Bigfoot Lunch Club Gets Skeptically Pwnd

First, let's talk about the word Pwnd (pronounced like owned, but with a P), a derivative from the word "Pwnage". You wont find it in the dictionary. We have to rely on the definition from the Urban Dictionary:

Pure Ownage as used in online gaming to stress your superiority on all levels. Spawned from the root word pwn, which originated as a misspelling of the word own. Hence this stupid word is two screw-ups away from anything close to english.

We will get back to the word Pwnd in a second, let's go to the beginning.

In our post "'Skeptics' Late to Debunking Bigfoot" We noted, how Bigfooters are usually the first to be skeptical about encounters and claims. The theme was that simple, and it was succinct in the post title. We can break it down though. Skeptics, (in quotes because we are not talking about real skeptics) were later than others to debunking a Bigfoot hoax. Simple. It seems Brian Dunning at SkepticBlog had issue with this theme.


To be fair, in our post we went further and critiqued Dunnings credentials as a skeptic. This is why we used "skeptic" in quotes, because real skeptics make better assumptions than Brian Dunning.

Dunning pushed back a few days ago and unfortunately, it turns out, that he still hasn't done his homework. He poorly ASSUMED Autumn Williams' synthetic hair analyses of a Bigfoot hoax was based only on the viewing of a you-tube video. Her analysis was, in fact, based also on hair photos that were emailed to her. If Dunning had read the post he was quoting, he would have figured that out. In this age of information how hard would it have been for Dunning to do this one-click research?

We think skeptics are honorable, pragmatic, critical and good at researching applicable evidence (or lack there of). Brian Dunning we wish we had empirical proof that you are deficient in these qualities, instead we can only provide evidence that you make poor assumptions due to laziness or ability.

Now, back to Pwnd.
Dunning admits to cooperating with John Rael of SkepticallyPwned.com to promote the Bigfoot video hoax. He called it, "a fun little lark." Just to be clear the definition of lark is: a harmless prank. A "skeptic" that promotes hoaxes and then waits a week before admitting involvement?

Rael, who produced the video, claims in his own words, his objective:

I decided a few months ago to create my very own hoax video...I thought this might inspire some crypto’s to ‘defend’ or ‘promote’ the hoax.

Well, according to his site, the only person who "bit" was Tom Biscardi, a known hoaxer. What a coup! You got a known hoaxer interested in possibly cooperating with you in your hoax! That said, even Tom insisted on meeting Rael personally before committing any effort.

We don't know who got Pwned, since nobody was fooled by John Rael's video. He didn't achieve his self-defined objective. Rael admits he poorly assumed "a crypto's would 'defend' the video".

The only revealing thing from all of this was: two people who call themselves "skeptics" make poor assumptions, due to lack of will or ability to investigate/evaluate evidence.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Dunning's assumption fest
John Raels assumption confession

Sasquatch! A New False Positive

Bigfooters are used to false positives, in the field and on-line. Anybody who has ever Googled "bigfoot" knows you may get results for a giant blue 4x4 truck. To the right is a painting of the 4x4 bigfoot truck on the real 4x4 bigfoot truck. Its one of the false positives we kept, because one night everybody at BLC decided to get tatoos of themselves ON themselves and it reminds us those kind of ideas work better on vehicles than on humans. You would think the tattoos alone would suffice as reminders.

Getting back to false positives and seriousness. Within the last four years, every February like clockwork, we get a flood of new false positives in regards to web search. Its called Sasquatch! Music Festival. Check out the chart below. Mouse over the peaks over the last 5 years and you will see Feb, March, and then May.



Sasquatch! is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It is presented by the House of Blues. There is an emphasis on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, although there are also alternative rock and hip hop acts. The festival features three separate stages (Sasquatch! Main Stage, Wookie Stage, & Yeti Stage).

It starts with buzzing, blogging and tweeting speculations about who should be on the playlist. Then its about who actually made it on the playlist. Then who's not on the playlist. At BLC headquartes we get them all as they ramp up from February and on until May.

We love any awareness the Big Guy gets and besides people looking for the festival may be getting their own false positives. I wonder how many You-tube videos of a guy in a suit they have to go through to find out if their favorite band is playing at Sasquatch! In the spirit of no-hard-feelings, here's is a gallery of posters from years past. And if you found us while looking for the music festival, tell your friends about Big Foot Lunch Club dot Com.

Trapping Yetis? Theres an App for that.

Created by developer Super Happy Fun Fun, Ace Yeti Trapper is a fresh take on maze puzzle games. Assume the role of the renowned "Trapper Jack" Bivouac on an exciting 40-level trek through the mountainous lands of Nepal!

Guide Jack through yak farms, secluded temples, and high-altitude wilderness on the quest for the ultimate prize: trapping the elusive, mythical yeti! Use touch controls to navigate mazes and bait traps while avoiding a beastly knockout. Cage trapped animals before they escape, and clear the level before the timer reaches zero. Establish your trapping fame up the the treacherous slopes of mount Everest where the rambunctious yeti call home… can you become an Ace Yeti Trapper?!!

Features:

* The Editor's Choice winning mobile game completely upgraded for iPhone

* Arcade-style action with simple touch controls

* Puzzle gaming fun with great graphics and addictive play

* 40 level maps to challenge your trapping skills

* Level goals, high scores, and achievements keep you coming back for more

* Facebook alerts for bragging your exploits to the world!

SCREEN SHOTS AND GAME PLAY VIDEO BELOW






EXTERNAL LINKS
Apps Shopper Yeti Trapper Page
Super Happy Fun Fun Corporate Page

Texas A&M Students Battle over Bigfoot

Texas A&M University, often referred to as A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The seventh-largest university in the United States, A&M enrolls over 48,000 students in ten academic colleges. Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning.

The Battalion on-line is the student voice of Texas A&M. In the opinion section of the web news source Richard Creecy, a senior classics major, stumps for Bigfoot.

He compares Bigfoot to the newly discovered colossal squid. Discusses questions Bigfooters have asked themselves and the risk scientist take when they openly follow Bigfoot evidence.

It is refreshing to see an educational institution, with such a strong science background, contemplate Bigfoot. They are one of the few universities that have land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant designations. Plus any university that has made major contributions to animal cloning just sounds cool! They could be making Cryptids for all we know! Below we have an excerpt from Richard Creecy's article:

One of the first reports from Texas dates back to 1837 in the lower Navidad area, which is northeast of Victoria, Texas. In this encounter a group of men chased down a large furry bipedal creature, but their horses were reported to be so frightened they refused to get close, leading to the creature's escape. The Karankawa America Indian Tribe, which once hailed from the coastal areas of Texas have stories that told of a tribe of hairy creatures that inhabit the woods that are now called the Piney Woods.

