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FT371

Looking forward to this one, particularly the John Keel article. Smiths don't seem to have them in until two or three days after the due date. Need to renew my script!
 
Got mine today, really good letters page. The crane fly conundrum of a few issues ago has a few interesting explanations, but I doubt they were needed to get rid of mosquitoes. England suffers from them now, but how many would be around there in 1938?

I'm not going to start a thread on so-called "Ape rape", but it's pretty farfetched, isn't it? Never heard of anything like that outside of colonial fantasies in fiction.
 
Got mine yesterday, only read a bit so far, but most of the articles look good. Loved the fairy letter from little girl, well written and recorded. It's great that the younger generation are getting into forteana and FT, I was about 14 myself when I first bought FT.
 
Popped in to mention the young lady sat on the floor in the letters section reading FT is quite the magazine reader. An identical photo appears in the letters page of Dark Side magazine this month with her holding that periodical instead.
 
Free advertising for her psychic services?
 
Popped in to mention the young lady sat on the floor in the letters section reading FT is quite the magazine reader. An identical photo appears in the letters page of Dark Side magazine this month with her holding that periodical instead.
Heckler! You're back! Good to see you, man.
 
The crane fly conundrum of a few issues ago has a few interesting explanations, but I doubt they were needed to get rid of mosquitoes. England suffers from them now, but how many would be around there in 1938?

The strange thing is, and he mentions it later in the same letter, that crane fly larvae live in soil feeding on grass roots and stems while mosquito larvae are aquatic. This must have been known in the 30's, especially by gardeners.
 
The crane fly conundrum of a few issues ago has a few interesting explanations, but I doubt they were needed to get rid of mosquitoes. England suffers from them now, but how many would be around there in 1938?

I think mosquitoes have been known in southern England, particularly marshy areas, since the mediaeval area (and probably before the 'Little Ice Age' as well). Romney Marsh, the Fen country etc. were well-known for occurrences of 'the Ague' which is believed to have been a less lethal type of malaria, spread by the usual vector. Even in Tudor times, many (including Henry VIII's older brother Arthur and later Anne Boleyn) suffered from 'the sweating sickness' which some think could have been TB (it killed the young Prince Arthur), but I suspect might have been good old-fashioned Ague. I think I recently saw or read an account of Ague still being around in the early 20th century.
 
Great Ghostwatch about the connection between dreams and ghosts, looking forward to part 2.
 
Popped in to mention the young lady sat on the floor in the letters section reading FT is quite the magazine reader. An identical photo appears in the letters page of Dark Side magazine this month with her holding that periodical instead.
And she's also in the latest Rue Morgue too!
 
Sounds like a good "It Happened to Me":

I was sitting on the floor at the local Barnes and Noble - wearing those shorts that are sure to get the attention of magazine letter column editors - when all of a sudden my Fortean Times became a Dark Side! I blinked and it was a Rue Morgue!
 
Something's intriguing me about the John Keel article in this issue. I've sent this information to the magazine, but I fear I've had too many of my letters and comments published lately, so I provide it here.

I was surprised to find out that Keel wrote for Candid Camera. I have a dim memory of a Candid Camera segment in the 1960s involving people's reaction to a Mothman-like creature on the roof of a building. (The only reason this odd stunt remains in my mind is that I was told some of it was filmed in communities near my home.)

Assuming I'm remembering correctly: was this Keel's idea? Or did Keel learn of the Mothman because of someone else's inspiration for this stunt? Or were the original Mothman sightings nothing more than Keel or his colleagues testing out a hidden camera gag?

I've written to the Candid Camera company to see if I can get more information.

Update Nov. 12, 2018: Candid Camera has not replied. I am sad.
 
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The article on super-centenarians, article mentions the last recap was in 365, only six editions earlier.

Do we need that many recaps? And is it actually Fortean if that many are required?

For me, over 115 at a push, 120 for real wow, is the benchmark of out of the ordinary aging.
 
The article on super-centenarians, article mentions the last recap was in 365, only six editions earlier.

Do we need that many recaps? And is it actually Fortean if that many are required?

For me, over 115 at a push, 120 for real wow, is the benchmark of out of the ordinary aging.
Heck my next door neighbour is 105!
 
The Virgin Mary appearing to save the church... Yet we are giving no credit to her super sidekick Nefertiti appearing right next to her!?
 
The thing about Alf Wilson, the Stockport Fasting Man, intrigues me. re-reading the article about competitive fasting, he looked familiar from somewhere. I'd seen a face like this before. It took a bit of thinking about, but I'm sure a kid I was at school with in Stockport in the 1970's, called Ray Wilson, could well have been his grandson or a descendent. Wonder where he is now.... information on Alf is depressingly sparse. Even the local police are stumped!

Can anyone help us with our inquiries concerning a Mr Alf Wilson...
 
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