>> Editor's Note:

Whew! What a weekend! I recently returned from the Bellingham Sasquatch Conference and I must say that Jason Valenti, Star Sams, Paul Smith and everyone else involved in making the conference a reality outdid themselves. Congratulations, guys and gals, on a FANTASTIC conference! I hear there will eventually be a DVD available... more information on that to come.

I'm doing everything in my power to get this month's newsletter out at a reasonable time while watching the clock tick away... it's only days until we leave for the expedition and I've got a to-do list a mile long. Despite this, I've got a long newsletter for you this month - I'm publishing for both May and June since I'll be out in the field and won't be able to publish June's newsletter.

I wanted to thank those of you who have generously donated to the cause. The digital video surveillance cameras are quickly becoming a reality. We're doing things that have NEVER been done before on this expedition and I'm excited to see how it works in the field. Not only are we recording the surveillance footage on DIGITAL units, but we will be recording AUDIO as well. I've been working on these units for months and they're nearly complete!

Since we're not out of the woods yet (no pun intended!), we are still accepting donations. Any amount, no matter how small, is GREATLY helpful.

The DirecWay satellite system appears to be a no-go. That's disappointing, because I was really hoping to have a direct satellite uplink through the website so the folks at home could observe a webcam on one of the food stations in real-time, but I haven't been able to acquire a used system and there simply isn't the money in the budget to buy a new system and license it for the required yearlong contract. We only need it for a month, so if you know a satellite dealer in Oregon who'd like to donate the use of a floor-model DirecWay for a month in exchange for advertising on the live feed, please let us know. A used, decommissioned system would work as well, so if you have one sitting in your garage, let us know!

Finally, if you or someone you know has had a Bigfoot encounter in Oregon and are interested in telling your story and meeting other eyewitnesses, please email mike@oregonbigfoot.com with a brief summary of your encounter, your email address, telephone number, and the best time to reach you. We will be interviewing eyewitnesses in Oregon and would love to have you participate!

(Look for July's newsletter, available around the end of July/beginning of August)

Autumn Williams
Oregonbigfoot.com
Your comments are always welcome.

The legend lives.

Another Sighting in Norway House
(Thanks to Jerry for the heads-up on this one!)
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/31/171547.php

Bones of Contention
Time Mag Asia
Is a small, 18,000-year-old skeleton the older cousin of modern-day Pygmies - or a new human species?

Many thanks to Jerry Riedel for allowing me to use an abridged version of his observations of the conference speakers and topics. He did a nice job and was very objective! There was more than what's posted here, but due to space limitations, this is the abridged version. The full conference rundown in available here. The conference DVD will be available in the near future...

Thom Powell – FUTURE DIRECTION OF BIGFOOT RESEARCH

He is a science teacher who uses the subject of Bigfoot in the classroom to show how science works…

Anecdotal data is a story and basically insignificant. Bigfoot sightings stories are significant when they match up with others. We need to connect with other field researchers to see what works and what doesn't.

Enhancers include music, women, kids, and pets – they seem to be attracted to a party. Detractors include camouflage, weapons, electronics, and having a bunch of guys together. Beware of patterns of contaminated thinking.

Autumn Williams – THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SASQUATCH RESEARCH

She noted she was the only female speaker. Came from a family of long-term witnesses to Sasquatch activity. She also noted that she was born seven years to the day, after Patterson shot the film at Bluff Creek.

The Bigfoot field has been dominated by men, with the assumption that Bigfoot is a North American primate. Men sneak around in camo gear, and think Bigfoot will respond to poor-quality audio recordings. And we think we can trick Bigfoot into leaving evidence for us to find. Jane Goodall gradually achieved the trust of chimpanzees, as did Diane Fossey with the mountain gorilla. Both allowed the animal to remain in control of the situation.

Kewaunee Lapseritis – social scientist, and author of The Psychic Sasquatch He believes the Sasquatch is very keen and apparently psychic… it seems to sense when a gun or camera is around. He said he doesn’t believe there is a psychic connection with Bigfoot, but “is documented by science.” Yet he said this is an empirical element not discovered by science. He acknowledged his belief “does muddy the waters a bit.”

