Mysterious Suburban Chicago Crop Circles

NBC 5 Chicago ^ | 7/26/02 | NBC 5 Chicago

[Dengar01]

Timing Suspicious On Mysterious Suburban Crop Circles
Could Eerie Mystery Have To Do With Movie Release?

Is it a case of mysterious crop circles -- or an elaborate movie hoax?

A soybean farmer in Naperville said the broken, concentric rings that appeared in a field off Diehl Road left him scratching his head.

"Have you ever heard of something so crazy?" Steve Berning said. "Unbelievable."

Berning said the circles appeared last weekend and damaged more than 10 percent of his 8-acre field.

The circles do resemble similar ones seen in England, but in this case, the timing of their appearance in the western suburb is a bit suspicious.

Two weeks from now, "Signs" hits the big screen. The movie starring Mel Gibson involves -- you guessed it -- mysterious crop circles.

William Leone, an investigator with the Mutual UFO Network, said soil analysis could determine whether the circles have human or extraterrestrial origins.

But Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman Dennis Vercler scoffed at that idea.

"Since I don't believe in UFOs -- at least not soybean-destroying UFOs -- I have to assume whoever did this did it intentionally as a malicious prank," Vercler said.

Meanwhile, Berning doesn't seem overly upset about the circles.

"There's some damage, which upsets me," Berning said. "But I'm more curious than anything. I"ll always be asking questions."

[MEGoody]

Just curious. Do you think the pyramids were built by aliens?

[balrog666]

Good ones! They look like real art.

[FormerLurker]

After all, the bending of grass blades is how all those designs get made in lawns and so forth.

You're telling me that mowing the lawn doesn't break or cut grass?

Sorry, but in all of the man-made creations the crops are broken. In the authentic ones, none are broken or damaged..

[discostu]

I'm saying it's insane that the only thing you can say is "sacred geometry" "90 degree bend" "symmetry". You've been asked repeatedly for information on why these things are beyond human capability and the only thing you can do is post pictures of non-symmetrical crop circles. When confronted with the fact that your favorite crop circle is also non-symmetrical you scramble for a reason why it is, even though it quite clearly isn't. While I can agree from an aesthetics standpoint that the face picture shouldn't be symmetrical that doesn't change the fact that according to that lack of symmetry makes it fake, except it's important for the sacred geometry "proof" for the face and the indian rug next to it to be authentic. So you have to make them exceptions to the symmetry rule. But rules with exceptions aren't rules.

[FormerLurker]

Just curious. Do you think the pyramids were built by aliens?

No, not aliens.

[MEGoody]

"Read me more carefully. I did not say I thought space aliens are making the crop circles."

Read ME more carefully. I never said you made that statement. LOL

[dennisw]

 

 

Dream on brother. Your impeccable "logic" will build bridges and buildings......But not all crop circles. You assert that people must be the most simple explanation. I don't buy this. Not yet by a long shot.

 

Crop circle near busy motor way with Stonehenge near the top

 

http://www.circlemakers.org/exhibit_a.html

Good info at this link>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0801_020801_cropcircles.htmlMovie Mistakes
In the Disney movie Signs, the circle formation is found in the middle of a corn field. In reality, corn is not the best medium for crop formations and very few are found in corn fields. When the movie's producers came to England to consult with circle experts, they were told the circles were made in fields of corn. To a European, corn covers all the cereal crops—wheat, barley, oat, and so on. To Americans, corn means only maize. Hence the error.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[discostu]

Nice picture. Already discussed it with FL. In his favorite shot you can clearly see that the road is downhill from the field 9you cna see the slope in the curves of the tractor tracks, can sort of see it in your pick but it's plain as day in his). Can't tell by how far but there's the definite possibility that the circle is below the sightline from the road because of it.

[Jedi Master Yoda]

LOL

Those are some funny pics.

From looking at the formations written in English, I have thought of a question.

If it is infact true that aliens are making these formations as some form of communication, then why don't they just write out what they have to say in an Earth language such as English?

If these supposed alien circle makers have the intelligence to be able to travel light years to reach the Earth, then surely they must have the intelligence to decode and understand Earth languages.

Why not just make a crop formation in plain English telling us where and at what frequency to point our radio telescopes so we can receive further more detailed messages?

[MEGoody]

"You're telling me that mowing the lawn doesn't break or cut grass?"

No, I'm not telling you that. What I am telling you is that, by mowing in different patterns and directions, the remaining (uncut portion) of grass blades are bent to make designs. (I guess I presumed too much in thinking you'd understand that.) You may CLAIM the crops are broken in all man made creations, but it would be absurd for me to just buy into that. I have personal experience that proves to me that crops can be bent pretty easily without breaking.

