Area 52: The UFO Magazine Blog

CONGRESSIONAL HITCH

2006-08-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

The vaunted International UFO Congress held several times in the gambling mini-mecca of Laughlin, Nevada typically offered a hodgepodge of speakers that made wading through the b.s. virtually a bath in a bog, if you will. (Free escape to the casino was one stand-out bennie) That's not to say some truly interesting and believeable folks didn't attend to reveal their "insider" knowledge of certain

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

2006-07-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE '80S...

2006-06-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Cue sarcastic tone."YEAH, RIGHT."

NOT ANOTHER CRISIS!

2006-05-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

AS IF HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH ON HIS MIND ALREADY...

20th CENTURY MEMORIES

2006-03-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the mid-'90s, our friend Dwight Schultz (Reg Barclay of "Star Trek" and Howlin' Mad Murdock of that super-fave thriller-satire series from the '80s, "The A-Team," among many other roles) invited Don and me to the set of "Star Trek: Voyager." It wasn't hard to ponder how many "Star Trek" fans would kill for such an opportunity, and at the time I was already a bit star-struck by

DEEP WATER WORLD

2006-03-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Baby boomers like me may have faint recollections of the 3D horror movies we may have seen as children (if Mom and Dad let us), but the technology has been given a 21st century boost with the creation of IMAX. If our world is slowly evolving into 100 percent virtuality, this may be where it starts.Aptly, the current DEEP SEA 3D (opening tomorrow, March 3) IMAX flick enlarges the hypnotically

FISH STORY

2006-02-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

It was exciting at first read, but the mass email announcing post-tsunami the startling "new species" of fish discovered in Thailand was a hoax. Well, not exactly a hoax, as the weird and wonderful fish pictured are real. But apparently they weren't discovered after the tsunami. According to Practical Fish Keeping Magazine, the fish pictured were actually collected during a joint New Zealand and

Not A Fine Morning

2006-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

"This isn't the home of the three bears, is it?"Cartoon by Mike Hammers, Lexington, KY

THOUGHT for the YEAR

2006-01-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

HORRORS ON THE C-DRIVE

2005-09-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

After reading Jeremy Vaeni's latest column (for the Oct./Nov. issue; y'all will be reading it before too long), wherein he questions the context in which we befuddled humans view the aliens, and while quickly cruising my hard drive, I stumbled onto a set of photos that someone emailed us long ago. I usually dismiss these things out of hand. There's no way to test their validity, but, seeing as

NUFOC in Hollywood

2005-09-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

It may look as if and so you reasonably assumed we've taken a long and cavalier vacation from doing our consistent blogging on this wonderful UFOmag site, and you'd be wrong. We've just been lazy and depressed. Lazy is more typical; the depressed part entails a long story that is certainly capped by vicious Katrina and the quick work she made of the Gulf Coast, most pitifully the stinky demise of

LOOK CLOSER . . .

2005-05-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

Source: The Mail & Guardian - Johannesburg, South Africahttp://tinyurl.com/789jd09 August 2004Alien Message 'May Be In Our DNA'Sydney-- Forget waiting for ET to call - the most likely place to findan alien message is in our DNA, according to an expert in Australia. Professor Paul Davies, from the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at Macquarie University in Sydney, believes a cosmic

SELECTIVE SANCTITY

2005-05-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Vatican theologian Monsignor Corrado Balducci made a name for himself in ufology with his open ET beliefs. Unfortunately, the Monsignor elaborated on those beliefs at the recent X-Conference without reference to documented phenomena that conflict with his own stance. Below is the relevant excerpt from Michael Brownlee's commentary on the conference. Introducing his theme, and eerily setting the

STICKY SITUATION!

2005-04-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

CARTOON COURTESY KELLY KLEINMAN

`MARTIAN MAIDS' KEEP ROVER SPIC'N'SPAN!