He displayed photos of gifts he said were given to him by the Sasquatch [I am not clear if they came from Tennessee or not.]. Gifts included rocks and arrowheads (which he was “told” was made by the Sasquatch. He also displayed photos of a track shot in Texas after a nighttime rain and he showed four pictures of Sasquatch hair, which had a very thick medulla and has scales, which are closer together than human hair. A chemical analysis of the hair indicated sulfur to be the largest chemical by percentage, but noted the hair was both similar to human hair and had animalistic qualities.

Al Berry & Ron Moorhead – the Sierra Sounds

Berry was a newspaper reporter for the Redding Record-Searchlight. Peter Byrne told a story coming out of the Sierra-Nevadas… Warren Johnson had a deer camp in the “roof-top of the Sierras” and something was coming into the camp and Warren had made some crude recordings.

When he went to the deer camp, Berry said he heard the sound of rocks struck together, sticks breaking, and what he characterized as “very violent screams.” The company that analyzed the Watergate Tapes analyzed recordings.

In 1977, a study of some of the recordings done at the University of Wyoming was delivered at an academic forum at the University of British Columbia, which conclude some of the sounds had made by with “a very talented voice.”

www.bigfootsounds.com

John Andrews, Rich Grover, Darrold Smith, and Doug (?)

These four men played some vocalizations they recorded near Stevens Pass, WA. (editor: Six recordings available on the Oregonbigfoot.com members section)

Andrews, who has been interested in Sasquatch since the 1950’s said, “You can’t expect to get results the first night you go out.”

He said the best time for activity is between 10 pm and 2 am, “that’s when it happens.”
Other helpful factors include the dark of the moon, cloud cover, and heavy tree growth. Also, allow time for your senses to become attuned to the dark… maybe as much as hour.

Loren Coleman – “Sex and the Single Bigfoot”

Coleman showed a series of drawings of Bigfoot and Yeti, none of which showed any genitalia. He thought this might be due to societal taboos. He added it’s not like we don’t see this in nature, showing a photo of a chimpanzee with an erection.

Coleman said ancient drawings, as well as sculpture, are full of sexuality. He said the satyr, across Europe, is considered by some to be a “mytholocalized” Bigfoot tale. “We are a prudish culture,” he said. “Our view of Bigfoot is in fact viewed by how we view ourselves.”

Although he knew of no reports of Bigfoot copulating, Coleman noted, “A sighting [of Bigfoot] is only a small slice of the Bigfoot’s life. We must string together…” information from all these sightings to come up with a picture of Bigfoot’s life.

Robert Alley – from Ketchikan, Alaska

He showed a series of photos taken along a favorite trail, where he looks for Sasquatch sign. He said he hike s this trail every two-to-three days.

Tree breaks – in his opinion “sharp spears” at the break are in indication of ice damage.
Alley said that on “the wet side of the mountains the breaks will remain wet longer and look as new for far longer, then they will on the dry side of the mountains.”

He showed pictures of “bend-downs” of branches versus “bend-ups” and noted that it would seem very difficult for breaks “to occur in opposite directions then the natural lean of the tree.” He also said bend-ups are unlikely to made by weather.

Lloyd Pye – involved in Bigfoot research for over 30 years

He believes the tail-less monkeys did not go extinct, although that is the establishment’s position.

He also said he doesn’t believe in the commonly held belief of human evolution which happens as a “transition” – rather he believes our evolution happened in a series of “radical transformations.”

Pye said the commonly held belief is that the fossil evidence found in Africa was of human ancestors. Depictions of “Lucy makes her look human, because that is where the grant money is.” All these fossils share similar traits – “night-vision eyes and wide nostrils.” Artist’s concept drawings are similar also – “butt-ugly faces on human-like bodies.”

He listed at least 10 ways humans differ from primates. 1) Our bones are thicker, 2) our muscles are 5-10 times weaker, our skin is adapted well to direct sunlight, 4) we have ten times as much adipose tissue, 5) our body hair is, for the most part, missing 6) our hair and nails need to be trimmed, 7) our styles of locomotion are different, 8) our speech is completely different, 9) no typical estrus changes in humans, 10) humans have over 4,000 genetic disorders.

Matt Crowley – Investigations into casting and subsequent artifact discoveries

His attention was caught by “dermal ridges.” And began doing experiments making casts in his basement.

