CNI News - Volume 19.7 June 24, 1996 Published by the ISCNI News Center Editor: Michael Lindemann The stories in this edition of CNI News are: * * * SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -- SUMMER SCHEDULE * * * 1) RUSSIAN UFOLOGISTS BECOME TARGETS OF HARRASSMENT 2) BRAZIL'S "CAPTURED ALIENS" CASE CONTINUES TO EXPAND 3) UFOs BUZZ AUSTRALIA'S THREE LARGEST CITIES 4) FOO FIGHTERS, OTHER BANDS WILL ROCK FOR UFOS ISCNI encourages you to respond to stories in CNI News. * Public responses can be posted on the Forum message board in "News Center Feedback" * Private responses can be emailed to ISCNI, subj: CNI News Editor The subject matter of CNI News is inherently controversial, and the views and opinions reported in the news are not necessarily those of ISCNI or its staff. The next edition of CNI News will appear on Friday, July 12. ======================================================== * * * SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -- SUMMER SCHEDULE * * * Please note: CNI News will go on hiatus for the next two weeks while editor Michael Lindemann is on a road trip. This Monday edition of the news is the last edition of June. Also, from July through September, CNI News will publish once each week, on Fridays. The next edition of the news will appear on Friday, July 12. Media Watch will appear as normally scheduled this Thursday, June 27, and then will also go on hiatus while editor Rebecca Schatte is on a road trip. Like CNI News, Media Watch will resume on Friday, July 12, and will appear on Fridays through the month of September. The ISCNI*Flash will be delivered as scheduled on July 1. Additionally, starting on July 12, both CNI News and Media Watch will be delivered by email directly to all ISCNI members, staff and campus guests and will not be posted in the ISCNI News Center. This edition of the news, and this Thursday's edition of Media Watch, will be the last to be posted in the News Center until further notice. Media Watch will continue to be posted to the ISCNI Web Site on Fridays. ======================================================== 1) RUSSIAN UFOLOGISTS BECOME TARGETS OF HARRASSMENT By Paul Stonehill ([email protected]) Russian UFOlogy Research Center [CNI News thanks James Sutton for forwarding this story.] Russian media have reported gruesome details of unprecedented attacks on Russian UFO researchers. The terror is being unleashed by religious fanatics from several sects. In 1993-94, hoodlums who believe UFOs are "messengers of God" attacked the Russian UFO Center and its employees on several occasions. The Russian information agency "Novosti" has reported that UFOlogists have been threatened by telephone, by huge numbers of defamatory leaflets, and by offensive graffiti tagged on their homes and office buildings. Also reported by "Novosti" were attempts on UFOlogists' lives, including setting fire to their apartment doors. Television reporters who cover UFO-related news are also fair game. A. V. Myagchenkov, a well-known TV personality and producer of the popular Russian TV program "Extro-NLO," has received many telephone threats. American producers who visited the bright young Myagchenkov found he was not silenced, but L. S. Makarova, who produced the ever-popular TV program "The Unidentified Universe" was brutally silenced. She was struck in the face with brass knuckles in Moscow, in broad daylight. She was so traumatized she took her program off the air. The fanatics won that round. Threats have greatly affected the work of such prominent researchers of anomalous phenomena as cosmonaut Pavel Romanovich Popovich, academician V. P. Kaznacheyev, and engineer A. S. Kuzovkin. Law enforcement in Moscow, after appeals by the leaders of the city's UFO study groups, curtailed the terrorists to some extent, and sent some of the perpetrators to prison. Terrorists remained active in the provincial cities of Penza, Yekaterinburg, and Tver. In October 1995, scientist and UFOlogist A. Zolotov was murdered in Tver. The latest report comes from Nalchik. Viktor Petrovich Kostrikin, a UFOlogist well-known in Russia and abroad, was savagely beaten and his apartment on Bogdan Khmelnitsky Avenue was ransacked. The 70-year old researcher was at home on December 9, 1995 when two young men broke into his home at four o' clock in the afternoon. They beat him up methodically, and when there was nothing left to maim, the hoodlums tore apart his personal belongings. The Russian UFOlogy Research Center has been trying to find the whereabouts of a well-known researcher from Vladivostok, Alexander Rempel. He was a fearless explorer, author, and publisher. Rempel and his colleagues have studied "the Devil's Cemetery," the site of the Tunguska meteorite's fall in Siberia. His findings have been published in prominent Russian science magazines like "Tekhnika Molodezhi" of Moscow. Rempel had excellent contacts among the Russian military in the Far East, and helped explore phenomena such as the Height 611 "crash." He was one of the first to study the sinister cults that have recently mushroomed in Russia. Perhaps he found out too much; there