RENDLESHAM: tHE MoviE Bringing Britain's Roswell to the the WorlD’s WeirDest neWs stories cinema screen muslims discovered america • changeling children • monster moustache THE WORLD OF STRANGE PHENOMENA WWW.FORTEANTiMES.cOM THE WORLD OF STRANGE PHENOMENA WWW.FORTEANTiMES.cOM FORTEAN TiMES 324 FT324 February 2015 £4.25 seeing fairies NicHOLA S ROERicH OCCULT AND THE SEARcH theAGlost ENThistory of FOR fis SHAMBHALA OF THE • RENDLESHAM: THE EAST MO ViE • Nicholas RoERich GHOST aNd thE sEaRch foR iN THE thE hiddEN kiNgdom MiLKiNG of shambhala MAcHiNE • MUSLiMS "i'm not a conspiracy DiScO theorist, but..." VERED why are we still so AMERicA sceptical about conspiracies? ghost in the (milking) machine a poltergeist outbreak on an FEBRUAR australian farm Y 2015 Fortean Times 324 strange days Another combusting Indian baby, return of Planet X, djinn on the increase, Muslims discovered America, changeling children, Turin Shroud update, Katie Melua’s spider inside her and other unwanted guests – plus much more. CONTENTS 05 THE CONSPIRASPHERE 16 GHOSTWATCH 12 SCIENCE 21 ALIEN ZOO the world of strange phenomena 14 ARCHAEOLOGY 23 MYTHCONCEPTIONS 15 CLASSICAL CORNER 26 THE UFO FILES features COVER STORY 28 NICHOLAS ROERICH: SEEKER OF SHAMBHALA GARY LACHMAN delves into the many lives of Nicholas Roerich – artist, explorer, archæologist and guru – and his extraordinary campaign to start a political and spiritual MUSEUM revolution based on the ancient myths of a mysterious hidden kingdom in northern Asia ROERICH S 36 I’M NOT A CONPSIRACY THEORIST, BUT... NICHOLA 28 SEEKER OF SHAMBHALA Why do mainstream media and academic research The many lives of Nicholas Roerich continue to promote scepticism about conspiracy theories in a world where we know that conspiracies take place on a regular basis? MATTHEW DENTITH argues that we are all conspiracy theorists now – whether we like it or not. 40 GHOST IN THE (MILKING) MACHINE There were odd goings-on down on Wilkinson’s farm in Tarcutta, New South Wales, back in 1949. PAUL CROPPER and TONY HEALY investigate the strange case of the haunted cowshed… one that baffled agricultural experts, scientists, magicians and the Australian Prime Minister. reports 46 NEIL JORDAN: SEARCHING IN DREAMS An interview with the director 48 DICTIONARY OF THE DAMNED No 59. Refl ections on forteanism GES 66 IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY... STEVENS IMA Bringing the Rendlesham Forest Incident to the screen TY GETTY MAR 76 STORIES FROM THE ILLUSTRATED POLICE NEWS 36 I’M NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORIST, BUT... 21 FAREWELL, FRANK AND LOUIE No 37. The murder of a fortune-teller? Why are we sceptical about conspiracies? A remarkable two-faced cat passes on forum 53 Stoned in Suffolk by Peter McCue 54 Charles Fort’s notes liberated by Bob Rickard regulars GES IMA 02 EDITORIAL 75 IT HAPPENED TO ME GETTY 66 IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY 12 WORLD’S LONGEST MOUSTACHE 57 REVIEWS 79 PHENOMENOMIX Putting the Rendlesham Incident on film The winner by more than a whisker 71 LETTERS 80 STRANGE DEATHS COVER: NICHOLAS ROERICH MUSEUM/ETIENNE GILFILLAN FT324 1 www.forteantimes.com Fortean Times editor dAVid SUttoN ([email protected]) foUNdiNg editorS bob rickArd ([email protected]) pAUl SieVekiNg ([email protected]) Art director etieNNe gilfillAN ([email protected]) editorial book reViewS editor VAl SteVeNSoN ([email protected]) reSideNt cArtooNiSt HUNt emerSoN Conspiracy central SUbScriptioN eNqUirieS ANd bAck iSSUeS www.subsinfo.co.uk [email protected] FORTEAN TIMES is produced for Dennis Publishing by Wild Talents Ltd. 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YOU cAn REAcH FT On THE inTERnET ‘irrational’ have all survived Even before the bodies of www.forteantimes.com the Enlightenment – which, he the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists argues, has “become warped were cold and while their © Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited into a dogmatic rejection of suspected killers, the Kouachi (almost) everything but what brothers, were still at large, pUbliSHed bY prodUctioN execUtiVe is material and therefore accusations of a ‘false flag’ deNNiS pUbliSHiNg, SopHie VAleNtiNe 020 7907 6057 dissectable” – HA ponders operation were doing the 30 cleveland Street sophie_valentine@dennis. london w1t 4Jd, Uk co.uk the place of conspiracy rounds online. Such theories theory as a peculiar subset of tel: 020 7907 6000 AdVertiSiNg director have subsequently been SteVe NicolAoU Fort’s ‘damned data’, noting gaining both additional groUp pUbliSHer 020 7907 6633 its intellectual obduracy detail (see, for example, www. iAN weStwood [email protected] 020 7907 6000 (it’s “impossible to argue activistpost.com/2015/01/15- depUtY AdVertiSiNg a conspiracy theorist out signs-charlie-hebdo-attack- circUlAtioN mANAger mANAger JAmeS mANgAN ciArAN ScArrY of a given interpretation was-false.html) and traction, james.mangan@ 020 7907 6683 of events”), sponge-like even surfacing as editorial seymour.co.uk ciaran_scarry@dennis. export circUlAtioN co.uk eclecticism (“nothing we’re told is true”) opinion in the pages of Pravda (http:// mANAger and cognitively dissonant ability to believe, english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/15-01- SAleS execUtiVe gerAldiNe grobler simultaneously, in mutually exclusive theories 2015/129525-charlie_hebdo_false_flag-0/) – a geraldine.grobler@ brAdleY beAVer seymour.co.uk 020 7907 6701 (Princess Di both “faked her own demise” and fascinating example of conspiracy theory being bradley_beaver@dennis. “was murdered”). While all that might place regurgitated as mainstream editorial for an co.uk conspiracy theory as a cranky subcultural explicitly ideological purpose; almost a form of PRinTED BY POLESTAR BICESTER discourse like believerist ufological zealotry meta-conspiracy. DiSTRiBUTiOn – another mode of thought that is perfectly What Matthew Dentith argues in relation Distributed in UK, ireland and worldwide happy to distinguish itself from consensus to 9/11 is just as apposite here: whatever by Seymour Distribution Ltd. 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT reality – it has, particularly in recent years, you believe about the Charlie Hebdo killings, Tel: 020 7429 4000 / Fax: 020 7429 4001 become a notably widespread phenomenon. you believe in a conspiracy. 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