The Book of THoTH Newsletter Issue 139
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ReverendChaos
Mar 16, 2009, 5:52:32 AM3/16/09
to The Book Of THoTH
Newsletter for the week of March 9th to March 15th
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 19 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 7,738 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 GoldStar has been passed on yet again. Last week's holder,
Zingdad, has passed along the most prestigious award to a very
deserving member. Lonecat was the recipient this week, and was chosen
for his "unswerving commitment to sharing information with us that is
(quite co-incidentally) ABOUT the stars". Congratulations, Lonecat!
For your efforts at keeping us updated and informed, the honor is well
deserved.
A new question has been posted in the BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII
thread. Last week's winner, NightLighter, has posted the question of,
"What is s-quad & who developed it?". After a while, TrentCoole came
in with the correct answer of "a form of mind control called Silent
Sound Spread Spectrum (4 S's). Dr Oliver Lowery of Norcross, Georgia
developed it." Congratulations, Trent!
He hasn't posted a new question yet, so if you want to take a shot at
winning the BoT LabCoat, keep a watch on the LabCoat Quiz thread in
the Science section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-80.html
This Week in the Forums:
In the Nature & Environment section, a thread about Morgellon's
disease has been updated. To read what the new information is on this
strange affliction, see "Morgellon's the ultimate parasite...".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-11339-60.html
A UFO spotted by at least one civilian and three police officers in
Hunt County Texas is the subject of Phoenix's thread in the UFO
section. To read more about this one similar sightings that night,
see "UFO visits Hunt County - mysterious object seen by deputies".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19836.html
For those who are looking for environmentally safe ways of packing a
lunch, Juno54 has a thread asking about that very subject. What's
best and what do you use? To give your suggestions, join in on
"Green" lunch wrapping?".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19852.html
Where did the words we use come from? Which ones in use today will be
here in a thousand years? For an interesting article on the subject,
don't miss mad30's thread, "Scientists Stydying Oldest Words" in the
History of the World section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19798.html
Lonecat has a topic in the Astronomy section about a satellite that
will help us learn more about the pull of earth's gravity and the
movement of the oceans. To find out more about it's coming launch,
see "'Supermodel' satellite set to fly".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19868.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:
"The Burning of the Devil" festivities is a blend of ancient
superstitions and religious traditions that takes place every year in
Guatemala. In an attempt to send the Devil back to hell, people clean
house and burn piles of garbage before Christmas every year.
Activities include dancing in the streets, colorful festivities and
costumes, and burning an effigy of the Devil at the stake, which they
hope will rid themselves and their homes of bad luck and bring
prosperity during the New Year.
Trivia Question of the Week:
What is unique about the area on the outskirts of Gold Hill, Oregon?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
For what purpose do residents of Haiti use the poison gland of a
Puffer Fish?
Some residents of Haiti, especially the practitioners of Voodoo, have
been known to grind the gland of the puffer fish into a powder that is
used for making literal Zombies. The powder brings about a state of
paralysis that slows a person's metabolic rate down to a point
resembling death. Usually done as a punishment for severe crimes, the
poisoned criminal is buried alive, dug up, and then given a different
potion that brings about a permanent state of disorientation and
delirium. They are then made to perform menial labor, usually for
those affected by their crimes.
This Week in History:
March 15, 44 B.C.: On the “Ides of March,” Julius Caesar was stabbed
to death in the senate house by a group of conspirators led by Cimber,
Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus.
March 15, 1493: Christopher Columbus returned to Spain after his
first visit to the Western Hemisphere.
March 16, 1521: Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines.
March 16, 1926: The first liquid-fuel rocket was successfully
launched by Prof. Robert Goddard at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket
traveled 184 feet in 2.5 seconds.
March 17, 1776: British forces evacuated Boston during the
Revolutionary War.
March 17, 1963: Mount Agung on Bali erupted, killing 1,184 people.
March 18, 1925: The most violent single tornado in U.S. history, the
“Tri-State Tornado,” hit Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois, killing 689
people and injuring 13,000 others.
March 18, 2004: A small asteroid made the closest approach to Earth
ever recorded, only about 26,500 miles away.
March 19, 1853: During the Taiping Rebellion in China, the rebels
captured Nanking and renamed it T'en-ching (Heavenly Capital).
