Posted on Thu, Nov. 03, 2005

By Amy Wilson Herald-leader Staff Writer

A few quick questions: Have you seen beams of light come into your room through a window? Have you ever woken up startled? Do you have chronic sinusitis? Do you have to sleep against a wall? Ever been afraid of your closet? Have ringing in your ears? A fear of doctors? Had the feeling you were going crazy? Are you aware of the cosmos, interested in ecology, the environment, vegetarianism?

Did you answer "yes" to one or more?

The good news is, welcome to the club. The bad news is, according to a study conducted in 2002 by the Roper Center for Public Opinion, these are a few of 58 positive indicators that you might be one of the 3.7 million Americans who say they have been abducted by aliens.

Even better news? There's about to be a bunch more of you.

It seems that you can Google "alien abduction," read big books, do extensive research and still come up with one conclusion: The more TV you watch, the more knowledge you have of the appearance and behavior of abducting aliens. And the more knowledge you have, the more likely you are to be abducted.

Or think you've been abducted.

Or are willing to try to convince the rest of us that you've been abducted, experimented on, had your eyes pulled out, your private parts probed and your nose implanted with some kind of thing that only the aliens can find on careful review.

So with the loyal sci-fi audience success of the new alien-themed dramas Threshold on CBS and Invasion on ABC -- last week, they netted 6 million and 3 million viewers, respectively -- the aliens might be coming soon to a back road, bedroom or bus station near you.

Ever since 1966, when Betty and Barney Hill first went public with a tale of aliens sampling their DNA, there has been a virtual epidemic of alien takings.

The abduction of the Hills made big news at the time. In 1961, the couple had reported only seeing bright lights.

But in 1966, when they went to a hypnotist, Betty revealed her brave endurance of a painful nose probe and, as if that weren't enough, she gave researchers a star map she'd glimpsed while aboard the ship.

Barney was a little less specific under hypnosis. So the practitioners asked him to draw a picture of his abductors. He did: big bald head, little slanty black eyes, no mouth, skinny. Today, it's a kind of prototype of creatures known by alien experts as "grays."

Thing is, Barney's description was exactly what the aliens had looked like on an episode of The Outer Limits. That episode, "The Bellaro Shield," had aired a little more than a week before Barney drew his picture.

Many believers

According to the Roper poll -- which, it should be noted, was conducted for the Sci-Fi Channel -- "two-thirds of Americans say they think there are other forms of intelligent life in the universe, and nearly half say they think UFOs have visited the earth in some form or that aliens have monitored life on earth. In fact, more than one in three believed that humans have interacted with extraterrestrial life forms."

As to alien kidnappings and probings, "one in five Americans say that abductions have taken place." And among those who believe in abductions, one-third claim to have experienced, or know someone

who has experienced, a close encounter. Elizabeth Loftus, the much-acclaimed psychologist at the University of California-Irvine who successfully debunked the theory of repressed memory, said television "gives visual plausibility to an abduction explanation" for any number of things -- nightmares, moles on our skin, loneliness, sexual abnormalities. People simply want to understand why they are experiencing some abnormal, frightening or confusing things.

In the 1980s, those same symptoms were typically explained away as "suddenly remembered sexual abuse," she said. It depended, she said, on which kind of therapist was consulted.

"If you were steered to a satanic therapist, it was Satan doing it," she said. "If you went to an alien-abductionist therapist, it was the aliens. If you went to a therapist who believed everything stemmed from forgotten child or sexual abuse, bingo, that was it."

Loftus, who has served as an expert witness on many such cases, has proved in the laboratory that such memories can be implanted. The problem in those cases, she says, is that there is no evidence that any of that -- the alien abduction, the sexual abuse, the satanic visitation -- ever occurred. (No doubt, she said, tragic and horrible sexual abuse does occur, but rather than being repressed, it is vividly remembered. The kind that needs to be "suggested" to a patient is something else altogether.)

Susan Clancy, a psychologist at Harvard University, agreed. In her just-published book, Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens, Clancy postulates that increased claims of abduction are "false memories," which are not the same as lies. They are created explanations, maybe even a part "of a larger spiritual quest," she said. "They're looking for answers to something bigger. They are looking for a meaning they don't get from science."

And where do they get the palette?

In the 1950s and '60s, Clancy said, aliens were represented in movies as robots or serpents, but the Outer Limits-Barney Hill drawing won the day. That's who people see. That's who they expect to see.

"Today," Clancy said, "my 2-year-old, who can't tell you the difference between a dog and a cat, can pick out the right alien. TV taught her that."

Eerie coincidences

So where does this leave the famous Stanford, Ky., abduction case -- which many believers cite as the one that can't be explained away -- nearly 30 years after its original telling?

On Jan. 6, 1976, Mona Stafford, Louise Smith and Elaine Thomas, three ordinary rural Kentucky women, reported that they had been driving on U.S. 27, 35 miles from Liberty, their hometown, when their car came under the control of outside forces, they said. A glowing laserlike beam sucked them off the road. Then things kind of went blank.

