The Book of THoTH Newsletter Issue 148
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ReverendChaos
Jun 15, 2009, 9:59:16 PM6/15/09
to The Book Of THoTH
Newsletter for the week of June 8th to June 14th
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 79 new members to join us at BoT
since our last newsletter. 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 7,922
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:
Apologies for the missing newsletters the past few weeks. I've had
computer trouble that prevented me from writing them and getting them
out. Hopefully the repairs have fixed my problem and you won't see
anymore disruptions in the newsletters. At least for a while.
There's been a few new holders of the GoldStar since MrsBubbaEarl had
it in the last part of May. She passed the shining award onto
Minifang for his helpful tech advice to members in need and for his
consistent posting of comments and great information. Minifang then
passed the GoldStar onto Graham for being a "deserved member who
always has useful posts". After his week was up with the GoldStar,
Graham decided to pass it along to crux for his humor and bringing
some extra smiles and laughs to BoT. Crux decided to pass his
GoldStar on early, and the person he chose to give it to was
Silversurfer. Silversurfer's won it more than once recently, but the
work that he does around BoT is more than deserving of another
GoldStar. Congratulations to all of the GoldStar winners!
That brings us up to the current week in the GoldStar news. Silver
has once again passed his GoldStar to a deserving member and that
member is Thelmadonna. Silver picked Thelmadonna for all the behind-
the-scenes work that she does around BoT. It's also his way of saying
"thank you" for the hard work that she's put into helping make BoT so
enjoyable for members. Congratulations, Thelmadonna! Wear it well,
as it's very well deserved.
There's been a few different people to wear the Book of THoTH LabCoat
too since our last newsletter. If you'll remember, Evadatam5150 had
it last and posed the question of "Why to beans make you fart?".
Nightlighter correctly answered his question and in turn won the BoT
LabCoat.
NIghtlighter than asked, "Michael Faraday, in his electro-chemical
experiments, brought about 5 words still used today- name them."
Cato9tails was correct with his answers of "electrode, electrolyte,
anode, cathode and ion", thus winning the LabCoat and the privilege of
posting the next question which was, "Can pigs get brain freeze?"
TrentCoole was the closest with the correct answer, earning the
LabCoat. He then posted the question of, "How do hair & fur compare &
contrast?".
Trent's question still stands. If you think you know the answer, the
head on over the the "BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII" thread and give it a
shot. If you're correct, you may just get to wear the coveted BoT
LabCoat.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-210.html
This Week on the Front Page:
There's been quite a few new front page articles posted since our last
newsletter. In fact, we have two pages full. Entity has written the
first part of a set of articles about his close encounters, "UFOs /
ET / MIBs - My Close Encounters - Part 1". Gerald O Donnel has
submitted an article which is a "guide to Ascent and Survival for
these End Times of the Old Matrix Preparing for the New Beginning",
entitled "Once Upon a Creation". THoTH has an interview with author
JC De La Torre which concerns his new book, "Rise of the Ancients -
Annuna". Anuatlantian has submitted an article titled "Anunnaki -
Angels and Demons, mistaken paths". Namana has written up an article
about her experiences called "The Perfect Moment". In addition to all
of those THoTH has been busy submitting a series of articles from "The
Blog of THoTH".
These are all fantastic pieces of work and great reading, so please
don't miss them. For those who have missed out on them, you can do
some catching up on the following two pages:
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-topic0-page1.html
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-topic0-page2.html
Happy reading! And as always, if you have any questions or comments
on the articles, be sure to leave their authors some feedback using
the "comment" link under each article. Your feedback is always
appreciated.
This Week in the Forums:
"AUTEC the underwater area 51" is a thread by Kira that tells of an
episode of UFO Hunters that featured an underwater base. To see the
video of it and to post your questions or comments on this mysterious
place, be sure to see Kira's thread in the UFO section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20577.html
Also in the UFO section is a thread about the Tunguska event.
