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From: Blather -  Daev Walsh <daev@blather.net>
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 15:45:41 +0100
Fwd Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 09:30:58 -0400
Subject: Blather: No Threat Whatsoever

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B  L  A  T  H  E  R

p a r a n o r m a l   p r o v o c a t e u r i s m

By Dave (daev) Walsh daev@blather.net
Web: http://www.blather.net
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October 9th 1998, Dublin, Ireland   Vol 2. No. 22
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NO THREAT WHATSOEVER Blather's favourite Irish ufologist -
Eamonn Ansbro - is back in the news once again, this time in the
'Sunday Tribune' of October 4th, under the headline 'Alert:
Aliens pose no real danger'.

Longtime Blather readers may recall 'War of the Wetlands', an
issue from December 1997, which recounted how this writer, like
an eejit, spent an entire Sunday evening monitoring the
endeavours of the ICUFOS (Irish Centre for UFO Studies) on Bull
Island, Co. Dublin. The date was December 14th, the night that
Ansbro had predicted would be fraught with UFOs, using Roy
Dutton's rather dubious 'Astronautical Theory'. He claimed that
Dublin, Boyle (Co. Roscommon) and Bantry (Co. Cork) were to be
the best places to see the UFOs. Back then, Blather commented on
the curious correlation between the ICUFOS predictions, and the
Geminid meteor showers, which started on December 13th.


Ansbro's prediction for the ultimate in UFO viewing this year
is, funnily enough, for December 14th 'again'. This year Omagh,
Ballinasloe, Boyle, Shannon and Dublin are the targets (poor
Bantry must be unfashionable).

As 'Sky Online's Meteor Page' tells us:

"Geminids (Dec. 12-14). This is the only major meteor shower
known to be associated with an asteroid (3200 Phaethon). It
should peak on the night of December 13-14, 1998, and the nights
of December 13-14 and 14-15, 1999. An observer may see 80
meteors in an hour under moonless, rural skies from late evening
through dawn. A suburban observer may see only 30 meteors or
fewer per hour. The prime observing hours are essentially
Moon-free in both 1998 and 1999."

Is it to too much to ask for Ireland's extraterrestrial
proponents to inject a little originality into their
predictions? At this rate, they'll bore their detractors into
submission.


'The Tribune' tells us that Ansbro, 'the foremost expert in
unexplained foreign objects [surely useful when dealing with
Irish customs officers], and international co-ordinator of the
PEIR (Programme for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Research)
Project,' is constructing a unique telescopic camera to prove
the existence of extraterrestrials. A photograph of Ansbro and
his telescopic apparatus accompanies the article. There is no
attempt to explain just 'how' it is to be used to gather such
proof.

The article, written by Richard Oaklay, states that Ansbro
reckons Ireland to be prime alien tourism country, due to our
lack of xenophobia and our neutrality. The space-brothers 'pose
no real risk', as '"Extra terrestrials are our friendly
neighbours, all we have to do is treat them well,"'.

I don't know what planet Ansbro has been living on recently, but
a foray into the 'Irish Times' archives should illustrate the
problems that Ireland is currently facing, due to its recent
economic boom, and subsequent arrival of racial minorities. With
regard to neutrality, I pondered upon what difference it should
make to a visiting alien envoy... ('oh, no...we don't want them
running off to invade somewhere 'while we're visiting'...'), and
so I considered last week's Blather, which discussed the 1951
movie 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. Klaatu, the visiting
alien, heaps scorn upon humanity for our barbaric bloodlust, our
habitual warmongering, etc. Perhaps Klaatu should have landed in
the Republic of Ireland, where he would have either been sold a
passport for an exorbitant fee, or deported back to his own
world.





'War of the Wetlands'
(http://www.blather.net/archives/issue1no32.html)
'Astronautical Theory'
(http://www.globalserve.net/~mallet/roycharts.shtml)
'The Irish Times'
(http://www.irish-times.com)
'Klaatu Barada Nikto'
(http://www.blather.net/archives/issue2no21.html)

'SKY Online's Meteor Page'
(http://www.skypub.com/meteors/meteors.shtml)
'Geminid meteor images'
(http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer/geminids.html)
'Geminid Star chart'
(http://www.ticetboo.demon.co.uk/geminids.htm)
'Watch out for the Geminid Meteor Shower '
(http://www.campus.bt.com/CampusWorld/pub/ScienceNet/astron/comet/gem
inid.html)
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THEY CAME FROM THE SKY Mighty fun was had in Waterford since
October 5th, when, according to various and varying news
reports, nine orange and white parachutes landed in and around
Waterford City, each carrying aluminium tubular frames - about a
metre square with four legs and Pyrex-made wax-sealed vials of
soil and water, and a 'blue inky substance'. Each one was heavy
enough to require two men to lift it. Each unit had a white box,
with 'two little metal pieces inside them, shaped like
half-moons'. On the back of each box was what appeared to be a
red thumb print. The parachutes carried marking which 'suggested
that they might have originated in Russia' (sounds like a bit of
a lazy assumption).

