SUBJECT: ODYSSEY ON-LINE MAGAZINE, VOL I, NO. 3 FILE: UFO1509 ±±±±±±±±Ü ÜÜÜÜÜ Ü Ü ÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ Ü Ü ±±Ûßßß±±Û Û Û ÛÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜ ÛÜÜÜ ÛÜ ÛÜÜÛ ±±Û ±±Û ÜÛÜÜÛ ÜÜÜÛ ÜÜÜÛ ÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÛ ±±Û ±±Û ±±Û ±±Û ÜÜÜ Ü Ü ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ Ü ÜÜÜÜ ±±Û ±±Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛÜ ±±±±±±±±Û Û ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ Û ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜ ßßßßßßßß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²² [The Official Fringe Science Newsletter Of Odyssey!] Table of Contents 1. CLIPPINGS ................................................ 1 Odyssey NewsWire ......................................... 1 OO 2-01 Page 1 4 Jan 1992 ================================================================= CLIPPINGS ================================================================= JAPAN'S SCC, ARIANESPACE AGREE ON REPLACEMENT SATELLITE LAUNCH TOKYO (NOV. 29) KYODO - SPACE COMMUNICATIONS CORP. (SCC), A JAPANESE COMMUNICATIONS FIRM IN THE MITSUBISHI BUSINESS GROUP, ANNOUNCED FRIDAY IT HAS REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FRENCH ARIANESPACE COMPANY FOR THE LAUNCHING OF A SUBSTITUTE FOR ITS ''SUPERBIRD A'' SATELLITE, WHICH WENT OUT OF OPERATION LAST DECEMBER. THE NEW SATELLITE ''A'' IS SCHEDULED TO BE LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER NEXT YEAR AND TO START OPERATING IN FEBRUARY 1993, SCC OFFICIALS SAID. SCC, SET BY MITSUBISHI CORP. AND OTHER MITSUBISHI AFFILIATES IN 1985, ALSO PLANS TO LAUNCH A SECOND ''B'' SATELLITE NEXT FEBRUARY. IT, TOO, WILL BE LAUNCHED FROM FRENCH GUIANA BY AN ARIANE ROCKET. AN EARLIER ''B'' LAUNCHING FAILED IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, THE OFFICIALS SAID. THE NEW SATELLITES WILL BE MANUFACTURED BY SPACE SYSTEMS LORAL OF THE UNITED STATES, THEY SAID. THE SATELLITES, BOTH WITH SOLAR CELL WINGS AND 34 TRANSPONDERS EACH, WILL WEIGH 2,550 KILOGRAMS EACH AT BLAST-OFF AND SHOULD LAST 10 YEARS, THEY SAID. * Odyssey News Wire ARIANESPACE SIGNS LAUNCH CONTRACT WITH SPACE COMMUNICATIONS CORP. WASHINGTON (NOV. 29) PR NEWSWIRE - Arianespace today announced the signing of the launch contract of the SUPERBIRD A satellite with Space Communications Corporation. This spacecraft will be put into orbit at the end of 1992 using an ARIANE 4 launcher from the Kourou Space Center, French Guiana. Built by the Space Systems/Loral company of Palo Alto, Calif., its weight at lift-off will be approximately 2550 kg (i.e. 5622 lb). From its orbital position over the Pacific Ocean, east of Japan, it will provide over 10 years of telecommunication services: telephone, telex, data and TV program transmission. SUPERBIRD A will be equipped with 23 Ku-band and 3 Ka-band channels and will cover the Japanese islands including Okinawa. After the signing of the ninth contract of the year, Arianespace's backlog now stands at 34 satellites to be launched, worth 14.9 billion French francs (US$2.6 OO 2-01 Page 2 4 Jan 1992 billion). Arianespace, an industrial and commercial company, is a world leader in the provision of commercial space transportation services. Arianespace also markets and sells ARIANE launch services and provides launch operations from the Guiana space Center in French Guiana. Arianespace Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arianespace, is responsible for marketing launch services in the United States; a liaison office in Tokyo assures an Arianespace presence in Japan and in the Pacific region. CONTACT: Michelle Lyle of Arianespace Inc., 202-628-3936, or Claude Sanchez of Arianespace S.A., (33/1)6087 60 13/14, or Dieter Brand of Arianespace Tokyo 813-592-2766 * Odyssey News Wire SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS FIND SPYING FROM SPACE DIFFICULT CAPE CANAVERAL, FL (NOV. 29) UPI - The ability of astronauts to spy from orbit is ''marginal'' at present, but improved equipment and better training could make future space fliers a definite military asset, one of the shuttle Atlantis's crewmen said Friday. Astronaut Mario Runco told reporters during a news conference from space Friday that his ability to distinguish aircraft and ships on Earth is better than he expected, but not necessarily good enough to provide reliable tactical reconnaissance from orbit. ''I believe the astronaut can serve the military in space,'' he said. ''The observations I've made ... so far have been quite remarkable in terms of what we've accomplished in the past. They still have a long way to go, however, in terms of the equipment we use. ''As a real-time operational asset to the military, I would say our capabilities would be marginal. However, that may not be true in the future with a little investment in some better equipment and some more training.'' Runco, 39, commander Frederick Gregory, 50, co-pilot Terence Henricks, 39, Story Musgrave, 56, James Voss, 42, and Army imagery expert Thomas Hennen, 39, accomplished the primary goal of the 44th shuttle flight Monday with the successful launch of an Air Force missile early warning satellite. Since then, the shuttle fliers have been carrying out on-board research, including two military space-surveillance experiments designed to help Pentagon planners determine the usefulness of astronauts as OO 2-01 Page 3 4 Jan 1992 space-based spies. Wielding special cameras, Runco and Hennen have been photographing and assessing a variety of ground targets around the world to determine what they can see and how they interpret the resulting images. ''I'm surprised at what I can see,'' Runco said. ''I've been able to see large ships and airplanes. Whether I can identify those ships ... or airplanes, I haven't been able to do (because of camera limitations).'' A major problem for the Atlantis's mission has been cloudy weather, which has prevented observations of various targets. Gregory and Musgrave, both shuttle veterans, agreed that the clarity of the atmosphere has diminished in recent years. But the weather cooperated Friday afternoon as Atlantis sailed over Cuba during the crew's 76th orbit, allowing Runco to photograph the Guantanamo Bay area and to distinguish the makeshift ''tent city'' set up there in recent days to house Haitian refugees. ''Calypso, Calypso, this is Atlantis,'' Runco radioed ground participants. ''Have on (film) on peninsula within bay several large white structures. This might be tent city you referred to. Again, at least three larger white structures or objects on peninsula within bay to the east of the first two piers. Over. ''Atlantis, this is Calypso,'' an unidentified man replied. ''Roger, solid copy. Believe you have identified tent city.'' Nearly 5,800 Haitians fleeing their country in the wake of a military coup have been plucked from homemade rafts and overcrowded boats in international waters off Haiti since Oct. 29. Some 1,226 are housed at Guantanamo. Runco, a former New Jersey Highway Patrol officer, has primary responsibility for an experiment called M88-1. Hennen, an Army image analyst, is responsible for a project known as Terra Scout. While Terra Scout is devoted to studying how astronauts observe targets from space, M88-1 is designed to help military analysts better understand what the human eye can see from orbit and how astronauts might be of service in a time of national crisis. ''Occasionally we're going to have people up there and if there are world crises it would be good to know what our capabilities can be,'' Runco said before launch. ''It's kind of information of opportunity; if the asset is there, why not use it? Let's determine how well we can use that OO 2-01 Page 4 4 Jan 1992 asset.'' M88-1 is made up of two surveillance experiments - Battleview and Maritime Observation Experiments in Space, or MOSES - and one called Night Mist designed to evaluate the performance of UHF radio gear. Battleview involves surveillance of targets on land such as armored formations truck convoys, dust clouds and other natural phenomena. MOSES involves observation of ocean targets, such as ship wakes. The astronauts had hoped to use the UHF radio encrypt conversations with ground participants, but the radio's receiver is broken, forcing Runco and his crewmates to limit their radio traffic to unclassified material. Throughout the flight, Hennen has been using a computerized video camera with special lenses to observe a variety of ground targets around the world. ''What we're trying to do is document the manner in which a human observes and more specifically, analyzes data,'' Hennen said before launch. ''What we want to do is translate that data into computer- assisted sensing systems. What we want to do is make smart sensors.'' 