Posts tagged with “science”
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Evidence of Giant People in Ontario History?

What, or who, were the giants, old or prehistoric skeletons found, which are at least seven feet tall? I've heard they were redheaded or blonde and described as white/ pale skinned by the native Indians who encountered them in their history.

Could they have been Vikings, certainly we know Vikings did make it to (what is now) Newfoundland in Canada. Or, could they have been Neanderthals? They were also known to be taller than average people and have red hair. Could they have been here before the native Indians and could the people we call native Indians now have caused their extinction? People have found many of the Indian mounds to have skeletons and bones from taller than average people, giants.

Could the burial mounds have been created to dispose of remains and items after a battle with these giant people? I don't see why they would need to hide the evidence, but who knows what was going on hundreds of years ago. We can only speculate. Still, what else would they have done with bodies after a battle? Dumping dirt over them would have prevented predators and scavengers (animals) from gathering and maybe attacking the people in the area. There are good reasons for burying bodies, especially if there were several of them.

Some of the skeletons have been found to be much older than the people we think of as our ancestors, or those we call native to North America. Also, early explorers to North America have reported seeing and dealing with giants. I've read about giants from around the world but I especially would like to know about those who might have been right here in Ontario. When, and how did they get here and what happened to them? How did they live, what was their culture and technology? Are we related to them, some of us? Has anyone looked into what might be left from them in our modern DNA? They have researched this for Neanderthals, has anyone found DNA for giants to research this? Or, would it be the same DNA as the Neanderthals. It would be nice to know they were here, maybe survived as ancestors for people still around.

I think there is too much interesting evidence to call this a myth. But, there are so many great theories about who these giants may have been.

Research and evidence about giants has been hampered by religion and science. Proof of giants messes with accepted theories about evolution, either side for or against the theory. But, maybe they are just a missing link, or a part of history we haven't found enough proof to validate them enough to give them acceptance and further research. One problem are the Indian mounds themselves, they are not allowed to be excavated any longer.

But, what I wanted to know - Do we have evidence of giants found here in Ontario?

A few years ago an article appeared in the Toronto Telegraph stating that in the township of Cayuga in the Grand River, on the farm of Daniel Fredenburg, five or six feet below the surface, were found two hundred skeletons nearly perfect, nine foot tall in a string of beads around the neck of each, stone pipes in the jaws of several of them, and many stone axes and skinners scattered around in the dirt. The skeletons were gigantic, some of them measuring nine feet, and few of them less than seven.

Some of the thigh bones were six inches longer that any now known. The farm had been cultivated a century and was originally covered with a growth of pine. There was evidence from the crushed bones that a battled had been fought and these were some of the slain… Were these the remains of Indians or some other race? Who filled this ghastly pit?

“On Wednesday last, Rev. Nathaniel Wardell, Messers. Orin Wardell (of Toronto), and Daniel Fredenburg, were digging on the farm of the latter gentleman, which is on the banks of the Grand River, in the township of Cayuga.

When they got to five or six feet below the surface, a strange sight met them. Piled in layers, one upon top of the other, some two hundred skeletons of human beings nearly perfect — around the neck of each one being a string of beads.

“There were also deposited in this pit a number of axes and skimmers made of stone. In the jaws of several of the skeletons were large stone pipes — one of which Mr. O. Wardell took with him to Toronto a day or two after this Golgotha was unearthed.”

These skeletons are those of men of gigantic stature, some of them measuring nine feet, very few of them being less than seven feet.

Some of the thigh bones were found to be at least a foot longer than those at present known, and one of the skulls being examined completely covered the head of an ordinary person.

These skeletons are supposed to belong to those of a race of people anterior to the Indians.

“Some three years ago, the bones of a mastodon were found embedded in the earth about six miles from this spot. The pit and its ghastly occupants are now open to the view of any who may wish to make a visit there.

“Later: Dunnville, August 22,

“There is not the slightest doubt that the remains of a lost city are on this farm. At various times within the past years, the remains of mud houses with their chimneys had been found: and there are dozens of pits of a similar kind to that just unearthed, though much smaller, in the place which has been discovered before, though the fact has not been made public hitherto.

The remains of a blacksmith’s shop, containing two tons of charcoal and various implements, were turned up a few months ago.

“The farm, which consists of 150 acres, has been cultivated for nearly a century, and was covered with a thick growth of pine, so that it must have been ages ago since the remains were deposited there.

The skulls of the skeletons are of an enormous size and all manner of shapes, about half as large again as are now to be seen.

The teeth in most of them are still in almost perfect state of preservation, though they soon fall out when exposed to the air.

“It is supposed that there is gold or silver in large quantities to be found in the premises, as mineral rods have invariably, when tested, pointed to a certain spot and a few yards from where the last batch of skeletons was found directly under the apple tree.

Some large shells, supposed to have been used for holding water, which were also found in the pit, were almost petrified. There is no doubt that were a scheme of exploration carried on thoroughly the result would be highly interesting.

A good deal of excitement exists in the neighborhood, and many visitors call at the farm daily.

