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Welcome and thank you all for visiting.  This is an all original content blog that I encourage you all to take part in regardless of your opinions on any of the topics written here.  Please keep the conversations civil and respect one another though.  As of this time I will not moderate comments unless there is a need to do so in the future, but I trust you all, so lets have some fun.  Suggestions on topics are always appreciated and I will do my best to accommodate in most cases.  So here we go. Enjoy!

Ready, set...Bigfoot!

Do we lose Bigfoot by finding Sasquatch?

What would really happen if we prove Bigfoot is real and could that be a bad thing? That’s not a question most of us ask ourselves in this hobby. We are after all, gung ho on finding every bit of proof we can and sometimes waste more time looking for it than watching cat videos…sometimes.

If we really think about it, there is as much to lose as there is to gain if we do prove its existence. Bigfoot represents something to most of us that goes beyond just the idea of an unknown species of man-like creature roaming the thicket. Because he resides for now, mostly in our thoughts, we can claim him as our very own. We individually have an image of what he looks like, how he traverses the forests, what he eats, and even how he thinks. We are allowed to do this with impunity because he is “our” Bigfoot and we have, not so far at least, had to share him with the rest of the world in a manner of speaking. If he is ever discovered by science and deemed just another animal on our planet, we risk losing a part of that romance and that special connection that we hold dear with our big footed pal. We all have had the experience, especially when young of being captivated by things that we thought were mysterious, which over time lost that magic once we grew to understand them. We have outgrown fears that once were very real to us, as today we know better than to believe that there are monsters lurking under the bed or in our closet. Mystery is what keeps some things alive and truly fascinating. We love our cryptid and maybe it would just be better if he stays that way, not only for us, but for him as well.

There is the real fear of what would happen to the individual Sasquatch if it were captured. Do we really trust that he would be left alone and not caged, poked and prodded? That’s how we treat every other animal on this planet. Name one that you can’t imagine being in a zoo? Now I know we think that is the last thing that would happen to a creature like Bigfoot, but we can’t always be trusted to do the right thing and I think it would come down to just how intelligent this creature is. The more human like the better chance it has, but if it shows traits that keep him thought of as just another beast, he will most likely find himself housed right next to the great apes at your local zoo. While I know every one of us would line up to buy tickets to see that, we would be in essence betraying something that at least us in the Bigfoot community hold as sacred.

Is it worth it, or do we regret our choice after there is no turning back? I am torn really and it wasn’t until yesterday while writing another post (Spike TV’s 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty) that this realization even occurred to me. We risk losing Bigfoot by finding him.

In some ways a dead Squatch would be better than a living one, because at least we know we are not going to make it suffer by caging and ultimately torturing it. One could never justify keeping something like a bona-fide Sasquatch locked up in an enclosure or some observation pit for the rest of its natural life. We also keep 99 percent of the mystery intact with just a body and then we and it move on to the way things were. Is that selfish of me? I don’t know the answer to these questions really, and like I said it is not something most of us have really pondered to the extent that we see it to its final conclusion, so it makes a good topic for discussion which I hope you all take part in. There are pros and cons to this that I see clearly, but no easy answer. So let me know what you think in the comments below?

Ready, set…Bigfoot!

 

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I think therefore I am... Squatch?

I was a Philosophy major in college and Logic was one of the first courses I took. It was the beginning of my becoming a critical thinker because you learn quickly (or failed that class) that a lot of arguments used by people are what are called “fallacies” and in cryptozoology unfortunately you see it all of the time and in every sense of its meaning. I had a discussion on another Facebook page a couple of weeks ago with a gentleman who claimed that people who have had a Bigfoot encounter had what he termed subjective proof and that it was in fact proof that Bigfoot did exist.
Here is an edited excerpt of my counter statement to him.
“Subjective proof unfortunately is as invalid as is conjecture. So consequently subjective proof is in fact not proof, only evidence leading towards an assumption. How weak or strong that evidence is, is dependent on the source. Eyewitness testimony is not the best of sources and is limiting in many ways. The proof you are looking for, but calling subjective, is objective proof. This type of proof, much like a theory, must be observable and repeatable in an unbiased atmosphere and subject to peer review. Objective proof does not require you to take someone's word for something. It is verifiable no matter what your beliefs”.

