Phenomena Magazine: March 2013

Transcription

EDITORIAL
Hello and welcome to out March issue. This months skies have
been a bit of a busy one with numerous UFO reports in the area of
Kearsley, Bolton UK. There have been UFO sightings reported
numerous times described as red and white hovering objects that
spin and move side to side silently. During one such recent report
I visited the location and was lucky enough to find a rational
explanation. After seeing these strange objects in the sky myself
and following them. I eventually came across two men flying
remotely piloted crafts.
These crafts were amazing, around a metre in width with colourful bright lighting. A demonstration by the pilots shown that they were very technical and had
the capabilities of remembering their position in the sky if altered by wind etc.
Of course, I can well imagine the more available such items are the more UFO
reports are going to be generated. At least... This time... There was a rational
explanation.
For those interested, I will be lecturing at the Mysterious Earth Conference 2013
this April in Preston along with our excellent Sub Editor Brian Allan. For further
details see the Conference Advert within this issue. An interesting issue this
month with varied subjects. We hope you enjoy it...
SUB-EDITORIAL
Hello All. This edition of Phenomena contains the usual collection
of the weird and wonderful, and one item, this time from Bret
Leuder in the USA, takes a look at what may (or indeed may not)
be hidden in a mythical hidden world deep beneath our feet. Tales
of a mysterious inner earth civilisation have been around for eons
and it is known that rumours concerning such a possibility have
been floated with various degrees of feasibility and success and
included such concepts as Agartha and Shamballah.
Perhaps the most recent encounter with this inner world was the supposed 1947
flight by Admiral James Byrd, which allegedly, not only flew to the North Pole,
but succeeded in entering a gigantic hole at the pole itself, which lead right into
the planet. Here the admiral supposedly saw what amounted to a lush, subtropical location with abundant greenery etc. There are also claims that UFO’s come;
not from outer space, but from inside the earth; in other words from hiding
places in truly immense subterranean caverns. These UFOs have supposedly
Nazi origins and based on tales that at the end of WWII, large numbers of Nazi
scientists escaped the fall of Germany in submarines to a last redoubt called
‘Neuschwabenland’ in the far, frozen north. Then of course came the years of
speculation from Richard Shaver in the so called ‘Shaver Mysteries’ and concerned another two mutually antagonistic subterranean races, the Deros and
the Teros. A fascinating if unlikely subject, but nonetheless well worth a look.
In addition, Robert Snow invites us along to an extremely eventful investigation
at the notoriously haunted Woodchester mansion, where our very own editor
Steve Mera has recently attended whilst filming for a new BBC TV Series. All this
and much more, so pour a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy...
Editorial Contact: Steve Mera - [email protected]
Sub-Editorial Contact: Brian Allan - [email protected]
Spookology Columnist: Richard Holland - [email protected]
THIS MONTHS CONTRIBUTORS
Steve Mera, Brian Allan, Richard Holland, Obaidur Rahman, Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe,
Philip Mantle, Bret Leuder, Robert Snow, Neil McDonald, Harry Hawkins, idoubtit,
Bernard Ashton, Clara Moskowitz, Lorin Cutts & KTPF.
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Page 1
Phenomena Magazine: March 2013 - Issue 47: www.mapit.kk5.org
CONTENTS
Page 2: Zeta Reticuli: The Home of the E.T.s? Are we alone in the universe? This ancient question has been asked by earthlings over and over again and the ever‐expanding enormity of the universe has only enhanced a sense of mystic ambiguity on the issue. Many Ufologists strongly believe that Zeta Reticuli which is 39 lightyears from Earth to be housing an extra‐terrestrial civilization. But is there any evidence to support this. Obaidur Rahman investigates... Page 3: Poltergeists. Poltergeist activity has been reported for many years and from a vari‐
ety of different locations. Frequent and widespread reports are no guarantee of the authenticity of a phenomenon, but they do serve to increase the probability of it. In this insightful article Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe cast an experienced eye over one of the most alarming manifestations of Poltergeist phenomena... Page 9: Reg Presley and the Alien Autopsy Film. Reg Presley, the lead singer with the rock band ‘The Troggs’ passed to the other side recently and although best known for his musical ca‐
reer, perhaps less well known was his interest in Ufology and the paranormal. He was very much interested in the Crop Circle phenom‐
ena and the Alien Autopsy Film. In this article Philip Mantle shares some memories of Reg... Page 11: I’m a PR Agent for the Inner Earth People! (and other fascinating revelations). Is there a parallel hidden world beneath our feet? Bret Leuder thinks that there might be and sets out the reasons why... John Stewart, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, from the 2009 season, “Boy, things are sure a mess on the surface. How are things under the surface?” (audience laughs)… Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, “Oh, huh huh huh huh (subtly shakes his head). You don’t want to go there.” Page 17: Woodchester Mansion: An Investigation. On Friday 7th September 2001, two colleagues and I took part in the filming of an American television programme at Woodchester Man‐
sion ‘The Worlds Scariest Places’. We arrived at the mansion at around 7pm and proceeded to tour the building to familiarise our‐
selves with the location before darkness set in. The tour guide was David Price. Robert Snow explains... Page 25: Spookology ‐ Who put the Norm in Paranormal? Some years ago I was enjoying a chat with the well‐known ufologist Margaret Fry. Knowing my interests tended more towards the ghostly than the cosmic, Margaret mentioned an odd incident that had occurred to her and her husband. Richard Holland is the editor of the ghosts and folklore website Uncanny UK. Join Richard in an‐
other fasciating Spookological article... Page 27: Guardians of the Rabbit Hole: Considering Skeptical Thinking and Enquiry. Towards the end of last year I had a number of experiences which lead me to believe that taking a step back from the UFO subject was probably a healthy thing to do. I have no doubt in my mind that my experiences were results of genuine phenomena, but what the phe‐
nomena actually were and what they tell us about ourselves and the universe is open to question and debate. Lorin Cutts explains...
Also Featured:
Latest paranormal news from around the
World... Book and dvd reviews.
Events and Conferences.
Astronomical news, Advertisements
and much more...
If you have an interesting article, we would love to hear from you. Please contact
Phenomena Magazine Editor Steve Mera: [email protected]
or Phenomena Magazine Sub-Editor Brian Allan: [email protected]
Zeta Reticuli - The Home of the E.Ts?
By Obaidur Rahman.
Are we alone in the universe? This ancient question has been asked by earth‐
lings over and over again and the ever‐expanding enormity of the universe has only enhanced a sense of mystic ambiguity on the issue. As human intelli‐
gence matured and science and technology progressed, this utmost curiosity towards the heavens relentlessly encouraged mankind to interpret the won‐
ders of space and cherish an eager hope for friendly celestial neighbours. Amongst many, Zeta Reticuli, a binary star system (two yellow‐orange stars like our Sun namely Zeta1 Reticuli and Zeta2 Reticuli) located 39 light years away from Earth is a strong candidate which many Ufologists strongly believe to be housing an extra‐terrestrial civilization. It all began with the abductions of Barney and Betty Hill, who, many believe were the very first well‐documented alien abductees. On the night of Sep‐
tember 19, 1961, the 39‐year old mailman and 41‐year old child‐welfare worker were returning home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire after a vacation from Southern Canada. Amongst many strange occurrences that the couple experienced on that bizarre night, one incident stood out. They had abso‐
lutely no recollection of two particular hours of their journey home, equiva‐
lent to a 35 mile long drive! Puzzled and petrified, the couple decided to go through regressional hypnosis which only revealed the striking details of their abductions. Under hypnosis, Betty drew a “star map” which she claimed to have been shown to her by an alien entity sometime while she was ab‐
ducted and confined briefly for those two hours in the alien spacecraft with her husband. This “star map” showed all the star systems that the celestial beings had visited during their space expeditions. Now, skeptics will have their say but from this point on this is where the story becomes uniquely interesting from an astronomical point of view. Seven years later in 1968 Marjorie Fish, an amateur astronomer after studying thousands of vantage points for years concluded that the alien entities that abducted the Hills were from a planet orbiting Zeta2 Reticuli! people indulged by the wild imagination of an amateur astronomer. But the fact is the Hills are considered historically significant by both UFO enthusiasts and debunkers alike as far as alien‐
human contact is concerned. And concerning Marjorie Fish's findings, experts believe that Fish's explanation of the Hill map indicate the Reticulian system where the ages of the stars are 1 to 3 bil‐
lion years older than our own. And this suggests the possibility that this would have permitted an‐
other terrestrial race of higher intelligence to evolve in another planet long before the human civilization dawned on planet Earth. The appeal of stars Zeta1 and Zeta2 is intriguing as these two are among the top priorities of NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) which is due in some‐
time between 2014 and 2020. But it is the mysteries that are constantly asso‐
ciated with Zeta Reticuli that makes this star system truly an enigmatic one. Bob Lazar, the first man to acknowledge the existence of a UFO research facility in Area 51, stated in 1988 that nine Flying Saucers are kept in the facility where he was employed as a scientist to help reverse‐engineer them. According to Lazar these were originally from the 4th planet of the Zeta2 Reticuli solar system! But it is perhaps Project Serpo that is the most mystifying of all as it involves human expedition to the Zeta Reticuli solar system and it all began with the famous UFO crash of Roswell. The story goes that one alien being survived from the crash in the late 1940's and was courteously detained by the US forces. And as some form of trust and communication was established the celestial being said that it was from a planet from the Zeta Reticuli solar sys‐
tem and was allowed to communicate to its home planet via a communica‐
It does sound like a modern‐day urban legend but a few aspects tion device that survived the crash. In 1962 a secret human astronauts and of the incident remain mysterious. For starters neither of the alien exchange program (titled Project Serpo) was developed with the con‐
Hills had prior knowledge of astronomy, certainly not sent of that planet and in 1965, 12 human astronauts left for that planet via a new alien spacecraft which left a new alien being as previously agreed. The enough to understand the rotation of the distant star story goes on to say that the human astronauts stayed in the alien home systems. It wasn't until 1969 when Gliese catalogue came planet from 1965 to 1978 and 8 returned as two died and two decided to out that the stellar map of that region became familiar to ordinary people. How did Betty Hill did know the exact remain on the alien planet. It is alleged that the astronauts upon returning position of the planets which are barely visible to home wrote a 3000 page report detailing their stay and way of life in the the naked eye? Besides, the “star map” that she planet of the two suns! drew had all the stars connected by lines which The extent of truth in these claims may never be verified. But the closest to Betty said were frequently‐travelled routes authenticity one could get is perhaps from the cinema maestro Steven Spiel‐
by the alien entities where Zeta Reticuli berg's creation “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. star system was the hub. Ufologists now also think that for a civilization The movie depicts an alien ship landing by prearrangement with the US gov‐
located some where around Zeta ernment and an ambassadorial exchange takes place where a single alien Reticuli, Betty Hill's drawn disembarks and is escorted away by humans while 12 astronauts walk line‐routes would be most into the alien spacecraft on a journey to a distant planet inhabited by logical way of exploring the an extra‐terrestrial race! The movie was released in 1977 and is nearby stellar neighbourhood. considered by UFO enthusiasts as the testimony of what truly Now how did she know that? happened in 1965. As for Spielberg's view in this matter, in Some might say this is his own words, “I really found my faith when nothing but an other I learned that the government was E.T hoax cooked up opposed to the film. If NASA took the by two bored time to write me a twenty‐page letter, middle‐aged then I knew there must be something happening”... Page 2
Poltergeists
By Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe.
Poltergeist activity has been reported for
many years and from a variety of different locations. Frequent and widespread reports
are no guarantee of the authenticity of a phenomenon, but they do serve to increase the
probability of it. Analysing hundreds of such
reports produces an interesting set of poltergeist characteristics.
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Page 3
The common factor is an unusual display of
energy, of matter in motion. Solid objects
move around as though lifted and carried by
invisible beings. There are frequent discharges of sound energy, principally knocking
and banging noises. Some witnesses report
being physically affected by the force themselves: they are sometimes lifted directly,
pulled or pushed. Other reports refer to subjects being lifted within bedding, or on items
of furniture, rather than being touched directly by whatever the force is. So the common denominators of all reported poltergeist
activity are force, movement and sound.
