Evgene Onegin

I just finished an amazing work by Pushkin, Evgene Onegin.  The form is very unique-- it's a novel in verse.  So it's like a more modern Iliad, except that James E. Falen actually manages to translate it with rhyme.  Here's a great passage, where Onegin kills his best friend in a duel because of a silly misunderstanding.

Ilya Repin's Depiction of the Duel

(Chapter 6, verses 29-32)

The gleaming pistols wake from drowsing.

Against the ramrods mallets pound.

The balls go in each bevelled housing.

The first sharp hammer clicks resound.

Now streams of greyish powder settle

Inside the pans.  Screwed fast to metal,

The jagged flints are set to go.

...

'Approach at will!' Advancing coldly,

With quiet, firm, and measured tread,

Not aiming yet, the foes took boldly

The first four steps that lay ahead--

Four fateful steps.  The space decreasing,

Onegin then, while still not ceasing

His slow advance, was first to raise

His pistol with a level gaze.

Five paces more, while Lensky waited

To close one eye and, only then,

To take his aim.... And that was when

Onegin fired!  The hour fated

Has struck at last: The poet stops

And silently his pistol drops.

He lays a hand, as in confusion,

On breast and falls.  His misted eyes

Express not pain, but death's intrusion.

Thus, slowly, down a sloping rise,

And sparkling in the sunlight's shimmer,

A clump of snow will fall and glimmer.

Eugene, in sudden chill, despairs,

Runs to the stricken youth... and stares!

Calls out his name! --No earthly power

Can bring him back: the singer's gone,

Cut down by fate at break of dawn!

The storm has blown; the lovely flower

Has withered with the rising sun;

The altar fire is out and done!

He lay quite still and past all feeling;

His languid brow looked strange at rest.

The streaming blood poured forth, revealing

The gaping wound beneath his breast.

One moment back-- a breath's duration--

This heart still throbbed with inspiration;

It's hatred, hopes, and loves still beat,

Its blood ran hot with life's own heat.

But now, as in a house deserted,

Inside it-- all is hushed and stark,

Gone silent and forever dark.

The window boards have been inserted,

The panes chalked white.  The owner's fled;

But where, God knows.  All trace is dead.

As tempting as it was to include a clip from Tchaikovsky's opera, the trailers from the movie on youtube were more impressive.  (I don't like the modernist staging that the Met put on last time.)  Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i1_dPf9Th4 set to Alanis Morrisette.

Source: http://soychiatry.blogspot.com/2010/08/evgene-onegin.html

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Litany - as Recited by a 3 Year Old

Happy Friday

Or ...

Litany

BY BILLY COLLINS

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine . . .
Jacques Crickillon
You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley,
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I am not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and—somehow—the wine.

Source: http://rwrld.blogspot.com/2010/08/litany-as-recited-by-3-year-old.html

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The Painter’s Mantle by Nayanathara

The Painter’s Mantle by Nayanathara

Whenever I get time, I do pen a few lines of poetry or don the painter’s mantle,
Not a mere hobby or an idle woman’s pastime—
But an exploration of my long-lost identity, an honest expression of my thoughts,
An aesthetic unravelling of my past, present and future.

Quite often, I do spend a considerable time pondering over my life’s incorrigible patterns—
Its sudden undulations, its sloppy curves, mountainous terrains,
gargantuan crevices and gorges, its stupendous waterfalls…
After having thought long and hard, I finally wield my long, broad brush and palette of cool, placid colours.
In a span of few hours, a painting is created—
The sad rendering of a collage of images, fragments of broken desires etched into the canvas of life.

But today, what has happened to me?
All of a sudden, I’m at a loss with myself.
I feel perplexed and flustered at my indecisiveness, lack of clarity of thought…
I don’t know what to paint…
What should I paint?
Shall I paint you? Me? Or the dark, stormy turbulence of an unforgettable past?
I really don’t know…. I don’t have an idea.

I rack my brain for an answer. I had never felt like this before.
I never had such a dearth of ideas. But what has happened to me now?
I throw the brush down in a fit of desperation and anger.
The palette hits the wall and a riot of colours splashes across the ceiling;
A random mixture of soft, dark and violent colours…
In just a few seconds, a painting is born.
The whole of nature appears embedded in it;
The deep seas, dragon whirlpools, cave-mouthed tornadoes, wild forests and mountains…
Perfectly etched into the background are two dark shadows;
Two images trying to find a world of solace in the dark, unknown wilderness.

