Thursday, December 22
The Answer To How Santa Manages To Deliver All Of Those Presents
How does he do it? How does Father Christmas (Santa Claus) manage to deliver to all of the children around the world, who believe in him? That's about 700 million children! Also, how the heck does he get all of the presents down the chimney? As a child my mother used to tell me Santa had a special pill that made him small. but I never really bought her theory.
Now though, we have an answer! Dr Katy Sheen from Exeter University has an explanation based on Einstein's theory of relativity.
The doctor started out by calculating how fast Father Christmas would have to travel by working out the number of households likely to celebrate Christmas around the world and the number of children likely to be in them. She eventually decided that Santa would have to travel at about 10 million kilometres per hour to deliver presents to every child expected to celebrate Christmas in 31 hours, taking into account different time zones.
That all sounds like quite a problem but, by Santa going so fast - according to Einstein - objects travelling at such a speed would become compressed in size. Therefore Santa would shrink! So he'd be able to pop down all of the chimneys. with all of those presents, without any difficulty.
Santa can make his deliveries without being seen because light waves get squashed at such high speeds. He would also change from red to green, appearing as a rainbow-coloured blur. At his top speed, he would become invisible to the human eye. So that's why we never see him.
Einstein’s theory could also explain why Father Christmas appears not to have aged – relativity means time slows when an object moves at high speeds.
All very good you may say, but how does Santa travel so fast? Dr. Sheen explains, "How does Santa manage to reach these phenomenal speeds? Well that’s magic! However, he would certainly need a lot of fuel – so don’t forget his glass of sherry, a mince pie or two and some carrots for the reindeer!
No matter what the explanation. it seems you can never take the magic out of Christmas. Thank goodness for that!
Have a Happy Christmas.
Wednesday, November 16
What Makes A Person Evil?
So, what makes a person evil? Nurture? Nature? Or maybe something else. Here's a theory from a Doctor Lascelles, written back in 1925. Perhaps you may well say that this notion is 'away with the fairies' - and maybe even more so, when I tell you that the theory came after his death via a medium. But here goes anyway:
I should think there are very few of you who have not been momentarily influenced by a kind of incipient evil. Blessedly the results of these incursions are usually brief. The love of one's own associates and family often over-ride the evil influence, but there come moments in the lives of some people when they succumb to the downward thrust of obsessional thoughts. Their whole thinking process can be taken over and used by external forces, hence the fact of violent crime or bitterly unloving attitudes.
Police reports show that men imprisoned for mischievous and evil pranks return to society no better. They continue inflicting themselves upon their environments and even terrorising their neighbours.
Most people are peace loving, even though they often fail to achieve the peace they seek, but others cannot be changed by penal sentences. Some day governments will see the futility of jailing offenders who are actually obsessed, or rather possessed, by what I call the diaka.
These people need rescuing, not jailing. I think that a great many of so-called supernatural phenomena of today such as hauntings of premises and actual possession of individuals, the propagation of the drug traffic, immorality in general, civil disturbance and war are caused by the diaka - you might call them devils, but it is better to call them deeply disturbed etheric beings who cannot adapt themselves to their condition and seek only to wreak damage and revenge upon living people. They do this, of course, by affecting the minds of individuals and causing them to act in criminal, immoral and irresponsible ways.
In such cases it is not the one who appears to commit the offence who is really guilty, it is the one who influences the offender. If only this were better understood the burdens of modern society would be lightened. Your high security jails are infiltrated with evil forces. The occupants of these jails need spiritual healing every bit as much as their victims need physical healing.
~ Dr. Lascelles
Police reports show that men imprisoned for mischievous and evil pranks return to society no better. They continue inflicting themselves upon their environments and even terrorising their neighbours.
Most people are peace loving, even though they often fail to achieve the peace they seek, but others cannot be changed by penal sentences. Some day governments will see the futility of jailing offenders who are actually obsessed, or rather possessed, by what I call the diaka.
These people need rescuing, not jailing. I think that a great many of so-called supernatural phenomena of today such as hauntings of premises and actual possession of individuals, the propagation of the drug traffic, immorality in general, civil disturbance and war are caused by the diaka - you might call them devils, but it is better to call them deeply disturbed etheric beings who cannot adapt themselves to their condition and seek only to wreak damage and revenge upon living people. They do this, of course, by affecting the minds of individuals and causing them to act in criminal, immoral and irresponsible ways.
In such cases it is not the one who appears to commit the offence who is really guilty, it is the one who influences the offender. If only this were better understood the burdens of modern society would be lightened. Your high security jails are infiltrated with evil forces. The occupants of these jails need spiritual healing every bit as much as their victims need physical healing.
~ Dr. Lascelles
Evil does seem to abound within our world and, though you may not accept the Doctor's ideas, there are influences out there on, say, the Internet, for example, that can corrupt those who extensively read and view such material.
Other Random Posts:
23 Funny Children's Letters To God
Suspended In Space Like Salvador Dali And His Cats
The Red Balloon Coincidence
Sunday, November 6
Make Love Not War - And The World Will React - Perhaps
Often when people write about coincidences and other such things they talk about how everything is linked together: people, the past, the present, the future and everything else that exists. If this is the case we must have the ability to influence everything - dependent on the strength of our mind. Take plants as an example.
People often mock when others say that they talk to their plants to make them grow better. But if everything is linked it's not such a silly notion at all. In fact it's been proven.
Take, for instance, the experiment of Dr Robert Miller, a professor from Georgia. He wondered if the mind could affect the growth of rye grass. I don't know why he picked on rye grass, but guess he had to choose something.
He set about finding out how quickly the rye grass grew from seed. Once the grass had sprouted he used a special instrument with a feather like arm to measure growth. This was connected to a moving drum where a chart recorded the increase.
