X Factor; Cover-ups Paranormal UFO's etc

[dem bones]

Joey Clarke & Elaine Wale [eds.] - The X Factor #38 (Marshall Cavendish, 1998)

A French Encounter. In 1981, a French village was the site of one of UFOlogy's most celebrated cases. What happened and why do many scientists believe that the cause of the incident was not of this world?
Watching You Watching Me. In the first of a two-part investigation into the work of maverick biologist Rupert Sheldrake, Mike Flynn examines the 'sense of being stared at.'
Human Sacrifice. In remote parts of South America, the ancient practice of human sacrifice may still continue. John Shreeve hunts down the ritual killers.
Parallel Universes. Some scientists now believe the universe co-exists with an infinite number of others. Sounds like pure science fiction? Joseph Minter checks over the facts.
Scare Tactician. Renowned horror novelist and paranormal researcher Guy N. Smith talks to the X Factor about killer crabs, big cats and investigations into the unknown.
Funeral Rip-offs. Are dishonest funeral directors exploiting the public in their time of grief? David Pescod lifts the lid on the coffin-bearing con men.
Bizarre. Life's strange stories

The X Factor never had anything approaching same impact on this reader as the previous decades The Unexplained - I would but rarely buy an issue when content was of personal interest. So how did I wind up with a near complete run of 1 to 50 (of 96)? A (sadly, late) then-colleague of mine would buy the magazine religiously on the off-chance he'd be featured there-in. When he wasn't, he'd pass the offending issue this way. Have set aside a few to maybe drift up occasionally.

#38. GNS on big cat phenomena, searching for the Loch Ness Monster ("I am actively involved with the project and do pieces for their magazine"), ghost hunting in a Leicestershire pub, psychic research, charity writing marathons with Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe, and a few words about forthcoming novel, The Busker. Among the photographs, one of Guy "showing off the trap he has built in the hope of catching a mystery big cat. Many such animals are reported to live freely in the English West Country, but, up to now, no live specimen has ever been found." Also of note, five pages (not nearly enough: there's surely enough material to devote an entire part-work to the subject) on the dark side of the Death industry. Nineteenth century body-snatchers, present day coffin touts, unscrupulous funeral directors and their extreme cost-cutting methods, the great Californian cremation scandal, and the routine abuse of the dead "for sexual purposes."

[dem bones]

Craig Glenday [ed.] - The X Factor #18 (Marshall Cavendish, 1997)

Attack of the Chupacabras. Strange creatures, allegedly responsible for hundreds of animal mutilations, have been spotted on the island of Puerto Rico. Could they be, as some claim, visitors from another world?
Send in the Clones. Is the successful cloning of a sheep the first step towards a programme of creating human clones for unethical purposes, or are such fears unfounded?
Desert Sketchbook. What is the purpose of the straight lines that are etched into the landscape of the American continent?
Intrepid Investigator. The Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe - researcher, writer, singer and TV star - talks exclusively to The X Factor about his investigations into ancient and unsolved mysteries.
Conversations with the Dead. Every year the world over, countless people attempt to get in touch with the dead through the service of a medium. Is there any proof that they succeed?
Suspicious Circumstances. Hanging, electrocution, poisoning, asphyxiation - why have so many defence industry scientists died in bizarre accidents or suicides? Steven Dorril Investigates.
Bizarre; Life's strange stories.

A volume II highlight. Impossibly tolerant 'jovial Norfolkman' Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe on the Rennes-le-Château mystery, the creeping coffins of Barbados, early investigations with wife Patricia (including that of a haunted Oxfam shop in Norwich), his unshakable faith in Christianity, performing exorcism (" you don't volunteer for this work unless you're totally confident") and the enduring legend of the Mary Celeste. Other standout features include; Attack of the Chupacabras. Goat-sucker sightings proliferate in Puerto Rico and Mexico amid accusations of increased UFO activity and "official cover-ups." Livestock decimated. Women and children living under self-imposed curfew. "The situation is out of control." Conversations with the Dead. Showbiz spiritualists and mediums, including Doris Stokes, Maurice Flynn, Eve Williams "who is, apparently, regularly possessed by the spirit of Henry VIII," a murder witness from beyond the grave. Send in the Clones. Is Dolly the sheep the Anti-christ?

