Bermuda Triangle (History and Kusche's Explanation)

According to the Triangle authors, Christopher Columbus was the first person to document something strange in the Triangle, reporting that he and his crew observed "strange dancing lights on the horizon", flames in the sky, and at another point he wrote in his log about bizarre compass bearings in the area. From his log book, dated October 11, 1492 he wrote:

The land was first seen by a sailor (Rodrigo de Triana), although the Admiral at ten o'clock that evening standing on the quarter-deck saw a light, but so small a body that he could not affirm it to be land; calling to Pero Gutierrez, groom of the King's wardrobe, he told him he saw a light, and bid him look that way, which he did and saw it; he did the same to Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, whom the King and Queen had sent with the squadron as comptroller, but he was unable to see it from his situation. The Admiral again perceived it once or twice, appearing like the light of a wax candle moving up and down, which some thought an indication of land. But the Admiral held it for certain that land was near...

Modern scholars checking the original log books have surmised that the lights he saw were the cooking fires of Taino natives in their canoes or on the beach; the compass problems were the result of a false reading based on the movement of a star.
The first article of any kind in which the legend of the Triangle began appeared in newspapers by E.V.W. Jones on September 16, 1950, through the Associated Press.
Two years later, Fate magazine published "Sea Mystery At Our Back Door", a short article by George X. Sand in the October 1952 issue covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission. Sand's article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place. Flight 19 alone would be covered in the April 1962 issue of American Legion Magazine.
The article was titled "The Lost Patrol", by Allen W. Eckert, and in his story it was claimed that the flight leader had been heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." It was also claimed that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes "flew off to Mars." "The Lost Patrol" was the first to connect the supernatural to Flight 19, but it would take another author, Vincent Gaddis, writing in the February 1964 Argosy Magazine to take Flight 19 together with other mysterious disappearances and place it under the umbrella of a new catchy name: "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle"; he would build on that article with a more detailed book, Invisible Horizons, the next year. Others would follow with their own works: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the Lost,1969); Charles Berlitz (The Bermuda Triangle, 1974); Richard Winer (The Devil's Triangle, 1974), and many others, all keeping to some of the same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.

Kusche's Explanation

Lawrence David Kusche, a research librarian from Arizona State University and author of The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved (1975) has challenged this trend. Kusche's research revealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents. He noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Another example was the ore-carrier Berlitz recounted as lost without trace three days out of an Atlantic port when it had been lost three days out of a port with the same name in the Pacific Ocean. Kusche also argued that a large percentage of the incidents which have sparked the Triangle's mysterious influence actually occurred well outside it. Often his research was surprisingly simple: he would go over period newspapers and see items like weather reports that were never mentioned in the stories.
Kusche came to several conclusions:

The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.In an area frequented by tropical storms, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious; furthermore, Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms. The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat listed as missing would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not be reported. Some disappearances had in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have taken place in 1937 off Daytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papers revealed nothing.

Kusche concluded that:

The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery ... perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism.

Bermuda Triangle (Introduction)

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as The Devil Triangle, is a region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels have disappeared. Some people have claimed that these disappearances fall beyond the boundaries  of human error or acts of nature. Some of these disappearances have been attributed to the paranormal, a suspension of the law of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings by popular culture. Though a substantial documentation exists showing numerous incidents to have been inaccurately reported or embellished by later authors, and numerous official agencies have gone on record as stating the number and nature of the disappearances to be similar to any other area of ocean, many have remained unexplained despite considerable investigation.


The Triangle Area
The boundaries of the Triangle vary with the author, some stating its shape is akin to a trapezoid covering the straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire Caribbean Island area east to the Azores; other add to it the Gulf of Mexico. The more familiar, triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Florida, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.
The area is one of the most heavily-sailed shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean Island. Cruise ships are also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean and South America from points north.
The Gulf Stream ocean current flows through the Triangle after leaving the Gulf of Mexico; its current of five to six knots may have played a part in number of the disappearances. Sudden storms can and do appear, and in the summer to late fall hurricanes strike the area. The combination of the heavy maritime traffic and tempestuos weather makes it inevitable that vessels could founder in storms and be lost without a trace - especially before improved telecommunications, radar and satellite technology arrived late in the 20th century.