He discovered that the rye grass grew at 0.00625 of an inch per hour - if left to it's own devices.
Having established this average growth he contacted two psychic healers Ambrose and Olga Worrall who lived hundreds of miles away. There job was to hold his rye grass in their minds starting at exactly 9pm.
The next day he checked the figures. The chart showed a steady continued average growth until 9pm, and then the growth started to increase. By 8am the next morning it was now growing at 0.525 of an inch per hour - an increase of 740%.
Using electronics Pierre Paul Sauvin discovered that plants respond to pleasure. He'd previously done tests that showed that if a plant was going to be injured - even if this was only a thought held in his mind - the plant would respond when attached to a galvanometer monitoring electrical activity.
One weekend Sauvin went for an overnight stay at his country cottage with his girlfriend. One thing turned to another and during the night the couple made love.
When he returned to his workshop, where his plants were housed, he found that the equipment attached to his plants, to record electrical activity, showed a dramatic increase at the same time as he had been having sex. At the moment of orgasm the marker pen - which recorded the data - flipped straight off the trace paper!
There are lots and lots of experiments with plants and their responses. Like everything else in the world they respond to love. So if we think nice thoughts and, like the old hippies, make love not war the world would perhaps become a nicer place.
Everything we do creates a reaction somewhere - probably, perhaps.
Other Random Posts:
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Top 10 Coincidence And Synchronicity Stories
Death Has A Preference For Birthdays!
Saturday, October 29
Suspended In Space Like Salvador Dali And His Cats
The photo above is by an American photographer Philippe Halsman in a collaboration with the surrealist artist Salvador Dali and was taken back in 1948.
The theme of the photo - titled Dali Atomicus - is suspension. Dali himself, the three cats, the water, the bucket and a footstool are all suspended in mid air.
The picture was created as a reference to Dali's painting Leda Atomica - which can be seen to the right of the photograph behind two of the suspended cats.
A copy of the painting Leda Atomica is shown below and depicts Leda, the Queen of Sparta, with a swan - again all are suspended: Leda isn't actually sitting on the pedestal and the swan, together with an egg, stools, a book and set square all 'float' around the central nude figure.
The model for Leda was Dali's wife Gala.
Salvador Dali himself describes his painting thus:
"Dali shows us the hierarchized libidinous emotion, suspended and as though hanging in midair, in accordance with the modern 'nothing touches' theory of intra-atomic physics. Leda does not touch the swan; Leda does not touch the pedestal; the pedestal does not touch the base; the base does not touch the sea; the sea does not touch the shore ..."
As with atomic level particles we do not touch upon other things either unless, perhaps, by a meaningful coincidence or synchronicity.
In mythology Zeus raped Leda in the guise of a swan on her wedding night, while she slept with her new husband Tyndareus. This resulted in two sets of twins where one of each was immortal and the other mortal. Never trust a swan!
Other Random Posts:
23 Funny Children's Letters To God
Death Has A Preference For Birthdays!
The Bizarre 1914 Photo Coincidence
Monday, October 24
Death Has A Preference For Birthdays!
William Shakespeare born and died on same day |
But it wasn't this that solely interested me.
Jimmy was born at midday on October 11, 1913 and he died, at the age of 103, at midday October 11, 2016!
According to the statisticians the odds of dying at the same day and time you were born are approximately 200 million to one. So quite a coincidence.
This interested me as a while back I wrote the following post on the same subject:
I was doing some research on Sir Kenelm Digby, who lived in England in the 1600s. I don't suppose many will have heard of him. Here's Wikipedia's description is:
"Sir Kenelm Digby, (born June 11, 1603, Gayhurst, Buckinghamshire, England - died June 11, 1665, London), English courtier, philosopher, diplomat, and scientist of the reign of Charles I."
What I noticed was that he was born and died on the same day i.e. 11th of June. His tombstone even stresses this fact:
I also remembered that William Shakespeare was also born and died on the same day: the 23rd of April (though some historians have differing opinions). "So," I wondered, "Is there any meaning to these same day births and deaths?" And this started me going off on a side-track from Kenelm Digby.
The first thing I found was some research done in Switzerland. They headed this: Death has a preference for birthdays - an analysis of death time series. They discovered that you are 14% more likely to die on your birthday than on any other day of the year! How weird is that! Source.
The study says, "We analyzed data from the Swiss mortality statistics 1969–2008. Deaths below the age of 1 were excluded from the analysis. Time series of frequencies of deaths were based on differences between the day of death and the day of birth."
One of their conclusions was: "In general, birthdays do not evoke a postponement mechanism but appear to end up in a lethal way more frequently than expected."
At first you might think that those close to dying might 'hang on' for their birthday for some reason or other - but the researchers found this not to be the case. As they put it: "Something on your birthday kills you." Now that could put a damper on birthday parties!
I must admit I haven't found anything of any great meaning to dying on your birthday but here's a list of some of those who have the same birthday and death dates:
Ingrid Bergman: 29th of August
George Washington Carver: 5th of January
Walter Diemer: 8th of January
Allen Drury: 2nd of September
Sir Kenelm Digby: 11th of July
Betty Friedan: 4th of February
Alfred Kazin: 5th of June
George 'Machine Gun' Kelly: 17th of July
Johnny Longden: 14th of February
Levi P Morton: 16th of May
Lawrence Oates: 17th of March
Jean Piccard: 28th of January
Swede Risberg: 13th of October
Kamehameha V: 11th of December
If death does have a preference for birthdays, as the Swiss research shows, it might just pose the question: Can we influence the day of our death? Here's an illustration how we just might.
The economists Joshua Gans and Andrew Leigh published a paper in 2006 which examined the effect on death rates following a change in Australian tax law.
In 1978 the Australian government decided to abolish estate taxes - or inheritance tax. The estates of anyone who died on or after 1 July 1979 would escape tax. The estates of anyone who died before that date would not. The data suggests a significant number of deaths were 'postponed' long enough to avoid paying tax.
