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CONTENTS
Paranormal Magazine//Issue 29
5 EDITORIAL
Right place, right time, right gadget
6 PARANORMAL NEWS
Round-up of the weirdest news worldwide
12 THE PHANTOM TOLBOOTH Ghosts in a former gaol
16 PSYCHIC SPIES The CIA’s most secret agents
22 FAIRIES TODAY
Modern encounters with the Little People
28 EYE-OPENER The man who lost his head
30 THE FUTURE’S ORANG On the trail of Asian apemen
36 THE SHADOW WALKER Mystery in a Malaysian cave
38 DIGGING TOO DEEP Gary McKinnon and ‘exopolitics’
42 THE ALIEN WEB The top UFO research sites
44 CAUGHT ON CAMERA Ten of the best ghost photos
52 SORCERY BEGINS AT HOME Domestic spell-craft from the past
56 SURREAL SAFARI Monstrous world of the ‘zooform’
62 WEIRDNESS IN WEST YORKS Dark tales from a northern county
65 UNEARTHED
Man-monkeys and Tiger Men
70 INVESTIGATION
Scientific approach to ghost hunting
72 SIGHTINGS
44
Strange encounters round-up
74 EXPERIENCES
Readers’ personal accounts of the paranormal
22
52
75 STRANGE GOINGS ON Club news and forthcoming events
79 REVIEWS
What we’re reading, what we’re watching
82 BOOKEND
The sound of ancient silence
30
3
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
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GENERAL ENQUIRIES Jazz Publishing, The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester, CH4 9AJ, UK. 5FMr'BY info@jazzpublishing.co.uk EDITOR Richard Holland richardholland@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 CONTRIBUTORS +BOFU#PSE +PSEBO#SPXO 1BVM%FWFSFVY -JPOFM1BUSJDJB'BOUIPSQF -FF(SJGà UIT Michael Hallowell, Tim Isaac, Tom Leins, Nick Redfern, Phil Rickman, Dr. Karl Shuker PRODUCTION MANAGER Justine Hart justine@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 335 ACCOUNTS Emma McCrindle accounts@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 307 ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES Natalie Lester – natalie@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 311 Wendy Lennon – wendy.lennon@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 311 ADMINISTRATION +BO4DIPà FMEmjan@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 319 ,BUZ$VGà Omkaty@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext 320 Pam Coleman – accounts@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 315 SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Katie Challinor – katie@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 Ext. 324 PUBLISHER %BWJE(BNCMFmdavid@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 MANAGING DIRECTOR Stuart Mears – stuart@jazzpublishing.co.uk Telephone: 01244 663400 PRINTING Warners (Midlands) Ltd. DISTRIBUTION Jamie Wren – jamie.wren@mmcltd.co.uk Telephone: 01483 211222
Having trouble finding Paranormal Magazine in your newsagent? Please contact our distribution company for your nearest outlet on 01483 211222 or visit: www.mmcavailability.co.uk/?p=605 All letters sent to Paranormal Magazine will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and such are subject to edit and comment editorially. Please ensure that all photos and slides have credits attached. Please send copies not originals as we are unable to return any unsolicited photographs. The views FYQSFTTFEJOUIJTNBHB[JOFCZUIFDPOUSJCVUPSTBSF not necessarily those of the publishers. While every effort is made in compiling Paranormal Magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any effects therefrom. Reproduction of any matter contained in Paranormal Magazine is prohibited without prior permission.
EDITORIAL
Right place, right time, right gadget As most of you probably know, the Bigfoot-in-the'SFF[FSTUPSZXFIJHIMJHIUFE last month turned out to be the IPBYXFGFBSFEJUNJHIUCF'PS a few short days, as we went to press, I believed it might be genuine – after all, what was said to be on offer was a whole corpse and DNA analysis.You couldn’t get away with faking that, could you? In the event, the perpetrators didn’t even try and it’s hard to see what they could have gained from such a lame stunt. Underpinning my hope, I guess, was the belief that one day such a scenario really will
up around a jungle in Indonesia in the hope of photographing the orang pendek, probably (unlike Hallowe’en costumes in fridges) the manbeast most likely to be a genuine undiscovered species – and the subject of an in-depth feature by Dr Karl Shuker this month. We also have the treat this issue of ten of the CFTUHIPTUQIPUPTGSPNUIF'PSUFBO1JDUVSF Library to mull over. Most of these were taken on PMEGBTIJPOFEĂ MN BOETPNFPOQMBUFT CVUUIFZ never fail to intrigue even after all these years. Today it’s quite possible that the device most likely to record something paranormal for posterity will be the humble camera-phone. Who would have imagined 15 years ago that we’d all be walking around with Star Trek-style communicators, doubling up as video cameras? Websites like YouTube are full of videos of weird apparitions. They are usually so indistinct that they are easily dismissed; nevertheless one cannot get around the fact that almost everyone out of doors – children included – is armed with a handy camera-cum-phone, which means the potential for capturing an anomalous event is now far higher than ever before. Not only can you take a quick snap or vid of the thing you’ve witnessed, you can phone up your friends to come and witness it, too. *UNBZCFB6'0 PSBHIPTU BTUSBOHFBOJNBM or a fairy – yes, they are still being seen, as Janet #PSETJOUFSFTUJOHBSUJDMFDPOWJODJOHMZUFTUJĂ FTm or any one of the bizarre menagerie Neil Arnold introduces us to in his article on ‘zooforms’. And if you’re lucky enough to be the person who grabs the groundbreaking photo or video – you know where to send it to!
‘Not only can you take a quick snap or vid of the thing you’ve witnessed, you can phone up your friends to come and witness it, too.’ happen. If a Bigfoot, or a lake monster, or a CJHDBUJTĂ OBMMZQSPWFEUPFYJTU JUXJMMNPTU likely be in this way: somebody somewhere will stumble upon a body, lying in a wood or on the shore of a lake or beside a road. Meanwhile, in the realm of the ghost hunter, more and more gizmos are being toyed with UPUSZBOEDBQUVSFPOFPOĂ MNmPSSBUIFS UIF NPEFSOFRVJWBMFOUPGĂ MN.BZCFUIFSJHIU DPNCJOBUJPOPGMJHIUXBWFĂ MUFSTXJMMTVEEFOMZ reveal to us a spirit world all around us. Such a result might be terrifying – or worse still, become instantly mundane and boring! I know that hi-tech cameras have been set Visit us online and join the community:
www.paranormalmagazine.co.uk Tell the editor about your own experience with the paranormal. &NBJMeditor@paranormalmagazine.co.uk or write to Richard Holland, The Editor, Paranormal, Jazz Publishing, The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester CH4 9AJ
Richard Holland, Editor
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NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
Paranormal News 5IFMBUFTUGSPNUIFXPSMEPGXFJSE
Futuristic new home for UFO Museum Stunning designs have been unveiled for a newlook International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico.
Paranormal
www.jonathan-e.com
Shorts
6
////NOVEMBER 2008 Paranormal Magazine XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVL
BIGFOOT-IN-MOUTH
*UXBTVOGPSUVOBUFGPSParanormal MagazineUIBUUIF#JHGPPUJOUIF GSFF[FSTUPSZCSPLFKVTUBTXFXFSF HPJOHUPQSFTT#ZUIFUJNFUIF NBHB[JOFIBECFFOSFUVSOFEUPVT XFLOFXUIFXIPMFUIJOHXBTBIPBY 0OMZEBZTBGUFSUIFQSFTT DPOGFSFODFIFMECZUIFAmOEFST .BUU8IJUUPOBOE3JDL%ZFS UIFJS FWJEFODFIBECFFOFYQPTFE BTBSVCCFSDPTUVNF4IPSUMZ DPOUSJCVUPSTUPDSZQUP[PPMPHJTU -PSFO$PMFNBOTCryptomundo XFCTJUFJEFOUJmFEBMJLFMZ )BMMPXFFODPTUVNF TFFQJDUVSF 5IFEFDFQUJPOXBTBMTPNBEF QVCMJDCZUIFDPNQBOZ8IJUUPOBOE %ZFSUFBNFEVQXJUIUPBOOPVODF UIFJSTVQQPTFEmOE*OBTUBUFNFOU
QPTUFEPOUIFXFCTJUFPG4FBSDIJOH GPS#JHGPPU*OD A4BTRVBUDI %FUFDUJWF4UFWF,VMMTTBJEIF SFBMJTFEUIF#JHGPPUADPSQTFXBTB GBLFXIFOUIFGSP[FOCPEZCFHBO to thaw, and he put his hand on a SVCCFSGPPU $POGSPOUFE 8IJUUPOBOE%ZFS SFQPSUFEMZBENJUUFEUPUIFIPBY 8IJUUPO BQPMJDFPÄ€DFS IBTTJODF MPTUIJTKPCPWFSUIFEFDFQUJPO )PXNVDINPOFZDIBOHFE IBOETBUBOZUJNF BOEIPXNVDI 4FBSDIJOHGPS#JHGPPUT$&05PN #JTDBSEJNBZIBWFNBEFDIBSHJOH POMJOFFOUIVTJBTUTUPWJFXNPSF JNBHFTPGUIFBMMFHFECPEZ XJMM QSPCBCMZOFWFSCFLOPXO [SOURCE: BUMBOUBGPYOFXTDPN"VH OBUJPOBMHFPHSBQIJDDPN"VH DSZQUPNVOEPDPN 4FQU>
ALIENS OR ‘ANGELS’? )JUNBLFS3PCCJF8JMMJBNTTBZTIFFYQF SJFODFEBDMPTFFODPVOUFSPGUIFUIJSE LJOE TIPSUMZBGUFSXSJUJOHBTPOHBCPVU BMJFOT8JMMJBNTIBTSFDFOUMZCFFOQVSTV JOHBOJOUFSFTUJO6'0T VTJOHPCTFSWBUP SJFTTFUVQJOUIF"SJ[POBEFTFSU 8JMMJBNT IBTUPMEIPXBXFJSE CMBDLMJHIUnFXJOUPIJTSFDPSEJOHTUV EJPJO-PT"OHFMFTBOEPVUBHBJO)F TBJETFWFSBMPUIFSTJOUIFTUVEJPBMTP observed the phenomenon. )FTBJEA*IBEKVTUmOJTIFE XSJUJOHBTPOHDBMMFEi"SJ[POBw XIJDIJTBCPVUBMJFOBCEVD tion, when there was this HMPX*UXBTNBHJD [SOURCE: DPOUBDUNVTJDDPN4FQU>
1BSBOPSNBM News
R
oswell, the most famous place-name in ufology, has CFFOBNBHOFUGPS6'0 buffs for decades. The museum has proved an enormous success, with annual attendance growing from 3,000, when it opened in 1992, to more than 160,000 today. It has already moved twice into bigger premises. The museum is now raising $15 million for construction of a new building. 8PSLJTJOUFOEFEUPTUBSUFBSMZOFYUZFBS and later phases might include a 30- to 40-room hotel. The design of the new home for the 6'0NVTFVNBOE3FTFBSDI$FOUFSJT being undertaken by Kevin Schopfer, a principal of Boston-based architects Ahearn-Schopfer Associates. His 18,000sq ft, one-storey building features a distinctive warped plane that soars nearly 90-ft above the main entry. 4DIPQGFSFYQMBJOTUIBUUIFSFJTB distinctly X-Files concept behind his distinctive design: ‘The concept is that this is a found object emerging from a à MJOHDBCJOFU LJOEPGMJLFJOGPSNBUJPO hidden in a drawer somewhere,’ he says. ‘It’s meant to grab your attention and question what it is.’ Cutting down through the structure is a funnel, which Schopfer says is intended to represent a wormhole in space, through which it is hypothesized FYUSBUFSSFTUSJBMTNJHIUUSBWFM*OTJEF B large mock-up of a flying saucer will hang from the ceiling in the lobby. OUT OF THIS WORLD: 5IFTUSJLJOHEFTJHOTCZ,FWJO 4DIPQGFSPGUIFQSPQPTFEOFXIPNFGPSUIF*OUFSOBUJPOBM 6'0.VTFVNBOE3FTFBSDI$FOUFSJO3PTXFMM%FTJHOT CZ&,4DIPQGFS "IFBSO4DIPQGFS"TTPDJBUFT*MMVTUSB UJPOTCZ5BOHSBN%4
5IFNVTFVNDPOUBJOTNBOZFYIJCJUT including recreations of the infamous Roswell autopsy, plus countless photoHSBQITBOEBGà EBWJUTGSPNQFPQMFXIP IBWFIBEDMPTFFODPVOUFSTPSFYQFSJenced alien abductions. ‘If visitors walk out of here with more questions than they had when they came JO UIBUTBMMXFBTL TBZTFYFDVUJWFEJSFDtor of the museum, Julie Shuster. [SOURCE: Architectural Record, Aug 30]
Barack urged to hear ‘truth’ about aliens
CAMPAIGN:6GPMPHJTU+Fÿ1FDLNBOIBTPÿFSFEUPMFU %FNPDSBUQSFTJEFOUJBMDBOEJEBUF#BSBDL0CBNBJOPOAUIF USVUIBCPVUUIF"NFSJDBOHPWFSONFOUTEFBMJOHTXJUI FYUSBUFSSFTUSJBMT
4FMGTUZMFEFYUSBUFSSFTUSJBMTFYQFSU+FGG Peckman has invited Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama to hear a CSJFÃ OHPO6'0TBOEBMJFOT Peckman claims he has actual footage of a live alien and earlier this year
launched a ballot initiative to create an &YUSBUFSSFTUSJBM"GGBJST$PNNJTTJPOJO Denver, Colorado. Now he hopes to chat to Obama about the ‘truth’ before, he says, the CIA give him their version of it. In 1981, according to Peckman, Republican President Reagan was provided with ‘astonishing’ information on ETs by the CIA at Camp David. But when Democrat President Jimmy Carter requested JOGPSNBUJPOPO6'0TIFXBTEFOJFEJU by the CIA, whose director at the time just happened to be future Republican QSFTJEFOU(FPSHF#VTI4S1FDLNBO accuses key Republicans like Bush Sr. of having a major role in keeping informaUJPOBCPVU6'0TGSPNUIFQVCMJD Peckman wants the Democratic Party to GPSDFUIFJTTVFPOFYUSBUFSSFTUSJBMEJTDMPTVSF by adding four objectives to its platform: r5PIPMEPQFO TFDSFDZGSFFIFBSJOHTPO UIF6'0&YUSBUFSSFTUSJBMQSFTFODFPO and around Earth. r5PIPMEPQFOIFBSJOHTPOBEWBODFEFOergy and propulsion systems that, when publicly released, will provide solutions to global environmental challenges. r5PFOBDUMFHJTMBUJPOXIJDIXJMMCBOBMM space-based weapons. r5PFOBDUDPNQSFIFOTJWFMFHJTMBUJPOUP SFTFBSDI EFWFMPQBOEFYQMPSFTQBDF peacefully and cooperatively with all cultures on Earth and in space. Peckman admits his offer was ‘just a courtesy’ and feels it unlikely that Obama will take him up on his offer. However, there is no indication that he plans to offer a similar ‘courtesy’ to the Republican candidate, Senator McCain. Perhaps he considers McCain one of those ‘key Republicans’ keeping aliens under wraps.
‘If visitors walk out of here with more questions than they had when they came in, that’s all we ask.’ [Museum Director, Julie Shuster] ANGELS OR DEVILS? 5XPNFOIBWFCFFOBDDVTFEPGTFY VBMMZNPMFTUJOHBXPNBOBUDIVSDI QSBZFSTFTTJPOTXIJMFDMBJNJOHUP TQFBLUPBOHFMTBOEMJGUDVSTFT 5IFZIBWFCFFODIBSHFECZQPMJDF JO4ZEOFZXJUITFYPÿFODFT 5IFBMMFHFEWJDUJNCFMJFWFETIF IBECFFODVSTFECZBNFNCFSPGUIF "VTUSBMJB(SFFLDPNNVOJUZTLJMMFEJO CMBDLNBHJD4IFUPMEQPMJDFTIFXBT CMJOEGPMEFEBOETFYVBMMZBTTBVMUFE CZUIFNFO XIPDMBJNFEUIFZXFSF BCMFUPUBMLUPBOHFMTBOEDPOWJODF UIFNUPMJGUDVSTFTBOECBOJTIFWJM TQJSJUT5IFNFOBMTPEFNBOEFEQBZ NFOUPGVQUP" b [SOURCE:3FVUFST 4FQU>
RESIDENT EVIL
5IFHPWFSONFOUJO(IBOB 8FTU "GSJDB JTBUUFNQUJOHUPTFMM QSFNJTFTUIBUNBZCFDVSTFE 5IFHSBOEIPVTFJTUIFPĀDJBM SFTJEFODFPGUIF$IJFGPG%FGFODF 4UBÿPGUIF(IBOB"SNFE'PSDFT /ZBIP/ZBIP5BNBLMPF BO BNCBTTBEPSBOENFEJDBMEPDUPS IBTQPJOUFEPVUUIBUUXPGPSNFS EFGFODFDIJFGTIBECFFOLJMMFEXIJMF MJWJOHJOUIFIPVTFBOEBOPUIFS EJFERVJFUMZCVUANZTUFSJPVTMZ)F TBJEIFLOFXUIJTMBUUFSHFOFSBMIBE QSFWJPVTMZCFFOJOHPPEIFBMUI %S/ZBIP5BNBLMPFTBJEOP PUIFSEFGFODFDIJFGIBTMJWFEUIFSF TJODFACFDBVTFUIFZBMMIBWFB GFFMJOHUIBUJUNVTUCFIBVOUFE [SOURCE: (IBOBJBO0CTFSWFS4FQU>
MISSILES ZAPPED
IN REVERSE
[SOURCE: USVUIFEDPN4FQU>
[SOURCE: VOJWFSTJUZUPEBZDPN4FQU>
5ISFFGPSNFS64"'PÄ€DFSTXFSF JOUFSWJFXFEPOBSFDFOULarry King LiveQSPHSBNNFPO$//DMBJNJOH UIBUTOVDMFBSXFBQPOTFY QFSJNFOUTXFSFTBCPUBHFECZ6'0T #PC4BMBTBOE#PC+BNFTPO TBJEUIFZIBETFQBSBUFMZSFDFJWFE SFQPSUTPGTUSBOHFMJHIUTJOUFSGFSJOH XJUINJTTJMFTEVSJOHUIFJSEBZTBU .BMTUSPN"JS#BTFJO.POUBOB %S#PC+BDPCTKPCBU7BOEFOCFSH CBTFJO$BMJGPSOJBJOJOWPMWFE mMNJOHNJTTJMFMBVODIFT)FTBJE POFSPMMPGmMNTIPXFEB6'0 SFQFBUFEMZmSJOHCFBNTPGMJHIUBU BNJTTJMFTOPTFDPOF5IFmMNXBT UBLFOBXBZCZUIF$*"
"OPCKFDUJOUIFTPMBSTZTUFNIBT CFFOGPVOEUPCFPSCJUJOHUIF4VO CBDLXBSET5IFOFXMZEJTDPWFSFE PCKFDU DBMMFE,7 MJFTJO UIF,VJQFSCFMU BSJOHPGJDZCPEJFT CFZPOE/FQUVOF*UTPSCJUJTJOUIF PQQPTJUFEJSFDUJPOUPUIFQMBOFUT 3FTFBSDIFSTMFECZ#SFUU(MBE NBO PGUIF6OJWFSTJUZPG#SJUJTI $PMVNCJB mSTUTQPUUFEUIFNBW FSJDLPCKFDUJO.BZ0CTFSWBUJPOT TVHHFTUJUJTBCPVULNBDSPTT Its orbit appears to have been TUBCMFGPSIVOESFETPGNJMMJPOTPG ZFBST CVUBTUSPOPNFSTCFMJFWFJU NBZIBWFCFFOACPSOFMTFXIFSFJO UIFHBMBYZ .PSF1BSBOPSNBM/FXTB
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NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
1BSBOPSNBM News
‘Tree man’ pruned
Dede, the so-called ‘tree man’ of Indonesia, has returned home after having most of the bark-like growths covering his body carefully removed in hospital.
D
ede (many Indonesians go by KVTUPOFOBNF à STU noticed the scaly warts growing on his body after cutting his knee as a teenager. Over time the scales GPSNFEBEJTà HVSJOHNBTTPWFS most of his body: he was sacked from his job, ditched by his wife and shunned by his neighbours. By chance, Dede’s condition became known to an American dermatologist, Dr Anthony (BTQBSJ PGUIF6OJWFSTJUZPG Maryland, who diagnosed a severe case of something called the Human Papilloma Virus, made worse by a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system. ‘The likelihood of having his EFà DJFODZJTMFTTUIBOPOFJOB NJMMJPO TBJE%S(BTQBSJ Dede’s condition can largely be controlled by daily doses of Vitamin A, but the condition is uncurable. Surgery took place in a hospital in Bandung, West Java, to remove the severe growths on his hands and feet: 6kg of warts were removed. Dede was admitted to hospital nine months ago with a lung infection brought on by the XBSUT/JOFUZà WFQFSDFOUPGUIF growths have been removed after nine operations and the 37-yearold has been allowed home to
spend some time with his family. ‘He cannot be 100 percent cured, but his life quality has improved,’ said one of his doctors, Rachmad Dinata. ‘Whereas he once depended on others to do his activities, now he can eat by himself, use his hand to write and use a cell phone.’ Although the warts are likely to re-grow, Dede’s disease is no longer life-threatening. He will return to hospital to have further growths removed. [SOURCE: Reuters Aug 26 / Daily Telegraph Aug 27] AS HE WAS: 5IFFYUFOUPGUIFCBSLMJLF HSPXUITDPWFSJOH%FEFTCPEZMBTUZFBS © Reuters
NEW LIFE:'PSUIFmSTUUJNFJOZFBST %FEF UIF*OEPOFTJBOAUSFFNBO JTBCMFUPVTFIJTIBOET§3FVUFST
‘Evil spirits’ possess kids An outbreak of hysteria similar to the one in Malaysia we reported in ‘Paranormal Shorts’ last month has broken out at a school in the Philippines. However, unlike the Malaysian authorities, the head teacher of Pedro Panaligan Memorial National High School in Calapan City is convinced the disruptions are the work of evil spirits. 4DIPPMQSJODJQBM)FOSZ5VOHPMTBJEUIBUNPSF UIBOUXPEP[FOQVQJMTIBWFCFFOAQPTTFTTFECZ FWJMTQJSJUT)FTBJEUIFZIBWFCFFODSZJOHJOQBJO BOETVÿFSJOHTFJ[VSFTBOETIPSUOFTTPGCSFBUI $MBTTFTIBWFCFFOEJTSVQUFETJODF"VHVTU BGUFSBCPVUTUVEFOUTXFSFiQPTTFTTFECZFWJM TQJSJUT wTDIPPMQSJODJQBM)FOSZ5VOHPMTBJE 5IFWJDUJNT NPTUMZHJSMT DMBJNUIFQTZDIJD BUUBDLTBSFEPXOUPFWJMTQJSJUTBQQBSFOUMZ BOHFSFECZUIFDVUUJOHEPXOPGBUSFFJOUIF TDIPPMTCBDLZBSE A#VUUIBUXBTUISFFPSGPVSZFBSTBHP TBJE UIFQFSQMFYFE5VOHPM XIPBEEFEUIBUFWFO TUVEFOUTXIPIBEHPOFIPNFIBEATIPXFE
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TJHOTPGCFJOHQPTTFTTFE0OFHJSMXBT PCTFSWFECZIFSHVBSEJBOTUBSJOHCMBOLMZCFGPSF TIFTVÿFSFETFJ[VSFTJOIFSIPVTF IFTBJE "NBTTXBTPÿFSFECZB$BUIPMJDQSJFTUBUUIF SFRVFTUPGGSJHIUFOFETUVEFOUT5PCFPOUIFTBGF TJEF 5VOHPMBMTPDBMMFEJOOBUJWFIFBMFST XIP TBDSJmDFEUXPCMBDLQJHTJOUIFIPQFUIJTXPVME BQQFBTFUIFBOHSZTQJSJUT 6OGPSUVOBUFMZ OFJUIFSSJUVBMIBEBOZFÿFDUo PUIFSUIBOUIFQPTUQPOFNFOUPGJNQPSUBOUFYBNT UIBUXFSFMPPNJOHKVTUQSJPSUPUIFAQPTTFTTJPO 5IFIZTUFSJDBMPVUCSFBLJOUIF5BOKVOH -VNQVSTDIPPMJO.BMBZTJBBMTPUPPLQMBDFJOUIF SVOVQUPFYBNT 5IFEFTQFSBUFIFBEUFBDIFSJTDBMMJOHGPSIFMQ GSPNyXFMM BOZPOF A8FSFPQFOUPXIBUFWFSXJMMCFFÿFDUJWFJO IFBMJOHUIFTUVEFOUT TBJE5VOHPMA8FXBOUPVS DMBTTFTUPSFUVSOUPOPSNBMBTTPPOBTQPTTJCMF 5VOHPMBMTPBTLFEQBSFOUTBOEHVBSEJBOTUP BWPJEATFOTBUJPOBMJ[JOHUIFJTTVF [SOURCE: Madonna Virola on Inquirer.net, Aug 30]
1BSBOPSNBM News
TV crew films real monster movie 4XFEFOTFRVJWBMFOUPGUIF-PDI/FTT.POTUFS UIF4UPSTKPPEKVSFUPS(SFBU-BLFNPOTUFS IBTBQQBSFOUMZCFFO DBQUVSFEPOmMNCZB57DSFX5IFJNBHFT SFDPSEFEPOIFBUTFOTJUJWFmMN TIPXBMPOH OBSSPXDSFBUVSF NPWJOHBMPOHUIFTVSGBDFPG4UPSTKPO 4XFEFOT(SFBU-BLF
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or several weeks Sveriges Television had cameras positioned along the shores of Storsjon in the hope of capturing the legendary creature. Their efforts appear to have been crowned with success. "NFNCFSPGUIFà MNDSFXTBJEA<5IF à MN>DMFBSMZTIPXTUIBUJUTXBSNBOE made up of cells, otherwise our [heat sensor] cameras wouldn’t indicate red: it must be a sea snake or some other kind of sea animal.’ Interest in the Storsjoodjuret (whose name translates as something like ‘weird animal of Storsjon’) has become intense recently, with several international TV stations planning to place permanent cameras around the shore of the lake by the summer of 2009. Ironically, the Swedish government tried and failed three years ago to capture hard evidence of the Storsjoodjuret, so that they could list it as an endangered species. There have been hundreds of recorded sightings of the lake monster since its FYJTUFODFXBTà STUSFDPSEFEJOUIFth century. However, descriptions vary considerably, from a three-humped serpent anywhere between nine and 50 feet long, UPBDSFBUVSFXJUIBEPHTIFBEBOEà OT Its colouring has been variously described as black, grey, red or yellow. It is
sea cow’ with prominent ‘ears’ and that it is known to ‘rush headlong about the lake at the speed of a motor-boat’. Dr Shuker added: ‘In 1894, an attempt was planned to capture the Storsjoodjuret, using a very large ovoid spring trap baited with piglets, and watched by a Norwegian harpooner, but nothing transpired. Today, the catching tools are on display in the Jamtlands lans Museum.’ The Sveriges Television footage of the supposed monster shows a linear, writhing form with a head distinctly similar to that of a snake. It can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=iHiIPD4Qz4w [SOURCE: Daily Telegraph, Aug 28]
FAMOUS: 5IF4UPSTKPPSEKVSFUGFBUVSFTPOUIFDPWFSPGBQBQFS CBDLFEJUJPOPG1FUFS$PTUFMMPTA*O4FBSDIPG-BLF.POTUFST
LOPXO JO4XFEJTI BTAUIF(SFBU:FMQFS because of the strange wail it makes when it surfaces. 0VSSFHVMBSMZDPOUSJCVUJOHFYQFSUPO mystery beasts, Dr Karl Shuker, told Paranormal Magazine that the Storsjoodjuret has previously been described as ‘a
Skin job
New NASA team to seek alien life
This astonishing (and no doubt initially painful) tattoo features as the cover image on a new book, No Regrets: The Best, Worst and Most *$%*ing Ridiculous Tattoos Ever. The chaps in charge of our sister publication, Skin Deep, the UK’s premier tattoo art magazine, kindly pushed it in our direction. The model is anonymous, so we can only speculate as to his reasons for having this painstaking and rather terrifying image tattooed on his back and head. Is he an abductee who has suffered a horrible flashback? Or perhaps he fears alien abduction – and now sleeps on his front every night in the hope of scaring off any passing Intruders tempted to yank him skywards. No Regrets by Aviva Yael and P M Chen is published by Grand Central Publishing.
5IF$BSM4BHBO1PTUEPDUPSBM'FMMPXTIJQTJO &YPQMBOFU&YQMPSBUJPOBSFOBNFEBGUFSUIFMBUF BTUSPOPNFSXIPQPQVMBSJTFETDJFODFUISPVHIIJT CPPLTBOEUFMFWJTJPOBQQFBSBODFT5IFGFMMPXTXJMM TFBSDIGPSMJGFPOQMBOFUTPVUTJEFPVSTPMBSTZTUFN UIFTPDBMMFEFYPQMBOFUT NPSFUIBOPGXIJDI IBWFCFFOEJTDPWFSFETJODF 5IFJSDIBMMFOHFXJMMCFUPmOE&BSUIMJLFQMBOFUT PSCJUJOH4VOMJLFTUBST5IFJSTFBSDIXJMMCFBJEFE CZ/"4"T,FQMFSNJTTJPO EVFUPCFMBVODIFEJO XIJDIXJMMTVSWFZ TUBSTMPPLJOH GPSOFXQMBOFUT*OBEEJUJPO JNQSPWFEUFMFTDPQF UFDIOPMPHZBOEBMMPUIFSNFBOTXJMMCFFYQMPSFEGPS mOEJOHXPSMETUIBUDPVMETVQQPSUMJGFBTXFLOPXJU BOOVBMTUJQFOETXJMMCFBXBSEFEUPGPVSPS mWFGFMMPXTFBDIZFBS 8IFO4BHBOEJFEJO POMZFYPQMBOFUT IBECFFOEJTDPWFSFE A8FSFMFBSOJOHBOFOPSNPVTBNPVOU TBJE$IBSMFT #FJDINBO EJSFDUPSPG/"4"T&YPQMBOFU4DJFODF
ALIEN ABDUCTION BODY ADORNMENT ANYONE?
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THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION HAS ANNOUNCED THE CREATION OF A FELLOWSHIP OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS WHOSE ROLE WILL BE TO SEEK OUT ALIEN LIFE ON DISTANT WORLDS.
*OTUJUVUFA5FOZFBSTBHP XFEJEOULOPXBCPVUUIF GSBDUJPOPGTUBSTXJUIQMBOFUT/PXXFLOPX A)PXNBOZPGUIPTFXPSMETIBWFMJGF 5IBUTB TMJHIUMZMPOHFSUFSNRVFTUJPO CVUJTBCTPMVUFMZ TPNFUIJOHUIBUTUDFOUVSZTDJFODFDBOBDDPNQMJTI [SOURCE:%BOJFM5SPUUB3FVUFST4FQ>
FORMER PRISON: "CFSEFFOTIJTUPSJD5PMCPPUI XIFSF (SBFNF.JMOFFYQFSJFODFETPNFVODPNGPSUBCMFCSVTIFT XJUIUIFTVQFSOBUVSBMยง4UVBSU$BJF
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The Phantom
Tolbooth Scottish ghost investigator GRAEME MILNE relates his experiences in an historic building with a grim history.
A
berdeen’s museum of civic history is one of the city’s oldest surviving buildings. The original Tolbooth, XIFSFDPVODJMMPSTNFUBOEUBYFTXFSFDPMMFDUFE XBT mostly demolished on the completion of the Town House in 1867, leaving what is seen today. The Wardhouse, for that is its correct title, was a place where criminals were held while awaiting trial, and although it also underwent various architectural changes, it remained true to its purpose and served as a prison for around 200 years. The Wardhouse, being completed in 1628, was quickly put to use and in an era when justice was swift and brutal it quickly became known as a debtors prison. Records of the period testify that up to 30 prisoners were held to a cell, their misery being compounded by poor sanitation and lack of sustenance. Prisoners were wholly reliant on the good will of others for food and in an unforgiving age many lost their lives through disease and malnutrition. Ironically, those who borrowed money to keep body and soul together spent longer under lock and key as their initially negligible debts spiralled. Although chiefly known for housing short-term prisoners, JUXBTBMTPUIFMBTUTUPQGPSUIPTFBXBJUJOHQVCMJDFYFDVUJPO It has been reported that on a number of occasions prisoners complained of being kept awake by the sound of carpenters building their gallows on the street below. *à STUCFDBNFBXBSFPGUIJTCVJMEJOHTPNFUJNFBSPVOE and despite visiting the site regularly over the ensuing years had never felt, seen or heard anything untoward, being more
concerned with navigating the narrow spiral staircases. This changed after a tour, when I allowed some other visitors to use my camera who then, amidst much hilarity, asked if they could take my photograph. I agreed and on seeing the image XBTTVSQSJTFEUPĂ OE*XBT partially blotted out by the appearance of what I could only describe as an ectoplasmic mist. *OSFMBUJPOUPNZOFYU FYQFSJFODF UIPVHI UIJTXBTOPUIJOH*O.BZ *UPPLBUPVS of the Tolbooth with eight other visitors. In due course we found ourselves in the condemned cell. Our guide was in the process of showing us the blade of the ‘maiden’, Scotland’s precursor to the guillotine, and as we stood in silence, listening, I became aware of an intense cold down my left side. This was quickly followed by the sound of shuffling footsteps on the stone stair, which got louder, as if someone had entered the room. Since I was nearest the door and there was no room to huddle any closer to the rest of the party, I felt myself inwardly cringing as the icy sensation running up and down my left TJEFJOUFOTJĂ FE*UGFMUBT if someone was standing SJHIUOFYUUPNF5PTBZUIF feeling was uncomfortable R Graeme Milne is BMPOHUJNFGBO PGUIFUSBEJUJPOBM HIPTUTUPSZBOE this inspired his wider interest in UIFQBSBOPSNBM He has spent UIFMBTUGPVS ZFBSTDPMMFDUJOH HIPTUBDDPVOUT GSPN/PSUI &BTUPG4DPUMBOETJHOFEDPQJFTPG IJTCPPLCBTFEPOUIJTSFTFBSDI The Haunted North BSFBWBJMBCMFGSPNUIF QVCMJTIFST$BVMJBZ1VCMJTIJOH www. cauliaypublishing.com )FMJWFTJO $SVEFO#BZ "CFSEFFOTIJSF XJUI QBSUOFS$BSPMBOEEBVHIUFS(FSBMEJOF
‘The shuffling sound, now joined by the faint clanking of chains, only served to heighten my discomfort.’