[dem bones]

Joey Clarke & Elaine Wale [eds.] - The X Factor #43 (Marshall Cavendish, 1998)

Going Wild. The Neanderthals are said to have become extinct at the turn of the last Ice age, but some anthropologists believe they may still survive in the wilderness of Central Asia. Brian Innes seeks out the 'Wild Men'
Running on Empty. Science tells us that particular areas of the brain carry out specific functions, so how do people with damaged or underdeveloped brains still function normally?
Soul Searching. Does the technique of Kirlian photography prove the existence of the soul, or is it simply a tool for creating pretty pictures? John Shreeve examines the 'spirit photographs.'
Satan's Servants. In 1993, the leader of a Norwegian Satanic Cult was brutally murdered by a fellow group member. Just months before the slaying, both the victim and his killer spoke to The X Factor about their devotion to the 'Lord of Darkness.'
Electronic Overlords. The increasing use of CCTV is bringing surveillance to the lives of most of us. But, says Andrew McDonald, new technologies may soon allow the state to monitor every aspect of our existence.
A Saucerful of Secrets. Physicist Bob Lazar claims to have been part of a scientific team enlisted to 'back-engineer' ET technology in underground hangars at Area 51. Are his claims fact or mere fiction?
Bizarre. Life's Strange Stories.

Gavin Baddeley sure caught Euronymous at the top of his game. "If we assume these accusations are true - someone has been burning down churches, some Christians have been stabbed - would you approve of that?" "Yes. I support it 100 per cent. I think all kinds of actions which are necessary for spreading sorrow are great. Many people say, for example, that desecrating churchyards is just stupid because you don't harm the Christians. But I think its great because it can depress so many people. You go to church and find the graves desecrated or destroyed, then you're thoroughly depressed - it's a tragedy. It spreads sorrow and I think that's very important .... the Church of Satan, I see them as greater enemies than the Christians. I would say that they are intelligent people - I don't want people to be intelligent, I want dumb slaves ... I hereby, on behalf of the Norwegian Black Metal Circle, declare total war on the Church of Satan. If they want to establish in Norway there will be a problem." Never, ever to be outdone, Count Grishnackh, who would butcher Euronymous soon afterward, was already hinting that he knew plenty about the recent arson spree - eight churches entirely razed or badly damaged in six months - "and, of course, the normal grave desecrations. Also, some people have disappeared ... If I, for example, murdered a person, I could steal his aura and add it to mine, so I would get a more powerful aura. The same goes for church burning. A church has it's own spirit - people have worshipped in the church for maybe hundreds of years and it has thus gained a lot of spirit. A person who sacrifices that will gain power and grow stronger .... No, it [going to jail] wouldn't be fun, but I hate fun so I really wouldn't care too much. I was in prison six weeks and I sometimes wish myself back in my cell because it's so happy out here. Everyone's so kind and loving and I hate that." He soon got his wish. Twenty-one years years worth.

Electronic Overlords highlights the erosion of civil liberties in a surveillance society. At the time this was written, CCTV cameras were already springing up all over England's cities [most likely every other countries, too], but had yet to take a grip on the suburbs - that sure changed. Then as now, any objection to this despicable intrusion was met with; 'if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear,' most notably by those yet to be spied upon around the clock. "Anyone who even mentions a right to privacy seems now to be confessing to a criminal nature ... The machinery is already in place for the UK and other countries to become police states where individual freedom and privacy are sacrificed in the name of public paranoia, and no one is to be trusted."

All things considered, a pretty depressing issue.

[Jojo Lapin X]

Jan 25, 2022 14:32:47 GMT dem bones said:

I hate fun

I think what he really meant was that he had a different idea of fun.

[dem bones]

Jan 25, 2022 14:54:41 GMT Jojo Lapin X said:

Jan 25, 2022 14:32:47 GMT dem bones said:

I hate fun

I think what he really meant was that he had a different idea of fun.

Have you seen Jonas Åkerlund's movie based on Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind's excellent Lords of Chaos? Caught it on TV toward the end of last year; pretty faithful to their findings in the book, I'd have said.

[Jojo Lapin X]

Jan 25, 2022 19:10:57 GMT dem bones said:

Have you seen Jonas Åkerlund's movie based on Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind's excellent Lords of Chaos?

No.

[dem bones]

Craig Glenday [ed.] - The X Factor #15 (Marshall Cavendish, 1997)

The Aviary. Falcon, Penguin, Hummingbird .... who are the high-ranking US military and intelligence agents who are leaking UFO secrets? And are they telling the truth?
Spirit Sounds. What is happening when mysterious voices are recorded on electronic equipment - is it proof that the dead are trying to communicate with us?
The Legend of Loch Ness. Is the largest freshwater lake in the UK home to a giant, unknown creature, or are the reports of 'Nessie' no more than fishy stories?
Terror in the Heartland. Was the Oklahoma bombing the act of a lone terrorist or did the US government play a part in the tragedy?
The Master of Horror. As Britain's number one horror writer, James Herbert has sold over 37 million copies of his books worldwide. He talks exclusively to The X Factor about his work and inspirations.
Altered States. New research suggests that a psychedelic compound, which exists naturally in the human body, could hold the key to the paranormal powers of the mind.
Bizarre. Life's Strange Stories.