2004-12-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Reuters newswire in London reports a claim from New Scientist magazine about an unexplained cleaning phenomenon that apparently has boosted the performance of one of the two U.S. rovers probing the surface of Mars. Something -- or someone -- seems to delight in cleaning the multiple layers of Mars dust that collects on the solar panels of the Mars Opportunity vehicle when it's closed down

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

2004-12-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

A.J. Gaevard, the editor of Brazil's prestigious UFO magazine, announces the 21st anniversary of his publication. Gaevard has appeared at a number of American UFO conferences over the years, regaling audiences with accounts of the numerous UFO incursions and sightings that have distinguished his South American country for decades--possibly centuries. Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan vanity aside,

NEVER FORGET

2004-10-04T17:22:00.002-07:00

The Fund for UFO Research recently sent out a news release that's actually some cogent facts from the past, a firm reminder as to the reality of a phenomenon that never ceases to fade and yet consistently gets short shrift from mainstream media. The "news," as follows: THE MYTH OF UFOs The lack of interest in UFOs, which has been displayed for many years by the scientific community and the news

FORGER GATE

2004-09-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

"Forged? But I passed that memo by both Franken and McAuliffe, and both men gave it a very hearty and sincere thumbs up!" Besides the fact that the media tiresomely adds the word "gate" to every political scandal that pops up to mildly rattle news junkies, Dan Rather's comeuppance of late in these waning weeks of the Presidential campaigns comes as no real surprise to those who have watched

First Things First

2004-09-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Bill Hamilton comments that he couldn't find the facts in newsman George Knapp's article about Dan Burisch in our current issue, and that George is just not familiar with all the work he and his compadres have put into the case. That's really great, Bill, but what about the back-up information and proof so sorely needed to add even a shred of credence to Burisch's claims? Furthermore, should we

Shall We Bury Burisch?

2004-08-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

DAN BURISCH It's well known that most UFO people don't work or play well together. But since most of them are adults, you'd think they'd study all the facts and recommended materials (as directed in grade school) before disputing the work of bonafide researchers--then taking the test--then failing, utterly. For instance: On a Burisch-connected internet forum, Bill Hamilton, one of the sources

NEW ISSUE

2004-07-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

The August/September issue just came on the stands, and it's eerily reminiscent of some past issues--not in look, necessarily, but in the aim of much of the editorial. In the past, one of UFO Magazine's greatest accomplishments and innovations was featuring reportage that exposed notorious liars and hoaxsters (e.g, Guy Kirkwood and Bill Cooper), presenting a little investigative journalism

That Alien

2004-06-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

The admittedly provocative photo of the Grey Alien on this website has stirred up controversy, much of it concerning the related furor over self-proclaimed government whistleblower Dan Burisch (aka Dan Crain). The next issue of UFO Magazine will carry extensive coverage of Mr. Burisch and his wild tales concerning what looks to be a figment of his well-exercised imagination: J-Rod, the alien.

Starflight - Part 3 Revisted

2004-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I took a day off but now I'm back. So, let me catch you up. So here we are, my buddy Chuck, my Tandy 1000 EX computer (which by the way had NO Hard Drive, only one internal 360 K floppy drive, an external 360 K floppy drive, a WHOLE 384 K of RAM, a CGA monitor where you could actually count the pixels) and myself with my very first computer game ever ... STARFLIGHT! We had been playing

More Catching Up-Starflight Revisted!

2004-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, back to it! Now yesterday I relayed the purchase of this new game (my very first computer game ... ever) and how it "grabbed me" from the start. My best buddy Chuck came over to check it out and I explained everything I knew about it to him, then showed him what was up with it on the computer. We sat down and began ... exploring the Interstel universe. Anyway what you need here is money ..

Catching Up on Stuff

2004-06-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I suppose it is time to post some more of my fascinating life of late. Today I got to have my trusty Nissan Truck get a Smog Check to satisfy all the good elected officials sitting up in Sacramento, then pay for a new years registration. Now I'm all legal for another year! Hurray. Exciting huh? In my previous post I mentioned really loving electronic gizmo's including my brand new cell

Me and Catherine Zeta-Jones

2004-05-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, as I once stated very loudly ... I love electronic gizmos. Of all sorts ... computers, whiz-bangs, pocket assistants, etc. I always have and I always will. No kidding. Not to mention that TV advertising can really ( now and again ) get my juices flowing. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas's wife has been touting T-Mobile cell phones forever. Just about every time I flip on the tube this

Disclosure

2004-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

This morning, half of our entire UFO Magazine staff of four boarded a jet for the east and will attend the X-PPAC Conference in Gaithersburg, MD, taking place two weekends from now. This unusual opportunity will allow magazine personnel to hear first-hand how a select group of academics and researchers views the long-term UFO cover-up in context of what is implied as a vital and even

