If you need to be reminded that the world is a weird place, tune in to one of those dead-of-night advertorials with studio audiences going ape over spray paint for bald spots. Then again, if you need to be reminded that the world is a really, really weird place, buy the Fortean Times.
FT, "the journal of strange phenomena," is a bimonthly British publication from John Brown Publishing that humorously and critically examines such topics as spontaneous human combustion, mysterious crop circles, alien abductions, cattle mutilations, Bigfoot/Loch Ness monster sightings, and science hoaxes. Any "curioddity" will do; editors Paul Sieveking and Bob Rickard also consider it their duty to tell you about the woman whose behind was scratched by a squirrel as she sat down on her own toilet. (The furry fella had apparently entered the plumbing system via a roof vent. It drowned when she slammed down the lid.) FT's wry, tongue-in-cheek wit is one of ever-so-delicate amusement rather than flip crudity.
Still, the mag is not for the squeamish. It recently showed a photo of John Bobbitt's severed member, as well as scene-of-the-accident pictures of people believed by some to have died when their midriffs spontaneously combusted.
FT, which frequently publishes a "strangeness index" that seeks to prove the world is getting weirder, owes its name to researcher and writer Charles Fort. This American of Dutch stock, who coined the term "teleportation," believed that scientists too often argue according to their own beliefs rather than the rules of evidence, and that inconvenient data is frequently ignored, suppressed, or discredited.
Fort died in 1932, but his spirit lives on in what is possibly the most entertaining publication on the planet. Pick up a copy for a measly five bucks, and prepare to spend many hours tsk-tsking, laughing hysterically, and elbowing your loved ones while exclaiming: "Hey! Read this one!"
Fortean Times: US$4.95 per issue. One-year subscription: US$30. Fenner, Reed and Jackson: +1 (516) 627 3836.
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