Shipwreck Explorer Doc: UPDATE

This is interesting: Our Monday post about the appearing and disappearing act of Doc's announcement of a "discovery" of a Spanish shipwreck has gone missing again. We provided a link to HHI to show a highly contrived conversation between Doc and Solomon about this, but now it mysteriously requires a member login (no thanks). The thread also cannot be located anywhere on the website.

Strange, this was always publicly accessible information before. Hmmmm.

We wonder why. Did Doc's claims about Texas A&M's involvement -- oh, how shall we charitably say this? -- turn out to be untrue? Is Doc afraid the Spanish government will come after him and HHI now that he's chest-thumped about pawing their cultural heritage? Or maybe those 50 Spanish officials that got arrested for dealing with Odyssey (according to Solomon, anyway), are out for some HHI blood?

Who knows and who cares? As we predicted before, and mark our words, this claim will never result in anything, for reasons laid out in the original post.

But we do chuckle at the predictable hypocrisy. Once again, shed a little light on the HHI cockroaches and they go a-scrambling. It's especially funny because, while they constantly criticize Odyssey for "secrecy" and "underhanded" behavior, it's actually HHI that puts those practices into play. (And ironically, it's Odyssey's openness as a publicly traded company that feeds HHI's appetite for destruction.)

We know -- and we know you know it too -- that if this shipwreck find was as big as Doc wanted everyone to initially believe, he, Solomon, and the entire HHI website wouldn't be able to shut up about it. Yet, after a quick peep above water, they've gone under again. (It might take ZEUS to find any future mention of this alleged shipwreck find.)

But hey, that's what we're here for.

P.S. A special thanks to the kind reader who provided information about Yahoo's "smithvi2003," also known as, we think at least, "gldn_fleez" (and too many other aliases to list here). Who knew information about him was right under our noses? As you will learn soon enough, this guy is a real peach. We're vetting the information now and will have a post about it up by this weekend. Thanks again for your contribution! Keep 'em coming!

A taste of their own bile...

Since HHI, whose mindless drones are once again crapping up the Yahoo board on a daily basis, have no problem getting crudely personal about Odyssey's founders and executives, we've decided we're going to do our own in-depth profile of HHI's two founders, Doc (James McManus) and Solomon (John Bartram).

We already have some fantastic, quite hilarious, information from our own research and other contributing members, but we realize there must be some readers out there with first-hand information as well. Of course, your anonymity will be completely honored. Keep in mind, however, that we can't publish falsehoods or lies, as that would be mimicking what they actually do. So, some vetting of submitted information will be in order.

Also, if anyone has information about "smithvi2003," who has at least 100 other aliases over at Yahoo (gldn_fleez; dochubris; frigata_mercedes; beavus_chyst; and on and on and on), we'd be interested in that as well. We know a little about him, in part because of his own idiotic online postings, but we'd like more. We'd love to give this obnoxious little cowardly wanker a taste of his own medicine.

Please send any information to hh.watch@gmail.com. (Oh, and for all you HHI assholes who already submitted our email address to spam machines, don't bother doing it again. Google has righteously strong filters so your efforts were in vain. And, didn't you once accuse Odyssey of these exact same kinds of tactics? Uh huh.)

Thanks!

Swashbuckling Explorer Doc

We've zero doubt now that Frick and Frack are listening in (Hi fellers! Did ya pop on over to see "how the other half" lives?!). After recently tweaking Doc about making such a big deal on HHI about allegedly finding a Spanish shipwreck, only to have it fall completely off the radar, we found this hilarious, blatantly obvious exchange today.

Doc: "Well Members, We have received the answer from Dr. de Castro and Texas A&M. The wood samples date between 1640 and 1660. Yes it very old indeed. Now we shall move forward through the proper channels and develop a plan to handle this interesting find."

Congratulations dude, you found some really old wood. Um, is that all you got? Is that really enough to say you've "found" a shipwreck? Seems awfully optimistic, to say the least.

