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Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - scientific research
An examination of aspects of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) from a scientific perspective.
There has been quite a lot written about the relevance of sleep paralysis to the question of alien abductions. In Australia one of the best articles written in recent years is one by former UFO researcher Keith Basterfield and is to be found here.
Less has been written on the possible application of sleep paralysis research and the paranormal. However, the new book by Australian, Louis Proud, titled "Dark Intrusions" presents an interesting read. Find out more about the book
By Pauline Wilson at December 30, 2009 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Sleep paralysis
More NSA UFO documents
The next documents from the FOIA page of the National Security Agency are:
3. Affidavit of Eugene F Yeates -Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v NSA
This is the public version of the secret 21 page "in camera" affidavit previously described. The CIA conducted a document search for its own FOIA case, and found a number of NSA documents in its own (CIA) files. The NSA argued against the release of its COMINT reports.
4. "UFO files" The untold story by Patrick Huyghe.
5. "Government's super-secret security agency warns: take UFOs seriously or be prepared for sneak invasion by space aliens" by Thomas L Muldoon, National Enquirer.
6. "The US Government and the Iran case" -IUR report. (IUR being the Center for UFO Studies International UFO Reporter journal.)
7. "Report of UFO crash in 47 called false by science panel" by the New York Times.
8. "What the US Government knows about Unidentified Flying Objects" Peter Gersten, Frontiers of Science.
9. "Is the CIA stone walling" by Richard hall.
10. "The Government and UFOs." This is a 2 page item dated May-June 1981 , one page is marked page 27, of a publication, possibly "Frontiers of Science" magazine.It argues that objects which can access our nuclear installations and affect aircraft systems warrant scientific study. It refers to a 1968 NSA report-which is apparently the 1968 "UFO hypothesis and survival questions" released by the NSA in 1980. Also referred to is the 1967 Cuban aircraft encounter, stating that the source "...alleges that all reports, tapes, log entries , and notes on the incident were forwarded to the national Security Agency at their request."
Comment: These are all open source documents that any member of the public would have been able to get hold of. Someone in the NSA was gathering UFO material and it ended up on an NSA file.
Labels: NSA documents
NSA UFO documents 2 - Taiwan balloons?
I have just finished reading the second set of documents on the NSA's website. They are "Communication Intelligence (COMINT) reports (broken into sizable parts for viewing.)"
You get a list of parts labelled PART A to PART J. Each part, A to J is 25 pages long and Part J is 16 pages making for a total of 241 pages. These 241 pages consist of fragments of visible text, areas of blacked out text and large area completely white.
I'll give a few examples for your edification:
Page 1 "1355-1401 One UFO. From 75NM E of (blacked out text) toward East and faded near ()"
Page 4 "Message 03787232. Radar tracking UFO 0601-1040 One UFO (probably a balloon) From () toward East and passed north of () South of () Alt 46,000-49,200 ft."
Most of the rest of the pages are similar. They mention anywhere between 1-46 UFOs, and various altitudes between 6,500 and 100,000 feet. No dates are given and almost all location names are blacked out. Usually the acronym "UFO" is followed by the words (probably a balloon.)
After you have digested page after page of UFO/probably a balloon you do get some descriptive sightings. Examples are:
Page 136. UFO 2130Z and 2140Z "Semi circle shape and looked like an arc in the sky. This object was also noted as being white and very large. It was seen for a period of about ten minutes and it seemed to just hang in the sky for a few minutes before moving on in a westerly direction."
Page 137. "() a smoking luminous object that moved through the air at an altitude of approximately 630 metres from () towards() at the border opposite () the smoke radius extended about 100 meters from the centre of the luminous object and a green light could be seen following it. The smoke radius gradually increased in size and disappeared. The luminous object which was in the center of the smoke also disappeared."
Page 224 "Sighted a UFO described as spherical or disc-like in form with established color, brighter than the Sun, with a diameter of one-half the visible size of the Moon.2. At the time of observation, object was above the upper edge of the clouds on true bearing 120 degrees, azimuth 280 degrees traveling north."
Comment: Are these the COMINT reports which the NSA would not release in 1980? Could well be. They really don't tell you much, given that dates and times and places are not usually available. Again, I guess thought, that the NSA is correct in its 21 page secret affidavit (which provides some dates and how the COMINTs were sourced) that if they gave these details out, foreign intelligence agencies might be able to work out what the NSA capabilities were. However, given that the newest document described here in now 30 years old, would it really matter at this point in time?
If you diligently read all 241 pages you will find two names which are not blacked out! Hsinchou and Makung. Hsinchu and Makung are both in Taiwan. One could imagine that either China or Taiwan could have been floating propaganda balloons over the other place and NSA was picking up transmissions about these flights.
I therefore searched the Internet for any references to Taiwan and propaganda balloons and, surprising or not, found an article, published in the year 2000 titled "Taiwan's propaganda cold war:the offshore island crisis of 1954 and 1958" by Gary D Rawnsley. The URL is here
Part of the article reads: "...the CIA Far East Division encouraged the launch from Taiwan of balloons loaded with propaganda leaflets, pamphlets and newspapers that would drift across the strait to the mainland."
A reasonable conclusion, after reading these COMINT documents from the National Security Agency is that many refer to propaganda balloons being flown over China from Taiwan.
NSA UFO documents 1
Well, I've been reading the documents released by the NSA under the US FOIA. There are 42 documents in all. I thought I'd summarise what is there and comment where I find something worthwhile.
1. "In camera" affidavit of Eugene F Yeates-Citizens against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v NSA (Civil action no 80-1562)
This is the famous 1980, 21 page secret affidavit by Eugene F Yeates, the chief, office of Policy at the NSA. It was provided to the District Court, District of Columbia when a private UFO group asked the NSA to produce their UFO documents. It is a sequel to a public affidavit, a copy of which follows later.
In summary, it states that 239 relevant documents were located in NSA files. 79 originated with other agencies. 1 document included, was outside of the FOIA request. 1 document was declassified and released. Two other non COMINT records were released. The remaining 156 documents are with held and are COMINT reports for the period 1958-1979. 154 of these were based wholly upon intercepted communications of foreign governments transmitted on non-public "government net" communication links or systems.
The affidavit argues that "Revealing the contents of these reports would disclose the capabilities of NSA to target these government controlled communications systems." "...foreign intelligence services would be able to evade or defeat portions of NSA's present foreign intelligence efforts targeting international common carrier links." "Because each record and each portion thereof is properly classified under Executive order 12065, it is exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 U S C S552 (b) (1)."
In summary the NSA argued that the COMINT reports should not be released to the general public.
Comment: From an intelligence perspective the NSA is correctly stating its position. Full release of the documentation would most likely cause problems.
New book alert
Just a short note in a busy day, on a new book, I'm sure you will find of interest, on the subject matter of sleep paralysis experiences. Click here for more details.
Labels: New book alert
Read the Government documents yourself!
It's amazing what you can find on the Internet now!
You may recall that in a recent post I reviewed the 1984 book "The Cover up" and extracted comments on UFO related docuemnts released by various US Intelligence agencies.
Well, now, in 20909 you can simply go to the Internet and read many of these actual documents for yourself as the relevant government agencies have posted them for anyone to read.
The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has documents available here.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has documents on display here
The National Security Agency (NSA) lists its documents here
I'm off to start reading! Stay tuned.
Sense of self returns!
In several previous posts I wrote of the "sense of self" and how some people had a sense that, for example, their leg was not their own but belonged to someone else.
Then there is the "alien hand syndrome" where someone believes their hand is not their own.
I wondered if the part of the human brain which controls this "sense of self" could switch off the entire body through a problem with this area, such that a person could believe that all of them was "alien" and not human?
One of the other books I am reading my way through at the moment is "Alien Dawn:an investigation into the contact experience" by Colin Wilson, 1998, Virgin Publishing of London ISBN 185 227 746 7.
On page 8 Wilson reviews a case history of a man called Paul, contained in John Mack's book "Abduction." "At this point in the hypnotic session, Paul seemed to break through an 'information barrier' and to recognise that he had a dual identity, as an alien and a human being. He came from another planet, and "there are a lot of us here." At one point, Paul remarked plaintively, 'I want to go home.'"
On page 9 "...Mack himself notes how many abductees feel that they themselves are part alien, and belong elsewhere than on earth."
P192. "In her book The Human Brain, Susan Greenfield points out that patients with damage to the parietal cortex often feel that parts of their body do not belong to them, and may even insist that their arm belongs to someone else."
Alan Jones, a reader of my blog left me a comment the other day about my post on "Alien hand syndrome, suggesting I read a book titled "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" by Oliver Sachs. Alan relates one of the stories from the book concerning a man in bed who found a strange leg in bed with him. The man threw the strange leg out of bed and promptly himself fell on the floor. It was actually his own leg but he didn't recognise it as such! Thanks Alan.
Labels: sense of presence
As I have mentioned before, I always have several books on the go at any one time, but still find there is not enough time to read everything I want. Top this off with the vast amount of information out there on the Internet and some times you think you might need several lifetimes to digest it all.
One of the books I am reading at the moment is titled: "Parallel worlds:a journey through creation, higher dimensions and the future of the cosmos." It was published in 2005 by Doubleday, New York and written by Michio Kaku who is the Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Graduate center of the City University of New York.
He explores many of the areas of modern cosmology, including the big bang, inflation theory, black holes and the idea of the multiverse. Also covered are quantum mechanics, string theory and particle physics.
In examining these areas he ties them all in to the concept of an existence in which a number of parallel universes are created.
Following on from this "...is the possibility of parallel universes and gateways connecting them." p112.
