Posting just because it offered such a whack headline, and image to boot. Tropical Storm Agatha batters Guatemala, and opens a sinkhole to hell:

Larger versions here.

In case you're not familiar with the reference: Agartha. Fortean black humour aside, our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected.

Due to both financial and time constraints, the next release of Darklore (Issue 5) won't be until later in the year. However, in a happy coincidence, the good folk at Anomalist Books have just released their latest Fortean anthology collection, Electricity of the Mind (Anomalist #14). For all you Darklore addicts waiting for a fix, this should tide you over nicely:

Theo Paijmans mines the rich seam of digital newspaper archives to look at anomalies in a whole new way. Ulrich Magin ventures into a previously neglected corner of Earth Mysteries, taking us on a tour of out-of-place volcanoes across Europe. Dwight Whalen explores a forgotten tale of bizarre visions that brought vivid omens of World War I to the skies of Pennsylvania in 1914. Cameron Blount examines the implications of archaeological relics of Peru’s mysterious Moche culture and what they might tell us about the neighboring Nazca culture. Mike Jay discusses Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s lasting and deep interest in the supernatural. Bryan Williams, Annalisa Ventola, and Mike Wilson provide a basic primer for exploring temperature and magnetic fields in cases of haunting. Patrick Gyger uses the “Black Books” of Fribourg to understand the mindset behind witch trials in the late 15th Century. Aeolus Kephas looks at the similarities between two of the 20th Century’s most popular and charismatic “literary shamen”: Carlos Castaneda and Whitley Strieber. John Caddy seeks a common root behind the various biological energies not known to science on which many esoteric knowledge systems rely. Chris Payne takes a new mathematical approach in trying to determine whether there are still Thylacines out there. Mark Pilkington takes a look back into the prehistory of crop art and reveals a thought-provoking precursor from the movies. Gary Lachman shares his previously unpublished notes from his book Politics and the Occult. Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology, recounts his discovery of the first ever film of a magic trick. And last but not least, Tim Cridland, whose stage name is Zamora the Torture King, takes a long, hard look at the career of leading skeptic James Randi.

You can pick up a copy of Electricity of the Mind from Amazon US and Amazon UK. You also might like to browse the Anomalist Books website for other books of interest.

A strange assortment to get you through the week...

• At the Psychedelic Salon: Terence McKenna's "The Ethnobotany of Shamanism", parts one, two, and three,
• Guy Lyon Playfair takes the knives to Richard Wiseman's Twitter experiment on psi.
• Filip Coppens investigates the 'Denderah lightbulbs' from ancient Egypt.
• Bruce Rux is the subject of a 3-part Binnall of America audio podcast. So far parts one and two have been posted.
• At Sentient Developments, George Dvorsky explores transhumanist themes in Battlestar Galactica: Caprica.
• At Public Parapsychology, Wendy E. Cousins reviews Damien Broderick's Outside the Gates of Science (Amazon US and UK).
• An interview with Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats.
• The most recent Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast features an interview with Brian Brushwood.
• Michael Tymn remembers Frederic Myers, a giant in the history of psi/afterlife research.
• Graham Hancock's Forum section has a new article from Richard E. Ford, "The Great Pyramid: Symbols and Hieroglyphs in the King's Chamber".
• The latest Paracast interview is with Nancy Talbott discussing research into crop circles.
• Zahi Hawass tells all of his special relationship with Mark Lehner.
• In the most recent Skeptiko podcast, Alex Tsakiris chats with Mark Ireland who is seeking proof of psychic medium afterlife communication.

Enjoy!

A few odd items to keep you busy over the weekend...

• Fortean Times takes you to Italy, to visit the "Sisterhood of the Skulls" (free registration may be required to view the article).
• Nick Redfern reviews a new release from Anomalist Books: Outbreak!, by Hilary Evans and Robert E. Bartholomew (available from Amazon US and UK.
• At Paranormalia, guest columnist Matthew Colborn wonders why skeptics are more media-savvy.
• Another article from the archives at Magonia, the new addition is Mike Hallowell's "Invizikids: Imaginary Childhood Friends".
• The latest Binnall of America audio podcast features Marie Jones and Larry Flaxman discussing the esoteric nature of numbers.
• This week's eSkeptic newsletter features Darren Iammarino's article "The Emergence of God".
• The Psychedelic Salon is offering Part 1 of Terence McKenna's lecture "The Ethnobotany of Shamanism".
• Sentient Developments has a guest blog from Michael Anissimov on the transhuman goal of "Eliminating All Pain, Forever".
• The latest Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast features an interview with Richard Wiseman, as well as discussion of chiropractic controversy and quantum mechanics.
• Greg Bishop urges you to "Walk in Someone Else's Shoes" when it comes to the believability of UFO reports.
• Forgetomori investigates the case of a "Vortex UFO over King's Dominion.
• Psypioneer 5:5 is now available for download (links to PDF file).
• Richard Wiseman shares some more results from the Twitter remote viewing experiment.

