Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 49

Techniques to Improve your Memory.

The human brain has a limitless capacity for storing information but that information needs to be altered in a way to be easily retrieved at a later time. Take the five Oceans of the world listed in order of size, starting with the largest first. The Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean... I doubt that I would be able to remember the list in order after several days if I did not associate them with a memory glue. Take the Pacific, the name means peaceful and it covers 30% of the Earth's surface, it is larger than all the land area put together. It has the most islands, so I visualise beautiful dancing girls in grass skirts with flowers in their hair. Now how can I forget the Pacific Ocean, the beautiful image of dancing girls with flowers, the beauty of the golden sand and the warmth of the sun.

The two American continents are separated from Europe and Africa by the Atlantic Ocean. To represent the Atlantic Ocean I visualise the Titanic and the iceberg. For the Indian Ocean I see a lifeboat with a small boy from India and a large tiger. The Southern Ocean is represented by a large white shark. What other shark, but Jaws of course. Finally The Arctic Ocean has floating icebergs and polar bears jump and swim between them. Now I link in order the size of the Oceans with a short film of beautiful grass skirted dancing girls boarding a large Atlantic liner that sets sail and has to avoid running down a lifeboat with a boy from India and a tiger. The boat is being attacked by a great white shark. The shark is driven off and then chases white polar bears who escape on to a flat topped iceberg. There is one more important action and that is to draw an oval map and name each area of Ocean. This is because I know the name and size of the Oceans but not the position of them and of course one picture gives all the information and is simple in imagery to recall.

Another good technique is for example, for the seven Continents I draw a plan of the world and name each continent in order of size starting with the largest, number it one and so on... Of course my first plan would be from an original named map. Then I leave sometime and then from memory I redraw the map then leave a much longer time to draw the map again. I should have no problem in correctly carrying out this task because the key to memory is recall and the more I practice the stronger the image will be to easily remember.

This technique I can use for all types of information storage. The initial plan has a few main points, if I can represent ideas in picture form this will make recall easier. Like a road map or a plan of a house, lines will link relevant points. Then the important part is that I successively draw from memory the correct plan after leaving longer and longer times between recall. One of my favourite Confucius quotes is I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Continents in order of size biggest in area first are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. I can recall this by using something termed memory glue. Memory glue does several tasks. It creates a strong image that can easily associate with what I want to remember and it has the ability when put in a scenario to connect further bits of information in order. The more detail there is in the picture reinforces the image for a more attainable recall. I know if I do not add memory glue to what I want to remember in a short time of only a few minutes it will fade away. Recall is the mechanism of memory, I must see the image in my mind by recall to establish my new knowledge of it.

Asia is the largest continent by area but Asia is only a word. It needs an image so I visualise a giant ornate Pagoda and in front of it a large gong with the inscription 30%.. surrounded by the outline in white is Asia. I use this technique to reinforce the fact that Asia comprises thirty percent of land on the earth and also has the largest human population.

Africa needs an image and I love historical, action references so I visualize a Zulu warrior carrying a shield and spear. With the butt of the spear he strikes the giant gong and on his shield is the number fifty four, that is the number of countries in Africa and they are all members of the United Nations. Among them is Egypt, which contains the Nile and is notable as historically having been considered the longest river. A fact that interests me and aids my memory about it is that large crocodiles that never stop growing slide of its banks.

North America to me can be represented by buffalo and the Indian chief wearing a feathered headdress. In the distance is a mountain and perched on top is a bald eagle.

South America is a vision before my eyes of an Inca pyramid made entirely of gold and standing on the steps is the last Inca king. This image reinforces the historical fact that the Spanish invasion took place in the sixteenth century.

Antarctica is populated by the Emperor penguin and my image of hundreds of penguins huddled beside one another is my memory aid to refer to the Emperor penguin being the largest of its species, the penguins huddled are large in size and the largest of the dolphin species is the killer whale. Size links me to the albatross, a species that has the widest wingspan of all birds.