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“I saw a little man about 4ft high. He nodded at me but did not speak. I ran out, jumping six steps at a time.â€? we repaired to the ground floor for a quick break before ascending the stairs to hold a vigil in the second location. The second vigil was to take place in the Civic Room, not originally part of the building, but a later addition, spanning the outer wall of the Tolbooth BOEUIFGPSNFSCBOLOFYUEPPS It was agreed we would take QBSUJOBOFYQFSJNFOUXJUI HMBTTEJWJOBUJPOXJUIĂ OHFST lightly touching an upended glass, a sign was asked from the spirit world. Nothing happened BUĂ STU"MMSFNBJOFETJMFOU Then the temperature began to drop and an obvious chill was felt by those seated at the table. The glass began to slowly move and continued to do so for a number of seconds, much to the astonishment of the group. So intent was I on observing the moving glass that when a UNEXPECTED APPARITION:(SBFNFXBTTVSQSJTFEUIBUUIFHIPTUSFDFOUMZ low, guttural voice suddenly TFFOJOUIF5PMCPPUIEJEOUEBUFGSPNJUTHSJNFBSMZIJTUPSZCVUBQQBSFOUMZGSPN muttered in my left ear, I felt JUTDPTJFSQFSJPEBTBOPÄ€DFGPSUIFDPVODJM§.BUUIFX%BWJETPO myself jump. Craning into the EBSLOFTT *UVSOFENZIFBE FYQFDUJOH is something of an understatement. the other male member of the group to The shuffling sound, now joined by the be right behind me. To my surprise, I saw faint clanking of chains, only served to he was standing at the other side of the heighten my discomfort. room; when questioned, he assured me (MBODJOHUPNZSJHIU *CFDBNFBXBSFUIBU he had been silent. those closest to me were nervously looking The cold dissipated and after no further about with furrowed brows and quizzical movement was detected from the glass, FYQSFTTJPOT *IPQFENZTJDLMZTNJMFXPVME the group once again retreated to the convince them I was not the source. A welcoming light of the coffee area. The further shuffling sound brought four pairs group’s spirits (no pun intended) had of now alarmed eyes in my direction. After lifted considerably and although this room what felt like an age, the feeling began to had no real historic connection to the dissipate and the tour concluded. prison, it was agreed by all the participants Out in the bright sunshine, it was UIBUJUIBEBEFĂ OJUFBUNPTQIFSF apparent that those closest to me had The night was wearing on and when also heard the sound, with one declaring: we arrived at the condemned cell, for our ‘That’s the last time I am going in there!’ third vigil, it was with no small amount of I, however, did continue to visit the personal trepidation. The cell felt stuffy Tolbooth, but on those occasions nothing and unpleasant, but we pressed ahead. else happened of note. Any spirits present were asked to provide Some time later it came to my attention that Paranormal Tours intended to hold AFTER-IMAGE: 8IFOBKPWJBMQIPUPXBTUBLFOPG(SBFNFEVSJOH an all-night vigil at the Tolbooth and I BOFBSMZWJTJUUPUIF5PMCPPUI IFGPVOEIFXBTQBSUMZPCTDVSFE immediately signed up for it. On the night CZBTUSBOHFANJTU§(SBFNF.JMOF of the event, we assembled downstairs and after meeting the team split into three groups. Each group were given an area to investigate and fairly soon we found ourselves sitting in the dark in UIFĂ STUĂĄPPSDFMM/PUIJOHIBQQFOFE despite repeated entreaties to ‘please TIPXZPVSTFMG 'FFMJOHBCJUEFĂĄBUFE
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evidence, as before, and it became apparent ‘someone’ may have been complying when a number of participants began to complain of a tightening round their UISPBUT5IFGFFMJOHPGOBVTFBJOUFOTJĂ FE prompting one to leave the room. It was with some relief that the vigil ended and we set of out into the cold light of day. Some months later, I heard of a peculiar incident that had involved my partner’s colleague, Mary. I was told that during a visit in 2005 she witnessed BGVMMĂ HVSFNBOJGFTUBUJPOJOPOFPGUIF cells. With my interest peaked, I wasted no time in contacting her. It was a bright summer’s day when Mary, accompanied by her husband and her neighbours’ son, visited the Tolbooth. On reaching UIFĂ STUĂĄPPS UIFZTUPQQFEUPSFBEBO information panel, and as she did so she became aware of something out of the corner of her eye; thinking it was her husband, she turned to talk to him. ‘I saw a little man about 4ft high,’ she told me. ‘He was wearing a brown striped suit, and a brown hat from the 1920s, a Trilby. He nodded at me but did not TQFBL*SBOPVU KVNQFETJYTUFQTBUB time and ran onto Union Street! ‘The man at the door shouted after me to see if I was OK. I went back and told him what I had seen and he said I wasn’t UIFĂ STUQFSTPOUPTFFIJN)FPGGFSFENF a drink, I was sweating so much.’ Neither Mary’s husband nor the child had seen anything because they were facing the other way. They assumed her QFSQMFYJOHTVEEFOFYJUXBTEPXOUPIFS having been taken ill. Mary told me later she had never gone back to the Tolbooth and had no intention of ever doing so. I found this sighting fascinating, chiefly because I had assumed, like everyone else, that if the building had ghosts, they would have been of someone from the distant past. I subsequently found out that in the late Victorian period, when the Tolbooth ceased to be a prison, it became a record PGĂ DFBOEXJOFTUPSFGPSUIF$JUZ$PVODJM It is perfectly feasible, therefore, that Mary could have witnessed the manifestation of a former council employee. Despite the sporadic nature of the QIFOPNFOB *Ă SNMZCFMJFWFUIF5PMCPPUI is home to spiritual activity. Perhaps, given its dark past, the memories of those who suffered there are too painful and their spirits have moved on. Editor’s note: One can’t help wondering whether the ‘little man’ constitutes a modern fairy sighting, as discussed on pages 22-27
es through some NICK REDFERN rummag the truth about how real X-Files to uncover estigated the military the US government inv potential of ESP.
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I
n 1977 Dr. Kenneth A. Kress, an FOHJOFFSXJUIUIF$*"T0GĂ DFPG Technical Services prepared a document for the Agency titled Parapsychology in Intelligence. It dealt with the CIA’s involvement in Remote Viewing – what could arguably be termed ‘psychic spying’ – and remained FYFNQUGSPNQVCMJDEJTDMPTVSFGPSEFDBEFT Among other highlights, the now EFDMBTTJĂ FEEPDVNFOUEFNPOTUSBUFTUIF "NFSJDBO(PWFSONFOUTTFDSFUJOUFSFTUJO ESP-type phenomena dated back to the Second World War. It also reveals that studies run by the CIA on the intelligence-gathering value of ESP were initiated as far back as 1961, and perhaps even earlier. Moreover, there is a clear indication that the Agency had some very real and startling successes in this DPOUSPWFSTJBMĂ FME 5IFEPDVNFOUCFHJOTCZFYQMBJOJOH the nature of the CIA’s investigations of parapsychology, the potentials and pitfalls faced by the Agency once it became immersed in the murky world of psychic phenomena, and much more. Most notably, the report states that: ‘Tantalising but incomplete data have been generated by CIA-sponsored research. These data show, among other UIJOHT UIBUPOPDDBTJPOTVOFYQMBJOFESFTVMUT PGHFOVJOFJOUFMMJHFODFTJHOJĂ DBODFPDDVS Kress wrote: ‘Anecdotal reports of FYUSBTFOTPSZQFSDFQUJPODBQBCJMJUJFTIBWF reached US national security agencies at least since World War II, when Hitler was said to rely on astrologers and seers. Suggestions for military applications of ESP continued to be SFDFJWFEBGUFS8PSME8BS**'PSFYBNQMF JO 1952 the Department of Defense was lectured POUIFQPTTJCMFVTFGVMOFTTPGFYUSBTFOTPSZ perception in psychological warfare. ‘Over the years, reports continued to accumulate. In 1961, the reports induced one of the earliest US government parapsychology JOWFTUJHBUJPOTXIFOUIFDIJFGPG$*"T0GĂ DF
of Technical Service became interested in the claims of ESP. A5FDIOJDBMQSPKFDUPGà DFSTTPPODPOUBDUFE Stephen I. Abrams, the Director of the 1BSBQTZDIPMPHJDBM-BCPSBUPSZ 0YGPSE University, England. Under the auspices of Project ULTRA, Abrams prepared a review article which claimed ESP was demonstrated but not understood or controllable. The report was read with interest but produced no further action for another decade.’ As Kress noted, it was two laser physicists, Dr Russell Targ and Dr Harold E. Puthoff, who re-awakened CIA research in parapsychology. Targ, the report revealed, had been interested in parapsychology for most of his adult life. "TBOFYQFSJNFOUBMJTU IFXBTJOUFSFTUFEJO TDJFOUJà DPCTFSWBUJPOTPGQBSBQTZDIPMPHZ 1VUIPGGCFDBNFJOUFSFTUFEJOUIFà FMEJOUIF early 1970s. He was a theoretician who was FYQMPSJOHOFXà FMETPGSFTFBSDIBGUFSFYUFOTJWF work in quantum electronics. In April, 1972, Targ met with CIA personnel GSPNJUT0Gà DFPG4USBUFHJD*OUFMMJHFODFUP TQFDJà DBMMZEJTDVTTUIFTVCKFDUPGQBSBOPSNBM phenomena and how it might be used as a tool of espionage. Targ revealed that he had contacts with people who purported to have both viewed and documented a number of secret Soviet investigations of psychokinesis, as Kress noted:
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
FBI HQ:'JMFTSFMFBTFEGSPNUIF+&EHBS)PPWFS#VJMEJOHIBWF SFWFBMFEUIF#VSFBVTJOUFSFTUJOUIFQBSBOPSNBM
‘Studies run by the CIA on the intelligencegathering value of ESP were initiated as far back as 1961.’ A'JMNTPG4PWJFUTNPWJOHJOBOJNBUFPCKFDUTCZ “mental powersâ€? were made available to analysts from 04*5IFZ JOUVSO DPOUBDUFEQFSTPOOFMGSPNUIF0GĂ DF of Research and Development and OTS. An ORD 1SPKFDU0GĂ DFSUIFOWJTJUFE5BSHXIPIBESFDFOUMZKPJOFE the Stanford Research Institute. Targ proposed that some QTZDIPLJOFUJDWFSJĂ DBUJPOJOWFTUJHBUJPOTDPVMECFEPOFBU SRI in conjunction with Puthoff.’ These proposals were quickly followed by a laboratory demonstration after an unnamed man who apparently had psychokinetic abilities was located by Targ and Puthoff. The man was taken on a surprise visit to a superconducting shielded magnetometer being used in IJHIFOFSHZQBSUJDMFFYQFSJNFOUTJOWPMWJOHRVBSLTCZ%S A. Hebbard, of Stanford University’s physics department. 5IFRVBSLFYQFSJNFOUSFRVJSFEUIBUUIFNBHOFUPNFUFS be as well shielded as technology would allow. But when the man focused his attention on the interior of the magnetometer, the output signal was visibly disturbed, indicating a distinct change in the JOUFSOBMNBHOFUJDĂ FME4FWFSBMPUIFSDPSSFMBUJPOTPGIJT mental efforts with signal variations were observed. The report points out that these variations were never seen before or after the visit. It was then that the CIA began to address the issues of ESP and parapsychology with SFOFXFEWJHPVS BT,SFTTFYQMBJOFE A5IF0GĂ DFPG5FDIOJDBM4FSWJDFTUPPLUIFĂ STU action. With the approval of the same manager who
ESP and the FBI It scarcely seems feasible to imagine that in the summer of 1957, a secret and lengthy FBI file was opened on a young girl and an employee of a railway company who, elements of the FBI believed, had perfected the ability to use ESP as a tool of espionage. +VTU PDDBTJPOBMMZ IPXFWFS USVUISFBMMZJTTUSBOHFSUIBOmDUJPO0OFNPOUIFBSMJFS BEPDVNFOUUJUMFEExtra Sensory Perception XBTQSFQBSFECZUIF'#*UIBU PVUMJOFEUIFSFNBSLBCMFTUPSZ A0OFPGPVSBHFOUTBUUFOEFEBQSJWBUFFYIJCJUJPOPGFYUSBTFOTPSZ QFSDFQUJPOHJWFOCZ.S8JMMJBN'PPT SFTJEFOUPG3JDINPOE 7JSHJOJB BOE BIJHITDIPPMHSBEVBUFFNQMPZFEJOBNJOPSDBQBDJUZXJUIUIF$BOE0 3BJMXBZ"CPVUUXPZFBSTBHPIFCFDBNFJOUFSFTUFEJOFYUSBTFOTPSZ QFSDFQUJPOBOECFHBOFYQFSJNFOUJOHXJUINFNCFSTPGIJTGBNJMZ)FDMBJNT UPIBWFBDIJFWFEBNB[JOHTVDDFTT *OBQBSUMZCMBDLFEPVUTFDUJPOPGUIFEPDVNFOU UIF'#*SFDPHOJTFEUIF TFFNJOHMZFOEMFTTBQQMJDBUJPOTUIBU'PPTUBMFOUTPĂżFSFEUIFTFDSFUXPSMEPGCPUI JOUFSOBUJPOBMBOEEPNFTUJDFTQJPOBHF A4IPVMEIJTDMBJNTCFXFMMGPVOEFE UIFSFJTOPMJNJUUPUIFWBMVFXIJDIDPVME BDDSVFUPUIF'#*oDPNQMFUFBOEVOEFUFDUBCMFBDDFTTUPNBJM UIFEJQMPNBUJD QPVDI WJTVBMBDDFTTUPCVJMEJOHToUIFQPTTJCJMJUJFTBSFVOMJNJUFEJOTPGBSBTMBX FOGPSDFNFOUBOEDPVOUFSJOUFMMJHFODFBSFDPODFSOFE"TGBOUBTUJDBTUIJTNBZ BQQFBS UIFBDUVBMJUZPGFYUSBTFOTPSZQFSDFQUJPOIBTMPOHCFFOSFDPHOJTFEo UIPVHIOPUUPUIFEFHSFFPGQFSGFDUJPODMBJNFECZ.S'PPT*UJTEJÄ€DVMUUPTFF IPXUIF#VSFBVDBOBĂż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iGBLFUSJDLwIFBOEIJTEBVHIUFSIBWFQFSGFDUFE )PXFWFS JUXBTBMTPTUSFTTFEA0OUIFPUIFSIBOE UIFSFJTBQPTTJCJMJUZUIBU 'PPTEPFTIBWFFYUSBTFOTPSZQFSDFQUJPOBCJMJUJFT5IJT PGDPVSTF JTTPNFUIJOH XFDBOOPUBĂżPSEUPPWFSMPPLJOPVSXPSL#VUXFTIPVMEOPU IPXFWFS VOEFS BOZDJSDVNTUBODFTBMMPX'PPTUIFQSJWJMFHFPGJOEJDBUJOHUPPVUTJEFSTUIF'#*JT JOUFSFTUFEJOIJTXPSL 6MUJNBUFMZ BOEBGUFSGVSUIFS JOWFTUJHBUJPO UIF'#*XBTIFEJUTIBOET PGUIF'PPTBĂżBJS*OEFFE UIFMBTUFOUSZ JOUIFmMF EBUJOHGSPN TUBUFT A3FDPHOJTJOHUIFWBMVFPGTVDIBDUJWJUZ UPPVSDPVOUFSFTQJPOBHFXPSL XF UIPSPVHIMZDIFDLFEUIFDMBJNBOEIBE UPDPODMVEFUIBUIJTBMMFHFEQPXFSTIBE OPTDJFOUJmDCBTJT 5IF'#*T&41mMFXBTmSNMZDMPTFE Source:'#*mMFUJUMFEExtra Sensory Perception BOEEFDMBTTJmFEVOEFSUIFUFSNTPGUIF6OJUFE 4UBUFT'SFFEPNPG*OGPSNBUJPO"DU
INVESTIGATED: "NVDIBOOPUBUFEBOECMBOLFEPVUFYUSBDUGSPNUIF '#*TSFQPSUJOUPB.S'PPT XIPDMBJNFEIFDPVMEUFBDIQFPQMFUP EFWFMPQQBSBOPSNBMQPXFST
SECOND SIGHT:*OBTVCKFDUPGUIF$*"TSFTFBSDIJOUPQTZDIJDQPXFST XBTBCMFUPBDDVSBUFMZEFTDSJCFPCKFDUTIJEEFOGSPNTJHIU
supported the ESP studies a decade QSFWJPVTMZ BO054QSPKFDUPGà DFS contracted for a demonstration with the previously mentioned man for a few days in August, 1972. During this demonstration, the subject was asked to describe objects hidden out of sight by the CIA personnel. The subject did well. The descriptions were so startlingly accurate that the OTD and ORD representatives suggested that the work be DPOUJOVFEBOEFYQBOEFE During the summer of 1973, SRI continued working informally with an OSI PGà DFSPOBSFNPUFWJFXJOHFYQFSJNFOU which eventually stimulated more CIAsponsored investigations of parapsychology. The target was a holiday home in the FBTUFSO6OJUFE4UBUFT5IFFYQFSJNFOU began with the passing of nothing more than the map references (but no maps) of the property to the SRI physicists who then passed them to the two subjects, one of whom was a man named Pat Price. The subjects were asked to give an immediate response as to what they ‘remotely viewed’ at these co-ordinates.
The subject came back with descriptions of the property which were apparent misses. They both talked about a militarystyle facility. Nevertheless, a striking correlation between the two independent descriptions was noted. The correlation DBVTFEUIF04*PGà DFSUPESJWFUPUIFTJUF and investigate in more detail. 5PUIFTVSQSJTFPGUIF04*PGà DFS 1SJDF had remotely viewed a National Security Agency installation only a few miles from the holiday home. This discovery subsequently led to a request to have Price provide information concerning the interior workings of this sensitive facility. ,SFTTFYQBOEFEGVSUIFSA1BU1SJDF who had no military or intelligence background, provided a list of project titles associated with current and past BDUJWJUJFTJODMVEJOHPOFPGFYUSFNF sensitivity. Also, the codename of the site was provided. Other information concerning the physical layout of the site was accurate. Some information, such as the names of the people at the site, QSPWFEJODPSSFDU5IFTFFYQFSJNFOUT took several months to be analysed and
‘The subject was asked to describe objects hidden out of sight by CIA personnel. The descriptions were startlingly accurate.’
Soviet Psychics and Phantom Photos In 1978, the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA, prepared a document titled Paraphysics R&D – Warsaw Pact for the Defense Intelligence Agency. It provided VQUPEBUFJOGPSNBUJPOPOUIFXBZJOXIJDI UIFUIFO4PWJFU6OJPOXBTMPPLJOHBUVUJMJTJOH &41BOEQTZDIJD phenomena in the mFMEPGXBSGBSF*O its report to the DIA, UIF'5%EFmOFE AQBSBQIZTJDTBTAUIF JOWFTUJHBUJPOPG VOVTVBM QBSBOPSNBM NFOUBMGVODUJPOJOH 0OFPGUIFNPTU GBTDJOBUJOHNZTUFSJFT JOWFTUJHBUFECZ UIF'5%UIBUDPVME DPODFJWBCMZIBWFIBE WJUBMBOEXFMDPNF *OUFMMJHFODFSFMBUFE BQQMJDBUJPOTXBT UIF%*"MFBSOFE reported at the 5IJSE*OUFSOBUJPOBM 1TZDIPUSPOJDT$POGFSFODFCZ ESP IN THE USSR: "QBHFGSPNUIF (1,SPLIBMFW BQTZDIJBUSJTU %FGFOTF*OUFMMJHFODF GSPN1FSN 3VTTJB "HFODZTSFWJFX PGQBSBQTZDIPMPHZ A)JTFYQFSJNFOUT SFTFBSDIJOUIF JOWPMWFBUUFNQUTUPIBWF 4PWJFUVOJPO iNFOUBMJNBHFTwBQQFBSPO QIPUPHSBQIJDmMN SFDPSEFEUIF'5% BEEJOH A)FDMBJNTUPIBWFSFDPSEFEUIJTFÿFDUVOEFS DPOUSPMMFEDPOEJUJPOT"TBOFYBNQMF BQFSTPO XIPDPVMEWJTVBMJTFJNBHFTXFMM FWFOUPUIF QPJOUPGIBMMVDJOBUJOH XBTBCMFUPTQFDJGZUIF JNBHFCFGPSFIBOEUIBUXBTMBUFSPCTFSWFEPO UIFmMN A"MUIPVHINVDIPGIJTXPSLBQQFBSTUPCF WFSZOPOQSPGFTTJPOBM IJTMBUFSFYQFSJNFOUT XJUIUIFBQQBSFOUSFDPSEJOHPGNFOUBM JNBHFSZBQQFBSSFBTPOBCMZXFMMDPOUSPMMFE )PXFWFS OPm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mDJNBHFTUPBQQFBSPOmMNTXIFOVOEFS JOUFOTFDPODFOUSBUJPO&JTFOCVETSFDFOUXPSL BQQFBSTUPCFWBMJECVUJTTVCKFDUUPUIFTBNF FWBMVBUJPOEJĀDVMUZBTNPTUBMMJOWFTUJHBUJPOT JOWPMWJOHTVDIQIFOPNFOB 5IF'5%DPODMVEFEA4JODFUIFFBSMZT 6443SFTFBSDIFSTIBWFFYQSFTTFEBOJOUFSFTU JO&JTFOCVETXPSL BMPOHXJUIBMMUIFPUIFS GPSNTPGBQQBSFOUQTZDIPFOFSHFUJDQSPDFTTFT 5IFSFIBTBMTPCFFOSFDFOUFWJEFODFPGTJNJMBS SFTFBSDI BQQBSFOUMZXJUIQPTJUJWFSFTVMUT JOB +BQBOFTFSFTFBSDIMBCPSBUPSZ Source:%FGFOTF*OUFMMJHFODF"HFODZmMFUJUMFE1BSBQIZTJDT 3%o8BSTBX1BDUBOEEFDMBTTJmFEVOEFSUIFUFSNTPGUIF 6OJUFE4UBUFT'SFFEPNPG*OGPSNBUJPO"DU
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INVESTIGATION: "OFYUSBDUGSPNB$*"SFQPSUPOUIFWJBCJMJUZPG SFNPUFWJFXJOHBTBOJOUFMMJHFODFUPPM
reviewed within the Agency.’ Price’s ability to provide codenames, accurate data on the layout of the installation and even activities of FYUSFNFTFOTJUJWJUZQSPWFEUPCFBNBKPS turning point for the project, as the now EFDMBTTJĂ FEEPDVNFOUBUJPOOPUFT â€˜â€ŚThe new directors of OTS and ORD were favorably impressed by the data. In the fall of 1973, a Statement of Work was outlined, and SRI was asked
“He may have been the victim of Russian psi-warriors trained to remotely kill enemies of the Soviet Union.� 20
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to propose another program. The OTS funds were to evaluate the operational utility of psychic subjects without regard to the detailed understanding of paranormal functioning. If the QBSBOPSNBMGVODUJPOJOHXBTTVGĂ DJFOUMZ SFQSPEVDJCMF XFXFSFDPOĂ EFOU applications would be found.’ *OBOPUIFSFYQFSJNFOU TBZT,SFTTA5IF interiors of two foreign embassies were known to the audio teams who had made entries several years previously. Price was to visit these embassies by his remote viewing capability, locate the code rooms, and come up with information that might allow a member of the audio team to determine whether Price was likely to be of operational use in subsequent operations. Price was given operationally BDDFQUBCMFEBUBTVDIBTUIFFYUFSJPS photographs and the geographical coordinates of the embassies.’ In both cases, Price correctly located the code rooms and produced copious data, including the location of interior doors and colours of marble stairs and Ă SFQMBDFTUIBUXFSFBDDVSBUFBOETQFDJĂ D The year 1974 saw a notable advance made with respect to the targeting of potentially hostile nations. The advance would be marred by tragedy, however. According to Kress: ‘The origin of the requirement went back to the fall of 1974 when several OTS engineers became aware of the parapsychology project in OTS and had volunteered to attempt remote viewing. They passed initial remote viewing tests at SRI with some apparent successes. To test these OTS insiders further, I chose a suggested requirement to obtain information about a Libyan site described only by its geographic coordinates. The OTS engineers described a new construction which could be an SA-5 missile training site. The Libyan Desk PGĂ DFSXBTJNNFEJBUFMZJNQSFTTFE)F then revealed to me that an agent had reported essentially the same story.’ Only days later, Pat Price died of a heart attack. And while Price’s death was a terrible shock, there are those who also suspect that it may have been sinister in nature, too. One who suspects this is British remote-viewing researcher Tim Rifat, who says: ‘It was alleged at the time that the Soviets poisoned Price. It would IBWFCFFOBUPQQSJPSJUZGPSUIF,(# to eliminate Price as his phenomenal remote viewing abilities would have
ESP in the UK In 2007, the British Ministry of Defence admitted that between 2001 and 2002 it had undertaken a secret, 168-page study to determine if remote viewing and psychic phenomena might prove to be valuable in terms of intelligence gathering. 5IFEPDVNFOUBUJPO EFDMBTTJmFEBTBSFTVMUPGB 'SFFEPNPG*OGPSNBUJPO"DUSFRVFTUTVCNJUUFE UPUIF.P%CZ#SJUJTI6'0SFTFBSDIFSBOE BVUIPS5JNPUIZ(PPE XBTIFBWJMZCMBDLFEPVU CZ.P%DFOTPSTVQPOJUTSFMFBTF"DDPSEJOHUP /JDL1PQF XIPJOWFTUJHBUFE6'0TGPSUIF.P% CFUXFFOBOE UIJTXBTCFDBVTFAUIF .P%CFMJFWFTUIFJSSFMFBTFXPVMEDPNQSPNJTF EFGFODFJOUFSFTUTJOSFMBUJPOUPUIFXPSLJOH QSBDUJDFTPGUIF%FGFODF*OUFMMJHFODF4UBÿ 1PQFDPOUJOVFTA0UIFSTFDUJPOTIBWFCFFO CMBDLFEPVUCFDBVTFUIF.P%KVEHFUIBUSFMFBTF XPVMEVOEFSNJOFJOUFSOBUJPOBMSFMBUJPOT5IJTJT BMNPTUDFSUBJOMZBSFGFSFODFUPUIF64 CFDBVTF UIFSFQPSUESBXTIFBWJMZPO"NFSJDBOSFTFBSDI BOEJTMJLFMZUPJODMVEFEFUBJMTPGMJBJTPOXJUIUIF 64JOUFMMJHFODFDPNNVOJUZ
1PQFBEETA5IF.P%TSFNPUFWJFXJOHTUVEZ XBTVOEFSUBLFOJOBOEUIFSFQPSUJOUP UIJTXPSLXBTEBUFE+VOF%FUBJMTPGUIF EJTUSJCVUJPOBSFOPULOPXO CFDBVTFUIF.P%IBT XJUIIFMEUIJTJOGPSNBUJPO CVUPOMZUISFFDPQJFT PGUIFSFQPSUXFSFFWFSNBEF4PNFPGUIF XPSLXBTDBSSJFEPVUCZBDPNNFSDJBMDPNQBOZ QSFTVNBCMZPOBDPOUSBDUCBTJT"HBJO EFUBJMTPG UIJTDPNQBOZTJEFOUJUZIBWFCFFOXJUIIFMECZ UIF.P% *OUSJHVJOHMZ 1PQFTBZTUIBUA8IJMFTPNF SFNPUFWJFXFSTBSFBEKVEHFEOPUUPIBWF BDDFTTFEUIFUBSHFU TPNFBTTFTTNFOUTTUBUFE UIBUiUIFTVCKFDUNBZIBWFBDDFTTFEUIFUBSHFUw PSUIBUUIFTVCKFDUiIBEBDDFTTFETPNFPGUIF GFBUVSFTBTTPDJBUFEXJUIUIFUBSHFUw A4DFQUJDTBOEDZOJDTXJMMEPVCUMFTTTBZUIF XIPMFQSPKFDUXBTBXBTUFPGUJNFBOENPOFZ oEFUBJMTPGUIFDPTUPGUIJTTUVEZIBWFCFFO XJUIIFME#VUUPNF TVDIDSJUJDJTNTIPXTBMBDL PGJNBHJOBUJPOyNBZCFUIFTUSBOHFTU9'JMF JOUIF.P%TIJTUPSZIBTBmOBMNFTTBHFGPS UIFCBEHVZTCFZPOEZPVSVOEFSTUBOEJOHBOE
‘Studies pertaining to Soviet research into parapsychology reached the office of former CIA Director and future US President, George Bush.’ QPTFEBTJHOJà DBOUEBOHFSUPUIF6443T paranormal warfare build up. He may also have been the victim of an elite group of Russian psi-warriors trained to remotely kill enemies of the Soviet Union.’ 8IJMFUIJTNBZTPVOEFYUSFNF &41 research in the former Soviet Union at the time in question did include studies designed to affect heart rhythms in human beings. Was Pat Price the victim of a Soviet-sponsored ‘mind-murder’ or was this simply one of life’s tragedies? We will probably never know. In the post-1974 era, according to the available documentation at least, CIA JOWPMWFNFOUJOUIJTà FMEXBTBMMFHFEMZ minimal; but studies pertaining to Soviet research into parapsychology were VOEFSUBLFOBOEFWFOSFBDIFEUIFPGà DF of former CIA Director and future US 1SFTJEFOU (FPSHF#VTI BTUIF,SFTT document demonstrates: ‘Since July, 1975, there has been only modest CIA and Intelligence Community Staff interest in parapsychology. 5IF0Gà DFPG4DJFOUJà D*OUFMMJHFODF completed a study about Soviet military BOE,(#BQQMJFEQBSBQTZDIPMPHZ During November of 1976, Director (FPSHF#VTICFDBNFBXBSFUIBUPGà DJBM Soviets were visiting and questioning Puthoff and Targ at SRI about their work in parapsychology. Mr Bush
SFRVFTUFEBOESFDFJWFEBCSJFà OHPO CIA’s investigations into parapsychology. #FGPSFUIFSFXBTBOZPGà DJBMSFBDUJPO IF left the Agency. ‘Various intelligence community groups, such as the Human Resources 4VCDPNNJUUFFPO3% IBWFFYIBVTUJWFMZ reviewed parapsychology in CIA, DOD, and the open research, but have failed to conclude whether parapsychology is or is not a worthwhile area for further investigation. Several proposals from SRI and other contractors were received by CIA but none were accepted. There are no current plans for CIA to fund parapsychology investigations.’ In essence, that is the document. But UPXIBUFYUFOUmJGJOEFFEBOZmIBT$*" interest and direct involvement in these particularly controversial ESP-based areas of intelligence-gathering continued and CFFOFYQBOEFEVQPOTJODFUIFT In 1995, a CIA-sponsored report titled An Evaluation of the RemoteViewing Program – Research and Operational Applications was produced by the American Institutes for Research. Basically, the report concluded that, from an intelligence-gathering perspective, remote-viewing and related phenomena were largely useless. And there the matter rests – at least as far as the CIA is publicly concerned.
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i5IFTFDPOE QIBTFDPVMEJOWPMWFUIFTFMFDUJPOPGPOFPSNPSF JOEJWJEVBMTXIPJUJTGFMUDBOCFAUSVTUFEUPCF VTFEGPSUIFTFOTJUJWFUBSHFUTw *OPUIFSXPSET UIFTFDSFUSFTFBSDINBZWFSZ XFMMCFDPOUJOVJOHy Sources:A1TZDIJD4QJFT /JDL1PQF %BJMZ&YQSFTT "QSJM 4UBUFNFOUUP/JDL3FEGFSOGSPN/JDL1PQF 'FCSVBSZ
Not everyone agrees with that conclusion, however. ‘The CIA wanted a negative psi report, and controlled the data access so that such a result would be a foregone conclusion,’ says W. Adam Mandelbaum, BGPSNFS64JOUFMMJHFODFPGà DFSA5IF report was US intelligence purchased disinformation intentionally formulated to misrepresent the true state of remote viewing research, and the true operational utility of the phenomenon.’ Does the CIA continue to covertly investigate ESP and utilise parapsychological phenomena for intelligence gathering purposes? Or has the subject been dismissed from the minds of Agency personnel? Taking into account the intense secrecy and the hall of mirrors that surrounds all aspects of the CIA’s work, one would almost have to be psychic to answer that question. Sources: Remote Viewing, Tim Rifat, Vision, 2001; The Psychic Battlefield, W. Adam Mandelbaum, Thomas Dunne Books, 2000.
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FAIRIES TODAY
Fairies may seem to belong firmly in the folklore of the past but the ‘little people’ continue to be seen by ordinary people throughout the British Isles. JANET BORD provides a fascinating field guide to modern fairies from her collection of first-hand reports. *MMVTUSBUJPO§&MJ[BCFUI"OOF3PCJOTPO
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Q
FAIRIES TODAY
‘Three little men wearing peaked caps (‘like Robin Hood’), green knee-breeches, and ‘Turkish’ shoes with turnedup pointed toes were reported by three girls picking blackberries on a Pembrokeshire farm around 1907.’