"If the very ill are able to move their date of death forwards as well as backwards," says Joshua Gans, "any country that introduces an inheritance tax should expect a spike in the death rate in the week before such a law takes effect."
"Sir Kenelm Digby, (born June 11, 1603, Gayhurst, Buckinghamshire, England - died June 11, 1665, London), English courtier, philosopher, diplomat, and scientist of the reign of Charles I."
What I noticed was that he was born and died on the same day i.e. 11th of June. His tombstone even stresses this fact:
Under this tomb the matchless Digby lies,
Digby the great, the valiant, and the wise:
This age's wonder for his noble parts,
Skilled in nix tongues, and learned in all the arts:
Born on the day he died, the eleventh of June
On which he bravely fought at Scanderoon;
'Tis rare that one and the same day should be
His day of birth, of death and victory.
I also remembered that William Shakespeare was also born and died on the same day: the 23rd of April (though some historians have differing opinions). "So," I wondered, "Is there any meaning to these same day births and deaths?" And this started me going off on a side-track from Kenelm Digby.
The first thing I found was some research done in Switzerland. They headed this: Death has a preference for birthdays - an analysis of death time series. They discovered that you are 14% more likely to die on your birthday than on any other day of the year! How weird is that! Source.
The study says, "We analyzed data from the Swiss mortality statistics 1969–2008. Deaths below the age of 1 were excluded from the analysis. Time series of frequencies of deaths were based on differences between the day of death and the day of birth."
One of their conclusions was: "In general, birthdays do not evoke a postponement mechanism but appear to end up in a lethal way more frequently than expected."
At first you might think that those close to dying might 'hang on' for their birthday for some reason or other - but the researchers found this not to be the case. As they put it: "Something on your birthday kills you." Now that could put a damper on birthday parties!
I must admit I haven't found anything of any great meaning to dying on your birthday but here's a list of some of those who have the same birthday and death dates:
Ingrid Bergman |
George Washington Carver: 5th of January
Walter Diemer: 8th of January
Allen Drury: 2nd of September
Sir Kenelm Digby: 11th of July
Betty Friedan: 4th of February
Alfred Kazin: 5th of June
George 'Machine Gun' Kelly: 17th of July
Johnny Longden: 14th of February
Levi P Morton: 16th of May
Lawrence Oates: 17th of March
Jean Piccard: 28th of January
Swede Risberg: 13th of October
Kamehameha V: 11th of December
If death does have a preference for birthdays, as the Swiss research shows, it might just pose the question: Can we influence the day of our death? Here's an illustration how we just might.
The economists Joshua Gans and Andrew Leigh published a paper in 2006 which examined the effect on death rates following a change in Australian tax law.
In 1978 the Australian government decided to abolish estate taxes - or inheritance tax. The estates of anyone who died on or after 1 July 1979 would escape tax. The estates of anyone who died before that date would not. The data suggests a significant number of deaths were 'postponed' long enough to avoid paying tax.
"If the very ill are able to move their date of death forwards as well as backwards," says Joshua Gans, "any country that introduces an inheritance tax should expect a spike in the death rate in the week before such a law takes effect."
But, whatever, go careful when it's your birthday!
Other Random Posts:
Impossible Pie: A Way Of Life And Death
Is Enjoying Life Only A Delusion?
The Unusual Contact With Her Dead Mother
Wednesday, October 19
Is Enjoying Life Only A Delusion?
Here's a little something attributed to Zhuangzi of the 4th Century BC. He's the guy who dreamt he was a butterfly but when he awoke he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or was a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Life is full of quandaries!
"How do I know that enjoying life is not a delusion?
"How do I know that in hating death we are not like people who got lost in early childhood and do not know the way home?
"Lady Li was the child of a border guard in Ai. When first captured by the state of Jin, she wept so much her clothes were soaked. But after she entered the palace, shared the king's bed, and dined on the finest meats, she regretted her tears.
"How do I know that the dead do not regret their previous longing for life?
"One who dreams of drinking wine may in the morning weep; one who dreams weeping may in the morning go out to hunt. During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream.
"Only after the great awakening will we realise that this is the great dream. And yet fools think they are awake, presuming to know that they are rulers or herdsmen. How dense!
"You and Confucius are both dreaming, and I who say you are a dream am also a dream.
"Such is my tale. It will probably be called preposterous, but after ten thousand generations there may be a great sage who will be able to explain it, a trivial interval equivalent to the passage from morning to night."
"How do I know that in hating death we are not like people who got lost in early childhood and do not know the way home?
"Lady Li was the child of a border guard in Ai. When first captured by the state of Jin, she wept so much her clothes were soaked. But after she entered the palace, shared the king's bed, and dined on the finest meats, she regretted her tears.
"How do I know that the dead do not regret their previous longing for life?
"One who dreams of drinking wine may in the morning weep; one who dreams weeping may in the morning go out to hunt. During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream.
"Only after the great awakening will we realise that this is the great dream. And yet fools think they are awake, presuming to know that they are rulers or herdsmen. How dense!
"You and Confucius are both dreaming, and I who say you are a dream am also a dream.
"Such is my tale. It will probably be called preposterous, but after ten thousand generations there may be a great sage who will be able to explain it, a trivial interval equivalent to the passage from morning to night."
One thing I would query with Zhuangzi is when he writes: "During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming." I have had dreams where I have thought that there was no need to worry as I was only dreaming whatever appeared to be happening. These are usually called Lucid dreams. Aristotle wrote: "...often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream."
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Poldark Lives On At St Winnow Cornwall
Fossil Roots Over 235 Million Years Old
Saturday, October 15
The Murder Coincidences As History Repeats Itself
This is a remarkable coincidence story which features the murder of two 20 year old girls - but the killings were 157 years apart. Could this be a case of history repeating itself or maybe even reincarnation?