March 19, 1996: Sarajevo became a united city again after four years
when Moslem-Croat authorities took control of the last district held
by Serbs.
March 20, 1602: The Dutch East India Company was established. During
its 196-year history, it became one of the world's most powerful
companies.
March 20, 1999: Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first to
fly a hot-air balloon nonstop around the world.
March 21, 1556: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was
burned at the stake as a heretic.
March 21, 1965: Martin Luther King, Jr., led the start of a civil
rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
This Week's Birthdays:
Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858) - Bailey was an American
horticulturist, botanist, and co-founder of the American Society for
Horticultural Science. Educated and then taught at what is now
Michigan State University, he later became the director of the College
of Agriculture at Cornell University. Credited in the U.S. with being
instrumental in starting agricultural extension services, the 4-H
movement, the nature study movement, and rural electrification, he was
considered to be the father of rural sociology and rural journalism.
Georg Simon Ohm (March 16, 1787) - Georg Ohm was a German physicist
who started his research with the electrochemical cell (invented by
Count Alessandro Volta) while a high school teacher. Using his
experiments and equipment that he created, he was able to establish
Ohm's Law.
James Bridger (March 17, 1804) - Bridger was an American mountain man,
trapper, and explorer who explored the western U.S. between 1820 and
1840. He's credited for serving as a guide and army scout, setting
trails for others to follow, and is said to be the first white man to
lay eyes on the geysers of what is now Yellowstone Park.
Rudolf Diesel (March 18, 1858) - Born in Paris to German parents,
Rudolf Diesel was an inventor who was famous for the invention of the
Diesel engine. He received a patent on it in 1892, but continued to
work on it's development for years afterward.
David Livingstone (March 19, 1813) - Livingstone was a Scottish
Presbyterian medical missionary and explorer of central Africa.
Livingstone was the first European to see Victoria Falls, which he
named. He is also remembered for his meeting with Henry Morton
Stanley who was sent to look for him. This gave rise to the popular
phrase that Stanley uttered upon finding him, "Dr. Livingstone, I
presume?"
B. F. Skinner (March 20, 1904) - Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an
American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform,
and poet. The inventor of the operant conditioning chamber, the
cumulative recorder, and the founder of his own school of experimental
research psychology, Skinner was listed recently as the most
influential psychologist of the 20th century.
Johann S. Bach (March 21, 1685) - Bach was a German composer and
organist whose works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments
highlighted the Baroque period. Even though he didn't introduce any
new forms, he enriched the German style with a robust technique made
up of harmonic and motivic organization and adapted rhythms and
textures from abroad, namely Italy and France. He is regarded as one
of the greatest composers of all time.
Two BoT members are having birthdays this week. Both Smokiezak and D.
celebrate on the 18th of March. Happy Birthday to both of you!
Here's to a great day and a fantastic year ahead of you.
Tech Tip of the Week:
If you have Windows Vista and are unhappy with the shutdown menu, then
this week's tip of using desktop icons to shut down your computer may
be very useful for you.
To create a desktop icon for each shutdown command, you start by right-
clicking on your desktop. Choose "New" and then "Shortcut". In the
shortcut location box, you'll need to type the correct command. Below
is a list of the various shutdown functions. The correct command for
each function is found under it.
Shutdown Computer:
Shutdown.exe -s -t 00
Restart Computer:
Shutdown.exe -r -t 00
Lock Workstatation:
Rundll32.exe User32.dll,LockWorkStation
Hibernate Computer:
rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll,SetSuspendState
Sleep Computer:
rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0
Once you've type in the correct command, click "Next" on the dialog
box. You'll then be asked to name the shortcut. For ease, choose the
default name of the right function. After you do this, click
"Finish". This new icon will now shutdown, restart, or send your
computer into hibernation with a simple double-click.
If you'd like to choose a different icon for your new shortcuts, right-
click on the icon and select Properties. Click the "Change Icon"
button, and then you can pick from the available icons in Vista. You
can also use Browse to locate one that you've downloaded or created.
Once you've selected your new icon, click OK on all boxes.
Try it out and I'm sure you'll find that these shortcut keys make
Vista's shutdown a lot more convenient than before.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
Have you ever had a dream that came true? Do you know anyone who
has? What about those in history who've recorded such experiences?
Is it impossible? Then think again. This week's unsolved question
will deal with that mysterious phenomena of precognitive dreams.