But the question still remains, why do so many people disbelieve so adamantly in the possibility of Bigfoot? Among the many arguments, two stand out in frequency. Some people will say that they cannot believe in a creature that has never been conclusively photographed or captured on video. But to answer this challenge, let us look to another elusive creature, the Colossal Squid.

The Colossal Squid was a creature chalked up to superstitious sailors, conjuring stories of a vengeful sea that held vast merciless creatures. Skepticism was rampant until 2007, when a live specimen was inadvertently captured by a New Zealand fishing vessel off the coast of Antarctica. Previous to this encounter the only evidence that existed was a few severely decomposed specimens - tentacles and beaks found mostly in the stomachs of Sperm whales.

"The most common reason given for discrediting the possibility of an undocumented primate in North America is the absence of a body or other compelling forms of physical evidence," said Alton Higgins, assistant professor of biology at Mid-America Christian university and board member at the Texas Bigfoot Research Center, TBRC.

But this argument is truly unfounded, according to Higgins because of the habitat that the Bigfoot species seems to favor. Heavily forested areas, with rainfall and dense vegetation do not preserve remains well, not to mention forest scavengers, insects, bacterial and fungal agents that break down and decompose bodies very quickly.

"In my opinion the best evidence exists in the form of the body of sighting accounts that have accumulated since the early days of European settlement," Higgins said. "These reports correlate closely with the prehistoric oral histories of nearly all American Indian tribes that include clear descriptions of Sasquatch-like creatures."

Higgins, a wildlife biologist, isn't the only scientist convinced of the existence of Bigfoot in North America, but for many scientists the stigma that comes from voicing their beliefs on the subject is not worth the ridicule. But support and evidence for Sasquatch exists, with sightings throughout the country. It not too far-fetched to believe that another ape-like species could exist, and like the Colossal Squid, is only waiting for the day when mankind documents it.

While the article, in itself, is interesting, the real entertainment is the comments section. In the comments section of the article (direct link provided below) A&M students battle it out.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Full Battalion Online Atrticle
A&M Student Debate Thru Comments
About Texas A&M University

Bigfoot is Real...Real Yummy!

The Allan Candy Company Limited is a leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. The Allan Candy Company Limited markets such iconic brands as Allan, Big Foot, Hot Lips, Twirls, and Trebor.

Looks Allan Candy is begining to ramp up their Bigfoot campaign. The Bigfoot candy website is a little bare right now, but it makes for a great Bigfoot Valentines Screensaver.

The candy themselves are apparently very popular in Canada, and are basically red gummy candy shaped like Bigfoot prints. There is also a new sour blue flavor that has recently debuted. Finding out how to buy them online took a little investigating. The best place seems to be http://www.thebigsweet.com, where you can buy the candy in bulk.

With 12,661 fans on their Facebook page they must be worth checking out!

EXTERNAL LINKS
Bigfoot Candy Corporate Page
Bigfoot Candy on Facebook
www.allancandy.com

Database of Bigfoot Casts and Prints

Cliff Barackman has been doing Sasquatch field research for more than 15 years. Like Bruce Wayne with his utility belt, Cliff has multiple technologies and methods at his disposal. In order to gather evidence, he leverages the use of gadgets capable of night vision, thermal imaging, remote control and digital sound recording.

No stranger to media, Cliff has appeared on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, the History Channel's Monsterquest, numerous podcast radio shows, and as a guest bigfoot “expert” on several local news channels from the Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. Cliff will also be a one of the speakers attending the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium in Eugene, Oregon during June 19th-20th.

Additionally, he has managed to gather one of the largest collections of footprint casts on the west coast and he has showcased the best ones on his website.



The beauty of Cliff's cast/print database is the detail. Every cast is against an inch grid background, each picture can be zoomed with incredible definition.

By clicking on each cast, all the major data points are listed; Year, Month, Date, State, County, Location, Discoverer, Caster, Length, Ball Width, Heel Width, Stride, and Depth. Like a Ginsu Knife Commercial--There's More! All these details are paired with must-read narrative. Each cast has a story and Cliff tells it with rich fascination.

There's nothing like this on the web, not with the same care and presentation. Go check it out.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Impression Database
Cliff Barackman's North American Bigfoot Website
Cliff Barackman's Blog

"Skeptics" Late to Debunking Bigfoot

Today SkepticBlog wrote a post about a video they received a link to. They thought they would make fun of it and call themselves skeptics.

Didn't Autumn Williams already debunk this a month ago? Yes she did. Thankfully those "skeptics" did their research. No body minds them helping us out to filter the real deal, but we think some credit would be nice. Lets go to the ScepticBlog first and we will get back to Autumn Williams in a sec.



SkepticBlog is a collaboration among some of the most recognized names in promoting science, critical thinking, and skepticism. It also features the cast and producers of The Skeptologists, a pilot skeptical reality show.

The gist is they get this youtube video link and the guy, Johnny Walker, says he wants the video to get into the right hands.



And they spend more time making fun of it then doing any actual investigating.

Maybe it is a Bigfoot. Maybe it’s a guy in a suit, one that flares out bellbottom style, like my own cheap-ass gorilla suit does. Maybe it’s an autonomous robot in a suit. Maybe it’s a Bigfoot in a Bigfoot suit. Maybe it’s an example of high-end composite work combined with low-end 3D modeling, all rendered on Renderman.

The fact is that we can’t really know or conclude much of anything about this video, and the million others like it. We can’t prove it’s a fake any more than we can prove it’s a real Bigfoot. What it is is crappy evidence. It’s not testable. It’s fun, and it’s interesting, but its value as evidence is zero. Its value as an anecdote is that it suggests a direction for research. So to all who feel motivated: Grab your 3CCD cameras and head on up to Greenhorn, Oregon. A bellbottomed Bigfoot might be waiting for you.--Brian Dunning, Skepticblog

Autumn Williams had a different approach, she dug a little deeper:

I’m not sure what to say here. No offense intended if you’re trying to be serious (it sure sounded that way?), but the hair is obviously synthetic, the face appears to be a poor reconstruction of a “planet of the apes” theme, the makeup pitiful, the movements awkward, the staging is obvious, subtle references to the Patterson film are rather amusing… and I’d have to say, if it’s not an attempt at a hoax on your part, you’ve been hoaxed. Somehow, though, I find it difficult to believe that you could follow something for that long and NOT know it was someone in a stovepipe-legged, poorly-made suit. I didn’t even need to pause the footage to tell that...