The first was found at 0700 hours at the Bull Post,
Ballybricken. The second find was a little later Earls Court,
Dunmore Road, 2 miles south of Ballybricken. Number three came
to rest in the grounds of the Mercy Convent at Military Road, at
0900 hours. The next four were found from 1000 and 1200 hours at
Rice Bridge, Jurys Hotel, the Peoples Park and Trinity Square.
Blather has no details as where the other two were located.


The objects were carted off to Waterford Garda Station, in
Ballybricken, where an Army bomb disposal unit took a gander...

Garda Sergeant Dave Sheehan was quoted as saying that the test
tubes may be part of a scientific experiment. Meteorological
Offices denied responsibility...

According to Tuesday's 'Irish Times', the Gardai 'said the
objects were "far too elaborate" to be part of a hoax'. By
Wednesday the IT said that 'the gardai are not amused and point
out that they have more important matters to deal with. They
feel the mystery objects could be an elaborate hoax'.


Curiously, it seemed 'assumed' that the things had actually
'landed'. Fair enough, if you find a parachute open on the
ground, you would probably 'assume' that it had arrived from
above, but no one seems to have seen the things in flight. And,
considering that each one had landed in such... opportune
locations, without injury or damage to property, it surprising
that doubt was not more immediate... (The 'Irish Times' had
pointed this about by October 7th, but failed to elaborate).


By October 8th, the mystery had been 'solved'. At 1730 hours RTE
(national broadcaster) announced that the riddle had been
solved. Paul Gregg, a U.S. artist living in Ireland, had come
forward to claim responsibility. They said that their aim was
'not' to 'make a fool of anyone', but to prompt 'enjoyable
speculation'. The parachutes had been unloaded from a van in the
early hours of the morning... The Gardai are suitably
unimpressed.

So much for my Zimmer-frame low-budget-cosmonaut
Mystery-time-travel- airship
Virgin-Atlantic-Shannon-Aeroflot-Stopover theory.



Sources:

Irish Times, Tuesday October 6th 1998
http://www.irish-times.com/irish-times/paper/1998/1006/fro4.html

Irish Independent, Tuesday October 6th 1998
http://www.independent.ie/1998/278/d08g.shtml
Picture:
http://www.independent.ie/1998/278/images/D08G.jpg

Irish Times, Wednesday October 7th 1998
http://www.irish-times.com/irish-times/paper/1998/1007/news8.html

Infobeat News 10/07/98 (via Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/

Aertel Teletext, Monday, October 5th 1998
http://www.rte.ie/aertel/

RTE Update, Wednesday 7th October 1998 - 5.30pm
http://www.rte.ie/email.html
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MORE KLAATU

In last week's issue of Blather, 'Klaatu Barada Nikto', a few errors
and omissions were made. Don Ecker, of UFO Magazine, was in touch, as
he had correctly noted that in the cast of 'The Day The Earth Stood
Still', Bobby was played by Billy Gray, and not Frances Bavier -
Bavier played Mrs. Barley (and also 'Aunt Bee' on the Andy Griffith
Show). Professor Barnhardt was not played by Billy Gray, but by Sam
Jaffe.

Blather also mentioned that 'in 'The Empire Strikes Back', Darth
briefs his bounty hunters - Boba Fett is flanked by two others...
Klaatu and Nikto (Klaatu, Boba, Nikto?)'. In fact, it was in 'Return
of the Jedi' that three of Jabba's entourage were Klaatu, Barada and
Nikto. (Thanks to StUberGeek)

There also seems to be some contention over whether or not Klaatu
actually says that he is from 'Venus and Mars'. Personally, I don't
recall this line. (Thanks to Kevin Killion)


'Klaatu Barada Nikto'
(http://www.blather.net/archives/issue2no21.html)
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MAGONIA UPDATE

The latest additions to the Magonia site:
(http://www.magonia.demon.co.uk/newmag.htm)

ETH Bulletin #7
So how did Travis Walton do it?

An Anorak's Paradise or A Passage To Narnia?
What steamy excitements lurk in The Box Hill Tunnel?
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LOCH NESS MINISUB EXPEDITION

Last but not least, Loren Coleman (an occasional Blather contributor)
is joining Dan Scott Taylor in a mini-submarine expedition to Loch
Ness in June 1999. The submarine, named 'Nessa', after the Gaelic
Goddess of Water, will be attempt to return with film, sonar and
tissue sample proof of the creatures' existence. Blather wishes the
team the best of luck (and that they have more success than the
diabolical GUST debacle).
(http://wwww.blather.net/archives2/issue2no22minisub.html)
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Dave (daev) Walsh
9th October 1998
daev@blather.net

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