In Search Of . . .

October 29, 2007 10:52 PM

Project Pterosaur The goal of Project Pterosaur is to mount an expedition to locate and bring back to the United States living specimens of pterosaurs or their fertile eggs, which will be displayed in a Pterosaur Rookery that will be the center piece of the planned Fellowship Creation Science Museum and Research Institute (FCSMRI). Although, sadly, it may not be real.
posted by geekyguy (20 comments total)

LOLPTEROSAURIANS
posted by slater at 10:53 PM on October 29, 2007

which will be displayed in a Pterosaur Rookery that will be the center piece of the planned Fellowship Creation Science Museum and Research Institute (FCSMRI).

So the rookery for the non-existent eggs of an unknown species will be in the center of the unbuilt room. That's how you raise money.
posted by Brian B. at 11:04 PM on October 29, 2007

Of course it's not real.

A real creationist would never go so far as to actually mount a scientific expedition to prove his theories. They're way too clever for that.
posted by Avenger at 11:14 PM on October 29, 2007

A real creationist would never go so far as to actually mount a scientific expedition to prove his theories. They're way too clever for that.

Yeah, there are so many scientists to quote out of context. There's only so much time in the day, you know?
posted by brundlefly at 11:26 PM on October 29, 2007

"They said I was mad! Mad, I tell you!"

It was at this point that the sensation of the evening arose--a sensation so dramatic that it can never have been paralleled in the history of scientific gatherings. Professor Challenger raised his hand in the air as a signal, and at once our colleague, Mr. E. D. Malone, was observed to rise and to make his way to the back of the platform. An instant later he re-appeared in company of a gigantic negro, the two of them bearing between them a large square packing-case. It was evidently of great weight, and was slowly carried forward and placed in front of the Professor's chair. All sound had hushed in the audience and everyone was absorbed in the spectacle before them. Professor Challenger drew off the top of the case, which formed a sliding lid. Peering down into the box he snapped his fingers several times and was heard from the Press seat to say, `Come, then, pretty, pretty!' in a coaxing voice. An instant later, with a scratching, rattling sound, a most horrible and loathsome creature appeared from below and perched itself upon the side of the case. Even the unexpected fall of the Duke of Durham into the orchestra, which occurred at this moment, could not distract the petrified attention of the vast audience. The face of the creature was like the wildest gargoyle that the imagination of a mad medieval builder could have conceived. It was malicious, horrible, with two small red eyes as bright as points of burning coal. Its long, savage mouth, which was held half-open, was full of a double row of shark-like teeth. Its shoulders were humped, and round them were draped what appeared to be a faded gray shawl. It was the devil of our childhood in person. There was a turmoil in the audience--someone screamed, two ladies in the front row fell senseless from their chairs, and there was a general movement upon the platform to follow their chairman into the orchestra. For a moment there was danger of a general panic. Professor Challenger threw up his hands to still the commotion, but the movement alarmed the creature beside him. Its strange shawl suddenly unfurled, spread, and fluttered as a pair of leathery wings. Its owner grabbed at its legs, but too late to hold it. It had sprung from the perch and was circling slowly round the Queen's Hall with a dry, leathery flapping of its ten-foot wings, while a putrid and insidious odor pervaded the room. The cries of the people in the galleries, who were alarmed at the near approach of those glowing eyes and that murderous beak, excited the creature to a frenzy. Faster and faster it flew, beating against walls and chandeliers in a blind frenzy of alarm. `The window! For heaven's sake shut that window!' roared the Professor from the platform, dancing and wringing his hands in an agony of apprehension. Alas, his warning was too late! In a moment the creature, beating and bumping along the wall like a huge moth within a gas-shade, came upon the opening, squeezed its hideous bulk through it, and was gone. Professor Challenger fell back into his chair with his face buried in his hands, while the audience gave one long, deep sigh of relief as they realized that the incident was over.

-- from The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle
posted by aeschenkarnos at 11:36 PM on October 29, 2007

Wow, check out the tale of adventure, wonder, success, betrayal, and conspiracy, that is their 2002 expedition, up to and including the villain, finally defeated, reveals his evil plan, but just before the credits roll, he manages to escape, leaving open the possibility of a sequel!

