Nostradamus

Many people have heard of Nostradamus and his prophecies of recent horrible events such as the Great Fire of London, the rise of Napoleon and Adolf Hitler, and most notably the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Take note of the following excerpt:

At forty-five degrees the sky will burn,

Fire to approach the great new city:

In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up,

When one will want to demand proof of the Normans.

This supposedly describes the 9/11 attacks especially with “Fire to approach the great new city”. It sounds strikingly similar to the terrorist attacks. However, there seems to be many holes in the prediction. As http://www.nostradamus.org writes that “New York is 40 43' degrees north of the equator so that wouldn't match.” 45 degrees could be an angle or temperature and fire to a new city could point to many different events as fire or flame is a negative event. A new city could mean any newly built or rebuilt city or any city that has the word “New” in it in the world. What does the Normans have to do with the 9/11 attacks?

I have to admit that after reading the excerpt from his book it seems strikingly similar, but as our book tells us he uses a writing style of being very vague with his predictions and always focusing on the negative. He wrote 942 four line prophecies down in his book and with all of them negative and vague at least one will point to an event that has happened. War is a very common negative event and is very common in his writings. People tend to seek out answers to events that they do not understand and will find answers in places that may not actually contain them. They want answers so they find them one way or another. Postdiction or retroactive clairvoyance is defined as an effect of hindsight bias that explains claimed predictions of significant events, such as plane crashes and natural disasters. So essentially people interpret things how they want to interpret things especially in times of stress or fear.

Scientific Perspectives on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroactive_clairvoyance

http://www.nostradamus.org/911.php

The truth behind human energy fields.

I know personally more than a few people who base their lives on positive energy. Release positive energy and good things will come. Now I feel strongly myself that positivity is one of many keys to having a good life, but how much truth is there behind human energy fields, and what they actually do?

First off, there are various health care methods such as Reiki which use this energy for healing benefits. Reiki, however, is neglected by present day scientists and biomedical engineers. This in it self shows that it might just be more mentally than physically helping. Now, in the past 20 years it has be absolutley determined that humans have an energy field, along with other organisms and anything with an electrical current. The question is what is the significance? Some studies say more research can help to understand life, disease, and healing much more thoroughly. Some say when you are feeling sick it is just your energy levels off by a bit.
In this day and time, it seems as some scientists put it, to be considered the new frontier of medicine. So all in all, this seems like a topic to keep an eye on in the near future. We know they are there, now how do we use them.

http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/ScienceMeasures.htm

http://twm.co.nz/energ.html

http://www.phact.org/e/skeptic/field.htm

Near Death Experiences

I have to say, I’ve always been fascinated by near death experiences. What makes near death experiences so remarkable to me is the absolute certainty these people have that they have indeed traveled to “the other side”. The experience is often so vivid and clear that they are sure they aren’t dreaming. Although NDEs can vary from person to person, there are a number of similarities. The feeling of leaving or floating above the body, bright lights, tunnels, and indescribable peace are all associated with NDEs. Many people claim near death experiences are proof that life after death exists, but scientists found there are possible explanations for NDE phenomena.

Although the near death experience isn’t fully explainable, it is thought that NDEs are hallucinations that originate from physiological changes in the brain, mainly the lack of oxygen. The feeling of being in a tunnel heading towards light can be attributed to retinal ischemia. Retinal ischemia causes blindness first in the peripheral vision, while the central vision remains intact, creating a tunnel effect. Another explanation for the similarities between NDEs is we all have similar brain biology, therefore all have similar sensations and experiences during NDEs.

Although these scientific explanations offer some answers for what creates near death experiences, they are still widely regarded as unexplainable. I recently saw a documentary on the Discovery Channel called “I Was Dead” that interviewed people who claimed to have had a near death experience. I found a clip of one of the people they interviewed on the Discovery Channel website.

http://health.discovery.com/videos/i-was-dead-a-tale-from-the-afterlife.html

Sources: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/717604

Friday the 13th: Unlucky or Unreal?

Friday the 13th is the notoriously known urban legend entailing that when the thirteenth day of a month lands on a Friday, bad luck will ensue and creepy things are bound to take place. But is this age-old myth a reality, or do bad things happen on these days for some people coincidentally? What is this superstition’s origin, and how did this one number get such a bad rap?
When most people hear the phrase “Friday the 13th,” they think of the horror flick featuring the hockey mask clad serial killer who is out to brutally take the lives of college co-eds. They may become more likely to rent a scary movie or play with a Ouija board embracing the mindset that the day itself will help set a creepy mood. Others, however, may get an eerie chill inside of them. They may refrain from doing normal things in their daily routines in fear of this dreadful day bringing harm. The latter may suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia: The actual fear of Friday the 13th. It is said that approximately 8% of Americans suffer from this phobia. Psychological studies, however, say that people who believe they are unlucky are more likely to believe in bad luck superstitions. If you fear one particular day so much that you believe something terrible will definitely happen, the likelihood is that you will talk yourself into this notion and trouble will follow.
According to many historians, the number 13 has a few different roots. The oldest theory leads back to primitive man and the act of counting. Since he has 10 fingers to count on and 2 feet equaling 12 units, he could count no further, therefore making anything beyond 12 a mystery. Hence, superstition. Another theory dates back to the ancient Romans where witches gathered in groups of 12, the 13th was considered to be the devil. The biblical reference to the unlucky number 13 says that the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper was Judas, who betrayed Jesus. So depending on the historian you ask, there are many explanations for this urban legend. The world will never know if this fateful date truly brings evil or if bad occurrences are coincidence. After reading all about this folklore, I don’t think it makes a difference whether you stay home on this “hellish” day or set your next flight to Europe on the Friday the 13th.