Solomon: "Thank you for the update, Doc. Yes, the 17th century must be old for that part of the world. I look forward to future reports, in particular learning of both the proper channels it goes through and any archaeological study which may be forthcoming."

Did you get that, "members" (he really means "followers")? Proper channels and archaeological study. Are you sure you got that? Proper channels. And. Archaeology. (Just in case you missed it.)

Yeah, we bet.

We'd bet our collective retirement funds nothing will ever come of this. First, who's going to personally fund a project to further explore old wood? Who's going to give money to a soon-to-be convicted libelist who's main occupation is driving a tow boat? Oh we bet people will break out the checkbooks and piggy banks for all that prestige. Academic funding? Yeah, we all know how frequently universities hand-out limited resources to island-dwelling amateurs with a mighty taste for the drink.

Sure, makes total sense.

Mark our words: this is the last you'll hear of this swashbuckling project.

P.S. HHI and their pet monkey "Smitty/Fleas" are getting badly beaten down and embarrassed on Yahoo today. It's a truly beautiful thing to behold.

Frick & Frack Flap

Doc and Solomon, the Frick and Frack of Odyssey-hating nitwits, must be feeling antsy about the "Black Swan" (BS) case. Not content to wait and see how it turns out, or to take the word of Spain's lawyer that it's all but over and Spain has won (to which Judge Pizzo responded, "well, no, actually, we're moving on to discovery and a trial"), they have to distract members with unrelated items to the case (Mass arrests in Spain? Ocean Alert smoke, anyone?).

As usual Doc demonstrates his utter ignorance of all things financial by harping on about minor insider sales from a single OMEX board member (to which even he admits haven't occurred in some time). He bleats on about old news -- Odyssey's first quarter results! --apparently not realizing the company has nearly already completed its second quarter. Twit Minor then follows with one of his classic non sequiturs:

"Members, The financial woes of this company have greatly increased since their only successful recovery. The Republic yielded far less than Odyssey expected and even today there is a court case challenging their rights to what was recovered. I believe that Spain will be successful in proving sovereign immunity in the Mercedes case which closes the door on monetizing this latest recovery. The next sixty days will be most interesting. I look forward to Judge Pizzo's order."

Frack (Solomon), overjoyed by things he admits he doesn't intellectually understand but that still add up to bad news for Odyssey, jumps up and down like a little child on Christmas morn and spews yet more venomous spittle:

"The whole argument of Odyssey is ridiculous. Actually, it is worse than that: it is desperate in its inanity. Like just about everything to do with his misbegotten company, I do not believe the genuiness [sic] of their intent."

Thanks for clarifying that, Angry Twit. No one was truly clear about how you really feel about Odyssey.

Frankly, we're surprised Bartram didn't take the opportunity to once again claim some super secret knowledge about Odyssey that HHI would, in due time, expose to the world. (Of course, these claims are always offered as future revelations, never offered up in the present. You can imagine why.)

After all, Frick and Frack have claimed super secret information about those infamous arrests in Spain (this must be secret because not one media outlet picked up on it); super secret information about the Melkarth; super secret information about living rooms (you can't make this stuff up, folks); super secret information about every project Odyssey has ever worked on; and super secret information about whether Stemm wears boxers or briefs and what color.

This was, of course, the same approach of Joseph McCarthy, who also regularly claimed to posses secret damning evidence about his enemies in his ever-present briefcase. This worked for a while, but we all know how it turned out in the end, don't we? Disgrace and a ruined liver.

Don't be surprised by a similar outcome in this case.

Bartram BS

Solomon must be feeling pressure to deliver something, anything to back up his recent sensationalist claim that 50 (count 'em, 50) Spanish government officials were arrested for improper dealings with Odyssey. Today he posted what we suppose was an attempt to provide evidence to support the charge, which has yet to be covered in the media. As we're about to show, what he actually accomplished was to demonstrate just how low HHI will go to "prove" their bias against Odyssey.

