Chris
Rutkowski has been studying reports of UFOs (or PFTs -
"pesky flying things", as he sometimes likes
to call them) since the mid-1970s. A writer
and editor for science and technology publications,
he also writes about his investigations
and research into UFO cases.
He
publishes, along with Geoff
Dittman, The
Canadian UFO Survey, an annual compilation
of UFO Reports from across Canada.
He
has six published books, including: Visitations?
(1989), Unnatural History
(1993), Mysterious Manitoba
(1997), co-authored with Dave Creighton and Brian Fidler,
Abductions and Aliens
(2000), (published in 2000 by Dundurn Press), and Stories
From the Diner (2005), a collection of short
stories based on strange incidents taken from his non-fiction
files and speculations on "What if?". This was
followed by The Canadian UFO
Report (2006), co-authored with Geoff Dittman,
a chronological review of the most interesting Canadian
UFO cases throughout history. It was also published by
Dundurn Group, as was his most recent work, A
World of UFOs (2008). Rutkowski also has contributed
chapters to many anthologies such as Phenomenon
and Frontiers of Reality
and UFO 1947-1997, a 50th anniversary
collection of UFO cases. He is a contributing
editor of International
UFO Reporter and is the editor of the Swamp
Gas Journal, an occasional ufozine first
published in 1978.
Rutkowski
has appeared on numerous TV series, including Unsolved
Mysteries, Sightings,
CBC's Undercurrents
and A&E's The Unexplained.
(He was even a "mystery guest" on Front
Page Challenge, and, though he usually
won't admit it, was actually the subject of an article
in the tabloid newspaper Weekly World News!) His radio
appearances have included CBC's Quirks
and Quarks, Ideas,
the Action Line, Sightings
on the Radio, the MicroSoft
Network and on Carpe Diem on Talk
America, which was simulcast on AM, shortwave
and on the Internet.
He's
also a netizen, frequently inhabiting IRC channels devoted
to UFOs and answering questions posed by newbies about
UFO stories and rumors.
Other
Relevant (and some Irrelevant) Background
Chris
Rutkowski has been involved in many writing and media
projects for more than 20 years. In 1996, he was the co-writer
and narrator for the Canadian TV special The
Monster of Lake Manitoba, about a Loch-Ness-like
creature reported in a Canadian lake. Also in television,
in 1989 he was producer of the music special Making
a Joyful Noise. As far back as 1975, he was
the host of UFORUM, a bi-weekly program that aired on
a local cable channel.
On
radio, he has been a guest on many Canadian and American
talk/interview shows, discussing UFOs and other space-related
issues. From 1975 to 1977, he was the host of UFORUM,
the radio equivalent of the earlier TV series. But his
most peculiar stint was his portrayal of the "Miracle
Worker," a regular and recurring comic character
on a morning comedy program in Canada that ran from 1975
to 1992.
In
a rather different and unique medium, Chris has been the
producer, writer and a narrator for several feature planetarium
programs, including The UFO Phenomenon
(1976), The Planets
(1977), The UFO Primer
(1981), Moonlight Serenade
(1983) and Amateur Nights
(1989).
Chris
also wrote "Strange Tales",
a weekly column in the Northern
Times newspaper in Thompson, Manitoba, from
1984 to 1985. In addition, he was a regular book reviewer
for the Winnipeg Free Press
from 1987 to 1989.
In
other literary endeavours, Chris is a member of the Winnipeg-based
SDGE writer's group and contributed to its chapbook Sex,
Death and Grain Elevators (and assorted jerks),
published in 1998. The group evolved into the writing
collective Off The Wall, which published another chapbook,
Where in the World is Carman,
Manitoba? in 2001. He has
been on the executive board of the Winnipeg Science Fiction
Society and has taught
courses in Science Fiction and Astronomy through the University
of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg Parks and Recreation
Program.
And,
as if that wasn't enough, Chris has been a member of the
avant-garde jazz group The Experimental Creative Music
Workshop since 1983. He has played at numerous public
performances and has appeared on several recordings by
the ensemble.
Chris
does Media Relations in the University
of Manitoba Public Affairs Department.
He writes for the U of M Bulletin and other university
publications. He was editor of NOVUM,
which featured articles on research at the University
of Manitoba, and has been technical writer on a number
of other publications for the U of M.
A
few comments
As
an astronomer, I share the majority view that intelligent
life exists elsewhere in our galaxy (but not necessarily
here on Earth!). I believe it possible that an advanced,
technological civilization may have found ways of traversing
interstellar distances without violating physical laws.
However, after more than 25 years of research and investigation,
I do not see any incontrovertible evidence of this.
My
opinion is that if UFOs are not physical phenomena, they
definitely are sociological or psychological phenomena.
In either case, they are worth scientific study, because
they have, at the very least, permeated the minds and
imagination of the populace, if they are not physical
phenomena.
I
first met modern-day contactees in the 1970's. In the
late 1980's, abductees began seeking my help in understanding
their experiences. I and my colleagues in UFOROM (Ufology
Research of Manitoba) have been actively investigating
a broad spectrum of reported experiences since 1975. Although
many cases are intriquing and a small percentage are unexplained,
they do not offer conclusive proof of extraterrestrial
visitation.
I
am interested in bridging the chasm between "believers"
and "debunkers" in an attempt to catalyse rational
discourse on these topics. I know that, deliberately or
otherwise, incorrect information has been propagated by
individuals who have made "names" for themselves
in these fields of study. Because of some training in
deconstructionist educational theory, I am critical of
published research and popular interpretations of the
phenomena.
My
philosophy: "Don't always believe the believers,
but also be skeptical of skeptics."
My
favourite quote as it relates to abduction experiences:
"If you remember your experience, it is probably
just a false memory; if you don't remember it, the memory
was erased."
Sources:
http://www.oocities.org/thecynicalview/MEBIO.HTM
http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/sdi/team/chrisr.html
