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‘X’ CHRONICLES NEWSPAPER

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Vol 28, No 02 A REL-MAR McConnell Media Company Publication DV - Feb./Mar. 2018 - $2.75 USD

SEE PAGE 3
The FBI’s SHAME:
AGENCY
FAILS TO
STOP MASS
MURDERER
 2 Inside This Edition The ‘X’ Chronicles
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These are just SOME of the stories and articles in this
edition of
THE ‘X’ CHRONICLES NEWSPAPER
Page 01: FBI’s Shame: Agency Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
Page 06: Time For A UFO/Alien Reality Check
Page 08: Aliens May Be More Like Us
Page 09: Anatomy Of A Demon
Page 11: Pentagon UFO Debunked As Hoax
Page 12: Buzz Aldrin: Aliens Have Bases On Mars
Page 13: UFO Expert Makes Shocking Discovery
Page 14: Test Reveals Origin Of Elongated Skulls
Page 15: Pareidolia: Seeing Faces In Clouds
Page 17: Operation Paperclip
Page 21: Roswell’s Dirty Secret
Page 23: Japanese Fugo or Fire Balloons of WWII
Page 28: Science Of The Paranormal
Page 31: Tricks Psychics Bullsh*t People With
Page 33: Breaking Free From Psychics and Mediums
Page 35: Science Of Seance
Page 37: Conspiracy Theories
Page 40: UFOs: Is This All There Is?
Page 41: How Ouija Boards Work
Page 43: Biggest Scams Of The 21st Century
Page 48: 5 Reasons Why Angels Are Nonsense
Page 52: Aliens Never Left Roswell, NM
Page 56: Amityville Horror: Horror Or Hoax
Page 57: Astronaut: Alien’s Haven’t Visited Earth
Page 58: Let’s Look At David Icke
Page 60: Spirits, Witches & Science
Page 69: Shady Science Of Ghost Hunting
Page 71: Where Is The Science In EVP?
Page 72: California Warns About Cellphones
Page 73: Electromagnetic Field (EMF)
Page 76: I Want You To Believe
Page 79: Should You Worry About Wi-Fi Radiation?
Page 80: Science Officially Debunks Chemtrails
Page 81: HAARP - Common Sense
Page 83: Science of Ghosts
Page 85: Five Outrageous Psychic Scams
Page 90: ‘Ghost Hunters’ TV Is More Fiction
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 FBI Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
The FBI’s Shame: Agency
Fails To Stop Mass
Murderer
By Kal Korff
Host of Kal’s Korner
on
XZBN
Yet another mass shooting in the USA
has killed 17 students. As Americans
struggle to cope with this insanity,
neither the FBI nor especially
politicians are bothering to do their
jobs which include passing consistent
and responsible gun legislation and in
the FBI’s case, investigate leads
provided to it so as to prevent future
murders.
“Another day, another shooting, welcome to
America,” goes a popular adage. If only reality
were this simple where it concerns this subject.
It isn’t. For the truth about this issue is far
worse. With each day that passes, the number of
people who are murdered by individuals who
use guns is far greater than just a single death
each day.
In the city of Chicago alone, which for
years now has held the inexcusably infamous
and genuinely morbid distinction of being the
murder capital of the United States; in the year
2017, out of a total of 679 homicides, 625 of
them were caused by people using guns. Put
another way, 92 percent died from being shot.
Drill down further into this morbid
statistic and the data gets even worse, for these
aren’t just ‘accidental’ murders, many are
instead deliberate, cold-blooded, calculated
killings. In 2017, of the 625 human beings who
were murdered in Chicago, 325 people, slightly
more than half of them; were shot in the head,
causing 217 of these 625 deaths. This is a
minimum number where it concerns this
statistic since the precise body locations where
someone is shot is not always reported. In 2017
in Chicago, statistically speaking a human being
was shot every 2.27 minutes, an individual was
murdered every 12.59 minutes. In 2017, 612
men in Chicago were killed, 63 more were
women. 2,606 men in Chicago were wounded,
versus 326 women.
3
Gun Laws exception to this is when what is called a “mass
shooting” takes place, which is generally
To be clear, the city of Chicago and its gun defined by law enforcement as involving the
violence epidemic is not a snapshot of the rest of shooting of three or more people.
the United States. One of the ironies of Chicago
is that it has some of the toughest gun laws in Tired Schtick
existence, yet one would never know this since
it remains the gun murder capital of the country Every time there is a mass shooting that gets
by a large margin compared to other cities across widespread attention, the following disgraceful
the nation. Standing in contrast to Chicago is a tired schtick seems to almost always occur. It
city like Reno in the state of Nevada, where can be summed up in these words — outrage,
residents can buy guns and carry them out in the prayers and gun control pushes, then nothing
open in what is called “open carry.” substantial happens.
No permit is needed to do this. Nevadans The first thing politicians and others do,
also have the right to carry concealed weapons, is express their understandable outrage over a
but doing so requires a concealed weapons mass shooting. This is not only logical, it is even
permit. There is no open carry law in Chicago, commendable, especially when such sentiments
which is in the state of Illinois. Illinois is one of are sincere. Then things typically go downhill
only five states that has banned open carry. The from here.
others are California, Florida, New York, South The next step are what people call
Carolina and the District of Columbia, otherwise “prayers.” A typical example of one is when
known as Washington D.C. words such as, “Our hearts and prayers go out to
Put another way, as of this reporting, 45 the victims and their families of this tragedy,”
of the 50 states in the USA allow for some form are said.
of “open carry,” some states require a permit to While some of these remarks are
do this, while others do not. Even California has unquestionably well intentioned, and there is no
some exceptions to its open carry law, such as dispute that many people are genuinely upset
when outside in designated hunting areas, and angry over the news of a mass shooting and
obviously hunters can (and do) carry their the devastation it causes, the blunt truth about
weapons out in the open out of obvious this issue is that “prayers” won’t achieve
necessity. anything.
This contrast and irony when comparing Prayers won’t change existing gun laws.
Chicago to Reno is beyond obvious. Despite its Prayers won’t hunt down the guilty. For those
no permit required open carry law, you won’t who claim to be “religious” and put all of their
find most of the gun owning residents in Nevada eggs in their prayer basket, try this simple
walking around openly brandishing their guns, experiment.
despite their legal right to do so. This is one of
the ironies of the Great Gun Debate in America. (Continued on Page 4)
One would think that where liberal gun laws
exist, gun related crimes would skyrocket. This For the Very Best of
is not happening, as the situations in Reno and Paranormal and Parapsychology
(standing in contrast) Chicago proves. Criminals Real News, With Real People
don’t obey laws, in Chicago most of the killings 24 / 7 / 365
are done using pistols which are far more often
Listen To
than not, purchased on the streets illegally.
Very few gun related deaths are caused The ‘X’ Zone Broadcast Network
by using military grade assault weapons. The www.xzbn.net
 4 FBI Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
The FBI’s Shame: Agency
Fails To Stop Mass
Murderer
Continued from Page 3
Take a coin or any other object that is not lighter
than air. Hold it in your hand and then drop it.
When you do this, it will fall, thanks to gravity.
After it hits the ground, pick it up again and now
start “praying” to whomever or whatever you
want, before you drop it again. Pray that it
won’t fall this time. Keep doing this as many
times as you want, because ultimately it won’t
matter. For no amount of “praying” will ever
prevent such an object from falling once you let
it go from your hands, unless you’re in a ‘zero-
G’ environment such as in outer space. Every
time, without exception, it will always fall, it’s
Basic Physics 101 and physics always wins.
Unless you naively and superstitiously
believe that “prayers” only work on objects you
choose not to drop, it doesn’t matter what you
say, it doesn’t matter who(m) you pray to.
Instead, what does matter is what you do.
“Prayers” don’t write laws, legislators do.
Improving gun laws and closing their stupid
inconsistent loopholes that undeniably exist
cannot be achieved by prayers, they can only
become reality when people choose to finally
act!
After outrage, condolences and prayers
are said, posted on social media and covered by
the general press and pundits, leftwing leaning
types, self-proclaimed “progressives” and
liberals will next call for tougher gun control
laws, as well as the outright banning of specific
weapons such as assault rifles. Conservatives,
on the other hand, will ignore these pleas and
argue that present gun laws are either too
restrictive or don’t need to be improved. To
some of these latter types, they believe that it is
perfectly “OK” for citizens to own military
grade weapons, even automatics.
To ‘justify’ their belief, often the U.S.
BECOMING
A GUEST ON
THE ‘X’
ZONE
RADIO
SHOW
Constitution’s Second Amendment gets cited.
This is at times tragic, since most of the people
who scream about their “Second Amendment
rights,” don’t genuinely understand what it
really means when it says that, “A well
regulated Militia, being necessary to the
security of a free State, the right of the people to
keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
They key word here of course is
“militia.” A Militia is, according to the New
Oxford American Dictionary, “a military force
that is raised from the civil population to
supplement a regular army in an emergency. A
military force that engages in rebel or terrorist
activities in opposition to a regular army. All
able-bodied civilians eligible by law for military
service.”
Ask yourself this question: Does an
individual who owns an AR-15 military grade
rifle have the legal right to own it? Presently,
yes that person does. Yet he or she is very likely
not part of any “militia,” most gun owners are in
fact simply individuals who do not even belong If you would like to be a guest
to shooting clubs.
Those who use the Second Amendment
on
as a ‘justification’ for owning military grade THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO
weapons are in fact parsing the very words of SHOW,
what the Constitution really says, focusing on
the latter part which states, “the right of the
go to
people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be www.xzoneradiotv.com
infringed.” and click on the
Yet taken literally, if this were to
become law, ordinary citizens would be allowed
“TO BECOME A GUEST”
to have .50 caliber automatic machine guns, tab at the top of the page and our
arguably even their own atomic bombs. The booking producer,
very word “Arms” is simply another word for
weapons. It can also be a short form of the word
STEPHANIE McCONNELL
“firearms.” Does this now mean that Americans will contact you when your
get to have their own tanks, stealth bombers and completed form is received
cruise missiles? The answer is absolutely not!
or
Contact Stephanie Directly at
(Continued on Page 5)
For the very best in Paranormal smcconnell@xzbn.net
Radio Programming - www.xzbn.net
 FBI Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
The FBI’s Shame: Agency
Fails To Stop Mass
Murderer
Continued from Page 4
Regardless, deadly items such as flame
throwers are not only legal in the USA in 48 out
of 50 states, they can be openly purchased over
the Internet for less than $1,000 dollars. These
weapons shoot flames as far as 25 feet. No
permit is required to own one.
The current debate in the USA,
especially among its lawmakers, is where does
one draw the proverbial line where it concerns
the right to own guns? Some lawmakers think
that owning military grade weaponry is perfectly
fine. They often hide behind the claim that these
are semi-automatic, instead of full blown
automatics like the military and police are
allowed to (and do) use. Their argument is cold
comfort to the hundreds of victims now who
have been murdered by semi-automatic AR-15
rifles which have become the “weapon of
choice” by mass shooters during the past several
years. The AR-15 rifle is extremely popular,
precisely because it is a knock off of what the
military uses.
Lest anyone doubt the lethality of an AR-
15 put in the hands of a murderer, on October 1,
2017 the deadliest mass shooting in American
history took place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to police, a lone ‘nut’ sat in his hotel
room and from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay
Bay Hotel he fired some 1,100 bullets, killed 58
people. Of the 851 individuals who were
injured, 422 of them were hit by the gunman,
Stephen Paddock. As of this reporting, Las
Vegas Police told this writer that they are now
looking for “two people of interest” who may
have also been involved in this crime. Paddock
is dead, he offed himself before SWAT teams
stormed his room, which was loaded with
several military grade weapons. He had fired so
many rounds of ammunition, that the smoke
from his rifles triggered his room’s smoke
detectors.
This incident remains the deadliest mass
shooting in U.S. history, when one excludes the
mass shootings of Native American Indians
committed by the U.S. government as part of its
formal policy of committing genocide against
the native inhabitants of this country.
White House Reacts
There is no question that President Donald
Trump is more “pro-gun” than his predecessor,
Barack Obama was. As a rule, Democrats by
much larger margins support far more restrictive
gun laws than their Republican counterparts will
ever do. Obama is a Democrat, Trump is a
Republican.
White House spokeswoman Sarah
Huckabee Sanders has articulated before what
Trump’s stance is, “I think one of the things we
don’t want to do is try to create laws that won’t
stop these types of things from happening. I
think if you look to Chicago where you had over
4,000 victims of gun-related crimes last year
they have the strictest gun laws in the country.
That certainly hasn’t helped there.”
As with much of what the Trump White
House says, her statement isn’t credible.
California has stricter laws than Chicago does,
her claim is a falsehood, not a fact. While
President Trump has visited the emergency
responders who helped save the lives of the most
recent shooting victims in Florida, what he has
not done, inexcusably, is lead from the front on
this issue by advocating common sense changes
to gun laws. In fact under Trump and the
Republicans, mentally unstable individuals can
now resume buying guns, bypassing a previous
restriction Obama had put into place. If this
change in the law is not immoral, nothing is.
With Trump now Tweeting and
emphasizing how “mentally unstable” the killer
in the recent Florida shooting is, his words ring
hollow and they’re pure hypocrisy.
Florida
Fast forward now to the present, and another
mass shooting has taken place, this time at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Florida. Nicholas Cruz, age 19, has been
formally charged with premeditated murder and
attempted murder, which could get him the
death penalty. His killing spree took the lives of
17 students and injured at least 15 more.
Already, his legal defense team, which
consists of Public Defenders, are already
telegraphing their strategy. According to Melissa
McNeil, who went so far as to ‘comfort’ the
shooter by placing her arm around him during
his initial hearing before the Judge, McNeil
claims that, “He’s (Cruz) sad. He’s mournful.
He’s remorseful. He is fully aware of what is
going on, and he’s just a broken human being.”
Another member of Cruz’s defense team,
Gordon Weekes, has told the media that the
death of Cruz’s mother is what triggered his
meltdown and killing spree. Cruz was adopted
by Lynda Cruz, and according to all known
accounts by people who knew her, loved
Nicholas Cruz “to a fault,” as one neighbor put
5
it. Reports that she always went “too easy” on
him are easily found on Google.
Lynda Cruz, tragically, died of
complications from pneumonia in November of
2017, she was one of numerous victims of a flu
epidemic that has swept the USA and has baffled
scientists.
While his adopted mother’s death
obviously impacted Nicholas Cruz, independent
of this fact there is persuasive evidence that he
was a dangerous ticking time bomb, regardless.
Cruz was kicked out of high school for fighting.
He sold weapons such as knives while at his
school, and carried bullets with him on campus.
His social media postings paint a disturbing
picture, they contain literal pictures of him
brandishing weapons and being obsessed with
guns, pistols included.
FBI, Police Fails
Nicholas Cruz was reported twice to the FBI as
a person who deserved scrutiny for potentially
deadly behavior. The FBI has now admitted that
as recent as last September, 2017, a warning was
lodged with them by a bail bondsman in
Mississippi who became concerned when he
saw Cruz’s boast that he was, “going to be a
professional school shooter,” which he had
posted online for everyone to see. Just six weeks
before these killings, the FBI was warned again,
police had visited his residence on 39 previous
occasions.
We now know that Cruz was a mental patient,
but stopped going for treatment. The fact the
FBI didn’t follow through in checking on Cruz,
combined with no known follow ups by health
officials concerning why it was that Cruz
suddenly stopped his treatments, are
inexcusable. Had FBI and health officials done
their jobs, the students Cruz murdered might
still be alive today.
(Continued on Page 9)
 6 Time For A UFO/Alien Reality Check
“The belief in aliens,
UFOs, the new world
order, aliens abducting
humans, lake monsters,
psychics, mediums, tarot
cards, ouija boards,
government conspiracies
and cover-ups,
communication with the
dead and other ridiculous
claims from paranormal
groupies is just more
proof that more money
has to be injected into the
Mental Health field.”
Rob McConnell, Publisher

Time For A
UFO/Alien
Reality Check
by Rob McConnell
Publisher & Host of
The ‘X’ Zone Radio/TV Show
I have hosted an internationally syndicated
radio show for over 28 years, interviewing over
4,300 guests. As host and executive producer of
television shows, I have been a consultant for
international Television Producers regarding my
expertise on the paranormal, and a consultant
for producers of a hit Canadian TV series. With
this background, I can say with confidence there
has been no evidence whatsoever to support the
claims of those who continue to spread the
nonsense that UFOs, extraterrestrials from other
planets, crop circles and the other related
subject matter, really do exist.
Prior to the internet and the ability to
monetize these topics, such fanciful statements
could be found in the pages of fairy tales, where
cows jumped over the moon, people lived in
pumpkin shells or shoes, a little old lady flew on
the back of a goose, dishes actually ran with
spoons, and other childish illusions.
However harsh reality can be for
members of a troubled society, this escape from
daily pressures of life in the year 2018 is sheer
fantasy, shared with those who cannot separate
fact from fiction, and fiction from reality.
As hard as it may be to understand, just
because something is seen, heard or read on the
internet, does not mean it is true.
The internet is the largest septic tank
that has ever been created by humankind, for it
contains more “crap” than anything else.
The internet is the modern day soap box,
replacing “666” with “www” as the mark of the
beast.
The Roswell UFO incident, the Billy
Meier UFO case, the abduction of Betty and
Barney Hill, Area 51 as a location where UFOs
and Aliens are housed by the government, the
city beneath the Getty where aliens drink
slushies made from human beings, and other
yarns, tales and fantasy that have been revered
as fact by UFO groupies, have all been proven
to be hoaxes by credible professionals,
researchers and authors. Because of the honesty
of these reports, they are accused of being
government agents of disinformation, part of a
worldwide UFO cover-up and conspiracy.
In a world filled with deflection, it is
understandably difficult to accept the fact that
we as a global society, the human race, are
solely responsible for the mess this planet is in.
We have no one to blame but ourselves. Instead
of believing that extraterrestrials from another
plant, or even Jesus Christ, will be coming to
clean up our mess and deliver us to a state of
nirvana, it is time to seriously look at ourselves
in a mirror and accept that we humans of this
third little planet from the sun are the only ones
who can repair what has been done.
It will take time, but as a species, we can
and will do it.
After all, if you are not part of the
solution, you are part of the problem.
So to all those who believe in UFOs,
aliens from other planets, members of the Royal
Families are actually reptilian extraterrestrials,
the governments of the world are conspiring
against you, the dead can communicate with the
living, the earth is flat, the world is hollow and
within lives yet another civilization, psychics
are real and they can actually tell the future, and
all the other stories, myths, and legends – join
the rest of the human race in the world of reality
and help us make this world of ours a better
place for all to live in.
It is our responsibility, obligation and
duty as humans to work together, to make our
world, this tiny planet that we call Earth, a better
place now and for the future, since it is
becoming obvious that aliens, ghosts and other
subject matter of myth, fantasy and legend, will
not.
The belief in aliens, UFOs, aliens
abducting humans, lake monsters, psychics,
mediums, tarot cards, ouija boards, government
conspiracies and cover-ups, communication
with the dead and other ridiculous claims from
paranormal groupies is just more proof that
more money has to be injected into the Mental
Health field.
For The ‘X’ Zone Radio/TV Show, The
‘X’ Chronicles Newspaper and REL-MAR
McConnell Media Company, I am, Rob
McConnell. []
Did You Know, Ewww!
• In 16th-century England, people who
cleaned out cesspits were known as
“gong farmers.”
• The contents of King Louis XIV’s
chamber pot were noted daily and
entered in a logbook.
• Cloacina was the Roman goddess of
sewers.
• A healthy bladder can hold two cups of
urine for up to five hours.
• There is a British beer called Old Fart,
• In French folklore, dreaming about
poop is an omen that good fortune is
on the way.
To purchase your copy of
“Did You Know” go to
www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow
 When Disaster Strikes 7

When Disaster Strikes

Disasters often strike without warning and leave a trail
of destruction in their wake. Yet armed with the right
tools and information, survivors can fend for
themselves and get through even the toughest
circumstances. Matthew Stein's When Disaster Strikes
provides a thorough, practical guide for how to prepare
for and react in many of life's most unpredictable
scenarios.

In this disaster-preparedness manual, he outlines the

materials you'll need-from food and water, to shelter
and energy, to first-aid and survival skills-to help you
safely live through the worst. When Disaster Strikes
covers how to find and store food, water, and clothing,
as well as the basics of installing back-up power and
lights. You'll learn how to gather and sterilize water,
build a fire, treat injuries in an emergency, and use
alternative medical sources when conventional ones are
unavailable.

Stein instructs you on the smartest responses to natural

disasters-such as fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and
floods-how to keep warm during winter storms, even
how to protect yourself from attack or other dangerous
situations. With this comprehensive guide in hand, you
can be sure to respond quickly, correctly, and
confidently when a crisis threatens.

Author, engineer, designer, and green builder, Mat Stein was born and raised in Burlington Vermont. His parents
started him walking on skis at age three, hiking at age 5, backpacking at age seven, hunting at age 10, rock climbing
and extreme skiing at age 11. The Green mountains of Vermont, White mountains of New Hampshire, and the
Adirondack’s of upstate New York were his four-season childhood play grounds. After graduating from MIT in
1978, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering, the lure of the “real mountains” of the west drew Mat across
the country to California.
A thirty year interest in alternative healing got its start while Mat was still a freshman at MIT, when he witnessed
the miraculous remote healing of a crippled friend (big shake up to his scientific “Billiard Ball Theory of the
Universe” way of thinking). Over the years, this interest expanded to the use of herbs, homeopathy, and other
alternatives to heal medical conditions that weren’t responding to western style medicine.
The engineer, carpenter, and backwoodsman sides of Mat found peace, harmony, and synergy through renewable
energy, green building, and self-reliance. Today, Mat owns and operates Stein Design and Construction, providing
product design services, engineering analysis, and green building.
It was a true epiphany that started Mat firmly on the path of self-reliance, emergency prep, and sustainability.
Around Thanksgiving of 1997, during his morning session of prayer and meditation, in answer to a simple request for “guidance and
inspiration”, Mat received a fully developed “story board” type of pictorial outline that popped into his head instantaneously. It was the outline
for a massive handbook to help people be more self-reliant, live more sustainably, and prepare to weather the coming storms as we pass through
this age of uncertainty and change. After three years of work, this “cosmic download” crystallized into his first book, When Technology Fails.
Stein has appeared on numerous radio and television programs and is a repeat guest on Fox News, MSNBC, Lionel, The ‘X’ Zone
Radio Show, Coast-to-Coast AM, and the Thom Hartmann Show. For more information, visit Mat’s websites listed below.

When Disaster Strikes is Available at Amazon.com

www.whentechfails.com
www.matstein.com
 8 Aliens May Be More Like Us

These illustrations represent different levels of adaptive complexity we might imagine when thinking about aliens. (a) A
simple replicating molecule, with no apparent design. This may or may not undergo natural selection. (b) An incredibly
simple, cell-like entity. Even something this simple has sufficient contrivance of parts that it must undergo natural selection.
(c) An alien with many intricate parts working together is likely to have undergone major transitions. Image credit:
Helen.S.Cooper

Aliens May Be More Like
Us Than We Think
Oxford University
Hollywood films and science fiction literature
fuel the belief that aliens are monster-like
beings, who are very different to humans. But
new research suggests that we could have more
in common with our extra-terrestrial
neighbours, than initially thought.
In a new study published in the
International Journal of Astrobiology scientists
from the University of Oxford show for the first
time how evolutionary theory can be used to
support alien predictions and better understand
their behaviour. They show that aliens are
potentially shaped by the same processes and
mechanisms that shaped humans, such as
natural selection.
The theory supports the argument that
foreign life forms undergo natural selection, and
are like us, evolving to be fitter and stronger
over time.
Sam Levin, a researcher in Oxford’s
Department of Zoology, said: ‘A fundamental
task for astrobiologists (those who study life in
the cosmos) is thinking about what extra-
terrestrial life might be like. But making
predictions about aliens is hard. We only have
one example of life - life on Earth -- to
extrapolate from. Past approaches in the field of
astrobiology have been largely mechanistic,
taking what we see on Earth, and what we know
about chemistry, geology, and physics to make
predictions about aliens.
‘In our paper, we offer an alternative
approach, which is to use evolutionary theory to
make predictions that are independent of Earth's
details. This is a useful approach, because
theoretical predictions will apply to aliens that
are silicon based, do not have DNA, and breathe
nitrogen, for example.’
Using this idea of alien natural selection
as a framework, the team addressed extra-
terrestrial evolution, and how complexity will
arise in space.
“By predicting that aliens undergone
major transitions - which is how
complexity has arisen in species on
earth, we can say that there is a level of
predictability to evolution that would
cause them to look like us.”
Sam Levin, a researcher in Oxford’s
Department of Zoology
Species complexity has increased on the Earth
as a result of a handful of events, known as
major transitions. These transitions occur when
a group of separate organisms evolve into a
higher-level organism - when cells become
multi-cellular organisms, for example. Both
theory and empirical data suggest that extreme
conditions are required for major transitions to
occur.
Sam Levin added: ‘We still can't say
whether aliens will walk on two legs or have big
green eyes. But we believe evolutionary theory
offers a unique additional tool for trying to
understand what aliens will be like, and we have
shown some examples of the kinds of strong
predictions we can make with it.
‘By predicting that aliens undergone
major transitions - which is how complexity has
arisen in species on earth, we can say that there
is a level of predictability to evolution that
would cause them to look like us.
‘Like humans, we predict that they are
made-up of a hierarchy of entities, which all
cooperate to produce an alien. At each level of
the organism there will be mechanisms in place
to eliminate conflict, maintain cooperation, and
keep the organism functioning. We can even
offer some examples of what these mechanisms
will be.
‘There are potentially hundreds of
thousands of habitable planets in our galaxy
alone. We can't say whether or not we're alone
on Earth, but we have taken a small step
forward in answering, if we're not alone, what
our neighbours are like.’ []
 Anatomy of a Demon
Anatomy of a Demon
by
Gwilda Wiyaka
Host of
The Science of Magic o XZBN.net
Each of the astrological ages is characterized by
varying degrees of polarization and unity. The
slower moving or lower frequency times are
more polarized and segregated, and the higher
frequency times more unified. Human behavior,
perception and neurological organization varies
accordingly.
An interesting coping mechanism
developed during the polarized age of Pisces.
During the last age, the one we are leaving, the
masses were controlled by dogmatic religious
beliefs, guilt and shame. During this time, it
became necessary to find a villain to fault, in
order to be found innocent and blameless.
As a result, we developed a
compartmentalized format, whereby we view
ourselves and our families as everything that is
wonderful and carefully stash away any
evidence to the contrary. Everyone lives two
lives – “happy-happy joy-joy” and “the other
side of the story.” Children have been
conditioned from birth to ignore the other side
of the story. To point out individual and familial
denials has very negative results.
The other side of the story has been
buried deep in our psyche en masse. When the
compartment of our denials becomes too full
and information begins to bleed through,
evidencing us as less than perfect and
blameless, we create a villain to carry our less
than desirable tendencies – and projection is
born.
On a grand scale, this phenomenon set
the stage for the holocaust.
The operating system of denial and projection
has resulted in the living of two lives, both
carefully supported by fabricated personal and
familial stories supporting our innocence. “I am
perfect and the other guy is the villain” is the
story, thinly veiling an underlying sense of guilt
and shame.
When a stimulus triggers the
compartmentalized guilt and shame, the denied
aspect of a person lashes out, often violently,
resulting in the seemingly mindless violence of
our age. The more violent the reaction, the
greater the villain required to carry the blame. In
its extreme, individuals become delusional,
firmly believing they’ve been abducted, that
demons exist, and everyone is out to get them.
This forms the basis of conspiracy theories. It is
the anatomy of a “demon,” when in fact, our
own denials are the very villains we seek.
As we move further into the Aquarians
Nikolas Cruz, 19, told police he was responsible for the mass murder at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 and wounding others.
Age, a time that supports unity, we are being
confronted with a very challenging
phenomenon – decompartmentalization and
personal responsibility. As long as we continue
to live in a self-generated, polarized reality full
of “demons” and “bumps in the night,” we will
be living half-lives as victimized human beings.
[]
The FBI’s Shame: Agency
Fails To Stop Mass
Murderer
Continued from Page 5
To make matters worse, the school had an
armed School Resource Officer, Broward
County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson. He and
three other deputies had not bothered to enter
nor storm the school building after the killings
began. When Coral Springs police officers
arrived at the scene, they were directed to the
area of the shootings by these deputies. Peterson
has since resigned from his job.
Cruz purchased his AR-15 rifle legally
from Sunrise Tactical Supply in Coral Springs,
Florida. Taking advantage of a law that arguably
makes no sense, U.S. Federal laws allow people
in states like Florida to buy what are called
“long guns,” once they turn 18 years of age. Yet
to buy hand guns, a person must be age 21.
Pistols are not as deadly as an AR-15 is. Cruz
passed the required background test.
Gun Law Reform
Florida Governor Rick Scott is now pushing
forward with changes in gun laws, some of
which are identical to what Trump is ordering.
The minimum age required to purchase a rifle
such as the AR-15 will now be 21 instead of just
18. What are called ‘bump stocks’ will no
longer be sold, since they turn semi-automatic
weapons into automatic ones for all practical
purposes. The killer Cruz, not only owned but
had fit several of his rifles with them.
Scott is also increasing penalties for
9
people who threaten schools, even on social
media, as Cruz did. Mental health resources will
now be increased, courts will be empowered to
confiscate guns from those who are deemed
mentally unfit. For every 1,000 students, an
armed officer will now be put into each school,
mandatory active-shooter training will also be
required. Some $500 million is being spent
implementing these new changes.
Meet Kal Korff:
Kal Korff is often called “a writing and
production machine,” and with more than
10,000 articles to his credit written on a wide
variety of subjects, several books; hundreds of
videos and numerous media appearances, it is
understandable why.
Kal Korff has had an extremely diverse
professional career. He is a longtime,
internationally known accredited Analyst,
Broadcaster, Columnist, Computing Systems
Process Specialist in Enterprise Architecture,
Counterterrorism Analyst and Specialist;
Executive Producer, Investigative Journalist, IT
Specialist, K-5 School Principal, Lecturer,
Senior Systems Analyst Level III, Human
Interface and Software Developer and Teacher
whose articles, broadcasts and expertise have
been sought by governments and private
companies for decades. His research projects,
results and various works have been featured in
the global media on four continents: the United
States of America and Canada, Europe, Middle
East and in Asia.
Each of Kal's projects, books, products
or causes falls within one or more of these three
categories, or he’s likely not interested. The
results of this research and studies are always
released to the public or clients in various forms
so that people are empowered to examine the
data and decide issues for themselves, to help
them separate fact from fiction.
Kal Korff is the host of the ‘X’ Zone
Broadcast Network’s “Kal’s Korner” which airs
daily on XZBN. For times during the day when
you can listen to Kal, goto www.xzbn.net and
scroll down to the XZBN broadcast schedule
and lookup KK (Kal’s Korner).[]
10 Holistic Cancer Foundation
Dr. Carl O Helvie
HOLISTC
CANCER
FOUNDATION
Meet Carl O Helvie, R.N., Dr.P.H., - Carl O Helvie, R.N.,
Dr.P.H. is a registered nurse with a doctorate in Public
Health (Johns Hopkins) and over sixty years’ experience as
a nurse practitioner, educator, author and researcher. He has
published 8 books and chapters in 4 additional ones, and
published 40 articles, presented over 55 research papers
internationally and 60 papers for lay groups. Some of his
books resulted from his development and over 35 years
refinement of the Helvie Energy Theory of Nursing and
Health that has been used internationally in practice,
education and research by 9 countries. Read more about
Carl O Helvie at www.HolisticCancerFoundation.com and
www.BeatLungCancer.com..
www.HolisticCancerFoundation.com
CARL O HELVIE
HOLISTIC CANCER
FOUNDATION
The Carl O Helvie Holistic Cancer Foundation differs from others
because we focus on:
A holistic approach
Multiple aspects of education, research, patient care and politics
Multiple cancer types
A holistic approach consists of combining physical, mental and spiritual
modalities as well as considering the environment, relationships and
politics because all of these elements influence health and wellness
(cancer and recovery) and may need to be assessed and included in any
treatment plan.
An important part of any cancer program is education for those who
have cancer or want to prevent it as well as lawmakers who influence
cancer programs and public access to these programs through the
decisions they make. Likewise, because we evolve in a dynamic
environment cancer causation changes over time and consequently
ongoing research is needed to identify and find solutions to these
changing causes. In today’s world where harsh invasive drugs and
procedures that often compromise the immune system have evolved as
the treatment of choice for most medical conditions including cancer,
medical coverage is often denied those who wish to find treatment
outside the conventional realm. These cancer patients are subsequently
often required and frequently unable to pay for their treatment of choice.
This gap provides a rationale for both funding patient care and
involvement in the political process to bring about necessary changes in
cancer care and funding. Please visit and donate today!
 Pentagon UFO Debunked As Hoax 11
Pentagon UFO Video
Debunked as Hoax by
Expert

In December 2017, a series of reports amounted

to what seemed like a watershed moment when
the curtain was pulled back on a secret program
focused solely on the search for UFOs. The
program's leader, David Elizondo, said with
certainty that "We are not alone."
While later making the news rounds to
further explain himself, Elizondo, who resigned
from the Department of Defence, further
explained himself. " In my opinion, if this was a
court of law, we have reached the point of
'beyond reasonable doubt,' " he said.
The video footage that was released,
showing a UFO that completes maneuvers
seemingly impossible by any terrestrial
technology we currently possess, seem to
further support Elizondo's admission.
Not everyone was convinced, though.
Noted astrophysicist and cosmic personality
Neil deGrasse Tyson said that the "O" in UFO is
a "highly non-specific term. It is so non-specfic,
it admits you don't know what you're looking
at."
Since the story made waves in
mainstream outelets, the chorus of naysayers in
the skeptic community has grown considerably.
Now Mick West, the administrator of
Metabunk.org, has focused on the video and
what he considers to be incomplete, highly
specious proof of that pilot's encounter with
alien life.
"I'm thinking the black shape around the
object is some kind of IR flare/glare," he wrote
in the site's forum."We know that the shape of a
very bright IR source, like the engine of a plane,
can be much bigger than the object itself."
West points to a seemingly visible 'cold
glow' around the sources emitting heat in the
video, and says this phenomenon indicates that
what looks spectacular in the video is actually
just a function of the camera not capturing
everything clearly. "If people try to describe this
as some kind of 'aura' or 'field'," he adds, "then
they obviously have not done their homework."
In fact, West says the camera trickery of
the video says much more about the way it was
captured than the purported prescence of any
alien craft.
He notes that the plane is turning left
while the camera is turning right, claiming this
change in the camera's angle is fairly constant.
This leads him to conclude that the object is a
distant aircraft because when the camera moves,
"the position of the object moves in sync with
the far clouds, which tends to indicate it's part of
the environment."
Reddit users told West to slow his
skeptic roll a bit, though. They say that to
assume trained pilots are not capable of using
their equipment properly, or distinguishing a
plane from something else, is skeptical in of
itself.
They note that the events captured in
this footage were also corroborated by at least
six other pilots, and that the source claims the
videos were captured from two different jets at
two different times of days. "Until you can
explain multiple interacting lines of evidence,"
one Redditor wrote, "you've got no business
attempting to debunk the account."
The REAL reasons why
some people see ghosts,
according to experts
COLD spots, creaking sounds and spooky
figures - whether or not the paranormal realm
exists is an issue that has been debated for
centuries.
But in a world filled with science and
reason, these "hauntings" can often be boiled
down to simple explanations - and it has nothing
to do with the supernatural.
'Waking dream' and insomnia
Ever get that feeling when you're awake but
you're having a terrifying dream and your body
is frozen? This is called "waking dream" - a
hypnagogic state when your mind is alert but
your body is still asleep - and can be associated
with sleep paralysis.
Joe Nickell, a senior research fellow for
the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry - which
promotes scientific inquiry and critical
investigation of paranormal claims - believes
ghosts are "all in the mind".
He told The Sun Online: "In the 'waking
dream' state, people wake up and see a number
of things - aliens, dead people, ghosts and are
associated with feelings of dread.
“They’ll often see the entity coming into
their room standing by their bed or trying to
choke them and they’re not able to move or talk
or scream or do anything.
"It's a trick of the mind when the mental
image is being superimposed on the actual
visual scene. So the imagined events seem very
real."
The US-paranormal investigator with 50
years of experience believes a ghost can also be
an illusion produced by the brain, particularly
when a person suffers from insomnia.
He added: "The mind is not at its
sharpest when we're tired or lost in thought.
"People are more prone to see a ghost
when they are in an altered state of
consciousness. Wondering through a spooky
place while you're tired is a good recipe for a
ghost."
A fear of ghosts
Founder of the American Paranormal Research
Association (APRA) Brandon Alvis said
phasmophobia - the fear of ghosts and the
unknown - causes people to think they are
encountering sinister entities.
Speaking to The Sun Online, the
paranormal investigator said: "A majority of the
time, people become so consumed by the
thought of a ghost inhabiting their home that it
affects the quality of life.
"It can cause panic attacks and keep
people apart from loved ones.
"Symptoms typically include shortness
of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat,
sweating, nausea and the overall feeling of
dread.
"Although everyone experiences fear of
ghosts in their own way and may have different
symptoms."
"So when people go to a haunted place
expecting to see ghost, they often see something
moving in the corner of their eye - an illusion."
Deprivation of oxygen
Cerebral anoxia - a medical term for a lack of
oxygen flowing to the brain - is said to trigger
sensory distortions and hallucinations.
It is believed to be the physical means by
which phenomena such as near-death
experiences and out-of-body episodes might be
explained.
He added: "We also believe that people
frequenting abandoned buildings with large
amounts of mould and other hazardous elements
can trigger cerebral anoxia, be that in a small or
large scale.
"This would lead people to believe that
they are experiencing something supernatural."
Carbon monoxide poisoning
The cause of all sorts of hallucinations -
carbon monoxide poisoning has been linked to
haunted houses since the 1920s.
Evidence from a research group led by
Olaf Blanke shows the brain can trick people
into feeling the "presence" of a ghostly
apparition.
(Continued on Page 12)
 12 Buzz Aldrin: Aliens Have Base on Mars
Aliens Are Hiding a Secret
Base on Mars' Moon
Phobos, Buzz Aldrin
Suggests

There's an awful lot we still don't know about

Phobos, one of the two moons in Mars' orbit,
and images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor
have only piqued our interest.
One image in particular, showing what
appears to be an artificial, inorganic white box-
shaped structure surrounded by dirt on all sides,
has alien enthusiasts salivating with theories.
"We should visit the moons of Mars,"
astronaut Buzz Aldrin told C-SPAN after the
photos were first made public. "There's a
monolith there—a very unusual structure on this Russia Warns That the US With space opening up to more countries
little potato-shaped object that goes around Mars and more ambitious projects, space sabotage—
once every seven hours. When people find out Military Is Preparing for and space warfare—may become a new factor in
what makes a global superpower.[]
about that they are going to say, 'Who put that
there?' "
World War III in Space
Aldrin's questions only further fueled the
The Cold War's "Space Race" may have ended
The REAL reasons why
speculation of so-called stargazing truth-
seekers. in the 1970s, but we may be on the cusp of a new some people see ghosts,
one: between China's plans to become the global
Website UFOSightingsDaily offered
what they consider to be evidence that the moon leader in space explorations and Russia's plans according to experts
is not natural: "Evidence Phobos is artificial: to create an interplanetary space station near
1st: Phobos is at such a low orbit to Mars it Venus, the superpowers of Earth are starting to Continued from Page 11
should crash, but its doesn't. 2nd: Phobos view space as less of a luxury and more like new
changes speed, it accelerates and slows down… territory.
This new space race is now causing Carbon monoxide is odourless and
impossible unless it has its own propulsion."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to colourless and is produced when you have a gas
While we're keen to nurture speculation
speak out against the United States, who he leak in your home.
and crowd-sourced evidence, this theory just
believes is planning on militarizing the Final The silent killer can be breathed in
isn't up to snuff. That's because in order for a
Frontier. without you even knowing that it's there.
secret alien base to exist on Phobos, the beings
Though Lavrov didn't give specifics on Symptoms include dizziness, nausea,
would require the ability to withstand up to
what sorts of militarization the US is carrying tiredness and confusion, auditory hallucinations
10,000 volts of electricity.
out, his speech is most likely a response to the as well as shortness of breath.
Because they have no atmosphere, the
US' refusal to sign a joint treaty with Russia and More than 500 Americans die of carbon
moons of Mars are exposed to solar winds-
China that would regulate weapons in space. monoxide poisoning every year, but victims who
electrically-charged gas that comes from the
Lavrov also called attention to the treaty survive can suffer from symptoms for years -
surface of the sun at about one million miles per
he proposed almost a decade ago to the UN, even after their exposure ends.
hour. These winds hitting the surface of Phobos
which would have banned weapons in orbit. The long term effects of breathing in the
and Deimos means that the moons become giant
According to the New York Times, the toxic substance can affect memory, brain
conductors of electricity, holding charges of up
refusal of the 2008 agreement came down to function, behaviour and cognition.
to 10,000 volts.
what constituted a weapon, with Press Secretary In an interview with radio show This
When that solar wind strikes the side of
Dana Perino pointing out that setting a satellite American Life, toxicologist Albert Donnay said:
Phobos that exists in daytime, the surface
on a collision course with another satellite (or "Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause all
absorbs plasma, creating a void on the opposite
Earth itself) could be considered a "weapon." manner of hallucinations- audio, visual, feeling
nighttime side that the plasma flow cannot enter.
Lavrov's speech also comes on the heels strange things on their skin when there was
Nonetheless, the ion and electron rich wind
of key announcements from the United States: nothing there.
creates a strong electric field.
the plans to appoint a three-star vice-commander "People often report that they hear noises
This means that any potential alien base
to "assist the commander of Air Force Space in their ears, bells ringing, rushing sounds."
on mars would require the technology to
Command with his/her responsibility to Apparitions, cold spots and ghostly
withstand the build up of significant electric
organize, train and equip space forces" and the touches can be caused by man-made magnetic
charges-not impossible, but incredibly unlikely.
claim by US General John Hyten that both fields, experts have suggested.
That isn't stopping NASA from building
Russia and China are developing their own Electrical devices such as appliances,
advanced tools for future missions to Mars'
space weapons: power lines, or even batteries all have an
moons, though. In a collaboration with the Japan
"They've been building weapons, testing electromagnetic fields.
Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA is
weapons, building weapons to operate from the One in five American adults say they’ve
making plans to send a spacecraft to fly by
earth in space, jamming weapons, laser seen or been in the presence of a ghost,
Phobos and Deimos, where it'll then land on the
weapons, and they have not kept it according to Pew Research Center.
surface of Phobos and send some moon rock and
secret...They're building those capabilities to And about 29 per cent say they have felt
dust samples back to Earth by 2029. []
challenge the United States of America, to in touch with someone who has already died.
challenge our allies, and to change the balance APRA investigator Alvis said: "High
of power in the world..." electromagnetic fields and bad wiring can cause
Hyten is most concerned about the safety temporal lobe activity, making people believe
of US satellites—if a handful of crucial satellites that they are in the presence of ghosts.
are damaged or even jammed for a few minutes, "It is often associated with strange
it may mean the difference between intercepting sensations, time distortions and hallucinations."
a missile and missing it completely. []
 UFO Expert Makes Shocking Discovery
UFO expert claims to have
made a shocking discovery
about alien visitations of
Earth
By Jon Austin
A UFO expert has sensationally
claimed there is one thing that unites
ALL unidentified flying object images
and videos that have been captured
across the globe.
Fox News Hears About Aliens, Sees
Dollar Signs, Says Sure
Scott Brando has spent several years examining
thousands of so-called UFO photographs and
videos, and concluded there has NEVER been
an alien craft captuted on camera or that has ever
visited Earth.
He says every single one of them can be
explained away by normal science.
Mr Brando, who runs the website
ufoofinterest.org which exposes false and
misleading alleged UFO and alien revelations,
says there has never been a photograph or video
recorded of a real UFO, flying saucer, or alien
craft, even though he does believe their is extra
terrestrial life out there somewhere.
He said he has been able to come up with
plausible explanations for every one he has seen
so far.
The Italian initially set out to research
the subject in the hope of finding proof of aliens,
but while many UFO buffs appear to allow their
will to believe to cloud their judgement when it
comes to a suspect shot, Mr Brando will not be
convinced by anything short of the real deal.
He told Express.co.uk: "At this time
there are no REAL unexplained UFO sightings.
I have been looking for them for many years."
He said he has examined most well
known cases and many new ones, but admitted
there were too many to have investigated all
cases.
He said: "Yes I (have looked) into most
UFO pictures, but you know there are too many
cases, so it is impossible to analyse them all."
But of the thousands he has looked at, he
said: "Over the last five years, on thousands of
investigated cases, 30 per cent were lens flares."
His website is billed as 'UFO sightings,
alien and related phenomena under thorough
investigation'.
It features sections on the various types
of alleged UFO pictures, and whether they really
are such as lens flares (when a light source being
photographed gets internally fractured inside the
camera and appears elsewhere on the final
image), blurbs (blurred birds, planes or
balloons), reflections snapped through windows,
blimps (airships), clouds, and those that are out
and out hoaxes.
Mr Brando and those behind other
similar websites, such as Ufotheater.com, are
campaigning against YouTube UFO hoaxers
who release fake and misrepresented footage.
13
An unofficial blacklist of hoaxers has
been drawn up by these websites. History’s Most Infamous
In an article about hoaxers on his
website, Mr Brando said (translated from
UFO Sightings
Italian): "The Internet, video sharing and social
networks, such as YouTube, YouReporter,
Facebook and Twitter, on the one hand led to a
rapid dissemination, consultation and feedback
of the UFO phenomenon, and on the other,
unfortunately have determined the uncontrolled
viral spread of false sighting products through
the manipulation of photos and videos that have
seriously altered both the regular perception of
the phenomenon."
While many UFO website feature
articles with headlines such as 'conclusive proof
of aliens,' ufoointerest.org's are more along the
lines of 'UFO Sightings of 2015: another year of
fakes and hoaxes'. UFOs aren’t a new phenomenon. In fact,
One case which made recent headlines in humans have been describing unidentified
the Derbyshire area was a "possible UFO" flying objects for millennia, with depictions
caught on camera by Ernest Redfern, 85, who of disk-like objects and unusual atmospheric
found a strange white shape in a picture he took objects found in the art and literature of
of a rainbow over Derby last month. ancient civilizations from the Sumerians and
Express.co.uk asked Mr Brando to cast the Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans.
his eye over the UFO image. But the modern era of UFOs took off
He quickly responded with a still taken in the middle of the 20th century, right around
from Mr Redfern's Facebook page. the time rockets and high-tech aircraft were
He said: "About the supposed UFO being devised, often in secret. Coincidence?
sighting over Derby, I found the best images Paranoia? Perhaps.
from the Facebook account of Ernest Redfern.
It's just a seagull." 01: Kenneth Arnold, 1947
So what next for his website?
Mr Brando said: "My main interest is to 02: Roswell, 1947
verify the true origin of each supposed ufo
sighting to understand what it hides: a real 03: Lubbock Lights, 1951
event? a hoax? a misunderstanding?
"So I'd like to know what remains of 04: Levelland, 1957
ufology when you clear it of all falsehoods.
"I truly believe in an extraterrestrial life, 05: Tehran, 1976
but I don't know if there is an alien intelligence
over our Earth, but I like to think there is. 06: Rendlesham Forest, 1980
"However, I believe in evidence and
objectivity, and at the moment there are no 07: The Belgium Wave, 1989-90
proofs that aliens are visiting our world." []
 14 Test Reveals Origin of Elongated Skulls
ALIEN SKULLS? Shock
verdict after DNA tests
reveal where 'elongated
heads came from'
DNA test results on the elongated
skulls discovered in Peru have been
released by a researcher investigating
if the bones could belong to an alien
race. The 3,000-year old Paracas
skulls, with elongated craniums, have
long been held up by UFO hunters as
evidence of ancient alien visitations
due to their extraordinarily huge
foreheads.