Author’s Bio: A Post Graduate in English with Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, Nayanathara has been working as a content writer for the past five years. She has contributed articles, features, and poems to several leading online web journals such as www.ndtv.com, www.kritya.in, www.museindia.com, www.literarymagic.com and www.keralaonline.com. She has also contributed articles for the supplements 'YES VIBES' and 'YOUTH EXPRESS' of India’s leading newspaper The New Indian Express. Recently, she completed an e-book on Indian Art and Mural Paintings for the website www.chillibreeze.com.

She participated and presented poetry in the International Poetry Festival 2008 organized by Kritya. Two of her poems have been published in an anthology of poetry titled A Posy of Poesy released by the Department of English, J.K.C. College, Andhra Pradesh. Besides writing poetry, her other interests include painting, reading and music. Her maiden anthology of 43 poems titled The Scent of Frangipani published by FOLIO, Thiruvananthapuram was released recently.

Nayanathara believes that writing is not her hobby but it is her identity which she cannot discard in any condition. She searches deep into her life, which is the life of any individual, and paints the life as it is on the canvas. Suddenly she finds that she suffers from a bout of inexpressiveness but her dedication to poesy makes her recover the inability and she finds her scribbles making a sense finally. Nayanathara’s such feeling comes from a deep love to musing and worship to poesy.

Source: http://contemporaryliteraryreview.blogspot.com/2010/08/painters-mantle-by-nayanathara.html

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The Writing Process

I was cleaning up some old files and came across this old free writing exercise. I tend to compose in blank paragraphs and then see what develops. This is what I banged out:

I’m afraid I will die and no one will ever know I was here, I think that is why I write so I can leave a mark but I am writing in chalk on the sidewalks of a city that never sleeps. By tomorrow my words will have been washed away by foot traffic and summer rain. I have no philosophy to change the nature of man, and my lexicon is the product of a public school education. All I have to work with is Silly String, Paint by Numbers word pictures and an old Poetry Writers Guide picked up at a yard sale in Queens. My diffidence breed behind the walls and seem to be immune to bug spray, but I still chase them from the room when I turn on the lights. I have nightmares where Walt Whitman is trying to pick up Jim Morrison in a bar and the hairy bastard won’t even look in my direction.

After several edits (sorry, I cant find the various incarnations) it turned into a poem that ended up being published by The (&) Ampersand Review. This is the poem in its finished form:

Screw You Walt Whitman!

Obscurity and irrelevance
are scarier than death,
so I write to leave my mark,
but I am writing in chalk
on the sidewalk of 7th Avenue
and 42nd Street. Tomorrow
my words will be washed away
by fashion footwear
and afternoon thunderstorms.

My fears breed behind decorated walls
and seem to be immune to bug spray,
but I can still chase them
out of the living room
when I turn on the lights.
I have no philosophy
that explains the nature of man,
and my lexicon is the product
of a public school education.
All I have to work with is Silly String,
Paint by Numbers pictures
and an old Poetry Writers Guide
picked up at a yard sale in Queens.

I have Body Electric nightmares,
and Walt Whitman keeps hitting
on Jim Morrison while he plays
the piano at Rick’s Café Américain.
Despite my efforts the hairy bastard
won’t even look in my direction.

SMG
(Re-printed from The (&) Ampersand Review III)

Source: http://roomspimp.blogspot.com/2010/08/writing-process.html

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The Perseid meteor shower is the dusty remains of a comet called Swift-Tuttle, discovered in 1862. Every August when Earth passes closest to the orbit of Swift-Tuttle, amateur astronomers can see shooting stars in the night sky.

We drove deep into the desert and sat on the hood of the car in darkeness.

While waiting for the shooting stars from the meteor shower we pondered some riddles.

It has towns but no houses;
It has forests, but no trees;
It has rivers, but no fish.
What is it?

Monkeys said: Ghost Town
Answer: A Map

What is it that a mother loves very dearly
But which can never welcome her when she comes home?

Monkey says: Daughter
Monkey 2 says: Cat
Answer: A baby before it is born

The air alone gives birth to this.
It lives without a body.
It hears without ears.
It speaks without a mouth.
What is it?

Monkey says: Wind
Monkey 2 says: God
Answer: An echo

Do you know any riddles?

Did you see the meteor shower?

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BFF R.I.P.? BIGFOOT FORUMS CLOSED. Outing Its Former Controllers, and What Is a JIMITE? plus... A BIGFOOT POEM

BIGFOOT'S BLOG, Mid-August 2010 Edition

Well, here we go again! Another round of big, crazy Bigfoot news. It's been a full two years since the "Georgia Gorilla" Bigfoot Body Hoax. We'll cover that fiasco next time around. 

Image: What is wrong with this picture?