According to Russian scientists, it was the result of a UFO crashing
into a meteorite to save Earth. What is his proof? Quartz slabs
found at the site with strange markings. To read more on this theory,
don't miss minifang's thread "UFO Crashed Into Meteorite to Save
Earth".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20862.html
"Science accepts the continuation of life after this lot" is a thread
of Lonecat's that provides us with an interview with Michael Roll. In
this interview, Mr. Roll explains some of the "cold, hard scientific
evidence" of our conscious' survival after death. To see this
interesting interview and to join in on the discussion, be sure to
catch Lonecat's thread in the Ghosts & Spirits section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20565.html
WhiteTiger's posted an interesting topic in the Phenomena section that
tells about tadpoles raining down over a Japanese town. Are water
spouts the cause? To find out and to lend your comments, see "Rain of
tadpoles in Japanese town".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20895.html
Did you see the recent episode of Monster Quest featuring "Flying
Monsters"? Our resident cryptozoologist, JDW, has a few comments on
it that you may like to read. To find out more about the episode and
to read some of JDW's views and accounts of the flying Ropen of Paupa
New Guinea, don't miss "MonsterQuest: "Flying Monsters" or ropen?" in
the Animal Kingdom & Cryptozoology section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20842.html
Random Site Feature of the Week:
For those wanting to do some catching up with some of our past front
page articles, we have a page that you may very well get lost in. Our
Article Synopsis page has topics that cover every area that BoT
explores. From there you can access articles of all kinds. From
pieces on the souls of aliens to the latest discoveries in science,
you'll find seemingly endless amounts of reading...
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-synopsis.html
Strange Fact of the Week:
For more than two decades, Japan's premiers have decided not to live
at the 70-year-old residence of the prime minister. The reason, as
many in Japan believe, is because it's haunted.
The building was the scene of a violent and bloody coup in 1832.
Since then, it's said that "shadowy figures" have endlessly walked the
grounds. Former premier Yoshiro Mori even mentioned hearing "funny
crawling sounds at night" and has been witness to door handles moving
by themselves.
Trivia Question of the Week:
What leader in the 20th century wanted to create a race of "super
soldiers" which were a mix of ape and human?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
In a field near Forchu, Cape Breton in May of 1888, a field worker was
knocked off his feet by an "electric meteor" as it exploded. Today,
what are these "electric meteor"s called?
Unknown back then, today these "electric meteors" are known as ball
lightening.
This Week in History:
June 14, 1775: The United States Army was founded.
June 14, 1951: The first commercial computer, Univac I, was unveiled.
June 15, 1215: King John sealed the Magna Carta.
June 15, 1775: George Washington was appointed head of the
Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress of the U.S.
June 16, 1963: Valentina Tereshkova of the USSR became the first
woman in space.
June 16, 1996: Russia voted in its first independent presidential
election. Boris Yeltsin eventually won in a runoff.
June 17, 1885: The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard
the French ship Isere.
June 17, 2002: Australian scientists announced that they had
"teleported" a laser beam—breaking it up and reconstructing it in
another location.
June 18, 1812: The War of 1812 began.
June 18, 1948: The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted
its International Declaration of Human Rights. The General Assembly
would give it final approval on Dec. 10, 1948.
June 19, 1862: Congress abolished slavery in the U.S. territories.
June 19, 1977: Pope Paul VI proclaimed John Neumann, the first male
saint from the United States.
June 20, 1756: British soldiers were thrown into the cell known as
the "Black Hole of Calcutta."
June 20, 1819: The 320-ton Savannah became the first steamship to
cross the Atlantic.
This Week's Birthdays:
Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811) - Harriet Beecher Stowe was an
American abolitionist and author who was most known for her novel
"Uncle Tom's Cabin". The novel depicted life for black Americans
under slavery and reached millions as both a novel and a play,
becoming influential in the U.S. and Britain. Some of her other works
include a followup to "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "A Key to Uncle Tom's
Cabin"; "The Minister's Wooing", "Old Town Folks", and "The
Mayflower" (also known as "Sketches of Scenes and Characters Among the
Descendant of the Pilgrims".
Edward of Woodstock (June 15, 1330) - Popularly known as the Black
Prince, Edward of Woodstock was the eldest son of King Edward III of
England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of
England. An exceptional military leader and popular during his life,
Edward died one year before his father and so never ruled as king.
Edward Davy (June 16, 1806) - Davy was an English physician,
scientist, and inventor who played a prominent role in the development
of telegraphy. In 1837 he demonstrated a working model of the
telegraph in Exeter Hall. he was granted a patent for his telegraph
the following year. His patent was later purchased by the Electric
Telegraph Company in 1847.
