial city of Namur, located 45 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Brussels.
"The triangles are reported having varying lengthy structures, with red, blue and green lights, as well. The UFOs are orange in color."
"Many Belgian ufologists believe the Flying Triangles are U.S.-military-related" because of the nearby presence of the Supreme Headquarters--Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. (See the Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure for December 19, 2001. Many thanks to George A. Filer, editor of Filer's Files, for letting UFO Roundup use this news story.)
AIRLINE PASSENGER SPOTS A UFO OVER MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi's UFO flap entered its second week with the sighting of a mysterious object hovering motionless over the northern part of the state, just below the state border with Tennessee.
On Monday, December 31, 2001, at around 3 p.m., Karen A. was seated in Row 8 on the left-hand side of an American Airlines Super 80 jetliner when she decided to lift the shade on her window. The jetliner had left Dallas, Texas at 2 p.m. and was enroute to Washington D.C. when the incident occurred.
"While enroute in flight, I decided to open my window (shade)," Karen reported. "Normally I do not like to look out plane windows, as I am not fond of flying. But we were above the clouds and it was sunny."
"To the east, I noticed a white circle above the clouds. At first I wondered how a seagull could reach the same height (altitude) we were traveling at 30,000 feet (9,000 meters). It was a few thousand feet lower than my plane. Then I thought, Well, that is silly. It was a round white object, not a bird, and it was not moving. Then it seemed to have somehow drifted slowly east, till it was right in a direct line from my window. It seemed to hover a little and drift a little further west of my plane."
"At this point, I thought, Well, with my plane moving about 500 miles an hour, I must be seeing a weather balloon. No sooner did I finish that thought than my 'weather balloon' then shot up in a diagonal western movement, clear into the horizon, not to be seen again."
Karen described the UFO as "white and perfectly round. Large enough for me to see very clearly from where I sat in the plane. I could not tell how far away it was from me, but it was quite a distance. Then the object shot off at light speed (in my opinion, faster than any supersonic plane I have ever seen--K.A.)."
Karen is not exactly sure where the encounter took place. But the time of her encounter and the jetliner's speed would have put the Super 80 over northern Mississippi, perhaps near Oxford, which is 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Jackson, the state capital. (Email Form Report)
CROWD OF TWENTY SPIES A UFO OVER QUEENS, N.Y.
On Sunday, December 30, 2001, at 12:30 a.m., Paulette C. and "about twenty friends" were hanging out on a corner in the borough of Queens in New York City, between Grand Central Parkway and Woodhaven Boulevard, when they spied an unusual light in the sky.
"We were looking up at the moon when all of a sudden we saw stars or what we thought was a star, the biggest in the sky, and they started to shoot in the sky," Paulette reported, "But in all directions. They would stop and dart. Some would line up and it would look like they were playing a game of cat-and-mouse. It was like that for maybe three minutes."
"I even called people out that were in the restaurant on the corner. My whole family saw these objects, and they're wondering what it is." (Email Form Report)
TRIANGULAR UFO HOVERS OVER DOVER CASTLE IN UK
On Thursday, December 20, 2001, at 5 p.m., Kevin Olds of Dover, Kent, UK "was on Albert Road, Dover when he saw three very bright lights in a triangular formation at a height (altitude) of approximately 200 to 300 feet (60 to 90 meters) coming from the direction of Dover's Eastern Docks, heading in a northerly direction."
Olds "first observed it over Dover Castle, a famous landmark, and after a couple of seconds, it banked westward and headed into his direction, getting lower. By this time, he could see a dark triangular shape which the lights were attached to. The object made no sound, and Olds 'felt it was going to crash' when it 'disappeared behind a row of nearby homes and out of view.' The entire incident lasted some 30 seconds." (Many thanks to Chris Rolfe of UFO Monitors-East Kent for this report.)
MYSTERIOUS LIGHT PLANE CRASHES SWEEP THE USA
Over the weekend, the USA was struck by three mysterious airplane crashes, all of which took place on Saturday, January 5, 2002.
