UFO ROUNDUP Volume 8 Number 48
Volume 8
Number 48
December 17, 2003
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
MORMONS IN PELLUCIDAR!?
"A belief that the Earth is hollow and inhabited within has caused a Provo, Utah man to plan an expedition to the North Pole and possibly to the Earth's interior."
"Steve Currey runs an expedition company in Provo (population 105,166). For over 40 years, he has organized fly-fishing, kayaking, river-rafting and trekking trips around the world. Many locations of his trips are exotic and fascinating, but his next destination is something way out of the ordinary."
"Currey was contacted by Rodney Cluff, author of World Top Secret: Our Earth Is Hollow, to organize an expedition to the interior of the Earth. In his book, Cluff explains the theory of the hollow Earth."
"There is no guarantee the expedition will find anything, but, if nothing else, the people will get to go to the North Pole and the Siberian islands, Currey said."
"Currey has chartered a nuclear icebreaker with the capacity for 108 passengers for the purpose of taking a group to find the polar opening."
"The expedition is scheduled for June 26 to July 19, 2005."
"Currey said people from all over the world have expressed interest in going on the expedition."
"'I am getting three to four calls a day about it,' Currey said."
"Passengers will have to come up with the funds to pay for the expedition. Costs range from $18,950 to $20,950 per person."
"According to a survey by LDS author R. Clayton Brough, four percent of the LDS population believes in the hollow Earth theory and that it is a probable explanation for the location of the Ten Lost Tribes."
(Editor's Note: LDS stands for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, which was founded in upstate New York in 1830. Church members are often called Mormons after the denomination's scripture, The Book of Mormon. In 1847, Mormon prophet Brigham Young led his co- religionists in an epic trek across the USA, from Iowa to the Rocky Mountains, where they founded Salt Lake City.)
"Cluff has been investigating the theory for years."
"'I firmly believe there is a substantial amount of scientific, historical and scriptural evidence to support the theory,' he said."
"The expedition will go to the North Pole in search of the polar opening, which Cluff said he believes is marked by land about five degrees from the pole."
"Past explorers and indigenous Eskimos (real name: Inuit--J.T.) have reported seeing a mirage of land in that vicinity."
(Editor's Note: For more on polar mirages, see The Complete Books of Charles Fort, Dover Publications Inc., New York, N.Y., 1974, pages 391, 421 and 444.)
"According to Cluff, there are people in the government who are aware of the opening to the Inner Earth but who have tried to keep this knowledge from the public. 'We have indications that the U.S. military does know about it,' he said."
"Discovering the Inner Earth will set off a new age and a revolution in education and all aspects of society, Cluff said."
(Editor's Note: Between 1912 and 1944, author Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote eight novels about the Inner Earth, which he called Pellucidar. The stories chronicle the adventures of David Innes, "the Pride of Willimantic, Connecticut," and his eccentric scientist partner, Dr. Abner Perry, who invented the world's first subterrene, which he called "the Iron Mole.")
"'We believe that in this expedition, we, the people, have a right to know,' he said."
"Cluff said he has written about religious beliefs that he expects to be proven when he goes on the expedition. One of the beliefs is that the Inner Earth is inhabited by the throne of King David from the Bible and that the political Kingdom of God is located there. He also believes that the Lost Garden of Eden is in the hollowed Earth, and its inhabitants are friendly, highly civilized and members of the Ten Lost Tribes."
(Editor's Comment: ERB might give him an argument about that. Burroughs claimed that Pellucidar was full of fierce dinosaurs, knuckle-dragging prehistoric hominids, noble Cro-Magnons and gorgeous cavegirl princesses with buffier bods than Cameron Diaz and Beyonce Knowles.)
"Cluff also said the inner sun, which is located in the (skies of the) Inner Earth, is the throne of Jehovah and a paradise for the dead."
"Other beliefs he said he hopes to prove include that UFOs originate in the Inner Earth, and the solar wind and the inner sun cause the Northern Lights (Aurora borealis-- J.T.)
(Editor's Note: Prominent British ufologist Brinsley le Poer Trench, a.k.a. Lord Clancarty, also believed that UFOs came from inside the Earth.)