DEVONSHIRE DWARF:5IJTQIPUPHSBQIUBLFOJO%FWPOJOUIFTNBZTIPXBGBJSZUIFMJUUMFmHVSFEJEOPUTIPXVQPOBOPUIFS QIPUPHSBQIPGUIFTBNFTDFOFUBLFOUXPTFDPOETMBUFSoCVU*DBOOPUWPVDIGPSJUTBVUIFOUJDJUZŠ Fortean Picture Library
'
airies have wings, don’t they? The answer to that question is, Not usually. The alternative name ‘the Little People’ is usually more appropriate, because very few ‘fairy’ sightings are of winged beings. Having said that, wings are sometimes mentioned by witnesses. One such report was told to me by a personal friend, Nona Rees, who saw a tiny winged fairy when she was a child in St David’s, Pembrokeshire. On a hot summer’s day in 1947 when walking home from the beach with her mother, they saw, ‘hovering over a gorse bush, a tiny pure white creature, with wings, like the traditional Christmas Tree fairy’ only an inch or so high. It ‘hovered
The Cottingley Fairies 5IFTFGBNPVTQIPUPHSBQITIPXTGBJSJFTBTNBOZ QFPQMFUFOEUPUIJOLPGUIFN BTQSFUUZMJUUMF HJSMTXJUIXJOHT"TFSJFTPGmWFQIPUPHSBQIT XBTGBLFEBMNPTUZFBSTBHPCZUXPZPVOH HJSMTBU$PUUJOHMFZ JO:PSLTIJSF BTUIFZBENJUUFE NBOZEFDBEFTMBUFS#VUUIFZBMTPTUVDLUPUIFJS DMBJNUIBUUIFZEJESFBMMZTFFGBJSJFTJOUIFHMFO
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BU$PUUJOHMFZBOEKVTUXBOUFEUPTIPXQFPQMF XIBUUIFZIBETFFO5IFQIPUPHSBQIPOUIFSJHIU TIPXTBmHVSFNPSFMJLFPOFPGUIF-JUUMF1FPQMF TFFOCZTPNBOZQFPQMFoFYDFQUUIBUUIFHJSMT TUJMMGFMUJUOFDFTTBSZUPHJWFIJNXJOHT Pictures Š Fortean Picture Library
VQSJHIUBOEXBTEFĂ OJUFMZOPUBNPUIPS CVUUFSĂĄZA5PVT JUXBTEFĂ OJUFMZBGBJSZ In 2004 a couple sitting in their garden in Croydon saw a female fairy around 12 inches tall, hovering horizontally over the house gutter. She wore a flowing white dress, had almost white hair, and white wings. People who see tiny fairies among flowers also describe seeing wings. The winged fairies are clearly very different from the more usually reported Little People, and might best be considered a different phenomenon altogether. A quick tour through some sightings of Little People (all in the UK) from the last 100 years provides a fascinating picture of the appearance and dress of these beings. Three little men wearing peaked caps (‘like Robin Hood’), green knee-breeches, and ‘Turkish’ shoes with turned-up pointed toes were reported by three girls picking blackberries on a Pembrokeshire farm around 1907. The creatures they saw also had clawlike hands with only GPVSĂ OHFST*UTFFNTUIBUPOFXBZUP see a fairy may be to go blackberrying, because in 1916 a woman blackberrying in Cookham Dean (Berkshire) saw ‘a lean, brown man, dressed in brown, with pointed cap and straggly beard’ dart from the centre of the bush. Even stranger was the fact that his legs were transparent and shadowy, although he appeared solid enough from the waist up. In Scotland’s Black Isle in 1909, two little men seen walking down the staircase in Rosehaugh House were about 18 inches tall, with grey hair and beards, and they wore
WHAT THEY SAW: 5IFTFESBXJOHTPGUIFMJUUMFNFOTFFOJO8PMMBUPO 1BSL /PUUJOHIBN JOXFSFNBEFCZUIFDIJMESFOXIPTBXUIFNŠ Fortean Picture Library
FAIRIES TODAY
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â€˜â€Śshe and her sisters were woken by a buzzing noise and looking out of the window they saw a ‘little man in a tiny red car driving around in circles’. He had a white beard and a ‘red droopy pointed hat’, and looked very happy.’
Motor-gnomes In 1979 four children aged 8-10 watched around 60 little men half their height, with long white beards and wearing old-fashioned nightcaps, drive around a wooded area of Wollaton Park, Nottingham, one September evening. 5IFMJUUMFNFOXFSFJOMJUUMF DBSTXIJDINPWFEGBTUBOEKVNQFEPWFSPCTUSVDUJPOT 5IFZDIBTFEUIFDIJMESFOCVUEJEOUDBUDIUIFN BOEUIF DIJMESFOGFMUJUXBTPOMZBHBNF5IFMJUUMFNFOMBVHIFE BOEMPPLFEGSJFOEMZ UIFZEJEOPUUSZUPIBSNUIFDIJMESFO 5IFSFJTBCTPMVUFMZOPMPHJDBMFYQMBOBUJPOGPSXIBU UIFDIJMESFOTBXPUIFSUIBOBIPBYPSNJTJEFOUJmDBUJPO oCVUPGXIBU $IJMESFODBOIBWFWJWJEJNBHJOBUJPOT CVUJUJTIBSEUPCFMJFWFUIBUUIFZBMMJNBHJOFEUIFTF XFJSEFWFOUT BOEUIFZBMMTUVDLUPUIFJSTUPSJFTFWFO XIFOJOUFSWJFXFETFQBSBUFMZCZUIFJSIFBENBTUFS
‘loose tunics and small pointed hats’. A red cap was the headgear of choice for a 3-foot ‘little old fellow’ seen emerging from some bushes on the Lleyn Peninsula of North Wales in the late 1920s. He was also dressed in green from the waist down – green being a favourite colour of the Little People. Some of the fairies are much smaller: a woman who saw one when a girl in Nottingham in 1936 described it as an elf or ‘nature-sprite’. It was only 4-6 inches tall, with large ears, and its body was ‘a glimmering green colour’. Strangely it was TJUUJOHPOUIFCBSTPGUIFFNQUZĂ SFHSBUFJO her bedroom one sunny morning. Violet Tweedale saw a similar creature around 1915 while walking in Devon: it was a little man 5 inches tall, swinging on an iris leaf. As with the Lleyn man described earlier, he was green and wore a red cap. A troop of little green men 3 inches tall was seen walking in
TJOHMFĂ MFOFBSUIFCBOLPGUIF3JWFS Ribble in 1964, and other people TBXUJOZĂ HVSFTDMJNCJOHBUSFFJO Penwortham Woods (Lancashire) not far away. Apart from these creatures only a few inches tall, the most commonly reported heights are 18 inches and 3-4 feet. A ten-year-old boy on holiday in Horsham 4VTTFY JOTBXBOJODIATNBMM hairy man’ step out of a blackberry bush (again!). He had a leathery face and a sharp nose, and while the boy watched, the little man turned and disappeared back into the bush, apparently unaware of the boy’s presence. A girl living on The Curragh (Isle of Man) some time in the middle of the twentieth century saw a glow coming from under her bed and, leaning PWFS XBUDIFEBTGPVSPSĂ WFMJUUMF men walked in a circle holding hands. They mostly had dark hair, beards, and brown leathery caps, though one was red-haired, clean-shaven and hatless. They wore green or brown tunics and loose leggings, and from the bed’s height she judged they were no more than 18 inches tall. In 1973, children’s author Mary Treadgold saw a little man 18 inches tall in a clump of heather on the island of Mull as she passed by in a bus. He had his foot on a spade as if digging, and because the bus had pulled over to let another vehicle pass, she had time to note his thin face, brown curly hair, bright blue bib-and-braces, white shirt, and also the open sack at his side. He had a general appearance of ‘energy and alertness’. But perhaps the strangest sighting of a little man around 18 inches tall was that reported to me by Marina 'SZ GSPN$PSOXBMM XIPXBTOFBSMZ four years old in 1940 when she and her sisters were woken by a buzzing noise and looking out of the window they saw a ‘little man in a tiny red car driving around in circles’. He had a white beard and a ‘red droopy pointed
hat’, and looked very happy. This is not the only report of little men seen driving tiny cars: for an equally weird sighting from Nottingham in 1979 see the separate panel. A woman walking on Dartmoor in the summer of 1952 saw one of the taller Little People, a ‘little old man’ 3 or 4 feet tall who wore a brown smock and a brown flat cap (or he had brown hair). He went behind a boulder on Haytor but when she looked behind it he had gone and there was nowhere he could have hidden. Another instance of a group of school children seeing a little man took place in January 1967 in Studham R
GREEN MAN: 5IFTUSBOHFmHVSFTOBQQFEBU(MFO "VMEZO§+PIO-)BMM'PSUFBO1JDUVSF-JCSBSZ
Snapped on Man The Isle of Man is rich in fairy lore, and there have also been numerous recent sighting reports. In 1976 John Salter, who was on the island to watch the TT races, saw a foot-tall figure among the trees in Glen Rushen when he stopped for a picnic. It wore a green jerkin and a hat with a feather. .PSFSFDFOUMZ +PIO-)BMMNBZIBWFQIPUPHSBQIFE BGBJSZ BMUIPVHIIFEJEOUTFFJUBUUIFUJNF*O IFXBTFYQMPSJOH(MFO"VMEZOXJUIBGSJFOE 5IFBUNPTQIFSFXBTTUSBOHFUIFZDPVMEIFBS XIBUTPVOEFEMJLFNVTJDBOEUJOLMJOHWPJDFT BOE UIFZGFMUBTUIPVHIUIFZXFSFCFJOHXBUDIFE 5IFZGFMUUIFOFFEUPSFUSFBU BOEUPPLTPNF QIPUPHSBQITBTUIFZUVSOFECBDL"GUFSXBSET XIFOFYBNJOJOHUIFQJDUVSFTUIFZTBXXIBU BQQFBSFEUPCFABTUSBOHFMPPLJOHHSFFONBOPOB QFEFTUBMJOUIFCSBODIFTPGBUSFF
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Mystery on Muck People who see fairies very rarely have any proper interaction with them: there is no conversation, and usually not even any acknowledgement of the presence of the human. But a strange case from Scotland involved spoken interaction between the fairies and the child witnesses. 5XPCPZTBHFEUFOBOETFWFOXFSFPOUIFTFBTIPSF POUIFJTMBOEPG.VDLPOFNPSOJOHBSPVOE MPPLJOHGPSESJGUXPPE XIFOUIFZGPVOEBUJOXIJDI UIFZUSJFEUPPQFOCZIJUUJOHJUXJUIBTUPOF5XPUJOZ HSFFODMBECPZTBQQFBSFEBOEBTLFEXIBUUIFZXFSF EPJOH5IFWJTJUPSTTQPLFCPUI(BFMJDBOE&OHMJTI BOE BTLFEUIFCPZTBCPVUUIFJSIPNFBOEGBNJMZ
"UJOZCPBUXBTMZJOHPĂżTIPSF BOEUIFCPZTTBX BMJUUMFXPNBOBOEBSBUTJ[FEEPHPOEFDL4IF JOWJUFEUIFNUPDPNFPOCPBSECVUUIFZSFGVTFEo QFSIBQTKVTUBTXFMM CFDBVTFUIFZXPVMEFJUIFSIBWF TXBNQFEUIFCPBUPSGPVOEUIFNTFMWFTTVEEFOMZ TISVOLJOTJ[FUPmU5IFGBJSZMBEZHBWFUIFNXBMOVU TJ[FEMPBWFTPGCSFBE XIJDIUIFZBUF5IFWJTJUPST UIFOMFGU TBZJOH A8FXJMMOPUCFDPNJOHCBDLIFSFBOZ NPSF CVUPUIFSTPGPVSSBDFXJMMCFDPNJOH "UXIJDIQPJOUXFIBWFUPBTLXFSFUIFZSFBMMZ GBJSJFT PSXFSFUIFZBMJFOT 4VCTFRVFOUTJHIUJOHTPG -JUUMF(SFFO.FOJOnZJOHTBVDFSTNBZQSPWJEFBDMVF BTUPXIPUIF.VDLGBJSJFTSFBMMZXFSF
‘They had long white beards, wore pointed hats, and were using spades to dig a hole. The girls retreated in fear, and when they later returned to the spot there was no trace of the little men or any sign of digging.’ (Bedfordshire) when seven boys on their way back to school after lunch all saw ‘a little blue man with a tall hat and a beard’ who disappeared in ‘a puff of smoke’ as they approached him. His arrival had been heralded by a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. They saw him again and heard voices talking in a foreign-sounding babble. Afterwards they described him as around 3 feet tall with a 2-foot hat or IFMNFU BOEBCMBDLCPYPOIJTGSPOUXIJDI appeared to give off a cloud of mist when he disappeared. Two years earlier, two boys visiting the watercress beds near Cricklade (Wiltshire) claimed to have seen little men with red eyes and wearing helmets and red and yellow one-piece suits, with air tanks on their backs, running about. A few years later in 1982, two school girls at Jaywick &TTFY TBJEUIFZTBXUXPMJUUMFPMENFO just over 3 feet tall in their school playing Ă FME5IFZIBEMPOHXIJUFCFBSET XPSF pointed hats, and were using spades to dig a hole. The girls retreated in fear, and when they later returned to the spot there was no trace of the little men or any sign of digging. Despite the wide variety of activities the Little People are engaged in when stumbled upon by the (often child) witnesses, there is a thread of similarity running through the accounts which gives most of them an air of authenticity. It is highly unlikely that the witnesses would know beforehand the tiny details that tend to validate their accounts. In addition, at least three people well known to me have recounted their own encounters with Little People, all of whom I consider trustworthy and unlikely to be lying. 5IFBDDPVOUTBSFXFJSEBOEJOFYQMJDBCMF SIMILARITY:"OJMMVTUSBUJPOGSPNBDIJMESFOTCPPLPG TIPXJOHBEXBSGXFBSJOHBDPBUBOEIBUPGQMBJUFESVTIFT )FBMTPIBTUIFQPJOUFEDBQBOETUSBHHMZCFBSEEFTDSJCFECZ TPNFNPEFSOXJUOFTTFTTVDIBTUIFXPNBOCMBDLCFSSZJOHBU $PPLIBN%FOF
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FAIRIES TODAY
Goblin post Many years ago, after giving a talk on Welsh fairy-lore, I was approached by a member of the audience who told me that her neighbour, a sober-minded former bank manager, had once encountered a fairylike entity near their town. I asked this lady to encourage her neighbour to get in touch with me. "GFXEBZTMBUFS*SFDFJWFEUIFIPQFEGPSMFUUFSCVUJU XBTGSPNUIFMBEZ*NFU OPUUIFXJUOFTTIJNTFMG4IF FYQMBJOFEIFXBTTJNQMZUPPFNCBSSBTTFEUPIBWFIJT OBNFLOPXOCVUIBEHJWFOIJTQFSNJTTJPOGPSIFSUP KPUEPXOIJTFYQFSJFODFBOEGPSXBSEJUUPNF*DBOOPU CMBNFUIJTNBOGPSIJTSFUJDFODFo*NTVSFNPSFQFPQMF BSFQSFQBSFEUPPXOVQUPTFFJOHBHIPTUUIBOBGBJSZ 5IFMFUUFSSFBEA5IFJODJEFOUIBQQFOFEJO BQQSPYJNBUFMZMBUF JOBOBSFBPG4U"TBQI</PSUI 8BMFT>DBMMFE#JTIPQTXPPE "QQBSFOUMZ UIFBSFBIBE GPSNBOZZFBSTBMPDBMSFQVUBUJPOGPSCFJOHIBVOUFE " GSJFOEPGNZIVTCBOE BMPDBM#BOL.BOBHFS BHFEMBUF T XBTUBLJOHIJTEPHGPSBXBMLBOEBTIJTXBMLJOH TUJDLXBTNVEEZ IFUBQQFEJUTFWFSBMUJNFTPOPOF PGUIFNFUBMimOHFSQPTUwUZQFSPBETJHOTXIJDIXFSF UIFODPNNPOJOUIFDPVOUSZTJEF A"TNBMMiNBOwBQQSPYJNBUFMZGUUBMM ESFTTFEBMM JOHSFFO CVUXJUIBWFSZVHMZCSPXOGBDF BQQFBSFE OFYUUPUIFQPTU5IFNBOXBTCBEMZTIBLFOBTIF GFMUUIFSFXBTBNBMFWPMFOUBJSBCPVUUIFDSFBUVSF 5IFEPHHSPXMFE IJTIBDLMFTSPTFBOEIFXBTCBEMZ TDBSFEBOECFIBWJOHPEEMZGPSTPNFUJNFBGUFSXBSET 5IFNBOJGFTUBUJPOTUBZFEGPSBTIPSUUJNFBOEUIFO EJTBQQFBSFEKVTUBTJOFYQMJDBCMZ A5IFTFBSFUIFGBDUTBTUPMEUPNFBOE BT*TBJE CFDBVTFPGUIFOBUVSFBOEDIBSBDUFSPGUIFNBO UPXIPNUIFJODJEFOUPDDVSSFE *CFMJFWFJUUPCF DPNQMFUFMZUSVF EDITOR
SCARY FAIRY:5IFCBTFPGUIFmOHFSQPTU OPXQBJOUFE XIJUF XIFSFBNBMFWPMFOUMPPLJOHHPCMJOTVEEFOMZ BQQFBSFE TUBSUMJOHBNBOBOEIJTEPHPhoto by the editor
EARLY APPEARANCE: 5IJTUIPSUIDFOUVSZNBOVTDSJQUEFQJDUJPOPGB GBJSZTIPXTIJNBTBMJUUMFNBOXFBSJOHXIBUJTLOPXOBTB1ISZHJBODBQ BTPGU SFE DPOJDBMDBQXPSOJOBOUJRVJUZCZUIFJOIBCJUBOUTPG1ISZHJBJO DFOUSBM"OBUPMJB4PNFNPEFSOXJUOFTTEFTDSJQUJPOTPGGBJSZIFBEHFBS TPVOETJNJMBSUPUIJTAIBUXJUIBCPCCMF
but that is no reason to discount them. But before any interpretation can be placed upon such accounts, we need to have a great many more on record, and I would ask anyone XIPIBTIBEBTJNJMBSFYQFSJFODF to email me the details, courtesy of the editor (editor@ paranormalmagazine.co.uk). As I have never seen a fairy myself, the last word must go to respected editor and author Peter Brookesmith who himself saw a tiny man which he referred to as a leprechaun (presumably because he was in Ireland at UIFUJNF BU(MFOEBMPVHIJO$P Wicklow) in the late 1970s. It was about 12 inches tall in a sitting position, and entirely green – its clothes and even its skin. It wore trousers, a smock, and ‘a longish
It was about 12 inches tall in a sitting position, and entirely green – its clothes and even its skin. It wore trousers, a smock, and ‘a longish droopy nightcap-like item of headgear’ (sounds familiar!).
Q
droopy nightcap-like item of headgear’ (sounds familiar!). After glimpsing the leprechaun in the foliage beside a woodland track, Peter stopped and turned back for another look, but it was gone. This happens so often, and it is almost as if the viewer has momentarily been able to look into another dimension of FYJTUFODF PSIBTCFFOHSBOUFEBWFSZ short-lived ability to see things which humans normally cannot see (though children may have a natural ability to see more than adults, an ability which they later lose). Peter summed up his encounter by saying, ‘I have witnessed the leprechaun phenomenon.’ Doubtless many more people have had a similar FYQFSJFODFCVUIBWFOFWFSSFQPSUFE it: I suspect that sightings of the Little People are more common than most people realise. !
Janet Bord has published two books on the Little People: Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People (Michael O’Mara Books, 1997) (now out of print but signed copies are available from janet.bord@boyns.net); and The Traveller’s Guide to Fairy Sites (PUIJD Image Publications, 2004).
Have you ever glimpsed a goblin or a fairy? We are always interested JOSFDFJWJOHPVSSFBEFSTFYQFSJFODFT of the paranormal. Email editor@ paranormalmagazine.co.uk or visit our website www.paranormalmagazine.co.uk and let us know what happened. We’ll pass all your stories on to Janet Bord.
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eye openers Off his head Vic Burnside took these two self-portraits in 1986 while he was attending a meditation course. At the time he had in his pocket a book with the title On Having No Head. This is a popular work of Zen philosophy in which author D. E. Harding encourages his readers to lose their sense of self. Š Vic Burnside/Fortean Picture Library
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JUNGLE HABITAT:5IFEFOTFSBJOGPSFTUTPG4VNBUSB JO *OEPOFTJB NBZIJEFBOVOEJTDPWFSFESFMBUJWFPGNPEFSONBO
The future’s
orang... ‌ at least that’s the hope of cryptozoologists.With the world still pondering the Bigfoot body controversy, KARL SHUKER considers the best bet for finding a living man-beast, Sumatra’s orang pendek.
O
ne of Sumatra’s most famous animals is the orang utan – whose name translates as ‘man of the GPSFTU'BSMFTTGBNJMJBSJTUIJT great Indonesian island’s ‘other’ orang – its legendary man-beast, the orang pendek, or ‘short man’. Although hairy humanoid entities have been reported at one time or another from every corner of the globe, the orang pendek is especially intriguing due to the impressive yield (by normal cryptozoological standards) PGQIZTJDBMTDJFOUJĂ DFWJEFODFUIBUIBTCFFO amassed, in addition to the considerable BOFDEPUBMFWJEFODFPOĂ MF QMVTUIFTJ[FBCMF OVNCFSPGNPEFSOEBZFYQFEJUJPOTBOEPOTJUF Ă FMETUVEJFTUIBUIBWFUBLFOQMBDFBOEDPOUJOVF to do so. Indeed, it is widely believed among cryptozoologists and even mainstream zoologists that the orang pendek is one of the most likely – BOEFYDJUJOHmDSZQUJETUPCFGPSNBMMZEJTDPWFSFE in the foreseeable future. R
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
The future’s
orang...
‘The orang pendek is one of the most likely – and exciting – cryptids to be formally discovered in the foreseeable future.’ ORANG PENDEK IDENTIKIT The orang pendek seems to be largely DPOĂ OFEUPTPVUIXFTUFSO4VNBUSBT densely forested Kerinci Seblat National Park. The name is just one of several used locally for this elusive entity – others include sedapa, gugu, ijaoe, sindai, and orang letjo (‘gibbering man’) – but the descriptions given throughout its reported distribution range are remarkably consistent: v The orang pendek stands between 80 cm and 1.5 m tall (but is usually said to be around 85-90 cm) and, despite its diminutive stature, it is claimed to be inordinately powerful. v It is covered with short reddish-brown hair but is less hairy on its face, with pinkish-brown skin, and jet-black hair POJUTIFBEUIBUFYUFOETJOBNBOFEPXO its back. v Its head is pointed, with a high forehead, bushy eyebrows, human-like eyes and face, prominent ears, a broad nose, a small mouth, and long canine teeth. Its shoulders are thick and square, its arms are long, it sports a potbelly, and has no tail. v It walks erect on its hind legs with its weight placed on the outer edges of its feet. Its feet are broader but shorter than a
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comparably sized human’s, with a narrow curved heel, and a semi-opposable big UPFTFUXFMMBQBSUGSPNPUIFSUPFT BMMà WF toes are the same length. v I t gives voice to a low growl or cough but sometimes also a chirruping sound. v It feeds not only on plants (especially wild ginger) but also on freshwater molluscs, worms, nesting birds, mice and insects. Needless to say, if this is an accurate identikit, the orang pendek is clearly distinct from all living species currently recognised by science. The fact that it is yet to be accepted by zoologists never fails to amaze Sumatra’s native tribes, however, who say they often encounter it SBJEJOHDSPQTBOEXBMLJOHUISPVHIà FMET in farmland at the edges of forests. 0WFSUIFZFBSTNBOZ8FTUFSOFYQMPSFST have investigated reports of this jungledwelling enigma, in the hope that they too will catch sight of it. SEARCHES AND SIGHTINGS 5IFPSBOHQFOEFLà STUBUUSBDUFE8FTUFSO attention during the early 20th century, when various Dutch colonists reported encounters with a hairy humanoid entity in the central and southwestern portions of Sumatra (in contrast, orang utans are nowadays entirely
APPEARANCE:"OBSUJTUTJNQSFTTJPOPGUIFPSBOH QFOEFLCBTFEVQPOFZFXJUOFTTEFTDSJQUJPOT§5JN.PSSJT
DPOà OFEUPOPSUIFSOSFHJPOT Moreover, in May 1932 the body of a supposed infant orang pendek, reputedly shot in the River Rokan Kiri region, XBTTFOUGPSGPSNBMFYBNJOBUJPOUP%S K. W. Dammerman at the Zoological Museum in Buitenzorg, Java. According to newspaper reports, it was very humanlike in outward appearance, was 42 cm high, with bare skin, well-developed teeth, and uniformly grey hair on its head. However, Dammerman’s study swiftly FYQPTFEUIFTVQQPTFEBQFNBOBTB blatant fraud, constituting the body of a
The future’s
orang...
The Hobbit of Flores *O BKPJOU"VTUSBMJBO*OEPOFTJBOUFBN PGQBMBFPBOUISPQPMPHJTUT XIJDIJODMVEFE%ST 1FUFS#SPXOBOE.JDIBFM.PSXPPE QVCMJDMZ BOOPVODFEUIFJSFYUSBPSEJOBSZEJTDPWFSZJO POUIF*OEPOFTJBOJTMBOEPG'MPSFT KVTUFBTUPG+BWB PG ZFBSPME TLFMFUBMSFNBJOTEFFNFECZUIFNUPCFGSPN BIJUIFSUPVOLOPXO NJOJBUVSFTQFDJFTPG IVNBO0OMZNBSHJOBMMZPWFSNUBMM JUXBT GPSNBMMZDISJTUFOFEHomo floresiensis 'MPSFT .BO CZUIFN CVUJOGPSNBMMZJUTPPOCFDBNF LOPXOBTUIFA)PCCJU *UJTXFMMEPDVNFOUFEUIBUPOJTMBOET TPNFNBNNBMTIBWFFWPMWFEJOUPEXBSGFE
LITTLE FOLK:"OBSUJTUTJNQSFTTJPOPGBGBNJMZPG)PNP nPSFTJFOTJToCFJOHNFOBDFECZBHJBOUTQFDJFTGSPNUIF SFHJPO UIF,PNPEPESBHPOŠ Anthony Wallis/Fortean Picture Library
common adult langur monkey that had CFFOTIBWFEBMMPWFSFYDFQUGPSUIFUPQPG its head. To disguise its true identity even further, its cheekbones had been crushed, JUTDBOJOFUFFUIà MFEUPTIBSQQPJOUT JUT nose stretched with a piece of wood, and its tail removed. *OFWJUBCMZ UIJTIPBYDBTUB shadow over the authenticity of the orang pendek as a whole for many years thereafter. However, in 1987 BVUIPSFYQMPSFS#FOFEJDU"MMFO travelled to Sumatra in search of it, and collected native testimony, as documented in his subsequent book Hunting the Gugu (1989). During the late 1980s, moreover, it began to attract zoological interest once again – in particular from an English journalist called Debbie Martyr and a cameraman called Jeremy Holden. In the early 1990s, together with Indonesian primatologist Achmad Yanuar, Martyr and Holden initiated what would become BOPOHPJOHà FMEJOWFTUJHBUJPOPGUIJT NZTUFSZNBOCFBTUTQBOOJOHUIFOFYU 15 years, dubbed Project Orang Pendek BOETQPOTPSFECZ'BVOBBOE'MPSB *OUFSOBUJPOBM ''* %VSJOHUIJTUJNF they interviewed many local eyewitnesses, obtained several plaster casts of alleged orang pendek footprints, and closely monitored a formidable array of modern camera-trap equipment. %JTBQQPJOUJOHMZ XJUIUIFFYDFQUJPO of two inconclusive photos (the second was publicly released in 1997), its famed elusiveness enabled their quarry to avoid
being snapped by any of the cameras. However, sightings were made in the forest on a number of occasions by Martyr and Holden, both of whom were struck by this cryptid’s unique set of characteristics and its humanoid, yet notwholly-human, form. Indeed, Holden had one brief but particularly close encounter with an orang pendek, glimpsing the fully bipedal entity’s back, arm and the side of its face, which affected him so dramatically that he was later quoted in a documentary as claiming that had he seen the creature’s face and found it to be humanoid, he may well have suffered severe psychological trauma from the shock. It was their pioneering work that FODPVSBHFE&OHMJTIà FMEDSZQUP[PPMPHJTU Adam Davies to launch his own, selfTQPOTPSFEFYQFEJUJPOUPUIFIJHI rainforest between Mount Kerinci and BWPMDBOJDMBLFDBMMFE(VOVOH5VKV in September 2001. Joined by fellow investigators Andy Sanderson and Keith Townley, the three-week search proved FYDFQUJPOBMMZTVDDFTTGVM BTUIFZSFUVSOFE UP#SJUBJOOPUPOMZXJUITPNFFYDFMMFOU footprint casts but also with alleged PSBOHQFOEFLIBJSTBNQMFT'PMMPXJOHNZ recommendations, Davies submitted their specimens to a number of specialists for detailed analyses. After comparing the casts with footprints of every known Sumatran primate species as well as various non-
VOEFSTJ[FETQFDJFT BOEUIFUFBNDMBJNFEUIBU UIJTXBTUIFFYQMBOBUJPOGPSH. floresiensis. )PXFWFS DFSUBJOPUIFSBOUISPQPMPHJTUT OPUBCMZUIFMBUF%S5FVLV+BDPC IBWF EJTQVUFEUIFJSDPODMVTJPOT DMBJNJOHUIBUUIF SFNBJOTPGUIJTTVQQPTFEOFX EJNJOVUJWF TQFDJFTBSFOPUIJOHNPSFUIBOTQFDJNFOTPG Homo sapiensFYIJCJUJOHBHFOFUJDEJTPSEFS DBMMFENJDSPDFQIBMZ5IFPSJHJOBMUFBNIBWF DPVOUFSFEUIJTDMBJNCZQPJOUJOHPVUBOVNCFS PGGFBUVSFTBUUFTUJOHUPBIJHIEFHSFFPG JOUFMMJHFODFQPTTFTTFECZUIFH. floresiensis JOEJWJEVBMT XIJDIXPVMEOPUCFFYQFDUFEGSPN IVNBOTTVĂżFSJOHGSPNNJDSPDFQIBMZ .PSFPWFS BOBMMJFETVCKFDUUIBUIBTJODJUFE GFSWFOUEJTDVTTJPOBOETQFDVMBUJPOJTUIBUJG H. floresiensisJTBHFOVJOFEXBSGTQFDJFTPG IVNBO QFSIBQTUIFPSBOHQFOEFLJTBEJSFDU MJWJOHEFTDFOEBOU
FOCUS OF RESEARCH: 4PVUIFSO4VNBUSBT,FSJODJ4FCMBU /BUJPOBM1BSL EPNJOBUFECZJUTTUJMMBDUJWFWPMDBOP IBTTFFOUIF NPTUPSBOHQFOEFLSFQPSUT
primates that may conceivably have been responsible for them, Cambridge 6OJWFSTJUZQSJNBUPMPHJTUBOE''*WJDF chairman Dr David Chivers announced that the casts did not correspond with any of them, and concluded: â€œâ€Śthis points to there being a large unknown primate in the forests of Sumatraâ€?. Canberra University primatologist Prof $PMJO(SPWFTXBTTJNJMBSMZJNQSFTTFE BGUFSFYBNJOJOHBEJHJUBMSFQSPEVDUJPOPG one of the footprints. In addition, after VOEFSUBLJOHBOFYUFOTJWFNPOUIMPOH comparative study of two alleged orang QFOEFLIBJST "VTUSBMJBOIBJSFYQFSU%S Hans Brunner, of Deakin University in Melbourne, announced that he had been unable to match the hairs with those of any known animal, and he too concluded that they must therefore be from an undocumented primate species. R
‘Native tribes say they often encounter it raiding crops and walking through fields at the edges of forests.’ 33
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
The future’s
orang...
ORANG UTAN:5IJTGBNJMJBSBQF XIJDIJOIBCJUTOPSUIFSO 4VNBUSB IBTCFFOSVMFEPVUBTBOJEFOUJUZGPSPSBOHQFOEFL CVUNBZCFBDMPTFSFMBUJWF
In June 2003, the Devon-based Centre GPS'PSUFBO;PPMPHZ $'; MBVODIFEJUT PXOUISFFNBOPSBOHQFOEFLFYQFEJUJPO to Kerinci Seblat, led by its resident à FMEDSZQUP[PPMPHJTU3JDIBSE'SFFNBO and assisted by local guides, where UIFZGPDVTFEVQPO(VOVOH5VKV UIF site of what had been at that time the most recent sighting. A sizeable dossier of revealing eyewitness reports was amassed, and some hair samples obtained (though these subsequently proved to be from various known species). The UFBNSFUVSOFEJOUPFYQMPSFBAMPTU WBMMFZCFZPOE(VOVOH5VKVNFOUJPOFE by Debbie Martyr, and collected some additional local reports of sightings. Also in 2004, Murray Collins, a postgraduate primatology student from University College London, spent TJYNPOUITJO4VNBUSBJOWFTUJHBUJOH native accounts and belief in the PSBOHQFOEFL BOEà MNFEIJTà OEJOHT yielding a fascinating commercially available DVD entitled ‘Short Man of UIF'PSFTU*O4FQUFNCFS UIF National Geographic launched an ongoing camera-trapping project in Kerinci
Seblat, led by Dr Peter Tse of Dartmouth College, and including Murray Collins’s participation in 2006, in the hope of procuring conclusive photographic QSPPGPGUIFPSBOHQFOEFLTFYJTUFODF Moreover, Adam Davies returned to Sumatra in 2004 and 2007, collecting more anecdotal evidence and casts, CVUIJTUFBNTà OETGSPNSFNBJO UIFNPTUTJHOJà DBOUPCUBJOFETPGBSCZ anyone in support of the orang pendek’s [PPMPHJDBMSFBMJUZBOEUBYPOPNJDBMMZ discrete nature. THE (UN)USUAL SUSPECTS *GUIFPSBOHQFOEFLUSVMZFYJTUT XIBU could it be? Always assuming that it is indeed something more than a NJTJEFOUJà FEGBNJMJBS4VNBUSBOTQFDJFT such as a gibbon or the sun bear Helarctos malayanus (which can rear up onto its hind legs and can leave deceptively humanoid footprints), three principal contenders are on offer. 5IFà STUPGUIFTFJTBOVOSFDPSEFE population of the Sumatran orang utan Pongo abelii. Although this species PGHSFBUBQFPODFFYJTUFEUISPVHIPVU 4VNBUSB JUIBTMPOHTJODFCFDPNFFYUJODU JOBMMCVUUIJTJTMBOETOPSUIFSOFYUFOU TP
‘They returned to Britain not only with some excellent footprint casts but also with alleged orang pendek hair samples.’