3 Matched keyword: SPACE... =START= XMT: 13:45 Fri Dec 06 EXP: 14:00 Mon Dec 09 SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL CHOSEN TO PROVIDE N-STAR TWO TELECOMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES NEW YORK (DEC. 6) BUSINESS WIRE - Space Systems/Loral Friday announced that it has been selected as the successful bidder by Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (NTT) to provide two N-Star telecommunications satellites to be delivered in orbit in 1995. With these two additional satellites, Space Systems/Loral's backlog reaches $1 billion, with 16 telecommunications and environmental satellites under contract, and options for an additional 14. This new award reinforces Space Systems/Loral's position as the primary provider of telecommunications satellites to the Japanese market. ''The selection of Space Systems/Loral is significant not only because of the value of the contract, but more importantly because it enables us to continue our Press or croll?s OO 2-01 Page 5 4 Jan 1992 longstanding relationships in the Japanese satellite market,'' said Bernard L. Schwartz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loral Corp. The N-STAR satellites will provide fixed and mobile communications in Japan and have an expected life of over 10 years. They will draw on state-of-the-art technology being used on the Intelsat VII bus series of telecommunications satellites, currently under construction by Space Systems/Loral. Space Systems/Loral, based in Palo Alto, Calif. designs and manufactures satellites for telecommunications and environmental applications. CONTACT: Loral Corp., Joseph Tedino, 703/685-5540 * Odyssey News Wire =START= XMT: 13:11 Fri Dec 06 EXP: 13:00 Sat Dec 07 SOVIET COSMONAUTS VOLKOV, KRIKALEV CONTINUE EXPERIMENTS IN SPACE MOSCOW (DEC. 6) TASS - SOVIET COSMONAUTS ALEKSANDER VOLKOV AND SERGEI KRIKALEV COMPLETED ANOTHER SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS FOCUSING ON HYDRODYNAMIC PROCESSES UNDER CONDITIONS OF WEIGHTLESSNESS. THE RESEARCH WAS DONE USING HYDROLOGICAL STAND "VOLNA-2" AND VARIOUS FUEL TANKS FOR SPACECRAFT. TODAY THE COSMONAUTS WILL BE PREPARING SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT FOR NEW RESEARCH WORK. THE NEXT EXPERIMENT ON SPACE MATERIAL STUDY WILL BEGIN LATER TODAY WITH A SPECIAL DEVICE CALLED A CRYSTALLIZER. =END= =START= XMT: 12:44 Wed Dec 11 EXP: 13:00 Sat Dec 14 ALENIA S.P.A. OF ITALY, HONEYWELL INC. TO FORM JOINT SPACE VENTURE MINNEAPOLIS (DEC. 11) PR NEWSWIRE - Alenia S.p.A. of Italy and Honeywell Inc. (NYSE: HON) today announced the creation of a joint venture to manufacture control subsystems and equipment for space applications. The joint venture, Space Controls Alenia Honeywell S.p.A., will supply the European space market with reaction wheel assemblies, inertial measurement units, bearing and power transfer assemblies and antenna pointing systems. These products will be marketed to European manufacturers of spacecraft and systems for national and commercial space programs and for the European Space Agency. Honeywell owns 40 percent and Alenia owns 60 percent of the joint venture company, which is currently constructing OO 2-01 Page 6 4 Jan 1992 manufacturing facilities in Naples, Italy, where it will be based. When fully operative, the company will employ 150 people. Alenia, headquartered in Rome, is Italy's largest aerospace company. Its subsidiary, Alenia Spazio S.p.A., headquartered in Turin, Italy, specializes in the study, design, development, manufacture, assembly, integration and testing of satellites and space vehicles. Honeywell is a leader in control subsystems and equipment for space applications in the U.S. market. The company's Space Systems Groups is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., and provides flight control equipment and engine controllers for the U.S. Space Shuttle program; guidance, navigation and control systems and data management electronics for the Space Station Freedom program; and data processing, attitude controls and antenna pointing systems for satellites. Honeywell is a global controls company that provides products, systems and services for homes and buildings, industry and aviation and space. The company employs 58,000 people worldwide and had 1990 sales of $6.3 billion. CONTACT: Kevin Whalen of Honeywell, 612-870-2524 =START= XMT: 14:46 Wed Dec 11 EXP: 15:00 Thu Dec 12 HUBBLE GLITCH CAUSED BY "BUG" IN EARTH-BOUND COMPUTER PROGRAM, OFFICIALS SAY CAPE CANAVERAL, FL (DEC. 11) UPI - A ''bug'' in a computer program used on Earth to help control the Hubble Space Telescope knocked the satellite out of action Monday, but officials said Wednesday the costly observatory would be back in operation Thursday. ''This is one of those cases where the spacecraft once again protected itself from the humans on the ground who wrote the software,'' Hubble project scientist Edward Weiler said by telephone from Washington. The $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope, the most sophisticated astronomical satellite ever built, was launched from the shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990. Since then, ground controllers have struggled to overcome a variety of technical problems, ranging from trouble with the satellite's stabilizing gyroscopes to instrument problems and an unexpected jitter caused by solar panel flexing when the spacecraft passes from Earth's shadow into sunlight. The most serious problem, however, involves Hubble's main mirror. Shortly after launch, engineers discovered the mirror had been ground into the wrong shape, one that prevents it from bringing starlight to a sharp focus. NASA plans a 1993 shuttle repair mission to install corrective optics, new solar panels and replacement gyroscopes that should restore the satellite to design specifications. In the meantime, astronomers are using Hubble to make observations that are not severely affected by its flawed optical system. Science data is transmitted to Earth using two ''high-gain'' antennas that beam radio signals to a OO 2-01 Page 7 4 Jan 1992 pair of NASA communications satellites. At 7:47 a.m. EST Monday, Hubble's on-board computer shut the telescope down, throwing the spacecraft into a form of electronic hibernation called a ''safe mode.'' The telescope is programmed to enter safe mode whenever a major problem is detected. Weiler said the problem Monday developed because of a software glitch on the ground that had gone undetected since launch. As Hubble orbits the Earth, its two high-gain antennas track the NASA communications satellite high above. When one such satellite disappears behind the limb of the Earth, computer programs on the ground calculate where the antennas should move to pick up the next satellite. Those commands then are radioed to Hubble and executed as required. Because of a bug in the ground software, Weiler said, the antenna was commanded to the wrong position on Monday. When Hubble's on-board computer checked the antenna's position later, it discovered the problem, ''found the antenna in the wrong place ... and it commanded (the antenna) to go over there and get there fast.'' But safety provisions built into the telescope's on-board programming will not permit the antenna motors to exert more than a certain amount of force to prevent any possible damage. When Hubble's electronic brain attempted to correct the antenna problem Monday it caused the motor to work hard enough to violate the safety limits. ''We entered what we call a soft safe mode on Monday at 7:47 a.m.,'' Weiler said. ''The reason we entered safe mode is ... the sensor that senses torque on the antenna motor said it was up to 10 inch-ounces of torque. That is the limit where the software will say stop, I'm going into safe mode.'' He said the ground software is made up of three million lines of computer programming ''and as usual when humans build something, they left a few bugs in it. This bug has been there since launch. This was not a spacecraft problem.'' He said the problem was identified Tuesday and that Hubble would be back in full operation Thursday. =END= =START= XMT: 16:56 Fri Dec 13 EXP: 17:00 Sat Dec 14 SOVIET COLLAPSE IS DAMAGING SPACE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE, AVIATION WEEK SAYS NEW YORK (DEC. 13) BUSINESS WIRE - The chaotic state of the Soviet economy and accelerating disintegration of the Soviet military/industrial infrastructure is taking a serious toll on Soviet aerospace capabilities, according to the December 16 edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology. Soviet space launch operations have dropped to their lowest levels in 25 years and the evaporation of a stable central OO 2-01 Page 8 4 Jan 1992 government has begun to affect planning for future U.S. space cooperation. Senior space editor Craig Covault describes the difficult conditions facing top managers of military and civilian space operations gleaned from exclusive interviews with high-ranking Soviet aerospace officials. Shortages of raw materials are affecting spacecraft production, a large booster program is being terminated and a Soviet rocket recently exploded during ground tests, Covault reports. Aviation