The Next Truth Newsletter, August 2021
First of all, please, feel free to download the interactive TNT-Newsletter of August 2021 from www.independent.academia.edu or, from my LinkedIn profile and share the PDF with family, friends, colleagues and students.
Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to express my relativistic charged enthusiasm again concerning a second STE(A)M article of mine being accepted and published on the website of Coderz… “Should we take a second look at how we teach today?”(Part I of III) www.coderZ.com
I know, I know…after reading it you might experience an uncomfortable, perhaps eerie, moment for some stepping out this stuffy and cramped tunnel and becoming more transparent but, showing young people how your creative – out-of-the-box – thinking has lead you in solving the problems you encountered during your research, is of most importance. Why? Because, and perhaps you might remember this from your own study time, most young people are immensely overwhelmed by the scope of their future they desperately want with no concept of where to begin. In this they need you, your expertise, experiences and enthusiasm as a role model!
For my other blog articles in where I discuss how, among others, science is not limiting itself to grids, formulas and PowerPoint presentations, please visit: Medium.com
Science is Boring, Creativity is Stupid!…uh-whaaauh? (Part II of II)
“Science” isn’t a stable or single idea”
Extraterrestrials; Are They Just Figments of a Creepy Legend or is There Another Explanation?
An interview with long time MUFON board member, Tom Whitmore.
Extraterrestrials… are they just figments of a creepy legend that speaks of human-shaped life forms having ill intentions toward us? Or is there another explanation?
UFO’s and those who are operating them have been reported by witnesses throughout time as small but terrifying grey’s, having huge black eyes and standing alongside a person’s bed at night while communicating through an odd form of telepathy.
What is the truth behind the UFO mystery? How advanced is their technology compared to ours? Where do they come from and… why do aliens abduct us?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet” This week I am exploring the wide and mysterious world of unexplained aerial phenomena together with Long time MUFON board member Tom Whitmore.
Tom has been fascinated by military and intelligence agencies’ interactions with the UFO public. He has undertaken a research study of the history of the MJ12 affair, and … intends to eventually publish his findings.
[Top]Why Can’t We Connect With Ghost Consistently?
By guest writer Kevin Spindloe, www.paranormalresearchyork.co.uk
Looking at the historical tales of spirits, ghosts, poltergeist, and other dimensional beings which have been reported so consistently, why is it that we are unable to truly connect with them? There are so many reports of these instances, and they are supported, quite enthusiastically, by those who witnessed the phenomena. But, whenever those with an interest in such matters, be it scientific or otherwise, try to connect, the phenomena rarely repeats itself.
Visiting a location like East Drive in Pontefract, UK, armed with the knowledge and stories of previous investigations and the belief that all that goes on in this empty semi-detached house is paranormal, is a dangerous precedent to a serious paranormal investigator. One noise, one creaky floorboard, settling can spark for a series of over-reactions and reinstate the belief that this really is a paranormal hot spot.
How to approach this search into the inter-dimensional realms?
During a recent conversation with Maria Anna van Driel the discussion took a twist, and the question was asked, “how does spirit communicate with us?” A simple enough question, if all spirits are equal in existence and we all speak the same language. But what if they are not? What if we do not speak their language? Than what?
It is egotistical or naïve of us to assume that spirits talk to us as we talk amongst ourselves? My conversation with Maria turned to birds, very strange, but bear with me.
To some people birds are just birds, like as ghost are just ghosts. However, in another area of my life I am a Tour Guide for people who enjoy bird-watching across Europe, so, I may say that I possess the needed knowledge within the study of Ornithology.
Birds belong to Orders, Families, Genus and then Species and Carrion Crow which can communicate with other crows, but they are not able to communicate with a songbird. Birds communicate with families, but not to a different genus or species. There is generally no overlap. Yes, birds will react to behaviours or alarms from other bird families, but it is not genuine communication.
Let’s flip this back and ask the question again, how does spirit communicate with us? Are we actually assuming that they can hear us? Can they understand us? Do they ‘know’ what investigators mean when they say, “speak into this black box” or “approach the green light, so we know you are here”.
Yes, there is the argument that spirits can read your mind regardless the language you grew up with. But this hasn’t been proven yet as definitive, and therefore is considered to be another assumption on the part of some investigators.
What if they can only communicate one way, like the crow?
As dimensional researchers we visit haunted locations while using the same equipment time and time again. We use the same processes and align ourselves to our chosen theory. And when the results are poor, we blame the spirits for not being active and try to explain that it is an issue with the other dimensions and not us or our methodology.
