Free Republic

FOSSTON, Minn. — The first reports of something amiss in the wheat fields east of here came early Sunday from barking dogs and bawling cows, but no livestock is missing — no people, either — so locals seem inclined to doubt that alien spaceships made a stop at Dean Sorgaard’s place. Still, after a UPS driver passing through the area relayed sightings of mysterious “crop circles” to Fosston Mayor Jim Offerdahl, the mayor drove out to check for himself. “I’m no expert,” Offerdahl said, trying to sound both skeptical and open-minded, “but either somebody was out having some fun or...

Madisonville (WVLT) - Man-made or alien-aligned? For the second time in two years, a crop circle's appeared in Monroe County. Volunteer TV's Mike McCarthy's walked the crop circle. Does anyone know what made this? Not just yet, but everyone has their own theory. This new designs just down the road from the first crop circle. That appeared last May also in a wheat field. Neighbors say whoever, or whatever did it worked quickly and quietly. Beyond still-standing blades, there are others pushed in a perfect pattern. "I don't know whether it's man-made or not," resident Johnnie Helm said. It's the...

There were strange goings on at the farm today when a flock of sheep made their own version of a crop circle. About 100 of the woolly creatures formed an orderly ring - baffling the farmer and passers-by. But after hearing the roar of the boss's tractor the animals scattered like a group of naughty schoolboys. Snip...

What's making the mini crop circles? Snails? Millipedes? A mysterious circular pattern on moss-covered logs has scientists scratching their heads. Last winter, researchers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park discovered the symmetrical bull's-eye pattern on patches of liverwort (a close relative of moss) growing on pine trees that had died and fallen on the ground. At this point, biologists aren't sure what causes the circles. Some have suggested snails, while others have speculated millipedes. "Immediately, we thought of snails," said Keith Langdon, chief biologist with the Smokies. "But snails graze in a zigzag pattern. We can't find records of...

The word "reinvent" is a dumb term, having an overtone of redundancy. After all, when you have invented something, it exists. You can revise it or change it, but you can't "reinvent" it after you have already invented it. I never heard the term when I first entered the workforce. But somewhere in the 1970s or so, corporate executives-began using the word, and using it a lot. Then as now, the nation had its usual economic ups and downs, but suddenly after one downturn, our nation was heavily laden with companies that had reinvented themselves. What happened is that after...

First Significant UK formation of 2004 spotted On May 3, near Deacon Hill in Bedfordshire, UK, the first significant formation of the year has been spotted in a flowering field of oil seed rape. The formation is similar in design to the 2003 Locust Grove, Ohio formation that appeared close to the Serpent Mound earthwork. Although it has been raining rather steadily, since being spotted, the formation has been inspected, and there have been some details that have emerged which may indicate the formation may be not have been a human mechanically-made one.

<p>ROCKVILLE, Calif. (AP) - Throngs of UFO enthusiasts, new age followers and assorted believers in the paranormal have been flocking to the Sacramento Valley to take in the dozen or so crop circles that mysteriously appeared in a wheat field two weeks ago.</p>

<p>True believers, visionaries, psychics and people in purple robes lay down Wednesday in the middle of a Solano County wheat field where vortexes were converging and all things were possible.</p> <p>"I feel like I'm melting right into the earth," said Lily Kyle. "It's intense. There's a coalescence, no doubt about it."</p>

Friday, 17 January, 2003, 14:18 GMT Scientists explain Arctic stone circlesA strange landscape explained by freezing and thawing By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Researchers may have an explanation for the natural near-perfect circles of stones that cover the ground in parts of Alaska and the Norwegian islands of Spitsbergen. One of the real mysteries to me was how you can get labyrinths or islands of stones in one location and polygons in another Mark Kessler Elsewhere in the far north, stones also form mysterious striking patterns on the ground. According to scientists, the circles are not...

Thunderstorms may have caused crop circles Meteorologists are investigating whether fierce thunderstorms caused crop circles in parts of Canada. Environment Canada officials say swirling vortices of air or downbursts may be behind circles in fields in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The severe weather on Thursday and Friday also uprooted hundreds of trees and damaged a number of buildings. Canada.com reports that Environment Canada's Mike Campbell said: "What we believe is a lot of air had rushed out of the thunderstorm and when it hit the ground it swirled around. It just whipped up the crops and flattened them...