Week & Space Technology, published weekly by McGraw-Hill, is the leading journal for the worldwide aviation, aerospace and defense industries. The current issue also details the following developments: Issue of Control Over Soviet Nuclear Arms Worries U.S.: Central Intelligence Agency Director Robert Gates underscored grave concerns about the unravelling of central control of Soviet military forces and nuclear weapons, calling it a ''dangerously unstable'' situation. He and U.S. Ambassador Robert Strauss provided a snapshot of the Bush Administration's concerns about the deepening political and economic crisis in the former U.S.S.R. during a Housing Armed Services Committee hearing last week. Senior editor John Morrocco reports that Gates predicted continued decay and breakup of the Soviet armed forces, while Strauss warned the panel that ''there are a lot of dangerous forces afoot'' in the Soviet Union that could affect the control and security of the Soviet nuclear arsenal. As support for a new confederation poses serious challenges to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's authority, the United States faces a period of great uncertainty while Russia sorts out who owns these weapons and creates a new framework for their control. What Doomed Pan Am: The demise of Pan American World Airways closes a chapter in international aviation history. A team of Aviation Week & Space Technology editors traced its history and many achievements in a series of articles detailing the impact of Delta's announcement that it would not pump any more money into the ailing Pan Am. The inability of Pan Am to forge a place for itself in the changed environment of deregulation resulted in losses of more than $2 billion in the last decade. At the same time, United Airlines will probably become the premier U.S. international carrier if it completes the acquisition of Pan Am's routes to Latin America. A senior financial analyst said last week that this acquisition would make United the ''North American business travelers' global airline.'' Market Focus: Leading gainers and losers (Thursday, 12/12 close): Continental Airlines down 29.92 percent; GenCorp. Inc. down 11/76 percent; Racal Electronics Plc. down 9.52 percent. For additional information and complete text of these news stories contact Luciana Borbely or Mark Danes, telephone 212/512-3851, fax 212/512-2703. McGraw-Hill's Aviation Week Group markets a comprehensive OO 2-01 Page 9 4 Jan 1992 network of publications, electronic and video services for the multi-billion dollar aviation/aerospace/defense market. CONTACT: McGraw-Hill's Aviation Week Group, New York Luciana Borbely or Mark Danes, 212/512-3851 =START= XMT: 19:47 Fri Dec 13 EXP: 20:00 Sat Dec 14 SOVIET MIR ORBITING STATION FILMS EARTH SURFACE, TASS REPORTS MISSION CONTROL CENTER (DEC. 13) TASS - THE MIR ORBITING STATION HAS BEEN FILMING VARIOUS REGIONS OF THE EARTH THIS WEEK WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A PROGRAM OF RESEARCH OF THE EARTH'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. ON FRIDAY THE COSMONAUTS FILMED THE SOUTH-EASTERN PART OF THE ASIAN CONTINENT, THE INDONESIAN ISLANDS AND AUSTRALIA. =START= XMT: 16:39 Tue Dec 17 EXP: 17:00 Fri Dec 20 BOEING COMPLETES KEY DESIGN MILESTONE FOR SPACE STATION HUNTSVILLE, AL (DEC. 17) PR NEWSWIRE - Boeing Defense & Space Group has completed the initial design phase for work on Space Station Freedom, and received authorization today to proceed with final hardware design from NASA, NASA's international partners, and representatives from other station work packages. The authorizing certificate was signed as NASA and Boeing completed a major design review in Huntsville. The design review is a key milestone because Boeing now will begin work on final engineering drawings, and will initiate developmental and qualification tests leading to launch of the first pressurized module -- a node -- in late 1996. Tests already are underway at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville on about 10 major pieces of hardware. Results of this hardware-test phase will be used to complete final design for the space station by early 1993. Boeing is NASA's prime contractor to build the heart of the space station: its laboratory, living and logistics modules, connecting node structures and on-board systems. "Space Station Freedom is closer every day to reality," said Richard Grant, Boeing program manager. "The international orbiting laboratory has turned the corner from a strictly engineering program to a hardware program with tests underway." In Freedom's man-tended phase, which begins in 1996, astronauts will visit regularly to tend experiments in the OO 2-01 Page 10 4 Jan 1992 unique microgravity environment of low-Earth orbit. A crew of four will live there permanently by 1999, and over the next 30 years scientists will conduct life- and materials-science experiments. "Boeing and Marshall have made substantial progress during 1991, also completing facilities and equipment for future hardware development," said George Hopson, NASA's project manager for Marshall's work package. "The work has Press or croll?s remained on schedule and within budget. "This progress has been made possible through the close working relationship of the Marshall, Boeing and subcontractor team," Hopson said. The coming year will have an aggressive hardware testing regimen that verifies the fundamental structural design of the space station's pressurized modules, nodes, hatches, windows and racks. "The thorough design and testing effort we've embarked on will ensure Space Station Freedom is a safe, highly operational facility to serve this nation and its international partners for decades to come," Grant said. Boeing employs about 2,000 people on the program. CONTACT: Brian Ames or Peri Widener of Boeing Alabama, 205-461-2805 =END= =START= XMT: 10:19 Tue Dec 17 EXP: 10:00 Wed Dec 18 SOVIET COSMONAUTS TO BEGIN NEW EXPERIMENTS WITH MONOCRYSTAL FLIGHT CONTROL CENTRE (DEC. 17) TASS - SOVIET COMSMONAUTS ALEXANDER VOLKOV AND SERGEI KRIKALEV ARE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN A NEW EXPERIMENT TO PRODUCE A MONOCRYSTAL OF CADMIUM TELLURIDE WITH IMPROVED TECHNOLOGICAL QUALITIES IN ZERO GRAVITY THIS AFTERNOON. THE FIVE-DAY EXPERIMENT, BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROGRAMME OF SPACE MATERIAL STUDIES, WILL USE THE ZONA 03 WELDING INSTALLATION. =END= VIROMEDICS REPORTS METHOD WITH POTENTIAL FOR PROTECTING BLOOD SUPPLY FROM AIDS HAUPPAUGE, NY (DEC. 19) BUSINESS WIRE - Future Medical Products Inc. (NASDAQ:FMPI) through its subsidiary, Viromedics, which owns joint patent rights with the Albert OO 2-01 Page 11 4 Jan 1992 Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) and exclusive marketing rights to a procedure utilizing an organic compound, which has been researched and tested at AECOM for treatment of the AIDS virus, Thursday announced the release of the following report as it appears in the December issue of the journal AIDS. "Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine define chemical treatment that significantly lowers HIV's capacity to infect healthy cells. "Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University report that an in vitro treatment of the AIDS virus (HIV) and of HIV-infected cells with a mild chemical can significantly interfere with HIV's ability to further infect other cells. "The scientists evaluated the capacity of a group of chemicals, the alkylureas to inhibit infectivity of free HIV and to kill the virus in vitro in blood cells taken from AIDS patients. In particular, one type of alkylurea, butylurea, inhibited HIV infectivity at concentrations that have no adverse effect on red blood cell functions. The investigators showed that butylurea breaks the virus down to small, noninfectious particles. "Treatment of blood products with butylurea has the potential, therefore, to significantly lower the risk of HIV infection to transfusion recipients from donated blood carrying the the AIDS virus. The use of of alkylureas in patients will also be considered, since similar compounds have already been administered to patients with the blood disorder sickle cell anemia with only minor side effects. "This work was started in 1988 by Dr. Arye Rubinstein, professor of Microbiology and Immunology and of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was later joined by Einstein researchers, Drs. Harris Goldstein, Massimo Pettcello-Mantovani, Tobias R. Killman and Theresa Calvelli. "The researchers demonstrated that infectivity of HIV was decreased by more than 95 percent following treatment with butylurea, as measured by the activity of the virus's key enzyme, reverse transcriptase, and the concentration of the viral antigen p24. The current work extended preliminary data presented by Dr. Rubinstein at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology in San Francisco last year." Future Medical Products subsidiary Viromedics, which