The Book of THoTH Newsletter Issue 145
3 views
Skip to first unread message
ReverendChaos
Apr 27, 2009, 5:17:06 AM4/27/09
to The Book Of THoTH
Newsletter for the week of April 20th to April 26th
Hello to everyone! To all of our new subscribers out there, welcome
to the book of THoTH Newsletter and to our Book of THoTH Google
group. Thanks for taking the time to subscribe and thanks for joining
our group. We're glad that you've joined our mailing list and hope
that you enjoy what we have to offer in its pages.
As of this newsletter, we have had 29 new members to join us this
week at BoT. To those who've joined, we say thanks for taking the
time to be a part of the greatest paranormal site on the web! Due to
this new addition of members, we now stand at 7,877 members strong.
A huge thanks to each and everyone of you for helping to make this
site what it has become! We couldn't do it without you.
This Week at BoT:
The time to pass the GoldStar along has once again come. Nigelelan53,
last week's holder, has decided to pass the most prestigious award
onto THoTH. THoTH has once again earned the GoldStar for "[keeping]
this informative, with diverse opinions, Website up and running."
Congratulations go out to you, THoTH! Way to go, and wear it well.
In the news of the BoT LabCoat, Momma finally got a correct answer for
her question of:
"In the 18th century..an artist painted pictures of a scientific
experiment..some people saw these pictures and actually tried the
experiment for themselves. One of them being a member of a European
aristocracy..
Who was the scientist ?
What was the name of the experiment ?
Why was this a misnomer ?
What was the outcome of the Royals attempt ?"
Map-reference was the one who got it right with the answers of
"Benjamin Franklin", the "Philadelphia Experiment", "a misnomer
because he is said to be the discoverer of electricity and he isn't",
and "the royal's attempt got em' electrocuted".
Congratulations, map-reference! As a result of winning the BoT
LabCoat, map-reference then got to post a question. That question
involved a picture of a spacecraft along with the two-part question
of:
1. Name of the spacecraft?, made in the USA, very early model.
2. What destroyed it?
Evadatam5150 correctly answered that one, with a little help from
Silversurfer, with his answer of "Ranger 7.. It was a hard lander
meant to impact the moon after sending images back to the US".
Congratulations, Evad!
Evadatam5150 hasn't posted a new question yet, as it's still being
debated as to who should wear the highly coveted BoT LabCoat. But
keep you eyes peeled on the "BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII" thread in the
Science section of our forums for when a new question is posted. If
you have what it takes to answer it, then you too may get to wear the
LabCoat.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-150.html
This Week on the Front Page:
"The Psycho behind the Pomp/os" is another front page article by
Imhotepsol this week. His last article for a short while, this one
explores how the ancients used their religions, how we use ours, and
how we must transcend our beliefs to become in control of ourselves.
For an interesting read, don't miss this one while it's on the front
page.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article1840.html
Dawn has written an article that describes many of the strange
experiences that she and her family have had in their new home. From
being locked out of the house numerous times, to objects flying across
the room, it's a mystery as to what or who is behind these actions.
To read more about these odd incidents, see "Strange Occurrences At
Our Home".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article1841.html
This Week in the Forums:
Crux has posted a topic in the Aliens/Extraterrestrial section about
an Australian close encounter research group. To read more about
them, don't miss crux's thread, "ACERN Australian Close Encounter
Research Network".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20374.html
"Historic disclosure: Brazil's secret Government UFO files" is a
thread by mensa517 in the UFO section. In it, mensa provides us with
an article describing the release of previously classified documents
relating to UFOs. To read more about this great news, be sure to head
to the our UFO section of the forums and take a look.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20263.html
New member, Nola985, has a thread in the Ghost & Spirit section asking
about something that a friend's daughter keeps experiencing.
Described as a thin white figure with glowing eyes, she's puzzled as
to what the meaning of this could be. If you want read the accounts
that Nola985 has described, or have any suggestions to offer, please
see, "Unsure of what she's seeing...".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20331.html
"American Stonehenge" is a thread by Graham that tells of a monument
in northeastern Georgia that is called the Georgia Guidestones.