The BFF may be closing forever. Even though the former tyrant, "Teresa," was deposed, along with henchwoman "JayleeD," most of the old fixtures like "Blackdog" and "Bittermonk" still remained in place, and were still causing the same old problems of favoritism, back-biting, attack dog-ism, etc. We didn't really monitor this, as we don't go to the site much at all since we were  banned from it for no good reason. However, we have received constant helpful information from the fine folks over at the BFFA (Bigfoot Forums Anonymous), erstwhile known as the SEARCH FOR BIGFOOT FORUM. Thanks to all of you, for the information and support! Read on for more, plus some background information on the "Jimite" faction that has caused so much trouble from within the Bigfoot Community, much like a nasty virus, or leprosy, eating away at the health and productivity of the field itself, slowly diminishing its effectiveness. You may be amazed at how many of the same names run through most of the most troubling conflicts in Bigfooting in the last decade or so.

We have two BFF-related reports below, plus a poem, News, and a new Bigfoot toy. Read onward...

Don't forget to become a Fan/Friend of BIGFOOT'S BLOG FACEBOOK PAGE to keep up with things on a nearly daily basis. This is where we will post flash news and updates while our three-a-month blogs sit churning on the back burner.

************************************

Here is a poem we recently found in the massive files of paper here in our bookshop. We wrote this late one night after awakening from a bizarre dream. We present it here as we found it, unrevised, in rough draft form. 

THIS FOOTPRINT HAS BEEN HERE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

Bespoken of by wild wood, feared,

 beloved of wolf, eagle and bear

Bearing in him the ghost

 of the lost grizzly shadow,

Of condor, and incomprehensibly tall

 suggesting a thousand-yeared history

Beyond recollection even of those

 small men who first crossed over

The bridge of land and ice after him

 crossing continents, spanning vague water

Lands frozen, indistinguished, and also disdaining

 the pale white ones following, and their oil slicked,

Blackened world of roads, ashed stumps,

 denuded and gated, raped piles

Upon blasted towering monuments

 to false comic book televised gods.

He hates this, and you, if you believe it,

 but he loves what is left of what is

 still good in your blood.

His foot shakes beneath all

 other animals, quavers the hearts

Of beasts and men, boasts of strength

 allied with two thousand year trunks

Redwood, and fir forests, of which his

 is the beating conscious heart.

In the sand, rarely, a mark;

 there is so little seen, blending

With brown and shadow and stone

 he moves merged with myriad forms.

His scat is rapidly eagen again as holy.

You will not see him, his bones vanish

 into mulch, no fossil contains his

Vast form, as upon rock, through

 rivulets and over log and rip rap

He ponders invisibility and watchs

 you from beyond camp fire and villages.

Only his teeth, a jawbone, maybe, remain.

Unseen, unknown, older than the fields

 that were ripped away to geologic

Foundations torn and shucked aside

 to form what now are called mountains,

Yosemite, or temporary bases for cities.

If  fortune lapses and you catch

 a fleeting image it will not be

His, but yours, a reflection of a child's

 Boogeyman, a beast of tabloid fame,

A fear magnified by distance and

 tortured separation, solitude,

Among all that prosper and thrive

He eats and breathes vast quantities

 of that freedom unfelt, unbelievable;

Outside, in cold uncaring of it, through flood

 and snow, uncivilized, bearing across

Years and remembering more than knowing,

 this thing has been here a million years.

At least, look up, see sun burning; look

 down, feel roots burrow and wrack, touch

Fire, ash, deep compost of all that lived;

 you won't come close, but at least have

Tried to approximate to the impossible.

There is more than your scheduled dreams

 metered days, accruing debt to ignorance;

His stride courses decades, levels all

 into undeluded, timeless, mortal deeds.

Eat, inhale, drink, lift yourself

 into the sun while it is here.

Nothing lasts; but this adaptable,

 strongly struck footprint, though

In sand or mud, has beaten across

 all of human memory, song, and legend.

It has been and watched and known,

 and now strikes out beyond to outlast.

Stands and sees beyond, through;

 you see him not from your passing car window.

He eats your pale illusion of freedom

 like a tidbit, and moves down the steep hill bracken

 for more.

-- Steven Streufert, circa 2008, found in the piles and files

************************************

BFF R.I.P.???

BIGFOOT FORUMS ON HIATUS, TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY?
Founder BRIAN BROWN, "BIPTO," Rejoins, Sees the Problems, Closes Site

Despite our recent protestations, we find this news saddening... Is the BFF DEAD?

We perhaps played a bit of a David to Goliath role here (or rather, more like the straw that broke the camel's back!)... perhaps; but we hope that the site may be preserved somehow, if not as an active discussion forum, then perhaps as a permanent archive of great information. When founder Brian Brown was here in our shop he did not seem at all angry with us over our criticisms made on this blog, and seemed to chuckle a bit at our satirical images presented here. He seemed, indeed, to know just what we were talking about it. Changes were going to be made, he said. Well, we didn't exactly expect what we found in our inbox this morning, and it is not what we had hoped would happen. Apparently, the problems just seemed too vast, too deeply ingrained, and the factions too entrenched, for any real change to occur? Or perhaps it would have taken full-time super-human powers of administration to effect any real change?