“To capture fine detail, you need a fine medium,” he told the crowd. He used “fly ash”, a by-product of coal burning. In practice casts of his own foot, Crowley could see dermal ridges in the heel of the cast, but also some “artifacts” in the middle of the cast. A small, circular spot could be seen in the approximate spot that the pour began.

Crowley said, “These ridges look similar to those seen on the Onion Mountain cast as seen in the Legend Meets Science DVD.” He thought this might have some relevance to the real Bigfoot world. He found a tiny ring is formed where the slurry first touches the track, and concentric rings may be formed as the slurry moves laterally.

Thomas Steenburg – author of three books, as well as co-author of Meet the Sasquatch

He has tried to find patterns by studying the reports, but said he doesn’t find much of a pattern, although he did say he doesn’t see much, if any evidence of hibernation. He also reminded the conference, “Statistics can change depending on whose data is used”

Steenburg labeled the Manitoba footage as “disappointing.” He added that it does prove why we should always have a camera with us the PNW, if you are camping or just driving through the woods - if you see one you must be prepared to take the picture

John Kirk – President of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club

In his presentation he chose to concentrate on the role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as they pertain to Sasquatch. He has worked in a civilian capacity with RCMP for several years and believes police investigation techniques are very useful in the search for Sasquatch.

He thinks DNA evidence is the next best thing to a Bigfoot or its body. As far as kill or not, Kirk’s position was clearly no.

“If you kill one and it determined to be an unknown animal, it will fall under the protection of the Canadian Wildlife Act and would be sure to be charged with breaking some law if this occurred across the border in the US,” he said. “ If it is determined the body is human, then it is homicide!”

Christopher Murphy – author of three books, most notably, Meet the Sasquatch

He showed his tabletop filmsite model (p. 58-62) as well as the “wood fragment” found years later at Bluff Creek (p. 68-69) and detailed the reasons he believes it is the genuine article.

Murphy said in his opinion Bob Heironimus’ arms are too short and his legs are too long to have been able to hoax the P/G film. As he noted, “You can make arms appear longer with extensions, but there is no way you can shorten your legs.”

Owen Caddy – a former Park Warden for the Ugandan National Parks, Owen has worked extensively with both chimpanzees as well as mountain gorillas in E. Africa.

Caddy began by sharing a commonly held belief about the film; there is no more information, which can be seen in the film. When high quality screen captures were made from John Green’s second-generation copy of the film, Caddy looked anyway, and he feels the results are interesting.

Possible distortion on the day of the film include camera movement and hot air rising off the sandbar. In talking to Bob Gimlin during the conference, Caddy was told the air temperature was about 70 degrees. With different air densities, some frames appear in sharp focus, while others are fuzzy.

Caddy displayed some of the frames he had enhanced. “I picked the ones that seemed to show the greatest detail,” he said.

Frame 339-240 - the mouth appears to open and close

FR 342-343 – again the mouth opens and closes, with no teeth seen

Dr Jeff Meldrum – Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology at Idaho State University

SASQUATCH: More on the Mid-tarsal Break

In his opinion, the P-G footage is impressive because it something through an area and leaving tracks. Lyle Laverty saw one clear line of tracks, casting two, which Meldrum believes clearly show the mid-tarsal break. The animation of the foot can be seen in both the photos and in the tracks.

Meldrum holds the Bossburg (“Cripple-foot”) tracks to be “stunning evidence. If these are fakes then we should give up on track evidence.” The long toe is evident in the original cast..

“An elevated heel, a flat-flex sole and relatively long toes are an elegant adaptation to an animal moving across broken and steep ground.”

PREDATOR CALLS AS AN AUDITORY ATTRACTANT

Eyewitness reports indicate that Bigfoot is an omnivore... AND an opportunistic feeder. Injured animals make for a quick and easy snack for predators... in all probability, Sasquatch is no exception.

FOXPRO SOUNDS PREDATOR CALLER FROM ALLPREDATORCALLS.COM

While traditional callblasting consists of playing purported Bigfoot calls, we have no idea what those calls might mean. For all we know, the creature whose voice was recorded might have been warning others of the presence of humans in the area... playing these calls might be a powerful DEtractant! There is little evidence that I know of, based on my own personal experience and THE LACK OF SUCCESSFULLY RECORDED CALLBACKS reportedly heard by other researchers, to indicate that callblasting (at least with "bigfoot" sounds) is an appropriate approach to attracting these creatures' attention.

