Home grown gnome
DO YOU hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet? Elf sightings are on the rise, and it鈥檚 a trend for life, not just for Christmas. A team of folklore researchers led by Simon Young at the University of Virginia has published a compendium of British encounters with fairy folk, charting a steady rise in sightings.
An online survey of 1062 people found that 44 per cent reported seeing fairies, and the majority of these eagle-eyed respondents had seen them more than once.
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Sadly, not all of these pointy-eared folk appear to be the jovial stripy-socked toy-makers you might find in Santa鈥檚 workshop. Some of these creatures were mischievous, even malevolent by turns. One Devon resident reports being threatened by 鈥渟mall men with lots of hair, in brown suits, almost dirty-looking鈥�, while a respondent in Cornwall said they had an encounter with 鈥渁 brown leathery-skinned, very angry looking old man鈥�. Plus 莽a change!
鈥溾�滲ubbles are mathematically impossible in this new paradigm.鈥� John McAfee, cybersecurity pioneer, rubbishes warnings that Bitcoin鈥檚 1600% growth will falter鈥�
Colourful language
PURVEYOR of proprietary colour swatches Pantone has announced its choice for . 鈥淲e are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination,鈥� the announcement intones. 鈥淚t is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet.鈥� Yes, it鈥檚 a 鈥渄ramatically provocative and thoughtful鈥� purple, 鈥渃omplex and contemplative鈥�. This colour 鈥渢akes our awareness and potential to a higher level鈥�, and is 鈥渁ssociated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today鈥檚 over-stimulated world鈥�.
It falls on Feedback to remark that purple is also the colour associated with turgid, .
Moore no more
AND now to Alabama, where last week the Republican Roy Moore narrowly lost out to Democrat Doug Jones in a US Senate race. Voters in Alabama were treated to a 鈥渟pecial鈥� election, following the promotion of button-eyed senator Jeff Sessions to the role of US Attorney General.
That move left one less climate change sceptic in the Senate. Who might then be a suitable replacement? Enter Roy Moore, the firebrand evangelical Christian who is sceptical about a lot more than just greenhouse gases: abortion, gay rights, Islamic worship, women鈥檚 suffrage, and the abolition of slavery, among others. He also seems to be nursing some wounds that have not healed since the Scopes trial of 1925.
Addressing the National Clergy Council in 1997, Moore blamed the teaching of evolution in public schools for drive-by shootings. These young people, said Moore, were 鈥渁cting like animals because we taught them they come from animals鈥�.
However, Moore has been accused of having an interest in children that is sometimes less than godly. He still faces a string of allegations of sexual misconduct, including claims he molested a 14-year-old girl. Which of these factors led voters to decide Moore wasn鈥檛 fit to represent Alabama we can鈥檛 say; but at least the result means some sense has prevailed 鈥� a special election indeed.
Cosmic socks
GIVEN the season, Feedback has taken a leaf out of Father Christmas鈥檚 book and drawn up our list of who has been nice enough to warrant a gift this year.
For those of you who, like us, have left their present shopping to the last minute, Feedback offers its own unique gift guide, collected from issues past.
At the budget end of the scale, why not procure that classic Christmas gift: a pair of socks. No ordinary socks though, but the silver-laced anti-static footwear from Sock鈥橫, claimed to be designed for the 鈥渃hallenging conditions of space鈥� (1 July). Just remember to complement them with a fully functional space suit.
Crown jewels
AND speaking of protective wear, why not consider gemstone-studded wonderpants (9 August)? The ZK Magnetotherapy Breathable U-Shape Underwear Antibacterial Healthcare Modal Boxer For Men features no less than 500 tourmaline stones, which promise to increase your nerve conduction velocity, which we think is a way of saying you鈥檒l blush even faster when you unwrap them in front of your mum.
A pot to stew in
FOR those with a keen interest in healing gems and even more money to spend, there鈥檚 the Healthy Urn, a product we find ineffable, if only because its full name is 25 words long (18 March). The giant vase/sauna/isolation chamber is the perfect place to hide from relatives during the holiday season, and thus well worth the 拢18,300 price tag.
Big gulp
AND a final word on stocking stuffers: Bill Quinton suspects that not all Christmas presents are made by elves. The warning plastered to the 20-centimetre-diameter football he purchased for his grandson tells him: 鈥淣ot suitable for children under three years. Choking hazard鈥�.
Bill notes that the warning label also recommends he 鈥渞etain this information鈥�, which might help emergency room doctors diagnose a case of football-stuck-in-throat. He muses that 鈥渟omewhere in the football-manufacturing district of China there must be a race of giants.鈥�
You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week鈥檚 and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.