Is another person claiming to have seen a Bigfoot, proof at least in a subjective sense that Bigfoot exists? To the person who saw it, it might be, but I am not a good judge of your perceptions, standards or what may be considered your limitations for concluding on what you really saw. So for the rest of the world it is only evidence towards an assumption based on how much you trust the testimony of this other person. So a sighting as intriguing as it may be, does not constitute proof of a Sasquatch, just proof (if they are being honest with us) that they saw something.

I thought today I would give all of those interested a little primer in logic 101 and then I remembered how many different types of fallacies there are. If I begin to list just the subsets of fallacies I will lose half my audience and it’s not fair to list those without listing the sets which number somewhere close to a hundred, so I will spare you and provide a link instead to a Wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

Epistemology was another favorite course in college, and that is the study of “What” can you know and “How” do you know that you know it? It turns out there are many things people claim to know, but in fact do not. That statement does not mean that something you claim to know is wrong, but means you can be wrong in how you came to that conclusion. Here is an example from a textbook. “If a person believes that a bridge is safe enough to support him, and attempts to cross it, but the bridge then collapses under his weight, it could be said that he “believed” that the bridge was safe but that his belief was mistaken. It would not be accurate to say that he “knew” that the bridge was safe, because plainly it was not. By contrast, if the bridge actually supported his weight, then he might say that he had believed that the bridge was safe, whereas now, after proving it to himself (by crossing it), he “knows” that it was safe”. How did you come to your conclusion the bridge (Bigfoot is real or not) is safe?
Most of us who believe, disbelieve or are on the fence come to those conclusions based on someone saying or showing us something they claim to be evidence, which means 99.9 of us should really (if we are being honest with ourselves) be fence sitters. Not many of us have firsthand encounters in which we can honestly move into that certainty zone. Taking someone’s word for something and believing them without question is never a wise idea. That is one of the worst ways to be determining the truth, because mainly, you do not know how that person came to their own conclusion. Were they using faulty logic? Did they take someone else’s word for it? Do they have an agenda that makes believing this thing as true in their best interest and are trying to influence you for that interests sake? Hearsay is not allowed in a court of law, because it is 2nd hand knowledge, so you would be wise to take it with a grain of salt as well.

The point of this article is not meant to dissuade the true believer or to cheer on the non- believer or to move you from one side of the fence to the other. The point is we should enjoy our hobby and relish in the possibilities while at the same time take a skeptical approach to what is being offered as evidence. It’s not all good folks and it’s not all bad, but we should take careful steps to ensure that we don’t swallow everything as gospel and leave it to our digestive tracks to work out the rubbish. We are born curious and we learn to ask questions and then to question that which is given to us as answers. That doesn’t mean that we can’t speculate at times and have fun with the unknown (that can be the most fun part), but we should not be a bandwagon rider just for the sake of catching a lift somewhere. I love the fringe, and the fringe topics strike at the very core of what it is to be alive and human. So let’s be alive and human and set our standards high enough not to be gullible and steady enough to be sure of what we claim to know. I believe the trip is much more enjoyable and the evidence that we lean towards as real much more profound, if we let ourselves filter out that which should be discarded... or if you like... Descartes.

Ready, set….Bigfoot!

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The Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot

Why is the Patterson Gimlin film ten times more impressive today than when it was first released 45 years ago? This is the footage that everyone, whether a fan or not has seen and has an opinion on. Some swear just after a first glance that it’s real, while others automatically say it’s a man in a costume. I say you cannot make either assumption from a brief one or two viewings, so thankfully for everyone that cares, this film has been torn apart thousands of times, with every aspect scrutinized by everyone from armchair enthusiasts to credentialed folks who know a thing or two about, costumes and makeup, anthropology and anatomy and film devices from that era and on and on. 

With current technologies we have even gone back to the original and snapped one laborious frame at a time and digitized the complete original and we have stabilized the film, by taking each frame and centering it on the object of our attention. Now why is that important? For one, most versions of this film you have seen are a copy of a copy of a copy. Keep going until the word copy stops making any sense. After just making one copy from a copy, you begin to pick up what are called artifacts. 

