Jonathan Downes and Nigel Wright were also there to talk about their recently released book Rising Of The Moon, The Devon Triangle. What was hilariously fantastic for me and had me almost on the floor, was when Rod Howarth came onto the stage and placed a pack of four Stella beers down on a table next to where Jon was speaking. This was to be Jon’s only props, no slides, no videos, no overheads, just a four-pack of Stella! Jon, as some of us may know, is a seasoned drinker but to freely participate in his favourite activity on stage was a scream. I think he said something to the audience like, "Please don’t mind me ladies and gentlemen whilst I have some breakfast’. Terrific, only Jon Downes could get away with that !! The star event of the whole weekend (at least for me), was the presentation by Jose Escamilla of his RODS footage. Jose has come to the conclusion that mankind is sharing this planet with some new and as yet undiscovered ‘life form’, he calls them RODS. He found that when filming base jumpers at a cave in Mexico, when he played the tape back slowly he found much to his surprise that he had captured strange rod-like ‘things’ on the video which he couldn’t account for. His initial thoughts and those of others who had viewed the film with him, were that these ‘things’ were indeed fly-by insects. But there was something strange, something didn’t quite sit right. Jose was puzzled, he was intrigued, he began to film at different locations just to see if he could capture these strange RODS again, and lo and behold he did !!! He then began to take a look at National Geographic film of turtles and other animals and found that when slowed down, RODS would appear on the film !!! (Even underwater !). This was too much, this can’t be, what on earth was this !! He just had to find out more. He approached and showed his footage to experts in insect life, and each and everyone of them was dumfounded by what they saw. Eventually his work reached the eyes and ears of a T.V. film crew, who, sceptical, decided to see if they too could capture these strange rod-like things, and guess what, THEY DID, they confirmed Jose’s findings.

In a nutshell, and it’s so hard to write about this as you really do need to view these films, these rod-like things can be anything from a few inches in length to a few hundred feet !!! I guess they resemble a straight stick but what makes them so unusual, is the fact that they appear to have what’s like (and it’s about the only way I can describe it) a wavering, fluttering fin-like attachment to the main rod shape which would appear to propel it through the air. The footage that Judy and I viewed was truly spectacular. It's nothing at all to do with UFOs (in the accepted E.T. craft sense), far from it, but this was new, this was interesting, this was special. LAPIS described it on one of their flyers as probably the strangest and most breathtaking footage ever to have been shown at a UFO conference. I’ll tell you what, they’re damn right. Like I say, no words can describe what you see on screen - you have to view this for yourself and make up your own mind. One thing’s for sure, this is not the last that we will hear about this, for this is truly something for the new century and something which must be looked at and studied and hopefully understood. Are we sharing this planet with a new undiscovered life form ? Having viewed the evidence, this researcher clearly thinks we are. WOW incredible stuff, you just got to see it.

{Some researchers who have viewed this footage have suggested that the strange flying rods could be a product of the technology used in video cameras, especially since they are not visible at real-time speed, but only when the frames are slowed down. As a precedent, they have cited the famous brilliant yellow diamond shapes that were hitting the headlines a couple of years ago, only to be explained by the workings of the lens of a camcorder. J.J.}

UFO conferences are not just about the lectures, they are equally about the ‘crack’, an Irish word for a good discussion. Attending this conference was a good sprinkling of sceptics and believers. Some of the people I saw there were Sean Tierney of the Hull UFO society accompanied by a lot of his members. Andy Roberts, sceptic extraordinaire, (with whom Judy and I had lunch and enjoyed an ‘interesting chat’ !!) graced the proceedings with his presence, as did Matthew Williams, who refused to shake the hand of Andy Roberts (he had good reason too and I admire him for it !). Chris Martin was there, a UFOlogist who has taken lots of footage of UFOs above London and filmed the Max Burns lecture (more on that later). Graham Birdsall was there, as was Irene Bott (she of big bosom fame !) and many more.

In the bar, back at the hotel where most of the speakers and delegates were staying, was a piano - nothing strange about that, except that during the course of the evening after the day’s conference, the bouncy tones of the Beatles hit Lady Madonna began to be belted out. As a big Beatles fan myself I turned round to see who was producing this fine, excellent tune and was amazed to see that it was Jose Escamilla. Suddenly Jose was surrounded by UFOlogists each adding their own dulcet tones to the singing and playing Jose. I left a full table of UFOlogists and friends and with glass in hand, proceeded in the direction of this happy bunch of soulful songsters. With a slight cough to clear my throat, my own dulcet tones were added to the mish mash of voices that were gleefully singing and wavering to this wonderful tune. It didn’t stop there, we had Hey Jude, Get Back, Martha My Dear (about Paul’s McCartney’s sheep dog) and a whole host of not only Beatles hits, but other hits as well. Jose seemed to know every tune that had ever been written. I asked him if he knew that old Bolivian folk song from the 1920’s (I was making this up !) and with a wry smile he said, "You sing it, and I’ll play it".