Europe was dominated by the Roman empire and I visualise a Centurion holding a metal shield and sword, this image links me to the fact that there are fifty countries in Europe and at the moment twenty eight are members of the EEC.

Australia has an abundance of unique creatures to represent it. I have chosen a Kangaroo with a Joey peeping out of its pouch. My memory aid acts as a trigger to remind me Australia is divided into six states and ten federal territories, the largest state is Western Australia.

Now comes my mental glue starting with the Pagoda of Asia. I see a picture of a giant gong with 30 % and the outline of Asia drawn on the gong. A Zulu warrior with a spear and shield steps forward and strikes the gong with his spear, on his shield is the number fifty four, he steps over a giant crocodile and starts running. Now I see an Indian chief with drawn bow and he shoots a small fury animal but there is a race between the Zulu and Indian chief to get to the animal first. Out of the sky a bald eagle swoops down talons wide and scoops up the prize. It lands on the top of a golden pyramid and on the steps stands the Inca king. The Inca king is deluged with small fish, surrounded by hungry penguins and albatross scoffing all the fish. One of the penguins dives into the sea and is chased by a killer whale. A Roman Centurion in a boat joins the fight with his sword and drives off the killer whale. The Centurion unfurls the sail and it has written on it the numbers fifty on top and underneath the number twenty eight followed by EEC. The Centurion jumps off the boat and lands on a raft with a large Kangaroo, out of it's pouch peeps a Joey waving a little flag with the numbers six on top and underneath the number ten. The Kangaroo becomes a teacher standing in front of an easel with a map of Australia marked according to states, the largest of which is Western Australia.

Now I have a visual reminder for not just seven continents but a lot more besides. I can never overload my memory as its capacity like everyone else's memory is gigantic. An interesting fact is people remember the beginning and ending of a particular lesson. So I have breaks to increase my capability to retain information. I do not worry about my drawing ability as the image references I use are only for me to see and are used to jog my memory. For many of us memory and our capacity to recall information is dependant on the approach we have to understanding information. Interesting and variable, it is something to note that how you look at something could influence how well you recall it at a later date. The next time you have to use your memory you may like to try some of the above techniques. You may be astounded by how enjoyable it is to get to know your own memory based ability.

Education.

Education is a fascinating subject for me and this is because I experienced a vastly different approach to the idea from many teachers, individuals who differed greatly in their capability to impart knowledge. Teaching is not just imparting knowledge but the capability to control and infuse students with the desire to learn. After leaving school I came across several basic facts that can make learning so much easier.

I never realised how important the attitude is in the home of the people who are studying. There was a young boy of about eight and his mother was concerned as reports from his teachers were saying that he was struggling to keep up with the rest of the class. The mother knew a sixth form student and asked if she would go to them for a few afternoons to coach her son. The alteration in the attitude and ability in the son after a few weeks was astonishing. He hated history up until the girl who was coaching him got him to visualise the living room as a full on Roman scene, she asked him to see the lamp stand as the Colosseum and the piano stool as the barrier in front of a legion of Roman soldiers. The boy's hatred of history quickly became a passion for past times. From lagging behind in his studies he was eager to participate and lead the class. This would not have happened if the mother had not taken the trouble to do something about her son's education and if his interest had not been captured by a form of learning that became visual and appealing to him.

Preparation for a test is vital to increase the possibility of success. Education is an important part of life and can open all types of opportunity for a better future. Tests and examinations are supposed to be nationally and locally reviewed documents that can verify a student's progress according to official standards. People are lead to put a lot of trust into this system of education. How would you feel if after sitting your Eleven-Plus examination and knowing that you had done very well, you then were told on the morning of the results that you had failed? At the examination, adjudicators check there is no cheating by the students but who checks the Education Authority? What may be a little known but interesting fact is that in the past in Northern Ireland hundreds of girls were told they had failed their Eleven-Plus when in fact they had passed. This was done because the Authority had decided that a higher number of male students should go on to higher education whereas female pupils were felt should concentrate on other areas of life. Parents of the female students who knew and had faith in their children's ability did not give up and continued to battle the system until it was acknowledged that the girls had actually passed. This meant that places had to be given to all those students who had been wrongly declared as having failed and places had to be allocated to all the male students who had not passed but through the deliberate injustice were made to think they had passed. That could not happen in the UK, now could it? In fact I know for sure at least one case of deliberate cheating by the Education Authority has taken place. The parents took up the fight for justice by threatening to go public with indisputable proof of the Education Authority's misconduct. Justice was done as after a long dispute a letter was sent by the Education Authority to correct the situation and make it clear the student had in fact passed the Eleven-Plus examination.

