Many of you will know of the annual "Unconvention" conference which is held in London, UK. Organized by the well known Fortean Times magazine, this is always one of the highlights of the year. One of the organizers, and editor of the Fortean Times, Bob Rickard, is considering running live online conferences throughout the weekend. Bob hopes that by then many of the guests will turn up with their lap top computers and talk to well known UFOlogists worldwide. What a good idea! Meanwhile the organizers are interested in talking to individuals or groups who are experienced in doing on-line conferences. So if you think you can advise or are interested in getting involved, please email Bob Rickard at Rickard@forteantimes.com. There was a time when the only mention of a UFOlogist was in the tabloid press. It seems all that is changing now, and the Times newspaper has certainly taken an interest in the last 12 months. This August, at least two prominent UFOlogists had been interviewed for the up-market media. The Times of London interviewed both Graham Birdsall [editor of UFO Magazine] and Nick Pope [author and researcher] for an article on 15/8/98 titled "Reports of UFOs Vanish Mysteriously into Space." The journalist, James Landale, was in fact a political reporter. The article questioned whether there had been a decline in UFO sightings in the UK. According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, there were 609 UFOs reported in 1996, in 1997 it dropped to 425, and in the first six months of 1998 there have been only 88 reports. The spokesman suggests that Hollywood is to blame; in other words, the latest science fiction movies prompted people to report UFO sightings. He also adds that the Roswell 50th anniversary and the Hale Bopp comet contributed to last year's reports. Pope disagreed, saying, "The idea of a link is an attempt to trivialize the UFO project." Birdsall came up with a very profound statement, saying official reports had declined because last year the MOD decided to stop taking personal calls and instead had installed an answering service which put people off making a report. Like all broadsheet journalists, Landale couldn't resist bringing in the much used "little green men from outer space" line. Isn't it about time someone told them that these little guys aren't necessarily green, and that they don't necessarily come from outer space? It appears that Landale had picked up the story from the parliamentary written questions and answers given to Lord Hill Norton. Hill Norton is a strong supporter of UFOlogy and often asks questions in the House of Lords referring to the latter. For the article, Hill Norton commented that he did not think the number of sightings had dropped. Fashion-conscious UFOlogists will be delighted to know that Nick Pope is mentioned in the latest issue of Harpers & Queen, the upmarket glossy magazine. Well known UFOlogist Jenny Randles is aiming to go online soon with her monthly publication Northern UFO News. The newsletter is full of gossip and news about local UFO cases and UFOlogists, and is available in hard copy for a subscription rate of £6.00 for six issues. Meanwhile, the newsletter is obtainable from: 1, Halsteads Close, Dove Holes, Buxton, High Peak, Derbyshire SK17 8BS. Make checks payable to NUFON. You may as well subscribe now, because it may be a while before the actual site goes up. Several new UFO-related books were released in September; click the links for more info on ordering them from Amazon.com: The Alien Intent: A Dire Warning -- The Truth Behind the Cover Up?" by Raymond A. Robinson Paperback ISBN: 0713727322 "Arrival of the Gods : Revealing the Alien Landing Sites at Nazca" by Erich Von Daniken Hardcover ISBN: 1862043531 Electric UFOs: Fireballs, Electromagnetics and Abnormal States by Albert Budden Paperback ISBN: 0713726857 © Georgina Bruni 1998 HOT GOSSIP UK www.hotgossip.co.uk From Georgina's UFO section, "The Unexplained." Permission granted to distrubute this material providing the authors and the publication are credited. Nebula: UFOs & Extraterrestrials UFO message board: Share your views The ParaStore: Books on UFOs & Aliens