Researcher Brian Foerster initally thought the

discovery would not fit into the "known
evolutionary tree". "Since their craniums (Paracas) are 25
"What it does show for sure is that the Paracas
The Paracas skulls were discovered on percent larger and 60 percent heavier than
elongated skull people were not 100 per cent
the desert peninsula of Paracas, on the southern regular human skulls, researchers strongly
Native American.
coast of Peru, by native archaeologist Julio believe that they couldn’t have been modified
"They were a mix or even you could say,
Tello in 1928. through binding.
in some ways, a hybrid of different people.
In 2015, discussing earlier DNA tests on "They are also structurally different and
"Their blood types are very complicated
the remains, he said: "The mitochondrial DNA only have one parietal plate as opposed to the
as well, they should be blood type O if they’re
(from the mother) presented mutations two normally found in human skulls.
100 percent Native American and that’s not the
unknown to any man, primate or any other "These differences have deepened the
case.
animal and the mutations suggested we are decade-old mystery around the Paracas skulls
"We are likely looking at a sub-species
dealing with a completely new human-like and researchers haven’t been able to explain
of humanity as regards to the Paracas. It seems
being, very distant from Homo sapiens, their origins.
to be a lot of DNA evidence from extreme
Neanderthals or Denisovans. "The implications of this discovery are
eastern Europe and extreme western Asia.
"I am not sure it will even fit into the huge. Who were the mysterious Paracas people?
"More specifically I’m talking about the
known evolutionary tree." "Did they evolve here on Earth on a path
area in between the Black Sea and the Caspian
Sea where ancient elongated skull people lived so different from us that they ended up looking
Research by sceptics later uncovered that those drastically different?" []
I think about 3,000 years ago.
involved had a history of involvement and
"So I think we are looking at a migration
belief in research into paranormal subjects such
pattern starting in the Caspian Black Sea area
as the Yeti and so-called alien hybrids, an
and then entering through the Persian Gulf and
alleged cross breed between humans and aliens.
then moving eastwards eventually winding up
Sceptics argue the skulls are just another
on the coast of Peru."
example of intentional cranial deformation, as
He added: "It appears that the largest
seen among many ancient South American
elongated skulls on the planet have been found,
tribes.
A in Paracas, Peru and B in the Caucasus area in
Now Mr Foerster, who is director of the
between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Paracas History Museum, has released details of
"So my theory is that there was a sub-
DNA tests he said were carried out in
species of human which we are going to be
conjunction with the Peruvian Government and
eventually calling Homo-Sapiens-Sapiens-
he appears to now accept they were probably
Paracas, and they were living in the area in
human in origin.
between the Caspian and Black Sea.
In two video updates about the DNA,
"They were invaded by somebody and
Mr Foerster made no mention of
so they were forced to flee."
extraterrestrials.
Archaelogist Mr Tello found more than
He described how the Paracas skulls
300 of the odd skeletal remains in a complex
appeared to share DNA links with other
grave system in 1928.
elongated skulls found between the Black Sea
Scientists say it was the most extreme
and the Caspian Sea.
example of skull elongation, a deformation
Mr Foerster believes the elongation is
practice carried out by several ancient cultures
not just caused by artificial cranial deformation,
by binding infants heads through pieces of
but rather by genetics with some of the
wood, ever found.
elongated skulls cranial volume being up to 25
Many conspiracy theorists remain
per cent larger and 60 per cent heavier than
convinced they must have been the skulls of
conventional human skulls.
visiting aliens.
He says this means that they could not
According to a report on the Conspiracy
have been intentionally deformed through head
Club website the previous DNA results were
binding or flattening, as cranial deformation can
amazing.
change the shape but does not alter the volume
It said: "A recent DNA analysis
or weight of a skull.
performed on some of these skulls has presented
Speaking at the Elongated Skulls
amazing results that could challenge the current
Symposium in Los Angeles, Mr Foerster said:
perspective of the human evolutionary tree.
 Pareidolia: Seeing Faces In Clouds 15
Pareidolia: Seeing Faces
in Unusual Places
By Kim Ann Zimmermann

To some observers, it looked like an ordinary

grilled cheese sandwich. But to the Miami
woman who put it up for sale on eBay, and to
some people who viewed it, there was an image
of the Virgin Mary seared on this seemingly
run-of-the-mill snack.
The psychological phenomenon that
causes some people to see or hear a vague or
random image or sound as something
significant is known as pareidolia (par-i-DOH-
lee-a).
The word is derived from the Greek
words para, meaning something faulty, wrong,
instead of, and the noun eidōlon, meaning
image, form or shape. Pareidolia is a type of
apophenia, which is a more generalized term for
seeing patterns in random data.
on Palm Sunday in 2005. groups of hills," he wrote in a passage in one of
Some common examples are seeing a
In 2007 in Singapore, a callus on a tree his extensive notebooks.
likeness of Jesus in the clouds or an image of a
resembled a monkey, leading believers to pay Sometimes artists use this phenomenon
man on the surface of the moon.
homage to the "Monkey god." to their advantage by embedding hidden images
A cinnamon bun bearing a likeness of in their work. Observers often view other
Famous examples of pareidolia Mother Teresa was first discovered at the Bongo objects in Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings,
Java Café in Belmont, Tenn. It was on display for example.
A prime example of pareidolia and its for about 10 years, until it was stolen on In 1971, the Latvian writer and
connection to religious images is the Shroud of Christmas day in 2007. intellectual Konstantīns Raudive detailed what
Turin, a cloth bearing the image of a man — In 2012, many people made a he believed was the discovery of electronic
which some believe to be Jesus — who appears pilgrimage to a tree at 60th Street and voice phenomenon (EVP). EVP has been
to have suffered trauma consistent with Bergenline Avenue in West New York, N.J., to described as "auditory pareidolia." The
crucifixion. The negative image was first see a scar on the tree that some believed looked allegations of hidden messages in popular music
observed in 1898, on the reverse photographic like the image of the Our Lady of Guadalupe have also been described as auditory pareidolia.
plate of amateur photographer Secondo Pia, depiction of the Virgin Mary. The Rorschach inkblot test uses
who was allowed to photograph it while it was pareidolia in an attempt to gain insight into a
being exhibited in the Turin Cathedral. person's mental state. Since the cards have been
Why pareidolia happens
Some visitors to St. Mary's in Rathkaele, designed without any specific image in mind,
Ireland, say a tree stump outside of the church this is an example of "directed pareidolia." []
There are a number of theories as to the cause of
bears a silhouette of the Virgin Mary.
this phenomenon. Experts say pareidolia
Damage to the Pedra da Gávea, an
provides a psychological determination for
enormous rock outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
many delusions that involve the senses. They
created an impression that many interpret as a
believe pareidolia could be behind numerous
human face.
sightings of UFOs, Elvis and the Loch Ness
Many people thought images taken in
Monster and the hearing of disturbing messages
1976 by the Viking 1 mission showed a face on
on records when they are played backwards.
Mars that could have been the remnants of an
Pareidolia often has religious overtones.
ancient civilization.
A study in Finland found that people who are
In September 1969, conspiracy theorists
religious or believe strongly in the supernatural
claimed some Beatles records contained clues to
are more likely to see faces in lifeless objects
Paul McCartney's supposed death. Many heard
and landscapes.
the words "Paul is dead," when the song
Carl Sagan, the American cosmologist
"Strawberry Fields Forever" was played
and author, made the case that pareidolia was a
backwards, a process known as backmasking.
survival tool. In his 1995 book, "The Demon- WATCH
This is a common urban legend often
Haunted World – Science as a Candle in the
repeated to this day. THE ‘X’ ZONE CHANNEL
Dark," he argued that this ability to recognize
In 1977, the appearance of Jesus Christ
faces from a distance or in poor visibility was an
on a flour tortilla set the international standard
important survival technique. While this instinct
for miracle sightings. It happened in the small
enables humans to instantly judge whether an
town of Lake Arthur, New Mexico, 40 minutes
oncoming person is a friend or foe, Sagan noted
south of Roswell.
that it could result in some misinterpretation of
Diane Duyser of Miami sold a 10-year-
random images or patterns of light and shade as
old grilled cheese sandwich, which she said
being faces.
bore the image of Jesus, for $28,000 on eBay in
Leonardo da Vinci wrote about
2004.
pareidolia as an artistic device. "If you look at
In 2004, Steve Cragg, youth director at
any walls spotted with various stains or with a
Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in
mixture of different kinds of stones, if you are
Houston, Texas, discovered a Cheeto that
about to invent some scene you will be able to
looked like Jesus.
see in it a resemblance to various different
Donna Lee of Toledo, Ohio, saw an
image of Jesus on a pierogi she was preparing
landscapes adorned with mountains, rivers, www.simulTV.com
rocks, trees, plains, wide valleys, and various
16 You Can Beat Cancer

YOU CAN BEAT LUNG CANCER:

Using Alternative/Integrative
Interventions

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This is one of the most comprehensive books available on alternative treatments for lung cancer. It explains
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leading medical and health practitioners currently in the field. G. Edward Griffin, Author of World Without
Cancer, The Politics of Cancer Therapy, and other books and films. Recipient of the Telly Award for
Excellence in Television Production. President of American Media.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Carl O Helvie (1932- ) grew up in Gouverneur, New York and functioned as a
nurse practitioner, educator, author, and researcher for 60 years. Most of his degrees and practice have been in
public health and wellness. During his years in academia he wrote 10 books and book chapters, over 55
articles, gave 57 research papers around the United States and Europe, developed a nursing theory, and
received funding for and established a nursing center and provided primary care for homeless and low income
individuals and families. He also overcome lung cancer using natural interventions after being given 6 months
to live by conventional medicine in 1974. Since retirement he has written two additional books and has been
host of the holistic health radio show for the past 4 years. All of his current work since retirement from
academia focuses on natural interventions for health problems. Applying these concepts in his own life he is
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Health from the American Publc Health Association, and most recently was listed in Wikipedia.

w w w. b e a t l u n g c a n c e r. n e t
 Operation Paperclip 17
Operation Paperclip: The
Secret Intelligence
Program to Bring Nazi
Scientists to America
Operation Paperclip was the United States
Office of Strategic Services (OSS) program in
which more than 1,500 Germans, primarily
scientists but also engineers and technicians,
were brought to the United States from post-
Nazi Germany for government employment
starting in 1945 and increasing in the aftermath
of World War II. It was conducted by the Joint
Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA) and in
the context of the burgeoning Cold War. One
purpose of Operation Paperclip was to deny
German scientific expertise and knowledge to
the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, as
well as to inhibit post-war Germany from
redeveloping its military research capabilities.
By comparison, the Soviet Union were even
more aggressive in recruiting Germans: during
Operation Osoaviakhim, Soviet military units
forcibly (at gunpoint) recruited 2,000+ German
specialists to the Soviet Union during one night.
The JIOA's recruitment of German
scientists began after the Allied victory in
Europe on May 8, 1945, but U.S. President
Harry Truman did not formally order the
execution of Operation Paperclip until August Reich) against the Red Army's westward In Operation Overcast, Major Staver's original
1945. Truman's order expressly excluded counterattack. By early 1943, the German intent was only to interview the scientists, but
anyone found "to have been a member of the government began recalling from combat a what he learned changed the operation's
Nazi Party, and more than a nominal participant number of scientists, engineers, and purpose. On May 22, 1945, he transmitted to
in its activities, or an active supporter of Nazi technicians; they returned to work in research U.S. Pentagon headquarters Colonel Joel
militarism." However, those restrictions would and development to bolster German defense for Holmes's telegram urging the evacuation of
have rendered ineligible most of the leading a protracted war with the USSR. The recall from German scientists and their families, as most
scientists whom the JIOA had identified for frontline combat included 4,000 rocketeers "important for [the] Pacific war" effort. Most of
recruitment, among them rocket scientists returned to Peenemünde, in northeast coastal the Osenberg List engineers worked at the Baltic
Wernher von Braun, Kurt H. Debus, and Arthur Germany. coast German Army Research Center
Rudolph, as well as physician Hubertus Peenemünde, developing the V-2 rocket. After
Strughold, each earlier classified as a "menace Overnight, Ph.D.s were liberated from KP capturing them, the Allies initially housed them
to the security of the Allied Forces." duty, masters of science were recalled from and their families in Landshut, Bavaria, in
The JIOA worked independently to orderly service, mathematicians were hauled southern Germany.
circumvent President Truman's anti-Nazi order out of bakeries, and precision mechanics Beginning on July 19, 1945, the U.S.
and the Allied Potsdam and Yalta agreements, ceased to be truck drivers. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) managed the
creating false employment and political — Dieter K. Huzel, Peenemünde to Canaveral captured ARC rocketeers under Operation
biographies for the scientists. The JIOA also Overcast. However, when the "Camp Overcast"
expunged the scientists' Nazi Party The Nazi government's recall of their now- name of the scientists' quarters became locally-
memberships and regime affiliations from the useful intellectuals for scientific work first known, the program was renamed Operation
public record. Once "bleached" of their Nazism, required identifying and locating the scientists, Paperclip in November 1945. Despite these
the scientists were granted security clearances engineers, and technicians, then ascertaining attempts at secrecy, later that year the press
by the U.S. government to work in the United their political and ideological reliability. Werner interviewed several of the scientists.
States. The project's operational name of Osenberg, the engineer-scientist heading the Regarding Operation Alsos, Allied
Paperclip was derived from the paperclips used Wehrforschungsgemeinschaft (Military Intelligence described nuclear physicist Werner
to attach the scientists' new political personae to Research Association), recorded the names of Heisenberg, the German nuclear energy project
their "US Government Scientist" JIOA the politically cleared men to the Osenberg List, principal, as "worth more to us than ten
personnel files. thus reinstating them to scientific work. divisions of Germans." In addition to rocketeers
In March 1945, at Bonn University, a and nuclear physicists, the Allies also sought
Polish laboratory technician found pieces of the chemists, physicians, and naval weaponeers.
Osenberg List
Osenberg List stuffed in a toilet; the list
subsequently reached MI6, who transmitted it to (Continued on Page 18)
Nazi Germany found itself at a logistical
U.S. Intelligence. Then U.S. Army Major
disadvantage, having failed to conquer the
Robert B. Staver, Chief of the Jet Propulsion
USSR with Operation Barbarossa (June–
Section of the Research and Intelligence Branch
December 1941), the Siege of Leningrad
of the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, used the
(September 1941 – January 1944), Operation
Osenberg List to compile his list of German
Nordlicht ("Northern Light", August–October
scientists to be captured and interrogated;
1942), and the Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 –
Wernher von Braun, Germany's premier rocket
February 1943). The failed conquest had
scientist, headed Major Staver's list.
depleted German resources, and its military-
industrial complex was unprepared to defend
the Großdeutsches Reich (Greater German Identification
 18 Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip: The
Secret Intelligence
Program to Bring Nazi
Scientists to America
Continued from Page 17

Meanwhile, the Technical Director of the

German Army Rocket Center, Wernher von
Braun, was jailed at P.O. Box 1142, a military-
intelligence black site in Fort Hunt, Virginia, in
the United States. Since the prison was unknown
to the international community, its operation by
the US was in violation of the Geneva
Convention of 1929, which the United States
had ratified. Although Von Braun's interrogators
pressured him, he was not tortured; however, in
1944 another prisoner of war, U-boat Captain
Werner Henke, had been shot and killed while
climbing the fence at Fort Hunt.

Capture and detention

By 1947 this evacuation operation had netted an the Hs 293 missile; for two years, he first
Early on, the United States created the
estimated 1,800 technicians and scientists, along worked at the Special Devices Center, at Castle
Combined Intelligence Objectives
with 3,700 family members. Those with special Gould and at Hempstead House, Long Island,
Subcommittee (CIOS). This provided the
skills or knowledge were taken to detention and New York; in 1947, he moved to the Naval Air
information on targets for the T-Forces that went
interrogation centers, such as one code-named Station Point Mugu.
in and targeted scientific, military and industrial
DUSTBIN, to be held and interrogated, in some In August 1945, Colonel Holger Toftoy,
installations (and their employees) for their
cases for months. head of the Rocket Branch of the Research and
know-how. Initial priorities were advanced
A few of the scientists were gathered up Development Division of the U.S. Army's
technology, such as infrared, that could be used
in Operation Overcast, but most were Ordnance Corps, offered initial one-year
in the war against Japan; finding out what
transported to villages in the countryside where contracts to the rocket scientists; 127 of them
technology had been passed on to Japan; and
there were neither research facilities nor work; accepted. In September 1945, the first group of
finally to halt the research. A project to halt the
they were provided stipends and forced to report seven rocket scientists (aerospace engineers)
research was codenamed "Project Safehaven",
twice weekly to police headquarters to prevent arrived at Fort Strong, located on Long Island in
and it was not initially targeted against the
them from leaving. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Boston harbor: Wernher von Braun, Erich W.
Soviet Union; rather the concern was that
directive on research and teaching stated that Neubert, Theodor A. Poppel, August Schulze,
German scientists might emigrate and continue
technicians and scientists should be released Eberhard Rees, Wilhelm Jungert, and Walter
their research in countries such as Spain,
"only after all interested agencies were satisfied Schwidetzky.
Argentina or Egypt, all of which had
that all desired intelligence information had Beginning in late 1945, three rocket-
sympathized with Nazi Germany. In order to
been obtained from them". scientist groups arrived in the United States for
avoid the complications involved with the
On November 5, 1947, the Office of duty at Fort Bliss, Texas, and at White Sands
emigration of German scientists, the CIOS was
Military Government of the United States Proving Grounds, New Mexico, as "War
responsible for scouting and kidnapping high
(OMGUS), which had jurisdiction over the Department Special Employees".
profile individuals for the deprivation of
western part of occupied Germany, held a In 1946, the United States Bureau of
technological advancements in nations outside
conference to consider the status of the Mines employed seven German synthetic fuel
of the US.
evacuees, the monetary claims that the evacuees scientists at a Fischer-Tropsch chemical plant in
Much U.S. effort was focused on Saxony
had filed against the United States, and the Louisiana, Missouri.
and Thuringia, which by July 1, 1945, would
"possible violation by the US of laws of war or In early 1950, legal U.S. residency for
become part of the Soviet Occupation zone.
Rules of Land Warfare". The OMGUS director some of the Project Paperclip specialists was
Many German research facilities and personnel
of Intelligence R. L. Walsh initiated a program effected through the U.S. consulate in Ciudad
had been evacuated to these states, particularly
to resettle the evacuees in the Third World, Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico; thus, German
from the Berlin area. Fearing that the Soviet
which the Germans referred to as General scientists legally entered the United States from
takeover would limit U.S. ability to exploit
Walsh's "Urwald-Programm" (jungle program), Latin America.
German scientific and technical expertise, and
however this program never matured. In 1948, Eighty-six aeronautical engineers were
not wanting the Soviet Union to benefit from
the evacuees received settlements of 69.5 transferred to Wright Field, where the United
said expertise, the United States instigated an
million Reichsmarks from the U.S., a settlement States had Luftwaffe aircraft and equipment
"evacuation operation" of scientific personnel
that soon became severely devalued during the captured under Operation Lusty (Luftwaffe
from Saxony and Thuringia, issuing orders such
currency reform that introduced the Deutsche Secret Technology).
as:
Mark as the official currency of western The United States Army Signal Corps
On orders of Military Government you
Germany. employed 24 specialists – including the
are to report with your family and baggage as
John Gimbel concludes that the United physicists Georg Goubau, Gunter Guttwein,
much as you can carry tomorrow noon at 1300
States put some of Germany's best minds on ice Georg Hass, Horst Kedesdy, and Kurt Lehovec;
hours (Friday, 22 June 1945) at the town square
for three years, therefore depriving the German the physical chemists Rudolf Brill, Ernst Baars,
in Bitterfeld. There is no need to bring winter
recovery of their expertise. and Eberhard Both; the geophysicist Helmut
clothing. Easily carried possessions, such as
Weickmann; the optician Gerhard Schwesinger;
family documents, jewelry, and the like should
Scientists and the engineers Eduard Gerber, Richard
be taken along. You will be transported by motor
Guenther, and Hans Ziegler.
vehicle to the nearest railway station. From
there you will travel on to the West. Please tell In May 1945, the U.S. Navy "received in
custody" Dr. Herbert A. Wagner, the inventor of (Continued on Page 20)
the bearer of this letter how large your family is.
 2018 Directory of Who’s Who 19
THE ‘X’ ZONE DIRECTORY OF WHO’S WHO
2018 EDITION
IS HERE!

2018 Edition

THE 'X' ZONE DIRECTORY OF WHO'S WHO is recognized worldwide as a professional source and guide featuring those
in the World of the Paranormal, Science of Parapsychology, Metaphysics, Quantum Physics, The Strange and Unknown,
Unsolved Mysteries, Ancient Archaeology, Exopolitics, Alternative Healing, New Age Spirituality, Science Fiction, Alternative
Realities and Religious Philosophies. The 'X' Zone Directory of Who's Who is used as a source by members of the international
media including print / digital media, radio and television, including hosts, producers, editors, researchers, publishers and those
seeking answers to questions that cannot be found anywhere else. The 'X' Zone Directory of Who's Who is edited by Rob
McConnell, the creator, host and executive producer of the internationally syndicated show, "The 'X' Zone Radio/TV Show"
(1992-present) and publisher of The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper, Rob has included some of the most credible and interesting of
the over 3,800 guests that he has interviewed. Rob is a highly respected professional Canadian broadcast veteran, researcher,
inventor, author, publisher and his expertise in the paranormal and parapsychology has been called upon y other members of
the media from around the world. When not working on The 'X' Zone Radio/TV Show or The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper, Rob
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www.xzonedirectory.com
 20
Operation Paperclip: The
Secret Intelligence
Program to Bring Nazi
Scientists to America
Continued from Page 18
In 1957, Fritz Karl Preikschat, taken to Russia
through Operation Osoaviakhim, accepted a
U.S. employment contract from the U.S. Air
Force and ended up at Boeing, making him
perhaps the only German engineer to contribute
to both sides of the Space Race (Russia and
U.S.).
In 1959, 94 Operation Paperclip men
went to the United States, including Friedwardt
Winterberg and Friedrich Wigand. Throughout
its operations to 1990, Operation Paperclip
imported 1,600 men, as part of the intellectual
reparations owed to the United States and the
UK, some $10 billion in patents and industrial
processes.
During the decades after they were
included in Operation Paperclip, some scientists
were investigated because of their activities
during World War II. Arthur Rudolph was
deported in 1984, but not prosecuted, and West
Germany granted him citizenship. Similarly,
Georg Rickhey, who came to the United States
under Operation Paperclip in 1946, was
returned to Germany to stand trial at the Dora
Trial in 1947; he was acquitted, and returned to
the United States in 1948, eventually becoming
a U.S. citizen. The aeromedical library at
Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas,
had been named after Hubertus Strughold in
1977. However, it was later renamed because
documents from the Nuremberg War Crimes
Tribunal linked Strughold to medical
experiments in which inmates from Dachau
were tortured and killed.
Key figures
Rocketry
Rudi Beichel, Magnus von Braun, Wernher
von Braun, Werner Dahm, Konrad Dannenberg,
Kurt H. Debus, Walter Dornberger, Ernst R. G.
Eckert, Krafft Arnold Ehricke, Barret A. Lee,
Otto Hirschler, Hermann H. Kurzweg, Fritz
Mueller, Eberhard Rees, Gerhard Reisig, Georg
Rickhey, Werner Rosinski, Ludwig Roth, Arthur
Rudolph, Ernst Steinhoff, Ernst Stuhlinger,
Bernhard Tessmann, and Georg von
Tiesenhausen.
Aeronautics
Sighard F. Hoerner, Siegfried Knemeyer,
Alexander Martin Lippisch, Hans Multhopp,
Hans von Ohain, and Kurt Tank.
Medicine – biological weapons, chemical
weapons, human experimentation, human
factors in space medicine
Hans Antmann, Kurt Blome, Erich Traub,
Walter Schreiber, Richard Lindenberg and
Hubertus Strughold.
Electronics
Operation Paperclip
Hans Hollmann, Kurt Lehovec, Johannes
Plendl, Heinz Schlicke and Hans K. Ziegler.
Intelligence
Reinhard Gehlen, Otto von Bolschwing.
Similar operations
• APPLEPIE: Project to capture and
interrogate key Wehrmacht, RSHA AMT
VI, and General Staff officers
knowledgeable of the industry and economy
of the USSR.
• DUSTBIN (counterpart of ASHCAN): An
Anglo-American military intelligence
operation established first in Paris, then in
Kransberg Castle, at Frankfurt.
• ECLIPSE (1944): An unimplemented Air
Disarmament Wing plan for post-war
operations in Europe for destroying V-1 and
V-2 missiles.
• SAFEHAVEN: US project within
ECLIPSE meant to prevent the escape of
Nazi scientists from Allied-occupied
Germany.
• FIELD INFORMATION AGENCY;
Technical (FIAT): US Army agency for
securing the "major, and perhaps only,
material reward of victory, namely, the
advancement of science and the
improvement of production and standards of
living in the United Nations, by proper
exploitation of German methods in these
fields"; FIAT ended in 1947, when
Operation Paperclip began functioning.
• On April 26, 1946, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
issued JCS Directive 1067/14 to General
Eisenhower instructing that he "preserve
from destruction and take under your
control records, plans, books, documents,
papers, files and scientific, industrial and
other information and data belonging to . . .
German organizations engaged in military
research"; and that, excepting war-
criminals, German scientists be detained for
intelligence purposes as required.
• NATIONAL INTEREST/PROJECT 63:
Job placement assistance for Nazi engineers
at Lockheed, Martin Marietta, North
American Aviation, and other aeroplane
companies, whilst American aerospace
engineers were being laid off work.
• OPERATION ALSOS, OPERATION
BIG, OPERATION EPSILON, RUSSIAN
ALSOS: Soviet, American and British
efforts to capture German nuclear secrets,
equipment, and personnel.
• OPERATION BACKFIRE: A British
effort at capturing rocket and aerospace
technology from Cuxhaven.
• FEDDEN MISSION: British mission to
gain technical intelligence concerning
advanced German aircraft and their
propulsion systems.
• OPERATION LUSTY: US efforts to
capture German aeronautical equipment,
technology, and personnel.
• OPERARTION OSOAVIAKHIM:
(sometimes transliterated as "Operation
Ossavakim"), a Soviet counterpart of
Operation Paperclip, involving German
technicians, managers, skilled workers and
their respective families who were relocated
to the USSR in October 1946.
• OPERATION SURGEON: British
operation for denying German aeronautical
expertise from the USSR, and for exploiting
German scientists in furthering British
research.
• SPECIAL MISSION V-2: April–May 1945
US operation, by Maj. William Bromley,
that recovered parts and equipment for 100
V-2 missiles from a Mittelwerk underground
factory in Kohnstein within the Soviet zone.
Maj. James P. Hamill co-ordinated the
transport of the equipment on 341 railroad
cars with the 144th Motor Vehicle Assembly
Company, from Nordhausen to Erfurt, just
before the Soviets arrived. (see also
Operation Blossom, Broomstick Scientists,
Hermes project, Operations Sandy and
Pushover)
• TARGET INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE: US project to exploit
German cryptographers. []
 Roswell’s Dirty Secret
Roswell’s Dirty Secret:
The Time Nazis Crash-
Landed in the New
Mexican Desert
By Ken Summers
What exactly crashed in the open terrain of the
US Southwest back in 1947? Was it a weather
balloon? Aliens from a far-off galaxy? Or even
worse… could it have been the Nazis?
A German documentary, UFOs and the
Third Reich, aired on Channel N24 and made
some bold claims about flying saucers. The main
claim is that the real secret behind the Roswell
crash was that it was a high-tech stealth aircraft
made by Nazis. Well, in fairness, they weren’t
still Nazis when they built it. Thanks to
Operation Paperclip, many German scientists
were secretly relocated to the US at the end of
World War II. Instead of facing war crimes, they
were put to work by the US government to help
beat the Soviets in the ‘space race’.
Undoubtedly, allowing people like Hans
Kammler (who organized the forced labor
factories at Auschwitz) to escape any form of
punishment to gain a scientific edge casts its
own black shadow over the already dark,
elusive, and controversial study of UFOs.
Between 1941 and 1943, fifteen
prototypes of what’s known as the Schriever-
Habermohl Model were said to have been built
in Prague. Named for its designers, engineers
Rudolf Schriever and Otto Habermohl, this craft
bears an uncanny resemblance to what we now
think of when we hear the term “flying saucer”.
Flight was achieved through a combination of
rotary wings like a helicopter and let engines
mounted beneath the disc-shaped craft. The
blueprints for these craft are believed to have
been taken to the US in 1945 where work
continued. It’s one of these American versions
that the filmmakers allege crashed two years
later in New Mexico.
Under Hitler’s command, the Nazis
experimented with peculiar and radical
aerospace technology, most notably “Die
Glocke“, a bell-shaped metal chamber
measuring 15 feet tall and nine feet in diameter
intended to fly without wings. It is believed that
work was carried out to create 15 prototypes in
Poland’s Owl Mountains in secret subterranean
labs hidden inside the Wenceslas Mines which
were later dynamited when the tide of the war
turned against the Nazis. According to historian
and former Polish journalist Igor Witkowski in
his book The Truth about The Wunderwaffe, test
flights of Die Glocke were conducted over
Germany and Czechoslovakia… like Charlie
and Willy Wonka in the Great Glass Elevator, no
doubt. Were was Augustus Gloop when you
needed him?
A German engineer named George Klein
supports Witkowski’s claims that such an
aircraft existed. He told the Daily Express, “I
don’t consider myself a crackpot or eccentric or
someone given to fantasies… This is what I saw,
with my own eyes: a Nazi UFO.” Klein wasn’t
alone; many American and British airmen also
witnessed strange craft, including the Schriever-
Habermohl Model and possibly Die Glocke,
over Nazi-occupied territory.
And if Roswell was a Nazi craft, what
can be said about the famous Kecksburg UFO of
1965? Resembling an upside-down acorn, Die
Glocke was thought by many to have been an
idea never brought to life. Looking at diagrams
for Die Glocke and the object which crashed
into the woods outside Kecksburg, it’s hard to
deny the similarities. The US allegedly obtained
plans for these craft around 1943, and some
believe they experimented in building their own
version.
Could Die Glocke (or an American
counterpart) have been launched, reached too
high of an altitude and orbited the Earth as a
satellite before reentering the atmosphere where
21
it became a fiery meteor landing in
Pennsylvania?
If there was ever a good reason for a
government conspiracy covering up a crashed
unidentified flying object in New Mexico
outside of Roswell, it being a top-secret Nazi
aircraft is most certainly a good one. Or is there
an even bigger conspiracy at work here? Last
year, Greg Newkirk revealed the surprising fact
that Rachel, Nevada (UFO mecca and next door
neighbor to the infamous Area 51) is slowly
being consumed by Neo-Nazis and white
supremacists. Is this new revelation about
Roswell really just propaganda trying to justify
a land claim by Neo-Nazis in New Mexico? Or
is their settlement of these towns some deep-
rooted attempt at a Nazi comeback in the 21st
Century? Either way, I’d prefer the aliens.
About Ken Summers
Ken Summers is a historical researcher
and purveyor of strange tales and forgotten
hauntings. An explorer of haunted sites since
1995 and the apologetic creator of the "orb color
chart," he has always endeavored to balance
eager curiosity with logical questioning in the
pursuit of truth. Ken is reluctant to call himself
either a skeptic or a believer, yet throughout his
life, he has had strange experiences that fall
under the category of "unexplained". His last
book, Queer Hauntings, was published in 2009.
[]
22 The ‘X’ Chronicles Newspaper

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Here is your chance to get your short story,
poem or timely news article published in an
international newspaper.

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 Japanese Fugo or Fire Balloons of WW II
Japanese Fugo or Fire
Balloons of WW II
From late 1944 until early 1945, the Japanese
launched over 9,300 fire balloons, of which 300
were found or observed in the U.S. Despite the
high hopes of their designers, the balloons were
ineffective as weapons: causing only six deaths
(from one single incident) and a small amount of
damage.
Rubberized silk balloon used for
meteorological observation during World War II
"Type B" rubberized silk balloon, recovered at
sea and reinflated. Outline of a human is
provided for scale.
The Japanese designed two types of
balloons. The first was called the "Type B
Balloon" and was designed by the Japanese
Navy. It was 9 m (30 ft) in diameter and
consisted of rubberized silk. The type B balloons
were sent first and mainly used for
meteorological purposes. The Japanese used
them to determine the possibility of the bomb-
carrying balloons reaching North America.[6]
The second type was the bomb-carrying balloon.
Japanese bomb-carrying balloons were 10 m (33
ft) in diameter and, when fully inflated, held
about 540 m3 (19,000 cu ft) of hydrogen. Their
launch sites were located on the east coast of the
main Japanese island of Honshū.
Japan released the first of these bomb-
bearing balloons on November 3, 1944. They
were found in Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,[7]
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,[8]North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington
and Wyoming, as well as Mexico and Canada.
General Kusaba's men launched over
9,000 balloons throughout the course of the
project. The Japanese expected 10% (around
900) of them to reach America, which is also
what is currently believed by researchers.[9]
About 300 balloon bombs were found or
observed in America. It is likely that more
balloon bombs landed in unpopulated areas of
North America.
The last one was launched in April 1945.
Origins
The balloon campaign was the fourth attack the
Japanese had made on the American mainland.
The fūsen bakudan campaign was, however, the
most earnest of the attacks. The concept was the
brainchild of the Imperial Japanese Army's
Ninth Army's Number Nine Research
Laboratory, under Major General Sueyoshi
Kusaba, with work performed by Technical
Major Teiji Takada and his colleagues. The
balloons were intended to make use of a strong
current of winter air that the Japanese had
discovered flowing at high altitude and speed
over their country, which later became known as
the jet stream.
The jet stream reported by Wasaburo
Oishi blew at altitudes above 9.15 km (30,000
ft) and could carry a large balloon across the
Pacific in three days, over a distance of more
than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 mi). Such balloons
could carry incendiary and high-explosive
bombs to the United States and drop them there
to kill people, destroy buildings, and start forest
fires.
The preparations were lengthy because
the technological problems were acute. A
hydrogen balloon expands when warmed by the
sunlight, and rises; then it contracts when cooled
at night, and falls. The engineers devised a
control system driven by an altimeter to discard
ballast. When the balloon descended below 9 km
(30,000 ft), it electrically fired a charge to cut
loose sandbags. The sandbags were carried on a
cast-aluminium four-spoked wheel and
discarded two at a time to keep the wheel
balanced.
Similarly, when the balloon rose above
about 11.6 km (38,000 ft), the altimeter
activated a valve to vent hydrogen. The
hydrogen was also vented if the balloon's
pressure reached a critical level.
The control system ran the balloon
through three days of flight. At that time, it was
likely over the U.S., and its ballast was
expended. The final flash of gunpowder released
the bombs, also carried on the wheel, and lit a
19.5 meters (64 feet) long fuse that hung from
the balloon's equator. After 84 minutes, the fuse
fired a flash bomb that destroyed the balloon.
The balloon had to carry about 454
kilograms (1,001 lb) of gear. At first the balloons
were made of conventional rubberized silk, but
improved envelopes had less leakage. An order
went out for ten thousand balloons made of
"washi", a paper derived from mulberry bushes
that was impermeable and very tough. It was
only available in squares about the size of a road
map, so it was glued together in three or four
laminations using edible konnyaku (devil's
tongue) paste – though hungry workers stealing
the paste for food created some issues. Many
workers were nimble-fingered teenaged school
girls. They assembled the paper in many parts of
Japan. Large indoor spaces, such as sumo halls,
sound stages, and theatres, were required for the
envelope assembly.
The bombs most commonly carried by
the balloons were:
• Type 92 15-kilogram (33 lb) high-explosive
bomb consisting of 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg)
picric acid or TNT surrounded by 26 steel
rings within a steel casing 4 inches (10 cm)
in diameter and 14.5 inches (37 cm) long
and welded to a 11-inch (28 cm) tail fin
assembly.
• Type 97 12-kilogram (26 lb) thermite
incendiary bomb using the Type 92 bomb
23
casing and fin assembly containing 11
ounces (310 g) of gunpowder and three 1.5-
kilogram (3.3 lb) magnesium containers of
thermite.
• 5-kilogram (11 lb) thermite incendiary bomb
consisting of a 3.75-inch (9.5 cm) steel tube
15.75 inches (40.0 cm) long containing
thermite with an ignition charge of
magnesium, potassium nitrate and barium
peroxide.
The Japanese Imperial Army Noborito
Institute cultivated anthrax and pasteurella
pestis, furthermore, it produced 20 tons of
cowpox viruses which is quantity to be
equivalent to the whole area of the United
States.[clarification needed] The plan of
deployment of these biological weapon on fire
balloons was planned in 1944. The Emperor
Hirohito did not admit deployment of biological
weapons on the occasion of a report of President
Staff Officer Umezu on October 25, 1944.
Consequently, the biological warfare was not
realized.
Similar, but cruder, balloons were also
used by Britain to attack Germany between 1942
and 1944.
Offensive
A balloon launch organization of three battalions
was formed. The first battalion included
headquarters and three squadrons totaling 1,500
men in Ibaraki Prefecture with nine launch
stations at Ōtsu. The second battalion of 700
men in three squadrons operated six launch
stations at Ichinomiya, Chiba; and the third
battalion of 600 men in two squadrons operated
six launch stations at Nakoso in Fukushima
Prefecture. The Ōtsu site included hydrogen gas
generating facilities; but the 2nd and 3rd
battalion launch sites used hydrogen
manufactured elsewhere. The best time to
launch was just after the passing of a high-
pressure front, and wind conditions were most
suitable for several hours prior to the onshore
breezes at sunrise. Suitable launch conditions
were expected on only about fifty days through
the winter period of maximum jet stream
velocity, and the combined launch capacity of all
three battalions was about 200 balloons per day.
(Continued on Page 24)
 24 Japanese Fugo or Fire Balloons of WW II
Japanese Fugo or Fire
Balloons of WW II
Continued from Page 23
Initial tests took place in September
1944 and proved satisfactory; however, before
preparations were complete, B-29s began their
raids on the Japanese home islands. The attacks
were somewhat ineffectual at first but still
fueled the desire for revenge sparked by the
Doolittle Raid.
The first balloon was released on
November 3, 1944. Major Takada watched as
the balloon flew upward and over the sea: "The
figure of the balloon was visible only for several
minutes following its release until it faded away
as a spot in the blue sky like a daytime star." A
few balloons carried radiosonde equipment
rather than bombs. These balloons were tracked
by direction finding stations in Ichinomiya,
Chiba, in Iwanuma, Miyagi, in Misawa,
Aomori, and on Sakhalin to estimate progress
toward the United States.
The Japanese chose to launch the
campaign in November; because the period of
maximum jet stream velocity is November
through March. This limited the chance of the
incendiary bombs causing forest fires, as that
time of year produces the maximum North
American Pacific coastal precipitation, and
forests were generally snow-covered or too
damp to catch fire easily. On November 4, 1944
a United States Navy patrol craft discovered one
of the first radiosonde balloons floating off San
Pedro, Los Angeles. National and state agencies
were placed on heightened alert status when
balloons were found in Wyoming and Montana
before the end of November.
The balloons continued to arrive in
Oregon, Kansas, Iowa, British Columbia,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, the Yukon,
Northwest Territories, Washington, Idaho,
South Dakota, Nevada (including one that
landed near Yerington that was discovered by
cowboys who cut it up and used it as a hay tarp,
another by a prospector near Elko who
delivered it to local authorities on the back of a
donkey, and another was shot down by U.S.
Army Air Forces planes near Reno). In all,
seven fire balloons were turned in to the Army
in Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Northern Mexico,
Michigan, and even the outskirts of Detroit.
Fighters scrambled to intercept the balloons, but
they had little success; the balloons flew very
high and surprisingly fast, and fighters
destroyed fewer than 20.
American authorities concluded the
greatest danger from these balloons would be
wildfires in the Pacific coastal forests. The
Fourth Air Force, Western Defense Command
and Ninth Service Command organized the
Firefly Project of 2,700 troops including 200
paratroopers of the 555th Parachute Infantry
Battalion with Stinson L-5 Sentinel and
Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft. These men were
stationed at critical points for use in fire-
fighting missions. The 555th suffered one
fatality and 22 injuries fighting fires.
Through Firefly, the military used the
United States Forest Service as a proxy agency
to combat FuGo. Due to limited war time fire
suppression personnel, Firefly relied upon the
555th as well as conscientious objectors. The
operation also unified fire suppression
communications among federal and state
agencies. The influx of military personnel,
equipment, and tactics shaped how the United
States Forest Service approached fire
suppression in the post War period.
By early 1945, Americans were
becoming aware that something strange was
going on. Balloons had been sighted and
explosions heard, from California to Alaska.
Something that appeared to witnesses to be like
a parachute descended over Thermopolis,
Wyoming. A fragmentation bomb exploded, and
shrapnel was found around the crater. A P-38
Lightning shot a balloon down near Santa Rosa,
California; another was seen over Santa
Monica; and bits of washi were found in the
streets of Los Angeles.
In February and March 1945, P-40
fighter pilots from 133 Squadron, Royal
Canadian Air Force Western Air Command
operating out of RCAF Patricia Bay (Victoria,
British Columbia), intercepted and destroyed
two fire balloons,[23] On February 21, Pilot
Officer E. E. Maxwell While shot down a
balloon, which landed on Sumas Mountain, in
Washington State. On March 10, Pilot Officer J.
Gordon Patten destroyed a balloon near
Saltspring Island, British Columbia.
On March 10, 1945, one of the last paper
balloons descended in the vicinity of the
Manhattan Project's production facility at the
Hanford Site. This balloon caused a short circuit
in the power lines supplying electricity for the
nuclear reactor cooling pumps, but backup
safety devices restored power almost
immediately.
Two paper balloons were recovered in a
single day in Modoc National Forest, east of
Mount Shasta. Near Medford, Oregon, a
balloon bomb exploded in towering flames. The
Navy found balloons in the ocean. Balloon
envelopes and apparatus were found in Montana
and Arizona, and inside Canada in
Saskatchewan, in the Northwest Territories, and
in the Yukon Territory. Eventually, an Army
fighter managed to push one of the balloons
around in the air and force it to ground intact,
where it was examined and filmed. Japanese
propaganda broadcasts announced great fires
and an American public in panic, declaring
casualties in the thousands.
Hayfork is a small community in
northern California about 40 miles (64 km) west
of Redding. On February 1, 1945 a Japanese
bombing balloon was spotted by several local
residents drifting over the Trinity National
Forest area and slowly descending. No one
knew what it was, but an alert forest ranger
called the military authorities at the Presidio of
San Francisco and reported it. Meanwhile, the
balloon came to rest atop a 60-foot (18-meter)
dead fir tree in the forest near a local road. In the
next few hours several people gathered in the
area to gaze up at the strange object.
Shortly after dark there was a
tremendous blast. The balloon's gas bag
disappeared in a fireball and the balloon's
undercarriage came crashing to the ground. No
one was hurt. Forest rangers kept the curious
well back from the fallen debris until Army
personnel arrived. Upon examination, it was
found to be a Japanese bombing balloon with
four incendiary bombs and one high explosive
bomb still aboard and the bomb releasing
mechanism still very much intact. It later
proved to be one of the most intact bombing
balloons yet to fall into American hands. As was
usual in instances of this sort, the local people
were told what it was and were asked to keep
secret what they had seen.
Allied investigation
Despite their low success, the authorities were
worried about the balloons. There was the
chance that they might get unlucky. Much
worse, the Americans had some knowledge that
the Japanese had been working on biological
weapons, most specifically at the infamous Unit
731 site at Pingfan in northeast China, and a
balloon carrying biowarfare agents could be a
real threat.
(Continued on Page 25)
For the very best radio programming from the
world of the paranormal and the science of
parapsychology without the sensationalism
and getting to the truth, listen to
www.xzbn.net - The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show
 Japanese Fugo or Fire Balloons of WW II
Japanese Fugo or Fire
Balloons of WW II
Continued from Page 24
Nobody believed the balloons could
have come directly from Japan. It was thought
that the balloons must be coming from North
American beaches, launched by landing parties
from submarines. Wilder theories speculated
that they could have been launched from
German prisoner of war camps in the U.S., or
even from Japanese-American internment
centers.
Some of the sandbags dropped by the
fusen bakudan were taken to the Military
Geology Unit of the United States Geological
Survey for investigation. Working with the
Military Intelligence Service, the researchers of
the Military Geological Unit began microscopic
and chemical examination of the sand from the
sandbags to determine types and distribution of
diatoms and other microscopic sea creatures,
and its mineral composition. The sand could not
be coming from American beaches, nor from
the mid-Pacific. It had to be coming from Japan.
The geologists ultimately determined that the
sand had been taken from the vicinity of
Ichinomiya. Aerial reconnaissance then located
two of the hydrogen production plants nearby,
which were soon destroyed by bombing.
Press coverup
The bombs caused little damage, but their
potential for destruction and fires was large. The
bombs also had a potential psychological effect
on the American people. The U.S. strategy was
to keep the Japanese from knowing of the
balloon bombs' effectiveness.
In 1945 Newsweek ran an article titled
"Balloon Mystery" in their January 1 issue, and
a similar story appeared in a newspaper the next
day.
The Office of Censorship then sent a
message to newspapers and radio stations to ask
them to make no mention of balloons and
balloon-bomb incidents. They did not want the
enemy to get the idea that the balloons might be
effective weapons or to have the American
people start panicking. Cooperating with the
desires of the government, the press did not
publish any balloon bomb incidents. Perhaps as
a result, the Japanese only learned of one
bomb's reaching Wyoming, landing and failing
to explode, so they stopped the launches after
less than six months.
The press blackout in the U.S. was lifted
after the first deaths to ensure that the public
was warned, though public knowledge of the
threat could have possibly prevented it.
Abandonment
With no evidence of any effect, General Kusaba
was ordered to cease operations in April 1945,
believing that the mission had been a total
fiasco. The expense was large, and in the
meantime the B-29s had destroyed two of the
three hydrogen plants needed by the project.
The last fire balloon was launched in
April 1945.
Single lethal attack
On May 5, 1945, a pregnant woman
(Elsie Winters Mitchell, born February 26,
1919)[30] and five children were killed when
they discovered a balloon bomb that had landed
in the forest of Gearhart Mountain in Southern
Oregon. Archie Mitchell was the pastor of the
Bly Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.
He and his pregnant wife Elsie drove up to
Gearhart Mountain with five of their Sunday
school students (aged 11–14) to have a picnic.
They had to stop at this spot near Bly, Oregon,
due to construction and a road closing. Elsie and
the children got out of the car at Bly, while
Archie drove on to find a parking spot. As Elsie
and the children looked for a good picnic spot,
they saw a strange balloon lying on the ground.
There were two explosions; the boys were killed
25
immediately, and Elsie died as Archie used his
hands to extinguish the fire on her clothing.
Joan Patzke survived the initial blast, but died
later. A bomb disposal expert guessed that the
bomb had been kicked. These are the only
known deaths caused by the balloon bombs.
They are the only known deaths in the
contiguous U.S. as the result of enemy action
during World War II and the only civilian
casualties on American soil after the US entry
into the war.
Military personnel arrived on the scene
within hours, and saw that the balloon still had
snow underneath it, while the surrounding area
did not. They concluded that the balloon bomb
had drifted to the ground several weeks earlier,
and had lain there undisturbed until found by
the group.
Elsie Mitchell is buried in the Ocean
View Cemetery in Port Angeles, Washington. A
memorial, the Mitchell Monument, is located at
the point of the explosion, 110 kilometers (68
miles) northeast of Klamath Falls in the
Mitchell Recreation Area. It was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Several Japanese civilians have visited the
monument to offer their apologies for the deaths
that took place here, and several cherry trees
have been planted around the monument as a
symbol of peace.
Post–World War II
The remains of balloons continued to be
discovered after the war. Eight were found in
the 1940s, three in the 1950s, and two in the
1960s. In 1978, a ballast ring, fuses, and
barometers were found near Agness, Oregon,
and are now part of the collection of the Coos
Historical & Maritime Museum.
The remains of a balloon bomb were
found in Lumby, British Columbia, in October
2014 and detonated by a Royal Canadian Navy
ordnance disposal team.
The Canadian War Museum, in Ottawa,
Ontario, has a full, intact balloon on display.
Fact is stranger than fiction! []
 26 Did You Know...

