Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich manuscript dates back at least to the seventeenth century, though it is possibly much older. It is approximately 240 pages long, and its pages are filled with hand-written text and crudely drawn illustrations. The illustrations depict plants, astrological diagrams, and naked women. These illustrations are strange, but much stranger is the text itself, because the manuscript is written entirely in a mysterious, unknown alphabet that has defied all attempts at translation.

The manuscript first came to the attention of modern scholars in 1912 when Wilfrid M. Voynich (after whom it is now named) discovered it tucked away in the library of Villa Mondragone, a Jesuit college in Frascati, Italy. He purchased the manuscript and brought it with him back to America.

The history of the manuscript before Voynich found it is unclear. A letter inserted between its pages revealed some of its history. The letter was dated 1665 or 1666 (the writing was unclear) and was addressed to Athanasius Kircher from Johannes Marcus Marci. Marci explained that the book had once been owned by Emperor Rudolf II, who believed it had been written by the English monk Roger Bacon (1214-1294?). Marci was hoping that Kircher would be able to translate the manuscript, but apparently Kircher was unable to do so.

Upon his return to America, Voynich circulated photostat pages of the manuscript to scholars whom he hoped could help him decode its strange alphabet. Cryptographers rushed to take up the challenge.

The first to announce a solution to the manuscript’s code was William Romaine Newbold in 1921. After microscopically examining the letters of the manuscript, Newbold decided that the letters were not themselves meaningful. The real meaning lay in the individual pen strokes that composed each letter and which, so Newbold claimed, corresponded to an ancient Greek form of shorthand. Newbold’s translation, however, now reads more like a work of madness than the work of a rational mind, since what he believed to be individual pen strokes were, in fact, simply cracks in the manuscript’s ink caused by age.

In 1943 Joseph Martin Feely, working on the assumption that the manuscript had originally been written by Roger Bacon, attempted to match the frequency of characters in the text to the frequency of characters within Bacon’s other writings, and decode it in this way. His effort, however, proved unsuccessful.

In the 1970s Robert Brumbaugh, using a complicated decoding scheme, decided that the manuscript was either a medieval treatise on the elixir of life, or a sixteenth-century hoax.

Since then, a variety of theories about the manuscript have been suggested. In 1978 John Stojko argued that it was an account of an ancient civil war written in an ancient, vowelless form of Ukrainian. In 1986 Michael Barlow suggested that Voynich himself had written the manuscript as a hoax. In 1987 Leo Levitor theorized that it was an ancient prayer-book, offering repetitive meditations on the themes of pain and death. More recently, Jacques Guy has wondered whether it might not represent an ancient attempt to transcribe an east-Asian language, say Chinese or Vietnamese, into alphabetic form.

To this day the Voynich manuscript resists all efforts at translation. It is either an ingenious hoax or an unbreakable cipher. It is thought that the horror writer H.P. Lovecraft might have used the Voynich manuscript as the model for the fictional work, The Necronomicon, which he refers to in many of his stories.

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Easter Island

Easter Island, situated in the southeast Pacific over 1,000 miles from the other islands of Eastern Polynesia and some 1,400 miles west of South America, is one of the most remote inhabited places in the world. Between 600 and 800 A.D., a group of colonists from an unidentified location in Eastern Polynesia settled on Easter Island after sailing in a southeasterly direction for many weeks. The name Easter Island originated with the European explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who first saw the island on Easter Sunday, 1722. Today, the Easter Islanders call themselves and their homeland Rapa Nui. Rapa Nui society was organized following the classic Polynesian pattern: an aristocracy composed of ranked hereditary chiefs (ariki) with political authority over the commoners, who constituted the majority of the population.


The art of Easter Island is distinctively Polynesian, much of it centering on the creation of religious images. The most recognizable art form from Easter Island are its colossal stone figures, or moai, images of ancestral chiefs whose supernatural power protected the community. Between roughly 1100 and 1650, Rapa Nui carvers created some 900 of these sculptures, nearly all of which are still in situ.

