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Abluescarab
Making the Internet a Better Place With Contributions to Wikipedia!
| BP |
This user is a bibliophile.
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| WP: Ancient Egypt |
This user is a member of WikiProject Ancient Egypt.
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| en |
This user is a native speaker of English.
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This user hails from or has lived in Oregon. |
| BOO |
This user loves Halloween.
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| UBX |
This user loves user boxes.
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| ubx-c |
This user thinks some user boxes have gotten out of control.
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| SEA |
This user is a Seattle Mariners fan.
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| Archaeology |
This user hopes to become an archaeologist.
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| SFG |
This user is a San Francisco Giants fan.
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| 16 |
This user is 16 years old. |
Sibs |
This user is an only child. |
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This user likes all types of music. |
| who |
This user prefers using who for both the object and subject case. Who does it hurt to simplify things? |
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This user does not put two spaces after a full stop. |
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This user believes that mankind cannot progress unless
Country Music is eliminated.†
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This user is owned by one or more cats. |
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This user believes in logic. |
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This user provides information using userboxes because he or she is bored. |
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This user misses Pluto. May its planethood rest in peace. |
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This user trusts Wikipedia as a reliable source. |
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This user uses Wikipedia as a primary point of reference. |
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This user is of Polish ancestry. |
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This editor does not appreciate being annoyed |
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This user can write in the MediaWiki language |
| STORY |
This user writes stories as a hobby; please read them.
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| Ceramics |
This user loves ceramics!
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WikiProjects
 
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[edit] Just A Note
Just to let anyone know: feel free to correct any of my grammar or spelling errors. It will be a big help. Thanks!
[edit] WikiProject MythBusters
Join Wikipedia:WikiProject MythBusters! There are currently only 5 members! Good for fans of the MythBusters show!
[edit] Story Editing
Also feel free to add onto any of my stories located in the stories section:
[edit] Talk Page Guidelines
- Communicate
- Keep on topic
- Be positive
- Stay objective
- Deal with facts
- Share material
- Discuss edits
- Make Proposals
- Sign your posts
- Avoid excessive markup
- Be concise
- Keep the layout clear
- Read the archives
- Use English
- Centralized discussion
- Be welcoming to newcomers
- No personal attacks
- Don't misrepresent other people
[edit] Renaming of 'KV62' (King Tut's Tomb)
For those of you interested in Egypt, if you want to, please place your vote for the renaming of KV62 at Talk:KV62. If you are a supporter or opposer of the renaming, please give reasons for your decision so you can make a good argument. I am, personally, a supporter of the renaming, but I have nothing against those of you who are opposers. Just add onto the section titled Proposal or Guideline.
[edit] General
Hi, my username is Abluescarab. I live in St. Helens, Oregon. I am about 5' 4" and I have brown hair. I am still growing. I wear glasses and I have hazel eyes. I love Egypt, and someday, I hope to be able to go there. I hope to be an archaeologist (Ancient Egypt).
There is also a society for people who are interested in Ancient Egypt:
Wikipedia:WikiProject Ancient Egypt
I also have a picture page, but I don't have many pics on it yet. If you would like to see it anyway, go to external links. I also love cats, and I have 5 cats and 4 hamsters. It may seem like a lot, but it really isn't compared to other people I know.
[edit] My Eighth Grade Letter
This is a letter I wrote to my English teacher in eighth grade:
This is an autobiography explaining my passions, interests, and persona. I would like to open this letter with the interests I have in school. My favorite class is Social Studies. I enjoy learning about old civilizations that may or may not have been everything we think they were. For example, how much do we really know about Mesopotamia? How did we learn about it? Written documents? What about by word of mouth? Did we learn about them from the skeletal remains of a world that disappeared long ago? In short, I enjoy Social Studies because it has a slight air of mystery. My least favorite class, and probably the most intimidating of this year, is Algebra. I have a hilarious teacher, but Algebra is a High School class, and I do not know if I am ready for a High School class yet. When I am not in school, I enjoy chatting with my friends online and creating complex video games in a program that is at a College level. I also enjoy listening to my new MP3 Player, writing amazing stories, fantasizing about my life when I become an archaeologist, and researching my family history. Speaking of which, I wanted to tell you about my ancestors. I am part Pусский (Russian), Danish, Polska (Polish), and Irish. My Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma on my dad’s side emigrated here from Poland. Here’s a longer summary of the first page of a letter to my Grandpa from a family member I’ve never heard of (this letter). My family lived in the small town of Krenitza, a crossroad between Bialystowk in Poland and Minsk in Russia. Avram Yitzhak and “Mami” Gellerstein ran an inn. My great-great-grandma Feigel (and her family) came from Prusheny, another small town. My great-great-grandpa’s name was Mordechai. My family lived a life of poverty and degradation because they were Jewish. It seems that when they were living in Krenitza, there was feud going on over the border of Russia and Poland. One day, they could be living in Poland, the next, Russia. I don’t want to skirt the border between biography and autobiography, so let’s get back to me. I listen to mostly pop music, such as Hilary Duff, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, and many other great artists. I think that what some people don’t understand about me is that although I may not be the greatest-looking person on the planet, I am a good friend. What I don’t understand is why people judge me by my appearance. Some people just love making fun of me, but I have tons of great friends, and I’m thankful for that.
