It’s bad enough that I have to deal with the moronic creationists and their crayon-tinged tirades it now appears I pissed off some wacko cryptozooligists named Deborama at a Blogger site ineptly called the Monster Research Blog. Here’s the post from some crank called Deborama back on April 28th 2011 who didn’t have the chutzpah to use their real name:
navigating crackpots and deceivers
When using Google to search for Ebu Gogo, one of the early hits is a site titled ‘floresgirl.com’ authored by this man, –> Erik John Bertel. He apparently holds a degree in biology and “has training” in physical anthropology. He worked in “several Fortune 1000” companies and trained under the art critic, Lawrence Alloway, who apparently coined the term “Pop Art.” A regular jack-of-all-trades…
While Bertel questionably displays more information than is typically found about the Ebu Gogo, one quickly discerns that this site serves as an advertising ploy and launchpad for his “adventure novel” about two scientists who encounter an ancient tribe of Ebu Gogo (http://www.floresgirl.com/flores-girl-novel-trailer.htm) while researching on the island of Flores. Furthermore, the link to the associated blog page entices the reader by stating:
“More importantly and more provocatively can the Ebu Gogo or Homo floresiensis still be alive in a remote corner of Indonesia? Stay tuned for more or go to the flores girl blog for new insights!”
If one follows the link, one finds the continuous commentary of Bertel’s own personal politics, not information regarding potential sightings of this historically fabled creature.
Bertel seems to, at once, promote and diminish the validity of the Ebu Gogo as a living or recently extinguished branch of our evolutionary tree. I find this disappointing and detracting from the importance and enormity of the implications of the folk tales of the ebu gogo and the recent discoveries of the Homo floresiensis remains. Besides, he did a terrible job creating this cg representation:
Okay back to me. I have so many problems with this post but their moronic blog won’t allow me to post my retort. So here is my rebuttal and I know have more readers than insipid Monster Research Blog:
Dear Deborama:
Crackpot huh? Well duh, it’s a web site for my free speculative fiction novel, Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot and that makes me a crackpot? How does writing a fictional account regarding the discovery of Homo floresiensis diminish the importance of this find? Deceiver? Is is a stretch to imagine that someone interested in the Ebu gogo might want to read a fictional account about their discovery? In any case, I’m glad my SEO efforts were not for naught.
Moreover; I guess being a crackpot is why I was contacted by a National Geographic video team about contributing to a documentary on Flores Island. And yes, I do know more that I am not at liberty to discuss about Homo floresiensis due to confidentiality issues with other cryptozoologists, so how’s that for fueling speculation? Notice, I did not comment about my own personal views regarding the existence of the Ebu gogo or Homo floresiensis.
Sorry that my being a jack of all trades bothers you but I do agree with one point that you made and that was regarding the poor quality of the graphic image. I have a new image I am working that was reviewed by the physical anthropology researchers who have written extensively about the Homo floresiensis find. Some of these researchers are the same professors that I studied with as a physical anthropology student at SUNY Stony Brook.
So your qualifications for calling me a crackpot include what, your ability to type a post at a computer? You studied what by the way? By the way did you bother to read the novel that has been downloaded 250,000 times? It’s free at floresgirl.com and I took great care to ensure the accuracy of my portrayal of these diminutive people. When you decide to do character assassination of a non-public person please have the good courtesy to open a dialog directly with that person rather than hiding and sniping anonymously from some blog. I make opinions all the time at the Flores Girl Blog but it’s with my real name! And if you do a little more research you will find the following posts about the Ebu gogo at the Flores Girl Blog so did you get anything right in your post other than the comment about the graphic?
How did the Ebu Gogo get to Flores?
Is Flores Island the new Galapagos?
YouTube Video of a dead Ebu Gogo or Homo floresiensis?
The Ebu Gogo Legend and Flores Girl Novel
Cheers,
Erik John Bertel
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