"The only other record that exists of any sort of expedition to the Inner Earth is from explorer Admiral Byrd. According to the belief, Admiral Byrd flew through the Inner Earth" via an opening at the South Pole during Operation High Jump "in 1947." (See the Brigham Young University NewsNet for November 11, 2003. Many thanks to Michael Strainic for this news story.)
(Editor's Comment: All this talk about an Inner Earth is inspiring me to write a science-fiction trilogy. The first book will be Elvis in Pellucidar, followed by the sequel, Lisa Marie in Pellucidar, and then the grand finale, Jacko in Pellucidar. Just be sure to mail me my Hugo when I win.)
SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED
"U.S. troops caught Saddam Hussein in a hole in the ground near his hometown" Saturday, December 13, 2003, "ending an eight-month manhunt."
"The ex-dictator, bearded and haggard, was pulled from a 6-foot-deep hole in the rural village of Ad-Dawr, near the Tigris River, a few miles from his hometown" of Al-Ouja, southeast of Trikrit.
"He was captured about 8 p.m. Saturday local time after a tip from a member of a family 'close to Saddam,' said Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the" U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division.
Saddam was the fifth head of state to be captured by the U.S. Army. His predecessors include Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, in 1865; Goyathalay (better known as Geronimo--J.T.), president of Apacheria, in 1886; Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the Philippines, in 1901; and Manuel Noriega, president of Panama, in 1989.
At 6 p.m., "about 600 soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division" raided two locations in Ad-Dawr as part of Operation Red Dawn.
"When U.S. soldiers first searched two houses" in Ad- Dawr, "a village of orange, lemon and palm groves near the Tigris River Saturday, they thought they had missed Saddam Hussein again."
"But then they saw two men running away. And then they found $750,000 in (USA) $100 bills. Soldiers (then) spotted a rug on the ground covered with dirt nd bricks, and when they removed it, they found a Styrofoam pad. When that was lifted, they found what a military officer called a 'spider hole' leading to a hidden chamber."
Saddam was found lying in the chamber, armed with a pistol which he did not use.
"U.S. forces didn't immediately realize that they had Saddam. U.S. officials said Saddam admitted his identity after his capture."
"Odierno said Saddam was 'very much bewildered' when he was taken away and was 'tired' and 'resigned' to his fate."
One Army officer claimed Saddam looked "disoriented" when he was pulled out of the underground hideaway.
"But Iraqis who visited him had a different impression. 'He was unrepentant and defiant,' said Adel Abdel-Mahdi, a senior official of a Shiite political party, who along with other members of the Iraqi Governing Council, visited Saddam in captivity." (See USA Today for December 15, 2003, "Iraqi ex-dictator found hiding in a hole," page 1A; "Trusted 'nobody' pointed way to hide- out," page 1A; "Initial focus was on identification," page 4A; and "Last refuge a hole in the ground," page 5A.) (Editor's Comment: And so, Saddam Hussein is captured at last. Will he talk about the Zarzi aliens? Or will he keep silent? Stay tuned...)
YELLOW ORB UFO SEEN IN KERMAN, CALIFORNIA
On Sunday, December 7, 2003, the male witness reported, "I went outside at 11:50 p.m. just before Stargate came on to see if it was getting foggy. Walked around to the side of my house and in the distance was a yellow orb. From my perspective, it looked like it was just over the Kettlemen Hills" in Kerman, California (population 8,551).
"I just thought it was the planet Mars. 'Cause I saw it (Mars) in the sky every night during the summer," he added, "I had to go pee really bad so I went back inside. Did my business, then went back outside and saw it was still there. Ran back inside to get my mom and sister up."
"Took about five minutes to get them up and outside. And when we got outside, it was gone. Later, I was sitting watching Stargate and got to thinking it (the orb) was bigger than Mars looked when it was closest to the Earth, and that, if it had been a planet, it wouldn't have gone out of sight in ten minutes."
The witness estimated that the UFO "hovered maybe 700 feet (210 meters) above the tallest mountain" in the Kettlemen Hills.