owns worldwide exclusive marketing rights for the patented procedure, further stated that the potential use for this compound can have a significant impact toward the reduction of HIV transmission through blood transfusions. OO 2-01 Page 12 4 Jan 1992 Future Medical Products Inc., is a biomedical company that is involved in the research and development of products that focus on drug detoxification, heart disease treatment, genetic engineering and AIDS research. Its shares are listed on the NASDAQ exchange and trade under the symbol FMPI. CONTACT: Future Medical Products, Hauppauge Herb Glicksman, 516/348-0500 or Martin Janis & Co. Inc., Chicago Beverly Jedynak, 312/943-1100. =END= =START= XMT: 11:35 Thu Dec 19 EXP: 12:00 Sun Dec 22 PHILIPS MEDICAL SYSTEMS HAS NON-INVASIVE WAY TO IMAGE BLOOD VESSELS OF HEART SHELTON, CT (DEC. 19) BUSINESS WIRE - A new diagnostic technique under development by Philips Medical Systems is providing high resolution images of the heart and great vessels with less risk and less cost than existing technology. The new technique, called Gated Inflow, is an enhancement to existing magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and represents the latest advance in heart imaging technology. Doctors at Emory University in Atlanta have used the MRA-Gated Inflow technique to obtain images of heart conditions in infants and adults. MRA-Gated Inflow has enabled the doctors to avoid using the riskier and costlier cardiac catheterization technique, known also as X-Ray (or intra-arterial) angiography. Philips plans to apply for FDA approval next year and expects the system to be available for widespread use within two years. Ultimately, Philips scientists and Emory doctors predict that Gated Inflow will be used in routine heart screenings for older adults and those at risk of heart disease. MRA has been used with success to image vessels and diagnose vascular disorders throughout the body. However, until now, it has been difficult to obtain a clear picture of the heart and great vessels using MRA because of the movement caused by the pumping heart. MRA Gated Inflow solves this problem by reducing the image distortion caused by the action of the heart cycle. Heart problems have traditionally been diagnosed by cardiac catheterization, which is invasive and involves the injection of a dye, called a contrast agent into the vessels of the heart. An X-ray of the heart will OO 2-01 Page 13 4 Jan 1992 detect the contrast agent and distinguish between blood and surrounding tissue. This method is often repeated to monitor patients with long-term conditions, subjecting the patient to several invasive procedures. Philips Medical Systems North America (PMSNA) is a leading supplier of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy equipment to the medical community. Philips products are backed by a worldwide network of research and development sales and service. Headquartered in Shelton, Conn., PMSNA is a part of North American Philips Corp. (NAPC), one of the top 100 industrial companies in the United States. Philips makes consumer products, lighting, electrical and electronics components and professional equipment marketed under many well-known brands including Philips, Magnavox, Norelco, Philco, and Sylvania audio-video. CONTACT: Philips Medical Systems, Shelton Lynne Brown, 203/926-7084 or Clarke & Company, Boston Steve Brayton or Katherine McGreen, 617/536-3003. =END= =START= XMT: 16:41 Fri Dec 20 EXP: 17:00 Mon Dec 23 CHEMEX PHARMACEUTICALS COMPLETES BLOOD ABSORPTION SAFETY STUDY FOR NEW DRUG FORT LEE, NJ (DEC. 20) BUSINESS WIRE - Chemex Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced Friday that the blood absorption safety study for the new drug ACTINEX has been completed on schedule and filed with the FDA. The company has submitted all information and data requested by FDA and is awaiting final FDA review of this study and the Actinex NDA filing. Actinex will be used for the treatment of actinic keratoses, a pre-malignant skin disorder. Block Drug Co. Inc. purchased Actinex from Chemex in 1990. The above FDA filing does not trigger or accelerate any payments provided for in the Actinex acquisition agreement. Chemex (NASDAQ:CHMX) is an emerging pharmaceutical company engaged in the development of ethical drugs for the treatment of skin diseases and disorders. CONTACT: Chemex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Fort Lee Len Stigliano, 201/944-1449 =START= XMT: 16:23 Sat Dec 21 EXP: 16:00 Tue Dec 24 OO 2-01 Page 14 4 Jan 1992 SPACE BIOSPHERES VENTURES CONFIRMS SUPERIORITY OF BIOSPHERE 2 SEAL ORACLE, AZ (DEC. 20) BUSINESS WIRE - Responding to media requests for clarification of a news release issued by Space Biospheres Ventures on Dec. 19 Director of Systems Engineering William Dempster announced that a successful closure has been accomplished with a leak rate of 5-6 percent a year. Dempster explained that an annual 6 percent loss rate, which equals .0164 percent per day, results in a dilution of approximately one fourth of one part per million of carbon dioxide per day in Biosphere 2. Dempster had first presented his data and methodology at a meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers in Montebello, Calif., on Dec. 3, 1991. Comparing the seal efficacy of Biosphere 2 with other closed life systems, Dempster noted that the Russian closed experiment BIOS3 had a measured yearly loss rate of 50 percent while NASA's breadboard systems measured approximately 1,000 percent per year, making Biosphere 2 by far the most highly sealed closed life system ever built. In addition, these two other experiments were metal containers whereas Biosphere 2, while employing stainless steel for regions in contact with the earth, utilizes a structure comprised largely of glass panes. By thus excluding the use of artificial light in favor of true photosynthesis, a total biospheric system response could be measured as well as effects on individual crops and plants. To understand the tightness of the Biosphere 2 seal compared to an ordinary well-designed building, a 12-foot by nine-foot by eight-foot- high closed office operating at the EPA minimum standard of 15 cubic feet per minute will have an annual air exchange of about 100,000 percent, or about 20,000 times greater. This environment will build up approximately 1,000 ppm of CO2, although over 30 percent of new American homes and offices operate at higher levels, according to the EPA. The leakage tests conducted inside Biosphere 2 from the Sept. 26 closure until December resulted in a one-time-only atmospheric loss of about 10 percent, above and beyond the small loss due to leakage. At the completion of these tests on Dec. 9, this amount was replaced so that Biosphere 2 could operate at its designed volume of air, an important vector in the operation of the facility because of its buffering effect. The extra air lost in the testing during the first few days OO 2-01 Page 15 4 Jan 1992 following closure averaged about 1,500 ppm of CO2, so that the 10 percent replacement on Dec. 9 diluted the relative amount of CO2 in Biosphere 2 by approximately 110-120 ppm from the amount in the air when taken out. This means that it will increase the biospheric effort to raise or lower the CO2 percentage by about 5 percent. The restoration of the lost air also added an absolute amount of 9.24 kilograms, or 20.4 pounds, of CO2 to the atmosphere. ''These tests demonstrate that Biosphere 2 is operating in a more than satisfactory manner as a sealed apparatus,'' Dempster stated. ''Our impossible target aim was 1 percent, our management target aim was 10 percent and our scientific upper limit was 100 percent per year leakage rate,'' said Dempster. ''We have come in halfway between the impossible and our management targets. On the scientific side, the safety factor on the Biosphere 2 sealing is much more than an order of magnitude.'' All the key factors -- CO2, ocean coral reef, plant growth, species survival, agricultural production and leak rate measurements -- show the Biosphere 2 system to be operating at or better than expected levels, in spite of one of the cloudiest seasons in the region's history. Cloud cover affects the amount of light available for oxygen-producing plants inside the experiment. ''The most important thing has been the integrated response of the entire system,'' added Dempster. ''However, to make the exact calculations required, we had to be able to adjust to even such small amounts as a quarter of a part per million of carbon dioxide per day, which our leak rate has turned out to be.'' CONTACT: Baker/Winokur/Ryder Public Relations, Beverly Hills, Calif. Larry Winokur, 310/278-1460 =END= =START= XMT: 14:43 Fri Dec 20 EXP: 15:00 Mon Dec 23 PRATT & WHITNEY HIGH PRESSURE TURBOPUMPS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED AT NASA CENTER WEST PALM BEACH, FL (DEC. 20) PR NEWSWIRE - A pair of Pratt & Whitney designed high pressure turbopumps has been successfully tested in