Poltergeists
There are also a significant number of cases in which objects move from loca‐
tion A to location B without the move‐
ment actually being witnessed. In these cases, investigators are tempted to ask whether the apparent teleporta‐
tion of the object means that it has been moved via another dimension, or whether the poltergeist energy has also influenced what we think of as normal time. The laws of physics – as far as they are known at present – suggest that en‐
ergy cannot be created or destroyed: it can only change its form. Movement, or kinetic energy, for example, can become light, heat, sound or electric‐
ity. Energy can also be transmitted via certain media: electricity and heat, for example, travel readily along conduc‐
tors such as iron and copper. In a simi‐
lar way, it may be asked whether the energy demonstrated by poltergeists travels through certain media before emerging in the locality from where it is reported. In studying any phenomenon – physi‐
cal, chemical or biological – it is helpful to observe its persistent characteris‐
tics. What, if anything, appears simul‐
taneously, or occurs simultaneously? Are any of these simultaneous factors perhaps causative? In a very signifi‐
cant number of reported cases, a young teenager is in the vicinity. This raises an interesting psycho‐physical question about the nature of emo‐
tional energy. When a human being experiences a powerful emotion ‐‐ love, hatred or fear, for example – is it reasonable to argue that such emo‐
tional energy may be translated into kinetic energy. If telepathy can trans‐
fer thought patterns from one person to another, can telekinesis turn emo‐
tional energy into direct – but invisible – physical force. We were involved in investigating an allegedly haunted house in York, and Uri Geller was part of the research team there. A party of investigators were in the cellar of the strange old building when a Victorian, porcelain doorknob suddenly appeared on the floor. It did not roll or slide as if it had just been dropped there. One moment it was not there – next moment it was. It was just as if some invisible hand had taken it from somewhere else and placed it there carefully so as not to damage it. It was certainly attractively coloured, patterned porcelain of the kind one would take care not to dam‐
age. Usually referred to as apports, such objects are closely associated with poltergeist phenomena. Other theories that set out to explain poltergeist activity involve basic ideas of the multiverse and parallel uni‐
verses. Take any moment in what we like to refer to euphemistically as ‘real’ time and imagine that some small fac‐
tor – as in The Butterfly Effect ‐‐ had changed. Suppose that we had caught (or missed) a vitally important bus or train. Imagine that we had safely crossed a busy road (or been run over while try‐
ing). Possibly we had passed (or failed) an important professional exam. Maybe we had won (or lost) a desper‐
ate fight with an armed mugger. Ac‐
cording to multiverse theory, the thing that had not happened in our world, in our ‘real’ experiential time, had hap‐
pened somewhere in a parallel uni‐
verse. Taken to its extremes, a man can be a lonely, starving beggar on one parallel probability track and a multi‐
millionaire with a harem of beautiful, passionate, nubile girls, who all adore him, on another probability track. It is suggested that certain indestructi‐
ble links between the persons on the different tracks remain intact: the beg‐
gar is vaguely, disturbingly aware of his alter ego the millionaire – and vice‐
versa. It has been conjectured that all of the alter egos may be thought of as constituting one multiversal person. Does this in any way relate to what psychologists tell us about subordinate personalities lurking within us? What used to be called multiple per‐
sonality disorder, and is now referred to as dissociative identity disorder, was very effectively portrayed in the 1957 film “The Three Faces of Eve” starring Joanne Woodward. Above Photo: Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe. DEMONSTRATIONS OF POLTERGEIST ACTIVITY CAN BE RATHER AMAZING! Page 4
Poltergeists
Available Books: The above books by Lionel and Patricia can be purchased from Amazon. It was based on the work of Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. Cleckley, who made a case study of the real life disso‐
ciative identity disorder of Chris Sizemore who suffered from it. Can the actions of the alter ego inhab‐
iting another universe produce physical force in this one? Is the manual la‐
bourer lifting a heavy object on uni‐
verse one causing a bed to rise from the floor in universe two because that’s where his alter‐ego is lying? Some other poltergeist theories in‐
volve time‐travel rather than parallel universes. This hypothesis suggests that if great physical efforts were made by servants in 1765 in order to re‐
arrange furniture in their employer’s bed‐chamber, then in our day – given a strange glitch in time, or a portal in time – the effort made all those years ago might erupt as poltergeist phe‐
nomena and move furniture again. Other explanations of poltergeist phe‐
nomena involve the idea that the movements are caused by spirit enti‐
ties that have not moved on from our earth. We were called in to investigate a case in Cardiff, along with the late Professor David Fontana, an acknowl‐
edged world expert on poltergeists. David was the Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University, and a Visiting Professor at John Moore’s University as well as at the University of the Al‐
garve. The family had reported a num‐
ber of anomalous poltergeist‐type phenomena in their home in the Can‐
ton area of Cardiff. These had started when the father of the family had made some alterations to extend the living space in the attic. A very reliable and experienced medium – a friend of Professor Fontana – contacted the spirit of a young girl. The medium told us that this child had died of tuberculo‐
sis in that house about a century ago, Page 5
and had been afraid to go on further into the spirit world. The family occupying the house when the poltergeist manifestations oc‐
curred had children of their own, who were happy and full of fun. According to the medium, the sad, lonely spirit of long dead girl had been disturbed when the alterations were made to the old attic structure – with which she had been familiar during her earthly life 100 years ago. She longed to play with the children, and told the medium that she had produced the poltergeist phenomena in order to attract their attention. The medium reassured her that there was a wonderful, happy, spirit world to which she would go, where there were many children who had died at her age, and who would become her friends. The poltergeist manifestations ceased, and the house was peaceful again. Going further afield in the study of poltergeist phenomena, the case of Lithobolia dates back to 1682, and the pamphlet referring to it was produced in 1698 by Richard Chamberlain, who was the Secretary to New Hampshire. The British Museum has two copies. George and Alice Walton ran an inn in New Castle in New Hampshire in 1666, when Chamberlain, who was lodging there, observed the phenomena. His title ‘Lithobolia’ encapsulated the idea of a stone‐throwing demon – not a bad attempt for a seventeenth century writer. According to Chamberlain’s evidence, the missiles included ham‐
mers and crowbars as well as stones and bricks, and the phenomena per‐
sisted for about three months. In 1937, when the hauntings at Borley Rectory in Suffolk were at the height of their notoriety, Harry Price, Hans Bender and William Roll investigated the alleged poltergeist phenomena there. It is always a great pity, and a hin‐
drance to serious scientific investiga‐
tion of the anomalous, when someone with Price’s reputation for suspected duplicity becomes involved in a really interesting case like Borley. Studying the Borley Rectory reports with the benefit of hindsight, it seems highly probable that a number of genuine phenomena were witnessed there – but that when there were not as many things happening as he had hoped for, Price was tempted to slide from reality into fantasy. According to one report, a journalist caught him with a pocket‐
ful of pebbles with which to create some ‘poltergeist’ phenomena. The Thornton Heath poltergeist that was active during the 1970s usually mani‐
fested itself by turning the radio on in the middle of the night. In 1977 the Enfield case made the headlines when a poltergeist disturbed the Harper family. Maurice Grosse investigated very care‐
fully and thoroughly, and substantiated that something very weird was hap‐
pening... Tutoring, Management Consultancy, Proofreading, Writing, Lecturing and Broadcasting, www.lionel‐fanthorpe.com Luton Paranormal
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Formed originally from an amalgamation of regional
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We seek the facts through a scientific and factually
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Steve Mera takes you on another journey into the world of the Strange and
Profound. This book contains a number of investigations Stephen has
carried out as well as concise information pertaining to investigation techniques and details of some of the many things that have been
reported to him throughout 25 years of investigating...
Available at Blurb.com for just £6.95
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Paul Kimball is one of Canada’s leading UFO and paranormal researchers, both through his work as an award-winning documentary filmmaker (2005 EBE
Awards for Best UFO Film and Best Historical Documentary for Aztec: 1948, 2007 EBE award for Best Historical Documentary for Best Evidence; nominated for
a total of seven other EBEs from 2005 to 2007), and as a researcher, writer, and speaker. He has appeared on television, radio (Coast to Coast, CBC Morningside, Binnall of America, Strange Days Indeed, The Paracast) and in person at conferences and symposiums in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United
States, to discuss the UFO phenomenon and the paranormal. Paul also stars with Holly Steven's in the TV series 'Ghost Cases', assisted by UPIA.
Visits Paul’s Amazing Blog Spot at: http://redstarfilms.blogspot.com
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Reg Presley and the Alien Autopsy Film
By Philip Mantle.
Reg Presley, the lead singer with the rock band ‘The
Troggs’ passed to the other side recently and although
best known for his musical career, perhaps less well
known was his interest in Ufology and the paranormal. In this article Philip Mantle shares some memo(Photo: Reg Preseley on the left & Phil Mantle on the right.)
ries of Reg...
Page 9
Reg Presley and the Alien Autopsy Film
By Philip Mantle.
Reg Presley is best known as the lead singer with the 1960’s pop group ‘THE TROGGS’. He sang lead vocals on their international hit ‘Wild Thing’ as was the writer of the huge international hit ‘Love Is All Around’ by Wet, Wet, Wet in the 1990’s. Reg passed away on 4th February at his home in Ando‐
ver, Hampshire. The former bricklayer continued performing with The Troggs right up until 2012. As well as his passion for music Reg Presley had another, quite different interests. One was so‐called Crop Circles and another was the infamous ‘ALIEN AUTOPSY FILM’. This short piece of film caused a sensation when it was released across the world by London businessman Ray Santilli in 1995. The film was shown on Channel Four in the UK and Fox TV in the USA to name but two. Santilli claims he was on a business trip with his partner Gary Shoefield in 1993. They were visiting Cleveland, Ohio looking for old film clips of rock ‘n’ roll starts. Allegedly they bought a very early clip of Elvis from an elderly gentleman. They paid cash and everyone was happy. Santilli states that shortly before flying home he was contacted again by this same (un‐named) elderly gen‐
tleman who told him that prior to being a freelance cameraman he had actually been a cameraman for the US military. He told Santilli that in 1947 he was flown on a secret mission to Roswell, New Mexico to film the crash and recovery of a UFO. Not only that, he still had film of two of the recov‐
ered deal aliens being autopsied. Cutting a long story short, a deal was done and Santilli bought was has become known as the Alien Autopsy Film. In 1993 I was the press officer for the British UFO Research Association and among my mail one day was a letter from Ray Santilli. After speaking to him and meeting with him over the next 18 months I was shown the film in question in early 1995. It was in January 1995 that the first ever public mention of this film was made on live TV by none other than Reg Presley. He was on ‘Good Morning with Ann & Nock’ on the ITV network when he suddenly blurted out that he had seen film footage of the alien autopsy and that it was soon to be released. Presley had been friends with the films owner Ray Santilli for many years. Santilli’s main area of business is music through which he met Reg. The Alien Autopsy Film was shown on TV for the first time in August 1995. It was hugely popular and of course hugely controversial. The arguments for and against its authenticity raged around the world and I seemed to be in the middle of it all. The height of this interest peaked in 1996 when I trav‐
elled to meet up with Reg Presley and a number of other delegates at a huge conference held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The conference was organ‐
ised by the German newsstand publication ‘Magazine 2000’ edited by historian and UFO researcher Michael Hesemann. A packed conference venue heard presentations on a variety of topics but the main subject of interest was the alien autopsy film. I presented my findings so far as did Reg Presley. Reg and I were also on a panel at the end of the conference taking part in a Q & A session from members of the public. Reg left the audience in no doubt that the alien autopsy film was the genuine article and that his friend Ray Santilli was telling the truth. And so the debate continued down the years with no proof of the films authenticity coming from those that owned it and no convincing evidence that it was a fake from those that apposed it. The battle lines had been drawn. I personally was determined to get to the bottom of it no matter how long it took. This short piece of black & white film has made a lot of money for its own‐
ers and made its way right into the heart of popular culture. This culmi‐
nated in 2006 when British TV stars Ant & Dec appeared in the Warner Bros film ‘Alien Autopsy’. They play Ray Santilli and his business partner Gary Shoefield. The arguments of the films authenticity still raged. I had kept in touch with Reg Presley every now and again and he had not changed his opinion at all. To him the film was authentic. In 2008, after a lengthy investiga‐
tion I finally made contact with a man named Spyros Melaris. He claimed to be the man who led the team that faked the alien autopsy film. Not only that, he could prove it. Melaris was a film maker and magician and he was hired by San‐
tilli to fake the film. He showed me his research materials, named names, locations and a whole manifesto of other supporting documentary evidence to support his claims. In my mind there was no doubt he was telling the truth. Reg Presley’s book: ‘Wild Things’, (appropriately titled), is available to purchase from Amazon, where Reg discusses his views in regards Aliens... Santilli of course remained tight‐lipped and stuck pretty much to his origi‐
nal story. And Reg Presley never changed his opinion; he did not belie Me‐
laris but instead stuck by his friend Ray Santilli. In 2012 I released all my research in the book ‘ROSWELL ALIEN AUTOPSY’. Reg Presley was a very nice guy indeed. When you met him you would never have guessed he was a well known pop star. With his West Country accent this former bricklayer had a natural charm and made people feel at ease in an instant. Reg and his music will live on as will the debate over the alien autopsy film. But for me my quest for the truth is at an end and that truth is that the film is one big fake. Sorry Reg... ‘I have been lucky to have met Reg Presley a couple of times and will not forget his humour, his passion and dedication to the subject of UFOs and Crop Circles’. He was a wonderful man that will dearly be missed’... Steve Mera: PM Editor. Page 10
I’m a PR Agent for the Inner Earth People! (and other fascinating revelations)
By Bret Leuder.
Is there a parallel hidden world beneath our feet? Bret Leuder thinks that there might be and sets out the reasons why... John Stewart, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, from the 2009 season, “Boy, things
are sure a mess on the surface. How are things under the surface?” (audience laughs)
Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, “Oh, huh huh huh huh (subtly shakes his head).