Kerman, Cal. is on Highway 180 approximately 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of Fresno. (Email Form Report)
CIGAR-SHAPED UFO SEEN IN LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA
On Saturday, December 13, 2003, at 10:05 p.m., eyewitness A.B. reported, "Me and George were at my country property just north of Launceston" in Australia's island state of Tasmania, "sitting outside, having a smoke. At about 10:05 p.m., George noticed a long, cigar- shaped glowing object approaching from the northeast, high in the sky."
"As it approached the property, it slid lower into the sky and appeared as if it would land. And, as fast as it appeared, it flew away with only a slight tingling in the air to confirm it had ever been there at all. It was about 80 meters (264 feet) above ground, lowering to about 20 meters (66 feet). At its minimum speed, I would say it approached 200 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour)."
Launceston is in northern Tasmania, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) north of Hobart, the state capital. (Email Form Report)
TRIANGULAR UFO SIGHTED IN NORTHERN IRELAND
On Thursday, December 11, 2003, Milton Clarke was outdoors in his hometown of Clogher, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK when "a UFO approached from the north."
"It seemed like a glowing triangle, really bright," Milton reported, "I couldn't see any markings. It was very close to the ground at one point. Triangle with bright glow. It was 20 metres (66 feet) off the ground at one point. It came in very fast, slowed down to a stop, then flew away very fast towards the west."
"I took some pictures, but it's hard to know if it will come out. It was very dark, and I didn't have the right type of film for this kind of thing." (Email Form Report)
PHANTOM PANTHER PROWLS AYRSHIRE IN SCOTLAND
"A farmer has painted zebra-style stripes on her sheep to camoflauge them after rumours of a black panther on the loose."
"Charlotte Brayley, from Ayrshire, spray-painted her flock through cardboard stencils after reading about the recent sightings."
"The 21-year-old, whose farm is just outside Dalry, painted green, purple and red stripes on six of her sheep."
"She said: 'These cats prey on sheep, and there was no way I was going to allow one of mine to fall victim.'"
"Ms. Brayley, who studies fine art and sculpture at Glasgow School of Art, said it only took 15 minutes to paint each sheep."
"She told the Daily Record newspaper; 'It doesn't matter that the colours are bright. It is the patterns that are important because cats can see in black and white.'"
"'One night my mum was sure she spotted a huge black tail disappear into a hedge.'"
"Striped camoflauge, like that of a zebra, is believed to confuse cats because the contrasting bold stripes break up the shape of the intended prey."
"More than 200 sightings of big cats have been reported in Scotland this year." (See the Daily Record of Glasgow for December 8, 2003, "Sheep painted to deter 'panther.'" Many thanks to Robert Fischer, UFO Roundup's phantom panther expert, for this newspaper article.)
MOORS PANTHER SPOTTED ALL AROUND HUDDERSFIELD
"The bloody corpse of a lamb bearing weird 'signature' claw marks--and a glimpse of a lurking beast in a field at dusk."
"It sounds like the gripping stuff of a movie trailer. But this is no Hollywood thriller, it's a worrying reality."
"Big cat sightings in Huddersfield's rolling countryside," near Manchester in UK, "has been a regular feature of the Examiner's news pages for the past few years."
"Every so often, someone spots a powerful prowler-- usually described as a black panther, lynx or puma (mountain lion or cougar in the USA--J.T.)."
"And sheep and lambs fall prey."
"Farmers who find the remains of their livestock just can't put these strange attacks down to foxes and badgers."
"People are quick to play down such mystery sightings and slaughters, dismissing them as nonsense or even scaremongering."
"But animal experts say a big cat on the loose is not beyond the realms of possibility."
"One witness who saw it try to pounce on bantam hens said it had a head as big as a human's."
"Others say they saw something prowling Skelmanthorpe Cemetery, Scisset and High Hoyland."
"Last month (November 2003) Hade Edge residents alerted police to a large, swishy-tailed feline, bigger than an Alsatian (dog), stalking sheep in a field off Dunford Road."
"Other people claimed to have spotted a big cat in the same area--and just this week, a vicious attack on sheep in Thurstonland was claimed to have the hallmarks of a panther." (For more on the Thurstonland attacks, see UFO Roundup, volume 8, number 47 for December 10, 2003, "Moors panther goes on a rampage near Oldham, UK," page 5.)