a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. OO 2-01 Page 16 4 Jan 1992 The Dec. 17 test was a 1.5 second ignition test. The turbopumps are expected to demonstrate full power operation on additional engine firings early next year. The pumps deliver liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants to the main combustion chambers of the Space Shuttle's three main engines. Originally, the NASA-sponsored program called for the development and flight qualification of a set of turbopumps that would be interchangeable with current pumps and have a 55-mission life, or approximately 7.5 hours of operation. Declining resources recently forced NASA to defer the fuel turbopump certification program until after flight certification of the oxidizer pump. Additional oxygen turbopumps are being assembled for tests next year. The program's production phase requires turbopumps to be delivered between 1993 and 1997. The P&W oxidizer turbopump is planned to be used on Space Shuttle engines beginning in 1994. A P&W SSME oxidizer turbopump weighs the same as a V-8 automobile engine but develops 28,000 horsepower and could empty a swimming pool in 60 seconds. Its main shaft rotates at 24,000 rpm, compared to 3,000 rpm for an automobile engine operating at 60 mph. The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the Shuttle's three main engines combined is over 37 million, and the energy released is the equivalent to the output of 23 Hoover dams. Pratt & Whitney's Government Engines & Space Propulsion (GESP) facility, headquartered near West Palm Beach, Fla., designs, develops and supports military jet engines, and provides a wide variety of propulsion systems and launch services for the U.S. space program. Other GESP units are Chemical Systems Division, San Jose, Calif., and USBI, with facilities in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. Pratt & Whitney is a unit of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX), Hartford, Conn. CONTACT: Patrick Louden of Pratt & Whitney, 407-796-6793 =END= =START= XMT: 09:00 Wed Dec 18 EXP: 09:00 Wed Dec 25 ORIGINS OF MANY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS ARE GENERALLY UNKNOWN SEATTLE (DEC. 18) UPI - Christmas trees, mistletoe and gift-giving are well- known holiday traditions, but their origins are generally unknown to most Americans who go along because ''that's the way it's always been done.'' But it hasn't ''always been done'' that way and to investigate the origins of the holiday's traditions is to discover a fascinating part of American and European OO 2-01 Page 17 4 Jan 1992 history. Though most Americans celebrate the holiday to varying degrees, few are aware that it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that Christmas was accepted into American culture. During the 17th and 18th centuries, large groups of colonists vehemently objected to the celebration, calling it ''an abomination.'' The Puritans believed church government should not sanction anything that couldn't be found in the scriptures. In 1659 in Boston, anyone found observing the holiday was fined. But, still, the celebration was catching on. One influence may have been separation of church and state, established by the U.S. Constitution in 1791. Members of the Puritan and evangelical churches were less likely to oppose the celebration when it was no longer a symbol of the religious and political dominance of the Church of England. During the 19th century, secular interest in Christmas spread rapidly with an influx of German immigrants who celebrated Christmas as both a religious and folk occasion. The English colonists in America weren't accustomed to giving gifts, not even to the children. They did, however, give to servants and the poor, as part of their duty to God. Christmas presents were advertised sporadically in newspapers in the 1820s, but for the next half century, gifts were referred to as New Year's gifts or simply ''holiday'' gifts. The custom of gift-giving didn't catch on until the mid 19th century, when stores were a flurry of activity. While firecrackers and noise-making are largely associated with Independence Day and to a lesser extent New Year's Eve, the old- fashioned Christmas was a cacophony of guns, cannons and firecrackers. The practice of making noise dates back to the notion that loud sounds would frighten evil spirits thought to be rampant at the winter solstice - celebrated as the point when days started getting longer, the coming of spring and the renewal of life. In about 320 A.D., Rome decided to convert the pagan solstice celebration and the Mithraic (Persian) ''Birthday of the Unconquered Sun'' into something more suited to their purposes. Christians believed Jesus was born on the 25th day, but couldn't settle on the month. December was chosen and the observance became ''Birthday of the Unconquered Son.'' OO 2-01 Page 18 4 Jan 1992 Christmas traditions have deep roots in European folk customs. The yule log, virtually forgotten in today's celebrations, came from England. The log was brought home on Christmas Eve, placed in the fireplace, lit from a piece of the previous year's log and, to prevent bad luck, kept burning for 12 hours. The popularity of the Christmas tree grew out of the yule log. As legend has it, the first Christmas tree was cut by Martin Luther, who brought it home and decorated it with candles to imitate the stars in the sky above Bethlehem. The first national recognition of the Christmas tree custom in the United States came in 1856, when President Franklin Pierce decorated one at the White House. Originally, the ''tree of life'' was a tabletop model. It was decorated with apples, the symbol of man's fall, and sacramental wafers, the symbol of man's salvation. Eventually, the apples were replaced by glass balls, the wafers by cookies cut in the shape of stars, angels, or animals. The poinsettia is perhaps the most popular of the several plants widely used in today's Christmas decorating. The plant with bright red ''bracts'' was brought from Mexico by botanist and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Joel R. Poinsett. The ''flower of the Holy Night'' is believed to represent the flaming Star of Bethlehem. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are symbols of fertility. Though ivy is largely overlooked today, in old English carols ivy represents the female and holly represents the male. Both were thought to have healing powers. The legend of Santa Claus rose out of the story of St. Nicholas. Nicholas was born about 270 A.D. in what is now Turkey. Tales of his charitable life and miracle-working were passed on by word of mouth. He was considered the patron of children and this is thought to be the reason he became tied to Christmas. The written description of the Santa Claus we know today was created by Clement Moore, the New York scholar who penned ''The Night Before Christmas.'' The visual image was developed by illustrator Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist who created the Democrats' donkey and the Republicans' elephant. Nast first drew Santa Claus for a book of poems that included ''The Night Before Christmas.'' After the success of the book, he drew Santa each Christmas for ''Harper's Weekly.'' Children and adults alike eagerly awaited the drawings, which appeared in the magazine for 23 years. OO 2-01 Page 19 4 Jan 1992 The appearance of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is quite new, having appeared on the scene in 1939. Rudolph was created for an advertising campaign of Montgomery Ward. The story was used as a ''giveaway'' item for the Christmas shopping season and it wasn't used again until 1946. In 1949 the popular song was recorded by Gene Autry and Bing Crosby and it swept the country. =END= =START= XMT: 13:20 Tue Dec 24 EXP: 13:00 Wed Dec 25 SOVIET COSMONAUTS CONTINUE RESEARCH IN SPACE ABOARD MIR SPACE STATION MOSCOW (DEC. 24) DPA - Soviet cosmonauts Alexander Volkov and Sergei Krivalev continued Tuesday their research work on board the Mir space station, conducting an experiment to obtain more information about the black hole 60 million light years from earth, the Soviet news agency TASS reported. The two cosmonauts also refuelled the engine of the orbiting space station, the agency said. =START= XMT: 17:34 Mon Dec 23 EXP: 18:00 Thu Dec 26 USAIR IS LOOKING FOR 13 WINNERS FROM THE 1991 PSA SPACE AGE CONTEST LOS ANGELES (DEC. 23) PR NEWSWIRE - USAir is looking for 13 third prize winners of the PSA 1991 Space Age Contest held 20 years ago by Pacific Southwest Airlines. The promotional contest required entrants to depict what they thought PSA's aircraft would look like in the (far off) year 1991. Third prize winners received a certificate good for round-trips for two, anywhere PSA flies in the year 1991, including the moon. R. Brooks Stover, a 23 year old Stanford student, won first place in the contest by drawing a double-fuselaged aircraft in which sections of the plane detach and