Igor Stravinsky (June17, 1882) - Igor Stravinsky was a Russian
composer, considered by many in both the West and his native land to
be the most influential composer of the 20th century. Although he's
best known for his stage works, his compositions cover a diverse range
of musical forms.
Anastasia (June 18, 1901) - Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of
Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the
last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna.
Along with her family, she was murdered by forces of the Bolshevik
secret police. Before her survival was disproven in recent years,
rumors circulated since her death of her possible escape, largely
fueled by the fact that the location of her burial was unknown.
Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623) - Blaise Pascal was a French
mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher who wrote
powerfully in defense of the scientific method. As a mathematician,
he helped create two new areas of research; projective geometry and
probability theory. The later was a strong influence on the
development of modern economics and social science.
Donald Edward Keyhoe (June 20, 1897) - Keyhoe was an American Marine
Corps officer who became well-known in the 1950s for his investigation
and research into UFOs. He often argued that the U.S. government
should conduct appropriate research in UFO matters and should release
all of their UFO files. He was widely regarded in the field of
Ufology in the 1950s through the early to mid 1960s.
Tech Tip of the Week:
In the past, we've told you how to disable some of the unnecessary
programs in Windows Vista to help it run smoother and faster. This
week, we'll tell those of you who are new to Vista how to get rid of
that annoying Windows Sidebar. Along with always being there in the
way, it also uses between 12MB and 20MB of RAM. This is just what the
default Sidebar uses and doesn't include any extra Gadgets or news
feeds.
To disable the Sidebar, there are two ways. The first way is to
Locate the Windows Sidebar icon in the System Tray (at the lower right
near your clock display). Right click the icon and then select
Properties. Uncheck where it says "Start Sidebar when Windows
starts". Click OK to apply the setting and then reboot.
Another way to disable the Sidebar is to right click on an unused area
of the Sidebar and then click on Properties. Just like above, you'll
have to uncheck "Start Sidebar when Windows starts". Then click OK to
apply the settings. Again, reboot.
Following those instructions will prevent the Windows Sidebar from
running at startup. If you just want it to go away for the time being
though, right click on an unused portion of the Sidebar and click on
Exit.
Eliminating this program from running at startup will contribute to a
faster and smoother running computer.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
This week's unsolved question concerns that mysterious creature that
is said to reside in a deep, dark Scottish loch. Yes, we're talking
about the famous Loch Ness Monster, otherwise known as Nessie. Is it
a fantastical legend based on mistaken identity, or a real live sea
monster?
Talk of some sort of mysterious creature living in Loch Ness has been
around for centuries. Probably the earliest mention of a monster
there was in 565 AD and was from the "Life of St. Columba". In it,
St. Columba describes how he saved a Pict who was attacked by some
kind of monster in the River Ness. Documented encounters and
descriptions go back as far as 1871 when D'Mackenzie told of seeing
something moving slowly in the lock before it fled away at a high
speed. Since that time, others have claimed to have seen something
that had at least one hump, similar to what a capsized boat would look
like.
Probably the first report of a more modern sighting took place in 1933
when the Inverness Courier newspaper ran a story telling of a local
couple who claimed to have seen "an enormous animal rolling and
plunging on the surface". This report led to a media sensation,
resulting in London papers sending their reporters to Scotland to
cover the creature and a circus that even offered a £20,000 reward for
the monster's capture. In the next year, the excitement really took
hold when a surgeon by the name of R.K. Wilson supposedly took a
photograph that showed a large creature gliding through the water with
a long neck sticking up out of the water's surface.
Then almost 40 years ago, Nessie received the scientific name of
Nessiteras rhombopteryx.1. This was the result of a group, led by an
American lawyer by the name of Robert Rhines, that obtained some
strange underwater photographs. On one of the photographs it is said
that a rhomboid flipper can be seen. It is this alleged flipper that
led to the announcement of the scientific name in 1975.
Most sightings seem to describe some sort of plesiosaur, a prehistoric
sea animal that has officially been extinct for millions of years.
But not all of the descriptions fit this profile. In 1923, a man by
the name of Alfred Cruickshank claimed to have seen some type of
animal that was 3 to 3.5 meters long, having an arched back and four
feet resembling those of an elephant, crossing the road in front of
him as he was driving. Some other reported sigtings even told of
creatures that looked more like horses or camels.