It was May 27 1974, a May Public Holiday, and the semi-naked body of twenty year old Barbara Forrest was found in Birmingham, England on parkland.
In the evening Barbara had been out with her boyfriend to several pubs in the Birmingham city centre. Afterwards she made her own way home by the number 67 bus while her boyfriend caught a bus to take him home in another direction.
Barbara's body was found, just 500 yards from her home, in a shallow ditch beneath bracken. A murder investigation swung into action led by Detective Superintendent Mick Lenehan.
The problem was that no one remembered seeing her on the 67 bus. It turned out that her boyfriend left her at the bus stop, but didn't see her actually get on the bus.
The work by more than 100 detectives appeared to have eventually paid off when they arrested Michael Thornton and charged him with murder.
Seven days into Thornton's trial he was acquitted. The judge ruled that the evidence against him was only circumstantial.
Now we turn the clock back even further to 1817, still in Birmingham, again on the same May Public Holiday. There was another murder, that of twenty year old Mary Ashford.
Mary had been out to a pub, the Tyburn House Inn. As the evening finished she made her own way home. Her body was later found lying submerged in dirty water. She had been sexually assaulted.
A farmer was arrested for her murder. His name - Thornton. He was sent for trial and was deemed to be not guilty.
Mary Ashford was buried in Sutton Coldfield churchyard. The inscription read: "As a warning to female virtue and a humble monument to female chastity this stone marks the grave of Mary Ashford who on the twentieth year of her age having incautiously repaired to a scene of amusement without proper protection was brutally murdered on 27th May 1817."
If we look at the two murders there are many coincidences:
(1) Both Barbara Forrest and Mary Ashford had the same birth-date, though 157 years apart.
(2) They were 20 years old.
(3) They had both been sexually assaulted and then strangled.
(4) Their bodies were found in the same area - about 300 yards apart.
(5) Both bodies were found on the same day: May 27th - a Public Holiday.
(6) For both murders a man called Thornton was arrested and sent for trial.
(7) Both men were acquitted of the murders.
(8) The week prior to her murder Barbara Forrest is quoted as telling a work colleague, "This is going to be my unlucky month. I just know it. Don’t ask me why."
(9) The week before Mary Ashford was murdered she told her friend's mother that she had, "Bad feelings about the week to come".
Are these simply coincidences, as many will claim, or is there something much more to them. Did history repeat itself, maybe for a reason? Was Barbara a reincarnation of Mary? Did they both sense their deaths? There are so many questions, none of which we can answer with certainty.
Other Random Posts:
Cleopatra's Needle Didn't Want To Come To London
Fossil Roots Over 235 Million Years Old
Dreams And Precognition Of The Aberfan Disaster
It was May 27 1974, a May Public Holiday, and the semi-naked body of twenty year old Barbara Forrest was found in Birmingham, England on parkland.
In the evening Barbara had been out with her boyfriend to several pubs in the Birmingham city centre. Afterwards she made her own way home by the number 67 bus while her boyfriend caught a bus to take him home in another direction.
Barbara's body was found, just 500 yards from her home, in a shallow ditch beneath bracken. A murder investigation swung into action led by Detective Superintendent Mick Lenehan.
The problem was that no one remembered seeing her on the 67 bus. It turned out that her boyfriend left her at the bus stop, but didn't see her actually get on the bus.
The work by more than 100 detectives appeared to have eventually paid off when they arrested Michael Thornton and charged him with murder.
Seven days into Thornton's trial he was acquitted. The judge ruled that the evidence against him was only circumstantial.
Now we turn the clock back even further to 1817, still in Birmingham, again on the same May Public Holiday. There was another murder, that of twenty year old Mary Ashford.
Mary had been out to a pub, the Tyburn House Inn. As the evening finished she made her own way home. Her body was later found lying submerged in dirty water. She had been sexually assaulted.
A farmer was arrested for her murder. His name - Thornton. He was sent for trial and was deemed to be not guilty.
Mary Ashford was buried in Sutton Coldfield churchyard. The inscription read: "As a warning to female virtue and a humble monument to female chastity this stone marks the grave of Mary Ashford who on the twentieth year of her age having incautiously repaired to a scene of amusement without proper protection was brutally murdered on 27th May 1817."
If we look at the two murders there are many coincidences:
(1) Both Barbara Forrest and Mary Ashford had the same birth-date, though 157 years apart.
(2) They were 20 years old.
(3) They had both been sexually assaulted and then strangled.
(4) Their bodies were found in the same area - about 300 yards apart.
(5) Both bodies were found on the same day: May 27th - a Public Holiday.
(6) For both murders a man called Thornton was arrested and sent for trial.
(7) Both men were acquitted of the murders.
(8) The week prior to her murder Barbara Forrest is quoted as telling a work colleague, "This is going to be my unlucky month. I just know it. Don’t ask me why."
(9) The week before Mary Ashford was murdered she told her friend's mother that she had, "Bad feelings about the week to come".
Are these simply coincidences, as many will claim, or is there something much more to them. Did history repeat itself, maybe for a reason? Was Barbara a reincarnation of Mary? Did they both sense their deaths? There are so many questions, none of which we can answer with certainty.
Other Random Posts:
Cleopatra's Needle Didn't Want To Come To London
Fossil Roots Over 235 Million Years Old
Dreams And Precognition Of The Aberfan Disaster
Wednesday, October 12
Fossil Roots Over 235 Million Years Old
Fossil roots, or rhizocretions in the cliffs. Photo: Mike Perry |
About 235 million years ago, during the Triassic Period, ancient plants grew here amongst the shifting streams of a desert river.