Here's what Bartram posted on HHI today, which he cites as a quote from a Spanish news article, along with our note of missing text:

"Of the 385 prosecutions instituted informative and processed last year, 211 are for the Prosecution of Cadiz and 174 to the Prosecutors area of Algeciras [NOTE THE DELETED SECTION HERE]. Also, the Attorney provincial Environment opened last year six prosecutions for offences against the historical heritage, stressing the investigation for alleged plundering of archaeological sites underwater and seizure of property of historical heritage by the vessel the American company Odyssey Marine Explorer the Strait of Gibraltar."

The Angry Twit was kind enough to provide a link to his source, but foolish enough to assume no one would check it. We did, and what we discovered astounded even us. Bartram selectively edited quotes from the article to not only fundamentally change its context, but also to make it appear as if Odyssey was associated with a high level of illegal activity.

Here's the same first sentence with the deleted text (in italics). As you will see, it reads quite differently.

"Of the 385 prosecutions instituted informative and processed last year, 211 are for the Prosecution of Cadiz and 174 to the Prosecutors area of Algeciras, most of them (345) related with crimes against spatial planning. Many of these crimes are related, according to the document contains, by not complying with orders to stop illegal construction in undeveloped land; licenses granted to illegal urban and false documents for the granting of writings by new construction."

In other words, most of these cited charges, which are from last year to boot, don't have anything to do with underwater archaeology, cultural heritage, or the arrests of government officials, but rather with land-based construction citations! There's also two more full paragraphs, totaling six sentences, separating Solomon's first edited sentence and the one that mentions Odyssey. This is unethical, incredibly disingenuous "editing" and clear evidence of a purposeful intent to mislead readers.

This is also a perfect example of how HHI regularly operates and it's why the group and its contributors should never be taken seriously by anyone interested in history, archaeology, or any issue related to Odyssey or Spain. And legitimate news organizations and reporters interested in getting the story right should be especially wary of the group. (Are you listening John Colapinto?)

To add injury to insult, or more appropriately, to add more slime to his innuendo, Bartram concludes this abortion of the truth with, "As I wrote earlier, Spain is taking this matter very seriously."

So there you have it: yet more shameless HHI buffoonery. We hope Odyssey will feel free to use this evidence in any proceedings they decide to pursue against HHI, and especially against that lying sack of worthless shite, John "Solomon" Bartram.

What's a little libel in the family?

Solomon has officially lost his mind over at HHI. In our decidedly non-legal opinion, he has committed obvious libel against Odyssey Marine, and perhaps Greg Stemm, in his latest post.

Referring to an Odyssey project that's a decade old -- the Melkarth -- the Angry Twit smears his slimy innuendo everywhere:

"History Hunters knows much of what Odyssey has done. Far more than the company has ever published. We know, for example, where the [Melkarth] shipwreck is, where the amphorae were stored on their voyage back to port, and what happened when Stemm lost his nerve. We even know where one of the amphorae is now - in whose living room it stands. We know what was said to whom, when, where and why. As we do for many other Odyssey projects. I don't think their facade will stand much longer. When it goes and the world sees the ugly truths behind the mask, one of the secrets to be revealed will be that of the Melkarth."

Mighty big claims there, Bartram. You better pray your "information" is correct. We're convinced the burden will soon be on you to prove these scurrilous libel and defamation charges in court. The separation of the Atlantic ocean is not legitimate protection or a defense, Jack Ass.

Once again, it's amazing how often the HHI scum claims inside information that comes at the expense of Odyssey's reputation and integrity. Is any evidence ever provided for these charges? No. Proof? No. Sources? No. Names? No. Documents? No. Anything? No. Just take their word for it, they've got something. Just like Solomon's recent "knowledge" about mass arrests in Spain involving Odyssey, right?

By the way, Bartram, you do realize your post has a copyrighted photo of Odyssey's used without permission, don't you? Got your checkbook ready?