"And there were some sightings near Dovestone, Greenfield and Saddleworth, suggesting the beast was moving west. A Greenfield farmer described a beast with orange eyes and said he thought he may have hit it with gunshot."
"John Atkinson, an RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals--J.T.) inspector who has patrolled Huddersfield for the past decade, said big cat sightings had been a constant mystery since the mid- 1990s."
"He said: 'A big cat on the loose is not beyond the realm. Non-indigenous species of animal can survive in our own countryside.'"
"Inspector Atkinson says: 'Big cats live for a long time, and it's possible that, for example, if a pair were released at the same time, they could breed.'"
"'Lions have no problem breeding in the British countryside, we know that. And some big cats come from North America where the climate isn't much different.'"
"Sightings and tall stories are common from time to time--but in terms of hard facts, the authorities have little to go on. For, in John's experience, no big cat has ever been found locally."
"He says: 'These stories have been going on for years--always focusing on the Holmsfirth and Denby Dale area--but no one has ever got to the bottom of it.'"
"Robert Noble of the National Farmers' Union at Honley is open-minded about the possibility--but believes a big cat at large would create more carnage."
"He says: 'Any such creature has to feed--and as far as I'm aware, we've had no reports of sheep and lambs being taken.'"
"'You'd think there'd be more, but then, perhaps a big cat could eat wildlife that we wouldn't necessarily miss, rather than livestock.'" (See the Huddersfield Daily Examiner for December 11, 2003, "On the big cat trail." Again, many thanks to Robert Fischer for this newspaper article.)
CHEMTRAILS SIGHTED IN NORTH CAROLINA
On Monday, December 8, 2003, at 9:53 a.m., eyewitness Arthur Evangelista noticed chemtrails forming in the sky over Weaverville, North Carolina (population 2,416), a town six miles (10 kilometers) north of Asheville and 150 miles (250 kilometers) west of Winston-Salem, N.C.
"The sky is clear, basically cloudless and the sun is shining," Evangelista wrote in an email report. "Looks like there may be--and still are--several crisscrossing trails, some being older than others."
"While I was looking at these chemtrails, an aircraft, most likely a jet aircraft, was flying in between these trails at 25,000 to 30,000 feet (7,500 to 9,000 meters). The aircraft was flying from northest to southwest, towards Atlanta (Georgia). It was quiet, due to its distance, and it was not leaving any trail, not even a vapor trail (condensation trail in the USA, contrail for short--J.T.)."
"As a veteran, and as a moderate expert on aircraft, I can tell you right now that these chemtrails are not the same as vapor trails. The chemtrails I was watching looked fluffier--like air-blown powder--especially the way it was billowing down from the original trail. They are unusual." (Many thanks to Jim Hickman and Frances E. Barwood for this news story.)
STRANGE NEW FOSSILS FOUND IN ETHIOPIA
"Scientists in Africa have unearthed the remains of six new species of prehistoric mammals, including an ancestor of elephants and a 5,000-pound rhinoceros-like beast that roamed Ethiopia's highlands 27 million years ago."
"The discoveries offer new clues to the fate of Africa's animals during the 'dark period' in the interval between 32 million years ago and the time 8 million years later when the prehistoric continent known as 'Afro- Arabia' began to connect with Eurasia."
"It was only after that contact that Africa developed the spectacular mix of lions, hippos, hyenas, antelopes and elands for which it is famous today. All of these animals evolved from Eurasian immigrants who crossed the frontier when the continents joined."
"Before that happened, Africa had evolved an array of mammals all its own, among them rodents, primates and some larger species, thought to include several elephant-like animals and other plant-eaters. Before the Ethiopian discoveries, however, none was believed larger than a modern-day Texas longhorn steer."
"'Eight million years is a very long period not to know anything about an entire continent,' said University of Texas paleontologist John Kappelman, who led the multinational team that has worked in Ethiopia's northwestern Chilga region since 1997."
"Kappelman said the team located fossils in about 70 sites spread over several square miles of farm country about 6,600 feet (2,000 meters) above sea level."
