From: | AOLNewsProfiles@aol.net |
Title: | VAMPIRE, UFO FANS DEBATE TRUTH OF MOON LANDING |
Source: | Reuter |
Date: | April 21, 1996 |
LONDON, April 21 (Reuter) - Vampire hunters, Ufologists and
experts on the sexual aspects of ancient British fertility
religions met on Sunday to debate whether people really landed
on the moon and whether alien abductions are real.
The 1,200 delegates also sat through lectures on mermaids,
reincarnation, ghosts and the evolution of the vampire at the
``Unconvention'' sponsored by the Fortean Times, Britain's
journal of strange phenomena.
``It's nice to meet our readers and have a forum for
cross-disciplinary discussion,'' said Fortean co-editor Paul
Sieveking.
Now in its 23nd year, the Fortean Times is dedicated to the
work of Charles Fort, a U.S. philosopher who said most
scientists tended to formulate theories according to their own
beliefs rather than the rules of evidence and that inconvenient
data was ignored.
``The Fortean attitude can be applied to virtually anything
-- which is one of temporary acceptance rather than committed
belief,'' Sieveking said.
Some delegates argued that the U.S. National Aeronautic and
Space Administration (NASA) had ``faked'' still and television
photographs of the U.S. moon landings and, by implication, the
moon landings themselves.
``There is no proof (of the U.S. Apollo moon landings) other
than what NASA tells us,'' said David Percy, a professional
photographer, who told delegates that close scrutiny of
photographs taken by astronauts on the moon ``indicated'' they
may have been manufactured on film sets on Earth.
``I was a sceptic but now I do believe there was a
cover-up,'' said one photographer after listening to Percy's
lecture.
Delegates also watched film footage supposed to show the
autopsy of a six-fingered and toed alien visitor in 1947.
``I can't believe 1,000 people are sitting in silence
watching this rubbish,'' said one sceptic who left the lecture
hall half way through the presentation.
Many of the delegates bought T-shirts with the alien's
pre-autopsy head embossed on the front.
Members of the Raelian Movement, who handed out leaflets to
all delegates as they entered the ``Unconvention'' doors, hope
to build an ``embassy'' for extraterrestrials, who would
otherwise ``not have any official channels to use to establish
contact'' with Earthlings.
For six pounds ($9), the Raelians will reveal what a
journalist named Rael was told by a UFO alleged to have
contacted him nearly 23 years ago.
Fortean's Sieveking said he ``reserved judgment'' as to the
validity of any of the arguments put forward at the
``Unconvention'' this weekend.
``We like to sit on the fence,'' he said.