Artifacts are small pieces of dust and debris that are on a previous copy that permanently become part of the next version. Before you know it, it appears that Bigfoot has an additional finger or a tail (exaggeration on the tail). The copies of the copies only hurt the authentication process. The stabilization of the film allows us to get off the bumpy ride that was Patterson running in a frantic state, trying to capture as much as he could of the beast on his Cine-Kodak K100. Stabilization has not only saved our lunch, but given us a much clearer view of Patty in all of her muscle bound, fat reserved, breasts swinging perfection. 

Yes Patty (the name given to Patterson’s Bigfoot) is a female, which is common knowledge of course for any enthusiast, but not so much to the general public. In a way, that in and of itself is pretty impressive if this was a hoax. A female Bigfoot, if you are a hoaxer trying to fool the world, is a little more challenging to nail down, and really why go to the bother of sexing a costume of an unknown creature? Might be however a male Bigfoot would create his own problems, if you know what I mean. 

The film has gone over 45 years of dissection and the best evidence has actually come in the last few years from accredited anatomists, anthropologists and Hollywood makeup artists as well as developments in computer technology. On the animal specialist side the creature moves in such a way where muscles, tendons and fatty pockets are clearly visible in motion and if it is a costume, they went for broke to provide an extremely accurate suit that can barely be rivaled today. On the physical side, the arms are disproportionately long for its stature and its intermembral index (a ratio used to compare limb proportions, expressed as a percentage) make it well beyond the means for a human being and according to Anthropologist Jeff Meldrum, rule out the possibility of a man in a suit. The creature’s gait and stride are also of a non-human variety. Turns out the angle of a humans shin rise is a universal 52 degrees while walking. The angle of Patty’s shin rise is a consistent 73 degrees, step after step after step. That’s an extremely awkward thing to mimic for a human and looks completely unnatural when in action. On Patty nothing could seem more natural. People who have claimed to have seen a Sasquatch seem to often mention a kind of smooth gliding motion of the creature as it effortlessly strides through the woods. 

MK Davis, the guy also responsible for stabilizing the film, has done a lot of analysis on zoomed in versions of this film and points out to the amazing realness of the creature’s thighs and glutes. Does Patty have a nice ass? Well that is your personal business, but she does have a very realistic one. When this thing walks, the muscles that you would expect to see flexing and contracting do so on all fronts. The maker of a costume like this would have had to have an extensive knowledge of anatomy and then somehow put it in action on a man that would never fill in all of the differing lengths of anatomy in the suit. In other words, this thing’s anatomical lengths, compared to a man would leave slop and slouch all over the body and not the muscle toned creature we see in PG. 

There are many more aspects that have been gone over to authenticate the film and there is also NO agreement universally across the board, but the body walking across the screen in the Patterson Gimlin film has never been debunked in all the years of trying and has only become more enthralling as we look deeper with newer and better technologies. 

Do I believe Patty is the real deal? Not 100% no. But I do think it is one of the best pieces of evidence out there. There is absolutely no way you can say this is a misidentification, which leaves only two other options. That this is one of the best costumes ever made, especially for 1967 and way out of the reach monetarily of a guy on a budget the size of PG or these two guys hit the crypto zoological jackpot of the century and when we view the 53 seconds that make this clip special we are in fact looking at a BIGFOOT.

Some interesting links to consider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SRi1VLBxtZc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUXkq_HVgIc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNW2WW6rbw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lze64cwcbLs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p54y3vgCvYA

MK Davis also has a great one on the buttocks muscles, which I can't seem to find, but if you get a chance, it is one of the most impressive examinations of the PG film.

Thanks everyone!

Ready, set.....Bigfoot!

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H.H Holmes Americas first serial killer

Here on the Discerning Man’s Squatch, I sometimes like to dabble in monsters of another sort, so I thought I would write with a brief departure from Bigfoot. The human monster story has always held a certain fascination for me because of its foreign and alien nature that is so different from what most of us consider to be human. Here is one such true monster story and it just might have an amazing and unexpected twist that puts it into the truly bizarre.