Addendum

2004-04-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

My decision to relay the four days in 1972 that changed my life were in some way's liberating ... and in otherway's a point of much personal pain. I decided to sit in front of my computer, allowed my mind to drift back and then I composed the narrative as the memories came to me. Of course there were a lot of things I left out, some by necessity because of space, time, and also because I didn't

Remembering the Elephant - Last Day

2004-04-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Easter Sunday, April 2nd, 1972 arrived at 12:01 AM with a bang, actually a whole lot of them. The NVA wanted to make sure we knew they had lots and lots of artillery and by then we really believed them. I had mentioned we got probed yesterday, but it was nothing too serious. What I meant was the probing action didn't cause any American wounded or dead, but we did get some trigger time. If you're

Remembering the Elephant - Day Three

2004-04-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Quang Tri City and all the surrounding areas were in turmoil on April 1st. Swarms of refugees were making their way down Highway One. People pushing carts or riding bicycles, hampered by their possessions strapped on, motor bikes putt-putting down the road spewing that unforgettable stench of mo-gas. As I now recall, the sky was dark, gray and overcast. Looking around our site, I saw it literally

Remembering the Elephant - Day Two

2004-03-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

I woke up sometime very early on March 31st. I was still a bit drunk and hung-over but I was feeling too lousy to stay in my sack. Phu Bai was my parent unit, and before I had been sent north I had been stationed there so I still had some stuff stored. I found a clean set of jungle fatigues and went to the shower stalls. It had been some time since I could shower or bathe or even shave for that

Remembering the Elephant

2004-03-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to blog again and call it "Remembering the Elephant." For whatever reason, this is not something I can do daily. First, I don't even know if anyone cares what I think so why subject them to daily ramblings? As I write this, it is March 30, 2004. Exactly 32 years ago today, I saw the "elephant." Now, I don't know if you will understand that, so allow me to explain. Back during

Dark Matters `n' Stuff

2004-03-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today, here in sunny Southern California, is a gorgeous day! I feel really good, had a DYN-O-MITE show last evening, got to do some yard work, and generally an all around good day. When you do radio or TV, you know immediately if it was good or not. Last night was good! Dwight Schultz and I often tackle heavy subjects ... see last week. Even for me those shows can be trying. But last night was

My novel - Past Sins

2004-03-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, it has been sometime since I've blogged here at the blog ... lots of stuff has been going on. It is funny, sometimes I will get the urge to write and I keep at it until my fingers cramp up. Other times I just don't feel like it and so I don't. My novel was something else however ...... A few years ago, running for several years, at Halloween and then again at Christmas I felt the urge to

Issue, finis!

2004-03-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

We finally went to press with the April/May issue. Besides the fact that the weather in our neck of the country is just plain paradisical (clear, sparklingly sunny, 85 degrees) , the accomplishment of completing a second issue after the nerve-wracking transition our company went through makes me feel like I just finished my very own bottle of Moet & Chandon. And the tingly, tickly bubbly went all

The Premier of DARK MATTERS!

2004-01-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it has happened once more.... we are back on the air! It has been 5 1/2 years since we were doing a show ... the last time was STRANGE DAZE ... which began in late 1997 .... 3 years after UFOs Tonite! The radio journey is a strange one. I asked myself, did I really want to do it again? Back in the mid-90's while doing UFOs Tonite! I had a real Love/Hate relationship with radio. We had a

2004...already!

2004-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Awesome! Miraculous! Stupendous! Transformative! Cool! We've gone to press! Not only that--unstapled pages are back, Dwight and Don have returned to Radioland and soooooo...... ..........there's no denying that the "boys (and girls) are back in town. " To those who ever doubted us... Oh, ye of little faith! The year has begun auspiciously and we're looking toward a pert

The Season is Upon Us ...

2003-12-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

... the magazine publishing season, that is! Meanwhile, the minute Vicki and Don step out for a moment to themselves, we go hog-wild. We start sending Christmas cards! There's a poem on the cards that begins: T'was the month before Christmas, amidst candies and honey That the news fell upon us: we'd run out of money. ... and it goes downhill from there. To see a full version, refer to the

Buy 'til you Die.

2003-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

So FOX News broadcast this money program that was given the captioned theme, "Shop 'til You Drop or Your Stocks Will Flop." I thought it was a joke at first. Uh-uh. That got me to thinking. But first I had to go shopping... Totally out of character and obviously overcome with some sort of inexplicable delirium, I chose the day after Thanksgiving. This while yet another feckless shopper was

Rupublicans and Democrats can finally agree ...

