UFO ROUNDUP
 Volume 3, Number 29
 June 19, 1998
 Editor: Joseph Trainor
 
 CROP CIRCLES SHOW UP
 IN USA AND UK
 
      During the past month, an incredible number of
 crop circles have appeared in the USA and the
 United Kingdom.
      On Friday, June 19, 1998, a crop circle measuring
 180 feet (55 meters) in diameter appeared in a wheat
 field in Eltopia, Washington (population 200), a small
 town about 225 miles (360 kilometers) east of Seattle.
      According to cerealogist Ilyes, the circle was
 discovered by farmer Craig Schaefer, who discovered it
 "in a field of Steven's wheat--a 'beaded' variety of winter
 wheat" which Schaefer planted in October 1997.
      Ilyes reported "an interesting color variation within
 the circle, as half of the circle was still green, half about
 golden ripe."  The farmer reportedly told her "that his
 eye was caught by the circles in the crop, by the
 precise, well-defined circumference of the circle, and
 the way the wheat seemed deliberately organized."
 (Many thanks to Ilyes for this news story.)
      Also in June, a crop circle shaped like a dumbbell
 was reported in Waverly, Nebraska (population 1,869),
 a town on Highway 6 approximately 11 miles
 (18 kilometers) northeast of Lincoln, the state capital.
 Waverly was the site of a crop circle in 1997.
      On Friday, July 10, 1998, a giant swastika was
 found in a cornfield in Washington Township, New
 Jersey (population 8,000), located 5 miles (8 kilometers)
 southeast of Princeton.
      According to the New York Post, "The swastika is
 about 100 yards by 100 yards and visible from the air."
 Washington Township mayor Glen Beebe "said the
 symbol appeared to have been cut in the field about
 three weeks ago, judging from the height of corn
 regrowth."
      "The Mercer County prosecutor is investigating the
 incident as a hate crime.  Beebe quoted police as
 saying they had no suspects."
      "Jewish leaders expressed horror yesterday
 (June 12, 1998) at (the) football-field sized swastika...
 'I'm horrified by this.  I can't believe someone in our
 community could do this,' Yvette Kovsky, president
 of the 650-family Congregation Beth Chaim in
 (nearby) West Windsor, said."  (See the New York
 Post for July 13, 1998, "Jews appalled by giant
 swastika in N.J. cornfield.")
      Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, a record number
 of crop circles have appeared this summer, with 30 of
 them in Avebury alone.  Prominent Avebury crop circles
 include those at Beckhampton, Bishops Cannings,
 Avebury Trusloe and West Kennet.
      According to cerealogist Paul Vigay, crop circles
 have appeared elsewhere in the UK, in Dorset, Wiltshire,
 Hampshire, North Somerset, Staffordshire, 
 Leicestershire, and at Shepton Mallet near Glastonbury.
      On Thursday, July 9, 1998, at 7 a.m., a crop circle
 appeared in Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, UK.  According to
 cerealogist Colin Andrews, the formation was "a Kock
 Fractal 'Snowflake' pattern, like two others seen nearby
 during 1997.  This one has over 140 small circles
 surrounding the snowflake and is 300 feet across."
      The "snowflake" appeared in East Field in Alton
 Barnes, at the foot of a prehistoric burial tumulus
 known locally as Adam's Grave.  (Many thanks to
 Colin Andrews and Eroll Bruce-Knapp for this news
 story.)
      On Monday, July 9, 1998, farmer Brian Roble was
 running a combine machine through an 18-acre wheat
 field in Latty, Ohio (population 200), a small town on
 Route 613 near the Indiana state line when he
 sighted a crop circle.
      Roble "said, 'I had seen it from a distance and hadn't
 known what it was.  When I got closer, I could see it
 was a crop circle.  My eight-year-old daughter has been
 looking for crop circles since she and her mom went to
 see the one at Arend's (in 1996--J.T.).  I never thought
 I'd find one.'"
      Roble telephoned the field's owner, Georgia Price,
 and "she said her family had farmed that field for 45 years
 and it had never before produced such a crop."
      "Sheriff Dave Harrow said his office received a report
 of crop vandalism at 6:14 p.m. on July 6.  He denied the
 existence of a crop circle in the county, although he said
 the vandalism was circular in shape.  He said his office
 has no suspects and because the landowner did not want
 to press charges, the case is closed."
      "Roble said the sheriff came out July 6, compared the
 formation with those in a book, declared it a hoax and
 recommended they plow the compression under."
      On Sunday, July 12, 1998, cerealogists Roger Sugden
 and Jeffrey Wilson investigated the scene.  The men
 "took measurements, drew a field diagram, checked
 electromagnetic readings and collected wheat and soil
 samples."  (See the Ohio newspaper Paulding County
 Progress for July 15, 1998, "Crop circle is discovered
 in county."  Many thanks to Kenneth Young of Tri-States
 Advocates for Scientific Knowledge, T.A.S.K., for
 forwarding the newspaper article.)
 