Positioned to correspond to the movement of the sun and stars, this
structure also contains advice in eight different languages for a post
apocalyptic earth. To read more and to join the discussion, don't
miss Graham's thread in the Mysticism & Occult section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20340.html
To take a look at the first crop circle of the year, see mensa517's
thread in the Phenomena section. This circle is 60 feet in diameter
and was seen near Avebury in Wiltshire, UK. To read more about this
one and others, see "It must be spring! The first of this year's crop
circles".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20268.html
"Juno's occasional Zoo" is a thread where Juno54 gives us frequent
information and updates on various aspects of the animal kingdom. So
far, we've been introduced to the Bumblebee Bat at the Cuttlefish. To
read Juno's fantastic articles, and to wait for coming updates from
her, be sure to keep an eye on her thread in the Animal Kingdom &
Cryptozoology section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20251.html
Random Site Feature of the Week:
If you want some great quality items featuring the BoT logo, be sure
and visit our Donation Wear page! On this page, you'll find a wide
range of items designed by our very own artist, AnnuMela. You'll find
everything from coffee mugs to baby clothes, all at affordable
prices. Best of all, 10% of all proceeds go directly to running your
favorite site on the web, Book of THoTH.
If you'd like more about Donation Wear, see THoTH's thread in the Main
News section of our forums.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-17111.html
To jump right in and browse around at what we have to offer, see our
Donation Wear page here:
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/donationwear.html
Strange Fact of the Week:
It has been said that a woman by the name of Violet Jessup is not as
easily sinkable as the ships that she's worked on.
Violet was a White Star Lines employee, a stewardess, who worked
aboard the Olympic prior to her transfer to the Titanic. While on
board the Olympic, it was struck by a British warship, the Hawke,
which was sucked into the Olympic by it's (the Olympic's) powerful
wake.
We all know the story behind the Titanic. But few have even heard of
Violet, much less the fact that she survived that one without injury
also.
Months afterward, Violet was employed on the Brittanic as a nurse when
it struck a mine in the Aegean off the coast of Greece. The Brittanic
sank, but once again, Violet survived with only a few bumps and
bruises.
Trivia Question of the Week:
Last week's trivia question involved the evil eye. This week's
question involves protection from it. In most of Asia and in many
sections of Africa, what stone is said to be helpful in warding off
the evil eye?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
In Mediterranean lands, what people are more likely to be acused of
possessing the evil eye?
The evil eye, a method of inflicting harm by staring or simply
glancing at an intended victim, is a belief held by many cultures and
is traced back to ancient times. In the Mediterranean region, it is
blue-eyed people who are more likely to be accused of possessing it's
power. Consequently, it is brown-eyed people who are sometimes
suspected in northern Europe.
This Week in History:
April 26, 1607: Colonists land at Cape Henry, Va., They would found
Jamestown the next month.
April 26, 1994: The first multi-racial elections were held in South
Africa.
April 27, 1521: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in
a fight with natives of the Philippines.
April 27, 1865: The worst steamship disaster in the history of the
United States occurred when there was an explosion aboard the Sultana;
more than 1,400 people were killed.
April 28, 1789: Fletcher Christian led the mutiny aboard the British
ship Bounty against Captain William Bligh.
April 28, 2001: Dennis Tito became the first space tourist.
April 29, 1429: Joan of Arc entered the city of Orléans. She would
end its months-long siege and would become known as the "Maid of
Orléans."
April 29, 1978: Japan's Naomi Uemura, traveling by sled dog, became
the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
April 30, 1803: France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the
United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
April 30, 1991: Over 131,000 were killed and as many as 9 million
left homeless when a cyclone struck Bangladesh.
May 1, 1707: The Act of Union joined England and Scotland to form
Great Britain.
May 1, 1941: Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered by many the
greatest film ever made, premiered in New York.
May 2, 1955: Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
May 2, 1994: Nelson Mandela was victorious in South Africa’s first
multiracial election.
This Week's Birthdays:
Eugène Delacroix (April 26, 1798) - Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix
was a French Romantic artist who was regarded from the beginning of
his career as the leader of the French Romantic school. His use of
expressive brushstrokes and his study of the optical effects of color
profoundly shaped the work of the Impressionists. As a lithographer,
Delacroix also illustrated various works of William Shakespeare, Sir
Walter Scott, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822) - Grant was general-in-chief of the
Union Army from 1864 to 1865 during the American Civil War. Due to
his popularity in helping to win the war for the Union, he was elected
as the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877. He was
the first president since Andrew Jackson to serve for two full terms.