DID YOU KNOW...

Biblical Facts
THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO SHOW
- Worldwide, about 50 Bibles are sold with ROB McCONNELL
every minute.
- The Old Testament mention almonds From the world of the PARANORMAL to the science of PARAPSYCHOLOGY - Welcome to
73 times. The 'X' Zone.... a place where Fact is Fiction and Fiction is Reality where Canadian broadcaster,
- According to the Bible, King David the host, creator and executive producer, Rob McConnell has been at the helm of this
Internationally syndicated terrestrial radio and satellite programming since 1991.
played the Harp.
- The Bible is stolen more times than Since 1992, Rob has interviewed more than 4,100 guests, all of who can be view at
any other book. www.rmmcpublishing.com/guestsofthex.
- The word “and” is used 46,277 times
in the King James Bible. To read what guests have said about their visit to The 'X' Zone Radio/TV Show, go to
- The five animals most often www.rmmcpublishing.com/guestcomments.
mentioned in the Bible are sheep,
To contact Rob McConnell - Email - robmcconnell@xzbn.net
lambs, lions, oxen, and
rams.
- The word bible comes from the
Greek biblos, meaning “book.”
- The bagpipe is mentioned in the
www.XZBN.net
Bible (Daniel 3.5).
- Saint John was the only of the 12
apostles to die of natural causes.
- The first man to translate the entire
Bible into English was Englishman
Myles Coverdale, in 1535.
- The seven deadly sins: lust, pride,
anger, envy, sloth, avarice, and
gluttony.
- According to the Bible, Noah
invented wine and was the first person
to eat meat.
- Number of words in the James King
Bible: 783,137.
- Nowhere in the Bible does it say that A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
there were three wise men. with DR. KEVIN RANDLE
- Salt is mentioned more than 30 times
in the Bible. DR KEVIN RANDLE, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel who served combat tours as a
- There are two talking animals in the helicopter pilot in Vietnam and an intelligence officer in Iraq. He has been studying UFOs for
nearly fifty years. He has investigated some of the most famous UFO cases including the
Bible: the serpent and Balaam’s ass.
Levelland sightings and series of sightings over Washington, D.C. in 1952. He has been
- The final word in the Bible : “amen.” consulted for dozens of documentaries about UFOs and has made presentations to dozens of
colleges and other organizations. He is considered one of the leading experts into the Roswell
To Get Your Copy of UFO crash of 1947. He had written more than 25 books about UFOs including the recently
published Roswell in the 21st Century and hosts a blog, KevinRandle.blogspot.com. To contact
Dr Kevin Randle - Email - drkevinrandle@xzbn.net
DID YOU KNOW Past Guests Include: Don Schmitt, Philip Mantle, Peter Robbins, Nick Redfern, Don Ecker, Jan
Harzan, John Greenwald, Barry Greenwood, Lorna Hunter, Lance Moody, Don Ledger, Paul
by Rob McConnell Kimball, Chris Rutkowski, Col. Charles Halt, Curt Collins, and many others.

visit
rel-mar.com/didyouknow www.XZBN.net
 Know the Name, Know the Person 27

Know the Name

Know the Person
What does your name say about you?
What’s in a name?

More than most of us realize. Discover personality secrets

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person’s name. Her curiosity led her to write down her impressions, as she wanted to get to know her
students for who they were. After three months of teaching she read her initial impressions and was
amazed at the accuracy. Generally Joshua's were brilliant and a bit obnoxious, Stephanies were
stubborn, and Rachels pretty, etc. She followed her fifteen years of research conducted in forty-nine of
the States with three years of field work in over seventy countries testing her theories. Everywhere she
spoke people asked how to find out more information so she wrote the Amazon bestseller, "KNOW
THE NAME, KNOW THE PERSON: Decoding Letters to Reveal Secrets Hidden in Names". Her
book has garnered frequent praise and has earned a Literary Excellence Award. Wyeth is an educator
and former school administrator, and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows. Sharón
also teaches and certifies people to become Neimology® Scientists. Available on Amazon.com.
 28 Science of the Paranormal
Science of the
Paranormal: Can You
Trust Your Own Mind?
By Stephanie Pappas
"No live organism can continue for
long to exist sanely under conditions of
absolute reality; even larks and katydids
are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill
House, not sane, stood by itself against
its hills, holding darkness within; it had
stood for eighty years and might stand
for eighty more. Within, walls continued
upright, bricks met neatly, floors were
firm, and doors were sensibly shut;
silence lay steadily against the wood
and stone of Hill House, and whatever
walked there, walked alone."
- Shirley Jackson, "The
Haunting of Hill House," 1959
Of all the paranormal phenomena that surround
Halloween, the haunted house may be the last to
inspire real fear. Witches? Haven't been scary
since the days of Salem. Zombies? Fun makeup,
sure, but a bit campy. Vampires? Blame sparkly
Robert Pattinson for taking the bite out of those
bloodsuckers.
But the haunted house can send chills
up the spine of the staunchest nonbeliever.
Ghost stories tend to happen to the
unsuspecting; who's to say they might not
happen to you? They're also passed around by
word of mouth, often by seemingly trustworthy
sources. Nowadays, the Internet expands this
oral tradition to almost anyone: Witness the
website Jezebel's annual spooky stories contest
(and then try to sleep soundly tonight).
Science, of course, counsels skepticism
toward the idea of spirits and spooks. So if real
ghosts aren't to blame for things that go bump,
what might be? Though researchers have
investigated culprits like electromagnetic fields
and infrasound below the range of human
hearing, the ultimate source of hauntings may
just be that 3-lb. organ between the ears.
Seeking ghosts in sound
One plausible explanation for haunted houses is
that people are responding to something in the
environment — but that the "something" is far
more mundane than restless spirits.
A possible culprit is infrasound, or
sounds just below the typical human hearing
threshold of 20 hertz. In 1998, Vic Tandy, a
researcher at Coventry University in England,
joined with fellow Coventry professor Tony
Lawrence to write a paper based on Tandy's
own spooky experiences at a medical equipment
manufacturing shop. On occasion, employees
reported spooky sensations and the feeling of a
presence in the room; Tandy dismissed all of
this until one night when he began to feel cold
and gloomy. After checking that none of the
medical gas bottles were leaking, he sat back at
his desk, only to see a gray figure emerge in the
corner of his vision. When he summoned the
courage to look at the apparition directly, it
faded away.
A subsequent experience while cutting
metal led Tandy to wonder if sound energy was
causing his and his colleagues' inexplicable
experiences. After a particular fan in the
building was switched off, the "ghosts"
disappeared, the researchers wrote in 1998 in
the Journal of the Society for Psychical
Research.
Proving this notion has been more
difficult. Lots of things create infrasound, from
the wind gusts of air conditioners to
earthquakes. In one experiment, researchers
used hidden infrasound generators during ghost
tours given at Mary King's Close in Edinburgh,
United Kingdom. The close is now
underground, but in the 1600s, it was a series of
narrow alleyways and passages through tall
buildings; local legend tells of plague victims
bricked into the walls. During a city ghost
festival in 2007, some unsuspecting tour groups
were blasted with infrasound as they roamed
these creepy passageways.
The results revealed no difference in the
number of people who reported a paranormal
experience whether they'd been exposed to
infrasound or to ambient noise. However, the
infrasound-exposed groups did report a greater
overall number of spooky experiences, with
more people reporting multiple such
experiences. Meanwhile, 20 percent of those in
the infrasound groups reported feeling the
temperature rise during their tours, compared
with only 5 percent in the ambient-noise group,
the researchers reported in their preliminary
results.
It was hardly a ringing endorsement of
the notion that ghosts and ghouls are simply
sounds below the threshold of the human ear;
after all, people in haunted houses usually
report cold spots, not feelings of excessive
warmth. And it's not clear why infrasound
would lead to an increase in spooky experiences
per person, but not more people reporting
spooky experiences.
Electrifying chills
Another natural explanation for ghosts might be
electromagnetic energy. Spirits may not
surround us, but electromagnetic fields
generated by power lines and electronic devices
certainly do. Could electronics be giving off
ghostly vibes?
A few small experiments suggest
electromagnetic fields might have this effect. In
2000, cognitive neuroscientist Michael
Persinger of Laurentian University in Canada
and his colleagues used magnetic fields to
stimulate the brain of a 45-year-old man who'd
reported previous ghostly experiences; they
managed, with the magnetic fields, to "conjure"
an apparition similar to what the man had seen
years before, along with a corresponding rush of
fear, the researchers reported in the journal
Perceptual and Motor Skills.
The next year, in the same journal,
Persinger and his colleagues reported on the
strange case of a teenage girl who said she'd
been impregnated by the Holy Spirit and felt the
invisible presence of a baby on her left shoulder.
The girl had experienced a brain injury earlier in
her life, the researchers wrote, but the trauma
wasn't the sole reason for the religious
visitation: Next to the girl's bed was an electric
clock that generated magnetic pulses similar to
those used to trigger seizures in epileptic rats.
Once the clock was removed, the feelings of a
presence vanished. Persinger and his colleagues
argue that some people are particularly prone to
disruption of the temporal lobes, which happen
to be where the brain synthesizes information.
Patients undergoing brain surgery reveal
how important the temporal lobes can be to the
experience of reality, said Christopher French, a
psychologist at Goldsmiths College of the
University of London who researches the roots
of paranormal experiences. When surgeons
stimulate the part of the brain where the
temporal and parietal lobe meet — the
temporoparietal junction — they "can actually
switch out-of-body experiences on and off,"
French said.
In your head
But French and his colleagues have found little
evidence that infrasound and electromagnetic
fields explain ghostly apparitions. He and his
team tried to create scientific hauntings by
building a chamber in which participants were
exposed to 50 minutes of infrasound, complex
electromagnetic fields, both or neither. The
participants then reported the sensations they'd
experienced during their time in the chamber.
A majority of people reported some sort
of weirdness during the experiment: Almost 80
percent said they'd felt dizzy, half said they felt
like they were spinning and 23 percent felt
detached from their bodies, the researchers
reported in 2009 in the journal Cortex. Notably,
23 percent also said they felt a presence, and 8
percent felt sheer terror.
(Continued on Page 32)
The ‘X’ Chronicles Newspaper
www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com
Online Shamanic Classes 29
30 So, We’re Still Here. Now What?
 Tricks Psychics Bullsh*t People With 31
Tricks Psychics Bullsh*t
People With That
Everyone Should Know
By Joe Oliveto

Let's do a psychic reading. Right now.

I'm getting the sense that you're the type
of person who places great value on being liked
and admired. At times, you can be prone to
doubting whether or not you've made the right
choices in your life. You can be excessively
critical of yourself. You aren't a perfect person,
but for the most part, you've made up for your
weaknesses. You've got a lot of potential that
has not been used to your advantage yet. You're
an independent thinker. To a certain degree, you
need some change in your life—too many
restrictions make you uncomfortable. That said,
finding security is one of your main goals.
There have been times when social anxiety has
been a problem for you. 2. Getting them to tell you the a heart problem."
important info When heart disease is the leading cause
Sound about right? Most people will see
of death worldwide, that psychic is about as
something of themselves in there. But it's not
Most people who see a psychic aren't there magical as WedMD. Showing off your psychic
magic. It's called The Forer Effect (also called
reluctantly. It's not like the dentist, or the in- skills to a room full of people? Just make sure
the Barnum Effect, also called "The Why Your
laws you don't visit because you know the you stick to vague statements. Focus on
Aunt Still Believes In Astrology Effect"), and
consequences of not going will be worse. common relationships, physical traits, or causes
it's one of the simple tools that so-called
Because of this, it's pretty easy to get a client to of death. Very quickly, you'll get someone to
psychics and mediums use to convince you that
play along. spot something you say that fits. As soon as you
they can talk to the dead, look into your soul,
All a psychic needs to do is start out by appear to be right once, people will be more
and accept all major credit cards.
explaining that the messages they get can be likely to buy in throughout the process.
1. Making claims that could apply to vague, and they might need help to understand
why they're important. If the client agrees, 4. Keeping it vague lets you backtrack
everyone
boom, they've got cooperation. "I'm seeing a when you miss
name with the letter C. Oh, it was the letter K?
Bertram Forer was a psychologist who gave his
Thank you. When I get these impressions from Sometimes, a statement a psychic
students a test, saying it would help him create
the spirit world, sometimes mistakes like that makes, no matter how vague, will miss the
a personality profile for each of them. Secretly,
can happen. Now I'm sensing that this person mark. When that happens, they've got ways of
he gave every student the exact same profile,
was either your father, or knew your father, or backtracking to cover up their error. Claimed
regardless of their answers, and asked them to
was maybe on his side of the family. I may need you're speaking with the client's mother, only to
rate how accurate they thought it was. The
your help here. Oh, it was your mother's father? learn that she's still alive? Say that no, it must be
majority of the students said it was right on-the-
Yes, right, it's getting clearer now. It was your someone who knew the mother well, or had
mark. In another example of the study, students
grandfather. I knew it involved a father some sort of relationship with her. Just told
were given two profiles, one real, another
somehow. It's starting to come together." someone they're about to make a big decision in
fake—most thought the fake profile was the real
By the end of the session, the client has life, but they tell you this isn't true? Say that it's
one.
actually done most of the work, because they're now looking like they did make a big decision
If you look back at those statements in
ready to believe. Which is like taking your earlier in the year, or are at a stage in their life
the intro, not only are they actually pretty
doctor seriously after he asks you to help him where some changes are happening.
vague, but they can apply to almost anyone, like
with the surgery. By always keeping it vague and
Sergio! They're also, for the most part, positive;
explaining that the spirit world doesn't always
a few negative traits are sprinkled in to make it
3. Saying things that will be true to at communicate clearly, a psychic can seem legit
believable, but none of them are so terrible that
least someone even when caught in a clear lie. That's why
you would immediately reject them. Miss Cleo
shows like The Long Island Medium (contains
never told anyone, "Honey, I'm getting a real
On shows like Crossing Over, an audience full way more alcohol than a regular medium!) are
strong feeling that you murder puppies and wear
of people watches as John Edward (or, as South great study tools for teens whose parents check
socks and sandals at the same time." No one
Park labeled him, The Biggest Douche in the their closet for weed.
wants to hear they're a monster.
Universe) claims to be in contact with spirits And they show you how to play the
It's a trick that plenty of psychics use.
from the other side. In what seems like a fairly same tricks. If you've made a claim that doesn't
By making these kinds of statements, they can
short amount of time, he's able to find someone fit, just step back and reframe it in a more
make you believe they've got access to
who believes he has actually managed to general way. Act as though the person isn't
incredible insights, when they're really just
communicate with their dead relatives. contradicting you, just clarifying things for you.
telling you what you want to hear, and doing it
It's also extremely easy to pull off. All If you convince them that you're not wrong, that
in a way that prevents you from noticing the
you have to do is keep your reading as vague as they're just helping you arrive at the right
trick. A psychic wouldn't make a strong,
possible. Notice how these guys always say answers, they'll look past the fact that you're full
declarative statement, such as, "You suffer from
something like "I'm getting a male figure, of crap.
clinical social anxiety," but they might say, "At
times, social anxiety has been a problem for you someone with the name Bob or Ben, something
along those lines." In an audience, it won't be (Continues on Page 32)
in your life."
Of course that's true. It's true for almost hard to find someone who knew a guy named Dare to Believe and Dare to be Heard on
every single human being on the planet. Bob who died. Or, perhaps, the psychic will say, The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show with
"I'm seeing someone, an older relative, they had Rob McConnell - www.xzoneradiotv.com
 32 Tricks Psychics Bullsh*t People With
Tricks Psychics Bullsh*t
People With That
Everyone Should Know
Continued from Page 31
5. Watch for subtle reactions that
reveal major details
There's a reason that psychics often talk slowly,
and it isn't merely because the cell signal
between here and the afterlife is kind of spotty.
Whenever they make statements, they're
waiting to see how a client will respond. Even
when someone isn't speaking—although a lot of
a psychic's act depends on the person revealing
information like, "No, he wasn't my uncle, I
think you're talking about my cousin"—the
simple shifts in body language, facial
expression, and plenty of other subtle cues, will
help the psychic know if they're on the right
track. You can do the same. If you say
something during a reading that makes sense to
someone, they might nod or smile. Being the
subject of a psychic reading is like listening to a
joke. You're waiting for the person to say
something specific, and when they do, you're
going to react. That's the whole point. The
psychic just needs to watch out for those
reactions.
In one of the most popular TED Talks
ever, entertainer Keith Barry successfully
guesses the name of a woman's ex with her
barely saying a word. Barry doesn't reveal much
of his secrets, but unlike others who use these
tricks, he doesn't try to tell his audience that he
has actual powers. He just lets them know that
they're telling him more with their reactions
than they could possibly realize.
Or he's an actual wizard who doesn't
want to be discovered. Seriously, watch that
video. The last time our minds were that blown
we promised ourselves never to buy brownies
from the frisbee club bake sale again.
6. Looking for minor clues that reveal
important info
People are always sharing information about
themselves, even when they aren't saying a
word. For example, a wedding ring shows that
you're in a committed relationship, have the life
experiences of someone who has been married,
and are chronically stressed. Sitting in the front
row during an audience reading, or leaning in
close, can mean that you're eager to believe the
psychic. Someone sporting an Ed Hardy shirt is
subtly announcing that they still live with their
parents.
Psychics train themselves to spot these
clues and use them in their reading of a subject.
You can learn a lot about a person simply by
paying closer attention to clothing, behavior,
speech patterns, etc. Psychics just know how to
do it better than most. Practice it yourself. Pay
attention to the clothing of the people around
you, and the way they carry themselves. You'll
start to notice what this says about them,
because it's often really obvious.
7. Just learning everything they need
to know ahead of time That study was based on a theory that
people have evolved to see patterns where none
Psychics working with an audience, or even a exist. Imagine walking in the woods at night,
large group of people, have it pretty easy. A said study researcher Michiel van Elk, a
simple trick they often use is to pick the subject psychologist at the University of Amsterdam.
of their reading ahead of time, spotting someone You hear a rustle in the trees. Do you keep
they know they want to focus on. Then, they going, or run away? If you keep going, you
have plenty of time to look for clues that will might be attacked. If you run away, no harm is
help them get a sense of who they're dealing done.
with. If possible, they also can try to get "It's better to be safe than sorry," Van Elk
told Live Science.
someone else in the audience to have a
conversation with this person beforehand, Evolutionary theorists suggest that this
tendency to attribute events to an entity with
gathering as much info as possible.
agency might explain beliefs in ghosts, angels,
demons — and even God. To test the idea, Van
If you're planning on giving a psychic
Elk went to a psychic street fair and asked
demonstration while hanging out, spot your
psychic believers to watch computer animations
subject long before you bring your "skills" up.
of moving points of light. Some of the points
Hell, these days, you could probably get their
were arranged to look like the joints of an
name, then check their social media accounts on
invisible stick figure walking; other dots moved
your phone to gather a bunch of info. Psychics
at random. The participants were asked to
are often just really good Googlers.
determine whether the dots were moving
Or stalkers. []
randomly or whether a deliberate agent (a
walking person) was behind the motion. In some
Science of the cases, additional dancing dots were added in, to
Paranormal: Can You obscure the random or deliberate dots, making
the task trickier.
Trust Your Own Mind? Both paranormal believers and
nonbelievers were good at telling the difference
from movement with agency and random
Continued from Page 28
movement when the distinction was clear. But in
more ambiguous cases, people with greater
Some of these experiences certainly mimic the
paranormal beliefs were more likely to jump to
feeling of a haunting; others, not so much (5
an explanation involving agency than the
percent of the participants reported becoming
nonbelievers were.
sexually aroused, for example). But when the
"Even when there were only randomly
researchers analyzed the data, they realized it
moving dots, the psychic believers would say
didn't matter which experimental condition the
they saw a human figure moving in the dots,"
participants were in. It made no difference if the
Van Elk said.
electromagnetic fields were on or off, or if the
The study suggests that falling prey to
infrasound was booming, French told Live
the illusion of agency could explain belief in the
Science. However, they did find that the
paranormal; a draft in an old house or the creak
participants' individual levels of suggestibility
of wood settling could easily be misconstrued as
influenced the results.
a ghost. It's not clear, however, whether this
"The most parsimonious explanation is
illusory agency bias is genetic or learned, Van
just if you say to suggestible people, 'Go in here,
Elk said.
and you may have some weird experiences,'
"This is still one of the key challenges of
some of them do," French said.
the field: to see if it is possible to come up with
As French's work suggests, the real
a good study to tease these two explanations
cause of hauntings may simply be the human
apart. What is the nature part of the story, and
brain. In one study, published in 1996 in the
what is the nurture part of the story?" he said.
journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, two
participants asked to keep a diary about
Your lying eyes
"poltergeist-like" activity in their home for a
month suddenly started seeing evidence of
Indeed, it's tough to even know how much to
potential poltergeists all over the place. In a
trust people's own reports of their experiments.
follow-up paper in the same journal, the study
In a follow-up, Van Elk wasn't able to replicate
researchers hypothesized that haunting events
his 2013 study. He suspects the reason might be
happen because people misperceive slightly
that his original psychic-believer participants
ambiguous events as paranormal and then
might be more eager to please than other groups
become primed to look out for even more weird
of people. In other words, they might not be
stuff.
hallucinating a person in the moving dots on a
Basic personality traits could make
perceptual level. Instead, they could be
people particularly likely to attribute a bump in
interpreting information overly generously in
the night to a ghost or ghoul. A survey released
order to meet what they think are the
recently by Chapman University in California
experimenter's expectations. It's not that they're
found that the more generally fearful a person,
lying, Van Elk said; rather, their interpretation
the more likely he or she is to believe in the
feels as real to them as an actual perception. It's
paranormal. Another study, published online in
just that the mistake arises at a different level of
the journal Consciousness and Cognition in
brain processing.
August 2013, found that paranormal believers
are more likely to believe in the illusion of
(Continued 0n Page 33)
agency, or that there was a deliberate entity
behind an event.
 Breaking Free From Psychics and Mediums 33
Breaking Free From
Psychics and Mediums
by Eric W

I’ve always known that mediums and psychics

are all con artists who make their livings
exploiting the bereaved. Now that I’m a
widower, I’ve begun to take their acts of fraud
personally. Their victims are my new peers, my
new friends.
After many discussions with my fellow
widows, I’ve learned that it is almost impossible
to convince anybody that mediums are all
frauds. It’s easy to explain the well-documented
tricks mediums use to create the illusion that
they have any sort of special abilities. The hard
part is getting people to let go of the hope that
they can still talk to the people they love. That’s
why, even when presented with evidence, most
believers will only concede that “some”
mediums are fake... “but the one I saw was the
real deal.”
That’s part of what makes being a
medium such a great con: the victims prefer the
fabrication to the truth. First, one of the reasons so many people The psychic problem isn't the only evidence that
Since debunking mediums never seems do believe in mediums is because many major suggests people overestimate their own
to change any minds, I’d like to try something religions already teach their practitioners to trustworthiness. In one study, French and his
different. If you’ve written me off as a “skeptic,” believe in an afterlife. Once you believe in that, team had participants watch a video of a psychic
then I’d like you to offer me the opportunity it’s a small leap to believe you can communicate supposedly bending a metal key with his mind.
share with you three reasons why you shouldn’t with the departed. I fear that when anyone tries In some versions of the experiment, the psychic
even want to believe. to debunk mediums that many people somehow (actually a sleight-of-hand magician) concluded
take this as an attempt to undermine their faith in by putting the key down on the table and saying,
1. Mediums Are Slandering The People heaven. This is not the case. You do not have to "If you look closely, you can see it's still
believe in mediums in order to believe in the bending."
You Love
afterlife. The key was not still bending. But 40
Second, your religion may actually percent of people who heard the verbal
If you want to make a widow angry, try telling
disapprove of mediums. (For example, the Old suggestion that it was bending reported seeing it
them what their husband or wife would have
Testament says, “Do not turn to mediums or move. By contrast, no one in the group that
wanted. We hate it when people say things like,
spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by didn't hear the verbal cue said it had moved,
“He would want you to (be happy/start
them.”) French said.
dating/move on/get out of the house).” Even
And multiple witnesses don't necessarily
though this line usually comes from a well-
3. There’s a Better Place to Find make a report more believable. When another
intentioned friend or relative who actually knew
person in the room said they'd seen the key
the departed, it bugs us because they don’t really Comfort
move after hearing the psychic suggest that it
KNOW what the departed would want, so they
A lot of people go to mediums looking for some was still bending, the percentage of people who
shouldn’t say that they do.
kind of reassurance. When faced with a tragic said they'd saw movement jumped from 40
percent to 60 percent, French said.
Why do we make an exception for loss, they understandably want to feel better at "If you've got one very confident but
any cost. If feeling better is what you really
mediums? actually inaccurate witness, it can influence the
want, don’t go to a psychic or a medium — just
look within. Ask yourself if he would miss you. memory of other witnesses," he said.
Mediums say things that are far more specific Studies find that people with paranormal
Ask yourself if he loves you. Ask yourself if he’s
than any friend ever dared. Mediums are beliefs tend to have particularly rich
no longer suffering.
claiming to QUOTE your loved ones. (“He is imaginations and are inclined to become easily
You already know the answers. You
telling me that he loves you and that he wants engrossed in tasks, French said. They're also
know your loved ones best and you’re the best-
you to know he is alright.”) I don’t know about more prone than average to false memories. For
qualified person to answer those questions. You
you, but if somebody were to go around making example, people prone to false memories might
know they love you, you know they miss you,
up quotes and attribute them to me, I would be say they remember clearly where they were and
you know they don’t want you to suffer, and you
angry. I don’t like being misrepresented. I’d who they were with when they saw a video of
know their pain is over.
want to take action. Now imagine that the Bali nightclub bombing of 2002. But that
Know that that is true. Let that truth
somebody is making up lies about you after bombing was not captured on video.
make you feel better. If you need to have a
you’ve died and after you can no longer speak "Presumably, what they're doing is,
stranger validate that truth... well, I’m a stranger,
for yourself. It’s slanderous. they're remembering the time they imagined it,"
and I’m telling you it’s true. []
French said. "[And] when they're imagining
2. Rejecting Mediums Is Not The Same something, it's so much like the real thing —
Thing As Rejecting Religion Science of the maybe more so than it would be to the likes of
Paranormal: Can You me — they're more likely to make a false
Although I’m not personally one to turn to memory."
religion to find truth, I know that many people Trust Your Own Mind? In other words, the possible explanation
are. If you’re an atheist like me you should skip for spooks and spirits might be scarier than
to the next section, but if you happen to be actual ghosts: You can't even trust your own
Continued from Page 32 mind. []
religious, consider the following two things:
34 Find Your Path Home
 Science of the Seance
Science of the seance: why
speaking to spirits is
talking to yourself
Spiritualism fascinated the 19th
century public and was furiously
debunked by scientists. But its
modern, “scientific”, incarnations are
just as sinister
In the run up to Halloween, many of us are open
to a frightening supernatural adventure. A good
scare can be a bonding experience, and in this
spirit many of us have dabbled with Ouija
boards, either in earnest or jest - perhaps even
getting slightly phased by the apparent
disembodied messages, sometimes surreal and
foreboding, emanating from the board. While
there is no evidence that we can truly
communicate with the dead, phenomena like the
Ouija board and automatic writing can truly
give us a fascinating insight into our own
psychology, and serve as a reminder that we can
all too easily fool ourselves.
Our fascination with words from beyond
the grave is nothing new. In the mid- 19th
century, the growing spiritualist movement had
begun to experiment with ghostly messages
transcribed by table-turning, a precursor to the
modern Ouija board. In table turning, the
alphabet was inscribed on a table, upon which
all participants laid their hands. Seemingly
ethereal whisperings would soon appear from
the void as the table tilted towards the imprinted
letters. Such demonstrations of spiritualism
convinced many in high society that a new
force, perhaps a mystical one, was behind the
haunting messages.
Yet not everyone was so easily
convinced: Michael Faraday, the prominent
British scientist, was incredibly dubious on the
claims of the spiritualists. To test the
phenomenon, he set about eliminating variables
and alternative explanations. Using wood and
rubber to increase resistance to movement, he
observed no effect on the table’s motion. His
efforts showed that no special force was at play,
and his continued investigations lead him to
conclude that far from being some bizarre
supernatural event, table tipping was nothing
more than ‘a quasi-involuntary muscular
action’. Faraday’s careful experiments had
revealed there was no mysterious force at play,
natural or supernatural – just a propensity for
men and women to delude themselves.
This conclusion was supported by the
meticulous parallel experiments of French
chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul. Chevreul was
steadfastly opposed to charlatanism. In his 1854
paper on the subject, he turned his attention to
table-turning, divining rods and magic
pendulums, demonstrating how involuntary and
subconscious muscle reactions are the cause of
ostensibly magic movements. More than this,
Chevreul discovered that once the person
holding the rod was made aware of this reaction,
the movements ceased and could not be
reproduced. That same year, the term
“ideomotor” was introduced by physician
William Carpenter to describe this very
phenomenon.
35
The discovery of the ideomotor effect
demonstrated that there was no mystery
underpinning the eerie happenings of late 19th
and early 20th century séances – merely the
heady mixture of delusion and occasionally,
outright fraud . Many of the popular trance
mediums of the era used unadulterated
showmanship to improve their audience
numbers; famed medium Mina Crandon
performed her séances nude, and allegedly
secreted ectoplasm from her vagina before
being debunked by renowned magician and PARANORMAL STAKEOUT
escape artist Harry Houdini. Houdini had with
something of a passion for debunking frauds,
LARRY LAWSON
and took a delight in exposing trickery using his
expertise in the subject to detect bogus claims. Investigating and Research Ghosts,
This made him highly unpopular with Hauntings, and things that go “BUMP” in
spiritualists of the era, some of whom –such as the night using Police Investigative
Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle – Techniques to Solve the Paranormal.
believed that Houdini himself had spiritual
To contact Larry Lawson - Email -
powers, a claim which irked the proud
larrylawson@xzbn.net
professional Houdini no end.
Another individual not taken in by the
passion for spiritualism was Charles Arthur
Mercier, a psychiatrist with precious little time
www.XZBN.net
for nonsense. Mercier had spent a great deal of
time debunking trance mediums, painstakingly
dismantling their claims. His particular bugbear
was automatic writing, the supposedly
supernatural “channelling” of writing from a
remote source. Mercier’s investigations showed
that the only curious phenomena at play was yet
another variant of the ideomotor effect.
Summing up his findings for the British
Medical journal in 1894, he robustly dismantled
the spiritualist presumption that spirits were the
cause of automatic writing by stating bluntly
“there is no need nor room for the agency of KNOW THE NAME,
spirits, and the invocation of such agency is the
sign of a mind not merely unscientific, but
KNOW THE GENIUS IN YOU
uninformed.” with SHARON LYNN WYETH
From the creator of NEIMOLOGY,
(Continued on Page 36) Sharon Lynn Wyeth interviews and discovers
the genius in the name of her guests and will
tell listeners how they can find out what their
names tells them about their inner genius. To
contact Sharon Lynn Wyeth - Email -
knowthename@xzbn.net
www.XZBN.net
 36
Science of the seance: why
speaking to spirits is
talking to yourself
Continued from Page 35
This should have spelt the end for everything
from dowsing to Ouija boards, yet to this day
they remain devoutly held beliefs for many. And
despite the existence of ideomotor effect being
known for almost two centuries, the infinite
human capacity for re-invention and our
seeming inability to learn from our mistakes
means that we can still fall prey to the same
illusions under different packaging. In 2013,
businessman Jim McCormick was convicted of
selling useless bomb dowsing kits to the Iraqi
army: a modern twist on the divining rod.
Another inglorious 2013 entry in the ideomotor
catalogue was the C-Fast, a mechanical dowsing
rod its inventors claim would detect liver disease
- a claim which Síle Lane of Sense About
Science dissected as “pushing hope and nothing
more”.
Yet perhaps the most prominent – and
damaging - modern offshoot of the ideomotor
effect is the phenomenon of Facilitated
Communication (FC). In this process, a
facilitator helps move the arm of a patient to a
screen or keyboard so that they may apparently
communicate – an interaction heralded by
believers as a breakthrough, allowing those with
severe communication issues to express
themselves. In the late 1980s, FC was at the
zenith of its popularity, For parents and family
of the non-verbal autistic and the severely
intellectually disabled, it offered incredible
promise. Wonderful stories of FC “unlocking”
the minds of patients were shared far and wide,
and anecdote became traded as evidence.
Profoundly mentally handicapped children
overnight became poets and savants, even
publishing books with their facilitators. But
while FC was wholeheartedly embraced by
many, the warning signs of pseudoscience were
clear from the offset. As early as 1991, over 40
empirical studies showed no evidence of
efficacy but plenty for facilitator input.
The decline of FC pivoted on a number
of unpleasant sexual abuse claims, and the
media attention they spawned. The late 1980s
and early 1990s had seen a string of bogus
“recovered memory” cases alleging Satanic
ritual abuse and subsequent of mass panic over
claims which were shown to be baseless, created
by those “recovering” the memories. Given this
trend, it was perhaps inevitable that the
messages “communicated” through FC would
rapidly became darker. By the mid-1990s, FC
practitioners had “revealed” hidden sexual abuse
in scores of their clients, and a number of arrests
based on this testimony took place. The case of
16-year-old non-verbal autistic Betsy Wheaton
ignited interest when she ostensibly
communicated that through her facilitator that
her father ‘‘makes me hold his penissss”. Soon,
she was detailing the most horrific abuse
allegedly perpetrated by a wide cross-section of
her family.
Speech pathologist Howard Shane was
able to put together a simple yet ingenious test to
Science of the Seance
determine the source of the messages, and the
trials were conducted by psychologist Douglas
Howler. The apparatus displayed pictures to
both Betsy and her facilitator, Janyce Boynton,
and Betsy was asked to identify the object she
saw. Yet in some trials, she and Janyce were
deliberately shown different pictures. In every
instance, Betsy communicated only what Janyce
saw: clear evidence the communication came
from the communicator and not the individual.
This same result was shown when similar
experiments were repeated with others, all
returning the same null result. The evidence was
clear – FC was nothing more than self-delusion
buttressed by the ubiquitous ideomotor effect.
The facilitators weren’t unlocking the thoughts
of profoundly disabled patients: they were
subconsciously projecting their own.
The ensuing backlash should have been
the final nail in the coffin for FC, but as with
many pseudosciences it has simply refused to
die. Howler himself, a former believer in FC,
lamented that while the evidence is
incontrovertible, it would take much more to
shift the convictions of communicators; “... we
had overwhelming evidence for facilitator
control. It began to dawn on us that the impact
on facilitators was going to be traumatic. FC had
become an essential part of their belief system,
an essential part of their personality.”
Howler’s warning has proven to be
remarkably prescient: the heady promises of FC
still hold sway with desperate parents,
convinced they’re communicating with their
child. For many, a delusion of communication is
preferable to a sad reality that their child may
not have the requisite cognitive function to be
communicative, and so FC continues to enjoy
support in many quarters. A recent review on the
topic stated this with a weary brevity “... it is
likely that FC will continue to reinforce the
assumptions of efficacy among parents and
practitioners ...”
Despite the fact that FC has no more
scientific credibility than a Ouija board, its
spectre haunts us even now. It is still reported
uncritically in mainstream media; for example,
in 2005, a book “written” by silent autistic
teenager Naoki Higashida via his facilitated
communicator was released in Japan. Translated
into English in 2013, “The Reason I Jump” was
released to rave reviews and heralded as an
insight into the teenage autistic mind. Jon
Stewart praised it as one of the most remarkable
books he’d ever read. Yet with FC being utterly
devoid of any even resembling corrorating
evidence, several commentators have voiced
concerns that the platitudes of the book give far
more insight into the facilitator’s mind than
Higashida’s. English translator David Mitchell
dismisses this criticism by insisting the
facilitator no longer touches Higashida, yet
given the sheer paucity of peer-reviewed
evidence for FC, this celebrated account remains
deeply questionable despite its popularity.
More disturbing still is the recent case of
Anna Stubblefield. Stubblefield, a devout
believer in FC, practiced the technique on a
severely disabled patient, referred to as D.J in
court transcripts. In the process, she became
convinced he was a savant who was confessing
his unwavering love for her. This belief led to
her sexually assaulting a man who was unable
consent; D.J had been declared by the state to
have the mental capacity of a toddler. Tragically,
despite her conviction for assault, Stubblefield
remains steadfast in her beliefs, rejecting the
idea that D.J’s verbose expressions of love were
nothing more than her projected fantasy,
authored solely by her own subconscious. She,
D.J and countless others are victims of the
ideomotor effect.
Our ability to fool ourselves is
unparalleled, and the ideomotor effect is just one
persistent way our own curious psychology can
push us towards erroneous conclusions. It serves
as a reminder that no matter how compelling the
anecdote, all claims must be scientifically
evaluated to rule out our innate capacity to
delude even ourselves. In the immortal words of
Richard Feynman: “The first principle is that
you must not fool yourself and you are the
easiest person to fool.”
(Continued on Page 37)
 Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy Theories
Separating Fact from Fiction
The JFK Assassination
This much we can stipulate: President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963,
struck by two bullets — one in the head, one in
the neck — while riding in an open-topped limo
through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Lee Harvey
Oswald was charged with killing him, and a
presidential commission headed by Chief
Justice Earl Warren found that Oswald acted
alone.
That conclusion hasn't passed muster
with the public. A 2003 ABC News poll found
that 70% of Americans believe Kennedy's death
was the result of a broader plot. The trajectory
of the bullets, some say, didn't square with
Oswald's perch on the sixth floor of the Texas
School Book Depository. Others suggest a
second gunman — perhaps on the grassy knoll
of Dealey Plaza — participated in the shooting.
Others believe in an even broader conspiracy.
Was Kennedy killed by CIA agents acting either
out of anger over the Bay of Pigs or at the behest
of Vice President Lyndon Johnson? By KGB
operatives? Mobsters mad at Kennedy's brother
for initiating the prosecution of organized crime
rings? Speculation over one of history's most
famous political assassinations is such a popular
parlor game that most people have taken the
rumors to heart: just 32% of those polled by
ABC believe Oswald carried out the killing on
his own.
9/11 Cover-up
Not since the JFK assassination has there been a
national tragedy so heavily imprinted in
American minds — or that has given rise to
quite as many alternative explanations. While
videos and photographs of the two planes
striking the World Trade Center towers are
famous around the world, the sheer profusion of
documentary evidence has only provided even
more fodder for conspiracy theories.
A May 2006 Zogby poll found that 42%
of Americans believed that the government and
the 9/11 commission "concealed or refused to
investigate critical evidence that contradicts
their official explanation of the September 11th
attacks." Why had the military failed to
intercept the hijacked planes? Had the
government issued a "stand down" order, to
minimize interference with a secret plan to
destroy the buildings and blame it on Islamic
terrorists? In 2005, Popular Mechanics
published a massive investigation of similar
claims and responses to them. The reporting
team found that the North American Aerospace
Defense Command (NORAD) did not have a
history of having fighter jets prepped and ready
to intercept aircraft that had gone off route. And
while the team found no evidence that the
government had planned the attacks, lack of
proof has rarely stopped conspiracy theorists
before.
Area 51 and the Aliens
We may have Tang thanks to the space program,
but who gave us such innovations as the Stealth
fighter and Kevlar? Aliens, of course.
Conspiracy theorists believe that the remains of
crashed UFO spacecrafts are stored at Area 51,
an Air Force base about 150 miles from Las
Vegas, where government scientists reverse-
engineer the aliens' highly advanced
technology. Fodder for this has come from a
variety of supposed UFO sightings in the area
and testimony from a retired Army colonel who
says he was given access to extraterrestrial
materials gathered from an alien spacecraft that
crashed in Roswell, N.M. Some believe that the
government studies time travel at Area 51, also
known as Groom Lake or Dreamland.
The government has developed
advanced aircraft and weapons systems at
nearby Nellis Air Force Base, including Stealth
bombers and reconnaissance planes. And the
government's official line — that the details of
Area 51 are classified for purposes of national
security — is only seen as further proof that the
military is hiding aliens or alien spacecraft.
Paul Is Dead
Paul McCartney never wrote "Maybe I'm
Amazed." He never formed the band Wings. He
never clashed with Yoko, became a vegetarian,
or fathered any of his children. When Queen
Elizabeth knighted him in 1997, she was
actually knighting someone else. This is
because, conspiracy-minded Beatlemaniacs say,
Paul McCartney secretly died in 1966. Theorists
claim the other Beatles covered up his death —
hiring someone who looked like him, sang like
him, and had the same jovial personality. But
the guilt eventually got to them and they began
hiding clues in their music. In the song
"Taxman," George Harrison gave his "advice
for those who die," meaning Paul. The entire
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album
was awash with Paul-is-dead clues: the Beatles
had formed a "new" band featuring a fictional
member named Billy Shears — supposedly the
name of Paul's replacement. The album
contained John Lennon's "A Day in the Life,"
which had the lyrics "He blew his mind out in a
car" and the recorded phrase "Paul is dead, miss
him, miss him," which becomes evident only
when the song is played backward. Lennon also
mumbled, "I buried Paul" at the end of
"Strawberry Fields Forever" (in interviews,
37
Lennon said the phrase was actually "cranberry
sauce" and denied the existence of any
backward messages).
Paul-is-dead believers think the Beatles
accompanied these backward tape loops and
veiled references to death with album covers
that illustrated the loss of their friend. The
original cover of 1966's Yesterday and Today
album featured the Beatles posed amid raw
meat and dismembered doll parts —
symbolizing McCartney's gruesome accident. If
fans placed a mirror in front of the Sgt. Pepper
album cover, the words Lonely Hearts on the
drum logo could be read as "1 ONE 1 X HE DIE
1 ONE 1." And of course, there's the Abbey
Road cover, on which John, George and Ringo
forwent all pretense and pretended to cross the
street as a funeral procession. John wore all
white, like a clergyman. Ringo, the mourner,
dressed in black. George donned jeans, like a
gravedigger. Paul wore no shoes (he didn't need
them, because he was dead) and walked out of
step with the others.
If Paul is dead, then his imposter is still
at large. He met and married Linda Eastman,
with whom he had four children before losing
her to breast cancer in 1998. He released a live
album in 1993 called Paul Is Live (likely story),
and produced more than 20 solo albums — and
that's not even counting the ones released by
Wings. Then he endured a horrible divorce from
Heather Mills, which may have made him wish
he were dead — or, at least, were still Billy
Shears. So who is the real McCartney? The
world may never know.
(Continued on Page 38)
 38
Conspiracy Theories
Continued from Page 37
Secret Societies Control the World
If you were really a member of the global élite,
you'd know this already: the world is ruled by a
powerful, secretive few. Many of the rest of us
peons have heard that in 2004 both candidates
for the White House were members of Yale
University's secretive Skull and Bones society,
many of whose members have risen to powerful
positions. But Skull and Bones is small potatoes
compared with the mysterious cabals that
occupy virtually every seat of power, from the
corridors of government to the boardrooms of
Wall Street.
Take the Illuminati, a sect said to have
originated in 18th century Germany and which
is allegedly responsible for the pyramid-and-eye
symbol adorning the $1 bill: they intend to
foment world wars to strengthen the argument
for the creation of a worldwide government
(which would, of course, be Satanic in nature).
Or consider the Freemasons, who tout their
group as the "oldest and largest worldwide
fraternity" and boast alumni like George
Washington. Some think that despite donating
heaps of cash to charity, they're secretly plotting
your undoing at Masonic temples across the
world. Or maybe, some theorize, the guys
pulling the strings aren't concealed in shadow at
all. They might be the intelligentsia on the
Council on Foreign Relations, a cadre of policy
wonks who allegedly count their aims as
publishing an erudite bimonthly journal and
establishing a unified world government — not
necessarily in that order.
The Moon Landings Were Faked
It's now been nearly five decades since Neil
Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind" —
if, that is, he ever set foot off this planet.
Doubters say the U.S. government, desperate to
beat the Russians in the space race, faked the
lunar landings, with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
acting out their mission on a secret film set,
located (depending on the theory) either high in
the Hollywood Hills or deep within Area 51.
With the photos and videos of the Apollo
missions only available through NASA, there's
no independent verification that the lunar
landings were anything but a hoax.
The smoking gun? Film of Aldrin
planting a waving American flag on the moon,
which critics say proves that he was not in
space. The flag's movement, they say, clearly
shows the presence of wind, which is
impossible in a vacuum. NASA says Aldrin was
twisting the flagpole to get the moon soil, which
caused the flag to move. (And never mind that
astronauts have brought back hundreds of
independently verified moon rocks.) Theorists
have even suggested that filmmaker Stanley
Kubrick may have helped NASA fake the first
lunar landing, given that his 1968 film 2001: A
Space Odessey proves that the technology
existed back then to artificially create a
spacelike set. And as for Virgil I. Grissom,
Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee — three
Conspiracy Theories
astronauts who died in a fire while testing
equipment for the first moon mission? They
were executed by the U.S. government, which
feared they were about to disclose the truth.
Far-fetched as the hoax theory may
seem, a 1999 Gallup poll showed that it's
comparatively durable: 6% of Americans said
they thought the lunar landings were fake, and
5% said they were undecided.
Jesus and Mary Magdalene
Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have been
married, or so says the Gospel of Philip. Sure,
it's the basic plot of The Da Vinci Code (the
thriller also wraps in conspiracy shibboleths like
Opus Dei and the Knights Templar for good
measure) — but the theory finds its basis in
writings from the Gnostic Gospels, which were
discovered in 1945 and whose authenticity
religious experts still dispute. In the Gospel of
Philip, Mary Magdalene, who is referred to as
Jesus' koinonos, a Greek term for "companion"
or "partner," is depicted as being closer to Jesus
than any other apostle.
In an exchange between Peter and Mary,
he admits to her that "the Saviour loved you
above all other women" — a tense moment in
the scripture that seems to portray the jealousy
that the other apostles might have felt for Mary's
relationship with Jesus. The only other evidence
used to support the theory is a mention of Jesus
kissing Mary often, but some say kissing was
the custom and it was typical of Jesus to
practice it with those close to him. (Remember
Judas?)
Holocaust Revisionism
Despite overwhelming evidence and an
admission and apology from Germany decades
ago, revisionists continue to claim that nearly 6
million Jews were not killed by Nazis during the
Holocaust. Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, for one, has called the Holocaust
a "myth" and suggested that Germany and other
European countries, rather than Palestine,
provide land for a Jewish state.
Unlike Ahmadinejad, most revisionists
do not deny that Jews were interned in prison
camps during World War II; rather, they argue
that the number of deaths was greatly
exaggerated. Gas chambers are a particular
sticking point: Holocaust deniers say they were
purely a rumor or, if they indeed existed, were
not powerful enough to kill — though evidence
and history indicate otherwise. And the
photographs of emaciated and dying Jews?
Attorney Edgar J. Steele, a revisionist, says,
"All those pictures of skinny people and bodies
stacked like cordwood were actually of Czechs
and Poles and Germans [who] died of typhus,
which was rampant in the camps."
The CIA and AIDS
Since the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention first reported the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in 1981, rumors have persisted that
the deadly virus was created by the CIA to wipe
out homosexuals and African Americans. Even
today, the conspiracy theory has a number of
high-profile believers. South African President
Thabo Mbeki once touted the theory, disputing
scientific claims that the virus originated in
Africa and accusing the U.S. government of
manufacturing the disease in military labs.
When she won the Nobel Peace Prize, Kenyan
ecologist Wangari Maathai used the
international spotlight to support that theory as
well. Others insist that the government
deliberately injected gay men with the virus
during 1978 hepatitis-B experiments in New
York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Still
others point to Richard Nixon, who combined
the U.S. Army's biowarfare department with the
National Cancer Institute in 1971. Though the
co-discoverers of HIV — Dr. Robert Gallo of
the National Cancer Institute and Dr. Luc
Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute in Paris —
don't agree on its origins, most members of the
scientific community believe the virus jumped
from monkeys to humans some time during the
1930s.
The Reptilian Elite
They are among us. Blood-drinking, flesh-
eating, shape-shifting extraterrestrial reptilian
humanoids with only one objective in their
cold-blooded little heads: to enslave the human
race. They are our leaders, our corporate
executives, our beloved Oscar-winning actors
and Grammy-winning singers, and they're
responsible for the Holocaust, the Oklahoma
City bombings and the 9/11 attacks ... at least
according to former BBC sports reporter David
Icke, who became the poster human for the
theory in 1998 after publishing his first book,
The Biggest Secret, which contained interviews
with two Brits who claimed members of the
royal family are nothing more than reptiles with
crowns. (Picture Dracula meets Swamp Thing).
The conspiracy theorist and New Age
philosopher, who wore only turquoise for a time
and insisted on being called Son of God-Head,
says these "Annunaki" (the reptiles) have
controlled humankind since ancient times; they
count among their number Queen Elizabeth,
George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Bill and
Hillary Clinton and Bob Hope. Encroaching on
other conspiracy theorists' territory, Icke even
claims that the lizards are behind secret
societies like the Freemasons and the Illuminati.
Since earning the dubious title of "paranoid of
the decade" in the late 1990s, Icke has written
several books on the topic, including his latest
work, The David Icke Guide to the Global
Conspiracy, while operating his own website —
complete with merchandise and advertisements.
[]