Enjoy!

A strange assortment to get you through the week...

• Kevin Randle discusses "Astronomers and UFOs on his 'A Different Perspective' blog. A topic we've covered here before.
• The latest Skeptiko podcast features Yvonne Kason discussing transformative kundalini and near-death experiences.
• Philip Coppens takes you on a tour of the Hyperborean Temple that is the Callanish stone circle.
• This week's Binnall of America podcast interview is with Clas Svahn discussing Swedish ufology.
• At Fortean Times, Robin Ramsay's latest Strange Days column is titled "Nazi UFOs? The Credulity of Ufologists".
• The Psychedelic Salon's podcast series continues with Terence McKenna discoursing on "Shamanism and the Archaic Revival".
• On the blog for her book Unbelievable, Stacy Horn lets you in on Another Ghost Story That Didn't Make the Book.
• This week's Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast features an interview with Bruce Hood and discussion of crop circles and casino Feng Shui.
• UFO Casebook #363 is now online.
• In the latest eSkeptic newsletter, Daniel Gasman explores the Nazi-Social Darwinism controversy with "From Haeckel to Hitler".
• Dean Radin takes exception to big media and big science.
• This week's Paracast interview is with abduction researchers David Jacobs and Budd Hopkins.
• On SkepticBlog, Brian Dunning shows just how good a skeptic he is in retelling the second half of his Shirley Ghostman story.
• Nick Redfern talks to (Darklore contributor) Neil Arnold about some British beasties.
• The MAPS email newsletter for June is now online, bringing you up to date with the latest in research on psychedelics.
• Forgetomori gets to the truth behind the "Fake Plastic Aliens" attacking Pakistan.

Enjoy!

A strange assortment to get you through the week...

• This week's Binnall of America podcast interview is with Tracy Twyman discussing everything from secret societies to the UFO phenomenon.
• Nick Redfern asks, what if the Air Force doesn't actually know what happened at Roswell?
• The latest Skeptiko podcast interview features Marilynn Hughes discussing an out-of-body travel experiment.
• Andy Gough asks, "Who Was Khufu?" on his Arcadia blog.
• At Cabinet of Wonders, Emps has a gallery of the crop glyphs raining down upon the English countryside.
• The good folk at Magonia continue to post archival articles at a furious rate: the latest additions include "Imaginary Reality" by Patrick Harpur, "Abduction Absurdities" by Willy Smith, and "Roswell: The Search for the 'Real' UFO" by John Harney.
• The latest Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast features an interview with Simon Singh as well as discussion of Newsweek vs Oprah, volcanoes and UFOs.
• Robert Temple asks "What is Wrong with the Sphinx?" over at Graham Hancock's website.
• Michael Prescott discusses consciousness a-rovin'.
• This week's eSkeptic newsletter features Harriet Hall's article "Vaccines and Autism: A Deadly Manufactroversy".
• The latest Paracast interview is with UFO researcher and pundit, Greg Bishop.
• Histories and Mysteries investigates "The Van Eyck Cryptogram".
• Jon Downes investigates the saga of the Peruvian Giant Anaconda at the Fortean Zoology blog.
• Philip Coppens shows you "A Sardinian Step Pyramid".
• UFO Casebook #362 is now online.
• The Psychedelic Salon features a podcast of Bruce Damer's lecture "The Boundaries of the Human Mind".
• At Paranormal Review, Roy Stemman discusses "Two Boys and Two Past Lives".

Enjoy!

A few things to keep you busy over the weekend...

• This week on the Skeptiko podcast: skeptic Brian Dunning criticises the Global Consciousness Project. Dean Radin and Roger Nelson respond.
• Stanton Friedman exposes the "Pseudoscience of Anti-Ufology".
• Michael Prescott dismisses 'The Magic Bullet' psi experiment at his blog.
• At Cabinet of Wonders, Emps investigates "The ETH and the Science of Fairies".
• Nick Redfern examines some new Roswell 'memory metal' research.
• Michael Tymn asks, "What is the 'Second Death'?"
• The latest Binnall of America Audio interview podcast is with Jason Offutt, discussing 'the Shadow People'.
• At Paranormalia, Robert McLuhan investigates the case of "The Geller Spanner".
• Filip Coppens sheds some light on the Illuminati in a recent article related to Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.
• At Graham Hancock's website, Gary A. David has contributed his article on "The Mothman of Pottery Mound: The Use of Sacred Datura in Ancient New Mexico".
• At Occult View you'll find "An Alien Abduction Story: Extraterrestrials, Spirit Abduction or Sleep Paralysis?"

Enjoy!