Precognitive dreams are also sometimes referred to as prophetic
dreams. These are dreams which appear to give insights into the
future. Some of these types of dreams go so far as to show vivid
details of what would be future events and some give just a small
glimpse of what may happen. There are different theories about
precognitive dreams, as well as different ways in which they manifest
themselves into the dream state. They have been reported by countless
individuals throughout history and continue to baffle the most
educated of men even to this day.
Clairvoyant dreams are often thought to be the same as precognitive
dreams. To avoid confusion, "clairvoyant" dreams are sometimes used
to refer to some telepathic type dreams. Clairvoyant means "clear
seeing", not necessarily predicting the future as some think.
Clairvoyant dreams can be of such things as seeing what someone is
doing in another place, dreaming of an event that is currently
happening, or dreaming where a lost object is.
Dreams of the future have been recorded all throughout history and in
different civilizations. Accounts of them have been found on
cuneiform tablets by Assyrians and Babylonians. They were recorded by
the Greek, Egyptians, and Romans, and even in the Bible as in the case
of the Pharaoh who's own dream was interpreted to be the prediction of
famine.
One of the most famous precognitive dreams comes from former US
President, Abraham Lincoln. Two weeks before his assassination, he
dreamt about a funeral at the White House. In the dream, he asked a
soldier who it was that had died and the soldier replied, "the
president of the United States". When he later remarked to his wife
about the dream, she told him that he would die in office.
Mark Twain also experienced what he believed to be a precognitive
dream. He had a dream at one time about seeing his brother in a
casket. Not knowing what to do, or perhaps even what it meant, he
ignored the dream. A few days later, his brother died in an explosion
on a boat. After coming to the town where the funeral was at, he was
witness to the scene that had been vividly shown to him in his dream.
There was his brother in a casket, just like how he dreamed.
Dr. Keith Hearne, a British psychologist specializing in the field of
psychophysiological states, did research into precognitive dreams
after apparently having one himself. His study found that it is
mostly females who have such dreams and that the dreams are usually
centered around people close to them. In his study of premonitions,
he found a sub-group of dreams that he called the "media announcement
type". In this type, the premonition in the dream was similar to that
of some type of announcement from a news source like a newspaper,
radio, or television. It was this type of dream, he believed, that
was the most accurate at foretelling the future.
Precognitive dreams can take on many forms. Some of them are as Dr.
Hearne described, like announcements. Some precognitive dreams seem
at first to be nothing more than just the average dream, that is until
they come true. Some are vivid and the details laid out in complex
form, while some are just short, quick visions that occur while in the
dream state. To be able to determine if your dream is a precognitive
one sometimes takes years of paying attention to varying dreams.
Often a specific pattern is noted for dreams which turn out to come
true. Once this pattern is noticed, the dreamer soon learns to pay
attention when this particular pattern occurs in a dream. When this
is achieved, 'fate' can be tempted and a possible accident or
occurrence may very well be avoided. Although the idea of changing
the possible future is in dispute with many from different ideologies,
the belief remains (for some) that it is not fate if it can be
changed.
Skeptical theorists have often discounted the future predicting aspect
of dreams. Many of them feel that they are simply nothing more than
coincidences. Considering the number of possible scenarios that could
be dreamed of, and then considering the number of scenarios that can
happen in life, the chances of someone having a detailed dream of
something that later comes true appears to be more than coincidence.
The odds of that happening seem astronomical.
Some dream researchers suggest these dreams are the results of bits
and pieces of information that our conscious minds overlook. These
are compiled in the dream state and appear to be a message from the
future, when in fact it could be what the unconscious mind knew all
along and the waking mind was just paying no attention to. Although
highly possible, many precognitive dreams dispel this theory when they
predict events that seem to be in no way a collection of information
and experiences. These include dreams involving people you don't
know, places you've never been to, or sudden unexpected accidents or
illnesses, etc...
As for causes of precognitive dreams, this is one of those things in
which science has not yet been able to decipher. Regardless of the
cause, they do occur, as with many other types of premonitions which
have been recorded by scientists in the field of parapsychology. It
is with hope that one day science will be able to shift precognitive
experiences from the realm of New Age and pseudo science to the world
of facts and reality. Until this happens, precognitive dreams will
remain in the realm of the unexplained.
