Issue #36 Safety

One thing that every Field Investigator should always be aware of is safety. I probably should have written about this a lot sooner, so please don't let my tardiness imply that it is of little importance.

I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind is personal safety. In the course of investigating UFOs, we as Field Investigators come into contact with the public on a regular basis. As an ethical, conscientious investigator, we are all to go into each situation with an open mind, and no preconceptions about the witness. This isn't always easy to do, especially when a witness is less than honest.

It would be foolish for me to imply that every witness has a sterling character, that just isn't the case. Unfortunately the subject of UFOs has been so infiltrated by everything from agents of disinformation, to  reports from people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia or other delusions, that we have to be able to sift through them and distinguish which cases are credible. And of course, the ones that aren't are the cases that you want to be especially careful with your personal information on.

One should keep in mind that in this day and age, every time you make a phone a call, the person on the other end has your phone number. I personally use an iPhone, which has the 'block number' feature available, so that if a witness keeps calling me back harassing me, I can easily block their number.

Of course there is also an element of danger if one is doing an in-person interview of a witness. I would recommend never doing this alone, under any circumstances. Besides the fact that you need a second person to observe things that you might miss during the questioning, there is always safety in numbers! 

Of even more importance is the safety of the witness. At all times one must endeavor to keep all personal information about the witness private. It is never okay to give out a witness's address or phone number to anyone, and that is especially true if the witness wishes to remain anonymous. Protecting the identity of the witness should be a top concern. Just suppose someone from the defence industry decided to make a report with you, and in your excitement you write about it and give all kinds of details that make it easy to piece together who the witness was. Then the next day you read in the newspaper that your witness was found with five knives in his back, a rope around his neck, and a suicide note. You'd probably feel a little bit responsible! Not very good for the witness, but who says the perpetrators would stop there...they'd likely come after you next. So always exercise caution with the information you are given.

Another item that needs to be considered, is the finished report. I would recommend a very secure location, such as a safe or locking cabinet for storing your completed reports. If your home were to be broken into, it would not be wise to have witness information laying around where anyone can access it. It is full of private information still, even though the case has been concluded. You should also make sure that any reports are not easily accessible on your computer. Always protect your files with a password. That way you can assure the safety of the witness as well.

I could write a whole issue just on safety in the field, so I'm not going to cover that today...maybe next week. In the meantime, keep in mind that common sense is not a flower that grows in everyone's garden, so always be on your guard!

I hope this installment is helpful, and that some of you re-examine your safety protocols to make sure that both you, and your witnesses stay safe!

Issue #35 Cloud Anomalies

Any fan of the X Files television series will probably remember the opening credits with the UFO shaped cloud that is in the beginning sequence. I'm sure the producers picked that shot because of it's striking resemblance to reported UFOs, as are many cloud anomalies that one might see in the course of investigations.

Lenticular Cloud

As you can see in the above picture, it is understandable why some people might think that the object is a UFO. It even appears to have a dome shape on the top of it. Lenticularis (Latin for 'lens-shaped'), or lenticular clouds, have three different types; stratocumulus, altocumulus, and cirrocumulus. They can occur at altitudes up to 40,000 ft., and can even sometimes precipitate rain. They are formed by a mechanical obstruction of the ambient wind flow, which could be hills, mountains or even large buildings. When stable, moist air flows over mountains, it can create long-standing waves on the downwind side, and if the temperature at the crest of the wave lowers to the dewpoint, a lenticular cloud may form. I would highly encourage any Field Investigator to spend some time Googling pictures of lenticular clouds, so you can be familiar with their appearance...and because most of the pictures of them are truly magnificent!

The next anomaly I'd like to introduce is called a 'Fallstreak Hole'. This amazing anomaly is the one responsible for people commenting, "it looks like a cloaked mother ship!" I must admit, it does remind me of the 'Predator' just a tiny bit.