I simply urge all parents, if they feel with good reason that they and their child have been a victim of incorrect procedure, do not give up the fight for justice. So many parents may have not realised the possibility of incorrect procedure as they have a complete trust that the Education authority is beyond corruption. It is an unfortunate fact that all institutions run by man can be open to acts not consistent with the best ideals of behaviour.

I have fond memories of a good English teacher at night school and she encouraged my creative writing, sadly an interesting development occurred. At first there were two classes, the second one had a full time male teacher but in a few weeks his number of students dwindled so it was decided to transfer the fully attended class of students over to the full time teacher. I asked my new teacher what did he think about Shakespeare’s work and was told his work was not part of the current curriculum and then he stated you will not be required to do homework as he had no intention of marking it. Further to that he would not be answering any questions. I can not say how many students completed the course as I too did not wish to attend his sterile form of uninspiring teaching. I have no doubt the teacher in question was fully qualified but lacked for me the spark of nurturing the enthusiasm necessary to be a really good, successful teacher.

Knowledge is power and can have life scoping ability. It is represented by the saying that if you give a man a fish he can eat for one day but if you teach him how to fish he can can eat for the rest of his life. Learning should be an enjoyable experience.

I know it is important for me to be rested as this will have a marked improvement on my ability to absorb information. Many people think that it is only the vocation of the teacher and their ability that make a student what he or she is, but in fact how someone uses the information they are given is an important part of education.

The struggle to make education available to all has a long and socially fraught past with farmers and industrialists in the UK actively opposed to allowing free time for children to be educated. Even today countries have power struggles with elements imposing by force their opposition to education. It is only with hindsight that I can appreciate the opportunity that education has given me and urge everyone to make the most of their time learning.

Maturity.

Age is only a number but in human terms life gives an opportunity to learn through maturity. Is that learning automatic?

In my teens and even at a younger age I had an urge to act without thinking of the consequence. Sometimes on reflection I did not always make the best choices. The benefit of maturity is that I can try to learn in a good way from the past. To do that I have to review how to behave or react in a positive way to sometimes negatively viewed experiences. The most important thing is not to dwell on the past solely with regret because I think that does not improve what has happened for anyone. Words are simple to say but I think maturity is about a need to get down to really knowing myself. In a strange way and when you think about it, this can be more frightening than any horror story!

I know what I like, what I don't, I know what I think about many important issues but for me maturity is about understanding who I am on a deeper basis. How do I do that? It is the little things that indicate how I view the world. Take a bar of chocolate, I am with friends and after breaking the bar, the pieces are not equal in size. What is my first thought? Hide the larger pieces and offer my friends the smaller ones or close my eyes and give them all a choice of picking large or small pieces? Does the answer indicate my maturity?

An incident that really happened to me was when I was driving my car and while waiting stationery at a red traffic light the car behind began tooting their horn at me. What was my first thought? To ignore the hooting as the light was red or to make a rude gesture? Again, many would say that maturity or immaturity was the overwhelming influence in that particular experience.

A drive out quickly became a major incident for my wife when she was in her car and she saw a huge lorry hurtling down the road she was on, at the same time she saw that a tiny tot had left the safety of his house and had wandered into the oncoming traffic. He was about to be driven under the huge wheel of a giant lorry. The driver could not see the impending disaster. The tot was too small to be seen and all my wife could do was watch as he tottered out in front of the huge lorry. She furiously hooted her horn and pointed at the tiny tot on the road. Fortunately the lorry driver saw my wife gesturing to him and he became aware of the small boy. He stopped in time. A disaster was averted. If in a similar situation someone panicked and did not manage to act in a crisis, would that have anything to do with maturity or is it just the condition of the emergency and individual's given response to it at that time that can dictate what happens in an event?