The most publicized incident was the case of Charles Bishop, 15, of Palm Harbor, Florida, who crashed a Cessna 172 into the side of the Bank of America building in Tampa.
The "15-year-old student pilot took off in a small plane without permission Saturday and crashed into a skyscraper after ignoring a Coast Guard helicopter's signals to land, authorities said."
"The crash occurred after Charles Bishop's grandmother brought him to the National Aviation flight school for a 5 p.m. flying lesson, said Marianne Pasha, a spokeswoman for the Pinellas CountySheriff's Office."
"'The next thing the instructor know, he was gone,' Pasha said."
Bishop reportedly "expressed sympathies for Osama Bin Laden but said in a suicide note that he acted alone, authorities said Sunday," January 6, 2002.
"'From this action, we can assume he was a troubled young man,' Tampa police chief Bennie Holder said."
"Too young to fly solo, or even drive himself to flight school, Bishop took off without permission just before 5 p.m. Saturday. His brief flight across Tampa Bay took him over MacDill Air Force Base, the home to the bunker-like U.S. Central Command that directs all operations in Afghanistan and Central Asia."
"The base's air control tower asked a Coast Guard helicopter to shadow the Cessna 172R. The helicopter was already in the air on a standrd homeland security patrol when it intercepted the plane. A crewmember motioned repeatedly for Bishop to land. But Bishop ignored him as well as all attempts to contact him on the radio."
"Meanwhile, the military's North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is responsible for defending domestic airspace, ordered F-15 fighter jets to scramble from Homestead Air Force Base south of Miami. By the time the jets reached Tampa, Bishop had crashed into the 28th floor of the 42-story Bank of America building."
The 15-year-old boy was killed instantly.
"The short, handwritten message Tampa police said they found in the pocket of Charles Bishop, 15, also expressed support for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In the note, the high school freshman said he acted alone, said Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder."
"'He was acting out his sympathy for Osama Bin Laden,' Holder said Sunday. 'He expressed support for what happened on 9-11.'"
"But Andrea Panarelli, the ninth grader's honors English teacher at East Lake High School in Palm Harbor, Florida, said Bishop's fatal flight 'was totally out of the blue. None of the students saw it coming. I didn't see it coming.'"
"In one class at East Lake, Bishop wrote movingly of his anger and hurt over the lives lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center. As a private school student last year, he proudly carried the American flag and belted out the lyrics to the song America."
"Yet there were reports that he told other students to watch for him on the news, and the FBI has confiscated his computers. He hinted of a Middle Eastern background to one teacher after the terrorist attacks. Tampa police say they can't find Bishop's father, who has been long absent, but that the man, Charles Bishara, is believed to be of Syrian and Italian descent."
(Editor's Comment: Congratulations, Mr. Bishara, you just made the Ten Most Wanted List for the supposed crimes of changing your address and having ancestors from Italy and Syria. I suppose Tom Ridge's next move will be to encircle the city of North Providence, Rhode Island, where several thousand residents are "of Syrian and Italian descent," with 20-foot-high razor wire and turn it into a big concentration camp.)
Yet, the crash in Tampa wasn't the only strange incident involving light planes over the weekend.
"A single-engine airplane crashed and exploded in the foothills northwest of Boulder, Colorado," 26 miles (41 kilometers) northwest of Denver, "killing the only person on board, a sheriff's spokesman said Saturday afternoon."
"The plane went down on a hillside before 4 p.m., Boulder County Sheriff's Supervisor Jay Willette said."
"The pilot's name was not immediately available."
"The site is inaccessible to vehicles, and rescuers had to walk to the debris. The fire was out by the time the first rescuers arrived, Willette said."
"He did not know where the flight originated or where it was headed."
And in southern California, "a twin-engine plane crashed a block away from an airport Saturday, killing at least one person, authorities said."
"The Cessna 337 Skymaster crashed in a vacant lot in a commercial and residential area" of Buena Park, California, 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, "Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Stephen Miller said."