In the late 1800’s there was a man who went by the alias of H.H Holmes who no one would have thought would later be referred to notoriously as America’s first serial killer. He would act out some of his wildest and most atrocious fantasies on an unsuspecting public in Chicago, most notably during the 1893 World’s Fair. Born Herman Webster Mudgett, to European settlers in 1861, an affluent family with an abusive, alcoholic father and a pious yet submissive mother, he would somehow be steered into a dark and foreboding adulthood. Early in childhood and what would be one of many catalysts for his later deeds, he was once taken into an empty science classroom by a group of bullies who would proceed to terrorize the young boy with a skeletal body used for demonstration purposes. Later recalling that he was brought to his knees in anxiety and horror as they took the skeletal fingers and caressed his face, he then in seemingly a flash of fate, noticed something happening that turned that horror into a sick and almost comforting enchantment. This newly discovered fascination as a young boy, turned to the mutilation and dissection of stray and wild animals found nearby his home where one could suggest a monster was in the making.

Holmes would later as a young man go to medical school, where he was a prodigal student and an eager learner. While there, as a very intelligent, yet devious young man he would revert to scams and fraud by stealing cadavers from the university and filing insurance claims on them as their sole inheritor, staging their bodies in gruesome and unfortunate accidents. He would also take these opportunities to further his dissection study and then proceed to boil and chemically reduce the bodies to skeletons where he would sell those to other universities and science labs. He made such a good living with his frauds, and selling of skeletal remains that he became consumed and his childhood lean towards torture would begin to focus on the living, the healthy and the innocent.

In 1888, Holmes would begin design and construction of a hotel, two blocks from where the heralded 1893 Chicago’s World’s Fair would be held, with the sole intention of a grand opening date to welcome those travelers and guests. A mysterious structure with an even more mysterious construction regiment, as it would turn out. Per the diabolical insight of Holmes and utmost secrecy of his final project’s design, he would hire and then fire a week later his builders only to hire a new crew that would be fired a week after that. This odd practice would continue until its completion and the reason would reveal a maze like building, designed with windowless rooms, false walls, vents that piped in gases and chutes that would be known later to drop bodies from any floor down into what could be only called a torture chamber of the most gruesome experimentation. No one the wiser of his scheme, the hotel would open without a hitch.

Weeks before the Fair, the streets of Chicago were being flooded by thousands of visitors who were seeking lodging in a foreign city. With a new dawn in America during the peak of the second industrial revolution, a free spirit proliferated the railways and induced people to just get up and go explore the greatness of their country and so many arrived in Chicago without family knowing of their travel plans or their destinations. This worked to Holmes advantage in almost every conceivable way. Much like today’s most famous roach killing product, people checked into his hotel, but they never checked out.

The horrors didn’t begin or end with death, for the unfortunate that made the mistake of checking in to the spider’s nest that was Holmes ultimate torture device. Upon arrival, they would enter a grand lobby that appeared to be as any other posh hotel in the city. Beautifully constructed arches and layout that was inviting and comforting. After checking in and being seen to their rooms, people would be excused for having a feeling of being watched as if by ghostly eyes as Holmes with childlike anticipation beheld his guest from secret viewing areas behind the inconspicuous walls. The voyeurism would only be a prelude to something much more ghastly, as depending on Holmes’s busy schedule, a concoction of chemicals would eventually seep into their room rendering them unconscious and ready for the next step of their fate. Opening up a vacancy for other guests, the bodies would be carried off by Holmes and led to one of many laundry chute like doors and carefully tossed in where it would make its descent to the basement. Often the person would awake to find themselves strapped tightly to a gurney, not able to move a muscle and with a fear we can only imagine. Disoriented, they would struggle to find themselves in a dimly lit room, with the flickering of a macabre light bouncing off of blood soaked walls and the whimpering of an evil and encapsulating suffering of other unsuspecting hotel guests. This is where the horror would fulfill Holmes ultimate fantasies and be brought to life, and his guest’s unfortunate and torturous demise... but not a quick demise. For you see the evil doctor, never seeing his victims as a compassionate doctor should, would dissect them while they were still very much alive, which being a thorough man, could take several months.

For careful and meticulous planning Holmes had taken every precaution in case suspicions arose, so he had built in sound proof rooms and furnaces as well as large vats containing gallons of acid to completely dispose of anything that would lead someone to suspect that you, his guest, had ever existed in the first place. In fact the hotel was raided on several occasions by the Chicago police and they never turned up anything until the hotel burned to the ground years later after Holmes arrest, at which time he was suspected of killing over 200 victims even though he only claimed 27.

