Ever hear voices?

Did you ever hear voices or your name being called, only to spin around and see absolutely no one? It has happened to most of us, some say it is fate, others say the voice is a vision, or a warning, or a omen, but hearing your name called is a relatively common experience.

Statistics vary, but it’s generally accepted that between 3 and 10% of the population hear voices that other people don’t. If you include one off experiences (like hearing someone call your name when you’re out shopping, or feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket) this figure goes up to 75%. So, having at least one experience of hearing or seeing something that others around you don’t is incredibly common. Those that have never had this experience are in the minority.

There are lots of different theories and ideas to explain why people hear voices or see visions. These include:

§  A special gift or sensitivity

§  Trauma or adverse life experiences

§  Dissociation

§  Spiritual experiences

§  Biochemical (e.g. excess dopamine)

§  Paranormal experiences

§  Emotional distress

§  Physical health problems

§  Cognitive error (misattribution of ‘internal speech’)

§  Individual difference

The truth is that we do not know why people hear voices or see visions. A study published in The Lancet Psychology is the result of an online survey and in-depth analysis of people who have heard voices. What the researchers found was that there is huge variation in ways that people "hear things." For example, the stereotype of a person with schizophrenia is that they hear angry voices telling them to do terrible things — we've all seen this in countless bad movies. But many people who hear voices say that they aren't so much "voices" as they are characters, with personalities, who are trying to hold conversations. Often, they are internal voices and don't say anything aloud. It's almost as if they are exaggerated of the kinds of internal dialogues we have in our heads every day, as we debate what to do after work or whether we should really blow a bunch of money on the new MacBook.

Indeed, Durham University researcher Angela Woods, who led the study, noted that as many as 15 percent of people who report hearing voices haven't been diagnosed with any psychological disorder. She and her colleagues believe that "hearing voices" is far more complicated than anyone had ever realized — sometimes they even involve physical sensations like tingling in the hands and feet. People who hear voices say that they can be troubling, but they can also be friendly. Often, therapies can help them understand the voices as parts of themselves, cluing them into subconscious concerns.

So, it may not be the Universe, or God or a Deity calling you, but it may be someone you miss and in the depths of your mind you know misses you that you think they are talking as if you can hear them.

So don’t worry, there is not a spirit waving about its arms excitedly as it speak, it is not getting so carried away that they have ended up volunteering you for "Dancing with the Angels" by blurting your name out so loud that it broke the time-space barrier. That would be exciting, but there is probably a relatively mundane reason for this voice calling to you.

Is Time running out?

The simple answer is no, but if you think about it to much then time can keep slipping into the future. You only ever have to do what you're capable of doing, because by design, no matter how things appear, you'll always have enough time to do it, you'll do even better than you thought, and life will get even richer than you imagined.

So go out and Fly like the Eagle, as you listen to the Steve Miller Band

How many of you believe in telekinesis?

Ten one-liners along with some other attempts to make you laugh. Enjoy

 1.    It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere

2.    42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

3.    A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

4.    Joseph Stalin's grave was a Communist Plot.

5.    A day without sunshine is like, night.

6.    99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name

7.     He who laughs last thinks slowest.

8.    Think about it: Honk if you love peace and quiet.

9.    When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just "chunky dunk.".
10 I was in my garden last night and I swore I could hear an onion singing a Bee Gees song. Turns out it was just the chives talking.

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Two elderly vultures decided they would fly south this year for vacation, so they make reservations with an airline. They arrived at the airport, and the clerk looked at their luggage and asked if they wanted to check in as baggage the two dead raccoons they brought with them to snack on. "No," the vultures said. "They're carrion."

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Even the most advanced programs from Norton or McAfee cannot take care of this one. It appears to affect those of us who were born prior to 1950.

Symptoms:

1. Causes you to send the same e-mail twice.

2. Causes you to send a blank e-mail.

3. Causes you to send an e-mail to the wrong person.

4. Causes you to send it back to the person who sent it to you.

5. Causes you to forget to attach the attachment.

6. Causes you to hit "SEND" before you've finished.

7. Causes you to hit "DELETE" instead of "SEND."

8. Causes you to hit "SEND" when you should "DELETE."

IT IS CALLED THE "C-NILE VIRUS."

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A band director was standing outside on a metal ladder during a concert, when a thunderstorm broke out. Amazingly, he wasn't hit by lightning,  - it seems he just wasn't a very good conductor.

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Try this simple calculation to test your brain. Don't use a calculator.

Take 1000 and add 40 to it.

Now add another 1000.

Now add 30.

Now add another 1000.

Now add 20.

Now add another 1000.

Now add 10.

What is the total?

Did you get 5000? Most people do but that's incorrect.

Check with your calculator if you got 5000.

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For those of you who watch what you eat...Here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

3. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

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I went to the Doctor with an earache. He said there was a piece of lettuce in my ear. "Is that serious?" I asked him. "Serious?!? " he said, "this is just the tip of the iceberg."

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Finally, How many of you believe in telekinesis?      

Raise my hand.

Optimism may boost women's longevity

The following is partly taken from the MNT Knowledge Center on an article on Optimism and Women written by Honor Whiteman in December 2016. For the full article go here.

Is the glass half full or is it half empty? The answer to this question may not seem to be a matter of life or death, but for women, it could be. New research suggests women who have a positive outlook on life are less likely to die prematurely than those who are less optimistic. A number of studies  have suggested that people who are optimistic tend to have better mental and physical health than those who are pessimistic

As it is commonly understood, the term ‘optimism’ embraces two closely correlated concepts: the first is the inclination to hope, while the second more generally refers to the tendency to believe that we live in “the best of all possible worlds”, as coined by the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in his famous theodicy, ridiculed in Voltaire’s Candide.

Optimism is a tendency to expect good things in the future. From the literature, it is apparent that optimism is a mental attitude that heavily influences physical and mental health, as well as coping with everyday social and working life. Through an adaptive management of personal goals and development and by using active coping tactics, optimists are significantly more successful than pessimists in aversive events and when important life-goals are impaired.

To reach their findings, the researchers analysed 2004-2012 data from around 70,000 women who were part of the Nurses' Health Study - an ongoing project that assesses women's health through surveys conducted every 2 years.

Kim and colleagues looked at the self-reported optimism of each participant, as well as other factors that might contribute to mortality risks, such as high blood pressure, diet, and exercise.

Compared with women in the lowest quartile of optimism, those in the highest quartile of optimism were found to be nearly 30 percent less likely to die from all causes.

Looking at individual illnesses, the researchers found that women who were the most optimistic were 16 percent less likely to die from cancer, 38 percent less likely to die from heart disease, and 39 percent less likely to die from stroke, compared with women who were the least optimistic.

Additionally, women in the top quartile of optimism were at 38 percent lower risk of death from respiratory disease and were 52 percent less likely to die from infection, compared with those in the bottom quartile.

The researchers note that previous studies have linked optimism to reduced risk of cardiovascular death, but theirs is the first to associate the mental attitude with reduced mortality from other major illnesses.

When accounting for healthy behaviours among participants, the team found that these could only partly explain the association between optimism and reduced mortality. With this in mind, Kim suggests it is possible that optimism may have a direct influence on our biological systems