Dan Antion

Baader Meinhof Again & Again

Jinx? I think Peter and Teagan will like this picture.

I was planning to go on a mini-technology rant today, but ‘tis the season to be jolly, so that can wait until next year. I’ve written about Baader Meinhof before (actually several times) and I mentioned, at least once that it may not be a thing. I like to think it is, because it really seems weird to me when it happens. It’s not just the coincidence of something happening twice (or more), but the fact that the first incident seems remarkable in some small way. Anyway, I keep notes of when it happens. It happened for third time, just recently, so I thought I would go with this for today’s post.

In case you don’t know and don’t want to look it up or go back and read my earlier posts:

“Baader-Meinhof is the phenomenon where one happens upon some obscure piece of information–often an unfamiliar word or name–and soon afterwards encounters the same subject again, often repeatedly.”

The first incident in this series happened in September. We were at a dinner for the Board members who had arrived the day before the last Board meeting I would attend. The Chairman is a man who I have always admired, and who has an amazing collection of stories. He regaled us with a story from early in his career when he was working on an engineering project at a refinery in Tampico, Mexico. I mentioned to one of my coworkers that I had never heard of Tampico – he said, “you don’t usually hear of places where they build oil refineries.”

Two days later, Dan Hen posted a large collection of historic photos. I don’t know if you follow “west coast Dan” (as I call him) but he finds some very interesting photos. As I clicked through the slide show, I came to a photo titled “Mexicans Tampico.”

Later that month, my wife and I were watching an episode of the old TV comedy, “Newhart.” When we first saw the guest star, my wife said: “that’s Shelley Fabares.” OK, I had heard of Shelley Fabares, but I wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a line-up if my life depended on it. That was on Saturday. On Monday, John Holton over at “The Sound of One Hand Typing” featured Shelley Fabares’, “Johnny Angel” in the #6 slot of his “Monday Music Moves Me” from 1962 post. I was familiar with the song, but I would have never guessed that Shelley Fabares was the singer, or even a singer, for that matter.

The last time I encountered what I consider the Baader Meinhof phenomenon occurred during the past two weeks. On November 27th, Hugh, over at “Hugh’s Views & News” published his annual charity appeal. This is the easiest charity appeal – EVER – for bloggers and writers to participate in. Here’s how it works; you link your blog or your book as a comment in Hugh’s post. For every comment (up to 200) left, Hugh will donate £1 to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. You can donate, too, if you like.

Now, I have to be honest, I didn’t know that Battersea was a place. I just thought it was a cool name that was conceived by some marketing guru. However, a couple of weeks later, Maggie Wilson re-blogged a post about Horatio Barber, the aviator who is the subject of a book Maggie has recently coauthored. I clicked to read the entire original blog, and guess what I learned? Horatio Barber “…had leased a railway arch in London’s Battersea to design and produce aeroplanes.”

These may not be good examples of Baader Meinhof. Baader Meinhof might not even be a thing. These are very good examples of the stuff I learn reading your blogs (and listening to my wife). In keeping with the somewhat eerie feeling presented here, I am including some recent eerie weather photos in today’s gallery. Thanks for visiting, and I hope that you have a great week.

This road runs along the Connecticut River.
From one of our snow mornings.
Fog and rain eventually took care of this snow.
Jinx? I think Peter and Teagan will like this picture.
I was trying to catch the crow in flight, but I got these guys instead.
On the corner, this storm drain was buried under the pile left from the snow plow.
Full moon on a winter night.
When we take Maddie out at night, we check to see where the bunny is. We like to avoid the bunny.
This is going to be a slow ride.
Farmington River running high.
There’s a building over there.
This works on a stormy day.
Do you see it yet?
There it is!

89 comments

  3. I have experienced this phenomenon recently, also blog related. Towards the end of last month ‘fret’ was the answer to a crossword clue about sea fogs. It’s a word I hadn’t come across before, so it stuck in my mind. A week or so later it accompanied a photograph in a blog. Something similar happened in the summer with two mentions in the same week of an obscure type of weaving loom.

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  4. Aww, Dan, I was looking forward to a technology rant, but I’m glad you wrote about Baader Meinhof, because I’ve never heard about it before, and it got my curiosity cells into full throttle. I know I’ve experienced this phenomenon before, but it can’t be anything important because I’ve forgotten what it is that I experienced. Anyhow, if it happens again, I’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, it’s certainly something I’m going to take a look at a lot more. It’s a fascinating subject that I’m sure my hero Rod Serling would have loved.
    Thanks for mentioning my current Christmas Charity appeal in aid of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. I really appreciate it.
    Have a great week.