Fallstreak Hole

As you can see from the above picture, it is easy to imagine that there is actually something there making the cloud appear this way, after all if that was a basin of soapy water, it is exactly how we would expect it to act if there were another body floating on it. In fact, they are formed when the water temperature inside the cloud is below freezing, yet the water hasn't frozen yet due to lack of supercooled water, or ice nucleation particles. When the water does freeze it causes a domino effect which causes the water around the ice crystals to evaporate, leaving the hole in the cloud. Interestingly, these can be caused by passing aircraft, which can leave a drastic drop in pressure behind the wings, or propeller tips.

There are many conditions that can cause clouds to take on shapes we not understand. Pareidolia is the scientific name for a common phenomenon...seeing familiar shapes in objects such as clouds. I would strongly recommend that any cases involving anything that even remotely looks like it could be a cloud be evaluated thoroughly. More than likely that is exactly what it is.

I hope this issue helps with anomalous identification! Don't forget to share with all your friends, and come back next week for more!

Issue #34 Investigation Vs. That 'Ol Gut Feeling

I often get emails asking me how one can become a Field Investigator with MUFON, and I am always more than happy to help someone along the way to becoming one. I know that there is a lot of hard work involved, and there is a lot of ground to cover in many different disciplines of science. So when I hear someone utter the phrase, "I have a gut feeling about this one", or some similar remark, I can't help but cringe. Since I don't have the world's best poker face, I'm sure it has not gone unnoticed.

MUFON's mission statement is: "The scientific investigation of UFO's for the benefit of all humanity." Not the 'crystal ball' method. I hate to say it but I've seen cases where the witness as much as said that the object in question was probably something that they just couldn't identify, only to read the Field Investigator's report and find out that they "feel" there was more to it than there really was. I'm sorry but "feel" doesn't cut it. It isn't evidence, and it's not something that can be scientifically proven.

I think what some Field Investigators are thinking is that no one will question their conclusion, and it will be case closed. That just isn't true. The better the sighting, landing, abduction case, or whatever kind of case it may be, the more evidence is needed, and more in-depth investigation is definitely required. The evidence has to be able to stand up to scrutiny, and as much supporting testimony from witnesses as possible should be gathered. The more witnesses an investigator talks to, the better they will be able to put together a comprehensive picture of what happened. One witness, and little or no evidence does not make a very convincing case.

There is no such thing as taking too many pictures to support a case either. Remember to take them from the four cardinal directions, and remember to use a photographers scale so there will be a size reference in the picture. You also want to remember to take pictures wherever evidence is found, looking straight down at where the evidence is situated, and making sure to include the evidence number and the scale in the picture. I would recommend using a tripod whenever possible.

So evidence is gathered, witnesses have been interviewed, and photographs have been taken. Sounds like everything is done, right? Wrong. The Field Investigator also needs to know about the weather conditions that day, and any astronomical data that might have a bearing on the investigation. One would look pretty ridiculous if they ignored a meteor shower while investigating a sighting of a fireball. 

Flight data needs to be considered too. Any air traffic in the area needs to be accounted for, and a check of any local missile tests, or live fire exercises at any military installations in the area should be done as well. One should also consider if there are any holidays, or publicized events going on at the time, where those attending might be inclined to light Chinese Lanterns, or some such celebratory device.

One should also know the terrain around the area. Fortunately we can use Google Earth now to see exactly where a sighting occurred, and we can even use it to measure the distances involved.

As you can see, there is a lot that must be considered when investigating a sighting. If one makes the mistake of relying on only the report, and their feelings, they can be assured of coming to the wrong conclusion. As a Field Investigator it is imperative that each case be approached with an open mind, and that the evidence is what the conclusion is based on...not your gut feeling.

Please remember to share this issue with all your friends, and come back next week for more!

Issue #33 Lessons From History

I recently finished reading "The Flying Saucers Are Real" by Donald Kehoe again, and it amazed me how much of what was stated in his book is still relevant today. It also reminded me of how important it is review old reports, publications, and books periodically to refresh ones knowledge base.

With a steady stream of cases constantly coming in, it is easy to get caught up in the workload and dismiss already closed cases. However the smart investigator will learn how to cross-reference cases in the database by date, characteristics, description, size, and other details. Just as important is knowing if there were similar sightings or events in the past.