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.html

http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_2.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kKXmgPkp-M

Are our lives really planned out?

Astrology is one of the oldest, religious ideas and concepts known still used today. For nearly 2000 years, it was believed that your whole life would be planned out for you at birth. Simply by the position of the moon, sun, planets, and Zodiac your entire personality, temper, and even as much of who your mate should be in life is predetermined.

Astrology is still used today. There are many people who believe is using astrology such as reading their horoscope daily. It remains popular despite their controversies. Newspapers still hold a section in their newspapers, restaurant menus,books, Internet search engines such as yahoo, daily apps on IPhone all accept astrology. Clearly if there was not a demand astrology believe would not have lasted as long as it has. There are many people that like the idea that you can somehow make sense or explain why they had the day that they did or if they need encouragement for the next day, some want to believe in the higher power. Psychologically, this may be some of the reasons of why astrology hung around for so long.

Since there are no scientific evidence that astrology does work, it is not a real science but rather in the category of pseudoscience. Experiments would be necessary to make a claim that astrology theories actually are true which would be impossible to perform. Relationships between these claims with people's personalities and traits and temperament, however, there has not been any significant relationships found true.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/197954/is_astrology_just_an_ancient_pseudoscience.html

Regardless of the truth behind astrology, I admit that once in a while I like to read my horoscope and I have felt a little excited when I read that something good is about the come my way. Here is a link to check out your own horoscope...good luck :)


http://www.horoscope.com/

Black Cats and Bad Luck

It is safe to say that most people are well aware of the possible pending misfortune when crossing paths with a black cat. When analyzing this Old Wive's Tale, one must ask one's self, why cats? And what difference does it make whether or not they are black? Felines were not alway sthe victims of bad publicity. In ancient Egypt, cats were considered sacred animals. When a family's cat passeed away, the furry feline was given a proper Egyptian burial, which included the mummification of the cat's remains. However, by the 17th century, cats were viewed as evil creatures and linked to the practice of witchcraft. During this time period, many people gathered cats along with other animals and burned tem in order to protect their homes from disasters, such as fire. Today, there are many beliefs about possible encounters with black cats, and the horrors that may follow thereafter. Some omens associated with black cats include meeting a black cat early in the morning, having a black cat turn its back on you, shooing a black cat away from one's property, and walking under a ladder after a black cat has already done so.
Bad luck and black cats are linked by an individuals own personal experience. For example, if an individual crosses paths with a black cat, then shortly after crashes their car, they may associate the accident with the cat and as a result, the cat bcomes an omen of bad luck. This belief is an example of an illusory correlatin. Illusory correlations occur when our normal cognitive process searces for correlations or relationships between events. So, what does this mean for the black cat superstition? It means that it is merely a superstition. An encounter with a black cat does not automatically damn a person with misfortune, neither does it grace a person with good luck. The experience following the encounter with a black cat are purely chance and in no way connected to the encounter. The relationship is based solely on one's personal experience and thought process.

Sources:
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/black_cats/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Black-Cat-Superstition---Good-Luck-Or-Bad-Luck?&id=734413
Lawson, Timothy J. (2007). Scientific Perspectives on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal: Readings for General Psychology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