Tips on managing your child's media consumption (Part II)

Because of the popularity of the video games, completely eliminating them from your child's life might be difficult. But you can decrease the negative impact that they have on your child. Here a few tips:
- know the rating of the video game your child plays:
- do not install video game equipment in your child's bedroom;
- set limits on how often or how long your child is aloud to play video games;
- monitor all of your child's media consumption - video games, movies, television, Internet;
- supervise your child's Internet use - there are now many video games available for playing online;
- take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask your children what they feel about they observe in these video games, television programs or movies. This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with your child;
- share with other parents information about certain games or ideas helping each other in parenting.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)


The ESRB is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The major video games manufacturers created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the content of video games. Similar to the movie industry's rating system, all major games companies now submit their new products for rating to specially trained raters at the ESRB. The ESRB rates over 1.000 games per year
The ESRB look at a number of factors when rating games. In particular it considers tha amount of violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse found in a game. Based on its developed guidelines, the ESRB then gives an age recommendation and content descriptor to each game submitted. The following are the rating symbols currently in use, according to the ESRB site:
-Early Childhood(EC): content should be suitable for children 3 years and older and contain no objectionable material;
-Everyone(E): content suitable for persons ages 6 or older. The game may contain minimal violence  and some "comic mischief";
-Teen(T): content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes.
-Mature(M): content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, violence and stronger language;
-Adults Only(AO): content suitable only for adults and may contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not intended for persons under the age of 18;
-Rating Pending(RP): game has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting a final rating.
The ESRB web site has more details about this rating system, as well as the "content descriptors" that are used in conjunction with the ratings on the game packaging. The site also useful for parents who want to search for the rating of a particular game.

The impact of video games on children ( Part I )

Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. They are an unique form of entertainment because they encourage players to become a part of the game's script. Today's sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game, rather than passively watching a movie. This have both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore this impacts on today's children.


What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents?


The most widely used positive impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player's manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more "realistic" virtual playing experience.
This quality makes the video game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies shows that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive.
Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. In one study by Walsh(2000), a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the numbers of hours they are allowed to play video games. The studies also showed that most parents are unaware of the content or the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating of the video games their children play.
In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder and Walsh adolescent girls played video games on an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week. The authors also stated that teens the played violent video games for extended periods of time:
-tend to be more aggressive;
-are more prone to confrontation with their teachers;
-may engage in fights with their peers;
-see a decline in school achievements.
The interactive quality of video games differs from passively viewing television or movies because it allows players to become active participants in the games's script. Players benefit from engaging in acts of violence and are then able to move to the next game level.
Video games also encourage players to identify with and role play of their favorite characters. This is referred to as a "first-person" video game because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. after a limited of amount time playing a violent video game, a player can "automatically prime aggressive thoughts". The researchers concluded that the players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with an increased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation.

Social Networking Sites: What's The Risky Behind Socialization?

Have you ever been on Social Networking Sites (SNS)? Or have you ever received an invitation mail to join SNS?
SNS have been the most popular sites in internet world these days. The idea behind SNS is sharing interests in online community. According to Google, social networks Bebo and MySpace were the most searched-for terms in 2006.
MySpace get 300000 people signing up everyday with 50 million mails per day (more than Yahoo, Hotmail and Google), while Facebook receive more than 14 photos uploaded everyday.
Have you asked yourself what's the impact of the information that you leave in the internet? The risk of identity theft is high due to leaving of the internet footprints. Internet fraudsters can join up your information and generate username and password of your other online accounts. According to internet security experts, three quarters of Facebook users leave their profiles open to all risking identity fraud. Last year, Sky News reported, in every ten seconds someone in Britain become a victim of cyber crime.

While some young teenagers use these sites to post pictures of them drinking and practically naked, the SNS does not have control over kid’s doings online, rather its parental responsibility. Here, the SNS probably invites sexual predators. What if teens can lie about their age and start dating adults?
October 2006, a teenager named Megan Meier from Missouri, USA committed suicide after being teased in her MySpace page by a fake member. The police arrested Aaron Clow, 21, for having sex with 13 year old girl. It is suspected that a man was contacting underage girls via MySpace.
It has been a common thing for people to lie their identities in these sites. What is the effect of contacting the person who lied to you about his name, age and residence? Can we term it selfishness? As you he can get to know the real you, but he does not want likewise? Or may be they value their personal information than you do. Or may be they value their personal information than you do. One such occurrence was reported by news.com that, Tom Anderson, the founder of MySpace having a fake profile on SNS.

Have you had a time to read on the privacy policy of these sites? Bear in mind that the information you entered can be used by the SNS without consulting you. For instance, one of the statements in a SNS’s privacy policy, Hi5.com states that”…Hi5 may analyze any collected information for its own internal purposes. In addition, Hi5 may remove personally identifying information from collected information to render it anonymous. Hi5 may use Anonymous Information for any purpose and disclose Anonymous Information in its discretion…”

There has been a rumour that, SNS’s data are used by the government for monitoring their citizens. Last year, MySpace agreed to give away to the states the names, addresses and online profiles of identified convicted sex offenders having account.

Source: www.oppapers.com