King Solomon with all his wisdom is often associated with the word maturity. He is a historical example of justice. Is maturity all about wisdom? To me, maturity represents many aspects that one can use in life. There was an interesting episode that I experienced, while on a visit to an old castle. In the grounds covered in neat grass there were two enormous sunken holes that were about eight foot deep and over twenty foot in diameter. There were two young boys playing and I overheard one say to the other that they could jump into the hole for fun. Before they could carry out their plan, as the only adult present it occurred to me how different my first thought was to theirs and I shouted out to them to wait a minute, because while they had thought about how they were going to get in, they had no answer as to how they were going to get out. They quickly thought better of it and decided to chase each other instead.

I have always found it interesting how maturity can be so different in general terms between the sexes. Why does it sometimes seem that nature has instilled a girl to have a more realistic view of some areas in life and in comparison a young male will stay a boy even over the age of socially agreed adulthood.

As I write this piece I have become aware of the thought that wisdom is a particular attribute and it can be a learnt and age related concept. Wisdom is the application of thought and is not considered to be tied to any specific age, more than this wisdom can be gained through life experience. Everyone's notion of maturity in relation to a given age may vary but in society there seems to be many particular points that one has to meet if they want to be considered mature.

At the age of about twelve my father passed away after a long period of being confined to bed for health reasons. To me, he had seemed the wisest man on earth and I put that down to his age. I thought how wise all the adults were and could not wait to be like them until it became apparent grown ups did not always apply or even learn wisdom despite their maturity in years.

I think that maturity is something that many have different experiences of and often it is a positive influence on how one can look at life, think about what has shaped them and how they can benefit from a different perspective. Maturity is not the same for everyone but for me it has meant a renewed insight into what truly matters in life.

Philosophy and Me.

Philosophy, for me, has two functions. Deep thought about the obvious is an important part of philosophical thinking, as is a planned thought of intended action. My first contact with philosophy happened at a very early age. It was at infant school that I experienced the reality of life. I had been told by my mother to be on my best behaviour and at a small age one of my main not to do lessons was to never hit a girl. One of the things I took with me to school was my favourite red toy motor car. The first part of the morning passed by with no incident until a larger than life little girl took an interest in my car and indicated she would like to have a closer look and took it from me. At first I was not alarmed, I did not get upset until it was time to regain possession of my little red car. I stretched out my hand and to my amazement the girl burst into tears complaining loudly that I was trying to take her car! I resorted to force to discover my misconception, I had always believed boys by their very nature are stronger than girls but in this case I had found the exception to the rule and to make matters worse she had another girl friend who promptly punched me in the stomach. A teacher intervened saying little Mary never lies indicating that I did but at that young age I took it all in, I knew that I may have lost the battle but not the war and I philosophically decided to relinquish my claim to the car. It was an early and somewhat difficult lesson in philosophy!

Philosophy is something I have picked up from life as it does not appear to be an everyday subject at school yet in a way it has more affect on individuals and society than anything else. One of the things I believed was philosophy was the province of people who lived hundreds of years ago in the past. When you think of philosophy Socrates is an important individual, the one who encouraged free thinking and made powerful enemies that forced him to drink the poison hemlock. His outstanding student was Plato who wrote prolifically in the form of Question as if in a debate with his former teacher Socrates. Aristotle was the student of Plato. Aristotle studied science and classified his own observations, he was the tutor of a then twelve year old Alexander the Great.

In the Far East five hundred and fifty one years BC Confucius taught that if the individual acted in the right way society would benefit and one of his sayings was do to others as you would have them do to you. Some people although noting what he said criticised him for taking up arms in the struggle for survival in China at that time.