The Q-Ray and Copper Bracelets

In Chapter One, there is a brief discussion of the Q-Ray bracelet. This bracelet was marketed to relieve pain, restore energy, improve performance, and muscle flexibility. These claims, along with the claims on the bracelet’s website (that the Q-Ray was based on ancient Chinese acupuncture, as well as yin and yang ions) sound promising. Losing balance between yin and yang ions can lead to “anxiety, stress, fear, hatred, and physical exhaustion” (www.qray.com.) The website goes on to explain the body’s electromagnetic fields. Sounds legit, right?
Surely, all of us have worried about lost ions!
I was drawn to the Q-Ray because my mother (who isn’t the brightest crayon in the box) got me a similar sounding copper bracelet for this past Christmas. It came in a little box with a slip of paper that, now thinking about it, sounded suspiciously familiar to the Q-Ray description. The copper bracelet my mom got me was very similar to this one on the Pyramid Collection website: http://www.pyramidcollection.com/itemdy00.asp?ID=1,622&GEN1=Bracelets+%26+Cuffs&T1=P16023&dispRow=269&srccode= . The Pyramid Collection website claims that this copper bracelet can be worn to “alleviate symptoms of arthritis, rheumatism, even tendonitis” (www.pyramidcollection.com.) The bracelet I got also promised to prevent the common cold.
I’m sure you’re begging the question: So does this bracelet work?!
Well! I can tell you, as someone who doesn’t usually get sick that often in the wintery months, I didn’t notice a difference. I don’t have arthritis, rheumatism, or tendonitis, and I wore the bracelet on my right hand (I’m left-handed.) I did notice, however, that the copper (after about 2-3 months) started to turn my wrist green. That’s right people, like those craptastic rings you get in 25 cent vending machines, my entire right wrist was a forest green. I took the bracelet off and surprisingly, I had quite a few colds after. However, I don’t believe the events to be connected. I work with little kids so I’m susceptible to a lot of a germs (I blame them for any and all colds. Not that I don't like them, they're just.. Germy.)

Today is a Good Day to Die

December 12th, 2012... the end of the world. One way or another, you have heard every theory, superstition and story that goes along with this date, but why? You can thank a bunch of construction workers. The infamous stone tablet that "predicts the end of the world" was discovered at unknown ruin during highway construction in southern Mexico in the 1960s. At the point of its discovery, the tablet was mostly destroyed with many parts missing or simply paved over. What was interpreted of the tattered recording added up to the now infamous date in 2012.

Unfortunately for the dooms-day fanatics, there has been no scientic data to back up the claim of "the end of the world". In the ABC news article, "2012 isn't the End of the World, Mayans insist", Yuchatan Mayan achaeologist, Jose Huchim, argues that locals don't believe in such nonsense, "If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea. That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain... It's a special anniversary of creation," (Stevenson, 2009). A day of creation is interpreted as a day of destruction by modern day people? Interesting.

Planet X, Hale-Bopp comet, Y2k, these were all days that something terrible or a "warning" was being given to the human race. The comet missed, the computers kept going and the oceans haven't taken over our beaches yet (I hope they wait until after summer). We may have been warned of the year 2012, but no one ever warned us of John Cusack's awful acting in the film 2012. Throughout time there have always been predictions of armageddon but never any results so in December 12th, 2012, don't spend your life savings and tell off your mother-in-law because she (and you) will still be there the next day.

10% of Our Brains

I have often heard the "fact" that humans only use 10% of their brains throughout my life. I heard it so often that i simply assumed it to be true. After reading this chapter however, i realize that this is not so, though i feel as though I have only been using 10% of my brain by believing this factoid.

The author demsonsrates the improbability of this myth by citing the study of brain damage, evolution, brain imaging research and the localization of function in the brain. All provide compelling evidence contrary to the 10% belief, such as the decreased function in a person when any part of their brain recieves damage and the usual effiency of evolution. (using 10% of the brain would bot be efficient at all)

I think that the reason this myth continues to be heard is the fact that, though we are capable of using much more than 10% of are brains, people don't seem to like doing it. I too was guilty of this lack of brain usage when i continually heard this myth and just believed it. It seems that many people take anyone other than themselves for an authority on virtually any subject, and will believe almost anything if enough people say it. So, the mere fact that this rumor persists is evidence that while it's apparently not true in a physical sense ( that only portions of the actual brain matter serve a function) it is true in another, people simply don't think.

7 years to digest a piece of gum?

When we were children, our parents used to warn us not to swallow our gum. Why? Because they insisted it would stay in your system for 7 years because gum is indigestible. We all believed this, and tried our best to follow this warning, for fear of swallowing something that could not be digested! It turns out there is actually no medical evidence to back up this famous rumor, and that most people are misinterpreting the meaning of the term “indigestible.”

Although gum can’t technically be digested, that doesn’t mean it cannot pass through the digestive system like everything else a person swallows. Since gum can be made up of any number of natural or synthetic elastomers (rubber-like materials), it is essentially “immune to the digestive process,” and the body is not able to do much with the rubbery substance (except maybe break down some of the sugars). It passes through the body like everything else, but simply stays in the form that it came down in (it’s a little bit gross but it’s the truth)! It may take a little longer than other foods, but eventually the natural digestive process takes care of it.

The origin of the folklore is unknown, even despite extensive research to find its beginning. What is astounding is that although the origin of this rumor is unknown, it is still universally recognized; perhaps most people don’t feel the need to know the sources of such entertaining ideas. It seems to me that it is human nature to embrace ideas that bring a sense of mystery, much like the 7 years theory does. Where does the gum go? Does it get stuck? Can it be a potential health hazard? It becomes a mystery in itself, and I think people are really attracted to that. People have chewed gum for centuries (going all the way back to chewing on the resin of trees!) and the 7 years theory has most definitely survived a long road of speculation.

Sources:
http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/chewgum.asp
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-chewing-gum-takes-seven-years-to-digest