Photo caption: Twit Minor (Jim "Doc" McManus) and the Angry Twit (John "Solomon" Bartram), stand aside something they've never actually seen before: A solid man of honor and integrity.

Wither Doc?

Not that we're complaining, mind you, but has anyone else noticed the sudden absence of our favorite nautical researcher? Think this might have something to do with his upcoming Odyssey libel trial? One would hope the buffoon finally obtained some sound legal counsel, as in: "Immediately shut your pie-hole online, fool. This is what got you in this mess in the first place!"

So, what happened to his supposedly grand discovery of a Spanish galleon in the Virgin Islands? That sure went silent quickly. HHI was all over it when it first happened. Last we heard Doc was bleating about contacts with a university underwater archaeology program, where he says he shipped his illegally plundered artifacts (at least, we're guessing that would be Spain's attitude). Oddly silent for a shipwreck-explorer-wannabe who sooooo badly wants attention, no?

At any rate, we shall be hearing from Jim McManus soon enough, we suspect. We can't wait to see how he pulls together all those disparate items for his defense: Odyssey's control of the Yahoo board, alleged threats against his life, the FBI, attorney general, INS, CIA, Chinese immigrants, Viagra, and Solomon's wicked halitosis.

Maybe Dan Brown will even write a book about it.

One thing we do like about Doc, though: we hear he can't stand "smithvi2003," or "gldn_fleez," better known as a worthless shipwreck groupie/flunky out of Washington State who's never accomplished anything in his life, unless you count crapping all over the Yahoo board all day a worthwhile activity. This "smitty/fleas" character spends his days posting half-muttered retard-isms, and fancies himself a shipwreck explorer (what has he ever done? you tell us), which is interesting considering the guy never seems to move more than a foot away from his keyboard. Read more about this steaming turd.

At any rate, we shall keep you posted on what we hear about Doc's trial as it moves forward. Stay tuned!

P.S. Yes "macaguy13," we know you're Doc. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really should heed legal advice, silly goof.

The Curious Case of "Media Man"

We've reported before about how HHI likes to take credit for practically every article that appears about Odyssey Marine, particularly those with a negative bent. The latest demonstration of this is Solomon's claim he provided information to the UK's Independent article about Odyssey's recent actions in the Channel Islands area.

The Angry Twit, pinky a-thrust, sniffs:

"Glad that I was able to assist Cahal Milmo with this piece, which is quite good. We make an effort to provide responsible journalists with appropriate background material."

We love that Solomon considers himself the arbiter of responsible journalism, especially considering he has accused Reuters, the Associated Press, and the New York Times of being Odyssey stooges. He even accused his own esteemed BBC of being sloppy and irresponsible. However, write an article he finds appropriately negative about Odyssey, and, well, he's ready to personally hand over a gilded Pulitzer Prize.

A couple of things about this latest claim we find most curious: First, despite claiming to be a source for this news article, Solomon is neither quoted, nor is HHI referenced, despite the group's well-known anti-Odyssey views. Second, remember the Angry Twit just claimed to have first-hand knowledge of mass arrests in Spain of allegedly pro-Odyssey government officials (50, count 'em, 50). If, in fact, he spoke with this reporter, isn't it reasonable to assume this bombshell would have been mentioned as well, especially within the context of the ongoing BS court case in Tampa?

We wonder if this Cahal feller is aware of the Angry Twit's claim to be a source for his story? Well, let's find out shall we?

Coming Out

Our favorite angry man has a fascinating new thread started over at HHI. It's quite the departure. It speaks of elite society, with lots of pictures of stylish, well-dressed ladies, debutantes in pretty dresses, long silky gloves and matching accessories, with all kinds of inside detail about lavish balls, receptions and dinner parties, oh my.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

All of it positively more dashing than our Solomon, with his middle class paunch, polyester pants, sensible shoes and Members Only jacket. (We're not making that up, we've seen the photo...unfortunately it's now only accessible in the "members only" section of HHI, and we're firmly behind Woody Allen's thought that we wouldn't be members of a club that would have us as members.)