You don’t want to go there.”
Page 11
By Bret Leuder.
At one time or another, we’ve all heard about the idea of there being habit‐
able land on the interior of our planet. Actor Pat Boone starred in what has since become the quintessential example, the legendary movie adaptation of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959. Many movies have since followed; from the Sinbad stories movie adaptations popularized in the 1970’s to The Matrix series from 1999 to 2003, Hollywood has amply infused this idea into popular culture. But these ideas did not start with Hollywood. And they did not start with stories from Jules Verne, H.G. Wells (The Time Machine) or J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings trilogy) either. In fact, it is difficult, if not impossible, to tell when the idea first entered the human sphere. Stories of an “inner‐Earth” have permeated most cultures throughout recorded history and allegedly before. And information abounds. In the East Indian Rig Vedas [ancient texts thought by some to be tens of thousands of years‐old] there are the stories of the Nagas, or serpent peo‐
ple, who reside in deep caves. Buddhist monks, specially prepared for such tasks, would periodically enter the caves and do spiritual, magical battle with these beings. Among the many Native American cultures with exam‐
ples of inner Earth traditions, the Hopi Indian tradition chronicles how this tribe lived with the Ant People underground in order to escape a surface cataclysm. When they came to the surface, Masaaw, the messenger from their Creator, told them to migrate over the entire surface of the earth and to stop when it said to stop. This, according to the Hopi, is how the world today became populated, with the “Original Migrations” of people who came from inside the Earth. There are many references if only one decides to look for them. In The Bi‐
ble, Jesus goes underground to both Purgatory and Hell; in the ancient Brit‐
ish Edda, Eden was located below the surface; and there are several refer‐
ences to “fallen angles” imprisoned in caverns in The Book of Enoch. Ideas of an inner Earth civilization are so prominent in alternative historical sources that Adolph Hitler commissioned excursions to Tibet because of them. Headed by Nicolas Roerich, the team tried to locate and secure con‐
tact with an ancient and powerful race which is still thought to this day, in some occult circles, to be influencing world politics in one way or another. Revelation #1‐‐Since most cultures have an “inner Earth” tradition of some kind, this would imply a common source for the knowledge, which could possibly emanate from the only geologic feature shared by all of the world’s nations: They are all located directly above an alleged inner Earth. I soon realized that, while information in each inner‐Earth story varied in its details, they shared many of the same themes, too. For example, in the Nazi stories about the expeditions to “Shambala,” the legendary capitol of Earth, the notion of advanced technology wielded by advanced beings which live for thousands of years is prevalent and is echoed in other inner‐
Earth tales. That many themes are common is apparent in inner‐Earth com‐
pendiums like (The Best of) The Hollow Earth Hassle by Mary Martin, The Hollow Earth (1964) by Dr. Raymond Bernhard and Subterranean Worlds Inside Earth (1992) by Timothy Green Beckley. Revelation #2—There are several commonalties between inner‐Earth sto‐
ries, legends and myths which also imply an ancient, common source. Themes from the inner Earth like there being advanced technology, immor‐
tality, no pollution, abundance of natural resources, the use of magic, or higher spiritual practices involving ritual and altered states of conscious‐
ness, a battle between the forces of good and evil, and others, are preva‐
lent among these tales. Of course, it is much older sources upon which Hitler and the Nazi’s based their research and consequent searches in the Himalayas. While it is known that the works of Madame Blavatsky were studied heavily in preparation for their journeys, books like Kingdom of Agarttha by Yves Saint Alveydre (1886), or even pre‐World War I classic The Smoky God by Willis George Emerson (1908) could have easily been studied by Nazi oc‐
cultists as a basis for their searches. My point is that despite their efforts, the Nazis really only re‐traced the footsteps of earlier inner‐Earth explorers, who, after hearing of the ancient legends in a particular region, become intrigued enough to look deeper into the possibility of the stories being true. Whether they are true, or not, is still debated. Whether the testimonies of such explorers are true is still hotly debated; the story of Admiral Byrd, for example. Another case in point is the planned exploration of the alleged north polar opening by Dr. Brooks Agnew and a cross‐disciplinary, multi‐national team of scientists, journalists, seaman and other specialists called the North Polar Inner Earth Expedition (NPIEE). First scheduled in the summer of 2008, the trip has been postponed several times for various reasons. Most recently, the expedition lost the usage of their Russian ice‐breaker ship. Until this happened, however, Agnew’s team had been busy not just study‐
ing as much inner‐Earth material as is available, but they have also been traveling to locations worldwide in search of clues. The NPIEE has released a three‐volume DVD set titled Inner Earth Expedition with footage of sup‐
posed inner‐Earth entrance sites worldwide. But my point stands, the NPIEE DVD shows that Agnew’s proposed modern expedition is really only re‐
tracing the steps of those that came before them, as with the Nazi’s. New data has been collected as they have been able to apply modern technol‐
ogy with exciting possibilities. But so far nothing definitive to report no matter how exciting the prospects may be. All of these general themes have stayed relatively the same throughout recorded history and aside from contemporary rumors of alien bases and information about the world’s governments, especially the US govern‐
ment’s secret efforts to build and utilize tunnels and caverns (which I will discuss shortly); there hasn’t really been any new information about inner‐
Earth cultures or communities in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The information just seems to keep repeating itself in different storied forms and in different cultural contexts. Even when new information does surface, it turns out to be hard to cor‐
roborate and/or anecdotal at best; yet another theme within inner‐Earth research. Author Peter Moon, in an article in Sovereign Mind Magazine (May/June 2009 Timeline Publishing, Inc. www.soveriegnmindmagazine.com) about the upcoming book Transylvania Sunrise, of which he is a co‐author, details a new story about underground tunnels and chambers in Romania where advanced technology is housed. So advanced, says Moon, that it includes “a projection hall where one can see the past history of mankind.” There are also supposedly tunnels which lead from Romania to Tibet, Egypt and Iraq and that the information has been kept secret by a branch of the Freemasons.” What’s more important is that it is reported that two of Transylvania Sun‐
rise’s main subjects, the mysterious Cezar Brad (the man’s real name has been withheld for his safety) and main author of Transylvania Sunrise, Radu Cinamar, made contact with people from the inner Earth in October of 2008. “In his last letter to me”, states Moon in the article, “Radu has also stated to me that he is very sad because Cezar will be leaving him in the next few months as he now has a new job as an ‘ambassador’ to their civili‐
zation. It is all very bizarre, but it is what was reported.” In the end, how‐
ever, despite how promising and intriguing the story was, Moon admits that “…it is not in my power to prove any of these claims…” Page 12
By Bret Leuder.
Again, the information, although from a new story, carries similar themes as other inner‐Earth stories (advanced technology, secret societies), but can’t really be proved. It just falls into the ever‐growing category of fasci‐
nating inner‐Earth stories that must, for now, be chalked‐up to “hear‐say” until more solid evidence is offered. But the fact that similar themes are again present seems to indicate that this story supports what appears to be the historical pattern of repetition. It was curious, I thought, that when messages were repeated over long periods of time, it was usually for some kind of information indoctrination, or education, depending on one’s view‐
point. Revelation #3—With the repetition of themes, it appears that there has been an ongoing information campaign to educate/program surface peo‐
ples about inner‐Earth cultures; their customs, languages and other techno‐
logical and spiritual possibilities. These themes have consistently presented themselves over a long span of time. Today we refer to such information campaigns as “advertising” or “public relations” campaigns. This begs the questions, who would orchestrate an inner‐Earth PR campaign over many thousands of years if it weren’t the inner‐Earth people themselves? Unless this campaign was orchestrated by a secret society or brotherhood where information and maintenance of the campaign would be passed down through the many generations—and this is alleged by some to be the case‐‐who else, or what group, would have the lifespan to carry out such an endeavor? And what would be the motivation for a secret society to disseminate false information about an alleged inner Earth over the span of recorded history? Would it be one of distraction to keep the masses looking the other way, so to speak, as the world’s elite, in the form of a secret society, go about their nefarious business? Well….possibly! But I know of no world government who has ever played an “inner‐Earth angle” in any surface information campaign from any time period, or any public campaign concerning any information even remotely similar to the idea of an inner Earth. If a secret society is involved in any way, I speculate that it is more likely that they would be involved with suppressing the knowledge to either protect the inner‐Earth people from the surface or to harbor the information for exploitation of some kind. Either way, a secret society would be acting in this manner, then, because of the actuality of a real inner‐Earth. And if the world’s governments and secret societies are keeping a lid on what they know, then the knowledge of the inner Earth, and the human culture which inhabits it, could only come from a source with control of the knowledge over such a lengthy time span. So who else would it be? The Freemasons? Extraterrestrials? The Devil? Maybe. For me, however, the more likely, and I think more logical, explanation, is that the inner‐Earth people would be the gatekeepers of their own infor‐
mation because not only would they already be aware of their own inner Earth reality but, as the legends go, they would also have the long life spans to control the outflow of the messages since the dawn of modern civiliza‐
tion as we see chronicled in literature throughout history. Taking this thought further: Revelation #4‐‐It could be possible that all of the “chance” findings of inner
‐Earth entrances; all of the wonderful stories where details are different but the general themes are the same, could be intentionally allowed to happen by the gatekeepers themselves in order to utilize surface dwellers as unwitting PR agents. Another prominent theme was the idea that not only was there a “Hollow Earth” where humanoid inhabitants of all sizes and shapes dwelled in legendary cities like Shambala, Agartha and Catharia, Page 13
but that there was the idea of a separate Earth‐crust existence known as a “subterranean Earth.” Both terms are encompassed within the term the “inner Earth.” From the possibility of Agarthian outposts like the alleged city of Telos be‐
neath California’s Mt. Shasta and reptilian and/or gray alien strongholds in giant caves to secret US military bases, some alleged to be jointly‐run be‐
tween Earth’s surface people and extraterrestrials, inter‐dimensionals, inner Earth people and/or all of the above, there appears to be another whole world of possibilities, both ancient and modern, residing within the Earth’s crust. Controversial speaker and ex‐government employee Phil Schneider was supposedly murdered because he spoke too openly and too frequently about the US governments’ involvement with various subterranean and possibly hollow‐Earth endeavors. Dr. Richard Sauder’s two books Under‐
ground Bases and Tunnels: What is the Government Trying to Hide? (1996) and Underwater and Underground Bases (2001) reveal the ongoing devel‐
opment of underground and underwater sites by US corporate and military outfits. Revelation #5‐‐The US government‐corporation absolutely does not want the public to know about anything other than what’s going on upon the surface of Earth. It has allegedly known about and tried to enter the inner Earth since the early 1800’s by some sources, but at least around the same time as Hitler, hence, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar’s comment to John Stewart above, “Huh, huh, huh, huh. You don’t want to go there.” However, as far as ancient inner‐Earth traditions and stories go, there are several that I found which I refer to as “complete.” By this I mean that the story contains detailed information about inner‐Earth culture including languages, social values and morays, attire, philosophy, laws, technology and other customs. The books Kingdom of Agarttha and The Smoky God are two such complete offerings. Etidorpha, although considered to be fiction, represents another. Another good example of a complete inner‐Earth saga which shares com‐
mon information with other complete ones is the compelling story of one Richard S. Shaver. [See Side Bar #1] According to many of these legends, complete or not, it is only those “worthy” of such an adventure who will be allowed inside. And if the inner‐
Earth people do not want you to leave; if they think that their existence is I’m a PR Agent for the Inner Earth People! (and other fascinating revelations)
By Bret Leuder.