The roots of these thirsty plants burrowed down into the soft red sand of the desert, drawing up any water they could find. Minerals that were dissolved in the water grew in crystals around the roots, encasing them.
As time passed the streams moved and the plants died but the modules that encased the roots remained.
What can be seen nowadays, in the cliffs, are fossil roots, or rhizocretions. Budleigh Salterton is one of the only places where they can be seen without having to scale the heights of the cliffs.
Always amazes me to see such things that are so very old. Our lives are but the blink of an eye.
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The Red Balloon Coincidence
More Animal Love
Labels:
Budleigh Salterton,
Fossils,
History,
Triassic Period
Sunday, October 9
The Coincidence Of The Purple Car At Woodstock
A 67 Not Out reader's coincidence story today, which may also have a touch of telepathy involved. My thanks to Megan T. for sending this to me - appreciated.
Your site inspired me to start writing down some strange coincidences that have happened to me in the past. This one is the oddest/creepiest/coolest:
Just some background, I grew up in Kingston, NY which is about 90 miles from NYC (just for perspective) and about 10 miles from Woodstock, NY.
One afternoon about 11 years ago, a friend and I drove to Woodstock so I could buy my mom a mothers day gift. When we were done, we had nothing to do so decided on a whim to go on a nice drive near the reservoir, which was about 20 miles down the road and in the opposite direction of Kingston.
When we got there, we drove around for a bit then decided on yet another whim to go exploring in the hills behind the reservoir. We drove and drove and at one point, I looked in the rear-view mirror and thought I saw a purple car way behind us. I thought, "That's weird ... the only person I know with a purple car is Ryan," then dismissed it and kept driving and chatting with my friend.
Several minutes later a purple car went flying past us in the opposite direction. This time I could clearly see that the driver was in fact my brother Ryan, and my other brother Seth in the passenger seat. He saw me too and turned around. We stopped on the side of the road to say hi and how weird it was that we'd run into each other in such a remote, obscure place.
When I asked what they were doing way the hell out here, they said they had just left Woodstock, they were there buying mom a mothers day gift at XYZ shop (I forget the name, blame it on aging lol) and when they were done, decided randomly to go for a drive back here.
Turns out I bought mom's gift at XYZ and my brothers were in the same shop minutes after I left.
- Megan T.
Just some background, I grew up in Kingston, NY which is about 90 miles from NYC (just for perspective) and about 10 miles from Woodstock, NY.
One afternoon about 11 years ago, a friend and I drove to Woodstock so I could buy my mom a mothers day gift. When we were done, we had nothing to do so decided on a whim to go on a nice drive near the reservoir, which was about 20 miles down the road and in the opposite direction of Kingston.
When we got there, we drove around for a bit then decided on yet another whim to go exploring in the hills behind the reservoir. We drove and drove and at one point, I looked in the rear-view mirror and thought I saw a purple car way behind us. I thought, "That's weird ... the only person I know with a purple car is Ryan," then dismissed it and kept driving and chatting with my friend.
Several minutes later a purple car went flying past us in the opposite direction. This time I could clearly see that the driver was in fact my brother Ryan, and my other brother Seth in the passenger seat. He saw me too and turned around. We stopped on the side of the road to say hi and how weird it was that we'd run into each other in such a remote, obscure place.
When I asked what they were doing way the hell out here, they said they had just left Woodstock, they were there buying mom a mothers day gift at XYZ shop (I forget the name, blame it on aging lol) and when they were done, decided randomly to go for a drive back here.
Turns out I bought mom's gift at XYZ and my brothers were in the same shop minutes after I left.
- Megan T.
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Labels:
Coincidence,
Coincidence Example,
Coincidence story
Wednesday, September 21
World War 2 Coincidence In Cologne
This coincidence story is by joynsonatkinson and is taken from WW2 People's War. This is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found here.
In late 1946 I was walking along the embankment of the river Rhine in the much bombed city of Cologne. I was wearing my army uniform for security reasons. I walked along the embankment with the Holenz-Holenz Bridge, now a twisted mass to my rear. The impressive spires of Cologne Cathedral were to my front.
Walking towards me was a German gentleman leading a very beautiful German Shepherd dog. I stooped to pat the dog and its master exclaimed, "Rex".
He then asked me if I was still in the army. I replied saying that I had recently been released after serving seven years.
He then inquired if I had ever served in the Channel Islands. I replied that I had trained in Alderney.
He then looked at me closely and his face broke into a huge smile. Shaking my hand vigorously he exclaimed, "I saw your photograph in the chemist's shop in St Anne's, Alderney."
My photograph, along with my comrade Michael and some other soldiers, had been taken outside St Anne's Church. It had been 'blown up' to half full size and had been exhibited in the chemist's shop window. A truly remarkable coincidence.
Walking towards me was a German gentleman leading a very beautiful German Shepherd dog. I stooped to pat the dog and its master exclaimed, "Rex".
He then asked me if I was still in the army. I replied saying that I had recently been released after serving seven years.
He then inquired if I had ever served in the Channel Islands. I replied that I had trained in Alderney.
He then looked at me closely and his face broke into a huge smile. Shaking my hand vigorously he exclaimed, "I saw your photograph in the chemist's shop in St Anne's, Alderney."
My photograph, along with my comrade Michael and some other soldiers, had been taken outside St Anne's Church. It had been 'blown up' to half full size and had been exhibited in the chemist's shop window. A truly remarkable coincidence.
Other Random Posts:
Doppelgangers On The Loose!
The Unusual Contact With Her Dead Mother
Photo Taken Of Father Showed His Missing Daughter
Monday, September 19
The Babies Arrived At The Same Time Again And Again
Photo: © Mike Perry |
Several years ago I ended up in hospital after miscarrying my first child.
On the same day another woman in the ward (Mary) lost her first baby. When I was discharged, I said to her on the way out that I was sure I would see her in the maternity ward on a future occasion!