Are there anything to all of these sightings? When looking at the
tale of St. Columba, some people question his reliability, citing his
claim that he once killed a wild boar using just the power of his
voice. As for the famous photo taken by Wilson, many believe it to be
a hoax. This is based on the confessions of Christian Spurling, and
later Marmaduke Wetherell. Before this, and still today, some argue
that the photo is indeed an animal, but it's that of an otter or some
type of diving bird.
Other theories against there being such a creature in Loch Ness state
that, if it is a plesiosaur, there would have to be a breeding colony
of them for it to have survived for so long. If there was a breeding
colony, there would be more frequent sightings than what there
currently are. Some paleontologists also argue that the long neck
that is often described by witnesses is impossible. They claim that a
plesiosaur doesn't have the strength in it's neck to enable it to hold
it above the water in such a position. However, there is one thing
wrong with both of these arguments: If the creature is not really a
plesiosaur, these 'rules' don't have to apply.
Perhaps the most damning evidence against the creature's existence
comes from an investigation of Loch Ness by a BBC team in 2003. Using
600 separate sonar beams to completely scour the lake, they found no
trace whatsoever of any creature remotely resembling Nessie. Their
conclusion was that she simply does not exist.
Along with claimed hoaxes, empty sonar reads, and scientific
assumptions, there is also the possibility that witnesses are simply
confused and that the many sightings are just a case of mistaken
identity. Large fish, namely sturgeons, could be responsible. So
could floating logs, schools of fish, and boat wakes.
But what if none of these theories are correct? What if it's some
type of freshwater dolphin, as some have suggested? As for the loch
itself, it's deep and dark with a very low visibility caused by the
high concentrations of peat in the surrounding soil. Although the
loch has been gone over with sonar, no one has been able to physically
search it's depths for underground caves or rivers. What if some of
these unexplored areas are harboring something totally undocumented?
We're finding new creatures all of the time in the depths of the
oceans, so it doesn't really seem that impossible for some strange new
creature to be eluding discovery in Loch Ness or one of it's
connecting lakes.
So, is there some elusive creatue hiding in those murky Scottish
waters? Until a clear and verifiable video is taken of it or
something literally washes up, Nessie may continue to exist only in
the realm of the unexplained.
Quote of the Week:
"How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct."
- Benjamin Disraeli
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 79 new members to join us at BoT
since our last newsletter. 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 7,922
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:
Apologies for the missing newsletters the past few weeks. I've had
computer trouble that prevented me from writing them and getting them
out. Hopefully the repairs have fixed my problem and you won't see
anymore disruptions in the newsletters. At least for a while.
There's been a few new holders of the GoldStar since MrsBubbaEarl had
it in the last part of May. She passed the shining award onto
Minifang for his helpful tech advice to members in need and for his
consistent posting of comments and great information. Minifang then
passed the GoldStar onto Graham for being a "deserved member who
always has useful posts". After his week was up with the GoldStar,
Graham decided to pass it along to crux for his humor and bringing
some extra smiles and laughs to BoT. Crux decided to pass his
GoldStar on early, and the person he chose to give it to was
Silversurfer. Silversurfer's won it more than once recently, but the
work that he does around BoT is more than deserving of another
GoldStar. Congratulations to all of the GoldStar winners!
That brings us up to the current week in the GoldStar news. Silver
has once again passed his GoldStar to a deserving member and that
member is Thelmadonna. Silver picked Thelmadonna for all the behind-
the-scenes work that she does around BoT. It's also his way of saying
"thank you" for the hard work that she's put into helping make BoT so
enjoyable for members. Congratulations, Thelmadonna! Wear it well,
as it's very well deserved.
There's been a few different people to wear the Book of THoTH LabCoat
too since our last newsletter. If you'll remember, Evadatam5150 had
it last and posed the question of "Why to beans make you fart?".
Nightlighter correctly answered his question and in turn won the BoT
LabCoat.
NIghtlighter than asked, "Michael Faraday, in his electro-chemical
experiments, brought about 5 words still used today- name them."
Cato9tails was correct with his answers of "electrode, electrolyte,
anode, cathode and ion", thus winning the LabCoat and the privilege of
posting the next question which was, "Can pigs get brain freeze?"
TrentCoole was the closest with the correct answer, earning the
LabCoat. He then posted the question of, "How do hair & fur compare &
contrast?".