...Finally, asking people for “offers” and having “james randi” in your tags in your youtube account is a dead giveaway that you’re looking for money. I’m sorry, but ol’ Jim won’t buy it, and I doubt anyone else will either.

Kudos for Autumn Williams to debunking this way before the "skeptics", and actually discerning motive. Maybe she should be in their new pilot TV show. If you want to see how a hoaxer with video gets debunked by a professional check out Autumn Williams post at OregonBigfoot.com.

EXTERNAL LINKS
SkepticsBlog
Autumn Williams at OregonBigfoot.com
Oh yeah JohnnyWalker's Youtube Page

Amateur Primatology is Bigfooting

We talked to a seasoned Bigfooter the other night and he compared Bigfooting to amateur astronomy. Immediately we "got it," and thought it was a perfect analogy. Why? Let's see what Wikipedia has to say on the subject of amateur astronomy.

Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky (and the day sky too, for sunspots, eclipses, etc.), and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars.

Even though scientific research is not their main goal, many amateur astronomers make a contribution to astronomy by monitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids and discovering transient objects, such as comets. Such efforts are one of the relatively few ways interested amateurs can still make useful contributions to scientific knowledge.

Its that last sentence that's the kicker. Just the same as amateur astronomers monitor, record, study and report. We too, are contributing to science as amateur primatologist.

Another sentence about amateur astronomy that we found inspiring was:

The typical amateur astronomer is one who does not depend on the field of astronomy as a primary source of income or support, and does not have a professional degree or advanced academic training in the subject.

Bigfoot Lunch Club has grown in the community and we have a lot of our readers to thank for it. In the spirit of tolerance and respect,we believe in truly open minds that are not afraid to question both the assumptions of science and the dogma of fanatics. Most importantly, we believe in a world bigger than the sum of our present knowledge that still holds mystery, wonder, and a place for a creature known as Bigfoot.

Thank you all you amateur primatologist--and the professional ones too!

Fisher Price $100 Bigfoot Toy

There is no doubt, Bigfoot hasn't been this popular since the wake of the Patterson/Gimlin film in the early 70's. He's been on every educational cable channel (History, Discovery and NatGeo), and two new television series debuted with Bigfoot as the subject.

What's next? A hundred-dollar bigfoot toy. Fisher-Price is bringing Imaginext Bigfoot the Monster to Toy Fair 2010 in New York, which opens Sunday the 14th.

This remote-controlled big boy is intended for kids ages 3 to 8; with the included remote, kids will be able to have him walk, express emotions, do somersaults, and perform lots of other actions. And he'll have "interactive touch points" on his mouth and tummy that evoke sounds and actions, as well.

You can expect your own personal sighting of Bigfoot some time this coming June, when he'll ship to stores; the price is expected to be around $100.

Apparently this is a pretty big Deal because its on the WallStreet journals radar. Their web publication market Watch says the timing is right for this kind of product:

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Feb 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- It all began a few years ago, when BIGFOOT sightings started popping up just beyond the world headquarters of Fisher-Price, Inc. (a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. NASDAQ:MAT) in East Aurora, N.Y. Although the scientific community considers BIGFOOT to be a combination of folklore and myths, that didn't stop toy designers from setting out to capture the legendary, elusive creature. Fisher-Price found BIGFOOT and brought him back to its world-renowned Play Laboratory where designers unfolded the complicated, misunderstood monster who, surprisingly, wooed them with his charm. After years of intense research (and a few laughs) with BIGFOOT, Fisher-Price is ready to share his engaging personality with the world by introducing Imaginext(R) BIGFOOT The Monster at New York Toy Fair, Feb. 14 -- Feb. 17.

"BIGFOOT The Monster is completely on-trend for 2010. Fisher-Price has interpreted a classic play pattern for contemporary kids," says Chris Byrne, content director for TimetoPlayMag.com, aka The Toy Guy(R). "Inspired by the legendary 'BIGFOOT,' Fisher-Price scores again with a toy that effectively combines the fun and engagement of R/C robotic play with technology that's easy and engaging for preschoolers to use. BIGFOOT is feature-rich, offers long-lasting play value and reflects a preschooler's sense of humor, all of which deliver on the value consumers are looking for this year. "

Promotional Video Below.



EXTERNAL LINKS
Original Post at GearLog
Fisher Price Bigfoot Site
Wall Street Journals take

Olympic Mascot Wars: Quatchi vs Squatchi

This just goes to show, when people start to dress up like Bigfoot, its bound to cause controversy.


(above) Squatchi, an activist group's take on the official Olympic mascot Quatchi, sits on a bobsleigh near the Olympic countdown clock in Vancouver on Monday. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Anti-Olympic groups are gearing up for a large protest before the opening ceremonies on Friday, saying keeping the demonstration peaceful will be up to police.

Several critics of the Games held a news conference Monday to show off a mascot named Squatchi — a parody of official mascot, Quatchi — who spreads skepticism rather than Olympic spirit.

There is a large protest planned Friday ahead of the opening ceremonies of the Games, and more promised when the Games get underway.

Bob Ages of the Council of Canadians says he's hoping thousands of people show up, from anti-poverty groups to union members.

Ages says his group is particularly concerned with Olympic sponsors such as RBC for its involvement in the oilsands, but the list of protesters' complaints range from alleged displacement of the homeless to police treatment of activists.

RCMP and Vancouver police say they expect peaceful protests, but they won't tolerate demonstrators interfering with the rights of others or disrupting Games activities.

The original mascot is much cuter, the 38" version (shown below) is on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum. Although the 38" version is not for sale they have several other Quatchi memorabilia for sale at the museum. So support the the Olympics and Cryptozoology by visiting the museum and buying some collectible Quatchi tchotchkes.

International Cryptozoology Museum
661 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
Wed-Sat, 11-6, Sunday, Noon-5.
207-518-9496



EXTERNAL LINKS
Vancouver Now article about protesting mascots
Other Quatchi stuff available at ICM

Museum of SuperNatural History

Here's an article from an NBC blog. 

Having enjoyed huge success with a pair of 2008 screenplays,Etan Cohen is set to delve into the paranormal for his next script.