2003-11-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Why vote for a lesser evil?

Just Testing the Waters (so to speak) of Bloggerdom

2003-11-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

KING OF THE DEEP Chapter 9 The observation tank was huge, its capacity rivaling a score of Olympic-size swimming pools. Windows dotted the perimeter, with viewing platforms erected before each. The panes of shatterproof glass were several inches thick and the surrounding frames were reinforced with steel, enough to hold back the huge force of water within. The project’s biologists and

It's in!!

2003-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

The line at Fedex ran all the way into the parking lot, mostly package pickups. We'd put the pages up on the Simon & Schuster server, just as a mirror to the CD that was in the Fedex pouch I was carrying and just in case. But the five pounds of hard copy had to get there by Monday. After all, the book title was already up on Amazon, see the link. So, as Captain Jack Aubrey likes to say, "growl

November 22

2003-11-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

Red will never be dead, passionate and primal color that it is. On this 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's bloody murder, we're once again plunged back in time by the memory of that defining moment of "our generation." Certain emblematic assumptions grew from that horrible day, probably the most frequently referred to being the fact that most of us remember exactly where we were when his

the gauntlet

2003-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Although I'm on page 283 in the index (schultz,c,bertrand) and I really should be doing NOTHING else, I can't resist a poo-um. Especially a college one. Aren't they lovely? I have stashed all mine in storage in boxes that I've thoughtfully numbered, so alas, I can't lay hands on the work of my yout. I do, however, remember one that begins, "Red, red, on infinity fed ... when will the color be

A Poem I Wrote in College

2003-11-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

"Fall is mysteries Unchanging in its call to change Stirring the unborn from their sleeping state." (That's all I can remember, though I wrote some other hokey phrases like "cries of wind" and "torrents that this season can create."-- note the rhyme!) Few things are literarily as embarrassing as Poems You Wrote When Young!

About Nov 18

2003-11-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

Today is supposed to be some sort of mystical date. I can't remember why, or where I heard that. "There's magic in the air, tra-la . . . ." So write this day down in your memory book: November 18. Special note to Nancy & Bill: If you haven't napped yet, get to it!!

whew!

2003-11-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

chapters are off to fedex. beyond tired. thumb hurts from the trackpad. tired of typos. tired tired tired. now all's i gots to do is the index. can't be that hard, right? it's alphabetical. and then -- the website. but first: nap.

So you say.

2003-11-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Nancykins, I DO NOT have all those icons! Honest! As I type this, my eyes gravitate to the upper right, where I DO see the "ABC check." Next to that is a small, thin vertical line, then a pushpin with the word "Post," followed by two tiny computer screens with the words "Post & Publish." Why is Blogger shortchanging me on icons? Must I do it manually? Am I that much out of the

Linka Dinka

2003-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Here on my input screen here are several little icons to the upper right of this text block. The "abc" check mark is a spell check and the one beside it makes the links like so: my daughter's blog. Next to that icon is a capitol B for bold and a capitol I for italic. Notice that when you press them as you type, they should give you the html code you need to make links, bold, or italic text.

Help, Nancy!

2003-11-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

Don't break your web pace, but tell me why I cannot find the "upload icons" to add a link or a this or that to my post! Am I looking in the wrong place? Shouldn't it be in the space above this edit window? It's not. Something's wrong. Once I find the right place I think I know how to add links!

Kiss A Vet ...

2003-11-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

... for those who can't ... On a lighter note, let me know if you have trouble making links here. As per our conversation this afternoon, it will probably be a good idea to have a blog for each and every writer on the magazine who wants one. We will therefore have a city of blogs! I got a call back from another printer (in Carson) who is making up quotes for us; Bill's going to call Donnelly

UFO Mag -- What's the Story?

2003-11-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Our esteemed research director (also a veteran--tomorrow is his day of honor) knows UFO history inside out, backwards-forwards, upside-down. A comfortable position only for bats in caves, the latter state nevertheless may be an apt description of the greatest UFO Magazine ever (Prejudiced? Moi?) in its current process of vital transition. The entire book (as mags are called in the trade) is

UFOs- What's the story?