When the women came to, they said, they found themselves in the car -- but all were missing about 90 minutes of their memories. They called the police the next day. Their story was in all the papers. Polygraphed, they were unshakable.

Coincidentally, The UFO Incident, an NBC-TV movie starring James Earl Jones as Barney Hill and Estelle Parsons as Betty, was first shown Oct. 20, 1975, just 10 weeks before the eerie episode on U.S. 27. In fact, the number of reported UFO abductions after that television movie aired simply mushroomed.

Also, the National Enquirer tabloid had offered a cash prize of $100,000 for definitive proof of extraterrestrial life, but in 1976, the year of the U.S. 27 incident, the prize was bumped to $1 million. In the decade before 1975, there had been 50 abduction-type reports -- about five a year. From 1976 to 1978, the rate was about 50 a year.

Still, the Kentucky case remained famous because the women -- two are now dead and one moved west, where she could talk about the experience and not be ridiculed, she said -- stuck to their story. The academic who hypnotized them and the Lexington police lieutenant who polygraphed the trio are both dead. The Mutual UFO Network investigator who interviewed them is likewise unreachable.

Abduction reports tend to come in waves, almost as if they are the fashion. Why? Because socially, the experience has no downside. Unlike people who are sexually abused or who are victims of satanic rituals, alien abductees tend to be proud and talkative about the experiences. It makes them special.

It has done something else, Harvard's Clancy said. Three good decades of TV and movies have made aliens less scary than, say, terrorists. So we embrace them, especially now.

ABC and NBC, the networks behind Invasion and Threshold, are counting on it.

Have you been abducted?

To view the list of 58 positive indicators for alien abduction, go to http://groups.msn.com/ ProjectUFO-AbductionSupport Center/abductionsigns2.msnw. You must register to access the site, but it's free.

Reach Amy Wilson at (859) 231-3305 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3305, or awilson1@herald-leader.com.

Under Project Blue Book (1947 to 1969), the Air Force investigated UFO's then in 1977, NASA was asked to examine the possibility of resuming UFO investigations. After studying all of the facts available, it was determined that nothing would be gained by further investigation, since there was an absence of tangible evidence.

In October 1992, NASA was directed by Congress to begin a detailed search for artificial radio signals from other civilizations under the NASA Towards Other Planetary Systems (TOPS)/High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS) program (also known as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence project). Congress directed NASA to end this project in October 1993, citing pressures on the US Federal budget. The HRMS did not detect any confirmed signal before it was stopped. However, similar work will continue in a more limited manner through efforts of private groups and through academic institutions. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI Institute) in Mountain View, CA, effectively replaced the Government project, borrowing the signal processing system from NASA. The SETI Institute is a nonprofit corporation conducting research in a number of fields including all science and technology aspects of astronomy and planetary sciences, chemical evolution, the origin of life, biological evolution, and cultural evolution.

During several space missions, NASA astronauts have reported phenomena not immediately explainable however, in every instance NASA determined that the observations could not be termed " abnormal" in the space environment.

The 1947 to 1969 USAF investigations studied UFO's under Project Blue Book. The project, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was terminated December 17, 1969. Of the total of 12,618 sightings reported to Project Blue Book, 701 remain " unidentified."

The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on an evaluation of a report prepared by the University of Colorado entitled, " Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects " a review of the University of Colorado's report by the National Academy of Sciences previous UFO studies and Air Force experience investigating UFO reports during the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

As a result of experience, investigations, and studies since 1948, the conclusions of Project Blue Book were: (1) no UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force was ever a threat to our national security (2) there was no evidence submitted to, or discovered by, the Air Force that sightings categorized as " unidentified" represented technological developments or principles beyond the range of modern scientific knowledge and (3) there was no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as " unidentified" were extraterrestrial vehicles.

With the termination of Project Blue Book, the USAF regulation establishing and controlling the program for investigating and analyzing UFO's was rescinded. Documentation regarding the former Project Blue Book investigation was permanently transferred to the Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records Service, in Washington, DC 20408, and is available for public review and analysis.

Since the termination of Project Blue Book, nothing has occurred that would support a resumption of UFO investigations by the USAF or NASA. Given the current environment of steadily decreasing defense and space budgets, it is unlikely that the Air Force or NASA will become involved in this type of costly project in the foreseeable future.

Since neither NASA nor the Air Force is engaged in day-to-day UFO research, neither one reviews UFO-related articles intended for publication, evaluates UFO-type spacecraft drawings, or accepts accounts of UFO sightings or applications for employment in the field of aerial phenomena investigation.

UFO Points of Contact For further information on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, see the The SETI Institute's Web Site.

News media requiring Project Blue Book files should contact the National Archives Public Affairs Office, (202) 501-5525. Public queries should be addressed to the Project Blue Book archivist at (202) 501-5385. For queries not related to Project Blue Book, contact the National Archives receptionist at (202) 501-5400.

