A few words on website matters and current events from Swirled News editor ANDY THOMAS…


Well, we’re back up and running after a much-needed (for us!) end-of-summer break. There haven’t been any big stories breaking since our last postings, apart from further musings on the major formations at Milk Hill and Chilbolton which effectively closed the season. You can read about these developments in this week’s Headlines.

So Swirled News has completed its first summer and survived. In that short time we are pleased to say we have become one of the major ports-of-call for those seeking crop circle news, delighting and annoying all the right people in perfect proportion! In fact, we attracted attention far more quickly than we expected, and have been linked to by several major websites around the world. We even had our articles quoted in the UK national tabloids - or should we say misquoted. A couple of newspapers, taking some of my Chilbolton comments about what OTHER people had said about the ‘code’ formation completely out of context, managed to portray me, of all people, as a sceptic! Which was a novelty.

So thanks to all of you who have logged onto Swirled News, and especially to those who have sent us very positive comments and good wishes (which we have stopped reproducing in Feedback, but they are much appreciated). We will, of course, continue to run throughout the winter. Obviously news stories will be scantier in the circle-free months, so why not take advantage of our free e-mail update service, which alerts readers when new Headlines and features are added to the site?

To join our rapidly-growing e-mail pool, simply send a quick message saying ‘Please include me on your e-mailing list’ to:

info@swirlednews.com

We will be making a number of tweaks and additions to Swirled News over the autumn months, to develop and improve our service, so keep an eye out.

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We would, in fact, have been back up online from our summer break a week sooner, were it not for the events in America last week, which made things seem a little inappropriate for a few days.

Though such an atrocity and the global response to it appeared to dwarf the significance of our area of interest, there are many who feel, especially those who see the glyphs are portents, that the crop circle phenomenon and the issues it has raised have something to say about such events. Certainly, if nothing else, the circles show that though the world can sometimes be a dark and scary place, there is still beauty and mystery out there (and, for some, a guiding presence) which speaks to the heart and fires aspiration, reminding us that our planet is still a wonderful place, despite the devastating actions of a tiny minority. The sceptics, so keen to destroy even that hope, might see no significance in the circles, but may at least still appreciate the value of beauty in gloomy times.

We have received a lot of e-mails about the terrorist attacks and subsequent developments. We may cover some of the more esoteric aspects of events which link in to our remit, but feel we are not really the forum for political and social debate. As some have asked our ‘stance’ on things, though, a quick summing up of the Swirled News team’s general feelings run thus, so let’s just say this for the record:

What happened last week was a terrible tragedy which would sicken most feeling human beings, but we also appreciate that bombing into the ground those who may have been responsible will solve little if there is not also communication with a view to reaching some kind of understanding of how such a thing could be felt to be a viable act by some. Until understanding is reached, there will always be conflict. We hope that there will be less of the war propaganda which seems to have flooded our media these last few days, and more coverage of those who believe there are more constructive ways to prevent such attacks happening again and who wish to forge greater healing communication between two ideologies. We have received e-mails advocating military action, but generally more asking for non-retaliation, or at least restraint. Clearly some kind of response to such destruction and loss of life is called for, but let’s hope all approaches are allowed to be debated. Given, say, the amount of coverage given to sceptics as opposed to positivists in the crop circle debate, there’s not much cause for optimism on that score, but world peace is a fragile thing and deserves much greater consideration before actions are taken which may shake it beyond its limits and cause deepening polarisation.

Certainly, the doom-mongering being spread by some on e-mail, and totally bogus Nostradamus ‘prophecies’ being bandied about (we may cover this, at least) are no help to anyone. The future is an unwritten book and our thoughts help shape it. This isn't airy-fairy new-ageism - Quantum Physics and scientific experiments with the power of thought tends to support this view. Positive thinking will prevail here. We need to send out light, not darkness, so let’s get on with it!

Let’s leave it at that for now.