A collection of recent brief bits and pieces we have received…
[Re. The miscalculation of the Longwood Warren crop formation - see June 2004 Archives]. Yes, I can see how Jack Sullivan could have made the prediction error. Unfortunately, it is all-too-easy to read the dates incorrectly with the Red Shift 3 program. In its defence, however, I would like to add that Red Shift 3 actually works quite well. It is better software than Red Shift 2, and the first version (Red Shift One) did not allow for precession, thus making retro-predictions of solar eclipses utterly impossible.
STEVE CLEMENTSON
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Referring to the attraction of our skylark population and crop circles [see June 2004 Archives]... does the same apply to henges? Last summer when strolling towards Stonehenge with two pals, enjoying the sun on our backs from a cloudless azure sky, I turned and said "all we need now is a skylark". I couldn’t believe my eyes when, on arriving at the henge, a skylark suspended high above the centre circle, rising and dropping, sang his heart out, much to everyone's pleasure. He might have been saying "what do you make of this then?” or "I can see something you cant!...”
SHEILA WATKINS
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Dear Andy, Michael et al at Swirled News,
Just a note of appreciation for all the work you are doing to promote interest and knowledge of this wonderful phenomenon. Allan Brown's recent article says it all. Believe me, if I lived in England and were near to hand, I would offer what help I could.
PHILLIP MANN, Choussy, France
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A belated thought about the controversy surrounding Colin Andrews’ proclamations… This will put me firmly in the 'conspiracy nut' camp, but here goes anyway:
In 1998, Jon King wrote an excellent book entitled 'Cosmic Top Secret' (Hodder and Stoughton). In it is a 'verbatim transcript' of a conversation he had, the same year, with Mr Andrews. In this conversation, Andrews revealed that he had, in 1989, been covertly approached by a CIA operative who was seeking his co-operation in debunking the phenomenon. Money was promised, but the offer declined in what appeared to be acrimonious circumstances. There surely can be no connection with this and the current position he is holding..?
Anyway, keep up the great work.
MARK HILLS
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Someone told me that when crop circles start glowing in the dark it would create a controversy wherein farmers would think their crops were being contaminated. Resultantly, it will become illegal for humans to create crop circles. Since The Phenomenon has a sense of humour (and intrigue), the mild, naturally-occurring phosphorescence will be harmless.
TED OLIPHANT, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Why are there no reports or photos of "botched" man-made crop circles? Statistically, how can there be only perfectly-executed formations, if made by humans? It would seem impossible to repair a construction mistake that wouldn't be evident upon inspection, especially for the more intricate and complex formations.
Seems very curious to me ...
STEVE BOYER, Chicago
SWIRLED NEWS REPLIES: There is evidence down the years of “botched” designs, if you care to look for them, most of them minor works; however it is still impressive how many masterpieces appear whole, complete and near-perfect in one go with no evidence of a practice formation of a similar nature ever having occurred before it.
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I was wondering if the circles shown In your "FAB 4" column are considered to be the real deal or just aesthetically pleasing?
SABRINA ZAN FERRIS
SWIRLED NEWS REPLIES: We would not include something in the ‘Fab Four’ that we knew for a fact to be man-made, unless there was some specific reason to, but on the whole the formations we choose for this column are the ones we simply feel to be the most striking examples of recent formations, without it being necessarily a judgement as to their source. Nearly all formations have ambiguous origins anyway, which are usually impossible to pin down one way or the other unless very definite and reliable evidence is available in a certain direction, which is not often the case – see also separate letter ‘The Real Deal’ this month.