Although the idea of parallel universes is still hypothetical, it appears scientifically possible. Whether or not you can move from one to another is even more speculative. However, this hasn't stopped a number of UFO researchers postulating parallel worlds as a potential source for the UFO phenomenon.
Read the CIA documents for yourself!
Following up on the topic of CIA UFO documents in previous posts about the book "The UFO Cover up" I typed the words "CIA UFO documents" into the Yahoo search engine and ended up at a CIA FOI website where you can read 242 CIA UFO documents for yourself. The documents cover the period 1949 to 1996. The link is here
The UFO cover up - part 3
p188. "...but the lawsuit was effectively over and the NSA's 135 UFO papers still remain cloaked in mystery."
p189. Further FOI action revealed a 21 page NSA affidavit used to explain to lawyers and judges involved NSA's position on non-release of UFO documents. It was released with deleted sections, and said that 239 UFO documents were found at NSA. 79 originated with other agencies, so 160 were NSA's. 4 documents were released in part of failed to be answerable to the original request, leaving 156 left. This figure was not the 135 publicly stated.
Going back to p82 on a second read through.
DIA report on 19/9/76 Tehran, Iran UFO report. An F-4 aircraft was launched to check out a light in the sky 40NM north of Tehran. Object seen from 70 miles away. Aircraft approached to 25NM of UFO. Lost instrumentation and communications. After turning away the instrumentation etc came back on.
A second F-4 was launched. It radar locked on UFO at 27NM. Object moved away. Object had flashing strobe lights in rectangular pattern, blue, Green, red and orange lights. Then another bright object came out of the first object and quickly approached the plane. The pilot attempted to fire a missile but weapons control panel and communications were lost. Then a second object came out of the UFO and headed to the ground and apparently landed there.
Attached to the DIA report was a DIA report evaluation form. Check boxes indicated that the UFO report was "confirmed by other sources", the value of the information was "high" and "potentially useful."
All in all, I found this 25 year old book a valuable source of early information on the US intelligence agency's views on the UFO phenomenon.
p132. referring to the global wave of 1954. "...but what was not known until the release of the CIA files is the fact that the CIA collected many of the sightings through normal intelligence channels..."
p135. In 1956. The Applied Science Division of the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence was assigned to hold incoming UFO reports. "...might provide information on foreign weapons research and development."
p143. CIA 1976. Memos discussing a 1976 UFO study by an undisclosed source. "Source seeks guidance from CIA UFO experts as to material in his report that should remain classified."
"The UFO study was passed to Dr ...(Adds & T)." "It does not seem that the government has any formal program in progress for the identification/solution of the UFO phenomenon. Dr... feels that the efforts of independent researchers...are vital for further progress in this area. At the present time, there are offices and personnel within the agency who are monitoring the UFO phenomenon, but again, this is not carried on an official basis."
Interestingly, it was in the 1973-1977 era that Vallee reported discussions with Dr Christopher Green of the CIA (Vallee 2008 p214,229,236,237,410.) Could Dr Green be the Dr... mentioned in the released CIA documents quoted above?
p181. The NSA 1976. "Regarding your inquiry about UFOs, please be advised that NSA does not have any interest in UFOs in any manner."
However, FOI requests to the CIA revealed some of its documents originated with the NSA.
In 1980 NSA released two documents. Interestingly, p182, one discussed the findings of UFO research Jacques Vallee! The other, was written by an NSA analyst in 1968 and titled "UFO hypothesis and survival questions." It discussed various possible explanations for UFO reports.
From my earlier posts you may recall that Jacques Vallee in his book "Forbidden Science" Volume 2, spoke of one Howell McConnell from the NSA asking Vallee questions about UFOs in 1972. Again, in 1975 (p312) Vallee met an NSA physicist who told Vallee there was no evidence found within NSA that this agency was intercepting foreign messages on the subject of UFOs. In 1976 (p325) Vallee mentions encountering an engineer who said he used to be part of an NSA group researching aerial phenomena.
The UFO cover up -part 1
Hi readers,
Well Sunday has come early this week with some extended time off work over Christmas. I've had time this week to take a look at a book published 25 years ago and one of the first to take a look at the role of intelligence agencies in the UFO phenomenon - one of my favourite topics!
The book is "The UFO Cover Up" also published under the title "Clear Intent", by authors Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J Greenwood by Prentice Hall Press, New York, 1984. ISBN 0-13-137712-4.
pxv "In the 3,000 pages of previously classified documents on UFOs released during the past four years by the department of State, the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), we find the expert testimony of scientist, military and intelligence personnel.."
p113 CIA response to FOI request 26/3/76
"In order that you may be aware of the true facts concerning the involvement of the CIA in the investigation of UFO phenomena, let me give you the following brief history. Late in 1952 the national Security council levied upon the CIA the requirement to determine if the existence of UFOs would create a danger to the national security of the United States.
"The Office of Scientific Intelligence established the Intelligence Advisory Committee to study the matter. That Committee made the recommendations found at the bottom of page 1 and the top four lines of page 2 of the Robertson panel report. At no time prior to the formation of the Robertson panel and subsequent to the issuance of the Panel's report, has the CIA engaged in the study of the UFO phenomenon..."
However, 900 pages of UFO related material were eventually released. These consisted of:
* Information reports
* documents discussing UFOs as psychological warfare devices
* documents relating to the Robertson Panel
* Miscellaneous memos.
p123. Memo dated 1/8/52 from a/g Chief of the CIA's Weapons and Equipment Division to the Deputy Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence. Speaking of reports received by ATIC. "It is probable that if complete information were available for presently "unexplicable" reports, they, too, could be evaluated into categories as indicated in a above." i.e. explained. The memo continues "2.Notwithstanding the foregoing tentative facts, so Long as a series of reports remains "unexplicable" (interplanetary aspects and alien origin not being thoroughly excluded from consideration), caution requires that intelligence continue coverage of the subject."
The National Security State 2
"...Shamrock-an operation run by the NSA, formerly by the Signal Corp-was intercepting electronic transmissions on a daily basis throughout the US and abroad. Evidently, Shamrock was also spreading disinformation relating to UFOs." p194.
1961. The Defence Intelligence Agency was created 1/10/61.p247.
"On the other side, the air force, CIA, NSA and other intelligence organizations involved in UFOs had enormous reserves of money, secrecy and power." p259.
"The involvement of the National Security Agency in the tracking and analysis of UFOs has long been the subject of speculation. Indeed, several documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests have proven, despite NSA denials, strong interest in UFO reports." p348.
1969. "The year 1969 saw the publications of an interesting, little known book by Andrew Tully, with the hyperbolic title The Super Spies. The book is significant as an early report on the NSA, and even more so as its first chapter discussed the UFO controversy, albeit superficially. Tully stated that UFOs were products of secret military technology." p361.
1970. "The national security apparatus, which had intersected with the phenomenon for thirty years, now pretended, and perhaps hoped, that UFOs really were things of the past." p371.
1969/1970. "JANAP-146 and CIRVIS remained in effect, for example, indicating that UFO reports were still being routed through these channels." p385.
"The CIA, NSA and all branches of military intelligence received UFO reports and discussed the matter as something of serious concern. There is also evidence, provided by former Blue Book Chief Edward Ruppelt, of an "Above Top Secret" group with access to all UFO data, a group that straddled the worlds of government, military and industry." p387.
"...why the secrecy? Surely if the military truly believed what it said for years about UFOs-that they are usually misidentification of natural phenomenon-it would hardly be interested in the problem." p388.
I wonder how much was "collecting anything and everything" which intelligence agencies work on; how much was due to the personal interest of individuals working for intelligence agencies and how much was ever analysed?
I refer you to my earlier posts on the work of vallee for comments on the NSA and CIA's interests as known by Vallee.
Looking at the Australian perspective as revealed by the work of the Disclosure Australia project, provides some insight.
If it wasn't for the personal interest of Harry Turner, then the Joint Intelligence Bureau/Joint Intelligence Organisation wouldn't have taken as much interest in the UFO subject as it did.
Sunday once more and despite the onrush of Christmas, I am still finding time to read old books.
This time it is Richard M Dolan's "UFOs and the National Security State:Chronology of a cover-up 1941-1973." Published by Hampton Roads 2002 ISBN1-57174 3170.
"I have used the term "national security state" to describe its structure of power...Its fundamental traits are secrecy, wealth, independence, power and duplicity." pxxiii
1947. The FBI becomes involved "On July 30 Hoover agreed to give full cooperation in the investigation of flying discs." p33.
1947. The CIA was created on 26/7/47. p42.
1948. "At least some UFO reports were going into CIA files as early as 1948." p54.
"For at least three years the UFO problem was managed by the American military and intelligence community with only limited interference from its citizenry." p94.
"This period also provided scattered evidence that a select group of men from scientific, military and intelligence circles supervised or monitored the activities of ATIC. It is not known whether this group answered to the President or another individual. It does seem clear, however, that they took the UFO problem more seriously than official pronouncements at ATIC indicated." pp94-95.
1952. Speaking of CIA interest. "There is some tangible evidence, as we shall soon see, that ranking CIA officials were genuinely interested in the UFOs themselves." p114.
1952. "Some intelligence agency, most likely CIA appears to have surveilled civilian UFO groups at this time." p114.
1952. The National Security Agency was created on 24/10/52.p117.
1953. "The NSA immediately became involved in UFO reports." p118.
1953. "From 1953 onward, the small control group that managed the UFO problem held the reins even tighter..." p131.
By Pauline Wilson at December 06, 2009 1 comment: Links to this post
The UFOs that never were
This is the title of a 2000 publication by Jenny Randles, Andy Roberts and David Clarke, published by London House, ISBN 1902 809 351.