Ah well, it's better than more Odyssey or American bashing.

Or is it possibly creepier? Discuss.

Mo' Twititude

Solomon the Angry Twit™ is at it yet again. Prepare to be amused.

Solomon: "I have often asked myself: why doesn't Odyssey work its sites? Now we can add to the question: why didn't or doesn't Odyssey want the Ocean Alert to work?"

Um, we hate to break it to you, Sir Twitsky, but Odyssey is out working. Like, right now. (Perhaps you missed the company's two recent arrests right in your backyard?) So, while you quaff Ripple by the gallon and dream of being a media darling (wink wink), the company is out actually doing something important in the field. While the TV cameras are rolling to boot.

Oh, by the way, and pay special attention since you once again didn't do your homework: the Alert is a search not a recovery vessel. And, while it's clear you and your minions (we see those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz) are trying to make a major controversy out of some online UK notices about the Alert, it's obvious the effort is falling on deaf ears (with the notable exception of one forgettable doofus).

As usual, History Hunters speak, massive yawns ensue.

Solomon: "Why would they let piles of 'treasure' - booty as the juvenile, drooling US media likes to call it - sit unattended on the sea bed?"

Trust us, you'll learn along with everyone else the next time Odyssey finds treasure. We suspect it will be sooner than you think. Nice slam of the U.S. again, by the way. We guess all those warm fuzzies you got from the Obama nomination have officially worn off? Or, is a certain someone missing his favorite American punching stooge, Twit Minor? (Where has he been?)

Solomon: "For the same good reason Odyssey ran off from the Mercedes site, last year. And don't go thinking that we don't know what that was, either. We know exactly why. And so does Spain. You figure it out."

Odyssey "ran off" from the Mercedes site? Now whatever do you mean? If the company "ran off" it was only because their vessels were full of gold and silver coins. And what should we not be thinking you don't know, fool? Of course, this is the standard history poseur tactic of suggesting that only they are in possession of super secret information. As if Spain, or any other intelligent person, would trust a bunch of amateur, conspiratorial-minded kook-jobs. Yeah, sure. (50 arrests anyone?) Nope, just some more of dat slimy innuendo.

It sure is interesting how often the history poseurs claim inside information and make predictions based on it. Shockingly!, Amazingly!, these events never seem to come to pass. But hell, why not? Where's the accountability? If no one is paying attention enough to care, what's the cost? Answer: absolutely nothing.

Solomon: "Now, I've gotta dash. I can hear the sirens coming."

Ah, now this, kiddies, is truly interesting. A little mental slip on the Angry Twit's part. Such "joking" lets us in on that Solomon has been calculating the potential consequences of his words against Odyssey and those associated with the Black Swan case (50 arrests anyone?). We think this confession, posed as humor (lamely), conveys real fear. Admit it, Solomon: When you wrote about sirens coming, a little pee came out, didn't it?

Good. More worry, less sleep, and urine-soaked pants means karma is indeed at work in the world, if not your little pea brain.

Mass Spanish Arrests Update

After HHI's titillating charge that 50 Spanish government officials had been arrested for alleged improper dealings with Odyssey Marine, and considering the complete lack of media interest in such an event, we contacted one of our media friends in Europe. This esteemed reporter has followed Odyssey and the goings-on in Spain for years. He responded that it sounded like an "overblown conspiracy theory," but that he would look into it.

A conspiracy theory perpetuated by History Hunters, specifically John Bartram (aka "Solomon")? Say it ain't so!

Our little old website would love to be the one who busts Bartram's cojones for spreading false information about not only Odyssey, but also Spain and its government officials and military. At the very least, we hope it might put an end to the mainstream media's giving these stooges a public stage to spout their visceral hatred of all things Odyssey. (Are you listening John Colapinto of the New Yorker?)