Trent's question still stands. If you think you know the answer, the
head on over the the "BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII" thread and give it a
shot. If you're correct, you may just get to wear the coveted BoT
LabCoat.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-210.html
This Week on the Front Page:
There's been quite a few new front page articles posted since our last
newsletter. In fact, we have two pages full. Entity has written the
first part of a set of articles about his close encounters, "UFOs /
ET / MIBs - My Close Encounters - Part 1". Gerald O Donnel has
submitted an article which is a "guide to Ascent and Survival for
these End Times of the Old Matrix Preparing for the New Beginning",
entitled "Once Upon a Creation". THoTH has an interview with author
JC De La Torre which concerns his new book, "Rise of the Ancients -
Annuna". Anuatlantian has submitted an article titled "Anunnaki -
Angels and Demons, mistaken paths". Namana has written up an article
about her experiences called "The Perfect Moment". In addition to all
of those THoTH has been busy submitting a series of articles from "The
Blog of THoTH".
These are all fantastic pieces of work and great reading, so please
don't miss them. For those who have missed out on them, you can do
some catching up on the following two pages:
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-topic0-page1.html
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-topic0-page2.html
Happy reading! And as always, if you have any questions or comments
on the articles, be sure to leave their authors some feedback using
the "comment" link under each article. Your feedback is always
appreciated.
This Week in the Forums:
"AUTEC the underwater area 51" is a thread by Kira that tells of an
episode of UFO Hunters that featured an underwater base. To see the
video of it and to post your questions or comments on this mysterious
place, be sure to see Kira's thread in the UFO section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20577.html
Also in the UFO section is a thread about the Tunguska event.
According to Russian scientists, it was the result of a UFO crashing
into a meteorite to save Earth. What is his proof? Quartz slabs
found at the site with strange markings. To read more on this theory,
don't miss minifang's thread "UFO Crashed Into Meteorite to Save
Earth".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20862.html
"Science accepts the continuation of life after this lot" is a thread
of Lonecat's that provides us with an interview with Michael Roll. In
this interview, Mr. Roll explains some of the "cold, hard scientific
evidence" of our conscious' survival after death. To see this
interesting interview and to join in on the discussion, be sure to
catch Lonecat's thread in the Ghosts & Spirits section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20565.html
WhiteTiger's posted an interesting topic in the Phenomena section that
tells about tadpoles raining down over a Japanese town. Are water
spouts the cause? To find out and to lend your comments, see "Rain of
tadpoles in Japanese town".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20895.html
Did you see the recent episode of Monster Quest featuring "Flying
Monsters"? Our resident cryptozoologist, JDW, has a few comments on
it that you may like to read. To find out more about the episode and
to read some of JDW's views and accounts of the flying Ropen of Paupa
New Guinea, don't miss "MonsterQuest: "Flying Monsters" or ropen?" in
the Animal Kingdom & Cryptozoology section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-20842.html
Random Site Feature of the Week:
For those wanting to do some catching up with some of our past front
page articles, we have a page that you may very well get lost in. Our
Article Synopsis page has topics that cover every area that BoT
explores. From there you can access articles of all kinds. From
pieces on the souls of aliens to the latest discoveries in science,
you'll find seemingly endless amounts of reading...
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/article-synopsis.html
Strange Fact of the Week:
For more than two decades, Japan's premiers have decided not to live
at the 70-year-old residence of the prime minister. The reason, as
many in Japan believe, is because it's haunted.
The building was the scene of a violent and bloody coup in 1832.
Since then, it's said that "shadowy figures" have endlessly walked the
grounds. Former premier Yoshiro Mori even mentioned hearing "funny
crawling sounds at night" and has been witness to door handles moving
by themselves.
Trivia Question of the Week:
What leader in the 20th century wanted to create a race of "super
soldiers" which were a mix of ape and human?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
In a field near Forchu, Cape Breton in May of 1888, a field worker was
knocked off his feet by an "electric meteor" as it exploded. Today,
what are these "electric meteor"s called?
Unknown back then, today these "electric meteors" are known as ball
lightening.
This Week in History:
June 14, 1775: The United States Army was founded.
June 14, 1951: The first commercial computer, Univac I, was unveiled.
June 15, 1215: King John sealed the Magna Carta.
June 15, 1775: George Washington was appointed head of the
Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress of the U.S.