Stewardship
by Gwilda Wiyaka
I awoke from a dream about an event that took
place over ten years ago. At that time, I was
standing on a rock outcropping in the howling
Wyoming wind with my Shoshoni friend, Blue
Thunder. We were performing an earth
activation, in preparation for a cross country
ceremony based on his vision.
The ceremony was a two stage process.
Blue Thunder first traveled to and activated each
site. On the day of the event, the activated sites
were stewarded by local people doing ceremony
simultaneously. The ceremony was designed to
stabilize Yellowstone, which was showing signs
of becoming increasingly unstable.
Shoshoni Elder Blue Thunder’s vision
was to unite all cultures, belief systems, and
races in prayer and sacred intent, to heal, unify,
and shift the Earth and her people.
While there were volunteers from all the
other states indicated in his vision, no one had
stepped up to help activate the two sites in
Wyoming – Laramie and Saratoga. Ironically,
Wyoming was his home state. Though living in
Colorado for over twenty five years, I had been
born in Wyoming. I responded to his desperate
call.
After we had performed the Wyoming
activations, as the time for the group ceremony
drew near, Blue Thunder informed me there was
still no one from Wyoming to steward the areas
we had activated.
As founder and director of a Colorado
State certified occupational school of the
shamanic arts, I put out my own call. A small
group of students able to travel with me to
Wyoming thankfully responded.
“I wonder why I’m dreaming about that?” I
puzzled. The mystery was solved the very next
night with another dream.
I live on 44 acres of wooded land, high in
the southern Colorado mountains. In the dream,
I saw first three, and then five, medicine wheels
on the property. There were energetic lines of
connection going from them to other locations.
The next day, prompted by the dream,
my friend and school registrar, Cody Alexander,
and I built the first medicine wheel on the
property.
The following month, one of my
students, Trixie Phelps, contacted me with a
strange request.
“I hate to invite myself, but I have a
strong prompting I need to come up there and
spend several days with you on your land.”
One thing I have learned over the years
Stewardship
is to never ignore Trixie’s promptings. As a
result of her visit, she, Cody and I built two
more medicine wheels on the land.
Not a week later, I was contacted by
another friend, Debra Meehl of the Meehl
Foundation in Brazoria Texas. She had just
completed a Shamanic Sisterhood gathering at
her facility and a number of the students had
indicated their interest in learning to perform the
medicine wheel ceremony. She was familiar
with my work and invited me to come to Texas
to build a medicine wheel on her property,
teaching the process to her people.
I did what I always do when asked to
teach or hold ceremony. I performed a shamanic
journey, asking what was mine to do.
The answer was quite surprising.
“The gap between the earth’s frequency
and that of humans is growing, and with it, the
stress on both. These are volatile times.
Stewards from all races and traditions are
needed to rebalance their people, and their
location, with the evolving frequency of the
earth and sky.”
Having fallen and broken my back less
than two years prior, I had not presented in
public since. I was concerned about the ability to
fly cross-country, lugging the necessary stones
and sacred articles for an earth activation and
medicine wheel ceremony.
Naturally, I journeyed on my concerns.
The answer: “Those that serve are
always provided for.”
Alrightey then.
I informed Debra I would come to Texas,
hold the class, do the earth activation and
perform the Medicine Wheel Ceremony.
Trixie volunteered to go with me and assist.
Cody offered to stay with the medicine wheels
on the property, in order to maintain connection
for me to draw upon in the building of the new
wheel.
The days following were full of
synchronicities and serendipitous events. One
woman heard me hosting The Science of Magic
Radio and proceeded to hunt me down, only to
find reference to the upcoming Medicine Wheel
training in Texas. She reported being so drawn
by the sound of my voice, she simply “knew”
she had to be there. Another woman, having met
me prior, felt compelled to drive through the
night from Arkansas to attend.
One of the participants stated she felt she “got
her money’s worth” in the first ten minutes of
39
the four day training. After class, another
conveyed the experience had totally changed her
life for the better. She left with the vision of
building a program for children in her home
state. Debra Meehl has indicated major, long
sought shifts occurring as a result of the work on
her land.
During our time together, the
participants were taught the art of shamanic
journeying, gathering accurate spiritual
information in order to build their personal
relationship to the medicine wheel. At the end of
the class, each participant left with activated
stones, armed with the knowledge to build and
steward a medicine wheel in their own
environment.
Thus, like a flower in bloom, the
medicine wheel expands across the country,
empowering the lives of the students and
rebalancing the areas in which they live.
So exactly what is a cross-cultural
medicine wheel?
Represented in many forms over the
ages, from simple stone circles and Celtic
mounds to Stonehenge and pyramids, sacred
structures have been built and maintained by
ceremonies. Usually performed on the equinox
and solstice, these ceremonies were designed to
annually recalibrate the people to the constantly
fluctuating frequencies of the earth and stars.
I am in awe of the wonderful group that
was drawn together in Brazoria. To a one, they
deserve our deep gratitude for their service to
the world in learning and carrying on this
powerful cross-cultural tradition. Never has this
practice been more needed than now, during
these times of unprecedented upheaval and
transformation.
The adventure continues as spirit leads,
with the 2018 Spring Equinox Medicine Wheel
Training, March 18-22. I can only stand back
and watch in wonder as life works its magic,
drawing forth the next beautiful group to
participate in this most crucial work.
My heart is full. []
 40 UFOs: Is This All There IS?
UFOs: Is This All There
Is?
Dennis Overbye
Hey, Mr. Spaceman,
Won’t you please take me along?
I won’t do anything wrong.
Hey, Mr. Spaceman,
Won’t you please take me along for a ride?
So sang the Byrds in 1966, after strange radio
bursts from distant galaxies called quasars had
excited people about the possibility of
extraterrestrial intelligence.
I recalled those words recently when
reading the account of a pair of Navy pilots who
were outmaneuvered and outrun by a U.F.O. off
the coast of San Diego back in 2004. Cmdr.
David Fravor said later that he had no idea what
he had seen.
“But,” he added, “I want to fly one.”
His story was part of a bundle of material
released recently about a supersecret $22 million
Pentagon project called the Advanced Aerospace
Threat Identification
Program, aimed at investigating U.F.O.s.
The project was officially killed in 2012, but
now it’s being resurrected as a nonprofit
organization.
Disgruntled that the government wasn’t
taking the possibility of alien visitors seriously,
a group of former defense officials, aerospace
engineers and other space fans have set up their
own group, To the Stars Academy of Arts &
Science. One of its founders is Tom DeLonge, a
former punk musician, record producer and
entrepreneur, who is also the head of the group’s
entertainment division.
For a minimum of $200, you can join
and help finance their research into how U.F.O.s
do whatever it is they do, as well as telepathy
and “a point-to-point transportation craft that
will erase the current travel limits of distance
and time” by using a drive that “alters the space-
time metric” — that is, a warp drive going faster
than the speed of light, Einstein’s old cosmic
speed limit.
“We believe there are transformative
discoveries within our reach that will
revolutionize the human experience, but they
can only be accomplished through the
unrestricted support of breakthrough research,
discovery and innovation,” says the group’s
website.
I’m not holding my breath waiting for
progress on telepathy or warp drive, but I agree
with at least one thing that one official with the
group said. That was Steve Justice, a former
engineer at Lockheed Martin’s famous Skunk
Works, where advanced aircraft like the SR-71
high-altitude super-fast spy plane were
designed.
“How dare we think that the physics we
have today is all that there is,” he said in an
interview published recently in HuffPost.
I could hardly agree more, having spent
my professional life in the company of
physicists and astronomers trying to poke out of
the cocoon of present knowledge into the
unknown, to overturn Einstein and what passes
for contemporary science. Lately, they haven’t
gotten anywhere.
The last time physicists had to deal with
faster-than-light travel was six years ago, when
a group of Italy-based physicists announced that
they had seen the subatomic particles known as
neutrinos going faster than light. It turned out
they had wired up their equipment wrong.
So far Einstein is still the champ. But
surely there is so much more to learn. A lot of
surprises lie ahead, but many of the most
popular ideas on how to transcend Einstein and
his peers are on the verge of being ruled out.
Transforming science is harder than it looks.
While there is a lot we don’t know, there is also
a lot we do know. We know how to turn on our
computers and let gadgets in our pocket navigate
the world. We know that when physical objects
zig and zag through a medium like air, as
U.F.O.s are said to do, they produce turbulence
and shock waves. NASA engineers predicted to
the minute when the Cassini spacecraft would
dwindle to a wisp of smoke in Saturn’s
atmosphere last fall.
In moments like this, I take comfort in
what the great Russian physicist and
cosmologist Yakov Zeldovich, one of the fathers
of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, once told me.
“What science has already taken, it will not give
back,” he said.
Scientists are not the killjoys in all this.
In the astronomical world, the border
between science fact and science fiction can be
very permeable, perhaps because many
scientists grew up reading science fiction. And
astronomers forever have their noses pressed up
against the window of the unknown. They want
to believe more than anybody, and I count
myself among them.
But they are also trained to look at nature
with ruthless rigor and skepticism. For
astronomers, the biggest problem with E.T. is
not the occasional claim of a mysterious light in
the sky, but the fact that we are not constantly
overwhelmed with them.
Half a century ago, the legendary physicist
Enrico Fermi concluded from a simple back-of-
the-envelope calculation that even without warp
drive, a single civilization could visit and
colonize all the planets in the galaxy in a
fraction of the 10- billion-year age of the Milky
Way.
“Where are they?” he asked.
Proponents of SETI, the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence, have been debating
ever since. One answer I like is the “zoo
hypothesis,” according to which we have been
placed off-limits, a cosmic wildlife refuge.
Another answer came from Jill Tarter,
formerly the director of research at the SETI
Institute in Mountain View, Calif. “We haven’t
looked hard enough,” she said when I asked her
recently.
I f there was an iPhone sitting under a rock
on the Moon or Mars, for example, we would
not have found it yet. Our own latest ideas for
interstellar exploration involve launching probes
the size of postage stamps to Alpha Centauri.
In the next generation, they might be the
size of mosquitoes. By contrast, the dreams of
some U.F.O. enthusiasts are stuck in 1950s
technology.
Still, we keep trying.
Last fall when a strange object — an
interstellar asteroid now named Oumuamua —
was found cruising through the solar system,
astronomers’ thoughts raced to the Arthur C.
Clarke novel “Rendezvous With Rama,” in
which the object was an alien spaceship. Two
groups have been monitoring Oumuamua for
alien radio signals, so far to no avail.
Meanwhile, some astronomers have
speculated that the erratic dimming of a star
known as “Boyajian’s star” or “Tabby’s star,”
after the astronomer Tabetha Boyajian, could be
caused by some gigantic construction project
orbiting the star. So far that has not worked out,
but none of the other explanations — dust or a
fleet of comets — have, either.
A pair of Harvard astronomers suggested
last spring that mysterious sporadic flashes of
energy known as fast radio bursts coming from
far far away are alien transmitters powering
interstellar spacecraft carrying light sails.
“Science isn’t a matter of belief, it’s a matter of
evidence,” the astronomer Avi Loeb said in a
news release from Harvard. “Deciding what’s
likely ahead of time limits the possibilities. It’s
worth putting ideas out there and letting the data
be the judge.”
U.F.O. investigations are nothing new.
The most famous was the Air Force’s Project
Blue Book, which ran from 1952 to 1970 and
examined more than 12,000 sightings.
Most U.F.O. sightings turn out to be
swamp gas and other atmospheric anomalies,
Venus, weird reflections or just plain hoaxes.
But there is a stubborn residue, a few percent
that resist easy explication, including now
Commander Fravor’s story. But that’s a far cry
from proving they are alien or interstellar.
I don’t know what to think about these stories,
often told by sober, respected and professional
observers — police officers, pilots, military
officials — in indelible detail. I always wish I
could have been there to see it for myself.
Then I wonder how much good it would
do to see it anyway.
Recently I ran into my friend Mark
Mitton, a professional magician, in a restaurant.
He came over to the table and started doing
tricks. At one point he fanned the card deck,
asked my daughter to pick one, and then asked
her to shuffle the deck, which she did expertly.
Mr. Mitton grabbed the deck and sprayed the
cards in the air. There was my daughter’s card
stuck to a mirror about five feet away. How did
it get there? Not by any new physics. Seeing
didn’t really help.
As modern psychology and neuroscience
have established, the senses are an unreliable
portal to reality, whatever that is.
Something might be happening, but we
don’t know what it is. E.T., if you’re reading
this, I’m still waiting to take my ride. []
 How Ouija Boards Work
How Ouija boards work.
(Hint: It's not ghosts.)
No, demons will not possess you
if you use one.
By Aja Romano
If you’re thinking about grabbing a Ouija board
for your next conversation with the other side,
you might want to think again.
Despite their long history as hoax
spiritualist devices turned hit toys turned tools of
the devil, Ouija boards won’t actually put you in
contact with demons or spirits. Any scary
firsthand reports you might hear or read of real-
life Ouija board horror stories are exaggerations,
false claims, or a misunderstanding of how
Ouija boards actually work.
That might be disappointing news if
you’re hosting a Halloween sleepover, but it
might also leave you asking, “How do Ouija
boards work?” The answer is surprisingly
simple.
Ouija boards rely on the power of your
own body
If you’ve never used a Ouija board, the concept
is pretty straightforward. With a group or by
yourself, you place your hands lightly on a
triangular pointer called a planchette. The
planchette rests on the board itself, which has
the words “yes” and “no” in its top corners, an
alphabet in the center, and the word “goodbye”
at the bottom.
The idea is to summon the spirits you
want to communicate with, and they’ll move the
planchette around the board to spell out answers
to the questions you ask — until they or you
finally say goodbye and the spirits go back to
wherever they came from.
It all sounds pretty harmless, but there’s
a long tradition of people believing that Ouija
boards are dangerous occult gateways that can
lead to demon possession or worse. After all,
what happens if it’s a non-friendly spirit that’s
moving the planchette without your control?
In fact, there’s a simple scientific
explanation: The mysterious mechanism that
powers the Ouija board is called the ideomotor
effect (pronounced “idio-mo-tor” or “id-ee-aah-
meh-ter”), and it’s basically a way for your body
to talk to itself.
The ideomotor effect is an example of
unconscious, involuntary physical movement —
that is, we move when we’re not trying to move.
If you’ve ever experienced the sudden feeling of
jerking awake from sleep (known as the hypnic
jerk), you’ve experienced a more abrupt version
of the ideomotor effect: your brain signaling
your body to move without your conscious
awareness. The obvious difference is that the
ideomotor effect happens when you’re awake,
so the reflexive movements you make are much
smaller.
In the case of a Ouija board, your brain
may unconsciously create images and memories
when you ask the board questions. Your body
responds to your brain without you consciously
“telling” it to do so, causing the muscles in your
hands and arms to move the pointer to the
answers that you — again, unconsciously —
may want to receive.
There are multiple scientific studies that
have shown various instances of the ideomotor
effect in action. In one well-known and oft-
repeated variant of the Ouija board test,
blindfolded participants spell much more
incoherent messages. (You can try this one at
home.)
These experiments easily demonstrate
that the Ouija board only works when the
participants are able to manipulate the pointer
themselves. If a ghost or spirit were really in the
room, it would be able to direct the planchette to
spell out coherent messages without any
assistance. But there is no ghost, and when the
Ouija board users are deprived of their ability to
spell out words they can see, the game rapidly
devolves into gibberish.
The ideomotor effect is actually a
powerful subconscious tool
Before Ouija boards were invented, spiritualists
and other would-be ghost communicators used
makeshift devices called “talking boards” that
served a similar purpose. Talking boards first
became popular in mid-19th-century America,
when millions of people suddenly gained an
interest in talking to the dead following the
tremendous loss of life in the Civil War. The
popularity of talking boards, and their use as a
tool to exploit grieving war families, meant
scientists actually started studying the
ideomotor effect in the midcentury, well before
Ouija boards and planchettes were patented in
1890.
Over the years, research has determined
that the ideomotor effect is closely tied to
subconscious awareness — and that its effect is
maximized when the subject believes he has no
control of his movements. Paradoxically, the
less control you think you have, the more
control your subconscious mind is actually
exerting.
This is where the Ouija board’s
triangular pointer comes in. The planchette
makes it easier to subconsciously control your
muscle movements, because it focuses and
directs them even while you believe you aren’t
in control of them. It’s also why the planchette
seems to move even more effectively when
multiple people are using the planchette at once:
41
It frees everyone’s minds to subconsciously
generate creepy Ouija board answers together.
The effect might also make the Ouija
board an effective tool to help you tap into your
own subconscious. In one study published in
2012, scientists found that using the Ouija board
allowed subjects to recall factual information
with more accuracy than if they weren’t using
the board. Participants were instructed to answer
a series of yes/no questions and to rate whether
they were confident in their answers or merely
guessing. Later, they were subjected to another
round of questions but used a Ouija board to
indicate “yes” or “no,” once again rating their
confidence level in their answers. In cases where
participants believed they didn’t know an
answer, they were able to give more correct
answers, more often, when using the Ouija
board than when they believed they were only
guessing on their own.
The researchers behind that study have
gone on to speculate that using the Ouija board
as a technique to unlock subconscious
knowledge could lead to insights about the early
onset of Alzheimer's and other
neurodegenerative diseases.
In other words, the Ouija board is
potentially a very powerful communication tool
— just not in the way most people think.
The ideomotor effect is behind much
more than just Ouija boards —
including several harmful real-life
scams and “therapies”
The appeal of the ideomotor effect is that you
actually may be communicating with something
you can’t typically access — your own
subconscious — and that the experience can feel
like communicating with something paranormal
or unknown.
(Continued on Page 42)
 42 How Ouija Boards Work
How Ouija boards work.
(Hint: It's not ghosts.)
Continued from Page 41
This real physical effect causes some people to
believe that seemingly miraculous or
paranormal phenomena are behind certain
behaviors and occurrences. It’s a common
element of demon possession hoaxes, since
witnesses come to believe the “possessed”
person is moving without her own control. It can
also convince people they have the gift of
automatic writing, meaning they insist that
spirits can communicate with the living through
their “uncontrolled” handwriting. Often, the
ideomotor effect is used to defraud people who
visit exorcists, psychics, mediums, and other
self-proclaimed spirit-channeling types —
sometimes leading to severe financial, physical,
and psychological harm.
Dowsing is another example of the
ideomotor effect being exploited for financial
gain. The practice, whose stated purpose is to
divine water or other things located underground
or concealed within something else, involves
holding a special device (like a dowsing rod or a
divining rod) and letting the ideomoter effect
cause your hand to “mysteriously” point to the
location of the desired object or substance.
These devices have been scientifically tested
and debunked again and again, but that hasn’t
stopped their purveyors from falsely claiming
they can detect everything from gold to liver
disease and hepatitis to “harmful earth
radiations.” In 2013, one charlatan was
convicted of selling nearly $70 million in fake
bomb detectors to Iraqi police.
Finally, the ideomotor effect lies behind
a controversial, repeatedly debunked form of
pseudoscience therapy called “facilitated
communication,” which emerged as a popular
therapy technique in the 1990s. Facilitated
communication claims to work by allowing
disabled or autistic patients to “communicate”
through slight finger movements. In reality,
science has proven many times over that the
patients’ movements are caused by the
ideomoter effect, and that their caregivers are
reading meaning into nothing. One scientist
even referred to facilitated communication as
“Ouija board stuff.”
The disastrous effects of this fake
therapy include a sex abuse case in which the
caregiver claimed she used facilitated
communication to obtain consent from her
patient, and a devastating parental custody case
where manipulative caregivers used it to suggest
that the children involved had “accused” their
parents of abuse. Sadly, it still exists today as a
fraudulent speech therapy technique used with
autism patients, disguised under various names
like “rapid prompting method,” “supported
typing,” or “progressive kinesthetic feedback.”
Ironically, the same factor lies at the
heart of both the cause and the effects of the
ideomotor phenomenon: We want to believe.
Our desire to confirm the existence of ghosts,
spirits, and other improbable possibilities is
what convinces Ouija board users, facilitated
communication proponents, and anyone else
who encounters the ideomotor effect in action
that they’ve experienced something real: a real
visitation from another dimension, some sort of
mystical sign, or an indication that a patient
trapped in his own mind is suddenly able to
break free and communicate.
But the marvelous thing about a Ouija
board isn’t what a planchette might read or a
psychic might claim the spirits are saying
through it from the other side. In reality, the true
wonder of the Ouija board is what lies within
our own subconscious.
Scientists find a link
between low intelligence
and acceptance of 'pseudo-
profound bulls***'
Those who are impressed by wise-
sounding quotes are also more likely
to believe in conspiracy theories and
the paranormal
A new scientific study has found that those who
are receptive to pseudo-profound, intellectual-
sounding 'bulls***' are less intelligent, less
reflective, and more likely to be believe in
conspiracy theories, the paranormal and
alternative medicine.
PhD candidate Gordon Pennycook and a
team of researchers from the University of
Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, tested hundreds of
participants to make the link, detailing their
findings in a paper entitled 'On the reception and
detection of pseudo-profound bulls***', which
mentions the word 'bulls***' exactly 200 times
(surely some sort of record).
Defining bulls*** is a tricky task, but
Pennycook and his team tried their best in the
paper.
As an example, they gave the following
'pseudo-profound' statement: "Hidden meaning
transforms unparalleled abstract beauty."
The paper says: "Although this statement
may seem to convey some sort of potentially
profound meaning, it is merely a collection of
buzzwords put together randomly in a sentence
that retains syntactic structure."
"Bulls***, in contrast to mere nonsense,
is something that implies but does not contain
adequate meaning or truth."
Pennycook used a website that would
randomly generate these pseudo-profound
sentences from a string of words.
The website is still active, and serves up
wise-sounding aphorisms like "This life is
nothing short of an unveiling quantum leap of
mythic rejuvenation" and "We are at a
crossroads of transformation and desire" at the
click of a button.
Almost 300 test subjects were asked to
rate the profundity of these sentences on a scale
of one to five.
The mean profoundness rating was 2.6,
indicating the quotes were generally seen as
between 'somewhat profound' and 'fairly
profound'. Around 27 per cent of participants
gave an average score of three or more,
gowever, suggesting they thought the sentences
were profound or very profound.
In the second test, the team confronted
the participants with real-life examples of
bulls***, asking them to read tweets posted by
Deepak Chopra, a writer known for his New Age
views on spirituality and medicine, as well as
using the computer-generated statements from
the first test.
The results in this test were very similar,
indicating many participants were unable to spot
the bulls***.
In the final two tests, participants read
mundane statements, like "newborn babies
require constant attention" and well-known,
'truly' profound quotes like "a wet person does
not fear the rain" as controls, just to check that
participants weren't labelling everything as
profound.
As expected, most participants labelled
the mundane statements as 'not profound', and
tended to rate the well-known profound
statements highly.
Alongside these tests, the researchers
looked into a number of other personality traits,
examining how the participants think about
themselves and the world around them.
In a fairly damning passage from the
paper, it says that those who were more
receptive to the bulls*** statements and who
tended to rate them higher were "less reflective,
lower in cognitive ability(i.e verbal and fluid
intelligence, numeracy,) and are more prone to
ontological confusions and conspiratorial
ideation."
It also said they were more likely to
"hold religious and paranormal beliefs, and are
more likely to endorse complementary and
alternative medicine."
As they say, "our findings are consistent
with the idea that the tendency to rate vague,
meaningless statements as profound is a
legitimate psychological phenomenon that is
consistently related to at least some variables of
theoretical interest."
Through the rise of instant
communication and the internet, people are
exposed to this kind of 'pseudo-profound
bulls***' now more than ever.
It's fun to read a real scientific paper than
says 'bulls***' 200 times, but it's also important
to be more aware and able to detect wise-
sounding nonsense when we hear it - it could
stop us from falling into the trap of irrational
thinking. []
 The Biggest Scams of the 21st Century 43
The Biggest Scams of the
21st Century: Life-
Coaching, the
Entrepreneurial, Personal
Development and New Age
Phenomenon
By Vlad Ciupitu

Today’s society, as we know it, has been formed

on the backs of billions of people’s devotion and
hard work.
These same people rarely get the time to
actually enjoy the benefits that our civilized
society has to offer and continue to remain
oblivious to free time, actual leisure and
comfort.
But there are several groups of people
who for years have struggled to find a way out
of contributing to society and to loaf at the first power” workshops that they organize and you should
category who nevertheless continue to bring • “The workshop focuses on helping you better hurry up because there are only 3 places
actual value into our world. overcome daily life impasses and obstacles” left, and only you have been offered a discount.
These people have decided to exploit the • “Find your true potential, book now for a The rest go full price.
naivety and desperation of the hard working journey to yourself” There are exceptions, as always, but it’s
people by selling them false ideas and promises Sounds familiar? absolutely easy to fall into the trap of throwing
about a way out of the hard work. It’s these adverts that cross our eyes away money to people who decided to skip work
We are not talking about bankers and every day. day and cash in some easy money.
politicians which are, however, the main These so called personal development I have been a client to several “gurus”
parasites of our society. gurus, with certain exceptions of course, realised several years ago as well, there is no shame in
that surviving in today’s society was not
We are talking about lesser parasites. We that.
can call them flees or leeches. possible without hard work, and so they decided But I did it out of curiosity.
It’s those people you see advertised to copy some quotes from ancient Buddhism The second I smelled marketing bullsh*t
everyday on your Facebook newsfeeds, where writings and other ideologies, in order to and phony attitude from the “public speaker” (as
persuade the unsuspecting fool to join their
they offer you “the key salvation or solution” to they like to call themselves), was the moment I
your problems via their coaching programme. monthly subscription “help” via e-mail and turned away and never looked back.
phone or via never ending expensive
It’s those people that tell a story about
how unfortunate and tired of work they were, conferences. 2. The Entrepreneurial Scam
and how they managed to find “the solution” to These conferences are free of charge of
get out of the system and become independent. course, the only fee you have to contribute with This one is the easiest to fall prey to because it
It’s those people that have found their is for the refreshments and the room that they’ve uses your accumulated frustrations towards your
“inner power” and only via their workshops, rented – and it’s quite expensive from their point boring and repetitive job that you currently
will you be able to discover the “secrets” that of view. have.
they have to offer. The free conferences and workshops While I am a convinced believer that we
Be it coaching or personal development, never offer any true information, not even at should all work for ourselves and stop being
this new phenomenon which prays on people’s least the information that they have copied from automatons for corporations, the key to financial
greed and tendencies for an easy way out, have elsewhere. freedom and prosperity does not reside within
fooled tens of thousands of people around the It is just a way of attracting potential the walls of the workshops and the pages of the
world. They have thus become rich by simply gullible clients who will fall for their show with books that these people sell.
talking about concepts and ideas, by selling a couple of nice quotes and “words of wisdoms” The concepts behind being an
packages and workshops which keep the taken from somewhere else as well. entrepreneur are quite simple to read and
clueless (and hardworking for a matter of fact) At the end of the “free conferences”, understand but really difficult to apply in reality.
clients hooked up for years in a perpetual chainthey will promote their next day workshop So unless you are ready to do it, and have a
of programmes all destined to offer a better which is worth 3000 euros, yet they offer a really great idea and the finances as well, you
solution every time. special discount to the present people for just 79 can attend thousands of workshops and read
euros.
It isn’t long after the line has been drawn hundreds of books, yet there will be little to no
that you realise that these self-proclaimed gurus It is there where they will present some effect on your progress.
in different areas of activities, have collectedhelpful information. A brilliant man once told me that “If
large amounts of money without producing Information which is easy to Google on you’ve read 5 books on business, you’ve read
anything, and have left the unfortunate the internet. them all.” – Robert Ionescu.
consumers with a stupid smile on their face. There are also books. Their ELITE workshops and
A smile which you can tell it’s not their These people have become writers programmes, their new books or new
smile, but it’s a smile of the deep subconsciousovernight and are willing to further offer you a conferences will offer you 98% motivation and
acknowledgement that they’ve wasted time and discount to the current already discounted almost nothing for practical examples.
money on nothing but thin air. trilogy books on “How to do …. in 5 easy steps” I have yet to figure out a business idea
A smile which is borderline to bullsh*t. that will take me to freedom, but purchasing
frustration, due to lack of actual results. For you see, everything they sell is at a products from these overnight self-proclaimed
discount, you are special and if you buy their gurus on entrepreneurial ideas will not offer me
1. The Personal Development Scam product no later than next Saturday, you will get any help.
a package of 2000 euros worth, with just 179.
• “I can teach you to discover your true inner The sits are also limited to any (Continued on Page 45)
44 House Number Twenty-Nine

House Number Twenty-Nine

by William S Peckham
House Number Twenty-nine is a
mystery with a touch of the
paranormal. The story follows Sean
Kennedy and his friend, best selling
author Stanley Renton, after the
restoration of 29 Livery Lane.
Together they write a book about
Sean’s experiences with apparitions
while restoring the century-old
house. They discover that three of
the former owners are still living,
so they invite them to the old house.
Stories are told and experiences are
shared… stories of a murder, an
attempted suicide, disbarment of a
lawyer, indiscretions of two
teenagers… even the fraud and
mishandling of corpses. The co-
authors move forward with
research on the history of House
Number Twenty-nine.

Sean finalizes plans for a family

holiday to Boston, Los Angeles and
Disneyland. Their flight from
Boston to Los Angeles is booked on
American Airline’s Flight 11,
September 11, 2001.

The Kennedy family survives the terrorist attack on New York City – a hit man bent upon
revenge – a fiery attack on their family home and an intense, threatening interrogation by
CCIS.

Sean and Stanley write the novel about 29 Livery Lane. It becomes a best seller and the
two friends continue to co-write until Stanley’s death.

www.williamspeckham.com
 The Biggest Scams of the 21st Century
The Biggest Scams of the
21st Century: Life-
Coaching, the
Entrepreneurial, Personal
Development and New Age
Phenomenon
Continued from Page 43
Generally, these gurus that sell you
fantasy stories are nothing more than frauds.
Why? Because they do not have their
own actual business going on for themselves.
They are not making money the way they
promise that you will after the workshop
finishes.
Their business is YOU. They pretend to
be experts in business, yet their business is about
telling you how to make a business.
It’s crazy, right?
Had they actually accomplished a
successful endeavour in business, they wouldn’t
have the time to talk nonsense to crowds of
people (some actually do, but just to boost their
own egos).
I’ve never seen Donald Trump
organizing personal entrepreneurial seminars :).
Open your eyes and take a good look
around. The street is your best teacher.
3. The Life-Coaching Scam
The first time I have ever heard the term
coaching was in primary school, where I had
joined a football team, and thus, we were
assigned a coach.
Take this word which conveys a position
of power and discipline and start making money.
There are people who offer you the
possibility to “coach” your life and help you
achieve great results.
While professional movie stars, athletes
and singers are truth be told, in need of coaches,
I am pretty sure that we, as mortal beings do not
require such “privileges” in order to have a good
life.
Like vultures over carrions, these frauds
dive in to help depressed, weak and insecure
people by promising them coaching lessons
during which they will identify together
personal obstacles that keep them from their true
happiness.
They will also offer relation-ship and
dating advice and all is at the price of anywhere
between 50 to 150 euros per HOUR.
I’ve heard of coaches that offer their
services for any marital and relation-ship
problems, yet they, themselves, had been
divorced 5 times.
It’s a total joke.
But wait, there is more.
There are also coaching schools for
coaches.
You heard that right.
One looser will teach another customer
on how to become a life coach.
They will proclaim to help your ass, yet
they lack personal achievements.
They have nothing to back up their
“skills and knowledge”, only some Testimonials
45
(friends in need are friends indeed) and a long package, the clueless new-age believers will
list of thousands of clients, all well satisfied, of empty their pockets in hopes that their sex lives
course. will improve and that their bank accounts will
flourish.
4.The New Age Scam As if God and the Infinite Energy of
Consciousness that exists in an out of time gives
The human race is experiencing formidable a damn about a green paper and fame on planet
changes in the world, due to the increase in Earth.
energy activities and a collective awakening of Always remember: if any book on
the consciousness. personal and spiritual development is famous,
And with great change comes great you can almost be sure that it won’t help you
opportunity for making the big bucks. bring about the change in yourself and into the
If it’s new, it sells. world.
So you will find all sorts of websites and It simply won’t happen because
“spiritual leaders” that promise you divine becoming the change is the most dangerous state
knowledge – at an absurd price of course. one can have for the consumerist and slave
They will teach you how to harness the society that we all take part into.
law of attraction and bring abundance into your Actual mind opening books will never
life. become famous, and they will remain unheard
The self-proclaimed spiritual wise men of.
will offer you spiritual guidance in order to help Only by doing research will you be able
you succeed in different areas of your life which to get your hands on actual helpful information.
have nothing to do with spirituality in the first “Saviours” such as Russel Brand are famous,
place, such as: career, money, sex, seduction, appear on TV, are quoted on many new age
fame etc. pages and have published books which you can
It’s a contradiction to what spirituality see advertised in the London tube.
and true connection to God means. Yet Russel Brand was married to Katy
They won’t teach you about actions, Perry (google Katy Perry Illuminati Symbols)
reactions. About Karma or about oneness with and he is now dating the daughter of a
the divine consciousness. Rothschild :).
People which would offer true valuable
They will use this wonderful gift of information would be silenced or never even
enlightenment, which they do not possess, to make over 10 000 views on YouTube, regardless
help you on your way to becoming rich and of their great ideas and concepts.
powerful. And worst case scenario, they would get
killed (see Jesus).
As if the rich people of this planet are spiritual. Just a food for thought: Using the
If spirituality would bring you fame and miracle that happened 2000 years ago, the
possessions, then monks from all over the world catholic church managed to manipulate millions
would appear on TV while swimming in gold :). of people by controlling their wealth and
Sex and money sells big time. freedoms.
Everlasting happiness and inner peace This is the biggest example in history
sounds vague and will probably not attract many which gives legitimacy to the concepts I have
customers. just presented to you.
Osho or Tolle are just picking up ancient Remember, not everything that swims is
Tibetan concepts and by wrapping some loose a fish and not everything that flies is a bird. []
ideas into a big and beautiful expensive
46 Jesus King of Edessa

J E S US
King of Edessa
by Ralph Ellis
The biblical Jesus - discovered in the historical record.
Contemporary coins and statue of Jesus discovered in Syria.
Why is Jesus missing from the historical record? Jesus was an influential king (the King
of the Jews) and probably the most famous monarch of the last two millennia, so why
cannot we find archaeological evidence for his life? The answer is that we have been
looking in the wrong location.