Quote of the Week:
"Fear not those who argue but those who dodge."
- Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
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 19 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 7,738 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 GoldStar has been passed on yet again. Last week's holder,
Zingdad, has passed along the most prestigious award to a very
deserving member. Lonecat was the recipient this week, and was chosen
for his "unswerving commitment to sharing information with us that is
(quite co-incidentally) ABOUT the stars". Congratulations, Lonecat!
For your efforts at keeping us updated and informed, the honor is well
deserved.
A new question has been posted in the BoT LabCoat Quiz Part VIII
thread. Last week's winner, NightLighter, has posted the question of,
"What is s-quad & who developed it?". After a while, TrentCoole came
in with the correct answer of "a form of mind control called Silent
Sound Spread Spectrum (4 S's). Dr Oliver Lowery of Norcross, Georgia
developed it." Congratulations, Trent!
He hasn't posted a new question yet, so if you want to take a shot at
winning the BoT LabCoat, keep a watch on the LabCoat Quiz thread in
the Science section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-19452-80.html
This Week in the Forums:
In the Nature & Environment section, a thread about Morgellon's
disease has been updated. To read what the new information is on this
strange affliction, see "Morgellon's the ultimate parasite...".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-11339-60.html
A UFO spotted by at least one civilian and three police officers in
Hunt County Texas is the subject of Phoenix's thread in the UFO
section. To read more about this one similar sightings that night,
see "UFO visits Hunt County - mysterious object seen by deputies".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19836.html
For those who are looking for environmentally safe ways of packing a
lunch, Juno54 has a thread asking about that very subject. What's
best and what do you use? To give your suggestions, join in on
"Green" lunch wrapping?".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19852.html
Where did the words we use come from? Which ones in use today will be
here in a thousand years? For an interesting article on the subject,
don't miss mad30's thread, "Scientists Stydying Oldest Words" in the
History of the World section.
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19798.html
Lonecat has a topic in the Astronomy section about a satellite that
will help us learn more about the pull of earth's gravity and the
movement of the oceans. To find out more about it's coming launch,
see "'Supermodel' satellite set to fly".
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-19868.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:
"The Burning of the Devil" festivities is a blend of ancient
superstitions and religious traditions that takes place every year in
Guatemala. In an attempt to send the Devil back to hell, people clean
house and burn piles of garbage before Christmas every year.
Activities include dancing in the streets, colorful festivities and
costumes, and burning an effigy of the Devil at the stake, which they
hope will rid themselves and their homes of bad luck and bring
prosperity during the New Year.
Trivia Question of the Week:
What is unique about the area on the outskirts of Gold Hill, Oregon?
Answer to Last Weeks Trivia Question:
For what purpose do residents of Haiti use the poison gland of a
Puffer Fish?
Some residents of Haiti, especially the practitioners of Voodoo, have
been known to grind the gland of the puffer fish into a powder that is
used for making literal Zombies. The powder brings about a state of
paralysis that slows a person's metabolic rate down to a point
resembling death. Usually done as a punishment for severe crimes, the
poisoned criminal is buried alive, dug up, and then given a different
potion that brings about a permanent state of disorientation and
delirium. They are then made to perform menial labor, usually for
those affected by their crimes.
This Week in History:
March 15, 44 B.C.: On the “Ides of March,” Julius Caesar was stabbed
to death in the senate house by a group of conspirators led by Cimber,
Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus.
March 15, 1493: Christopher Columbus returned to Spain after his
first visit to the Western Hemisphere.
March 16, 1521: Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines.
March 16, 1926: The first liquid-fuel rocket was successfully
launched by Prof. Robert Goddard at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket
traveled 184 feet in 2.5 seconds.
March 17, 1776: British forces evacuated Boston during the
Revolutionary War.
March 17, 1963: Mount Agung on Bali erupted, killing 1,184 people.
March 18, 1925: The most violent single tornado in U.S. history, the
“Tri-State Tornado,” hit Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois, killing 689
people and injuring 13,000 others.
March 18, 2004: A small asteroid made the closest approach to Earth
ever recorded, only about 26,500 miles away.
March 19, 1853: During the Taiping Rebellion in China, the rebels
captured Nanking and renamed it T'en-ching (Heavenly Capital).
March 19, 1996: Sarajevo became a united city again after four years
when Moslem-Croat authorities took control of the last district held
by Serbs.