It is a book about UFO cases "that have been solved." page 9.
"In the crazy world of UFO buffs you either support the "great truth" - that a massive alien invasion is underway - or are considered with great suspicion even for being interested in this field." page 13.
"To be a UFOlogist you need to be part social worker, a detective, a lateral thinker , a logic puzzle addict and have dogged commitment to wade through a myriad possibilities towards the truth." page 14.
The book presents research into a range of previously apparent UFO accounts, including the following:
24 March 1997 Howden Moors UK
UFO hovering in night sky. RAAF jets. Explosion. Accounts of aircraft coming down. Search by rescue teams. However, no aircraft was know to be missing, and there was no radar sighting.
"It seems obvious that a concatenation of unconnected events conspired on this particular night to produce a scenario which led the emergency services to conclude an aircraft had crashed." page 50.
June 1973 The Peter Day film UK
Peter filmed an orange ball of light during the daytime. The film turned into a classic UFO case as there were independent observers.
However, great detective work over time revealed the film showed a USAF aircraft dumping fuel. The plane later crashed.
26 Oct 1996 Isle of Lewis UK
There was a flash of light and a loud explosion. However, there was no missing aircraft. Was it a UFO?
Research indicated the object was in fact a bolide or space debris re-entering the atmosphere.
23 Jan 1974 Berwyn Mountain UK
One, possibly two explosions heard over a wide area. Rumbling of ground. Glow seen over mountains. Possible aircraft crash or UFO?
The final explanation was a combination of prolific meteor activity, an earth tremor and poaching activity.
The facts about these and other similarly apparently puzzling cases, are examined in detail in the book. In each case a mundane explanation which fits the facts is revealed.
I found this book in the local library and it shows that you have to always be willing to take the time to examine all the facts and look at all the possible explanations.
A great read. A book all UFO researchers should have in there shelves.
By Pauline Wilson at November 27, 2009 No comments: Links to this post
MI5 again
Well, I've finally ploughed through all 1032 pages of the authorized history of the British intelligence agency MI5, and as I expected not one mention of the UFO phenomenon!
It was, however, a fascinating read with some excellent insights into the value of, and uses of intelligence.
If you are into intelligence agencies then I would recommend this book to you.
Where have all the abductions gone?
Have abductions gone away?
I have just browsed a number of websites of Australian UFO groups and looked at their online reports listings; and browsed the last 10 issues of the UFOlogist magazine in hard copy. Hardly a classic abduction case in sight!
So, hence my question. Have abduction reports really gone away? What do readers think?
Labels: Abductions
Well, it is Sunday again and what a week it has been in Adelaide! Our first November heatwave on record. Several days where the maximum was 39 degrees centigrade, and today it is forecast to be 40 degrees!
Looking out of the window I see clouds in the sky which herald the approaching cooler change (predicted 28 degrees tomorrow).
I haven't been posting for a while, as I have been distracted by both the heat, and a book I bought last week.
I started reading a non-UFO book (yes, I do read the occasional non-UFO title) titled "The defence of the realm: the authorised history of MI5" It is written by intelligence historian Christopher Andrew. Published this year in the UK by Allen Lane, it is a whopping 1032 pages long, and after a week at it, I am still only half way through.
Why am I reading this book, I hear you ask?
If you have read some of my earlier posts about Jacques Vallee's work, you will see that I have a keen interest in the relationship between intelligence agencies and the UFO phenomenon.
So I am reading my way through the 1032 pages to improve my general understanding of the working of MI5, and the very smallest hope that there might be something in the book which I can relate to the UFO phenomenon (cross your fingers!)
Well, back to page 523!
Peter Khoury's alien encounters
Sunday again. I don't know if you are like me, but there is always a bunch of books next to my bed, waiting to be read or re-read, when the opportunity arises.
This morning it was "Hair of the alien" by Sydney based researcher Bill Chalker, published in New York in 2005 by Paraview Pocketbooks.
After finding out about the current scientific thinking on out-of-body experiences, I had a niggling thought in my mind about the accounts of abductee Peter Khoury, which are documented in Bill's book. Somewhere, I had the feeling that part of his encounters were viewed from a perspective out of his physical body. So, out came the book to check it out. What did I find?
On page 23 Peter is quoted verbatim about his 1992 encounter. "...it was at a time I had had head injuries and I was on a lot of medication, and I was pretty sick."
Pages 25-26. "...drove my wife to the station. I did pull up a few times and get sick. I came back home. I felt really ill, so I went straight back to bed at about 7.05am. I was clothed. I fell asleep. At about 7.30 I sat up bolt upright in bed...I was trying to get my bearings. I was looking at a transparent image. I'm looking at myself...The way I was looking it, was like I was looking through the back of my head, like though my eyes, sitting behind me, watching myself, like I could see myself in front. Like I could see the back view of me...It is really hard to explain, but I was virtually looking ...standing back, looking through my image in front of me. I was watching this and I could see myself as well as the two women. Then I caught up-my physical body."
This seems to be a very clear description of an out-of-body experience which science is now saying is internally generated by the human mind!
How did this experience end?
On page 32, it tells us that "...I started to cough, got this coughing fit, and I might have taken my eyes off them for a split second, I think, I've looked up and they weren't there anymore."
To me, it is suggesting that Peter's internal focusing was disturbed by the physical act of coughing and this returned his attention to the external world, and thus the mind generated images ceased to exist.
Peter later, page 109,describes an earlier encounter with what appeared to be the same two women, in about 1991. Again, in this earlier encounter, his perspective of viewing was "...when all of a sudden I saw myself sitting in bed, sitting up in bed." He seemed to be viewing from a perspective next to his physical body.
There is also a description of a 1996 event, on page 106 of the book. Peter was in bed and experienced a sort of creeping paralysis. He then saw a whole group of beings coming through a mirror in the room he was in. "I'm just getting lifted off the bed...no one is touching me...I'm being floated towards the mirror...I'm starting to go through it..." He found himself back in bed without recalling traveling back through the mirror.
If one starts from the assumption that a human being cannot actually travel through a mirror, then this is again a good description of an out-of-body experience and not a physically kidnapping by aliens.
These 1991, 1992 and 1996 episodes all seem to indicate that they were in fact instances of an altered state of consciousness, where the content of the experiences, which we no doubt utterly real to the experiencer, were generated by the human mind.
Having said all of the above, in Peter Khoury's case there is always the "hair" from the 1992 experience, which when analysed showed some pretty unusual properties. But still, is the "hair" an actual physical indicator of a real experience, or could there be some other explanation which explains the hair but leaves the experiences as altered states? A fascinating question, which I will leave the reader to ponder.
Am I really here?
Just been re-reading a book by English researcher Jenny Randles, after digesting more of the posts on out-of-body experiences:
http://anomalies-australiancomments.blogspot.com
The book is "The complete book of aliens and abductions." Piatkus. London. 2000.
On page 40 Jenny writes about the October 1974 Aveley, Essex, England case. "The witnesses told under hypnosis of how the car was stopped in the mist and they were then 'beamed' into a UFO. They could see their own physical bodies back in the car, as their 'other selves' wandered about the UFO."
Later, (page 41) Jenny commented "The second phase of this abduction memory is far more like an out-of-body experience than a ride in a spacecraft."
Here, we have an episode where the individuals involved described viewing from a location that was not coincident with their physical bodies, and of seeing their own physical bodies. A classic OBE perspective. Given the latest scientific research on OBEs and its apparent brain generated origin, what then does this say of this abduction?
I read further into Jenny's book looking for other examples. On page 49 there is a description of events at Lindholman, Sweden from 24 March 1974. A voice in a man's mind told him to walk across a road, when there was a blinding flash of light and the man fell to the ground. Later, when regressed "...as the light beam struck, he had begun to float upwards as if in an out-of-body state..." Then followed shades of Albert Budden's work (see previous posts), the witness "...seemed hypercharged with electricity for days after the encounter...When he went near electrical equipment it stopped working properly." Interestingly, a witness was found to some of the event. This person related seeing "...a light beam fall to the ground..." but did not see the witness abducted by a UFO.
On page 82. In 1963 Olaf Neilsen was walking in woods "...when he was struck by a swirling sensation that made him dizzy. He floated upwards and could see a hovering object. His next memory is of being inside a room on a couchlike bed with an entity of human size and appearance nearby."
Did anyone conduct a medical examination of Olaf? Was there some sort of medical seizure which precipitated the floating sensation?
Interesting that the shift from normal perception to OBE perception almost always happens in an instant with the OBE percipient unaware of how the change happened. Recall, that in alien abductions the transition from bed to strange room or car to strange room seems to happen in an instant. Could this simply be the transition from external to internal brain mode?
Reading on, to page 143 where Jenny reminds of of her "Oz factor." "In case after case we hear witnesses describe the 'Oz factor.' They tell of all environmental sounds fading, time stretching out and a sort of inward tuning of consciousness where the external world temporarily disappears."
This switch from being aware of external factors to focussing inwardly, is an important clue. Does it indicate the event was internally brain generated?
Finally, on page 144, talking of consciousness researcher Lilly. "By 1964, Lilly was regularly able to slip into the "Oz factor." This was marked by the sensation of floating out of his body. Many abduction stories start with this claim by the witness."
Well now. Isn't this telling? Start with the latest scientific OBE research, and go back through some of the UFO abduction literature and I start seeing it all from a new perspective - that of a brain generated event. Happy reading!
By Pauline Wilson at October 31, 2009 No comments: Links to this post
Alien hand syndrome
An individual who has the medical condition termed "alien hand syndrome" believes that their physically real and existing hand, does not belong to them. Their hand can apparently perform all on its own volition.