All in all, the LAPIS UFO conference was a huge success, and although the turn-out was down on the previous year, those that did attend knew that they had got their money’s worth. Do try and support any UFO conference that is in your area. A lot of time and effort goes into these and although we can get a lot of information at our finger tips through the Internet, attending UFO Conferences should still be a part of 'your' agenda, do support them. On a closing note of a different nature, I had a lovely fish supper in the town of Lytham St Anne’s served up by a nice wee Scottish lassie. That alone was worth the visit.

Anyone who knows me and who knows about the Bonnybridge UFO sightings, should know that for the past several years Councillor Billy Buchanan and I have been trying to get the British Government to open up an enquiry into the UFO sightings above Bonnybridge, all to no avail. John Major wasn’t interested neither was Tony Blair. We got the tired old statement that as these objects did not pose a threat to the defence of the United Kingdom they would not open up an enquiry. What rot. The people of Bonnybridge and surrounding areas have been witnessing low level close proximity UFO sightings for years now, sightings that are so close that you could almost throw a stone at them. Now these are not conventional objects, the people who view them know this, and although they may not be doing anything that seems a threat to our country, they are in our air space without our permission, so surely that must be deemed as intrusion if nothing else. Anyway, Councillor Buchanan won’t let this lie he has now written to Scottish MSP Donald Dewar asking him to get involved and as an elected member of Parliament, elected by the Scottish people, we are asking him to look at the evidence that we have for the existence of unknown objects in the Scottish skies. If Donald Dewar doesn’t act on this, then this is a clear breach of the trust that we Scots gave him to help in matters pertaining to ‘all things’. We elected him to serve us, and he bloody well better serve us. Here is the full text of the letter sent by Councillor Billy Buchanan to Donald Dewar.

I appreciate how busy you are but this is something of National importance and yet you have not even acknowledged receipt of my letter. I have also recently taken video footage myself that clearly shows that UFOs are fact not fiction. I also have a tape that gives credibility to the whole phenomenon, but I wanted you at the Scottish Parliament to listen to the evidence before I go to the media. I ask you again Mr Dewar, give me the opportunity to prove conclusively that we have a phenomenon here that requires a major investigation. That is unless you already know, Mr Dewar. Hopefully the opportunity to present the case for the sake of our nation and of our people.(unfinished sentence)

It is my great hope that this letter will not fall on deaf ears, and that Donald Dewar, whom we elected, will do his duty and look into this. If not, then the man is a sham. He is a traitor to the people who elected him and is a ‘puppet’ on a string. If ever I wanted to be proved wrong then it is now. Prove me wrong Mr Dewar, get the finger out, UFOs are real and something worthy of your attention.

Early December saw me receive an E-mail from one Jonathan Katz, a film producer from the States. Along with others he was producing a film entitled, Touched By An Alien, which concerned a journey into the lives of alien abductees. They asked me to assist them by finding them abductees to speak to and other people whom I felt could assist their programme. They also asked me to find them accommodation both here in London and in Scotland. I made many phone calls trying to find them an appropriate place (which I did). I got them to speak to Garry Wood and Colin Wright, both UFO abductees. They also spoke to Glasgow UFO rock band CE IV. My wee moan is, after doing all ‘their’ spade work they never bothered to turn up and speak to me (which was part of the deal). Yet again I've been 'fleeced'. You give these people all you can and when you expect them to come and see you, which they promised, they disappear like snow off a dyke !! Will I ever learn?

A Japanese film crew arrived in Scotland (Edinburgh) recently, to look for UFOs. They are training their cameras constantly on the sky for a period of several months in the expectant hopes of capturing something strange, something that doesn’t conform to a conventional aircraft or helicopter. Even here in London I’ve had the Scottish press get on to me about this one. I did an interview with the Edinburgh Evening News who asked me my thoughts about this and I also did a live radio interview with presenter Simon Bates for a London radio station. My view on the Japanese being here is this - for me they are doing a grand job. Why ? Because they are putting themselves in the ballpark, they are not sitting back in their homes in Japan reading about these Scottish sightings, they are doing something about it. The analogy is, if you don’t buy a lottery ticket you have no chance of winning the lottery, so with the Japanese constantly training their cameras on the Edinburgh skies, they may well capture something strange. If there truly is a phenomenon occurring in the Edinburgh skies (and I’ve no reason to doubt my Scottish colleagues on this), then that phenomenon may turn up on film. I say good luck to them. This subject always demands proof, and if the Japanese manage to capture something, then fantastic, go get em boys !!