threatened because the thoughts of a person they have allowed to “find” an inner‐Earth entrance are concerned with spreading the wrong kind of knowledge of it once they get back to the surface, they will not be allowed to leave. However, this apparent strategy of allowing a human to enter and be ex‐
perienced so they can return to the surface with this knowledge for strate‐
gic dissemination as an unwitting inner‐Earth PR agent, seems to be hap‐
pening less and less, giving way to what has apparently become the favored method of information dispersal of inner‐Earth culture in the modern age: “channeling.” The trend today, then, is that many of the new inner‐Earth books and DVD’s have come from “channeled” sources which seem to echo many of the common themes from throughout history. They are like summations, or synopses, gathering all the pertinent information that is wanted to be ex‐
pressed within this theorized, ages‐old PR campaign. Added to this list of themes is the idea of having to raise one’s “vibration” to be able to peer into the other‐dimensional worlds residing inside Earth. Coupled with this is the philosophy of “Ascended Masters” who have pledged their lives to help humankind spiritually evolve. One popular story in this area is that of the “Ashtar Command.” This is supposedly an inner‐
Earth group of warriors with a “Silver Fleet” of disc‐shaped craft commis‐
sioned to protect both humanities’ right to freewill but also to protect the planet from aberrant human and E.T. behavior. Connected with this group, laid out in a hierarchy, are various Ascended Masters like St. Germain, Mai‐
treya and Quan Yin, among a host of others. Another good example is a DVD by Sheldon Nidle called, Inner Earth: Your Future Home (2007, www.paoweb.com) where he rolls through a chan‐
neled description of many of what I have outlined as being common themes. Also too, and of particular note, are the books by Dianne Robbins, Telos: Original Transmissions from the Subterranean City Beneath Mt. Shasta and Messages from the Hollow Earth (both from Trafford Publishing, 1996/2008 and 2003 respectively). She claims to have channeled informa‐
tion from several very old and enlightened beings, one of which is Adama, the High Priest of Telos and another is Mikos, the Head Librarian at the largest library in the universe known as Porthologos, located inside the hollow Earth. Revelation #6—This alleged information campaign appears to have been consistently refined over a long span of time and has been distilled into the common themes which we find in todays inner‐Earth literature and film. Revelation #7—People like Sheldon Nidle, Dianne Robbins and possibly the mysterious Cezar Brad are two (or three) of the latest in a long line of wit‐
ting, or willing, inner‐Earth PR agents, and two of many currently “channeling” information about inner‐Earth people and cultures for public dissemination on a global scale. This is why it became clear to me, that just by the fact that I am writing this article and, in effect, repeating information that has found its way into print of some kind or another for hundreds, if not thousands, of years around the world, that… Revelation #8—I, too, am an unwitting PR agent for the inner Earth peo‐
ple!? It was a mind‐blowing possibility. Could it be true? Could there really be a thousands‐of‐years‐old PR campaign to spread the knowledge of inner
‐Earth realities? Could Nidle, Robbins, Brad and others be a part of a global network of ambassadors, some “channels,” some not, each responsible for playing their individual roles within the larger information campaign? Could channeling be a viable, scientifically‐accepted form of communica‐
tion? And are Ascended Masters using the techniques of channeling to advertise their specially‐crafted messages about their own culture, philoso‐
phy and lifestyles for the benefit of all Earth inhabitants? In order to attempt to answer some of these questions, I contacted Dianne Robbins, author of Telos: Original Transmissions from the Subterranean City Beneath Mt. Shasta and Messages from the Hollow Earth. I couldn’t wait to see if she agreed with my revelatory assertion that there was an ongoing PR campaign thousands of years old to spread the knowledge of an inner Earth to surface dwellers around the world. [See Picture #1 with caption] “Well, I didn’t come here [Earth] for any other reason,” said Robbins with a wry grin during an interview in October of 2008 in Shasta City, California. “I came here to help bring about the merging of the two civilizations; the sur‐
face and the inner Earth civilizations; and to bring forth information that will raise peoples awareness. Once people know about civilizations inside Earth; once people know they are immortal, this will get people home and they will start remembering who they are. I do agree that there is a PR cam‐
paign going on with the inner Earth and I would agree that people like Heidi and myself are a part of it.” [See Picture #2 with caption] Robbins has her view which she explains has been related to her through the process of channeling by the alleged High Priest of Telos, a 10,000‐year‐
old man named Adama with input from a woman named Rosalie. The over‐
all story of humanity and the Earth was then rounded off by a friend of Adama and Rosalie’s, a librarian named Mikos, another thousands‐of‐years‐
old human who channeled more information to Robbins about the hollow Page 14
By Bret Leuder.
Earth which became the book, Messages from the Hollow Earth. [See Pic‐
tures #3 and #4 with captions] As the story is told, the original Earth experiment was supposed to be for God to create a being that was both spiritual and physical at the same time; for humanity to become enlightened in the flesh. And that that experiment would take place on the surface of Earth, away from the normal hollow Earth human home. Being on the surface was a control for the experiment. But the experiment was interrupted by various space‐faring E.T. races bent on their own selfish gain. Robbins says that this caused separation on many levels from the “Oneness” that God intended for all beings to experience and share with itself. According to this line of thought, all humans originally lived inside the hol‐
low Earth. But differences in thinking, often interpreted as a difference in “vibration,” led to a more permanent separation over time as the thoughts of the descendants of the original beings who agreed to become “guinea pigs” for the experiment‐‐the surface dwellers of today‐‐became destruc‐
tive to the advanced beings of the inner Earth. Because of this, the separa‐
tion has continued to this day, and is possibly the reason that “chance” visits underground appear to have been limited in favor of channeling be‐
cause of this techniques ability to protect the source from the thoughts of the surface society. “This is the only place in the Universe where this experiment has taken place. But because of outside influences the experiment has gone totally wrong. Once we [humanity] were disconnected from the Divine Will; we began to misuse Freewill. This caused those on the surface to become vul‐
nerable to the mental and spiritual influences of other E.T. beings. This all revolves around the illusion of death.” She maintains that it is through an error in thinking that surface humans began to die. Both Adama and Mikos tell Robbins that it is because they think about immortality every second of every day that they have found that there becomes no reason to die. This idea becomes especially intrigu‐
ing when you consider that not only have quantum physicists proven that our thoughts create the future (The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle), but that we surface dwellers think about death every second of every day. From the moment a child understands language, the concept of birth and death is taught to them. Most peoples’ entire lives revolve around saving enough money to be able to have it last through retirement and unto death. With these thoughts deeply ingrained into their mentalities, retirees of all walks of life slowly become apathetic to their own existences as is evidenced in the “time‐honored” traditions of sitting in a comfortable chair Page 15
and watching TV all day, smoking or drinking too much because you “know you’re gonna die anyway,” and/or saturating yourself with comfort foods at endless buffets to distract oneself from the anxiety about their own thoughts of death. All these things, according to this theory, work to solidify the normality of death in humanities mass psyche while speeding them to the grave through their own intentioned cell death. Revelation #9‐‐Could it be possible that humans die, on average, between 70 and 80 years‐old, because that’s how long it takes, on average, for a human’s thoughts to kill itself? Could there be some sort of resonant field created around an individual’s cells by thinking differently, by focusing on immortality, which stops, or maybe blocks, the “oxidation” responsible for the degradation of them i.e.: the cause of natural death? What becomes apparent with the thought‐connection‐to‐immortality idea and with Robbins’ messages, in general, is that because humanity has be‐
come separated from its source, they have begun to live by their own laws instead of God’s laws. Freewill is one of the highest universal laws, main‐
tains Robbins, and with the adherence to all of these laws, beings like Adama, Mikos and the other Ascended Masters, immortality in the physical body becomes possible. By this philosophy, one can choose immortality by focusing upon it in two ways: 1. Simply focus your thoughts on immortality every second of every day. 2. Learn to focus your thoughts into the “now,” or “in the moment.” While these two thoughts are seemingly juxtaposed to each other, it is the merg‐
ing of these two thoughts into one thought, which is the key, or mental‐
focus formula, for immortality. “That is why this book [Messages from the Hollow Earth] is a very, very important book. It has a very special purpose because it explains their cul‐
ture. It talks about the Universal Laws and if we live by the Universal Laws we will become immortal and we will have peace. Inside the inner Earth they only live by the Universal Laws. It is these Laws which have been hid‐
den from us. This has been done on purpose to keep humanity from awak‐
ening. It is the only book on the planet that has been dictated by someone from the hollow Earth and it is from the Head Librarian of the only library in this universe that contains all of the records of everything that has ever happened. To read this book is to not only show goodwill towards a union of both inner and surface Earth cultures but also is an opportunity to become in tune with a higher vibration. The book carries that [inner Earth] vibration with it.” In this area—the area where human beings have many aspects of history, society and spirituality, among other things, purposely hidden from them‐‐
what is commonly known as “conspiracy research”‐‐Robbins is in agree‐
ment with the general themes: a few families have taken over the world’s monetary systems and slowly eroded God’s laws, in the form of individual rights, in favor of a centralized, authoritative form of government backed by man’s laws. The consensus belief is that the situation on Earth has been perpetrated by one or more E.T. factions wishing dominion of our world’s uniquely abun‐
dant resources including the advanced technology and library housed inside the planet. The conflicts and wars in the stars, asserts Robbins, are re‐
flected here on Earth. The old Gnostic saying of, “As Above So Below,” she says, definitely applies. But because the original Godly experiment has gone wrong, it will only be with the united efforts of all of Earth’s inhabitants that humanity and Earth I’m a PR Agent for the Inner Earth People! (and other fascinating revelations)
By Bret Leuder.
will survive the coming transition period; yet another common theme of channeled inner‐Earth tales. And so according to Robbins, this is why the inner Earth people have been consistently conditioning surface dwellers towards the idea of the possibility of an inner‐Earth culture: because they need our help as much as we need there’s if both cultures are to survive and transist into what is believed to be the fifth dimension. “There won’t be any more third‐dimensional planets ever, in any universe. So the ‘starseeds’ and the ‘lightworkers’ come here to help humanity evolve to ascend the planet; that the planet and its beings have the opportunity to evolve at the same time. It’s the first time in Universal history that this has taken place. We [Earth and humanity] will change physical locations in the galaxy and also shift into the fifth dimension. There are many reasons why the original experiment has been infiltrated.” [See Picture #5 with caption] So the remedy for humanity, according to Robbins, and is also one of the generally dominant themes in inner Earth and Ascended Masters stories, is the thought that humanity needs to raise its vibration in order to enter into the higher dimensional realms of existence. To do this, each individual hu‐
man needs to live in a more joyous atmosphere and mindset. Joy, she says, is the highest of vibrations. “We need to celebrate. That’s how we raise the vibration of ourselves. Our electrons increase their spin when we are in joy. This is what raises our vibrations. Fun heals. Play on earth, that’s why we first came here.” Says Adama from page 108 of the Telos book: “Continue to pour uncondi‐
tional love from your hearts to all you come into contact with. This is the key to the success of the Ascension.” Could this knowledge have been known since time immemorial by an ancient race which resides in an inner Earth? And could this knowledge have been intentionally disseminated from these beings by witting and unwitting surface PR agents over that time? Could it be true that with a mental focus on joy and love, a person can raise their vibration and become immortal? Could it be that simple? Well, let’s think about it for a while and see what happens…. For more information go to www.diannerobbins.com, www.heidistadler.com, www.trafford.com, www.innerlightpublications.com and www.bretlueder.com. Special Note: I would like to thank Sandra Baerwolf and Timothy Green Beckley for their kind assistance with, and inspiration for, this article... Fortunately, so far this month there have been no reports of spectacular rogue
meteors or bolides streaking across our skies and exploding with disastrous consequences, so what follows is rather more pedestrian.
March 11th: New Moon, the Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun
and will not be visible from the earth, this phase will occur at 19:51 UCT.
March 20th: March Equinox. The march Equinox occurs at 11.02 UC. The Sun will
shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and
night throughout the world.
This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere
and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.
March 27 – Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the earth from the Sun
and will be fully illuminated as seen from earth. This phase occurs at 09:27 UTC
Page 16
Woodchester Mansion: An Investigation
By Robert Snow.
On Friday 7th September 2001, two colleagues and I took part in the filming of an American television programme at Woodchester Mansion ‘The Worlds Scariest Places’. We arrived at the mansion at around 7pm and proceeded to tour the building to familiarise ourselves with the location before darkness set in. The tour guide was David Price, the Chief Executive of the Woodchester Mansion Trust... Page 17
By Robert Snow.