Stay tuned.

Super Secret Silent Sources

Solomon was asked last night by HHI's "administrator" (who we've heard is Solomon himself) to put some meat on the meager bones of his bombshell that 50 government officials in Spain were arrested for supposed illicit dealings with Odyssey Marine.

What drew our attention to this claim (and we're sure others as well), is that any rational person would assume the arrest of so many government officials for criminal dealings with a solitary U.S. company, especially one that's being sued by that nation, might just lead to a headline or three in Spain, the U.K., Gibraltar, or the States. Yet, there's been nary a peep about this, with the notable exception of HHI's website. Does that make any sense?

What's Solomon's "source" for this claim? He says several Spanish organizations, especially those dealing with archaeology, are in regular contact with his group (which is interesting considering HHI is an amateur history and archaeology website, not a professional organization). He says the media is as well, which, to be fair, is borne out by their recent inclusion in Odyssey's New Yorker profile (which, by the way, also identifies HHI as "amateurs"). Solomon says that while preparing for an interview with a Spanish media outlet, he was told a secret investigation was being conducted into alleged shady dealings having to do with an "agreement" brokered between Spain and Odyssey (which agreement we don't know, because he doesn't say).

Solomon, also known as John Bartram, then says that according to his unnamed source "inappropriate" pressures were brought to bear by the U.S. Embassy on Spain's military and that of the UK's (which is a new charge, actually). No further context or meaning is provided, nor are the results of these actions, which were presumably to benefit Odyssey, fleshed out. Bartram adds, conveniently, that one shouldn't be surprised by the the large number of arrests, as he personally witnessed similar actions while living in Spain.

While Solomon claims mass arrests aren't unusual in Spain (which we think is likely bullocks), considering the widespread international media coverage of the Black Swan find, and in light of the high-profile lawsuit going on between Spain and Odyssey at the moment, one might reasonably expect such an event to catch the attention of an editor or three in Spain, if not elsewhere in Europe and the U.S.

We therefore believe that HHI, led by Solomon and Doc (John Bartram and James McManus, respectively), are once again aggressively spreading vile innuendo with the intention of grievously harming Odyssey. In this case, however, we think they've likely bitten off more than they can swallow.

Time will tell. We expect to be writing more about this over the coming days as more information becomes available. In the meantime, read HHI's posts about these "arrests" and see what you can make of it yourself.

And stay tuned....

Idiot Redux (They're back!)

It's been relatively quiet lately over at HHI. The history poseurs appeared to be settling in for the slower, typically more reflective summer period. You didn't honestly expect that to continue, did you?

Doc and Solomon, likely already badly sun-burned and twitching to get back to Odyssey bashing -- their only true occupation -- finally found something to get their panties in a twist. They're now running full steam ahead with an online reference to a supposed violation of Odyssey's ship, the Ocean Alert, which was apparently cited for some issues related to "onboard safety systems" (whatever that means).

In our opinion, there is not sufficient information available to make an informed judgement about what this means, if anything. And, in fact, if the citations had amounted to something serious and material, Odyssey, as a publicly traded company, would have been obliged to announce it in a press release, or as an 8-K filing with the SEC, neither of which they did. That should tell you something.

Of course, common sense and perspective doesn't stop our favorite chumps from taking this wee bit of information and suggesting a vast, deep, dark conspiracy involving Odyssey, the UK's Ministry of Defense (MOD), the BS recovery, the British Parliament, 50 arrested Spanish officials (read on!), the SEC, the Man on the Moon, that little feller from the Austin Powers' movies (pictured above), and Elvis.

Can the FBI and Attorney General be far behind?

