Science For Thought - Vol 3 (2017) - No.4 Wars and ghosts

EDITOR’S NOTE

The theme for this newsletter is Wars and Ghosts - Wars that have brought
destruction to people, peace and our world and ghosts that still remain a
mystery until this day. Hopefully, the articles written by our editorial team will
be able to let chills run down your spine and fill you up with not just excitement,
but knowledge too.

If you happened to have attended our first-ever YSF Storytime Session, you
would have already been introduced to our new corner starting from this
newsletter. For the Quiz Section, you guys can send in your answers to either
one of the following e-mails: [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]

A special thank you to everyone who contributed in the making of this issue of
Science for Thought. Your kind efforts are very much appreciated. Feedback for
improvements and/or submission of articles from the PTET committee are
greatly welcomed!

Deputy Editor,

Zoey Ik Tze Wei

EDITORIAL BOARD
Chief Editor: Nurul Afiyah Huang
Deputies: Nur Adiyatulatika Zoey Ik Tze Wei
Editors :
Muhammad Hamizul Hakim
Teo Xin Yie
Nur Izzah Afiqah
Nur Anis Syafiqah
Nur Izzatul Sahirah
Nur Syakirah Ilham
Nur Shahidatul Munirah
Berlyanna Jefry
Farah Najibah
Creative Managers :
Nina Zuhairi
Chua Qi Yi

REFERENCES

Cover Photo: http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1892948.1407328442!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_1200/atomic-
bombing-hiroshima-nagasaki-69-years.jpg
Page 4: Photo; http://mitsueki.sg/2013/10/30/7-haunted-mrts-in-singapore/
Page 5: Reference, Photos; http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/paranormal-cameraman-who-doesnt-believe-10888353
page 6: Photos; https://www.flickr.com/photos/116155785@N06/19317173756/sizes/h/
http://didyouknowfacts.com/facts/ouija-boards-work-because-of-the-ideomotor/
Page 8,9,11,12: Reference, Photos; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_war
https://thewire.in/57424/review-a-satirical-and-political-indictment-of-the-vietnam-war/
https://sites.google.com/site/supakrontosakai/-1969-70
Page 10: Photo; https://tacairnet.com/2014/11/17/a-zero-and-a-45/
Page 13,14: Photos; http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article24759304.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2743896/Being-grateful-isnt-easy-Inspirational-insights-Oprahs-new-book.html
http://www.shethepeople.tv/the-story-of-oprah-winfrey-in-14-milestones/

Page 15,16: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-d-mimms/scariest-ghost-encounters_b_5568137.html

HAUNTED TRAIN STATION Paranormal cameraman GETS
– Bishan MRT Station ‘SHOVED BY SPIRITS’

SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF
for ghostly phenomena WARS

INTERESTING VIETNAM WAR
FACTS
4 GHOST ENCOUNTERS BY
FAMOUS A PARANORMAL EXPERT
FIGURE

HAUNTED TRAIN Imagine yourself in the train and hearing
that particular sound while everyone are

STATION – BISHAN just sitting there behaving like nothing is
happening. I bet you would have a mental

MRT STATION breakdown.
Well, perhaps that was just a sound but,

By: Nur Izzah how can you explain about the figure of
the ghost itself?

Sounds are just the first encounter of the
passengers. The second strange encounter
was by women passengers who reported
that they were grabbed by invisible spirits.
This is scary but not as much if you
compare it to the encounter after that.

Ages ago before the Bishan MRT Station Passengers sighted headless corpses
was built, it was where Bi Shan Teng walking around in both the trains and
cemetery was located. This train station is train stations. These are believed to be
located in Singapore. ghosts of the dead bodies buried in the Bi
Shan Teng cemetery.
It is the ground where corpses are buried
and now, turned into a train station. Other than the headless corpses, there are
also reports of phantom passengers being
The hauntings in this train station began on the train. In my opinion, this seems to
as soon as the constructions of it were be more like a zombie express more than
finished. It is rumoured to be haunted a ghost story. Believe this or not, it is
because some people said that spirits are completely up to you.
awakened, raging at the people who
turned their peaceful place into a place If you are interested, you can find out
full of crowd. more recent news on ghost passengers
sighted at a deserted airport in Phuket,
Strange entities and sounds have been Thailand by using the link provided
reported. Specifically, sound of people below. Figures of people caught running
running on top of the train. The sound along the passageway without a plane at
made was described to be vigorous, loud the end of passageway.
and spine-chilling. This encounter was
not only experienced by one passenger http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-
but, there so many witnesses that, the news/634420/haunted-airport-ghost-
passengers are actually starting to get passengers-phantom-plane-scary-video-
used to it. phuket-thailand-youtube