////NOVEMBER 2008 Paranormal Magazine XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVL
Above WILD MAN OF THE WOODS:"OFBSMZUI DFOUVSZSFQSFTFOUBUJPOPGUIFPSBOHVUBOTIPXJOH EJTUJODUMZIVNBODIBSBDUFSJTUJDToXBTUIFBSUJTUDPOGVTFE CZSFQPSUTPGUIFPSBOHQFOEFL Below SEEKER:3JDIBSE'SFFNBO PGUIF$FOUSFPG 'PSUFBO;PPMPHZ EVSJOHBUSJQUP4VNBUSBUPmOEUIF PSBOHQFOEFL© CFZ.
Right EVIDENCE:"EBN%BWJFTIPMET BQMBTUFSDBTUPGBOBMMFHFEPSBOH QFOEFLGPPUQSJOU§"OEZ4BOEFSTPO
DIFFERENCES:"DBTUPGBGPPUQSJOUQSFTVNFEUPCFUIBU PGBOPSBOHQFOEFL MFGU TIPXTXIZJUDBOOPUCFUIBUPG BOPSBOHVUBO XIFODPNQBSFEUPUIFTLFUDIBMPOHTJEFJU © Andy Sanderson
The future’s
orang...
CARVING:"SFQSFTFOUBUJPOPGBGSJFOEMZBQFPOBTUPOFJO 4VNBUSBoPSBOHVUBOPSQFOEFL
The Batutut of Borneo ‘He had been unable to match the hairs with those of any known animal, and he concluded they must be from an undocumented primate.’ any orang utans discovered in the orang pendek’s Kerinci Seblat heartland would CFBNBKPS[PPMPHJDBMĂ OE)PXFWFS the orang pendek’s morphology, habitually bipedal mode of locomotion, and semi-carnivorous behaviour ague BHBJOTUBOPSBOHVUBOJEFOUJĂ DBUJPO and Kerinci locals shown pictures of the latter ape by cryptozoologists readily differentiate between it and the mysterious orang pendek. Identity #2 for the orang pendek is a completely separate species of ape presently unrecorded by science, at least in the living state. This identity is favoured by Adam Davies among others. Suggestions include a giant gibbon or an unknown specialised species of orang utan, adapted for bipedal, terrestrial BDUJWJUZ3JDIBSE'SFFNBOIBTTVHHFTUFE that it may be a descendant of the Miocene ape Sivapithecus (also ancestral to the orang utan). The third, and, if correct, most FYDJUJOH SFWPMVUJPOBSZJEFOUJUZPOPGGFS
for the orang pendek is a primitive species of hominid, separate from Homo sapiens. Traditionally, the most popular option within this category of identity is our own ancestral species Homo erectus, inspired at least in part by the famous ‘Java Man’ discoveries on Sumatra’s neighbouring island. However, a fundamental flaw with any theory involving a surviving hominid has always been the much smaller size of the orang pendek – until, that is, the discovery PG'MPSFT.BOJO TFFTFQBSBUFQBOFM Coupled with reports of orang pendek-like entities called the ebu gogu said to have FYJTUFEPO'MPSFTVOUJMWFSZSFDFOUMZ TPNF cryptozoologists (myself included) now look towards a living representative of 'MPSFT.BOBTBDPOWJODJOHFYQMBOBUJPOPG the hitherto-bemusing riddle of the orang pendek’s identity. Tragically, however, the identity of the orang pendek may ultimately prove to be only of academic interest, for the simple reason that, thanks to habitat destruction
"NZTUFSZNBOCFBTUSFNBSLBCMZTJNJMBSUP UIFPSBOHQFOEFLIBTBMTPCFFOSFQPSUFE GSPNNBJOMBOE.BMBZTJBBOEGSPNUIF JTMBOEPG#PSOFP0OUIFMBUUFSJTMBOE JUJT DBMMFEUIFCBUVUVU BOEEVSJOHBUSBJM PGJUTGPPUQSJOUTXFSFPODFPCTFSWFEJOUIF #PSOFPTJUVBUFE.BMBZTJBOTUBUFPG4BCBI CZFNJOFOU[PPMPHJTU%S+PIO.BD,JOOPO GBNFEGPSEJTDPWFSJOHTFWFSBMNBKPSOFX TQFDJFTPGMBSHFNBNNBMJO*OEPDIJOB TJODFUIFFBSMZT XIPXBTTUVEZJOH UIF#PSOFBOPSBOHVUBOPongo pygmaeus BUUIFUJNF&DIPJOHUIFFFSJF RVBTJ IVNBOOBUVSFPGUIF4VNBUSBOPSBOH QFOEFL JOIJTCPPLIn Search of the Red Ape .BD,JOOPOTUBUFE i4VEEFOMZ*TUPQQFEEFBE BNB[FEBU XIBU*TBX*LOFMUEPXOUPFYBNJOFUIF EJTUVSCJOHGPPUQSJOUJOUIFFBSUI BQSJOUTP MJLFBNBOTZFUTPEFmOJUFMZOPUBNBOT UIBUNZTLJODSFQUBOE*GFMUBTUSPOHEFTJSF UPIFBEIPNFw 8IPLOPXT QFSIBQTUIFOFYU FYQFEJUJPOJOTFBSDIPGUIFPSBOHQFOEFL NJHIUGBSFCFUUFSSFEJSFDUJOHJUTBUUFOUJPO GSPN4VNBUSBUP#PSOFP
in Sumatra, this mystifying man-beast may well be lost before science has even TVDDFFEFEJODPOĂ SNJOHJUTFYJTUFODF Let us pray that its fate is not to become a zoological ghost doomed forever to be known only from a few strands of hair, some plaster casts of its erstwhile tracks, and the precious recollections of those who were fortunate enough to have glimpsed its shadowy image amid the jungles of the past. @
35
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
p o o Tr S an d the Shadow Walker MICHAEL HALLOWELL recounts the tale of an old family friend who may have had a close encounter with an ape-man in Malaysia. MARINES:$PSQPSBM4BNCSJEHF BOEIJTDPMMFBHVFT(FPSHFJT TUBOEJOHTFDPOESPXGSPNUIF CBDL TFDPOEGSPNUIFSJHIU GBDJOH
n 1952, at the height of the messy .BMBZB8BS $QM(FPSHF5 Sambridge belonged to S Troop, 42 Royal Marine Commandos. 0O.BZ (FPSHFGPVOEIJNTFMG in a small cave perched nearly 100ft up BWFSUJDBMDMJGGGBDFTPVUIPG(PQFOHJO the Malaysian state of Perak. The cave,
I
DIFFICULT TERRAIN:5IFNBQVTFECZ$PSQPSBM 4BNCSJEHFEVSJOHUIFJSNJTTJPOUPUSBDLJOTVSHFOUTEVSJOH UIF.BMBZB8BS
essentially a niche in the cliff, had been JEFOUJĂ FEBTBQFSGFDUMPDBUJPOUPNPOJUPS enemy activity. S Troop had been ordered to huddle in this perilous position for three days and nights and to report on any suspicious activity taking place in the thick jungle below. 5IFDBWFXBTTNBMM(FPSHFFTUJNBUFT UIBUJUNFBTVSFEBQQSPYJNBUFMZY feet. It was just a hole, and had no hidden niches, nooks or crannies, and faced out onto empty air. Ten men were squashed into this cramped environment. In charge XFSF(FPSHFBOEB-JFVUFOBOU1SJDF5XP men would sit at the cave mouth, using binoculars to scour the jungle, while the remaining members of the troop rested, playing cards or cleaning their weapons. ‘All our weapons had to be regularly cleaned, checked and kept in good working PSEFS (FPSHFSFDBMMTA*UXBTBNBUUFSPG QSJEF'PSB.BSJOFUPBMMPXIJTXFBQPOUP get into a poor state was a disgrace.’
This fact alone makes what happened later all the more baffling. The success of S Troop’s mission made it crucial they weren’t spotted. As darkness fell, the use of any form of lighting was forbidden. ‘As soon as it got dark, the spotters had UPHJWFVQUIFJSTVSWFJMMBODF FYQMBJOFE (FPSHFA5IFSFXBTOPQPJOUJODPOUJOVJOH what could they see in the pitch black? Besides, sitting too close to the cave mouth JOUIFEBSLXBTFYUSFNFMZEBOHFSPVT0OF slip and you’d have fallen into the jungle way below. So, they’d simply join the rest of us in the back of the cave.’ "TEBSLOFTTGFMMPOUIFĂ STUOJHIU UIF Troop made a last meal and then tried UPSFTU(FPSHFSFNFNCFSTVTJOHIJTLJU bag as a pillow. There was nothing to do, nothing that couldCFEPOFFYDFQUXBJUGPS it to get light again. 5IFGPMMPXJOHNPSOJOH BTUIFĂ STU rays of light entered the cave, the Marines awoke, stretched and thought about the day ahead. Then one of them asked a disturbing question: ‘Hey‌ where’s my weapon?’ The Troop had a variety of weapons with them, including the Australian Owen Machine Carbine, American carbines and other automatics, ideal for use in jungle Ă SFĂ HIUT/PX POFPGUIFNIBEHPOF missing. But how? They were all in a small cave high up a cliff. Other than out of the cave mouth, there was nowhere that it could have gone. The cave was searched immediately, but the gun just wasn’t there. Then another Marine spoke up.
‘The Orang Pendek had earned itself the name of the Shadow Walker because of its ability to walk within inches of a person without giving away its presence.’ 36
////NOVEMBER 2008 Paranormal Magazine XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVL
Above MALAYANS:5XPHVJEFTVTFECZUIF3PZBM.BSJOFTEVSJOH UIFJSPQFSBUJPOJO.BMBZB5IFMPDBMTUPME(FPSHFBCPVUUIF NZTUFSJPVT4IBEPX8BMLFS Left MATTER OF PRIDE:5IFLJUPGB3PZBM.BSJOFEVSJOHUIF.BMBZB 8BSoFWFSZUIJOHJOJUXBTMPPLFEBGUFSXJUIGBOBUJDBMEFEJDBUJPO
GEORGE Of THE JUNGLE:(FPSHF4BNCSJEHFEVSJOHIJTBDUJWF TFSWJDFEBZTJOUIF.BMBZB8BS
‘Uh‌ my weapon has gone, too.’ ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ added a third, ‘but so has mine.’ 8IBUFYQMBOBUJPODPVMEUIFSFCFGPS the missing weapons? Either one or more of the Marines had taken leave of their senses, picked up their guns and thrown them down into the jungle, or someone had sneaked into the cave during the night and stolen them. 5IFĂ STUJEFBXBTBCTVSE CVUUIF second didn’t fly either. S Troop were certain they had managed to enter the cave undetected, and only the enemy could have had any motive for mounting a sneak attack upon them in the middle of the night. Accessing the cave by day was dangerous enough, reaching it in darkness seemed impossible, and how could an enemy soldier succeed in creeping round that tiny space, lifting weapons, without disturbing the ten burly Marines squeezed into it? And why hadn’t he made use of a golden opportunity to kill the sleeping men?
LOOKING BACK:(FPSHF4BNCSJEHFBTIFJTUPEBZ(FPSHF IBTOFWFSGPSHPUUFOIJTXFJSEFYQFSJFODFJOBDBWFJOUIF .BMBZTJBOKVOHMF
Cpl Sambridge and Lt Price were in BĂ Y-PTJOHPOFXFBQPOXBTFOPVHI to get you hung, drawn and quartered by the top brass, but three? They simply could not come up with a believable solution to the mystery. Eventually, Price TBJEA(FPSHF UIFSFTPOMZPOFUIJOH*DBO put in my report about this. I’m going to have to say the disappearance of the guns was caused by‌ well, by some kind of psychic phenomenon.’ There was no further incident to puzzle S Troop – and they never received any feedback from their superiors on the ‘psychic phenomenon’ report. However, they were ordered to set up booby traps in BHVMMZXIJDIMFEUPUIFDMJGGGBDF(FPSHF found this incomprehensible: there was no reason to suppose enemy insurgents were either aware of the Marines’ activity in the cave or were in the habit of travelling through the remote gully. But someone – or something – had visited them in that cave. Which brings us to the Orang Pendek [see previous article by Karl Shuker]. (FPSHFXBTGBTDJOBUFEXIFO*UPMEIJN the Malay tribes people believe they share their jungle with a furry creature that walks upright like a human. Some of the tribes people call it, in their own language, the Rock Ape, because of its ability to easily scale rocks and cliffs UIBUXPVMECFEJGĂ DVMUGPSBIVNBOUP manage. This implies the Orang Pendek – or rather its Malaysian equivalent – DPVMEDPOĂ EFOUMZHBJOBDDFTTUPBDBWF
the Marines judged to be ‘virtually inaccessible’. Not only that, but the creature has also earned itself the name PGUIF4IBEPX8BMLFSPS(IPTU8BMLFS because of its ability to walk within inches of a person without making a noise or otherwise giving away its presence. It is said the Shadow Walker is an inquisitive creature which, like the magpie, has a penchant for stealing PCKFDUTBOEBSUFGBDUTUIBUFYDJUFJUT DVSJPTJUZ4PNFUSJCFTQFPQMFĂ HIUJOH during the Malaya War used to tie a cord around their weapon and attach the other end to their wrist in the belief that it would prevent the Shadow Walker from stealing it while they slept. The Marines of S Troop had taken no such precaution! Were the booby-traps ordered to be placed not to catch terrorists, but to kill or maim a creature that had displayed an uncanny ability to steal weaponry – one the top brass did not wish to admit they believed in? Maybe even today, somewhere in the depths of the Malaysian jungle, a family of these shy and elusive creatures are armed to the teeth with rusting weaponry, unaware of the true purpose of their deftly stolen treasures.
MICHAEL HALLOWELL is a GVMMUJNFGSFFMBODFXSJUFSBOE QBSBOPSNBMJOWFTUJHBUPS)F XSJUFTUIF6,TMPOHFTUSVOOJOH QBSBOPSNBMDPMVNO 8SBJUITDBQF JOUIF4IJFMET(B[FUUF
3FBEUXPNPSFGBTDJOBUJOHZFUMJUUMF LOPXOFODPVOUFSTXJUI"TJBOBQF NFOJOA6OFBSUIFEPOQBHFT
37
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
*MMVTUSBUJPOยง+POBUIBO&EXBSET
38
////NOVEMBER 2008 Paranormal Magazine XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVL
DIGGING TOO DEEP Claims for the existence of UFO technology encouraged hacker Gary McKinnon to raid secret computer files in the United States. NIGEL WATSON explores the belief system which has led to Gary facing years of imprisonment.
T
ough and unexpected consequences have resulted from Gary McKinnon’s dream of finding evidence for the existence of UFOs and their technology. When he searched through US computer networks, he picked the worst possible time to expose the failings of their national security, as it coincided with the physically and psychologically devastating September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Gary told me he regards himself as a bumbling computer nerd who, from his home in North London, just wanted to hack into computer systems to find out more about aliens. The authorities in the US have a less charitable view of his activities. They are charging him with gaining access to the Earle Naval Weapons Station, Colts
Neck, computer network on April 7, 2001, in the period June 18-21, 2001, and on September 23, 2001. In Virginia the charge is that he caused $900,000 worth of damage by hacking into computers in 14 states from February 1-22 February, 2002. In mitigation, Gary claims his hacking was neither very sophisticated nor malicious. Armed only with a copy of The Hacker’s Handbook, a computer with a paltry 56K dial-up modem and offthe-shelf RemotelyAnywhere software, he was able to scan for blank passwords. By these means, he was able to hack into computers that had inadequate firewall or password protection. Using the codename Solo and taking account of time zones, he avoided being detected as he looked for secret information relating to UFOs. So what did his obsessive hacking, that
HACKER:(BSZ.D,JOOPODMBJNTIFIBTEJTDPWFSFEQSPPG PGUIFFYJTUFODFPG6'0TJOUPQTFDSFU64NJMJUBSZBOE /"4"DPNQVUFSmMFT)FJTOPXGBDJOHBTUJÿQSJTPO TFOUFODFJO"NFSJDBGPSIJTIBDLJOHBDUJWJUJFT
‘I knew that governments suppressed anti-gravity, UFO related technologies, freeenergy or what they call zeropoint energy. This should not be kept hidden from the public when pensioners can’t pay their fuel bills.’ – Gary McKinnon
Fighting extradition (BSZXBTPSJHJOBMMZBSSFTUFEJO.BSDI CZUIF#SJUJTI/BUJPOBM)J5FDI $SJNF6OJU5IFZIFMEIJNJODVTUPEZ GPSBGFXIPVSTBOETFOUIJTDPNQVUFSIBSEESJWF UPUIF645IF#SJUJTI$SPXO1SPTFDVUJPO4FSWJDF $14 ESPQQFEUIFJSDIBSHFTBHBJOTUIJNBTIF EJEOPUIBDLJOUPBOZ#SJUJTIDPNQVUFST5IF64 DPVSUTEFDJEFEUPQVSTVFUIFNBUUFSBOEIBWF BDUJWFMZTPVHIUIJTFYUSBEJUJPO 4JODFUIFO(BSZIBTNBEFOVNFSPVTBQQFBMT UISPVHIUIF#SJUJTIMFHBMTZTUFN BOEUPUIF )PNF4FDSFUBSZJO5IFTFBMMGBJMFEBOE IJTm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Ä€DF*UXBTPSHBOJTFECZIJT HJSMGSJFOE -VDZ$MBSLF XIPTBJEUIBU(BSZXBTB CSPLFONBOBOEUIFXIPMFGBNJMZXBTMJWJOHJOUFSSPS 4DPUU$ISJTUJF BGPSNFSQSPTFDVUPSJOUIJT DBTF CFMJFWFT(BSZXJMMFWFOUVBMMZCFFYUSBEJUFE CVUEPVCUTUIBUIFXJMMSFDFJWFBZFBSQSJTPO TFOUFODFBOEmOFTBNPVOUJOHUPNJMMJPO *OTUFBE IFUIJOLTIFXJMMCFEFBMUXJUIBTBSVOPG UIFNJMMDSJNJOBMSBUIFSUIBOBTBUFSSPSJTU BOEJT MJLFMZUPSFDFJWFBNPSFNPEFTUQSJTPOTFOUFODF
R
REFERENCES 6OJUFE4UBUFT%JTUSJDU$PVSUGPSUIF&BTUFSO%JTUSJDUPG 7JSHJOJB *OEJDUNFOUBUhttp://files.findlaw.com/news. findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/cyberlaw/usmck1102vaind.pdf 6OJUFE4UBUFT%JTUSJDU$PVSU %JTUSJDUPG/FX+FSTFZ *OEJDUNFOUBUhttp://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/ cyberlaw/usmck1102njind.html
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
DIGGING TOO DEEP
EVIDENCE: "SFQSPEVDUJPOPGBA.BKFTUJDEPDVNFOUXIJDIBMMFHFEMZ DPOmSNTUIBU&5UFDIOPMPHZIBTCFFOTBMWBHFEBOEEFWFMPQFE
Exopolitics The supporters of exopolitics take for granted that alien races are visiting us and that they are secretly collaborating with our governments. 5IFBJNPGFYPQPMJUJDTJTUPDPMMFDUEPDVNFOUBSZ FWJEFODFBOEUIFUFTUJNPOZPGXIJTUMFCMPXFST JO PSEFSUPQVUQSFTTVSFPOQPMJUJDJBOTUPHFUUIFGVMM GBDUTBCPVUBMJFODPOUBDUQVCMJDMZSFWFBMFE %PDVNFOUBSZFWJEFODFIBTDPNFGSPN HPWFSONFOUmMFTSFMFBTFEUISPVHI'SFFEPNPG *OGPSNBUJPOSFRVFTUT XIJDIIBWFPĂżFSFEMJUUMF FWJEFODFPGBMJFOSFUSJFWBMTPSDPOUBDU .PSFTVCTUBOUJBMFWJEFODFIBTDPNFGSPN BOPOZNPVTTPVSDFTMJLFUIFUIPVTBOETPG EPDVNFOUTSFMBUJOHUPB64HPWFSONFOUQSPKFDU DBMMFE0QFSBUJPO.BKFTUJD5XFMWF .+ 5IFTF DMBJNUIBUBGUFSUIFSFUSJFWBMPGUIFXSFDLBHF PGBDSBTIFEn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arris, the author PGExopolitics: How does one speak to a ball of light?TBZT A*UJTUJNFGPSUIJT QMBOFUUPHSPXVQ BOEXFMDPNFUIFTF DVMUVSFTXIPDPVME IBWFEFTUSPZFEVT BELIEVER:"VUIPS1BPMB MPOHBHP8FOFFE -FPQJ[[J)BSSJT XIPTBZTXF UPUBLFPVSQMBDF TIPVMEXFMDPNFBMJFOTAXIP in this universe as DPVMEIBWFEFTUSPZFEVT iBNBUVSFIVNBO MPOHBHP TQFDJFTwBOEUIBU XJMMNFBOÄœQMBOOJOHBQFBDFGVMGVUVSF BDDFQUJOH EJWFSTJUZ BOEVTJOHBMUFSOBUJWFFOFSHZTPVSDFTUP TBWFUIJTQMBOFUGSPNFDPMPHJDBMEJTBTUFS $BOBEJBOQPMJUJDJBO1BVM)FMMZFSDPOmSNTUIBU JGHPWFSONFOUTXFOUQVCMJDXJUIUIFJSLOPXMFEHF PGBMJFOUFDIOPMPHZXFADPVMEFMJNJOBUFUIF CVSOJOHPGGPTTJMGVFMTXJUIJOBHFOFSBUJPO "TUIFQPXFSPGFYPQPMJUJDTHSPXT NPSF QPMJUJDJBOTBSFMJLFMZUPUIJOLUIFTBNFCVU XIFUIFSPSOPUHPWFSONFOUTBSFIJEJOH6'0 TFDSFUTJT XFMM TUJMMBTFDSFU
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REFERENCES &YPQPMJUJDT1PMJUJDBMJNQMJDBUJPOTPGUIFFYUSBUFSSFTUSJBM QSFTFODFXFCTJUFwww.exopolitics.org/ 1BSBEJHN3FTFBSDI(SPVQ1PSUBMwww. paradigmresearchgroup.org/ %JTDMPTVSF1SPKFDUXFCTJUFwww.disclosureproject.org
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COVER-UPS: $FOUSBMUPFYPQPMJUJDTJTUIFCFMJFGUIBUFYUSBUFSSFTUSJBM UFDIOPMPHZoBOEPSHBOJTNToIBWFCFFOSFDPWFSFECVUUIFGBDUPGUIFJS FYJTUFODFTVQQSFTTFECZUIFXPSMETHPWFSONFOUT
virtually took over his life, discover? One of the things he found was the Disclosure Project. Their website explains that this ‘is a non-profit research project working to fully disclose the facts about UFOs, extraterrestrial intelligence, and classified advanced energy and propulsion systems’. Gary assured me it contains ‘400 testimonials from everyone from air traffic controllers to those responsible for launching nuclear missiles. Very credible witnesses. They talk about reverse-technology taken from captured or destroyed alien craft.’ He claims the most direct evidence of suppressed UFO evidence was held in Building Eight at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He said that on one of their computers he glimpsed a picture of a silvery, cigar-shaped object with geodesic spheres attached around it. There were no visible seams or riveting, which
indicated to him that it was not manmade. It looked as if the photograph had been taken by an Earth satellite above this craft. There was no way of knowing how big or small this object was. As his slow dial-up connection struggled to download this picture, at what he calls his ‘crowning moment’, someone at the center discovered what he was doing and disconnected him. On another occasion he got access to Excel spread sheets. They were titled ‘Non-Terrestrial Officers’. It contained names and ranks of US Air Force personnel who he says are not registered anywhere else. There was also information
‘As his dial-up connection struggled to download the picture of a silvery, cigar-shaped object someone discovered what he was doing and disconnected him.’
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‘The charge is that he caused $900,000 worth of damage by hacking into computers in 14 states’
‘Serious damage’
Dr David Clarke, who was instrumental in getting the British Ministry of Defence to make its UFO files public, thinks: ‘McKinnon’s actions have done serious damage to those pursuing legitimate, serious historical research using investigative methods like the Freedom of Information Act. A)JTBDUJPOTXJMMNFBOUIBUBOZPOFJOUFSFTUFEJO TFSJPVT6'0SFTFBSDIXJMMCFQBJOUFEBTiBDSBOLw BOEPS6'0PCTFTTJWF BOEUIFSFGPSFTIPVMEFJUIFS B OPUCFUBLFOTFSJPVTMZPSC CFUBLFOTFSJPVTMZ CVUPOMZBTBQPUFOUJBMIBDLFSUISFBU*OEFFEUIJT IBTBMSFBEZIBQQFOFEJOUIF6, XIFSFTPNF BDBEFNJDTIBWFNPBOFEBCPVUQVCMJDNPOFZCFJOH XBTUFEPOBOTXFSJOHPCTFTTJWF'0*SFRVFTUTGSPN VGPMPHJTUTBOEDPOTQJSBDZUIFPSJTUTFUD A*IBWFWFSZMJUUMFTZNQBUIZGPS.D,JOOPOT QMJHIUBTIJTBDUJPOTTFFNFETPQSFNFEJUBUFE BOEIJTBUUFNQUTUPXSJHHMFPVUPGSFTQPOTJCJMJUZ GPSUIFNEPOUDPOWJODFNF*UIJOLJUTRVJUF BNVTJOHUIBUBGUFSBMMUIFIBDLJOHIFEJEUIFCFTU iFWJEFODFwIFDMBJNTIFGPVOEGPS&56'0TJOUIF 64%FGFODFTZTUFNXBTBHSBJOZQJDUVSFPGXIBU IFUIPVHIUXBTBTQBDFTIJQPOB/"4"DPNQVUFS XIJDITMJQQFEBXBZBTIFUSJFEUPEPXOMPBEJU A)PXOBJWFDBOZPVCF )PXEPFTIFLOPX UIJTQJDUVSFXBTOUKVTUTPNFUIJOHTDBOOFEGSPN B6'0CPPLUIBUTPNF/"4"OFSEIBEPOIJTIBSE
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about ship-to-ship transfers: again these referred to vessels not logged anywhere else by the armed forces of the USA. He speculated that these could refer to real but very secret space missions, or they could be part of some form of military strategy game or outline of hypothetical situations. He was certain that: ‘The military want to have military dominance of space.’ The exopolitics movement took hold at the turn of the century when researchers decided that governments have suppressed UFO evidence for decades [see separate panel]. Rather than trying to prove the existence of UFOs, they have concentrated on getting governments to fully disclose all their UFO secrets. Reflecting on his research, Gary sides with the view of supporters of exopolitics. He told me: ‘We seem to be getting technology from recovered ET craft or we are making reproductions of it. USA, Britain, Russia knows about them. I imagine most nations in the United Nations know about them. They have government departments to collect reports but when it comes to the suppressed technology that is dealt with by so-called black projects, there are a lot of defence contractors who deal with this kind of thing.’ Most people involved with exopolitics
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DIGGING TOO DEEP !!
Surfing the alien web You don’t have to be an illegal hacker to find UFO evidence on the internet, because many governments have started putting their UFO files online. To help you surf through the bewildering mass of material that is now online, NIGEL WATSON offers this guide to official government archives and unofficial sites that provide the best access to the UFO evidence on the net.