Contrast this with an individual who suffers from phantom limb pain of the hand. An amputee with a missing hand feels sensations from a missing limb, as if the limb were still physically present.
With the recent findings of neuroscience, relating to out-of-body experiences and the sense of self (see Keith Basterfield's excellent blog at:http://anomalies-australiancomments.blogspot.com )
both 'alien hand syndrome' and 'phantom limb pain' can be seen as bodily-self image issues. With 'alien hand syndrome' your brain is telling one hand of yours that it does not belong to you, i.e. does not form part of your body self image; with phantom limb pain of a hand, your brain continues to tell you your hand is still there - still part of your body self image.
An extension of this concept occurred to me while I was reading the latest OBE scientific literature. It may explain why some UFO abductees and contactees speak of their belief that they are not human. They talk of the sense that they do not belong, and in fact must therefore be of extraterrestrial origin.
Could this feeling of being 'alien' indicate that the bodily self image within the brains of these individuals has been totally distorted? They would then not feel the sense of 'self' which other people do?
It would certainly be a much more mundane explanation than that they are really from out there.
By Pauline Wilson at October 27, 2009 1 comment: Links to this post
OBEs and abductions
Just been looking at the current work of Keith Basterfield. He has a blog reporting on the topic of out-of-body experiences. Over the last few years there has been some significant scientific work on OBEs, which bears relevance to the topic of our interests. Go to:http://anomalies-australiancomments.blogspot.com
A sense of presence!
In a previous post on 'infrasound' there was a mention of a "sense of presence" of "being watched." This sense of 'someone' or 'something' observing you is a well known aspect of the paranormal in general, and alien abductions in particular.
The other day, while trawling the web, I came across an article from the online COSMOS magazine dated 25 September 2006 titled "Scientists discover 'shadow person.'
The story reported on a 22 year old female, under evaluation for epilepsy. When her left temoroparietal junction of her brain was electrically stimulated she told of seeing a 'shadow person' which mimicked her own bodily movements.
She had a sense that there was another person present, which she described as young, of indeterminate gender, who did not speak or move.
The researchers involved, including one Olaf Blanke from University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, believed that the woman was experiencing a perception of her own body.
"The temporoparietal junction is known to be involved in creating the concept of 'self' and the distinction between 'self' and 'other.'
I recall reading of similar observations from abductees, where they would report feeling an invisible 'sense of the presence of someone or something else' watching them.
The research reported in the COSMOS article may be the start of an understanding that there may not be a 'real' alien presence there. It might well be the creation of a "Shadow person' within the mind of the abductee.
Have any readers come across similar research material?
Labels: Abductions, sense of presence
What to make of Budden's hypothesis?
It is still Sunday, so I have had plenty of time today to think just what to make of Budden's ideas.
1. There certainly needs to be more research conducted on this topic.
2. Science as whole, has not yet given sufficient resources to looking at the potential explanations for abduction experiences, although some promising work has occurred in the area of the relevance of sleep paralysis to these experiences.
3. Budden's focus on why certain individuals report these experiences and not others is important. Budden has documented a raft of things which these individuals have happen in their lives, including apparent exposure to electromagnetic hot spots. I think this question of why some and not others is the key issue to pursue. We need to more closely analyse what can be found out about these individuals. A previous post spoke of the 2008 journal article looking at 19 UK abductees, and what made them different.
4. I don't think Budden has sufficient evidence to support his claim that the unconscious is able to "...provide the effects of an advanced,magical technology." However, we do know that " sense of presence" which features in so many abduction accounts can be felt by some people under certain circumstances, and some scientific research suggest that this sense is of mental origin and not physical origin, eg. see my previous post about infrasound.
PS Take a look at:http://www.p-e-g.co.uk/Web/Articles/ARTICLESArticle12.htm
Psychic close encounters - 4
Budden continued...
"...the central principles of the ESH, namely that the human unconscious, in response to specific field exposure that produces altered states of consciousness, can present dramatically 'staged' perceptions of interactions with 'aliens' and their spacecraft..." p217.
His hypothesis as set out in this book is tested against a range of both personally investigated cases, or detailed case studies from other investigators.
So, let me see if I have the hypothesis:
(1) People saturated with electromagnetic fields
(2) Living in electromagnetic hot spots
(3) Generate alien abduction and contact experiences
(4) As a result of interaction between the physiology of the ES individuals and EM fields
(5) by means of altered states of consciousness
)6) whereby the unconscious mind presents the person with a 'staged' perception
(7) The material for this staged perception is "The 'spacecraft' images that the 'picture library' contains are derived partly from the mass media..."p35.
As with the second book I reviewed previously I like the fact that Budden uses first hand investigations to test his hypothesis.
Finally, now that I have read both of Budden's books I can think about what he wrote and quietly digest the material.
More on Budden...
"Individuals who have been subjected to prolonged exposure to electromagnetic or electrical fields eventually become 'overloaded' and actually emit fields of some coherent intensity themselves." p80.
"More importantly, however, these electrically sensitive (ES) people are chemically allergic to these emissions once the condition has been induced." p80.
"We can see from the list of symptoms caused by ES that subjects can become zombie-like and slip into a blank, day-dream-like state." p 103. Missing time or abductee.
"Another overlapping aspect between poltergeist phenomena and UFO/alien-theme encounters is that of pre-event sensation." p118. "These symptoms are a response to field exposure..."p119.
"It is clear from the author's own investigations that alien abduction and contact experiences take place in such electromagnetic hot spots and they are the product of the interaction of the physiological system of ES individuals with such prolonged irradiation." p135.
"It would appear that CE witnesses become disassociated during a 'time-lapse."p166.
They could still function, e.g. drive, but at some time experience "...an internal drama involving aliens and a medical examination." p166.
Psychic close encounters -2
Sunday once more! Time to write up more from Budden's first book.
Speaking of artificial EM radiation -from TV transmitters ets. "It is evident that these electromagnetic fields register in the human body and are then represented by it as hallucinatory or apparitional phenomena, including UFOs and aliens."
"The ESH argues that the unconscious frequently responds to these fields during altered states, and presents perceptions and/or realities that are dramatic representations of interactions with aliens and their technology; the pur[poses of which it to establish an acceptance of the unconscious in society." p 24.
Why the 'unconscious"?
"It is in touch with the inner store imagery, experiences and beliefs of the individual..."p29. "The unconscious in any one indivdual scans the immediate environment around it on a more or less permanent basis, and when it detects such an energy, it uses it to create an apparition, vision or CE experience." p 29.
"It would seem, then, that when houses or buildings are saturated with ambient electrical fields, poltergeists occur; and when wider areas in the landscape are electromganetically affected, UFO encounters occur." p76.
Had a good few last days reading "UFOs-Psychic close encounters" by Albert Budden. Published by Blandford, London in 1995.
His hypothesis "...that the UFO close-encounter (CE) experience consists of dramatically staged events produced by the human mind in altered states of consciousness." p14.
"To be more exact, my approach states that it is the activity of the human consciousness in combination with a variety of natural and artificial energies that produces staged reality identified as the CE experience...It is the unconscious-or more descriptively, the unconscious intelligence (UI) - that utilises its reality-defying abilities, including psychokinesis or 'mind over matter' to produce the effects of an advanced, magical technology in these 'staged productions', its motivating purpose being to establish and maintain an external social identity." p 15
"The ability of the unconscious to manipulate the perception and, therefore, the reality of the witness, is facilitated by its interaction with electromagnetic radiation. " p17.
"The radical mistake that many researchers make is to fail to identify such CE experieces as two (at least) distinct sections,the confrontation with the UAP and the subsequent encounter experience." p18. Here a UAP is an unidentified atmospheric phenomenon.
Socorro saucer
Don't you love Sundays?
Time away from the job. Time to browse the net for items of interest. Time for emails to others to discuss and debate the topic of your heart's desire!
I keep my eye on two blogs at the moment. These are:http://www.ufomystic.com
and:http://www.drdavidclarke.blogspot.com
A ufomystic item caught my eye this week, concerning the classic 1964 Socorro, New Mexico, UFO and occupants report. Long regarded as a classic, and if my memory serves me correctly, one of the few US cases even Project Bluebook thought might be genuine. Click here.
Well, well now! In the last post about Albert Budden's second book, I mentioned thatI would now like to read his first book, "UFOs-Psychic close encounters."
I was in the library yesterday and found this first book! Coincidence?
I will make some time over the next week to read this work, and post about it.
Electric UFOs
I love this time of the year when the nights are cold and you can rug up, sit down and read a book which challenges your mind!
This past week's book was "Electric UFOs: Fireballs, electromagnetics and abnormal states" authored by Albert Budden, and published in 1998 by Blandford. ISBN 071 372 7306, courtesy of my local library.
Budden's central hypothesis is "...that alien abduction experiences are induced through prolonged exposure to EM fields in hot-spot locations." p41.
"In the course of my investigations over the past 4 years I have discovered that contactees, or 'abductees' as they have come to be known, have developed an environmental sensitivity syndrome which includes food allergies, chemical sensitivities, electromagnetic hypersensitivity...and symptoms of epileptiform conditions, their subsequent hallucinatory/visionary experiences being a symptom of this syndrome." p19.
MEE -a major electrical event- is one where a person is close to a lightning strike or is electrocuted and survives etc. EH - electromagnetic hypersensitivity - is enhanced in such individuals who have had an MEE. Individuals thus affected are sensitive to general environmental stimuli and begin to report psychic effects. Exposure to fields from EM sources can cause hallucinations/visions. pp21-22.