This today from "Bipto," Brian Brown, the Bigfoot Forums' founder:

"Also, as you all know, I have recently "returned" to the forum. This was a mistake. I wasn't happy with what had happened to the forum's reputation and thought I had a solution that would have put the site on a firm footing for the future. That may all still happen, but I don't know when. Bottom line is my personal and professional obligations do not, at this time, allow me to give this site the attention it requires. Also, I have no idea to whom I can give the forum. Honestly, I don't know if I *want* to give the forum to anyone. The fate of the BFF is tied to me in a way it isn't with anyone else. I have come to the difficult conclusion that best course of action for me to take is to put the forum on a hiatus during which no posting will be allowed. For all intents and purposes, the BFF is closed until further notice. I will leave the site up as long as I am able. All the content will be visible, but posting and new registration will be suspended. There was a time when the BFF was necessary. I believe that time has passed. When a redwood tree falls, thousands of little ones sprout on its stump to take its place. It's time for whatever comes after the BFF to sprout."

Yes, there are OTHER forums out there, and Bigfoot discussion will not end on the internet. One thing we can say, though, is that it is good to see the former oligarchic tyrants of the BFF, those who took over after Brian Brown and Paul Vella left their roles as Chief Administrators, brought down from their haughty perches. They can all go and seek refuge where they belong: OVER ON THE JREF FORUMS! We do sincerely hope, though, that someone with the time, ambition, and broad-mindedness might be found to revive and host the BFF in the future. Recent rumors that Brian Brown was going to hand over the BFF to the Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers (AIBR) have proven to be unfounded, as confirmed to us personally by AIBR co-founder Kathy Moskowitz Strain. 

Almost all former Administrators have been demoted to Moderator status on the BFF, save for Brian himself and the other good and fair guy, "Tugboatwa." This hopefully will prevent any malicious changes being made to the site while it sits in hiatus limbo.

Read below for more background on just whom these former BFF usurpers are, and their history of running conspiratorial coups d'etat from within Bigfoot organizations. Oh, what fun!

And no, BFF "Parnassus," this is not a case of "the cheese had fallen off his cracker." Those Nazi and Commie images were meant as JOKES. It is called "SATIRE," fool! You say, "I guess he's just playing for attention/hits. Reminds me of Glenn Beck." Well, that is rich. But yes, it WAS propaganda. We WERE trying to get the information out to the largest possible group. Sometimes exaggeration just plain WORKS. See? Sometimes one has to destroy to rebuild. Sometimes one just needs to clear the crap out of one's pathway. The pieces below were written before today's closure announcement, but we'll just post them as is.

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THE JIMITE CULT AND ITS USURPATION OF THE BIGFOOT FORUMS:

A Preliminary Overview of the Culprits and Oligarchs

Image: from the excellent "The Jimite Chronicles" web site. Link Below!

Who are all of these administrators and moderators on the Bigfoot Fourms (BFF) that we had such problems with? Hiding being anonymous user names like "RedWolf," "BlackDog," and "MasterBarber," they thought they could exercise total control of others while running rampant in violation of Forums rules themselves. After founder Brian Brown, and then subsequent Chief Administrator, Paul Vella, left, the site was taken over by a group that operates in the shadows, moving through organizations in the background, and making their opinions and power grabs known under pseudonyms like those above. They and their friends and cronies eventually came to control the site, up until the recent return of its founder. A stink was raised by many disaffected and banned members, such as ourselves and other members of the Search for Bigfoot Forum (SFBF), and a threatened boycott has apparently accellerated the process of change. Efforts are being made now to clear up this mess, and "Teresa" and "JayleeD," two notorious dictatorial operators, have been deposed from positions of power. We are hoping a full clearing of the house will occur.

BUT, you might ask, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? And why should it matter? We hate anonymity, and believe in ethical accoutability and respect in discourse. So, we are going to "out" them to the extent that we may. Our involvement in the BFF Boycott Movement (call it what you want!) led us to a secretive, ulterior world of black operators, a veritable Illuminati Conspiracy of Bigfooting. It goes back, in large measure, to the "Jimite" Jihad movement. WTF, BFF? We hear you asking....