Government Archives
Australia Ufologist Bill Chalker was allowed to view 56 UFO files held by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Directorate of Air Force Intelligence (DAFI) in 1982. He provides more information at: http://www.theozfiles. com/australian_official_involvement.html
“We seem to be getting technology from recovered ET craft. USA, Britain, Russia knows about them.� and ufology have tried to gain this information using the legal power of Freedom of Information Acts in the USA and Britain. After decades they have uncovered thousands of documents but this has only increased their frustration. The documents often reveal that government departments have failed to investigate UFO sightings in any detail, and they have certainly not revealed any material relating to the recovery of alien beings or their spacecraft. This has led many to believe that the release of this material is just a publicity stunt to stop the flood of information requests that besiege government departments every year. Rather than stopping the belief in government conspiracies relating to alien visitations, it has only stiffened the resolve of researchers to get the ‘real’ secret dealings with the aliens exposed to the public. For some Gary is a hero who has gone the extra mile to expose this material; others think he was naive or just plain stupid. Gary’s mother, who has campaigned for his rights since the very beginning, regards the matter in this light: ‘I see Gary as having trespassed into an unknown but fascinating new cyber
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Canada This excellent Library and Archives Canada website contains information from a variety of government departments and the Project Magnet report, which concluded that flying saucers come from outer space: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/ufo/index-e.html Chile The Committee for Studies of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (CEFAA) was created in 1997. A selection of CEFAA files are discussed at: http://www.ufoinfo.com/news/cefaa.shtml
world which he then explored, although I agree he shouldn’t have,’ she told me. ‘The fact that you can sit in your own room and explore a cyber universe has to fascinate anyone with a curious mind but I still wish he hadn’t done it; I’m seriously concerned for his safety. ‘Gary is a kind and gentle person and the thought of him being locked up when he’s never hurt anyone and would be the first to help anyone, to me is wrong. The crime is that there was no security and the American government should be ashamed of how bad their security was. ‘UFOs are fascinating, as is the mystery that surrounds them.’ Gary makes an excellent scapegoat. His knowledge of ufology and hacking is not very sophisticated. He is a pleasant and well-meaning person who has stumbled into a minefield beyond his wildest expectations. To pledge your support for Gary McKinnon, or to get the latest news about his case, visit: http://FreeGary.org.uk REFERENCES 5IF%JTDMPTVSF1SPKFDUBU http://www.disclosureproject.org/ 5IF)BDLFST)BOECPPLCZ)VHP$PSOXBMM &"#SPXO$P 3FWJTFEFEJUJPO "QSJM 8JLJQFEJBFOUSZBUhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ The_Hacker’s_Handbook
China The government-funded ‘National Society of the Extraterrestrial Studies’ takes a keen interest in UFOs: http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/esp_vida_ alien_18q.htm France In early January 2007, the National Space Studies Centre (CNES) announced that it would put 1,650 UFO reports collected over a 30-year period on its website. http://www.cnes.fr/web/5038-geipan.php An English review of their files is reviewed at: http://www. cnes.fr/web/5871-the-plain-truth-of-the-matter.php Italy The unofficial Italian Centre for UFO Studies CISU website features reports logged since 2000, along with statistical breakdowns and comparisons. 15,000 older cases are to be added to the site. Giorgio Abraini’s English version of the site is at: http://www.cisu.org/english/casi2006E.htm Peru The Peruvian Air Force announced the establishment of the Office for Investigation of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (OIFAA) in 1992. Joshua Shapiro supplies a report about sightings in this country at: http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/peruart.html Soviet Union Yuliy Platov, of the Academy of Sciences, and Colonel Boris Sokolov, of the Ministry of Defence, studied 400 UFO reports collected between 1977 and 1990, some of which they could not explain: http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/ phenomena/russian_ufo_report_000808.html A comprehensive list of Soviet UFO material can be found at: http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/Russia.htm Spain ’Declassification! Military UFO Records Released: The Spanish Experience’ by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos, reveals that the Intelligence Section of the Aerial Operative Command (MOA) began the process of declassifying UFO files in 1992: http://www.anomalia.org/declass.htm USA Project Blue Book Archive The USAF’s infamous study of UFOs, Project Blue Book,
DIGGING TOO DEEP called Philadelphia Experiment. http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq29-1.htm Contrails – Paul V. Gavin Library Illinois Institute of Technology This site contains links to official reports on the pros and cons of the Roswell incident: http://contrails.iit.edu/history/roswell/ United Kingdom Ministry of Defence UFO reports received by the MoD can be found at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/ FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/ Their detailed Project Condign UFO report is at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/ PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/ UnidentifiedAerialPhenomenauap InTheUkAirDefenceRegion.htm Other PDF files covering older cases and policies are at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/ DisclosureLog/SearchDisclosureLog/2005/06/ RequestsForInformationAbout UfosReceivedInJanuary2005Part3.htm
ended in 1969. The ‘Official Website for the United States Air Force’ contains a fact sheet about the project at: http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=188 The Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR) and other civilian researchers are making the Blue Book files available online, at: http://www.bluebookarchive.org/ At the moment the above site is looking for a new host but you can access Blue Book UFO files by date and location at: http://www.footnote.com/browse. php#Post%20War:%201950%20and%20After|6283401 United States Department of Defense A large file of UFO sightings reported to the National Military Command Center (NMCC) in the mid-1970s, as well as other UFO documents, are available at: http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/ufo/ NSA (National Security Agency) Over 40 PDF files of international reports and assessments, released after a court case in 1980, are supplied at: http://www.nsa.gov/ufo/index.cfm FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) The FBI files include reports concerning cattle mutilations, Roswell, Majestic 12, and Project Blue Book. There are several large pdf files covering UFO sightings and theories sent to them by members of the public. http://foia.fbi.gov/unusual.htm CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) The CIA’s role in UFO investigation is reviewed at: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-studyof-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/ studies/97unclass/ufo.html Also see: http://ufologie.net/htm/foia.htm NASA (National Aeronautical and Space Administration) Attempts have been made to get NASA to admit that astronauts have seen UFOs and to get NASA to investigate sightings: so far they have refused on both counts. http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html Official Website of the United States Air Force Several fact sheets and reports about UFOs are available here. There is a page about a USAF study of the Roswell incident that was initiated by the General Accounting Office (GAO): http://www.af.mil/library/roswell/ US Government Accounting Office (GAO) Offers pdf reports on Roswell and Majestic 12. To find them use the search box at: http://www.gao.gov/ United States Navy Their Naval Historical Center website surveys US research into UFOs and provides a list of published sources and the records kept by Project Blue Book. It also contains documents about the Bermuda Triangle and the alleged disappearance of a US Navy destroyer in 1943 – the so-
The National Archives Type ‘UFO’ in the search box and it will list the files that are available in the archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/?source=home Dr David Clarke, Andy Roberts, Gary Anthony and Joe McGonagle were mainly responsible for getting the Public Record Office (PRO) and the MoD to make their files public. A review of their work and links to the files they have uncovered can be viewed at: http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/ United Nations In 1978 the Prime Minister of Grenada Sir Eric M. Gairy, urged the UN to conduct UFO investigations: http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/ gairy12oct1978.html His campaign failed but there is more about the UN and UFOs at: http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/unitednations.htm
Abductions
International Center for UFO Research Dr David Jacobs’ website featuring over 42 years of research work. www.ufoabduction.com John E. Mack Institute Continuing Mack’s work in the exploration of the frontiers of human consciousness and experience. http://www.johnemackinstitute.org/ Intruders Foundation Website run by Budd Hopkins to help our understanding of the abduction phenomenon. http://www.intrudersfoundation.org/ Whitley Strieber Unknown Country News about Strieber’s activities and abduction stories. http://www.unknowncountry.com/
Contactees
The Internet Sacred Text Archive This calls itself ‘largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric on the Internet’. Certainly many UFO and contactee books can be found here. www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm Spirit Writings.com Provides full texts of famous and obscure contactee literature and psychic-related writings, and it links to resources and e-zines. www.spiritwritings.com
UFO Digest Latest news and weekly up-dated features about UFOs and the paranormal. http://www.ufodigest.com/ UFO Evidence This boasts that it is one of the largest and best Internet resources for information about UFOs. It hosts at least 2000 articles, and has a database of sighting reports. www.ufoevidence.org UFO Info.com Sighting reports and resources. http://www.ufoinfo.com/contents.shtml UFOseek.com Links to hundreds of UFO and paranormal sites and has an up-dated news page. www.ufoseek.com Unexplained Mysteries.com Articles and news about UFOs and the paranormal, and allows readers to submit news reports. http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/ Wikipedia Contains entries on most aspects of ufology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Civilian UFO Organisations
BUFORA Britain’s longest running national UFO organisation. http://www.bufora.org.uk/ CUFOS  J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies Established by J. Allen Hynek in 1973, who worked as a consultant to Project Blue Book. CUFOS publishes the International UFO Reporter, and puts some of the articles online. Many useful links are also on the site, and you can download UFO report forms from site. http://www.cufos.org/ Euronet European UFO Network The virtual community of scientifically oriented ufologists in Europe. http://www.euroufo.net/ MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) This US site contains monthly maps of UFO sightings throughout the world, case histories and news, plus you can train as a field investigator and report your own UFO sightings online. http://www.mufon.com/ NARCAP (National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena) This studies sightings by pilots and aircrew, and considers their threat to aviation safety. There are detailed reports by Dr Richard Haines and aircrew are invited to submit their sighting reports to the site. http://www.narcap.org/ NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena) This powerful US group was created in 1956 but declined in the 1970s. They now concentrate on presenting the best UFO evidence. Their global sighting information database links to useful UFO databases and resources. http://www.nicap.org/ NUFORC (National UFO Reporting Center) Soon to be re-located to a decommissioned U. S. Air Force ICBM missile base, this site allows you to report sightings online. The site’s 32,000 reports can be viewed by date, shape, location and date of posting. http://www.nuforc.org/ Worldwide An excellent list of more worldwide UFO organisations can be found at: http://www.ufoinfo.com/organizations/index.shtml
News and Resources
Historical
AFU (Archives for UFO Research) AFU, based in Sweden, maintains one of the largest collections of UFO books and documents in the world. The site has English versions of their AFU newsletter. http://www.afu.info/
Project 1947 Contains official documents, newspaper reports and reviews of cases at the dawn of ufology. http://www.project1947.com/
About.com Covers classic cases and evidence. http://ufos.about.com/od/?once=true&
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Features articles and links, including the writings of UFO sceptic Philip J. Klass. http://www.csicop.org/ Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Explained. Long entries on most aspects of ufology. http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Invaders-from-OuterSpace/index.html
The Fortean Web Site of Mr X Contains editions of the works of Charles Fort annotated by Mr X, as well as other articles by X on Fortean topics. http://www.resologist.net/
UFO Historical Review Issues 1 to 12 appear online. www.cufon.org/uhr/uhrndx.htm
All sites checked September 2008. If you have a favourite UFO website you feel we should have included, please let us know. Contact the editor on: editor@paranormalmagazine.co.uk
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JANET BORD has raided the archives of the Fortean Picture Library to present a selection of some of the most intriguing photographs of apparitions ever taken. Most appear to be genuine; none have been exposed as fakes.
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here are so many intriguing ghost photographs in FYJTUFODFUIBUJUJTEJGà DVMUUP pick the very best, but these ten all have that special something, and OPOFPGUIFNIBTCFFOQSPWFEBIPBY BMUIPVHITPNFIBWF OPUVOFYQFDUFEMZ been called into question. One notable feature that nine of them have in common is that the photographer did not see any ghost at the time of taking the photograph. 0OMZMBUFS XIFOIFPSTIFFYBNJOFEB print, did the ghost reveal itself. The odd one out in this regard is the Brown Lady of Raynham, who according to the photographer’s assistant was visible to the human eye. It is almost unheard of for someone to see a ghost at the moment it was photographed, and because of this, I am tempted to suggest that this one fact on its own proves the photograph of the Brown Lady to be a IPBY#VUTPMPOHBGUFSUIFFWFOU JUJT probably impossible to prove. 5IFTBNFBQQMJFTUPBOZIPBYFE photograph of a mystery, be it ghost, 6'0 PSUIF-PDI/FTT.POTUFS because unless the perpetrator owns up, as belatedly happened in the case of the (in)famous Cottingley fairy photographs (see page 24), suspicions about a QIPUPHSBQITBVUIFOUJDJUZNBZFYJTU but can rarely be proved without the DPPQFSBUJPOPGUIFIPBYFS4PGBSBTUIFTF ten photographs are concerned, the only one I have doubts about is the Brown Lady of Raynham. The rest appear to be genuine – but whether they show real ghosts is a question I cannot answer!
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The Black Abbot The village of Prestbury, near Cheltenham, in (MPVDFTUFSTIJSF IBTBSFQVUBUJPOGPSHIPTUT POFPG XIPNJTLOPXOBTUIF#MBDL"CCPUBIPPEFEà HVSFJO a black cloak said to walk through the churchyard. One lady who had seen the ghost said that it appeared to walk at below the current ground level, because the ground in the churchyard had been raised over the centuries. Photographer Derek Stafford (now deceased) was in the churchyard on the night of November 22, 1990, taking photographs of the floodlit gravestones. He told me that he chose that particular day because it was very foggy and he hoped for some interesting effects. The ghostly Black Abbot showed up on his very last photograph, but he saw nothing strange at the time. Š Derek Stafford/Fortean Picture Library
The Tutbury ghost Brenda Ray took this photograph in Tutbury, Staffordshire, on March 4, 1993. "UMFGUJTXIBUBQQFBSTUPCFBĂ HVSFJO a black cape. Brenda did not notice the Ă HVSFBUUIFUJNF BOEJUEPFTOPUBQQFBS POUIFOFYUGSBNFUBLFOTFDPOETMBUFS ÂĽ#SFOEB3BZ'PSUFBO1JDUVSF-JCSBSZ
Lord Combermere Sybell Corbet took a photograph of the library in Combermere Abbey, Cheshire, on December 5, 1891, the day of Lord Combermere’s funeral. It is thought to show the ghost of Lord Combermere himself, sitting in his favourite chair, on the left. Miss Corbet said no one entered the room EVSJOHUIFMPOHFYQPTVSF4IFEJEOPUTFFBOZUIJOHVOUPXBSE herself, but when she developed the glass plate she found the BQQBSFOUHIPTU5IFà HVSFTFFNTTNBMMFSUIBOIFTIPVMECF and also has no legs! ¼'PSUFBO1JDUVSF-JCSBSZ
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The Brown Lady Raynham Hall is a 17th-century mansion in Norfolk, said to be IBVOUFECZUIF#SPXO-BEZ JEFOUJĂ FE as Dorothy Walpole, who became Lady Townshend and died in 1729. The ghost was known as the Brown Lady because in her portrait Lady Dorothy wore a brown dress. In 1936 she may have CFFODBQUVSFEPOĂ MNCZUXP photographers working at the hall. They had taken a number of pictures
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when they came to the staircase. Then, as Indre Shira later wrote: ‘Captain Provand took one photograph while I flashed the light. He was focusing GPSBOPUIFSFYQPTVSF*XBTTUBOEJOH by his side just behind the camera with the flashlight pistol in my hand, looking directly up the staircase. All at once I detected an ethereal veiled form coming slowly down the stairs. 3BUIFSFYDJUFEMZ*DBMMFEPVUTIBSQMZ “Quick, quick, there’s something.� I pressed the trigger of the flashlight
pistol. After the flash and on closing the shutter, Captain Provand removed the focusing cloth from his head, and turning to me said: i8IBUTBMMUIFFYDJUFNFOU about?�’ The Captain, on being told that there had been a ghost on the stair, offered to bet £5 that there would be nothing on the negative. The two men argued all the way back to London, and asked a GSJFOEUPXBUDIXIJMFUIFà MN was developed. They were adamant that the negative had not been interfered with in any way, and that they had genuinely photographed a ghost. The arguments for and against this being the case have continued ever since. Š Fortean Picture Library
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Ferguson’s brother 8IFO3PCFSU"'FSHVTPOXBTBEESFTTJOHB4QJSJUVBMJTUDPOWFOUJPOJO-PT"OHFMFT $BMJGPSOJB PO/PWFNCFS TFWFSBM 1PMBSPJEQIPUPHSBQITXFSFUBLFOEVSJOHIJTUBML5IJTPOFBMMFHFEMZTIPXT'FSHVTPOTEFBECSPUIFS8BMUFS LJMMFEJOBDUJPOJO'SBODF JO TUBOEJOHOFYUUPIJN"DDPSEJOHUP'FSHVTPO IPXFWFS UIFBSNBOEIBOEIFMEGPSXBSEEPOPUCFMPOHUPFJUIFS3PCFSUPS Walter. Š Robert A. Ferguson/Fortean Picture Library Mystery mutt The two ladies and their maid, partaking of afternoon tea in the garden, are completely unaware that they have an ephemeral canine companion. The photograph was taken c.1916 at Tingewick, in Buckinghamshire, by Arthur Springer, a retired CID inspector from Scotland Yard. Neither he nor the ladies were aware of the dog. They did not own a dog, and when they saw it in the photograph they could not recognise it as a dog from their village. The names of the ladies taking tea were, seated left, Mrs Kate Townsend (the motherin-law of the person who supplied me with the photograph) and Mrs Emily Springer, whose husband took the photograph. He was using a plate camera, and a fresh pack of glass plates straight from the chemist. It is interesting that the dog is clearly standing still and therefore, if it had been a live dog, it would have appeared as solid as the people. Instead it is insubstantial and appears to be headless. Š Fortean Picture Library
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The 9ft phantom Unsurprisingly, numerous people claim to have seen or sensed ghostly presences in many of England’s ancient churches – the smell of incense, the sound of the organ, voices singing, knights dressed in armour, and so on – but no one has ever claimed to see the ghost of Newby church which revealed itself on a photograph taken CZUIFUIFOWJDBS 3FWFSFOE,'-PSE)FXBTBLFFO amateur photographer and one summer afternoon some time in the early 1960s he decided to photograph the interior of his church. There was no one else there with IJNFYDFQUBGSJFOE BOEOFJUIFSPGUIFNTBXBOZUIJOH untoward in the church.
Some time later, when he made some prints from the negatives, the Rev Lord discovered the ghost on one of them. Standing beside the altar is a tall (possibly 9 feet) NFOBDJOHà HVSF XSBQQFEJOBMPOH EBSLDMPBL XJUI its face apparently covered by a white cloth with eyeholes. The church only dates from the late 19th century and was not known to be haunted. I maintained a long correspondence with the Rev Lord from around 1971 VOUJMIJTEFBUIJOBHFE BOEIFSFNBJOFEà SNJO his belief that the photograph was genuinely mysterious. Š K.F. Lord/Fortean Picture Library
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Inn spectre 5IJTà HVSFXBTQIPUPHSBQIFEJOUIFDFMMBSPGUIF7JBEVDU*OOJO-POEPO XIFSFUIFDFMMTPG/FXHBUF1SJTPOXFSFTBJEUPIBWFTUPPE – but no person or ghost was seen at the time. The photographer was a trustworthy personal friend, a Dane called Lars Thomas, a zoologist by profession and not the sort of person to be so unaware of his surroundings that he failed to see a person standing in front PGIJNXIFOIFUPPLBQIPUPHSBQI)FXBTPOBHVJEFEUPVSPGUIFDFMMBSJOBOEXBOUFEUPDBQUVSFUIFFFSJFQMBDFPOà MNm afterwards he found that he seemed to have captured a ghost. Š Lars Thomas/Fortean Picture Library
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Girl in the fire On November 19, 1995, the town hall in 8FN 4ISPQTIJSF XBTEFTUSPZFECZà SF BO event watched from a safe distance by Tony O’Rahilly, a local amateur photographer (sadly now deceased). He took some photographs of the blaze, which he later developed at home, and when he printed them he was surprised to TFFUIFà HVSFPGXIBUBQQFBSTUPCFBZPVOH girl in one of the pictures. She is standing in UIFEPPSXBZPGUIFà SFFTDBQF TVSSPVOEFE by smoke and flames. No living person could have been standing there, because it was too EBOHFSPVT BOEUIFà SFà HIUFSTXFSFLFFQJOH people away. She appears to have long hair, and to be wearing an old-fashioned bonnet. One suggestion is that she was the ghost PGBZPVOHHJSMXIPBDDJEFOUBMMZTUBSUFEBà SF in Wem in 1677. She knocked over a lighted candle in the thatched cottage where she lived, BOEUIJTà SFTQSFBESBQJEMZUISPVHIUIFUPXO Another suggestion is that the burning timbers just happened to look like a girl’s face – but it is interesting that workmen who were working in UIFUPXOIBMMBGUFSUIFà SFDMBJNFEUPIBWFTFFO a ghost there. Š Tony O’Rahilly/Fortean Picture Library
Y SORsCatEhR ome Begin
It’s ironic that as witchcraft paranoia grew during the Middle Ages, socalled ‘white witches’ were called upon to keep the home safe from their baleful influence. JASON KARL outlines some of the protective charms employed by these Cunning Folk, some of which are still used today by practitioners of modern witchcraft.
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pells cast for protection or safety are known as ‘warding magick’. Such magick might include spells for the protection of a new home, or for a safe journey. Common forms of protective magick include the following:
WITCH BOTTLES 5IFTFQPUCFMMJFECPUUMFT Ă MMFEXJUIBNJYUVSFPGIFSCTBOE human bodily fluids, were made by Cunning Men and Women and hidden in chimney stacks and inside walls during the witch hysteria of the Middle Ages. With the rise of so-called ‘witches’, an abundance of remedies in the form of countermagick against their malign powers entered society. The witch bottle was perhaps the most well known. 'PSTFWFSBMIVOESFEZFBSTUIFQSPEVDUJPOPGXJUDICPUUMFT was widespread. England’s most famous maker of witch bottles was a Cunning Man named James Murrell, who used iron to forge his versions. The traditional type was constructed
of a stone-ware ‘Bellarmine’ bottle. Popularly, they were supposed to resemble a bearded, pot-bellied Catholic inquisitor named Robert Bellarmine but the face was actually intended to scare away evil. Into the bottle was placed a selection of ingredients which, XIFONJYFEUPHFUIFS XBTUIPVHIUUPDSFBUFBQPXFSGVMBOUJEPUF against black magick. This included bent iron nails – iron was believed to be in itself a charm against magick – needles, thorns, fabric hearts, hair, nail clippings and urine. The ingredients were supposed to deflect and destroy curses that might have been cast upon the household or its inhabitants. The bottle XPVMECFTFBMFEXJUIXBYBOEIJEEFOBXBZJOUIFDIJNOFZ under the floor of the threshold or plastered inside the walls of the home to work its counter-sorcery. The inclusion of human elements was supposed to confuse any curse that might be sent from an ill wisher. The curse would misinterpret the bottle as the target of the magick, thus protecting the intended recipient from harm. The thorns, needles and other sharp ingredients would impale the magick, rendering the curse unsuccessful and in some cases reflecting JUCBDLUPUIFPSJHJOBMTFOEFS DBVTJOHUIFNUPFYQFSJFODFUIF pain and agony they had wished upon the owner of the bottle. The spell of the witch bottle would continue unless it was broken in pieces. In some anecdotal tales, the ill wisher is reported to have pleaded with the owner of the witch bottle to destroy it, suffering badly from its counter-curse that had been returned to the sender. In other accounts it was said that if the bottle had ‘caught’ a witch’s curse, it could be thrown into a Ă SFXIFSF BTJUFYQMPEFE UIFJMMXJTIFSXPVMEEJFBOEUIFTQFMM would be broken.R BOTTLED UP:8JUDI#PUUMFTPOEJTQMBZJOUIF.VTFVNPG8JUDIDSBGU BU#PTDBTUMF $PSOXBMM5IFQPQVMBS#FMMBSNJOFTUZMFCPUUMF XJUIJUTEJTUJODUJWFSFQSFTFOUBUJPOPGB CFBSEFEGBDF JTPOUIFMFGU§.VTFVNPG8JUDIDSBGU
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SPIRIT TRAP: Brightly coloured glass Witch Balls were believed to be able to lure and then imprison evil spirits. Š Jason Karl
The successful hiding of the witch bottle was an important element of the charm, and many were not discovered until the building was torn down. They XFSFPGUFOGPVOECFOFBUIUIFĂ SFQMBDF itself. The chimney was considered a vulnerable port of entry for malign influences (and even for the witch herself), and it was therefore a favourite place to hide the magick bottle. A witch bottle was uncovered in (SFFOXJDI -POEPO JO'FCSVBSZ Dating from the 17th century, it is unique JOUIBUJUSFNBJOTTFBMFE UIFĂ STUUPCF found with the contents intact. It was FYBNJOFECZ%S"MBO.BTTFZ BOPUFE FYQFSUJOUIFĂ FME XIPTBJEIFDPVMEGFFM liquid inside when he held it in his hands. WITCH BALLS A witch ball is a brightly coloured globe of glass that is believed to act as a protective charm against evil magick and ill fortune. Thought to be a corruption of ‘watch ball’ – which ‘watched’ over the house – a witch ball is hung in a dark corner where stray energies may gather or spirits may hide. Its purpose is to absorb evil and trap negative energies. Witch balls were commonplace in the 18th century, particularly in seafaring
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towns, where they were eventually TVCTUJUVUFEXJUIHMBTTĂ TIJOHĂĄPBUT UIFTF being more easily obtained. Purpose-made witch balls are traditionally coloured green or blue and are hollow. Their attractive colours and shiny surfaces were believed to act as a beacon for evil spirits, which become enchanted by the beauty of the orb and subsequently trapped inside it. Alternatively, it is said the spirits may flee in terror after catching a glimpse of their own reflection in the shiny surface. By the 19th century the practice of hanging charmed balls in the home had reached America, and these soon became a decorative feature on Christmas trees. We now know them as baubles, but they once hung atop branches to ward away disruptive spirits. WITCH POSTS The term ‘witch post’ is a relatively modern one, used to describe curious wooden timbers that were carved with arcane symbols and incorporated into the construction of old timber-framed buildings around the Yorkshire Moors in the 17th century.
‘The successful hiding of the witch bottle was an important element of the charm, and many were not discovered until the building was torn down.’
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In many cases the witch posts have been incorporated into the construction of the chimney, with the carvings facing PVUJOUPUIFSPPN*OPUIFSFYBNQMFT UIF posts have been near doorways, again facing into the room. It is suggested their magickal power was to ward away evil from the household: their positioning is testimony to this, since the chimney or doorway were both considered vulnerable parts of the home where malign forces might enter. 8JUIPOMZPOFFYDFQUJPOmJOBDPUUBHF in Rawtenstall, Lancashire – witch posts have only been found in longhouses in and around the North Yorkshire Moors. Just how many witch posts might have been destroyed during modernisation of older buildings is unknown – they may have been more widespread than is thought. The intricate carvings that decorate the witch posts incorporate many common designs, including primarily an ‘X’ and several vertical hollows into which coins or pins might be placed as offerings to a house spirit, or to placate the energies in the building. Other common shapes include a pricked heart – an ancient symbol of sympathetic protection magick – and the phases of the moon, which are deeply associated with witchcraft. One theory relating to witch posts is that they were not created by Cunning Men and Women, but by a priest named Nicholas Postgate: he would carve the
POOR PUSS: A remarkable number of mummified cats have been found in attics or behind walls throughout the British Isles as protective charms. This one is now to be seen in the Museum of Witchcraft in Cornwall. Š John Hooper/Hoopix/ Museum of Witchcraft
‘There are over a hundred examples on record of mummified cats being found in England.’
cross into the wood to act as a barrier against magickal intrusion. THE CUNNING SHOE Concealed shoes – that is, shoes intentionally hidden in wall cavities, chimneys and beneath floorboards in old buildings – are relatively common throughout England. Indeed, according UPGPMLNBHJDLFYQFSU#SJBO)PHHBSE PWFS FYBNQMFTIBWFCFFOSFDPSEFE It is important to note that in times past, shoes were a valuable commodity BTUIFZXFSFBNPOHUIFNPTUFYQFOTJWF items an average family would have to buy. It is therefore clear that by discarding them in magickal practice, belief in their effectiveness as a charm of protection must have run very deep. The local village Cunning Man or Woman would advise householders to conceal a single shoe in the fabric of a house with the intention that it would act as a magickal decoy and that any evil spirit or ill intent sent upon the family would be caught in the shoe and dispersed. This belief harks back to the end of the 13th century when the rector of North Marston, in Buckinghamshire, is reputed to have cast the Devil into a CPPU.BOZPGUIFFYBNQMFTEJTDPWFSFE in England date back centuries, but there BSFNPSFNPEFSOFYBNQMFTEBUJOHGSPN the beginning of the 20th century as well. The most recent discovery of Cunning
shoes was made at The Aspinall Arms inn in Mitton, Lancashire. A pair of ancient children’s shoes, faded by the centuries and measuring only 7.5 centimetres (3 inches) in length, were found concealed beneath floorboards in the building on July 2007. They had lain undisturbed for 300 years according to a local historian XIPFYBNJOFEUIFN BOEXFSFPOMZGPVOE because the building was undergoing renovation. The landlord stated in the local press that he would return the shoes to their hiding place, where they would continue their warding magick. While attending a witches’ Sabbat at Long Meg Stone Circle in Cumbria in 'FCSVBSZ *EJTDPWFSFEBUSFFCFEFDLFE with ribbons, money and handwritten spells. At its centre a woman’s shoe had been placed between the branches: without doubt, a modern Cunning Shoe under the protection of Long Meg. PIERCED HEART A heart pierced with pins or thorns is an ancient form of folk magick. In order to protect the home from evil, the heart of an animal, such as a sheep, would be pricked and placed in the chimney to dry out. As it shrivelled up, so would the magick that had been sent to bring harm upon the household. In itself the shape of a heart is a powerful magickal amulet denoting love and life. Modern witches use a pin cushion made of red fabric and shaped as a heart to cast spells. The magickal intention is written on the cushion with letters or symbols made of pins and placed upon the altar to charge.
CAT PROTECTION MAGICK Prior to the 18th century it was common practice to place the body of a dried cat and mouse into the roof space, wall or beneath the floor of a house in order to bring protection from rats and other vermin. The cat and mouse would be posed in a lifelike posture before being sealed up to work their magick. It has been suggested that the ‘hunting’ pose will ward off the spirits of trespassing witches’ familiars in the form of spirit cats that may try and enter the building, so this charm is thought to work on both a practical and spiritual level. 5IFSFBSFPWFSFYBNQMFTPOSFDPSE PGNVNNJĂ FEDBUTCFJOHGPVOEJO&OHMBOE "QBSUJDVMBSMZHPPEFYBNQMFDBOCFTFFO at The Red Cat Hotel, near King’s Lynn, in Norfolk, which takes its name from the feline found hidden in the building.! 5IFBCPWFJTBOFYUSBDUGSPN The Secret World of Witchcraft by Jason Karl, just published by New Holland, and priced ÂŁ14.99 (hardback). ISBN 978-1-84773-069-5
Jason Karl is the author of seven books on history and the paranormal and owner of AtmosFEAR!, described as ‘the UK’s first scare attraction company’. An actor and former co-presenter of Living TV’s Most Haunted, Jason made his TV debut aged 14 in the fondly remembered ITV fantasy game series Knightmare. Photo of Jason Š Paul Howse 2008
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SAFARI Animals too strange to be real, yet more than mere apparitions – welcome to the weird world of the Zooform.Your guide is NEIL ARNOLD.
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ooform was a word coined in the 1990s by Jonathan %PXOFT PG5IF$FOUSF'PS 'PSUFBO;PPMPHZ UPDBUFHPSJTFB selection of bizarre creatures too strange to be accepted by either zoology or cryptozoology, seemingly having more JODPNNPOXJUIPUIFSVOFYQMBJOFE NZTUFSJFTTVDIBTHIPTUTBOE6'0T 4VDIDSFBUVSFTIBECFFOVOTDJFOUJĂ DBMMZ swept under the carpet, perceived for too long as urban myths, fleeting spook TUPSJFTPSIPBYFT/FWFSUIFMFTT EFTQJUF this scepticism and neglect, even from the community of supernatural believers, such ‘monsters’ have continued to rear their ugly heads and have even made their way into the mainstream. In the United States the best known zooform creatures are Mothman, the West Virginia man-bird seen during the 1960s; the Jersey Devil which has haunted the Pine Barrens of New Jersey for more than 200 years; and UIF(PBUNBO BIPSOFEBQQBSJUJPOPG Maryland and other wooded areas. These are zooform greats, classic bogeymen that over time have embedded themselves within folklore and even been investigated from a cryptozological point of view, despite them clearly being of a non-flesh BOECMPPEOBUVSF"TFYBNQMFTPGIPX
UIFDPNQMFYXPSMEPG[PPGPSNTXPSLT UIF+FSTFZ%FWJM (PBUNBOBOE.PUINBO BSFQSJNFFYBNQMFT CFDBVTFUIFZDBO be anything from Chinese whispers to FYBHHFSBUFEGBCMFT FYBNQMFTPGGSJFOE PGBGSJFOEUBMFT DBNQà SFTUPSJFTPS semi-mythical belief. The Jersey Devil has for years been a shadowy, murky terror, said to take on the form of a small dragon-like beast, which screams through the dark woods and preys on livestock. It has been seen and heard by hundreds of witnesses over the years, even shot at, and it has left tracks in the snow. And yet despite now being a well-known modern monster, the Jersey Devil’s identity remains obscure – over the years it has been described as a winged monkey, a mystery cat, a dragon, or the child of the Devil cast into the night as cursed offspring. The majority of zooform creatures function in this way, their identity moulded by the local DPNNVOJUZTPUIBUUIFZà UJOUPUIFJSMPDBM belief system. The Mothman, which was connected to the tragedy of the Silver Bridge collapse in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, during the 1960s, took on several forms yet never really looked like a moth or a man. There were some witnesses who described it as looking like a giant owl,
‘The mysterious beasts within the zooform world are inhabitants of the place where no explorer dares to tread: the jungle of the human psyche.’
Echoes of the Bunnyman Many zooform creatures are actually born from misidentifications of natural animals, hoaxes and hysteria. One such example is the Bunnyman, said to haunt Virginia in the USA. 0SJHJOBMSFQPSUTXFSFPGBIBJSZIVNBOPJE TBJEUPLJMMMPDBMLJETXJUIBOBYF)PXFWFS JOUIF Washington Post BSPVOEJUXBTSFQPSUFE UIBUBNBOESFTTFEJOBCVOOZTVJUXBTUFSSPSJTJOH NPUPSJTUTJO'BJSGBY$PVOUZ QSPWJOHUIFSFXBTB #VOOZNBOBGUFSBMM %VFUPFYBHHFSBUJPOBOEEFWFMPQJOHGPMLMPSF UIF#VOOZNBOIBTOPXCFDPNFBOPOEFTDSJQU FOUJUZXIJDINBLFTQFSGFDUDBNQmSFGPEEFSGPS UFFOBHFSTXIPMPJUFSBSPVOE#VOOZNBO#SJEHF
MOVIE MONSTER:5IFTDBSZHJBOUSBCCJUGSPNDVMUmMN Donnie DarkoJTBOFYBNQMFPGB[PPGPSNFOUFSJOHUIF NBJOTUSFBN/PUPOMZXBTJUBOPEUP+BNFT4UFXBSUT DPTJFSCVOOZDPNQBOJPOJOHarveyCVUBMTPSFGFSFODFE UIF#VOOZNBOMFHFOEPG7JSHJOJB
.BJOJMMVTUSBUJPOCZ7JSHJM'JOMBZ§-BJM.'JOMBZ
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Strange beasts from the East Japan is particularly rich in a varied and bizarre zooform menagerie. The Tengu (ghastly birdmen) and Yokai (vague beasts said to haunt rice fields) exist alongside the Oni (bipedal horned demons) and the Gaki (goblin-like entities). 5IFXJEFS0SJFOUIPMETBWFSJUBCMFGFBTUPG DPMPVSGVMBOEBUUJNFTDPNJDBMCFBTUT SBOHJOH GSPNnZJOHWBNQJSJDIFBETUPUIF*QQPO%BUBSB B POFMFHHFE POFFZFETIBHHZTOPXCFBTU BTXFMM BTBXIPMFIPTUPGXBUFSEFNPOT UIF6NJCPV[V BOEJSPODMBXFEGPSFTUEXFMMFST UIF3BKV
‘The Jersey Devil’s identity remains obscure – it has been described as a winged monkey, a mystery cat, a dragon, or the child of the Devil cast into the night.’
WINGED THING:5IF)BJ3JZP BHJBOUCJSEXJUIB ESBHPOTIFBE JTKVTUPOF[PPGPSNUPCFGPVOEJOUIF CJ[BSSFNFOBHFSJFPGMFHFOEBSZ+BQBO
others described it as a leathery or hairy humanoid; most mentioned its eerie glowing eyes. During its sinister reign, Mothman was also connected to reports of strange aerial lights in the sky and the BQQFBSBODFPG.FO*O#MBDLà HVSFTBOE other odd individuals seen around the area of the bridge which would eventually collapse, claiming more than 40 lives. 5IF(PBUNBOIBTQMBHVFEUFFOT across the States for decades. Is it a Bigfoot relative or merely an elusive hermit inhabiting the backwoods? Have people really been attacked by a horned, TBUZSMJLFGPSNPSNFSFMZFYQFSJFODFEB QIFOPNFOPOUIFZDPVMEOPUFYQMBJO JO UVSODPOOFDUJOHUIFJSBOYJFUZUPUIFFFSJF legend of the forest dweller? Zooform creatures appear the world PWFS CVUEPUIFZTUJMMFYJTUJGOPPOFJT there to see them? Possibly not: they seem to have strong connections to the human QTZDIF BTEBSLDIJNFSBCFBTUT&YBNQMFT include the phantom hell-hounds which lurk on Britain’s mist-enshrouded lanes and the vicious Monkey Men which have terrorised India’s twilight for years, attacking sleeping victims by scratching their flesh and biting their skulls. We must also include the Chupacabra, which may seem real but is in fact a classic zooform terror, a sum of many parts: in the early days it manifested as a prowling big cat or a winged baboon, but since the mid-1990s has appeared as
QUESTING BEAST: *ONFEJFWBM3PNBODF ,JOH"SUIVSXPLFGSPNBUSPVCMFETMFFQUPTFFUIJTXFJSENPOTUFSoQBSUTFSQFOU QBSUMJPO QBSUMFPQBSEBOEQBSUEFFSoESJOLJOHGSPNBQPPMCFGPSFCBSLJOHAMJLFDPVQMFRVFTUJOHIPVOET5IF2VFTUJOH#FBTU JTBOBSDIFUZQBM[PPGPSN BOJNQPTTJCMFBOJNBMFYJTUJOHPOUIFFEHFPGDPOTDJPVTOFTT1JDUVSFCZ"VESFZ#FBSETMFZ
a levitating, greyish, bug-eyed humanoid with a feathery spine and a straw-like, blood-sucking tongue. Despite leaving the occasional footprint and hundreds of animal carcasses bereft of blood, the A(PBUTVDLFSIBTBMMUIFDIBSBDUFSJTUJDT of an ethereal spook, rather than an undiscovered cryptid. These may be the classic zooform
critters, but the lesser known are equally BTQPUFOUBOEXJEFTQSFBE'PSDFOUVSJFT many of these manifestations have shown a degree of repetition, suggesting they are similar, but evolving through time, becoming moulded to the individual’s FYQFDUBUJPOTJOSFMBUJPOUPXIBUFWFSCFMJFG system is currently in place. They are manifestations of cultural beliefs and fears.