"It is suggested that the electrically produced fields from transmitters in the environment can carry allergic reactions to the body, which responds by producing hallucinatory experiences involving imagery of aliens...In my previous book...I suggested that, because parts of the brain are repeatedly stimulated the gray as a consistent type of entity is hallucinated." p105.
"Perhaps now we can begin to appreciate the elements which combine to induce the alien-abduction experience as a consistent set of perceptual events. The EH body apprehends the incoming fields as intrusive and alien to its system, especially if they are 'tagged' with an allergic response relayed from allergenic foods and/or chemicals; the resulting visions are driven by these field producing sensations both by direct stimulation of the body via induced body currents and through triggering focal seizures in the brain itself. This mixing and matching induces visual hallucinations." p111.
"However, it must be stated that the precise trigger for alien-abduction experiences per se, as opposed to any other depictions of formed figures, is unclear." p117.
"It is ironic that psychical researchers do not investigate cases in which the percipient encounters aliens, and ufologists do not consider the incidence of ghosts as being within their area of study..." p198.
"The approach presented could be usefully described as a 'unified theory' because it provides commonalities which link UFO/alien encounter experiences, ghosts and poltergeists." p199.
"'Abductees' have allergies, chemical sensitivities, EH and epileptiform symptoms, and I have yet to find one who has not experienced the sense of presence on an episodic basis...Also associated with 'abductees' or 'visitations' as a well-defined cluster of health effects..." p 200
I found the way he lays out his hypothesis made it a little difficult to understand at first glance. I think he is saying:
* An individual
* In an electromagnetic hot spot
*Is exposed to long term to electromagentic fields and becomes electromagentially hypersensitive to these fields. This EH is enhanced in some indivduals who have been in close proximity to lightning strike, ball lighting, suffered major electrocution p21
* This causes allergenic reactions to the individual's body
*Producing hallucinatory experiences. "...perceiving images...from their own unconscious image bank." p 22.
* These are due to induced body currents and triggering focal seizures in the brain
*Some of these hallucinations take the form of alien-abduction experiences. "EM-field-stimulated somatic sensations induce the recurring visionary depiction of an intrusive bodily examination by alien forms..."p24.
What I love about this work, is that the author conducted field investigations; spoke first hand to abductees; took the time to ask heaps of questions not normally asked by the standard UFO researcher; then took a look at the data; came up with what to him is a coherent systematic hypothesis; tested it and found that, in his opionion; it provided a big picture explanation for the data. This is the true scientific method, and Budden is to be congratulated for being bold enough to put this hypothesis out there.
There is much here that I find fault with; however, there seem to be kernels of truth which have been lost to the average UFOlogist. I need some time to digest what I have read and then will come back to it in a future post.
If you haven't read this book, you should. It will get you thinking. Go to your local library and get them to track down a copy for you. I now need to read Budden's previous book "UFOs-Psychic close encounters" published in 1995.
I've been doing some reading about infrasound (see my earlier post). A good link is: http://www.answers.com/topic/infrasound
Of particular interest is the statement "Infrasound has been known to cause feelings of awe or fear in humans [16] [17] since it is not consciously perceived, it can make people feel vaguely that supernatural events are taking place."
Reference 16 is John D Cody. Infrasound. Bordeland Science Research Foundation. See: http://www.borderlands.com/newstuuff/research/infra.htm
Reference 17 is V Tandy & T Lawrence 'The ghost in the machine.' Journal of the Society for Psychical research number 62, pp360-364. 1998. You can read the full text of this article by registering at the Library of Exploratory Science at: http://www.lexscien.org/lexscien/index.jsp
This will allow you to read abstracts of any issue of the Journal of the Society for Psychical research. Then you can get a free 7 day access to the full text of any article, which will allow you to read the full text.
Quirkology!
I have just finished reading a very unusual book written by one Richard Wiseman titled "Quirkology:the curious science of everyday lives," published by Pan Books, London, 2008. ISBN 978 033 0448 116.
It is the result of 20 plus years of academic research by psychologist Richard Wiseman. It covers a range of topics including "What does your date of birth really say about you?"; "The psychology of lying and deception;" through the search for the world's funniest joke to decision making.
What does this have to do with the subject of my blog? Well, pages 118-127 describe the work of Vic Tandy. Vic had an odd experience at work in 1998 when one night "...he started to feel increasingly uncomfortable and cold. Next, he had the distinct impression of being watched, and looked up to see an indistinct grey figure, slowly emerge in the left side of his peripheral vision. The hair on the back of his neck stood up...to turn and look at the figure. As he did, it faded away and disappeared."
Research by Vic indicated that the room experienced a low-frequency sound wave below human hearing. He located the source to be a newly installed air fan.
Wiseman relates that in the 1960's, NASA found that 'infrasound" could "...vibrate the chest, affect respiration, and cause gagging, headaches and coughing." It appeared that certain frequencies could vibrate eyeballs and cause distorted vision.
Vix went on to suggest that the ghost like effects at some haunted locations might be caused by infrasound.
Wiseman and friends conducted an experiment during two concerts during which infrasound was generated in the venue. Four times during each concert the audience used a questionnaire to note any unusual experiences. "The effect was far from trivial, with people reporting, on average about 22 per cent more unusual experiences with infrasound present." p126. What did they report? The effects included shivering, stomach sensations, and ears fluttering .
One can readily see the possibilities here for haunted locations if infrasound can cause objects to vibrate due to no apparent cause, cause sensations of cold, and generate apparent figures. It could also perhaps why only one person in a group sees a fleeting figure from their side vision.
I wonder if a person waking paralysed at night in a venue where infrasound occurred, could induce an apparent alien abduction? Has anyone carried out research in this area?
UFO Research NSW Inc.
In order to learn more about what civilian organisations are conducting research in Australia, I have decided to take a look at a number of UFO groups and their websites to see what the average "Mary Jo" can find out on the net in this way. I went to Google and typed in Australian UFO groups and the first listed was UFOR NSW Inc.
The website is: http://www.ufor.asn.au
The front page informed me that they are a non-profit organisation and have been around since 1981. "We welcome those interested in the field of UFOs and extraterrestrials..." Next was a piece on meetings, conferences and membership. It was easy to find out when and where their next public meeting was. Finally, down the bottom I found I could download their current Newsletter, which is great to see them sharing a free Newsletter.
Down the left hand side are links to other pages headed:
* UFO Research NSW
* Investigations
* Gallery
* Guestbook
"UFO Research NSW" opens to News, membership and UFO Reporter details. The top page provides details on the organisation's aims and history. Membership allows you to download a membership form. "News" led to a blog style page of conference details; chatty items, DVD reviews etc. "UFO Reporter" led to a page titled "UFO Reporter publication archives 1992-1996" and the last two year's worth of Newsletters. There is a project underway to scan the contents of these UFO Reporter on to the web page. Already selected articles are available. The only links which I found which were dead were under the heading "More information -current activities and what we have done."
"Investigations" has two articles on the use and misues of video in relation to filming UFOs. Then follows a page of UFO sightings reported to UFOR NSW. These are a mix of online form reporting, and summaries from other sources, between 2002-2008 and include some, which if there were detailed follow up available, would be very useful to research! There is a also the ability to download and mail in a UFO report form or email them the details of a sighting. Their previous on-line reporting system has been disabled due to excessive junk mail!
"Gallery" has photographs of various sorts.
"Guestbook" is full of people posting about their UFO sightings, views and opinions. One of the postings is from John dated 6/8/08 and relates a first hand October 1976 observation from HMAS Melbourne about a radar contact. One wonders if it was ever followed up?
"Links" is the usual links.
"Contact" provides contact details for the group as well as a listing of the committee. I'll jot them down here for my record:
President: Wendy Burnham; Vice-president: Hugh Mulgrew; Secretary: Joann Kanda; Media: Doug Moffett; Treasurer: Anthony Clarke; Public officer: Claudia Donlan; Newsletter editor: William Johnson; Members: Michael Handley; Rex Gilroy; Peter O'Brien.
What didn't I find there? I could not find a database of their investigated sightings since 1991. Nor was there a page listed "good cases"- examples of what they considered "real UFOs"
or which provided evidence of a non-mundane phenomenon. Nor was there a live listing of their current research projects or interests.
All in all though, a very good site servicing their members.
By Pauline Wilson at September 27, 2009 No comments: Links to this post
Australian Disclosure programs 4
As you might be aware, the national level Brisbane based Australian UFO Research Network (AUFORN): http://auforn.com/ spent some time in the early 2000's trying to stimulate interest in the idea of an Australian Disclosure project. This did not get far until, the Adelaide based Australian UFO Research Association (AURA), facilitated by Keith Basterfield, committed itself to the concept and the Disclosure Australia project ran from 2003 to 2008. The extensive results of the AURA led project may be seen in detail at: http://disclosureaustralia.freewebpages.org/
These results include a final report, and a listing of all the Australian Government UFO related files which were found by AURA.
Although AURA handed back the project to AUFORN in 2008, having completed its work, AUFORN seem to have done nothing more with the concept since then, apart from copy files from the: http://disclosureaustralia.freewebpages.org website to their own wesbite.
Labels: Disclosure
The third program which I came across goes back to 2002.
In February of that year, "... two individuals from New South Wales, Dyson Devine and Vivienne Legg forwarded information about the US Disclosure Project to Australian parliamentarians. A letter, accompanied by a summary of the Disclosure project was sent to each of the 222 members of the Australian Federal Parliament, covering both the Senate and the House of representatives. 10% of the Parliamentarians were said to have responded. Devine and Legg's comments were that "…not a single one of these responses was appropriate."