Some off-road reading to keep your weekend lively...

• Graham Hancock writes about "The War on Consciousness" (also available as a PDF download in its original formatting).
• More fascinating articles and reviews have been posted to the Magonia Archive, including Hilary Evans' article "Northern Lights: Arendel and Hessdalen", and "Not the E.T.H." by Jenny Randles.
• At SkepticBlog, Brian Dunning announces "Cryptozoology Pisses Me Off". The Blogsquatcher responds, noting that skepticism pisses him off.
• Now playing at the Paracast is a "Super Ultimate UFO Roundtable" featuring Paul Kimball, Greg Bishop and Nick Redfern.
• Philip Coppens takes you on a special tour: "Angels and Demons - Bernini's Rome".
• At Skeptiko, Alex Tsakiris talks to Michael Schmicker regarding the best evidence of psi.
• Michael Tymn explores what happens "When the Silver Cord is Severed".
• At Cosmic Spoon, Daz tells of "A 'Titanic' Example of Remote Viewing in Public".
• Forgetomori investigates an M.C. Escher creation come to life.
• Greg and Lora Little note some new discoveries from their expedition to the underwater Bimini 'ruins'.
• Weird Things talks to Phil Plait, aka the Bad Astronomer.
• At Centauri Dreams, Jon Lomberg gives his thoughts and recollections of "My Own Private Star Trek".

Enjoy!

A strange assortment to get you through the week...

• At Fortean Times, Bob Rickard profiles the late John Michell, in "The Man From Atlantis".
• "The Chinese White Pyramid Has Been Found", announces the Histories and Mysteries website (the site is currently having some problems it seems).
• This week's Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast features Seth Shostak and pseudoscience at the Huffington Post.
• The Magonia website has two new articles posted: "Indexing the Machine Elves", by David Sivier, and "Godships" by Matthew J. Graeber.
• Greg Bishop wonders "How Should 'Disclosure' Be Handled?", at UFO Mystic.
• This week's Paracast podcast is with remote viewer Daz Smith.
• Michael Prescott ponders consciousness and the cosmos in his latest blog posting, "Esse est percipi?"
• Loren Coleman ponders "The Quaintness of Qatar Creatures" at Cryptomundo.
• Michael Tymn tells part two of the story about "The Conversion of Dr Richard Hodgson". Part one is here.
• Filip Coppens writes about "The Wanderers of the Fourth World" on his website.
• The Societe Perillos website features an essay on the enigmatic French priest, Henri Boudet.
• The April 2009 Psypioneer Newsletter (PDF) is now available for download.
• At SkepticBlog, Steven Novella uses Richard Hoagland as a case study in the abuse of anomalies.
• Public Parapsychology reviews Rosemarie Pilkington's book The Spirit of Dr Bindelof.
• This week's Skeptiko podcast features Guy Harrison discussing his book 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in God.

Enjoy!

Catching up on a few interesting articles and blog posts I missed while traveling over Easter:

• The latest issue of New Dawn magazine is out; on their website you'll find the free article "The Captain Cook Conspiracy". Note too that ND's Special Issue #7 has been released with a focus on the paranormal and supernatural.
• A bunch of updates to the Rennes-le-Chateau Research and Resource website while I was traveling: "The Holy Blood of Bruges", "The Bas Relief of Rennes-le-Chateau" and "Altar of the Church in Rennes-le-Chateau".
• At Paranormalia, Robert McLuhan has written "The Ghost in the Machine - More from 'Irreducible Mind'". Also posted at Paranormalia while I was traveling: "Religion at Easter".
• In his Sci Fi Worlds column at Binnall of America, Richard Thomas offers his top ten of "Alien Bad Guys".
• At Histories and Mysteries, Robert Hastings writes about "A UFO Almost Triggered a Nuclear Launch".
• The Blogsquatcher investigates "Skeptics and Their Skepticky Ways".
• At UFO Mystic, Greg Bishop asks "Was Bill Moore a CIA Agent?"
• This week's eSkeptic newsletter features the article " Sensed Presences in Extreme Contexts", by James Allan Cheyne.
• At Cabinet of Wonders, Emps looks back on "The Man Who Invented the Men in Black" - Gray Barker.
• Michael Tymn tells of the conversion of skeptic Dr Richard Hodgson to a belief in the afterlife.
• This week's Binnall of America Audio interview is with William K. Zabel, discussing conspiracy theories about the Columbine shooting (available as mp3/podcast download, or streaming via Flash).
• The Skeptiko podcast with Alex Tsakiris features a "Psychic Detective Smackdown".
• Filip Coppens investigates massive meteor impacts on his website. Also, from last week: "The Power of Sedona".
• The Psychedelic Salon is featuring a podcast of Terence McKenna's talk, "What Science Forgot".

Enjoy!