serve as monorails. He won an all- expense paid trip for four to Tahiti back in 1971. One of the 13 winners who has already been identified, Sonia Manzo recalled, "I remember that in 2nd or 3rd grade I thought 1991 would never arrive -- and now it's practically over!" The PSA 1991 Space Age Contest third prize winners will all receive two round- trips anywhere on the USAir system. USAir, America's fifth largest airline, flies to 38 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto OO 2-01 Page 20 4 Jan 1992 Rico as well as international destinations such as Bermuda, Bahamas, Canada, Great Britain and Germany. Patricia Goldman, senior vice president for corporate communications, explained, "Honoring these PSA winning certificates is another way for USAir to demonstrate corporate commitment to our friends and our passengers over the years." Winners are requested to contact USAir's Western Region Corporate Communications office at 310-417-1294. CONTACT: Agnes J. Huff of USAir, 310-417-1294 =START= XMT: 10:44 Fri Dec 27 EXP: 11:00 Mon Dec 30 CROP GENETICS AND DU PONT FORM BIOINSECTICIDES ALLIANCE HANOVER, MD (DEC. 27) PR NEWSWIRE - Crop Genetics International (NASDAQ: CROP) and the Du Pont Company announced today the formation of an alliance for the joint commercialization of Insecticidal Virus Products or IVPs. These biological insecticides consist of naturally occurring organisms which infect and destroy targeted insects. Du Pont and Crop Genetics said that they formed the alliance to develop, produce, formulate, and market a broad range of viruses for insect control. Crop Genetics will become the exclusive producer of virus products for the alliance and focus its InSTARx(TM) division on the low-cost production of IVPs. Du Pont will become the exclusive global distributor and marketer of IVPs for the alliance. Both companies will jointly develop new IVPs. Under the alliance agreement, Du Pont agreed to fund development of IVPs at Crop Genetics for up to $3.75 million over the next two years. The two agricultural companies said they will share the profits from the alliance under a series of sale and supply agreements which will be negotiated as IVPs are developed. Frank W. Owen, global product manager for insecticides at Du Pont Agricultural Products said that the safety and effectiveness of IVPs have been known for years but that success of IVPs has been limited because of relatively high manufacturing costs. "The production and purification methods created by Crop Genetics' InSTARx(TM) scientists hold the promise of permitting large scale production of a range of IVPs at competitive prices." Owen said, "The alliance will broaden Du Pont's product offering of biological insecticides and demonstrates a commitment by both companies to provide growers with effective, environmentally compatible products for integrated pest management programs." Crop Genetics International is developing biological OO 2-01 Page 21 4 Jan 1992 pesticides systems to control insects, diseases, and weeds in agriculture and forestry. The company's research is focused on the creation of novel crop protection products that are effective and compatible with the environment. The company's InSTARx division is developing low-cost manufacturing processes for viral insecticides; the company's X-tend(TM) group is focused on developing weed control systems that combine biological and synthetic herbicidal agents; its InCide(TM) technology is designed to use genetically-engineered plant inoculants to protect corn, rice, and other row crops from insects and fungi; and its Kleentek(R) business markets disease-free sugarcane seed. Du Pont is a diversified chemicals, energy and specialty products company. Du Pont markets agricultural products in 125 countries, has production facilities on five continents and is one of the largest suppliers of crop protection products in the U.S., offering more than 60 insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. CONTACT: Joseph W. Kelly, chief executive officer of Crop Genetics International, 410-712-7170; Trish Williams of Du Pont Agricultural Products, 302-992-6810; or Anthony Russo of Noonan/Russo Communications, 212-979-9180, for Crop Genetics. ----------------------------------------------------------------- * Animal Mutilation Update This file was provided to the ParaNet Information Service by UFO Magazine. All rights are reserved. You may distribute this file freely as long as this header remains intact. Date prepared: 4/18/91 Contributed by: Staff UFO Magazine ================================================================= UFO Magazine Vol. 5 No. 4 ( Coping With Abduction ) The `Harvest' Continues ANIMAL MUTILATION UPDATE by Linda Moulton Howe In 1989, there were so many cattle mutilations in southern Idaho that Bear Lake County Sheriff Brent Bunn told me, "We haven't seen anything like this since the 1970s." Sheriff Bunn sent me 16 neatly-typed "Investigation Reports" about cattle mutilations that had taken place in his county between May and December. Over half occurred in a remote valley called Nounan. Only eighty people live there. Ranching is their main income source, and cattle are precious. Disease and predators are old and well-understood enemies. What descended on Nounan, Idaho in the summer and fall of 1989 was not understood-and it scared people. Bloodless and precise cuts-that's what bothers people. Officer Gregg Athay wrote in his mutilation report, "There were no visible signs of the cause of death. It appeared that only the soft tissues (nose, lips and tongue) were gone off the head and four nipples off the bag. Again there was no blood on the hair and ground." No veterinarian report was made on that cow. But a month earlier, Dr. Charles Merrell at the Bear Lake Animal Hospital examined a dead Hereford cow. Dr. Merrell wrote after his examination: "Some time between approximately 8 p.m. (August 31, 1989) and 7 a.m. 1 September, the anus, vagina to include uterus and ovaries and all four teats (one teat deeply incised, the others shallow cuts) were removed by knife cuts around these tissues. There were no signs of injury and no blood to be found on the ground. " A neighbor, Bernice Laughter, said she saw lights in that area about 2 a.m. on September 1. Disks reported Throughout the history of animal mutilations, since 1967, there have been numerous eyewitness accounts of large, glowing disks or "silent helicopters " over pastures where dead animals are later found. One Waco, Texas rancher said he encountered two four-foot tall, light green-colored "creatures " with large, black, slanted eyes, carrying a calf which was later found dead and mutilated. In 1983, a Missouri couple watched through binoculars as two small beings in tight-fitting silver suits worked on a cow in a nearby pasture. The alien heads were large and white in color. Nearby, a tall, green-skinned "lizard man" stood glaring with eyes slit by vertical pupils like a crocodiles's. Several hypnosis sessions with various UFO abductees have produced information suggesting that the alien intruders are using the tissues and blood fluids for genetic experimentation and sustenance. One Missouri woman, who has experienced repeated encounters with small grey beings that have large, black eyes, said the creatures told her, "We use substances from cows in an essential biochemical process for our survival." In the 1989 continuing harvest, over half of the Idaho mutilations were young calves. One mutilated calf, found December 24, north of Downey, Idaho, was found lying on its back with the navel, rectum and genitals neatly cut out of the steer's white belly. No blood was found anywhere. (See photo, p. 18.) This steer calf was taken for an autopsy to Dr. Chris Oats, D.V.M., at the Hawthorne Animal Hospital. Dr. Oats checked all the vital organs and was unable to determine the cause of death. During the autopsy, a sharp cut was found in the right chest area, and Dr. Oats discovered that a main artery had been severed under the chest wound. She was surprised that "the steer had lost a large amount of blood, but [she] could not understand where it went to. " There was no blood on the steer or on the ground. Dr. Oats also determined that the steer had not been dragged by the neck or tied up around the feet. Residents of southern Idaho weren't alone in their fear and con- fusion about the mutilations. William Veenhuizen woke up on July 17, 1989 to find his finest cow mutilated about 100 yards from his farmhouse in Maple Valley, Washington, southeast of Seattle. The six-year-old female was due to calve in about three weeks. But mutilators had cut away a smooth oval section of the cow's mouth, removed a section of jaw with teeth, excised the tongue and cut out the entire udder, vagina and rectal area. The calf was still inside the belly. Something woke Mr. Veenhuizen up around I a.m. that day, he remembers. He even put his shoes on and went outside, but he couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. He