 UFOs HOVER OVER MOUNTAIN
 CITIES IN UMBRIA, ITALY
 
      On Monday, July 13, 1998, at 11 p.m., an "unidentified
 craft" flew over the small city of Gualda Tadino in
 northeastern Umbria province, Italy.  The UFO "circled the
 city at high velocity," and then hovered for about two
 minutes before flying away to the north.  The UFO "flew
 below the clouds" and had "a great luminosity."
      Minutes later, the UFO flew over the nearby city of
 Gubbio, in the Appenine Mountains.  Witnesses described
 the UFO as "resembling a glowing soccer ball" and said
 "it flew from the north-northeast to the north-northwest,"
 and, after aerobatic maneuvers lasting "about five minutes,
 and left in a northerly direction.  The phenomenon was
 seen by four witnesses in one location, and another
 seven people confirmed this sighting."
      Gubbio and Gualda Tadino are east of Perugia,
 located about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Rome.
 (Grazie a Squadra Film Spaziale d'Italia per questo
 rapporto.)
 
 LUMINOUS UFO FLIES OVER
 CREWE IN THE UK
 
      On Saturday, July 11, 1998, at 12:30 a.m.,
 Paul R., age 27, and his mother, Patricia R., age 54,
 were out walking their dog in a west-southwesterly
 direction along Remer Street in Crewe, Cheshire, UK
 when a sudden bright flash captured Paul's gaze.
      The incident took place just two hours after
 the light phenomenon over Belfast, Northern Ireland.
      "My eyes had already been directed skyward by
 seeing something flare up," Paul reported, "I figured it
 was probably the sun reflecting off some solar panel
 or other.  About a minute later, I saw this flickering
 fuzzy blob dash across the sky.  The object was about
 the size of a two-pence piece (held at arm's length)."
      "After noticing it flare up, I pointed it out to my
 mother, and we watched it for about 15 to 20 seconds
 until it faded out."  The UFO "appeared to be at about
 50 degrees above the horizon" and "was traveling in the
 same flight path as the first, south to north."
      "I only saw it for five to seven seconds before it
 disappeared out of view behind the houses." 
      Crewe, Cheshire is located about 130 miles
 (208 kilometers) northwest of London.  (Email
 Interview)
 
 FAST UFO FLYBY OVER
 LELYSTAD, NETHERLANDS
 
      On Tuesday, July 7, 1998, a film crew shooting
 a TV movie on the dikes at Blocq van Kuffeler in
 Oostelijk Flevoland, Netherlands accidentally shot
 footage of a UFO speeding overhead.
      According to Dutch ufologist Keet Veling, "At the
 upper white corner of the frame, a white dot appears.
 It races through the film at great speed.  The dot
 disappears behind (actor) Kuno's head.  You expect
 the dot to appear over on the left of the frame but
 it does not."
      The UFO was flying from Almene to Lelystad,
 a city 60 kilometers (36 miles) northeast of
 Amsterdam.  (Many thanks to Keet Veling for this
 news story.)
 
 TRIANGULAR UFO SPOTTED
 IN SELKIRK, MANITOBA
 
      On Tuesday, July 14, 1998, at 4 a.m., Arthur P.
 was looking north from his home in Selkirk, Manitoba,
 Canada, when he spotted three strange bluish-white
 lights in the sky.
      "What I saw was a (triangular) shape in bluish-
 white lights.  It came down across the street from my
 house and made no sound.  Of course, my heart was
 beating too loudly for me to hear it.  Then it went
 straight back up and was gone."
      Arthur described the configuration of lights as
 looking like this:
                               O
                             O  O
 
      "I observed the UFO for four minutes," he added,
 "It was very, very slow in descent.  Very slow as well
 as it ascended.  I did not hear any sound as being
 associated with the UFO."
      Asked if he observed any structural details,
 Arthur responded, "No, the light was too bright, and
 frankly I was too frightened."  He added that there 
 was definitely a luminous glow around the lights.
      Selkirk is on Manitoba Provincial Highway 9
 approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of
 Winnipeg.  (Email Interview)
 