Following 25 years of research, Ralph Ellis has discovered that Jesus was a prince of
Edessa in northern Syria. The Edessan monarchs were Nazarene Jews who helped build
the Temple of Jerusalem and saved Judaea from starvation during a great famine. But, just
like Jesus, they were also religious and political revolutionaries who tried to take control
of Judaea, but were thwarted by the Roman Army. Thus there are many links and
similarities between the biblical accounts and the princes and kings of Edessa.

However, in addition to this, Ralph Ellis has discovered that one of the princes of Edessa
had the same names as Jesus. Jesus was called (King) Jesus Emmanuel, while one of the
Edessan monarchs was called King Izas Manu(el). Equally interesting, is the fact that all
of the Edessan monarchs wore a plaited Crown of Thorns. The biblical Jesus was crucified
wearing this same plaited Crown of Thorns because he was this very same prince and king
of Edessa.

Thus we now know who Jesus was, where he lived, and who his family were. Visit his city,
see the ruins of his citadel, gaze upon his statue, handle his coins. In reality, Jesus was a
son of King Abgarus au Kama of Edessa, a minor princeling with a small realm, a large
treasury, and even bigger ambitions. But the so-called Wise Prince of northern Syria came up against an intractable Rome, and his many plans
crumbled to dust. The historical records then indicate that this revolutionary prince of Edessa was crucified outside Jerusalem, along with two
other leaders of the revolt, but he was reprieved and taken down from the cross by a man called Joseph(us). And yes, this familiar-sounding
account is from the historical record, and not from the gospels.

Readers might imagine that the true history of this region might undermine much of the biblical story that the gospel authors have crafted. But
in reality the gospels always did say that Jesus was a Nazarene (Mat 2:23) and a king (Luk 23:38), and so this new analysis changes very little
in the gospel story. The only real difference is that the true history of the region indicates that the strategies and goals of King Izas (King Jesus)
were much more far-reaching than the gospel accounts like to admit. In reality, the goal of King Izas and the Edessan monarchy was to use
their newly united Kingdom of Judaeo-Syria as a springboard to take over the throne of Rome. Yes, King Izas (King Jesus) wanted to become
Emperor of Rome - which is why he was so closely linked to the Roman 'Star Prophesy' (the eastern star at his birth), and why he suffered a
Roman rather than a Jewish form of punishment.

This is a scholarly study of all the available historical evidence, including the Tanakh, Talmud, Josephus Flavius, the Roman historians, and
venerable Syriac historians like Moses of Chorene and Yohannes Drasxanakertci.

We suggest that readers start with 'Cleopatra to Christ' and then 'King Jesus'. The wait before arriving at the last episode in the trilogy will be
worthwhile, for if a book could be valued on its 'eureka moments' then this final book would be priceless. v3.5

www.edfu-books.com
 Liberating Jesus 47

L I B E R AT I N G J E S U S
By
Roberta Grimes
Roberta Grimes spent
decades studying nearly
200 years of afterlife
evidence and forming a
detailed picture of what
happens at and after death.
She then discovered that
two thousand years ago
Jesus told us things about
God, reality, death, the
afterlife, human nature,
and the nature of reality
that perfectly match the
afterlife evidence in even
small details. She outlines
many of these
correspondences in
appendices to her books
The Fun of Dying (2010,
2014) and The Fun of Staying in Touch (2014). In Liberating Jesus
Roberta offers compelling evidence that the earliest Christians
misunderstood the meaning and the message of Jesus. She
demonstrates that all the correspondences between the Gospels and
the afterlife evidence amount to nothing less than a new revelation
from God. And she shows us that once we put aside the magic-
thinking notion that the whole Christian Bible must be the Inspired
Word of God just because the earliest Christians said it was, we at
last free Jesus to bring to humankind the messages directly from
God that long ago were His true life’s purpose. His promise remains
as fresh today as it was two thousand years ago, and now it is
confirmed by the afterlife evidence: if we will live according to the
teachings of Jesus, we can create the Kingdom of God on earth.

SEEK REALITY RADIO SHOW

WITH
ROBERT GRIMES
IS NOW ON
THE ‘X’ ZONE BROADCAST NETWORK
Visit www.xzbn.net for Broadcast Days and Times

www.RobertaGrimes.com
 48 5 Reasons Why Angels are Nonsense
5 Reasons Why Angels are
Nonsense – Even for
Christians
By Dean Van Drasek
Angels Make No Sense, Even For
Believers. Why Does This Notion
Persist?
One of the first ways I proved to myself that
there was no god was when I tried to touch the
angel that my mother insisted stayed with me in
my room. When my mother caught me jumping
on the bed trying to touch it, she told me that
angels didn’t like it when you tried to touch
them. “Why?” I asked. “Because they don’t” she
explained, and then I was sure that they were not
real, as sure as I was that the sun was in the sky.
Angels are actually a pretty complex
subject, with a huge number of stories about
them in many different religions. For my money,
I tend to prefer the Cambodian Apsaras of
Angkor Wat, as they are voluptuous and dead
sexy dancers. Under traditions taken from
Hinduism, Apsaras were created when the sea of
milk was being churned by demons and gods.
They fly without wings. I am just talking about
angels in the Christian-Jewish sense for what
follows.
Most Christians I know believe in angels. They
are not mentioned in the creation story in
Genesis, so there is no real origin for them. But
angels play a prominent role in a number of
stories, in both the Christian Old and New
Testaments. And people believe many things
about angels that are not in either Testament, but
come from books of the Apocrypha, especially
the Book of Enoch, which amongst other things
contains the story of the fallen angels.
Maybe we should first sort out what
angels are for Christians and Jews. The first
reference to angels may come from
Zoroastrianism. Angels fulfill the roles of
celestial messengers and other functionaries.
This can also be found among the minions of the
gods in the Canaanite pantheon and most other
pantheistic mythos. In a word, they are flunkies
or courtiers.
As the “Jewish Encyclopedia” of 1906
(available at Jewish Encyclopedia) notes under
the heading Angelology-Postexilic Period:
During and after the Exile, under the
influence of Babylonian and Persian systems of
belief, a great change becomes noticeable in the
angelic lore of the Jews. The more the
monotheistic idea took hold of the people—
permitting no being to interfere with the
absolute supremacy of YHWH—the greater
became the need of personifying the working
forces of life, and of grouping them in ranks
around the throne of God to form His royal
court. His transcendent nature demanded a
more definite system of heavenly functionaries
attending Him and awaiting His commands.
Gradually the celestial government was formed
after the pattern of the earthly one, as it
presented itself, imposing and well organized, at
the Persian court.
So, according to the Jews, who should
know, since they made all this up, God is
bureaucratic.
Maimonides, an influential Jewish
philosopher and apologist of the 12th century in
Spain, contested that there were 10 types of
angels. Other Jewish writers thought that angels
only existed for a specific task, then vanished.
There are 9 angels mentioned by name in the
Testaments. Many more angels are mentioned
by name in the Talmud and Midrash, and angels
are frequent characters in these works and other
Jewish writings.
According to the Talmud, Midrash and
related texts, angels existed before YHWH made
the world, thus getting around their absence in
Genesis. They lived below YHWH in one of the
seven heavens. YHWH himself had the entire
7th heaven to himself – why he needs the extra
room is not explained, but the “big guy” usually
does hog the penthouse suite, even in heaven.
In form, angles can look like humans,
with or without wings. Angels in the Hebrew
Bible come in some wacky forms: four or six
wings, animal and multiple faces, and the oddest
form being the “ofamin” or “wheels” which
appear in Daniel 7:9 as a beryl-colored wheel-
within-a-wheel whose rims are covered with
many eyes. The early Christians wrote a
tremendous amount about angels, and their
classification, etc. A popular one was done in the
5th century by Pseudo-Dionysius, “De Coelesti
Hierarchia,” which set out 9 orders of angels. I
read on one really bad Christian web site that
angels were made of “energy, love and light”
(Angel Focus). I suppose they captured one, put
it in the blender and then measured the resultant
mix. “Bartender! Bring me a double “love” on
the rocks, with a twist of lime and a swizzle
stick.”
Don’t ask me what angels ate, or if they
slept, or even what sex they were. It’s all over
the board, and none of it makes much sense.
Few, if indeed any, angelologists, agree on
things. Jewish references opined that angels
don’t shit, which is one thing that differentiates
them from demons. But they did like human
women, and those “sons of god” took as wives
the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:1-5) and they
had children. So I guess angels have DNA and
23 pairs of chromosomes, including x and y
variants and the super chromosome 2? This
angelic lust for human females was obviously a
strongly held belief, because even by the time of
St. Paul, some 500 years or so after Genesis was
written, people were still worried about those
lusty angels: "A man ought not to cover his
head, since he is the image and glory of God; but
woman is the glory of man. For man did not
come from woman, but woman from man;
neither was man created for woman, but woman
for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought
to have authority [a veil] over her own head,
because of the angels" (1 Cor. 11:7-10, New
International Version). I guess when angels are
off duty they lounge around on clouds looking
for women with sexy hairstyles….? Boobs and
booty don’t seem to enter the picture when it
comes to angelic lust.
So, On To Why Angels Are Nonsense
1. Messengers
The most common role of an angel is as a
messenger, to deliver a message, leave some
food, point out the right direction, etc. They do a
bunch of useful tasks not really requiring a
supranational entity. I mean if god is all
powerful, couldn’t he just speak out of the air to
these people who need a message? Or if he can
read our thoughts, can’t he speak to us in our
minds? Couldn’t he have a bush talk, burning or
otherwise? Or a donkey? There is a talking
donkey in the Hebrew Bible already. Why send
an angel? It seems a pretty worthless job for
something supposedly as powerful as an angel.
It’s sort of like delivering the mail in a Lexus. It
doesn’t make any sense why god needs a third
party to do this.
(Continued on Page 49)
 5 Reasons Why Angels are Nonsense
5 Reasons Why Angels are
Nonsense – Even for
Christians
Continued from Page 48
2. Hitmen
In the Hebrew version of the story, angels
supposedly were responsible for the Assyrians
being ravaged during the siege of Jerusalem
around 700 B.C. (2 Kings 19:20-24). An angel
was sent to destroy Jerusalem because David
ordered a census of the people, but god really
hates a good census. God called him back at the
last minute (2 Samuel 24). And of course, angels
were responsible for the murder of the Egyptian
first born after god hardened Pharaoh’s heart
(Exodus 11:1-12). This last murderous rampage
in the Hebrew Bible is actually being done by
YHWH himself, but Christians and later
translations have sometimes added a proxy in
the form of the “angel of death.” Winged angels
with flaming swords guard the entrance to the
Garden of Eden like supernatural bouncers so
humans can’t sneak back in (Genesis 3:23-24).
Angels always seem to have swords, never a
Bushmaster, Glock 9mm, or AK-47s, not to
mention “swords of light” – as in Jedi
lightsabers, or even a muzzle loader. And there
is no indication that they know kung-fu,
although they may wrestle as in Genesis 32:22-
32. I think that the clear language of the text says
Jacob/Israel is wrestling with YHWH, but many
believers can’t seem to swallow this, and
contrive ways to claim the text is really
referencing an angel – but they can’t defeat a
human except by grabbing his genitals. Many
translations miss the typical euphemistic
reference (see comment on Genesis 32:25).
There are a number of other similar references,
as the Hebrews seemed to have some hang-ups
about talking about men’s genitals except when
it comes to cutting off the top bit.
So, god doesn’t always want to take the
blame/praise for his killings, so he sends his hit
men. Who is he kidding? Does he think people
won’t blame him because the angels did it? He
wiped out all humanity except one inbreeding
family with a flood, but can’t get his hands dirty
with some thuggish Assyrians? He sends the
Babylonians to punish the Judeans and take their
leaders into exile. He sends the Romans to
punish the Jews and destroy their temple to
YHWH, but won’t do it himself? Destroying the
temple seems like ruining his own fun, since
YHWH loves the smell of burning dead animals
and grains (hold the yeast) and the sprinkling of
blood around the altar. I wonder what he did for
THE ‘X’ ZONE TV CHANNEL
Is Coming To SimulTV
www.simultv.com
49
fun instead once the sacrificial altar was gone? a kid. They are ALWAYS beside you, just like
Maybe he discovered the joys of marijuana or god in his omnipresent form. So think about it,
opium instead of sniffing the smoke of burning you have god and at least one angel beside you
goat and wheat? at all times. They are there for every instance of
Any if you have a host of sword wielding defecation, fornication, masturbation,
thugs at your service, what about sending a regurgitation, expectoration, urination, and of
winged angel with a flaming sword to guard course every male’s favorites burping and
from the rapacious Germans the mass of naked, passing gas.
cowering Jews about to be gassed in an
extermination camp? How about the Cathars and (Continued on Page 51)
Huguenots massacred by the French Catholics?
YHWH will spare an angel to guard a garden, REALITY RADIO AND TV IS
Eden, but he lets his chosen people get gassed FOUND ONLY ON XZBN RADIO
like cockroaches or termites in an infested AND XZBN TV
house? YHWH seems to spend more time
THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO / TV SHOW
beating up on his own people than he does
with
protecting them with his bully boy angels. And
ROB McCONNELL
then you have the bloodbath of the American
L*I*V*E Mon - Fri
Civil War, where each side claimed to have god
on SimulTV
on its side. So why not send a sword wielding
angel to one side, just to make it clear where god
stands on slavery?
Be that as it may, Christians and Jews
consider god to be omnipotent, so he basically
controls the life and death of everything. So
what are the enforcer angels doing then? If god
wants you to die, does he send an angel every
time, to each one of us? And what is the point?
If he wants you dead, you die, right? Does he
really need some guy with wings and a healthy
sexual appetite for human women with
www.
fashionable hairstyles to fly down from heaven
and do you in with his sword? I would note that
SimulTV.
there is a real shortage of “death by sword
stroke” cases in the world,. Either the angels are
.com
not so active or else they have swapped the
sword in for something more applicable, like a
biological weapons kit, which would help
explain the Black Death and the Spanish Flu.
Again, if god does control the world and has
your life in his hands, why send an angel with a
sword? People die in millions of different ways,
but sword wounds do not appear to be one of the
more frequent nowadays. Yet even modern
visionaries of heaven claim that angels are still
keeping their flaming swords (see “Heaven is
for Real” by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent).
3. Guardians
These sorts of angels are not in the Testaments,
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
but they are very popular in the imaginations of
with KEVIN RANDLE
believers. These are the angels I tried to touch as
www.XZBN.net
50 Book Of Mysteries
 5 Reasons Why Angels are Nonsense 51
5 Reasons Why Angels are
Nonsense – Even for
Christians
Continued from Page 49

Why are the guardian angels there? Are

they a substitute for seat belts in cars? No,
Christians and Jews who don’t buckle-up in cars
without airbags go through the windshield face
first, same as everyone else. Going into the
water without a life vest and the swimming
skills of a brick take Christians and Jews straight
to the bottom, same as everyone else. OK, so
maybe the guardian angels don’t save us from
god’s ordained harm to our persons, but what
about guarding us from temptation? Can
Christians and Jews resist the temptation of
illicit sex, of drugs and rock and roll, of
homosexuality, of a desire to work on the
Sabbath, of the all-consuming hunger for thick piranha pond, or getting a new selection of prefers kings to the detriment of democracies or
sliced, smoke cured fried bacon, because of the odious STDs. Maybe they guard people from a republics? He’s god the all-powerful, and he
presence of their guardian angel? Nope, no belief in evolution? If so, that would explain presumably doesn’t need angel powered
evidence of it at all. Christians and Jews engage quite a bit of the rampant idiocy in certain parts locomotion to move about.
in these activities, except maybe for the bacon, of America.
at the same rate as everyone else. 5. Singing Sycophants
So what exactly do guardian angels 4. Furniture Or Draft Animals
guard us from? Any ideas? Maybe they help us
Angels in the Testaments and in popular
find our lost car keys? But in terms of dangers to
When Ezekiel meets with YHWH, he sees four imagination are always singing god’s praises. If
our lives, there doesn’t appear to be anything. If
angels holding up the throne of god. you ask a Christian what are 5 things they will
they helped with our health, then people would
“And out of the midst thereof came the do in heaven, one of them is sure to be singing.
pray to the guardian angel for a cure for their
likeness of four living creatures. And this was It’s the only fun thing that isn’t a sin really. And
cancer, and avoid the hospital. We all know that
their appearance: they had the likeness of a they encircle YHWH in their multitudes singing
this just gets you closer to god, meaning death,
man. And every one had four faces, and every his praises in succession, according to many
and doesn’t help your health at all. And
one of them had four wings. And their feet were Jewish thinkers. But others claim that they don’t
Christians and Jews stub their toes, fall off the
straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like actually sing, they just praise god and occasional
ladder, drop dishes, and go through all the other
the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like shout joyously. You have to wonder about
ordinary daily tribulations same as non-
burnished brass. And they had the hands of a someone who needs to be constantly reminded
believers, so the guardian angels don’t seem to
man under their wings on their four sides; and how wonderful they are.
be doing anything except watching and
they four had their faces and their wings [thus]: To which all I can say is: “God, just get
listening.
their wings were joined one to another; they an iPod.” []
Someone told me that the guardian
turned not when they went; they went every one
angels are there to save you from the
straight forward. As for the likeness of their
perturbations of or possession from demons.
faces, they had the face of a man; and they four
OK, so maybe each one of us also has their own
had the face of a lion on the right side; and they
demon who is seeking to enter our body and the
four had the face of an ox on the left side; they
guardian angel is battling them to keep us
four had also the face of an eagle. And their
demon free. So we have three beings walking
faces and their wings were separate above; two
around with us; god the omnipresent, the
[wings] of every one were joined one to another,
guardian angel and a demon. Don’t they get
and two covered their bodies. And they went DID YOU KNOW...
bored? Again, if this is the case, why can’t god
every one straight forward: whither the spirit Love and Marriage
do it himself, or just get rid of the demons in the
was to go, they went; they turned not when they
first place. It should be pretty simple for the
went…” (Ezekiel 1:5-12 American Standard - In South Korea, a can of Spam is considered
creator of the universe. It’s not a question of
Edition). a great wedding gift.
human “free will” if you have an angel fighting
Does the creator of the universe really
the demon, and you are not aware of either. And
need four, four winged, four faced, calf footed, - Inspiration for the Rolling Stone’s song
if this is the case, then I guess demons are pretty
angels to cart around his throne in the seventh “Angie”: David Bowie’s first wife, Angela.
wimpy, since they never seem to beat any
heaven and down to earth for the purpose of
guardian angels – except in a few cases when a
awing the local illiterates? How about a - Queen Victoria’s wedding cake had a
Hollywood movie deal is on offer. I wonder if
helicopter? Of just floating on a cloud? Why circumference of more than 9 feet.
guardian angels get days off? Do they work 12
does he need angel propulsion? Admittedly, it’s
hour shifts? As the number of people increases,
very unclear from Ezekiel just what is going on - Most married couple: Richard and Carole
does god make new angels to keep up with the
here, as the whole description sounds like a bad Roble from New York, with 56 ceremonies.
growing demand for guardian angels? What do
LSD trip. And while we are at it, why does (The first was in 1969.)
they think about while they watch you sleep,
YHWH need a throne? Does his back get sore if
shower, drive, work, etc.? Can you possibly
he stands up all the time? Does he sit on a To Order Your Copy Of
imagine a more boring, mentally deadening job
cushion? If YHWH appeared today in a vision to DID YOU KNOW by Rob McConnell,
than this? Especially when you never get to do
some desert living, sheep loving herder, would Visit
anything when there is some excitement by your
he be riding a Humvee with angels for tires? www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow
guarded human, like a car crash, or falling into a
Since he sits on a throne, does this mean he
 52 The Aliens Never Left Roswell, NM
In 1947, A High-Altitude
Balloon Crash Landed in
Roswell. The Aliens Never
Left
Despite its persistence in popular
culture, extraterrestrial life owes
more to the imagination than reality

Smithsonian.com

In Roswell, New Mexico, on or about July 8,

1947, the first little green men arrived...or so
they want us to believe.
Let’s start closer to the beginning. On
June 14, 1947, a rancher named W.W. “Mac”
Brazel and his son Vernon were driving across
their ranchland some 80 miles northwest of
Roswell when they encountered something
they’d never seen before. It was, in Brazel’s
words, “a large area of bright wreckage made up
of rubber strips, tinfoil, and rather tough paper,
and sticks.”
The metallic-looking, lightweight fabric
was scattered, shredded across the gravel and
remarkably unusual events underscoring the
sagebrush of the New Mexico desert. Brazel
situation at hand.
didn’t know what to do with the newfound
Everywhere you looked in 1947, the
items, or how they had landed on the property,
global, social and political chessboard was
so on July 4 he collected all of the mysterious
being re-divided. The Soviet Union began to
wreckage he could find. On July 7, he drove it
claim eastern European nations for itself in a
all to Roswell, delivering the goods to Sheriff
new post-war vacuum. Voice of America started
George Wilcox.
broadcasting in Russian to the eastern bloc,
Wilcox, too, was confounded.
peddling the principles of American democracy.
Seeking answers, he contacted Colonel
The U.S. sent V2 rockets carrying payloads of
“Butch” Blanchard, commander of the Roswell
corn seeds and fruit flies into outer space. The
Army Airfield’s 509th Composite Group,
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the
located just outside of town. Blanchard was
“Doomsday Clock” ticking, and the Marshall
stymied. Working his way up the chain of
Plan was in the making to rebuild war-torn
command, he decided to contact his superior,
Europe. Small wonder that in the heat of
General Roger W. Ramey, commander of the
summer that year, flying saucers became all the
8th Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas.
rage.
Blanchard also sent Major Jesse Marcel,
On June 21, Navy Seaman Harold Dahl
an intelligence officer from the base, to
claimed to have seen six unidentified flying
investigate more thoroughly. Accompanied by A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
objects in the sky near Maury Island in
the sheriff and Brazel, Marcel returned to the with KEVIN RANDLE
Washington state’s Puget Sound. The next
site and collected all of the “wreckage.” As they www.XZBN.net
morning, Dahl said he was sought out and
tried to ascertain what the materials were,
debriefed by “men in black.”
Marcel chose to make a public statement. On
Three days after the Dahl sighting, an
July 8, Marcel’s comments ran in the local
amateur pilot named Kenneth Arnold said he
afternoon newspaper, the Roswell Daily
had spotted a flying saucer in the sky by Mount
Record, alongside a headline stating “RAAF
Rainer, Washington.
Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell.”
“UFOs aren’t unusual,” Launius says.
The body of the story contained a
“They’re simply unidentified things you see in
dramatic, memorable sentence: “The
the sky. We’ve all probably seen them. And, if
intelligence office of the 509th Bombardment
you look long enough, you’ll probably
Group at Roswell Army Air Field announced at
eventually figure out what it is you’re looking
noon today, that the field has come into the
at. It’s not extraterrestrials.”
possession of a Flying Saucer.”
By the end of 1947, mass hysteria had
“Apparently, it was better from the Air
seized the global mindset, with more than 300
Force’s perspective that there was a crashed
alleged “flying saucer” sightings in the last six
‘alien’ spacecraft out there than to tell the truth,”
months of that year alone.
says Roger Launius, the recently-retired curator
“Not that there was ever any credible
of space history at the Smithsonian’s National
evidence to support the sightings,” Launius
Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
adds.
“A flying saucer was easier to admit
than Project Mogul,” Launius adds, a chuckle in
(Continued on Page 55)
his voice. “And with that, we were off to the
races.” “The only difference between a dream and CONNECTING WITH COINCIDENCE
It was after the close of World War II, a reality, is just doing it.” with DR. BERNARD BEITMAN, MD
time when nuclear weapons cast a long shadow. Rob McConnell - The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show www.XZBN.net
Truth-telling was not a priority, and there were
 The Power of Home Numbers 53

The Power of Home Numbers

By Jesse Kalsi
THE POWER OF HOUSE NUMBERS –

THE POWER OF HOME NUUMBERS - By Jesse Kalsi - The

information in this book is all true. It is based on Jesse Kalsi’s more
than twenty years experience in using numbers to help thousands
of people find happiness and success. Jesse says, “I have learned,
the hard way, that I benefit from working with my own personal
numbers and that I suffer when I ignore what the numbers tell me.”
The information contained in this book is all true. This is the story
of countless people with whom I’ve met over the past twenty
years. I read their energies based on their house numbers, name
numbers, dates of birth, telephone numbers, business numbers,
business addresses, bank account numbers, Social Security
numbers, and every other kind of number. I read their energies,
singly and in various combinations. Based on my intuition and
knowledge, and by the grace of God, I am thankful to have been
able to be of service to thousands of people.

ABOUT JESSE KALSI:

JESSE KALSI is a world-renowned numerologist. He specializes

in residential and business numerology and provides valuable
insight on the power of numbers and how they affect our lives. In
his book, The Power of Home Numbers, he combines his Eastern
upbringing with his Western experience to bring awareness and
understanding of this phenomenon.
Over the past 15 years, Jesse has consulted thousands of
people and affected their lives positively. His clients include
prominent business people and extremely successful
communication and entertainment companies. Jesse Kalsi has
appeared on many radio and television shows in the U.S., and his
unique perspective on Numerology has amazed his audience.
A successful real estate broker by trade, Jesse Kalsi is also
a Certified Federal Aviation Administration Flight Instructor and
holds a commercial pilot’s license. He received his Bachelor’s
Degree in India and holds an LLM in International Legal Studies
from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California.
Jesse Kalsi graduated from the National Defense Academy
of India and pursued advanced studies at the Indian Military
Academy. He served as a Captain in the 1st Battalion, 3rd Gurkha
Rifles, formerly called “The Queen’s Own.” Intending to devote
his life to military affairs, Jesse left the army when he was
informed of his true life purpose while posted at the Jammu-
Kashmir frontier. He originally came to the U.S. to learn to fly, but
eventually returned here to make his home in California.
Jesse lives in Northern California with his wife Karen,
daughter Amrita, and son Eshan.

www.JesseKalsi.com
54 From Out of the Woodwork
From Out of the Woodwork
A Tal e of Ghost ly Proportions
by
William S Peckham
Some Of William’s Many Reviews:
From Out of the Woodwork begins with a bang. The first line
is an attention getter. The story is lively with action and
colourful characters. One of the most tragic events of the
1900s is linked with one from the 2000s. It's a good read,
with sprinkles of fun woven into some historic events that
were not so fun.
- Dorothy Brotherton, Journalist, Kelowna BC.
I enjoyed the original way the author wove history into the
story through the apparitions and his years in the home
improvement field lends an air of authenticity to the story. It's
for anyone who enjoyes a story with a touch of the
paranormal and a mystery.
- Lisa Brandt, Broadcaster and Author of Venus Rising.
www.WilliamSPeckham.com
29 Livery Lane, a century house, once a house of some
distinction and class now, fallen into disrepair, is purchased by
Sean Kennedy. Sean, a contractor in Toronto, buys old houses,
guts them and turns them into multi- family monstrosities...
slums waiting to happen. When he starts work on his latest
project, 29 Livery Lane, he encounters visions of former owners.
At first, he is stunned by these apparitions, but as time moves on
he welcomes them. Through these visions he learns about the
house and some of the nine former owners. As a result of what
he learns he decides to restore the old house not destroy it for
profit.
The apparitions come to him when he touches books,
reads letters, rummages through old boxes, finds a locket or
reads a manuscript of a murder mystery. Through his many
visions Sean gradually learns about the house, the way it looked
in grander days and the fate of nine former owners, who left their
indelible marks upon the house. The Phillips family, the original
owners, left a story of love, closeness of family and a sea
voyage, also the story of Stanley Renton, best-selling author,
arrested for a murder which took place in the old house.
The story of the Kennedys, the present owners, is also one
of love and family closeness and the deadly days of the terrorist's
attacks on the Trade Centre Towers in New York, September 11,
2001.
Sean, through his research, meets Stanley Renton the only
living, former owner. Sean and his family become very close
friends with Stanley, during the restoration period.
When an apparition of a young mother and her daughter
appears to Sean he figures that the daughter, Angelina Weston,
could still be living and she might be able to shed some light
upon the house and the way it looked. His meeting with Angelina
turns into a warm friendship with this woman, now in her late
eighties. The friendship blossoms and grows to include Stanley
Renton as well.
The tales of the former owners lead Sean down many
paths over a one-hundred-year period... from a trip on the St.
Lawrence River in a small boat in the early 1900s to the
recapture of a violent murderer in Niagara-on-the Lake, in 2001.
The closing chapter of the book connects the Kennedys,
the new owners, to the Phillips, the first owners. Stephen Phillips
sends his wife and two children to Ireland to visit her mother and
books their return on a cruise ship, April 10, 1912. Sean
Kennedy also books a holiday for his wife and two children to
visit her mother and father in England and then meet him in
Boston, on September 10, 2001. Where they plan to continue on
to Los Angeles and Disney Land the next day, September 11,
2001. Available on CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com.
 The Aliens Never Left Roswell, NM
In 1947, A High-Altitude
Balloon Crash Landed in
Roswell. The Aliens Never
Left
Continued from Page 52
By early July 1947, Brazel had heard
tales of flying saucers in the Pacific Northwest.
These sightings spurred him to show his
discovery to the authorities, but just one day
after the Air Force announced it had come into
possession of a flying saucer, Roswell’s
morning newspaper debunked the story.
A published statement from the War
Department in Washington claimed the debris
collected on Brazel’s ranch was the remains of a
weather balloon, and the Roswell Dispatch’s
morning headline, “Army Debunks Roswell
Flying Disc as World Simmers with
Excitement,” set the tale to rest on July 9.
“But we need to back it up, here,” says
Launius. “What was really going on was
something called Project Mogul.”
In this classified program, the U.S.
government launched high-altitude balloons
into the ionosphere, hoping to monitor Russian
nuclear tests. “The Russians wouldn’t get a
nuclear weapon until 1949,” Launius adds. “But
we didn’t know that in 1947.”
And, Launius adds, thanks to the new,
horrifyingly powerful weapon and a changing
geopolitical landscape, it was a time of
paranoia.
Still, if the rumor of extraterrestrial
visitors had been put to rest by the government,
it didn’t die as easily in the public mind.
“But that was it, really,” says Launius.
“The debate was over. It was to be the end of
speculation. According to the government, the
matter was closed. The debris was from a
weather balloon.”
Of course, though, that wasn’t the end.
There would be a 1948 report from the
government about what was now being called
the “Roswell Incident.” In 1950, Frank Scully, a
reporter for Variety, wrote Behind the Flying
Saucers, a book that detailed alien encounters
from the Pacific Northwest to the towns of
Aztec and Farmington, New Mexico, where
aliens were now said to be landing their aircrafts
in people’s backyards.
By then, enthusiasm for flying saucers
had spread everywhere from Belgium to Russia
and Japan. A rumor that had started as a
convenient lie for the Air Force had become a
distraction to the U.S. government, which was
now deep into its nuclear weapons monitoring
projects. “But there was no way the Air Force
was going to admit what it was doing,” Launius
says.
Project Mogul was conducted out of
Washington, D.C. and the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico, with some high-
altitude balloon launches taking place in the
high desert near the state’s border with Texas.
Typically, a Project Mogul balloon sent into
high altitude stretched 657 feet from tip to tail,
102 feet taller than the Washington Monument
and twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
As balloons rode on the upper jet stream
toward Russia, a long tail equipped with
different types of sensing and listening devices
trailed behind.
“But, obviously, something happened to
this one balloon,” Launius says. “It came back to
Earth and probably was spread across a wide
area.”
Although much of the documentation
about Project Mogul has now been declassified,
Launius says that civilian access to information
failed to stop the lure of extraterrestrial life.
Because the U.S. government was now
in a frenzy of nuclear testing—both in the South
Pacific and, later, at the Nevada Test Site—the
hermetic silence around classified government
programs left a certain segment of citizens
suspicious. The UFO sightings continued.
“Then we get to the late 1970s and early
1980s,” Launius says. “And that period saw a
real spike in extraterrestrial interest, from
movies to books and other things.”
Movies such as Star Wars, Close
Encounters of the Third Kind and ET, plus
dozens of books on the subject, brought aliens to
the forefront of the public mindset once again.
“By that time,” Launius says, “people’s
imaginations had gotten the best of them.”
Suddenly, there were rumors of regular
extraterrestrial life on Earth, not to mention
crashed spaceships. There were now stories of
two alien ships crashing in New Mexico in June
1947, scattering their contents and tiny green
crewmen across the landscape. Before long, any
secret government property—from nuclear sites
to engineering locations—was suspected to
house deceased or imprisoned aliens.
This was most evident at Area 51, an off-
limits airstrip and aircraft engineering and
development facility inside the Nevada Test
Site, about 90 minutes north of Las Vegas. It was
rumored that aliens from the Roswell spacecraft
and other crashed ships were either being
autopsied or slid into cylindrical glass tanks
containing gel-like preservatives.
The government wasn’t helping to quell
speculation, either. At their most secretive sites,
they posted large, unambiguous “No
55
Trespassing” signs, often with a reminder to
those who entered illegally: “Use of Deadly
Force Authorized.”
And the alien hysteria had gotten even
wackier. By the early 1990s, with scant evidence
to support it, a global UFO and extraterrestrial
industry had come into existence. There were
more movies. More books. More newspaper and
magazine stories, more television news
segments and shows focused on visitors from
space.
In Roswell, the populace had been
cashing in on the alien craze for some time. The
town was home to the International UFO
Museum and Research Center, and even a local
Wal-Mart got into the spirit, decorating its walls
and front windows with green-skinned, large-
headed aliens. Roswell’s civic seal sports an
artist rendering of an alien, and the exterior of
the local McDonald’s in town has enough
spacecraft-based accessories to look like a ship
preparing to take off for some distant galaxy.
Along the town’s Main Street, toy aliens, flying
saucers and other extraterrestrial ephemera are
sold in local shops.
Roger Launius has served as the chief
historian of NASA and sat on several
investigative panels discussing what might exist
beyond Earth, but he seems more amused by the
70 years of hysteria surrounding the “Roswell
Incident” than anything else.
“Well, all I really know,” he says, “is that
UFOs are exactly that. They’re unidentified
objects seen in the air. But that’s not
extraterrestrials.” []
 56 Amityville Horror: Horror or Hoax?
Amityville Horror: Horror
or Hoax?
ABC News
When George and Kathy Lutz moved into the
three-story colonial in Amityville on New York's
Long Island in December 1975, they were
thrilled.
The sprawling house at 112 Ocean Ave.
had cost them just $80,000, and they loved it. "It
was a dream come true," George Lutz
remembers.
True, the house had been the scene of a
horrible multiple murder a little over a year
before, when 23-year-old Ronnie DeFeo went
from room to room methodically shooting his
parents and his four brothers and sisters in their
beds. But the Lutzes sat down with their three
young children and agreed the family could
handle it.
Just in case though, the day they moved
in they had a priest, Father Ray Pecoraro, bless
the house. According to Lutz, the priest said he
felt an unseen hand slap him in the sewing room
and heard a voice say "Get out." Then, Lutz
says, Pecoraro became ill with flu-like
symptoms and his hands began to bleed.
The family moved in anyway, but within
days they began to notice strange phenomena.
"There were ... odors in the house that
came and went," Lutz says. "There were sounds.
The front door would slam shut in the middle of
the night.... I couldn't get warm in the house for
many days."
Lutz says the family kept the fireplace
burning day and night in a futile attempt to stay
warm, and found strange gelatinous drops on the
carpet when they woke up in the morning. At
times, he claims, his wife was physically
transformed into an old woman, with the face,
hair and wrinkles of a 90-year-old.
Lutz claims that he mysteriously woke at
3:15 a.m. almost every day — around the same
time the DeFeo murders were believed to have
happened. One night, he says, he heard his
children's beds "slamming up and down on the
floor" above him but he was unable to do
anything because he was immobilized in bed by
an unseen force. Later that night, he woke to see
his wife levitating and moving across the bed, he
says.
The next morning, just 28 days after they
moved in, the Lutz family fled the house,
leaving their clothes in the closets and food in
the refrigerator. If the family had not left, Lutz
says, he believes something horrible would have
happened. "I try not to think about it," he says.
Psychic Slumber Party
As word spread of the Lutzes' experiences,
people interested in the paranormal contacted
them. Two months after the Lutzes moved out,
reporter Laura Didio assembled a group of
psychic researchers to evaluate the family's
claims.
The investigators spent a night in the
house, walking from room to room trying to
pick up ghostly vibrations. "It was like a psychic
Lutzes Find Another Project
slumber party," Didio remembers.
One of the researchers, Lorraine Warren,
remembers an "overwhelming feeling" of
"horrible depression" in the house. The team
also took a series of time-lapse photos of the
upstairs landing. None of the photographs
showed anything out of the ordinary except one,
which had what Didio describes as "the face of
what appeared to be a little boy, peering out
from one of the bedrooms."
Meeting With a Murderer’s Lawyer
Things returned to normal for the Lutz family
after they left the house, and George Lutz began
to wonder if it was the house's horrors that had
driven DeFeo to kill his family.
"We realized there was something so
wrong there that it would be inhuman, it would
be improper, to just let him rot in jail and not try
to help get him some kind of psychological
help," Lutz said.
At his trial, DeFeo had pleaded not
guilty by reason of insanity, claiming he had
heard voices and that on the night of the murders
something out of his control made him kill. The
jury rejected that defense and sentenced him to
six life terms.
Lutz contacted DeFeo's attorney,
William Weber, who was already fielding book
proposals from publishers for his client's story.
The Lutzes' story of a haunted house had the
potential to drive up interest in a book, and
Weber agreed to meet George and Kathy Lutz to
hear their account.
Weber remembers the Lutzes as starting
out in a "reserved" tone, with "no ranting and
raving going on." But then, he says, the three
went on to consume at least four bottles of wine
and the evening turned into a creative writing
session about what kind of thing could go into a
horror book. "There was this give and take, and
toward the end we were creating ideas," he said.
One such idea, according to Weber, was
giving the gelatin drops the Lutzes found on the
carpet a sinister explanation: "If you were
talking about the green slime, why couldn't it
have come from a demonic source?" he told
Primetime.
Weber says he never believed the Lutzes'
account of inexplicable happenings during their
stay on Ocean Avenue. "Absolutely not. Because
they were making a commercial venture," he
said.
The Lutzes say they felt pressured by Weber and
did not like his idea of offering a share of the
profits to DeFeo. They decided not to work with
him and, after moving to California, ended up
agreeing to a book project with author Jay
Anson.
The result, The Amityville Horror: A
True Story, released in 1976, went through 13
printings and sold more than 6 million copies.
The film version, released three years later, was
a huge box-office success. But the Lutzes never
signed a contract with Anson, and the book and
the film netted the family only about $300,000,
the family says.
Lutz admits that some of the scenes in
the book and the movie — such as the green
slime — were an embellishment. But he insists
the book and the movie are based on events that
actually happened during the family's 28-day
stay in the house.
He denies making anything up, saying
that if they had, they would have come up with
a better story and would not have fled their
house, leaving their belongings behind. But he
says people are entitled to call his story a hoax if
that's what they think. "I can't tell them what to
think. I can just say what I experienced."
Medium Says Indian Chief Was on
Warpath
Weber continued to pursue his book project,
enlisting Hans Holzer, a professor of paranormal
psychology, self-styled ghost catcher, and author
of dozens of books on the occult.
In 1977, Holzer visited the Ocean
Avenue house with a medium who claimed to be
able to talk to the dead. According to Holzer's
account, the medium went into a trance and said
there was an Indian chief on the warpath in the
house because it had been built on the site of a
sacred burial ground. Holzer believes Ronnie
DeFeo was possessed by the angry spirit of the
Indian chief, and that the chief will not leave the
house until it burns down and leaves the land
bare.
But members of the Montauket tribe of
Long Island are skeptical of Holzer's theory,
saying there are no records of a burial ground in
Amityville. Even if there were, "that doesn't
mean we will go into somebody's body and
capture their soul and control in a very negative
way ... that's not us," said the tribe's Chief
Straight Arrow Cooper.
Joe Nickell, a professional skeptic who
has made a career out of challenging claims of
paranormal activity, believes there is no
scientific basis for any of the claims, from
Holzer, the Lutzes or anyone else: "The bottom
line is that ... it was a hoax, or is, simply, at best,
a matter that's not proven. And that's not very
good for America's most famous haunted
house."
As for DeFeo, he told Primetime he lied
when he said he heard voices commanding him
to kill, and was only trying to create a better
insanity plea. He is still serving six life
sentences in an upstate New York prison.
So in the end, who is telling the truth?
After nearly three decades, there is very little
proof either way — though no one who has lived
in the house on Ocean Avenue since the Lutzes
has reported any strange activity. []
 Astronaut: Alien’s Haven’t Visited Earth
NASA Astronaut Explains
Why He Knows Aliens
Haven't Visited Earth
If ETs found us, they would offer to
help solve cancer and birth defects, he
says.
Only 12 individuals from Earth have been
fortunate enough to actually walk on the surface
of another world ― specifically, our moon.
The historic manned lunar landing in
July 1969 gave us Apollo 11’s first
moonwalkers, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin,
followed four months later by Apollo 12’s Pete
Conrad and Alan Bean leaving their footsteps on
Earth’s natural satellite.
Lunar module pilot Bean, now 85,
became the fourth man to set foot on the moon,
and he continued with the space program as a
spacecraft commander on the 59-day Skylab
Mission II, in 1973. He was later named backup
commander for the 1975 joint American-
Russian Apollo-Soyuz test flight.
When Bean retired from NASA in 1981,
he became an excellent artist who paints the
experiences of fellow astronaut-moonwalkers.
Bean’s spacefaring experiences have
given him plenty of time to think about the
question of whether earthlings are alone in the
universe, and specifically, whether aliens have
discovered us.
“I do not believe that anyone from outer
space has ever visited the Earth,” Bean told the
Australian news site news.com.au. “One of the
reasons I don’t believe they have been here is
that civilizations that are more advanced are
more altruistic and friendly ― like Earth, which
is better than it used to be ― so they would have
landed and said, ‘We come in peace and we
know from our studies you have cancer that kills
people, we solved that problem 50 years ago,
here’s the gadget we put on a person’s chest that
will cure it, we will show you how to make it.’
“Just like someday, say, 1,000 years
from now, when we can go to another star and
see a planet, that’s what we would do, because
we will know how to cure cancer, cure birth
defects, so we would teach them.”
Bean doesn’t think that we’re alone in
the vast expanse of planets.
“There’s so many billions of stars, and these
stars have planets around them, so there must be
statistically many planets around many stars that
have formed life,” he said.
But this raises the question of how Bean could
assume that, if aliens have landed here, they
would automatically offer to help with our
problems. We can’t simply expect an
extraterrestrial species to think the way we do,
or to understand our thoughts and motivations.
And why would he presume that when we are
eventually able to travel to other planets, we
would go out of our way to help aliens we may
find with their problems?
Bean has obviously never heard of the
United Federation of Planets prime directive,
which forbids Starfleet explorers from
interfering with any ET cultures.
Seriously, let’s be fair. Bean was a very
accomplished astronaut and is certainly entitled
to his opinion. And so is another, well-known
astronaut.
In 2009, Apollo 14 moonwalker Edgar
Mitchell spoke at a National Press Club news
conference about UFOs and the possibility that
Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials.
”I don’t have firsthand experience with
the ET effort, except the fact that I know there is
no doubt we are being visited and I’m
suggesting it is now time to put away this
embargo of truth about the alien presence, and I
call upon our government to open up,” Mitchell
told the media.
A year earlier, Mitchell, who died in
2016, appeared on a British radio show, where
he proclaimed he was “privileged enough to be
in on the fact that we have been visited on this
planet and the UFO phenomenon is real,
although it’s been covered up by our
governments for the last 60 years or so. There’s
more nonsense out there about this than there is
real knowledge. I have been deeply involved in
certain committees and research programs with
very credible scientists and intelligence people
that do know the real inside story, and I am not
hesitant to talk about it.”
Mitchell was an Apollo astronaut whose
opinion on whether aliens have been to Earth
was the complete opposite of Bean’s. He
showed the importance of keeping an open mind
about what’s real and what isn’t.
Just because an accomplished astronaut
makes a claim about a controversial issue like
UFOs or aliens doesn’t make it the truth.[]
CHECK OUT THE ‘X’ ZONE BLOG
http://xzonenation.blogspot.ca/
57
DID YOU KNOW …
Burial Grounds
- The Paris Catacombs were built in
abandoned quarries in 1788 to house bones
moved from overcrowded graveyards around
the city.
- A “graveyard” is usually associated with a
church and located on church property. A
“cemetery” is an independent burial ground.
- Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
is the burial site for more Titanic casualties
than any other cemetery in the world. Of
more than 1,500 victims of the disaster, 121
are buried there.
- Jim Morrison, Isadora Duncan, Sarah
Bernhardt, Moliere, and Marcel Marceau are
all buried in the famous Pere Lachaise
Cemetery in Paris.
- Composer Frederic Chopin’s heart is
encased in a pillar at the Holy Cross Church
in Warsaw, Poland. (The rest of him is buried
in Paris.)
- Lenin’s embalmed body has been on display
in Moscow’s Red Square since 1924.
To Order Your Copy Of
DID YOU KNOW by
Rob McConnell,
Visit
www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow
 58 Let’s Look At David Icke
Let’s Look At
David Icke -
The Reptilian Conspiracy
Man
www.critical-thinking.org.uk
David Icke is the best known conspiracy
theorist in the UK today. Having previously
enjoyed some success as a professional
goalkeeper for Coventry City, and later
Hereford United, his five year career was cut
short by arthritis. Icke became a well-known
public face with a new career as a BBC sports’
commentator and anchorman. Between 1988
and 1991 Icke was a spokesman for the Green
Party, from which he was to be later expelled.
His career from 1991 to the present day has
followed a path that not even the most
imaginative of science-fiction authors could
have predicted.
The seismic shift in Icke’s career
occurred, bizarrely enough, on the Wogan Show
in 1991. Wearing a turquoise tracksuit and
appearing distracted, Icke announced to Terry
Wogan and the viewing population that he
believed he was the Son of God.
The announcement coincided with a
turbulent time in Icke’s private life. He has since
retracted the contention, referring now to being
the son of a godhead. His beliefs, however, have
become increasingly extraordinary, and have
found a receptive audience, both on his
publicity tours and through his website. His on-
line biography cites his occupation as being
“...since 1990 a full time investigator into who
and what is really controlling the world.”
This “who and what”, Icke believes, is
The Illuminati, a supposed powerful elite,
composed of Fourth Dimension reptilian extra-
terrestrial humanoids. In “Children of the
Matrix” Icke says that 13 bloodline families
have this hybrid DNA, and their agenda is
described on his website thus:
“The Reptilians and other manipulating
entities exist just outside the frequency range of
our physical senses. Their own physical form
has been broken down and they can no longer
reproduce. Thus they have sought to infiltrate
human form and so use that to exist and control
in this dimension.”
He believes these people to be able to
shape-shift and to have infiltrated the Masons,
The Tri-Lateral Commission, the Bilderberg
Group and The Council on Foreign Relations.
He further believes them to be guilty of Satanic
worship, including blood-drinking and child-
sacrifice and claims their number includes,
amongst others, George Bush, the Clintons, The
Royal Family, the actor Kris Kristofferson and
the singer Boxcar Willie.
Icke believes that the Illuminati agenda
is to subjugate the masses through a system of
mind control. Juxtaposed with this is the claim
that the Illuminati want to create a world of fear
so the reptilian Illuminati can feed off the
“resultant negative energies”. It appears from
his website, that this fear is regarded as a food
source, and not a metaphor for the pleasure of
power. It is difficult to find evidence of any such
food chain in existence. Children's fiction,
however, contains many such examples. Pixar’s
“Monsters’ Inc” and the dementors in the Harry
Potter novels use the imagery of emotions-as-
sustainance to good effect.
It is not known whether or not Icke has
drawn upon these cultural influences in
formulating his hypotheses. He has, however,
drawn upon the Hollywood blockbuster “The
Matrix”: Writing in 2004, he believes that the
microchip agenda is an imminent danger...
We have to get control of our minds
back. The lives we live are illusory
manifestations of the imagination of ourselves
describing our situation as hologrammatic
similar to those in ‘The Matrix’.
Presumably the fact that “The Matrix”’s
inside information was seen by millions was an
oversight on the part of the Hollywood
Illuminati cabal.
Icke has written on his website that the
film industry is a rich source of material for the
Illuminati, as celebrity worship and distracting
charity events can provide the public with a
smokescreen from what is really happening in
the world. Some celebrities have apparently
been zombified by the Illuminati to fulfil this
agenda of mass distraction A “channelled
source” has told him that the mind–controlled
celebrities do not have cosmetic surgery out of
vanity: “Cosmetic surgery is necessary to
conceal exactly what is being done to them on a
biological and genetic level.”
In addition to using "channelled"
sources, Icke embraces many of the New Age
pastimes. He has worked with healers and
psychics and has spoken at length about his own
spiritual awakening when he heard voices and
was physically directed by an unseen force to
stop and look at the New Age book section
whilst on holiday. This awakening was further
developed whilst on a visit to Peru, when Icke’s
arms were held aloft at a historical site, by the
same unseen force, accompanied by the
reassurances of a disembodied voice speaking
to him.
Whilst in Australia, Icke visited and was
treated by a healer who helped his arthritis.
Whilst there, Icke claims to have seen many
instances of incredible healing, including cured
lung cancer and mended spinal cords:
“These are not miracles, though they
would appear to be. They are the expert use of
the life force which some call Prana. The very
knowledge that the Illuminati has worked so
hard to suppress.”
Icke has set much store by the work of
such New Age gurus, and has extrapolated
anecdotal evidence from them to fit his own
agenda. In meeting Princess Diana’s one-time
faith healer, Christine Fitzgerald, he has taken
literally the claims that Diana said the Windsors
were not human, and that her nickname for them
was “The lizards” to tie in with his notion of a
reptilian plot.
There is a further, more insidiously
damaging instance of where metaphor has been
seen to be used inappropriately. Icke’s repeated
use of reptilian and alien symbolism was at one
stage a cause for concern for ethnic minority
groups, particularly Jewish, who believed that
Icke was hiding his true anti-Semitic agenda.
No action has since been taken when they
realised that Icke did really mean reptiles.
However, although Icke strongly denies any
anti-Semitic inclinations, one should be aware
of the company he keeps and the claims he has
made. Canadian contacts and tour organisers,
including Joseph Duggan, owner of Strong
Eagles Productions, and Tom J. Kennedy of
“The Preferred Network” have right-wing, anti-
Semitic leanings. In his self-published second
book, “And the truth shall set you free”, Icke
repeated his belief, both in the Tsarist-forged
“Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, and that a
Jewish clique was behind the Two World Wars
and the Russian Revolution. In the same book
he also denounced the Nuremberg Trials as “a
calculated exercise in revenge and
manipulation”.
This flirtation with revisionism can still
be seen today, with Icke’s support for the
Canadian Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel. Icke’s
support centres around Zundel’s freedom of
expression. One would imagine however that a
more worthy symbol could be found than a pro-
Nazi propagandist who has appeared at a trial in
a concentration camp uniform and who has
disseminated stickers such as “Holocaust
teaching is Child Abuse”.
(Continued on Page 59)
The All New ‘X’ Zone Radio/TV Show
Where Reality Is The Order Of The Day
www.xzoneradiotv.com
 Let’s Look At David Icke
Let’s Look At
David Icke -
The Reptilian Conspiracy
Man
Continued from Page 58
Icke’s spiritual enlightenment and revelations
have carried on apace, and as luck would have it,
provided material for many further books. In
2002 whilst on a visit to Brazil, Icke tried a local
psychoactive substance called ayahuasca. The
resulting 5 hour drug trip led to him hearing a
voice that told him “Infinite love is the only
truth, everything else is illusion”.
Like David Irving and Holocaust
revisionism, Icke has seen a change in how the
public perceive him. Much more high–profile
than Irving, he has been openly ridiculed by
many. Also, like Irving, Icke has entered into the
murky world of Holocaust denial. Both self-
taught, they have become embroiled in a need
for continuing revealment of cover-ups to sell
more books, organise tours and finance their
cause.
Icke has no empirical evidence that any
of his reptilian agenda or global governance is
actual fact. He admits that at school he was
bored rigid by mainstream teaching:
He rejected it all with a sort of inner
knowing that it was not relevant to him.
He has continued to eschew reality and
has set great store by information and
prophecies gathered from psychics.
His website is packed with sensationalist
claims about censorship, cover-ups and health
scares. Icke, and other contributors have looked
at such diverse issues as; did the Bush
administration commit the World Trade Centre
atrocity (and photographic "evidence" of Satan
in the billows of smoke) - through to; is the
Queen's black-over-white hat a sign that she is
evil?
His style has gained many admirers, who
perhaps have confused articulacy with cognitive
reasoning, and belligerence towards detractors
as a sign that he is thus empowered by having
the truth on his side. Icke has gone one step
further than most Paranoid Conspiracy Theorists
and his "conspiracy of everything" theory has
proved to be wildly exciting for those so-
inclined.
His website is currently being revamped,
with a request to help fight for truth with a
paypal donation. Despite knowing many superb
healers, he has decided to cut back on touring for
health reasons; preferring instead to play the big
stadia.
His latest tour has been postponed due to
lack of investment money. []
10 alien reptoid celebrities
who are taking over the
Internet
The Daily Dot
Why is humanity so taken with the idea of
invading lizards?
What if it’s because they’ve been among
us all along?
For anyone familiar with wacky cults
and conspiracy theories, the reptilian conspiracy
may seem downright banal. But in truth, the
belief that humanity has been living for
thousands of years with a secret race of shape-
shifting space alien lizards is less a conspiracy
and more like a worldview—one an estimated 4
percent of Americans believe in. (Though we
should note there is currently no way to gauge
the percentage of Americans who answer poll
questions ironically.)
When you open your eyes to the truth
and realize that shape-shifting alien lizards, or
reptilians, are among us, you realize that
everything is connected. According to those who
believe in the “Reptilian New World Order,”
everything wrong with our world can be
explained by the existence of evil overlord
lizards who control their appearance by using
high frequency vibrations to project holograms
of humans from their liquid crystal skulls. These
aliens have successfully infiltrated our world,
albeit not without tireless opposition:
Reptoids have been blamed for
everything from 9/11 to the disappearance of
Flight 370 to causing homosexuality. Believers
generally consign the storied existences of
Freemasons and Illuminati to be the secret order
of the reptoids, who have infiltrated their way
into the higher echelons of human society and
now virtually control every major social
institution in the world, masquerading as kings
and queens, political figures, and celebrities.
Then again, the reptiloids also abduct and
possess regular humans, so you could be a
reptiloid yourself and never know it.
59
If you’re tied to a wealthy family with a
long lineage, or if you find your route to success
surprisingly easy, chances are you might be a
reptile—or at least in league with one. Here is a
list of our favorite reptilian overlords, to help
keep you on your guard.
1) Barack Obama
Who: Former President of the United States
Why: Racism, mainly - which is weird because
most of the alien reptiles in power, as you’ll see
from the remainder of the list, are white. But
reptilian believers have gone to great lengths to
argue based on numerous “animal”-like physical
traits, as well as his powerful status, that Obama
is the scaliest reptilian of all.
Also, he apparently has a suspiciously
“rhythmic and musical” speech pattern. Then
again, you already knew everyone on your high
school debate team was an evil lizard.
2) Jack Nicholson
Who: A lizard, probably.
Why: Well, just look at him.
3) Scooby Doo
Who: Beloved Great Dane, leader of the Gang,
preventer of dastardly criminals who otherwise
would’ve gotten away with it
Why: According to his own series, Scooby Doo
is actually descended from an ancient race of
other-worldly Sumerian gods called the
Annunaki, who communicated to their followers
by taking the form of animals. But the Annunaki
are also the same Mesopotamian deities who
were actually early alien visitors, according to a
popular theory started by new age philosopher
Zecharia Sitchin. Sitchin mistranslated
Sumerian in order to argue that the Annunaki
visited earthlings from the planet Nibiru to
interact with Sumerians at least 8,000 years ago.
The truth, according to Sitchin, was out there.
(Way, way out there.)
(Continued on Page 60)
 60 Spirits, Witches & Science
10 alien reptoid celebrities
who are taking over the
Internet
Continued from Page 59