was so upset after the mutilation, he started keeping the rest of his animals inside the barn. "A neighbor said to me that coyotes did it," he said, "but I said the coyotes don't have that sharp a knife." --- XRS! 4.50+ * Origin: Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence (Quick 1:19/19.19) SEEN-BY: 10/45 19/19 105/605 123/19 140/10 202/502 238/300 363/29 42 95 SEEN-BY: 363/107 373/9 1000/210 3607/20 3800/8 PATH: 19/19 363/29 3607/20 Message number 4692 in "Odyssey UFO Echo" Date: 12-14-91 00:18 From: John Powell To: Jerry Woody Subj: Mutilations 2/2 EID:1013 0130cb90 MSGID: 1:19/19.19 2949943e Other farms hit Bill Veenhuizen wasn't the only farmer in Maple Valley, Washington having mutilation problems. On Sunday, November 11, two female sheep were found with their sexual organs removed. The Hicks-Raburn King County Police found small holes on the carcasses that they concluded might be BB gun pellet wounds, but no pellets were found. Mystery technology Another major question: Had the blood been drained from all those animals without cutting them? If alien life forms are responsible, and blood is a fluid they need for sustenance, do the aliens have a technology which can transfer molecules of blood from within a living system and leave mysteriously dead animals behind having no cuts at all: The same question might apply to the hundreds of wild horses which were found dead in Nevada in 1989. In November, 1989, in Red Cloud, Nebraska, rancher Ron Bartels found a large, 1,000 lb. Chianina cow dead and mutilated. The Franklin County Sheriff Department investigated, and veterinarian Carl Guthrie, D.V.M., was asked to do a necropsy. In his report, he stated that a four-inch straight incision had been made over the cervical trachea. Beyond that cut inside the animal, over eight inches of trachea and esophagus had been surgically removed- "The skin over the abdomen was removed in a clear, demarcated line-no musculature disturbed," he noted. And the rectum and vagina were cored out. Predators discounted Dr. Guthrie concluded: "There were definite signs of suspicious acts to the body of this cow-the nature in which the skin was severed and removed was not characteristic of a predator strike." In addition to those cuts described by Dr. Guthrie, the neat circular patch of skin removed around the cow's eye, along with the eyeball, has been one of the hallmarks of animal mutilations since the 1970s. Rancher Ron Bartels told me, ". . . after several days, there had been no predation, and with the number of coyotes we now have in this area, they completely strip a carcass very quickly." But nothing touched the strangely cut cow. How are the cuts made: In my book An Alien Harvest, published in 1989, I show for the first time that tissue gathered from mutilator cuts in Arkansas on March 11, 1989, revealed the following characteristics under microscopic examination: 1) The line is pinpoint thin; 2) The line was subjected to high heat, probably 300 degrees Fahrenheit or above, leaving a hard and darkened edge; 3) The cuts were made rapidly, probably in two minutes or less, because there is no inflammatory cell destruction which typically begins in a few minutes after any trauma to tissue (See contrasting photomicrographs). In addition to the 1989 mutilation reports in Idaho, Washington, Nebraska and Arkansas, there have been other cases in Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri and Florida. Further, over 800 wild horses in Nevada have died mysteriously, about 70 domestic cats have been found dead and bloodlessly mutilated in Tustin, California and 30 more cats in the East Bay of San Francisco. A city employee in Setauket, Long Island, NY, has reported to me that about a dozen raccoons, opossums, dogs and cats have been found in Percy Rayner bloodlessly mutilated with cuts similar to cows. I have also received calls about mutilations in Canada, but have no firm photographs or reports. After An Alien Harvest was released in June of 1989, I received a letter from a security guard in Denver, Colorado. He described a night in August when he was patrolling the grounds of a large corporation west of the city. From his truck, he could see a large circle of lights in the dark sky. The lights remained stationary over a pasture a few hundred feet from the security guard. He was afraid to report the unidentified flying objects, because UFOs meant ridicule and he didn't want to lose his job. But he felt guilty about not reporting it, because the next morning he watched a farmer gather up a couple of dead and mutilated cows from the pasture where the lights had hovered overhead. He asked me, "What kind of technology are we talking about? I never took my eyes off those lights. There was no beam, no sound, nothing. How did they do it?" That's a question which has haunted ranchers and law enforcement since the first worldwide reported mutilation of a horse in 1967. Not only how-but why? If alien life forms are intruding on this planet and harvesting from animals and humans, is a program of genetic experimentation and sustenance the answer? Or only part of a larger alien need? Will the 1990s finally bring humans face to face with an alien intelligence that has secretly used earth life for eons? As we become more conscious of its presence, will we learn that the alien intent is simply to survive without human help? Or is there some larger and more complex alien scheme which could challenge the future of human existence? -Linda Moulton Howe- -+--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks, take care. John. --- XRS! 4.50+ * Origin: Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence (Quick 1:19/19.19) SEEN-BY: 10/45 19/19 105/605 123/19 140/10 202/502 238/300 363/29 42 95 SEEN-BY: 363/107 373/9 1000/210 3607/20 3800/8 PATH: 19/19 363/29 3607/20 A * Earthquake Watch ------------------------------------------------------------------- Article 1255 of sci.geo.geology: From: andy@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Andy Michael USGS Guest) Newsgroups: sci.geo.geology,ca.earthquakes Subject: N. CA, USA, and World Quake Report 12/19-25/91 Message-ID: <1991Dec28.011258.3626@morrow.stanford.edu> Date: 28 Dec 91 01:12:58 GMT Sender: news@morrow.stanford.edu (News Service) Organization: Stanford Univ. Earth Sciences Lines: 221 DISCLAIMER -- THIS IS NOT AN EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION OR WARNING! The commentary provided with these map(s) is for INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, and SHOULD NOT be construed as an earthquake prediction, warning, or advisory. Responsibility for such warnings rests with the Office of Emergency Services of the State of California. PLEASE REMEMBER -- THIS IS PRELIMINARY DATA Releasing these summaries on a timely basis requires that the data, analysis, and interpretations presented are PRELIMINARY. Of necessity they can only reflect the views of the seismologists who prepared them, and DO NOT carry the endorsement of the U.S.G.S. Thus while every effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate, nothing contained in this report is to be construed as and earthquake prediction, warning, advisory, or official policy statement of any kind, of the U.S. Geological Survey, or the U.S. Government. FOR QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS REPORT Send e-mail to andy@pangea.stanford.edu Seismicity Report for Northern California, the Nation, and the World for the week of December 12 - 18, 1991 Data and text prepared by Steve Walter, Barry Hirshorn, and Allan Lindh U.S. Geological Survey 345 Middlefield Rd. MS-977, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Graphics by Quentin Lindh San Francisco Bay Area Seismicity remained low throughout the Bay Area during the past 7 days. Once again, the creeping section of the San Andreas was the most active with minor activity along the Calaveras fault system in the East Bay. The most notable earthquake of the past week was a M2.7 event that occurred Tuesday morning on the Hayward fault about 3 miles northwest of Berkeley. It was felt in the immediate area. During the 7-day period ending at midnight on Wednesday, December 18, 1991 the U.S. Geological Survey office in Menlo Park recorded 23 earthquakes of magnitude one (M1) and greater within the San Francisco Bay area shown in Figure 1. Four were as large as M2 including one M3.2 event along the San Andreas fault, about 13 miles southeast of Hollister (#1/1). This compares to 21 earthquakes greater than M1 that were recorded during the previous 7-day period, only one of which was as large as M2.0. Northern California Seismicity also remained at low levels throughout the rest of northern California during the past week. The only exception to this was a pair of M3 events that occurred early Sunday morning in the central Gorda Plate about 110 miles offshore of Crescent City (#3/2). Both events occurred in the same vicinity as an active sequence last