Here is where the story gets even more chilling, if it hasn’t already made you dig your fingernails into your palms as you check the vents in your room for anything you may not have noticed before. In the Fall of 1888, while construction crews were breaking ground on Holmes’s hotel, it was noticed that he was mysteriously unaccounted for, for many weeks. Meanwhile, at the exact same time of Holmes disappearance, there was another chapter being written into the annals of the monstrous capabilities of man just across the Atlantic. In August of 1888, the body of Mary Ann Nichols would be discovered slaughtered with a doctor’s precision, cutting from pelvis to breast plate, on the streets of Whitechapel London and would later be claimed as the first victim of a certain individual dubbed Saucy Jack, or as you may better know him… Jack the Ripper. The second body, a Miss Annie Chapman a week later would be eviscerated in the same brutal matter, this time almost decapitating the victim and then displaying the carefully butchered body parts in all of their horrific glory. Three weeks later another two victims would be found, the first with only her throat slit, bringing about the theory that he was almost caught this time. His next prey, thought to come from frustration from a job not completed, would happen only three hours later, indoors, where he would have the time he needed and desired to do his best work. Disemboweling the victim and removing the heart and lungs and wrapping her entrails around her neck like a sickening gift of endearment, this was perhaps the most ensanguined murder. The theory is that this is where Holmes learned he much preferred closed doors and privacy to do what he did best, and to take his dear sweet time with it.

Other evidence and theories would come from H.H Holmes’s (or Mudgett’s) great, great, great grandson while researching his ancestry, as he had both killers handwriting analyzed and it was discovered that the two were a 97.95 percent match. There is also the taunting of Jack to Scotland Yard through letters after the abrupt stop to the killings, using American euphemisms such as “Boss” referring to the Scotland Yard police and a statement saying he was now comfortably away relaxing on the other side of the Atlantic. The last strange coincidence I’ll mention, was the reporting of a well-educated English speaking man being witnessed traveling the same time and area, shopping his skeletal bodies to the local universities.

Holmes, first "official" American murder was a few short months later in early 1889. A Mrs. Holden who filed fraud charges against him when he took over her pharmaceutical business, before his hotel was fully constructed. H.H Holmes even though largely counted as the first American serial killer, is relatively unknown when compared to the likes of Jack the Ripper, but that may have been largely by design if they were in fact the same person. Holmes enjoyed what he did and was in no way looking for any attention unlike Jack’s public persona. He in fact planned for a long fruitful life of the worst kind of debauchery, but in 1895 he was caught and found guilty and hanged shortly thereafter.

There is much more to this story and many more coincidences between the two, but I will leave it to those who are interested, to further investigate this on their own. I found this story fascinating and a little nightmare inducing when I first discovered it and it became even more profound when you factor in the possibility that H.H Holmes and Jack the Ripper may be one in the same person. If you guys like brief detours into other interesting topics like this one from time to time, give me a thumbs up and I’ll sprinkle in a good one here and there. Hope you enjoyed this little trip into the macabre, even if tonight you blame me for having to sleep with one eye open.

Ready, set…Bigfoot!

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Spike TV’s 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty

I am excited about this show for a couple of reasons. First there will be some legit people with credentials and real incentive to prove to us all the existence of Sasquatch. With ten million dollars on the line, backed by Lloyds of London, this is no “Finding Bigfoot” tree knocking waste of time. Secondly and I think even more important is that everyone should learn what real proof should look like. No blobsquatch will pass here and a team of experts will make sure that anything offered as proof is irrefutable or be given a thumbs down.
This show plans on taking itself seriously and will have its own traveling DNA lab that can confirm in less than 24 hours. The minimum proof required to walk away with the 10 million will be photographic and a conclusive DNA sample. In this case, the proof is in the poo.
The show’s producers are actually hoping, unlike most shows that this one only lasts a single season and they really aren’t messing around when it comes to who will be allowed to participate and who will judge the evidence. All contestants must be “fully credible” and vetted, which means there definitely won’t be anyone competing like Mr. Unmentionable, and Car Wrap Guy will have to sit this one out as one of the judges.
All in all they are hopeful to have a living specimen by the end of the season and the word is still out on if a kill is a dis-qualifier. They are leaving some of the tougher decisions up to Lloyds since they are the clout and there are laws in many states with exception of Texas that prohibit harming the big dude.
An excellent ending would be a catch and release sort of thing with hours of footage that we all can drool over.
If the show succeeds at what it setting out to do, it may be bitter sweet in some ways, which just occurred to me as I was writing this piece. On the one hand, we would have the indisputable proof we have all wanted, but on a sadder note, which we may not have pondered much, we would lose a beloved monster and a mystery in folklore. Because once confirmed, unless it has many tricks up its sleeve, it will be relegated to being just another known animal and taken out of the fringe category, just like what happened to the great apes when they were discovered to be real a hundred years ago. Funny how we can have a change of heart (or maybe its just me) in the few minutes it took to write this, to all of a sudden have reservations on gaining irrefutable proof. Ah well, Bigfoot has done pretty well keeping himself hidden up to now, so that sentiment may just be a waste of a sigh, but it has inspired me for what I will write tomorrow.
So until then.....