A brief snippet quoted from the SFBF:

"jimite legacy:

* they ruined the bfro and left

* they ruined the aibr and left

* they are currently infesting the bff as its leadership"

Yes, it may seem odd, but many of those who led the post-Kentucky-video defection of curators from the BFRO, and then tried to pull a coup d'etat of the AIBR (Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers), were the VERY SAME PEOPLE who eventually came to rest as dictators and Head Trolls on the BFF. Much of the controversy on the BFF started when connections of these cronies to the Michigan Recording Project (MRP) became manifest in a cover-up of questioning about that project and its results. The Forums administration was actively practicing censorship, and reading ostensibly private PMs (Personal Messages) sent by members of the Forums. Eventually, full scale slander and libel were the result, and personal recriminations and vendettas came to dominate the discourse. We, living out in the middle of nowhere in Willow Creek, were largely unaware of these problems. We may live in the heart of "Bigfoot Country," or the "Bigfoot Capital of the World," but we did not involve ourselves deeply in these all-too-human alliances and secret societies operating at the core of Bigfooting on the interent and in the various BF orgs. We just did our own research, and used the Forums to notify folks about our blog. We had been warned. Perhaps we should have stayed away? In the end we stepped in a big pile of doggie doo-doo, left by all the "dogs" on the BFF, "RedWolf" and the lot. Luckily, we have a fresh new pair of Converse high-tops and are heading off in new directions. Let this  be our last commentary on the BFF situation. Let's run down the list of folks and find out who they all are, if we may.

Here are two great links for readers to refer to now, or after the list below. These are both apparently anonymous blogs/web sties run by folks in the know. They have obviously had interactions with these BFF/Jimite factions in the past, and we are trusting that the sites are factual, though very satirical, and not made up of evidence fabricated in any way. Check them out!

Here is the Rogues Gallery...

The Rogue's Gallery: Know your Jimites and Their Whacky Pals

...from the fine site, The Jimite Chronicles: The Arrogance, the Hypocrisy, the Hoax..

Be sure to pursue all of the links found on the left side to view all of their sub-pages.

Notice the major overlap with the BFF Oligarchical Controllers?

Some of these statements may be a little dated, but you'll get the gist.

We quote (these are not OUR words), a little:

"The Jim [Jim Flowers]: It goes without saying, he is the Jim, the head of the gang. The Jim doesnt say that much these days, but when he does it to deride someone. At end time he had walked away from the MRP alledgedly, now it's the real deal, it even predates them.

Missus The Jim, the Stacinator [Stacey Flowers]: The "scout", the nice one, she seems nice.... and asks a lot of questions, essentially the Jimite spy.

"T" [Teresa Hall]: Beware this one, also seems nice, review her posts on the BFF and elsewhere, theres the nice side you see, and the other one behind your back. She is openly a jimite, also a BFF moderator, and if nothing else, their permanent beachead on the BFF.

Guy In Indiana: Normally just another troll, fairly whiny when his pals get some comeuppance. Recently hoaxed by a guy in a monkey suit, but somehow, it's REAL when it happens to him. Also an Incredible Hulk forum aficionado.

Ty: Another troll, one of the more foul mouthed ones at that.

Wildman: Another of the more foul mouthed of the Jimites, not quite the puss filled doughnut that is Blackdog, but he tries.

Bittermonk: Has been called "one of the most two faced folks in bigfootery".

Blackdog: One wonders if he actually goes in the woods at all, or just spends time online as a troll. Recently returned to the BFF, after a long ban. One of the scummiest, nastiest of the Jimites.

Wolftrax: See Crowley Crusade, one of the lead lap dogs. Given to Conspiracy theory, possibly demented and the biggest crybaby of the bunch.

Timber Ghost: Runs the Kiamichi board, a "one comment wonder".

PatB: Acts like a sweet old hippy lady, she isn't. Has been proven the one true liar in the MRP and in falsifying the altering of evidence, is herself, a hoaxer.

PaulUK [Paul Vella]: Heads the BFF, allows the climate of gossip, dogpiles and the like. A UK native and one wonders why he has any importance in Bigfootery at all. HE freely ignores the rules of his own forum when he doesnt make them up as he goes.

Jayleed: PaulUk's "Annie Oakley", another BFF admin, also part of the problem. She is also "T"'s best friend and a closet jimite in the guise of a biased BFF admin.

Pywacket: Seems to have a problem remembering where he puts trail cams. Not nessicarily a Jimite, but an opportunist to cozy up to people, truly a creepy individual.

SuzieQ: Loyal lapdog, seems to prefer to stay on the BFD fishbowl where it's safe

Nightwing: Their resident artist, actually the one imite there might be hope for, but usually goes along with the groupthink.

Redwolf [Kathy Harper]: She likes to make implied threats against folks of the BFF and BFD, another loon. A chest thumping self deluded bully.