Marie Joseph Chenier (April 28, 1764) - Marie Joseph Chenier was a
French poet and dramatist who was a member of the Convention, the
Council of Five, and the Tribunate during the French Revolution. He
was most known for his political and historical plays and is famous
for his songs of the Revolutionary period, most notably "Chant du
départ".
William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863) - Hearst was an American
newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher. While still a
student at Harvard, he acquired his father's newspaper, "The San
Francisco Examiner", to run and became the paper's publisher. He
greatly increased circulation due to exposing municipal corruption.
After moving to New York City, he soon created a chain that numbered
nearly 30 newspapers in major American cities at it's peak. He also
was responsible for the creation of "yellow journalism" due a bitter
circulation war with the "New York World" paper.
April 30, 1770: David Thompson was born. Thompson was an English-
Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker. He is known as the
"greatest land geographer who ever lived" due to his mapping of over
3.9 million square kilometers of North America. He is also the first
white man who is known to have provided evidence of the existence of
Bigfoot. This took place on January 7, 1811 near the Canadian town of
Jasper in Alberta when he found footprints that were over fourteen
inches long and eight inches wide, with four toes, while hiking in the
snow.
Calamity Jane (May 1, 1852) - Born as Martha Jane Canary, she was an
American frontier personality born in Princeton, Missouri. Growing up
around mining camps and in rough frontier communities, she later
appeared in Deadwood, South Dakota dressed in men's clothes and
boasting of her marksmanship, exploits as a pony express rider, and
being a scout with Custer's forces. In her later years she traveled
the West in a burlesque show and appeared at the Pan-American
Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. She died in poverty in Deadwood, where
she is buried beside Wild Bill Hickock.
Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1843) - Elijah J. McCoy was an African
Canadian inventor and engineer who was known for his many U.S.
patents. He was the inventor of an automatic lubricator for oiling
steam engines, as well as a folding ironing board and a lawn
sprinkler.
Only two BoT members are celebrating birthdays this week. Those two
are Myztic and Dawn. Myztic celebrates on the 27th of April and Dawn
celebrates on the 28th. Happy Birthday to both of you! Here's to a
fabulous day in store and an even greater year to come.
Tech Tip of the Week:
This week's tech tip also involves editing the Windows registry. But
this time, it's to allow your computer to automatically refresh your
computer's screen. If you're using Windows XP, this is especially
handy if you're trying to keep up with current things like sports
scores, the stock market, and even changes to your hard drive.
Normally, changes like these aren't shown until you hit the F5 key on
your keyboard. But we'll tell you how to edit your registry to make
these changes automatic.
First of all, always backup your registry since any mistakes in
editing it can lead to serious computer problems.
Now that your registry is backed up, click on Start, then Run, and
then type Regedit in the Run box. Click OK or hit enter on your
keyboard.
Once you are in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode
Once you've found that location, edit the DWORD value to be between 1
and 5.
Exit the Registry Editor and then restart your computer so that the
changes made will go into effect.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
The unsolved question for this week deals with that big, age old
puzzle: What happens when we die? The questions surrounding this big
question are many. What happens after we take that last breath? Are
we reincarnated into another body? Do we go into another dimension?
Do we go to a Heaven or a Hell? Or does nothing at all happen?
Unfortunately there is no hard evidence that supports an existence
after death. But due to a very large number of reported ghost
sightings all through history, there is a great deal of anecdotal
evidence. These reports range from sightings of religious figures,
deceased relatives, soldiers, to even pets who have passed on.
The skeptical argument is that these are figments of a wishful
imagination or hallucinations. Some even accuse witnesses of
blatantly lying about their encounters. However, one has to take in
consideration the huge number of sighting at some of the world's well
known ghostly "hot spots". Are there really such a large percentage
of delusional people there? Many of which include not only ordinary
sightseers, but tour guides, security officers, and reputable members
of the community?