That doesn't mean that we need to discount the use of auditory attractants altogether, however. Food is a powerful attractant for any creature and what better "bait" than an auditory cue that a feeding opportunity is readily available?

It was with this in mind that I began my search for the ultimate predator caller. I called AllPredatorCalls.com and was pleased to find myself on the phone with AP Jones, the owner of a company with the most extensive selection of predator calls I've ever seen... more than 90 different manufacturers in one place! Mr. Jones was not only very friendly but knowledgeable as well. And... are you ready for this? He not only didn't laugh when I told him what I was "hunting" for, but he took the time to discuss my needs and recommend various products and techniques! <grin>

After much discussion, AP recommended the Foxpro Remote Controlled caller. He explained that it was customizable with 32 different sounds and could be operated by remote control, allowing the operator to keep his/her distance behind a blind or in a treestand. For customization, AP asked me to visit their sounds list page and select the sounds I felt would be most appropriate for a "bigfoot caller".

I chose several wounded animal calls that would represent prey indigenous to my neck of the woods: rabbits, a fawn in distress, etc. (Those in the southern states would also find wild hog calls appropriate.) Interestingly, AP also recommended CROW CALLS, explaining that when trying to attract any predator, it's highly effective to play crow calls first, get the crows circling, THEN play your animal distress call. He explained that noisy crows indicate the presence of a free meal.

I was greatly impressed with his expertise and willingness to share it. I was equally impressed when the gamecaller arrived. Half the size that I thought it would be and lightweight to boot, it's easy to operate and the speaker packs a wallop. This little guy is LOUD. It runs on two AA batteries and will broadcast continually for HOURS on just those batteries. It has an 1/8" input jack so you can plug in an external CD player or microphone (for doing your own hoots and hollers) and a similar output jack so you can plug it in to a standalone speaker.

In addition to the 29 crystal clear stock animals sounds I'd requested, Mr. Jones went another step above and beyond. On the phone with him, I had three rather strange sound requests... a flock of songbirds chirping, a baby crying, and children giggling. Sure enough, when my caller arrived, it was loaded with three high quality tracks of those very sounds! Talk about customization! <grin>

Predator callers from AllPredatorCalls.com range in price from $21.95 for the Cass Creek Callers to $879.00 and everything in between. Callers are available for deer hunters, bear hunters, turkey hunters, birders... even Bigfoot Researchers! They offer a full sound library... but don't worry - if you're feeling overwhelmed, just give them a call at 888-826-9683. There are lots of knowledgeable people there to help you choose the right one for you. Unlike some online store owners, AP Jones ENCOURAGES you to call and he is just as likely to answer the phone as anyone else.

Oregonbigfoot.com readers get a special 10% discount at AllPredatorCalls.com
Simply mention Oregonbigfoot.com when you call, or enter the coupon code "oregonbigfoot" (without the quotes) when you check out! :)

MISS THE AUDIO OR VIDEO FOOTAGE OF A LIFETIME? NOT A CHANCE!

Deja View Camwear Model 100 MYDEJAVIEW.COM

In last month's newsletter, we discussed how opportune the moment must be in order to obtain video footage of a Sasquatch.

Many researchers, including myself, suppose that carrying a camera in hand on a research expedition is NOT the way to go about it. While a Bigfoot creature may not know exactly what a video camera is, any contrivance held in the hand may be seen as a threat. Many times I've wished for a small, inconspicuous wearable camera that could capture a sighting event.

I was surfing the web recently and came across this breakthrough video technology that may hold the key.

The Deja View Camwear Model 100 is a small, color POINT-OF-VIEW VIDEO CAMERA WITH AUDIO which clips onto your hat or sunglasses. The cord feeds the audio/video signal to a lightweight belt pack which contains a rechargeable battery unit and an SD memory card. Press record and the unit stores what you see on SD card. Mind you, the camera, when in the on position, is continually monitoring. It sees what you see. Here comes the best part... when you see something you want to capture, press the record button after the action is complete and the unit will capture a video clip containing THE LAST 30 SECONDS OF WHAT YOU JUST SAW AND HEARD.

Hence the name, "Deja View"... it records events AFTER they happen.