A more recent historical figure was Mahatma Gandhi, a man who arguably altered and shaped history. He was a trained lawyer but led the whole of India in a passive non co-operation movement to force the United Kingdom to give autonomy to India. He chose to walk bare foot and wore a loin cloth and blanket. He was a humble but resolute person and championed the rights of the poor. He refused to be drawn into the raging religious dispute in India. He met an untimely end at the hand of one of his own bodyguards who shot him.

Philosophy has had a great variety of exponents such as Buddha who taught moderation and restrict human desire. There have been charismatic leaders who at the height of their power moved broken and dispirited countries out of apathy to become independent thinking states. In the Second World War philosophy had an important part in the basis for speeches that prepared people for major life events.

After the demise of the Russian Royal family the power struggle gave an opportunity for people like Karl Marx to establish the ideals of Communism. Some people argue that the true ideals were never put into practice. The criticism does lead one to ask how many philosophical principals do remain true to the first intention in which they were made?

History and differing individual ideals have all seemed to influence many of the philosophies that we hear of today. The League of Nations was created with the philosophy of world peace but was replaced with the United Nations, an organisation which seems unable to act decisively at times when it is necessary for someone to step in and restore peace. There is an obvious flaw in its democratic structure. It seems as if in this example philosophical thinking differs from its practical construction and the aim to act at a time of need has led to a lengthy decision making process. Philosophy throughout the ages has introduced the basic ideas that we perhaps take for granted today, important concepts such as human rights but when they are not put into practice they achieve nothing.

Without hope and determination nothing will be achieved. History has many examples of the valiant struggle to put into practice the philosophical premise that all men are created equal. I have limited my observations to philosophers, in the widest sense, those individuals who have imposed and seen their ideals put into operation. Although the part that philosophy has had in their thinking will be clear, the amount that each has had to the benefit to man kind may be debatable.

Mao Tse-tung and his little red book swayed the mind of the whole of China. Philosophy can be a powerful vehicle for motivation, many positive influences can originate from philosophical thoughts but caution does have to be occasionally applied. In one instance through history it was reported that there were too many birds so it was ordered every person must ensure they they eradicated every bird, either by mass culling or by ensuring that they had left the area. This culminated in a plague of insects taking over and with no birds the discomfort became a real danger, this was until nature returned things to a calmer state with birds once again revisiting their home.

During the cold war it was in the nineteen fifties that a massive witch hunt seized the whole of America and Senator Joseph McCarthy's main attack was on members of the US government. A great number of famous entertainment figures suffered at the hands of McCarthy accusing them of being Communist. They lost their livelihood, were harassed and forced to defend themselves in court. Another one of his accusations was that individuals had profiteered from the Second World War while American soldiers were dying. This may have been true but then one has to look at the actions of the person who was so quick to accuse others.

There is something frightening in popular individuals who expound the philosophy of pointing the finger at a group as if that will improve in one stroke everything that is wrong today.

Philosophy is a vehicle that can achieve good but every individual must weigh the consequences of thought and action. One has to be alert to the possible misdirection or motive of the philosopher. Philosophy is the element that has formed many of the basic principals that we abide by in our lives and it is at the heart of why many of our greatest thinkers put their thoughts into logical ideologies, ideas and concepts. Many of the first formed philosophical ideas have made their mark in our most established institutions, in politics and multiple cultures.

Money Matters.

Money Matters.

One of the most important aspects of life apart from good health is Money. To be more precise the acquisition and lack of it can make profound alterations to the quality of life itself. As Mr Micawber would declare. “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds, nineteen shillings and six pence, result happiness. Annual expenditure twenty pounds zero and six pence, result misery.” Dickens portrayed with great affect the depths of inhuman conditions rife in the debtor's prison and the psychological damage inflicted on the inmates in the novel Little Dorrit was a good example of how impossible a financial predicament could become. Having not just used his imagination Dickens himself through no fault of his had an experience behind prison like doors as he visited his father who was detained for a small but impossible to find debt. Trapped in a vicious circle of mounting debt with no chance of release the situation is not so out of date as one might think. There are many who find themselves in a similar and modern day instance of money monopoly where those with finances can dictate their lives. People who have been trafficked and enforced to slave conditions can be prisoners for some time, forced into a life to pay off incurred and multiplying debt.