Documentation is available from: Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records Service, Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408.

The Air Force publication, " The Roswell Report: Fact Vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert," a lengthy document providing all of the details available from the Air Force on the Roswell incident, is available for $52 from the US Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328.

There are a number of universities and professional scientific organizations that have considered UFO phenomena during periodic meetings and seminars. A list of private organizations interested in aerial phenomena may be found in Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations.

By Beth Fowler. [November 5, 2005]

Why the influx of orb photos -- and what are orbs?

Most orbs are caught on digital cameras.

This is the most popular way to take pictures -- almost every household owns one -- so this would explain the increase in the number of orb photos.

* Myth or Facts?

Some skeptics have their theories about orbs:

1. Orbs are just pixel distortions in the electronics of cameras. This could be true -- if almost every picture taken with a camera contains orbs. In that case, get the camera fixed or buy a new one.

2. Other skeptics suggest that orbs could be reflections off of dust particles that are floating in a room, or off of a moth or some other insect flying around.

3. Others say orbs are just someone shining a flashlight into the camera.

But...

1. But why would one only photograph orbs on occasion, and only in one location? Can a camera take distorted pictures randomly? Possibly. But in one investigation, the orbs mainly appeared in one room. The only other room the orbs appeared in -- and only once -- was in a nearly adjacent room. But we took pictures throughout the house on every visit -- and only that one room had orb activity. And with pixel distortions in digital cameras, you cannot see through the 'orbs,' nor can you see actual faces in them.

2. If orbs were caused by dust particles floating about a room, the photo should be nearly white with the reflection coming off of all the dust particles. So why are there only one, or a few, orbs in some photos?

As for the insect theory, after taking the photo you'd see the insect buzzing around. And if you photograph an insect and the light does happen to reflect off it -- it wouldn't be a perfect orb and wouldn't have the layers of some orbs. Plus, I think most people are smart enough to know an insect when they see one.

3. Yes, some people try to fake photos with a flashlight or candle. But with a flashlight, the glare on the camera is intense and looks fake. And with a candle, you see the flame's glow in the center -- and any software program can enlarge the photo to reveal that it's a fake. As for using software to fake photos -- unless you are a master of fakery, even an amateur can take that photo and use their own program to learn where the photo has been doctored.

* VIDEOS

But how does one explain orbs caught on video? I can see the insect theory working here. But as I said, most people can distinguish between an insect and something unusual. I had an orb fly right up to me -- saw it through the screen on the camera! -- and when I looked up, no insect.

As for dust, again, there'd be so many particles reflecting light that all you'd see is a sea of white.

And if orbs were caused by a pixel distortion on the video camera - then all shots taken with that camera would have the same problem.

And unless you're a master at filmmaking and fakery -- an amateur can usually discern a fake orb video within an hour.

I believe the orbs we've caught on video are something more. They don't float, but rather 'dance' around. And when we talk to them, these orbs float to the person speaking (or concentrating). A rock doesn't approach you when you speak to it, nor does it have any reaction, neither does steel or the like.

Only things with a conscious or life energy seem to have a reaction when communication is involved.

* Guides & Angels

A world-famous psychic that I respect -- and believe me, I can count the ones I do on one hand! -- believes that orbs are "guides" or "guardian angels." After seeing an orb hover over my 14-year-old niece one night, then seeing it disappear behind her, I think that is not only a lovely thought -- but possibly true!

In the same house, a woman sat down and concentrated as a photo was taken. A huge orb appeared beside her head, and I had a vision of the woman's grandfather. So could orbs be spirits or visitations -- messages from deceased loved ones? Absolutely possible.

The notion of orbs as deceased loves ones is compatible with the angel/guide theory. Most people believe that their deceased loved ones return to check up on them when needed.

* Aliens?

Another theory states that orbs are aliens.

Not that I don't believe there are other life forms in the universe and that we might be monitored -- but why would there be so many 'aliens' in one house? Especially in a house full of ordinary people, with no significant political power?

* Orbs Are Conscious

In conclusion, I believed that orbs are some type of "consciousness." What kind -- guides, angels, dearly departed -- no one knows. One house I've investigated has a room with orbs, plasma, and apparitions. My theory is that there might possibly be a portal on that piece of land. The theory of departed loved ones watching over the house's residents cannot be disputed either.

Others believe there's more than one dimension in our world. Anywhere from five to an infinity. And in these other dimensions, other consciousness 'live' and on occasion enter ours and communicate -- or stumble in by accident. They've always been here, but it's only now that so many people have had the technology to capture them. Maybe they're trying to tell us something -- about ourselves, about the world around us, about our future as a planet.

As technology advances and becomes less expensive, what other amazing paranormal activity will we discover?

Copyright 2005 by Beth Fowler.

Beth Fowler is Head of Investigations for Alberta Paranormal Investigations H.A.P.I.A.