Ready,set…Bigfoot!

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The one-hour reality series is set to premiere January 2014 on Spike TV.

Are we Syke(d) about Bigfoot DNA and should we hold Ketchum responsible for not passing the muster?

The DNA wars still rage in the world of Bigfoot. Up until recently though, the field has taken the same questionable tactics as many others purporting evidence. I can understand spending many months of your life and how much of a let down it may be when the results don’t turn out the way that would have benefited you as a researcher, but shame on Melba Ketchum for taking the shady route for publishing her very questionable results and in the manner she did. There is a reason scientific journals refused to publish her report and she has been lambasted by others in her field. Agendas most of the time make poor bedfellows for science and we should question those results as boldly as we question other types of evidence. When people like Melba Ketchum take the channels she has, I say a zero tolerance policy should be enacted and we stand together and ban the individual from ever again entertaining our thoughts of something legit ever coming out of them. As long as we tolerate records like these, it will only continue to be acceptable in our hobby and hence the norm.
I say Melba is toast! Now on to the good news. 

Bryan Sykes a geneticist at the University of Oxford (who knows full well the scoffable nature and downsides of entertaining Sasquatch DNA) as well as the Lausanne Museum of Zoology in Switzerland have taken the challenge of the cryptologists who say science just outright rejects their claims and is asking for anything they have to provide for DNA testing. So here is the chance of those in the field who claim science has turned their back on them to put up or shut up and bring in their hair and scat samples and anything else that can be tested (the deadline for samples was this time last year 2012). The project will also focus on “the Lausanne’s archive of remains, collected by a Bernard Heuvelmans and his reported Yeti sightings that were collected from 1950 to 2001 when he passed away”. Quoting from early 2012, while not very confident that a sample will be brought forward that proves the existence of an unknown creature, Sykes says "nothing would make him happier if it did". “Science does not accept or reject hypotheses but evaluates them on the basis of evidence. This is why I am confident that examining the evidence of alleged Yetis does not fall outside the realm of proper scientific inquiry.” So here is a man offering credibility to a subject that sometimes lacks it and I am hopeful all parties have taken full advantage of this opportunity.

DNA testing accuracy has jumped leaps and bounds over the last few years and a small fragment of a hair shaft can provide conclusive results of an unknown hominid if it in fact is one. Just in the last three years we now know that 2 to 4 percent of the DNA of Europeans is Neanderthal, so we know with factual basis that there was interbreeding between them and modern humans tens of thousands of years ago. One theory of Sasquatch is that it is perhaps a Neanderthal or a relative of theirs. I personally don’t hold that same theory, but we should be happy that someone with the credentials and caliber of Sykes is coming in to give DNA studies on Bigfoot evidence some validity, which was partially spurred on by Ketchum’s high school science project approach.

A recent article has indicated that the project was wrapped up in August of this year and that results will be forthcoming in a matter of weeks and published in a peer reviewed report and also be included in an upcoming documentary. The latest buzz is that something leaning towards a positive confirmation is coming our way as Sykes (a native of England)has been busy traveling to different locations in North America, speaking with Bigfoot researchers as well as U.S Fish and Wildlife officials. The thinking goes, if the results were all negative these actions would not be taking place, but I am not coming to any conclusions and will wait patiently to see what they have come up with.