"Miller did not know how many people were aboard the six-seat plane."
"The pilot had been cleared to land just before 1 p.m. when air traffic controllers saw it roll over and crash about a block west of Fullerton Municipal Airport."
"The plane knocked down telephone lines, crashed into a wall and exploded into flames, Miller said." (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for January 6, 2002, "Small planes crashes into Tampa building," page 4; the Chicago Tribune for January 7, 2002, "Boy's crash shows security has holes," page 1; USA Today for January 7, 2002, "Copycat raises security questions," page 3A, and for January 8, 2002, "Family, friends struggle to find reason for suicide crash," page 4A; and the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for January 6, 2002, "One dead in plane crash" and "Twin-engine plane crash kills two," page 2.)
OSAMA FLED TO PAKISTAN, UZBEKI AGENTS SAY
"U.S. and other anti-terrorism coalition officials are beginning to believe that Osama Bin Laden fled Afghanistan for Pakistan, two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday," January 6, 2002.
"Sen. John Edwards (D.-North Carolina), who is traveling with other (USA) senators in the region, told Fox News Sunday that Uzbekistan's military intelligence service believes Osama Bin Laden has crossed the border into Pakistan."
"'I fully expect the Pakistanis will do everything they can to help us locate Bin Laden,' Edwards said."
"Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Graham (D-Florida) said Bin Laden and other top officials (of the Al-Qaeda sect--J.T.) have probably escaped Afghanistan, but no one is certain."
"'Increasingly, as our efforts to get them in Afghanistan have been futile, there is a greater sense that they have, in fact, escaped and are probably in one of those tribal territories just over the border into Pakistan,' Graham said from Miami on ABC's This Week." (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for January 7, 2002, "Bin Laden search turns to Pakistan," page 4A.)
(Editor's Comment: So much for the story that Osama and his son-in-law, Mohammed Mullah Omar, also among the missing, were at Graceland January 7 to help celebrate Elvis's birthday.)
UNUSUAL SNOWSTORM BURIES THE MIDDLE EAST
Southeastern Europe's worst snowstorm in forty years buried Turkey. "Three (more) people were found frozen to death in Turkey, bringing the death toll to seven."
"Storms also dumped snow on much of Lebanon, cutting off the country's main international highway and leaving dozens of towns without electricity."
Other cities hit hard by the unusual snowfall included Jerusalem; Damascus, the capital of Syria; Amman, the capital of Jordan; and Ramallah in the West Bank.
Curiously, only "a thin layer of snow briefly covered the ground in Bethlehem, the town of Jesus's birth." The snow came down on January 6, "on the day (Greek and Russian) Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas." (See USA Today for January 8, 2002, "Death toll up in Turkey's storm," page 7A. Also, thanks to Ayesha al-Khatabi for the news tip.)
From the UFO Files...
1995: PHANTOM TRUCKERS ON THE PRAIRIE
Another unusual "phantom trucker" encounter took place in December 1995 on the prairie in western North Dakota.
Kevin and Sharon H. left their home in Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, for a Christmas trip in late December 1995. They were headed west on Interstate Highway I-94. "The husband-and-wife duo was driving to visit Sharon's family for a week-long Christmas vacation outing.. Little could they have realized that this simple cross-country trip would turn into a life-or-death ordeal."
"Even though it was one of those on-again, off-again, snow-filled Decembers, they thought they could handle the trip. After all, they did have a four-wheel-drive vehicle with snow tires."
"What started out as a light snow turned heavy. In less than two hours, the snow and ice became so terrible that they had to pull over to the shoulder of the highway" near Hebron, North Dakota (population 700).
"'It's okay, honey,' said Kevin. 'The snow will be over soon. Then we can start again.'"
"But the snow and ice just wouldn't stop."
"'It looks like it's never going to let up!' exclaimed Sharon."
"'Come on, Sharon. You know it will. As soon as it lightens up a bit, we'll start driving again.'"
"They waited. And waited and waited. After to close to a half-hour of constant (snow) bombardment, even Kevin began getting worried."
