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Disney Making Fake Crop Circles?
GuNgA-DiN writes: "It seems that Disney has been busy trying to promote their upcoming movie 'Signs' (by M. Night Shyamalan). There is an interesting article from some guys who REALLY follow and study crop signs: Paul Anderson of the Canadian Crop Circle Research Network has reason to believe that they will be creating some man-made formations to promote the forthcoming movie. Anderson cites a competition or sweepstakes currently being promoted on the official 'Signs' website." Remember, patronize only genuine alien-swirled crop circles!
short intro, and the homepage of Dansk Korncirkel Central.
The latest issue of Scientific has an enligtening short article on the fine mischief of crop circles. (no doubt released in a timely manner in an effort to counter some of the nonsense from the release of the movie Signs.)
- "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
Where is the Amazing Randi when I need him?
:).
He's right here.
For those of you who don't know, James Randi is dedicated to exposing supernatural hoaxes of all kinds. He has an excellent method of exposing psychics. Anyone who claims to have powers can take simple psychic tests. If they pass they even get, IIRC, $1 million. He's never paid a dime.
He also does work with every other kind of proported supernatural occurence. His site can be a fun read (if only to see what some idiots try and get a way with
The crop circles were made by a couple of fellows from Winchester named Doug Bower and Dave Chorley. They made the circles for years at night, and Bower even kept the secret from his wife for seven years. When they finally told the public, few people believed them, and the UFO crowd still insists that the hoax was not the crop circles but the claim of authorship. (ObNeologism: ("cereology" -- those who study crop circles.) Never mind that Bower and Chorley have the original designs and dates, signed the drawings with "DD," and other supporting evidence. Of course, there is also Doug Bower's statement that he was programmed by UFOs to make the circles. Sigh.
Some links:
An interview with Doug Bower
An article by Carl Sagan on crop circles
Circlemakers, an art group creating crop circles
flip
I suggest you pick up an issue or two of Skeptical Inquirer.
Montag, I suggest you Phillip Klass and James Randi all take some Prozac and get a life.
What art bell airs on his show is none of your business. If you dont like it or dont think what he airs it true, dont listen to it.
James Randi on the other hand, makes a living out of "debunking", so It really is his business.
You SCICOP loosers are really the lowest form of pond scum. You rail and despise everyone who doesnt strictly adhere to your view of reality, and this is your greatest weakness; you actually believe that your view of the world is the only correct one, and, instead of being tolerant of other people, you actively go out to humiliate, destroy, mock and ridicule other people.
You do have a strong sense of self preservation however. The arch skeptic James Randi wont put up his million dollar bounty and ask religious organizations to prove the veracity of thier beliefs.
The fact is that you are all cowards, frightened of other people and ideas that are different from yours.
Pathetic.
Very appropriate nick: "Montag", the book burner from Farenhiet 451.
Well... as long as they're circles, and are made in crops, they're real crop circles...
Anyway, here's an interesting HOWTO you can follow to create your own circles. Here's an excerpt: ;)
The differences are: silicon added to the list of atomic numbers, different DNA and nucleotides, different "stick figure" and stats, other planets highlighted in the solar/star system and a completely different transmitter.
That's right, there are lots of people involved. I used to live in Winchester, Hampshire, which is right in the middle of one main areas where the circles appear and I knew people who made them. In fact it seems that the only people in southern England who don't know any circle makers are the loonies who think they're made by little green men.
CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) has several informative reports debunking crop circles including Joe Nickell's Investigative Brief into Levengood's Crop Circle Plant Research.
If you're interested in more informed discussion, check out the CSICOP Mailing List, where this topic (Disney's Crop Circle promotion) is also current.
ancarett, historian and zombie gamer