Cohen's new script will be based on theMuseum of SuperNatural History, a blog that creator Ernest Lupinacci intended "be to the paranormal world what National Geographic is to the real world... ... a multimedia brand whose purpose is to study, protect, explore and explain the unexplainable," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will follow the exploits of theMuseum of SuperNatural History's curator, whose job it is to keep the world's best kept secrets -- things like Sasquatch, the acid-spitting Mongolian death worm and the Large Hadron Collider, if a quick look at the site is any guide.

Cohen had a hand in penning both "Tropic Thunder" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," both of which took in more than $180 million. He's currently working on "Men in Black 3."

"The inherent drama, action and adventure of that mission -- especially from a storytelling point of view -- is that every time we shatter or even question an accepted belief, we have the potential to answer the eternal question, why are we here?" says Lupinacci.

Texas A&M Students Battle over Bigfoot

Texas A&M University, often referred to as A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The seventh-largest university in the United States, A&M enrolls over 48,000 students in ten academic colleges. Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning.

The Battalion on-line is a the "student voice of Texas A&M" In the opinion section of the web news source Richard Creecy, a senior classics major, stumps for Bigfoot.

He compares Bigfoot to the newly discovered colossal squid. Discusses questions Bigfooters have asked themselves and the risk of scientist who openly follow Bigfoot evidence.

It is refreshing to see an educational institution, with such a strong science background, contemplate Bigfoot. They are one of the few universities that have land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant designations. Plus any university that has made major contributions to animal cloning just sounds cool! They could be making Cryptids for all we know! Below we have an excerpt from Richard Creecy's article:

One of the first reports from Texas dates back to 1837 in the lower Navidad area, which is northeast of Victoria, Texas. In this encounter a group of men chased down a large furry bipedal creature, but their horses were reported to be so frightened they refused to get close, leading to the creature's escape. The Karankawa America Indian Tribe, which once hailed from the coastal areas of Texas have stories that told of a tribe of hairy creatures that inhabit the woods that are now called the Piney Woods.

But the question still remains, why do so many people disbelieve so adamantly in the possibility of Bigfoot? Among the many arguments, two stand out in frequency. Some people will say that they cannot believe in a creature that has never been conclusively photographed or captured on video. But to answer this challenge, let us look to another elusive creature, the Colossal Squid.

The Colossal Squid was a creature chalked up to superstitious sailors, conjuring stories of a vengeful sea that held vast merciless creatures. Skepticism was rampant until 2007, when a live specimen was inadvertently captured by a New Zealand fishing vessel off the coast of Antarctica. Previous to this encounter the only evidence that existed was a few severely decomposed specimens - tentacles and beaks found mostly in the stomachs of Sperm whales.

"The most common reason given for discrediting the possibility of an undocumented primate in North America is the absence of a body or other compelling forms of physical evidence," said Alton Higgins, assistant professor of biology at Mid-America Christian university and board member at the Texas Bigfoot Research Center, TBRC.

But this argument is truly unfounded, according to Higgins because of the habitat that the Bigfoot species seems to favor. Heavily forested areas, with rainfall and dense vegetation do not preserve remains well, not to mention forest scavengers, insects, bacterial and fungal agents that break down and decompose bodies very quickly.

"In my opinion the best evidence exists in the form of the body of sighting accounts that have accumulated since the early days of European settlement," Higgins said. "These reports correlate closely with the prehistoric oral histories of nearly all American Indian tribes that include clear descriptions of Sasquatch-like creatures."

Higgins, a wildlife biologist, isn't the only scientist convinced of the existence of Bigfoot in North America, but for many scientists the stigma that comes from voicing their beliefs on the subject is not worth the ridicule. But support and evidence for Sasquatch exists, with sightings throughout the country. It not too far-fetched to believe that another ape-like species could exist, and like the Colossal Squid, is only waiting for the day when mankind documents it.

While the article, in itself, is interesting, the real entertainment is the comments section. In the comments section of the article (direct link provided below) A&M students battle it out.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Full Battalion Online Atrticle
A&M Student Debate Thru Comments
About Texas A&M University

Mockumentary Footage will be from 2009 Ohio Bigfoot Conference

In our post "Hart-less" written by Hermon Joyner, Leigh Hart is exposed as a prankster at a Bigfoot Conference in Ohio.

Leigh Hart (pictured left), aka “That Guy”—a humor columnist/comedian for the New Zealand Herald that seems to be a cross between Dave Barry and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), recently tweaked the noses and bruised the egos of the dedicated Bigfooters attending a Bigfoot conference in Ohio. Like “Borat,” Hart travels around misrepresenting himself while depending on the kindness and naiveté of strangers. He then writes or films humorous accounts of his exploits, mostly at the expense of the people he meets. Hart’s latest victims/subjects were the attendees at the 21st Annual Bigfoot Conference / EXPO at the Salt Fork State Park Lodge in Ohio at the beginning of this month...

...Hart even claimed to own the world’s largest feces analyzing machine, which might explain the distinct odor of BS that surrounded his appearance at the conference.

According to the New Zealand Herald some of the footage will be from his presentation at the 21st Ohio Bigfoot Conference. Heres is an excerpt from the column:

...It's this hard-nosed attitude which has seen Hart crucified by Bigfoot believers after filming the first episode of his upcoming TV One series Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet at a Bigfoot conference in Ohio, where he introduced the world to the "Waitakere Yeti" and suggested the elusive Bigfoot was actually a hairy midget with enormous feet.

"I made the mistake of writing a column about it. Because it's all online they went nuts. They've been tearing me to bits and abusing me [since]. I'm public enemy number one. If I went back they'd probably lynch me."...

Then the article blah, blah blah's for the next few paragraphs and gets back to Bigfoot.

...But it was the Bigfoot conference where Hart faced possibly his greatest danger. Presenting his findings in front of an audience of mad-eyed, overweight (and possibly armed) monster-hunters was as perilous as venturing into an actual Sasquatch cave. If such a thing actually exists.

"That's the one where the subject matter is the people themselves, and they come across worse than in any other episode. They really are quite frightening and annoying. They're having arguments over something that doesn't exist, abusing each other, calling into doubt each other's credibility. Most of these people probably got into Bigfoot when they were 10 years old. They can't not believe it any more. They can't see the wood for the trees."

Even though the show has a website we cant seem to have access to the video due to copyright laws.



Fortunately You Tube Exist!