Tube [Matthew Crowley]: See Crowley Crusade"

We will quote again. Here is their list of the "Next Generation" of BFF/Jimite cultists, post-Paul Vella Administration:

"The current controling roster:And here is one last list, of the supposed ancillary characters in the cult:

Teresa: The witch in chief

Jayleed: Ol Annie Oakley herself, bitter over being called on her MRP related censorship, Loyal Jimite Foot Soldier, co-conspirator in the MRP hoax.

Counselor: Old school BFF Mod, attempted to censor the MRP on other forums

Mikek21: Old school Jimite Kool aid drinker

Moregon: Old School BFF Mod, will he/she/it survive the new Regime?

Oregonfooter: Loyal pod

Tugboatwa [Jerry Riedel]: The one old school decent mod, it's amazing he's survived this long.

Ace!: Loyal Pod

Bipedalist ["William"]: Snarky pod, with his own Agendas, but loyal Kool aid drinker

Bittermonk: Old School Jimite, co-conspirator in the failed AIBR coup de tat

GuyinIndiana: Bitter MRP hoaxer, "claims" he had a sighting, Incredial Hulk forum afficionado

HRPuffstuff: Bitter and nasty little Pod, has own agenda

Master Barber: New comer to the Mod squad, has own agenda, had role in running out Red rat fink

Redwolf: Just a plainly mean haggy ol' bitch. She is the bully of the Mods, constantly posturing as a delusional badass, when actually nothing more than a true bully and a useless hick. Co-Conspirator in the MRP hoax."

"The Roster:

The Jim (thug-misdirector)

Stacinator (ambassador-troll)

PatB (ambassador then victim)

Wildman (thug)

Bittermonk (info gatherer)

Tube (occasional hanger on)

Blackdog (thug and troll)

Volsquatch (troll)

Wolftrax (troll and victim)

Red Wolf (thug)

Teresa (victim)

mike2k1 (info gatherer)

GuyInIndiana (troll-misdirector-info gatherer)

ty (troll)

susan (hanger on)

jayleed (troll-misdirector-thug)

nightwing (ambassador)

shaman (thug-hanger on)

thigmo (ambassador)"

Be sure to read their KNOW YOUR JIMITE GLOSSARY, on the lower end of the same page. It will explain many of the parenthetical usages above.

Here is another gallery of culprits, a bit more sardonic, a bit more brief:

http://thereisnobigfoot.com/GateBFF.html,

"Or Maybe There is a Player's Page," found on the "There Is No Bigfoot" web site domain.

This page acts as a sardonic warning for anyone who would blithely enter into discussion on the BFF. We quote the intro.:

"Below are a few short paragraphs describing some of the more prominent, albeit dubious Bigfoot enthusiasts, nimrods, hunters, gatherers, players, bat-boys, key grips and ...caterers whose lives apparently not only revolve around Bigfoot and its discussion, but with wreaking havoc on the sense and sensibility of the average reader and listener. Most are offenders, that is, members of the Bigfoot Forums ... discussion board."

One responder to our inquiries said this. Who are the Jimites?

"Jim Flowers, Wildman, Blackdog, Stacey Flowers, Susan, TY, Teresa, Redwolf, GuyinIndiana, Bittermonk, Wolftrax, Pat Barker, Nightowl, Nightwing, among others.... Starting to make sense?"

Who "messed up" the BFRO and AIBR?

"The names above, some were in the AIBR (and left in a mass exodus, singing "woe is me") and the BFRO (same "woe is me" situation), some not. Just about all of these names above, are in the SRI (if it's still functioning)."

Just who ARE these characters?

"Redwolf is Kathy Harper. One time BFRO member, One time AIBR member. All around self important, little miss something else I cant type here. I have no clue who Masterbarber is... He came out of nowhere, but is quickly proving himself to be a royal jerk. Blackdog.. Well, now thats a difficult question. I know his first name, thats it. Blackdog was a BFRO member - and reminds his pals (some named above) how he left the BFRO and warned all of them, but they didnt listen to him. He lords that over their heads like a newly sharpened axe."

OK, then, ENOUGH SAID FOR NOW. If YOU have any further leads please do let us know through the email contact on this blog, or by leaving Comments, below. The above should be clue enough for some. Thanks! With Bipto, Brian Brown, now in charge, let us hope for postive changes! With old-school moderators like Tugboatwa, Jerry Riedel, in there, we can hopefully hope that good ethics and common sense and fairness will prevail in the end.

LINKS:

The full JIMITE CHRONICLES links, beyond he Rogues Gallery:

Why This Page?

The Battle for Hearts and Minds

Their History: The Hall of Infamy (great info on the BFRO coup and AIBR schism, etc.)