PARANORMAL CAMERAMAN GETS
‘SHOVED BY SPIRITS’ WHO LEAVES
UNEXPLAINED SCRATCHES ON HIS

BACK

by : Syakirah Ilham

The cameraman who had insisted that ghosts are not real was left in a state of shock after filming at Fort
Widley in Portsmouth that particular Saturday. Fort Widley is rumored to be haunted, according to the
paranormal team, the location is said to be home to multiple spirits. During the Second World War, it was
modified to provide more accommodation. It was used by a number of units before housing members
supporting the Navy commanded at Fort Southwick. In 1952, the fort became home to a bombing disposal
squadron and a year later an emergency civil control center for Portsmouth was constructed in the fort's
magazine. Then in 1942, it was used to house prisoners of war and from 1943 it was an alternative control

center for Southwick House.

In the creepy photograph below, the cameraman jumped suddenly and yelled "Something touched me!" as
he looked back. The cameraman then continued seriously along the lines, "Something has pushed my back
and it feels sore. It really hurts." Another colleague then goes to his aid and asks the cameraman to show

him his back.

When the team shines a light on him, they were all shocked to discover three scratches in a diagonal line
across his lower back. A man said, "They’re on there. Three scratch marks on your back going diagonally
from your ribs to your spine." His team said he had to go outside to compose himself after the incident as

he felt physically sick after the whole incident.

SCIENTIFIC other which are called as ‘coldspot’ by
EXPLANATIONS “ghost hunters”. Fortunately, it is
FOR GHOSTLY because every different objects have their
own different temperature and there is
PHENOMENA also a process involving convection
where cool air will swirl and this swirling
BY: NUR ADIYATULATIKA BINTI HAJI are the ones that touches the skin hence
ROSLI ‘coldspot’.

A Gallup survey done in 2005 has said Another example is the ideomotor effect
that, almost three out of four Americans which, in the 1840s and 1850s,
harbor at least one paranormal belief. spiritualists movement was very big.
Through research, it is believed that it may They had provided a way for people to
be due to certain reasons and one of these talk to their loved ones that have passed
reasons is religion. Perhaps, they are away.
raised set to believe that these spirits
actually exist. Peer pressure also plays a One method of communication is the
part in this as the most vulnerable ones, ouija board. An oujia board is a board
the teenagers, because they are still in the with letters and numbers. Simple ‘yes’ or
phase where they feel the need to fit in, ‘no’ that are provided is a planchette. A
hence, they try to believe that ghosts are planchette is a wooden base which they
real. Moreover, there are also individuals use to move around the Ouija board.
in this world that have unhealthy passion People would then place their hands on
for this kind of thing where they create and the planchette and ask the spirits
edit stories and images to convince that questions. What are they expecting from
these spirits are still roaming around in doing it? Well, a ghost would respond by
this world. In the other hand, there are moving the planchette from letter to
also drastic events where these so called letter spelling out a response and people
‘victims’ confessed that they have actually would gather round a table and place
seen it. their hands on the tabletop, then the
table would move by itself.
However, science has given scientific
explanations for these so called ‘ghostly’ Ouija Board
phenomena. The first explanation is
drafts. This situation is often mistaken as
a presence of ghosts. This is because of the
presence of different temperatures in a
house or buildings. More specifically, the
air is cold on one side and normal at the

Planchette

Another example is the ideomotor effect which, in the 1840s and 1850s, spiritualists
movement was very big. They had provided a way for people to talk to their loved ones that
have passed away. One method of communication is the ouija board. An oujia board is a
board with letters and numbers. Simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ that are provided is a planchette. A
planchette is a wooden base which they use to move around the Ouija board. People would
then place their hands on the planchette and ask the spirits questions. What are they
expecting from doing it? Well, a ghost would respond by moving the planchette from letter
to letter spelling out a response and people would gather round a table and place their hands
on the tabletop, then the table would move by itself.

However, the scientific explanation behind this is that, the Tables were often moved due to
ideomotor effect in which, the power of suggestion causes the muscles to move
unconsciously because they expect the table to move, hence they moved it unintentionally.
The illusion of the moving planchette is what Psychologists call as “Dissociative State” and
our physiological state is that our consciousness is divided or cut off from some aspects of
the individual’s normal cognitive, motor and sensory function.

The After-Effects of Wars

By Anis Syafiqah
When a war ends, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the suffering of the people will end with
it. Many people of a country fall into the hands of war, are most likely to experience
unwanted effects to their lives. Whether it is temporary or permanent, these impacts can
awfully change a person’s life for a long time

Vietnamese farmers watch as a fire, caused by a conflict between soldiers, engulfs their
homes.