'BDJOHQBHF‘Earth’ CZ"SDJNCPMEP
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‘Despite leaving the occasional footprint and hundreds of animal carcasses bereft of blood, the Goatsucker has all the characteristics of an ethereal spook’ 'PSDFOUVSJFT TBUZST DFOUBVST harpies, dragons, vampires and werewolves have peppered the annals of folklore. These creatures have always been with us. Zooforms haunt our roads and forests, our cemeteries and ancient burial mounds, our darkest corners and indeed our minds. They are surreal, almost psychedelic apparitions: more than mere monsters from the closet, images glimpsed in the corners of our retinas, but surely not undiscovered species. In Wisconsin, USA, the Bray Road ‘werewolf ’ has become a very formidable presence: a hairy, bipedal beast said to prowl the woodland roads of Elkhorn. It seems to have distant relatives in the UK, even though the British Isles are unlikely to be able to support a species of elusive manbeast. The werewolf tradition is strong elsewhere in Europe, especially in (FSNBOZ *UBMZ 3PNBOJBBOE'SBODF Canada and even Australia have their own legends of supernatural wolf-men, whilst Argentina has the Lobizon and other frightening, howling humanoids.
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Despite consistent reports of wolfmen and dog-men across the world, there seems little reason to believe they loiter in the woods as ‘real’ creatures. They are ethereal forms: zooforms. Most zooform humanoids – redeyed entities, winged monsters and paranormal manimals – seem to have one foot in the past and another very much in the present. Many are considered as symbolic, just like dragons, Thunderbirds and lake monsters of the past, which have represented everything from rebirth to stormy weather, fatal accidents or the election of a new president: their BSSJWBMTIFSBMEBTJHOJĂ DBOUDIBOHFPG some sort. Some appear as nightmare monsters, connected to the hours of slumber when the body rests and the mind wanders. These zooforms have been connected to the terrifying image of the ‘old hag’, a malevolent night dweller said to suck the life forces of their victims, who remain frozen to the mattress. Vampire-like creatures have also lurked in London’s Highgate Cemetery,
Animal body, human face
Those classics of the ancient world, the centaur and the satyr, are also still glimpsed today. 5BLF GPSJOTUBODF UIFDBTFPGUIF,JOHT-ZOO DFOUBVSXIJDIBQQFBSFEUPB.S,OPUUEVSJOHUIF TJO-JODPMOTIJSFBTIFXBTESJWJOHBMPOHBMPOFMZ TUSFUDIPGSPBE5IFCFBTU XIJDIIFEFTDSJCFEBT IPSTFMJLFCVUXJUIUIFGBDFPGBNBO UFSSJm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sought by cryptozoologists, who hope they are prehistoric survivors. It’s more likely that most of them are no more than the supernatural fears of locals, like so many zooform beasts. Although the jungles, skies and waterways of the world no doubt do hide a menagerie of mysterious beasts, those within the zooform world are inhabitants of the QMBDFXIFSFOPFYQMPSFSEBSFTUPUSFBE the jungle of the human psyche. The zooform critters are not animals awaiting discovery by science, nor are UIFZFYJTUJOHJOUIFSFBMNPGHIPTUMPSF or ufology: as zooforms they remain in a class of their own. And that’s why I compiled my zooforms encyclopaedia, Monster! – to give them a home.
PROWLING PLACE: #SBZ3PBE 8JTDPOTJO IBVOUPGUIFUFSSJGZJOH A#SBZ8PMG§-JOEB(PEGSFZ
‘Despite scepticism from even the community of supernatural believers, such monsters have continued to rear their ugly heads’ BTBUBMM EBSL SFEFZFEĂ HVSF JO1PSUVHBM as a white, winged, headless spectre; in South America as the blood-drinking Arrancalengus; and in Zanzibar as the bat-like Popabawa. Even dragons may still be encountered today. In 1994 a motorist driving across the Prairies of Colorado slammed on
his brakes as 15 undulating serpentine creatures glided across the road. They were around three-feet in length and USBOTQBSFOU*O4QBJO UIFSFJTBĂ SF breathing creature known as a Culebres BOEJO1BQVB/FX(VJOFBBMFBUIFSZ prehistoric flying demon called the Duah. Many of these monsters have been
SOURCES: Arnold, Neil: Monster! The A-Z Of Zooform 1IFOPNFOB $'; Bord, Janet & Colin: Alien Animals (Panther 1985); Corrales, Scott: Chupacabras & Other .ZTUFSJFT (SFFOMFBG Redfern, Nick: Man-Monkey-In Search Of the British Bigfoot $'; Internet: www.ufoinfo.com , www.cryptomundo. com , www.obakemono.com Neil Arnold was born JO,FOUJOBOE has had a passion GPSGPMLMPSFBOE DSZUQP[PPMPHZTJODF BWFSZZPVOHBHF)F XSJUFTGPSDSZQUP[PPMPHZ NBHB[JOFAnimals & MenBOESVOT,FOU#JH$BU 3FTFBSDIBUXXXLFOUCJHDBUTCMPHTQPUDPN He JTUIFBVUIPSPGMonster! The A-Z Of Zooform PhenomenaBOEUIFGPSUIDPNJOHMystery Animals Of Kent CPUIQVCMJTIFECZ$';1SFTT
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ANDY OWENS describes some of the ghosts – and other strange encounters – he discovered while researching his book ParanormalWestYorkshire.
Weirdness IN
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West
SENSE OF THE SUPERNATURAL: (IPTUTIBWFCFFOTFFO IFBSEBOETNFMMFEBU NFEJFWBM4IJCEFO)BMM )BMJGBY§.JDIBFM)BMMJXFMM
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IFO*Ă STUCFHBO research for my book, I worried that there may not be enough strange phenomena in this XFTUFSOQBSUPG:PSLTIJSFUPĂ MMBXIPMF volume. How wrong I was! I researched all manner of weirdness, from the infamous Pontefract poltergeist to the case of the Cottingley fairies; BOJOUFSWJFXXJUICJHDBUFYQFSU1BVM Westwood and investigations by paranormal group Haunted Yorkshire Psychical Research; not to mention PUIFSXPSMEMZPEEJUJFTTVDIBT6'0 sightings and alien abduction. BLUE BALL INN, SOYLAND In 1991, barman Phil Chappell told how he was enjoying a quiet drink last thing at night with the licensee of the Blue Ball: ‘I was just sitting there talking and I saw this man standing by the bar and leaning against the wall. He was balding and had a black beard, wearing an open-necked shirt and a black jacket. He just looked straight at me and smiled.’ As Mr Chappell looked on, the man just disappeared. The barman joked: ‘I just thought he could have bought me a pint while he was here!’ SHIBDEN HALL 4IJCEFO)BMM JO)BMJGBY JTBHSBOEPME mansion overlooking a beautiful public park of the same name, and dates from
1420. It is a mystery as to who or what stalks its ancient walls, though several members of staff have stated that there is EFĂ OJUFMZTPNFUIJOHUIFSF Tony Sharpe, an attendant at the hall for 26 years, said: ‘I’ve never seen any Ă HVSFT CVU*WFIFBSEWPJDFTBOE*WF heard footsteps. We smell lavender and also fresh pipe tobacco as if someone’s just lit up a pipe, at the cellar head and at the bottom of the tower as well. Then you go back and it’s gone. ‘The worst thing that happened to me was in 2007. I was opening the side gate and it was dark – about half-past-seven in the morning. I was suddenly aware of this big black shape above the left of my head. There was definitely something there. It was weird.’ BOLLING HALL, BRADFORD Bolling Hall is not only the oldest building in Bradford, it is also the most haunted. The manager Liz McIvor said: ‘We’ve had visions of everything from mediaeval ghosts up to a woman dressed in 1960s clothing. Strange things do happen and for there to have been so many people reporting seeing things for hundreds of years, it makes me think there is something in it.’ In the past, the events have proved too much for some staff. The NVTFVNXFOUUISPVHIĂ WFOJHIU watchmen in just three years! The most common ghost is that of
Yorks
Caroline Wood, who lived in the hall during the late 18th and early 19th century. She is seen throughout the house, including the room where her portrait hangs. One of those to see her is staff member Paul Hodgson. He said: ‘We had just closed up and I was doing TPNFWBDVVNJOH'PSTPNFSFBTPO* looked across the hall, where I saw a lady standing looking towards me. She was only there for about three seconds before she disappeared into the stairs but it came as quite a shock. I think (the ghosts) are watching over us to make sure the house is looked after.’ BECKFOOT LANE, BINGLEY 3PEOFZ()BMMBNIBTBMXBZTCFFOB keen walker and on this particular day, around 1990-1992, he was climbing Beckfoot Lane. He said: ‘I walked up the lane towards the stream where the road narrows, just before the old bridge, when I saw a man on horseback on the side of the road. He was 10 to 15 feet away from me, and dressed in what I would describe
The Body on the Coal Pile 0OFUIFTUSBOHFTUDBTFTGSPN8FTU :PSLTIJSFDPODFSOTUIFNZTUFSJPVTBOE IPSSJmDEFBUIPGNJOFS;JHNVOE"EBNTLJ BOEJUTPOF*IBWFCFFOSFTFBSDIJOHGPS NBOZZFBST)FEJTBQQFBSFEGSPNUIF WJMMBHFPG5JOHMFZ OFBS8BLFmFME POIJT XBZUPUIFMPDBMTIPQTPO+VOF BOEXBTOUTFFOBHBJOVOUJMIFUVSOFEVQ EFBE mWFEBZTMBUFS POUPQPGBDPBMQJMF JO5PENPSEFO BUPXOXJUIXIJDIIFIBE OPLOPXODPOOFDUJPO )JTTIJSUXBTNJTTJOH UIFCBDLPG IJTIFBEIBECFFOTIBWFE POPOFTJEF POMZ UIFSFXFSFTUSBOHFPWBMTIBQFE CVSONBSLTPOIJTOFDLBOECFMPXIJT FBS BOEBHFMIBECFFOBQQMJFEUPUIFN QSFTVNBCMZBGPSNPGPJOUNFOU XIJDI XBTMBUFSBOBMZTFECZBUPYJDPMPHJTUBOE DPVMEOPUCFJEFOUJmFE .ZJOWFTUJHBUJPOMFEUPNZBQQFBMGPS JOGPSNBUJPOWJBUIFYorkshire Evening Post and Psychic News and I was DPOUBDUFECZNBOZQFPQMFSBOHJOHGSPN UIPTFXIPLOFX.S"EBNTLJ UPQTZDIJDT BOENFEJVNTPĂżFSJOHUPIFMQNFmOE BTPMVUJPO&WFOUVBMMZ *BTLFEUSBODF NFEJVN3PZTUPO#SFF[FUPUSZUPDPOUBDU UIFTQJSJUPG.S"EBNTLJUPEJTDPWFS XIBUIBQQFOFEUPIJN"MUIPVHIUIJT SFWFBMFEOPOFXFWJEFODFPSBTPMVUJPO UIFTFTTJPOoXIJDIXBTSFDPSEFEPO UBQF XJUIUIFGVMMUSBOTDSJQUJODMVEFE JONZCPPLoSFNBJOTPOFPGUIFNPTU GBTDJOBUJOHUIJOHT*IBWFFWFSIFBSE
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Tragedy of two sisters
One of the weirdest cases I came across was a bizarre double case of spontaneous human combustion, dating from 1899. 'JWFZFBSPME"MJDF,JSCZBOEIFSGPVSZFBS PMETJTUFS"NZMJWFEJOTFQBSBUFIPVTFT BCPVU POFNJMFBQBSU EJSFDUMZPQQPTJUFFBDIPUIFS BDSPTTUIF$BMEFS7BMMFZBOEJODMFBSWJFXPG one another. 0O5IVSTEBZ +BOVBSZ .ST4BSB ,JSCZXFOUUPHFUTPNFXBUFSGSPNUIFXFMM "TTIFSFFOUFSFEUIFIPVTF TIFIFBSE TDSFBNTBOEGPVOE"NZBCMB[F.ST,JSCZUPME UIFJORVFTUA*GTIFIBEIBEQBSBÄ€OPJMUISPXO PWFSIFSTIFXPVMEOPUIBWFCVSOFEGBTUFS "OPUIFSXJUOFTTDMBJNFEUIBUnBNFTBZBSE IJHIXFSFDPNJOHGSPNUIFDIJMETIFBE*UXBT TUBUFEUIBU"NZXBTBGSBJEPGmSFBOEJOEFFE UIFSFXBTOPFWJEFODFPGNBUDIFTPSDIBSSFE QBQFS"GUFSJUXBTBMMPWFS .ST,JSCZSBOEPXO 'BMM-BOFUPJOGPSNIFSIVTCBOEPGUIFUSBHFEZ #VUIBMGXBZBDSPTTUIFWBMMFZTIFXBTNFU CZBNFTTFOHFSGSPNIFSNPUIFSJOMBX4BSBT PUIFSEBVHIUFS "MJDF IBECFFOEJTDPWFSFE BCMB[F5IFUXPXPNFOXFSFSFEVDFEUP IZTUFSJDTBOEUFBSTBTUIFZSFMBUFEUIFJSWJSUVBMMZ JEFOUJDBMTUPSJFT(SBOENPUIFS4VTBO,JSCZIBE MFGU"MJDFJOCFEXIJMFTIFWJTJUFEBOFJHICPVS 0OSFUVSOJOH TIFGPVOEUIFDIJMEAFOWFMPQFEJO nBNFTBOEBMNPTUCVSOFEUPEFBUI5IFSFXFSF OPTQFOUNBUDIFTPSCVSOUQBQFS BOEUIFmSFJO UIFHSBUFIBEOPUCFFOEJTUVSCFE 5IFUJNFCPUIUSBHFEJFTPDDVSSFEXBT FYBDUMZBN #PUIHJSMTXFSFUBLFOBXBZJOUIFTBNF IPSTFESBXOBNCVMBODFUPUIF3PZBM)BMJGBY *OmSNBSZ CVUBMMUPOPBWBJM"MJDFEJFEBUQN UIBUEBZ BOE"NZKVTUCFGPSFNJEOJHIU 5IFDPSPOFSSFGFSSFEUPUIFDJSDVNTUBODFT BTATUSBOHFBOEASFNBSLBCMFUIBUUIFDIJMESFO TIPVMECFCVSOFEBUUIFTBNFUJNF ZFUIF XBTTUJMMQSFQBSFEUPEJTNJTTJUBTOPUIJOH NPSFUIBOBATIPDLJOHDPJODJEFODF
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HAUNTED HISTORY: (IPTUTEBUJOHGSPNUISPVHIPVUUIFBHFTIBWFCFFOHMJNQTFEBU#PMMJOH)BMM #SBEGPSETPMEFTUBOENPTU IBVOUFECVJMEJOH§"OEZ&TTFY
as a Tudor costume from the period of Elizabeth I. ‘As I stared at him, I thought I had BSSJWFEPOUIFTFUPGTPNFĂ MNPS57 programme, and I looked around for the cameras, but there was no-one else there. I continued up the hill, searching in vain GPSBĂ MNVOJU CVUUIFSFXBTOPTJHOPG anyone else. ‘It suddenly began to dawn on me that I had seen a ghost. Years later, I shared UIJTFYQFSJFODFXJUIBGSJFOEXIPMJWFE in the Shipley area, who said to me: “Oh, have you seen him tooâ€??’ Priestley Centre for the Arts, Bradford *SFOF-PGUIPVTF 'VOEJOH$P ordinator, kindly invited me along for a tour of this lovely old building and Ă MMFENFJOPOUIFHIPTUMZHPJOHT POSFHVMBSMZFYQFSJFODFEIFSF The foyer is the scene of the most regularly sighted ghost: that of a tall man in a top hat and dark coat who climbs the staircase, turning left to the foyer, walking past the reception desk and straight through the closed door opposite. However, witnesses can only clearly see the top half of the man. His legs are partly missing, and the theory to account for this is that the current floor level has been raised higher than it was when this
man was still alive. Then again, maybe the reason he is legless is because the stairs lead up from the bar! Editor’s note: If you have had any strange FYQFSJFODFTJO8FTU:PSLTIJSF QMFBTFMFUVT know and we’ll pass them on to Andy Owens: editor@paranormalmagazine.co.uk The Editor, Paranormal Magazine, The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester CH4 9AJ. PHANTOM PEDESTRIAN: The ghost of a man in Tudor costume was encountered in Beckfoot Lane, Bingley. Š Andy Owens
"OEZ0XFOTIBTXSJUUFOBSUJDMFT GPSNBOZNBHB[JOFT JODMVEJOH Writers Forum, Fortean Times and Beyond. He is the author BOEDPBVUIPSPGTJYPUIFSCPPLT JODMVEJOHYorkshire Stories of the Supernatural, Haunted Places of Yorkshire and Haunted Bradford. )JTMBTUFTUCPPLJTParanormal West Yorkshire QVCMJTIFECZ 5IF)JTUPSZ1SFTT)JTOFYUUJUMF Hauntings in Northumbria, JTEVFPVUOFYUZFBS
Unearthed
The two stories reproduced here shed further light on the mystery of the Asian apemen discussed on pages 30-37. In the first account, published in November, 1900, an expedition to Borneo in 1884 is described. The expedition included among its number the famous Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Brooke, and a Captain Bywater, who had agreed to attempt to catch a ‘Man-Monkey’ for the London Zoo. In the second story, published in March 1903, the chief of a mountain tribe in South-West India relates how, as a boy, he was captured by a gang of fierce little ‘Tiger-Men’ in the Cardamom Hills. In each case, these first-hand accounts were related to an author, who has ‘written then up’. The first article is written by Percy Longhurst, the second by the Baroness Rosenburg. Both have been trimmed of unnecessary detail. EDITOR
The Hunt of the Man-Monkey All have heard of the terrible orang-outangs [sic] that are found in this and the neighbouring islands; but in the interior and the more remote parts of Borneo there exists an animal which has been seen by few Europeans.To the natives – by whom it is looked upon with terror – it is known as the Mai-as, or ‘man-monkey’.
T
his extraordinary animal is emphatically distinct from any other variety of the ape family. [It] is gifted with a really high degree of intelligence – far and away above that of the chimpanzee. Marvellous are the stories told by the natives of the intelligence, strength, and cruelty of the ‘man-monkey’; and these stories, extraordinary as they undoubtedly are, can no more be dismissed with contemptuous disbelief than can be the now-proved stories respecting the African gorilla [the lowland gorilla had been formally described decades previously, but the mountain gorilla wasn’t discovered until two years after this article was written – Ed]. As far as brain power is concerned the Mai-as is far and away in advance of any other animal, wild or domesticated, and the instances that can be cited to prove this are so extraordinary that they cannot be considered solely as a result of brute instinct, but must be elevated to the higher plane of reason. The Mai-as (amongst the natives the term ‘Mai-as’ is applied solely to the male) builds himself a house in the trees, made of boughs, interlaced and thatched with grass and bamboos, while his females sleep in the branches of neighbouring trees. His ordinary mode of progression is by means of the hind legs, the arms being seldom used for getting over the ground. In strength and bulk, although not in height, he is superior to the terrible black gorilla of central Africa, while in appearance, at a short distance, he looks like a short and very broad native, being a brownish black, and standing about 4 1/2 feet high. In the face he is far less
repulsive than his neighbour the orangoutang or the chimpanzee. No other ape possesses the marvellous muscular development of the Mai-as. His strength is tremendous, and terrible stories are told of his
extreme physical power and his fondness for making use of it. With a single jerk of one of his enormous hands he has been known to wrench, clean from its socket, the arm of some unfortunate native who had been R
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unlucky enough to get within his reach. The Mai-as is let severely alone by the natives; and even the Malays, probably the bravest race of men in the world, fight shy of attacking this terrible man-monkey, unless in overwhelming numbers and out in the open country. It is from this creature, without any doubt that the derisive name of the “wild man of Borneo� is derived. As they neared the locality wherein it was supposed was the home of the Mai-as, the Dyaks and Malays spread themselves out in advance of the party of Englishmen, beating the forest, and all the while keeping a sharp look out for the dreaded man-monkey. All moved with the greatest caution, and the keen, anxious faces of the natives showed that they considered the business in hand to be no child’s play. Presently a loud shout from one of the Dyaks brought the party up all standing, and with their fingers on the triggers of their rifles (for there was no telling how the Mai-as might resent their intrusion) the Englishmen advanced to where the native had perceived the hideous animal standing at the foot of a tree. Slowly the Mai-as began to climb the tree, in the lower boughs of which could be seen his house, constructed of thick branches cunningly interlaced [this detail is reproduced in the following account of the Tiger-People – Ed.]. Then began the trouble to induce him to descend, and if possible to drive him into the open country; for in the dense forest there was but small chance of surrounding him and taking him alive, as the Englishmen wished. Stones, clods of earth, and sticks were hurled at him, and then he leisurely descended. As his assailants hurriedly retired he reached the ground and disappeared along one of the forest paths. For hours the party followed at a respectful distance, until at last the Mai-as emerged from the forest into the open and made straight for a small pond, with the evident intention of quenching his thirst. Silently and quickly the hunters spread themselves out between the pond and the forest; and when the Mai-as, having drunk his fill, turned to go back home he saw his way barred. Then turning he made off at great speed across the open. Hard at his heels came the hunters, until the Mai-as caught sight of a solitary palm tree not a mile away. Reaching it he climbed up, in spite of the slippery trunk and the absence of branches. About 30 feet above the ground the creature
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stopped, and, holding on by his arms and legs, watched his pursuers, who, having treed their game, were now engaged in discussing how to secure it. It was suggested that the tree be cut down and the Mai-as secured as it fell, but no tools were at hand, and no one, moreover, felt at all inclined to risk a hand-to-hand encounter with the huge animal. At last it was decided that the Mai-as be induced (if possible) to descend from the tree, and then, after breaking his leg with a bullet to disable it, to attempt to stun it by a blow on the head, and while insensible to bind it with strong ropes. It was by no means a satisfactory plan, but the Englishmen were anxious to secure the brute, if possible, alive. And no other method of doing so suggested itself. This having been settled, the next move was to get the Mai-as down. There was nothing to throw at it; and, according to the natives, its strength was so great that it would be able to remain in its present position for an incalculable period. At length, tempted by a bribe of ÂŁ200, a young Malay offered to climb the tree, and by irritating the animal induce it to descend.
The brave fellow first fixed on his hands and feet coverings of hide with strong thorns fixed therein to enable him to get a hold of the slippery bark, which offered no projections or footholds whatever; and taking with him a ‘shooting-iron’, he resolutely began the ascent. This ‘shooting- iron’ is really a blowpipe, somewhat similar to that used by the Indians of the River Amazon, but having a sharp spear-head firmly fixed at one end in such a manner as not to interfere with the passage of the dart through the hollow pipe. Breathlessly the onlookers watched the young man as, foot by foot, he crept up the tree, until when within about 8 foot of the Mai-as (who so far had showed no inclination to move) he raised his weapon and prodded the animal in the leg, whereupon the huge creature retreated higher up the tree. The Malay crept after him, and repeated his spear-thrust, and again the Mai-as retreated, while the daring hunter followed him. Afraid that the tree would not bear his ponderous weight if it went any higher – it was already beginning to sway dangerously – the Mai-as stopped and,
THE HUNT
leaning down, stretched out one hand, and with a lightning-like movement grasped the iron spear-head. Then he commenced to pull, and hand over hand, hanging on solely by his muscular legs, he commenced to haul up the wretched Malay, who was powerless, the blow-pipe being attached to his wrist by a strong leather thong. Little by little the powerful brute drew up the man until, holding the blowpipe with one hand, he reached down with the other and wreathed his huge hand in the thick, luxuriant hair of the miserable native, who, paralysed by fear, could do no more than gaze at the savage face of his captor with terror-stricken eyes. Spell-bound with horror, the Englishmen below then saw the Mai-as with a single twist wrench the Malay from the tree and
OF THE
MAN-MONKEY
commenced to swing his victim backwards and forwards by the hair, chuckling all the time with fiendish satisfaction. Too fascinated with horror to use their rifles and slay the monster or else kill the man and put a merciful end to his sufferings, the hunters watched the wild man swinging the Malay faster and faster until, with an unearthly yell of devilish malignity, he hurled him down. The wretched man turned over and over as he fell, and came to the ground with a heavy thud that sent a sickening thrill through the hearts of the watchers. They rushed to the spot, but it was too late – the man was stone dead. Furious with rage one of the Englishmen raised his rifle and, hastily sighting, fired. The bullet struck the
Mai-as fairly in the ribs under the left arm, and with a cry, the brute slid to the ground, where for one brief moment he supported himself against the tree, with one hand on the wound. Then with a groan, quite human in its intensity, he pitched forward on his face, dead. It should be mentioned that the party, after the unsuccessful hunt related, relinquished the idea of securing a live specimen, and the dead body of the monkey having been skinned and the flesh removed, the skeleton was brought back to England, where it remains in the possession of the owner of the yacht who had organised the expedition. [Alas, the identity of the organiser and therefore the location of the skeleton, if it exists, remains unknown – Ed.].
The tale of the Tiger People The highest group of hills along the mountainous Malabar Coast of Southern India – the so-called high range of Travancore – is well known for its beautiful scenery and its cool and bracing climate. Now a populous planting district, it was practically unknown 40 years ago [ie in the 1860s], and quite uninhabited save for two small hill tribes and, it is said, a strange race of dwarfs, who were believed to be cannibals. Some few of these dwarfs are still supposed to live in the depths of the jungle.
C
hirringan was the chief of the principal hill tribe. He was a courteous, truthful man, very fond of going on a few days’ shooting expedition with the European, providing he knew the white sahib to be a straight shot and a good climber. Then, when resting after a long stalk, or a stiff climb after the wily ibex that frequent the higher precipices, you might get old Chirringan to accept a pull at the flask and a cigar. This he would cut up into chunks and chew. At such times, if you were lucky, you could make him talk. His stories of adventure with wild animals were many and interesting. One of the most enthralling narratives, however, was his account of how he was captured by the ‘Tiger-people’ of the Travancore jungle, and this, as told by Chirringan, I have translated into English, and will now proceed to set forth.
Long ago, when I was a young lad counting perhaps 15 monsoons, and barely topping my father’s shoulder in height, I was for the first time allowed to leave my village and accompany him on a mountain expedition. He and another man proposed climbing over a high ridge to the south of the hamlet and dropping into the low valleys beyond. There a rough camp was to be made, and they would set traps and prowl after game, whilst myself and another youngster cooked the food and collected wild honey. We set off at dawn and climbed the great ridge by noon. All the rest of the day we spent up there, watching large flocks of Ibex, and catching one in a snare for our food. That night we camped in a cave, and descended next day into the lower ranges (now called Cardamom Hills) beyond. One day the two men went off by themselves and we boys were left to go in search of
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honey alone, as we now knew something of the lay of the land around us. We set out gaily, and quickly found two honeycombs, which we ate up entirely. We then searched for two more to take back to camp. It must have been a couple of hours after noon when we discovered what looked like a large comb of honey a good way up a tree. My companion climbed up it and remained there some time while I stood below watching him. Suddenly I felt my arm grasped tightly from behind, and as I swung round alarmed I found myself firmly held by what I first took to be two large monkeys, so unlike human beings did they appear. These strange creatures at once began dragging me away from the tree, and I was quite powerless to shake off their sinewy, vice-like grip. I shouted and yelled frantically, however, and this
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attracted my companion’s attention to what was going on below. He cried out in alarm: ‘It is the dreaded pillai-mansen (tiger-men). They are taking you away to eat you! Ah, woe is me!’ This terrifying intelligence was the last I heard of my companion as I was hurried away by my fearsome-looking captors into the depths of the forest. I remembered what my father told me about these horrible hairy dwarfs who dwelt in nests up in the branches of tall trees who wore no clothing, and who seemed to converse only by signs. If ever they caught a Mudevar (hill-man) they killed and ate him, and they were in turn killed by us Mudevars whenever there was a chance. I tried to keep up my heart by the thought that my father and his friend would surely rescue me and slay my
captors, but the probability of this became more and more doubtful as we got deeper and deeper into the impenetrable jungle. For a couple of hours I must have been thus partly dragged, partly carried along, when at last halt was cried below a group of tall, straight trees. Here the dwarfs got some twisted cane and tied my two hands firmly together behind my back and fastened me thus to a tree. Then they proceeded to climb up the same tree. Above my head I espied large clusters of thatch, like huge birds nests, one or two on each of the surrounding trees wedged in between some of the stoutest branches in the trunk [not dissimilar to the mode of living of the Mai-as in the previous account – Ed.]. There were the same bundles of thatch on about half a dozen of the nearest trees. Evidently this was the aerial village of the Tiger-people, for after a while I saw some rough, hairy faces peering down at me. They were relishing, I suppose, the thought of a human repast. Presently my two captors, descending the tree again, gave a curious bird-like call; and at once, from all the nests I had noticed, dark forms began to descend. Soon I was surrounded by a curious group of men and women, all hairy and repulsive, all short, wiry, and monkey-like, peering at me with hungry, gleaming eyes through shaggy, overhanging hair matted with mud. I was almost terrified out of my wits at the sight of these weird beings, and could utter no sound, making sure each moment would be my last.
THE
Just then, however, a new group of four or five Tiger-men arrived, dragging along a slain jungle-sheep (a species of roe-deer). At sight of this the 12 or 15 people surrounding me made a wild rush at the kill and began tearing it to pieces and devouring it raw, while the men who had brought it came and examined me with grimaces of joy and pleasure. One prodded me in the ribs with a twig while another swung a strange weapon round and round his head. It was formed by a large stone fastened by long strips of twisted hide to a stout stick. This
TALE OF THE
T I G E R - PE O P L E
weapon, I understood in a flash, was to slay me, and with closed eyes I shrank back as close as I could to the tree to which I was tied, awaiting my doom. Suddenly a queer barking sound close by, repeated in quick succession, arrested the attention of those around me, and in a moment the dwarfs, seemingly much terrified, were all scurrying up their trees like a lot of hairy spiders. Then two most wonderful dogs rushed out of the forest, barked at the trees, and finally, seeing me, came and yapped round me. They were not like the one or two dogs of our
village, which have sharp upstanding ears and pointed noses. These dogs had broad, thick heads and loose, flapping ears, and their strong, square build and strange shape filled me with fear and amazement, and I expected to be attacked by them each moment. Alas! I seemed to be falling out of one peril into one another! I was so lost in fear and apprehension at the sight of these strange animals that I did not notice the approach of a still more startling wonder. But a shrill whistle and a few short words of command suddenly called away my new enemies, and I saw before me two beings such as I had never dreamt of. They were clothed in all sorts of strange garments, and even their feet were clothed and shod – and their faces and hands were white! One of them had keen, piercing eyes the colour of the sky and hair the colour of flame. Was I already dead, and were these spirits? Not long they stood and looked; then they exchanged a few remarks, and one of them laughed as they looked up at the nests of the Tiger-men above our heads. Then I understood that these also were men. Presently one of them carefully laid down what I now know to have been his rifle, and came and set me free. Following a natural impulse I fell at his feet, but he patted me kindly on my shoulder, and the touch of his hand was warm, and I saw that both these men were friendly and good. They spent some time at this spot peering up at the queer huts high above us, but not a sign of life was to be seen there; the frightened Tiger-people kept close inside their nests. [Chirringan ultimately guides the Englishmen to his father’s camp and friendly relations begin between them and his tribe].
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
HOW MUCH DOES A SPIRIT WEIGH? Editor RICHARD HOLLAND revisits the work of a pioneer in paranormal research who decided to bring weights and measures to the spirit world.