So we wait, we hope and we see if 2013 doesn’t come through after all as the year of Bigfoot. Could be we are in for a treat or could be more of the same. What gives me a positive feeling on these studies is that we have a very well known, accredited and praised geneticist in Bryan Sykes that does not have an agenda to lean one way or another. We can trust that he will be diligent and not pull any punches when the results are revealed. We as the hopeful looking for proof need people like Sykes to join our plight, because without, we are always going to be left questioning credibility. This has the potential of rewriting the history books and really opening the door for more scientists of good name and practices.
I look forward to good news, but wont be shattered if the results are all negative and neither should you. We should just be pleased that for the moment the taboo of the subject was set aside for real science to take a peek. Here's to a hopeful outcome and as much credibility as can be afforded Bigfoot for now.

Ready, set...Bigfoot!
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Que The Walking Dead theme music… Season 4 is almost here!

We are nearing the “end of days” in our wait for another season of The Walking Dead… and I for one could not be more excited! 

Not in my wildest dreams as a child with my first exposure to zombies in George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” did I believe that we would be blessed to have a well written television show of a post-apocalyptic world after a zombie outbreak. I discovered a new fear and fascination that night as a youngster on a small black and white 14 inch screen in the form of the un-dead and forever after, I would have the zombie bug… or more appropriately, the virus.

George re-wrote the book on what it is to be a zombie. Prior to the Romero zombie, they were drug induced, voodoo doctor controlled, living beings and you could have sympathy for them and their plight. Gone are the days of sympathy for the zombie, as the re-imaging made them something remotely worse than a lumbering thought controlled hunk of living flesh. We now, in what is deemed the official definition of a zombie, are dealing with a far more hideous character, that is in fact the re-animated dead. What is scarier than that I ask? You take our fear of death and the dead and give it our own body, which wants nothing more than to rip the flesh from your bones and devour you, your family and every other living being it can get its rotting spindly fingers on. Then you give it huge numbers of which you are likely to become a part of and an insatiable appetite that never wants to get up from the diner table.

The problem I have always had with the good zombie movie is that they end… and they end with the best part of the story not being told. In walks The Walking Dead, the answer to a dream I had given up on ever seeing and an answer to my questions which always revolved around, what happens next? What happens after surviving that initial shock and we find our world has changed in ways that are nightmarish in nature and scope? I am forever indebted to Robert Kirkman, the ever changing line of directors and actors and a great group of writers that make my Sundays for several months twice a year something to look forward to in bloody anticipation.

In a lot of ways our favorite cryptid and the zombie, light the same fire in our hearts and imaginations. We have grown up with both as iconic characters and they remind ourselves of our humanity and own frailties. They tug at certain emotions that we don’t reflect on in most of our everyday lives and make us think outside of our preconceived norms. While one is definitely a manufactured story created for our entertainment of what can go wrong, the other might be a reality that we can hope brings out the best in us. We all can count our blessings on which one I am referring to as having that chance in reality, for while I love the show, wanting to live in that world, not so much.

I hear great things about the new season, including a new threat that can’t be combated in traditional ways. I am curious and a bit nervous as to what direction we are headed with the new show runner Scott Gimple, but I am sure we are in capable hands. As Hershel said profoundly in season two "I can't profess to understand God's plan, Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind" I trust in their plan and hope that the writers continue with something a little different in mind and we continue to eat it up.

Here is to our Sundays being filled with Walkers once again and an hour each week of our undying attention.
 
Ready, set…Bigfoot!

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Les Stroud, More Credibility.

For years I have enjoyed Les Stroud and his Survivor Man series. I live in a wooded area and love the Rocky Mountains which are literally my back yard, so any show that takes us into the boscage and teaches us how to use what is there to survive and then make it out again, has always had a place close to my heart.

Les is the only one I know of who actually does all of his own camera work and it is no easy task considering what he takes on. He goes solo, and with the immensely painstaking process of setting up his multiple cameras, hiking away from them sometimes thousands of yards over steep terrain to record his progression, then, once satisfied backtracking just as perilously to pick up his cameras and do it all over again. He shows more integrity and commitment to his show and skills than any other survivor type program I have seen. Quite frankly I personally would find it a real drag to make progress on a torturous trail that could take my life and then be forced to go back, grab my gear so I can set up for the next leg. Thankfully he does it all for us and with a smile.