Moai Figures

The moai represent ancestral chiefs who were believed to be descended directly from the gods and whose supernatural powers could be harnessed for the benefit of humanity. The massive stone figures were generally erected on temple platforms (ahu) along the coast, where they faced inland to keep watch over the local community. Most were carved from soft volcanic tuff at Rano Raraku, an extinct volcanic crater that served as the primary statue quarry. The giant stone sculptures commonly weigh between 10 and 12 metric tons. Their average height is roughly 13 feet, but they range anywhere from 8 feet to an unfinished example over 70 feet high. Moai are characterized by long sloping noses, strong brows, deeply inset eyes, and prominent chins. Some examples also wear a hatlike cylinder made of red stone on their heads, which may represent a headdress or elaborate hairstyle.

Each moai was commissioned by a specific individual or group and created by a team of expert stoneworkers under the direction of a master carver. As many as fifteen people began by quarrying a large rectangular block using basalt picks (toki). Once the figure was roughed out, the master carver and his assistants added the fine details, usually beginning with the head and face. Afterwards, a team of workers used ropes and levers to move the sculpture down the quarry slope. It was then set upright and the remainder of the carving was completed. The finished sculpture was then moved to its final destination using a wooden sled or rollers. Experimental re-creation of this feat by modern archaeologists suggests that it required approximately 40 individuals to move an average-sized moai,

By the time Europeans first reached Easter Island in 1722, the moai tradition was already in decline. Early explorers reported many moai still standing, but by the mid-nineteenth century, all had fallen due to neglect or warfare. Many have since been restored by archaeologists.

Other art forms on the island include petroglyphs, many depicting birdmen and other fantastic creatures, as well as a variety of wooden sculptures. One type of wooden image, the naturalistic male figures known as moai tangata, may depict family ancestors. Although their imagery is conventionalized, they may be individual portraits. What appears to be hair on the top of their heads is actually a low-relief carving depicting fishlike creatures with human heads and long flowing beards, possibly representing shark-human spirits (nuihi). In a number of respects, the moai tangata bear a close formal resemblance to the larger stone moai. With their enlarged heads, frontal orientation, prominent stomachs, and arms that extend down the sides of their bodies, both types of image embody a classically Polynesian conception of the human form.

Easter Island art also includes barkcloth images, wooden ornaments, and featherwork. Apart from the stone figures and petroglyphs, virtually all surviving works from the island date to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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Porphyria - the true story about Vampire

Legend tells us that vampires come out at night. They are night creatures because the sun can hurt and even kill them. They come out at night to seek fresh blood because without it they will suffer agonizing pain and will die. Their bodies dry up due to lack of blood, and new blood refreshes their bodies and gives them energy and certain powers.

It has been long believed that the condition associated with vampire legends is porphyria. Vampire characteristics are similar to those of porphyrics and this may have led to the misconception in the early 1400-1600's that porphyria sufferers were vampires. Vampire legends are in every country and porphyria is also found throughout the world. Porphyria comes from the Greek word meaning purple.

Of course, we now know that porphyria patients are NOT vampires, but porphyria might have contributed to the origin of the vampire legends.

EXPLAINING PORPHYRIA

Porphyria is a group of disorders caused by the abnormal production of heme which is the base material responsible for making hemoglobin and chlorophyll. Most types of porphyria are inherited. A child needs to inherit the defective gene from only one parent to develop the disease.

Heme is a substance found in all body tissues. The largest amounts of heme are found in the blood and bone marrow, and heme is also found in the liver and red blood cells. Multiple enzymes are required for the body to convert chemical compounds called porphyrins into heme. If any of the enzymes are abnormal, the process is disturbed and cannot continue. This allows the porphyrins to build up in the body.

Excessive porphyrin in the body causes photosensitivity which is oversensitivity to sunlight. When porphyrins are exposed to light and oxygen, they generate a charged, unstable form of oxygen that can damage the skin. Nerve damage, pain and paralysis can occur in some porphyrias. Sometimes an attack is so severe it can also lead to respiratory paralysis and the patient is unable to speak, breath or swallow. At times, this if fatal.

source

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Courchevel , France

Overview: Courchevel is made up of five separate resorts, all within the Trois Vallées ski area, which also incorporates Meribel and Val Thorens. The main resorts are named after their heights - Courchevel 1850, 1650, 1550 and Le Praz 1300. La Tania is another, small purpose-built resort situated on a ridge between Courchevel and Meribel. Courchevel 1850 is the smartest and most expensive of the resorts; it has the best restaurants, nightlife and access to the slopes. Courchevel 1650 and 1550 are quieter, more suited to families, and Le Praz is a pretty village with narrow streets, but due to its altitude has less reliable snow.