"'We're going to be buried in here if we don't do something fast!' cried Sharon."
"'Let's try to get back on the Interstate.'"
"Kevin started the engine and tried to get back onto the road."
"'We're stuck!' he exclaimed."
"Getting out of the car, Kevin tried his best to clear snow from the wheels. But it was useless. The ice was unyielding. Now their car was stuck. And if it kept on snowing like this, they would soon be buried."
"Pulling out their cell phone, Kevin received nothing but ear-crackling static. They knew they were in a terrible situation."
"Immediately Kevin got out and retrieved his emergency equipment from the trunk (boot in UK--J.T.). This gear consisted of some orange (highway) cones, flares, an extremely warm Air Force blanket, a first-aid kit and some canned food."
"Kevin began getting really worried. Not wanting to let his wife see him panic, Kevin played it cool...as cool as he could under such circumstances."
"Because he didn't want to wear down the car batteries, he now began rationing the car's heat. It must have been ten (degrees) below zero (Fahrenheit) outside, but at least they didn't have the stabbing icy knives of wind to cut them."
"Eventually their hopes of being rescued began to fade. Sharon suggested trying something they usually never did."
"'Let's pray,' she suggested."
"'What?'"
"'You know, pray.'"
"'I haven't prayed since I was a little kid in the first grade,' said Kevin.
"'Well, it's probably time you started again,' answered his wife."
"Kevin hesitated. He didn't think he could remember how. After all, he was always an in-charge, take-charge kind of guy. He had never thought he would have to ask God for anything."
"Realizing that they were in a very bad situation, he finally agreed to pray as he clasped his frigid hand in his wife's."
"'Dear Lord, please, please send one of your angels to help us,' they prayed."
Every passing minute seemed like an hour. Kevin lost all track of time. In the darkness, he listened to the howl of the relentless prairie wind as the snow piled up around their car.
"Then, Kevin opened his eyes with a start."
"'Did you hear that?' he asked anxiously."
"His wife opened her eyes and looked around."
"'It's still snowing. I can't see anything.'"
"'No! I think I hear a motor!'"
"Quickly getting out of the car, Kevin saw a large green tow truck, complete with a large snow plow, slowly making its way toward them through the falling snow."
It's the state highway department! he thought, We're saved!
"'Right here! Hey! Over here!'" he yelled, jumping out into the middle of the road. In a moment, the truck came to a halt."
"Two large men got out of the truck. They were wearing white parkas. The men's faces were obscured with green scarves with dark slits for eye holes. Kevin didn't need to do much talking because both men nodded and quickly got to work. Before long, the car was able to get back onto the road."
"As they were ready to roll, Kevin turned back to thank the two men. Both the men and their truck had disappeared."
Getting into the car, Kevin told his wife that "he couldn't see them because of the bad weather conditions."
"But Sharon insisted that they had literally disappeared. 'I saw them flash their lights at us as if to say goodbye,' she remembers, 'Then, as I turned to look back, they were gone!'"
As the first glimmers of dawn appeared in the east, the couple drove past a state highway department yard on their side of the highway. A big tow truck, similar to the one they had seen, its headlights ablaze, rolled out of the yard and started down the interstate highway. Seeing lights on in the office, Kevin pulled off the highway into the yard. He wanted to leave a thank-you note for the heroic two-man crew that dug out his half-buried vehicle.
Entering the office, Kevin saw a male dispatcher at the radio console. "Hi," he said, "My car was stuck in snow a couple of hours ago. Back there around Mile Marker 102. Couple of your boys dug us out. I wanted to thank them."
The dispatcher gave him a strange look. "Mister," he said, "What are you talking about? There's been nobody on the highway all night. Why, the first plow just went out of here five minutes ago!" (See Christmas Angels, Globe Mini-Mags, Boca Raton, Florida, December 2001, "Angels in a Blizzard," page 38.)
Join us next week for more UFO and Fortean news from around the planet Earth, brought to you by "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you in seven days.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2002 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.