You might wonder why he does this (solo) and the answer is, he is showing us true survivor skills with the same resources we would have if lost in the woods. He does not have the luxury of having a camera man, who would have rations and a long distance communicator as well as just a helping hand in any emergency… and that is the whole point of the show. He in fact is taking real risks with his own life and I have sometimes feared that one day we will read in the papers that he never made it back from filming one of his episodes. He is for real and he is really putting himself out there.

It is with my great pleasure that we have a two part special on the Science Channel that has been given the go ahead that takes on two of my favorite subjects. Surviving in the wilderness…and Bigfoot. The episodes titled Survivorman: Stalking Sasquatch, will take us the viewer, on a precarious journey with Les as he goes in search of the wild man of the woods with plenty of high quality cameras in tow.

We can expect to see the same kind of dangerous terrain that he usually undertakes, but instead of focusing on getting out, he will be focusing on going big. As in Bigfoot. A quote from the Hollywood reporter: “Stroud goes deep into the territory of the infamous Bigfoot to survive with few supplies and even fewer rations, "smack dab in the middle of the monster’s hotspots." He also will delve into the truth behind the legend as he investigates the whereabouts of this infamous creature."

The fellow known lovingly as Survivor Man has on at least two instances given his take on the legend of Bigfoot and has had relayed some personal experiences that indicate that he believes there may be some truth to this creature. Here is a man that knows what it is like being as remote as possible on the outskirts of where humanity dare not go and has impeccable knowledge of the flora and fauna. If anyone has a chance of having an eyewitness encounter with Sasquatch and then being credible in his report, it is Les and quite literally in his minimalism approach, Les is more.

For me it is a win-win situation as I love his show anyway, but with him keeping an ever keen eye out and camera for something that will bring us closer to an age old question, I find that this special will be extra special… for anyone with an interest in Sasquatch.
Show is set to premier the first quarter of 2014

Ready, set…Bigfoot!
  
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In a galaxy, far, far away.... I did it all for the Wookie.

So what are we to make of the Erickson project and their news conference? Well the Bigfoot community is tearing them to pieces and I imagine the only ones really listening are the very casual observer that missed the original stories when they first broke months ago. That’s what happens in this community, in my observation, when you burn bridges and expect people to have your back when you go public like they have now. We are not too forgiving and we have memories like elephants, especially when you try to offer the public, what you couldn’t get us to swallow the first time around.

As a barometer, I would say our sniffers are up to snuff and we are not likely to sit back quietly, when we still have bs stuck to our own shoes as they now try and pass it off as caviar served on their finest china. Melba thought she was being drug through the mud when she first went public. I have a feeling she has seen nothing yet.

You have to admit when we first heard the Erickson report being sensationalized yesterday in the media and even viewed on a Times Square marque, we were hopeful that they had been holding out on us all along and the good stuff was now finally forth coming. You better believe we paid attention with our heads tilted and our ears piqued for the goods. So you can’t blame us for being upset when they bring their same YouTube videos and botched, un-reviewed DNA reports to the media, this time hoping that a more gullible crowd will be more receptive to their finds and for good measure toss in a video of someone in a wookie mask. Some Bigfooters are not real bright, but I imagine it still somehow generates them money or they wouldn’t do it.

Real quick show of hands…who in America has not seen Star Wars? I am guessing everyone raised their hands and some of you both of them as you high fived your buddies in your SWTOR chat rooms. Do they really think a video like that is going to fly in the free world where George Lucas captured the attention of everyone with a pulse once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away?

Just wanted to put something out quickly as my first inclination was to ignore it completely. I decided to write this when I read on RL’s blog that there was no bad on Erickson because the video of Chewie was not shot by him so we are supposed to go “ok, that’s all right then. As long as the other stuff can’t be linked to a fan fave Star Wars character we must conclude them to be legit. We should ignore the parts we don’t like and gobble up the rest because you can’t argue with a breathing rug.” Which reminds me, didn’t princess Leia call Chewbacca a giant walking rug?

That’s all for now folks, but please comment and tell me if you agree, disagree or would just rather sit back and watch your platinum edition of The Empire Strikes Back. My thoughts unfortunately are that these are not the droids that we are looking for and in our quest for the truth there is no try, only do. Good night everyone and may the force always be with and not against you. Especially when dealing with an angry crowd of Bigfooters.

Ready, set…Bigfoot!


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