Early January saw me receive another telephone call this time from the Disney Channel, that ever colourful and entertaining children’s T.V. programme. They were looking for an ‘expert’ to come onto their show and discuss UFO sightings with them. I quickly explained that I was no ‘expert’, nobody is, but said that I would be more than happy to come onto their show and inform them of what I know about this perplexing subject. A taxi took me to their studios in the St John’s Wood area of London (quite posh !) and I proceeded to enter a large building which I later learned was once a church. Researcher Michelle Kitchener made me more than welcome in the green room after which it was time to go off and get my nose and face powdered. I explained to the young girl who was doing my face that she could be there all day with a hooter like mine to contend with. It was then time for a quick rehearsal with the young male and female presenter and I was instructed to make my comments short and snappy and try to not drag the points out, (hmmm). Nothing changes !!! The studio itself was like being inside a kids’ bouncy castle, a multitude of bright glowing colours was everywhere. I then proceeded to sit down in a large padded and uncomfortable seat where some minutes later it was time to go live to the nation. I was asked the usual questions by these two bouncy presenters, (Do children’s T.V. presenters ever get depressed? They are always on a high and so full of fun and hilarity) Can you take tablets for this !! Anyway, soon I was explaining all about what UFOs can and can not be. I also took questions live from watching kids at home (from different parts of the country) and tried to look serious as a stage hand blew dry ice at me from a dry ice machine. I found out later that this topic had drawn the largest amount of telephone calls to the station that they had ever known which goes to show how big this subject still really is. It had been a good and productive day and the conversation with the presenters and stage people off camera was equally stimulating. Each and every one of them was really ‘into’ this subject and I found that I could have spoken to them all day. Apparently the day before I went on, they had someone talking to them from the Fortean Times magazine about aliens. I may not have been given the time to say what I really wanted to say, but nonetheless the bullet points were made and the subject of UFOs gained, I hope, a little bit more exposure.

It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of one of the leading lights from the British UFO Research Association, Arnold West. Arnold has been assisting BUFORA for many years and in that time has made BUFORA what it is today. He has been a tireless worker for the Association and was always ready to lend a hand and help anyone with their projects. He never sought out the limelight but preferred to stay in the background working away, ensuring the smooth running of head office, and that deadlines for the magazine were kept. Judy and I, along with several other BUFORA members, attended Arnold’s funeral at his home town of Burgess Hill in Sussex. When people die you often hear the words "Oh, he will be sadly missed". Well I’ll tell you what, this is truly the case with Arnold, he will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Arnold’s family.

As you may know I am assisting BUFORA to organsie and obtain speakers for their monthly London lectures. Last year saw BUFORA host many good lectures at the University of Westminster. Probably our most controversial one was the lecture by Max Burns, when he presented his evidence in regards to an incident which concerned what he believes to have been the loss of a military plane due to coming into contact with a UFO over the Peak District of Yorkshire. Max has taken a lot of flak from certain Northern UFOlogists about his beliefs on this case - they even tried to stitch him up about it, (but that’s another story). Anyway Max has always maintained that a UFO was involved with the loss of this aircraft and I have to say, his evidence is very convincing. People went to great lengths to try and stop Max from speaking on a BUFORA platform, shades of what happened to Galileo when he was jailed for ‘his’ beliefs, but as lecture organiser I ensured that the freedom of speech should apply to all, (sceptics included) and so gave Max his chance to show what he had and leave it up to Joe Public to decide. I mean, would ‘you’ like someone telling ‘you’ who you could and could not listen to !!! I’m sure you wouldn’t.

Anyway, Max’s lecture was filmed and I have a few copies of this video to sell. Should you wish to obtain a copy of this video, then please send a cheque for £12:00 made payable to Malcolm Robinson. Send to 41 Castlebar Road, Ealing, London, England, W5 2DJ.

Max is currently serving a 30 month prison sentence for the possession of illegal drugs, a charge he vehemently denies. The stop press news on this one is that new evidence has come to light which clearly and categorically shows that Max was set up, that he was framed. Max is in prison for something he didn’t do and with the new evidence that has come to light, plus a witness that will clearly testify to Max’s non involvement with these drugs, it will mean that those Yorkshire puddings that have been telling all and sundry on UFO Updates of Max’s dealings with drugs and how he is a shady character will have the proverbial egg on their face. It’s a day that is not too far off, and this UFOlogist can’t wait. There is nothing worse than wrongful imprisonment. You haven’t heard the last of this story.

Unfortunately due to illness Professor Arthur Ellison will not now be able to present his lecture scheduled for Saturday the 5^th February 2000. In his place we have Brian James who will talk about his research into crop circles and also his involvement with UFO sightings in his own particular region. Brian will also present his feelings regarding what could be behind not only the UFO phenomenon, but also certain aspects of the paranormal as well. This aims to be an interesting lecture and one not to be missed. The lecture is being held at the University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, Central London, NW1 5LS, (opposite Madame Tussauds). The lecture will begin at 2:00pm and finish around 5:00pm. The nearest tube station is Baker Street. Adults £4:50 BUFORA Members £2:50.

During my time in Scotland, I was fortunate to view numerous segments of video tape all of which claimed to show UFOs in the night sky. 99% of these videos were clearly natural objects like aircraft or toy helium balloons. However, apart from some interesting stuff from the Malcolm family who live near Larbert Central Scotland, the only other interesting piece of video came from a chap called Andrew McLeish. Andrew has submitted two video tapes to SPI England recently, the first one I’m 100% convinced is of an aircraft, the other video tape which he sent me, well I’m not quite sure. One clearly does see an aircraft traversing the sky, but one can also see numerous white blobs flying quickly ‘past’ this aircraft. Once I’ve had others look at the video and done some further checking, I may be in a position to tell you more about what Andrew has filmed - stay tuned as they say.

© SPI January 2000 News by Malcolm Robinson, SPI England