Is there chance for things to alter in the money market? Well I saw a news piece about Dave's Bank, all based on an innovative idea one man had to set up his own bank. It was a local bank for his area and the main aim of it was intended to give local business a chance. Using his own lending principles and remaining true to his aim that it be a bank that charged modest interest, it had immense success and was thriving until the Bank of England warned the Dave's Bank to increase the rates of interest or they would shut it down. I found it rather perplexing as the responsibility of the Bank of England is to oversee good stable Banking. In order to do this they spent billions of pounds to rescue national Banks charging high interest rates and Dave's Bank charging modest interest rates was in no financial trouble and did not need any financial support from the Bank of England. All is not lost as moved by the hardship caused by short term loan sharks the Church of England has joined a friendly society to offer much improved interest rates but at the moment this offer is only for religious affiliated applicants. I applaud the Archbishop of Canterbury but if there was a natural disaster a reaction would be right away but the general public will not be offered a chance to participate in the loan scheme until after five years. As it has been proved by Dave's Bank, an institution lending at modest rates of interest is a viable venture and would not need any support from the Bank of England.

If the Archbishop of Canterbury is concerned that somebody running a Bank would need a Banking diploma I can assure him that none of the heads of Banks in financial trouble had one banking qualification between them and this was made fact when they were interviewed by the politicians about what had gone wrong with their Banks. It may be someone with common-sense and compassion is needed to take the initiative and make the Church of England a key player in the money market.

Historically Jesus was disturbed that money lending was being carried out within the grounds of the church and this antagonised powerful people. Never the less God indicated several times money is meant to grow and by doing so drive the economy for the good of all.

People through no fault of their own can become a casualty of differing bank procedure and be caught in a situation of hopelessness. There have been many reports of the mortgage market crisis and for those who have a property with a substantial mortgage it can be a complicated and complex procedure to understand. Once again altering bank policy and classification has left many people with a mortgage which has come to its end term but home owners are unable to apply for a further extension with the original lender as they have reclassified themselves as not being a Bank. Age and reduced income through retirement for multiple individuals can become a dilemma and in an increasingly different money market the options are limited. Many are in what is deemed a difficult catch to get out of in terms of age as they are not acceptable to any new lender because they are thought of as too old but at the same time they can not release enough capital through equity release as they are thought of as too young for a sufficient amount to clear the present mortgage. The irony is clear and in a market where people who have never missed a single payment of their mortgage and penalised, one is made to think, is this fair? For those borrowers who have a loan with a bank brandishing a different identity and status, many of those individuals will be forced to sell their property to pay the mortgage and will barely have enough for a new home.

It is not money that is the root of all evil, it is man's greed and avarice. With the right will money can be employed to create self sustaining facilities for the good of man kind. I worked for a time for the co-op and know the history of its conception. At one time workers had no choice than to buy food at inflated prices from their employer. The idea of collective strength created the co-op as by using their combined buying capability they could by wholesale at a greatly reduced price and in turn distribute the saving in the form of a dividend to co-op members who shopped at the co-op. Sadly through competition the dividend stopped being paid a long time ago but the co-op still tries to trade ethically. In this complex and at times ironical banking market it is not always those who play fair who seem to get a reward.

Natural Alternatives.

I was pondering the other day about Adam and Eve. Apart from the fact that Adam became aware that he needed a fig leaf quite late on in the event time line, one has to note there is one important fact that seemed to have been prevalent among people in multiple testimonial accounts of days gone by and that is that many lived for an unbelievably long time. Take Methuselah at over eight hundred years and he was not the only one. Historically the average person’s length of life has significantly altered and there are several reasons for that. Within my own life time there has been an increase in general living and working conditions, health treatment and preventive measures have halted premature deaths. There is a huge increase in the variety of foods available and the knowledge of a good diet has had a positive impact on the nation’s overall health.