T
here have been many attempts to investigate the supernatural scientifically. In the 1870s, one Colonel Olcott became involved in the activities of two famous mediums, the Eddy brothers. Horatio and William Eddy worked a smallholding near Rutland, in the state of Vermont. They were described as looking ‘more like hard-working rough farmers than prophets or priests of a new dispensation’ but the many manifestations that took place at their rough-and-ready farmhouse grabbed the attention of the big American newspapers. In the summer of 1874, Colonel Olcott was sent to report on the Eddys by the Daily Graphic of New York. According to Arthur Conan Doyle, in his History of Spiritualism (1926), Olcott was ‘a man of clear brain and outstanding ability [who] approached his task rather in the spirit of an exposer’. Nevertheless, after spending ten weeks with his surly hosts (he learned to thoroughly dislike them), he ultimately believed wholeheartedly in their mediumistic powers. He decided to probe the spirit world scientifically. The Eddys carried out their sĂŠances in a cabinet – not uncommon in those days – so Olcott draped it in fine GHOSTLY GRIP: 5IFIBOEPGBOBMMFHFETQJSJUUVHTPOB TQSJOHCBMBODFJOPOFPG$PMPOFM0MDPUUTFYQFSJNFOUT
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SCRUTINY: 4QJSJUIBOETXBWF XSJUFBOEUXBOHNVTJDBMJOTUSVNFOUT GSPNCFIJOEBDVSUBJOBTNFEJVN)PSBUJP&EEZTPXOIBOETBSFIFMEBOE JOWFTUJHBUPS$PMPOFM0MDPUUSFDPSETUIFFWFOUTGPSQPTUFSJUZ
mosquito mesh. Nevertheless, he was still able to report seeing ‘no fewer than four hundred apparitions appear out of this cabinet, of all sorts, sizes, sexes and races, clad in the most marvelous garments, babies in arms, Indian warriors, gentlemen in evening dress, a Kurd with a nine-foot lance, squaws who smoked tobacco, ladies in fine costumes’. On one occasion, the practically minded Olcott sat on the medium to make sure he didn’t get up and move about or change into costumes. On another he went to the trouble of measuring one ‘child’ who materialised: she was two feet four in height. He made ‘Honto’, one of William Eddy’s controls who frequently manifested, stand on a scales so he could weigh her and prove she wasn’t Eddy in drag: her weight was found to vary
during the evening, at 88, 58 and 65 lb, compared to Eddy’s 179 lb. Encouraged by this, Olcott also prepared two spring balances and tested the pulling power of ‘spirit hands’ which were in the habit of appearing from behind a curtain. A left hand pulled with a force of 40 lb., and a right hand with 50. Despite all the evidence he gathered to his own satisfaction, Olcott was fair minded enough to admit that, in the absence of proper scientific test conditions, the existence of the spirit forms had to remain ‘not proven’. Today we may feel he was the victim of the sort of amateur dramatics and trickery that overshadowed Victorian spiritualism but as a pioneer of scientific questioning of the paranormal, Colonel Olcott deserves our admiration. @
Investigation 1"35o*/7&45*("5*/(5)&1"3"/03."-"4$*&/5*'*$163104& A series of ten monthly articles has been prepared to introduce Paranormal MagazineSFBEFSTUPUIFSBUJPOBMBOETDJFOUJà D XPSMEPGJOWFTUJHBUJOHQBSBOPSNBMQIFOPNFOB'PSZFBST OBUJPOBMFEVDBUJPOBMDIBSJUZUIF"TTPDJBUJPOGPSUIF4DJFOUJà D Study of Anomalous Phenomena has been training Approved *OWFTUJHBUPSTJOUIFTDJFOUJà DBQQSPBDIUPQBSBOPSNBMSFTFBSDI This series will provide a bite-size introduction to some of the topics taught at ASSAP’s annual Training Weekends. 8FPQFOXJUIFYQMPSJOHKVTUXIBUBQBSBOPSNBMJOWFTUJHBUPSJT BOEXIFUIFSUIFSFDBOSFBMMZCFBTDJFOUJà DQVSQPTFVOEFSMZJOH the search for answers.
T
he primary passion of most investigators in the 21st century is the haunting: ghost hunting has become a mass participation sport. One speaker at the recent Society for Psychical Research conference estimated there to be a staggering 1,400 investigation groups today – up from a couple of hundred in the previous decade. Investigation groups come in all shapes and sizes but most are not DPNQBUJCMFXJUIBTDJFOUJĂ DBQQSPBDI Some groups comprise just spiritualists, or have a mainly spiritualist bent (sometimes literally, when the cutlery comes out). The great, unspoken truth among investigators is that spiritualism is an organised religion. As such, spiritualism is driven by faith and the assumption of an afterlife. It is generally recognised that a faith-based approach does not lend itself to good science. /FYUXFIBWFUIFUISJMMTFFLFST These may be enthused individuals land to sit, again in the dark, trying to see a who have watched a little too much ‘ghost’. Rational enquiry rarely results from reality TV and decided to talk to the such endeavours, and the upshot is often landlord of the local pub to let them disturbingly unethical. sit in the bar, in the dark of course, What remains is often the more after openings hours. Then there are serious-minded investigator, striving for the illegal trespassers, breaking into solid evidence in a responsible manner. private property and over private 6OGPSUVOBUFMZ JOUIJTVOSFHVMBUFEĂ FMEB lack of guidance leaves many sinking in the PHOTO STUDY:*OWFTUJHBUPSTMFBSOJOHUPBOBMZTF quagmire of pseudo-science. The sad result QIPUPHSBQITBUBO"44"1BÄ€MJBUFUSBJOJOHTFTTJPOŠ ASSAP is that investigators – relative to their sheer RVBOUJUZmIBWFDPOUSJCVUFEMJUUMFUPUIFĂ FME of anomalous studies. But with direction mTVDIBTUIBU"44"1FYJTUTUPQSPWJEFmJU is possible to investigate spontaneous cases JOBTDJFOUJĂ DBOEFUIJDBMXBZ BOENBLFB contribution to this worthy area of enquiry. Buy your copy of Paranormal MagazineOFYU month to start the journey of becoming a rational paranormal investigator. @
â€œâ€Śspiritualism is driven by faith and the assumption of an afterlife. It is generally recognised that a faithbased approach does not lend itself to good science.â€?
Dave WoodJT$IBJSNBOPGUIFOBUJPOBMFEVDBUJPOBOESFTFBSDIDIBSJUZUIFAssociation for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) BTXFMMBTPGSFHJPOBMJOWFTUJHBUJPOHSPVQParanormal Site Investigators (PSI)"44"1XBTFTUBCMJTIFEJO UPTDJFOUJmDBMMZJOWFTUJHBUFTUSBOHFIBQQFOJOHT
TRAINING GROUND:"44"1NFNCFSTBUUIF"44"1 5SBJOJOH8FFLFOEBU#FBVNBOPS -FJDFTUFSTIJSF MFBSOJOHUIF TLJMMTOFFEFEUPCFDPNF"QQSPWFE*OWFTUJHBUPST§"44"1
Who are ASSAP? The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) is a national education charity founded in 1981.'PVOEJOH NFNCFSTJODMVEFEXFMMLOPXOBVUIPST)JMBSZ &WBOTBOE+FOOZ3BOEMFTBTXFMMBT#PC3JDLBSE %S 7FSOPO)BSSJTPOBOE%S)VHI1JODPUU QSFWJPVTMZ TFDSFUBSZBOEUSFBTVSFSPGUIF4PDJFUZGPS1TZDIJDBM 3FTFBSDI Äœ"44"1T1SFTJEFOUJT-JPOFM'BOUIPSQF QSFWJPVT1SFTJEFOUXBT.JDIBFM#FOUJOF "44"1JTPOFPGPOMZUISFFMPOHTUBOEJOH OBUJPOBMQTZDIJDBMSFTFBSDIPSHBOJTBUJPOTo UIFPUIFSTCFJOHUIF4PDJFUZGPS1TZDIJDBM 3FTFBSDIBOEUIF(IPTU$MVCoBOEJTUIFPOMZ POFUPQSPWJEFBOBUJPOBMUSBJOJOHQSPHSBNNF GPSAQBSBOPSNBMJOWFTUJHBUPSTÄœ5SBJOJOHGPS JOWFTUJHBUPSTJTEFMJWFSFECZRVBMJmFEUSBJOFST BOEJTCBTFEPOEFDBEFTPGBDDVNVMBUFESFTFBSDI CZTPNFPGUIFUPQSFTFBSDIFSTJOUIFmFME "44"1SFTFBSDIFTQIFOPNFOBJODMVEJOH IPVTFTBMMFHFEMZIBVOUFE SFQPSUTPG6'0T BOPNBMPVTQIPUPHSBQIT BVUPNBUJDXSJUJOH DSPQ DJSDMFT IZQOPUJDSFHSFTTJPO OVNFSPMPHZ PVU PGCPEZFYQFSJFODFT TUSFFUMJHIUJOUFSGFSFODF SFNPUFWJFXJOHBOEESFBNT BNPOHNBOZPUIFST "44"1ÄœNBJOUBJOTBOFUXPSLPGJOWFTUJHBUPST UPMPPLJOUPOFXDBTFTBTUIFZBSJTF*UBMTP QSPNPUFTBOEVOEFSUBLFTTZTUFNBUJDSFTFBSDI JOUPWBSJPVTBOPNBMPVTQIFOPNFOB3FTVMUT BSFQVCMJTIFEJOBNBHB[JOF ASSAP News and BSFTFBSDIKPVSOBM Anomaly"44"1TXFCTJUF DPOUBJOTNBOZBSUJDMFT JODMVEJOHQBTUDBTFT BEWJDFGPSSFTFBSDIFSTBOETQFDJBMTFDUJPOTPO WJHJMFRVJQNFOUBOEBOPNBMPVTQIPUPTÄœ "44"1XFMDPNFTBEJWFSTFNFNCFSTIJQoGSPN BSNDIBJSFOUIVTJBTUTUPBDUJWFJOWFTUJHBUPSTUP 6OJWFSTJUZBDBEFNJDToJODMVEJOHQFPQMFGSPN EJĂżFSFOUMFWFMTPGPQFONJOEFEOFTT CFMJFG BOEDZOJDJTN BMMSFMZJOHPOTDJFOUJmDFWJEFODF UPEFDJEFPOUIFUSVFOBUVSFPGUIFBOPNBMPVT phenomena it studies. 'PSNPSFJOGPSNBUJPO WJTJUXXXBTTBQPSH
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
sightings UFOs
LUCKY CIRCLES: On "VHVTUUIFth oUIF MVDLJFTUEBZPGUIFZFBS BDDPSEJOHUPUIF$IJOFTFo FJHIUDSPQDJSDMFTBQQFBSFE JO8JMUTIJSF4JODFUIF FJHIUDJSDMFTBQQFBSFEPOUIF FJHIUIEBZPGUIFFJHIUINPOUI PGUIFFJHIUIZFBSPGUIFTUDFOUVSZ JU NVTUNFBOTPNFUIJOH TWO DOZEN:4FWFSBM6'0TJHIUJOHTIBWF CFFOSFQPSUFEUIJTZFBSJO8BMFTBOEUIFMBUFTU DPNFTGSPN+BOF6TIFS XIPUPPLTFWFSBM QIPUPHSBQITXIJMFTJUUJOHJOIFSHBSEFOJO 1FODPFE #SJEHFOE4IFSFQPSUFEUPWales on Sunday:A*XBTXJUINZIVTCBOE BVOUBOE VODMFXIFO*TQPUUFEBCSJHIUPSBOHFMJHIU DPNJOHPWFSUIFUSFFT5XPNPSFDBNFTJEFCZ TJEF GPMMPXFECZNBOZNPSFo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mSTUCBUXJOHFEPCKFDU SPACE SHOPPERS: A UFO was seen over the 1VSMFZ$SPTT5FTDPTUPSF $SPZEPO PO"VHVTU BUBNCZMBUFOJHIUTIPQQFS4JE0%SJTDPMM XIPTBJEA*UXBTWFSZXFJSE*UXBTUIFNPTU CFBVUJGVMHSFFOBOEXIJUFMJHIU NPWJOHRVJUF GBTU UIFOTUPQQJOH*UIBEUPCFNFDIBOJDBM MJLFBTQBDFTIJQ CFDBVTFJUTMPXFEEPXO BOETUPQQFE*UXBTOUNBLJOHBOZOPJTF*U EJTBQQFBSFEJOBnBTI FLASHING LIGHTS:JOUIFTLJFTBCPWF UIFHMPSJPVTMZOBNFE.ZUIPMNSPZEJO8FTU :PSLTIJSFJOUSJHVFEXJUOFTTFTUISPVHIPVU "VHVTU.BSLBOE.BOEZ+Fÿ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Have you had a Sighting?1MFBTFMFUVTLOPXJGZPVIBWFTFFOBHIPTU 6'0 NZTUFSZCFBTUPSBOZUIJOHFMTFTUSBOHFBOEJOFYQMJDBCMF4FOEUIFEFUBJMTPGZPVS TJHIUJOHUPeditor@paranormalmagazine.co.uk
HPJOHUPCFEBOEDBMMFEIFSNPUIFSPWFSA*U XBTUPXBSETUIF4ISFXTCVSZBOE4IBXCVSZ BSFB TBJE8BOEBA*UXBTEFmOJUFMZTPNFUIJOH PVUPGUIFPSEJOBSZ*UXBTIVHF KVTUMJLFB EPNF BOEXBTSFnFDUJOH5IFMJHIUXBTPVUPG UIJTXPSME5IFMJHIUXBTUIFCSJHIUFTU*IBWF FWFSTFFOJONZMJGF*UXBTKVTUVOCFMJFWBCMF TERRITORY INVADED: $PVME"VTUSBMJBT /PSUIFSO5FSSJUPSZCFVOEFSBUUBDLGSPNBO BSNBEBPG6'0T BTLTUIFNorthern Territory News"QQBSFOUMZ UIFQBQFSIBTCFFO JOVOEBUFEXJUISFBEFSTTJHIUJOHTPG6'0T XIJDISBOHFGSPNEBSLEJTLTnZJOHJOCSPBE EBZMJHIUUPTUSBOHFMJHIUTHMPXJOHJOUIFOJHIU TLZ"OPCKFDUANJMFTBOENJMFTBXBZBOEBT CJHBTBGPPUCBMMBQQFBSFEPOBQIPUPHSBQI UBLFOCZ3PHFS1FSOFSBU1PMJDFNBOT1PJOU POUIF7JDUPSJB3JWFSCVUJUXBTJOWJTJCMFUP UIFOBLFEFZFA*UXBTOUUIFSFXIFO*UPPL UIFDBNFSBBXBZGSPNNZFZFCVUJUXBT UIFSFXIFO*UPPLUIFQIPUP TBJE.S1FSOFS 4UFQIFO+POFT PG"MJDF4QSJOHT TBXTUSBOHF MJHIUTJOUIFTLZOFBS#BOLB#BOLB BOE"MBO 'FSHVTPOATUSBOHFnZJOHPCKFDUTBCPWFIJT IPNFBU"DBDJB)JMMT,FJUI%PVHMBT XIP SVOT6'03FTFBSDI"MJDF4QSJOHTTBZTUIF /PSUIFSO5FSSJUPSZIBTCFFOB6'0IPUTQPU GPSEFDBEFTCVUJUTPOMZSFDFOUMZSFTJEFOUT IBWFUBLFOBOZOPUJDFPGUIFNA1FPQMFBSF WFSZIFBETEPXO BSTFVQ BOEJHOPSFXIBUJT HPJOHPO IFTBJE CANADIAN HOTSPOTS: #SJBO7JLF EJSFDUPS PG)#$$6'03FTFBSDI TUBUFTPOUIF American ChronicleXFCTJUFUIBUUIFUPUBM OVNCFSPGSFQPSUFETJHIUJOHTGSPN$BOBEB TPGBSGPSJTDBTFT"MUIPVHINBOZ PGUIFTJHIUJOHTXFSFFYQMBJOBCMF 7JLFTBZT AUIFSFXFSFTPNFSFBMMZBNB[JOHDBTFTGPS XIJDIOPBOTXFSTDPVMECFGPVOE0OFPG UIFTFUPPLQMBDFCFUXFFO)PVTUPOBOE#VSOT -BLF #SJUJTI$PMVNCJB PO"VHVTU XIFSF AUXPNFOXFSFTUPQQFECZB6'0XIJDIXBT IPWFSJOHJOGSPOUPGUIFJSWFIJDMF OPUPODF CVUUXJDFPOUIFTBNFFWFOJOH0O"VHVTU BU6ODIB-BLF TPVUIPG#VSOT-BLF TFWFSBM FZFXJUOFTTFTXBUDIFEABMBSHFQMBUGPSNXJUI UXPDJSDMVMBSPCKFDUTBUUBDIFEUPJUnPBUJOH ESJGUJOHBDSPTTUIFFWFOJOHTLZ JUXBT FTUJNBUFEUPCFUPGFFUJOMFOHUI SUPER COLOURS:"XJUOFTTSFGFSSJOHUP IJNTFMGBTAB[QJUCVMMQPTUFEBWJEFPUPThe American Chronicle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GHOSTS
IN THE LIMELIGHT: 0OBSFDFOUWJTJU to his home town PG)VMM DPOUSJCVUPS .BSL'SBTFSBOEIJT XJGF"OOJFQPQQFE JOUPUIF-JNFMJHIUQVCMJD IPVTF XIJDIJTJOUIFPME QBSUPGUIFUPXO BMPOH"MGSFE(FMEFS4USFFU 8IJMFUIFSFUIFZIFBSEUIFTUBÿUBMLJOHBCPVU TPNFPEEHPJOHTPOXIJDIIBENBEFTPNF PGUIFNOFSWPVTBCPVUXPSLJOHUIFSFBMPOF 6OLOPXOmHVSFTIBWFCFFOTFFOJOUIFQVC BGUFSDMPTJOHIPVST QVNQTBSFUVSOFEPOBOE Pÿ EJTFNCPEJFEWPJDFTIBWFCFFOIFBSE BOEB$$57DBNFSBSFDPSEFEXIBUBQQFBST UPCFBCBMMPPOFNFSHJOHPVUPGBXBMMBOE nPBUJOHBDSPTTUPUIFMBOEMPSETIBOET.PTU GSJHIUFOJOHPGBMMJTUIFTQFDUSFPGBIBOHFE NBOTFFOCZTFWFSBMXJUOFTTFTJOUIFDFMMBST GHOSTLY GENTS: 5IFZFBSPME4XBO *OOJO#VSOMFZ -BODBTIJSF IBTBMTPCFFO FYQFSJFODJOHTPNFTUSBOHFHPJOHTPOPGMBUF "MUIPVHIMBOEMPSE$SBJH4NJUIIBTOFWFSTFFO BHIPTU DMFBOFSTIBWFSFQPSUFETFWFSBMUJNFT UIBUUIFZIBWFTFFOmHVSFTFOUFSJOHUIFNFOT UPJMFUT BMUIPVHI VQPOJOWFTUJHBUJPO OPPOF JTGPVOE"QSFWJPVTMBOEMPSEDBMMFEJOBQSJFTU
UPFYPSDJTFUIF4U+BNFT4USFFUQSFNJTFT XIJDI EVSJOHJUTMPOHIJTUPSZIBTCFFOBGBSNIPVTF B UFNQPSBSZDPVSUSPPNBOEBNPSHVF PAWTUCKET MILL: 4UPSJFTIBWFFNFSHFEGSPN thDFOUVSZ4MBUFS.JMMJO1BXUVDLFU 3IPEF *TMBOE PGNPUJPOEFUFDUPSTFDVSJUZDBNFSBTCFJOH TFUPÿGPSOPBQQBSFOUSFBTPO FFSJFNVSNVSTBOE XIJTQFST BOEBTDSFBNIFBSECZBUMFBTUUISFF QFPQMFGSPNBOFNQUZDPSOFSPGUIFCVJMEJOH*O BEEJUJPO BXBJUSFTTXPSLJOHJOUIFSFTUBVSBOU TBZTTIFXBTQVTIFEPWFSGSPNCFIJOE POMZUP mOEUIFSFXBT JOGBDU OPPOFCFIJOEIFS
CREATURES
FLYINGDALE FELID: 5IF#JH$BUTJO#SJUBJO PSHBOJ[BUJPOIBT SFDFJWFESFQPSUT EVSJOHUIFNPOUI PG"VHVTU5IFNPTU JOUFSFTUJOHBDDPVOUDBNF GSPNUIF3ZFEBMFEJTUSJDUPG /PSUI:PSLTIJSF"MBSHF TBOEZ DPMPVSFE SJOHUBJMFEDBUXBTQIPUPHSBQIFE CZIPMJEBZNBLFS+PZDF)BOOBNBU3PTFEBMF "CCFZ"TVTVBM UIFSFJTOPTDBMFJOUIF QJDUVSF BOEJEFOUJmDBUJPOJTJNQPTTJCMF5IJT QJDUVSFXBTUBLFOOFBSUPUIF'MZJOHEBMFT3"' CBTF XIFSFJUJTBMMFHFEUIBUBMBSHFDBUXBT LOPDLFEPWFSBOELJMMFECZBO.0%CVT LION SCARE:1PMJDFSFDFJWFESFQPSUTPGBMJPO CFJOHTQPUUFEJO$BWFIJMM1BSL BTIPSUEJTUBODF GSPN#FMGBTU;PP"IFMJDPQUFSTDPVSFEUIF BSFBGSPNUIFBJSBOEPĀDFSTXFSFEFQMPZFE POUIFHSPVOE"MUIPVHIUIF[PPXBTBCMFUP BDDPVOUGPSBMMJUTMJPOT BQPMJDFTQPLFTNBO TBJEA8FBSFUBLJOHUIJTTFSJPVTMZ UIFSFIBWF CFFOBTUSJOHPGDBMMTBCPVUTJHIUJOHT5IF OFYUEBZ "VHVTU JUXBTBOOPVODFEUIBU UIFZEDBMMFEPÿUIFIVOUCFDBVTFJUUVOFEPVU UPCFABCJHTUSBZEPHoCVUOPQJDUVSFPGUIF EPHXBTQSPEVDFEBOETUSBZEPHTBSFUIF"#$ FRVJWBMFOUPGAXFBUIFSCBMMPPOT TPUIBUNBZ OPUCFUIFFOEPGUIFNBUUFS BIGFOOT/CAT: 5IF$BOOPDL$IBTF#JHGPPU XIJDIPOBUMFBTUPOFPDDBTJPOBQQFBSTUP IBWFCFFOTPNFPOFJOBHPSJMMBTVJU NBZ BDUVBMMZCFBCJHDBU BDDPSEJOHUP%FSFL $SBXMFZ DIBJSNBOPGUIF4UBÿPSETIJSF.BNNBM (SPVQ.S$SBXMFZTBJESBNCMFSTPWFSUIF GPSFTUMBOEDPVMEIBWFTQJFEBCJHDBUMPVOHJOH JOUIFUSFFTBOENJTUBLFOMZUBLFOCSBODIFTGPS arms. Paranormal MagazineSFHVMBSDPOUSJCVUPS /JDL3FEGFSOBHSFFEXJUI.S$SBXMFZUIBUUIF ACMB[JOHFZFTPGUIFDSFBUVSFDPVMEIBWFCFFO UIFSFnFDUJWFFZFTPGBDBU NESSIE:%BWJEBOE(SBIBN(BSTJEFSFMFBTFE GPPUBHFJO"VHVTUPGXIBUUIFZTBZJTB EJOPTBVSMJLFDSFBUVSFJOUIFMPDI5IFZ UIPVHIUBUmSTUUIFZXFSFMPPLJOHBUBCPBU VOUJMUIFZTBXBADSPDPEJMFTCBDLPSTPNFUIJOH TJNJMBS%JDL3BZOPS POFPGUIFPSJHJOBM NFNCFSTPGUIF-PDI/FTT*OWFTUJHBUJPO #VSFBV SFDFOUMZMPTUBXJMEMJGFXFCDBNOFBS UIFTIPSFTPGUIFMPDI-PPLBTIFNBZ IF DPVMEOPUMPDBUFUIFFRVJQNFOU4FWFSBMEBZT MBUFSIFSFUVSOFEUPUIFBSFBBOESFQPSUFEA* XFOUCBDLUPUIFDBNFSBMPDBUJPOUPEBZBSNFE XJUINZMBUFNPUIFSTXBMLJOHTUJDL BOE IPMEJOHJUMPPTFMZ *KVTUXFOUXIFSFJUQPJOUFEĜ
*FOEFEVQJOĜBHSFBUUIJDLFUPGCSBDLFOBOE GPVOEUIFDBNFSBĜBCPVUGFFUGSPNXIFSF *IBEJOTUBMMFEJU*UXBTTUJMMXPSLJOH CBUUFSZMJGFSFNBJOJOH BOEXIJMFJUIBTDMJQT PGEFFS QJOFNBSUFOTBOEBCBEHFS UIFSFJT OPUIJOHSFDPSEFEBSPVOEUIFUJNFPGJUTMJUUMF KPVSOFZJOMBUF+VMZ*IBWFUSJFEEPXTJOHJOUIF QBTUXJUIOPSFTVMUCVUUIJTXBTNPSFTVCUMF *OUFSFTUJOHFYQFSJFODF LAKE MONSTER: 5IFTFSQFOUJOFDSFBUVSF CFMJFWFEUPMJWFJO4XFEFOT(SFBU-BLFNBZ IBWFCFFODBVHIUPOmMNTFFQBHFGPSNPSF RIVER MONSTER:0WFSPOUIF3JWFS.FEXBZ JO3PDIFTUFSB/FTTJFMJLFDSFBUVSFXBTTQPUUFE 0OFXJUOFTTTBJEJUXBTBCPVUGUMPOH BOE DPMPVSFEEBSLCSPXOBOENPUUMFEHSFZ JERSEY DEVIL:5IJTZFBSBMPOF BDDPSEJOH UPA5IF%FWJM)VOUFSTJOUFSWJFXFEJOUIF New York Times UIFSFIBWFCFFOBUMFBTU QPTTJCMFFODPVOUFSTPGUIF+FSTFZ%FWJM JODMVEJOHBIPSTFMJLFDSFBUVSFnZJOHPWFS +BDLTPOBOEBTISJFLJOH XJOHFEBOJNBMQFSDIFE POBDIJDLFODPPQJO&MEPSB/PUMPOHBHPB XPNBOSFQPSUFETFFJOHABWFSZMBSHFDSFBUVSF XJUISFEPSBOHFFZFTnZJOHPVUPGUIFXPPET BMPOHUIF(BSEFO4UBUF1BSLXBZJO4FBWJMMF SOURCES: American Chronicle; Big Cats in Britain – www. bigcatsinbritain.org; The Burnley Citizen; CBS Broadcasts; croydontoday.co.uk; Cryptomundo. com; DesMoinesRegister.com; Gazette & Herald, Yorkshire; Halifax & Calderdale Courier; Medway Messenger; New York Times; news. au.com; Northern Territories news; Pawtuckett Times; Press Association; Dick Raynor – www. lochnessinvestigation.com; The Royston Crow; Shropshire Star; Daily Telegraph; ufodigest. com; Wales on Sunday; Western Telegraph. With thanks to MARK FRASER of Big Cats in Britain for supplying big chunks of this round-up.
‘It looked down towards us, then it walked across the road ahead of us about 250 meters away.’
Four witnesses to sasquatch sighting In August, a ‘pitch-black, sleek, hairy, approximately 8-and-ahalf foot sasquatch’, was seen by motorists on a lonely road in British Columbia. %BMF5PNQLJOT PG"OmFME UPMEUIF Bugle-Observer newspaper about UIFTJHIUJOHOFBS4LJÿ-BLF :PSL $PVOUZ)FTBJEJUUPPLQMBDFTIPSUMZ BGUFSQNPO"VHVTUXIFOIF BOEIJTXJGF7BMFSJFXFSFIFBEJOH IPNFGSPNBWJTJUXJUIGSJFOETBU 4FDPOE&FM3JWFS-BLF A8FXFSFBIBMGUPUISFFRVBSUFST PGBNJMFGSPNUIF4LJÿ-BLFTJHOJOB EFOTFMZXPPEFEBSFBXIFOXFDBNF BSPVOEBUVSOBOETBXBIVHFmHVSF POUIFFEHFPGUIFSPBE 5PNQLJOT TBJEA*UMPPLFEEPXOUPXBSETVT UIFO JUXBMLFEBDSPTTUIFSPBEBIFBEPGVT BCPVUNFUFSTBXBZ 5PNQLJOTTBJEUIFSFXBTOP NJTUBLJOHUIFJEFOUJUZPGUIFDSFBUVSF A8FPXOIVOUJOHBOEmTIJOHDBNQT BOEJOUIFMBTUZFBSTIBWFCSPVHIU JOBOEXFJHIFEPWFSCFBST BOE *IBWFTFFOPSMJWFPOFT TP* LOPXBCFBSXIFO*TFFPOF*LOPX BCFBSDBOTUBOEPOJUTIJOEMFHTBOE NPWFBSPVOE CVUBCFBSDBOUXBMLPO UXPMFHTUIFXBZUIJTIVNBOMJLFGPSN EJE*UDSPTTFEUIFSPBEJOUISFFPSGPVS MPOHTUFQT TXJOHJOHJUTMPOHBSNTMJLF BIVNBO 5PNQLJOTFTUJNBUFEUIF SPBENFBTVSFEGFFUBDSPTT
5IF5PNQLJOTQVMMFEVQBOE nBHHFEEPXOUIFWFIJDMFUIBU had been on the road behind him. 5IFESJWFSBOEIJTQBTTFOHFS XIP XFSFTUSBOHFSTUPUIF5PNQLJOT DPOmSNFEUIBUUIFZIBEBMTPTFFO UIFTBTRVBUDI A5IFZXFSFBTFYDJUFEBTXF XFSF TBJE7BMFSJF5PNQLJOT XIP UPPLUIFJSOBNFT5IFDPVQMF SFRVFTUFEBOPOZNJUZCVUUPMEUIF Bugle-ObserverA*LOPXXIBUXF TBXBOE*EPOUDBSFJGQFPQMF CFMJFWFVTPSOPU5IFSFBSFGPVS PGVTXIPXJUOFTTFEUIFTBNF UIJOHTPXIZXPVMEXFKVTU NBLFTPNFUIJOHMJLFUIBU VQ #VUXFEPOUXBOUUP CFJOWPMWFEJOXIBUXF GFFMQFPQMFXJMMPOMZUIJOLPG BTBIPBY A*GJUXBTKVTUTPNFPOF ESFTTFEVQ UIFZTVSFEJEB HPPEKPC TBJE7BMFSJFA8F CFMJFWFXFTBX#JHGPPU [SOURCE:7JDUPSJB4UBS $BOBEB 4FQU>
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Do you have a story to share? Here at Paranormal, we are always interested to hear of our readers’ true life experiences of the supernatural. Email your story to: editor@ paranormalmagazine.co.uk or write to The Editor, Paranormal Magazine. Jazz Publishing,The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester CH4 9AJ.
: bs Or just a load of balls? Nothing splits the paranormal community like the validity or otherwise of Orbs. The UK-based PARA.SCIENCE team are at the forefront of paranormal research and were among the first investigators to notice Orbs on their new digital cameras back in the 1990s. Hopes were high that they were manifestations of unexplained phenomena: but thorough research has led them to believe that Orbs are, in fact, entirely explainable. Do you agree with their findings?
T
he revolution in digital imaging has brought about another far more intriguing revolution within the field of paranormal research and investigation. Since the mid 1990’s, there has been a huge increase in the number of digital cameras sold and a range of Nightshot night vision video cameras developed by Sony. Paranormal investigators using these new tools started to notice a phenomenon almost unknown on images taken on film cameras and conventionally lit video footage: they christened this new phenomenon the ‘Orb’. Literally thousands of orb photographs and videos exist. Many paranormal investigators claim
they are ‘The first stage of a ghost manifestation’. Others believe they are images of the spirits themselves and that faces are visible within them. It is even said Orbs exhibit intelligence and that they have been captured moving in a controlled manner. Para.Science has also observed and recorded these photographic and video anomalies and has extensively studied the phenomena in order to try and understand exactly what it is they represent. Are they the ghostly forms of the dead revealed with the help of modern technology? Or are they something mundane but nonetheless intriguing? As a result of careful research and R has been possible to solve experimentation it
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BER 2008 gazine www.paranormalmagazine.co.uk
members, who were standing near the door. The light went between them to avoid them. If a spot of dust or insect has a brain or is intelligent FOPVHIUPEPUIJT UIFOà OF CVUBMM our group think not. Yes, dust etc is seen but there is something that is still around us and XFCFMJFWFTQJSJUTà OEJUWFSZIBSE to communicate as it is, so using MJHIUTJTUIFà STUFBTZTUFQGPSUIFN to take. I would also like to add that we have had lights that seemed to touch one of our members on command, all on DVD. There’s still a lot we don’t know or understand happening in the world but I believe sooner rather than later, as we get more and more investigations happening and better equipment, we will get some proof, KVTUBT(IPTUIVOUFSTJO"NFSJDB have with their thermal camera and EVP captures. Erica Gregory, on behalf of the Worsley Paranormal Group, via email.