March 20, 1602: The Dutch East India Company was established. During
its 196-year history, it became one of the world's most powerful
companies.
March 20, 1999: Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first to
fly a hot-air balloon nonstop around the world.
March 21, 1556: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was
burned at the stake as a heretic.
March 21, 1965: Martin Luther King, Jr., led the start of a civil
rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
This Week's Birthdays:
Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858) - Bailey was an American
horticulturist, botanist, and co-founder of the American Society for
Horticultural Science. Educated and then taught at what is now
Michigan State University, he later became the director of the College
of Agriculture at Cornell University. Credited in the U.S. with being
instrumental in starting agricultural extension services, the 4-H
movement, the nature study movement, and rural electrification, he was
considered to be the father of rural sociology and rural journalism.
Georg Simon Ohm (March 16, 1787) - Georg Ohm was a German physicist
who started his research with the electrochemical cell (invented by
Count Alessandro Volta) while a high school teacher. Using his
experiments and equipment that he created, he was able to establish
Ohm's Law.
James Bridger (March 17, 1804) - Bridger was an American mountain man,
trapper, and explorer who explored the western U.S. between 1820 and
1840. He's credited for serving as a guide and army scout, setting
trails for others to follow, and is said to be the first white man to
lay eyes on the geysers of what is now Yellowstone Park.
Rudolf Diesel (March 18, 1858) - Born in Paris to German parents,
Rudolf Diesel was an inventor who was famous for the invention of the
Diesel engine. He received a patent on it in 1892, but continued to
work on it's development for years afterward.
David Livingstone (March 19, 1813) - Livingstone was a Scottish
Presbyterian medical missionary and explorer of central Africa.
Livingstone was the first European to see Victoria Falls, which he
named. He is also remembered for his meeting with Henry Morton
Stanley who was sent to look for him. This gave rise to the popular
phrase that Stanley uttered upon finding him, "Dr. Livingstone, I
presume?"
B. F. Skinner (March 20, 1904) - Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an
American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform,
and poet. The inventor of the operant conditioning chamber, the
cumulative recorder, and the founder of his own school of experimental
research psychology, Skinner was listed recently as the most
influential psychologist of the 20th century.
Johann S. Bach (March 21, 1685) - Bach was a German composer and
organist whose works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments
highlighted the Baroque period. Even though he didn't introduce any
new forms, he enriched the German style with a robust technique made
up of harmonic and motivic organization and adapted rhythms and
textures from abroad, namely Italy and France. He is regarded as one
of the greatest composers of all time.
Two BoT members are having birthdays this week. Both Smokiezak and D.
celebrate on the 18th of March. Happy Birthday to both of you!
Here's to a great day and a fantastic year ahead of you.
Tech Tip of the Week:
If you have Windows Vista and are unhappy with the shutdown menu, then
this week's tip of using desktop icons to shut down your computer may
be very useful for you.
To create a desktop icon for each shutdown command, you start by right-
clicking on your desktop. Choose "New" and then "Shortcut". In the
shortcut location box, you'll need to type the correct command. Below
is a list of the various shutdown functions. The correct command for
each function is found under it.
Shutdown Computer:
Shutdown.exe -s -t 00
Restart Computer:
Shutdown.exe -r -t 00
Lock Workstatation:
Rundll32.exe User32.dll,LockWorkStation
Hibernate Computer:
rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll,SetSuspendState
Sleep Computer:
rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0
Once you've type in the correct command, click "Next" on the dialog
box. You'll then be asked to name the shortcut. For ease, choose the
default name of the right function. After you do this, click
"Finish". This new icon will now shutdown, restart, or send your
computer into hibernation with a simple double-click.
If you'd like to choose a different icon for your new shortcuts, right-
click on the icon and select Properties. Click the "Change Icon"
button, and then you can pick from the available icons in Vista. You
can also use Browse to locate one that you've downloaded or created.
Once you've selected your new icon, click OK on all boxes.
Try it out and I'm sure you'll find that these shortcut keys make
Vista's shutdown a lot more convenient than before.
Unsolved Question of the Week:
Have you ever had a dream that came true? Do you know anyone who
has? What about those in history who've recorded such experiences?
Is it impossible? Then think again. This week's unsolved question
will deal with that mysterious phenomena of precognitive dreams.
Precognitive dreams are also sometimes referred to as prophetic
dreams. These are dreams which appear to give insights into the
future. Some of these types of dreams go so far as to show vivid
details of what would be future events and some give just a small
glimpse of what may happen. There are different theories about
precognitive dreams, as well as different ways in which they manifest
themselves into the dream state. They have been reported by countless
individuals throughout history and continue to baffle the most
educated of men even to this day.
Clairvoyant dreams are often thought to be the same as precognitive
dreams. To avoid confusion, "clairvoyant" dreams are sometimes used
to refer to some telepathic type dreams. Clairvoyant means "clear
seeing", not necessarily predicting the future as some think.
Clairvoyant dreams can be of such things as seeing what someone is
doing in another place, dreaming of an event that is currently
happening, or dreaming where a lost object is.
Dreams of the future have been recorded all throughout history and in
different civilizations. Accounts of them have been found on
cuneiform tablets by Assyrians and Babylonians. They were recorded by
the Greek, Egyptians, and Romans, and even in the Bible as in the case
of the Pharaoh who's own dream was interpreted to be the prediction of
famine.
One of the most famous precognitive dreams comes from former US
President, Abraham Lincoln. Two weeks before his assassination, he
dreamt about a funeral at the White House. In the dream, he asked a
soldier who it was that had died and the soldier replied, "the
president of the United States". When he later remarked to his wife
about the dream, she told him that he would die in office.
Mark Twain also experienced what he believed to be a precognitive
dream. He had a dream at one time about seeing his brother in a
casket. Not knowing what to do, or perhaps even what it meant, he
ignored the dream. A few days later, his brother died in an explosion
on a boat. After coming to the town where the funeral was at, he was
witness to the scene that had been vividly shown to him in his dream.
There was his brother in a casket, just like how he dreamed.
Dr. Keith Hearne, a British psychologist specializing in the field of
psychophysiological states, did research into precognitive dreams
after apparently having one himself. His study found that it is
mostly females who have such dreams and that the dreams are usually
centered around people close to them. In his study of premonitions,
he found a sub-group of dreams that he called the "media announcement
type". In this type, the premonition in the dream was similar to that
of some type of announcement from a news source like a newspaper,
radio, or television. It was this type of dream, he believed, that
was the most accurate at foretelling the future.
Precognitive dreams can take on many forms. Some of them are as Dr.
Hearne described, like announcements. Some precognitive dreams seem
at first to be nothing more than just the average dream, that is until
they come true. Some are vivid and the details laid out in complex
form, while some are just short, quick visions that occur while in the
dream state. To be able to determine if your dream is a precognitive
one sometimes takes years of paying attention to varying dreams.
Often a specific pattern is noted for dreams which turn out to come
true. Once this pattern is noticed, the dreamer soon learns to pay
attention when this particular pattern occurs in a dream. When this
is achieved, 'fate' can be tempted and a possible accident or
occurrence may very well be avoided. Although the idea of changing
the possible future is in dispute with many from different ideologies,
the belief remains (for some) that it is not fate if it can be
changed.
Skeptical theorists have often discounted the future predicting aspect
of dreams. Many of them feel that they are simply nothing more than
coincidences. Considering the number of possible scenarios that could
be dreamed of, and then considering the number of scenarios that can
happen in life, the chances of someone having a detailed dream of
something that later comes true appears to be more than coincidence.
The odds of that happening seem astronomical.
Some dream researchers suggest these dreams are the results of bits
and pieces of information that our conscious minds overlook. These
are compiled in the dream state and appear to be a message from the
future, when in fact it could be what the unconscious mind knew all
along and the waking mind was just paying no attention to. Although
highly possible, many precognitive dreams dispel this theory when they
predict events that seem to be in no way a collection of information
and experiences. These include dreams involving people you don't
know, places you've never been to, or sudden unexpected accidents or
illnesses, etc...
As for causes of precognitive dreams, this is one of those things in
which science has not yet been able to decipher. Regardless of the
cause, they do occur, as with many other types of premonitions which
have been recorded by scientists in the field of parapsychology. It
is with hope that one day science will be able to shift precognitive
experiences from the realm of New Age and pseudo science to the world
of facts and reality. Until this happens, precognitive dreams will
remain in the realm of the unexplained.
Quote of the Week:
"Fear not those who argue but those who dodge."
- Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
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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