Sincerely,
[edit] My Music
I like to listen to some classical, R & B, a little bit of hip-hop, mostly pop, some rock, some jazz, and some international music, mostly from Africa. I also like to listen to Avril Lavigne, Blue October, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, and many other artists.
[edit] Artist Pages
[edit] Video Games
I love to play video games, and I have a lot of them, including the following:
[edit] My Famous Family
I have some famous family members, but a few of them, I have yet to find out who they are. Some famous family is Sam Bass, a pirate, and my great-uncle was the inventor of bubble wrap (supposedly). I am also supposed to be related to Alexander the Great, but that wouldn't surprise me since he had many children who had many children, who had many children, who had many children, etc.
[edit] My Family Roots
Both sides of my family came from Poland, but my dad's side of the family came from Poland and Russia. This is the whole of a letter written to my grandfather from an unknown relation:
[edit] The Family Letter
Dear Marshall,
I spoke to my mother Sunday and she said you had written looking for some information about our family. She will probably write to you soon, but is tied up right now doing a term paper for school. As you may know she has been going to college for the past few years and works very hard at it. We are all very proud of her. I thought I would write to send along the enclosed rough family tree, which I developed. I hope you can make it out.
About a year before my father died, I sat down with a tape recorder and taped about four hours of his memories of growing up in Russia, his family and where he lived. I've done a very rough transcription of it, but it sounds very much like a stream of conscious story. From what I know, however, let me give you some of the story of our family. You may already know much of this from your father.
Our family came from the village of Krenitza, a small cross roads with about 50 families. The next town of any size was what my father called Shershev, but which is called Shershevo on most modern maps. Both towns were close to the great forest of Bialoweissa. This was the private game preserve of the Czars and lies on what is now the border between Poland and the Soviet Union.
Krenitza was on the road that ran between Bialystawk in Poland and Minsk in Russia. Our great-grandparents Avram Yitzhak and Mami Gellerstein operated a guest house or inn which rented rooms to the travelers between the two cities.
Our grandmother Feigel's family, the Potlevnicks (later changed to Paul), came from Prusheny, a larger town that is on the road to Minsk. My father remembered little of this side of the family except the names of aunts and uncles, although he and grandma or Bubbi as we called her, lived there for a short while before coming to America. Her father's name appears to have been Mami Dondez and her mother's name may have been Hannah. I'm not sure if Mami is actually both a man and or women's name or if my father's memory was a little foggy. My father said there Were many Mami's and his grandfather was called Mami Dondex because his father was named Dondex. So it is possible that we know the name of our great-great grandfather - Dondez Potlevnick of Prusheny. And I would guess he was born before 1820. I would guess that our paternal great grandfather Avram Yitzhak was born before 1840. In each case, I'm presuming a generation is about 20 to 25 years apart.
When our grandfather Mordechai and grandmother Feigel were married they lived in the guest house with Avram Yitzhak. Your father was probably born in that house according to my father. My father was born later in Mordechai and Feigel's house.
From my father's description of life in Krenitza it is clear that Jews of that area lived lives of poverty and degradation. Avram Yitzhak apparently had a good Jewish education and was a very religious man, but he had no trade and running the guest house was pretty much the job of his wife. His sons were also religious but also had no trades. They lived off the guest house or as peddlers or as small farmers who made most of their living buying and selling horses and cows.