The MRP: The OTHER Coverage

Links of Interest

The BFFWatch Blog (limited posts)

The Footery Exposer (limited posts)

Follow the amazingly convoluted MRP thread on the Bigfoot Forums HERE.

Read a concise Michigan Recording Project controversy history HERE.

Melissa Hovey blogs about the BFF and MRP HERE.

Drop in on the JREF BFF Debate HERE.

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A POST WE MADE RE. THE BFF FIASCO,

POSTED RECENTLY ON THE SEARCH FOR BIGFOOT FORUM

I for one am not gloating, so much as having fun with this. Though it is a serious matter, and many have been hurt along the way on the BFF or by being banned and suppressed or mocked, I feel a light-hearted approach to them disarms their viciousness. What was I to do? Take being banned seriously and get depressed over it? Nah. I just went to "war" and gave them a dose of the satire they needed. Oftentimes it is humor that is the most effective means of commentary. It is hard to argue with a joke; but that joke can show reality and human behavior in stark relief.

Do I think the BFF matters? Well, yes, it does; as they are so well known, and so prominent, the site does in many ways and cases stand for the BF Community and researchers in general. It is one way the world knows about us and Bigfoot, and an area that collects a lot of the new and perhaps naive who don't yet know better. It should be a universal domain where all of us may comment and share information, and sanely discuss things. It saddened me to see it becoming the prowling and stomping grounds of a small group who obviously cared more about their own egos and sense of power than any actual human beings on there, or the topic itself.

When I saw the self-importance of these BFF admins/mods I just wanted to bring them down a notch. Well, when I see BF bull-pookey I just can't resist--I comment on it on my blog. THAT is what got me banned, not anything I even did on the Forums. While there may not always be opportunities to prove this elusive creature exists, there are always areas within the field of study where we can comment on and attempt to correct the ideas and theories of others whom we feel are just plain wrong. This is a big part of the problem. There has to be a line, somewhere, where mutual respect reigns over petty differences. This can be difficult to achieve when some things said are just so clearly wrong, and egos are involved.

Hence, for example, I do like MK Davis well enough as a person, though I tried to tear his "Massacre Theory" to shreds. When I interviewed and talked to him, however, I tried to maintain a spirit of civil debate. Discussion and debate bring progress, when civility is maintained. This is how knowledge grows and progresses. It is unfortunate that quite often there is no room for this kind of discussion before the defensive and aggressive slings and arrows start to fly and flay.

It's exciting to see change happen, and to think that I was not just banned into obscurity. To speak up and have a say, and then to see results--that is nice. Do I expect the world to suddenly be a better place? Nah. But maybe the BFF can improve, un-ban those of us who were unjustly booted, and learn to respect new people who may not yet be masters of the sinister, predatory game played by some. And I am happy to see vindication for Melissa, who obviously has had much more reason to be angry about the BFF and Mistress T. than I ever did. If what I did on my blog helped in even a small way to bring justice into this situation, then yes, I am excited about it.

Did I make a little "tabloidy" hay out of this? Sure. But I really think we need to get our act together, all of us Bigfooters, or our arguments and bickering will just be food for the Lan Lampheres out there seeking to make news and entertainment by playing us off against each other. And every ridiculous new "Bigfoot War" just makes us, and BIGFOOT, look all the more silly to the outside world.

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NEWS!

STEVE KULLS, the SQUATCHDETECTIVE, has just announced that he will be outing the main writer and founder of THE BIGFOOTERY ENQUIRER on his BlogTalk Radio show on September 5th. We talked to Kulls earlier this month, but will not disclose here any information he shared with us. We put out a few stringers at his request, to folks out here on the West Coast, but none of them felt that the person mentioned was the right guy. One said, "he isn't literate enough" to write that blog. Well, Mr. Kulls has EVIDENCE that supposedly confirms his suppositions. WE SHALL SEE. Be sure to tune in to his show on that date. We will post a reminder of it on our BIGFOOT'S BLOG FACEBOOK PAGE. 

The BFE has been trying preemptively to "out" itself (in apparent response to our "outing" campaign), vaguely, anyway, using a silly bunch of riddles in their "Treasure Hunt" game. Well, you might try, too. Go to the site through the link, above.

Also: word has it that Kulls' new book, "FIFTY LARGE," will be finished soon. It is a thorough recap and analysis of the Georgia Bigfoot Hoax and his relations with that notorious figure, TOM BISCARDI. This should be good! For now, check out Kulls' page, BISCARDI EXPOSED for all the details to this point.

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A NEW BIGFOOT TOY!

This one should make a good Christmas season present for your young Squatchers! However, we have been told by one witness in Target that their kid was horribly scared by the thing as it jumped up and down in its box and roared and pounded its chest. And this is only the in-store DEMO behavior!