The most wanted and valuable aspect of every human being is the limit of their education.
Without it, a person may not progress much in their life. Wars can cause an economic
crisis, resulting in an increase of poverty. Because of lack of money, the government is
forced to decline education. Half of the world’s poorly educated children are assessed to
have been from fragile, conflicted countries. According to the UNESCO report, “The
groups most negatively affected by conflict were those that suffered from multiple
exclusions, including gender, area of residence, household wealth, language, and
ethnicity”. One predominantly damaging, effect of conflict on education is the
proliferation of attacks on schools with children, teachers and school buildings become the
targets of violence.

During times of war, teachers and students often suffer from death or displacement. This
prevents the opening of schools and increases the absence of teachers to aid available
students. In the case of Iraq, boys were pulled out of school to work for their families, and
therefore the education gap for men and women shrank

Usually, in wars, bombs are dropped to pack a bigger punch to opposing forces. But these
bombs are highly destructive as they can reduce the number of lives and destroy
infrastructure fairly easily. The fall of infrastructure can create a catastrophic collapse in
the social interrelated structure, infrastructure services, education and health care system.
If the infrastructures are main providers of income in a country, it can cause a serious
disruption to the economy of said country. The government becomes almost unable to aid
their citizens in need of medical attention, due to a lack of money.

A wounded U.S. paratrooper grimaces in pain while waiting for medical
evacuation May 19, 1969.

Long-term effects of war include the impact on the population. It was estimated that there
were around 60 million people that lost their lives in World War II, 20 million of them
being soldiers and the other 40 million being civilians. The largest number of deaths in a
single city was about 1.2 million civilians during the 872-day Siege of Leningrad. In World
War I, 8 million people died, 7 million permanently disabled and 15 million seriously
injured. The large amounts of lives lost take a long time to regain the numbers, hence
lowering the population of a country and reducing the amount of labor.

Wars can bring all sorts of terrible effects to a country and even the world. This is why we
need to spread peace and love on the planet Earth. It is better if we stand together and not
be against each other.

Private First Class Paul Oliver, 1st of the 8th Cav, walks
hand-in-hand with a friendly village child. His newly-
acquired friends, followed Oliver and his platoon until

the soldiers had walked far outside the village.

INTERESTING FACTS

By Teo Xin Yie

WARS

- During World War II, a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight
days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted
exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored close
to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.

- Owen J. Baggett became legendary as the only person to down a Japanese
aircraft with an M1911 pistol hitting the pilot in the head while he was
parachuting.

- Polish Catholic midwife Stanisława Leszczyńska delivered 3,000 babies at the
Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust in occupied Poland.

- In World War II, British soldiers got a ration of three sheets of toilet paper a day.
Americans got 22.

- While fleeing the Japanese in WWII Burma, a group of refugees spent two
days carving a 270-foot staircase into a mountain so that they and 52 elephants
could escape.

VIETNAM WAR

By Berlyanna Jefry & Hamizul Hakim

(Viet Cong) While they were preparing ambush.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE VIETNAM WAR? World War II is probably a very
familiar war to everyone. However, do you ever wonder about what sparked the wars? As
the name suggests, this war happened in Vietnam. The war happened not long after they
achieved independence from the French colonisation in 1945. About 11 years later, a civil

war occurred between South Vietnam and the pro-communist region which is North
Vietnam. Fearing of the possibility of the spreading of communism doctrine across the
South-east Asia region, the United States decided to step in with the intention to prevent
North Vietnam from emerging victory.They then started to deploy their troops in Vietnam

in 1965.

Young North Vietnamese Militiawomen learn how to set booby traps.

This war ended with the withdrawal of the United States from Vietnam as all the three
parties United States, South Vietnam and North Vietnam has finally comes to agreement
to cease-fire in 1973. In the end, the victory sided with North Vietnam. As a result, Vietnam
was a communist controlled country. Like any other wars, casualties were inevitable. This
cruel war involved the loss of 3 million lives which includes the lives of an estimated 58

000 Americans and 2 million civilians.

QUIZ TIME

1) Name one country that involved in this war.
a) United States of America
b) South Vietnam
c) French

2) When did the war started?
a) 1963
b) 1954
c) 1945

3) How long does it take for the war to end?
a) 19 years
b) 21 years
c) 11 years

4) What is the other name for the war?
a) Indiachina war
b) Indochinese war
c) Indochina war

5) What is the reason for the war to spark?
a) North Vietnam yearned to be unified with South Vietnam
b) The USA interverence
c) The possibility of the spread of Communism

North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon on tanks and trucks, ending the Vietnam War.

“Failure is a great FAMOUS FIGURE:
teacher. If you’re open to Oprah Winfrey

it, every mistake has a By Nur Izzatul Sahirah Bte Hj Ismail
lesson to offer.”
-Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey or commonly known
as Oprah Winfrey is an American media
proprietor, talk show host, producer,
actress and a philanthropist. She was
born on 29 January 1954 in Kosciusko,
Mississippi.