2003-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

THE REAL AND THE UNREAL: AN UNEXPURGATED UFO HISTORY Hello, and welcome to UFO Magazine's Blog Site. My name is Don Ecker, and I am the Director of Research. Ever since I witnessed the UFO phenomenon back in 1966, I have been fascinated by this enigma, by what it might be and what it might mean. Of course, many just assume UFOs are from an ET culture and take it from

"AWWWWWWWWWWW!"

2003-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Baby toes. I think that should be our logo! You did it, girl, now you have to teach me how to post photos....but the problem is, I don't have a scanner. But I am assuming I can learn to upload digitals that I have in my PC...like my grandsons...I'll send you one. See what you can do!

Baby Toes

2003-11-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

Now, all together: awwwwwwwwwwwwww

Another try

2003-11-07T22:43:00.000-08:00

I did it! Yay! I'm so cool. La la.

So yeah, no photos so far.

2003-11-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

This sucks.

Another try

2003-11-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

We need fotoes!

2003-11-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, we must memoralize the Soup. I am going to try this:

Soupy.....

2003-11-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

.....Unfortunately, is coyote soup. Don and I admitted that to ourselves during "Tremors" and now I have a weekend to come to terms with it. I'd love to have a Soupy retrospective here. Plenty of photos. Don even did a digi-movie of him and Buckwheat playing during B's puppyhood. 'Scuse me. Gotta go grab a Kleenex.

Ahem. Well, I can too, nyah!

2003-11-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

You insulted my PC and now it's pouting. Of COURSE I can bookmark a given site! It's just that my brain cells don't bookmark logical transitions that well. As for the j-peg screen grab--that's something I can ask my dear curmudgeonly spouse about. I've always known you're a reproter at heart. That's cuz you shamelessly ask questions of complete starngers. You have no idea how much I admire such

2003-11-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

I Can

2003-11-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

I seem to be able to bookmark this fill-in screen ... my browser setup on the Mac remembers me and my password and I just come back here, rather than the front page, if I want to write something. I'm pretty sure somewhere in the poor PC world that you inhabit, you can do the same. Is the type for the comment-line too small on your machine? I can make it larger. Can you do a jpeg screen-grab of

Oh.

2003-11-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I have to log in at the Blogger home site first? I can't post directly from Area 52? When Ron and I went for lunch today we both exclaimed our shock at seeing Don hang out with a Mac as long as he did!

Testing for Photos

2003-11-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

I've changed the setting at my end, and now you *may* see see a more elaborate screen when you go to enter text. I am just a wizard. Or, you may not. Let's see if the photo adds easily:

Am I Don? Who am I?

2003-11-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

See, that was a mistake -- I didn't sign out since Don's session on my machine this afternoon. Either that, or Don is now using a Mac ... nah.

Pour Soupy

2003-11-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I hope Soupy isn't soup, yet. Meanwhile, I'm working on the website: grid-based and file-folder motif, and I think (hope) it will be snazzy. Meanwhile, we might as well work on this blog until we feel comfy. I will erase all these entries as soon as we feel "live." As for photos -- there should be a pull-down menu up at the top of the window here for attaching photos. I will search for it. The

My response to the response

2003-11-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

The previous post wasn't supposed to go twice. Technology is tough, tough tough!

2003-11-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Hey. Must admit, this is pretty darn cool. But where are the pictures? <> About those classic phone calls, BTW. The length of time you can stand to listen equals the approximate degree of your overall character. temerity and psychic vulnerability. Hint: tone of voice says a lot, as does a call starting with "I heard this buzzing in my head, and then . . . " Will work on a pacification

Response to Your Test!

2003-11-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

Don's Test

2003-11-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their blog.

Good Morning!

2003-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

We're getting some phone calls in the v-berth. I am certainly inspired to get going, based on the urgency in our subscriber's voices.

test test test

2003-11-07T01:22:00.000-08:00

hello.

Another Test

2003-11-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah, working into the night. What else is new?

Testing

2003-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

testing the new design

My Favorite Blog

2003-11-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Should we (eventually) ask the various writers to join in here? Again, I like a group blog because it can really give you something to read -- my all-time favorite blog is Metafilter.

2003-11-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome Vicki, Don, Bill, and (when he gets a computer) Ron. I hope you each have something to say. For example, should we go to or try to cover the Majestic Conference? Let's discuss, below. This blog is somewhat private -- because no one knows we're here. I can delete all these posts after we go live.

2003-11-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Third post to test this out. I sure don't like the kellers.

2003-11-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

Second test post.

2003-11-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

This is the first test post.