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Reading the All Colours Sam thread in Ufology, I was struck that you just don't get Fortean reports like that now, or if you do, it's something someone's invented on Reddit or for Creepypasta (is that still a thing?). Is that the attraction of these old cases, a kind of nostalgia for the times...

OK, for some reason I remembered (or half-remembered) these kids today. They were featured a few times in the FT about 10-20 years ago, and were two brothers (possibly twins) who led a militia army in South East Asia. They smoked cigars, I think. People were terrified of them because of their...

Social media strikes again, I don't know if this is still a "thing" but (as reported in FT 415) last year there was a trend to explain away disappearances in America's National Parks as the result of people who have gone feral and started hunting and eating hikers and tourists. Here's a rundown...

Been reading this in the latest FT. This is only part of the story: News story Basically Pastor Kevin O. Smith who led a Christian cult called Pathways became increasingly erratic, won the total support of his congregation, then staged a sermon where he started cutting their throats as a mass...

There's a photo in the latest Fortean Times letters page of a British postbox, traditional red pillar design, with a knitted top on, like a tea cosy. Nobody knows who made it, or why it was there. Well, there's one near me, and it's not the one in the mag! It's a white, winter's one, with a...

Kind of facetious reporting here, but probably warranted: News story A French prankster revealed he has been faking UFOs with his special drone, and dressing up as an alien to create news reports. Which succeeded after a fashion, and now he's laughing up his sleeve at the credulous UFO...

Can't find a mention of this one: a matchbox company in the 20th Century found sales were going down, so devised a sneaky way to get them going back up again. They printed the same pattern on the top and bottom of the matchbox, so that the buyer would open them the wrong way around some of the...

Right, mention of tapioca in the old time dinners thread brought to mind this nugget. Apparently (I read in this book as a kid) it was invented by an explorer (in Africa? South America?) who had been hopelessly lost for some time in the jungle, so decide to end it all by eating a poisonous...

Basing this on a letter in FT 411, where the writer asked if all ghosts and spirits contacted by mediums should have the same religion, because on "the other side" there should be a consensus on what to believe spiritually. Have there been any ghosts who conveyed any helpful religious advice?

Was just thinking, if you're a spirit, as in a ghost, do you "see" without being able to close your "eyes"? Or is your vision now permanent and you cannot sleep or block anything out? Even losing the blinking impulse may be disturbing. That may explain why some spirits seem to behave in an...

Was listening to Dr Hannah Fry's science slot on BBC 6Music this morning, and she was discussing islands on islands, that is, an island in a lake that has an island on it in a lake. Some say there are islands on islands in islands too. But she mentioned somewhere I think was called Moose Cove...

Interesting little refresher here on Marjoe Gortner: Article He's a forgotten man these days, but made his name as a small child when he was horrendously bullied by his Christian fundamentalist parents into being a child preacher. He grew up, and exposed the tricks of evangelism in a popular...

I tried the search facility and got every mention of George and Washington ever made here, so I'll try posting a thread. Inspired by Classical Corner of the latest FT: did George Washington have wooden false teeth or not? Can we thrash this one out?

Do we really not have a Travis Walton thread? Couldn't find one, just a few mentions here and there. Anyway, his former friend Mike Rogers who witnessed him being abducted now says he wants nothing to do with the case anymore (per FT report). Apparently they have fallen out over a remake of...

Basic story, New Jersey Police take away a UFO detector erected in a park, to better allow the invaders to attack, or perhaps because leaving junk around in parks is not cool: News story Whether you think the cops are in on this, I couldn't possibly comment.

You know how ghosts are associated with the cold, and some people believe a cold spot in a building is proof of the supernatural, etc? Are there any instances of warm spots or warm sensations associated with ghosts instead?

I'm not sure if this is a crime, because it's being treated as unexplained, but the family want publicity in case anyone can remember anything about her. Saima Ahmed was found dead on an Edinburgh golf course in 2015, nobody seems to know how or why she died, or what she was doing in Edinburgh...