Woodchester Mansion is a gothic revival house built of Cotswold stone, around four sides of a courtyard, building commenced in 1852, but for some reason it was never completed, and nobody seems to know the reason why. The building work ceased in 1868, it seems that workmen just left and a lot of their tools were left behind. How‐
ever, I suspect that the real reason could have been that the money ran out, why I say this is that the masonry work is of the very finest quality, with no expense spared. In the house, all floors have very fine ribbed stone vaulted ceilings with an abundance of finely carved cartouches. Some of the wooden formers are still in place, supporting part finished arches and vaulting. There are some of tools left behind by the build‐
ers, all this, coupled with the extreme isolation of the building, seems to add to the melancholy atmosphere that surrounds it. A feeling of time‐
less tranquillity permeates the house and valley. Woodchester Mansion is at the end of a mile long drive in a deep valley the sides of which have a covering of dense woodland. Once we had com‐
pleted our tour of the house, we adjourned to the drawing room, the only room in the house, which is complete. At around 1015 pm Dennis Moyses and I pro‐
ceeded to set up trigger objects at various loca‐
tions inside the house, at all levels from the top floor to the cellar, these were in the form of two penny pieces placed on pieces of white paper, lines were drawn around these so that if they moved at all one could tell. This task we com‐
pleted at approximately 10.30pm when Dennis and I joined the rest of the party in the drawing room for coffee, biscuits and a general discussion. At 11pm, we decided to start our vigil with all the lights in the drawing room turned off. We sat in silence for about half an hour but nothing hap‐
pened at all. The lights then went back on and we had a discussion about the building in general and our thoughts and impressions of the place. It was just after 2.30am that we all heard a quiet metallic knocking coming from the right hand side of the fireplace; everyone looked in that direction, obviously very surprised indeed. After a couple of minutes, the sound gradually became louder and reached a crescendo; it was now deafening. As we looked at the wall, letters appeared, as if painted by an invisible being, using an invisible brush. The emulsion on the wall was of a light Around, 8.55pm we decided to go for walk down the valley to where there are a series of ponds, twenty American soldiers apparently drowned there during the last war. The house was a tem‐
porary military barracks for American soldiers during the Second World War. The walk was about a mile distance each way. The reason for this is that the valley is also haunted according to local residents and we wanted to see if there was any paranormal activity there. We arrived back at the mansion at 10.00pm and sat talking in the drawing room. mustard colour, the letters were the same colour but much darker. The letters were ‘SWSB’ in capi‐
tals and about twelve inches in height and roughly formed, as if painted in freehand. I should mention that Dennis, Archie and I checked the control objects at hourly intervals through the night. However when we did our first check one control object was missing from the kitchen area, so the ghosts owe me two pence. Otherwise, the control objects did not move at all throughout the night. My first impression was that this was some form of hoax or trick set up by the film company; a very logical conclusion to arrive at, I am sure that you will agree. I went outside into the corridor to see if anyone was there, who could have created the sound, but the corridor was empty. All the time the tapping noise was continuing and seemed to be coming from upstairs. I called on Dennis Moy‐
ses a fellow member of ‘The Ghost Club’ and Archie Lawrie, who is by the way The General Secretary of ‘The Scottish Society for Psychical Research’, to accompany me upstairs to check the area where the sound was coming from. Archie led the way with Dennis and I close behind. As we climbed the main stairs, the sound was now very loud indeed and getting louder all the time. All three of us had powerful torches switched on and just as Archie rounded the corner the sound stopped. We then went up to where the sound seemed to be coming from but no one was there. We all examined the area to try to establish the cause of the sound but could find no rational ex‐
planation. If a human agency had been there, it would have not been able to escape without be‐
ing seen. I should mention that on all levels the floors were of stone and in places, it was just loose rubble, as no had been flagstones laid. Anyway, we looked in all the rooms leading off that corridor; but could still not find an explana‐
tion. We returned to the drawing room and re‐
ported our findings to the others. I decided, and the others agreed, that it would be advisable to go up to the corridor, where the sound seemed to originate from, and spend a period in complete darkness; this we did, with the exception of four people who were not too keen to accompany us. We were there for about ten minutes when the knocking started again. I shone my torch in the direction of the sound but could not see anything to account for the noise. The knocking sound continued uninterrupted. I switched off my torch and the sound stopped. After a very short period, about five minutes or so, we all heard a faint sound from the other end of the corridor; I can only describe it as sounding like a combination of a heavy wooden box drawn across the rough floor, a jet aircraft, and an ex‐
press train, all at the same time. The sound seemed; to be travelling along the corridor and approaching us, getting louder all the time until it was absolutely deafening by the time it reached us, which would have been about three minutes Page 18
By Robert Snow.
or so from start. It was then amidst us and I shone my torch and again, could not see anything to account for the sound. I must mention that throughout this incident I was leaning against a wall, which was vibrating violently and so was the floor; everyone present felt the vibration. We had a thorough search of the vicinity, and again could no find anything to account for the sound. After our thorough search, we returned to the drawing room for a discussion of the incident. The people, who had stayed behind, were in a distressed condition. They were wondering what was happening upstairs. At first, they had thought that we had been playing tricks on them. The loud tapping sound started again and we all went out into the corridor and made our way towards the main staircase. I went upstairs my‐
self and into the corridor where the sound was coming from, again the tapping stopped as I rounded the corner, this I did four times in total, but on the last time the tapping did not stop. Dennis and Archie accompanied me on a fifth visit to the upper corridor where the sound came from, but this time there was no tapping. Just as we were ascending the main stairs, a loud tapping started which seemed to be coming from the stone vaulting above the stairway; we stopped and listened. The rest of the party came up, in‐
cluding the film crew; we all stood on the stairs and listened. Suddenly there was a sound like a large quantity of masonry falling from a great height. My first impression was that the stone vaulting above the stairs was collapsing; the sound was deafening. There were many other incidents of a loud metal‐
lic tapping and too numerous to mention. I have, however mentioned the major incidents. I carefully examined the areas in question and could find no explanation at all for the sounds; therefore, I am one hundred percent certain that these incidents of loud metallic knocking must have had paranormal origins. The painted letters however, are another matter, which could have possibly have been a hoax, but considering all other factors I am of the opinion that they could possible also have paranormal origins. I must also mention that on the night in question, there was no wind or rain at all and the night sky was fairly clear with a thin cloud layer... BUFORA 50th Anniversary Conference DVD
BUFORA are pleased to announced that the DVD of the
50th Anniversary conference is now available covering all
the lectures from this two-day event. £20.00 which included post and packing in the UK. Overseas please
email [email protected] for rates.
Payment can be made by paypal to
"[email protected]" please use "Conference DVD
as reference" or cheques payable "BUFORA" along with
a covering letter and posted to:- BUFORA, PO Box 241,
Business House, Herts, SG6 9A.
Also available are:
BUFORA Reports: Vehicle Interference. Report 19442006. £10.00 which included post and packing in the UK.
Overseas please email [email protected] for
rates. Payment as above and please use "VIR" as reference when ordering.
BUFORA Digital Archives 1959-2005
£20.00 which included post and packing in the UK. Overseas please email [email protected] for rates.
You can also purchase online:https://www.bufora.org.uk/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=34&Itemid=90
Payment as above and please use "Archives" as reference when ordering.
Megalithic Tours
Mysterious Earth Conference 2013
April 13th & 14th 2013, Grimsargh Village Hall, Preston Road , Grimsargh, Preston, Lancashire , PR2 5JS £16 per day in advance ‐ £17 on the day (£32 for the weekend) (£34 for the weekend) Timetable Saturday John Turkington ‐ Long Meg from the Antiquarians to Geophysics. John has degrees in philosophy and education but more importantly a wide ranging interest in cultural matters including a fascination with stone circles and megaliths. He has spoken to many different groups on a variety of subjects. Geraldine Beskin ‐ The Ancient British Tradition of Beating the Bounds. Geraldine is the owner of the famous ‘Atlantis Bookshop’, the World's oldest esoteric bookshop, situated in the heart of London's West‐End, next to the British Museum. Over the years many famous people have been customers at the Atlantis, including Aleister Crowley. Geraldine is keen on most aspects of the Western magical and mystical paths. She particularly enjoys researching and giving Talks on her current discoveries. Ross Hemsworth ‐ 'Mysterious Encounters' The day to day life of a strange phenomena researcher! Ross is well known to anyone who has an interest in paras‐
cience, having hosted and appeared in numerous TV shows such as Now THAT'S Weird, Ghost Detectives, Haunted Halloween Live and the BBC's Ghostwatch (Tower of London) and in this new talk, he discusses some of his stranger encounters, many of which he has NOT been able to rationally and logically explain. Some of the pictures and video he will show at the conference, may even make the hardened sceptic think again about their beliefs." Neil McDonald ‐ The Isle of Man, A Megalithic Journey. Neil has run Megalithic Tours for nine years and this Mysterious Earth Conference for five years. He has appeared on Edge Media TV, BBC Radio 4 and Glastonbury Radio's Now That's Weird' and Mysterious West. Neil is also the author of the 'Megalithic Jour‐
ney' series of books. Timetable Sunday Stephen Mera ‐ Paranormal Sites and Household Disturbances. Steve has been involved in the subject of the paranormal for 30 years. He started out as a Ufologist and trained with BUFORA. He became a regional investigative co‐ordinator for BUFORA and joined NARO (Northern Anomalies Research Organisa‐
tion). Steve runs Manchester's Association pof Paranormal Investigation & Training (MAPIT) and foundered SEP (The Scientific Establishment of Parapsychol‐
ogy in 1995) and trained and qualified in Psychology and Parapsychology. He is an associate member of the Unifaculty of London's Forensic Parapsychology Department and also the UK consultant for PSI Applications in the U.S. Steve is the author of Strange Happenings, the A‐Z of the Unknown and Paranormal Insight and lecturers and tutors of the British Investigators Training Course in Anomalous Phenomena, the UKs most recognised course of its kind. He is now editor of Phenomena Magazine, the UKs leading internet magazine of its type. He conducts radio presentations as well as TV host and presenter of Fright Night. Steve has been involved in over 90 TV shows including the 13 part TV series Ghost Cases. He is an Investigator, Researcher and Freelance Journalist and currently working with Planet X Radio on 105.9fm. Brian Allan ‐ The Heretics, Can We Now Explain the Unexplainable? Brian is an internationally renowned researcher of the esoteric, a fascinating speaker and author of many books. He is also the Sub‐Editor of Phenomena Magazine and a well‐known and popular paranormal investigator. Brian has appeared in many documentaries and TV shows in Britain, Europe and America and runs the 'Paranormal Encounters Group'. John Lamb ‐ Lancashire's Sacred Landscapes. Paul Bennett ‐ The Megaliths and Rock Art of Ilkley Moor. Contact ‐ Neil McDonald, 01772 728181 ‐ 07799 061991, [email protected] More information at - www.megalithictours.com
Title: Dogged Days Author: Ellis Taylor Publisher: BiggyBoo Books ISBN: 978‐0‐9556861‐2‐2 Price: None quoted Dogged Days is a splendid ‘tour de force’ describing a life spent trawling through a demon haunted universe viewed through the eyes of a visionary and the end result is by turns matter‐of‐fact and absolutely terrifying, but invariably absorbing. In fact it is the very intensity and non‐human ‘presence’ depicted in some of the authors night time encounters that make other aspects of this work seem almost pedestrian by comparison. It is no exaggeration to say that this reviewer wonders how the author succeeded in retaining his sanity following some of the experiences he describes in the book. Much of what is written here creates concern for the safety and well being of the experiencer, because the impressions and visions he recounts embrace both sides of the ET/paranormal divide. The encounters take various forms, including the appear‐
ance of intricate line ‘pictures’ and what appear to be finger marks clearly imprinted the authors’ skin, they appear to have been printed using heat. These could, I suppose, be dismissed as somehow self‐inflicted, except for the fact that they were seen by his partner when they occurred. The book is profusely illustrated with B&W pictures showing the places and people Ellis encountered on his travels, plus other aspects of what is detailed in the text. The author also treats us to accounts of his visits with some of his friends and the nature of what occurred is almost worth the price of the book alone. The work also includes a word of warning and one that I will wholeheartedly endorse, leave Ouija boards well alone unless in the company of an experienced medium or psychic. No doubt this inspired work will end up among the many UFO and New Age related titles that grace the shelves of many bookstores, but that does not do it justice. This is a book that redefines genres, because although there are facets of the UFO legacy here, in reality this is book of modern magic and mysticism. This is the story of a modern day shaman and it should be subtitled, ‘A Book of Wonders’, for this surely is what it is and I heartily commend it to any student of the paranormal and the occult. Title: Travelling the Path Back to The Road in The Sky Auhor: George Hunt Williamson (a.k.a Brother Philip) Publisher: Global Comunications ISBN: 978‐1‐6061‐1133‐8 There is nothing new under the sun, and this timely updated reprint of an absolute classic in the UFO genre from Tim Green Beckley and Global Communications, shows the modern audience just what kind of paranoid and schizophrenic world birthed the UFO movement and the cult of the ‘contactee’ that existed in the early 1950’s. Some books are easy to review and some are not; in many cases the reviewer has to set aside their own views and concentrate on the subject matter of the book in question and this is just such a case. The author, George Hunt Williamson, was a giant in the formative years of Ufology (and played a major role in the way in which the public perceived the subject) and also a close confidante of the equally well known, (some might say notorious) George Adamski. The book opens with an absolutely fascinating scene setting chapter from the ever capable Nick Redfern, which perfectly de‐