EXTERNAL LINKS
The New Zealand Herald Article
The Mysterious Planet Web Page
MoonTV YouTube Page

Top Eight Bigfoot Ads

We know Super Bowl Sunday has also become about the commercials. So we rounded up the eight best Bigfoot Ads. While not all of them premiered during a superbowl they are all guaranteed to entertain.

Bigfoot Found in Tacoma!

Guy Edwards measures up to the other big guy.

For the beginning of February, it was a remarkably Spring-like day yesterday when Guy Edwards and I headed up the interstate from Portland, Oregon to Tacoma, Washington. We were in search of Bigfoot and we found him right downtown in Tacoma at the Washington State History Museum. There to introduce us to the big guy was the welcoming and enthusiastic Gwen Perkins, the curator of the current exhibit, Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Bigfoot.

She led us through the exhibit answering our questions and providing tidbits of information that didn’t make it into the show. Giants in the Mountains is a comprehensive, yet intimate, sampling of the full range of the Bigfoot phenomenon, including Native American artifacts, plaster footprint casts, photographs, examples from popular culture, and much, much more. While not overwhelming in scope, the exhibit manages to include several of the iconic touchstones of Bigfoot lore. Most of the artifacts have come from the collections of either Dr. Grover Krantz or Dr. Jeff Meldrum.

A few of the plaster casts are so much more detailed in real life than anyone can see in photographs of the same casts, that it’s hard to believe they’re the same objects. Seeing the actual casts makes a much bigger impression when they’re only inches away from your nose. A special treat was seeing Dr. Grover Krantz’ Gigantopithecus skull reconstruction. A surprise was the ancient Native American stone carvings of animal heads that carry suspiciously apelike characteristics.

If you are headed towards Tacoma, Washington, or need an excuse for a road trip, be sure to check out Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Bigfoot at the Washington State History Museum. It’s well worth seeing. The exhibit is up until June 27th.

- Hermon Joyner

Comparison of the relative sizes of Gigantopithecus, Sasquatch, Human, and Lowland Gorilla, with replica skulls of Gigantopithecus, Lowland Gorilla, and Human.

The exhibit, Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Bigfoot at the Washington State History Museum.

CNN iReport: Bigfoot Print at Apache Tribe Reservation?

At CNN they have iReports, where people take part in the news with CNN. It is a user-generated section of CNN.com. The stories here come from users everyday.

Everything you see on iReport starts with someone in the CNN audience. The stories here are not edited fact-checked or screened before they post. CNN's producers will check out some of the most compelling, important and urgent iReports and, once they're cleared for CNN, make them a part of CNN's news coverage. (Look for the red "CNN iReport" stamp to see which stories have been vetted for CNN.)

Below is a possible footprint found on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe.

There have been Bigfoot sightings there for years. Last night (Feb 3rd, 2010), the whole town was excited to find these prints.

Despite the kids on the video claiming it is small, it is clearly larger than the adult males foot in a shoe right beside it.


EXTERNAL LINKS
Original CNN iReport
Fort Apache Indian Reservation Wikipedia Page

NZ's "Mysterious Planet" Mockumentary Searches for Bigfoot

In our post "Hart-less" written by Hermon Joyner, Leigh Hart is exposed as a prankster at a Bigfoot Conference in Ohio.

Leigh Hart (pictured left), aka “That Guy”—a humor columnist/comedian for the New Zealand Herald that seems to be a cross between Dave Barry and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), recently tweaked the noses and bruised the egos of the dedicated Bigfooters attending a Bigfoot conference in Ohio. Like “Borat,” Hart travels around misrepresenting himself while depending on the kindness and naiveté of strangers. He then writes or films humorous accounts of his exploits, mostly at the expense of the people he meets. Hart’s latest victims/subjects were the attendees at the 21st Annual Bigfoot Conference / EXPO at the Salt Fork State Park Lodge in Ohio at the beginning of this month...

...Hart even claimed to own the world’s largest feces analyzing machine, which might explain the distinct odor of BS that surrounded his appearance at the conference.

Hart is in the news again as he plans on hosting a travel show titled Mysterious Planet. The first episode is to focus on Bigfoot, as we know though, we will not take his show too seriously. It is being promoted as a mockumentary.

Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet: The World's Greatest Unsolved Mysteries is not your average travel show, in fact the "mockumentary series", which starts this week, is more about mysteries, something that Hart has been fond of since he was young.

"I have more of a background knowledge than most people would have on the subject," Hart said.

The interest was reignited when he was going through his garage a year ago and came across a book his grandfather had given him when he was a child called – you guessed it – Mysterious Planet.

Hart got out a thick white pen, wrote his name on the top of the book, stepped back to have a look at his handiwork, and realised "that would make a good TV programme".

"I used the first six chapters of the book as the basis for the first six shows in the series."

The mysteries he chose are well-known: Bigfoot, the lost Inca, Loch Ness, UFOs in Roswell, the Bermuda Triangle and Egyptian mummies. Hart said the study of Big Foot, the first show in the six-part series, almost turned into a study of the strange habits of fanatics at a Big Foot conference in Ohio.

He says the Bigfoot fanatics spend most of their time blogging about the hairy creature, and "unless Bigfoot goes online, I don't think they are going to catch him".

With that last line, I think we know what to expect, even in the embedded video below, we can get a taste of what is to come from Mysterious Planet.



EXTERNAL LINKS
Hart's antics at the 21st Ohio Bigfoot Conference
NZ's Sunday Star Times "that Guy Goes in Search for Bigfoot"
Hart's "That Guy" Column at the NZ Herald

Orick: Bigfoot Burl Art Capitol of The World

We are not talking about a place of myth and legend like El Dorado, Brigadoon, or Shangri-La. Orick is a real place and it is officially the self-proclaimed burl art capitol of the world--and bigfoot is a big inspiration.


Wait, wait! Theres more! Apparently if you travel south from Orick, on HWY 101, all the way down to Eureka (about 50 miles.) you will see gallery of wooden Bigfoot carvings.

We would like to say we took pictures of each carving and documented where each one was, but we didn't. Fortunately, someone has. At the ohmah2001.com, they have photos and exact descriptions of the location of each Bigfoot. We will showcase a few favorites.

Blue Buddha


Squatsquatch

We highly recommend visiting the site below. Its amazing how different artist can interpret Bigfoot in so many different ways.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Ohmah2001.com's Bigfoot Carvings along HWY 101

"Worst Movie" Book Devotes a Chapter to Bigfoot.