Being an investigator for Paranormal Research York, UK, I use a range of traditional tools such as pendulums, spirit boards as well as modern day meters, recorders and photo and film cameras. During my quest for answers I, myself, have found that a spirit may connect with leaving behind an electronic message, aka EVP, on a recorder but will not repeat the message, or words, on any other device. Why is that? Is it possible that they prefer communication tools that match their vibrations and cannot or, will not communicate any other way?
As Maria has mentioned in some of her articles about Euclidean Space, ‘there is an argument for spirits or inter-dimensional beings to communicate using math. Poltergeist stacking chairs or the sudden appearance of sophisticated crop circles.’ Personally, I have never tried to communicate in math, but maybe it is time to do so.
Maybe the key is to try several communication devices and select the one that works at that time and, on that particular location. And, instead of asking “are you a man?” or “did you die here?”, we could ask questions aiming in the direction of, “why does this communication device work for you?” and “can you use more than one device to communicate?”
Another idea for establishing a clear communication could touch the train of thought of us using mathematical equations or diagrams. Although, I believe my attempt on the latter would be equivalent to a cave drawing from a prehistoric hunter capturing his proud moment, simplistic but hopefully it would carry a message.
Asking spirits, or inter-dimensional beings, to give a consistent message on more than one tool or device could show that the investigator is broadening the search for better communication. Even though there is no guarantee if an action as such would be allowed by the inter-dimensional police, but if it were, it would make investigations much more interesting.
Maybe then we can start to unravel the ‘communication issue’ and focus our attention on one spirit to gain a greater understanding of how they can or, even better, how they prefer to communicate with us. Moreover, by figuring out how a communication as such is working, depending on how much they will reveal, we might see the opportunity to dig deeper into their ‘world’ and understand much more. A clear communication as such could provide us, during our events, to connect with a particular spirit in that specific place and achieve some amazing results.
During our public events this might be difficult to approach until we gather some credible evidence that isn’t a waste of valuable event time. Regardless, we must remember that our guests have paid to be part of a ‘traditional’ investigation and not a controlled experiment. So, this would be a slow but, hopefully, a progressive side of our events.
And maybe, just maybe, I will be able to speak to the crows.
[Top]Sleep Disorders and the Paranormal; Is There a Scientific Connection?
An interview with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Brian Sharpless.
“The ghost in the machine”, many people have heard this term at least one time in their life. It was a paper which was written by Coventry University lecturer Vic Tandy and published in April 1998 by the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Working alone in the lab one night, Tandy suddenly gained the feeling he was being watched. He claimed a dark, shadowy figure appeared in the corner of his vision. When Tandy turned to face this shadowy figure…it vanished.
To many, these shadowy figures are better known as the Shadow People.
They are being skests as a malevolent and creepy phenomenon and have being reported by witnesses as human-like shaped dark shadows having ill intentions standing alongside your bed…watching you.
Even these eerie phenomena’s have being reported for decades, it is not your mind simply playing tricks on you. There might be a more simpler and scientific explanation for things like ghosts, demonic hauntings and…shadow people.
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel… and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”, and this week I am speaking with clinical psychologist, Dr. Brian Sharpless about the most creepiest sleep disorders, what treatments are there and…how deeply these disorders are woven into the paranormal.
Are those things you see in the darkness more than just a shadow?
[Top]Paranormal Phenomena; Does the Origin Lie in a Forgotten Human Ability?”
An interview with film director, science-based paranormal investigator and award winning author Benjamin Radford.
It is being said that when a ghost, spirit or demonic force is in the near…your hair is standing up straight due the static electrical charge it is moving in and/or with. But what if there is another reason for our hair to act this crazy from time to time?
What if we, the modern version of the Homo Sapiens, still possess a primordial but natural ability of blowing ourselves up, so to speak, as soon as we are in a stress or dangerous situation?
Indeed, an idea as such could be for some a ridiculous one but imagine you walking home from work and you are passing a dark allay. You will feel a little bit stressy due to the fact of you not knowing what might be hiding in the dark corners. This feeling of fear could be a left over from ancient times in order for us to sense if there is a blood thirsty predator or not and then to flee or fight?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you are listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with, film director, science-based paranormal investigator and award-winning author and co-author of over twenty books and thousands of articles on a wide variety of topics including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy, Benjamin Radford about if there could be a more Earthly explanation for what we have become to understand as “The Paranormal”.