The next year, I was in the maternity ward having given birth to my daughter.
When my husband came to visit me that evening, he entered the ward and told me he had bumped into Mary's husband on the way in and that Mary had given birth to a son that same day!
I sought her out and we had quite a chat, and when I was discharged I jokingly said I would see her again!
Just over two years later I was back in the maternity giving birth to my second child, a son. I think you can guess the rest!
My husband visited that evening and had again bumped into Mary's husband outside the ward and it turned out that she had given birth to her second child, a son, on that very day.!
~ Janet Tonks.
On the same day another woman in the ward (Mary) lost her first baby. When I was discharged, I said to her on the way out that I was sure I would see her in the maternity ward on a future occasion!
The next year, I was in the maternity ward having given birth to my daughter.
When my husband came to visit me that evening, he entered the ward and told me he had bumped into Mary's husband on the way in and that Mary had given birth to a son that same day!
I sought her out and we had quite a chat, and when I was discharged I jokingly said I would see her again!
Just over two years later I was back in the maternity giving birth to my second child, a son. I think you can guess the rest!
My husband visited that evening and had again bumped into Mary's husband outside the ward and it turned out that she had given birth to her second child, a son, on that very day.!
~ Janet Tonks.
Other Random Posts:
Where And When Did Language Begin?
The Meaning Of White Feathers As Messages From The Dead
Was This The The Reincarnation of James Fletcher?
Friday, September 16
Where And When Did Language Begin?
Psamtik I |
Okay, you may say that it's just a story, or perhaps a myth - or you may believe it to be fact - but whatever, language must have started somewhere.
The origin of speech, however, is a bit of a mystery. There are theories, of course, most with strange names such as bow-wow, yo-he-ho, la-la and pooh-pooh - yes, really.
The bow-wow theory claims that the first human language was made up by imitating animal sounds; you-he-ho states that it all began with rhythmic chanting while working together; the la-la theory says that language originated in sounds connected with romance and music and finally pooh-pooh suggests that the first words were instinctive noises brought about by strong emotions such as anger, pain and the like.
We may not know the answer to the beginnings of language but the Basques, in Spain, also have a theory.
Basque has no known relationship with any other language, so it's unique. Their folk lore, however, has the solution: it was what was spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was brought to the area by Tubal, who was the fifth son of Noah's son, Japheth. Well, it's as good an answer as some of the other theories, and there is sometimes an element of truth in myths and legends, if we can see through the symbolism.
Old fragments of documents show that Basque appears to be unchanged from the 10th Century at least. It's a difficult language for English speakers and Europeans to learn because of unfamiliar pronunciation and grammar. It has a lot of 'z' and 'tz' sounds. The Basque's call their language Euskara which means 'clear-speaking.'
It's said that in the 7th Century Psamtik I, the Egyptian king at the time, took two new born babies and gave them to a shepherd for safe keeping and to be brought up in complete isolation. Psamtik wanted to discover what language the children would speak if they were left to their own devices. He thought that whatever it was, would be the original language of the human race.
After the babies were two years old they were heard to pronounce a word that sounded like becos. This was identified as meaning 'bread' in central Turkey by the Phrygians.
The conclusion was that the Phrygian language must have been the first ever spoken. But it's not really that convincing, is it? But no one has come up with a much better solution, other than the Basques.
Nowadays scientists would probably say that language first started about 40,000 years ago - but with no written proof, it's still a mystery. And I just can't imagine it's pooh-pooh!
Other Random Posts:
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Tuesday, September 13
Doppelgangers On The Loose!
The question is: is the following story, from Ann Woodward, about a doppelganger, a ghost or is it just one big coincidence?
One of the partners in our firm died of cancer four years ago. She was dearly loved and sorely missed.
About six months ago I was in a department store and walking towards me was a lady who was the absolute double of her. In fact, so much so that it stopped me in my tracks, and made me take a deep breath.
I just wanted to run up to her and hug her.
When I related this to my work colleague the next day, she told me that it had been the late partner's birthday that day.
Coincidence or what?
~ Ann Woodward
About six months ago I was in a department store and walking towards me was a lady who was the absolute double of her. In fact, so much so that it stopped me in my tracks, and made me take a deep breath.
I just wanted to run up to her and hug her.
When I related this to my work colleague the next day, she told me that it had been the late partner's birthday that day.
Coincidence or what?
~ Ann Woodward
The photo at the top of the post is Guy de Maupassant who claimed that towards the end of his life he often saw his own doppelganger and started to interact with 'him'. So much so, it is said the doppelganger dictated a short story to him, which was then published.
I have also written previously of how I was mistaken for someone else a couple of times while travelling see The Advantage Of Being Mistaken For Someone Else.
Other Random Posts:
Abraham Lincoln Describes His Own Doppelganger
The Meaning Of White Feathers As Messages From The Dead
The Immigration Coincidence Story
Saturday, September 10
Home Of The Whopper Coincidence
Today's story from a 67 Not Out reader, Howard.
Near to where I live there is a McDonald's and a Burger King and I made my way to McD for a coffee. Once inside I had a strange feeling that I should go to Burger King instead. I followed my instincts and made my way there.
I bought a coffee, sat at a table and was about to read my newspaper when I saw a familiar face from my past. I felt sure it was an old friend from my Uni days. I went across to him and said, "Hello Dave."
Dave looked at me a little puzzled and couldn't place my face. "I'm Howard from our Uni days."
He then realised who I was. It had been the best part of twenty years, and we started talking about the 'good old days.'
Dave was passing through town so we exchanged email addresses and mobile numbers and I didn't think I would see him again.
Two days later I had to go to the local supermarket with my wife and parked next to a smart BMW. Sitting in the car was Dave and his partner!
They had decided to stay in town for an extra couple of days. That evening the four of us went out for a meal - definitely not Burger King or McDonald's!