(Source: http://disclosureaustralia.freewebpages.org/.unlimitedftp/temp/Brisbane%20paper.htm )
The second Australian Disclosure program which I came across is run by one Grant Robb in Canberra. The website is: http://exopoliticsaustralia.net.au
The home page information says that the website is "...part of the international Exopolitics World Network...These sites are being set up to provide information about exopolitical developments within that country and build connections between nations as part of a growing international exopolitical truth movement."
The theme on the home page is that "...the governments and religions of the world have been tight lipped about the whole UFO and Extraterrestrial topic."
When I recently viewed the site there are two articles by Tony Lambert of Perth. One was the letter to the Governor-General which I commented on in my last post. The other was a letter to the Australian Broadcasting Commission re "Swine flu scam and Disclosure reminder."
In the section of the website labelled "Australian contacts" Grant Robb lists himself as "Researcher, EFT practitioner, events organiser" and shows another website of his at: http://www.flightoffire.com.au
On the exopolitics website there are links to EWN affiliates in a number of countries, quite a list in fact.
The purpose of this site is given as:
"To educate the public so they can make up their own mind based on the facts"
"To be a source of information for abductees, experiencers, 'star children' and contactees so they can be supported not ridiculed"
"Be a source of credible facts and information for people in the media..."
"Keep the politicians up to date so they may gauge the level of public interest..."
There have been/are currently, a number of disclosure style efforts underway in Australia
The first may be found at: http://disclosureoz.org and is run by Tony Lambert in Western Australia.
The website describes Tony as an ex-musician, author of several books and that he has traveled in Japan. He recorded a music album "We are not alone" triggered by the crop circle phenomenon. In October 2005 he and Mary Rodwell traveled in WA on a crop circles and contact lecture tour. Tony says he has been an experiencer since early childhood.
The site hosts a number of letters which Tony has sent to a variety of Australian political figures in an effort to raise their consciousness on the issue of UFOs and disclosure. One letter, dated 17 June 2009 was sent to the Governor-General of Australia. The thrust of the letter is that "the witness testimony clearly asserts that our constitutional government is compromised by the illegal secrecy shrouding technologies known to provide pollution free energy devices."
Tony has forwarded copies of the US Disclosure DVD to "The Prime Minister's office along with all national political party leaders, foremost science personnel and prominent media investigators" for comment but received no responses.
Revelations!
I finally finished re-reading the third book in Vallee's trilogy. "Revelations" was published in New York by Ballentine Books in 1991. ISBN 0-345-37172-0.
p6 "The government of the major nations have assembled countless dossiers about the subject. In the course of military and intelligence gathering many remarkable facts have been accumulated...yet officials have never seen fit to declassify most of the files."
pp7-8 "...some of the most remarkable sightings are actually complex hoaxes that have been carefully engineered for our benefit."
p8 "Who is perpetuating such deliberate fabrications and what is their goal...no single reason for the deviousness of those military or civilian agencies that are spending our money to conduct secret psychological experiments..."
p8 "Others were found to have been engineered by government agencies engaged in psychological warfare exercises...some ufo sightings are covert experiments in the manipulation of the belief systems of the public...numerous rumours of crashed saucers and burned aliens, were not so much the result of delusions as the product of deception."
pp83-84 "The very fact that the U.S. military has been doing its own secret research, interrogating certain witnesses and conducting discreet laboratory analyses, demonstrates how little, not how much they know."
p84 "My guess is that someone deep within the U.S. government structure is suing the stories of crashed saucers to hide something else...my ufologist friends should awaken to the fact that in one way or the other all the stories they are happily spreading...originate with the Pentagon itself..."
pp148-149 Discussing the November 1979 Pontoise, France alleged abduction. "...I can report that the human kidnapping scenario did lead somewhere-to perfectly tangible organizations and to beings of flesh and blood within the French military and technological establishment..."
p157 Discussing the Rendelsham UK affair of 1980. "To me the most plausible theory is that the US military has developed a device or a collection of devices that look like flying saucers, that they are primarily intended for psychological warfare, and that they are being actively tested on military personnel."
Wow, I need to sit back and digest all of this Vallee material!
Labels: Vallee
Is "The UFOlogist" dead?
I keep up with a few newsstand magazines, namely "Nexus", "New Dawn" and "The UFOlogist."
I divide my money between three large newsagents in Adelaide and a survey of all three shops indicates that copies of "The UFOlogist" just aren't moving off the shelves.
A look at the last three issues shows me why. The material in each issue was very tired. There are lots of stuff from 50 years ago, e.g. photographic catalogues from the 1950's; and the articles from overseas contributors were hardly fresh.
Also there were rarely any in depth articles on recent Australian UFO investigations; and why so much dry astronomy material? Even the regular columnists don't talk of much new stuff!
Perhaps, previous readers have now moved on to the net, are getting their news from blogs, u-tube, websites or even Twitter.
Maybe it is time for a radical revamp of the magazine, or even moving solely onto other than the printed word?
Final report of the Disclosure Australia project
The Disclosure Australia website at http://disclosureaustralia.freewebpages.org has recently posted the final version of its research findings from its five year search through the UFO files of the Australian Government. Go to the website; look under "What's new?" for "UAS files located in the Australian Government record system" Part 1 and Part 2.
There is also a listing of the 150+ files which the Project uncovered. Then, because the Project had the National Archives of Australia make many of the files available electronically, you can read thousands of pages from the files for yourself at http://www.naa.gov.au Go to this website, click on "RecordSearch" , then click on "search as a guest", then in the box titled "keywords", type in the words "flying objects" and open any file which says there is a digital copy available.
It is amazing just what the Disclosure Australia team found out and we all owe them a great debt of gratitude for all this work.
Are abductions all in the mind?
Volume 44 issue 10 pages 1387-1395 of the November 2008 issue of Cortex carries an article on abductees co-authored by Adelaide based parapsychologist Michael A Thalbourne.
The abstract reads:
"Previous research has shown that people reporting contact with aliens, known as 'experiencers', appear to have a different psychological profile compared to control participants.
"They show higher levels of dissociativity, absorption, paranormal belief and experience, and possibly fantasy proneness.
" They also appear to show greater susceptibility to false memories as assessed using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott technique.
"The present study reports an attempt to replicate these previous findings as well as assessing tendency to hallucinate and self-reported incidence of sleep paralysis in a sample of 19 UK-based experiencers and a control sample matched on age and gender.
" Experiencers were found to show higher levels of dissociativity, absorption, paranormal belief, paranormal experience, self-reported psychic ability, fantasy proneness, tendency to hallucinate, and self reported incidence of sleep paralysis.
"No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of susceptibility to false memories.
"Implications of the results are discussed and suggestions are made for future areas of research."
A very interesting piece of research with wide implications!
In the 2002 Australian Journal of Parapsychology, Michael Thalbourne and Keith Basterfield published the results of some work with Australian experiencers. Their article is titled "Belief in, and alleged experience of, the paranormal in ostensible UFO abductees." An abstract of the paper may be read at: http://www.aiprinc.org/abstracts_2.htm
The full text of some other very detailed Australian research by Gow et al may be read
at: http://www.anomalistik.de/gow.pdf
What was Jacques thinking post 1979? Post 2
The second work in the trilogy was "Confrontations" published in New York by Ballentine Books in 1990. ISBN 0-345-36453-8.
p21 "Like many of my colleagues in the field, I have become convinced that the U.S. government, as well as other governments, was very much involved in the UFO business. This involvement is not limited to the kind of data collection that is the normal responsibility of intelligence agencies. It extends to the close monitoring of the UFO organizations themselves, and in some case, to the staging of false sightings and the occasional leaking of false documents."
p22 "I do not believe that any government has the answer to the UFO problem, although several governments must have the proof of its reality."
p228 "At one time, in fact, the Brazilian Air Force and Navy Intelligence speculated that actual UFO bases might exist somewhere between the mouth of the Amazon and the Sao Luis area."
What was Jacques thinking post 1979?
After writing my previous posts I got to wondering what Jacques Vallee was thinking about post 1970, the final year of his recently published second Journal. I then realised that of course I had his three books published in the 1988 to 1991 era, so it was a simply matter of getting them out and taking a look!
"Dimensions:A casebook of alien contact" appeared in 1988, published by Contemporary Books, ISBN 0-8092-4586-8.
p221 "What I will call, in chapter eight, the 'triple cover-up' is concerned with those pitfalls: the UFO phenomenon is shielded from direct study by the persistent, misguided official denial of its very existence..."
p221 "As a source of rumours within military as well as civilian populations, UFO stories can be manipulated for a variety of reasons that may have nothing to do with the government's interest in the phenomenon."
p226 "The first level of cover up is in the reporting of UFOs. It is the result of the closed mind and negative attitude of government, scientific and military authorities."
p247 "I have alluded to the fact that the major groups of UFO believers have been closely monitored by government agents. There is a good reason for this attention: their influence can be manipulated for political goals or simply as a test of various forms of deception."
p248 "The political factor also explains the deliberate infiltration of civilian UFO groups by persons linked to the intelligence world...because they would provide...a useful channel for planted stories."
p252 Speaking of the application of the US FOI Act against the CIA and the Pentagon. "All that has been shown so far is that these agencies were involved-often covertly-in many aspects of the UFO problem. I suspect that they are still involved."
p253 "And the government may simply be hiding the fact that, in spite of the billions of dollars spent on air defence, it has no more clues to the nature of the phenomenon today than it did in the forties when it began its investigations."
Third new book alert
Budd Hopkins is both well known as an artist and a UFO researcher focusing on the area of abductions. His UFO books include "Missing Time" 1981; "Intruders" 1987; "Witnessed" 1996 and more recently "Sight unseen" with Carol Rainey.