June 16, 1963: Valentina Tereshkova of the USSR became the first
woman in space.
June 16, 1996: Russia voted in its first independent presidential
election. Boris Yeltsin eventually won in a runoff.
June 17, 1885: The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard
the French ship Isere.
June 17, 2002: Australian scientists announced that they had
"teleported" a laser beam—breaking it up and reconstructing it in
another location.
June 18, 1812: The War of 1812 began.
June 18, 1948: The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted
its International Declaration of Human Rights. The General Assembly
would give it final approval on Dec. 10, 1948.
June 19, 1862: Congress abolished slavery in the U.S. territories.
June 19, 1977: Pope Paul VI proclaimed John Neumann, the first male
saint from the United States.
June 20, 1756: British soldiers were thrown into the cell known as
the "Black Hole of Calcutta."
June 20, 1819: The 320-ton Savannah became the first steamship to
cross the Atlantic.
This Week's Birthdays:
Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811) - Harriet Beecher Stowe was an
American abolitionist and author who was most known for her novel
"Uncle Tom's Cabin". The novel depicted life for black Americans
under slavery and reached millions as both a novel and a play,
becoming influential in the U.S. and Britain. Some of her other works
include a followup to "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "A Key to Uncle Tom's
Cabin"; "The Minister's Wooing", "Old Town Folks", and "The
Mayflower" (also known as "Sketches of Scenes and Characters Among the
Descendant of the Pilgrims".
Edward of Woodstock (June 15, 1330) - Popularly known as the Black
Prince, Edward of Woodstock was the eldest son of King Edward III of
England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of
England. An exceptional military leader and popular during his life,
Edward died one year before his father and so never ruled as king.
Edward Davy (June 16, 1806) - Davy was an English physician,
scientist, and inventor who played a prominent role in the development
of telegraphy. In 1837 he demonstrated a working model of the
telegraph in Exeter Hall. he was granted a patent for his telegraph
the following year. His patent was later purchased by the Electric
Telegraph Company in 1847.
Igor Stravinsky (June17, 1882) - Igor Stravinsky was a Russian
composer, considered by many in both the West and his native land to
be the most influential composer of the 20th century. Although he's
best known for his stage works, his compositions cover a diverse range
of musical forms.
Anastasia (June 18, 1901) - Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of
Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the
last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna.
Along with her family, she was murdered by forces of the Bolshevik
secret police. Before her survival was disproven in recent years,
rumors circulated since her death of her possible escape, largely
fueled by the fact that the location of her burial was unknown.
Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623) - Blaise Pascal was a French
mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher who wrote
powerfully in defense of the scientific method. As a mathematician,
he helped create two new areas of research; projective geometry and
probability theory. The later was a strong influence on the
development of modern economics and social science.
Donald Edward Keyhoe (June 20, 1897) - Keyhoe was an American Marine
Corps officer who became well-known in the 1950s for his investigation
and research into UFOs. He often argued that the U.S. government
should conduct appropriate research in UFO matters and should release
all of their UFO files. He was widely regarded in the field of
Ufology in the 1950s through the early to mid 1960s.
Tech Tip of the Week:
In the past, we've told you how to disable some of the unnecessary
programs in Windows Vista to help it run smoother and faster. This
week, we'll tell those of you who are new to Vista how to get rid of
that annoying Windows Sidebar. Along with always being there in the
way, it also uses between 12MB and 20MB of RAM. This is just what the
default Sidebar uses and doesn't include any extra Gadgets or news
feeds.
To disable the Sidebar, there are two ways. The first way is to
Locate the Windows Sidebar icon in the System Tray (at the lower right
near your clock display). Right click the icon and then select
Properties. Uncheck where it says "Start Sidebar when Windows
starts". Click OK to apply the setting and then reboot.
Another way to disable the Sidebar is to right click on an unused area
of the Sidebar and then click on Properties. Just like above, you'll
have to uncheck "Start Sidebar when Windows starts". Then click OK to
apply the settings. Again, reboot.
Following those instructions will prevent the Windows Sidebar from
running at startup. If you just want it to go away for the time being
though, right click on an unused portion of the Sidebar and click on
Exit.