Since then we have been regularly in touch. I'm still not sure why we were drawn together again after twenty years. Maybe the reason will become clear in the future.
~ Howard
I bought a coffee, sat at a table and was about to read my newspaper when I saw a familiar face from my past. I felt sure it was an old friend from my Uni days. I went across to him and said, "Hello Dave."
Dave looked at me a little puzzled and couldn't place my face. "I'm Howard from our Uni days."
He then realised who I was. It had been the best part of twenty years, and we started talking about the 'good old days.'
Dave was passing through town so we exchanged email addresses and mobile numbers and I didn't think I would see him again.
Two days later I had to go to the local supermarket with my wife and parked next to a smart BMW. Sitting in the car was Dave and his partner!
They had decided to stay in town for an extra couple of days. That evening the four of us went out for a meal - definitely not Burger King or McDonald's!
Since then we have been regularly in touch. I'm still not sure why we were drawn together again after twenty years. Maybe the reason will become clear in the future.
~ Howard
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England: Durdle Door, Dorset.
The Immigration Coincidence Story
Thursday, September 8
It's A Small World Coincidence
I came across today's coincidence story in the Daily Mail newspaper on their letters page, it was from a Kat Martin from England. The world seems to be getting smaller!
I was in Cairns, Australia, backpacking with my daughter and we went into an internet cafe.
A young man behind the counter asked me: "Where are you from in England?"
Me: "Portsmouth, you?"
Him: "Portsmouth."
Me: "I live in North End, you?"
Him: "North End."
Me: "My daughter-in-law Jenny [married to Luke, my son and they have a little girl] is about your age, she went to Mayfield School."
Him: "I know Jenny, I went to Mayfield too. She's one of my best friends."
Later that day Jenny emailed me to say, "I hear you've been talking to my friend."
~ Kat Martin
A young man behind the counter asked me: "Where are you from in England?"
Me: "Portsmouth, you?"
Him: "Portsmouth."
Me: "I live in North End, you?"
Him: "North End."
Me: "My daughter-in-law Jenny [married to Luke, my son and they have a little girl] is about your age, she went to Mayfield School."
Him: "I know Jenny, I went to Mayfield too. She's one of my best friends."
Later that day Jenny emailed me to say, "I hear you've been talking to my friend."
~ Kat Martin
Other Random Posts:
The Secret Told To Samuel Wilberforce By A Ghost!
Robert Burns Remarkable Cottage Coincidence
White Feathers Following The Loss Of a Loved One
Tuesday, September 6
White Feathers Following The Loss Of a Loved One
It's a while since I published any white feather stories so here are three I have received recently. These are experiences where white feathers are seen following a loved ones death.
Today would have been my mother's 97th birthday. Just before the family were leaving to go and put flowers on her grave a lovely wee white feather floated down among us - mum letting us know she was there.
I like the stories about the white feathers, possibly looking for comforting signs - but something proved it for me...
I was going for a big operation [surgery] and was a bit nervous of course. My mum had passed away two years before this. I was sitting waiting for the trolley to take me to the theatre when the orderly walked in then said, "I guess that's for you". On the empty chair beside me was a beautiful white feather. This was a closed room with no windows. I felt so good.
When I was recovering, following the operation, a nurse said you have a gift in your drawer. The orderly had put the feather in a plastic case and handed it to the ward ... a sure sign it was from a loved one.
~ Rose Mcloughlin
I like the stories about the white feathers, possibly looking for comforting signs - but something proved it for me...
I was going for a big operation [surgery] and was a bit nervous of course. My mum had passed away two years before this. I was sitting waiting for the trolley to take me to the theatre when the orderly walked in then said, "I guess that's for you". On the empty chair beside me was a beautiful white feather. This was a closed room with no windows. I felt so good.
When I was recovering, following the operation, a nurse said you have a gift in your drawer. The orderly had put the feather in a plastic case and handed it to the ward ... a sure sign it was from a loved one.
~ Rose Mcloughlin
My father, 94, passed in January. I found a white feather by my car door, I found one on a bush at my house and another on a shirt in a clothing store.
I bought a new car and there was one in the lobby. My cat is dying and I asked my dad to show a sign. I was sitting outside and looked up in the sky and a white feather was floating over my house in the wind. The white feathers appear when I really need my dad with me.
~ Laurie
I bought a new car and there was one in the lobby. My cat is dying and I asked my dad to show a sign. I was sitting outside and looked up in the sky and a white feather was floating over my house in the wind. The white feathers appear when I really need my dad with me.
~ Laurie
My mum passed away last night and a large white feather fluttered over the family as we were leaving the hospital. I'd never heard of this before but my sister knew and pointed it out. It's too much of a coincidence and seen by too many people not to be true ... I love you mum.
~ Anonymous
~ Anonymous
Okay they may not be the best white feather examples (though they are important to the people concerned) but over the years I have had a flood of such stores. It all started when I lost three very close people in a short period of time: my mother, daughter and my best friend of thirty years. After each of their deaths my wife and I started seeing white feathers wherever we went. If we started talking about one of them a feather would appear. I remember once going to visit our daughter's grave and a feather did a complete circle and landed where we were standing.
I know many will say this was all imagination or coincidence but it was meaningful and comforting to us at that difficult time. I wrote about this on my blog and it seems many, many others have had similar experiences.
Anyway here are ten random white feather posts:
White Feather Stories: Messages From The Deceased
White Feathers From The Spirit World Stories
White Feathers As Messages From the Deceased.
White Feathers As Messages From Her Baby Girl
Receiving White Feathers From The Dead
A Big Clump Of Feathers From The Spirit World
White Feathers As Messages From The Deceased
White Feathers After Someone Dies
Meaningful White Feathers As Messages From The Dead
Watching Over Us With White Feathers
Sunday, September 4
The Ghost Or Spirit Of St Bernadette And Her Incorrupt Body
While looking through some photos, I came across the picture above, purported to be Saint Bernadette - after she had died. There are five images said to show her as spirit, gradually fading into a wall.