has been no news of him since the end of 1994. His newspaper "Dzhentry" is no longer being published. [Paul Stonehill runs the Russian UFOlogy Research Center, 5700 Etiwanda Avenue, Suite 215, Tarzana, CA 91356.] ======================================================== 2) BRAZIL'S "CAPTURED ALIENS" CASE CONTINUES TO EXPAND [As reports continue to come in from Brazilian sources regarding a possible UFO crash recovery and capture of alleged aliens, both dead and alive, CNI News notes that the proliferation of details and the expansion of key numbers -- for example, the original claim of "one or possibly two odd creatures" in early reports became "five or more" last week and has reached "up to seven" in this latest report -- is typical of how folklore and legends begin. This is not to say that we consider the Brazil case to be without merit. On the contrary, highly trustworthy American researchers of our acquaintance, including John Mack, Stanton Friedman and John Carpenter, have traveled to Brazil and found the case to be impressive. Nonetheless, with the "facts" apparently in an expansion phase, it remains to be seen how many claims will stand up to hard scrutiny. CNI News thanks Masinaigan, editor of the UFO Roundup, for this story from the June 23 editon of the Roundup.] The reported capture of aliens at Varginha, in the state of Minas Gerais, on Saturday, January 20, 1996 continues to make headlines in Brazil. The July 1996 issue of UFO Magazine, published in the capital city of Brasilia, contains more detailed information on the [alleged] saucer crash and subsequent capture of its alien occupants. According to ufologist Pedro Cunha, witnesses in Varginha now claim that up to seven occupants were captured. The group included one dead alien, two badly injured and five more flushed out of hiding in the neighborhood of the Jardim Andere, a park on the north side of the city. The dead alien was first taken to the Regional Hospital in Varginha on January 20 before being shipped on to the Hospital Humanitas in Campinas in Sao Paulo state for an autopsy. The magazine article published more detailed descriptions of the UFO occupants by the three girls who encountered an injured one in the Jardim Andere at 3:30 p.m. on January 20. The girls were Liliane Fatima Silva, 16, her younger sister, Valquiria Fatima Silva, 14, and their friend, Katia Andrade Xavier, 22, all of Varginha. The girls were walking home from their jobs as housemaids when Liliane spotted an alien crouched about 25 feet away. In this week's article, the girls described the alien as "being dark brown, with a small body of 4 to 5 feet in height, no hair at all, big brown head, small neck. It also seemed to have some greasy dark oil on its skin. The head of the creature had two big red eyes, no pupils, very small mouth and nose and three protuberances on the head. The girls described such protuberances as horns." On Sunday, June 16, the show "Programma de Domingo" aired a Varginha story on Brazilian TV. According to this story, many witnesses saw Brazilian Army trucks heading for the Jardim Andere at around 10:30 a.m. on January 20. The show also revealed that the Varginha Fire Department received its first call just after 9:30 a.m. Someone complained of "a wild animal" loose in the park. Figuring that they were after a jaguar or a peccary, the firefighters arrived with nets and cages. When they encountered their first injured alien, the crew chief immediately put a call through to the nearest Army base, the Escola Sargentos de Armas in Tres Coracoes. He reportedly spoke to the school's commandant, Gen. Sergio Coelho Lima, who ordered troops into Varginha to seal off the park. "Programma de Domingo" also identified the men involved in the three-truck convoy that transferred the aliens to Campinas on January 22. According to the broadcast, Lt. Col. Olimpio Wanderly Santos commanded the convoy, accompanied by two officers, Captain Ramirez and Lieutenant Tide, plus a Sergeant Pedrosa from S-2, Brazilian military intelligence. Corporal Cirilo and Sergeant Pedrosa drove the middle truck with the aliens inside. The other trucks were driven by Private Vassalo and Private de Mello. Gen. Coelho Lima is reportedly cracking down on leaks in his command. Soldiers have been warned not to talk to ufologists like A.J. Gevaerd, Pedro Cunha and Vitorio Pacaccini. Personnel returning to Tres Coracoes from leave have been confined to barracks and, at last report, at least one talkative sergeant is in the guardhouse. ======================================================== 3) UFOs BUZZ AUSTRALIA'S THREE LARGEST CITIES [CNI News again thanks Masinaigan and UFO Roundup for this latest information on the UFO flap underway in Australia.] Australia just finished the third week of a UFO flap that shows no signs of dying down. On Wednesday, June 19, the Australian national television network, TEN TV, aired video footage of the bright orange UFO that cavorted over the city of Adelaide four days earlier. The flap hit high gear last weekend when orange UFOs appeared suddenly over Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. (See "UFOs Trouble Hotline" in the Melbourne Sunday Sun-Herald for June 16, 1996). According to Ross Dowe of Australia's National UFO Hotline, his staff received "about a dozen calls" on Friday night, June 14, with excited callers describing "strange bright orange lights" over their neighborhoods. On Saturday night, June 15, the lights were seen again in downtown Adelaide, in the Sydney suburbs of Sutherland and Parramatta, and at Kew near Melbourne. In Kew, residents saw "five orange illuminations going straight up into the sky." On Sunday, June 16, more lights were seen in Melbourne, and a single glowing UFO was videotaped in Adelaide. Outlying regions of Australia were not spared, either. Orange UFOs were reported at Mudgeeraba in Queensland, at Campbelltown in South Australia and over the nation's capital, Canberra. "We normally receive calls just in one area," Ross Dowe told the Sun-Herald. "But if this is a hoax, it's a hoax that's been done on the national scale over the past six weeks." On Monday, June 17, radio listeners in Melbourne heard the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) announce the formation of a commission to study "mysterious lights in the sky." However, other correspondents in Australia dispute this report. On Tuesday, June 18, Melbourne saw yet another overflight of orange lights. This was described as a group of 10 orange UFOs arrayed in triangular formation, flying northeast of the city. Several people watched the aerial procession fly over Preston on its way to Eltham. ======================================================== 4) FOO FIGHTERS, OTHER BANDS WILL ROCK FOR UFOS [CNI News thanks Errol Bruce-Knapp for sending this article, which appeared in a recent edition of the Toronto Star, written by Peter Howell, Toronto Star Pop Critic. CNI News points out that Howell is a bit fuzzy on his UFO facts -- but since music is his expertise, we'll forgive him. Nonetheless, it would be nice if, some day, a general education included some basic literacy in the UFO subject -- for example, understanding what a "Foo Fighter" is. Howell says this is "a slang term for UFOs." Well, not exactly. It's the name given to mysterious glowing objects that flew in formation with pilots during World War II. And Howell's reference to "weather balloon" is outdated -- the current "official" line on Roswell has abandoned the weather balloon baloney and substituted "top secret reconnaissance balloon code-named Project Mogul." But perhaps we digress... ] We are not alone -- but we probably have louder amplifiers. Word has it the Foo Fighters are planning to headline a July, 1997, rock festival in Roswell, New Mexico, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the supposed crash-landing there of an alien spacecraft. Bandleader Dave Grohl named the group after a slang term for UFOs, and his record label is Roswell Records, so his interest in the gig is high. He wants to perform smack-dab in the farmer's field where, legend has it, a flying saucer crashed on July 4, 1947, carrying four aliens. The aliens were DOA when discovered by earthlings, and conspiracy theorists claim the U.S. military whisked the bodies away for a secret autopsy. The crash was officially acknowledged, but the Pentagon insists it was just a stray weather balloon, not a saucer. Grohl won't have trouble finding other bands to perform with in Roswell. A recent Rolling Stone story revealed that many rockers are fascinated by talk of extraterrestrial life. Bands aren't waiting until 1997 to rock Roswell. In two weeks, from July 4-6, the 49th anniversary of the UFO crash will be celebrated by the town, with an event called Roswell UFO Encounter '96. The many festivities include a rock concert, and organizers say they're hoping to soon announce two well-known acts to perform in Roswell. One group rumored is Blue Oyster Cult, which is said to be mad about UFOs. Deep Purple is also deep into the paranormal. A natural for the show would be The Roswell Incident, an unsigned band in Cincinnati that covers the universe with its music. The band describes itself in its Web site as "a combination of funk, jazz, rock, metal, fusion, punk reggae, ska and blues." The site has samples of songs, including "Hanger 18," a reference to the secret U.S. military hangar where the dead Roswell aliens were reportedly taken. Roswell festival organizers should also beam up George Clinton. The funkmaster has just reunited with bassist Bootsy Collins and other Parliament-Funkadelic originals for a new UFO-themed album titled "The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership." In the June issue of New York's Paper magazine, which you can read online, Clinton [no relation to the President] tells how he became a believer in UFOs after he and Collins saw one in the sky above Toronto, of all places. Clinton also believes the rise of the Internet is linked with an alien visit to Earth that will happen in the year 2000. His logic is that since the U.S. military invented the Internet, and the military is covering up the Roswell incident, then there's got to be a connection. # # #