"Five of the new species are Proboscidea (animals with trunks--J.T.), the report said. These included three species of Paleomastodon, 4-foot (1.3-meter) high, 1-ton mammals with short trunks and tusks on the upper and lower jaws."
"'They probably seemed like weird-looking pigs,' said University of Michigan paleontologist William Sanders, another member of the team. The Chilga discoveries are the most recent paleomastodons ever found. The animals apparently went extinct in Africa and never crossed to Europe."
"The team also discovered remains of a new species of Deinotherium, another short-trunked animal with down- turned tusks on its lower jaw."
"The Chilga fossil--the oldest deinothere ever found- -was 'about halfway between a large pig and a small hippo' in size, Sanders said."
"Deinotheres migrated to Eurasia, dispersed widely and evolved to elephant-size before dying out 1 million years ago, he said." (At the beginning of the Pleistocene Period, better known as the Ice Ages--J.T.)
"Chilga's fifth trunked animal was the earliest known species of Gomphotherium, a 1-ton ancestor of modern elephants, which migrated to Eurasia and spread everywhere on Earth except Australia and Antarctica."
"And finally the excavators also discovered the largest and latest example of Arsinoitherium, a fearsome- looking beast with two divergent horns in its forehead. Before the Chilga discoveries, scientists speculated that the arsinoitheres lost a battle for habitat with the later-arriving Eurasian rhino, with which it shares a resemblance--but no relation."
"While earlier arsinoitheres were pig-sized, like the rhino invaders, the Chilga animal stood 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall at the shoulder and weighed 5,000 pounds. "They were the size of very small elephants, and we found a lot of them,' Sanders said, 'Rhinos weren't competing.'"
"Taken together, the Chilga excavations offered the clearest proof yet that while most modern African mammals derived from European invaders, at least one dominant type--elephants--moved in the other direction."
"'We suspected elephants had originated in Africa,' Sanders said, 'This is the proof.'" (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for December 7, 2003, "Prehistoric mammal remains found in Africa," page 17A.)
MARSUPIAL FOSSILS FOUND IN CHINA
"The 125-million-year-old fossil remains of the oldest known marsupial mammals, alive in the age of dinosaurs, have turned up in China."
"The Sinodelphys marsupial, whose fossils are reported in Science, was only 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, lived in trees and ate insects and worms, according to a research team led by" Dr. Luo Zhexi of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"Skeletal and dental characteristics from the fossils mark Sinodelphys. The find pushes back the age of the split between marsupial and placental mammals." (See USA Today for December 15, 2003, "Ancient marsupial fossil turns up in China," page 6D.)
From the UFO Files...
1907: LUMINOUS ANGEL HAIR FALLS IN NORFOLK, UK
Falls of "angel hair"--fine strands of an unknown gossamer-like material--are unusual Fortean phenomena commonly associated with UFOs. Classic examples are the incidents in Italy in 1954 and at Quirindi, near Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia a few years ago.
About the strangest "angel hair" incident on record is the fall of luminous or glowing strands in Norfolk, UK in December 1907.
One of the witnesses, a local fisherman, wrote to T. Digby Piggott, describing the incident. "On December 12 (1907), several of us fishermen were standing on Wells-bar between 2 o'clock and 6 (a.m.). It was a very dark morning. About 4 (a.m.) we were all surprised to find something blowing about just like blue fire."
"Our mittens and the edges of our sou'westers were soon full; it hung to them like cobwebs, and some parts of it were very bright. I thought you would like to know about this, as it would be about the same time the luminous owl was seen" in Norwich "and I do not see why it (angel hair--J.T.) should not hang on a bird's feathers as well as it did on us. There were about ten of us, so I do not think we were deceived in what we saw." (See Fortean Studies - Volume 1 for 1994, "The Luminous Owls of Norfolk" by David W. Clarke, page 55. Also The Times for December 26, 1907.)
Well, that's it for this week. Join us in seven days for more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the planet Earth, brought to you by "the paper that goes home- -UFO Roundup." See you next time.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2003 by Masinaigan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO Roundup on their Web sites or in news groups provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of issue in which the item first appeared.