If these aren't the products of an over-active mind, that leaves the
question of what is causing this? Are they really the souls of the
deceased? Or is it merely energy left over from a living being? Is
this energy what we have come to call the "soul"? Or perhaps we are
getting a glimpse back in time. One theory is that ghosts are nothing
but a product of a dimension overlap, similar to a "double negative"
in photography where we are somehow able to view traces of something
that happened in the past. That could very well be true of the cases
where numerous witnesses have reported seeing the same exact scene on
several different occasions. But what about the ghostly beings that
have been reported to actually interact with our presence?
Aside from the visual (and sometimes audial) encounters, there are
also the many near-death experiences where people who have clinically
died have reported seeing such things as bright lights, described
being transported though tunnels, and have claimed to have seen and
spoke to deceased relatives. There are some who have even reported
seeing their own bodies on hospital operating tables and are able to
describe the actions of the doctors and nurses who were frantically
trying to bring them back to life. Are the lights and tunnels the
product of chemicals in the brain? What about speaking to relatives
and seeing the doctors and nurses? Is there still enough brain
activity left to enable them to dream or imagine?
As if enough questions haven't been posed already, what about the
reported cases of reincarnation. We're not talking about the hundreds
who claim to have been Cleopatra or Jim Morrison in past lives, but
those (many of which are children) who describe former homes and
families with, after further investigation, remarkable accuracy.
As much as some of the evidence apparently shows that there may indeed
be something going on after we die, sadly there has yet to be any
actual conclusive hard scientific evidence of an afterlife. Namely
because none of the anecdotal evidence can be measured in a lab or
explained. All too often the deciding factor in such phenomena is
left up to the question "if so, then how". And "how" is an even
bigger question. How is this possible?
So once again, we are left with one of the many unanswered questions
of the universe. And unfortunately, until science progresses to the
point of being able to answer the many questions surrounding this
topic, the only way we will know is by experiencing it for ourselves.
Quote of the Week:
"Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that
it takes in."
- Leonardo da Vinci
That concludes this week's edition of the BoT newsletter. We hope
that you've enjoyed it, found it a nice change in your inbox, and are
looking forward to receiving the next one. As always, we should have
lots more waiting in store for you.
Until next time, keep your eyes to the skies and the door to your mind
unlocked. You never know who might drop by for a visit.
Hello to everyone! To all of our new subscribers out there, welcome
to the book of THoTH Newsletter and to our Book of THoTH Google
group. Thanks for taking the time to subscribe and thanks for joining
our group. We're glad that you've joined our mailing list and hope
that you enjoy what we have to offer in its pages.
As of this newsletter, we have had 29 new members to join us this
week at BoT. To those who've joined, we say thanks for taking the
time to be a part of the greatest paranormal site on the web! Due to
this new addition of members, we now stand at 7,877 members strong.
A huge thanks to each and everyone of you for helping to make this
site what it has become! We couldn't do it without you.
This Week at BoT:
The time to pass the GoldStar along has once again come. Nigelelan53,
last week's holder, has decided to pass the most prestigious award
onto THoTH. THoTH has once again earned the GoldStar for "[keeping]
this informative, with diverse opinions, Website up and running."
Congratulations go out to you, THoTH! Way to go, and wear it well.
In the news of the BoT LabCoat, Momma finally got a correct answer for
her question of:
"In the 18th century..an artist painted pictures of a scientific
experiment..some people saw these pictures and actually tried the
experiment for themselves. One of them being a member of a European
aristocracy..
Who was the scientist ?
What was the name of the experiment ?
Why was this a misnomer ?
What was the outcome of the Royals attempt ?"
Map-reference was the one who got it right with the answers of
"Benjamin Franklin", the "Philadelphia Experiment", "a misnomer
because he is said to be the discoverer of electricity and he isn't",
and "the royal's attempt got em' electrocuted".
Congratulations, map-reference! As a result of winning the BoT
LabCoat, map-reference then got to post a question. That question
involved a picture of a spacecraft along with the two-part question
of:
1. Name of the spacecraft?, made in the USA, very early model.
2. What destroyed it?
Evadatam5150 correctly answered that one, with a little help from
Silversurfer, with his answer of "Ranger 7.. It was a hard lander
meant to impact the moon after sending images back to the US".
Congratulations, Evad!