 MYSTERIOUS CRASH PROBED
 IN NORTHERN TEXAS
 
      On Saturday, July 11, 1998, at 11:20 p.m., Texas
 ufologist Duff B. and his wife "were driving into the
 Fort Worth, Tex. area.  We were about eight to ten
 miles west of Azle (population 8,868) and saw a
 bright falling object.  My wife noted a blue and green
 'light' below the object as it was falling.  I watched
 it and was concentrating wholly on the large 'fireball'
 effect surrounding the object."
      Since this "was nothing like we had ever seen
 before," Duff and his wife drove into Azle, hoping for
 a better look.  They soon found "the road blocked at
 an underpass" and a large number of fire engines
 and emergency vehicles.  Rolling down the window,
 Duff asked an officer what was going on.
      "Is this fire related to the flash in the sky a
 while ago?" he asked.
      "No," the officer said bluntly.
      "Is this a wreck?" Duff asked.
       After "pausing a few seconds, 'Yes,' he said."
      "We went down the service road and tried to see
 across the median to see what all the commotion was
 about," Duff reported, "I saw a large number of fire
 trucks, care ambulances and a wrecker.  However,
 what I didn't see was any damaged vehicle.  In fact,
 there was nothing on the road but emergency
 personnel and vehicles."
      The investigation is continuing.  Azle is on Texas
 Highway 199 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest
 of Fort Worth.  (Many thanks to Steve Wilson Sr.
 for this news story.)
 
 UFOs APPEAR TWICE IN
 RURAL MICHIGAN
 
      On Friday, July 3, 1998, at 3 p.m., a 14-year-old
 boy was practicing at the outdoor amphitheatre
 at Blue Lake Fine Arts Music Camp in rural
 Twin Lake, Michigan (population 1,328), about
 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of Detroit, when
 he spotted a UFO in the sky.
      The witness was rehearsing with other members
 of the orchestra when "he looked up" and "saw a
 strange object that resembled 'a metal gray flashlight
 (torch in UK) with a nose bigger than the back end.'
 He could see no windows or lights on it."
      "It was flying a 'straight horizontal line' west
 towards Lake Michigan.  The object was at a high
 altitude 'as high as a plane can go,' and at arm's
 length it was as big as his index finger."
      "He observed it for approximately ten seconds
 before 'it flew into a very large cloud that took up a
 lot of the sky.'  When asked if he pointed out the
 object to any of the others in the orchestra, he
 replied, 'No, because the teacher would be mad
 at me disturbing the rehearsal.'"
 (Editor's Comment: An experience like this gives
 a whole new meaning to the expression music of
 the spheres.)
      A week later, on Friday, July 10, 1998, at 3:49 p.m.,
 "a woman driving north on US (Highway) 127 near Leslie,
 Michigan (population 1,872)" when he spotted "the
 glint of a silvery object" in the sky.
      "She described the object as the size of a Cessna-
 type aircraft, but 'perfectly round like a steel BB'"
 pellet.
      "She further noted 'a shiny band around the middle'
 of the object."
      ""The object seemed to 'slide up against the edge
 of the cumulous cloud, rolled down so that the top
 (half) reflected the shine, then rolled up so that the
 bottom half reflected the shine'  She noticed that the
 'shiny band' stayed at the middle of the object, which
 enabled her to determine" which hemisphere reflected
 the shine.
     "She watched then as the object 'slid/flew into the
 edge' of the cloud, from which it did not return."
      Leslie is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) south
 of Lansing, the state capital.  (Many thanks to
 Marilyn Ruben of Alien Abductions Experience and
 Research and Jeffrey S. Westover of Michigan
 MUFON for these news stories.)
 