[Top]“Young People Science” May/June 2021 – Out Now!
TNT-Young-People-Science-May-June-2021Scroll your mouse/cursor over the cover with the scientists and click (at the bottom of the cover) the box with the little arrows. This way you can read this month’s edition of your scientific magazine “Young People Science”.
Or, click here to download the interactive PDF via MagCloud.
From Philosophy to Microbiology…from Engineering to astrophysics, regardless which field is holding you in its grip, is firing up your curiosity… we can all agree on the fact that science is in no way boring, it rocks!
“Science Rocks!” This is an amazing message what should reach young people on a global scale. But sending this message into the world, what is improving the career opportunities for our future experts, for them to build on the incredible knowledge, discovered and refined by renowned scientist from both the past and the present, is TEAM work which in turn is an essential STEM skill.
In this edition of Young People Science we discuss some STEM, or STE(A)M subjects which are not just a subject at school it’s a way of thinking and doing and an important skill set that could see your generation working together to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
For print-on-demand and the interactive digital issues of The Next Truth magazines visit: https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/1512517
The Truth of Myth
An interview with Anthropologist and Associate Professor, Tok Thompson.
‘Mythos’ is the Greek word for story-of-the-people, and ‘logos’ stands for word or speech. Myth, or Mythology, is the spoken story of a people and has played an integral part in every civilization throughout the world.
Pre-historic cave paintings, etchings in stone, tombs, and monuments all suggest that, long before human beings set down their myths in words, they had already developed a belief structure corresponding to the definition of `myth’.
Studying mythology is the interpretation of traditional and sacred tales of a culture known as myths or the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition. For instance good and evil… the origin of place-names, animals, cultural values, and traditions. But also, the meaning of life and death, the afterlife and the gods or a god.
Myths… they express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain culture. So, what one calls “mythology” in the present day, was the religion of the ancient past. But what it the truth behind these ancient stories?
Click here to be directed to Prof. Thompson’s book (Amazon)
The Lost City of Atlantis, Alien Abductions and Ghostly Apparitions; Can We Explain the Unexplainable?
An interview with freelance writer, editor and author, Kathryn Hulick
A ghostly apparition walking through the wall, an odd shaped craft hovering in the sky or strong ripples on the surface of a lake indicating that there might be a sea monster swimming by! Even though many people have seen and reported these rare but remarkable events, they do not have an explanation for what they have witnessed.
Are those, in the dark hiding, eerie shadows, truly disembodied humans who are lost or, is this an effect of Sleep Paralysis.
Is walking through a forest at night only creepy because we are breathing in these, released by the trees, small amounts of methane gas while the pineal gland in your brain is detecting the ultra– and infra sound-waves are bouncing off on the trees after it has released by your own body? Or is there something malevolent hiding behind the shrouds, waiting for you to become its prey?!
The lost city of Atlantis, alien abductions, shadow figures and haunted houses; can we explain the unexplainable?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with freelance writer, editor and the author of the book “Strange But True: 10 of the world’s greatest mysteries explained”, Kathryn Hulick and explore with her which scientific explanations there are for what it is that is haunting our dreams.
Will a Collective and Directed Consciousness Let Us Evolve Into a Type III Civilization?
With radio host, UFO investigator and author, Philip Kinsella
Imagine what we can accomplish if we all focus our consciousness toward creating more sustainable ways of generating energy, cleaning the earth, reducing hunger or, finding solutions for interstellar travel, and educating. Focusing your motive power on one goal, towards the right direction of movement, will accelerate the velocity and will move you closer to your goal.
According to the great mind of Nikola Tesla, that is the secret formula for increasing the collective human energy, how we raise our intelligence and evolve as a species.
But all this energy emanates from one single center, one single source what maintains all human life and supplies all human energy…the sun!
Can we, with a collective and directed consciousness, address this eternal energy in the Universe? Bundle it and build advanced technologies like a biological Dyson sphere, in order to save the Earth and evolve into a type III civilization?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel… and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”… and this week I am welcoming back clairvoyant medium, UFO researcher and co-host of the radio show “Twin Souls”, Philip Kinsella…and discuss with him if building up the human energy means higher levels of operating power for our consciousness what, eventually, might let us evolve into a type III civilization.