Now he has published "Art, Life & UFOs:A memoir by Budd Hopkins."Anomalist Books. New York. 2009. 438pp. http://www.anomalistbooks.com/hopkins.html
The book traces Hopkins' interest in art; his relationships with high profile artists; his introduction to the UFO phenomenon and his involvement with abduction cases and other researchers.
Second new book alert
Well, continuing my posts with an intelligence agency flavour is a book I have been long waiting for. This is the second volume in Richard Dolan's trilogy. This one is titled "UFOs and the National Security State: The cover-up exposed 1973-1991." Published by Keyhole Publishing New York. 2009. 638pp.
Having not yet seen a copy of the book, the following is from the publisher's website at http://keyholepublishing.com
- The book was researched using US and Canadian Archives, direct investigations, journals and interviews
- "Dolan presents a detailed analysis of the critical UFO encounters by military and civilians. These encounters, all thoroughly documented and equally baffling repeatedly demonstrated that the UFO phenomenon has been a global phenomenon, and the result of highly advanced technology that has received no official recognition."
Looking at the chapter headings and contents on the publishers website I see that China and Australia rate a section.
I look forward to reading a copy of the book.
David Clarke is one of the key English researchers who have been mining the UK National Archive UFO files for several years.
Look out for his new book "The UFO files:the inside story of real-life sightings" published by the National Archives. ISBN 9781 9056 15506.
According to David's blog http://www.drdavidclarke.blogspot.com the book features:
- accounts of sightings from the 19th century unto today
- details of classic UFO UK incidents
- the latest material released under the Freedom of Information Act
- "Original records reveal how British Intelligence and the CIA investigated many cold war sightings...the book sheds new light on many famous cases, such as RAF Topcliffe, 1952; the Flying Cross in Devon,1967; RAF West Freugh, Scotland 1957; the Berwyn Mountains crash..."
I went to Borders Bookshop, here in Adelaide, the other day but they have no record of the book so far.
David's blog states the book was due out in July 2009, but I have heard elsewhere that it is now due out this month.
As my earlier posts indicate, I have a particular interest in information about the involvement of intelligence agencies in the UFO phenomenon.
My comments on Vallee's book
Well, having now had some time to digest what Vallee notes in his journals, what to make of it?
So, analysts in both the CIA and NSA did indeed monitor the subject. The FOI output of documents from these organisations supports these observations of Vallee's.
However, Vallee states that neither agency set up a serious research project into the phenomenon, instead any work done was at the individual level of personal interest.
The CIA worried about what the military knew. While private industry in the form of McDonnell-Douglas conducted research.
I guess the bottom line to draw from this look at the 1970's is that Vallee, who was certainly well connected enough to know these things, says there was no serious scientific research project.
According to the work conducted by the Disclosure Australia project, the same thing happened here. Harry Turner who worked for the Joint Intelligence Bureau, now the Defence Intelligence organisation, appeared to be working out of personal interest, but with the knowledge of his superiors. The JIB/JIO file located by Keith Basterfield clearly shows this fact. Turner's boss saw there was something to the UFO phenomenon, but declared it was not their role to look into it.
All in all Vallee's latest work clarifies a few things in this intelligence arena. A good read.
Vallee's new book post three
Later, in January 1978 p417. "Kit has told me that the Agency didn't have a mission to monitor the subject."
October 1978 "A great deal of activity, if not research, is indeed going on about UFOs among government organizations."p438. "McDonnell-Douglas is continuing their quiet but well-funded study with John Schuessler, also monitored by the Agency. They seem to be looking for exotic alloys."
By February 1979 Vallee writes on page 455. "I am not even convinced the government knows much. I have drawn two conclusions from my contacts. First, they are confused about the nature of the phenomenon, they only see the surface. Second, the best data gets lost in a black hole within the military. No group of 'experts' will penetrate it. The only sensible avenue for me is not a crusade, but quite independent research."
Finally, in March 1979 p458."What have I learned? (1) The phenomenon is real but it offers multiple levels. (2) No simple extraterrestrial explanation fits the facts. (3) The governments of the U.S., Mexico and France have a keen level of interest (and the Russians and U.K as well) but no scientific research project seems to exist. (4) Some of the brightest people in Intelligence get involved but the real data must be hidden at a different level. (5) Much of the official involvement is directed at faking data, not at discovering the truth. (6) Animal mutilations are real but probably unrelated to UFOs. (7) No solution will be found by mediocre, amateurish research."
Vallee's new book post two
On page 237 of his book, Vallee asked Green: "Don't you agree there must be a secret effort somewhere?" Green replied: "Yes...I do agree with that statement. In my group we've wondered if it wasn't being run within private industry."
In March 1974 Vallee visited the CIA and Met David M. Vallee left with the impression that the CIA knew very little. "...the major topic for them wasn't the phenomenon itself, but what the military may be doing behind their back." p244.
In December 1974 p277, "Kit reluctantly confirmed there was a group of 15 engineers in the MidWest ( I assumed it was McDonnell in St Louis) secretly doing UFO research for CIA under cover of 'aeronautical research'."
P335. "I got an interesting call from a Vice-President with Environmental Systems in Van Nuys...As early as 1955 he belonged to a UFO group at Douglas aircraft in Santa Monica...They were asked by Douglas management to assess cases from Blue Book..."
p373. "...the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations, the notorious OSI. They show up everywhere and are much more likely than the CIA to be the true manipulators behind the scenes."
In December 1977, p410. Dr Green CIA was told off by his boss."You're supposed to cover life sciences...this stuff has nothing to do with it." "The agency allowed him to pursue the topic privately."
January 1978 p412. Writing about a contact from a worker at McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics. "Thye have an on-going secret project, well-funded, with the blessing and official monitoirng of the CIA, and they're discretely connected with major UFO groups..."
Vallee's new book post one
Well, Jacques Vallee has recently published a new book. This one is his journals between 1970-1979, and titled "Forbidden Science Volume 2." Published by Documentica Research, LLC in the US, the ISBN number if you want to order it is 978-0-615-24974-2.
Any book by Vallee is a delight to read. However, the focus of this post will be the role which the intelligence agencies have played in UFO research. Did they undertake any real scientific work?
I have been fascinated by this question ever since I examined the material available at
http://disclosureaustralia.freewebpages.org which documents the work of Australian UFO researcher Keith Basterfield, who lives here in Adelaide, and his team.
In 1972 Vallee met one Howell McConnell who worked for the NSA. "...we keep an eye on things." p159. "He asked me if I'd ever heard of a group based at Wright-Patterson, which is supposed to do secret analyses on behalf of the Air Force."
In 1973, psychic researcher Hal Puthoff told Vallee that he had found the leader of a CIA group that monitored the UFO scene. p214. "Hal's contact...Dr Christopher Green, nicknamed Kit...the most important thing I learned was that Green had counterparts in every branch of the Executive. Like Howell McConnell, they mainly operated 'out of personal interest' with the blessing of higher-level managers. They occasionally exchanged data, but he claimed little was done with it." Vallee stated that the CIA had never set up a serious UFO research project.
The DIA, FOIA, and the AATIP/AAWSAP
DIA request log A while ago, I located a copy of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request log for the Defense Intelligence Agency...
Sleep paralysis and alien abductions - a new idea
Hi all, Every now and then a book comes along which challenges your personal viewpoint. This post is about such a book. The subject is sle...
Robert Bigelow's other "UFO" ranch
Introduction Blog readers will be well aware of the fact that Las Vegas billionaire, Robert Thomas Bigelow , bought a ranch in Utah, in t...
On the provenance of the purported Davis/Wilson document
A document comes to light A document has surfaced, dated 16 October 2002, which purports to be a copy of a set of notes, (not a transcr...
Pauline Wilson
AAWSA
Australian Government files.
Australian websites
BAASS
Cold case investigation
Contactees
Cosnsciousness
Crop formations
Crowflight
Current Australian UAP reports
Davis/Wilson documents
Early Australian UFO history
electrophonic sounds
Exopsychology
False awakening; hypnagogic imagery
Fantasy proneness
Firmage
FOI Act requests
French research
Garry Nolan
HIBAL
hypnagogic imagery
Investigation reports
James E McDonald
Jenny Randles
Kit Green
Mark Pilkington
Monthly Australian reports roundup
New Zealand UFO files
New Zealand; Disclosure
NIDS
Niemtzow
Nimitz 2004
North West Cape incident
Paranomral
Project Moon Dust
Project Moondust
Project Newsprint
sense of presence
Stratospheric balloons
TTSA
UK UAP files
Valentich
Valerie Ransone
Vallee
Westall


text:
Category: SC Bar
Ellen Hines Smith Award Nomination Opens
Published on January 20, 2016 by scaccesstojusticeLeave a comment
I am pleased to announce that the 2015 Ellen Hines Smith Award Nominations are now open. The form is found at Ellen Hines Smith Nomination 2015. Nominations are open until February 17, 2016.
Please note that previous award recipients are not eligible.
1989 – Martha B. Dicus
1990 – Thomas L. Bruce
1991 – Johnny Simpson
1992 – Harold F. Daniels
1993 – Andrea E. Loney
1994 – Mozella Nicholson
1995 – Thomas A. Trent
1996 – Susan A. Cross
1997 – Angela M. Myers
1998 – Ethel E. Weinberg
1999 – Nancy M. Butler
2000 – Byron A. Reid
2001 – Lynn P. Wagner
2002 – Eddie McDonnell
2003 – Frank Cannon
2004 – Willie B. Heyward
2005 – Lynn Snowber-Marini
2007 – Marcia Powell-Shew
2009 – Maureen White
2010 – Susan J. Firimonte
2011 – Jack E. Cohoon
2012 – Kirby Mitchell
2013 – Kimberly Shelton
2014 – Kimaka Nichols-Graham
The award will be presented at the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates' May meeting. The award recipient will be selected by a joint committee of the South Carolina Bar Foundation and the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission.