scribes the hot‐house atmosphere of suspicion and the ‘reds under the bed’ fixation of organisations like J. Edgar Hoovers FBI. The suspicions of the FBI were encouraged by speculation from Williamson’s cohort Adamski, who opined that the ET’s he had encountered may well have had communist style of government: more than enough ammunition for the FBI. In a way it reflects the way in which, even as late as the 1980’s and 90’s, UFO conferences were regularly attended by incognito intelligence agents checking on just how much information was in circulation regarding ‘hush hush’ projects and also gauging just how well the extensive (and surprisingly effective) disinformation programmes were going. The in‐depth work of Williamson is very clearly set out and covers just about all the ideas that were prevalent at the time about the origins and the historical traces of ET influence on the earth and its inhabitants. Everything from the clues in scripture (yep, the Jesus connection is here) to the legends of the Native American peoples are covered, each facet in the puzzle adding up to a convincing picture of the whole and just how long the non‐terrestrials have been here and how deeply ingrained their message has become. It may come as a surprise to the newer readers that this information was being promoted so long ago by such luminaries as Hunt Williamson and his associates. This book is a worthwhile addition to the shelves of any UFO enthusiast who desires to learn about those who made their interest viable and who’s views still hold currency: it should be required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject. Title: Para‐News Author: Richard Thomas Publisher: Bretwalda Books Ltd ISBN‐10: 1907791728 Price: £9.99 A gripping account of the very latest developments in the esoteric worlds of conspiracy theories, Ufology, paranormal investiga‐
tions and the bizarre. Most people will have heard of UFOs, ghosts and yetis, but what about the wilder shores of the paranor‐
mal, the conspiracy theorists and down right bizarre? In this book, one of the world's leading and most prolific paranormal blog‐
gers takes readers on a voyage of discovery like no other ever written. The key players are interviewed, explaining their views on the JFK assassination, the shadowy and sinister Illuminati, the influential Bilderberg Group, allegations of an incipient New World Order, cover ups and how hidden messages can be found in Hollywood movies such as Blade Runner and TV shows in‐
cluding the X‐Files. Dean Haglund, Richard Dolan, Steve Watson, Richard Holland, Nick Pope, Timucin Leflef, Bryce Zabel, Christo‐
pher Knowles and Nick Redfern are all here. The book takes a critical look at timeslips, ghosts, UFOs, cryptids, mind control, aliens, disinformation, black‐ops, the Bermuda Triangle and a host of other paranormal phenomena. A thoroughly enjoyable and well written book that should definitely be in your collection: Steve Mera: PM Editor. Title: Evidence of the Gods Author: Erich Von Daniken Publisher: New Page Books ISBN‐10: 1601632479 Price: $19.99 "Erich boldly made us think about what no one else dared to even speak of. He continues to challenge our understanding of history."‐‐Philip Coppens, author of The Ancient Alien Question. Ancient humans had the natural urge to document the world in which they lived, a fact that is evident in the cave paintings and carvings that still exist today. Why do rock paintings from various sites around the world all seem to depict the same things? Did the peoples of the prehistoric world have contact with each another? Is it possible that some were transported to far‐flung locations in what our ancestors could only have described as "flying chariots"? Erich von Däniken, one of the best‐selling authors of all time and regarded by many as the father of the ancient alien theory, continues his mission to uncover Earth's ancient past‐‐this time with more than 150 extraordinary full‐
color photographs‐‐in Evidence of the Gods. This extensively illustrated book features never‐before‐seen photographs from his unique archive, compiled throughout decades of searching around the world for traces of the cosmic gods whom he believes came to Earth thousands of years ago. Evidence of the Gods offers the best and most impressive evidence to date, along with concise explanations for the images, to bolster the case that von Däniken has already been making quite convincingly for years. Evidence of the Gods is his most convincing‐‐and thoroughly entertaining‐‐work yet. Did extraterrestrial visitors really leave their unmistakable traces on our planet thousands of years ago? The images will speak for themselves... Like many others, I grew up reading Daniken’s books. Such books got me pretty much started in the subject of UFOs and the possibility of Ancient Astro‐
nauts. This book consists of mostly photographs, but they are very good and HD. An excellent companion to put alongside the other Daniken books in my collection. A fascinating visual adventure... ‘Steve Mera: PM Editor’. Title: The Paranormal Equation Author: James D. Stein PhD. Publisher: New Page Books ISBN‐10: 1601632282 Price: $16.99 Most of us think science is incapable of explaining supernatural phenomena. This would include everything from ghosts and communication with the dead to extrasensory perception (ESP), precognition, and telekinesis. Scientists are generally highly skeptical of the existence of such phenomena because of the lack of the rigorous documentation that science requires. Never‐
theless, many great scientists have believed‐‐and do believe‐‐in the supernatural. The Paranormal Equation presents an argu‐
ment for the existence of supernatural phenomena based on the mathematics and science discovered during the last century. It also explains why supernatural phenomena must exist if the universe satisfies certain conditions‐‐conditions which are ac‐
cepted by many working scientists. The Paranormal Equation explores such questions as: How can we distinguish between the truly unknown and the supernatural? How have scientists attempted to study the supernatural? What are the rational reasons for believing in the supernatural? Which hypotheses about the universe mandate the existence of supernatural phenomena? Anyone interested in how science is beginning to understand and even explain the seemingly unexplainable will want to read this fascinating new title. As I started reading this book, I could see that reading it would be a pleasure. Dr. Stein writes in an engaging, thoughtful, intellectually honest manner. A key factor in whether I enjoy a book is whether the author earns my trust. Dr. Stein earned it almost right away, and I think that was due to his laying a proper foundation for the rest of the book. ‘L. M. Lamendola’. Title: The Problem of Density in Regard to Non‐Human Encounters Author: Wm Michael Mott Publisher: Global Communications ISBN: This is a Kindle download ‘B00A3TRGFK’ Price: $1.99 Sometimes books are produced that expound their various hypotheses over tens of thousands of words and at the end have actually said nothing the reader can neither engage with nor understand. On the other hand there are very short works that, in a few pages, succeed in conveying more new thinking than an entire library; and this is such a work! In this booklet, ‘The Prob‐
lem of Density in Regard to Non‐Human Encounters’ its author, Wm Michael Mott, has taken a cool, considered and entirely rational look at a phenomenon that been with us since the human race appeared on the earth. This admittedly divisive subject has been given various names; currently it is filed under the general heading of ‘paranormal’, but at its core comprises a near identical set of phenomena. In bygone times the differences were invariably a reflection of the era, culture and belief system that encountered them. However, in these more, supposedly rational times, this has come to incorporate the bone‐dry equa‐
tions and theories espoused by mainstream science; some might even equate this arid paradigm with fear! Using some of the implications suggested by quantum physics, Mike Mott bases his theories on the historic and cultural depiction of encounters with non‐human entities; everything from fairies, demons and ghosts, to their modern equivalent, extraterrestrials: in fact if viewed with a cool head there is no difference. At the heart of the theory lies an entirely plausible concept, i.e. that we live in an energetic, frequency dependent universe and how we interact with it depends largely on our view of reality. In other words, we can alter reality by wishing it to change and the more of us wish it the more likely it is to change: this is ‘consensus reality’ more commonly known as magick! This short work is absolutely crammed with truly mind‐expanding ideas and possibilities that are guaranteed to give the reader cause to change their world view and consider ideas that have, for millennia, been forci‐
bly suppressed by the narrow interests of mainstream science, and yes, religion. If you buy only one book this year make it this one, because it will perma‐
nently change how you think; reality can be changed and you can change it: all you have to do is really want it to happen... UFOs are out there – and Russell Crowe has the evidence. Green goo not from cosmic event (Update: Frog spawn) By idoubtit The film star has earth‐shattering proof that aliens have visited the Earth, but is it all just a publicity stunt? One of Russell Crowe's "UFO" pictures. To Australia, a country with so few celebrities that all five of them need only be referred to by their first names for their country‐folk to have immediate cognisance of who you are on about. Our business today is with Russell – technically a New Zealander, but you take what crumbs are thrown – who this week made a poignant debut into PR. Breaking off from retweeting praise about his new movie and griping about the way it was being publicised, Russell opted to post some time‐lapse photos of a glow in the skies behind his Sydney office. Alas, the discovery that the footage was four years old has led some to accuse Crowe of a desperate publicity stunt, but he is declining to acknowledge this in a performance critics are already calling his finest since he pinned the Baftas producer against the wall for fading out his reading of "the best actor's poem". "UFO?" he wondered – and you must be the judge. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it an explanation as to why his agent agreed to the "best actor" taking second billing to Mark Wahlberg in Broken City? The truth is out there – let's hope Rusty doesn't shy from uncovering it. What do you look for after Meteor Friday? Star jelly of course. And you find it. Green ‘Space’ Slime Baffles Nature Experts. A “weird” green slime said in folklore to appear at the same time as meteors hit Earth has been found in a birdlife park in Somerset. The RSPB has appealed for help in identifying the slime, which is said to be scat‐
tered on grass banks close to pools and lakes around Ham Wall Nature Reserve near Glastonbury. The jelly‐like substance could be bacteria, fungus or toad innards, wildlife experts said. Some believe it could be a substance that has been written about for centuries called star or astral jelly, which is said to appear in the wake of meteor showers. There has never been a valid con‐
nection made between “star jelly”, or pwdr sêr, and meteor showers. But a connection has been made to fungus, frog spawn and poly‐
mers used for floral arrangements. Take a look at this agricultural polymer. (Tip: Richard Cornford) Also, see the Skeptoid entry on star jelly: Perhaps the most important weak assumption about star jelly is its origin: having fallen from the sky. News reports almost always state the substance rained out of the sky, and indeed, most people talking to the reporters honestly believe that it did. Most of them are probably assuming it, but others have a firmer conviction. They saw the ground with no star jelly, then maybe regular rain fell or maybe nothing fell, and then they observed the star jelly. No other apparent explanation was possible, so the notion of its having fallen is often taken for granted as an observation. But the fact is that there is no testable, non‐anecdotal evidence that any star jelly has ever fallen from the sky. Though there are several possibilities, slime Police warn of ‘panther’ after cat sighting mould is most logical explanation for the pond‐side slime. It looks gross but is not dangerous. in Norwich, UK. UPDATE: The Telegraph reports it’s been tested and is frog spawn. Wait, it’s SPRING over there?! Jealous. Tony Whitehead, spokesperson for the RSPB , explained: “At this time of year amphibians are spawning. The spawn is held in a substance known as glycoprotein which is stored in the female’s body. “If the ani‐
mal is attacked by a predator – herons for instance are fond of the occasional frog – it will quite naturally drop its spawn and the associated glycoprotein. This is designed to swell on contact with water, which gives the gelatinous mass we are all familiar with in frog spawn. However, if it’s unfertilized, it is just the empty glycoprotein that is dropped – which on contact with moist ground will swell and give a clear slime like substance”. Telepathic Rats contact each other from across the world. By Harry Hawkins. COPS have sparked fears a PANTHER could be prowling Norwich ‐ after tweeting that a mystery beast had been spotted in the area. Fearful staff at a camping club alerted police after finding a sav‐
aged deer and other witnesses said they saw a large black cat nearby. Officers scoured the area but could find no evidence of the animal. They then took to Twitter to warn locals that the big cat could be on the loose. A tweet from @NorwichPoliceUK, said: "We had a report of a large cat, possibly a panther prowling around yesterday near Martineau Lane! Anyone see anything similar?!" It is not the first time locals have spotted unknown creatures lurking around the East Anglia countryside. Norfolk Constabulary has received more than 80 calls about big cats since 2006. And the latest hunt comes just a few months after police spent almost £4,000 searching for a lion in Essex ‐ less than 60 miles away. More than 30 officers were assisted by two helicop‐
ters and experts from Colchester Zoo. However the search for the lion ‐ spotted in the seaside village of St Osyth, near Clacton‐on‐
Sea ‐ was fruitless. It's believed that the real culprit was a cuddly pet moggie called Teddy Bear... Page 23
It sounds like a case for The X‐Files but scientists claim to have discovered a form of mind control by linking two brains thousands of miles apart. The brains in question, however, did not belong to humans but a pair of rats – one in the US city of Durham, North Carolina, the other in Natal, Brazil. By recording neurological signals from one rodent and transmitting them over the internet to the other, researchers were able to alter the behaviour of the second rat. ‘Even though the animals were on different continents, with the resulting noisy transmission and signal delays, they could still commu‐
nicate,’ said Dr Miguel Pais‐Vieira, from Duke Univer‐
sity, Durham. ‘This tells us that we could create a workable, network of animal brains distributed in many different loca‐
tions.’ The researchers are now looking at ways to link multiple animals co‐operatively to solve more com‐
plex tasks. ‘In theory, you could imagine a combination of brains could provide solutions that individual brains cannot achieve by themselves,’ said Dr Nicolelis. Prof Christopher James, of the University of War‐