4) Nikola Tesla

Who: Beloved inventor, sometime rival of

Edison, and recent Internet icon
Why: Tesla was keenly interested in interstellar
communication. Several times over his long and
celebrated career, he expressed hope that he was
on the trail of establishing communication with
Mars. Like many scientists, he was certain that
we could not be alone in the universe, and that
the discovery of extraterrestrial life would create
“the foundation for a universal brotherhood.” immortal alien from another planet, and stated from sacrificing a goat to Satan in order to win
(So basically Tesla also invented Star Trek.) that Girly Chew’s murder had just been Brad Pitt’s affections to trafficking drugs and
But the connection with the reptoids “practice before the climax with the alien ‘New sex for a secret society in exchange for a pristine
really got started when Tesla’s long-time World Order.’” public image.
apprentice and assistant, Arthur Matthews, Then again, he also told police he really Jolie’s Buddhist tattoo lends itself to the
wrote a book 30 years after his death called The just wanted her dead. A lot. We guess it’s all speculation: “May your enemies run far away
Wall of Light: Nikola Tesla and the Venusian apples and oranges when you’re an immortal from you. If you acquire riches, may they
space ship, the X-12. In the book, which reads alien reptile. remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of
like a glorified fanfic about his former mentor, Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will
Matthews claimed that Tesla had always thought 6) Lorde attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you
he was from Venus. Matthews claimed to have on all sides.”
received visits from “Venusians” who took him Who: Someone who’s secretly been a Royal all Angelina also voiced a creature in
to visit their home planet as well as Mars. The along. Beowulf where she appears sporting a full-
Venusians also told him that Tesla had been born Why: Lorde’s sudden rise to fame, high length reptilian tail. And who’s about to appear
on their space ship. Over the years, Matthews’ cheekbones, and older-than-her-years persona as a shape-shifting dragon in the upcoming
story has been used to argue that the Venusians have sparked rampant speculation about her true Maleficent, again?
were obviously the Sumerian reptile aliens, reptilian identity. In the words of “HeWhoKnows:” “Her
making Tesla one of them. I, for one, welcome our new reptilian father is bloodline. She is one of us.”
What do you think? Brilliant scientist overLorde.
ahead of his time, or futuristic space traveling 10) Anderson Cooper
reptile? 7) Benedict Cumberbatch
Who: That dorky TV host from CNN.
5) Diazien Hossencofft Who: The beast of a thousand nicknames. Why: Does this really need explaining? He’s a
Why: According to the reptilian watch, the eyes Vanderbilt, one of the oldest reptilian families of
Who: A former beloved member of don’t lie. Is anyone really surprised? all. But for those of you who still require proof,
Albuquerque homeopathic community, Diazien you’re in luck. The Internet can’t stop talking
ran a fraudulent medical business peddling 8) Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and about Cooper’s reptilian origins.
alternative treatment for cancer while claiming Roger Moore For those of you still in doubt about how
to have numerous fake doctorates. to spot a shape-shifting reptile alien overlord,
That all changed when he was implicated Who: Tile. Rep Tile. the Internet has plenty of guides to help you see
in the murder of his ex-wife, Girly Chew Why: Though we couldn’t find any verification the truth. (Spoiler: the truth mostly involves bad
Hossencofft, a Malaysian immigrant who had on this one, RationalWiki insists that David pixellation, which means that basically, the
come to America to marry him. After years of Icke, generally acknowledged to be the creator Internet is a giant lizard.) But be careful!
domestic violence in which he threatened to kill of the reptiloid philosophy, believes that the first Because the aliens are so good at their
her numerous times, Diazien became consumed three James Bonds are of the reptilian infiltration, you could be a lizard and not be
with rage after Girly Chew divorced him. So he conspiracy. Given that Connery’s name is an aware of it.
took the most logical route to dealing with her: anagram for “on every screen,” clearly this is all If you start to notice yourself blinking
He convinced his new girlfriend, a the evidence we need. Mostly, though, we’re sideways, growing scales, or breathing fire, you
woman named Linda Henning, that he was a just wondering why Timothy Dalton got a pass might be a lizard. However, if you haven’t been
rogue alien lizard working to expose other evil from alien inspection. offered a position of extraordinary power lately,
reptoids—and that Girly Chew was the biggest. you’re probably one of the benevolent reptiloids
Henning was a UFO believer who once who just want to be loved.
9) Angelina Jolie But if you think you might be slightly
referred to herself as an “alien queen.” She also
told a friend that when she and Diazien made evil, fortunately for you, world power is within
Who: Infamous man-stealer who uses her your grasp. []
love, they would transform into cat people.
reptilian ways to work consistent magic at the
She’d only known Diazien six weeks before he
box office.
convinced her to help him kill Girly Chew for
Why: For years, Jolie’s edgy lifestyle has
the good of mankind.
caused reptoid believers to cite her as one of the
Why: While Henning later claimed that reports
world’s most prominent reptilians. A recent
of her reptoid zealotry were greatly exaggerated,
outing in which Jolie appeared with white
Diazien Hossencofft gave chilling witness-stand
powder on her left cheek drew new alarm.
testimony revealing himself to be either deeply
Though it was probably just a highlighter
disturbed or deeply committed to his evil lizard
mishap, alarmists attacked her for everything
facade. At various points, he claimed to be an
 Spirits, Witches & Science
Spirits, Witches & Science
Why the rise of science encouraged
belief in the supernatural in 17th
century England.
by Richard Olson
When Michael Shermer reviewed the second
volume of my Science Deified and Science
Defied for the Summer, 1992 SKEPTIC, he
began with an interesting passage from Robert
Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance (1974) which I would like to use
as an introduction to this essay on the status of
beliefs in spirit phenomena and witchcraft
during the second half of the 17th century. In
this passage Pirsig's protagonist explains to his
son why he does not believe in ghosts (1974,
pp.38-39):
They are unscientific. They contain no
matter and have no energy and therefore
according to the laws of science, do not exist
except in people's minds. Of course, the laws of
science contain no matter and have no energy
either and therefore do not exist except in
people's minds...It's best to refuse to believe in
either ghosts or the laws of science.
The reason this passage jars us into
thought is that it applies currently accepted
criteria for what it means to be an object in the
world, and uses those to reject the existence of
ghosts; then it plays a mind game on us by
somehow applying the same criteria to
statements which everyone is presumed to
assent to and arguing that if we shouldn't
believe in ghosts, we shouldn't believe in
science either.
The usual expectation among American
intellectuals--certainly among those who view
themselves as in the least bit skeptical--is that
anyone who believes in "science" will not
believe in such creatures of superstition as
ghosts, spirit phenomena, or "witches." Indeed,
the first paragraph of the first chapter of the first
edition of Garvin McCain and Erwin Segal's
immensely popular The Game of Science,
begins with the claim that we no longer believe
in witches precisely because we believe in
science:
Why don't you believe in witches? That
question may seem ridiculous but our ancestors,
who were probably as bright as we are, did
believe in them, and acted accordingly. Why are
we so different and superior? The evidence for
or against witches is no better than it was 400
years ago. For us, it is almost impossible to
believe in witches; for our ancestors, it was
equally difficult to deny their existence. Our
new beliefs exist, in part, due to the
development of "scientific attitudes" (McCain
and Segal, 1969, p.3).
Though this statement certainly reflects
what most American intellectuals believe, there
is a strange historical irony contained in it and
in Pirsig's intentionally perverse argument that
if one doesn't believe in ghosts, one shouldn't
believe in scientific laws either. What I want to
argue, is that beliefs in witches, ghosts, and
demons were heavily under attack and on the
wane in England at the very beginning of the
17th century before the rise of what we would
61
usually identify as modern scientific attitudes.
had substantial success. Understandably, these
But witchcraft beliefs, and beliefs in other spirit
Catholics' claims were widely challenged by
phenomena underwent a remarkable revival
Protestant propagandists; but ironically, they
among British intellectuals during the period
were also strongly challenged by the French
after the Restoration of James II to the throne in
Catholic Crown as well; for during the 1580's
1660; and this revival of demonological beliefs
and 1590's, public exorcisms were stirring up
was directly and self-consciously attached to the
religious passions just at a time when the French
rise of modern scientific attitudes among the
Crown, through the Edict of Nantes, was trying
men who were members of the Royal Society of
to calm religious hostilities and establish official
London. So at least for a time it may be true to
tolerance for Protestantism. As a consequence,
say that men actually came to believe in witches
in 1598, Henry IV ordered the physician
as a result of the development of scientific
Michael Marescot and a group of medical
attitudes. colleagues to investigate the popular claims to
In this case, the reverse of Pirsig's
demonic possession of one Marthe Brosier in the
argument was taken with deadly seriousness by
expectation that they could establish that her
Joseph Glanvill, who argued that if one believed
"possession" was either a mis-diagnosis of a
in the methods of modern science, one should
natural disease such as epilepsy or hysteria, or
also believe in ghosts and witches. It is probably
that they could prove it to be a deliberate fraud.
also true (though here the issue is more
Marescot's Discourse veritable sur le faict de
complicated) that certain arguments in favor of
Marthe Brosier de Romorantin pretendue
witchcraft made mid-17th century intellectuals
demoniaque_appeared in 1599, to be translated
more favorably disposed to the new science than
immediately into English. The overall verdict of
they would otherwise have been and that a
Marescot's investigation was stated in a
general belief in spirit phenomena, for which
memorable line: "Nothing from the devil, much
witchcraft stood as a symbol (Schafer, 1969, pp.
counterfeit, a little from disease" (Walker, 1981,
55-85). In order to explain how and why the rise
p. 35). Without totally denying the possibility of
of modern science became tied to beliefs in
demonic possession, Marescot and his
spirit phenomena in mid-17th century England,
colleagues were able to establish to their own
I think we need to discuss briefly a continental
satisfaction, that of the king, and that of many
phenomenon at the end of the 16th century, and
readers, that in one of the most celebrated cases
look at the impact it had on early 17th century
of "possession," an initially deluded and
English religious developments. psychologically unbalanced woman had been
exploited by her family and by a group of
Early Criticism of Belief in Demonic Catholic clergy, for both financial gain and for
Procession the seditious purpose of stirring up anti-
Huguenot sentiment.
A serious and concerted attack on beliefs in
witchcraft and demonic possession had been (Continued on Page 64)
launched at the end of the 16th century in
connection with a series of spectacular
exorcisms that were quite literally staged before
thousands of witnesses in France between 1566
and 1599. The goal of the Catholic priests who
carried out these exorcisms was to promote the
reconversion of French protestant Huguenots to
Catholicism by demonstrating the power of the
true Catholic religion; and they seem to have
62 The Sun Is Gone
THE SUN IS GONE
A Sister Lost in Secrets, Shame, and Addiction, and How I Broke Free
What they are saying about The Sun Is
Gone
“A deeply intimate and moving story of trauma, loss,
addiction, tragedy and the possibility of redemption.” –
Gabor Maté M.D., author of In the Realm of Hungry
Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction.
"Addiction is a family disease and it will take a change of a
whole family to turn it around. A poignant story of sibling
love, the ability to change and the impact family structure has
on recovery." - Dr. Frank Lawlis, Author Not My Child,
Chairman of the Dr. Phil Advisory Board and Co-founder
of the Lawlis Peavey PNP Center.
"A courageous and unflinching portrait of a sister's journey to
help her brother and ultimately herself. The Sun is Gone
highlights the need to take personal responsibility for our
choices, mistakes, and the learning process that is inherent in
making real changes in your life." -- Carrie Wilkens Ph.D.,
Co-author Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness
Help People Change
www.JodeeProuse.com
How many times have you lost yourself in some chronic family crisis,
giving and giving until there is no more left to give—and yet you give
more. Out of love, out of duty, out of knowing that everyone looks to
you?
Whether that awful situation is a result of a horribly
dysfunctional family, chronic drug or alcohol addiction, sexual or
verbal abuse, living with the mentally ill, raising a disabled or autistic
child, the pain of a disintegrating marriage and divorce, the
responsibility that comes with parental healthcare decline, a jailed or
arrested partner or some other trauma?
As women, we have often learned from childhood that we are
the ones that must be the peacemakers, the problem-solvers, the
fixers—the ones to make concessions. And we sometimes do this with
dire consequences, losing our selves, sometimes our partners and our
children -- and even our souls.
Jodee Prouse knows this from experience. Her painfully honest
book The Sun Is Gone about trying to halt the alcoholic decline of her
beloved brother, amidst a lifetime of family crisis and dysfunction, is
both a cautionary tale and beacon of hope for women to find the
strength to make painful, but personally healthy choices.
Her story begins as a child where she becomes her sweet little
brother’s protector as her alcohol-fueled father rages in the night. The
grand-daughter, step-daughter, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, niece,
great-niece, aunt, cousin and ultimately sister to alcoholics, she
becomes the one pillar of strength in her immediate household as her
neglectful and emotionally-withholding mother moves on to a new
partner and divorce again. Eventually starting her own family with a
loving husband and two children, and beginning a business, Jodee
remains her brother, Brett’s best friend and safe harbor.
But as his drinking becomes apparent, grows worse and more
self-destructive, Jodee is drawn into a maelstrom of pain, co-
dependence, and battle of wills with her other family members. Her
deep love for her brother propels her forward to make choices and
sacrifices that are disempowering for herself, Brett and others.
Yet, finally, despite excruciating emotional pain, she comes to
realize that she must put herself and her husband and children first—
and set boundaries—that she cannot fix someone else’s life. For
anyone dealing with an addictive family member, this experience will
especially resonate.
But today, Jodee Prouse asserts that the need for women to take
back the control over their own lives –and disengage from the
maelstrom within a family crisis -- to no longer be an enabler -- is
universal.
Now a full time speaker and advocate living in Alberta CAN
and Oroville, WA, after successfully building and selling her highly
regarded beauty company, Jodee is also urging families to stop hiding
in shame from “family secrets”—to deal with hidden emotions by
sharing, speaking out and getting help, to lance wounds that lead to
pain, addiction, rage, regrets and family crisis.
Says Jodee: “I know what it is like to feel powerless to
something that takes control over your life. It is not easy to break
patterns of all we have ever known, even when our choices hurt us or
hurt the ones we love. I know that sometimes these behaviors are
etched deep inside...But when we lose ourselves in someone else’s
addiction or issue, we are no good to anyone; not ourselves and
certainly not the one’s we love. In the end, we are not culpable for
someone else’s path. Just our own.”
And that’s the deepest form of love and understanding.
Through her book and message, Jodee inspires people to: LEARN.
ACCEPT. FORGIVE. HEAL.
Available at Amazon.com
 On Planet Earth All Lives Matter
THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC
with GWILDA WIYAKA
Gwilda Wiyaka author of So, We're Still Here. Now What? Spiritual
Evolution and Personal Empowerment in a New Era, is considered by
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63
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 64 Spirits, Witches & Science
Spirits, Witches & Science
Continued from Page 61
In the process, Marescot reviewed a series of
experimental tests for legitimate possession
which had become widely accepted by the late
16th century:
• possessed persons were supposed to be able
to understand and speak languages of which
they had no prior knowledge;
• possessed persons were supposed to be able
to discern secrets and predict events of
which they could have no natural *
possessed persons had abnormal bodily
strength and insensitivity to pain; and
• possessed persons expressed revulsion at
holy things, especially the reading of
scripture or contact with holy water or other
blessed objects (Walker, p.12).
Under investigation by Marescot and
four other physicians, it was shown that Marthe
Brosier could understand neither Latin nor
Greek, as her advocates had claimed; that she
had no reaction to holy water that was passed off
as ordinary water, but that she convulsed when
she was given plain water that she was told was
blessed; that she showed no special clairvoyant
powers; and that when she was read passages
from the Aeneid, expecting them to be biblical
passages, she showed dramatic signs of
disturbance. Finally, though during her fits
Marthe could withstand the pain of the "deep
pricking of long pins" in her hands and neck
without showing discomfort, Marescot did find
her responsive to normal sources of pain when
not in convulsions; and he identified her
reactions in this matter as typical of
"melancholic" persons (Walker, pp. 34-35, 38).
Just a few years later, the English
physician Edward Jordan, who was consulted in
two cases of supposed demonic possession,
published a treatise whose title discloses its
major conclusions: A briefe Discourse of a
Disease called the Suffocation of the Mother.
Written upon occasions which hath been of late
taken therby, to suspect possession of an evil
spirit, or some such like supernatural power.
Wherein it is declared that diverse strange
actions and passions of the body of man, which
in the common opinion are imputed to the
Divell, have their true natural causes, and do
accompany this disease (1603). In this work
Jordan identified almost all of those symptoms
that had been traditionally identified with
demonic possession and witchcraft--especially
insensibility, convulsions, and fits brought on by
the presence of particular persons or artifacts
with symptoms of hysteria. Thus, by the early
years of the 17th century there was a substantial
medical literature which simultaneously denied
the existence of possession and attacked
virtually all of the traditional tests for its
existence.
Anglicans Attack Demonology To
Defend Their Religious Interests
Early 17th century Anglican attitudes toward
demonic possession and witchcraft were shaped
primarily by the existence of this medical
literature, in response to the Continental
Catholic propaganda, and in response to a series
of cases in which both an English Jesuit priest,
William Weston, and a Puritan preacher, John
Darrell, claimed to have cast demons out of a
number of possessed children between 1585 and
1598, (Walker, pp. 43-73). Weston's activities
were commenced in 1585, but it was not until
1602 that a formal inquiry was held regarding
his exorcisms. Darrell's castings out of devils
began in 1596; but in 1598, he was tried in
London, condemned for fraudulent practices and
both deposed from the ministry and sent to
prison for at least a brief stay (Walker, p.64).
In fact, Darrell's case seems to have been
part of a major anti-Puritan campaign by
Archbishop John Whitgift, his Bishop in
London, Richard Bancroft, and Bancroft's
chaplain, Samuel Harsnett. Like the French
Catholic exorcisms of the late 16th century,
Darrell's spectacular success casting out devils
was drawing much favorable attention for his
religion; but Darrell's demonics did most of the
French examples one better by using their
clairvoyance to name witches whom Darrell
subsequently had arrested (Walker, p. 63). As a
popular and visible Puritan, Darrell drew
Whitgift and Bancroft's serious attention; and
they apparently decided to discredit him by
trying him for fraud. According to evidence
given by William Sommers, the last of those he
had dispossessed, Darrell taught several of his
demonics how to simulate their symptoms, and
at least in one case, i.e., that of Sommers, he
even suggested the fraud to the victim (pp. 62-
64). Sommers later recanted his evidence and
there were apparently any number of
irregularities in the trial, including a refusal to
allow Darrell to speak; so the "trial" was
continued in a series of publications for the next
five years.
The major Anglican arguments were
presented in Harsnett's A Discovery of the
Fraudulent Practices of John Darrell (1599) and
in John Deacon and John Walker's Dialogical
Discourses of Spirits and Devils (1601-1602). In
The Trial of Maist Darrell (1599), the Puritans
responded by offering a largely scriptural
defense of their claim that possession was
possible and that it could be eliminated by
appropriate prayers to God (Walker, pp. 67-68).
But they also complained about the procedures
used in Darrell's trial and they argued (quite
rightly at the time) that the Anglican prosecutors
of Darrell were more interested in destroying
Puritanism than in eradicating Catholicism,
otherwise they would have tried Weston the
Jesuit. To this claim, Whitgift and Bancroft
responded by ordering an investigation of
Weston's claims and Harsnett responded by
publishing A Declaration of Egregious Popish
Impostors, to withdraw the Harts of Her
Majesty's Subjects from the Truth of Christian
Religion Professed in England, Under the
Pretense of Casting out Devils Practiced by
Edmunds, Alias Weston, a Jesuit (1603).
Circumstances had conspired to give middle-of-
the-road Anglican apologists an opportunity to
simultaneously discredit both the Catholic and
Puritan opposition by attacking their claims of
dispossession. But in order to do so, the
Anglicans had to act incidentally to undermine
belief in both demonic possession and in
witchcraft by almost completely accepting the
medical views of Marescot, Jordan, and their
colleagues. One of their most important converts
was James I, who had defended beliefs in
possession and witchcraft in his famous
Daemonology of 1597, but who had turned into
a strong opponent of witch persecution by 1616
(Shapiro, 1983, p. 199). Technically, neither
Harsnett nor Deacon and Walker denied the
possibility of witchcraft or dispossession,
although Harsnett probably doubted the
existence of either. What they did do was offer
an explanation of how melancholia and hysteria
might cause persons to believe in both as well as
a demonstration that in many cases, men like
Weston and Darrell exploited those beliefs and
used fraudulent techniques to delude people into
believing in their power to exorcise or to
dispossess persons who were possessed. The
major concern which had held Harsnett and
others back from taking an even stronger stance
against belief in witchcraft and possession at the
beginning of the 17th century was laid out in the
dedication of The Trial of Mr. Darrell:
Atheists abound in these days and
witchcraft is called into question. Which error is
confirmed by denying dispossession and both
these errors confirm atheists mightily....If
neither possession nor witchcraft (contrary to
what has been so long generally and confidently
affirmed), why should we think that there are
devils? If no devils, no God. (Walker, pp. 71,
72).
(Continued on Page 65)
 Spirits, Witches & Science
Spirits, Witches & Science
Continued from Page 64
Puritans thus warned the readers of Anglican
tracts that demonology and witchcraft were
proof against atheistic materialism.
Demonic Power becomes a Natural
Phenomenon
In order to protect themselves from the claim
that their attacks on possession and witchcraft
were simultaneously denials of the fallen angel
and of God, early 17th century Anglican
apologists insisted that the devil might indeed
involve himself in human affairs, but that if he
did, it must be through the use of natural rather
than supernatural powers (Shapiro, pp. 200
204). In John Cotta's words:
Though the divel indeed, as a spirit, may
do, and doth many things above and beyond the
course of some particular natures: yet doth he
not, nor is able to rule or command over general
Nature, or infringe or alter her inviolable
decrees in the perpetual and never interrupted
order of all generations; neither is he generally
master of universal Nature, but Nature [is]
master and commander of him. For Nature is
nothing else but the ordinary power of God in all
things created, among which, the divel being a
creature, is contained, and therefore subject to
that universal power (Clark, 1984, p. 360).
One critical consequence of the
"naturalization" of presumed demonic powers
was that it brought the study of demonic
activities clearly within the realm of natural
knowledge. Thus, Francis Bacon argued in De
Argumentis Scientarium that well established
"narratives of sorceries, witchcrafts, charms,
dreams, divinations, and the like" should be
included as legitimate data in natural histories in
order to establish "in which cases and how far
effects attributed to superstition participate in
natural causes" (cited in Clark, p. 355).
Even though he remained formally open-
minded regarding the existence of witches and
demons, when Bacon chose to discuss particular
issues, he, like other Anglicans, explained
beliefs in witchcraft as arising out of the
misinterpretation of natural phenomena. Thus,
for example, in the Sylva sylvarum, he argued
that the hallucinogenic effects of some
ointments produced a mistaken belief in real
transvection (human flight) and metamorphoses;
so that when women charged as witches
confessed to being transformed into animals and
transported to witches sabbaths, they were
mistakenly reporting their hallucinations as
reality.
For most of the first half of the 17th
century, while the twin threats of Puritanism and
Catholicism seemed more immediate and
critical to the Anglican cause than
philosophically-based atheism, Anglican
intellectuals continued to express strong
skepticism regarding specific claims of spirit
phenomena and to insist that what had
traditionally been attributed to supernatural
influences was actually accomplished through
natural ones. This was particularly true because
as Puritanism and dissent became ever stronger,
popular attempts at witch persecution
65
intensified, and established authorities became the clergy its power, according to Hobbes, the
ever more fearful of the religious enthusiasm most effective way to fight the power of the
which underlay them. clergy was first, to demonstrate that spirits, or
"incorporeal substances" do not exist; and
Atheism Reverses Attitudes About second, to demonstrate that all phenomena can
Spirit Phenomena and indeed, must be explicable solely in terms of
matter in motion.
The problem faced by Anglican religious figures To undermine belief in immaterial
changed dramatically with the publication of a spirits, Hobbes developed a logical argument
series of frightening works by Thomas Hobbes. that depended very heavily on ideas which owe
Philosophical materialism and atheism had been their existence to Aristotelian philosophy. The
a minor, though growing, problem in early 17th meaning of the term substance, he argues, is
century England. But the publication of derived from our experiences of physical bodies
Hobbes's Leviathan in 1651, De Corpore in or "corps." The term "incorporeal substance," or
1655, and A Physical Dialog, or a Conjecture "immaterial substance" is thus self-
about the Nature of the Air in 1661, deflected contradictory. To accomplish the second part of
attention from Catholicism and Sectarianism his goal, Hobbes purported to be able to give a
alike, and made Hobbesian Atheism the new completely materialist account of all natural
chief target of moderate Anglican apologetic philosophy. But in doing so he departed from
literature. ancient atomism in a way that turns out to play a
Whether Hobbes was really an atheist is major role in linking witchcraft and the
a topic on which scholars might differ--though experimental philosophy of the royal society.
just for the record, I believe he was--but no one The ancient atomists had posited the
can doubt that he was a bitter enemy of what he existence of atoms and void space, claiming that
called priestcraft--or the authority of religious atoms move freely through the void. Descartes,
persons. Hobbes believed that priests had however, defined Matter as that which has
usurped power that rightly belonged to the dimensions; and from this definition--which
secular sovereign. In order to justify his attacks Hobbes accepted--it followed that there can be
on priestcraft he turned to a set of arguments that no void; because any space, no matter how
had been used by materialist philosophers, such small, has dimensions and therefore must
as the atomist, Epicuros, in antiquity. According contain matter.
to the ancient materialists and Hobbes, priests Note here for future reference, Hobbes
exploit a natural human fear of the unknown to uses precisely the same kind of argument to
convince people that invisible powers and deny the possibility of spirits and to deny the
agents are at work in the world and that they (the possibility of empty space. The question of
priests) alone have the power to intercede on whether empty space exists, like the question of
people's behalf to control these "spirits." "Who," whether immaterial spirits exist is not to be
wrote Hobbes, "that is in fear of ghosts, will not answered empirically. Both questions are to be
bear great respect to those who can make the answered by a purely rational analysis of
holy water that drives them from him" (cited in definitions.
Shapin and Schaffer, 1985, p. 96). Hobbes's claim regarding spirits was,
Similarly, he wrote: "By their quite rightly, seen as an attack on almost all
demonology, and the use of exorcism, and other fundamental Christian beliefs, for it denied not
things appertaining thereto, the priests keep, or only the existence of demons and witches, but
think they keep, the people in awe of their power also the immateriality and hence the immortality
and lessen the dependence of subjects on the of the human soul.
sovereign power of their country." Since it was
the false belief in spirits, made possible by
ignorance about the causes of events, that gave (Continued on Page 66)
 66 Spirits, Witches & Science
Spirits, Witches & Science
Continued from Page 65
Joseph Glanvill and the scientific
defense of witches
This now brings me to the central events of my
story--events connected with a moderate
Anglican apologist who became both a defender
and a member of the Royal Society of London
in 1662--a man by the name of Joseph Glanvill.
Although Glanvill had a longstanding interest in
spirit phenomena stemming from his
commitment to the Cambridge Platonist
doctrine of pre-existent souls, and though he
had begun his investigations into the
appearances of apparitions as early as 1662, it
was not until 1666 that he published the first
version of his often improved and expanded
treatise on witchcraft, Some Philosophical
Considerations touching on Witches and
witchcraft. A friend, Justice of the Peace Robert
Hunt, had tried to prosecute a coven of witches
during 1664 in Somersetshire; but the local
gentry were so skeptical that they mocked his
efforts. In response, Hunt, who knew of
Glanvill's interests, sent the depositions from
the accused witches along with a description of
the gentry's repose to Glanvill, and Glanvill
responded with a refutation of the most
common reasons for disbelief (Jobe, 1981, pp.
346-347).
Glanvill begins by explaining what is at
stake if the belief in witches should be
abandoned. Borrowing his theme from the
earlier anti-Anglican defenders of Robert
Darrell, he writes:
He that thinks there is no witch, believes
a devil gratis, or at least upon inducements
which he is likely to find himself disposed to
deny when he pleases. And when men are
arrived at this degree of dissidence and
infidelity, we are beholden to them if they
believe either Angel or Spirit, Resurrection of
the Body or Immortality of Souls. These things
hang together in a chain of connection, at least
in these men's hypotheses; and it is but a happy
chance if he that has lost one link, holds another
(Glanvill, 1676, p. 2).
The central doctrines of religion are thus
being endangered by those who do not believe
in witches. Secondly, Glanvill immediately
seeks to identify the disbelief in witches with
the Hobbesian attack on experimental
philosophy. The question of whether witches
exist or not, he argues, is a question of fact; and
as such it can only be settled by appeal to
authority or sensory evidence. There are
thousands of eye- and ear-witnesses who have
attested to "things done by persons of
despicable power and knowledge, beyond the
reach of art and ordinary nature," and these
include not only "vulgar" persons, but "wise and
grave discerners...when no interest could oblige
them to agree together in a common lie."
Unfortunately, he argues, no amount of
empirical evidence could convince those who
do not believe in witches:
"since those that deny the being of
witches, do it not out of ignorance of these
heads of argument...but from an apprehension
that such a belief is absurd, and the things,
impossible....Upon these presumptions they
condemn all demonstrations of this nature, and
are hardened against conviction" (Glanvill,
1676, p. 3).
For Glanvill, then, the key issue was
whether one placed greater confidence in well
attested experiences or in metaphysical claims
regarding the possibility of the existence of
certain kinds of entities. It is not reasonable, he
insists, "first to presume the thing impossible,
and thence to conclude that the fact cannot be
proved: On the contrary, we should judge of the
action by the evidence, and not the evidence by
our fancies about the action. This is proudly to
exalt our own opinions above the clearest
testimonies and most sensible demonstrations
of fact: and so to give the lie to all mankind,
rather than distrust the conceits of our bold
imaginations" (Glanvill, pp. 5-6). Given his
belief in the limitations of human reason and the
inability of humans to possess more than
probable knowledge of any causal account of
any phenomenon, Glanvill says that humans
have no right to insist upon the impossibility of
anything. The most they can legitimately claim
is that they cannot conceive or imagine how the
actions in question take place, and this inability
to conceive, "only argues the weakness and
imperfection of our knowledge and
apprehensions; not the impossibility of those
performances" (Glanvill, p. 7).
Precisely the same kind of argument was
being carried on simultaneously between
Robert Boyle and Thomas Hobbes regarding the
evacuated space created by Boyle in his air
pumps. Hobbes denied that the space could be
empty because he was committed to a
conception of space derived from Descartes.
According to this conception, matter, or body, is
defined by extension, so that any extended
region must contain matter, and a vacuum is
literally impossible. Boyle, whose notion of
matter and space were derived from atomist
notions, was unwilling to fight on Hobbesian
ground. Whether or not extension could exist
without a material substance underlying, it was
technically an undecidable question and
therefore beyond the bounds of natural
philosophy for Boyle. The key question was
whether well attested experiments justified the
claim that the evacuated region was empty of
ordinary corpuscles of air; and he and his allies
were convinced that they did.
The resolution of the problem of how to
decide whether witches exist and how to decide
whether the receiver of an air pump could be
evacuated were understood by all parties to the
17th century debates to be clearly linked with
one another. No one, least of all Glanvill and
Boyle, doubted that every reader convinced by
Glanvill's arguments about witches would also
be driven to toward acceptance of Boyle's
arguments about the phenomena of the air
pump, and vice versa.
Neither Glanvill and his allies, nor
Boyle and his allies, wanted to encourage
credulity and a lack of critical analysis of
experience or experiments. To have argued that
any individual's factual claims should be blindly
accepted would have been, in their common
view, to play into the hand of religious
enthusiasts and philosophical charlatans.
Instead, both sought to encourage "diffidence
and backwardness of assent" to any such claims
and to encourage the careful empirical
investigation of all (Boyle, 1772, vol.1, pp.
ccxx-ccxxii).
(Continued on Page 67)
 Spirits, Witches & Science
Spirits, Witches & Science
Continued from Page 66
As early as January 19, 1663, Glanvill had
begun to investigate claims of spirit phenomena
when he and a gentleman friend traveled to
Tedworth in Wilshire, where a "drumming"
spirit was said to haunt the house of a Mr.
Mompesson. The two men first interviewed the
servants and several neighbors, including two
local ministers of impeccable reputation, all of
whom had been present when the spirit made
noises or threw objects about the house. Then
they themselves experienced the noises that the
spirit produced and tried to discover, "if there
were any trick, contrivance, or common sense
of it," but they could find nothing; so Glanvill
was persuaded that, "the noise was made by
some Daemon or Spirit" (Glanvill, 1689, p.
329). Glanvill delayed publication of his
account of the "Drummer of Tedworth" at Mr.
Mompesson's request until the strange
phenomena ceased. (He was concerned that the
spirit would become angered by the books!) In
1668, however, it became the first of 28
different detailed accounts of spirits and witches
which Glanvill published as appendices to his
philosophical treatments of witchcraft and
demons in order to reliably establish the
evidence for their existence. Summarizing his
account of the drummer, Glanvill lays out a
litany of criteria which such an account ought to
have in order to be credible support for the
belief in spirits:
[The phenomena] are strange enough to
prove themselves effects of some invisible
extraordinary Agent, and so demonstrate that
there are spirits, who sometimes sensibly
intermeddle in our affairs. And I think they do it
with clearness of evidence. For these things
were not done long ago or at a far distance, in an
ignorant age, or among a barbarous people.
They were not seen by two or three only of the
Melancholic or superstitious, and reported by
those that made them [to] serve the advantage
and interest of a party. They were not the
passages of a day or night, nor the vanishing
glances of an apparition; but these transactions
were near and are public, frequent, and of
diverse years continuance, witnessed by
multitudes of competent and unbiased attestors,
and acted in a searching and incredulous age:
Arguments enough, one would think, to
convince any modest and capable reason
(Glanvill, 1689, p. 338).
From the comments of Samuel Pepys,
who had found the earlier versions of Glanvill's
Witchcraft essay "unconvincing," it is fairly
clear that the accounts of actual spirit events
increased the impact of his arguments, making
them in Pepys' view, "worth reading indeed"
(Cope, 1956, p. 14). Whatever other impact they
had, these "ghost stories" certainly made best
sellers out of numerous editions of Glanvill's
Saducismus Triumphantus and stimulated a
whole tradition of dramatic and fictional
treatments of spirit phenomena. In the 1668 A
Blow at Modern Saducism, which saw the first
appearance of Glanvill's account of the
drummer of Tedworth, Glanvill also attempted
to recruit the Royal Society to help in
investigations of spirits and thus in support for
the true religion:
Did the Society direct some of its wary
and luciferous enquiries towards the world of
spirits, believe we should have another kind of
Metaphysics, than those [that] are taught by men
that love to write great volumes and to be subtle
about nothing? For we know not anything of the
world we live in, but by experiment and the
phenomena; and there is the same way of
speculating immaterial nature, by extraordinary
events and apparitions, which possibly might be
improved to notices not contemptible, were
there a cautious and faithful history made of
those certain and uncommon appearances. At
least it would be standing evidence against
SADDUCISM, to which the present age is so
unhappily disposed, and a sensible argument of
our Immortality (cited in Prior, 1932, p. 182).
While the Royal Society offered no
official response to Glanvill's request, many
members contributed directly to Glanvill's
collection of Spirit relations. Boyle sent a report
of an Irish Witch, who he had investigated and
confirmed his first-hand support of an earlier
account of a demonic possession at Mascon in
France, for example. And John Beale sent him
letters on the possible effects of witchcraft on
butter production. Perhaps more importantly,
many Royal Society members began to
incorporate spirits into their laboratory world
(Schaffer, 1987, pp. 55-85).
It is not clear to me which group
benefitted more from the mutually supportive
arguments of Anglican demonologists and
experimental natural philosophers after 1666.
On the one hand, Glanvill and his Anglican
colleagues, such as Henry More, reached a far
wider audience; and many persons who
welcomed Glanvill's "defence" of traditional
Christian beliefs in the immortality of the soul,
were probably swayed toward a sympathy for
experimental philosophy. On the other hand,
experimental philosophers, as a group, probably
had a more profound impact in legitimizing
Glanvill's views among intellectuals. In any
event, for at least a couple of decades after the
Restoration, the belief in ghosts and witches--
which had begun to decline in the late 16th and
67
early 17th century--returned as a serious and
popular topic for polemical discussions; and
those who argued in favor of beliefs in spirit
phenomena simultaneously drew arguments
from and promoted experimental science (Jobe,
1981, pp. 343-356). []
DID YOU KNOW...
Causes of Death
- The first victim of the guillotine was a
highwayman named Nicholas Pelletier, on
April 25, 1792, in Paris, France.
- In 1940, German spy Josef Jakobs became
the last person to be executed in the Tower of
London.
- The first attempt on Martin Luther King Jr.’s
life came in 1958, when a woman stabbed
him in the chest with a letter opener.
- Indira Ghandi and her son Rajiv were both
assassinated during their consecutive terms
as prime minister of India.
- In 1800, England’s King George III
survived two assassination attempts...in one
day.
- At the Jonestown Massacre, Jim Jone’s
followers drank Flavor Aid, not Kool-Aid.
- The 1918 flu pandemic killed 25 million
people in four months...more than were killed
in all of World War I.
DID YOU KNOW by
Rob McConnell - Visit
www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow
 Q