For researchers and witnesses alike who may miss audio and video events due to "technical difficulties" or lack of preparedness, this little gadget is a godsend. I'll refer back to last month's newsletter:

Let's assume for a moment that you're driving down a forested road, that you happen to be at the right spot at the right moment, and that you have your video camera sitting on the seat next to you. It's dark out and your headlights illuminate the road ahead of you. Suddenly, a large figure crosses the road.

Count with me... one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three...

From the onset, your mind begins to attempt to place that figure within a known category. "Whoa, what's that? A guy? A bear? On it's hind legs? No way... a guy in a fur suit? A gorilla? What the...?!" By the time your mind opens far enough to allow for what you MIGHT be seeing, you're 300 yards down the road, hitting your brakes and peering into the red glow in your rearview mirror. Your trusty Sony Handycam sits, useless, on the seat beside you.

If you're wearing a Deja View, you'd simply reach down and push the record button after the fact. The event, including your startled exclamation of, "What the...?!" and what you saw as you craned your neck to look over your shoulder, would be recorded for posterity in a 30 second digital audio and video clip.

The video signal, at a resolution of 320x240, is compact enough to allow the included 64MB SD card to hold 16 of these clips, yet clear enough to be worthwhile. The camera records at a rate of 30 fps - real live motion. The audio signal is recorded in a nice, clear 16 bit clip.

The camera comes with a rechargeable battery pack, a 64MB SD card, USB cable, charging adapter, belt clip, glasses clip, audio/video cable for watching clips on a TV, and Arcsoft software that allows you to download clips and stills to your computer and burn DVD montages of your footage. The unit will hold up to a 1GB card (optional).

I spoke with the manufacturer and he said they are working to improve resolution in coming models. But the technology, already, is a leap beyond anything else out there for this type of application.

The camera (and more information) is available at www.mydejaview.com. Current MSRP is $399.99

Oregonbigfoot.com readers get a special 10% discount off of the Deja View Camera at www.mydejaview.com

Simply add the Deja View to your cart, then proceed to checkout. Register, and enter the coupon code "obigfoot" (without the quotes) when you check out for a special price of $360 + shipping! :)

A LOT TO THINK ABOUT...

My presentation at the Bellingham Sasquatch Conference was based on an idea that I've spoken of here before - that men and women tend to approach things differently, that sneaky, camo-covered researchers don't have much hope of being a better woodsman than a Sasquatch, that we haven't gotten very far in the last 50 years of research and that, rather than history repeating itself again and again, why don't we wake up to the fact that THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH ENDEAVOR by women like Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey that we can model our research after?

Because of ego.

If you've been getting the newsletter, you've heard me babble on about some of this already. :) But many of the researchers who also presented at the conference HADN'T heard it. Apparently, they're not signed up. <grin>

I was a bit concerned, of course, about offending my peers. Particularly the male ones. Particularly those who wear a lot of camouflage and sneak around in the woods. My intent was not to offend, but to perhaps open their minds to a different PERSPECTIVE.

Towards the end of the conference, a male researcher approached me and we had a very powerful conversation that has haunted me since. This gentleman is an old-school researcher who takes the topic very seriously. He's also a very nice man whom I was afraid would be offended by my somewhat ovary-driven monologue. <grin>

We stepped outside and we had a pleasant conversation and I told him I hoped he wasn't offended by anything I'd said. He assured me he was not. Then I thought, 'What the heck. He seems to be open to some new ideas... let's throw one more his way.'

"One more thing...," I said. "I want you to ask yourself a question. The answer doesn't matter to me, but it might matter very much to you...

"If you had to choose between seeing a Sasquatch for yourself and proving to the world that they exist, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?" I stopped for a moment, watching the conflicting emotions pass over his face.

Although I didn't seek an answer, I got one. "I suppose I'd like to prove it to the world," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

He hesitated a moment, and then said, "Well, I suppose so that I could prove to all of those nonbelievers that I was right."

His willingness to be so forthcoming in his answer surprised me. I smiled and said, very gently, "That's a very ego-oriented approach to research, isn't it?"

He looked surprised, "Huh. I guess it is!"