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    • Thanks Hugh. I promise, the techno-rant will arrive shortly after SyFy’s New Years’ Eve Twilight Zone Marathon ends. He’s my hero, too.

      These things always make me scratch my head and wonder if it’s mere coincidence, or if there’s a reason I’m supposed to know about this thing.

      I hope you have a great week.

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      • I’m jealous that you guys across the pond get to have a Twilight Zone Marathon. Here in the UK, we haven’t even seen the brand-new series of the show yet, and lots of my North American friends tell me that I’ll love it.

        Do you think Baader-Meinhof occurrences are like fate? I do believe in fate, but only because I can remember at specific points in my life, I was redirected by fate.

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        • I don’t know, but in most cases, these occurrences have led to something interesting. For example, if you look at the first comment, you can see that I learned something new about one of my best friends. Perhaps I should have already known/remembered that, perhaps it doesn’t really matter, but to me, it adds a connection and it makes me smile.

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  5. Thanks, Dan for the mention! :D I am touched by your generosity! <3

    I should adopt your practice of writing down the Baader-meinhof occurrences in my life. There is usually something to learn, if not an earth shattering revelation.

    For example, just this weekend, I worked on the collection of letters that were addressed to a lawyer in Northern Ontario. One was signed R Douglas, a young soldier who had missed the first wave of recruits to go overseas to the UK. He declared to the lawyer, the leader of the troops, that he would not be left behind.

    For me, when Baader-meinhof strikes, I feel an unwarranted element of … recognition? significance? – it’s hard to describe, but something about the event feels noteworthy, but inexplicably so. Not in a big explosive revelation, but a gentle whisper of a premonition.

    Anyway, I shared the letter on social media, and a local fellow who has been researching military history asked me to carefully examine the signature.

    Long story short, that letter resolves a century-old mystery about a man who had been declared dead on Salisbury plain in 1914 when in fact he lived until 1960.

    The signature on the letter was the same as that on his attestation papers.

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    • You’re welcome, Maggie. It was only through following the link you provided that I finally learned (or remembered) that Battersea is an actual place (and has been for quite a long time).

      I’m sure I replied to this comment, earlier. I thought your experience with finding that signature was amazing, and I mentioned that I have to update an old post of mine due to the efforts of people like you who are “backfilling” the Internet with history. I wrote about a friend of mine who died a long time ago, but, other than my memories, I didn’t have much to go on when I wrote my post. I searched for his name two years ago, and there was much more information about him online, including a link to a person I was able to contact.

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        • “Backfilling” comes from my spending too many years in Information/Content Management. It’s always the hardest part of the project. Pick a system – design the structure – define the processes – put everything in place for new content as it’s being created and (find someone to) backfill.

          I think work like yours does benefit people, but you rarely know about it.

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  6. Your photos are awesome, Dan. Love the fog and the mood that goes great with today’s post.

    I can’t think of a recent Baader Meinhof occurence, but I know it’s happened to me. I probably need to follow your lead and start writing these things down when they happen. Otherwise they are like dreams that disappear 10 seconds after I wake up.

    Happy Monday!

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  7. Beautiful photos Dan. I am not sure about the scientific name for what I call synchronicity but I am a believer. I always seek the meaning behind such things that surface in my life. Have a great week.

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    • Thanks Cheryl. I always tend to thing that beyond mere coincidence, there’s a reason I should pay attention to these random bits of information. I can’t see the benefit in knowing more about Shelley Fabares or Tampico, Mexico, but Battersea has turned out to have connections to two people in these comments. One who went to school there and one who provided a picture.

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  8. I would have LOVED a technology rant today because you will see that I cannot like your post and have to sign in to comment. All the blogs I’ve followed for years that aren’t on WordPress suddenly don’t know who I am. I can’t ‘like’ and I have to sign in each time. Their response – change my browser. I’m use to my browser. Why all of a sudden is there a disconnect? Okay, enough of my rant this Monday morning. I’ll continue to grumble quietly. :-)

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  10. I like the photo on the top right with the lights in the darkness.

    I hadn’t heard of Baader-Meinhof, but I have noticed things I might call coincidences if I wasn’t also wondering whether there might be something more to them. I do remember “Johnny Angel”. After you mentioned it I can still hear it playing in my mind, but I don’t recall ever hearing the name Shelley Fabares before.

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  12. I have experienced this many times. Often it involves an illness /disease. Recently I had a phone call and the caller was looking for Zoe. “No one here by that name.” I’ve heard that name a couple of times, but I’ve never known anyone by that name.

    Not long after a friend’s daughter gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Zoe. And not long after that my neighbor adopted the cutest puppy…..yep, Zoe!!!

