Both Charles Fort and John Keel would have loved this one. Last weekend there were plenty of news headlines about the UN appointing an Earthly ambassador to alien civilisations:
Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist, is set to be tasked with co-ordinating humanity’s response if and when extraterrestrials make contact. Aliens who landed on earth and asked: “Take me to your leader” would be directed to Mrs Othman.
She will set out the details of her proposed new role at a Royal Society conference in Buckinghamshire next week. The 58-year-old is expected to tell delegates that the proposal has been prompted by the recent discovery of hundreds of planets orbiting other starts, which is thought to make the discovery of extraterrestrial life more probable than ever before.
Mrs Othman is currently head of the UN’s little known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa).
However, it seems someone got their wires crossed, as official bodies knew nothing about it when queried, and Mrs. Othman herself said that though the idea “sounds really cool…I have to deny it.” Besides which, there already is a group, headed by a leading scientist, dedicated to this role.
Buy why would Keel and Fort have loved this story so much? Mazlan Othman. M.Othman. That would only be topped by someone named Indrid Cold taking on the job….