Evadatam5150 hasn't posted a new question yet, as it's still being
debated as to who should wear the highly coveted BoT LabCoat. But
keep you eyes peeled on the "BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII" thread in the
Science section of our forums for when a new question is posted. If
you have what it takes to answer it, then you too may get to wear the
LabCoat.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-150.html
This Week on the Front Page:
"The Psycho behind the Pomp/os" is another front page article by
Imhotepsol this week. His last article for a short while, this one
explores how the ancients used their religions, how we use ours, and
how we must transcend our beliefs to become in control of ourselves.
For an interesting read, don't miss this one while it's on the front
page.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article1840.html
Dawn has written an article that describes many of the strange
experiences that she and her family have had in their new home. From
being locked out of the house numerous times, to objects flying across
the room, it's a mystery as to what or who is behind these actions.
To read more about these odd incidents, see "Strange Occurrences At
Our Home".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article1841.html
This Week in the Forums:
Crux has posted a topic in the Aliens/Extraterrestrial section about
an Australian close encounter research group. To read more about
them, don't miss crux's thread, "ACERN Australian Close Encounter
Research Network".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20374.html
"Historic disclosure: Brazil's secret Government UFO files" is a
thread by mensa517 in the UFO section. In it, mensa provides us with
an article describing the release of previously classified documents
relating to UFOs. To read more about this great news, be sure to head
to the our UFO section of the forums and take a look.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20263.html
New member, Nola985, has a thread in the Ghost & Spirit section asking
about something that a friend's daughter keeps experiencing.
Described as a thin white figure with glowing eyes, she's puzzled as
to what the meaning of this could be. If you want read the accounts
that Nola985 has described, or have any suggestions to offer, please
see, "Unsure of what she's seeing...".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20331.html
"American Stonehenge" is a thread by Graham that tells of a monument
in northeastern Georgia that is called the Georgia Guidestones.
Positioned to correspond to the movement of the sun and stars, this
structure also contains advice in eight different languages for a post
apocalyptic earth. To read more and to join the discussion, don't
miss Graham's thread in the Mysticism & Occult section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20340.html
To take a look at the first crop circle of the year, see mensa517's
thread in the Phenomena section. This circle is 60 feet in diameter
and was seen near Avebury in Wiltshire, UK. To read more about this
one and others, see "It must be spring! The first of this year's crop
circles".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20268.html
"Juno's occasional Zoo" is a thread where Juno54 gives us frequent
information and updates on various aspects of the animal kingdom. So
far, we've been introduced to the Bumblebee Bat at the Cuttlefish. To
read Juno's fantastic articles, and to wait for coming updates from
her, be sure to keep an eye on her thread in the Animal Kingdom &
Cryptozoology section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20251.html
Random Site Feature of the Week:
If you want some great quality items featuring the BoT logo, be sure
and visit our Donation Wear page! On this page, you'll find a wide
range of items designed by our very own artist, AnnuMela. You'll find
everything from coffee mugs to baby clothes, all at affordable
prices. Best of all, 10% of all proceeds go directly to running your
favorite site on the web, Book of THoTH.
If you'd like more about Donation Wear, see THoTH's thread in the Main
News section of our forums.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-17111.html
To jump right in and browse around at what we have to offer, see our
Donation Wear page here:
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/donationwear.html
Strange Fact of the Week:
It has been said that a woman by the name of Violet Jessup is not as
easily sinkable as the ships that she's worked on.
Violet was a White Star Lines employee, a stewardess, who worked
aboard the Olympic prior to her transfer to the Titanic. While on
board the Olympic, it was struck by a British warship, the Hawke,
which was sucked into the Olympic by it's (the Olympic's) powerful
wake.
We all know the story behind the Titanic. But few have even heard of
Violet, much less the fact that she survived that one without injury
also.
Months afterward, Violet was employed on the Brittanic as a nurse when
it struck a mine in the Aegean off the coast of Greece. The Brittanic
sank, but once again, Violet survived with only a few bumps and
bruises.
Trivia Question of the Week:
Last week's trivia question involved the evil eye. This week's
question involves protection from it. In most of Asia and in many
sections of Africa, what stone is said to be helpful in warding off
the evil eye?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
In Mediterranean lands, what people are more likely to be acused of
possessing the evil eye?