Great grandmother Mami was apparently not very kind to our grandmother and eventually Mordechai and Feigel moved out of the great house and into literally a one room house. Mordechai was a quiet and religious man, but a sickly person. He had asthma or some lung condition and this limited his ability to work most of his life. As a result, Feigel was really the one who made a living and supported the family until her sons were old enough to help. Feigel became a peddler and trade goods and food among the peasants in the vicinity of Kerenitza and to the game keepers in the Bialoweissa forest. It was because of this that she got into trouble with our great grandmother. It seems Mordechai had a brother, Simcha, who had hurt his knee as a boy and was lame his whole life. Simcha was also a peddler, and great grandmother resented Feigel taking business away from Simcha. Mordechai when he was able to work seemed to have odd jobs in the area, mostly as a foreman overseeing gangs of peasants who worked at various jobs near Krenitza. For example, the peasants used to go into Bialoweissa in the summer to cut trees for shipment to Bialystowk and he oversaw their work and paid them. Also when they were building a road nearby, he paid the peasants for bring crushed rocks for the roadbed.
By the way, Biaboweissa was the place where Czar Nicholas was visiting one summer when the Czaravich, his son, fell and because of his hemophilia almost died. It was during this illness that Rasputin gained influence over the royal family. Today, Biabbweissa is still a large game preserve and the Polish government has been trying to make it a tourist attraction. Being on the Polish-Russian border, Krenitza was right in the path of the invading Germany army in 1915. The village was occupied by the Germans until 1918 when the Bolsheviks took Russia out of the war and signed a separate treaty.
This was actually a good time for our family. Many of the peasants had fled the area with the Russian army and our family moved into a larger deserted house in the village. Because the peasants were gone, they were also able to farm some of the better land which they didn't have access to before. By this time your father, Uncle Sol and Uncle David were old enough to do most of the work and supported the family. My father was the youngest and in his early teens at the time and from what he said he seems to have been Peck's bad boy. Uncle David actually got a job working as a constable for and tax collector for the Germans, He was a tall good looking man from the photo we have of him and clearly the family's pride and joy.
One of the tragic stories of our family involves David. When Mordechai died in 1918, David came to the house to sit shiva. As a constable he carried a gun, but he put it away while he was sitting shiva. One young cousin asked to look at the gun and while he was examining it, he accidentally shot David in the head and killed him. One of the most touching scenes my father describes is how grandma threw herself on David's body and cried when he died. They buried the father and son together at the same time.
After the war, Krenitza and Shershevo became part of Poland under the Treaty of Versailles. In 1920, however, war broke out again. This time between Poland and the Bolsheviks who apparently felt they got a bad deal out of the treaty and wanted to recapture the lands that had been given to Poland. Again, our family was right in the middle of the fighting. When the Germans came in 1915 the Russian army was in rapid retreat so there was little fighting in the area. But during the Polish-Russian War the fighting in the area was fierce, with control of the town changing daily. My father describes how they would have to lie on the floor of the house while bullets flews through the house. In the morning when they came out they found the fields around the town covered with dead soldiers.
One time when the Bolsheviks came through they wanted to confiscate our family's horses and cows. But the family had hidden them in Bialoweissa. The Russian capatin took out his gun and held it at grandma's head and told your father and Uncle Sol that if they didn't go and get the animals he would kill grandma. My mother says that it later years; grandma told her how afraid she was as she sat there. She was afraid the captain would lose his patience and also that the other peasants who had animals in the forest wouldn't let your father take his animals. But they did get them and brought them home.
The Russians wanted one of the brothers to go with them to drive the horse and wagon and grandma sent my father because she was afraid that your father and uncle Sol were old enough that the Russian might press them into service and not let them come back. My father was about 16 at the time. He tells a story about when he went with the Russians and got caught in a Polish ambush and tried to escape but had the Russians and the Poles shooting at him. The Russians eaught up with him and made him come back with them. Finally, he stopped feeding the horse and the animal collapsed. When it did the Russians just left my father and the horse behind. He started to feed the animal again and got it strong enough to walk again and he took the horse back home.