I said, "I personally would rather just have the opportunity to interact with one. Sure, I would LOVE to share the wonder of their existence with others... but that's different than being driven to PROVE it. I put the creature's best interests and comfort-level first. If, in interacting with it on its terms, I get an opportunity to obtain evidence to share with others, great. If not, I'm content with the interactions.

"What you INTEND will determine every move you make in the field. Consequently, it will likely determine how THEY perceive YOU - they will see you sneaking around trying to acquire "proof" and avoid you because you look like you mean trouble... What if your very intent causes you to behave in a way that is completely counterproductive to having a sighting OR proving it to the world? What if you go to your grave never having seen a Sasquatch because you were too busy trying to prove its existence?"

He was very quiet, then said, "That's a lot to think about."

I don't think he realized how much he gave ME to think about.

There's always been a lot of talk in the Bigfoot world about "competition", "being the first"... even being the "best". I suppose that the "first" person to bring undeniable proof of Bigfoot's existence stands to gain a lot... in both money and notoriety. MAYBE. But I often think of the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for"... it's like the guy who wishes for a Cadillac and, the next thing he knows, one drives right through the plate glass window in his living room and pins him to the wall with two broken legs.

Notoriety is not all it's cracked up to be. I can vouch for that, having hosted a television series. I didn't care about fame or fortune. I was being given, I thought, the opportunity to bring this subject to the world in a serious manner. But despite having gone in with the best of intentions for the subject and the research field, I couldn't do much about the very long, wordy contract I'd signed once the network switched the show from "documentary" to "docu-drama". After all, I wasn't hired as a "researcher"... I was hired as on-screen "talent".

Can you imagine me going into court and trying to convince a judge that I had walked off the set of a show with something in the neighborhood of a million dollar budget, "Because you see, your Honor, my credibility as a Sasquatch researcher is being damaged"?

But it got worse. Not only was I disappointed, disillusioned and out of control of my own life... but when it was finally finished and aired, I ended up on the receiving end of multiple character assassinations from my peers in the research field. Without having any information about my role in the show, people made a whole lot of ridiculous assumptions and accusations like: "She shouldn't have run away scared"... "She made so much money doing that show, she's laughing all the way to the bank!"... "She is responsible for ruining the credibility of Bigfoot researchers across the world!"... "She only got the part because she's blonde"... "She should have walked off the set - they couldn't have sued her"... "I don't care if it was hot and she was wearing a tanktop! She shouldn't show cleavage - it makes women look like sex objects"... and, conversely: "She shouldn't have let them film up her nose all the time... it's very unflattering".

One gets rather sick of being "should" on.

Don't pack your bags - this isn't a self-pity trip. I got the raw end of a deal and that's the way life goes sometimes. I also learned a lot. About myself. About TV production. About TV producers. About my peers...

And about the word "ignorance". The root of the word is to "IGNORE". People IGNORE the fact that they don't HAVE all the facts before they make a judgment. Or they IGNORE the facts you put before them because, somehow, it makes them feel better about themselves to cling to the ignorant judgment they've made.

Anyway, like I said, notoriety isn't what it's cracked up to be and I should know. That said, it's kind of strange to me that there are so many people in this field who are racing to be "the first". Maybe some people LIKE all the misery that goes with fame. I decided I didn't. And yet I still feel driven to produce this documentary. WHY?

That's what I've been thinking about A LOT the last few days. And I finally came to a conclusion. I'm producing a documentary to share this subject with those who might be interested but don't know much about it. To share it with those who would like to live vicariously with us in the woods for a month, doing something wonderful and frightening and exciting. To share something REAL. I'm doing it because I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to do a serious documentary before and that left me feeling very unfulfilled. I'm doing it because I'm creative... I always have been, and I don't feel like myself unless I'm creating something. I'm doing it because this subject has been a passion of mine since I was a child and I want to share MY VISION of it, MY PERSPECTIVE with those who might care to listen.

That's a little scary in itself because this time, if people don't like it, it WILL BE all my fault. But I'll happily take responsibility for those mistakes I make that are MINE.

I realize this "final thoughts" section is a little lengthy this time around but this IS a double newsletter, after all. <grin> I've got one last thing to share. A wonderful, kind researcher named Rich Grover called me the other night, just to chat. At the end of our conversation, he read me the following story. And it put it ALL in perspective. Thank you, Rich.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Autumn Williams
June, 2005