My first assumption (before reading) was that this expedition was a variant on the Noah's Ark expeditions (every few years, some travelling conman makes the rounds drumming up money support for an expedition to find the ark, which has already been located in some far-flung place, but until now, the government there has disallowed access to the area. Or is it that the ark is found but the expedition never happens because of government restrictions, and they have no choice but to keep your money without spending it on the expedition. Details vary slightly with every cycle of the scam)

But reading this, I can't work out if it's serious or tongue-in-cheek. It's clearly fiction, but it's so nakedly unabashedly fiction that it seems poor material for a scam... on the other hand, Christians are God's gift to scammers, with many displaying such an astonishing level of credulity and naivety when faced with Good-Christian-style conmen that maybe this is sufficient material to obtain money support.
posted by -harlequin- at 11:57 PM on October 29, 2007

Hmmm, I still don't think it's a scam directed at the wallets of adults, but nor is it just good fun fiction. Now I'm thinking it seems more like a scam directed at the imagination of children - material intended to win hearts and (therefore) minds while they're young. This material is a hell of a lot more exciting than most science classes. They say truth is stranger than fiction, but compared to fiction, the real world can seem so boring sometimes. :)
posted by -harlequin- at 12:06 AM on October 30, 2007

Videographer/Documentarian Position not filled

*quits job*
posted by brundlefly at 12:34 AM on October 30, 2007

Infiltrating a Druid Coven from the same site's anti-occult page.

Milton the Cat. Every cat is a Familiar for Christ -- their love of fish is a symbol from the Creator that we should love Jesus.
posted by stavrogin at 12:52 AM on October 30, 2007

This is awfully convincing- I mean, they did hang out with Adam & Eve.
posted by book at 1:28 AM on October 30, 2007

Dr. Richard Paley is a teacher of Divinity and Theobiology at Fellowship University

"Theobiology"?? My spell checker and I can't relate.
posted by pax digita at 3:23 AM on October 30, 2007

I think the site owners make it pretty clear its a joke. LOL
posted by [insert clever name here] at 3:40 AM on October 30, 2007

From the first page stavrogin linked:

Dr. Troy Franklin, OBJECTIVE occult expert, has brought to our attention a disturbing new danger to weak-spirited Christians and unsaved persons that we feel needs to be reported.

As he tells it, while out at a local supermarket shopping for food for his cat, Dr. Franklin noticed one of those small tents advertising "Free Rock Chip Repair" that have been springing up in our nation's parking lots. Curious, he went to enquire about getting a ding in his windshield sealed, only to learn that the person manning the tent had other intentions, namely to try and recruit Dr. Franklin into a cult!

Is there anything those fiendish cultists won't stoop to to get new recruits!?

I guess I will have to use this week's AskMe to find out where I can safely go to get my windshield fixed.
posted by TedW at 5:06 AM on October 30, 2007

I think Objective Ministries is by the same people as Landover Baptist. Objective Ministries is their parody of intellectual/scientific theology, and Landover is their parody of fundamentalism.
posted by Cookiebastard at 5:11 AM on October 30, 2007

"Velociraptors: Today terrorize the goat herders of Puerto Rico and are rumored to guard the remains of the Ark on Mt. Ararat. They have become vicious since the Fall as the result of the effects of genetic entropy, making them too dangerous for the sort of interactive public experience we have in mind."

So that's why no-one's found the Ark... they've all been eaten by the Velocraptors. So obvious when you think about it.

And why does that sound a much better scenario for the next Indiana Jones film instead of the Crystal Skulls/UFOs/Rooskie tosh I've heard about.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:40 AM on October 30, 2007

You never heard of the 'Ropen'?

No, they're not kidding.
posted by toma at 5:53 AM on October 30, 2007

Theobiology: the study of the life processes of the son of Cliff and Clair Huxtable.
posted by cog_nate at 6:44 AM on October 30, 2007

These guys also did the Creation Science Fair. I'm pretty sure it's a joke.

The site, that is. The movement, not so much.
posted by PlusDistance at 7:19 AM on October 30, 2007

This sounds like something that might end up on Cryptomundo.
posted by Tube at 5:11 PM on October 30, 2007

Exactly. The guys from 'Genesis Park' were either in on the Cryptomundo Ropen 'hunt' or using the video. They are dead serious about trying to document recent or current dinosaur specimens to prove that evolutionary theory dependent upon an earth millions of years old is bunk. Not pranksters, just a serious and sorry lot.
posted by toma at 6:04 PM on October 30, 2007