After David had died and by the time this fighting took place, it became clear to the family that they had to leave Europe. Uncle Morris and Aunt Sadie were already in America and were urging the family to join them. It seems at the same time there were some Zionists in the Shershevo area and they tried to talk your father, Sol and my father into going to Palestine. Since they were farmers, Palestine needed them, the Zionists would say. But Morris and Sadie prevailed. Because Harry and Sol were older, they could not go directly to America and had to go to Argentina first, but my father was young enough to travel as a minor with grandma who could come to America because Morris was here. Sol and Harry left first, leaving my father and grandma in Krenitza. Shortly afterwards, however, my father and grandma moved to Prusheny to stay while they were waiting for their papers to be cleared by the Polish government. My father says that Simcha and two of his sons still lived in Krenitza when he left there. They didn't want to come to America because they were very religious and knew they would have to work on Saturday.
I hope you find this all of interest and helpful to you. If you need or want more details let me know. Someday I hope to edit the entire transcript and have it printed up for all the members of the family and will provide you a copy.
My mother says you have remarried. Tami and I both wish you the very best. If you are ever in the Washington area, please come visit. You know we have a daughter named Judi too.
[edit] My Business
I run a small home business called Create-a-Game. It is not available to the public, so I only sell to my friends. The main idea of the business is that the customer chooses what he/she wants in their game and what it is going to be like (sound, characters, enemies, scrolling shooter, etc.). Then I make it for them on a special program I have downloaded. To find the program, look in external links. It comes with a number of sprites, backgrounds, sounds, and music. Unless you are willing to pay $20 for the Pro-Edition, I suggest you download the 'Lite' Edition of Game Maker. It is a lot of fun, and when you learn the basics of the program, it is going to be very easy to understand. It is for those aspiring computer graphics editors and computer game creators. I use Game Maker 7 by Mark Overmars. At the moment I am working on a few projects.
[edit] 3D Modeling
I also use a program called Blender to make 3D models of various objects for other programs. There is a page in WikiBooks that is located in the external links section. There is also the page to download Blender in the external links. It is free and easy to download. It is also great software for aspiring graphics editors.
[edit] My Supernatural Experiences
I know that most people don't believe in the supernatural; I, myself, believe that the supernatural can be out there, not that it is. I do a bit of exploring in the supernatural world; I enjoy non-fiction and even fictional books about ghosts, ghouls, and the unexplained. Although I am not a believer (that much), I have witnessed a few unexplained phenomena. If you are in the midst of a creature of folklore, a non-existent fright, trust me, you will be scared beyond comprehension.
[edit] A True Ghost Story
When I was younger, maybe 12, I went to a good friend's house. We were just hanging around, laughing, when one of the girls became tired, and asked if we could go to sleep. We agreed, so, since everyone else in the room was lazy and on the floor, they asked me to turn off the light. I went and turned it off, turning my back to a door down the hall. I walked back to my seat in the comfy chair where I was to sleep, then closed my eyes. I couldn't fall asleep, so I opened them again and sat up higher in the chair, looking down the hallway into a room belonging to my friend's brother, Elijah. In the doorway was a shape, stark white. I had my glasses off, I couldn't see it very well, but they were by my side, on a table. I reached over and put them on, still staring at the doorway. The shape didn't go away. Now I was terrified. My friends were still talking to each other quietly, so I alerted them, and said, "Something is in the doorway of Elijah's room." They all looked to the doorway, saying quietly, "Yeah, there's something there," and, "What is that?" The girls started getting scared, so they told me to get up and turn on the light. I got up and quickly ran to the light switch, shivering and shaking with fear. I am a very big wimp. I turned on the light and looked to the doorway. Nothing. It was gone. This went throughout the night, and when Lindsay, my friend's older sister, came home, we freaked her out with tales of what monstrous creature lurked in Elijah's room. She ran to her bedroom, scared out of her wits, and quietly closed the door, turning on the light in her bedroom quickly. Those of us who were scared switched sleeping spots with other people. I got the couch, scared that something would happen if I fell asleep, but slowly, my eyes closed, and I did fall to sleep. The next day, we were acting completely normal, as if nothing had happened, but we did tell my friend's parents what had happened to us. As usual, the adults were unconvinced, and we were stuck with the knowledge of life after death.
