UFO sightings in Wales
Wales is about the size of New Jersey, and lies just a couple of hundred miles west of here.
The Welsh people cherish ancient traditions - not all of them wholesome. It is said there were once human sacrifices performed there by the Druids - sun-worshipping pagan priests of old.
These days Wales has its own government, its own language and its own Prince - Charles, Prince of Wales, father of Prince William, back now as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales after that much publicised Royal wedding.
The intense international interest in William and Kate means there will be an army of press photographers on Welsh soil for the forseeable future. Perhaps they should be scanning the skies instead.
For Wales has now been revealed as the place in Britain where you are most likely to see an Unidentified Flying Object.
To the north of the country lies the town of Denbigh - complete with a fortified castle. In the twelfth century it was home to Welsh princes. These days it seems to attract intergalactic attention.
A couple of years ago there were four unidentified flying objects - nothing to do with Prince William or his helicopters - spotted over the town on one single night.
Similar sightings occurred in 2007 and 2005 and all were painstakingly recorded by the local police who kept them secret, until now.
In fact there have been 13 different reports of strange craft in the sky in this little area of North Wales since 2004 - that's getting on for two a year.
The total Welsh tally of UFO sightings is 33 since the police were obliged to start logging them back in 2002.
And of these, only five have ever been explained as having "human" causes - like military manoeuvres.
Wales, of course, has always had an appetite for the eerie. The damp misty climate and mountainous landscape contributes to the mood - there are continuous tales of hauntings, red dragons and the spectral hounds of hell.
The police have also recorded sightings of huge feline monsters - giant cats - 36 in the last five years, plus 26 ghosts, 11 witches and a couple of vampires.
For Wales this is life - but not as we know it.
This is Ed Boyle for CBS News in London.
- Obesity recognized as a disease
- GMO Labeling
- Baby modeling tips
- LinkedIn profile tips
- Afghan forces in charge; Women in combat
- G8 Summit nears close; Pres. Obama approval rating down
- The Death Of Latin
- Autism and environment link
- New weight loss drug available
- The "Exercise Personality" Quiz
- Head of NSA worried about impact of revelations
- Top Car Seat Picks
- IRS Scandal
- Controversy surrounding diabetes drug
- What to Eat While Pregnant
"Since I have discovered that the aliens live in our Earth's atmosphere, it has been over 3 years. During all this time I tried to find some way to communicate with them: to ask questions and get answers. But all my efforts in this direction ended in failure until I realized that the aliens can read our thoughts..."
(Ilya Stavinsky, 05/18/2011)
Firstly, and most importantly and fundamentally, who would be stupid enough to write an article about a country and not even know how to spell it in the title? Admittedly, given that it's spelt correctly in the body of the piece suggests that the dreadfully poor quality of the headline is down to someone other than Ed Boyle himself.
Secondly, after relating some irrelevant point about ancient Welsh traditions, the article states, "These days Wales has its own government, its own language ...". Yes indeed, Wales DOES have its own language. Only one of the oldest languages in the world. The language itself likely stretches back to BEFORE the ancient traditions mentioned. You make it sound as if the English (whose native language, incidentally, is one of the YOUNGEST languages of the world) have been kind enough to permit the Welsh to develop their own little local language.
Thirdly, how typical to employ one of the standard clich?d statements when covering a story about UFO sightings. You could have had "The truth is out there", or "Is it a bird, ..." or several other standard issues. Or you could even have made some smug reference to Moulder and Scully from 'The X-Files'. Instead, you decided to go for "... life ... but not as we know it". Well done.
Oh, and for the record, no, I'm not a believer in alien visitations. I am, however, a man of science and a believer in the importance of open-mindedness and of getting things right if you want to report them to the public.