Oprah is a daughter of an unwed teen
mom, Vernita Lee who was a maid. For
the first six years of her life, she lived
with her grandmother who taught her
how to read and also makes her more
religious.

Oprah, at the starting age of 9 was
physically and sexually abused by male
relatives and a family friend that she
tried to run away. At the end, her mother
was frustrated with her and she sent her
to Oprah’s father, Vernon. Vernon is a
strict and encouraging father and made
Winfrey prioritize education.

Oprah became an honor student, voted
as Most Popular Girl and also placed
second in the nation dramatic
interpretation as a member of East
Nashville High School Speech Team. At
the age of 17, she won the Miss Black
Tennessee beauty pageant which means
she does not only have the brain but also
the looks too.

most influential people in
the world that she was
awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom by
President Barrack Obama as
well as an honorary
doctorate degree from
Harvard. She is the first
black woman billionaire and
the richest African-
American with a net worth
of $3 billion.

At 19, Oprah became Nashville’s youngest and
first black female television news anchor at WAC-
TV. She also got recruited to be a co-anchor at
WJZ-TV. Unfortunately, WJZ finds her dull and
demoted her to be the host of a failing talk show,
“People Are Talking”. Her true capability showed
and the show was a hit. She was also hired to be
the host of another failing talk called “AM
Chicago” and once again, the show became a hit
and it was renamed the next year as “The Oprah
Winfrey Show”. Even though the show was
enormously popular, she ended it and build her
own television network named Oprah Winfrey
Network.

Now, Oprah Winfrey is the chairwoman and CEO
of Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo
Production. Oprah also publishes magazines
entitled by O, The Oprah Magazine and she co-
authored five books. Oprah is known to be one of
the

4 GHOST ENCOUNTERS BY A
PARANORMAL EXPERT

Done by: Farah Najibah Hj Nordin

He, John D. Mimms, an expert in paranormal incidents has done a lot of paranormal
researches. The investigations are mostly consist of hours of boredom and a little bit of
excitement. The excitement is always due to the sound of creaking, a breeze and so on.
These rare incidents are the reason why the investigators keep going on finding answers.
John D Mimms said that out of all his investigations, these are the 4 scariest moments in
his career.

#1: A Father’s Voice

This investigation happened at a home where an old man had died of lung cancer just
months earlier and the house still reeked of cigarettes and death. The expertise tried to
interact with the alleged entity by EVPs. Electronic Voice Phenomenon which are
recorders to collect ambient noises in the room during an investigation and can also be
interactive. Usually, at first, nothing will be heard but as it is recorded and can be played
again and well analysed it can make your hair rise up. One of the investigators asked if he
was mad and wanted them to leave. The response they picked up on the recording was a
very angry and raspy, “Yes.” The homeowner, who was the deceased man’s daughter,
broke down in tears when she heard the recording and identified it as her father’s voice.

#2: Still Singing

This had occurred at a tuberculosis sanatorium. There was a particular hallway where
people have had experiences with a little girl. Hospital records from the abandoned
sanatorium are sketchy at best, but it is believed that a little girl and her mother died
there sometime in the 1940s the investigators had just finished an EVP session and were
packing up their equipment to move to another section. John left his recorder running on
a wooden platform as they packed away their equipment. When he went back and listened
to the recorder the next day he was shocked. As they were quietly talking amongst
themselves about the equipment, a little girl can clearly be heard singing, the volume
going up and down as if she were moving around. Finally, just a few seconds before he
shut down his recorder to move on, she can be heard a short distance down the hall in a
sing-song voice saying, “I’m down in this room.”

#3: All Alone
On one trip to the tuberculosis sanatorium, John stayed with the equipment on the first
floor while everyone went upstairs to inspect the building. About 10 minutes after they
left, he heard the most miserable and terrifying moaning he had ever heard, coming from
the hall. It sounded like a woman in severe pain. He quickly checked the hallway, and of
course no one was there. That was not the first time he had heard the woman’s cries of
agony. He had heard her on a previous investigation, but it that had been a brief
experience while several other people were in the building. The second time left no doubt
about what he heard. The room used to have the ghastly purpose of performing
experiments on tuberculosis patients.

#4: A Chilling Hello
John was leading a visiting TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society of Ghost Hunters and
Ghost Hunters International,) group from Texas on an investigation in the tuberculosis
sanatorium. He was grabbed by his elbow and jerked backward by something unseen, and
he thought it was impossible considering he had a big build. Afterward, it felt like his
elbow had been submerged in ice water. When his elbow was examined by the thermal
camera it was indeed 15 degrees colder than the rest of his arms.

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