See it on Amazon, for about a hundred bucks...

Fisher-Price Imaginext BIGFOOT the Monster

Product Features: "The Imaginext Big Foot includes a remote control, ball, speech and lots of personality. Remote toggle allows him to walk forward and backwards and the six buttons are happy, angry, sleep, fun, ball, and exercise. Hear him roar and watch him pound his fists or raise his arms above his head and shake his fists. Press the ball button and hear him say things like "play" and watch him throw the ball. Press the button on his belly and hear him laugh, the button in his mouth makes him chew and burp (don't worry, he remembers to say "excuse me")."

From the Manufacturer: "Imagine a little monster with a BIG personality. That’s BIGFOOT. He’s happy. He’s angry. He’s sleepy. He’s fun. He talks and walks and throws a ball, chews and burps and exercises. And kids can bring him to life with an easy-to-use wireless remote control. The symbols on the buttons show you what BIGFOOT will do when you push them -- no reading required. BIGFOOT includes one (9.6Volt) NiMH rechargeable battery and battery charger. Remote Control requires 2 AA alkaline batteries."

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ANGRY BIGFOOT SPEAKS!

[Spoken in the manner of the Sierra Sounds....]

BFFHGHGJHGHGJHGYJGJHHFOODHVGJHHGGHGUYGUYYYBFF@#@#$%#@#! '!!!

(Angry Bigfoot Was too Angry to Speak Hu-man.)

Angry Bigfoot channeled this time by Denali Brown, age 8.)

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This blog is copyright and all that jazz, save for occasional small elements borrowed for "research" and information or satirical purposes only, 2010, Bigfoot Books and Steven Streufert. Borrowings will be tolerated without the revenge of Angry Bigfoot, if credit, citation and a kindly web-link are given, preferably after contacting us and saying, Hello, like a normal person would before taking a cup of salt. 

Source: http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/bff-rip-outing-former-bigfoot-forums.html

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KIDS: POEMS FOR PARENTS

                                                        POEMS FOR PARENTS
                                                                 A Haiku Series

                                                             for Ben and Becky,
                                                who, by God's grace, turned out okay
                                                                  in spite of us.

NEWBORN

No wonder you cry:
Just being alive is
Sensory overload!

3 MONTHS

Another summons?
I can't!--until your softness
Touches me again.

6 MONTHS

Scientific mind:
You experiment with taste,
Sampling a dead fly.

9 MONTHS

Struggling with new skills--
crawling, walking, sky-diving--
Muscle frustration!

         ONE

Just a year ago
I couldn't imagine you
Would define my life.

               TWO

Where can you have gone?
Ssh! curled up asleep in
Grandma's turkey roaster!

          THREE (1)

You start nursery school;
I find myself along--
watching Sesame Street!

          THREE (2)

Sat through a sermon
On being free in Jesus?
Your eyes dance: "I'm f'wee!"

FOUR

My philosopher!
"How does it feel to be four?"
"Like chok'lit!"

             FIVE

Five fingers, five toes,
So many important things
come in five's.  Like you.

          SIX

Stormy, forgetful,
Body-obsessed. Hang in there:
First adolescence.

            SEVEN

Each lost tooth we cheer--
Aren't those the ones we couldn't
Wait to see come in?

            EIGHT

Here's where it begins--
Parent-child role reversal.
Now you read to me.

          NINE

Gum in the washer--
What was life like without kids?
I can't remember.

           TEN

You may be ready
For lipstick and strapless gowns--
Cool it 'til I am!

            ELEVEN

You can't wait, young man,
Outgrowing all your clothing,
to outgrow us, too!

          TWELVE

I thought I was through
With school. Out of my depth--and
Algebra to come?

      THIRTEEN

Son: Endless riddles
And shrillest whistle west of
The Mississippi!

       FOURTEEN

Lingering fragrance--
Spearmint gum and suntan oil:
Our 'tween-age daughter.

         FIFTEEN (1)

Someday you'll have girls
And I hope they're just like you!
Just retribution!

         FIFTEEN (2)

Someday you'll have girls
And I hope they're just like you--
My daughter, my friend!

             SIXTEEN

You dream your own dreams.
Sex can't explain the marvel--
Where did you come from?

          SEVENTEEN

Confident, eager--
You scare me! You think you know
How fragile life is.

          EIGHTEEN

Room clean? Homework done?
Trash out already? Is my
Job over--so soon?

Cover design by Kathryn Dickerson
(Poems previously published in Pebbles and The Christian Communicator, 1991.)

Source: http://jessicareynoldsshaverrenshaw.blogspot.com/2010/07/poems-for-parents.html

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