68 Cahira O’Donnell
 The Shady Science of Ghost Hunting 69
The Shady Science of
Ghost Hunting
by Benjamin Radford

Ghosts are big business. For entities that may or

may not exist, they seem to be everywhere,
especially during Halloween.
They are in books and on television
shows, such as CBS's "The Ghost Whisperer"
and NBC's "Medium." Dozens of "ghost hunter"
organizations exist across North America, small
groups of self-styled ghost buffs who lurk
around reputedly haunted places, hoping to
glimpse or photograph a spirit.
The most famous ghost hunters are two
plumbers who moonlight as paranormal
investigators, seen in the popular Sci-Fi Channel
reality show/soap opera series "Ghost Hunters." Virtually all ghost hunter groups claim to haunted room—is of course that no one has ever
They go to haunted places and find "evidence" be scientific, and most give that appearance shown that any of this equipment actually
of ghosts such as cold spots, photographic because they use high-tech scientific equipment detects ghosts.
anomalies called orbs, and other such such as Geiger counters, Electromagnetic Field The supposed links between ghosts and
spookiness. (EMF) detectors, ion detectors, and infrared electromagnetic fields, low temperatures,
The two featured investigators, Jason cameras [and sensitive microphones]. Yet the radiation, odd photographic images, and so on
Hawes and Grant Wilson, are proudly blue- equipment is only as scientific as the person are based on nothing more than guesses,
collar workers, not egghead Ph.D. scientists, using it; you may own the world's most unproven theories, and wild conjecture. If a
which adds to their strong "regular guy" appeal. sophisticated thermometer, but if you are using device could reliably determine the presence or
it as a barometer, your measurements are absence of ghosts, then by definition, ghosts
Where are the ghosts? worthless. would be proven to exist. I own an EMF meter,
Just as using a calculator doesn't make but since it's useless for ghost investigations—it
you a mathematician, using a scientific finds not spirits but red herrings—I use it in my
While one doesn't need to be a scientist to search
instrument doesn't make you a scientist. lectures and seminars as an example of
for ghosts, the pair (like most ghost hunters)
pseudoscience. The most important tools in this
could benefit greatly from a little critical
or any investigation are a questioning mind and
thinking. They claim to be skeptics but are very Devices that don't work
a solid understanding of scientific principles.
credulous and seem to have no real
The ghost hunters' anti-scientific illogic
understanding of scientific methods or real In 2003, while I was investigating a haunted
is clear: if one area of a home is colder than
investigation. (Audiences don't seem to wonder house in Buffalo, New York, the owner of the
another, that may indicate a ghost; if an EMF
why these "expert" ghost hunters always fail: house asked me what equipment I planned to
meter detects a field, that too may be a ghost; if
Even after two seasons and over ten years of use. He had glanced in my duffel bag, which
dowsing rods cross, that might be a ghost. Just
research, they still have yet to prove that ghosts contained two cameras, a tape recorder,
notebooks, a tape measure, a flashlight, and a about any "anomaly," anything that anyone
exist!)
considers odd for any reason, from an
Though most ghost investigators' worst few other items. Perhaps he was expecting to see
undetermined sound to a "bad feeling" to a
crime is wasting time, sometimes they make a Negative Ionizer Ghost Containment backpack
blurry photo, can be (and has been) considered
nuisances of themselves and even break the law. like the kind Bill Murray wore in Ghostbusters.
An EMF meter is among the most evidence of ghosts.
In October 2005, three ghost hunters in
common devices used by ghost hunters today. I I was even at one investigation where a
Salem, Massachusetts, were arrested for
ghost supposedly caused a person's mild
trespassing on private property in search of spoke to Tom Cook, of TomsGadgets.com, a
headache. Because the standard of evidence is
ghosts. They had entered an abandoned hospital British purveyor of "scientific" paranormal kits
so low, it's little wonder that ghost hunters often
reputed to be haunted. The group was so busy for the enterprising (and gullible) investigator.
find "evidence" (but never proof) of ghosts.
looking for spirits they failed to notice the police Starter kits begin at £105 (US$180) and reach up
station across the street; all three were arrested, to £500 (US$850) for a custom ghost-hunting
fined, and sent home. Trespassing or vandalizing kit. (Negative Ionizer Ghost Containment packs Reality check
ghost hunters have also been arrested in were not listed.)
cemeteries in Illinois, Connecticut, and other I asked Cook what, exactly, the scientific The whole idea of ghosts runs into trouble as
states. rationale was behind the equipment he sold. soon as a little logic is applied.
"At a haunted location," Cook said, There's not even agreement on what
Ghost detectors "strong, erratic fluctuating EMFs are commonly ghosts are—or might be. A common claim is
found. It seems these energy fields have some that ghosts are spirits of the dead who have been
definite connection to the presence of ghosts. wronged or murdered. Let's inject some real-
When it comes to searching for ghosts, you'd
The exact nature of that connection is still a world statistics into that assumption and see
think that only the most reliable methods would
mystery. However, the anomalous fields are easy what we get.
be used in an attempt to get solid evidence for
to find. Whenever you locate one, a ghost might
something as mysterious and elusive as a spirit.
be present.... any erratic EMF fluctuations you (Continued on Page 70)
Yet in ghost hunting, often the less scientific the
may detect may indicate ghostly activity."
methods and equipment, the more likely a
In the final analysis, Cook admitted,
researcher is to find "evidence" for ghosts.
"there exists no device that can conclusively
Ghost hunters use a variety of creative—
detect ghosts."
and dubious—methods to detect their quarry's
presence, including psychics. Psychics not only
claim to locate ghosts but also to communicate Uncomfortable reality
with the spirits, who unfortunately don't provide
any useful or verifiable information from the The uncomfortable reality that ghost hunters
afterlife. carefully avoid—the elephant in the tiny,
 70 The Shady Science of Ghost Hunting
The Shady Science of
Ghost Hunting
Continued from Page 69

If murder victims whose killings remains

unsolved are truly destined to walk the earth and
haunt the living, then we should expect to
encounter ghosts nearly everywhere. According
to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, roughly a
quarter of all homicides remains unsolved each
year. (In fact, fewer homicides are solved now
than in the past; in 1976, 79 percent of
homicides were cleared, down to 64 percent in
2002.) There are about 30,000 homicides in
America each year.
Using the most recent numbers, that's
about 11,000 unsolved murders per year, and
110,000 over the course of only ten years, and
probably well over million over the course of the
twentieth century in America alone.

Where are all the ghosts?

And why aren't they helping to bring their killers
to justice, with so many crimes unsolved? Why
would they hang out in scary mansions instead
of directing police to evidence that would
avenge their murders?
For that matter, why are ghosts seen
wearing clothing? It's one thing to suggest that a
person's spirit has a soul that can be seen after
death; but do shoes, coats, hats, and belts also
have souls? Logically, ghosts should appear
naked. The fact that they don't suggests that
people's ideas of what ghosts are—and what
they look like—are strongly influenced by social
and cultural expectations. (For an excellent
discussion of this, see Richard Finucane's book
"Ghosts: Appearances of the Dead & Cultural
Transformation.")
If ghosts exist, why are we no closer to
finding out what they really are, after so much
research?
The evidence for ghosts is no better
today than it was a year ago, a decade ago, or a
century ago. Ultimately, ghost hunting is not
about the evidence (if it was, the search would
have been abandoned long ago). Instead, it's
about having fun with friends, telling ghost
stories, and the enjoyment of pretending you are
searching the edge of the unknown. (It's also
about making money selling "Ghost Hunters" T-
shirts, books, and videos.) Ghost hunters may be
spinning their wheels, but at least they are
enjoying the ride. []
Electronic Voice
Phenomenon (EVP)
The Skeptic’s Dictionary
Electronic voice phenomenon is the alleged
communication by spirits through tape recorders
and other electronic devices. The belief in EVP
in the United States seems to have mushroomed
thanks to Sarah Estep, president of the American
Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena,
which claims to have members in some 40 states
and publishes a newsletter. Estep claims that in
the 1970s she started picking up voices on her
husband's Teac reel-to-reel recorder. She is sure
that the voices are spirits, proving there is life
after death. Estep also claims to hear voices of
STRINGER’S
aliens on some of her tapes. She says she has
taped some 20,000 ghosts and aliens. Aliens
don't speak English, however, so she is not sure
ZINGERS
what they are saying. Maybe she was picking up
Satan speaking in tongues. in
Interest in EVP apparently began in Barry’s Bay, Ontario
the1920s. An interviewer from Scientific
American asked Thomas Edison about the
STRINGER’S ZINGERS is a unique
possibility of contacting the dead. Edison, a man
novelty sign and product artisan shop in
of no strong religious views, said that nobody
Barry's Bay, Ontario, headed by Ronnie &
knows whether “our personalities pass on to
Stephanie.
another existence or sphere” but it is possible to
construct an apparatus which will be so delicate
From signs for the cottage or favourite
that if there are personalities in another
establishment to doll houses, all are
existence or sphere who wish to get in touch
handmade and custom designed.
with us in this existence or sphere, this apparatus
will at least give them a better opportunity to
Customized orders take 3 - 4 weeks.
express themselves than the tilting tables and
raps and ouija boards and mediums and the other
For more information or to place your order,
crude methods now purported to be the only
email: stephanie@stringerszingers.com
means of communication.
There is no evidence, however, that
Visit STRINGER’S ZINGERS Online at
Edison ever designed or tried to construct such a
www.stringerszingers.com
device. And he probably did not foresee spirits
communicating with our tape recorders and
television sets.
Other early pioneers include Friedrich
Jürgenson and Konstantin Raudive. If what
Raudive thinks he was hearing were indeed
voices from dead people, it confirms the
findings of other spirit scientists like Gary
Schwartz that the dead have very little of interest
to say to us. Raudive would hear things like "I
follow you tonight," "please interrupt," and
"might be Mary-bin." David Ellis investigated
Raudive's and Jürgenson's claims and published
his results in The Mediumship of the Tape
Recorder: A Detailed Examination of the
(Jurgenson, Raudive) Phenomenon of Voice From Everyone at
Extras on Tape Recordings (1978). Ellis was not STRINGER’S ZINGERS
convinced. In 1997, psychologist Imants Barušs MERRY CHRISTMAS
conducted a series of experiments attempting to and
replicate Raudive's work. A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(Continued on Page 71) www.stringerszingers.com
 Where Is the Science in EVP?
Where Is the Science in
Electronic Voice
Phenomena?
By Everett A Themer
It is hard to turn on the television today without
coming across a program about ghosts and the
paranormal. These shows might shine an
entertaining light on the unknown, but they are
often more about their cast of characters and
investigators than the science of
parapsychology.
Since the 1920s, when Thomas Edison
hinted that he might have attempted to build a
“ghost machine” to communicate with the dead,
some have tried to apply a scientific method to
proving the existence of life after death. So far
this has been unsuccessful, and to this day every
group of investigators, both amateur and
professional, has their own set of protocols as to
what is or is not considered paranormal (see
Sharon Hill’s “Amateur Paranormal Research
and Investigation Groups Doing ‘Sciencey’
Things,” SI, March/April 2012).
With no universally accepted methods of
investigating the paranormal, the beliefs of
investigators can greatly influence the outcomes
of their own investigations. Some investigators
believe removing objects from a location will
end a possible haunting. Others use objects to
capture spirits, and psychic investigators believe
spirits can be blessed or cast away. None of
these methods have been scientifically proven,
yet every investigator claims that the method
they use is successful.
In pursuit of scientifically verifiable
evidence, tools of all types have been employed.
Many theories about detecting paranormal
activity have been tested using everything from
dowsing rods to Geiger counters. While the
evidence they provide is scientifically debated,
some tools such as audio recorders have become
popular mainstays of the paranormal
investigator.
The art of recording EVPs, or electronic
voice phenomena, is one of the most widely
accepted methods of collecting evidence.
Originally, a portable tape recorder was used to
record an investigator asking a series of
questions and waiting for responses in the
silence following each question. After the EVP
session, the tape was played back and
investigators listened for intelligent and relevant
responses caught on the tape but not audible to
the ear at the time. The theory is that spirits do
not have enough energy to create sounds audible
to the human ear but can leave impressions on
the tape.
As technology advanced, digital
recorders replaced tape recorders, and
investigators began processing the recordings
through computer programs and filters. Using
these filters, background noise could be
eliminated and frequencies isolated.
Hypothetically this made it easier to hear the
spirit voices. Lacking any scientific protocol,
some investigators began manipulating the
speed of the recordings. Their belief is that
ghosts exist on a different dimensional plane
than the living and would communicate in a
different frequency range. In their opinion this
means that the recordings need to be sped up or
slowed down to hear any responses.
Some investigators began processing
their recordings so much that to an independent
listener it might be impossible to tell the
difference between a response and ambient
noise manipulated and processed into sounding
like intelligent communication. At the other end
of the EVP spectrum are recordings of
investigators asking questions and the responses
that they get are so obvious and clear without
any processing that the recordings are either
intentional hoaxes or definitive proof of life
after death.
In its current form, the recording of
electronic voice phenomena is more of an art
than a science. With no accepted protocols,
results are often vague and left to personal
interpretation. Why would some spirits
communicate on different frequencies and at
different speeds while other spirits are able to
give a response that sounds almost as if they are
standing in front of the recorder? Scientifically it
stands to reason that spirits would respond one
way or the other and that method would be
universal within the spirit world.
What happens after we die may be an
unanswerable question, but as the interest in
parapsychology grows it is time for both
believers and skeptics to look at the field and
begin to adapt some universal protocols for its
study. Until these are created, real evidence and
data are going to get lost in a soup of frauds,
natural phenomena, and poor science. []
Electronic Voice
Phenomenon (EVP)
Continued from Page 70
His results were published in 2001 in the Journal
of Scientific Exploration. Barušs concluded that
"none of the phenomena found...was clearly
anomalous, let alone attributable to discarnate
beings."
While it is impossible to prove that all
EVPs are due to natural phenomena, skeptics
maintain that they are probably due to such
things as interference from a nearby CB
operator, cross modulation, or ionospheric
ducting. Given all the voices being transmitted
these days by cell phones, AM and FM radios,
71
TVs, baby monitors, walkie talkies, shortwave
transmitters, etc., it isn't strange that unexpected
voices should be heard now and then on our
electronic equipment. I've picked up CB
transmissions on my VCR and my neighbor's
voice from her cordless phone on a baby
monitor. Some of the "voices" are most likely
people creating meaning out of random noise, a
kind of auditory pareidolia or apophenia. And
now that the phenomenon has a number of
devoted followers (thanks in part to the movie
"White Noise"), some hoaxers have probably
entered the fray.
Psychologist Jim Alcock explains why
many people believe in EVP.
Perception is a very complex process,
and when our brains try to find patterns, they
are guided in part by what we expect to hear. If
you are trying to hear your friend while
conversing in a noisy room, your brain
automatically takes snippets of sound and
compares them against possible corresponding
words, and guided by context, we can often
“hear” more clearly than the sound patterns
reaching our ears could account for. Indeed, it is
relatively easy to demonstrate in a psychology
laboratory that people can readily come to hear
“clearly” even very muffled voices, so long as
they have a printed version in front of them that
tells them what words are being spoken. The
brain puts together the visual cue and the
auditory input, and we actually “hear” what we
are informed is being said, even though without
that information, we could discern nothing.
Going one step further, and we can demonstrate
that people can clearly “hear” voices and words
not just in the context of muddled voices, but in
a pattern of white noise, a pattern in which there
are no voices or words at all.
Given that we can routinely demonstrate
this effect, it is only parsimonious to suggest that
what people hear with EVP is also the product of
their own brains, and their expectations, rather
than the voices of the dearly departed.
Despite widespread belief in EVP,
scientists have shown about as much interest in
the phenomenon as they have in John Oates's
reverse speech theory, and probably for the same
reason. We already understand priming and the
power of suggestion. Alcock says, the simplest
explanation for EVP is that it is the product of
our own wonderfully complex brain, aided by
the strong emotional desire to make contact with
the dead.
(Continued on Page 72)
 72 California Warns About Cellphones
Electronic Voice
Phenomenon (EVP)
Continued from Page 71

Sound engineer David Federlein thinks:

It is safe to say that unless the EVP
believer is highly bankrolled, I use much higher
standard recording equipment, built to much
higher tolerances. That being said, I've never
heard from the dead, and I have been listening
to tape and hard disk recordings for years. It
may be the low quality of their equipment that is
cause for mistaken ghosts, but it sure isn't lack
of willed ignorance!
For example one website says to set the
"sensitivity level" of the microphone to the
highest possible setting as ghosts are apparently
afflicted with laryngitis. Doing this raises
what's called the "noise floor" - the electrical
noise created by all electrical devices - creating
white noise. If I were to filter white noise (the
audible equivalent of watching the snow on a
detuned TV) I could make it say just about
• Remove headsets when you're not on a call
anything. This is really no different than using a
wah pedal on a guitar. It's a very focused sweep California Warns About • Avoid products that claim to block radio
frequency energy. These products may
filter moving about the spectrum creating open
vowel sounds. Was Peter Frampton channeling?
Cellphone Exposure And actually increase your exposure.
“Although the science is still evolving,
I hardly think so, however his use of the Health Risks there are concerns among some public health
"talkbox" effect on his guitar sounds exactly like
professionals and members of the public
some of these recordings. When you factor in
by Alice G Walton regarding long-term, high use exposure to the
other aspects of physics, such as cross
energy emitted by cell phones," said CDPH
modulation of radio stations or faulty ground
The concern emerges from studies that have Director and State Public Health Officer Karen
loops in equipment, you have a lot of people
hinted at a slightly increased risk for brain Smith in a statement. "We know that simple
thinking they are listening to ghosts when in fact
cancer and tumors of the acoustic nerve and steps, such as not keeping your phone in your
it is nothing more than a controlled misuse of
salivary gland. Others have suggested lower pocket and moving it away from your bed at
electronics. (Personal correspondence).
sperm count and sperm quality in men, and night, can help reduce exposure for both
Federlein finds the website
various effects on learning and memory, children and adults."
GhostStudy.com particularly amusing with its
headaches, and sleep for both sexes. But, as the Children and teens seem to be at a
list of 17 helpful tips for the ghost hunter
report says, more work needs to be done to tease particular risk, she added, since their brains are
including using brand name tapes and
it all apart, and not all experts believe there's still developing and more vulnerable to the
maintaining a positive attitude. But nothing is
reason for concern. radiation emitted by cell phones. "Children's
said about using high quality electronic
The public release of the guidelines brains develop through the teenage years and
equipment.
came about in part because University of may be more affected by cell phone use," said
I can't stop laughing at the suggestions
California researcher Joel Moskowitz had sued Smith. "Parents should consider reducing the
given on one site that you should act like you
California for not making them public time their children use cell phones and
know there's a ghost there at all times. Is that
originally. Earlier this year, a judge ruled in his encourage them to turn the devices off at night."
how to get them to be more responsive? Are we
favor and the state was compelled to release a The new recommendations may not
to really believe that ghosts won't actually talk
draft. This week, they released an updated and come as a total surprise. The World Health
to us because we aren't acting cool enough?
official version of the guidelines. Organization has classified radiation from cell
Perhaps we should set out a plate of cookies.
“The cellphone manufacturers want you phones a “possible carcinogen” since 2011,
And maybe we should remind our ghost
to keep a minimum distance away from your acknowledging that more research needs to be
hunting friends that there are billions of
body and you should find out what that distance done. And long-term studies are underway.
electronic gadgets filling the air waves at all
is,” Moskowitz told local news station KCRA Whether other states will follow California in
times. The odds are that they're picking up some
after the draft release earlier this year. “If you making guidelines will be interesting to see.
earthly signal rather than some voice from
keep the device by your body you will exceed Given the potential physical health risks, and
beyond the grave. My VCR used to receive CB
the safety limits provided by the FCC.” the well-illustrated psychological risks
signals from my neighbor, until he died. Since
Some of California’s recommendations associated with smartphones, it may be time to
then, the uninvited voices have vanished. Of
are to: cut back on them where we can. []
course, maybe the voices were the sounds of
angels calling my neighbor home. [] • Keep the phone away from the body
whenever possible. Carry it in a purse or CONFUCIUS
briefcase instead of a pocket or bra SAY:
• Reduce cell phone use when the signal is
weak (i.e., the phone shows only one or two SMART
bars), or if you’re in a fast-moving car or PHONES
bus, since phones put off more radio MAKE STUPID
frequency energy at those times PEOPLE.
• Reduce the use of cell phones to stream
audio or video, or to download or upload
SMART CARS
large files
• Keep the phone away from your bed at night, MAKE STUPID
especially away from your head DRIVERS.
 Electromagnetic Field (EMF)
Electromagnetic Field
(EMF) &
Electromagnetic Radiation
(EMR)
All known cancer-inducing agents —
including radiation, certain chemicals
and a few viruses — act by breaking
chemical bonds, producing mutant
strands of DNA. Not until the ultraviolet
region of the electromagnetic spectrum is
reached, beyond visible light, beyond
infrared and far, far beyond microwaves,
do photons have sufficient energy to
break chemical bonds. Microwave
photons heat tissue, but they do not come
close to the energy needed to break
chemical bonds, no matter how intense
the radiation. --Dr. Robert L. Park of the
American Physical Society (New York
Times Oct. 1, 2002)
Ionizing radiation can break the electron
bonds that hold molecules like DNA
together and is carcinogenic....The
photon energy of cellphone EMF is more
than 10 million times weaker than the
lowest energy ionizing radiation.--Lorne
Trottier
Unless one is willing to discard the
concept of photons, Planck's law, and the
interaction between photons and
atoms—and thus the entire body of
quantum physics—it is simply not
possible for the photons associated with
either a power line or a cell phone to
cause cancer."-- S. T. Lakshmikumar
An electromagnetic field (also called
electromagnetic radiation) is a region in space
through which energy passes that has been
created by electrically charged particles. EMFs
are produced by such things as power lines,
electric appliances, radio waves, and
microwaves.
Many people fear that EMFs cause
cancer; however, a causal connection between
EMFs and cancer has not been established. The
National Research Council (NRC) spent more
than three years reviewing more than 500
scientific studies that had been conducted over a
20-year period and found "no conclusive and
consistent evidence" that electromagnetic fields
harm humans. The chairman of the NRC panel,
neurobiologist Dr. Charles F. Stevens, said that
"Research has not shown in any convincing way
that electromagnetic fields common in homes
can cause health problems, and extensive
laboratory tests have not shown that EMFs can
damage the cell in a way that is harmful to
human health."
Despite the overwhelming scientific
evidence against the view that our electronic
gadgets are causing our headaches, nausea,
Alzheimer's, or stress, there are organized
movements in several countries to enlighten the
world about the dangers of EMR. In the USA,
there is The EMR Policy Institute. There is also
something called Bioinitiative 2012, a website
registered to Cindy Sage of Sage Associates, an
environmental consulting firm located in Santa
Barbara, California. The Bioinitiative Report is
collecting signatures for a petition that reads:
We, the undersigned, find that current
government limits do not protect the public from
adverse health effects from electromagnetic
radiation (EMR) emanating from devices such
as power lines, cell phones and wireless internet
devices and their associated antenna sites, TV
and FM broadcast towers and radar.
Most of the existing limits on this form of
radiation are 1 to 4 thousand times too lenient
to prudently protect humans from adverse
health effects ranging from Alzheimer's and
other neurodegenerative diseases, reproduction
problems, sleep reduction, learning, memory,
slowed ability of the body to repair damage,
interference with immune function, cancer and
electrohypersensitivity.
The petition concludes by claiming
there is scientific evidence to support their view
that many non-specific symptoms are
attributable to EMFs. It then lists what, in the
opinion of Sage and her associates, the limits of
exposure should be. According to Sage, the
"most rapidly growing environmental pollutant
in today's environment is probably
electromagnetic fields (EMF) including
radiofrequency radiation." She makes many
other scary claims that are not consistent with
the preponderance of the evidence, including
the claim that "cell phone exposures can be
intense enough to cause DNA damage." Maybe
she saw the video on YouTube of some
characters appearing to pop popcorn with their
cell phones. (If you're wondering how it's done
click here.)
In the UK, Powerwatch has been around
since 1988 to sell EMF-measuring devices and
to promote the idea that EMFs are hazardous to
our health. In France, there are several
communities that have repeatedly protested
against mobile phone masts and campaigned
against wireless internet.* A group of self-
identified electro-sensitives have taken up
residence in the Drôme valley in southern
France to escape the ubiquitous radio waves of
the cities. They claim their trailer park (caravan
73
park) is an electromagnetic "refuge zone." They
wrap their trailers (caravans) in metal to shield
them from deadly EMFs. The women wear
metal-fiber shawls and aluminum capes. There
is, of course, no evidence that metal shields (or
tinfoil caps, for that matter) provide protection
against any particular physical or psychological
ailments caused by cell phones or power lines
and the like.
All electromagnetic radiation comes
from photons. The energy of a photon depends
on its frequency. "Roughly one million photons
in a power line together have the same energy as
a single photon in a microwave oven, and a
thousand microwave photons have the energy
equal to one photon of visible light"
(Lakshmikumar 2009). Ionizing radiation is
known to cause health effects; "it can break the
electron bonds that hold molecules like DNA
together" (Trottier 2009). "The photon energy of
a cell phone EMF is more than 10 million times
weaker than the lowest energy ionizing
radiation" (Trottier 2009). Thus, the likelihood
that our cell phones, microwave ovens,
computers, and other electronic devices are
carcinogenic is miniscule. Nevertheless, it is
impossible to prove that no study will ever find
a significant correlation between EMFs and
cancer or any other disease or disorder. No
product can be shown to be absolutely safe for
everybody. For example, a 2004 British Medical
Journal article claimed to have found an
inexplicable increase in leukemia in children
living near power lines in England and Wales.
The researchers wrote: "There is no accepted
biological mechanism to explain the
epidemiological results; indeed, the relation may
be due to chance or confounding." On the other
hand, a 2003 study of women on Long Island
found no causal connection between living near
power lines and developing breast cancer. A
single study does not prove there is or there isn't
a causal link between EMFs and cancer. We
have to look at what is indicated by the
preponderance of the evidence from all the
studies.
There is also a strong contingent of folks
hell-bent on proving this link, so it is likely that
studies will continue to be done that support a
contrary viewpoint. For example, a research
team in Sweden found an increased risk for
brain tumors in people who used cellular or
cordless phones (2006).
(Continued on Page 74)
 74 Electromagnetic Field (EMF)
Electromagnetic Field
(EMF) &
Electromagnetic Radiation
(EMR)
Continued from Page 73

The study was a small one and assessed

exposure by self-administered questionnaires.
On the other hand, a large Danish study
(420,000 mobile phone users) found neither
long nor short-term mobile phone use to be
associated with an increased risk of cancer
(2006). The Danish study did not use the
memories of the subjects to assess exposure;
they analyzed data from mobile phone company
records. Another small Swedish study found no
Another school banned Wi-Fi after a evidence that RF fields from mobile phones may
increased risk of acoustic neuroma related to
classics teacher complained that it was making cause head pain or discomfort or influence
short-term mobile phone use (2004). The
him physically ill. The teacher said that after Wi- physiological variables. The most likely reason
researchers thought that their data suggest an
Fi was in place: for the symptoms is a nocebo effect.")
increased risk of acoustic neuroma associated
I felt a steadily widening range of In 1997, The New England Journal of
with mobile phone use of at least 10 years
unpleasant effects whenever I was in the Medicine published the results of the largest,
duration. They don't say how they measured
classroom. First came a thick headache, then most detailed study of the relationship between
exposure, but they note that "detailed
pains throughout the body, sudden flushes, EMFs and cancer ever done. Dr. Martha S.
information about mobile phone use and other
pressure behind the eyes, sudden skin pains and Linet, director of the study, said: "We found no
environmental exposures was collected." Other
burning sensations, along with bouts of nausea. evidence that magnetic field levels in the home
studies on laboratory animals have found effects
Over the weekend, away from the classroom, I increased the risk for childhood leukemia." The
from microwave exposure (2003; 2006; 2007).
felt completely normal. study took eight years and involved measuring
Some studies have collected data suggestive of
That the teacher's symptoms were the exposure to magnetic fields generated by
possible harmful effects from cell phone
caused by Wi-Fi is, however, pure speculation nearby power lines. A group of 638 children
microwave exposure, but they are too small to
and unlikely. Wi-Fi goes through ordinary walls under age 15 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
have ruled out chance or other causal agents
up to about 300 m, so the teacher should have were compared to a group of 620 healthy
(2006) or they have not been tested on in vivo
felt symptoms long before entering and long children. "The researchers measured magnetic
cells (2004; 2006a; 2006b).
after leaving the classroom. There is no fields in all the houses where the children had
Recently, the alarm has been raised by
compelling scientific evidence that these kinds lived for five years before the discovery of their
some who fear that damage might be done to our
of symptoms are caused by exposure to Wi-Fi. cancer, as well as in the homes where their
brains from being exposed to Wi-Fi. Despite the
There have been a number of studies that have mothers lived while pregnant." The study was
fact that modulated frequencies bringing radio
tried to establish that some people are criticized because it is impossible to know
and television transmissions into our homes are
hypersensitive to EMFs. Ben Goldacre of Bad exactly what the EMFs were at the times the
stronger and more pervasive than the radio
Science writes: mothers or their children were exposed. All
waves used by wireless networks, there has been
There have been 31 studies looking at measurements must be done after the exposure
little call to reduce radio or TV transmission.
whether people who report being hypersensitive has taken place and assumptions must be made
(The power levels for Wi-Fi are lower than that
to electromagnetic fields can detect their that the level of EMFs was not substantially
for cell phones, by the way. Photons of visible
presence, or whether their symptoms are different during exposure. It is unlikely,
light carry more energy than microwaves and
worsened by them. A typical experiment would however, anyone except the intellectual
bombard us much more frequently than
involve a mobile phone hidden in a bag, for descendants of Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele will
microwaves from such things as cell phones or
example, with each subject reporting their ever do a control study on humans which
wireless networks. Microwave ovens are "tuned
symptoms, not knowing if the phone was on or systematically controls exposure to EMFs from
for optimal water absorption, which happens to
off. the moment of conception through early
be about 2.45 gigahertz."* Despite numerous
Thirty-one is a good number of studies, childhood.
scare stories about the effects of microwaved
and 24 found that electromagnetic fields have no A report published in the Journal of the
water and food on people, animals, and plants,
effect on the subjects. But seven did find a American Medical Association on a study of 891
you can't do anything to food or water with a
measurable effect...in two of those studies with adults who used their cell phones between 1994
microwave oven that you couldn't also do in a
positive findings, even the original authors have and 1998 found that there was no increased risk
conventional oven with infrared waves,*
been unable to replicate the results; for the next of brain cancer associated with cell phone use
assuming you use the ovens as intended.
three, the results seem to be statistical artifacts; (Muscat 2000).Yet, many people believe that
Microwaved food is safe and poses no health
and for the final two, the positive results are living near power lines or using cellular phones
hazard.)
mutually inconsistent (one shows improved causes cancer. Why? Some lawyers, the mass
One university president has banned Wi-
mood with provocation, and the other shows media and a scientifically illiterate public can
Fi on his campus, claiming:
worsened mood). take the credit here.
microwave radiation in the frequency At this time, it looks as if Robert Pool claims popular opinion has
range of Wi-Fi has been shown to increase hypersensitivity to EMFs is a psychosomatic been aroused against EMFs by unscientific
permeability of the blood-brain barrier, cause disorder. (For example, a research team in sources such as The New Yorker magazine (Pool
behavioural changes, alter cognitive functions, Norway (2007) conducted tests using sixty-five 1990).Paul Brodeur, called "a scientifically-
activate a stress response, interfere with brain pairs of sham and mobile phone radio frequency ignorant writer" by physicist Bob Park, wrote
waves, cell growth, cell communication, calcium (RF) exposures. "The increase in pain or three fearmongering and scientifically inept
ion balance, etc., and cause single and double discomfort in RF sessions was 10.1 and in sham articles for The New Yorker in the early 1990s
strand DNA breaks. sessions 12.6 (P = 0.30). Changes in heart rate or and published them as a book in 1993.
What compelling scientific evidence he
blood pressure were not related to the type of
has for making such claims is not known.
exposure (P: 0.30–0.88). The study gave no (Continued on Page 75)
 Electromagnetic Field (EMF) 75
Electromagnetic Field
(EMF) &
Electromagnetic Radiation
(EMR)
Continued from Page 74

The fear that cell phones might be

causing brain tumors was aroused by ABC's
"20/20" (October 1999) in a story focused on the
claims of Dr. George Carlo, who, for the
previous six years, ran the cell phone industry's
research program on the effects of radiation
from cell phones. Gordon Bass also relied
heavily on Carlo for his alarmist piece in PC
Computing, "Is Your Cell Phone Killing You?"
(November 30, 1999). Carlo contradicts the
conclusions of most other researchers in the lawsuit, of course. The evidence? The tumor was interviewed. He reported that his research
field and maintains that "we now have some located near where she held the phone to her ear. indicates that tumors grow faster when exposed
direct evidence of possible harm from cellular The major networks reported the story about the to EMF. Sales of cellular phones dropped and
phones (italics added)." (Carlo also claims there lawsuit and the brain tumor and the cellular stock in companies that manufacture them
is a causal connection between Wi-Fi and phone. Scientists were interviewed to give the dropped. Because tumors exposed to EMF grow
autism.) Contrast Carlo's view with the story more 'depth' and credibility. However, no more rapidly than tumors not so exposed does
following: scientist has yet found a causal connection not indicate that EMF causes tumors, cancerous
The epidemiological evidence for an between EMF and cancer, much less between or otherwise.
association between RF radiation and cancer is cellular phones and brain tumors. So, a scientist
found to be weak and inconsistent, the who has exposed existing tumors to EMF was (Continued on Page 78)
laboratory studies generally do not suggest that
cell phone RF radiation has genotoxic or
epigenetic activity, and a cell phone RF
radiation-cancer connection is found to be
physically implausible. Overall, the existing
evidence for a causal relationship between RF
radiation from cell phones and cancer is found
to be weak to nonexistent (Moulder et al. 1999).
In a press release on October 20, 1999,
the FCC responded to "20/20" and claimed that
the "values of exposure reported by ABC were
well within that safety margin, and, therefore,
there is no indication of any immediate threat to
human health from these phones." Furthermore,
the "20/20" story claimed that cell phone
antennae emit radiation into the brain, which is TWO GOOD TO BE TRUE
misleading. You might also say that TVs and with JUSTINA MARSH and PETER MARSH
radios emit radiation into the brain if you put
your head close enough to those devices. JUSTINA MARSH was born in Florida but moved to the Midwest at an early age. Justina knew from
Cellular phones operate at the radio a young age that she had some special gifts that others did not but did not know exactly what these gifts
frequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic were. Her parents told stories about ghosts Justina would talk to or how she would point out orbs floating
spectrum. This is non-ionizing radiation. Other around the room. Justina’s great grandmother practiced as a psychic many years ago and she is part of
examples of the non-ionizing part of the a family lineage of psychics. She decided to pursue an education and graduated with a bachelor’s degree
electromagnetic spectrum include AM and FM in chemistry. Justina works as a chemist but also wants to do more. Justina was always interested in
radio waves, microwaves, and infrared waves learning all she could about the world. She realized that she could help share information using her
psychic abilities. She is very interested in the paranormal world and conspiracy theories. To Contact
from heat lamps. Unlike x-rays and gamma rays
Justina Marsh - Email - justinamarsh@xzbn.net
(which are examples of ionizing radiation),
radio waves have too little energy to break the *** AND ***
bonds that hold molecules (such as DNA) in
cells together. Similarly, since RF of this PETE MARSH was born in Dorset, England. His family later moved inland to Wiltshire, England.
frequency contains relatively low energy, it does Growing up, his formative years were spent not far from Stonehenge or from the Avebury stone circles.
not enter tissues. At very high levels of exposure, He always had an interest in the unexplained in the world. Pete trained as an engineer with qualifications
RF can cause warming of tissues, much as a in materials science. After moving to Norway, he emigrated to the United States to further his career. In
heat lamp does. The wavelength of cell phone recent years, Pete has become increasingly interested in the history of the world, which has progressed
waves is about one foot and the frequency is into studying spiritual beliefs. Pete continues to work as an engineer, and spends much of his spare time
approximately 800 to 900 MHz, although newer researching the true nature and purpose of mankind. Pete does not claim psychic abilities, but has
learned to trust his intuition. Pete’s mother and grandmother were both psychically gifted. To Contact
models may use higher frequencies up to 2,200
Justina Marsh - Email - petemarsh@xzbn.net
MHz.
Similar arousal has been evoked by talk
show hosts such as Larry King, who introduced
the nation to a widower who claims that his
wife's fatal brain tumor was caused by the EMF
emitted from her cellular phone. There is a
www.XZBN.net
76 I Want YOU To BELIEVE

I WANT YOU
TO BELIEVE

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This Ad has been paid for by the Citizens For Bringing
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www.cfbrbitwiwwl.com
 ‘X’ Zone Broadcast Network - xzbn.net 77

KAL’S KORNER with KAL KORFF: Kal Korff has been an
Analyst, Broadcaster, Commentator and Investigative Journalist on or
for such popular TV networks as ABC, CNN, Discovery Channel,
FOX, History Channel, MSNBC, NBC, National Geographic and has
appeared on countless radio shows and in the newspapers, including
National Public Radio’s Science Fridays, Art Bell’s Coast-to-Coast
AM, Dr. Seth Shostak of SETI, Jeff Rense’s Sightings, Laura Lee
Show, San Francisco Examiner, Prague Post, Metropolitni Expres,
Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, Phoenix New Times,
Daily Review, Argus, Huffington Post, Stanford Daily, San Jose
Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Ohlone Monitor, Omni, Skeptical
Inquirer, Skepsis, True, Saga UFO Report, Beyond Reality, Fortean
Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Frontiers of Science, LBC Radio,
Daily World TV, RTL, DW2, TV Nova, Radio Praha, Radio Free
Europe, YouTube, Scribd, Facebook, Twitter, ‘X’ Zone Radio Show
and others. To contact Kal Korff - Email - kalkorff@xzbn.net
CHRISTA NEHLS is a gender communication expert. While
providing even better communication for the genders, she brings peace
to the people and reduces misunderstandings and divorce rates and
improves company revenues because the people communicate
effectively. She is: Founder of CN Counseling and Inventor of the
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www.XZBN.net www.XZBN.net

Songs and Stories for Soldiers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated

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American Military. We will start with active duty wounded, and as their needs
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songsandstoriesforsoldiers.us
 78 Electromagnetic Field (EMF)
Electromagnetic Field
(EMF) &
Electromagnetic Radiation
(EMR)
Continued from Page 75
It is possible that cellular phones are
causing brain tumors, but the likelihood is small.
The phones emit very low EMF levels and
exposure to them is intermittent. It is possible
that a person with a brain tumor who uses a
cellular phone is running a significant risk that
the tumor will grow faster than it otherwise
would. As yet, however, there is no evidence to
support the view that there is a reasonable
probability of either.
Lawyers representing claimants who
blame their cancers on power lines cite a
Swedish study that found leukemia rates were
400% higher among children living near power
lines. Another study, done by the University of
Southern California, found increased leukemia
rates in children living near power lines.
According to Robert Pool,
The study examined 232 leukemia
patients under the age of 10, and a group of
control subjects that were matched for age, sex,
and race. The amount of EMF exposure for each
child was determined in a number of ways. No
correlation was found between the incidence of
leukemia and the electric field exposure as
measured by spot checking. An insignificant
correlation was noted between incidence of
leukemia and levels of exposure to magnetic
fields, as measured by a continual measurement
over a 24-hour period. A significant correlation
was seen between the EMF exposure, as
measured by wire coding, and an increased risk
of leukemia. Those with the highest level of
exposure had a 2.5-fold greater risk of
developing leukemia. It is not understood how
these differences in correlation depend on the
way the EMFs are measured. It is possible that
some types of EMF exposure may lead to an
increased risk of leukemia. On the other hand,
measurements taken by wire coding may be
more sensitive. Further study is needed to see
what factors are being measured by the wire
coding and not by the other methods. Until that
is understood, it is not clear if exposure to high
levels of EMFs is related to an increased risk of
leukemia (Pool, 1991).
Also, Pool reports, "there have been
numerous scientific reports of elevated levels of
leukemia in people who are exposed to high
EMF levels on the job, such as power-line
repairmen and workers in aluminum smelters."
Because there have been and probably will
continue to be a few studies that find some sort
of correlation between cancer and living by
power lines,* lawyers will always be able to find
some evidence, however weak, to justify filing a
lawsuit. Over 201 challenges to utility projects
were made in 1992 in which EMF was an issue.
At least three suits have been filed in federal
courts claiming exposure to utility lines caused
cancer (Pool, 1991). Utility companies were
scared. They poured billions of dollars into
efforts to cut EMF exposure from their power
lines. Dr. Robert Adair, a physicist at Yale
University, calls the reaction "electrophobia"
and says that it would take EMF levels 150
times higher than those measured by the
Swedish researchers to pose a hazard.
Lawyers can take their cases to court
long before the scientific evidence is anywhere
near conclusive. And the standards of proof in a
court of law are appallingly much lower than
those in science. "All it's going to take is one or
two good hits and the sharks will start circling,"
says Tom Ward, a Baltimore attorney who is
suing Northeast Utilities Co. and its Connecticut
Light & Power Co. unit over an alleged EMF
cancer (Pool, 1991). There is currently a great
push to bury all power lines. Better safe than
sorry? The cost goes up twenty-fold to bury the
lines. Then what? Lawyers claiming their
clients' cancers were caused by EMFed water? It
was bad enough trying to sell a house with
power lines nearby when people cared about the
ugliness of the view. But try to sell the same
house when people are afraid of getting cancer
from the ugly lines! In any case, we will have to
bury our electrical wires even deeper than our
power poles are high if we are to make a
significant difference in shielding us from the
magnetic fields of power lines.
It is not very likely that the average
person has anything to worry about from power
lines cell phones, microwave ovens, cordless
phones, baby monitors, or Wi-Fi. Most of us do
not get that close to power lines to be
significantly affected by their EMFs. Our
exposure to them, even if they are nearby, is not
direct, up close, and constant. The energy
emitted by cell phones, cordless phones, and
baby monitors (10 milliwatts) is pretty weak.
There is more EMF exposure from radio and TV,
and the wiring in our homes and the electrical
appliances we use, than from our cell phones or
Wi-Fi. No one can avoid electromagnetic
radiation. It is everywhere. We are constantly
exposed to it from light, commercial radio and
television transmissions, police 2-way
transmissions, walkie-talkies, etc. Furthermore,
"while electrical fields are easily screened,
magnetic fields make their way unimpeded
through most substances" (Pool, 1990). In fact,
it is curious that while fear of EMFs is on the
rise so is magnet therapy as a panacea and
source of positive energy for the healthful-
minded New Ager. []
The Best of The ‘X’ Zone from
February 2018
• Medium Jay Lane - Medium, Psychic
• Joshua P Warren - Puerto Rico , The
Hurricane, and The Paranormal
• Dr. Jacob Lieberman - Luminous Life
• Tom Lumbrazo - Ink Blot Test In The Sky
• Mary Ellen - Angel Scribe
• Guy Malone - Roswell UFO Incident and
Operation Paper Clip
• Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD - Violence and
Mental Illness
• Dr. David Gruder - Cultural Psychologist
• Richard DeRose - From Gun Control to
Safety and Security of the Nation
• Geof Jowett - Spiritual Intuitive and
Medium
• Kal Korff - Segment 1 - The FBI's Shame
- Agency Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
• Kal Korff - Segment 2 - The FBI's Shame
- Agency Fails To Stop Mass Murderer
• Rebecca P Pittman - History and
Haunting of Lizzie Borden
• Ken Hanson - The Dead Sea Scrolls
• Rev. Dr. Barry Downing - UFOs in the
Bible
• Dr. Mark Davis, MD - Sciences,
Astronomy, Medicine, Space Travel,
Politics and UFOs
• Joseph Marino - The Shroud of Turin
• Maj. Gen. Mark Musick (Ret) - The
Secret Life of Howard Hughes
www.xzoneradiotv.com
 Should You Worry About Wi-Fi Radiation?
Should You Worry About
Wi-Fi Radiation?
By Markham Heid
At home and at work, dozens of wireless
networks are streaming invisible radio waves
through your space and body. (So are the
phones, computers, Bluetooth speakers and
other devices that connect to them.) It’s logical
to wonder—and worry—about what effect all
that wireless energy might have on your health.
But while the volume and ubiquity of
wireless devices is a new phenomenon, the kind
of radiation they produce has been the subject of
scientific scrutiny for decades, says John
Moulder, professor emeritus of radiation
oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
In 2013, Moulder coauthored a review of
the existing health research on Wi-Fi. Like your
mobile phone, Wi-Fi routers send and receive
information using radio waves, which are a form
of electromagnetic radiation, he says.
The research on radio waves and human
health goes back at least to the 1950s, when
there were concerns about Navy servicemen
being exposed to powerful shipboard radar. “We
have 50 or 60 years of research into the kind of
radiation associated with Wi-Fi,” Moulder says.
All that research has taught us that at
high frequencies, electromagnetic radiation can
promote tumor growth and cancer. The sun’s
ultraviolet rays and their links to skin cancer are
one example. Even at lower frequencies, very
high levels of electromagnetic radiation
exposure can hurt you. “But we’re talking skin
burns, not cancer or tumors,” says Kenneth
Foster, a professor of bioengineering at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Foster was Moulder’s coauthor on that
2013 review of Wi-Fi’s health effects. He says
that, based on our current understanding of radio
wave strengths and risks, world health
authorities have set safety standards for all
devices and appliances that emit
electromagnetic radiation—from phones and
microwaves to your car’s keyless entry fob.
“The exposure you get from your Wi-Fi router is
orders and orders of magnitude below those
safety limits,” he explains.
Asked for specifics, Foster says it helps
to understand how Wi-Fi works. While most
people assume their wireless router is constantly
sending and receiving information, Foster says
these devices actually transmit just 0.1% of the
time. “Maybe that goes up somewhat if you’re
streaming video,” he says, “but most of the time
your router is just sitting idly waiting for
something to happen.”
Also, every inch you put between
yourself and your Wi-Fi router significantly
lowers the strength of the radiation your body
encounters. “Put it this way,” Foster says.
“During a call, your mobile phone is
transmitting steadily at a strength maybe 100
times more powerful than Wi-Fi, and you’re
holding the phone right against your head, and
we still don’t find any health issues with that
level of exposure.”
That may be true today. But some
experts have grave concerns about the types of
low-intensity radiation our wireless devices
79
produce. “We have animal studies suggesting
even low-level exposures to the kind of radio
wave radiation associated with Wi-Fi could have
a variety of negative health effects,” says Joel
Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family
and Community Health at the University of
California, Berkeley.
He mentions neurodevelopmental issues,
cancer, and reproductive harm—in both men
and women—as some of those potential health
concerns, especially for pregnant women and
DID YOU KNOW...
Dreams
young children.
The World Health Organization and the
International Agency for Research on Cancer The 12 Most Common Bad Dreams
• Falling down
have classified mobile phones as a “possible
carcinogen,” which means there’s currently not • Being lost or trapped
• Being chased or attacked
enough research to say whether either causes
cancer. • Being injured, ill, or dying
• Car or other vehicle trouble
Earlier this year, a rodent study found
heavy exposures to cell phone radiation • House or property loss or damage
• Poor test or other poor performance
increased rats’ risks for some brain and heart
tumors. More rodent research has tied high • Missing a boat or other transport
• Machine or telephone malfunction
levels of Wi-Fi and cell exposure to hormonal
shifts and oxidative stress—the kind of shifts • Natural or man-made disasters
• Being menaced by a spirit
that could promote cancer or brain diseases.
But many of these animal studies are “all • Being naked or inappropriately dressed in
public
over the place” in terms of their design quality,
Foster says. Animal research often does not
translate to humans. Also, many of the most ***
worrying experiments involved rodents that had
been exposed to levels of radiation far greater Dream Symbols For Foodies
• Corn : abundance
than what people encounter when using mobile
phones or wireless networks. • Watermelon: fiery passion
• Bread: the basic needs of life
`Moskowitz doesn’t disagree with Moulder. But
he says the amount of radio wave radiation • Grapes: wealth and decadence
• Gravy: failing health or business
people—and especially children—are exposed
to today is different, and this raises new • Oranges: health and prosperity
• Sandwich: pressure and stress
concerns. When it comes to our long-term,
cumulative exposures to all our wireless • Apples: knowledge and prosperity
• Eggs: fertility and creative potential
networks and gadgets, “we’re basically flying
blind,” he says. • Vinegar: worries about a negative matter
• Strawberries: sensual desires and
Of course, trying to avoid radio wave
exposure is more or less impossible if you live in temptation
modern society. Moskowitz advises keeping
wireless devices away from your body and DID YOU KNOW
turning off wireless networks when they’re not by
in use. While any health risks are still Rob McConnell
theoretical, “I think trying to minimize exposure To Order Your Copy Visit
is the best advice at this point,” Moskowitz
www.rel-mar.com/didyouknow
adds.[]
 80 Science Officially Debunks Chemtrails
Science Officially Debunks
Chemtrails, But the
Conspiracy Will Likely
Live On
A panel of 77 atmospheric
scientists and geochemists weigh
in on the controversial streaks in
the sky
Smithsonian.com
These days it’s a common sight: hazy streaks
crisscrossing the sky left from passing aircrafts.
But many people believe there’s something
more going on. Dubbing the contrails
“chemtrails,” conspiracy theorists have claimed
that these trails of condensed water are part of a
secret program to control the weather, change
the climate or control our minds.
Conspiracy theorists have amassed huge
dossiers of “evidence” claiming that chemtrails
are longer, brighter and do not dissipate as
quickly as normal aircraft contrails. They have
photos, anecdotes and samples collected from
the air and water. Though scientists have long
battled against these unfounded claims, they
haven’t made much headway. But with a recent
study, researchers from the Carnegie Institution
for Science hope to put these rumors to rest.
The researchers provided the available
chemtrail evidence to 77 atmospheric scientists
and geochemists for evaluation. “I felt it was
important to definitively show what real experts
in contrails and aerosols think,” Ken Caldeira,
an atmospheric scientists and author on the
study, says in a press release. “We might not
convince die-hard believers that their beloved
secret spraying program is just a paranoid
fantasy, but hopefully their friends will accept
the facts.”
In the study, published in the journal
Environmental Research Letters, the scientists
were asked if they had ever uncovered possible
evidence of a government chemtrail program in
their research. Of the 77 scientists, 76 said no.
They were also shown photos
supposedly containing chemtrails, writes Sara
Emerson at Motherboard. Upon inspection, none
of the researchers saw any evidence that the
contrails in the photos were any different than
normal contrails.
Finally, they were presented with the
analysis of samples from pond sediment, snow
and air that the collectors claim were
contaminated with traces of barium, aluminum,
copper and strontium from chemtrails. The
researchers said that 80 to 89 percent of the
samples could be explained by phenomena
much more simple than chemtrails.
The chemtrails craze likely originated with a
1996 report from the Air Force called “Weather
as a Force Multiplier,” which speculates how the
military could develop weather modification
technology by 2025, report Annalee Newitz and
Adam Steiner at i09. A patent filed in 1991 for a
technique of seeding the upper atmosphere with
particles that could reflect sunlight and slow
global warming also intrigued theorists.
Combined with anecdotal tales of plants dying
and people getting sick after planes left contrails
above their homes, the conspiracy theory
coalesced and took off on the internet in the late
1990s.
Since then, the issue periodically pops
up in the media. According to Public Policy
Polling, about five percent of Americans believe
in chemtrails. That’s more than the four percent
who believe lizard people are taking over our
politics but much less than the number who
believe in bigfoot or that global warming is a
hoax.
So, if it’s not a government program,
why do many people claim to see more and
more contrails? Emerson says airplane contrails
are likely lasting longer than they used to due to
changes in jet engine technology. In addition, an
increase in air travel over the last couple decades
could also be fueling the belief in chemtrails,
says Caldeira, and atmospheric changes from
global warming may cause the artificial clouds
to linger longer than they used to. []
False-Hope That Bigfoot
Will Be Found: 10
Reasons Why The Mythic
Creature Will Remain
Legend
10: The photographic and video
evidence is awful: Besides the famed 1968
Patterson Gimlin video that purports to show
bigfoot walking all footage is grainy and
photographs blurred. We wonder why?
9: Bigfoot fails to fit into the food chain
in North America: The beast is supposed to be
9ft tall and weigh 600 pounds. That would mean
it would need to eat 5,000 calories a day to
survive - which would lead to a huge
unexplained dent in the natural food chain.
Scientists have said they have never detected a
gap this size before.
8: Bigfoot is just too big: Logically, a
600-pound, 9ft tall ape-man would not go
unnoticed by people not even on the trail of the
Bigfoot. Basically, if the creature did exist, we
would have found it by now.
7: There is no fossil or bone record: A
creature this big would have left bones or fossil
records behind. However, never once have any
ape-like creature's remains or bones been found.
6: Breeding is impossible: If bigfoot is
an ape, it would live a longer lifespan than other
mammals in North America and the population
would run into the thousands. Apes are not
solitary creatures - unlike how all Bigfoots are
presented.
5: Wrongly identified: Most experts
point out that the majority of Bigfoot sightings
could simply be black or brown bears walking
on their hind-legs.
4: Explosion in sightings after the Bluff
Creek Discovery of 1958: Like Roswell in 1947
can be seen as year dot for UFO sightings, so the
discovery of several large footprints in 1958 at
Bluff Creek in California can be said to have
started the Bigfoot phenomenon. After that there
were a spate of sightings which haven't stopped
to this day.
3: Lack of a body: There is a long
standing $1,000,000 reward for the body of
sasquatch.
2: Hoaxes: But exactly because of the
immense financial rewards should a hunter be
proved correct, people try to seek fame and
fortune with fake Bigfoots.
1: No evidence: If Bigfoot exists, all
scientists need is one strand of hair to determine
through DNA that a new ape-like creature has
been identified. That has not happened. []
 H.A.A.R.P. - Common Sense
No, Dumbasses, the
Government Doesn’t
Cause Hurricanes With Its
Secret Weather Machine
The High Frequency Active Auroral
Research Program has been attracting
the tinfoil-hat brigade for decades.
Their newest notion? That HAARP is
behind the recent rash of hurricanes.
by David Axe
Internet conspiracy theorists are claiming that a
former U.S. military ionospheric research
facility in Alaska is to blame for the back-to-
back hurricanes that have flooded Houston,
ravaged the Caribbean and Florida, and killed
scores of people.
The conspiracy theorists believe the
High Frequency Active Auroral Research
Program site is a weather-altering weapon in
disguise. They claim that HAARP’s radio waves
can somehow cause, or worsen, storms—and
that the government is behind it all. (That is,
when HAARP isn’t controlling minds,
conducting long-range spying operations, or
threatening to “capsize” the planet.)
That, of course, is untrue. HAARP is a
science facility that’s no longer under military
control—and nothing that HAARP does has any
bearing at all on the weather.
“We’re well aware of the conspiracy
theory stuff,” Sue Mitchell, public information
officer at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks’
Geophysical Institute—which oversees
HAARP—told The Daily Beast. “I’ve been
getting lots of telephone calls about why we’re
causing hurricanes.”
“The site itself is strictly a scientific
research site,” former HAARP project manager
John Heckscher told Canadian Broadcast
Corporation in 1996, around the time
misinformation about HAARP began taking
root.
Heckscher’s explanation, endlessly
repeated by frustrated scientists and government
officials over the past two decades, hasn’t
stopped the conspiracy theorists from spreading
their ideas. When billionaire technologist
Richard Branson tweeted that “man-made
climate change is a key factor in the intensity of
hurricanes,” one Twitter-user replied, “Man-
made as In [sic] geo-engineered? I agree.”
The tweeter added the hashtag #HAARP,
joining a seemingly growing coterie of online
skeptics demanding the “truth” about the Alaska
facility.
“HAARP may allow the military to
modify and weaponize the weather, by
triggering earthquakes, floods and hurricane
[sic],” tweeted The Blow of Reality website, a
self-described purveyor of “public news that
matters the most.”
The website promoted a Sept. 9 story by
YourNewsWire.com that seems to be a major
accelerant of the current round of HAARP
conspiracy theories. The YourNewWire story
falsely claimed that physicist Dr. Michio Kaku
admitted that recent “‘man-made’ hurricanes
have been the result of a government weather-
modification program in which the skies were
sprayed with nano particles and storms then
‘activated’ through the use of ‘lasers.’”
The story is a fabrication. “Kaku never
said that HAARP was responsible for
hurricanes,” fake-news-debunking website
Snopes explained. “YouTube videos espousing
the conspiracy theory splice together
misinformation about HAARP with an interview
Kaku did with CBS News in 2013 in which he
talked about the possibility of governments one
day being able to cause rainfall using lasers and
other means.”
What HAARP actually does is far less
frightening than what the truthers claim it does.
Built by the U.S. Air Force starting in 1993, the
33-acre facility includes a high-frequency radio
transmitter composed of 180 crisscrossing
antennae that transmit up to 3.6 megawatts of
power straight into the ionosphere, which
extends from around 40 miles to around 300
miles up.
The power HAARP sends into the sky
81
subtly changes the ionosphere, providing
scientists on the ground with useful data that can
support advancements in communications
technology. The Air Force transferred HAARP
to the University of Alaska in 2015.
“It’s radio science, it’s ionosphere
physics and chemistry and even space science,
since radio waves indeed go into space,” Paul
Kossey, former HAARP director, told radio
host—and noted conspiracy theorist—Alex
Jones in 2008.
It’s impossible for HAARP’s
transmission to affect the weather. “Weather is
formed lower in the atmosphere,” Mitchell told
The Daily Beast. “HAARP’s transmissions
don’t interact with that layer.” But conspiracy-
theorists conflate HAARP’s science mission
with other government initiatives that actually
do influence the weather—albeit on a small
scale and with debatable benefit.
Since the 1940s, government agencies in
the United States, Russia, China, and other
countries have routinely “seeded” clouds with
silver iodide, potassium iodide or solid carbon
dioxide, creating ice crystals that melt and
produce rainfall, essentially on command.
At least, that’s what the agencies hope will
happen.
In fact, “in more complex cloud systems
it is often difficult to determine a seeding effect
on a cloud-by-cloud basis,” according to the
American Meteorological Society. It’s possible
that seeding doesn’t actually generate more rain
than an area might get on its own.
The reality is, governments can’t control
the weather on the level of individual
hurricanes—but they certainly can make
extreme weather worse by pumping carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere and hastening
destabilizing climate change.
But climate change doesn’t have the
same sci-fi vibe that HAARP does—and doesn’t
make for a very exciting narrative. So the
HAARP conspiracy theory could endure. “I feel
bad about people believing that,” Mitchell said.
“I know they’re looking for someone to blame
for all this. But HAARP is completely incapable
of doing this any more than your AM radio
station in town.” []
82 SimulTV Lite
 The Science of Ghosts 83
The Science of Ghosts:
What's Really Happening
When Your Brain Detects
a Ghoul?
by Philip Perry

Once, in middle school, a gang of boys and I

were lured to a spot behind the Dunkin' Donuts
in our town. We went after dark, to a place
where a kid from school witnessed a paranormal
experience. Once there, we saw nothing. We
chided our classmate until suddenly, a column of
white light appeared out of nowhere. We
scattered.
It sustained itself for a few minutes.
Then suddenly, it cut off. A few moments later,
just as mysteriously, it went on again. We stayed
there quietly studying it, scared out of our
minds. Until someone in our group finally
that her house was haunted. Poppy tried to do a 'Ghost Hunters' Is More
pointed out a streetlight overhead. The bulb was
cleansing by burning a sage stick and other
getting old. That was the last time I believed in
ghosts.
things. But no matter what she tried, the pressure Fiction Than Fact, And
on her chest got worse. It was also growing
Do you? If so, you’re in good company.
painful. Here's Why
45% of Americans do. In one poll, 28% of them
Finally, she took to the internet and
admitted they’d had contact with one,
arrived on a ghost forum for skeptics. She told Melissa Brinks
personally. Senior research fellow at the
them what she was experiencing and one of
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Joe Nickell is
them said she had the symptoms for carbon
the world’s sole, full-time, scientific paranormal
monoxide poisoning. These include pressure on
investigator. After five decades of research, he
the chest and auditory hallucinations. The utility Bad news, everyone - Ghost Hunters isn't real.
hasn’t turned up a shred of evidence that points
worker who rectified the problem, told her that That doesn't mean it's not enjoyable, nor that
to the existence of ghosts. Magicians Harry
if she hadn’t of gotten it fixed when she did, she you shouldn't watch it. But it does mean that, if
Houdini and James Randi arrived at a similar
wouldn’t have been alive the next morning. you consider the evidence (something certain
place.
The process by which one experiences investigators aren't always inclined to do), you'd
It’s not for lack of trying. In a video for
something that isn’t there is called misperceived see all the reasons why Ghost Hunters is fake.
Vox, Nickell says he’s employed blood pattern
self-representation. So what else might induce It's spooky entertainment with a dash of
analysis, linguistic analysis, aspects of
this, besides carbon monoxide poisoning, brain scientific flair, but it's journeyed so far from its
psychology, and more. It isn’t just him. Not one
damage, or an episode related to mental illness? more skeptical roots that it's hard, not to mention
haunting or ghost sighting has ever rendered any
Well, several things actually. There is a inadvisable, to take it as a serious inquiry into
evidence.
condition called sleep paralysis for one, also the paranormal.
One of the problems is, it’s hard to grab
known as waking dreams. Though some of Ghost Hunters might
raw data. All we usually have is a personal
This affects around 8% of the use real investigative techniques, the TV show is
account. And these vary widely. One person will
population. It usually occurs in the twilight all about the spectacle. How Ghost Hunters
interact with an actual human figure, while
hours of the morning, when one is between a tricks viewers is a mixture of scientific babble,
another will observe mere objects flying across
waking and dreaming state. You can’t move playing with expectations, and including just
the room. There are a few grainy, blurs in some
your body and sometimes experience visual enough mystery to keep fans on their toes. The
photos. But it’s hard to extrapolate from that.
hallucinations. Grief also tends to increase the show may have started as a serious-minded look
Though electromagnetic field (EMF)
chances of a ghostly encounter. Psychologists into real-life ghost stories, but it's moved pretty
meters have been made popular by movies like
say it might be a way for the mind to process and far away from that and into the realm of thrilling
Ghostbusters and TV shows such as Paranormal
deal with loss. Usually, the person they see is a "reality" TV. Even if the science isn't there, how
Lockdown and Ghost Hunters, there’s no
comforting figure who appears serene. Ghost Hunters fakes evidence is nearly as
scientific proof of any link between supernatural
Another ghost-inducing phenomenon is interesting as the few seemingly legitimate
phenomenon and the magnetic field. Despite a
called infrasound. This is a vibration that occurs snippets of EVPs and paranormal activity they
general lack of evidence, such experiences feel
below our normal range of hearing. That’s below capture.
poignant and real.
20 hertz (Hz). Certain machinery (like engines),
In a recent TED talk, Carrie Poppy
whales, and extreme weather can all cause Ghost Hunters May Have A Staging Crew
explains her brush with the paranormal, how it
infrasound.
made her feel, and later on, what she came to
Some studies suggest that it can result in Ghost Hunters is good TV. Good TV is
realize about it. She’s the co-host of the popular
symptoms including feelings of depression, the entertaining. And if the ghosts aren't appearing,
podcast Oh No Ross and Carrie, which explores
chills, and the sneaking suspicion that someone the show isn't entertaining. Claims that the show
and demystifies spiritual, religious, and
is watching you. According to Hayden is faked have plagued Ghost Hunters for some
paranormal topics, among others, through a
Planetarium director and astrophysicist Neil time, but when former case manager Donna
scientific lens.
deGrasse Tyson, infrasound at 18 Hz vibrates at Lacroix left the show, she hinted, but did not
At the time her ghost sighting occurred,
such a rate that the eye can pick it up, which confirm, that a staging crew was part of filming.
she was alone in her house. Suddenly, she felt a
might cause visual hallucinations. In this case, a staging crew would be tasked with
presence. Poppy felt like she was being watched.
So if you or someone you know claims setting up incidents and situations for the cast to
The feeling grew and grew and as it did, a
to have seen a ghost, believe them. But also, encounter, such as strange noises, smells, or
pressure began to build inside her chest. The
look for what evidence or phenomenon might be other intangible effects.
feeling increased slowly over the course of a
behind the sighting. You could end up finding a
week and rose to a fever pitch. She started to
faulty lightbulb was the culprit all along. [] (Continued on Page 90)
hear whispering sounds and became convinced
84 Find Your Path Home
 Five Outrageous Psychic Scams
Greed Report: They Saw
Them Coming: Five
Outrageous Psychic Scams
Scott Cohn
In a complicated, often frustrating world,
wouldn't it be nice if you knew someone out
there who had the answers? Someone who could
guide you to happiness, wealth or romance,
reunite you with a lost loved one, or tell you
what might happen next week or next year?
How much would you be willing to pay if you
truly—sincerely—believed you could harness
that kind of power?
Throughout history, people have paid
untold billions to biblical prophets and
clairvoyant crime solvers, even to market
prognosticators who claim they can pick stocks
by reading the stars. For those of us who remain
skeptical, there are actually organizations that
claim to promote and enforce ethical standards
among psychics.
At the top of its 8-point code of ethics,
the Australia-based International Psychics
Association says its members "should give
advice as responsibly and accurately as
possible."
"Our late founder, Simon Turnbull,
always said a reading should cost the same as a
good haircut, and that does tend to be a fair
guide," spokeswoman Leela Williams said in an
e-mail to American Greed.
But, she notes, "Not all psychics are
members of our association or any similar
group."
That's almost certainly true of some of
the most notorious crooked clairvoyants in
history. They include a storefront psychic from
Oregon who gained control of a valuable,
thousand-acre tree farm as well as its owner's
heart; a Florida fortune-telling fraudster who
was so good that she duped a best-selling author,
and many more.
Travel with us into the past and meet
some of the charlatans who claimed to see the
future, when all they were really looking at was
a fast buck.
"Call Me Now"
On late night TV in the 1990s, the commercials
were impossible to miss.
"Call me now for your free reading," said
the woman with the Jamaican accent in the high-
backed chair, her fortune-telling tarot cards
spread out on the table in front of her.
"The cards can reveal things that you
will never see by yourself!"
In the ads, "Miss Cleo" could be seen
answering questions for grateful callers to the
Psychic Readers Network hotline. The 800
number for "free" readings was splashed across
the bottom of the screen as Cleo identified the
father of a caller's child, or told another whether
her boyfriend was cheating on her.
Millions of people did call the hotline,
whether for a little entertainment or because
they really believed Miss Cleo might have the
answers. But the readings were hardly free.
Callers would find themselves on the hook for as
much as $300 per call. And the "psychic" on the
other end of the line was not TV's Miss Cleo—
who in fact was an actress and playwright from
Los Angeles—but one of dozens of contract
"readers" who got paid based on how long they
could keep a caller on the line.
The Federal Trade Commission got the
operation shut down in 2002 after suing the
owners for multiple counts of unfair trading
practices. Without admitting guilt, the owners
agreed to forgive $500 million in phone charges
and pay a $5 million penalty to the FTC.
Ask Billy
The mysterious 2007 death of hedge fund
manager and frequent CNBC guest Seth Tobias
at the age of 44 was shocking in its own right.
But the battle over his estate would turn into a
tabloid scandal, prominently featuring an
Internet psychic.
Just after midnight on the day after
Labor Day, Tobias' wife, Filomena, found her
husband's lifeless body face down in the
swimming pool of their Jupiter, Florida home.
He died soon after, leaving an estate estimated to
be worth as much as $25 million.
Because Tobias had not updated his will
after a previous marriage ended in divorce,
Filomena's attorneys argued that Florida law
entitled her as the surviving spouse to the entire
estate. Seth's four brothers, to their horror,
would receive nothing.
Enter Billy Ash, a California man who
claimed to be the Tobiases' personal assistant.
Ash told a handful of reporters that Filomena
confided she had hatched a plot to murder Seth
by spiking his pasta with the sleep medication
Ambien, then luring him to the pool with the
promise of three-way sex with a male stripper.
Not only did tabloids seize on the wild
story, so did the Tobias brothers, who argued in
court that Filomena should be barred from
collecting any money because of Florida's so-
called "slayer statute."
A CNBC investigation eventually
revealed that Ash was not a personal assistant,
but Filomena's Internet psychic, who used the
tag line "Ask Billy." After Filomena had refused
to give him money following her husband's
death, he used personal information from their
sessions to spin his tale of death by pasta.
Authorities eventually ruled that Seth
85
Tobias died of natural causes, his wife was
cleared, and the estate case was quietly settled
out of court. Billy Ash was not charged.
Curses, foiled again
One of the oldest tricks in the psychic scam
playbook is the offer to remove bad luck or
reverse a curse. Rose Marks of Fort Lauderdale,
Florida was so good at it that she managed to
con best-selling novelist Jude Deveraux out of
millions of dollars over a 20-year period.
In fact, Marks was the matriarch of a
family of supposed psychics accused in 2011 of
scamming hundreds of clients out of
approximately $40 million.
The fraud targeted people when they
were most vulnerable. For Deveraux, it began
when she was going through a painful divorce
and started visiting Marks' storefront operation
in New York City.
"I kept coming back because she was
listening to me, and I had never been able to get
anyone to just plain listen to me," she testified in
2013.
Marks told her that "money is the root of
all evil," and convinced her to turn over millions
in cash and property until she could remove the
curse from it—at which point she would give it
all back. Of course, the last part never
happened—for Deveraux or thousands of other
clients.
The Marks family argued that they were
simply carrying on a tradition of fortune telling
as part of their Roma—or gypsy—heritage, and
never meant to defraud anyone. But a jury didn't
buy it. Marks is serving a ten-year sentence at a
federal prison in West Virginia, following one of
the first successful federal psychic fraud
prosecutions in U.S. history.
(Continued on Page 86)
 86 Five Outrageous Psychic Scams
Greed Report: They Saw
Them Coming: Five
Outrageous Psychic Scams
Continued from Page 85

Crossroads of the World

A little bit of desperation can go a long way

toward lining the pockets of a mendacious
medium. So while few of us in our right minds
would visit a storefront fortune teller—in Times
Square of all places—hoping to solve our
problems, it somehow seemed perfectly rational
for Niall Rice, a British Internet entrepreneur
devastated by unrequited love.
"Think of a person going through
difficult times. Perhaps it's a death in the family,
addiction, they could have just been let go from
their job, even an illness or physical injury. Each
one of those people you are thinking of has the
potential to be a future victim of this crime,"
Rice wrote in a victim impact statement filed in
New York Supreme Court earlier this year.
Desperately seeking to reunite with a
woman he had met at a drug treatment facility,
Rice visited the psychic shop of Priscilla Kelly
Delmaro, who milked the situation for nearly all
Rice was worth. While the idea of getting ripped
off by a Times Square psychic may not be all
that surprising, the amount Rice lost to her is
eye-popping: more than $550,000.
"I just got sucked in," Rice told the New
York Times about the fraud, which continued
even after the woman in question had died.
Delmaro served eight months in jail and
was sentenced to four years probation after
pleading guilty to grand larceny.
Clear Cut Crime
Ralph Raines, Jr. was a psychic scamster's
dream. A wealthy heir to an Oregon tree farm
fortune, he had an almost childlike gullibility.
He also believed in psychics.
"I'm interested in—deeply interested in
the paranormal. I have a strong interest in it," he
told American Greed. "Some of the areas I
believe in. Some of the areas I don't."
But that belief was just enough to set up
Ralph Raines, Jr. for one of the most outrageous
frauds in psychic scam history.
In 2004, he visited the Bend, Oregon
storefront of Rachel Lee, who had claimed in
TV ads to be a "world renowned" psychic.
There, the 57-year-old Raines confided his
biggest desire.
"I said I wished I had a family was
married and had a family," he recalls.
It was all the opening Lee needed to
burrow into Junior's life, and into the family
fortune.
To pose as the woman of his dreams,
Rachel Lee recruited her 17-year-old daughter,
who then convinced Junior he had fathered her
son…named Giorgio Armani!
Lee would eventually gain control of the
Raines family assets, including the 1,000-acre,
sustainable tree farm, which was sold, clear-cut,
and subdivided for development.
The scam would go on for ten years
before authorities caught on, almost by accident,
in a way Rachel Lee somehow could not predict.
She eventually pleaded guilty to
conspiracy, and is serving an 8-year prison
sentence for a crime that proved that just about
the only things these psychics can truly see
coming are their victims. []
Thomas Edison Had An
Idea To Speak With The
Dead
By Kevin L. Clark
The life and legacy of Thomas Edison is mired
in success, failure and controversy. From his
embattled competition with Nikola Tesla to his
successful business acumen, everything Edison
accomplished was highly scrutinized after his
passing in 1931.
With all of his patents and inventions
listed, it appears that there was one project that
was meant to be off the shelves. The mind
behind the phonograph and thief of the light
bulb had an idea to create an instrument
designed to hear voices of deceased individuals.
The revelation came in the form of a chapter
from the inventor’s memoirs that was practically
lost. Said memoirs are being published once
again this week, in France.
In short, Edison wanted to develop a
“spirit phone,” an ethereal device that would
summon to the living the voices of the dead and
record them for posterity. The Ohio-born
inventor attempted to detail his efforts and
include them as the final chapter of his Diary
and Sundry Observations book.
Despite his own thoughts behind the
“spirit phone,” many inside the U.S. and abroad
thought that Edison was only joking or that it
was part of a hoax. With no design for an
invention of such nature uncovered, the
evidence would support the belief that he was
only fooling the public. However, in 1949 in
France, the French translation of Edison’s
original diary was preserved intact, which
included the missing final chapter.
Yesterday, readers in France were able to
learn Edison’s thoughts about the afterlife in the
book titled Le Royaume de l’Au-dela (translated
to The Kingdom of the Afterlife). Philippe
Baudouin, a French radio presenter and trained
philosopher, told the Agence France-Presse,
“This little-known episode in the history of
talking machines was of special interest to me,
as I’m a radio man.”
As the chapter goes into startling detail
about Edison, he is painted as a searching entity
in the late 1870s who attempted to create a
foundation for his “spirit phone” invention by
amplifying sound emanating from his
phonographs. For those who didn’t pay attention
in history class, that was the device that served
as the direct precursor to record players and
gramophones.
Edison, who believed that ghosts
existed, also deemed the otherworld as a very
talkative place. He brought in audio engineer
William Walter Dinwiddie to make a deal with
him that whomever died first “would try to send
a message to the survivor from beyond,” said
Baudouin. “He imagined being able to record
the voice of another being, to be able to make
audible that which isn’t -- the voice of the dead,”
Badouin concluded. []
The Fun of Series by Roberta Grimes 87

www.RobertaGrimes.com www.RobertaGrimes.com

www.RobertaGrimes.com www.RobertaGrimes.com
88 The REL-MAR Digital Publications Store

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 Connecting with Coincidence
Connecting with Coincidence
The New Science for Using Synchronicity and Serendipity in Your Life
Bernard Beitman, MD is the
first psychiatrist since Carl
Jung to systematize the study
of coincidences. He
developed the first valid scale
to measure coincidence
sensitivity, and has written
several coincidence articles
for Psychiatric Annals. The
author or editor of 16
professional books, he is a
visiting professor at the University of Virginia,
attended Yale Medical School and completed a
psychiatric residency at Stanford. NOW you can
listen to Connecting with Coincidence Radio Show
with Dr. Bernie Beitman on The ‘X’ Zone Broadcast
Network at www.xzbn.net
www.coincider.com
89
We've all experienced or heard of surprising events and
unexplainable coincidences—money that seems to come
from nowhere, a spontaneous idea that turns into a life-
changing solution, meeting our soulmate on a flight we
weren't supposed to take, or families being reunited by
"accident" after years of separation.
Often these coincidences are explained as being controlled
by a higher power or pure chance. But for the first time
since Carl Jung's work, comes bold new research that
explains scientifically how we can identify, understand,
and perhaps even control the frequency of coincidences in
our everyday lives.
Bernard Beitman, a leading expert on Coincidence
Studies, proposes a greater personal responsibility which
depends partly upon newly discovered "grid cells" located
in the brain, near the hippocampus. But neuroscience
cannot complete the entire puzzle, and in this fascinating
guide, Beitman provides the missing piece. From
analyzing true stories of synchronicity from around the
globe and throughout history, he shares key personality
characteristics and situational factors that contribute to the
occurrence of meaningful coincidences in our lives.
Where other books on coincidences tend to be theoretical,
inspirational, or story collections only, Beitman's book is
the first to provide a scientific understanding and practical
ways in which readers can use them in their own lives. He
reveals:
• How to activate your observing self so you don't miss
synchronistic moments
• How serendipity can offer insights into solving
problems or making difficult decisions
• Why stress activates meaningful coincidences
• Which states of mind impede our ability to experience
synchronicity
• How to interpret the meaning of a coincidence
• Why being attuned to coincidences is a learned
skill—and how to hone your sensitivity.
 90 ‘Ghost Hunters’ TV Is More Fiction
'Ghost Hunters' Is More
Fiction Than Fact, And
Here's Why
Continued from Page 83
While viewers don't know for certain that those
things are happening, that they're questioned by
former cast members speaks volumes to the
veracity of the narrative that Ghost Hunters is
trying to sell.
Night Is A Convenient Excuse For Phony
Evidence
Ghost Hunters' distinctive night vision is
all part of the experience, but when you really
stop to think about it, it doesn't make a whole lot
of sense. Ghosts are always associated with
nighttime, despite there being no real reason
they shouldn't be spooking the living all day
long. But night makes a convenient cover for
camera tricks and suggestion rather than
concrete evidence. Flashlights do strange things
to shadows and silhouettes, and people are
naturally predisposed to seeing things that aren't
there in the dark. It's all part of the atmosphere,
but it's also a convenient way to show something
by showing nothing at all.
The Flashlight Communication Trick Is Just
Physics
The Ghost Hunters crew has a few spirit
communication tricks up their sleeves, but the
flashlight bit is one of the easiest to replicate
without expensive equipment. As the story goes,
you simply unscrew your flashlight slightly and
ask questions, and the spirits can turn the light
on and off to answer.
But the explanation is less that ghosts are
talking to you and more that heat expansion and
contraction are making your light blink on and
off. A flashlight's bulb generates heat, warming
the reflector and making it expand. When you
switch the flashlight off, the reflector cools and
contracts. If you unscrew the flashlight a tiny
bit, that cycle of expansion and contraction will
make the light flicker on and off, as inner pieces
briefly make contact and light the bulb.
It requires no interference on the part of
the investigators, no post-production, and looks
pretty creepy, making it a perfect fit for selling
paranormal activity to viewers.
EMF Readers Are Easy To Fool
EMF readers are a major tool of
paranormal investigators like the Ghost Hunters
cast. By reading electromagnetic fields,
investigators say they can detect ghosts through
anomalous readings - a spike in your reading
when not near an electrical device may indicate
a ghost.
Unfortunately, this mainstay of the ghost
hunting toolkit is notoriously prone to
malfunction. Even moving an EMF reader too
fast can set it off, and there's no real conclusive
evidence that electromagnetic fluctuations
indicate paranormal activity. If you throw out
even half of Ghost Hunters evidence that
involves an EMF reading as a error, that doesn't
leave much evidence.
Made-Up Stories Are Presented As Fact
The heart of every good ghost
investigation is a good story. But sometimes a harm to the field of paranormal research by
good story is nothing more than rumor and shutting others out.
superstition, as one investigator proved when
both he and T.A.P.S. investigated the same site. Replicating The Evidence Is Easy
The investigator, Joe Nickell, had heard from the Any person that makes claims about the
staff of The Myrtles a story about a slave named supernatural is bound to be investigated, and the
Chloe who had murdered people at the thriving fan community around Ghost Hunters
plantation. When he did some research, he found means that they've seen their fair share of people
that Chloe had never existed. Still, the Ghost trying to replicate their evidence. What fans
Hunters cast recited the story as if it was fact. have found is that it's not all that hard to
Historical evidence is just as important replicate even the most seemingly concrete
as the scientific stuff when you're talking about proof of paranormal activity. Black string,
the paranormal, but that piece was left out of the fishing line, and duplicitous editing have all
investigation in favor of a better story. been tested and examined by organizations like
S.A.P.S. These organizations don't exist to rain
The Hosts Blame Ghosts For Easily on everybody's paranormal parade, but rather to
Explainable Phenomena show how easy it is to fake paranormal evidence
When you're trying to prove or disprove in a field that desperately needs rigorous
the supernatural, you're going to have to make adherence to the scientific method.
some claims that not everybody is going to
believe. But Ghost Hunters has a serious Ghost Hunters Are Prone To Misusing
problem with connecting easily explainable Scientific Equipment
events to paranormal evidence. When a lamp Equipment like EMF readers and
moved on its own in one episode, the cast said thermal energy cameras lend credence to
that it could have been Grant that moved it by paranormal investigation, which struggles to
mistake, but still chalked the event up to find footing in scientific communities.
supernatural forces. Worse, fans analyzed Unfortunately, that equipment is as subject to
footage from the show that seems to show Grant user error as anything else, and using it doesn't
with the cord in his hand. automatically make you an expert on its
The site was ruled haunted regardless of function. This is a big problem for paranormal
the questions surrounding the moving lamp, investigators like those on Ghost Hunters, who
with the event being all the more damning may not understand exactly how the equipment
because it appeared that Grant had knowingly they're using works.
done it.
False Positives Don't Work As Evidence
They're Rarely The First Investigators It's a simple fact that you're more likely
Ghost Hunters, as a hit TV show, has to find something you're looking for than
access to a lot of places everyday folks don't. At something you aren't. This applies double for
some historical places or otherwise off-limits fields like ghost hunting, especially when it's
sites, the hosts often claim that they're the first to televised - finding something gets ratings, and
do a thorough investigation there - but past crew it's far more interesting to watch people
members have revealed that's not really the case. wandering through an abandoned house that
While it might seem like a little white lie might be full of ghosts than one that's just full of
for drama's sake, it also serves to bolster the spiders. But this attitude, along with finicky
crew's reputation in a way that might not equipment and a lack of knowledge on how to
actually be deserved. Long-standing experts in use it, mean that false positives are disturbingly
the field are losing opportunities and speaking common on shows like Ghost Hunters, hurting
engagements to TV hosts, which, when the show's approach to paranormal investigation
combined with these claims and their faulty as a whole. []
science, means Ghost Hunters is doing actual
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92 My Thomas by Roberta Grimes

M Y T H O M A S
by
Roberta Grimes
When Martha Skelton finds herself falling in love with a
shy young burgess named Thomas Jefferson, it feels like an
inconvenience. Widowed at twenty-two, Martha has no
desire to lose the independence she has gained in the wake
of her husband's death. But she cannot deny her feelings
indefinitely. Despite her intentions, her friendship with
Thomas develops into an intense and all-consuming love.

History casts a shadow on Martha's newfound joy. Through

her father's slave and mistress, Betty Hemings, she comes
to understand the true nature of slavery, an institution she
has always taken for granted. As Betty's revelations tear
down the walls of her ignorance, Martha begins to work
with her husband to end the despicable practice forever.

This story is essentially true. Thomas Jefferson was such an

obsessive record-keeper that we know what he was doing
nearly every day of his adult life, and all the public things
he is quoted as saying in My Thomas come from his
contemporary writings. Martha's marriage to Thomas
spanned the decade from 1772 to 1782, so it put her at the
center of the audacious grab at freedom that was the
American Revolution. Jefferson's writings suggest that if
he had not been widowed, he would have retired from
politics following the war and devoted himself to finding a
way to end slavery that could have truly and forever healed
the separations between the races. It is hard to read
Martha's story now and not think about what might have
been.
ROBERTA GRIMES is a business attorney who had two experiences of light in
childhood. She then spent decades studying nearly 200 years of abundant and
consistent communications from the dead, quantum mechanics, and the nature of
consciousness to learn in detail what happens at and after death. She shares her
discoveries in The Fun of Dying – Find Out What Really Happens Next (Greater
Reality, 2010, 2014). Her sequel, The Fun of Staying in Touch (Greater Reality, 2014),
details the many ways in which the dead give us signs of their survival and the exciting
new ways that we can contact them. Roberta has been a guest on more than 100 radio
programs during the past year, recently including The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show with Rob
McConnell. She delivers weekly podcasts on WebTalkRadio.net that feature
interviews with prominent experts. Her iTunes podcast archive has hundreds of
thousands of subscribers. Visit Robert Grimes Online at www.RobertaGrimes.com.
MY THOMAS is NOW Available at bookstores everywhere including:
Barnes & Noble, Costco, Target, Books-A-Million, Hudson Booksellers,
Walmart, Kmart, Sam's Club, Walgreen's, CVS & Amazon.com.

www.RobertaGrimes.com