This is why reading is so important. I know I've written about it's importance before, but I can't stress enough how truly important building your knowledge base is in this field. Fortunately we live in a digital age now, which makes it a whole lot easier to find some of the old, and very important works in the field of UFOlogy. I know that a lot of the old books are out of print now, which can make the costs of the hard copy, or book as we old dinosaurs like to call them, prohibitive in many instances. I know that a copy of one of Wendell Stevens books which is out of print now, sold on Amazon for around $1,400...a little more than I like to pay myself. Fortunately though, you can find the eBook version for a significantly lower price.

Another very valuable tool is built right in to the MUFON website, but I bet it is overlooked by a lot of investigators. Under the 'Research' menu, one can find a list of famous UFO cases that can be reviewed, and under the 'Track UFOs' menu, one can search the UFO Database, even if you are not a member of MUFON! Trust me, the database is a gold mine of information if one takes the time to look through it. Not all of the cases reported to MUFON over the years are entered in to it yet, but they are working on it.

It is critical if you want to become the best Field Investigator that you can be, to learn from the people before you. So much hard work has been done over the years by volunteers using their own finances, and I'm pretty sure that they did it with the intent of having the information available for others to use and learn from. It would be a shame not to make use of their valuable contributions.

I hope this issue sparks your desire to read some of the older accounts in the field of UFOlogy, and I hope you all enjoy your research as much as I do! Don't forget to share this issue, and come back next week for the next issue!

Issue #32 Special Issue #2 The State Of the Onion

Every year the President of the United States gives a speech that is known as the 'State Of the Union Address', which basically sums up how the country is doing as a whole. Being as I've yet to hear such a speech that included one word about UFOs, or the cover-up that has been in place since World War 2, I assumed that I was never really hearing the whole story. In fact, I believe that most people have just taken it for granted that there is a large portion of the machinations of government that they're not supposed to know about because it's 'Top Secret'! On the other hand, some of us (especially me) view all rumors of any kind of responsible government, or a government that represents me (and everyone else) in any way, shape or form, as being either 1) a simple misidentification, or 2) a lot of swamp gas.

When a person first starts reading about UFOs, be it at whatever level of interest, it doesn't take very long to realize that whatever your beliefs on the subject may be, the subject itself is very complex, and in fact the more research you do, the more layers are revealed...just like an onion. So with that in mind, I'd like to submit to my readers what I intend to be an annual issue that sums up where we stand to date in the field of UFOlogy: The State Of the Onion.

Please forgive me if I sound like I'm parroting other UFOlogists. When a person researches or investigates something for a really long time, it's only natural that they would come to a few conclusions, so if you hear the same thing coming from a few different people, you might want to pay attention. You should also keep in mind that this is as I see it, and in my opinion...and I am not the final word on the subject matter, so please, let it inspire to do more research on your own.

UFOs are real. Not everything that is reported is an intelligently controlled craft from another world, however some are. Obviously not every sighting report is of an 'unknown'. Most are simply misidentification of either unfamiliar aircraft, or some type of natural phenomenon. Their appearance is not anything new, and has been recorded throughout history, although not always interpreted accurately. In fact it is only in recent history that they have been viewed with any type of fear, a probable result of the disinformation campaign and cover-up that has been in place since World War 2.

Although there are reports over the ages of the appearance of what we would today call UFOs, most researchers would agree that since the development of atomic weapons, the frequency of sightings has risen. The number of sightings around atomic bomb tests, nuclear missile silos, and nuclear testing facilities would seem to indicate a more than passing interest in our use of nuclear energy, and who can say whether or not their direct interaction with our nuclear arsenal has directly saved us from a nuclear holocaust or not! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that maybe they don't want bullies such as ourselves running around their neighborhood with a bunch of atom bombs!

Do these visitors from elsewhere take people from time to time for whatever purposes we've yet to deduce? I can only say yes. Do I know for what reason? No. I can only conclude from the cases I've researched, and the experiencers that I personally know and have talked to that it is a real phenomenon, and that is about all I, or anyone else that I'm aware of can honestly tell you. The same thing goes for the cattle mutilation phenomenon. I know it is real, I suspect it is tied to the UFO/alien phenomenon, but that is all I can say for sure, I can't give you the answer to the question: Why?

It is also apparent that there are more than one type, or species of alien visiting us, and just like you and I don't drive the same kind of car, they don't all come in the same type of spaceship. It is also probably a safe bet that they didn't cross interstellar distances in the equivalent of a Volkswagen, but rather something more akin to an aircraft carrier. That would also explain the occasional reports of super-sized craft, with smaller craft entering or exiting them.

Since our planet is 70% water, a ridiculous amount of which we know nothing about, it is conceivable that any visitors from another planet would be able to set up a base of operations underwater, and would most likely be able to remain undetected. Such an endeavor would be childs play to any spacefaring race capable of traveling interstellar distances through the vacuum of space!

What about communication with alien races? Well, for some it has already happened. If any of the experiencers are to be believed, and I think we'd be fools not to, there has already been communication between our species. Some of the 'messages' have even been relayed to us, and while they might seem simplistic, they are also profound. We are the custodians of this planet. We are guardians of the life here, and we are here to protect the other species and to care for them, not kill them. There are many different species throughout the universe, and we must learn the lessons of diversity and stewardship.

There has also been a very clear message sent to halt our usage of atomic weapons, and our pollution of the environment from nuclear waste. We still do not understand the environmental impact it has, and how badly we are damaging the environment for future generations. I believe it to be of universal concern how we deal with this issue.

So how does this relate to our government? Well, this issue might be called 'The State Of the Onion" but when it comes to our government and the subject of UFOs...it seems like we are all fungi because we are constantly kept in the dark, and fed pure manure. Anyone who thinks I'm wrong is more than welcome to try to explain why FOIA requests written to various government entities enquiring about the subject of UFOs, come back redacted with either black marker or White Out. If they even honor your request.

Do I think 'disclosure' will ever happen? Wake up. It's been happening for almost ten years now! If you're waiting for some talking head at a podium, don't hold your breath. That would be way to messy. It can only happen the way it is happening. One drip at a time. Too many people have too much to lose for it to happen any other way.

See you next week with another installment! Don't forget to share with your friends!

Issue #31: Trace Evidence: Soil

As Field Investigators we all want to see a case come along with the evidence to prove the involvement of a UFO. We also know how very rare that opportunity could be. Realistically speaking, one might never run across such a case themselves, but when you do, how do you go about collecting the evidence properly, so as to not contaminate it, and to preserve it for analysis. In this issue I'm going to focus on soil evidence, and the best way to collect and transport it.

I find the effects on soil to be very fascinating, especially in the cases where the soil has become 'baked', and is unable to retain water. When you have the two different types of soil side by side, the difference is visible and very striking. Let me assure you, I am not a scientist, but you really don't have to be to see the dramatic difference in the appearance of the soil. If anyone would like to see a great picture of the differences in the soils from a well researched case, if you get a copy of "Left At East Gate" by Peter Robbins and Larry Warren, in the photo section in the book is a picture of the soil samples that Peter collected from Capel Green, in the Rendlesham Forest. As you can see from the photo the differences are striking.

When you are faced with a case that has possible soil evidence, the best way to collect the soil samples is to get a bunch of 1 foot sections of PVC pipe, and end caps for both ends. What you will want to do is drive each PVC section into the ground at least 4-6 inches, starting at the center of your investigation grid in a straight line outward, driving them in about every 1-2 feet, depending on the size of your grid. You will want to get control samples as well, so you will want to extend your line an equidistance outside your grid so you have the same number of control samples.

Carefully remove eace PVC section, capping both ends, and marking all the information on the section in Sharpie or marker. You will want to include the number of the sample, the date and time, who retrieved the sample, and the case number. Remember to log each sample in your evidence log, and to keep track of the chain of custody if you hand it over to anyone else.

If you follow these steps, you can rest assured that you will have a properly retrieved soil sample.

I hope this helps some of you in your investigations, and don't forget to share and come back next week for more!

Issue #30: The Santa Tracker

"The Field Investigator's Tool Box" would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I know young one's will be watching the skies tonight, and as aid for them here are the links for the two most popular "Santa Trackers" on the internet. Merry Christmas to all!

http://www.noradsanta.org/

https://santatracker.google.com/#tracker