In an interview RottenTomatoes.com talks to Michael Adams, the author of bad movie book "Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies," One chapter of the book is dedicated to Sasquatch. Below is an excerpt from the interview discussing the Bigfoot chapter.

Just how obsessed with the Sasquatch are you? There's quite a hefty section dedicated to the hairy beast.

Man, you should've seen that chapter before it was edited down! There were pages of history about Bigfoot and interviews with Sasquatch hunters, one of whom told me he believed there were 200 such creatures living in the Pacific Northwest and they held Survivor-like tribal councils to given themselves! I watched another movie, too, The Capture of Bigfoot, that had to be edited out for space. Yes, for a few days there I went deeeeep into Bigfoot. But then I'd move on to the next mini-obsession.

Who's committed the greater cinematic crimes: Bigfoot or Madonna?

Madonna, hands-down. What I'd love, though, would be for Madge to make a Bigfoot movie.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Rotten Tomatoes' Full Interview
The book at Amazon
51 of the greatest Sasquatchploitation movies
John Blatt's review of the worst Bigfoot movie ever!

Bigfoot Stuff They Dont Want You To Know

We had seen this video as an ipod podcast and wanted to share it with you guys its done really well. Fortunately, the folks at BigfootHub.com found the YouTube version.

Here is their post verbatim.


We stumbled across this video on YouTube and wanted to share it with all of you.
In 3 ½ minutes, this video pretty much sums up all the theories surrounding the Sasquatch phenomena in North America.

The video covers off the full spectrum of theories from one extreme to the other. Yes, you'll find them all here, including:

- Flesh and Blood Creature
- Supernatural Being
- Government Conspiracy
- The Alien Connection

Regardless of which camp you sit in, it's interesting to watch this and realize that lots of people believe lots of things about Bigfoot.

As always, we let our readers decide for themselves.

Here's the video. Enjoy.



EXTERNAL LINKS
BigfootHub.com
How Stuff Works Bigfoot Page

The Falcon Project: A Blimp to Find Bigfoot

According to Bigfoot24-7.com the blimp is described as:

The blimp is 35 feet long and holds 1800 cubic feet of helium. It is run on electric batteries and is remote-controlled from the ground. The batteries will enable it to be airborne for five hours at a time, and can cover about five miles in any direction.

The thermal- imaging cameras (we assume these will be on the blimp) are the newest in today's technology, and are the same as the ones being used by the military. The infra-red camera can portray an image in the dark, as clearly as though it were in daylight.

The territory to explore, are spots that have traditionally been known for their multiple sightings. The target states for filming are Northern California,
Oregon, Washington, Texas, Arkansas, and Florida,( in search of the "Skunk Ape.")

Even if the blimp fails to find Bigfoot, with all that helium, think how long you could make funny voices. You could probably recite all the chipmunk lines from both Alvin and the Chipmunk movies--the original and the squeakquel!

The man behind this blimp effort is William Barnes. In an article at the Humboldt Beacon, Barnes discusses the encounter that triggered his interest in Bigfoot and the methodology that he will use to search for her.

Having seen the creature with his own two eyes, Barnes is convinced there is something to the stories, and is determined to set out in July to capture photographic proof of the creature. To help rally support around the investigation, Barnes set up a website (www.bigfoot24-7.com) and described his search as “the most penetrating search for Sasquatch/Bigfoot ever conducted in North America.”

From his website, Barnes wrote, “As a weekend goldminer in Northern California, I had such a creature walk up to my tent, so close I could have touched it, and then walk past me and up the side of the hill. Since that night by the creek, I have pondered for years, about how one could be filmed for any length of time, and how it could be studied in it's own safe habitat.”

When Barnes arrives in mid-July, he will be focusing on areas that have a history of sightings, “including the area around the Klammath River, and yes, I would be using historical sighting maps and documentation that has been deemed credible. I would not stop in one place for long durations, since there have been many sightings on the entire West Coast,” Barnes explained.

Barnes added that a great deal of preparation would be in order to make the study possible. “I would want residents of each area I plan to be in, to know what the blimp is doing there. It would be unfortunate if a pot grower, who didn't understand my intentions, shot down my expensive blimp.”

On the bigfoot24-7 site there is an interesting positive review by SasquatchResearch.net, a web site known for supporting Loyd Pye's Hominoid theories. In his book Everything You Know Is Wrong, Pye claims that these animals (Bigfoot, Yeti, Etc..) are Earth's only indigenous bipedal primates, and that early hominids such as Neanderthals and Australopithecines are not intermediates in human evolution.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Falcon Project Website: www.bigfoot24-7.com
Humboldt Beacon Article
SasquatchResearch.net
Lloyd Pye Wikipedia Page

What Happens When You Jog Past Tom Biscardi?

If your interesting enough you get invited on his radio show.

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e . . ."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn's awards for her novels include the ACFW Book of the Year (three times), Inspirational Readers' Choice, and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice.

Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). The Writer magazine named Getting into Character one of the best books on writing published in 2002.

In a blog post titled "What Bigfoot and I Have in Common" she retells her spontaneous run-in with Biscardi and how she got invited to talk on his Radio show.

On my jogging route through a neighborhood I often pass a man out walking--and talking on his cell phone. I have never once seen him when he's not on that phone. One day late last year as I passed, I quipped, "Just wonder--can you walk without talking on the phone?" He guffawed, and we both kept going our separate ways.

Fast forward to last week. I passed him for the first time in 2010. For some reason we stopped to say hi and Happy New Year. We'd never stopped to talk before.

"My name's Tom Biscardi." The man actually stopped talking on the phone to concentrate on me. "Let me tell you who I am. Ever heard of Bigfoot?"

"Uh, yeah." Not quite sure where the conversation was going.

"I'm the Bigfoot Searcher." Tom mentioned his Web site and his weekly radio show, Bigfoot Live, and the documentary movies he's done on Bigfoot. "You hear about that case in ..." Tom went on to tell me about a big national story of a so-called Bigfoot, which he'd been called in to debunk.

In the end she is asked to be a guest on Mr. Biscardi's radio show Bigfoot Live.

The Gem of this whole story is how Biscardi frames his role regarding the big national story (we can only assume it was the Georgian Bigfoot). We have a press release here, where his role during the Georgian Bigfoot seemed a little different. Honestly we are not trying to be snarky, the press release seems more like he was trying to promote than debunk.