So, with this minor bit of online information, the silly twats are off and running. Doc posted the safety violation on HHI, then pointed out the supposed, confusing involvement of the MOD and argues this happened at the same time as the BS recovery. As we said, the information is fairly clouded, and what the Twit Minor is trying to suggest, we haven't a clue. Of course, Sir Solomon the Angry Twit doesn't waste any time piling on. He's been fairly quiet and was undoubtedly anxious to resume consuming OMEX flesh -- which sure beats trying to chew his own face off, we're sure.

Solomon: "As you say, Doc, more mystery. The log of Gibraltar/Cadiz shipping for the period when Odyssey was mounting its Black Swan misadventure ties the movement of an Odyssey vessel to the UK Ministry of Defence. This in itself raises some interesting questions. One may be what the MoD knows of this; another is if it may relate in some manner to other involvement of armed forces as speculated about in Spain: those of the USA, UK and Spain. We have heard that some 50 officials are under arrest in Spain as part of a criminal investigation into possibly inappropriate ties with Odyssey."

Wait, what was that? You say 50 "officials" have been arrested in Spain for "inappropriate ties" with Odyssey? REALLY? Hmmmm, you claim 50 Spanish officials were arrested during a "criminal investigation" and not one peep from the Spanish, British, Gibraltar or American press appears? That pig sure ain't gonna fly, Mister.

Finally, how many times have HHI members had to endure snooty lectures from the Master Himself about posting items without the appropriate level of "evidentiary support"? As this potentially libelous bomb shell suggests, this rule obviously doesn't apply to the Angry Twit. He blathers on:

Solomon: "Why wasn't this reported by Odyssey to the SEC? Personally, I think the investors would like to know what is happening to their major assets in Odyssey, especially when a substantial portion is unable to operate."

You mean, the same investors you've personally called stupid, inane, naive, and greedy? Now, you surely can't expect us rubes to suddenly start looking after ourselves, can you Solomon?

And then, the inevitable concluding mouse roar:

Doc: "Solomon, I concur. If the Ministry of Defense was in fact involved at the time some very critical questions need to be asked by the MP's who have oversight in this area of government...As you have pointed out, the loss of this asset for safety violations from July 23rd of 2007 thru the 30th of April 2008 and the failure to make known this development to the shareholders presents a grave issue of credibility in my opinion. Is this material evidence? I think so."

Yes, the Twit Minor concurs. And sees a vast conspiracy that exposes Odyssey's "lack of credibility" that the SEC should investigate: STOP THE PRESSES!

Shallow, stupid, predictable. Yep, our boys are back alright!

The Sacred and Profane

A couple of weeks ago, the HHI rubes were spraying spittle ranting about Odyssey's alleged violation of the sacred "grave site" of the Mercedes shipwreck (of course, they were merely squawking the same dramatic lines spouted by the main parrot, Jim Gould). We won't rehash all the nonsense here -- you can read all about it below -- but there are many reasons why that charge was utterly unfounded and ridiculous.

At the time, one of our smartest friends, Jeff K., noted that no archaeological dig could ever be possible if disturbing human remains was disallowed. And, low and behold, take a look-see at what showed up today on the HHI website:

Now, while this is a rather macabre photo taken from an archaeological site (though it could be any CSI photo ever taken), we understand this process is an important scientific endeavor. And, while it might appear, at first glance anyway, to be unnecessarily intrusive, it is, in fact, a necessary reality of the archaeological process.

Odyssey faces no less different challenges in its work, except that in the cases of deep-ocean graves, marine organisms consume remains in relatively quick order. (For obvious reasons, the vast sea is not an environment hospitable to dead things.) The point is, if one follows archaeological protocols, and as this photo aptly illustrates, handling human remains is a manageable part of the process.

So, regardless of the profane rants of the HHI divas, and Spain's lead attorney on the BS case, that Odyssey thoughtlessly "raided" the graves of the deceased, the fact is the company approaches shipwreck sites with all the rigor of trained scientists, along with a healthy dose of respect, ethics and humility. This fact is frequently missing in criticisms of Odyssey, but we are here to change that.

Why? Because we pay attention.