Eliminating this program from running at startup will contribute to a
faster and smoother running computer.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
This week's unsolved question concerns that mysterious creature that
is said to reside in a deep, dark Scottish loch. Yes, we're talking
about the famous Loch Ness Monster, otherwise known as Nessie. Is it
a fantastical legend based on mistaken identity, or a real live sea
monster?
Talk of some sort of mysterious creature living in Loch Ness has been
around for centuries. Probably the earliest mention of a monster
there was in 565 AD and was from the "Life of St. Columba". In it,
St. Columba describes how he saved a Pict who was attacked by some
kind of monster in the River Ness. Documented encounters and
descriptions go back as far as 1871 when D'Mackenzie told of seeing
something moving slowly in the lock before it fled away at a high
speed. Since that time, others have claimed to have seen something
that had at least one hump, similar to what a capsized boat would look
like.
Probably the first report of a more modern sighting took place in 1933
when the Inverness Courier newspaper ran a story telling of a local
couple who claimed to have seen "an enormous animal rolling and
plunging on the surface". This report led to a media sensation,
resulting in London papers sending their reporters to Scotland to
cover the creature and a circus that even offered a £20,000 reward for
the monster's capture. In the next year, the excitement really took
hold when a surgeon by the name of R.K. Wilson supposedly took a
photograph that showed a large creature gliding through the water with
a long neck sticking up out of the water's surface.
Then almost 40 years ago, Nessie received the scientific name of
Nessiteras rhombopteryx.1. This was the result of a group, led by an
American lawyer by the name of Robert Rhines, that obtained some
strange underwater photographs. On one of the photographs it is said
that a rhomboid flipper can be seen. It is this alleged flipper that
led to the announcement of the scientific name in 1975.
Most sightings seem to describe some sort of plesiosaur, a prehistoric
sea animal that has officially been extinct for millions of years.
But not all of the descriptions fit this profile. In 1923, a man by
the name of Alfred Cruickshank claimed to have seen some type of
animal that was 3 to 3.5 meters long, having an arched back and four
feet resembling those of an elephant, crossing the road in front of
him as he was driving. Some other reported sigtings even told of
creatures that looked more like horses or camels.
Are there anything to all of these sightings? When looking at the
tale of St. Columba, some people question his reliability, citing his
claim that he once killed a wild boar using just the power of his
voice. As for the famous photo taken by Wilson, many believe it to be
a hoax. This is based on the confessions of Christian Spurling, and
later Marmaduke Wetherell. Before this, and still today, some argue
that the photo is indeed an animal, but it's that of an otter or some
type of diving bird.
Other theories against there being such a creature in Loch Ness state
that, if it is a plesiosaur, there would have to be a breeding colony
of them for it to have survived for so long. If there was a breeding
colony, there would be more frequent sightings than what there
currently are. Some paleontologists also argue that the long neck
that is often described by witnesses is impossible. They claim that a
plesiosaur doesn't have the strength in it's neck to enable it to hold
it above the water in such a position. However, there is one thing
wrong with both of these arguments: If the creature is not really a
plesiosaur, these 'rules' don't have to apply.
Perhaps the most damning evidence against the creature's existence
comes from an investigation of Loch Ness by a BBC team in 2003. Using
600 separate sonar beams to completely scour the lake, they found no
trace whatsoever of any creature remotely resembling Nessie. Their
conclusion was that she simply does not exist.
Along with claimed hoaxes, empty sonar reads, and scientific
assumptions, there is also the possibility that witnesses are simply
confused and that the many sightings are just a case of mistaken
identity. Large fish, namely sturgeons, could be responsible. So
could floating logs, schools of fish, and boat wakes.
But what if none of these theories are correct? What if it's some
type of freshwater dolphin, as some have suggested? As for the loch
itself, it's deep and dark with a very low visibility caused by the
high concentrations of peat in the surrounding soil. Although the
loch has been gone over with sonar, no one has been able to physically
search it's depths for underground caves or rivers. What if some of
these unexplored areas are harboring something totally undocumented?
We're finding new creatures all of the time in the depths of the
oceans, so it doesn't really seem that impossible for some strange new
creature to be eluding discovery in Loch Ness or one of it's
connecting lakes.
So, is there some elusive creatue hiding in those murky Scottish
waters? Until a clear and verifiable video is taken of it or
something literally washes up, Nessie may continue to exist only in
the realm of the unexplained.
Quote of the Week:
"How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct."
- Benjamin Disraeli
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.
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