SUBJECT: UFO TERMS, HELPFUL INFORMATION FILE: UFO1501 The following article was originally published in the science magazine OMNI. It is reproduced here exactly as it appeared in its original form, without so much as a misplaced comma, period, or question mark. From "OMNI"--December 1990 THE ALIEN ALMANAC: THE PEOPLES FIRST UFO LEXICON FOR THE NINETIES by Dennis Stacy The field of UFOlogy has changed drastically over the past 20 years-- and so has the language used to describe extraterrestrials, UFO witnesses, and alien ships. In the Forties and Fifties UFO buffs described their observations of mysterious objects in the night sky, bandying such terms as FLYING SAUCER and LITTLE GREEN MEN with aplomb. In the Sixties these UFO stories, recorded by the Air Force in its notorious Project Blue Book, became legion around the world. Finally, in the Seventies, UFO advocates got into the physicality of the phenomenon, reporting "nocturnal lights," "daylight discs," and even electronic blips racing across radar screens. Seventies UFO fans also referred to "close encounters," including the consciousness-raising "close encounters of the third kind," in which humans and aliens meet. But UFOlogy has gone through a radical change, and in the Nineties the terms of the past are largely obsolete. During the past decade, for instance, literally thousands of people have come forward to say they've been kidnapped, or "abducted," by short, large headed, thin-lipped entities with saucer eyes. Yet others report weird "crop circles," mutilated cattle, and frightening "men-in-black." If you've fallen behind the times, you can now catch up with the UFO lexicon below. ABDUCTIONS: Occur whenever a human speciamn is taken aboard a UFO against his or her will. Those reporting the experience are reffered to as 'abductees.' ANIMAL MUTILATIONS: Typically refers to surgically mutilated cattle carcasses found primarily throughout the American West and Southwest. Horses, pigs, cats, and other animals may also be attacked. Soft external tissues like the eyes, lips, and sexual organs may be excised with almost laserlike precision. Internal organs and tissue like the heart and, on occasion, fetuses may be removed as well. The animal carcass is frequently found in a remote area, devoid of blood, after hovering lights have been seen above. Many law-enforcement agencies attribute animal mutilations to wild animals or satanic cult activities, though few arrests in that context have ever been made. CONTACTEES: Unlike the abductees, contactees have reported almost universally benevolent experiences. Commonly, the Aryan-looking aliens they report warn against nuclear war and pollution and criticize man's materialistic ways. COSMIC WATERGATE: New Brunswick nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman may not have coined the phrase 'cosmic watergate,' but he claims to have used it more often than any living UFOlogist. First used in the wake of the Republican break-in at Democratic headquarters in the Watergate complex, Washington, DC, the term refers to an alleged government cover-up of aliens and UFOs. CRASHED SAUCERS: According to rumor, several crashed flying discs were recovered and secreted away by the military authorities over the years. Some UFOlogists claim that alien bodies have been retrieved as well. CROP CIRCLES: Strange swirled cirlces in Britain's breadbasket first appeared in significant numbers during the summer of 1980. Last year alone more than 500 such circles surfaced, many showing a growing complexity of evolution in terms of patterns and display. Explananations range from the meteorological to the supernatural. GRAYS: So-called because of their pallid, dolphinlike skin and complexion. The most commonly reported alien humanoid entities, Grays are typically described as dwarfish in stature with oversized, fetuslike heads; large, slanted black eyes; and scrawny limbs. HYPNOTIC REGRESSION: The process by which UFOlogists hypnotize abductees to help them recall details of the core abduction experience. IMPLANTS: Tiny, BB-shaped monitoring devices inserted during the standard abduction and subsequent physical examination of humans by alien beings. Usually inserted through the nasal passages and other obscure orifices of the victim, implants have reportedly been lodged in the brains of some abuctees and, in at least one instance, in the penis. MEN IN BLACK: Long a staple of the dark side of UFO lore, the notorious MIB first surfaced in "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," a 1956 book by the late UFO entrepreneur Gray Barker. Posing as governemt agents, Men In Black suddenly appear on a UFO witness' doorstep, demanding photographic negatives or other UFO evidence while warning the witness to keep quiet about what he may have seen. MIB typically appear in pairs or threes and dress in conservative dark suits. They typically drive black Cadillacs or some other large, dark-colored American sedan. MISSING TIME: An episode of amnesia reported in association with a UFO abduction or close encounter. Such gaps in awareness commonly surface in a piecemeal fashion, most vividly as a result of hypnotic regression. NORDS: The second most prominant type of UFO occupant reported after the diminutive Grays. The nordic aliens--or Nords, for short-- customarily resemble human beings of Scandinavian descent. They have blue eyes and blonde hair and, unlike the malevolent Grays, are generally percieved as neutral or benevolent. TECTONIC STRAIN: The earth's surface is made up of several large, floating plates constantly colliding in slow motion with one another. The result: active tectonic strain released as earthquakes and volcanic activity. Some researchers have suggested that geomagnetic fields produced by the tectonic strain create the strange lights sometimes interpreted as UFOs. Under certain circumstances, theory has it, the geomagnetic fields could directly affect the human nervous system, intiating visual, auditory, and spatial hallucinations that might be interpreted as an interaction with UFOs and their occupants. ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************