The evil eye, a method of inflicting harm by staring or simply
glancing at an intended victim, is a belief held by many cultures and
is traced back to ancient times. In the Mediterranean region, it is
blue-eyed people who are more likely to be accused of possessing it's
power. Consequently, it is brown-eyed people who are sometimes
suspected in northern Europe.
This Week in History:
April 26, 1607: Colonists land at Cape Henry, Va., They would found
Jamestown the next month.
April 26, 1994: The first multi-racial elections were held in South
Africa.
April 27, 1521: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in
a fight with natives of the Philippines.
April 27, 1865: The worst steamship disaster in the history of the
United States occurred when there was an explosion aboard the Sultana;
more than 1,400 people were killed.
April 28, 1789: Fletcher Christian led the mutiny aboard the British
ship Bounty against Captain William Bligh.
April 28, 2001: Dennis Tito became the first space tourist.
April 29, 1429: Joan of Arc entered the city of Orléans. She would
end its months-long siege and would become known as the "Maid of
Orléans."
April 29, 1978: Japan's Naomi Uemura, traveling by sled dog, became
the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
April 30, 1803: France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the
United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
April 30, 1991: Over 131,000 were killed and as many as 9 million
left homeless when a cyclone struck Bangladesh.
May 1, 1707: The Act of Union joined England and Scotland to form
Great Britain.
May 1, 1941: Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered by many the
greatest film ever made, premiered in New York.
May 2, 1955: Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
May 2, 1994: Nelson Mandela was victorious in South Africa’s first
multiracial election.
This Week's Birthdays:
Eugène Delacroix (April 26, 1798) - Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix
was a French Romantic artist who was regarded from the beginning of
his career as the leader of the French Romantic school. His use of
expressive brushstrokes and his study of the optical effects of color
profoundly shaped the work of the Impressionists. As a lithographer,
Delacroix also illustrated various works of William Shakespeare, Sir
Walter Scott, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822) - Grant was general-in-chief of the
Union Army from 1864 to 1865 during the American Civil War. Due to
his popularity in helping to win the war for the Union, he was elected
as the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877. He was
the first president since Andrew Jackson to serve for two full terms.
Marie Joseph Chenier (April 28, 1764) - Marie Joseph Chenier was a
French poet and dramatist who was a member of the Convention, the
Council of Five, and the Tribunate during the French Revolution. He
was most known for his political and historical plays and is famous
for his songs of the Revolutionary period, most notably "Chant du
départ".
William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863) - Hearst was an American
newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher. While still a
student at Harvard, he acquired his father's newspaper, "The San
Francisco Examiner", to run and became the paper's publisher. He
greatly increased circulation due to exposing municipal corruption.
After moving to New York City, he soon created a chain that numbered
nearly 30 newspapers in major American cities at it's peak. He also
was responsible for the creation of "yellow journalism" due a bitter
circulation war with the "New York World" paper.
April 30, 1770: David Thompson was born. Thompson was an English-
Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker. He is known as the
"greatest land geographer who ever lived" due to his mapping of over
3.9 million square kilometers of North America. He is also the first
white man who is known to have provided evidence of the existence of
Bigfoot. This took place on January 7, 1811 near the Canadian town of
Jasper in Alberta when he found footprints that were over fourteen
inches long and eight inches wide, with four toes, while hiking in the
snow.
Calamity Jane (May 1, 1852) - Born as Martha Jane Canary, she was an
American frontier personality born in Princeton, Missouri. Growing up
around mining camps and in rough frontier communities, she later
appeared in Deadwood, South Dakota dressed in men's clothes and
boasting of her marksmanship, exploits as a pony express rider, and
being a scout with Custer's forces. In her later years she traveled
the West in a burlesque show and appeared at the Pan-American
Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. She died in poverty in Deadwood, where
she is buried beside Wild Bill Hickock.
Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1843) - Elijah J. McCoy was an African
Canadian inventor and engineer who was known for his many U.S.
patents. He was the inventor of an automatic lubricator for oiling
steam engines, as well as a folding ironing board and a lawn
sprinkler.