[edit] Another True Ghost Story
I was sitting in the movie theater next to my friend, two seats from my mom. I felt somebody lightly kicking on the back of my seat. I turned around to see who it was, but then I realized the whole row behind us was empty. I asked my friend if she was messing around with me, but as I suspected, she claimed not to be. I sat completely still, watching her arm closest to seat. It wasn't moving a single millimeter, but I could feel the light kicks on the back of my chair. It scared me a lot.
[edit] Reading
I love reading. My favorite type of story is fictional horror. I also like fantasy and some non-fiction that is strange. For example, Ripley's Believe It Or Not is my favorite type of non-fiction. I also like some sci-fi, and I like, in particular, books about Egypt. I am interested in learning anything I can from non-fiction books. Textbooks from school used to be boring, but I always liked reading the Social Studies textbook. It was very interesting when I got to certain sections that I wanted to read.
[edit] Movies and Shows
I also like horror movies, fictional movies, and the occasional interesting Egypt movie.
[edit] Horror
I like the movies 1408 and Signs. I also enjoyed The Sixth Sense. Basically, my favorite horror movies are by M. Night Shyamalan.
[edit] Fantasy
I liked the movie Eragon and I'm looking forward to the new movie The Seeker. I also enjoy many fantasy television shows, including the long-over unanimated Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. I was blown away by The Last Mimzy. I enjoyed the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
[edit] Fiction
I enjoyed Bridge to Terabithia and Firehouse Dog. I also enjoyed Sky High and Hidalgo.
[edit] Stories
I write stories that are mostly about Egypt or that take place in the desert. Here is an excerpt from my latest story:
[edit] Egypt Story
The sands shimmered like liquid gold.The lake was sky blue, the fluffy white clouds reflected on the shimmering surface of the water. The palm trees swayed in the breeze, their leaves glistening with a glossy shine. I breathed deeply, taking in the hot desert air. I looked to the sand dunes, sparkling gemstones of amber. The sunset was deep maroon, as if lit by an inner fire.
[edit] Egypt Story 2
The windswept dunes stretched for miles in every direction. The setting sun cast a heavenly glow upon them. The oasis below me shimmered dazzling colors of blue, yellow, green, and many others. The water glistened, clear and bright. The green palm trees swayed gently in the wind. The sky was an astonishing color of red. Everything around me was perfect. Until that fateful day. It all started when I was walking up the side of a monstrosity of a dune. When I reached the top, I saw two men with guns holstered at their hips. They were looking about warily. The men were both tall and had huge muscles. Their faces were clean and shaven. I ducked behind the edge of the sand dune. Suddenly I realized that there was a huge hole behind them. The man on the right whispered over his shoulder, "Are you done yet?” Another voice came out of the hole. "Almost!" it said. A little man jumped out of the hole. He was about five feet tall and was skinny as a twig. He had a pale skin tone and wore small wire-rimmed glasses. He had dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't slept in days. He had five o' clock shadow. His face was smudged with dirt and sand had collected all over him. He said, "I've reached the door. Only a little further now." I wondered, What door?
[edit] The Battle Scene
The battle wore on. Swords clanked, cannon fire boomed, and the ground shook with many pounding feet. Man after man fell to the ground, dead. The field of battle was flaming with the hatred and sadness of lost and still fighting souls. Every soldier’s eyes blazed with an unimaginable fury. The generals of both armies commanded them non-stop. Suddenly, the battle stopped in mid-stride. As if in slow motion, one general collapsed. His army turned slowly to face him. They then turned back. Slowly, one by one, the army dropped their weapons. The other general's army looked at each other, looked back to the surrendered army, and broke into a wave of cheers. Their general raised his arms in triumph. Suddenly, a shot was heard. The general clasped his chest and fell backwards. A lone man stood on the opposite side of the battlefield. He had a gun in his hand. He dropped the gun. The other army stood there, dazed. The general’s assistant grabbed his sword and shouted into the still air, “You killed our general! You shall die just like him!” The assassin bellowed, “You will never take my life by that scum’s sword! If I die, it shall be standing by my fallen general’s side!” He stood there, triumphant, and let out a battle cry like no other. He ran forward, swinging his sword left and right. His army gazed on in bewilderment, a sight they had never before seen: a lone man standing up to a whole army! They snapped out of their trances and uttered battle cries into the still air as they ran toward the opposing army, ready to fight to the death.
[edit] My Page Contributions
Here, I will be listing what pages I helped start:
[edit] External Links