EXTERNAL LINKS
Brandilyn's Blog Site
Bigfoot Live Radio Show
Biscardi's Georgian Bigfoot Press Release

Open Letter to BLC from David Rodriguez

In an open letter to The Bigfoot Lunch Club, David Rodriguez, a speaker at the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium defends Cliff Crook--or at least he claims we should not be so quick to judge. We have been public regarding our criticism of Crook, some would even call us down right dismissive. Without further ado, lets get to the compelling letter submitted to us by Mr. Rodriguez.

Bigfoot Lunch Club,
There's been a few mentions on blogs about Cliff Crook over the years. And with the latest, I feel its an opportune time to dispel some innacuricies floating around out there. As many know, I have recently been looking into another individuals outlandish claims from deep in the land of Sylvanic. Now I think it's time to pursue the truth in a different direction.

I don't see Cliff Crook fitting in the negative light that some have painted him in. I suspect that much of what has been said about him was initially born out of animosity within the field by a few, animosity that sometimes gets out of hand, and then the rest just assume the assertions to be the truth because they have a louder bullhorn. Well, this time I'd say its the criticism that is unfairly derived and poorly corroborated with any form of evidence.

So why do some consider the Wild Creek Photos to be a hoax and therefore Mr. Crook to be a hoaxer? This is one of the most screwed up conclusions I have seen in this field. The most popular reason people give is that its a small action figure made up to look like a bigfoot. We can see it repeated over on Cryptomundo right now and in many a blog or forum commentary. Well, everyone can write that unsupported explanation off their books! Cliff has been given a bum deal all these years by certain people in the bigfoot community. Sure there may still be questions about the photos, but I have a feeling he would have good valid answers, if people just asked before prejudging them. I've closely looked at a few photos in the sequence and I'm pretty confident about the following.


So its time to blow the 'small action figure' allegation out of the water. You see those tiny white spots in the water? That appears to be one of a few well known aquatic plant species, such as White Water Crowfoot, Water Buttercup or Fanwort. They each grow in slow moving streams or in ponds throughout the US and Canada. I see it in the rivers and ponds where I live here in Oregon, which is how I first recognized it in the photos. I also have some background in waterway ecosystems having once pursued the construction of a fresh water interpretive center. Depending on species, the size of the flowers (1/2" - 3/4") then provides some scale to the photos.


http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RAAQ

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=231



Then I've read where people comment on the size of the grass as the reason why it must be a small action figure too. Well once again, that's a baseless and innacurate conclusion . That isn't lawn grass people! The grass in question is likely a well known invasive species called Reed Canary Grass or Phalaris arundinacea. The species grows very well along the water's edge and can reach 6' in height.


http://www.ecy.wa.gov/Programs/wq/plants/weeds/aqua011.html



It is possible that its a plant variety known as Rush if I see a bulb in the photo, but without more detailed images, its difficult to tell for certain. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=JUNCU Either way, other items in the photo combined provide an even better idea of scale, and in fact they would support each other's scale. Here we have two good biological reasons to rule out claims of it being some little action figure or that "forced perspective" was used. I can say without hesitation that the figure is larger then a human. There are other plants and leaves in the photos, and if their species was identified from better quality photos, they would provide additonal validation to size and scale of the central figure.

I've never looked at his original 35mm photos, but those I've been able to find a few online over the last few years that certainly don't automatically conclude hoax, despite what some forums and bloggers have repeated. I once posted some of this information about the aquatic biology over on BFRO in a thread there about Cliff, but this information was soon deleted from that thread. That didn't impress me in the least. Why would BFRO remove legitimate information about the surrounding biology visible in those photos? When an organization does that, then I cannot help but question if they are truly unbiased in their research. I guess I can say this now because I've also been removed from their elitist sometimes misinformed forum. (Oh and their Snow Mound mystery, is nothing more then decaying woody debris from the nearby dead stump that fell on the then deep snow and was subsequently torn apart by animals looking for grubs in the Spring. The decaying somewhat dispersed chunks then acted as insulation from the sun, leaving a mound of snow beneath. BFRO, do your own experiment validating this, but you have to be careful to not compact the snow too much around the decaying log.) Anyway, there is definitely a long-term animosity existing between Cliff Crook and Matt Moneymaker. Both Mr. Crook and Mr. Moneymaker have documents online about one another.

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bigfootcentral/moneymakers.html

http://www.bfro.net/REF/hoax.asp (Ironically updated two days ago)

I have to ask: What evidence does BFRO truly have that these photos are a hoax? (Matt, drop your grudge, its very unbecoming. As for other photos of Cliff's, should you be called a hoaxer too because you have presented a few blurry photos by others as well? Everyone just needs to just try acting professional!)

I think part of what we really have here is animosity between two individuals that goes back many years, and its silly. From what I have read, some of it stems from Cliff Crook alleging that he could see a zipper fob on Patty's waist. Well I don't agree with that either, and even if Cliff Crook and Chris Murphy did identify something in the Patty images, it could have another plausible explanation that they didn't fully consider. What if it was simply some human object of adornment, (like a hair clip) that Patty found and attached to herself? Sure, some may not accept this either, but these sasquatch have and do many things we don't understand. Heck, some even claim that sasquatch use braiding. What gall! lol The fact is, we don't know much about sasquatch behavior, and in fact they are often viewed as part human. So why not be some kind of manmade object she found and placed there by Patty herself? So it may be that Cliff needs to revisit some of his statements as well.

He also stated that the the Skookum Cast is hoaxed, well I think things just got out of hand in discrediting one another between BFRO and himself on that one. Cliff, you know that sasquatch are intelligent enough to avoid making tracks in a mudpit, especially when people and their scents are present, that's for sure.

It would seem that Cliff paid good money for the 14 images from the off-duty forester, and they were erroneously and prematurely shot down by the masses. And people, you can't judge a person by their last name either! Isn't that right Matt? That is just immaturity at its worst and has nothing to do with a person's character. Those 14 photos may very well be the real deal folks. Unfortunately it's become a sad circle of animosity by some bigfooters that prevents a valid assessment. Therefore we all lose!

