'Mile-wide UFO' Spotted by an Airline Pilot

The summer of 1947 provided two seminal moments in UFO lore. The June 24th sightings of "flying saucers" near Mt. Rainier in Washington State by well-known businessman/pilot Kenneth Arnold and the subsequent reports of a July 2nd UFO mishap in Roswell, New Mexico.

Fittingly, on the sixty (60) year anniversary of the summer of UFO's, the wire services are atwitter with the report of a 'Mile-wide UFO' spotted by a British airline pilot.

A London newspaper reports "One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands.

Aurigny Airlines Captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as 'a cigar-shaped brilliant white light'."

Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, is making no claims of extra-terrestrials. "I'm certainly not saying that it was something of another world. All I'm saying is that I have never seen anything like it before in all my years of flying," he said.

Viewed through high-resolution binoculars, Bowyer's says of the UFO, "It was a very sharp, thin yellow object with a green area.

"It was 2,000ft up and stationary. I thought it was about 10 miles away, although I later realised it was approximately 40 miles from us. At first, I thought it was the size of a [Boeing] 737.

"But it must have been much bigger because of how far away it was. It could have been as much as a mile wide."

Both passengers of the Aurigny Airlines flight and a separate pilot flying in the area confirm Bowyer's sighting.

A few weeks earlier, Pilot Magazine carried an official air-miss report on the incident.

Ufology (yoofollowgy) has become a fascinating global cottage industry. Modern day sightings (as opposed to Biblical sightings), bubbled up during WW II when military pilots began reporting mysterious globes of light toying with their planes. In the heat of battle, such "Fool-Fighter" reports, although interesting, took a back seat to fighting a known enemy.

After the war, as life settled in, UFO sightings began. Not only in Washington State, or even in Roswell, New Mexico, but all across the West and the Southwest reports poured into wire services about mysterious objects in the sky.

For those interested in further actual reports on "flying saucer" reports during the summer of 1947, check out Project 1947 on the web.

Project 1947 contains a bundle of pages with real-time newspaper reports about the "flying saucer" deluge of 1947.

For example: Portland, Oregon Daily Journal - July 2, 1947

Rankin Report Adds Credence to 'Disks'
The report of a long-time West Coast man was added today to the growing account of "flying saucers" over the west.

Richard Rankin, veteran of more than 7000 hours in the air, said he saw the much-debated mystery disks high over Bakersfield, Cal., and going "maybe 300 or 400 miles an hour."

There were 10 in formation flying north, he told the reporter, but when "they returned on the reverse course, headed south, there were only seven.

"I couldn't make out the number or location of their propellers and couldn't distinguish any wings or tail. They appeared almost round," he said.

Rankin said he saw them June 23, but hesitated to describe what he saw until he noted others were reporting the same thing.

The UFO reports were so pervasive that even as far away as Chicago, folks lined up their new aluminum lawn chairs in the backyard and spent many a summer eve scanning the heavens for mysterious lights.

For current up-to-date information on Roswell and other UFO research, try the Art Bell and George Noory website based on their highly-rated radio broadcast, "Coast to Coast A.M." heard during the wee hours by multitudes, (www.coasttocoastam.com).
UFO
For up-to-the-minute details on the current sighting by the British pilot, visit Matt Drudge at The Drudge Report. Should the E.T.'s come, there's no way Drudge won't be first with the story.

Stay tuned and keep a weather-eye on the horizon...

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Tomorrow I have the honor (?) of leading a discussion on the novel Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. It's been over two years since I read the novel, so I'd better start digging for some fruitful insights to share with the group. I'll let you know what I find…

The usual suspects pop up in my first google foray - I find lots of reviews that are generally well-written, but generally general as well. I remember that Jitterbug Perfume was a great read, a work that fell instantly into my mental category for "real literature." Robbins is a writer to take seriously and I'd like to find some reference matter with "meat." As I search further, I find out just how seriously Robbins is taken by sharp readers.

A most resourceful sight for those wishing to study Robbins, or any other author, in depth is http://www.rain.org, a site with the heading "National Public Internet." I ran off seven (7) pages of reference material - a complete bibliography to include review links to all Robbins' novels, short stories, translations, and articles as well as personal interviews, dissertations and graduate theses.

If you haven't read any work by Tom Robbins and you are a lit lover, you must read something by this author. As for Jitterbug Perfume it will take you on a fantastic saga spanning 1000 years. The verbal painting is vivid and lasting and the quirky journey will remain with you forever.

Rain.org is a new site for me. The range of general resources on its "learning assests" site include Camp Internet on-line courses, Rural Community technology resources, live radio, video archives, telemedicine, wellness, GIS mapping, abundant homeschooling resources and National Public Internet access. Check it out. It's a good one.

Wow! Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is a dazzler. Those who know the thread of Pirates 1& 2 will marvel at plot lines that come together beautifully and, yes, coherently.

Many ivory tower pundits-as-critics appear naïve in their attempts to cleverly comment on Pirates 3. With superficial observations that perhaps come from a haphazard viewing of the film, they reveal a hollow understanding of the cinematic universe created by writers Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, director Gore Verbinski, and, of course, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Sparrow fans will relish the fantastic Johnny Depp scenes. Even after three films, the sight of Jack Sparrow in close-up will still take the breath away. The character is as visually stunning as ever and as consistently inconsistent as the reluctant hero audiences came to love in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

The central story line based on the high seas romance of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann is heart rendering. The true ending to the saga blossoms following the credits and is indeed a gift to fans of the trilogy.

The world of Singapore is the perfect venue for the opening adventures of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. In Pirates 1, when Sparrow quips, “Clearly you’ve never been to Singapore,” he hints at a world of seamy adventure far beyond the experiences of traditional men, even sailors of the realm.

As Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest drew to a close, the audience is promised a trip to the ends of the earth and beyond, as distant from staid English culture as possible. What better jumping off point than Singapore?

The world of underground Singapore created by the filmmakers is stunning in its palpable grit and depravity, yet ethereal and haunting as well.

Hard to imagine, but the set design, graphic art, costumes, photography, lighting and music are even more arresting in Pirates 3 than in the first two films.

In Singapore, we sense how far the Jack Sparrow rescuers have come, not only in distance, but in determination as well. Both Orlando Bloom and Kieran Knightly easily sell the audience on their authentic pirate credentials. Both are appropriately gorgeous as the larger than life lovers and both bring noble, strong resolve to their performances. It is easy to imagine that they would be pirates of legend in their own right.

As to legends, a hearty welcome back to Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barossa. Rogue that he may be, Barbossa lends a stature to the story line that was missing from Pirates 2. Barbossa is an imposing presence in size and voice, much like Rush himself. He receives much credit for the success of the Pirates 1 & 3.

Much like Rush (and of course, Johnny Depp), all actors in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise come with enviable acting credibility. Bill Nighy as Davy Jones manages pathos, despite playing a psychotic, corrupt and literally heartless villain.

As Tia Dalma, Naomie Harris is both innocent and mysterious. In many ways, she speaks a charming language only she truly understands. As odd a she appears on the surface, she is much more than she seems.

And how about the parents? Unfortunately, Jonathan Pryce as Governor Swann is not on screen long, but he does appear in pivotal scenes. Likewise Stellan Skarsgård, as Will’s father, Bootstrap Bill.

The iconic newcomer to the parental ranks is Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow’s father, Captain Teague. In a brief few minutes we sense an assurance and wisdom in Teague that lends insight into the complexity and flavor of Jack. Jack’s mum has a briefer role, but it is revealing as well. Always nice to have the “folks” around.

A surly Yun-Fat Chow as smarmy pirate lord Captain Sao Feng, brings gravitas to a role that plays nicely against the feisty nature of Elizabeth Swann. His authority as a pirate lord sets the stage for the dynamic power struggle that follows.

The adventures at world’s end are a delight to discover. Thankfully the promoters and marketers of Pirates 3 did not saturate viewers in advance with give-away scenes. By the time many fans viewed Pirates 2, they had seen the bulk of the “good stuff.” Not so with Pirates 3.

Much like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, a new mythology of people and places has been born with the Pirates’ trilogies.
Although still an earth-bound fantasy, the journey in search of Jack Sparrow and the trip back are “awesome” visually, a momentous assault on the senses.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is so full of surprises that it will be a gift from the actors and filmmakers that keeps on giving and giving to the audience. Expect fans to quickly take in, at minimum, two viewings of the movie. In order for those who have not yet seen the movie, the opportunity to be surprised we will be given away in review presented here. Get to the theater soon, before too many secrets are revealed.

Finally, as for Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, that “thing” he sets out to find at the end of the film may not be necessary. Clearly, he’s already found it.

Savvy?