Apart from food and warmth people have become aware that regular physical exercise and mental activity are fundamental to maintaining good health.

A little known fact is a laugh a day keeps the doctor away. Not that I have any problems with apples! In fact apple cider vinegar (ACV) with honey is highly beneficial for relieving painful joints and rheumatism. When you laugh it releases endorphins that aid the body to naturally feel better. Talking about laughter I have heard many people say on multiple occasions that animals cannot laugh but when I was a small boy my Chow dog proved this not to be true. We would often take my dog to the park and happy she would play but when it was time to go home she would instinctively act differently before a word had been uttered, she would run obediently towards me and at the last moment alter direction with her blue tongue lolling out the side of her mouth with an expression of laughter that clearly said I know it's home time but catch me if you can!!

Experience can be life's greatest teacher. In the past I have suffered with a myocardial infarction and immediately was prescribed Beta-blockers. They work by reducing the effect of adrenaline and that reduces the amount of oxygen needed by the heart as it beats slower and weaker. It is thought that this will then stop further attacks of angina, a pain caused by the heart when it is starved of oxygen. It was only after taking Beta-blockers that I noticed a significant amount of symptoms in my health and I felt ill most of the time so I decided to approach my specific condition in a new direction and after two years I know that I made the right decision for me. The prime problem for me was the build-up of plaque in the arteries of the heart and therefore I reduced the plaque by taking a regular, required dose of pomegranate and reduced the cholesterol by taking natural plant Sterols. At the moment no medication is being given for that purpose. Having a rest during the day is a very good idea but having a regular routine of calming mental techniques has been far better for me than Beta-blockers. Sitting down and having a ten minute rest daydream means that I employ a technique to mentally achieve peace and physically slow down my heart rate.

I am a great believer in self-help when it comes to medicine and there are many natural assistants, as I like to call them, that can work if needed alongside medicine. Natural assistants can be found in many food sources, and if used in the right dosage for the body they can have a clinically proven influence on recovery time, health and stamina. The natural, everyday products that can be implemented into one's daily routine can do wonders. Did you know? Aspirin is regularly prescribed for its anti-clotting agents that can be used in blood but did you know cloves of garlic can achieve the same outcome and boost the body with health benefits at the same time. A small glass of pomegranate juice drunk each day can reduce the built up plaque that is already in arteries. Excessive cholesterol is another pill popping condition that can be remedied by natural grown Sterols. Given the choice I would rather take naturally produced medicine as pills can have inherent side effects.

I visualise the actions necessary for good health as a five pointed star balanced on one of its points and that point is sleep. Health is an important issue and everyone should only act according to how they deem is right for their own life but for me I have found a way to successfully see improvements in how I am through implementing small and significant natural aids to recovery. For example, how I start my sleep controls how restful it is. Sometimes my thoughts keep me awake so I keep repeating the word falling and it usually gently lulls me to sleep. Of course if I can get to bed before twelve o'clock it results in a much better sleep. The two top points of the star are food, that is the type and quality and drink that is eight clear glasses of water each day starting with one first thing in the morning before anything else is consumed. The bottom two points of the star are physical exercise, that is at least twenty minutes a day walking and then getting the heart pumping for a short period of careful exercise stimulation. Mental exercise is the final but not least important point. I have never claimed to have an award winning memory and certain words seem to allude me but the more I try to remember the harder it is to grasp them. I have found that once I relax they pop up almost as if they are having a game with me and that has led me to understand how important the part of relaxation is in mental matters and life in general.

What has all this got to do with Adam and Methuselah? Maybe the pressure of life was different in those times and there was not a chemist or doctor around the corner so one could argue that self care in health matters was a necessity. I am very grateful to the surgeon who put two stents in my arteries and performed an angioplasty as it saved my life and I have sympathy for young doctors in their present plight. I think each person has to use common sense when it comes to looking after their own health, understanding your own health and research into what you can do for yourself can be life altering. Natural remedies could work as an alternative to prescribed medication and can perform a modern day miracle for many.

Humanity.

