Of Hogs And Monsters
First of all, I have to get this off my chest: During the Razorback game tonight, the FIRST half, obviously, one of the ESPN announcers made a comment about "the hogs turning into stallions," which, in context, would have to have meant that the team was looking stronger and more formidable.
And then I yelled at the T.V. for a couple of minutes. Of course, I had also yelled at the set earlier, during my daughter's Saturday morning cartoons, but I couldn't help it--Sandy Cheeks kept referring to SpongeBob as "y'all," even though he was ALL BY HIMSELF. I'm sure you understand. Anyway, my point about the hogs vs. stallions thing is this: A wild boar, a razorback, faced off against a horse, even a horse with testicles (which is all a "stallion" is), would tear that horse UP. I've owned horses for years, and I can't even imagine a scenario in which one would stand a chance against a razorback. Um, I can't actually imagine a scenario in which a horse and a hog would fight in the first place, but it wasn't my metaphor.
There. I feel better. And thankfully, the Hogs held it together enough tonight to secure a win, not to mention peace in my household. *breathes relieved sigh*
The thing that caught my attention today, enough that I felt compelled to mention it here, was the brouhaha currently going on up at Idaho State University. It seems that Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, PhD, a tenured professor of anatomy at the college, is under fire from his colleagues there, so much so that they have even organized an effort to have his tenure revoked. You see, Dr. Meldrum is "That Bigfoot Guy." A true believer. He's the "go-to" fellow on all things Sasquatch, and has over the years, in the words of Jane Goodall, brought "a much-needed level of scientific analysis" to the world of Bigfoot research and study. To his peers, however, he's an embarrassment, his research a "joke," according to Martin Hackworth of the ISU Physics Dept., who admits to "cringing" whenever he sees Meldrum popping up on Discovery Channel shows about Bigfoot.
But that's not what fascinated me. Along with this story, a poll was being conducted, asking simply, "Do you think Bigfoot exists?" The vote, with around 230,000 people responding at the time of my reading, was 58% to 42% "YES."
Yup: More people report that they believe in Bigfoot than don't. You might figure that folks who would click on a link to a story about Bigfoot would be more likely to be believers...but maybe not. I clicked on it, after all, but it was because the headline was about Meldrum coming under fire, and I was expecting a hoax to be revealed.
I'm not sure why I was so surprised at the number of people professing to believe in Bigfoot. I mean, I am married to a man who SWEARS that, as a child growing up in Newport, he absolutely, without a doubt, spotted the White River Monster. He was, of course, alone, with no camera. In order to maintain my very marriage, I have to at least allow that he saw a stray manatee or elephant seal, however unlikely that is. (And since the bonafide manatee sightings in Memphis last month, it doesn't seem quite as unlikely as it once might have.) The man does not doubt his eyesight or his memory one bit.
So, how about it? Do you believe in Bigfoot? Nessie? The White River Monster? Karl Rove? Abominable Snowman? Hogzilla? Boggy Creek Monster? "Enquiring" minds want to know!
And then I yelled at the T.V. for a couple of minutes. Of course, I had also yelled at the set earlier, during my daughter's Saturday morning cartoons, but I couldn't help it--Sandy Cheeks kept referring to SpongeBob as "y'all," even though he was ALL BY HIMSELF. I'm sure you understand. Anyway, my point about the hogs vs. stallions thing is this: A wild boar, a razorback, faced off against a horse, even a horse with testicles (which is all a "stallion" is), would tear that horse UP. I've owned horses for years, and I can't even imagine a scenario in which one would stand a chance against a razorback. Um, I can't actually imagine a scenario in which a horse and a hog would fight in the first place, but it wasn't my metaphor.
There. I feel better. And thankfully, the Hogs held it together enough tonight to secure a win, not to mention peace in my household. *breathes relieved sigh*
The thing that caught my attention today, enough that I felt compelled to mention it here, was the brouhaha currently going on up at Idaho State University. It seems that Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, PhD, a tenured professor of anatomy at the college, is under fire from his colleagues there, so much so that they have even organized an effort to have his tenure revoked. You see, Dr. Meldrum is "That Bigfoot Guy." A true believer. He's the "go-to" fellow on all things Sasquatch, and has over the years, in the words of Jane Goodall, brought "a much-needed level of scientific analysis" to the world of Bigfoot research and study. To his peers, however, he's an embarrassment, his research a "joke," according to Martin Hackworth of the ISU Physics Dept., who admits to "cringing" whenever he sees Meldrum popping up on Discovery Channel shows about Bigfoot.
But that's not what fascinated me. Along with this story, a poll was being conducted, asking simply, "Do you think Bigfoot exists?" The vote, with around 230,000 people responding at the time of my reading, was 58% to 42% "YES."
Yup: More people report that they believe in Bigfoot than don't. You might figure that folks who would click on a link to a story about Bigfoot would be more likely to be believers...but maybe not. I clicked on it, after all, but it was because the headline was about Meldrum coming under fire, and I was expecting a hoax to be revealed.
I'm not sure why I was so surprised at the number of people professing to believe in Bigfoot. I mean, I am married to a man who SWEARS that, as a child growing up in Newport, he absolutely, without a doubt, spotted the White River Monster. He was, of course, alone, with no camera. In order to maintain my very marriage, I have to at least allow that he saw a stray manatee or elephant seal, however unlikely that is. (And since the bonafide manatee sightings in Memphis last month, it doesn't seem quite as unlikely as it once might have.) The man does not doubt his eyesight or his memory one bit.
So, how about it? Do you believe in Bigfoot? Nessie? The White River Monster? Karl Rove? Abominable Snowman? Hogzilla? Boggy Creek Monster? "Enquiring" minds want to know!