[Top]The Very First Letter of STEM is ‘Science’
By Maria Anna van Driel, www.medium.com
“The earliest roots of science can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in around 3000 to 1200 BCE. Their contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and medicine entered and shaped Greek natural philosophy of classical antiquity, whereby formal attempts were made to provide explanations of events in the physical world based on natural causes.” Source: Wikipedia
Nowadays, young people have an almost free access to an interactive world we have become to know as ‘The Internet’. Wikipedia in this, is a frequently visited site for them to upgrade their already possessing knowledge.
But how reliable is the written knowledge we can find on the internet? I mean, are we in the position of adding a form of creative an critical thinking to this avalanche of information? Are we allowed to take this information, discuss it , break the taboo and convert it all into a new evolution in science?
“My research field does not quite fall within the framework of the standard model of STEM subjects.” Too often I hear this and similar comments from people experiencing this feeling of dissatisfaction what is, in my opinion, not something that should be screaming in the background of anyone’s passion for researching the myriad possibilities all sciences has to offer in the modern era we have counted to be the twenty-first century. This is not the true meaning of science. Science, regardless which field is firing up your curiosity, should start with exploring the question asked! Even if this questions falls slightly outside the frameworks of ‘accepted’ science.
So, are we allowed of breaking this problem, this taboo, and widen the boundaries that indicate the, in this line of thought, tunnel vision what seems to be taught so abundant since the removal of, for instance, Plato’s teachings?
It seems that here we are addressing that one particular sore spot in what the general public, as well as some scientists, think to understand about science. Unfortunately, this also leads to young people being taught that STEM subjects are those sciences which fall within the, by the majority, acceptable boundaries of what science is standing for.
Why is creativity necessary to science and art?
Personally, I am of the opinion that STEM (STEAM) should speak of young people gaining the opportunity to explore all corners of science without this fear of being ridiculed. Young people should have this freedom of expressing their creativity in what we have become to understand as the standard model for science. This creativity is necessary in all sciences because it involves imagination, and imagination equals visualization. In other words, creativity in itself has ‘created’ the world we live in today.
Think about it, would a mathematician really be able to solve the problem in the moment he or she is focusing on the flat numbers only? Visualizing the numbers, use them as coordinates and connect them and, convert it all into multidimensional objects floating in a Euclidean space, seems to be a much easier way to solve a math problem.
Did you know that mathematics can be discerned in arts such as music, dance, painting, architecture, sculpture, and textiles? And did you also know that these are considered to be the first ‘technologies’ used in cultures and societies? I wonder how a skyscraper would look like when this creative visualization (thinking outside the box) is not taught to, for instance, an engineer.
How it all connects
Even though Science is with humanity for centuries, it is still in its infant moment but that does not mean that as soon as you find yourself not agreeing with someone’s research results you should sweep it under the carpet and label it is as pseudo-science or, ‘hypothetical nonsense’.
You know that, at one point in time, the pony express was thought of being the fastest way to transport messages but, in that same period the Romans already had the intelligence to think of VLC (visible light communication) what most likely was copied from their Egyptians neighbors who understood the effect in charging light even more by using ‘mirrors’. Today we understand this as photon trapping which is something that is accepted by the majority.
Centauries later this term VLC, as well as its engineering, went beyond its own borders due to the curiosity of those who applied critical thinking to their scientific research. And if they did not had done so, none of us would have touch screens, internet, cell phones, electricity, a car… and physicists would not had the possibility to discover the Higgs Boson. Never forget, once upon at time there were scientific adventurist, visionaries, pioneers, who thought up an apparatus you know today as an accelerator.
So, for all who are convinced that their research field is a bit outside the remit of any STEM subject, this thought falls within the range of being incorrect and seems to be based on a behavior of the majority accepting knowledge in a democratic manner. I wonder, how would the world today look like if Leonardo DaVinci, Nicolai Tesla, Albert Einstein, Carl Gustav Jung, Erwin Schödinger, just to name a few, had not applied this way of thinking to their research? Would we had the opportunity to speak with each other through this medium we call “Internet” and read the psychology between the lines of an email?
Remember that the very first letter of STEM is Science which is from the Latin word scientia, meaning “knowledge” what can refer to a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject and can be acquired in many different ways and from many different sources, including but not limited to perception, reason, memory, testimony, scientific inquiry, education, and practice.
According to Wikipedia, “The philosopher Plato famously pointed out the need for a distinction between knowledge and true belief in the Theaetetus, leading many to attribute to him a definition of knowledge as “justified true belief”. The difficulties with this definition raised by the Gettier problem have been the subject of extensive debate in epistemology (the philosophical study of knowledge) for more than half a century.”
On the latter, do I have to say more?
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