Skiing: The Trois Vallées ski area is one of the best and most extensive in the world (10 times larger than Vail, the largest ski resort in the States), and Courchevel offers the best skiing within the area. There are lots of easy slopes for beginners beneath the Saulire cable car base station and there's lots of choice for intermediates in both Courchevel and neighbouring Meribel. Advanced skiers will enjoy the reds and blacks above La Saulire; there are also some challenging north-facing slopes above Val Thorens, which can be reached within a day's skiing. Snowboarders will find some great slopes for cruising and some exciting couloirs for experts. When the snow's good there's some good off-piste - but it's advised to only go with a guide.


Shopping: Courchevel 1850 offers the best shopping, ranging from ski shops to expensive designer boutiques. The lower resorts all have ski shops and mini-supermarkets as well as a fine selection of bakeries and delicatessens.


Restaurants: Courchevel 1850 has the best and most expensive restaurants. Chabichou and Le Bateau Ivre offer some of the best food in the Alps, however all resorts have a good choice of reasonably priced, good quality restaurants.


Nightlife: All the villages offer their own nightlife, although most visitors make the trip to Courchevel 1850 for the liveliest clubs and bars.


Activities: Parasailing and tobogganing can be arranged and for whiteout days there is a cinema, bowling, ice skating and a swimming pool. Some of the smarter hotels offer spa treatments.


Negatives: Courchevel 1850 is very expensive, although it's still possible to find 2 and 3-star hotels. As a rule, it is cheaper the lower you go. During school holidays some slopes can get very crowded.

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Tower of Babel

Ancient Babylon conjures up images of wealth, wisdom, splendor and beauty but also, mystery and magic. The Tower of Babel is perhaps one of the most intriguing of the ancient tales. It is thought that Nimrod commissioned the construction of the Tower of Babel. Nimrod was the great grandson of Noah, grandson of Ham and son of Cush. He was King and founder of many cities following the flood - he is associated with Babylon, Mespotonia, Uruk, Akkad and Calneh. He is depicted as a tyrannous ruler, a hunter of both animals and men, who established fire worship and idolatry.


What is the Story of the Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-2

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the East, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there”

Genesis 11:3

“And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar”

Genesis 11:4

“And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach into heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole Earth”

Genesis 11:5-6

“And the lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do”

Genesis 11:7

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech”

Genesis 11:8-9

“So the lord scattered them abroad from hence upon the face of all the earth and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from hence did the lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth”

The message from Genesis seems to be that the Babylonian citizens who built the tower did so without God and without praise of or assistance from God.

Without God, and a need for God, men themselves become Gods.

Speaking one tongue, and with ancient wisdom, humankind would be capable of anything they put their minds to - this was not God's will or plan for humankind at this point in history, the knowledge and intent could easily be twisted for evil purposes and used to wipe out mankind - therefore God had to slow the advancement of man.

Without clarity of communication, mankind was fragmented and disempowered with a loss and dispersion of universal wisdom and universal intent.

The word “babble” is based upon the incoherent speech of the Babylonians following the destruction of the tower.

Cultural Interpretations of the Tower of Babel

Greek Account

“When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven, but the Gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower and gave everyone his peculiar language and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon”

Sumerian Account

“Then Enki, the Lord of abundance, (whose commands are trustworthy) the lord of wisdom, who understands the land; the leader of the Gods, endowed with wisdom, the Lord of Eridu changed the speech in their mouths, contention into it, into the speech of man that (until now) had been one.”

Mexican Account

“And as men were thereafter multiplying they constructed a very high and strong Zacualli (a very high tower) in order to protect themselves when again the second world should be destroyed. At the crucial moment their languages were changed, and as they did not understand one another, they went to different parts of the world”

Polynesian Account

“But the God in anger chased the builders away, broke down the building and changed their language, so that they spoke diverse tongues.”

Crow Indian Account

“Then little Coyote did something bad. He suggested to Old Man that he give the people different languages so they would misunderstand each other and use their weapons in wars……Old Man did what little Coyote said and the people had different languages and made war on each other.”

The interesting question is - how much of the story of the Tower of Babel is symbolic parable and how much is based upon factual events.

What Was the Purpose of the Tower of Babel ?

The translation of the word “Babel” - means Gate of God

According to the book of Genesis, the Tower was built to reach the heavens, the reason for this is not known, however, if it was a symbolic gesture, it begs the question why did the Babylonians not erect the tower off a mountain to achieve height?