I was chatting to a friend tonight (on the phone!) and he mentioned he had read that Melody Schick (later Stein) apparently died last year at 67. She was for a while the world record holder for standing still, managing around eight hours - she attempted the feat at a Dallas shopping centre in...

A monolith of unknown origin has been found on the Moon in the Utah desert: News story There's a video of it at the link, if you're interested. See if you can think up a 2001: A Space Odyssey joke for it.

Maybe someone can clear this up: can a tracker dog follow your scent through a river or body of water? You see it certain films, the escapee getting away because they crossed a river (apart from in No Country for Old Men, which provides a twist on that cliche), but is it true in real life? I...

New York State farmer Kirk Mathes finds a safe on his property, but refuses to open it: News story He says he wants it to remain a mystery because it's a nice distraction from other news. That it may be, but is anyone wondering if there's a body in it? The previous owner appears to have taken...

O what a nice surprise, the new FT meets mine eyes! Plus I've had a chance for a good browse of it, and really enjoyed the moving statues article. Nice to see an old reliable, a ghostly monk, in IHTM as well. The article on nurses' spooky stories should interest many here.

A "researcher" called Roderick Millington has used EVP to record the voice of Satan: Hear here It's on Amazon, apparently. Expect Satan to have a new album out in time for Christmas.

Not sure how Fortean this is, but it was in the mag as a possible UL: does tearing basil leaves improve the flavour in the cooking? As opposed to just cutting them? Or neither? I've always ripped them, presumably because it releases the flavour, plus it's more convenient! Any thoughts from...

Couldn't see an unsolved murders thread, so any thoughts on the Keddie Murders of 1981? Info: Wiki link Every so often new evidence arises, but it goes nowhere. Most of the suspects are dead now anyway. The witness saying he saw the killings in a dream is a weird part of it. Sometimes the...

Danny Baker mentioned on his podcast today, about a spate of unknown gangs (or maybe just one gang) who in South London turned three-wheeler cars onto their roofs for a brief period about fifty years ago. Apparently it was reported in newspapers. It stopped as soon as it began, and no culprits...

Meanwhile, in Darvaza, Turkmenistan: Wiki page This one's a relative baby, from 1971. Started deliberately by oil prospectors, though the results and massive pollution were accidental. What a piece of work is Man!

Interested to read about Australian tourist Marion Barter in the latest FT, here's the Wiki rundown of her case: Story Basically, she was on a trip of a lifetime to the UK in 1997, without her family, when she stopped contacting them. They became suspicious something was up when she didn't...

In the latest Mythconceptions, there's a question about mice: if you find a mouse on your property, should you humanely let it go at least a mile away? That way it won't find its way back to your home, because mice, like pigeons, have a homing ability. This is assuming you don't squash it or...

So does that make Michael Jackson God? Exciting movie news Basically, a petition has been signed by hundreds of thousands of people to stop the release of a film starring Paris Jackson as Jesus Christ. Apparently this means they (the filmmakers) believe Jesus was "a lesbian" (!), according to...

If you're quacking up under Lockdown, do what this lady did: News story She took three eggs from a packet of duck eggs she got in Waitrose, and incubated them. They've hatched and are now her pets. I don't think you can do that with chicken eggs, anyone know why duck eggs are fertilised if...

Happened to be flicking through a book of urban myths, and found one that went over my head. Joshua was said to have stopped the sun in the Bible, and scientists at NASA have proved it. Except they didn't, this one goes back as far as the 19th century and has no basis in fact. But here it is...

In the very interesting article on gardening folklore in the latest FT, that old story about testing whether the soil is ready for planting in was brought up. With an illustrative photo if you couldn't picture that (!). The idea is, you drop your breeks and sit in the earth, and if the soil is...