 AMATEUR ASTRONOMER
 SPIES A UFO SOUTH OF
 PITTSBURGH
 
      On Sunday night, July 12, 1998, an amateur
 astronomer doing some backyard observations
 spotted a UFO over Sutersville, Pennsylvania
 (population 755), located 20 miles (32 kilometers)
 south of Pittsburgh.
      The witness, "who owns a telescope and is
 familiar with the planets," stated he was "watching
 some aircraft when I noticed a bright, star-like source
 of light approximately west-southwest" of his location
 "in the generally clear sky."
      The witness went indoors to fetch his telescope.
 Soon he had it in focus and "saw what appeared to be
 a solid white globe, but the center of it appeared to
 be more transparent.  The globe itself appeared
 stationary while under observation.  Just above the
 globe was another smaller sphere that was making a
 continuous back-and-forth motion, in a somewhat
 circular fashion over it."
      According to the witness, the smaller sphere
 "moved from a 10 o'clock position to a 2 o'clock
 position (above the white globe) and then would
 reverse the motion.  This continued for over two
 minutes."  Then both UFOs departed.  (Many
 thanks to Pennsylvania ufologist Stan Gordon
 for this news story.)
 
 MAGAZINE HAS INTRIGUING
 PHOTOS FROM THE MARS
 GLOBAL SURVEYOR
 
      The August 1998 issue of Sky & Telescope
 has a very interesting selection of photos from the
 Mars Global Surveyor, as part of a great article
 by Samantha Parker entitled "The Triumphant
 Turnaround of Mars Global Surveyor."
      After looking at the photos with a trusty
 magnifying glass, and using a mirror set at 90
 degrees for a 3-D effect, your editor found some
 intriguing features that I'd like to pass on to
 UFO Roundup readers.
      (1) Niagara Falls of Mars - Note the three
 horseshoe-shaped "bites" out of the plain above
 Ophir Casma.  The semi-circular recession, the
 outwash debris in the chasm, and the dendritic
 dried-up riverbeds leading to the edge suggest
 that a large waterfall, similar to the USA's Niagara
 Falls or Angel Falls io Venezuela, was present
 in the planet's distant past.  Check the 2 o'clock
 position in the upper left photo on page 44.
      (2) Lake Huron of Mars - The flat plain with the
 orderly rows of sand dunes in Hebes Chasma is
 actually a dry lakebed that rivals present-day Lake
 Huron in size.  Note the wave-cut headlands and
 promontories on the left shore.  There's also evidence
 of shore terracing in the embayments of the lower
 center photo on page 46.
      (3) Twin Pyramids - The region called Medusa 
 Fossae is full of surprises.  Check out the upper left
 photo on page 45.  At a 5 o'clock position relative to
 the recent impact crater at the top of the photo are
 two pyramid-shaped features.  Nearby are another
 10 smaller circular hills or mounds.
      (4) Space Baby - Medusa Fossae has an
 interesting landform.  Check out the upper left
 corner of the photo on page 45, at an 8 o'clock
 position relative to the large crater with the central
 peak.  From space, the mountain resembles a
 human baby sucking the thumb of his right hand.
 It reminded me of the final scene of the movie
 2001: A Space Odyssey.  (Don't tell me there are
 Stanley Kubrick fans on Mars--J.T.)
 
 NASA RELEASES GALILEO
 PHOTOS OF GANYMEDE
 
      "Jupiter's moon Ganymede appears to have
 had an ocean fed by volcanoes that spewed
 lava-like water."
      "Dramatic new photos from NASA's Galileo
 probe, taken in June 1996 and June 1997 and
 released Wednesday (June 15, 1998), do not
 reveal any signs of life.  But it is possible that
 life could have existed in Ganymede's watery
 depths billions of years ago."
      "'The ingredients for life are all there,' says
 James Head, a Brown University planetary
 scientist and Galileo team member.  'It had the
 water, it had the heat and it has organic material
 coming in from outer space in the form of comets.'"
      The Galileo photos "show parallel rows of
 linear mountainlike ranges that stretch for hundreds
 of miles, and a valley system of volcanoes that
 replenished the ocean with water early in Ganymede's
 history."
      "The pictures also reveal a chain of craters on
 Ganymede that probably were caused by impacts
 from a broken comet similar to the Shoemaker-Levy
 comet that smashed into Jupiter in 1994."
      "Earlier data from Galileo found combinations of
 oxygen, carbon, sulfur, hydrogen and nitrogen trapped
 in Ganymede's crust."
      "Galileo's images also show unusual pedestal-like
 formations, icy volcanic flows, dark rings from impacts
 and evidence of 'moon-quakes.'"
      "Ganymede is thought to have formed about 4.5
 billion years ago.  It is the largest moon in the solar
 system, about the size of Mercury or a third the
 size of Earth."
      "It is the only moon with a magnetic field.
 It has a metallic core and a thin hydrogen atmosphere."
      "Ganymede lies 665,000 miles (1,060,000 kilometers)
 from Jupiter--more than twice as far as the Moon is from
 Earth."
      "The images are the last closeups scientists are
 expecting from Ganymede.  The Galileo spacecraft,
 which has spent two-and-a-half years orbiting Jupiter
 and its four largest moons, wrapped up its primary
 mission last December (1997).  Its extended mission
 will continue through December 1999 and includes
 either flybys of Europa, four flybys of Callisto and
 one or two of Io."
     "'This is a tantalizing last glimpse at Ganymede
 from Galileo,' Head says.  'We've learned a lot and it's
 been amazing.  In the future, we'll need to get even
 closer and maybe even send a spacecraft to land
 there to really see what it's like."  (See USA Today
 for July 16, 1998, "Photos suggest life could have
 existed on Jupiter's moon," by Paul Hoversten.)
 