August that included two M6 earthquakes and a number of M4 aftershocks. Neither of the recent M3 events was reported felt. A pair of M2 earthquakes occurred near the Cape Mendocino triple junction later in the week (#8/2), both in the vicinity of the Petrolia earthquake swarm that shook this area in mid-August. A M2.2 earthquake occurred last Saturday evening in the southern Cascades, 19 miles north of Lassen Peak (#2/2). Two M2 earthquakes occurred in this same location on December 11. In eastern California, two M2.3 earthquakes occurred beneath the northwest shore of Mono Lake on Monday (#5/2). Both were probably aftershocks to a M5.7 earthquake that occurred here on October 23, 1990 and that was felt as far away as San Francisco. The creeping segment of the San Andreas fault was somewhat more active than it has been in recent weeks with activity seen at both the north and south ends. Several M2 earthquakes occurred at the north end between Paicines and Bitterwater, the largest a M2.7 event on Saturday morning (#1/2). Slack Canyon, at the south end, produced a M2.6 event Monday evening (#6/2). The next adjacent segment to the south, the Parkfield segment, was also active, with a M2.6 earthquake occurring beneath the Middle Mountain area 6 miles northwest of the town of Parkfield (#9/2). Long Valley Caldera The only earthquake of note in the Long Valley caldera was a M2.9 event that occurred Sunday evening in the southeast corner of the caldera, near the northern end of the Hilton Creek fault (#2/3). This was the area that was most active during the previous week, having produced six M 2 earthquakes and a number of smaller events. Two M1 earthquakes occurred at the west end of the south moat, about two miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes. Several M1 earthquakes occurred in the Sierra Nevada terrane south of the caldera. USA Seismicity The National Earthquake Information Center recorded one notable earthquake within the contiguous United States during the past week, a M2.8 event that occurred last Friday morning in northeastern Arkansas (#1/4). This is part of the New Madrid Seismic zone that stretches across the central Mississippi Valley and produced three M7 earthquakes during the years 1811-1812. The Planet Earth The most active zone worldwide during the past week was in the Kuril Island region of the western Pacific (#2/5). After producing several M5 earthquakes during the previous reporting period (see last week's summary), the Kurils were rocked by four M6 earthquakes during the past week, the largest a M6.6 event early Thursday morning (UTC). A total of 17 earthquakes of M5.0 or larger have occurred here within the past week. Elsewhere in the world there was a M5.6 earthquake in the New Britain region (#1/5), a M5.3 on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao (#3/5), a M5.1 in the northern Argentinean province of Jujuy (#4/5), a M5.6 in southern Peru just west of Lake Titicaca (#5/5), and a M5.5 along the spreading ridge offshore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (#6/5). Table 1. Central California Seismicity (M>2.0) --ORIGIN TIME (UT)-- -LAT N-- --LON W-- DEPTH N N RMS ERH ERZ DUR YR MON DA HRMN SEC DEG MIN DEG MIN KM RD S SEC KM KM REMKS MAG 91 DEC 12 1309 59.22 36 25.89 120 59.70 4.01 29 .12 .4 1.6 BIT 2.2 91 DEC 13 1148 11.55 36 41.10 121 18.32 3.90109 1 .17 .2 .4 STN 3.2 91 DEC 13 2152 49.54 36 53.91 121 37.15 2.99 27 .16 .3 .6 SJB 2.1 91 DEC 14 350 50.73 38 50.90 122 48.85 1.61 29 .12 .2 .9 GEY 2.2 91 DEC 14 812 49.39 37 22.96 121 44.30 6.58 76 .09 .2 .6 ALU 2.1 91 DEC 14 1348 21.55 36 28.09 121 2.20 4.54 87 .15 .2 .4 BIT 2.7 91 DEC 14 1352 34.54 36 28.07 121 2.41 5.24 34 .09 .3 .6 BIT 2.1 91 DEC 15 21 24.69 36 11.90 120 18.81 10.24 21 .18 .8 1.1 COA 2.0 91 DEC 15 656 9.87 40 45.86 121 30.63 6.75 11 .13 1.6 2.0 SHA 2.2 91 DEC 15 949 42.08 41 30.45 126 27.13 2.42 25 .3314.428.4 PON - 3.7 91 DEC 15 950 40.12 41 27.01 126 0.04 4.94 11 .2910.523.1 PON - 3.1 91 DEC 15 1424 15.28 39 13.55 122 42.04 6.55 21 .10 .3 1.8 BAR 2.1 91 DEC 15 1600 55.65 38 44.00 122 43.12 2.14 23 .13 .3 .9 NAP 2.3 91 DEC 16 435 29.48 37 37.20 118 49.72 4.57 38 .13 .3 .5 HCF 2.9 91 DEC 16 659 3.36 37 34.28 118 26.90 8.04 19 1 .08 .4 .6 CHV 2.0 91 DEC 16 839 43.83 36 2.70 121 32.89 0.36 27 .13 .8 5.7 SUR 2.0 91 DEC 16 957 13.66 38 3.34 119 7.02 12.99 21 .11 .7 1.1 MOL 2.3 91 DEC 16 2113 16.61 39 27.30 122 52.94 5.00 14 .09 .311.4 BAR - 2.0 91 DEC 16 2255 22.80 38 1.56 119 7.78 5.35 7 1 .09 2.8 9.2 MOL - 2.3 91 DEC 17 218 50.39 35 37.83 119 16.90 10.90 9 .11 .8 2.2 BAK 2.1 91 DEC 17 356 17.06 36 4.55 120 38.47 1.35 50 .18 .3 1.6 SLA 2.6 91 DEC 17 1555 9.53 35 45.22 118 19.26 6.59 15 .08 .4 1.1 WWF 2.9 91 DEC 17 1813 40.17 37 55.55 122 17.62 5.63 84 .16 .2 .4 HAY 2.7 91 DEC 18 121 7.14 36 21.36 120 33.66 16.37 29 .22 .6 1.2 CRV 2.3 91 DEC 18 139 32.94 38 47.45 122 44.47 1.71 16 .13 .3 .8 GEY 2.0 91 DEC 18 249 41.03 40 12.72 124 7.88 13.63 9 .11 .5 .6 MEN 2.6 91 DEC 18 1442 19.69 35 57.85 120 31.02 10.92 51 .13 .3 .4 MID 2.6 91 DEC 18 1619 20.21 39 2.95 123 4.84 0.88 17 .17 .4 1.3 MAA 2.0 91 DEC 18 2043 10.27 40 22.33 124 19.22 29.18 9 .05 2.3 2.2 MEN 2.2 91 DEC 19 646 17.04 36 36.09 121 12.66 0.52 11 .22 1.3 4.9 CM 2.0 91 DEC 19 646 17.32 36 34.80 121 14.04 0.37 65 .35 .6 .8 CR 2.4 Notes: Origin time in the list is in GMT, in the text and on maps it is in local time. N RD: is the number of readings used to locate the event. N S: is the number of S waves in N RD. RMS SEC: is the root mean squared residual misfit for the location is seconds, the lower the better, over 0.3 to 0.5 seconds is getting bad, but this is machine, not hand timed, data. ERH: is the estimated horizontal error in kilometers. ERZ: is the estimated vertical error in kilometers. N FM: is the number of readings used to compute the magnitude. REMKS: obtuse region codes that denote the velocity model used to locate the event. DUR MAG: is the magnitude as determined from the duration of the seismograms, not the amplitude. Sort of like going to echo canyon and measuring how loud your yell is by counting echos. FIG: denotes the figure/event number in the maps posted separately. Table 2. Worldwide Seismicity Data from the USGS National Earthquake Information Center UTC TIME LAT LONG DEP GS MAGS SD STA REGION AND COMMENTS HRMNSEC MB Msz USED -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEC 12 003536.4* 66.708N 147.649W 33N 1.2 8 ALASKA 022743.7 36.410N 140.923E 54 5.0 1.0 37 NEAR EAST COAST-HONSHU, JAPAN 024253.2* 33.379S 70.007W 10G 0.4 10 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION 052458.3* 60.888N 147.581W 33N 0.6 6 SOUTHERN ALASKA 070139.4* 33.378S 70.026W 10G 0.3 9 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION 092100.1? 32.63 S 71.72 W 5G 0.7 8 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE 130841.0 63.302N 151.139W 33N 0.9 12 CENTRAL ALASKA 145449.5* 61.822N 150.209W 33N 1.5 8 SOUTHERN ALASKA 154128.5* 4.998S 152.661E 33N 5.6 0.9 33 NEW BRITAIN REGION 215921.0? 10.55 N 63.09 W 33N 3.9 1.5 8 NEAR COAST OF VENEZUELA 223434.2* 12.597N 141.960E 53* 5.0 0.9 16 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS DEC 13 001256.6 7.469S 128.743E 173* 5.7 1.1 39 BANDA SEA 023351.4 45.310N 151.583E 33N 6.2 6.5 0.9 121 KURIL ISLANDS 025104.5? 45.46 N 151.60 E 33N 5.0 0.5 20 KURIL ISLANDS 032439.8? 45.56 N 151.90 E 47D 4.9 0.5 18 KURIL ISLANDS 033501.4? 45.35 N 151.83 E 33N 4.9 1.1 12 KURIL ISLANDS 040852.5? 45.32 N 151.80 E 33N 4.9 1.3 17 KURIL ISLANDS 054530.6* 45.664N 151.624E 33N 5.6 5.4 0.7 71 KURIL ISLANDS 070613.4? 45.54 N 150.91 E 33N 5.0 0.6 14 KURIL ISLANDS 080010.1* 45.667N 151.881E 33N 5.4 0.9 50 KURIL ISLANDS 103206.3* 7.445N 124.712E 33N 5.3 1.6 11 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 114145.6 35.828N 90.082W 5G 0.4 6 ARKANSAS. MD 2.8 (GS). 154448.7* 44.878N 151.967E 33N 5.2 1.2 25 KURIL ISLANDS REGION 185908.3 45.498N 151.684E 33N 6.3 6.1 0.8 109 KURIL ISLANDS 192127.8* 45.490N 151.720E 45D 5.4 0.7 42 KURIL ISLANDS 195507.3 45.292N 151.290E 33N 5.5 6.0 0.9 97 KURIL ISLANDS 195823.3* 45.628N 151.592E 49D 6.1 0.7 62 KURIL ISLANDS 203938.2* 44.946N 151.987E 33N 5.0 1.1 23 KURIL ISLANDS REGION 224512.8* 44.840N 152.020E 33N 5.0 1.1 17 KURIL ISLANDS REGION DEC 14 000752.5? 22.63 S 66.33 W 150G 5.1 0.6 40 JUJUY PROVINCE, ARGENTINA 001439.0? 45.37 N 151.33 E 33N 5.0 0.7 16 KURIL ISLANDS 103011.3* 27.464N 56.464E 33N 4.6 1.0 11 SOUTHERN IRAN 213845.3 41.184N 15.128E 10G 1.0 18 SOUTHERN ITALY. MD 3.4 (ROM). DEC 15 063637.2? 29.72 S 178.13 W 33N 5.4 5.4 0.6 38 KERMADEC ISLANDS 101701.6* 45.307N 151.532E 52D 5.8 0.9 57 KURIL ISLANDS 185611.4? 16.50 S 70.75 W 103D 5.6 0.7 58 SOUTHERN PERU 214700.6* 45.421N 151.882E 46D 5.1 4.3 0.9 40 KURIL ISLANDS DEC 17 063816.9* 47.334N 151.774E 150D 5.9 0.5 65 KURIL ISLANDS DEC 19 013341 Q 45.4 N 151.3 E 33N 6.6 1.0 84 KURIL ISLANDS 044407 Q 48.9 N 129.1 W 10G 5.5 1.3 43 VANCOUVER ISLAND REGION --End of Article-- Don ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************