It's not known who the photographer was but is generally referred to as The Ghost of Bernadette Soubirous and was taken in 1890, eleven years following her death. And, yes, I realise there were many fake ghost and spirit photos in that era.
Bernadette Soubirous is the French farm girl from rural Lourdes who was canonised as a saint on December 13th 1933. Lourdes has since become a centre of healing for believers, mostly of the Catholic faith. Her full story can be found on Wikipedia, where it is says:
"In the 150 years since Bernadette dug up the spring (at Lourdes), 67 cures have been verified by the Lourdes Medical Bureau as 'inexplicable', but only after what the Church claims are 'extremely rigorous scientific and medical examinations' that failed to find any other explanation."
No doubt most people have probably heard of the Lourdes story but I didn't realise that Bernadette's body had been exhumed three times with bizarre results:
On the first occasion, in September 1909, witnesses claimed that, though a crucifix in her hand had oxidised, her body was declared 'incorrupt.' In other words there was no sign of decomposition.
On the second exhumation in April 1919 the doctor, who examined the body stated: "The body is practically mummified, covered with patches of mildew and quite a notable layer of salts, which appear to be calcium salts. The skin has disappeared in some places, but it is still present on most parts of the body."
Following a third exhumation in 1925 Doctor Comte published a report in the Bulletin de I'Association medicale de Notre-Dame de Lourdes:
"What struck me during this examination, of course, was the state of perfect preservation of the skeleton, the fibrous tissues of the muscles (still supple and firm), of the ligaments, and of the skin, and above all the totally unexpected state of the liver after 46 years. One would have thought that this organ, which is basically soft and inclined to crumble, would have decomposed very rapidly or would have hardened to a chalky consistency. Yet, when it was cut it was soft and almost normal in consistency. I pointed this out to those present, remarking that this did not seem to be a natural phenomenon."
As to whether Lourdes has supernatural powers of healing is a matter of opinion. What can be said is that belief can do many wondrous things - including returning people to health. Belief is at the centre of most miracles.
Other Random Posts:
Was This The Sixth Sense Or A Coincidence?
Impossible Pie: A Way Of Life And Death
10 Coincidence And Synchronicity Stories
Labels:
Ghosts,
Miracle,
Spirit,
Spiritual Healing,
St Bernadette
Friday, September 2
Was This The Sixth Sense Or A Coincidence?
Winchelsea Church |
I went to Winchelsea Primary School, on the South Coast [of England], in about 1949. The headmistress at the time was Miss Lilah Christina Smith, who encouraged me in my studies.
I last met Miss Smith in Rye High Street in 1953. I never saw her again. I eventually left the area and moved to Kent.
On June 30, 1983, I suddenly thought of Miss Smith and could not get her out of my mind.
On impulse I drove to Winchelsea, determined to see her. On arrival, I realised that I didn't know where Miss Smith lived and so I went to the Post Office to ask for directions.
The Postmaster asked me if the woman I was seeking was a retired teacher.
When I told him that Miss Smith used to teach me, he explained that she had died that very same day in Hill House Hospital in Rye, East Sussex.
~ Colin Polhill
I last met Miss Smith in Rye High Street in 1953. I never saw her again. I eventually left the area and moved to Kent.
On June 30, 1983, I suddenly thought of Miss Smith and could not get her out of my mind.
On impulse I drove to Winchelsea, determined to see her. On arrival, I realised that I didn't know where Miss Smith lived and so I went to the Post Office to ask for directions.
The Postmaster asked me if the woman I was seeking was a retired teacher.
When I told him that Miss Smith used to teach me, he explained that she had died that very same day in Hill House Hospital in Rye, East Sussex.
~ Colin Polhill
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12 Ghostly Ghost Story Experiences
The Secret Told To Samuel Wilberforce By A Ghost!
Labels:
Coincidence,
Sixth Sense,
Synchronicity,
Telepathy
Tuesday, August 30
The Immigration Coincidence Story
Ellis Island: entry facility for immigrants to USA 1892-1954. |
My grandparents are immigrants who met each other on the boat to the US. They obviously went on to get married, have children and have lived a happy life together.
Years and years after arriving in America, my grandmother was reminiscing about her trip to the boat and how she nearly missed it.
She told the story of how the car she was in, on the way to the port, broke down. The driver said to her and her sister, "Don't worry ladies. I’ve got a friend up the street who’s handy with this stuff and he’ll help me out. You have a drink here at this pub and I’ll be back in a bit."
An hour or so later he returned and they went on their way.
When my grandma told this story, my grandpa remembered helping to fix a car just before he left for the boat himself. Turns out it was her car he fixed!
The strange thing was, my grandfather wasn’t a mechanic, he was just handy. If he hadn’t been, perhaps my grandmother would have missed the boat and they would never have met.
Years and years after arriving in America, my grandmother was reminiscing about her trip to the boat and how she nearly missed it.
She told the story of how the car she was in, on the way to the port, broke down. The driver said to her and her sister, "Don't worry ladies. I’ve got a friend up the street who’s handy with this stuff and he’ll help me out. You have a drink here at this pub and I’ll be back in a bit."
An hour or so later he returned and they went on their way.
When my grandma told this story, my grandpa remembered helping to fix a car just before he left for the boat himself. Turns out it was her car he fixed!
The strange thing was, my grandfather wasn’t a mechanic, he was just handy. If he hadn’t been, perhaps my grandmother would have missed the boat and they would never have met.
I am also on Google Plus
Other Random Posts:
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Is Enjoying Life A Delusion
10 Stories About Reincarnation
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