The Mission
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Quantum Immortality
Let’s talk about life. And death. And decisions we make that affect both of those seeming extremes. I don’t need to tell anyone that we live in interesting times. Just a few short weeks ago, people were getting ready to fill out their March Madness brackets, or planning a family trip around Spring Break, or even going out to eat at a favorite restaurant. But now, thanks to the coronavirus and social distancing, these mundane, normal activities feel like the ancient past. Not only that, but it’s reasonable to think that everyone who knows someone (or is) immunocompromised has found themselves feeling, well, more mortal than usual. And few things…
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EDITORIAL–The Need for Standardized Data in Paranormal Research
Over the past couple of decades, I’ve noticed a commonality among paranormal researchers. (For today’s purposes, I’ll use the term ‘paranormal’ to mean anything outside of the ordinary, even though the different communities might be at odds with one another. This includes, but is not limited to, the study of ghosts, cryptids of all sorts, UFOs, Ancient Alien theory, abductions, and out-of-place artifacts.) The commonality is a simple one–the odd university department or study notwithstanding, there is no set of agreed-upon data that sets the bar for what is or isn’t acceptable evidence. In other words, one investigator may count an abnormal cry or shriek in the darkened woods as…
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EDITORIAL: A Brief Word on the Exploitation of Annaliese Michelle
I’m taking a break from my research into possession to write about something that’s been bothering me for awhile now. As most Forteans and/or horror fans know, the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose was based on the real-life case of the exorcisms suffered by a young German woman in the 1970’s named Annaliese Michelle. I won’t go deeply into the case here, because you can literally find her story just about everywhere. In a nutshell, she was a religious girl who may or may not have been possessed. A series of exorcisms was performed on her for several months, culminating in her death and the conviction of her parents…
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Welcome to the Armchair Fortean!
Welcome to the Armchair Fortean! What, exactly, is an Armchair Fortean, you ask? Well, it’s simple, really. The Armchair Fortean is a person who reads and watches books and documentaries about the Unknown, or Hard to Describe, or, as we’ll call it here, Weird, Spooky Stuff. This stuff includes, but is not limited to, UFOs, Ghosts, Cryptids, Extraterrestrials, Ultraterrestrials, Archaeology, and odd occurrences in the world at large. The practicing Armchair Fortean, however, doesn’t stop at consuming media about WSS, but, just as importantly, THINKS about it. A good Armchair Fortean takes in all the WSS, ponders it, finds connections, approaches weirdness in order to explore phenomena, attempting to make…