"I love certain parts of the film (The Haunted), but for me it wasn't very satisfying. Having Sir John Geilgud in it, and the royal premiere with the paparazzi going mad, that was good - it added to the prestige of the film. I felt like a film star at the premiere! Princess Diana approached me and said; 'You're responsible for all this?' And I said: 'Yeah, thank you very much. I hope you don't mind a little horror?' And she just said; 'No. I'm used to it.' I like that. " James Herbert on his own brushes with the paranormal, current novel 48, researching Portent, his fondness for The X Files and impatience with alien abductees. "I think its a load of bollocks. The people who claim that they've been abducted by aliens? Well, personally, I think they're lunatics. I don't go along with it at all."

The piece on the Loch Ness Monster illustrates the major drawback of the part-works - there's simply too much material to shoehorn into five, very generously illustrated pages. That said, it's good to learn that, following publication The Loch Ness Story, royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell kept his hand in as founder and chairman of an environmental study group, Project Urquhart.

[dem bones]

Joey Clarke & Elaine Wale [eds.] - The X Factor #50 (Marshall Cavendish, 1999)

Haunted Highways. Tales of ghostly hitchhikers and roadside phantoms are common in paranormal literature. Is there more to these stories than mere myth-making?
Soviet Saucer Secrets. A number of top-secret KGB files concerning UFO activity over the former Soviet Union have recently come to light. The X Factor takes an exclusive look.
Pennies from Heaven. The idea that frogs, fishes, coins and allsorts can fall from the skies is central to the Fortean tradition. We examine the real-life reports of these freak showers.
In Two Minds. Multiple personality disorder is a mental condition that many psychiatrists refuse to accept, yet new cases continue to emerge. Do sufferers really have two minds?
Psychic Tracker. Dale E. Graff, former head of the US government's 'psychic spies' programme, talks exclusively to The X Factor about his official activities using remote viewing.
Countdown to Disaster. When the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded on take-off in 1986, the world watched in disbelief. But could the tragedy have been avoided?
Bizarre!. Life's Strange Stories

It was only a matter of time before X-Factor got around to the Phantom Hitchhiker, the only surprise being it took them so long. Five pages, the usual greatest hits selection. Corporal Dawie von Jaarsveld and the ghost of Maria Roux; Barry Collins and the phantom of Blueberry Hill, Kent; Dave Unsworth's man in the grey coat; Resurrection Mary; Rose White; plus the spectral pedestrians, animals and vehicles haunting various accident black spots. The issue's lead story is Tony 'Doc' Shiels - see below - on anomalous falls throughout history. The days it rained frogs, toads, worms, snakes, fish coins, stones, golf balls ....

Joey Clarke & Elaine Wale [eds.] - The X Factor #41 (Marshall Cavendish, 1998)

Faking It. In the world of the paranormal, the deftly-executed hoax is an all too common phenomenon. So how can researchers stay one step ahead of the cheats and tricksters?
Power Struggle In the past century, a number of inventions alleged to produce cheap and 'clean' power have been 'lost'. Is this evidence of an energy conspiracy?
Alien Liaisons. Two UFO witnesses in England have, for months, been out videoing aerial activity in the skies over East Anglia. We investigate the footage and talk to the witnesses.
Monster Raiser. Paranormal Investigator, artist, playwright and all-round enigma, Tony 'Doc' Shiels talks exclusively to The X Factor about his life and work.
Life Without End? In the third of a four-part adaptation of his book Gods of the New Millennium, Alan Alford traces our genetic origins back to the 'immortal' gods of antiquity.
Heaven's Gate. Why, with the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997, did 39 members of an obscure US religious commune take their own lives? The X Factor investigates.
Bizarre!. Life's Strange Stories

"Hale–Bopp brings closure to Heaven's Gate ..."

Among my favourite issues. Includes Jenny Randles on pioneering Victorian spiritualists, the Fox sisters, the Cottingley Fairy photographs, 'the Geller effect,' the Ummo documents, and faked UFO and crop circle footage. Tony 'Doc' Shiels, accomplished magician, artist, playwrite and hoax bloke, on the Loch Ness Monster, Owlman, invoking Morgwar, THE CASE, painting sea heads and his obsession with Moby Dick. Tom Gosden on Marshall Applewaites doomsday-dodging suicide cult, 38 of whom joined him in taking their "last chance to advance beyond human' in March 1997.