The Head that Swells

Apropos our new poll, and just a couple of days after launching it, Sir Solomon the Angry Twit’s™ head has swollen to near fatal, or at least near-stroke, proportions. What could set off the already trigger-happy-hostile Brit? Oh, we don't know, perhaps Odyssey's press release last week announcing the arrests of two new historic shipwrecks found near the Channel Islands?

Now, we know OMEX gets under Solomon's flaky skin something fierce, even more so than his annoying half-witted American cousin, Twit Minor (aka Doc), but this latest announcement drove the Angry Twit to not only rage about Odyssey, but also to display, once again, his clear and open disdain for Americans and our supposed lack of national intelligence. We HH Watch guys are obviously stupid and sophomoric, but we don't think our actions we should represent an entire nation of people, especially not one with our GDP and level of productivity. Just saying.

Solomon: "Odyssey's claims have become so standardised - in wording and pretentiousness - as to be boring."

Well, let's not waste any time getting to it, Big Boy. Hey, this is certainly a nice change, who knew the evil overlords of treasure hunting and archaeology could be so, how do you say?, pedestrian? Nice!

Solomon: "'...outside the territorial waters or contiguous zone of any sovereign nation' - isn't it always? Maybe it is, but I wouldn't believe them just because they say so. It would be hard to find a non-territorial/non-contiguous free inch in the English Channel. 'The sites both contain cannon...' - sure they do and yet they cannot bring themselves to identify the ships.

Let's take this one point by point for the dopey dense one:

• Yes, Odyssey exclusively hunts for shipwrecks outside other nation's territorial waters; this is, in fact, one of the core tenants of their strategic business plan
• You don't believe them because they said so, but as investors, public words are critically important, and Odyssey takes them quite seriously.
• Um, and finally, Odyssey didn't identify the shipwrecks because, as it said, they don't know yet what they have. They arrested the sites so they may make a determination. So, stay tuned (we're sure you will).

Solomon: "They've sold tickets before on their magical, mystery tour and I'm not buying."

Really? Gosh, who knew? We'll be sure to alert the media about this breaking news item.

Solomon: "This one is so priceless they have to repeat it every time: 'believed to date from the Colonial period...'. How totally meaningless. Well, to anyone who isn't American. Whose colonial period, exactly? They could not be more vacuous if they tried."

Of course, he's right, we Americans all -- everyone of us! -- drink beer, eat donuts, and scratch our private parts while watching the Simpsons. But ain't it funny how many people around the planet still strive to live and work here along with their families? Including many Brits, whom, from what we can see, appear to be increasingly dominating our major news services (which is okay with us, for the record). Go figure.

Solomon: "'Company’s archaeological and conservation teams..." - they missed out the 'heroic' this time, which is some relief. Come on, Stemm, tell us who you've got labelled as archaeologists. Give us a good belly laugh. 'Odyssey’s core business is shipwreck exploration and archaeological excavation...' - no, it isn't, you dunces. Go read a book, or watch some intelligent television (difficult to find, I know, but the truth is out there) and find out what is archaeology. Then hang your heads in shame. Numbskulls."

Wow, "vacuous," "dunces," "numbskulls"...we're surprised he left out "poopy heads" and "farty faces."

More seriously, this is now several times the Angry Twit has accused Odyssey of not practising archaeology, or not having archaeologists on staff, both of which are obvious lies. Once again, we think Solomon's rants are increasingly veering into the libelous, defamation zone. We hope Odyssey is paying attention to these remarks, especially considering the far lower standard of proving libel in the UK (which, frankly, we wish we had here as well). We suspect they are.

So there you have it. We'd say the Angry-Twit-Head-o-Rage-Meter® is now at a solid 3.5. (Oh, rest assured, we're working on some mighty righteous graphics to illustrate this!). Don't worry, we'll give plenty of warning when that goofy melon begins to show signs of blowing!

You don't want to be sprayed by that rabid mess.