wick, said the mind‐meld experiment, published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, was an ‘interesting improvement’ on research he conducted in 2009. But, he added: ‘We are far from a scenario of well‐networked rats around the world uniting to take us over – the stimulation is crude and specific. ‘As for the ethics, I struggle to think of any applications that would not have ethical issues.’ World's Largest Ground‐Based Telescope Array Ghost of my ex‐boyfriend scares away new lovers. Opens in Chile Soon Sean PULLED the hair of one of her dates. He APPEARED next to my new fella on the sofa. He SMASHED plates after a romantic dinner. By Bernard Ashton. Spooked ... Sharon Grant says she is haunted by her ex‐boyfriend Sean Eddleston. When Sharon Grant and Sean Eddleston fell in love in their 20s, they vowed never to be apart. But Sharon could never have imagined that pledge would hold true even after Sean’s death 13 years later — as she believes his GHOST now scares off her new lovers. Sales assistant Sharon was 26, with two children from a previous relationship, when she met 24‐year‐old market trader Sean and became smitten. Her world then came crashing down when he died of bronchial pneumonia, aged just 37. After falling ill, he had told her that if he died he didn’t want her to date anyone else. But she had no idea how those words, and Sean himself, would come back to haunt her. Five years since Sean’s death, Sharon, now 44, claims to have had three relationships dashed by her ex appear‐
ing from beyond the grave to give her fella’s the frights of their lives. She says he Pulled the hair of one lover, Pinned her to the bed so she couldn’t get up and answer the door to the same fella — and even Appeared next to him on the sofa. Sharon says Sean has made the frames wonky from beyond the grave. Sharon says she started to notice Sean’s ghost around their house soon after he died, before she began dating. She insists she enjoys having him around because he was the love of her life but it is the meddling in her love life that she cannot stand. Sharon says: “Sean was everything I could ever wish for in a man. He acted like a dad to my children from a previous marriage and gave the family stability and happiness. His death was a huge shock to me. “He’d always said to me, ‘Sharon, we’ll be together for life, no one will ever come between us’, and I took comfort from that. I promised him I wouldn’t date anyone else if he died. “But when he had passed away, I wasn’t sure I could live up to the promise I’d made him. I felt I had my whole life ahead of me.” When the spooky goings‐on started, Sharon knew it was Sean’s ghost playing the tricks. She says: “Strange things were happening. When Sean was alive, he moved the pictures in our home and made them crooked — it was a joke because he knew that it drove me mad. “A few months after he died I suddenly noticed that all the pictures would sometimes be wonky. “I knew it was Sean telling me he was still there and, rather than being freaked out, I drew comfort from the fact he was still around. Straightening the photos, I would shout, ‘Sean, will you cut it out!’ “Occasionally I heard footsteps on the stairs. I knew that it was Sean and I just left him to it. There was no need to be scared.” But Sharon then met a new man and brought him back to her home. She says: “I made a meal and we opened a bottle of wine. It was quite romantic. “It was a sad moment, as bringing a man home felt as though I was severing some link with Sean and moving on. “But after eating we settled on the sofa and, as I went to kiss him, there was a crash in the kitchen and I heard footsteps run upstairs. “I went into the kitchen and the plates we had eaten off were on the floor smashed. “I could still hear footsteps upstairs and went up. I knew it was Sean. I went into my bedroom and snapped, ‘Don’t spoil this for me, Sean!’ "But the next time my boyfriend came round I was in the kitchen when he ran in and said, ‘Something has ruffled my hair and pulled it!’ “After that he refused to come round at night. “But another day he was visiting and I heard him knock on the door. I tried to get up from my bed but couldn’t move.“It felt like something was pinning me down and I had to say, ‘Get off me, Sean! Now!’ “After a struggle I was finally able to get up and answer the door. “We dated for nearly a year, but for the last six months he re‐
fused to come to my house at all.” The final straw came when Sharon opened her front door and it was then slammed back in her fella’s face. Sharon says: “I had to tell him that it was the ghost of my ex and that it was something he would have to put up with. He went white as a sheet and the relationship ended soon after.” Sharon was furious with Sean and shouted at him to leave her alone. But he continued to stalk her life. She says: “He wouldn’t leave me alone.” Two further relationships were then wrecked by Sean’s med‐
dling — one with warehouse worker Dave Becket. Sharon says: “We’d been on a couple of dates when he came to my house. “I was in the kitchen and the telly in the front room was off. But Dave suddenly went ashen and said he’d seen a reflection of himself in the blank TV screen — with someone sitting next to him. “I tried to remain blasé and said it was Sean and he was harmless. But Dave downed his drink and told me he had to go.” Dave finished the relationship the very next day. Sharon says: “Yet again my dead boyfriend had prevented me from seeing someone else.” Spooked Dave, 37, confirmed the story and told The Sun: “I was totally freaked out. I could see on the TV screen the reflection of someone sitting next to me on the sofa. “I’d never believed in ghosts until then. I’m not so sure now. “It was weird. I just wanted to get out of there. Sharon was cool about it. I just didn’t want to go out with someone who was being haunted — but we’re still friends.” After the break up with Dave, Sharon, of Blackburn, Lancs, was determined Sean would no longer hold her back — but his meddling has continued. She says: “I dated a man late last year and we went to my place for a nightcap. “We’d been there a couple of hours having a chat in the front room when I went into the kitchen to get us another drink. “Suddenly I heard him run out of the front door and down the road. I shouted after him but he looked terrified and kept running. "I don’t know what Sean did to this poor bloke, but he scared the living daylights out of him. "I’ve still got his jacket — he hasn’t been back for it and because I’d only just met him I didn’t have a phone number for him.”Sharon is now coming to terms with the fact Sean may always interfere in her relationships. She says: “A friend of mine told me to get my place exorcised but I’m not sure I want to. Although Sean has been a pain, I do like having him around. A part of him is still here and I find that comforting. “Some nights I’ll sit down on my own in the front room and chat to him. I know he’s there, I can feel his presence. I was never interested in ghosts and ghouls be‐
fore Sean died and had no opinion on whether they existed. Now I know they do. “I tell Sean I need that physical relationship with another man but it doesn’t mean I don’t still love him. I can be there for hours just chatting. I only hope Sean is listening. “But he needs to let me get on with my life.”
By Clara Moskowitz A vast telescope touted as the largest ground‐based astronomy project in the world, an array of 66 radio dishes in Chile's high desert, will be officially opened for business next week with a cosmic inauguration ceremony on Wednesday (March 13). The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a $1.3 billion collaboration between North America, Europe and Asia, built high on a mountain in Chile's Atacama desert. To celebrate the transition between ALMA's construction phase and its status as a functional observatory, hundreds of scientists, government officials and journalists will gather for a ceremony that will be webcast around the world. Chile's president, Se‐
bastián Piñera, will also speak at the event. The observatory will provide unprecedented views of faraway galaxies that formed shortly after the Big Bang, and will peer at the clouds of gas and dust where new planets are being formed around alien stars. [Meet ALMA: Photos of a Giant Radio Telescope]. "ALMA is a telescope that is basically 100 times more powerful than any similar millimeter telescope that's ever been built before," said Jim Ulvestad, director of the Astronomical Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, during a press conference Tuesday (March 5). ALMA will observe in the millimeter and submillimeter range of radio wavelengths to catch sight of extremely distant objects that are speeding so quickly away from us that their light has been stretched into this range of the electromagnetic spectrum. To get the crispest pictures possible, the observatory has been built high on a mountain more than 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) in elevation, putting it above much of Earth's atmosphere, which blurs images. In fact, it's so high, Ulvestad said, that employees who work for long at the high‐altitude site sometimes have to breathe supple‐
mental oxygen to make up for the scarcity of oxygen in the thin air there. "When you're building such an advanced telescope, you don’t want to waste your investment by putting it at a so‐so site on Earth — that's why we go so high," Ulvestad said. Because coun‐
tries in North America, Europe and Asia have collaborated to build the array, it's much grander than any individual region could have achieved on its own. Before combining forces to build ALMA, scientists in the three regions each came up with separate pro‐
posals for millimeter‐wavelength arrays. "The science was driving Europe, Japan and the U.S. all in the same direction," Ulvestad said. "Rather than building three separate arrays, each of which would have been very powerful, these areas of the world could come together and build one array that's much more powerful than any of those individual ones would have been." With its superior power, ALMA should be able to probe into previously inaccessible cosmic realms. For example, ALMA will allow astronomers to image the disks of gas and dust orbiting young stars where planets may be in the process of forming. Dust is impenetrable in optical light, but should be a prime target for studies in the millimeter and submil‐
limeter range. And by looking for perturbations in these disks caused by planets, ALMA could detect planets roughly the size of Earth, scientists say. The instrument is also uniquely suited to glimpse distant objects that are too faint for most telescopes to see, such as some of the first galaxies that formed, which existed just millions of years after the birth of the universe roughly 13.7 billion years ago. "To me, it's just spectacular that we can look 12 billion years in time with an instrument like ALMA," Ulvestad said. SPACE.com's Clara Moskowitz will be traveling to Chile on a trip sponsored by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) to provide full coverage of the event, and will be sharing updates about ALMA, as well as a New York‐based reporter's perspective of seeing the Southern Hemisphere night sky for the first time... Page 24
Spookology - Who Put The Norm in Paranormal?
By Richard Holland.
Richard Holland is the editor of the ghosts and folklore website Uncanny UK and the former editor of Paranormal Magazine. A journalist of more than 20 years’ experience in news‐
papers and magazines, he is the author of six books, including ‘Haunted Wales: A Guide to Welsh Ghost‐
lore’ and ‘The Horror of Gyb Farm’. He is currently developing Smart Phone apps, including Ghost Finder London and Ghost Finder Edinburgh. To read more of Richard’s articles, and those of other authors on the subject of the super‐
natural in Britain, please visit www.uncannyuk.com Flights of Fancy. No consideration of ghostly modes of transport would be complete without including arguably the most dramatic of them all: phantom aeroplanes. From the UK alone, let alone the rest of the world, there are numerous reports of mysterious aircraft, strangely silent or suddenly disappearing in mid‐air. These phantoms are as much of inter‐
est to ufologists as they are to ghost‐
hunters. Enhancing the ghostly aspects of most of the sightings is the fact that they are planes of the past, usually dating from the days of World War II. Perhaps the best‐known example in Britain is the AVRO Lancaster bomber which has been seen in, or rather above, the Peak District. In 1997 a Lancaster was seen to crash in a ball of flame near the Howden Reservoir. The emergency services were called but no wreckage was found. This plane – or one very like it – has been seen flying low and apparently in trouble over the Ladybower Reservoir. It is silent and vanishes suddenly. It just so happens that a Lancaster bomber crashed at Ladybower during a training flight in the 1940s, putting this phantom plane firmly in the ghost camp. Equally ghostly is the lone Spitfire which is seen over Biggin Hill airfield in London and also the Great War‐period airplane which started an alert at RAF Fairlop, Essex, at the height of World War II. This turned out to be a Sopwith Camel biplane which descended on the airfield before mysteriously disappear‐
ing. Camels had been station at Fairlop during the previous conflict. Ufologist Nigel Watson is one of the many wit‐
nesses of phantom aircraft. He saw his example flying over his home in Scun‐
thorpe in 1970. In an article in Paranor‐
mal Magazine, he wrote: ‘As I watched it travel from west to east, at a low altitude, all of its four propeller driven engines had small flames erupting out of them! This did not seem to alter its performance and it did not look as if it was about to crash, however I did wonder if the next day’s newspaper would have an air crash as its headline. There was no such headline and I have always won‐
dered about that strange sighting.’ Page 25
In the way-back-when of my time editing Paranormal Magazine, I jokingly
coined the term ‘spookology’ in one of my editorials. I’ve started using
‘spook’ as a handy word for any really weird and inexplicable ghostly
phenomenon. At a time when the supernatural, an area of research in
which we still understand very little, is becoming increasingly codified, the
bizarre nature of the spooks recalled in this column may serve as a
reminder that it’s way too soon to start normalising the paranormal.
AVRO LANCASTER: Phantom planes most often reported in the UK are described as either being or resembling this historic bomber. My home area of North Wales seems to be a hot‐spot for such sightings. The most dramatic account of a phantom plane in the region comes from the village of Llangernyw, Conwy, in the late 1980s. North Wales‐based ufolo‐
gist Margaret Fry told the BBC that young mums picking up their children from school were startled by the sight of a huge propeller plane, something like a World War II transporter, loom‐
ing out of the sky and apparently about to crash. They watched with their hearts in their mouths as the aircraft, flying very low, managed to pull up ‘with a great effort’ and just about made it over a line of distant hills. They described the plane as looking ‘rusty, with no paint work’. Many villagers phoned the authorities to find out about the plane but drew a blank. A year or two earlier, in 1987, Margaret Fry followed up a sighting of a ‘black Hercules‐type plane’, de‐
scribed as ‘fat, very large and un‐
marked’, which flew over the nearby town of Abergele before suddenly vanishing in front of a number of onlookers. The BBC North‐East Wales website records several other sightings of low‐flying and often silent aircraft, most often described as resembling Lancasters, just like the Ladybower Reservoir ghost. These were seen at Llandudno, various places around Wrexham and also from a witness in Wirral, who saw ‘a totally black’ bomber ‘flying adjacent to Wales’. The sightings, all sent in by readers of the website, date from 1977 through to 2009. Which brings me neatly on to my own experience. I wish I could give you an exact date but I can’t because it hap‐
pened when I was a kid. It must have been the late 1970s or the early 1980s. I was walking with my mum and dad on a Sunday morning up a path in Moel Fammau Country Park, which is part of the Clwydian Range of hills forming the border between Flintshire and Den‐
bighshire. I was straggling a bit behind. For some reason I looked over my shoulder and was staggered to see, neatly framed by the conifers either side of the path, a huge plane suddenly fly silently past. It too was a Hercules or a Lancaster or something very simi‐
lar. Unlike some of the others, how‐
ever, it had the camouflage paint on it Spookology - Who Put The Norm in Paranormal?