I should also say that I met Mr. Crook once back in the mid 1980's. He had a booth at the Oregon State Fair up north in Salem. I had personally seen my first sasquatch years earlier and so did have an interest in the subject even though it was nothing like now. From what he said back then to what his website shows now, he was a sincere bigfoot enthusiast. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bigfootcentral/index.html He didn't make outlandish claims like another person I have come across. Cliff appeared to be woods savvy too, something that the armchair researchers lack. I even bought a cast from him for like $5 or $15, I can't remember. I still have it too. Sure I have some questions about that cast, but it looks real, as far as sasquatch casts go. He also gave me copies of some interesting written materials. One being a letter from then Washington Governor Dixie Lee Ray which validated that some of Mr. Crooks efforts were clearly principled and altruistic for the time.

I simply haven't written Mr. Crook off as a hoaxer like a few have, and I wish I could have viewed his original photos more closely. We know that 35mm prints can't be manipulated like digital photos can, so his original prints and negatives may hold much more information then we realize. I had tried contacting him a year or so ago when I posted the related items at BFRO, but I think Cliff finds it hard to trust people in the field anymore. That's understandable I suppose but I wish he didn't feel that about me because I really was looking for the truth in those photos. I've had more then my share of encounters with these creatures, so at least I look at things with a level of belief and knowledge that the skeptics or armchair researchers don't have. I think what some of these people say about him is discourteous and without merit. It stems from those who either had a hidden agenda, or who never will have any kind of encounter while sitting at their computer. My assessment is, we're overlooking, even discrediting, some fairly good photos of a sasquatch and now we've all lost. I have to wonder if any of the detractors of his EVER analyzed the photos in true detail? I kind of doubt it. While it may not matter to Cliff anymore what others think, this photo evidence definitely deserves a second unbiased look.

From the beginning he stated that he bought them from a forester who did not want to reveal his name publicly. We know this is highly plausible as well, given the stigma people feared would be attached in their jobs, along with the fear of losing employment. If it was an 'off duty forester', it was then likely a government employee. Well, 10 years ago timber still ruled, so what other response would we expect? But what if now this forester is retired and willing to come forward to take credit for taking the photos? Sadly with the way this field sometimes behaves, can you blame him for not doing so in the past?

I suspect Mr. Crook is just like many others who have been in the field for a long time. He's had his independent ideas, and some of them went against the grain. Big deal, I have a few of my own that have yet to be shared. I think too many baseless accusations have been thrown around about Cliff. If Cliff wanted to share his evidence again with a proper biologically-educated group of people, he could probably emerge with his researcher reputation in good standing. I suspect he already has a good reputation with those who know him personally.

Unfortunately many individuals are at odds with Mr. Crook because of the past Patty and Skookum Cast controversy, and it seems this will prematurely influence at least their unbiased consideration of any evidence. So is it safe to say that some people will always be biased towards Cliff for purely unjustified reasons? Will Cliff ever be able to admit that he could also have been wrong in his claims about Patty and the Skookum Cast? Hopefully we don't have two old rocks that just won't budge.

Cliff has indeed been around a long time. His early encounters are also believable and often the norm for encounters in the woods. His ideas about sasquatch even back when I met him were what I can accept. Well, what I can remember anyhow. He was a technical advisor and even portrayed in the movie 'Harry and the Hendersons' as I understand it. While there may be a few issues that need addressing, I think Mr. Crook was unfairly treated by this often insensitive misinformed field, where forums will hang a person simply because a few of the vocal individuals lead the way. It's Groupthink at its worst in an online setting. And while it may seem I'm singling out another individual right now (Todd Standing), a lot of research went into that issue, plus its been boiling over in forums for 5 years now.

Back to the photos, granted, the alleged bigfoot in them is pretty damned ugly. But that isn't a reason to rule the photos out as being non-authentic either. It also doesn't rule out that he could have been hoaxed by someone other then Cliff who saw opportunity, but I don't think that's the case either because of the overall content within said images. From what I've read in reports, sasquatch can be as varied as we are in their looks and appearance. So yes, it is possible that Cliff may have 14 very good images of a very ugly bigfoot. lol I'd want to have a better look at the photos myself to see what else can be identified. Cliff if you are reading this, maybe this is something you would allow? And no, being willing to investigate something, doesn't 'allign' oneself with a person, as I have seen asserted with other people. If it requrired a few botanists to personally identify all the vegetation in the photos and write this up, well that's probably doable too. I don't have some preconceived notion Cliff is a hoaxer like some have done. In fact I see many elements of validity in the photos, and I can also separate those other past issues of controversy as well. Too bad some people can't.

People too often draw conclusions before they actually investigate the details of a claim thoroughly. There are definitely jealousies and animosities within this field, that's for sure. I've long had this unnerving feeling that Mr. Crook may have gotten a bad rap over the years and even I am guilty for not speaking out even though I tried at BFRO. Even I was afraid to go against the norm however. Well, screw that! Unfortunately when you do speak out in blogs, there are even one or two bloggers in this field who selectively choose whose points of view they will allow. That blogger knows who I am talking about and I won't enter that issue any further for now. I'm after the truth, and with the Wild Creek Photos, I've seen inconsistencies in the claims from the critics of the photo evidence, instead of from the person claiming them to be authentic.

As to whether he was the first bigfoot researcher, that's hard to say because there was no internet back then. Does anyone have knowledge of someone else to be doing it longer then Cliff? There probably have been 'people' going back a long time before, who saw something and tried to understand it. Do we call them 'bigfoot researchers', probably not.

Frankly, Cliff needs to be heard out before we allow the image builders/takers in this field, with their own unsubstantiated preconcieved ideas or agendas, to tear him down. Cliff has a theory about the Paluxy tracks. I'd think Jeff Meldrum would have an open mind as well, since he knows better then most what its like to go up against the typical brick wall of closed-mindedness. Too bad Mr. Meldrum couldn't have a look at the actual impressions himself. Obviously he was illinformed about cast separation methods in hard rock, so maybe he too should keep an open mind? Who was around when the tracks were made and can dispute their authenticity first hand? Nobody! There's much that science assumes to be the way it is because it is what young scientists were taught in school. Well, they weren't taught that bigfoot existed either and guess what! If religious belief is the reason for discounting the tracks prematurely, well then I ask what that has to do with science? The rules of hominid evolution have been broken time and time again. There is no question that these sasquach are a very capable species too, look how they've survived and evaded us. So who decided when they first came on the scene? Well, Cliff has at least earned some respect for his years of bigfoot research. I think we owe him that much. This is his passion just as it is ours. So let's at least hear him out before throwing the baby out with the bathwater like some always do.

I think it ironic that some treat others within our field in the same way we criticize those outside it for treating us. Maybe its time we learn something from our own observations.

David Rodriguez
February 2, 2010