Orbs on command
Guiding light
We are a paranormal group from Worsley and we are emailing SFHBSEJOHUIFBSUJDMFBCPVUPSCTBOEUIF1BSB4DJFODFà OEJOH 5PBEFHSFFXFXPVMEBHSFFXJUITPNFPGUIFJSà OEJOHT0SCT as dust and moisture are quite common on photos but we have DVD and camera footage of lights which appear on command and when asked a question. We did an investigation at Worsley Old Hall in Worsley, Manchester. We seemed to contact a spirit which was either IVSUPSLJMMFEJOBà SFUIFSFJO"MUIPVHIJUJTWFSZIBSEUP à OEBOZEFUBJMFEJOGPSNBUJPOBCPVUXIBUIBQQFOFE UIFSFJTB small amount of detail in a local newspaper from 1835. We still IBWFOPOBNF POMZ'SBOLPS(FPSHF 8FEJEBOFYQFSJNFOUVTJOHBGPHNBDIJOFJOBDPSSJEPS where there seems to be a lot of activity. I asked whether the spirit was bothered by the fog as it was like smoke and, if it was upset, could it come towards me? On command there is a light ball which comes from the end of the corridor toward me holding the camera. Then we asked could he let us know if he wanted us to stop – and the smoke alarms went off. Also, on the same night in another room, one of the members UIPVHIUUIFZTBXBà HVSFOFBSBEPPSXBZBTUIPVHIXBUDIJOH our group asking questions. We invited the spirit in, and a light ball or orb came into the room and went in between two of our
I enjoyed reading the article on orbs, and thank you for it. I know, of course, scientists will always try to prove these objects EPOUFYJTUBOEDBOBMXBZTCFMPHJDBMMZFYQMBJOFE They’re right, of course, to believe but we also have the right to our beliefs without what I think is quite a harsh word ‘debunking’. And a strong spiritual person will always hopefully defend them. As to my story I have to tell: I hope it is read with the good intent that it is written as it was one of the most beautiful feelings and sights I have ever witnessed. *UXBTEVSJOHUIFGVOFSBMPGNZDPVTJOXIPĂ OBMMZQBTTFE after a long, harrowing illness. Everyone else was watching the DPGĂ OPSMPPLJOHBUUIFĂĄPPSBTQFPQMFVTVBMMZEPMPTUJOUIFJS own thoughts and feelings. Something made me look up to see a small orb coming down and guiding a much larger orb upwards. The smaller orb may well have been his brother, who passed into spirit aged 14. Ann Bell, via email In fairness, we should point out that the word ‘debunked’ featured on our front cover last month but was not used by Para.Science, and that the article was strictly about orbs caught on camera; the authors stressed that strange lights seen with the naked eye were still of potential interest to paranormal investigators. - Editor
“On command there is a light ball which comes from the end of the corridor toward me holding the camera.�
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street with blue sparks coming out of it. I learnt later that one of those forks had caused quite a lot of damage to a house. On another occasion in Broughton, I was in the middle of a tremendous hailstorm, with hailstones coming down the size of golf balls. The same thing happened when I was on holiday JO4QBJO BOEUIBUXBTJO0DUPCFSXIFOZPVXPVMEOUFYQFDU something like that. Lillian Dutton, Broughton, near Chester
My mate’s ghosts
Great ball of fire
This horrible weather we’ve been having reminded me of an incident which took place some years ago, when I was a girl of 19. In those days I was living in Latchford, near Warrington, and worked for Richmond’s, a local company that manufactured gas ovens. It was the end of July, 1938: I’ll never forget the date, partly CFDBVTFUIF'BDUPSZ"DUIBEKVTUDPNFJO XIJDINFBOUUIBU all factory workers like me were now entitled to one whole week’s paid holiday. My friend Edna had recently been made a secretary, a good promotion for her, and she had spent quite a lot of her improved wage on new clothes, looking forward to her OFXBOOVBMIPMJEBZ XIJDITIFXBTHPJOHUPUBLFJO'SBODF I lived close enough to home to pop back for lunch, and so did my father. It was very heavy weather and starting to rain when we were both ready to set off back to work. Suddenly, my father and I heard a tremendous noise, far louder than a normal thunderclap, and there was a flash of light across the entire sky. Then the rain came down in torrents: it was terrible, like a tornado. Edna arrived back at work late and looking as white as a ghost. We asked her what on earth was the matter and she said: ‘Oh, I’ve lost all my beautiful holiday clothes.’ "UUIFTBNFUJNF*IFBSEUIBUCBOH BĂ SFCBMMIBEDPNFEPXO poor Edna’s chimney, burning everything in its path. It rolled down the stairs on to the landing, where Edna’s father had set up a kind of makeshift wardrobe, a rail behind a pair of curtains. 5IFĂ SFCBMMEFTUSPZFEUIFDBSQFU UIFDVSUBJOTBOEBMMIFSDMPUIFT then rolled out of the front door. I should say, it was tradition in those days to open all the doors and windows if you thought a thunderstorm was coming on, and Edna’s mother had done this. 5IJTXBTKVTUBTXFMM PSUIFĂ SFCBMMNJHIUIBWFFYQMPEFE "QQBSFOUMZ MPUTPGQFPQMFJOUIFTUSFFUTBXUIFĂ SFCBMMDPNJOH out of Edna’s front door, and they ran away at the sight of it. Edna said it was like a big ‘flaming sun’, with lots of little flames coming out of it. The heat from it had been so intense that it cracked the glass in the windows and the staircase had to be checked to make sure it was safe, because the wood had been so badly burned. The cheerful end to the story is that Edna’s boss felt so sorry for her that he got out his chequebook, took her down town and CPVHIUCBDLGPSIFSBMMUIFPVUĂ UTUIBUIBECFFOEFTUSPZFE Sometimes I think I must attract these things because many years later, here in Broughton, I happened to catch sight of a spectacular burst of forked lightning, that snaked down the
I thought you might be interested in this record of two ghosts seen many years ago by my old friend, John Bleasdale, in Lancaster. +PIOUPMENFUIFAMBEZĂ STUBQQFBSFEDPNQMFUFXJUIIFSIFBE and was wearing either a mob cap or a ‘coal-scuttle’ bonnet, I think the latter because John could see her hair, black and shiny (greasy, perhaps?) parted down the middle. After a while, her face changed to a greenish phosphorescent swirling mist and when this cleared, she was standing there minus her head! 5IFPUIFSHIPTUBQQFBSFEĂ STUBTBMVNJOPVTCBMMOFBSBXBMM where it then took the form of a monk dressed in a white habit, cowled and tied with a white rope with several knots in it. He wore brown sandles and was very luminous. John spoke to at least two other people who had seen this ghost, including a woman who thought it was a woman in a XIJUFESFTTmCVUXIBUIFTBXXBTEFĂ OJUFMZBNPOL Dennis Parkin (on behalf of John Bleasdale), Morceambe SKETCHED OUT: +PIO#MFBTEBMFTBOOPUBUFETLFUDI PGUIFUXPBQQBSJUJPOTIFTBXJOUIFT
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strange goings-on Paranormal Magazine XJMMCFQMFBTFEUPSFDFJWFOFXTWJBFNBJMGSPNBOZTPDJFUZJOUIFQBSBOPSNBMDPNNVOJUZ1MFBTFLFFQZPVSSFQPSUTCSJFGBOEUPUIFQPJOU OPNPSF UIBOXPSET :PVNBZBMTPBUUBDIBQJDUVSFJGJUTQBSUJDVMBSMZHPPE8JUIBOZMVDLXFMMmOESPPNGPSJU1MFBTFTFOEZPVSOFXTUPJOGP!QBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVL
Clubs
Big Cats in Britain Big Cats in Britain are looking for locations to set up webcams in order for internet users to become big cat spotters in the comfort of their own homes. At present we have one location in Gloucestershire, near Thistledown, and a possible location in Fife where we plan to install cameras shortly. It is hoped that BCIB can set up a network of such cameras across the British Isles, including the Irish Republic. Hard evidence for big cats is rare: the webcams are just another way of trying to secure the evidence. The cameras are motion censored, and there will be facilities to take a photograph of any animal seen. Results will be displayed on the website, and all evidence gathered will be on display at our annual conference in March, which this year will be held in Teesside. If you have private land, with a secure place to set up a camera we urge you to get in touch. Location of cameras on your land will not be divulged if that is your wish. Please get in touch through our website: www.bigcatsinbritain.org Mark Fraser, Founder Birmingham UFO Group The Birmingham UFO Group (BUFOG) began back in November 2007. We are a thriving UFO research group specifically dedicated to the investigation of sightings in and around the Birmingham area. The group has been formed to bring together people interested in the subject, and all are welcome whether or not they live in Birmingham. Our members are kept fully up-to-date with information through our dedicated website and forum. We hold regular meetings to discuss the latest sightings and reports, and our numbers continue to grow. At many of the meetings we have lectures from renowned UFO researchers. So far these have included Philip Mantle, Kevin Goodman and Terry Walters. We aim to become one of the most recognised and established groups on the subject in the UK.  Even if you don’t live anywhere near Birmingham, you are still free to become a member. Whether you already have an interest in UFOs and aliens, or are just keen to learn more on the subject, you are most welcome. Also if you have had any sighting you’d like to report, you can do so via our hotline. Visit our website www.bufog.org to learn more about us. Dave Hodrien, BUFOG Investigator ! Ghost Finder (UK and Germany) Ghost Finder paranormal society was founded in the UK and in Germany, with Barri Ghai and Ian Wilce aiming to start a site that investigates the paranormal scientifically. The team uses a variety of equipment to try and capture evidence of the paranormal, whilst ensuring a professional approach. We have done two recent cases: a private residence and Stockwell spiritualist church, where we were invited by the medium we have used for private home clearance after
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completion of the scientific investigation. Our next three cases will be Hell Fire Caves in West Wycombe, where small groups of the public will join us for a short investigation, then the team will be doing a lights out investigation of the caves. We are also going to Leyland in Lancaster at the invite of a local paper to investigate a shop with paranormal activity, including apparitions. The final one is the Falstaff Experience in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which apparently is one of the most haunted in Stratford and we will be doing an investigation overnight. Check our website for evidence from our locations already investigated and locations already in the pipeline. We’re always looking for new locations to investigate. www.ghostfinder.co.uk L Chalmers, Organiser Luton Paranormal Society At the beginning of August a dedicated team of LPS members travelled down to Wormley Wood, which is situated a few miles South East of Hatfield. Records for this ancient woodland date back as far as the 6th century. Spirits are said to wander the woods but nobody knows why. Remains of Danish soldiers have been found near the River Lea in the area where they are said to have fought in battle. LPS visited the site, completing a 3.3km circuit in an effort to discover if it is the lost souls of the Danish soldiers who have been seen wandering the woods. During this investigation only one vigil was held but this didn’t stop them experiencing some strange phenomena here. One member saw a figure on the path up ahead of them as they stopped to hold a sĂŠance near to the area of Nut Wood. Other members saw red ‘hazes’ and white lights throughout the time spent in the woods. One member experienced someone walking past him at the half-way point. The possibility of it being an LPS member was ruled out due to positioning and the member who experienced it has made some logical possibilities. The sighting was quite detailed and it remains unexplained. The names ‘Thomas’ and ‘Silverwood’ were picked up and a strange voice that was thought to have said ‘Everybody’ was heard during the vigil. Full report available at www.lutonparanormal.com Stephanie Lawn, Organiser Scope Paranormal Formed in November, 2007, we use scientific methods on our investigations. It’s been a busy few months, being inundated as we have, with alleged UFO phenomena, some of the most interesting being a ‘bat-winged’ UFO sighting in Royston, Herts, and a number of sightings in the Dunstable, St Albans and the Bedfordshire area, which are being followed up. One of our larger, ongoing investigations is at Garrison Manor, Watford, which has yielded some very interesting results. We were able to determine that at one area previously thought to be ‘active’, the phenomena were due to unusually high EMF’s centred around an electrical junction box, creating a ‘fear cage’ in that area. However, other equipment picked up a huge electrical disturbance as all the lights went out.
Our electronics expert Nigel Brockwell has been hard at work designing new equipment, firstly the creation of ‘Skully’, a double-axis EMF detector, designed to indicate a verbal yes/no response from an alleged spirit, and secondly, an attempt to identify an alleged UFO by analysing modulated light and translating it into sound. We continue to investigate a wide range of alleged paranormal phenomena as scientifically and professionally as possible, updating our knowledge base on a regular basis. To learn more about us contact: www.scope-paranormal.com Sharon Chesterman, team member Soul Seekers We are a group of five ghost hunters who have been investigating the paranormal since 2003. We utilise a mix of spiritualistic and scientific methods to our investigations. Sarah Jane, our psychic, is our early-warning system to spirits around us. We then attempt to verify what she senses with the use of high-tech equipment. We have been filming our investigations and they have been offered online as downloadable mobisodes. We have also just released our second DVD, which is available directly from us and they will soon be released on Amazon.com and other major online retailers. We have also just launched our own internet radio station Soulseekers Supernatural Radio, with live interviews every Saturday night from 10pmmidnight (London GMT). For more information, visit: www.soulseekers.org.uk Gil Martin, team member West Midlands Ghost Club The W.M.G.C. was initially founded in August 1989 – then working under the title of ‘West Midlands Friends of the Paranormal’ – later adopting our more familiar title in 1991. Our investigations are purposefully carried out in a purely ‘objective’, no-nonsense manner, casting off all of the unnecessary blatant chicanery, ‘New Age’ bunkum and pseudoscientific trappings that appear to have become the trade mark of the late 20th / early 21st century investigator. We are outspoken in our stance against blindly adhering to cultural / social beliefs within the so-called paranormal community.  While group membership consists of a necessary mix of both sceptic and believer, the club strives to adopt an impartial and passive standpoint for the sake of ‘true’ investigation.  The W.M.G.C. does not run to a biased agenda: we have no interest in either proving the existence of the paranormal, or disproving it.  The group does not endorse the use of psychic / mediumistic types in research situations, nor do we make false claims in professing to be able to alter a haunted situation in any way, shape or form.  We are not interested in attempting to falsely prove that we have any form of insider knowledge or special powers.  Over the years, group members have investigated many – allegedly haunted – sites around the Midlands area, including Warwick Castle (as an independent concern), Belgrave Hall in Leicestershire, Wolverhampton Civic Hall and The Great Hall at Birmingham University.Â
Events
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Our most recent event, at the time of writing, is a visit to the network of canal tunnels and caverns that cuts through Castle Hill in Dudley. For more information, visit www.westmidlandsghostclub.com. Nick Duffy, founder member Worsley Paranormal Group We are a group of approximately 25 members from Worsley, in Manchester, and have been together about four years since September. We did our first investigation at Ordsall Hall in Salford around this time. Since then we have investigated Ordsall twice, Golden Fleece in York three times, Smithills Hall, Bolton, Worsley Old Hall three times and the Vaults at Edinburgh. Our most recent was an old Royal Ordnance Factory in Eccles. We set out to try and see if there was any truth in the paranormal after most of the members in our group had had unexplained things which had happened to them. You don’t expect to catch something at every place you visit, but we seem to have done so at all the places we have visited, including EVPs (which to me is more than proof); people being touched; lights filmed on camcorders and cameras; unexplained smells; and some have seen full figures, including one that two of us saw at Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh, which we reported to the guide. It was that real we thought it was a worker but there was no on else in the close but the tour. We will be going back to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Hallowe’en, as we did seem to contact an ex-worker from the old kitchens after we got the smell of lemons and pies in an old area. We only found out after the night that it was used as a kitchen up until the 1980s. Our website is up and running soon (www.paraworsley. awardspace.com/Biography.htm), so be sure to check it out for photos etc of our investigations. Erica and Paul Gregory, Organisers
Capital fun for ghost hunters For the first time England’s capital is to enjoy its own Ghost Festival. London Paranormal has organised a wide range of events throughout the city in the run-up to Hallowe’en this year. The festival will kick off at the notorious London Dungeon, with a horror-themed fancy dress ghost hunt on Friday, October 24. There will then follow a packed programme of ghost investigations, ghost walks, lunchtime talks and more specialised spooky events. Festival organiser Ian John Shillito said: ‘London Paranormal has been planning this for a couple of years. London is reputed to be the most haunted city in the world and from my own experience, I can say those claims aren’t exaggerated. ‘China has its own ghost festival and Mexico celebrates El DĂa de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), but our equivalent in the UK, Hallowe’en, has become watered down over the years. We thought it would be wonderful to illustrate London’s macabre past and ghost-lore by holding something really special.’ London Paranormal has joined forces with many museums, tourist attractions and haunted locations in order to present a schedule which should certainly prove entertaining and maybe even a little scary. Venues include the Normansfield Hospital Theatre, Highgate Village (famous for its cemetery – and its vampires!), the Dickens Museum, the Ragged School Museum, Smithfields Market and the haunted Islington canal tunnel. Celebrity clairvoyant Johnnie Fiori, from Living With The Dead, leads a ghost hunt in the Viaduct Inn, Holborn, where a ghost was once photographed in the cellar (see page 50). ‘With the continual rise of paranormal TV and media, we thought we could offer a different kind of festival to London and her tourists,’ said Ian John Shillito, who has appeared on Living TV’s Most Haunted and is the author of Haunted West End Theatres, published by The History Press. ‘The London Ghost Festival offers a variety of fun-packed spooky events for the ghost fan. The tourist industry has yet to tap into paranormal London, apart from a few ghost walks and the occasional talk, so the city’s ghosts remain hidden. We plan to change that.’ The London Ghost Festival starts on Friday, October 24 and finishes on Saturday, November 1. For more information visit www. londonparanormal.com; email: londonparanormal@ gmail.com; or phone 0798 2230208.
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Haunted library Damien O’Dell will be talking about the forthcoming investigation of Letchworth Library, Hertfordshire, by his team APIS, in the library’s Lecture Hall at 2.30pm on Saturday, October 11. Tickets will be available by calling the library on 01438 737333.
 Oxford Castle Ghost Fest The Oxford Castle Unlocked visitor attraction has announced this year’s dates for its nine-day Oxford Castle Ghost Fest. The festival will run from October 17 to 25. The festival is organised by Fright Nights and will include vigils and investigations in the 11th century castle, plus tours, psychic workshops, witchcraft conferences, appearances by wellknown figures like Richard Felix, and two events described in turn as ‘a psychic stand-up comedy show’ and a ‘Derren Brown-style magic’ show. For further information visit www.frightnights. co.uk or call 0114 251 3232.
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NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
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Reviews
Dr Shuker has become Britain’s best-known cryptozoologist, his many books and articles – including those in Paranormal – on mystery beasts has earned him a loyal following. The Casebook continues a series of collections of previously printed articles from disparate sources but what sets it apart is that in this volume Dr Shuker casts his keen eye over paranormal subjects beyond the realm of cryptozoology. Here we find Dr Shuker writing about ghosts – of the most bizarre kind. The Green Children of Woolpit come under his notice, as do spooklights, fish falls, mermaids, UFOs and miracles. The good doctor even strays into pure historical research – in a discussion on three early kings of Britain – and we are treated to a chapter of Fortean-inspired travelogue. Cryptozoology is still prominent, of course. For example, chapters are devoted to cats with wings and that staple of ancient romance, the unicorn. An investigation into the mysterious animals of West Africa is a particular highlight. Weird humanoids feature strongly throughout the book and include ‘Men in Scales’ and the creepy ‘Mummies from Space’.
The Casebook closes with one of the best chapters, a piece that provides a fascinating crossover of cryptozoology with ufology by discussing the possibility that UFOs are actually huge, luminous creatures floating about in the upper atmosphere: ‘She claimed that the stratosphere is inhabited by enormous glowing organisms resembling gigantic bladders of colloidal silicones. Composed principally of pure energy but containing a central core of tenuous matter, they feed upon energy to sustain their luminous shape-shifting bodies.’ Ulp! Dr Shuker’s Casebook offers over 300 pages packed with paranormal goodness, all presented with the author’s trademark blend of enthusiasm, imagination and scientific common sense. 8FIBWFBTJHOFEDPQZPGDr Shuker’s Casebook UPHJWFBXBZ'PSBDIBODF PGXJOOJOHJU TFOEUIFDPSSFDUBOTXFSUPUIFGPMMPXJOHRVFTUJPO POBQPTUDBSEUPBook Competition, The Editor, Paranormal Magazine, Jazz Publishing, The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester CH4 9AJ QMFBTFEPOUGPSHFUUPJODMVEF ZPVQPTUBMBEESFTTBOEBDPOUBDUQIPOFOVNCFS Question: 8IPXSPUFCPUIUIFDMBTTJDDSZQUP[PPMPHJDBMOPWFMThe Lost World and The Horror of the Heights BTUPSZBCPVUNPOTUFST MJWJOHJOUIFVQQFSBUNPTQIFSF
COMPETITION
Oops! Apologies to last week’s reviewed authors: the Paranormal gremlin presented their books with the incorrect covers. Just for the record, this is how they should have looked.
5IF4FDSFU8PSME PG8JUDIDSBGU Author: Jason Karl Publisher: New Holland Price: ÂŁ14.99 (Hardback)
Although you won’t learn any secrets from Jason Karl’s latest offering – that’s a word publishers love to shove in titles – what you will gain is an informed, balanced and thoroughly readable overview of witchcraft in the world today. Unlike many other writers, Karl – apparently, a devotee of ‘the Craft’ himself – makes a clear distinction between witchcraft per se and the modern religion of Wicca. His summary of witchcraft through the ages is well handled and will bear revisiting. The Secret World serves as an excellent introduction to the practice and beliefs of modern witchcraft. It is packed with information on spells, rituals, the Wiccan calendar, gods and goddesses and the influences of ancient religions from all over the world. Handsomely presented, this good value hardback will make a great gift for anyone showing an interest in the fastest growing religion in the Western world.
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Author: Merrily Harpur Publisher: Roving Press Price: ÂŁ4.99 (Paperback) If you needed any fresh evidence that the British Isles are simply stuffed with strangeness, the next few books will certainly convince you. First up, a book devoted to big cat sightings in just one modestsized English county – and it’s packed with them. Harpur runs the Dorset Big Cats organisation, and has collected hundreds of reports over the past few years. Here they all are, presented in a gazetteer of locations. Panthers, pumas, lynxes and maybe even lions and tigers have all been glimpsed by credible witnesses in delightful Dorset. The density of accounts is almost overwhelming and begs the question – if Dorset has this many big cats on the loose, how many exist in wilder parts of the UK? Harpur tackles questions of this sort in a useful end chapter on ‘Current Theories’. An essential purchase for big cat lovers.
Haunted Theatres PG&BTU4VTTFY
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It would be hard to imagine a narrower field of study than Haunted Theatres of East Sussex but Lakin has found plenty of little known spooks to keep the reader happy. Theatres, like inns, are attractive haunts for ghosts, as well as attractive structures in their own right. Lakin devotes a fair amount of space to setting the scene with the history of this long-established holiday coast’s performance palaces and showcases interesting archive photos of those long gone. Some of the ghosts haunt unlikely spots once occupied by a theatre. The ghosts themselves include actors and singers, unlucky holidaymakers and a tragic member of a freak show, murdered by hooligans. Eerie but beautiful lights are seen to dance out at sea; big band sounds of the fun-filled past are still to be heard; even the smell of spectral beer can be detected. A slim volume but enough gems to make it worthwhile.
Another regional ghost guide, this time from one of England’s wildest and most romantic counties. Twenty of Northumberland’s most haunted locations feature here. As you might expect, these include plenty of castles and manor houses steeped in bloody history. Many of the ghosts, too, are pleasingly gothic. Nine-foot tall skeletons, medieval torturers, blue-skinned dwarves, Vikings, radiant boys, and locked rooms containing mysterious, murderous somethings – all are grist to local author Kirkup’s entertaining mill. There are thoroughly up-todate spooks, too, including the ghost of a tragic woman who still peers in through people’s windows and a detailed report of a busy poltergeist in a hotel. Attractively illustrated and with handy fact-panels about the various haunted locations, Ghostly Northumberland will encourage all ghost fans to take a trip to this fascinating region.
Author: Tina Lakin Publisher: The History Press Price: ÂŁ9.99 (Paperback)
Author: Rob Kirkup Publisher: The History Press Price: ÂŁ12.99 (Paperback)
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
DVD Reviews
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Certificate: Starring: 3IPOB.JUSB .BMDPMN.D%PXFMM Directed by:/FJM.BSTIBMM Reviewed by: Tom Leins Price: b
3
0 years ago a deadly plague known as The Reaper decimated Scotland, killing hundreds of thousands in its wake. When the virus re-emerges in London a crack team of operatives, led by Major Eden Sinclair, is sent into a ravaged, post-apocalyptic Scotland in search of a cure‌ After the cult successes of Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2005), director Neil Marshall has emerged as the dark horse of UK cinema. Britain has produced some highly idiosyncratic filmmaking talents over the years, but Marshall is easily one of the most unique. Favouring horrific, stylised thrillers over the gritty realist dramas that his fellow Brits are so fond of, Marshall has carved himself quite a reputation, and it was only a
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matter of time before someone gave him a big enough wad of cash to indulge his disturbing movie fantasies to the hilt! Some film buffs have been understandably agitated by Doomsday’s thrall to its forebears,
“Some film buffs have been understandably agitated by Doomsday’s thrall to its forebears, and the trail of references is plain for all to see.� and the trail of references is plain for all to see. With elements filched liberally from Mad Max (x3), Aliens, Escape From New York and even latter-day post-apocalyptic franchises like Resident Evil and 28 Days Later, Doomsday does feel fairly stale at times, but it generally pushes the right buttons. With a bit more humour to leaven the bone-crunching thrills and more detailed characterisation in some quarters, Doomsday could have got away with such shameless pilfering, but as it is the film fades away dramatically in the second half, losing serious momentum with a downright daft medieval segment featuring Malcolm McDowell. Topped off with an uninspiring ending that seems designed to usher in a sequel, you have a weirdly insubstantial end product.
Outpost
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Certificate: Director: 4UFWF#BSLFS Reviewed By: Tom Leins Price: b Described by the producers as “Platoon meets The Sixth Sense� (but bearing more than a passing resemblance to the cult Korean wartime thriller R-Point (2004)), Outpost follows a team of mercenaries who are hired by a businessman to guide him to a subterranean Nazi experimentation chamber deep in the wilderness of Eastern Europe. With hazy ideas of Nazi occultism and re-animation simmering beneath the surface, Outpost has a reassuring twisted undercurrent. Ray Stevenson (star of the upcoming Punisher: War Zone) leads the line up as seen-it-all-before mercenary D.C., and his motley crew is made up of a posse of relatively untried TV actors. A sequel, Outpost 2: Red Zone, is already in the works, so check this out now before the ‘franchise’ spirals out of control!
Certificate: Reviewed By:+PSEBO#SPXO Price: b Embarking on a trip of a lifetime, John and Peter head to Delos, where robots help them experience the Wild West as it truly was. When the droids’ safety features turn off and they begin hunting the pair, the situation becomes a little too close to the real thing. Even though James Brolin and Richard Benjamin shine as the two friends embarking on a vacation of a lifetime, it’s Yul Brynner’s turn as the unstoppable, bloodthirsty cyborg gunslinger that has ensured the movie is a cult classic. Playing the character with animalistic, relentless menace, it’s reminiscent of Robert Patrick’s turn in T2. As for the film’s effects, they’re still impressive today.
Certificate: Director: 4UFWF.JOFS Reviewed By: Tom Leins Price: b George Romero’s original Day Of The Dead has divided horror fans since its original release in 1985, but its muted response looks positively friendly when compared to the savage mauling that this hopeless remake received! Scripted by Final Destination’s Jeffrey Reddick and directed by Steve Miner (the man responsible for a handful of Friday The 13th movies and the respectable Halloween H20), Day Of The Dead could have been a functional if unoriginal horror yarn. Instead it is baffling and boring in equal measure, with only a loose resemblance to Romero’s original. With agile Spiderman-style zombies and even a friendly vegetarian zombie in the mix, this film will almost certainly irritate purists.
Certificate: Director: +VMJBO%PZMF Reviewed By: +PSEBO#SPXO Price: b At Cambridge University, a state-of-the-art virtual reality suit has been developed. Using the machine for his own evil means, occultist Victor Neumann uploads Aleister Crowley’s black magic into the suit. When the shy Professor Haddo uses the device, he’s possessed by Crowley, who sets about returning to his wicked ways. A tongue in cheek blend of science, sex and the supernatural, Chemical Wedding is a bold and entirely bizarre tale. As daft and amusing as it is creepy, the film’s magnetism lies solely in the hands of Simon Callow. Playing the sordid, sleazy Crowley with utter relish, Callow spits out every single syllable with potent venom.
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Certificate: Reviewed By: Tom Leins Price: b 4DPSF Photographer Ben and his new wife Jane are en route to a lucrative fashion assignment in Tokyo when they run over a strange girl, who promptly disappears as swiftly as she materialized. Ben’s snapshots soon become plagued by ghostly images of the dead girl as she bids for revenge. The appeal of ropey J-Horror remakes has been wearing thin for a while now, so it is a relief to find Shutter taking its source material from a Thai movie instead. Unfortunately, most of the chills ‘n’ spills have still been lost in translation and the movie isn’t a patch on the disturbing original. Despite some effectively queasy moments, Shutter never quite manages to send a chill down your spine.
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Certificate: Director: David Moreau, 9BWJFS1BMVE Reviewed By: Tom Leins Price: b Sydney (Jessica Alba) is a blind musician who gets given a sightsaving cornea transplant. Whereas this procedure should have been a cause for celebration, it turns out to be a veritable nightmare as Sydney inherits the horrific visions that plagued the previous owner – a Mexican psychic. The ‘substandard Asian horror remake’ is fast becoming a tiresome clichĂŠ. Predictably enough, this lightweight remake of the disturbing Pang Brothers’ 2002 chiller can’t replicate the success of the original and feels just as redundant as the rest of its ilk. If you’re after glossy, throwaway horror, The Eye will do the trick. If you’re hoping for something genuinely sinister, invest in a copy of the original instead.
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Certificate: Director: &SJD7BMMFUUF Reviewed By: 5JN*TBBD Price: b A group of young people’s lives are thrown into turmoil when they start receiving voicemail messages from themselves in the future, apparently at the moment of their death. Det. Andrews is on the case to try and figure out what creepy things are going on. The script seems to have been dumbed down to get a US PG-13 rating, meaning the horror is rather sanitised, and your brain is likely to have been so numbed from the bland, overworked dialogue, any lingering attempts to create suspense fall completely flat. It says something when the best thing about a film is the poster, and seeing as that’s not even on the DVD cover, there’s little left to recommend.
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Certificate: PG Director: .JDIBFM"OEFSTPO Reviewed By: Tom Leins Price: b In the 23rd Century, resources are at an all time low, and the population is kept at a manageable level by Sandmen, who ‘terminate’ anyone who reaches the ripe old age of 30. However, when Sandman Logan 5 approaches 30, he decides to make a break for it and escape from society’s murderous age restraints. Logan’s Run has long topped fans lists of cinematic classics they want to see on DVD. Unfortunately, after all this time, the whole fandango now looks decidedly long in the tooth‌ Although Michael York’s anti-ageist rebellion is still a fascinating premise, the film’s ponderous tone is seriously undermined by the ultrakitsch style, which now seems hammier than ever.
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t’s been 21 long, gruelling years since the world was first teased about a sequel to Joel Schumacher’s classic vamp hit, The Lost Boys. Despite fans lingering on the fact that David doesn’t disintegrate upon death at the end of the first film and Schumacher’s eagerness to direct The Lost Girls, years went by without a peep regarding a follow-up. That was until last year. After two decades, it was revealed that we’d finally get the sequel to the cult smash. What’s more, it was also announced that Corey Feldman would be reprising his role as bloodsucker bashing hero Edgar Frog. While it’s safe to say that The Tribe was never going to live up to the hype, it’s equally true that we shouldn’t have got a movie quite as bad as this is. Moving the action from Santa Carla to the equally menacing Luna Bay, Lost Boys 2 follows Michael and Star’s offspring as they adjust to life in the wake of their parents’ death. Annoyed at having nothing to do in the lifeless township, they go to a party where daughter Nicole gets turned into a vampire. Angered at the prospect of losing his sister as well, Chris turns to Edgar Frog for
help in bringing the vamps down. In short, it’s exactly the same as the first film, only without the interesting characters, great gags and sound performances.
“While it’s safe to say that The Tribe was never going to live up to the hype, it’s equally true that we shouldn’t have got a movie quite as bad as this is.� Unfortunately, and rather annoyingly for those who already own the original, Lost Boys 2: The Tribe isn’t available on DVD separately, so you’ll have to get the double pack that includes a vanilla version of the first film. Still, at least that way you’re guaranteed to get one good film, and the price isn’t bad either way.
NOVEMBER 2008 //// XXXQBSBOPSNBMNBHB[JOFDPVLParanormal Magazine
Bookend Megalithic sites are addictive. Megaraks (prehistoric anoraks) will
" by Tim Prevett
tell you that without much encouragement. It’s not just the stones’ age, geology, or situation. It’s not just the weather, company, or your mood during a visit. Astronomical, solar, lunar and landscape alignments certainly contribute. The stories of a given place can add further depth: giants, witches, devils and fairies roam the mists of time that hang over some ancient sites. Something unseen affects some visitors to ancient sites. There is a primeval stillness to the stones which touches those who visit; those who have ears to hear will know they have encountered a special place. Our environment affects our life and speaks into both our conscious and subconscious, most of the time without our realising it. Any location can affect us in unseen ways; indeed one could argue many paranormal experiences could be down to subtle influences between humanity and surroundings. Megaliths seem peculiarly powerful locations. Over a decade ago, a personal experience at Down Tor stone row and circle on Dartmoor put these special locations firmly within my psyche as places of fascination and renewal. I believed I could learn from their stillness. These stones are often removed from modern settings and give a sense of entrance into a space set aside for a specific use – a sacred space, where something ‘other’ meets our usual life. Somewhere people come to invest their thought, time, feeling, and to remember. Given the right time, a place where we hear the quiet noises we so easily miss. We need to grasp the sense of place, and the relation of the stone with its environment. Recognise that the ancient site is within the context of nature. Those who built it placed it at that location for a reason, relating it to other features – such as other stones and burial monuments, hilltops near and far, or astronomical events. The whole landscape, and even the heavens, become interconnected, invested with ancient meaning. You may feel terribly small, but suddenly you feel a part of it all: participating in something local but plugged in to the universe. Some people feel called to these ancient sites. I certainly do. When you get to one, and if the moment is right, be still and allow the feel of the place into your being. Remember it at the right time. The stillness of the stones speaks volumes; they may enrich your life and change your way of seeing the world. Try listening and see what you hear. Tim PrevettJTBMJGFMPOHMPWFSPGUIFQBSBOPSNBM)FJTBGPVOEJOH DPOUSJCVUPSPGThe Megalithic PortalXFCTJUF www.megalithic.info he runs Crewe and Nantwich Ghost Walks www.crewetours.com BOEIJTmSTUCPPL Roads and Trackways of North WalesJTQVCMJTIFE CZ-BOENBSLMBUFSJO5JNJTQJDUVSFEDSBXMJOHJOUPUIF$VXFFO DIBNCFSFEUPNCJO0SLOFZ
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Featuring an eclectic mix of everything and anything that comes under the wide brim of the paranormal umbrella – from sci-fi & horror films through iconic series like “Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World” to home grown programming like “Whines & Spirits” featuring Karl Beattie and Stuart Torevell searching for Britain’s scariest pub. Coming in the autumn a brand new series “The Screaming Banshees”. The head of a paranormal research organisation sends our trio of investigators (Yvette Fielding Cath Howe and Lesley Smith) on a spooky road trip across the country.
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Published on Dec 17, 2008
Issue 29 of Paranormal Magazine. This issue brings you the 10 Best Ghost photographs, Asian Apemen, Modern Fairy Sightings, ESP and the CIA...
Published on Dec 17, 2008
Issue 29 of Paranormal Magazine. This issue brings you the 10 Best Ghost photographs, Asian Apemen, Modern Fairy Sightings, ESP and the CIA...