By Richard Holland.
one would expect. It was very clear but only visible for a couple of seconds because of the tree cover. I shouted to my parents and ran up to tell them what I’d just seen but I’m not sure they believed me. I don’t blame them. For one thing, they should have heard it: planes like that make one hell of a din, as you know. Also it would have been making a dangerous, maybe even an impossible, flight through such a narrow pass through the hills. I remember it as being startlingly huge and out of place and even then I had an inkling that I’d seen something rather more than just a bit unusual. Despite my subsequent career as a writer about spooky things, it is an incident I’ve filed away at the back of my mind. It is only now, really, review‐
ing all these previous sightings not only in North Wales but elsewhere that I find myself wondering whether I really did see one of these phantom planes myself... IN THE HILLS: Moel Famau in the Clwydian Range, North Wales, overlooking neighbouring Moel Fenlli. If the huge but remarkably quiet aircraft I saw was real, then it was an amazing bit of low flying that took it down the narrow pass you can see leading off to the left. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
Now working on our new issue, Phenomena Magazine has gone from strength to strength. We can now comfortably say
that PM is now the leading e-mag of its type in the UK and is quickly becoming recognised throughout the U.S. Thanks to
UFOSTORE and UFOTV freely advertising and distributing the magazine. We are often asked how many people are actually
reading our monthly issues. We can say with some accuracy that thousands are reading it throughout the UK but on a
global scale... Well... Who knows? It’s next to impossible to say for sure. Phenomena Magazine requires feedback from our
readers so we can access our efforts in providing this free monthly magazine. What readers would like to see more of or
maybe less of. We are always open to new ideas and encourage article submissions not only by recognised writers, investigators and researchers of these subjects, but also newcomers. The Phenomena Magazine website (shortly due to be
launched) will feature numerous pages that include DVD, Book and Equipment reviews, Behind the scenes information
about those responsible for bringing you Phenomena Magazine, Interesting links, our back issues page where you can
download every issue of Phenomena Magazine and Forum. We will be announcing its availability soon. Watch this space!
For now, you can check out Phenomena Magazine at:
WWW.MAPIT.KK5.ORG
Don’t forget to drop us a line in regards your thoughts, feedback, article submissions etc. We would love to here from you.
Guardians of The Rabbit Hole: Considering skeptical thinking and enquiry.
By Lorin Cutts.
Guardians of The Rabbit Hole:
Considering Skeptical Thinking and Enquiry.
I write and produce music, run a music label called mmrmmr
(pronounced murmur), I research and write about UFOs and related
phenomena, I am a partner in a radio network called KGRA... and I
host a couple of shows - High Strangeness about UFOs and the
paranormal and Saturday Night Sounds about music. I'm also special
correspondent for Chase Kloetzke's Project White Paper show and
Chase and I also run The Resistance campaign together. This aims to
draw attention to the often unfair treatment the UFO and paranormal
subjects receive in the mainstream media...
www.lorincutts.com www.kgraradio.com www.mmrmmr.com
Towards the end of last year I had a number of experiences which lead me to believe that taking a step back from the UFO subject was probably a healthy thing to do. I needed time to process them. I have no doubt in my mind that my experiences were results of genuine phenomena, but what the phenom‐
ena actually were and what they tell us about ourselves and the universe is open to question and debate. I’ve been convinced for some time that dis‐
sembling is often present within UFO and paranormal phenomena, so the idea of taking the experiences at face value or taking the empirical evidence literally seems foolish. The one thing that can be said with certainty is that the UFO subject – real or not – has shaped our modern culture. It is one of the most searched terms on the internet, it dominates movies and television, and it even plays a role in shaping our beliefs. Our culture, almost without question, links the UFO subject with extra‐terrestrial visitation. But what if that isn’t the case? Or – more likely, in my opinion – what if the phenomenon is multi‐faceted and no single explanation accounts for all genuine UFO sightings? What if the an‐
swer to many of these unexplained experiences was something far more esoteric than ET visitation? Maybe something we haven’t even considered yet? To me, it seems awfully arrogant to believe that unexplainable things can’t and don’t happen. We live in a vast universe and know very little about how it all works, how our brains work, what a soul is, what consciousness really is and how it connects us to one another, or even how we got here. And even with all our current technology, there are still unexplored corners of Earth. We are constantly discovering new things, having to adapt our science and ways of thinking to compensate for the latest findings. If we took a step back in time even a decade, we could barely comprehend the computer process‐
ing power we have today. But does that mean that UFOs exist? That Bigfoot exists? That ghosts exist? Not necessarily. But I’ve seen UFOs, I’ve had some pretty crazy experiences and I’ve had unexplainable things happen to me. That’s why I am doing what I am doing. You may be skeptical because you haven’t had these experiences. I can’t fault anyone for that. I doubt I would believe any of it if I hadn’t ex‐
perienced it myself either, so I welcome skeptical viewpoints and debate in all aspects of paranormal research. A good skeptical argument may just be the one thing that stops us from falling down the rabbit hole – or at least guides us gently down it. People who spend any time considering the UFO phenomena seem to fall into roughly three groups: the definitive believers (or “paranormalists”, to use the more recent term), the skeptics, and the debunkers. Skeptics and debunkers would probably label me a paranormalist/believer, but that isn’t necessarily how I see myself. Just because I believe that unex‐
plainable things happen doesn’t mean I blindly believe in ALL alleged para‐
normal phenomena and that ALL UFO cases are real. I try to approach each case with an open mind and judge it on its own merits: the evidence, the eye
‐witness testimonies, the conditions in which the event allegedly occurred. In my own experiences, I am even more careful to avoid jumping to any conclu‐
sions. Can anyone say with 100% certainty that an event occurred in the way that it was reported? No, never. Can I say that an experience I had happened exactly as I recall it? No, never. I rarely draw a definite conclusion that a case is real, and it is actually easier for me to draw a conclusion that something is probably bogus or simply misidentified and may be conventional in nature, but I try not to be dismissive. emotional energy, reptilian aggressors that rape victims (after shape‐shifting from Queen Elizabeth II and family, of course) and the endless steam of grainy videos on YouTube depicting nondescript and distinctly non‐
impressive lights in the sky ‐ such things tended to make me feel that I was more aligned to a skeptical point of view than that of a conventional believer in some instances. I believe that it is absolutely essential to the credibility of paranormal re‐
search to have skeptical lines of enquiry. It keeps the subject honest and can lead to further debate in what is a vastly complex array of experiences. How‐
ever, if you are coming to the subject from the outset to try and disprove that anything unusual has ever happened, then you are not a skeptic, you are a debunker. And therein lies a huge difference. Skepticism is healthy and encourages rigorous questions and investigation. Debunking is destructive by definition and involves an agenda with predetermined conclusions; it is blind denial, making it just as foolish and pointless as blind belief. Unfortunately, there are a lot of debunkers out there who are claiming to be skeptics. It’s important to remember that just because we can’t prove something hap‐
pened or find any evidence of the event, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen ‐ unless you are a debunker. Debunking, rather than skepticism, has been the mainstream media’s view‐
point for much of the past 50 years. This combination of dismissal and ridi‐
cule has largely been successful in keeping serious research away from the UFO and paranormal subjects, with the notable exception of the military‐
industrial complex and the odd, renegade, academic paranormalists – often coming to the field as a result of their own experiences. Even more frustrating are the dogmatic statements asked over and over by members of the media, which both spring from and encourage a debunking stance: ‘Where’s the evidence?’ (There’s actually rather a lot). ‘He must be crazy.’ (Where’s the evidence for that?) ‘It’s all in the mind.’ (Where’s the evidence for that?) ‘That little green men nonsense again.’ (Mostly grey and blue… but, OK, occasionally green.) This kind of coverage of the subject ignores the millions of people who claim to have witnessed these phenomena, the multiple‐witness events, and the most convincing evidence. YES, contrary to popular belief , there is plenty of evidence. J Allen Hynek, godfather of modern ufology and scientific consult‐
ant to Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book (the official USAF projects that studied the UFO phenomenon between 1947 and 1969), was once asked: “Where is the evidence?” He amusingly replied; “Where do you want the truck to stop?” The internet and alternative media have brought a revolution in freedom of information never before seen in modern times. The huge interest in these subjects will possibly lead to many more recorded experiences and sightings, as the phenomena interact with the consciousness of freshly open minds. As this flood of new data streams in, it is up to us all (skeptic and paranormalist alike) to examine the cases and evidence with a healthy balance of skepti‐
cism and open‐mindedness, yet with the respect they deserve. I have to admit that previously, reading reports of love‐and‐light beings from the Pleiades, cat beings from Sirius, the Council of 9, malevolent and vam‐
pyric beings who bring couples together to feed on their sexual and There is no room for blind faith on the part of the paranormalist, nor de‐
bunkery on the part of the skeptic, if we are ever going to reach a greater understanding of the universe we live in...
Page 27
Title: Antiviral
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Genre: Sci/Fi Horror
Main Cast: Landry Jones, Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Gadon
Cert 15
Cinema release
The fact that this film is the handiwork of Brandon Cronenberg, the son of iconic Canadian director David Conenberg, has to count for something and I suppose it does. The plot, which is set in the near future, is not for the squeamish and involves a trawl through the basement of the current obsessive mania in celebrity culture for every little nuance or foible associated with a particular star. In this case it involves actually sharing whatever disease or malady is troubling the respective star and of course there is money to be made. In this future world there are seedy biotech clinics only too willing to oblige by obtaining the virus from the celebs (who are also paid for their efforts) and sharing it out to those willing to pay for the privilege. An employee of such an outfit (the Lucas Clinic) decides to cash in by infecting himself with one of the viruses and smuggling it out to sell to the opposition. Being a Cronenberg film this soon leads to much ‘unpleasantness’ as the person whose virus it is dies. The thief, (Syd played by Landry Jones) quickly realises that this was not a good idea after all and sets out to save himself. Not a pleasant film, but although low(ish) budget remarkably well made and, sadly, given the nature of celebrity obsessed fans something that just might happen one day. Title: Defying Gravity
Genre: Sci/Fi, Drama, Mystery
Main Cast: Ron Livingston, Andrew Airlie, Malik Yoba, Laura Harris Eval Podell and Christina Cox Extras: Deleted scenes, ‘a making of’ documentary and screen shots
Distributor: MEDIUMRARE
Price: £34.99
This remarkable and thoughtful Canadian made science fiction series cropped up on BBC2 in 2009 and, amazingly, only thirteen hour‐long episodes (these are approx 40 minutes without the adverts) were ever made, although three series had originally been planned. The plot centres around the crew of the spaceship ‘Antares’, who ostensibly set out on a six year voyage to various planets in the solar system beginning with Venus. However, as one might expect, all is far from what it seems, least of all a mysterious non‐
terrestrial ‘fractal object’ called ‘Beta’ contained in ‘Pod 4’ on the ship. It seems that there are several of these enigmatic and rather beautiful objects scattered around the solar system and their retrieval is the real reason for the mission We quickly learn that some of those monitoring the mission from ground control are only too aware of both Beta and the real rea‐
son for the mission. We also discover that each crew member has a guilty secret of some kind; not least that the mission com‐
mander (played by Mailk Yoba) and one of the other crew members had been forced to leave two colleagues behind on Mars during an earlier mission. We then discover that the crew is being subtly altered at a genetic level too, but due to the fact there were no more series commissioned we never find out why…dammit!! I found the series absolutely fascinating first time round on TV and doubly so as a box set. This is Sci‐Fi with great depth and has profound implications for the role of the human race in space…and perhaps what we might encounter there. Title: A Beginners Guide to Paranormal Investigation
Author: Mark Rosney, Rob Bethel, Jebby Robinson
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
ISBN: 978‐1‐4456‐0898‐3
Price: £10.99
This latest and most welcome offering for Amberley is one of the best and most comprehensive works I have ever read dealing with the often tricky subject of investigating claims of paranormal phenomena. This includes everything from ghost hunting and crypto‐
zoology to ufology, which is of course an allied pursuit. That it is written by three people with a wealth of investigative experience to call upon makes it even more appealing. There is a bulging technical section dealing with the wide range of equipment now re‐
garded as almost de rigueur by the ghost hunting community. Sensibly, the authors caution that since there is no actual consensus on what the phenomena is or how it actually works, these items can only ever be an indication that ‘something’ is occurring in the measurable electromagnetic spectrum. As a fellow investigator it is very easy to take issue with some of the opinions expressed since the subject is extremely subjective, and there is one glaring example of equipment being misused. This is the ‘point and shoot’ variety of infrared temperature measuring devices, these industrial devices are designed for taking sur‐
face readings, not ambient air temperatures, so used in that manner they are of no use whatsoever. I know this because for almost 50 years I was an instrument technician with a major multinational petrochemical company and have used them for their intended purpose, but that is a minor gripe. The book also gives some background to several of the phenomena covered; EVP’s and orbs are a case in point. In the case of EVP’s the authors mention the fascinating account of two Italian priests, Fr Ernetti and Fr Gemelli who accidentally produced some truly astonishing results. Perhaps wisely the authors have ignored the alleged and highly dubious device called a ‘Chronovisor’ in association with this event. Anyway, the book is well written and packed with eminently sensible advice and if anyone has aspirations regarding starting to investigate claims of the paranormal they would do much worse than begin here; it would save them a lot of time.

Phenomena Magazine: March 2013

Transcription

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