There are a number of theories regarding the purpose or use for the Tower of Babel:

Theory 1

The city of Babylon was inhabited with descendants from Noah and the great flood, where, they believed, the Gods had all but wiped out life on Earth.

The tower was a statement of their triumph in the face of adversity, and a challenge to their God - they would not cower from God but ascend to challenge them - in an attempt to show their might and potentially deter any further attack.

Theory 2
The tower could have been a central religious place or meeting point for people to seek sanctuary in times of adversity of attack “lest they be scattered”.

However, it begs the question, if the tower was for religious purposes, why then would the tower have brought about the wrath of God?

If however, the tower was a religious building whose intent was to expose man to the mystery of the heavens and the greatness of God - which was within man, ie man as God - as much of the “new age” philosophy is currently purporting may explain the wrath.

One purpose of the tower appears to be the civilisation wanting to “make a name for themselves” -man attempting to share in the Glory of

Theory 3
Some have taken the statement that the tower of Babel was constructed to reach the heavens as a literal concept - ie a construct that housed, or was itself, a type of spacecraft which could literally reach the heavens.

Theory 4

Some have theorised that the tower was a communications device - to either communicate with other humans around the globe who escaped the flood - or, perhaps even with Gods within the universe.

Theory 5

The tower housed, or was itself, a weapon of mass destruction - to wage war upon any earthly or spiritual opponent of Babylon.

Theory 6
The tower was a statement of mankind's wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the earth, sciences. A demonstration of the power of man - with collective consciousness, man was all powerful and could achieve anything.

Theory 7

The tower was a commercial trading centre within the heart of the ancient city - a shrine to commercialism over spirituality.

Could The Parable of the Tower of Babel Be Based in Fact ?

Origins of Language

The spoken word leaves no trace - it is therefore impossible for language historians to determine at what point in human history, languages were first uttered or how they developed.

The diversification of language on earth is however of great interest to linguists. There are around 5000 languages spoken in the world today and two main theories regarding how such a varied number of linguistic differences occurred.

The Monogenesis Theory (or Mother Tongue Theory) supposes that in the beginning, all modern humans came from a singular genetic source in Africa and all spoke the same language, what exactly that language was is a matter of discussion. This theory is supported in the book of Genesis from the Old Testament “they all have one language”. The original single mother tongue evolved, as humans moved and travelled in groups, into the various language spoken today.

The Candelabra Theory supposes that different languages started in different places on earth and evolved with each individual social group according to geographical location and contact with other groups or cultures.

There is however a fundamental problem with both theories - The Candelabra theory cannot fully explain the fact that there remain common or similar words for the same items - suggesting that language has in fact been adapted from one singular source. The Monogenesis theorists cannot fully explain that following rigorous analysis of language evolution, the length of time it takes for any language to evolve into the forms used in today's societies would have taken a longer time period than modern man has been on the planet.

An interesting point however, is that many accomplished linguistic historians point to the parable of the Tower of Babel to a viable explanation for the origin of the varied languages used on the planet today.

Archaeological Evidence Reveals Evidence of the Foundations of The Tower of Babel

Archaeologists have uncovered what appears to be the foundation of the Tower of Babel within the ancient city ruins of Babylon. The base is square, 91 metres along each side, with earthen embankments.

Could the Confusion of Speech be Explained?

The loss of speech may have been a divine retribution or possibly a natural disaster - interpreted as an act of God.

An article was published in the Telegraph in May 2008 which described how Roger Highfield, the Telegraph's Science Editor, participated in an experiment in which the speech area of his brain temporarily disabled by a process of “transcranial magnetic stimulation”

The area of the brain identified to be responsible for speech, speech tone and recognition is named after the man who discovered it - Broca's area.

The introduction of a magnetic force effectively turned off the ability to communicate - albeit on a temporary basis.

Is it feasible therefore to consider that a large scale electro-magnetic emission or blast from the tower of Babel could have affected the speech centre of those around the tower on a permanent basis.

We cannot ascertain however if the tower contained electro magnetic material, however, electromagnetic material could certainly support theories 3, 4 and 5 of the purpose of the tower.