“The skulls and bones of the giants are fast disappearing, being taken away by curiosity hunters. It is the intention of Mr. Fredinburg to cover the pit up very soon. The pit is ghastly in the extreme.

The farm is skirted on the north by the Grand River. The pit is close to the banks, but marks are there to show where the gold or silver treasure is supposed to be under.

From the appearance of the skulls, it would seem that their possessors died a violent death, as many of them were broken and dented.

“The axes are shaped like tomahawks, small, but keen, instruments. The beads are all of stone and of all sizes and shapes. The pipes are not unlike in shape the cutty pipe, and several of them are engraved with dogs’ heads. They have not lost their virtue for smoking.

Some people profess to believe that the locality of Fredinburg farm was formally an Indian burial place, but the enormous stature of the skeletons and the fact that pine trees of centuries growth covered the spot goes far to disprove this idea.

Source - ”Ancient American Volume 6, Issue 41, p. 9. Researched and submitted by Benoit Crevier. Originally published in The Daily Telegraph (Toronto, Ontario), Wednesday, August 23, 1871, page 1.

Source - Greater Ancestors World Museum - 200 seven to nine foot tall Skeletons Cayuga Canada

I found this right away when I looked for giant skeletons in Ontario. Then the search drifted into Halloween costumes, etc. So I will see if I can find more and post about it later.

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Theories To Explain Deja Vu

I think people would like to believe deja vu is related to reincarnation as a way to prove reincarnation is real. Very young children (my little sister included) seem to be another person, speaking differently, for a few minutes. Maybe something left from a person they were before. So, I won't rule out reincarnation. But, its not what I believe completely as far as deja vu.

The dual processing theory is along the lines of what I think deja vu is. But, some of these theories have new twists on the experience of deja vu and I wonder especially about the theories of senses and memory and familiarity based recognition.

The brain is complicated and has large areas we don't understand or don't use even. So, there could be another theory which no one has come up with yet.

... the unsettling feeling we get when we feel we have been in the exact same situation before. For a few seconds, we are convinced that we have lived the moment previously.

  1. A ‘Mix-Up’ Of Senses And Memory

A famous psychological experiment, the Grant et al study, shows that our memory is context dependent, meaning that we can recall information better when placed in the same environment in which we studied it. This helps to explain déjà vu by showing how stimuli in the environment can easily provoke a memory. A certain sight or smell might trigger our subconscious mind to recall a time when we saw or heard the same thing.

  1. Dual Processing

This theory suggests that when we perceive something, our brain is simultaneously trying to encode the new memory into our long-term memory, thereby creating the uncomfortable illusion that we have experienced it before.

  1. Parallel Universe Theory

Believers in this theory claim that the human experience of déjà vu can be explained by considering the unsettling feeling of having lived a moment before as a “crossover” with a parallel universe.

  1. Familiarity-Based Recognition

Familiarity-based recognition is what happens when we believe we are seeing something we recognize, but we have no memory of it actually happening previously (such as seeing someone familiar in a local store but not being able to recall why we recognize them).

  1. The Hologram Theory

The hologram theory is the idea that our memories are formed like three-dimensional images, which means they have a structured frame network to them. This theory, proposed by Hermon Sno, suggests that the entire formation of a memory can be reconstructed by one element. Therefore, if one stimulus in your environment (a sound, smell, etc.) reminds you of a previous moment you have experienced, the entire memory can be recreated by your mind like a hologram.

  1. Precognitive Dreams

A precognitive dream is where a dream we have predicts something that happens in the future—someone finds themselves in a situation they had previously dreamed about. This could explain déjà vu by suggesting that the moment we have the experience of living something before is when we have previously dreamed about the present happenings.

  1. Divided Attention

Divided attention theory suggests that déjà vu occurs due to a subliminal recognition of the object in our experience of déjà vu. This means that our subconscious mind (the thoughts that we are unaware of) recalls the stimulus, but our conscious mind doesn’t.

  1. Amygdala

The amygdala is a small region of our brain. With one located in each cerebral hemisphere, the amygdala is involved in our experience of emotion (most commonly anger or fear). When we’re put in a dangerous situation, our amygdala may act to temporarily disorient our brain. If you were standing underneath a falling tree, your amygdala may have a panic response that causes your brain to malfunction.

  1. Reincarnation

Believers in reincarnation say that we come into our new life with a set of signals that reflect states of consciousness. This means that memories created on one level of consciousness cannot be retrieved in another.

  1. A ‘Glitch’ In Reality

Glitch theory describes déjà vu as a momentary breakdown in our reality. Einstein famously suggested that there is no such thing as time—that time is a human creation made to establish order and structure.

ListVerse - 10 Fascinating Theories To Explain Déjà Vu

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Science and Technical Writing

Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.

Science & Tech Writing

By Melissa A. Nelson

Introduction

The practice of Scientific and Technical communications has been around for years; however the fields are both considered new fields. While there have been writers writing about the latest scientific discoveries since Aristotle, and technology since before the printing press was invented, the fields were not given these names until just the last few decades. Due to the fact that the fields often intertwine, knowledge of what is expected to practice in both can be invaluable to anyone wishing to practice in either field. The goal of a scientific or technical writer is to create communications that enable the reader to take some form of action, or to make important critical decisions based on the information the communication is relaying to them. Another goal, simply put, is to take something difficult to understand and make it easy to understand. Scientific and technical writers do not just communicate the information others give them; often times they help to create the information that they communicate. A person who practices in either of these fields has a diverse arena in which they can practice their craft. It is important to remember that it is a craft, while you are not writing fiction-you are writing, and you have the opportunity for your style and talent to shine through whatever document you are producing. Whether you are producing pamphlets for a pharmaceutical company or documentation for software-while it has to follow certain standards-there is nothing saying it has to be boring. A writer writes and both the scientific and technical fields are a great place to do it. The goal of this course is to help a prospective student decide if either scientific or technical writing is a career that they would like to pursue. This will be accomplished through the use of the text "The Practice of Technical and Scientific Communication: Writing in Professional Context", which is edited by Jean A. Lutz and C. Gilbert Storms. The course will show the many arenas open to a scientific or technical writer by showing the various fields; what the role of a scientific or technical writer is in each of these fields; how one prepares to enter each of these fields; what additional education is necessary, and the prospects for a future in each of them. There will also be profiles of communicators in each of these fields to give a student a "hands-on" idea of what is really involved. Through lessons and reading the student should leave the course with a strong feel for what is involved, and whether or not it is something they would really like to pursue. It is my hope that this course provides enough information to help them make an informed decision.   …more

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The Aliens Of Knowledge

This is going to sound pretty flaky but, sometimes I image aliens (those little green men type guys) are watching me, recording all the knowledge I gain and will some day turn me off. Well, I'm not sure about the turning off part. I'd prefer to think they'll just finish this learning project and move along to something else.

I told you it was flaky. Flakier than a single pie crust made with a whole pound of lard. Why do you think I've never told anyone else about this?

Today I was looking up a word in the dictionary, it wasn't even in the dictionary (that's how smart I'm getting). As I looked I thought about how pleased the aliens would be to learn a new word today. Somedays I wonder if they get bored. I mean, I don't learn something new and exciting every day.

Maybe, the little things I take for granted are monumental to them. Who knows? Certainly not me. I guess the aliens would know. I have no way to ask them. All our communication is one sided. Of course, they don't know I've caught onto their plot. They think I'm just some sort of education cow, or whatever farm animal seems suitable. I don't really like to think of myself as any type of bovine. What women does?

I think their ultimate goal is to have all human knowledge. Even stuff like changing light bulbs and shoveling snow. I don't know what they want to do with all of it. I've never really thought about that side effect. But, for now they just keep watch, picking things out of my grey matter. Luckily I'm not a shut in or someone who doesn't like to read. I also like to explore and experiment, take the odd risk and do things without really thinking them through. I bet they even like that I skim instead of reading every last word.

Does anyone else think they have little aliens in their head, writing down facts and learning English as a second language? Perhaps it's just me. Few people get these flaky sort of thoughts. I think the aliens put them in my head.

I think I'll use this for my BackWash column.

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Time in a Bottle

A time machine would be like keeping time in a bottle. There is an old song about that. Would you keep time in a bottle? Then uncork it when you have some free time to explore. The past would be interesting. You could see castles when they were new or just being built. Famous people long just dust in the wind would be alive and busy doing what ever made them famous.

You might go back in time to the days of dinosaurs. Just be careful not to get stepped on. How fun it would be to see a real dinosaur. Some would be dinosaur families, Moms and babies, or just new born hatchlings. Would you keep a baby tyrannosaurus rex in your pocket? I'd go to Loch Ness and see what's there before all the rumours about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

What else would you do in the past? Cavemen would be scouting for food, painting on cave walls or maybe learning how to make fire. Knights would be jousting, designing castles and rescuing fair maidens from dragons. The druids would be busy with deep thinking, honouring nature and avoiding the Romans. Alchemists and herbalists would be discovering things we are only just beginning to rediscover now. Kings would be counting their treasure, making laws and fighting wars. Pirates would be sailing the seven seas, taking over other ships and burying their treasure.

Women would be busy too. We've always been there. Some of us were famous but most of us were looking after families, sewing, cooking and keeping things going. There weren't many women pirates or knights but some were.

Once you've explored the past look ahead to the future. If you just go a week ahead you can see your family and friends, see what they are all up to. But, the real adventure would be going far ahead to see what the world is up to. What clothes are people wearing? What cars are they driving? Do kids still go to school? There are so many things coming in the future, so many different ways things can grow and develop. Do kids still play the same games? Are families still going to the zoo, parks and circus together? Are there still roller coasters? Are there still family pets? Do kids still have to go to bed early?

So much to see and find out about in the future, it would take several trips just to see one time period. Keeping time in a bottle would be a real adventure. Where would you go first?