 from the UFO Files...
 
 1947: DAYLIGHT DISCS SWEEP
           NORMAN, OKLAHOMA
 
      One of the best-documented multiple repeated
 sightings of UFOs during the Flap of 1947 occurred
 in Norman, Oklahoma, located about 15 miles
 (24 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City.
      W.H. Carson, who was dean of engineering at
 the University of Oklahoma from 1937 to 1962, was
 the first to see the flying discs.
      "The strange objects were reported being seen
 flying over Norman about 6 p.m. on July 6 (1947).
 Carson said he was resting in a hammock back of
 his home at 943 Chautauqua Avenue when he saw
 a silver object at an estimated height of 15,000 to
 20,000 feet."
      "When his wife Emma joined him, Carson
 mentioned the unusual object.  About that time, two
 more appeared and were witnessed by Mrs. Carson
 and the neighbors."
      "'I don't know what they were, but we saw them,'
 Carson told The Transcript."
      "Carson, who died in 1969, said the objects were
 traveling from east to west into the setting sun."
      "Another story that appeared in the July 7 (1947)
 edition of The Transcript described 'a big noise'
 heard by a large number of Normanites the same
 evening as Carson's sighting."
      "Police made an extensive check of the west and
 southwestern parts of town after the sound, which
 shook walls and made windows tremble."
      "In another local incident, Mrs. Dewey Clawson
 of 321 North Flood Avenue reported seeing a falling
 object that bore no resemblance to a falling star
 just before 'good dark' on July 7, according to the
 July 9, 1947 edition of The Transcript."
      "Mrs. Clawson said she was sitting on her
 back porch when she noticed the object falling from
 the sky.  It had the appearance of being approximately
 6 to 8 inches in diameter and appeared to disintegrate
 as it fell earthward, she said."
      "Mrs. Clawson said her son, Stuart, saw a
 similar object on July 5.  He initially believed it was
 a firefly but later realized it was too large."  (See the
 Norman, Okla. Transcript for July 9, 1997, "Norman
 had its own UFOs 50 years ago."  See also back
 issues of the Transcript for July 7, July 8 and July 9,
 1947.  Many thanks to Lou Farish of UFO
 NEWSCLIPPING SERVICE for this story.)
 
 FUN UFO WEBSITES:
      For more on the crop circle in Eltopia, Wash.,
 log in at http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/
 inter98/eltopia-pasco98.html
      The one in Waverly, Neb. can be found at
 http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/inter98/
 waverly98.html
      For more on the Lelystad UFO image, log in
 at http://www.captainvideo.nl/patrick/index-e.html
      Enhance your summer UFO reading with a visit
 to our parent site, UFO INFO.  We're at this URL:
 http://ufoinfo.com.
      Back issues of UFO Roundup are available
 for reading and downloading at our webpage at
 http://ufoinfo.com/roundup
 
      This week marks the 32nd anniversary of the
 flight of the Gemini 10.  On July 21, 1966, astronauts
 John Young and Michael Collins flew the black-and-
 white Gemini 10 space capsule through two simulated
 docking missions with orbiting space targets.  On
 this mission, Collins performed two spacewalks,
 also known as extravehicular activities (EVAs).
      Three years after Gemini 10, Collins piloted the
 Apollo 11 command module in orbit around the
 Moon as Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin
 landed on the lunar surface.
 
      We'll be back next week with more saucer news
 from "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup."
 See you then.
 
 UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1998 by Masinagan
 Productions, all rights reserved.  Readers may post
 news items from UFO Roundup on their websites or
 in newsgroups provided that they credit the newsletter
 and its editor by name and list the date of issue in
 which the item first appeared.