I look forward to receiving nominations!
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, Ellen Hines Smith, Legal, legal aid, public interest attorney, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Legal Services
Resource Wednesday: Expungement in South Carolina
Published on March 26, 2014 by scaccesstojusticeLeave a comment
Every now and again, I need a reminder to share information.
Earlier today, I received a request from someone desperately trying to find out where to find help for an expungement. And, the resource is below:
Your Guide to Expungement in South Carolina (updated in November 2013). This fabulous, free resource was pulled together by the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families. It can be found online at http://www.scfathersandfamilies.com/public/files/docs/Nov2013UpdatedGuide.pdf. It basically walks folks through expungement (Step 4) while letting them know whether expungement is a possibility (Step 3) and, if so, which one to go for.
If you want additional information on expungement and pardons, below are also some helpful links:
The South Carolina Courts Expungements and Pardons FAQ www.sccourts.org/selfHelp/FAQExpungementPardon.pdf
The South Carolina Bar Expungements and Pardons FAQwww.scbar.org/PublicServices/ExpungementandPardons.aspx
To find legal help or a lawyer:
South Carolina Legal Services, Toll Free: 888-346-5592, Phone: 803-744-9430, Fax: 803-744-9450, www.sclegal.org
The South Carolina Bar Lawyer Referral System, 800-868-2284, www.scbar.org/publicservices/findalawyer.aspx
To find more information on the legal system in South Carolina
The South Carolina Judicial Department, www.sccourts.org
Law Help for South Carolina, www.lawhelp.org/SC
To get a copy of your criminal record
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Records Department, Post Office Box 21398, Columbia, SC 29221, 803-896-1443, www.sled.sc.gov
SLED's FAQ on Criminal Records and Expungement, www.sled.sc.gov/documents/CJIS/RecordsCheck&ExpungementFAQ.pdf
To find more information on expungement, pardons, or other issues relating to fatherhood
The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, 2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 111, Columbia, SC 29204, 803-227-8800, www.scfathersandfamilies.com
Sometimes all it takes is a little knowledge. Hope this helps.
Categories 1, ABA Litigation Section, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, Ask-A-Lawyer, attorney, blog, Court, court innovation, employment, housing, indigent, IOLTA, Law, law librarians, Law Related Education, law students, Legal, legal aid, Legal Documents, Plain English, Plain Language, poverty, poverty guidelines, pro bono, public interest attorney, Readability, Right to Counsel, SC Bar, SC Center for Fathers and Families, self-represented litigant, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, Unemployment•Tags Criminal Expungement, Expungement
Let's talk about Pro Bono
I have written about Pro Bono legal representation on different occasions, especially during or near the ABA's National Celebrate Pro Bono Week. Here in South Carolina, I've seen more discussion about it, and even a little more participation.
But, I still don't see as much participation as I would expect. So I have a question for attorneys, paralegals, and law students:
If you are not regularly engaged in pro bono representation, why not?
Please add your comments below. No expletives please. And, I'd like your honest answers.
Have you been asked?
Do you know where to find opportunities?
Are you nervous to do so on your own?
Do you think you don't have enough time to add another case?
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, Ask-A-Lawyer, attorney, blog, Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, court innovation, domestic violence, elderly, homeless, housing, Identity Theft, Immigration, indigent, Law, law librarians, law students, Legal, legal aid, Legal Documents, LEP, people with disabilities, PILA, PILS, poll, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney, Right to Counsel, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Bar, SC Center for Fathers and Families, self-represented litigant, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, USC School of Law•Tags pro bono
Happy New Year! Welcome 2014
Published on December 31, 2013 December 31, 2013 by scaccesstojusticeLeave a comment
It's been a really good year for South Carolina Access to Justice! Below is our newsletter that highlights a few items we've been working on.
SCATJ Newsletter End of Year 2013
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, Court, court innovation, indigent, Law, law students, Legal, legal aid, Legal Clinic, Legal Documents, Legal Drafting, Legalese, LEP, Limited English Proficiency, people with disabilities, Plain English, Plain Language, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney, Readability, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Bar, SC Center for Fathers and Families, self-represented litigant, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, USC School of Law•Tags access to justice, Appleseed, Center for Heirs' Property, Center for Heirs' Property Preservation, Commissioners, Happy New Year, Heirs' Property, pro bono, SC Access to Justice, SC Appleseed, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Center for Fathers and Families, SC Legal Services, SCLS, self-help center, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Jusitce, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Pro Bono, Unbundled Legal Services, University of South Carolina, University of South Carolina School of Law, USC School of Law, USC School of Law Pro Bono, USC School of Law Pro Bono Program
NEW Form for Fee Waiver for Pro Bono or Legal Services' Clients
Published on December 18, 2013 by scaccesstojusticeLeave a comment
Please see the Order below noting that Court Form SCCA 236, available in Word and pdf. It is also available online at the court's website at http://www.sccourts.org/forms/pdf/SCCA%20236.pdf. It allows the filing fee to be waived when filed in all civil actions by an attorney providing legal services to indigent persons via an approved legal service entity or the SC Pro Bono program. Please share.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina
Re: Certification of Indigent Representation, Pursuant to
Rule 3(b)(2), SCRCP Form (SCCA 236)
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
Pursuant to the provisions of S. C. CONST. Art. V, § 4,
IT IS ORDERED that SCCA Form 236, Certification of Indigent Representation Pursuant to Rule 3(b)(2), SCRCP, is approved for use in the Circuit Courts and Family Courts of this State.
Pursuant to Rule 3(b)(2), SCRCP, a party represented in a civil action by an attorney working on behalf of or under the auspices of a legal aid society or legal services or other nonprofit organization funded in whole or substantial part by funds appropriated by the United States Government or the South Carolina General Assembly, which has as its primary purpose the furnishing of legal services to indigent persons, or the SC Pro Bono program, shall have fees related to the filing of the action waived without necessity of a motion and court approval.
This form shall be completed by attorneys in civil actions as described above to certify that he or she represents an indigent person and that he or she is providing such representation on behalf of a legal aid society, legal services or other nonprofit organization
This form shall be available on the South Carolina Judicial Department website at www.sccourts.org under the 'Forms' link.
s/Jean Hoefer Toal
Jean Hoefer Toal, Chief Justice
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Court, court innovation, indigent, IOLTA, Law, Legal, legal aid, Legal Documents, poverty, poverty guidelines, pro bono, public interest attorney, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Bar, SC Center for Fathers and Families, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court•Tags Fee Waiver, New Form
New Resource for SC Seniors and Caregivers
Published on August 1, 2012 by scaccesstojustice1 Comment
The South Carolina Bar Public Services Division and the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging recently collaborated together with members of the South Carolina Bar Elder Law Committee to update the SOUTH CAROLINA SENIOR CITIZENS' HANDBOOK: A Guide to Laws and Programs Affecting Senior Citizens. This project was funded by a grant from the Administration on Aging.
This is a FREE resource and is now available online at http://www.scbar.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=QL4xW3AqA8Q%3d&tabid=204.
The print versions should start arriving in local South Carolina libraries soon.
This is a great resource for SC Seniors and/or their caregivers; it covers topics related to:
Rights and Protections
Financial Planning and Medical Decision Making
Aging Services and Aging Organizations
And an entire portion is devoted to a Community Resource Directory.
Even if you're not yet a Senior or caregiver, you may want to look into some of these sections. The information is really helpful and easily accessible. Plus, it's never too early to start planning.
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, Ask-A-Lawyer, attorney, blog, disability, elderly, Health Care, HHS, housing, Identity Theft, Law, law librarians, Legal, legal aid, Legal Documents, pro bono, public interest attorney, Readability, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Legal Services, Unemployment•Tags Aging Services and Aging Organizations, Community Resource Directory, Elder Law, Financial Assistance, Financial Planning and Medical Decision Making, Free Resource for Seniors, FREE Resources for Elderly, Free Resources for Seniors, Health Care Financing, Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging, Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, Protective Services, Rights and Protections, SC Bar, SC Bar Elder Law Committee, SC Caregiver, SC Senior, SC Senior Citizens' Handbook, SC Seniors, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Elder Law Committee, South Carolina Bar Public Services Division, South Carolina Libraries, South Carolina Senior Citizens' Handbook, South Carolina Seniors
We are pleased to share our latest newsletter.
SCATJC February2012
If you have questions, please feel free to email me.
Categories 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, Court, court innovation, divorce, elderly, foreclosure, housing, indigent, IOLTA, Law, law librarians, Law Related Education, law students, Legal, legal aid, Legal Clinic, Legal Documents, Legal Drafting, Legalese, LEP, Limited English Proficiency, Plain English, Plain Language, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney, Readability, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Bar, self-represented litigant, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, USC School of Law•Tags 5th Year Anniversary, Administration on Aging, Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, Child Support Modification, Compleat Lawyer Award, Document Assembly, FAQs, Guardian, Guardianship, HotDocs, How to Request a Court Interpreter, LEP Individuals, Lexington County, LSC, Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, Newberry County Self-Help Center, Probate Court, SC Bar Foundation Gala, SC Center for Fathers and Families, SC Legal Services, SCLS, SRLs, State of the Judiciary, Stephanie A. Nye, Thomas L. Bruce, TIG, Ward

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl