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 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
| Friday, April 9 The Sims Family Murders in Tallahassee On October 22, 1966, Robert and Helen Sims and their daughter, Joy, were found dead in their Tallahassee, Florida home by the Sims's oldest daughter, Jeanie, when she returned from a babysitting job. “A massive search was launched to find whoever committed the crime,” a local news station recounts. But the Sims had no enemies, there was no discernible motive to the crime, and although there were suspects, no one was ever charged. Tell us what happened, who did it, and why. Did you do it?  Nope. I have an unbreakable alibi. Interesting comparisons: I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in a First Baptist Church. I was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. I had a male cousin about 5 years older than I am, who I was told died, when his motorcycle hit a truck on a street in Florida. The grandson of the prime suspect died that way. My first name is Judith. One of the older daughters is named Judith. There were suspects just no charges. This is an interesting case to me. The pastor was not involved in the murder but, he may have known something about it. The murder might even have had something to do with the secretary resigning her church job. The murder happened soon after she resigned. Yet no one mentioned this as a link to the crime. I know of three other types of deaths and violence connected with different congregations of the First Baptist church in other parts of the USA, over a large period of time. Was the sheriff or the father of the main witness members of the same church congregation? How many of the neighbors were members of the First Baptist Church? Perhaps, I notice news items about the First Baptist Church because I was a member for years. Running throughout some protestant churches are secret brotherhoods and sisterhoods. I’m neutral about people banding together to get good things accomplished within nations. The problem occurs when someone goes rogue and there is a big cover up to save the guilty party. Inside democratic countries nepotism is a problem concerning secret societies. We already know that a church will close ranks and try to ignore crimes perpetrated by officers of the church or members of congregations. So let’s look at the cover up. There is a County Sheriff who was a patrol office at the time, working in the investigation, who asked or did not ask the right questions to a witness. There is a legal officer that lost 2 different jobs at different times in his life, when he investigated this murder. The second time he had submitted evidence that should have been followed up on. Also, there is no clear evidence linking the families youngest daughter with rape at the time of the murder. Why is the public left guessing about the cause of the murder? Sexual molestation of a child before the murder or during the break in would account for the type of individual who might be a positive suspect. An autopsy should have cleared up this point, positive evidenced for or against. Were the prime suspects involved in taking drugs? This mentioned in the 1978 interrogation of the girl who came forward as a witness. Was she a witness with no information? If the investigator actually knew who committed the murders. What stopped him from moving on what he knew? He later became the County Sheriff. Was it a coincidence that the two oldest daughters were not home at the time of the murders? I'd like to know so much more than is actually told in this story. What have their lives been like since losing their parents? Losing a protecting parent can leave you vulnerable to all kinds of problems in your life you might not have experienced otherwise. God lays out big rules and punishment for murder in the old testament. I’m sure there are people out there who might read the facts of this murder and ask the same questions. The End |
| Thursday, April 8 Plain of Jars Location: Xiangkhoang Plateau, Laos More than 2,000 large ancient stone jars are spread across a plateau in Central Laos. Some stand 10 feet tall and weigh several tons. Archaeologists estimate the jars are 2,000 years old, but their purpose is unclear. The most common theories are that they were used as funeral urns. What do you think these urns were for? Have a great day! Kindest Regards, Lilli Today’s Laos market offers live chickens in round baskets. Other products also are offered in jars or baskets. ø =256/81. I used the symbol for engineering diameter of a circle=phi, because I can’t find the phi symbol on my journal. Anyway, phi mathematics dates back to Egypt at about 650 B.C. . Credit is given to a scribe named Ahnes. People have always been fascinated with circles. Ancient civilizations molded jars to carry food and water from clay sources. The round jar is easier to make than a rectangle or a square with corners. Maybe it lasts longer too. Many Laotians are Buddhist. They use cremation for burial. Buddha appeared on the scene sometime around 650 B.C. I think the use of stone jars as a place to honor the dead is a worthwhile thought. Cremation serves the purpose of controlling disease passed from bodies that are decomposing in a tropical climate. It appears, that the stone jars were carved from boulders laying on the side of a mountain where the quarry was. The jars were carved with metal tools by hand. An awesome kind of dedication to the work would have been needed. A good question is how were they moved to the different locations? No one has come forth with an answer yet. Except, most of them are round so may be people just gathered to roll them once they were finished. I came across a You Tube entry that says THE SECRET WAR waged from 1964 -1973 caused a lot of damage to at least Jar Site one. Also the amount of bombs dropped on this jar site still causes the site to be dangerous; although the site is regularly scoured for bombs. There are 85 different jar sites. Site one being the site of trenches used as cover for fighters made me wonder if this site was chosen in the hopes that ancestors interred would be helpful in the battles? Site one is on and near a mountain. The trenches circle the bottom of the mountain. Perhaps an ancient battle took place here at another time and the jars were used as cover for the warriors? I can see them each with whatever weapon stock was needed popping up and shooting arrows, throwing stones, or blowing darts from dart guns at the enemy all the while safe inside a granite or sandstone jar. As big as each jar is and as heavy as they are I can also imagine people using them as places to pray or prisons for the manic part of the society. Laos has a tropical climate. The coolness of rock could also indicate an ability to store grains or food sources and keep possessions safe from jungle creatures. In any event, I would have to believe the scientists who put forth a theory of cremation were possibly accurate because they examined the site in person. The lids are extremely heavy and have pictures on the top. Scientist believe they are monuments to the interred dead. WORD COUNT = 578 THE END |
| The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Disappearances In 1900, three keepers of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse off the west coast of Scotland disappeared under the strangest of circumstances. The lighthouse was manned by a three-person team (Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald MacArthur), with a fourth man rotating in from shore. On Boxing Day (December 26) of 1900, the relief keeper arrived to find none of the lighthouse keepers present. The only sign that anything was amiss was an overturned chair near the kitchen table. No bodies were ever found, which has led to endless speculation. Theories range from drownings to abduction by foreign spies, a ghost ship, or a giant sea monster. Whatever happened back in December 1900 at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse, we may never know. So, tell us what happened to the lighthouse keepers!  EILEAN MOR AND FLANNAN LIGHTHOUSE by Apondia I say, take your jacket if your going to help us secure the restocking supplies. No man. One of us needs to stay with the light. It’s my turn. I’ll just go down to see the two of you are able to stabilize the supplies, then I’ll come right back. Don’t need the jacket for a quick look see. I can get dinner if you’re out very long. A third voice broke into the conversation. Odd wind that. Water breaking against the shore is high and heavy. Let’s get this done fast so, we can get back into safety in the house just in case there is a storm brewing out to sea. When they arrived outside, one of the men shaded his eyes and stared out to sea. “I don’t like the air. It feels heavy. Another replied, Yeah, where are the birds? Come on. Just get the job done. Nothin out here to see but rocks and ocean man. Out to sea there was a lengthening wave rushing with speed across the deep sea. Rushing, rushing, faster and faster toward Eilean Mor. The cave under the Island filling, heavy with water. A roaring sound like nothing the men ever experienced, hit the shore. At this point the shore was a graduated depth from the sea bottom to the Island surface. The wave shortened suddenly as it hit the shore. The huge volume of water being pushed by the speeding wave had no where to go but up, up into the air.The men turned each one looking up as the water volume came crashing down with a force and volume not experienced on Eilean Mor often. The water pulled backwards dragging the three light house attendants with it. Their listless bodies already lifeless from the devastating impact of tons of sea water filled with unexpected sea creatures, sand, and sea bottom debris. (SPEED = FREQUENCY * WAVELENGTH) = TSUNAMI Far out on the water a vessel hovered over the sea. It was a large flat looking oval. The force of it hovering over the water was causing wave frequencies to be abnormal. Light shone out from large round openings in its’ circular side. Suddenly, as quickly as it had arrived in the vicinity of Eilean Mor, a short blast of light and the vessel winked out. It simply was not there any more. It left behind the mystery of Flannan Isles lighthouse. WORD COUNT BY THE JOURNAL 7 = 406 apondia#1781748 |
| Prompt: Tuesday, April 6 Ghost Ship: The Mary Celeste On December 4, 1872, a British-American ship called “the Mary Celeste” was found empty and adrift in the Atlantic. It was found to be seaworthy and with its cargo fully intact, except for a lifeboat, which it appeared had been boarded in an orderly fashion. But why? We may never know because no one on board was ever heard from again. In November 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail from New York bound for Genoa, Italy. She was manned by Captain Benjamin Briggs and seven crew members, including Briggs’ wife and their 2-year-old daughter. Supplies on board were ample enough for six months, and luxurious—including a sewing machine and an upright piano. Commentators generally agree that to precipitate the abandonment of a seaworthy ship, some extraordinary and alarming circumstance must have arisen. However, the last entry on the ship’s daily log reveals nothing unusual, and inside the ship, all appeared to be in order. Theories over the years have included mutiny, pirate attack, and an assault by a giant octopus or sea monster. In recent years, scientists have posed the theory that fumes from alcohol on board caused an explosion that, as a result of a scientific anomaly, did not leave behind signs of burning—but was terrifying enough that Briggs ordered everyone into the lifeboat. Give us your opinion of what happened. Maybe you were even there?! The Marie Celeste, a theory by Apondia The Marie Celeste was more than a ghost ship. It’s fate was sealed from the first time the sails filled with wind. The brigantine, Amazon, a ship with two masts, 12 oars to a side, swift and easily maneuvered, was built by Joshua Davis. It was built on Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia She was called the Amazon. It was a grand sight. Buoyant, on the water, she floated in a grand show. As the wind filled her sails every one cheered to see her at the launching, May 18, 1861. A lot of genuine love of sailing and thought was put into this lovely maiden voyage. The sweet brigantine was 99.3 feet long, 25.5 feet wide, and 11.7 feet deep from the deck down. She boasted a tonnage of 198.42 gross weight. With this makeup she could fairly fly over the seas in a steady wind. Keep these facts in mind as the story unfolds. The first captain took her out to fill her hold with a cargo early June, 1861 While overseeing the loading of the cargo the captain became seriously ill. I was startled to see the beauty sailing so quickly back into her home port since I knew she was destined for England once she was loaded. The Captain died on June 19, several days after the Amazon made port. A new Captain was quickly chosen and the ship set out for England, only to become entangled in fishing equipment as she sailed through East Port, Maine. Once freed of the entanglement, Amazon continued without problems to England. We received news at our port, that she hit and sank a brig somewhere in the English channel. I began to worry that some evil spirit was targeting this lithe water traveler. I also worried because crews of a ship that could not shake bad luck were exceptionally difficult to find. Although Amazon did have some good voyages it was soon run aground in Grace Bay, Nova Scotia. Because of being run aground in the Bay, it was designated a salvage ship. Then, it was sold to an American Owner. I hoped to find out a new port would give it a new start on the high seas. Amazon’s new port registry was New York and Boston. I had a sailor friend working ships out of the New York port. I sent him a telegraph to be on the look out for news of the Amazon. I wanted to keep up with her story. Even then, I think I had a premonition of what the ships history would turn out to be. It wasn’t long, when I heard, about the brigantine Amazon, that had been driven onto the shore by a Cape Briton Island storm. I became suspicious of the whole affair when a rumor spread through shipyards, that the newest owners abandoned the ship as a total loss and collected the insurance money. Such an awful loss for a seaworthy vessel in it’s youngest years. I think I still found hope for her when on October 15, of that year Alexander McBean took the ship as a derelict. After that recovery, she was sold twice and landed back in the hands of an American Corporation of ship owners. In what appeared to be an effort to change her history and persuade crews to board her, they changed her name. In 1869 Amazon became The Marie Celeste and was refitted. It was a massive outlay of $10,000 that was spent to increase her tonnage to 298.28, and give her a second deck. The port of registry was now permanently New York. At least it was in a place where I could get news of her as she moved about. I was pretty sure the refitting was not to her advantage. After this there was not any adverse news or rumor so I’m assuming the Mary Celeste had some proper voyages, although I would not know her cargo or destinations. The next I heard of the ship was in 1872. A well-known Captain, Benjamin Briggs, had taken her out with competent first and second mates and a crew of German sailors. Rumor says, she was found with her masts up, some sails furled properly, some sails catching the wind and the rudder held properly in place. The cargo of denatured alcohol and most possessions of the captain and others were also not touched. However, the possessions of two sailors presumed on board were missing. The life boat also was gone. Lots of theories abound. Personally, I think the deck was altered to make her a slave ship. Sometime after the Mary Celeste altered her course to pick up a load of slaves, there was a problem on board. Perhaps someone got into the alcohol, which was popular idea at the time but, being denatured it would only have caused sickness or death in the person or persons who drank it. Or, there was a load of slaves aboard headed for Europe. They got loose, revolted, and threw everyone overboard to the sharks and escaped in the life boat. Pirates were loose on the open seas; although they often took the ship and killed the crews who did not join them. Really, the second deck and refitting make me believe in the slave theory. Slave ships often were refitted with more decks to make room for more bodies. Many slaves died in route because of poor treatment and were just thrown overboard as fish food. A revolt of black warriors was not a new scene in shipyards. Now the ship was sold several more times. She traveled is seas near the West Indies. Which is another thought that leads to slave trading and cargo that did not, in the end, have much value. Her registered ports changed often and without significance. Rumor followed her. Another one of her Captains died suddenly of serious illness. Maybe it was yellow fever, since Europeans often caught this from African travels. In 1885 a group of shippers in Boston shipyard loaded her with worthless cargo. The Captain, Gilman C. Parks set out for Port Au Prince. He deliberately ran the Marie Celeste onto a coral reef as they approached the Port of Haiti, on January 3,1885. She was never recovered, although pieces of the ship were found, after most of the ship had rotted away. Insurance money was claimed but, the Captain who schemed it was jailed for fraud. I’m writing this now to inform a friend about the sad ending of a gallant ship. We were there to see her launch and cheered with the rest of the crowd. I still see, in my mind, the jaunty way she rode the sea as her sails first unfurled and took the wind. WORD COUNT BY THE JOURNAL 7 = 1926 REFERENCE: WIKIPEDIA - THE MARIE CELESTE apondia#1781748 |
| Instantaneous pressure changes can cause severe damage to trees, buildings and human beings.Prompt for Monday, April 5 The Crooked Forest Location: West Pomerania, Poland This Polish forest lives up to its name, with hundreds of peculiar pine trees. Several hundred pine trees were planted there in the 1930s and grew with an almost 90-degree bend at their base, making them look like fishing hooks. Some believe that a technique or human tool was actually used to make the trees curve this way, while others speculate that a winter snowstorm or some other damage could have given this fascinating forest its interesting shape. Give us your own creative reason why the trees are this way. The Crooked Forest Saturday evening, someone on the road, where I live, set off a percussion bomb. Houses in the area felt the repercussions of the compacted air waves. How close you live to the actual place the bomb is set off depends on how much the trees, ground and house might shake. Instantaneous pressure changes can cause severe damage to trees, buildings and human beings. When I saw the picture of the Crooked Forest I immediately wondered if this was the result of some percussion airwaves caused by bombing in 1945 as the Russians advanced on East Prussia. 1940”s Greifenhagin, 15° 15' N / 14° 14' E was a thriving city. It had a local court, Catholic Parish, Protestant church, and a synagogue. Small factories employed inhabitants. The city was located near the river Odra on the German border. The population claimed river water rights for the population. In 1945 the city was renamed Grefino. Pine is used for planking in boats. The wood has a uniform texture. It resists warping and swelling. The textured wood also resists shrinkage. Another use for pine is in furniture production. Pine is easily grown and is a renewable resource. The wood makes a strong low cost furniture, chairs, pews for churches, tables, and other types of useful products. It paints well. The knots in the pine make a scenic rustic product, that is appealing to the eye as well a useful in a home. Guess what? The crooked forests are pine trees. Someone else put forth the following theory. A group of wood workers or tree farmers bent the very young trees into this form for a specific use in a wood workers culture. By growing and forming the trees for their own use it had an economical use. There are perhaps 400 crooked trees in the Crooked Forest. This same forest also has trees that are not bent into this form. Both straight and crooked trees are approximately the same age. This is an indication of a tree plantation. Rumors of extreme cruelty proceeded the advancing Russian Armies. The Germans who were suppose to be organizing civilian movement away from the progressing war front procrastinated. Civilians fled into Germany without any organization. Children in families died from starvation and actually froze to death. Many civilians were shot by Germans or died from exposure as they fled. Perhaps an army battalion bent the young trees over to use as seats while they took a break from destroying the area. In any event, the countryside left a mystery. The trees are a silent scene that causes curiosity in tourists, who visit the area. Word count - approximately 446 (counted by the Journal 7) |
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