Reader Lorelli sends this on Colonel Bogdanos:
I've met him and heard him
speak. I too, was a bit wary about how he was handling things. He's hardly a
real-life Indiana Jones, and would likely not agree with the cognomen.
According to a presentation he gave about a year ago or so, he approached
the issue of the looting with a very clear head, and continuously worked
with people from the museum and the community to retrive objects and keep
them safe. There was a program installed where people could return items or
give info on stolen artifacts to the museum with anonymity and imunity. It
worked, and many artifacts were returned. This is how we got the Warka vase
back - in the trunk of someone's car.
He admits to mistakes along the way, this is true. Throughout the
government, Bath party members had to be left in power for the sake of
keeping things running - and this included the museum. There were clashes
with some ppl in the community about this.
What impressed me most about the man, and what would have me actually read
his book, is that he presented all of the info to us in a clear manner,
interjecting "This is only my opinion" where appropriate, trying to give as
objective account as possible. He's a Marine, and did the job like one.
And I agree - this is not the last we'll here about Bogdanos or the
looting. I expect once people have gotten to read the book there'll be lots
of commentary. Ignore that Indiana Jones part, though - that's just rubbish.
Bimini 'Harbor' update Dr. Greg Little (mentioned in this post on the Bimini 'harbor' responds:
Most academic archaeologists will greatly dislike what is presented. It
is not a pleasant revelation, but the facts will speak for themselves.
I have already had ardent Bimini skeptics who started with ridicule, but
then did what it took to verify the facts--by reading the articles cited
and checking the exact quotes--completely reverse their opinions and
express absolute disgust and outright anger at what happened.
. . .
Archaeologist Bill Donato was involved in the expedition and research.
No one is suggesting the two sites that were investigated have anything
to do with Atlantis or Cayce, despite any prior speculation or claims
about it. There are two separate underwater formations at Bimini
separated by about a mile. One of the sites is a series of consistently
spaced stone circles, comprised of massive blocks of limestone arranged
into circular patters. The other formation is typically called the
"Bimini Road." The report has 70 photos depicting the finds, all of
which directly contradict all the assertions made by 4 skeptical
geologists and one archaeologist who was never there. The formations are
identical in size, shape, and construction to a host of ancient
Mediterranean harbors, nearly all of which were made from beachrock.
. . .
I totally understand the skeptical reaction and am sympathetic. I even
had a summary of 1980s research published in the Skeptical Inquirer.
Scientific "truths" do change, and should do so, as knowledge is
furthered. Even long-held cherished beliefs, such as "Clovis-first," can
collapse, although it is painful and can seem to take more time than
some like.
We'll continue to follow this to see what all shakes out. In the meantime, here's another document by Gene Shinn (cited by Little in the article linked to earlier) that appears to be freely accessible: A Geologist's Adventures with Bimini Beachrock and Atlantis True Believers. We've contacted Shinn for his thoughts and will post any reply.
Also from the mailbag
For some odd reason, in addition to the voluminous email offers we get on a daily basis offering to sell us all manner of male-enhancement concoctions, we seem to have attracted the attention of purveyors of fine chronometers. New to us, and frankly, we'd rather see pages and pages of watch offers than similar missives regarding How To Please Our Woman.