Only two BoT members are celebrating birthdays this week. Those two
are Myztic and Dawn. Myztic celebrates on the 27th of April and Dawn
celebrates on the 28th. Happy Birthday to both of you! Here's to a
fabulous day in store and an even greater year to come.
Tech Tip of the Week:
This week's tech tip also involves editing the Windows registry. But
this time, it's to allow your computer to automatically refresh your
computer's screen. If you're using Windows XP, this is especially
handy if you're trying to keep up with current things like sports
scores, the stock market, and even changes to your hard drive.
Normally, changes like these aren't shown until you hit the F5 key on
your keyboard. But we'll tell you how to edit your registry to make
these changes automatic.
First of all, always backup your registry since any mistakes in
editing it can lead to serious computer problems.
Now that your registry is backed up, click on Start, then Run, and
then type Regedit in the Run box. Click OK or hit enter on your
keyboard.
Once you are in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode
Once you've found that location, edit the DWORD value to be between 1
and 5.
Exit the Registry Editor and then restart your computer so that the
changes made will go into effect.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
The unsolved question for this week deals with that big, age old
puzzle: What happens when we die? The questions surrounding this big
question are many. What happens after we take that last breath? Are
we reincarnated into another body? Do we go into another dimension?
Do we go to a Heaven or a Hell? Or does nothing at all happen?
Unfortunately there is no hard evidence that supports an existence
after death. But due to a very large number of reported ghost
sightings all through history, there is a great deal of anecdotal
evidence. These reports range from sightings of religious figures,
deceased relatives, soldiers, to even pets who have passed on.
The skeptical argument is that these are figments of a wishful
imagination or hallucinations. Some even accuse witnesses of
blatantly lying about their encounters. However, one has to take in
consideration the huge number of sighting at some of the world's well
known ghostly "hot spots". Are there really such a large percentage
of delusional people there? Many of which include not only ordinary
sightseers, but tour guides, security officers, and reputable members
of the community?
If these aren't the products of an over-active mind, that leaves the
question of what is causing this? Are they really the souls of the
deceased? Or is it merely energy left over from a living being? Is
this energy what we have come to call the "soul"? Or perhaps we are
getting a glimpse back in time. One theory is that ghosts are nothing
but a product of a dimension overlap, similar to a "double negative"
in photography where we are somehow able to view traces of something
that happened in the past. That could very well be true of the cases
where numerous witnesses have reported seeing the same exact scene on
several different occasions. But what about the ghostly beings that
have been reported to actually interact with our presence?
Aside from the visual (and sometimes audial) encounters, there are
also the many near-death experiences where people who have clinically
died have reported seeing such things as bright lights, described
being transported though tunnels, and have claimed to have seen and
spoke to deceased relatives. There are some who have even reported
seeing their own bodies on hospital operating tables and are able to
describe the actions of the doctors and nurses who were frantically
trying to bring them back to life. Are the lights and tunnels the
product of chemicals in the brain? What about speaking to relatives
and seeing the doctors and nurses? Is there still enough brain
activity left to enable them to dream or imagine?
As if enough questions haven't been posed already, what about the
reported cases of reincarnation. We're not talking about the hundreds
who claim to have been Cleopatra or Jim Morrison in past lives, but
those (many of which are children) who describe former homes and
families with, after further investigation, remarkable accuracy.
As much as some of the evidence apparently shows that there may indeed
be something going on after we die, sadly there has yet to be any
actual conclusive hard scientific evidence of an afterlife. Namely
because none of the anecdotal evidence can be measured in a lab or
explained. All too often the deciding factor in such phenomena is
left up to the question "if so, then how". And "how" is an even
bigger question. How is this possible?
So once again, we are left with one of the many unanswered questions
of the universe. And unfortunately, until science progresses to the
point of being able to answer the many questions surrounding this
topic, the only way we will know is by experiencing it for ourselves.
Quote of the Week:
"Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that
it takes in."
- Leonardo da Vinci
That concludes this week's edition of the BoT newsletter. We hope
that you've enjoyed it, found it a nice change in your inbox, and are
looking forward to receiving the next one. As always, we should have
lots more waiting in store for you.
Until next time, keep your eyes to the skies and the door to your mind
unlocked. You never know who might drop by for a visit.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages