April 24, 2008
UFOs over Kokomo no longer unidentified
On April 17th bright lights were seen in the skies above Kokomo. Shortly thereafter an incredible boom was heard. It was so loud that it rattled windows and woke people sleeping in their bed. This caused some people to immediately suspect extraterrestrial involvement. [1] [2] [2] [3]
Evidence of alien life would be a fantastic scientific discovery. However, careful investigation eventually revealed that the lights and sound were caused by pilots from the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard engaged in a practice exercise. [4] [5]
The lights were caused by the flares and chaff that are used to fool heat seeking missiles. The sound was caused by a sonic boom generated when one or more of the jets accidentally broke the sound barrier.
Despite this perfectly rational explanation there are some like Glen Means of the Mutual UFO Network who refuse to accept any amount of evidence.
Posted by nolandda at 04:42 PM
March 23, 2007
Documentary Film Makers Sued by UFO Cult
It appears that Abdullah Hashem, an IUPUI film student, and Joseph McGowen, a friend of Abdullah, who infiltrated the Raelian UFO cult in order to make a documentary are being sued by the Raelians. The
Raelians are also suing IUPUI claiming that Abdullah was acting as an
agent of the university, and that the university should not have allowed the film to be shown.
Their notice of tort claims includes violation of their civil rights, extortion, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, defamation, interference in business affairs, and strangely enough negligence by failing to comply with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) rules for human research subjects.
The full text of the notice of tort claims is here.
Update 2007-03-23 23:05 - Mr Hashem has posted a video in response. Nota Bene, the video contains language some may find objectionable.
Posted by nolandda at 01:10 PM
December 29, 2006
Hoosier Film Makers Document Another UFO Cult
Abdullah Hashem & Joe McGowen of Little Claudy fame have undertaken a new project. Not content to rest on their laurels after exposing the questionable recruiting practices of the Raelian UFO cult they are now investigating a man calling himself "Prophet Yahweh" who claims that he can summon UFOs. On December 14th he attempted and failed to do just that in Indianapolis (Martinsville Reporter-Times 2006-12-28).
A video preview of their new project is available on YouTube.
Posted by nolandda at 09:19 PM
October 02, 2006
Non-Credit UFO Course Offered at IPFW
A short three week course on UFOs is being offered at IPFW. Universities are certainly a fine place to think about and debate extraordinary claims, however the course description doesn't fill me with confidence.
It goes without saying that UFOs exist. There are lots of things in the sky that people are sometimes unable to identify for one reason or another. But the jump from that fact to the assertion that these unidentified objects are advanced space craft piloted by extraterrestrial beings is simply not supported by evidence.
This course would be much more useful if it studied why people are sometimes unable to identify objects in the sky, what proper spotting techniques can improve the rate of positive identification, and all possible explanations for those that remain unidentified. Studying the implications of alien life at this point is a bit like daydreaming about what you will do with your lottery winnings before you scratch off the ticket, fun but not very productive until you determine if they exist.
See also: This Fort Wayne Gazette Article published 2006-10-01
Editorial briefs in The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (2006-10-03)
Posted by nolandda at 11:48 AM
July 06, 2006
Mystery Rock Falls
The Brown County Democrat (2006-07-05)
reports that the tree which held a giant sandstone boulder known Gobbler's Rock aloft was blown over in a recent storm. The rock which was mysteriously wedged high in a tree has caused a great deal of speculation. The site is popular with UFO investigators who believe that space craft placed the rock high in the tree. While this is highly unlikely there are several smaller boulders wedged high in nearby trees. We may never know who put them up there, but that is no reason to suspect creatures we have never seen before when human ingenuity is sufficent to put the stones up there.
Posted by nolandda at 10:56 AM
June 18, 2006
Weights on Power Lines Lead to Confusion
This story published in the Gary Post Tribune on Jun 16, 2006 demonstrates how easily our senses can fool us. NIPSCO installed some weights on power lines near Hebron, Indiana to keep the lines balanced and prevent sagging. Many people who drive under the lines in their cars have come to the conclusion that those weights are alien space craft. It is very difficult to judge the distance of objects in the sky particurally when you are traveling in a moving vehicle yourself. This is why careful skeptical investigation is necessary. Very few people who report strange phenomona are being decietful, often their senses have been tricked or pushed to their limits. Strange things often have ordinary causes. This doesn't make searching out their true origins any less rewarding.
Posted by nolandda at 07:09 PM
October 03, 2005
IUPUI Film Student Documents UFO Cult
A pair of Hoosiers (Abdullah Hashem & Joe McGowen of Mooresville) have been documenting the Raelian movement. As you may or may not know the Raelians are a religious group, often called a cult, that believes the human race was started through genetic manipulation by extraterrestrials. They gained international attention in 2002 when an affiliated company named Clonaid claimed they had succeeded in creating the first human clone.
Hashem & McGowen went to Las Vegas in order to document what they believe are the Raelians' unethical recruiting practices which involve enticing lonely and disaffected persons to join the group through the use of sex.
Hashem & McGowen recently launched a website to promote their work.
They were featured in Wired Magazine.
Here is a story on their work from their hometown.
They also did an audio interview with the virtually strange network.
Posted by nolandda at 05:27 PM
May 31, 2005
Union County UFO Report Leads to Drug Arrests
The report of an unidentified flying object over Union County early today resulted in the arrest of two Connersville men on a variety of drug charges.
Union County Sheriff's Department officials said Deputy Dale Dishmond was responding to a report of a UFO over U.S. 27 south near Clifton Road when he came upon a "suspicious car" on Pottershop Road at about 1:35 a.m. Dishmond stopped to investigate and found that the vehicle's passenger, Harold Williams, 29, of Connersville, was wanted on a warrant in Wayne County.
He brought in a drug-sniffing dog and found 42 grams of cocaine, as well as marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Posted by nolandda at 03:56 PM