    Great gallery today. Those foggy shots are right up there with reflections for me. Maddie is a joy to see any time!

    Happy Monday Dan. Hope it’s the start of a great week.
    Ginger

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    • Thanks Ginger. So, they were calling to let you know that Zoe(s) were coming. That’s weird. It’s an unusual name.

      I’m glad you like the fog. I was so happy to see that it hadn’t cleared off the river. As I was driving to my favorite place to take a picture of the bridge, I heard the train’s whistle. I wish I had had a better camera, but it was pretty cool to see the lights emerge from the fog.

      Maddie loves to sniff and listen in the fog or after storms. I guess it’s a brand new world to a dog.

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  13. I like those top too photos particularly, Dan. When I see Baader Meinhof, I think of terrorism, so I was wondering what I’d missed yesterday! Is Baader Meinhof a thing or your thing? I think I’ve come in partway through a discussion and just don’t know why you call it that. But I’ve definitely had that happen many times, just didn’t call it the same thing. :-)

    Happy Monday!

    janet

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  14. Wow, this is a first for me, “Baader Meinhof,” though I’ve experienced coincidences. Loved the photos and especially the image of Maddie snuggled next to you — the perfect way to spend a snowy day!

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    • Ha ha – don’t be surprised if you hear it again, Gwen, soon. Maddie substitutes laying on the couch for sitting on her porch on cold and rainy days. One way or the other, she’s determined to get het attention.

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  15. Hi Dan – I can’t quite agree with the term ‘Baader Meinhof’ as I link it with terrorists in Europe in the 1970s …

    But the concept – yes you hear of one word, or subject, or place and it keeps popping up … that I definitely relate to.

    Gosh that looks cold … so glad it isn’t quite so white and then grey here … grey yes, but still reasonably warm – but I’m on the south coast thankfully. Love the photos et al – enjoy your run up to Christmas on your first retired one … cheers Hilary

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  17. i agree that it’s a weird feeling when that kind of thing happens — and it does happen.
    Dan, you’ve made me want to write a sequel to Brother Love. You’re right that those are errie photos — gorgeous, but a little “look over the shoulder uneasily” feeling. Loved the one of Jinx! His feathers must be cold! I wonder why he hasn’t migrated down here, where it’s been 60 degrees and sunny… But magpies (or crows) will have their own way. Hugs on the wing!

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    • I still call some of them Slow Joe Crow, but this guy was vocal and he was talking to two others, as if he knew something they didn’t know – he’s Jinx.

      A lot of the crows and the blue jays (part of the crow family) stick around here all winter. I’m not sure where they nest, but we see the blue jays in our yard (stealing peanuts from the squirrels) and we see the crows in the park.

      Weird things always get my attention.

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  21. Baader Meinhof . . . they were a terrorists group in Germany in 1970 to the late 90s? So I’m confused. What you talk about happens enough that I am convinced we are all slightly telepathic. Or slightly nuts. Works for me.

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    • They were a terrorist group. Apparently, the guy who named this phenomenon heard about them for the first time and then heard about them again and again. I think that was a dumb name, he could have explained it and named it after himself. Sometimes, I think it’s evidence of a different level of connection to reality.

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  24. I was familiar with the name Baader Meinhof, but could not remember how I knew it. The examples that you describe are remarkable, especially so many examples in such a short time. Eerie indeed!

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    • The name is likely familiar because the guy that named this phenomenon named it after the terrorist group – Baader Meinhof (which he first heard if and then heard of it repeatedly shortly thereafter) – bad choice in my opinion, but I think the phenomenon is a real thing.

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  25. I LOVE fog pictures. Good luck with getting a bird in flight. That is tough cookies especially IF you are attached to Maddie. My stomach gets nervous every time I attempt a bird in flight. As for this phenomenon, I’ve experienced the same thing. Don’t know if you noticed, but in my post today, first I got $600 off my camera, then the very SAME ad added another $500 off, a total savings of $1,100. Hit me again, Sam! I called Canon and sure enough they gave me another $500 off as a refund on my credit card. Now that is a phenomenon I’d love to have attached at my hip all the time!!

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  26. Beautiful and eerie photos, Dan. They are perfect to complement a Baader Meinhof experience. I have had those, too. BTW, if you ever watched The Donna Reed show, the teenage girl was Shelley Fabares.

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  30. I think I experience something similar quite often. I will think of somebody I haven’t seen in a while and then they will pop up within a day or two, either in person or on social media when they haven’t been on there in forever. I think we have some kind of ability that is not known or developed so far. Maybe one day we can make some sense out of it but for now, it’s pretty cool to think about and be aware of. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing!

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