New Alex Garland series starts tonight on BBC2 at 9pm, the Americans have already seen it. It's a sci-fi show with Nick Offerman. Garland's best known for The Beach, 28 Days Later..., Ex Machina and Annihilation (which I thought was rubbish, but he's got a good track record otherwise). I'll...

Asked in Mythconceptions from FT 390: does clean hair squeak? Meaning, once you've washed your hair, the story goes it should make a squeaking noise if you run your fingers through it. Must admit, I didn't know this was a "thing", but when I squeak my wet hair it's always accidental because...

In FT390, there's a story mentioned from 1984 about a backyard in Lakewood, LA, California which was hit by a WW2 shell. It didn't explode, but there were no planes nearby, it left a crater suggesting it had fallen from a great height, and made a "whistling sound" on its descent. No...

Mentioned in FT390 is the case of the UFO over Fyffe, Alabama, a tiny town where hundreds of people saw the pianist Liberace emerge from a banana-shaped UFO, descend a staircase and play music at a piano with "glowing fingers". It was a seven days wonder, but on investigation, it was probably...

Why can't you get custard flavour soft (fizzy) drinks? Is it because custard powder can be explosive?

Say what you like about Harvey Weinstein, his accusers aren't showing up dead: Kev death news I think this is the third of Kevin Spacey's accusers to die, and the second since September. This latest was a Norwegian royal. I know it's a stretch to say Spacey was behind the deaths, but it is a...

Couldn't find a thread for this, if there is one, merge away, mods! Anyway, if you're looking for a site to browse away the holidays, look no further: Lost Media Archive It's fan-made rather than professional, so caveats apply, but there's lots of interesting stuff about lost films, lost bits...

In FT 387, Peter Brookesmith mentioned this story: The facts Basically, one scientist was annoyed at NASA censoring of the female figure on the Pioneer plate, so in retaliation in the 1980s he broadcast the sound of ballerinas' contracting vaginas to Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti, among others...

You know how many people see ghosts at the bottom of their bed on waking in the middle of the night? It's a common trope. But how can they see them if it's dark? Unless you sleep with the light on, if the curtains were closed and it was between dusk and dawn, you wouldn't be able to see a...

Can't see a gaslighting thread, so here's a big story from October this year: Benjamin Field case I was reading about him in FT 386. It's incredible how persuasive some sick minds can be, this guy was convincing people - elderly people - they were going mad or getting messages from God, all...

In FT 386's Mythconceptions column, it claims that the smell of burnt toast when there's none about meaning you're having a heart attack or stroke is absolutely untrue. It also says chest pains are not ordinarily a symptom of a heart attack. Any comments/any more of these?

If this project works out: What 3 Words site You'll be able to write 3 words on an envelope and have it delivered to a precise address anywhere in the world.

Apologies if I've asked this before, I don't think I have... Has anyone heard the explorer story where the intrepid missionary encounters a tribe that has never met an outsider before, so because they are armed, he smiles broadly to indicate he means them no harm. Unfortunately, showing your...

Was reading in FT 385 about the new phenomenon of hoaxes where posters are put up warning of a deadly animal, like a snake, escaping and telling the public to look out for it. Seems most of these happen on the Continent (like in Germany), but may be happening elsewhere too (like in the UK)...

This is increasingly turning into a cause celebre, but does anyone here recognise this song? The story behind the song What happened was, it was taped off the radio back in the early-to-mid 1980s, and rediscovered on the cassette decades later with no identification. So nobody knows what...

Thought we could do with a His Dark Materials thread. I was engrossed in the trilogy when I read them, in a "worthy successor to The Lord of the Rings" way, only with a lot less faith in The Almighty, they're a cracking read that I much preferred to all the other YA efforts I tried (not many...

Not sure where to put this, and I don't even have a decent link to an original report, but it's being said "scientists" have discovered watching films makes you look older because they make you pull different expressions when you react to them, hence giving you lines and wrinkles. Not sure how...