SUBJECT: ENCOUNTERS OF THE REWARDING KIND FILE: UFO3194 Close Encounters of the Financially Rewarding Kind 07/20/92 THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL One night a couple of years ago, while lying in bed at 2 a.m., Irene Chen says she was overcome by a surge of "tingling heat energy" that entered through her head, exited through the bottom of her feet and warmed her entire house to the point where her roommate thought she had turned up the heat. Then, she says, she saw a holographtype vision hovering in space in her bed room that depicted the name Unicus at the top of a 17- story building. A telepathic voice told her to start publishing a magazine by this name about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrials (ETs), and that the magazine would eventually achieve worldwide recognition. The telepathic voice also told her that if she started the magazine on her own, the "spirits from the other side" would find people to help her with it. Chen, who was working as a freelance art director for advertising agencies, soon started publishing Unicus at home on her Macintosh computer. Now Unicus has a circulation of more than 35,000 nationwide, and Chen has 15 volunteers along with one other paid staff member helping her with the magazine. Unicus is one of dozens of Los Angeles County-based businesses selling products that are just out of this world. There are two other locally based magazines, along with businesses that sell videos of UFO sitings, UFO caps, T-shirts and books. Then there are the UFO and ET conventions, and groups of earthlings who meet solely to bond with others who have had UFO and ET experiences. Long an active business sphere, it has become increasingly popular during the past five years, said Edward Foster, editor in chief of International UFO Library Magazine. People are less reticent about discussing UFO thoughts and experiences, he says. "They're not so worried about someone pointing a finger and saying, 'There goes a funny farm candidate,'" he says. You never know when you'll run into someone willing to talk about their experiences. One time when Foster was in a store getting some photocopies made for his magazine, the young man waiting on him told Foster he saw a UFO twice when he lived in the Louisiana bayous. The subject has also acquired more credibility, Foster said. Some people who claim to have had UFO and ET experiences have reputable credentials. A survey conducted by Unicus magazine showed that 49 percent of its readers are college graduates and 15 percent have postgraduate degrees. Also, the average annual income of its readers is $37,000 and 21 percent make more than $65,000 a year. Sixty percent of the readers are female and 40 percent are male. The UFO appeal appears to be nearly universal, encompassing scientists, military personnel, psychologists, police officers and physicians, sources say. Selling products about spaceships and funny-looking creatures with antennas isn't always profitable though, Foster says. Some publishing houses that put out books on the subject make money, and some of the field's magazines do well. But most of the mom-and-pop businesses that peddle UFO-type products don't make much profit, if any, he says. Information on the subject is transmitted via books and videos. Alexandria II, a new age bookstore with outlets in Pasadena and Westwood, carries about 300 books and about a dozen videos on the subject of UFOs and ETs, says Victoria Gevoian, one of the the bookstore's owners. One of the top sellers is "Secret Life," which "uncovers the full drama of what it's like to be abducted" in UFOs, Gevoian says. People who have had contact with those from outer space don't like to be alienated. They like to read about others who have had similar experiences, she says. Alexandria II has sold at least 100 of the "Secret Life" books at a price of $21 each during the past couple of months, Gevoian says. Also, UFO book-signings at the store often attract as many as 150 earthlings, three times as many as attend signings for books on more down-to-earth subjects. Meanwhile, videos sold at the bookstore show footage of UFO encounters and talk about the technology of UFOs, among other things. Furthermore, those intrigued by UFOs have a chance to encounter others with the same topic by participating in a UFO group that meets at the bookstore once every couple of months. The group started out several months ago with about 10 participants, but now has about 30, says Rachel Wynter, a manager of Alexandria II. The sessions feature speakers who are authorities on the subject and involve discussions afterward. Those who wanted to link up with a larger group of UFO and ET enthusiasts went to the "Ultimate Need to Know" seminar in Arcadia on June 27 and 28. Hundreds of earthlings landed at the Embassy Suites Hotel there to learn not only about flying saucers but also about alleged government cover-ups of UFO activity, one of the most heated topics of discussion among UFO zealots. Gary Schultz, co-producer of the seminar and founder/director of a group called Secret Saucer Base Expeditions, said there is evidence that four large aerospace companies--namely El Segundo- based Rockwell International Corp., St. Louis-based McDonnell Douglas Corp., Calabasas-based Lockheed Corp. and Los Angeles-based Northrop Corp.--are involved in UFO research. "Late-breaking information" regarding alleged secret covert facilities being operated by the companies in the Antelope Valley was released at the conference, Schultz says. Some would rather sit in the comfort of their own homes and read UFO magazines than attend seminars. A sampling of recent articles: the story of a high-ranking Brazilian medical and psychological professional who was taken for a space journey, and evidence that three governments deny there was a UFO crash in South Africa. To illuminate these magazines for reading purposes, UFO enthusiasts can buy flying saucer lamps from Jonathan Fox for $75 apiece. The ceramic lamps are about 10 inches high and 8 inches wide. Fox makes them as a sideline business he operates out of his Santa Monica home. Each UFO magazine, meanwhile, serves a different purpose for its readers. Don Ecker, research director of Sunland-based UFO magazine, says his staffs purpose is to attempt to get to the bottom of the UFO mystery. "We have no doubt that the phenomenon is real," he says, but adds that it cannot yet be said with certainty that the situation does indeed involve extraterrestrials. International UFO Library Magazine has a different mission, which is to present all of the available information and let the public make up its own mind. Foster says. Foster was a writer before he was hired to edit the magazine, but had never written about anything to do with UFOs. "I had a lot of skepticism" at first, "and I still have a lot," he says. ********************************************************************* * -------->>> THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo <<<------- * *********************************************************************