[dennisw]

http://www.circlemakers.org/exhibit_a.html

Above is a link to a page from the "circlemakers" website. They are graphics artists. These guys get around and have made some of the better crop circles. Yet I had to search through their site to find this page which will link to 5 of their formations. Theses guys sure don't brag about their "artwork" do they? How many have they made? I thought hoaxers liked to brag  ... eventually.

As you go through their site you see then selling postcards and tee-shirts with photos of very nice crop formations that they do not claim. Throughout their site you can see admiration for the best crop circles that have no claimants. I just don't get it. This site is not much of a debunker website. I know you have seen the photo I posted of their best formation and the flaws in it

 

They made this one

But they sell tee-shirts with this one, they didn't make.

 

 

 

[discostu]

Take an attaboy out of petty cash. That's the other big question. Why? Whether you think it's aliens or human time travelers from whichever direction there's still the why. Why go through all the trouble to get here (now) vandalize a crop and leave a "message" that only a few could decypher? If you're gonna say "hi" why not say "hi" rather than leave a bunch of stupid circles in the ground for people to argue over.

[MEGoody]

One other point to my post #570 - please note that the mower has a blade which cuts the grass, and the mower deck then bends the uncut grass. The grass blades are not broken, crushed or damaged by the mower deck. They are simply bent. Thus the ability to create patterns in the mown lawn.

[balrog666]

Why not just make a crop formation in plain English telling us where and at what frequency to point our radio telescopes so we can receive further more detailed messages?

Well, maybe they are teenage aliens making the equivalent of prank phone calls. Maybe they're ancient time travelers who only want to give their sacred knowledge of mammoth dung to those who deserve it. Maybe, whoever they are, they are just too stupid to think of writing in English.

[dennisw]

Can't tell by how far but there's the definite possibility that the circle is below the sightline from the road because of it.
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Just want to remind that these UK ones are not made in corn fields with their high stalks. I understand in the Mel Gibson movie it's done in a corn field. If I were a real crop circle nut I would have seen the movie already. I don't say that aliens make some of them. But I do strongly suspect some non-human forces are making some of them. The best ones and the largest ones.

[discostu]

We've already gone over this. With the same two pictures. Not everybody that puts large quantities of work into vandalism takes credit. Actually most of them don't. Ever seen an angel tag? Ever actually seen anyone take credit for one?

Again, we know people can do the basic stuff (mush a crop into an artistic design). After that it's just technique and practice.

[PatrickHenry]

Placemarker.

[dennisw]

Again, we know people can do the basic stuff (mush a crop into an artistic design). After that it's just technique and practice.
__________________________

Then the "circlemakers" need more practice. They are not up to snuff. Look how slick and sharp their website is and how flawed the crop circle is. Hahhahah...They are sloppy artistes compared to the better makers who_or_whatever they may be.

[discostu]

but it's still uphill from the road. The only real way to tell if group of people could have made that undetected is to get two people a camera, a long pole (20' should do it) and walkie talkie or some other way for them to communicate. Get the person with the camera near the road (if you can manage to close it off on the road would be better, but we don't want anybody killed here), get the other person to take the pole to strategic points of the circle (nearest the road, furthest from the road, midway, and the center of the circle), and stick the pole up. Then the two people communicate (indicate when the person is in position) and take pictures. If you can't see the pole ever then the whole thing is well below sightline, and thus would be very easy to do unobserved. If you can see the pole at least sometimes but never the person then the thing is still below sightline but not so comfortably. If you can see the person sometimes then it's partly above sightline and things get tricky. if you can see the person all the time then it's all visible and the door has to be opened to extra ordinary possibilities. We can even do this entirely cropless to make it easier. Without something to judge these sightlines though we are stuck with the saying that it's POSSIBLE that the circle is below sightline and therefore could be made unobserved. Which is a simpler explanation.

Oh, and many of the grain crops grow pretty tall. Corn is the thickest and blocks tons of sound and is just generally creepy to get lost in. But others (depending on the specific grain and the breed of that grain) can grow taller than a human.

[discostu]

Welcome to the problem with computer era "artists". I know artists that can do truly amazing stuff on the computer but couldn't draw an Altoids tin (to pick a random simple object on my desk) with pen and paper. And when you blow the art up to football stadium sized it just gets harder, flaws get bigger and easier to spot, and since you can't actually see the project you can get lost. But to judge mankind's ability to do good crop circles based on a couple of people's bad tries is like judging mankind's ability to make music by my guitar playing.