Babylon Today

Renovation to the remains of the city of Babylon - situated in war torn Iraq, were started by Sadam Hussein. The city is now host to an American military base - but an article in the New York Post reveals that there are plans to turn the city into a commercial shopping centre to attract tourists.

source: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=141493

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Death Valley

Death Valley National Park, established on February 11, 1933, covers almost 3,000 square miles and is a vast natural museum, larger than the Yellowstone National Park. The floor of the Valley is almost 300 feet below sea level (at Badwater basin) and it is recognized as the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and one of the hottest places on earth. 134 degrees F was recorded in 1913, second only to the 136 degrees registered in Libya in 1936. From the top of the 11,049 foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range Mountains, the floor of the Valley spreads out almost 2 miles below. It bears the grim name Death Valley.

All the great divisions of geological time. the eras and most of their subdivisions, are represented in the rocks of the mountains bordering the great valley. These rocks and the land forms tell a story of endless changes in the earth's crust - vast depositions, contortions, tiltings, alternate risings and lowerings, faultings and intense heats and pressures that changed the very nature of some rocks.

Climate too, has played its part. In recent geological time, powerful forces of water, wind, and gravity have sculptured much of the scenery that you see today. In the harsh environment of the floor of Death Valley, plants and animals must inexorably adapt and specialize - or perish. The average yearly rainfall here is less than 2 inches. Plants that do not grow near springs, pools, or other permanent water have developed specialized means to obtain and preserve water, or have adapted to quick growth and propagation through maximum use of the scant rains that fall upon them.

Between the valley floor and the mountain ridges, plant communities change in response to higher elevations that have lower temperatures, more rainfall and snow. Small animals in the dry valley, through largely dependent upon plants for survival, have made special adaptations that enable them to live on very little water. Larger animals are able to seek out water and predators obtain some water from the bodies of their victims.

This unique national park is open all year, but winter is the best time to visit the points of interest in the valley. The long, hot summer - from May through October - is only for the hardy and venturesome. Many of the side roads from the valley are closed during this season, but you will find the higher and cooler Panamint Mountains quite comfortable.

Evidence of the presence of man through hundred of years is found in almost every part of the valley. Rock drawings, campsites and foot trails remain as traces of the pre-historic hunters and gatherers.

When pioneer wagons with the first white men entered the valley on Christmas Day 1849 (the "Forty-Niners"), the area was inhabited by Panamint Indians. They were ill-adviced emigrants looking for a short cut to the gold fields of California. As hardships increased, the wagon train separated into smaller groups, such as the Jayhawkers and the Bennet-Arcane party, each with its own theory of escape. This date marked the beginning of the turbulent modern history of Death Valley and its mountains. The Forty-Niners were followed by successive invasions of prospectors and miners seeking to exploit deposits of silver and other precious metals. Each ore strike gave birth to a new short-lived settlement. Even the "white gold of the desert", borax, failed to support a permanent community. Thus the 1849 chapter of Death Valley history is filled with tales of hardship and, in some cases, heroism of these first white people in the area - the ones who in happily crying , "Good-bye, Death Valley" , gave the area its name. Evidence of silver was brought out of the valley by some of the 49-ers, setting off exploration for the Lost Gunsight Silver Lode and other riches. But there was only 18 survivors out of the original party of 30. Some of them, in order to survive, slaughtered their oxen for food. They then burned the wagons and proceeded on foot seeking a trail westward out of the Valley.

The long history started of prospecting and mining in the Valley. Few of the dreams of the prospectors came true, yet there was some spectacular exceptions, and in these lie many an interesting Death Valley story.

Best known of all the prospectors was Death Valley Scotty, a colorful personality whose tales and exploits helped to publicize the Valley. Another short side trip to today's Visitors Center takes you to the old Harmony Borax Works from which, in the 1880's, famous 20 mule team borax trains hauled their loads (up to 46,000 pounds at a time) grueling 165 miles to the railroad in Mojave. Still standing among the crumbling adobe walls is the old broiler and some of the vats. This was the first successful borax works in the history of borax mining in Death Valley. Despite the existence of more deposits in the area, Harmony Borax was closed in 1890 when the operation was transferred to Daggett in the Calico Mountains, which was closer to rail transportation. In 1933, a presidential proclamation set aside a reservation of 2,980 sq. miles of desert land as a National Monument, thereby assuring its continued use for public enjoyment,

Today human presence is represented mainly by the annual half-million visitors drawn by the vastness of mountain panoramas, the pleasure of the winter climate, and the lore of frontier life.

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