Do to others as you would like them to do to you. The ten commandments, apart from four that are particular to belief, the remaining six sums up the generally agreed form of human moral behaviour. Many incidents where humanity is called upon seem to put over a silent but significant question. What have you achieved if by force you enslave a man's body to obedience and do not willingly gain his heart?

Humanity is something that we all know about instinctively. It can be in an act of kindness, a moment of shared empathy and understanding. Humanity can be seen in so many ways but unfortunately there are multiple experiences of human behaviour that arguably lacks this important trait.

I always try to act true to my own personal conscience. Humanity is one of those areas in life where action does seem to dictate over the spoken word. If all people accepted responsibility for their own actions then would we have a safer, happier and more fulfilled human society?

The psychology of human behaviour has always interested me. In many ways humanity is a part of what we think, we act upon a combination of nature and nurture. Taught behaviours do not always rule people's actions in life. I have seen people with the same declared beliefs act in completely opposite ways. On a busy railway station a lady with a pushchair and child were struggling to climb the stairs but no one offered to do anything to aid them. Hefty, able bodied young men roughly pushed past them and a multitude of different passengers, young and old were seemingly indifferent to the mother and child on the stairs. A slight of stature, smartly dressed young lady approached them and was seen to offer to carry the pushchair up the stairs. A small silver cross swung from a chain around her neck and she asked the little girl if she believed in Jesus. She got the mother and child up the stairs to safety and then with a smile left them to the rest of their day. This one lady was the only one, out of many hundreds of passers by to take time to do something for the mother and child but was it her religion that could explain this, was it her own natural instinct or could it have been both? In another experience a local church meeting was occurring and the orator was in full mode delivering his prepared speech. Suddenly an elderly lady was taken ill and collapsed on the floor in front of him. The speaker, who was a training priest declared that anyone who was to interrupt the word of God would be punished and carried on speaking ignoring the prone lady on the floor. In this instance the lady needed immediate assistance and what was so amazing was the training priest and speaker was a practising medical GP at the local surgery. Fortunately humanity was shown by other people who tried to make the lady comfortable and called for an ambulance.

I think it just goes to show that humanity does not have to occur on mass, it does not have to be something that we practice at or have to learn about, what one person does matters and sometimes all it can take is for one person to do the right thing.

What is Humour?

What is humour? Laughter can unite us. A shared enjoyment of humour can break down the barriers of language and culture. Why do we collapse with laughter at the sight of some unfortunate pedestrian slipping on a discarded banana skin or skiing into a clear glass window? It could be that slapstick is a craft ably displayed by Sir Bruce Forsyth and Sir Norman Wisdom, OBE in their master decorator's approach to doing up a room. Simple acts can turn the everyday into a memorable moment of laughter. Can there ever be something better than Sir Charlie Chaplin KBE with his added pathos? The unmistakable chap with his distinct walk and identifiable stick. His black and white silent masterpieces of comedy were almost guaranteed to bring a tear of laughter at times when major incidents were being seen and yet how brave some of his underlaid ideas were to portray an emotive sentiment out of what would have otherwise have been a scene of conflict.

Some comedians have a charisma and presence, they can have the audience in stitches with hardly a spoken word uttered. Tommy Cooper although a member of the magical circle found the gift to entertain with countless failed tricks. Frankie Howerd, OBE a regular in the carry on films had an infectious persona and soon had the audience under his control laughing away at an expression or mere look. Then there are comedy couples like Morecambe and Wise, the two Ronnies and Ant and Dec. Age old humour that has been written into a performance that needs those two right individuals to act out.

Why when a man puts a dress on and steps on the stage does the audience already anticipate outrageous antics? Danny La Rue, OBE and Dame Edna spring to mind in all their glory of regalia, sequins and feathers. A more sombre approach was lead by Tony Hancock and Les Dawson whose mother in law jokes caused some uproar. Humour can reflect history and mark the opinion of an age. It seems as if some comedians have a disregard of what people think of them to a certain extent and it can be argued that self depreciation is an art in itself. People will travel miles to see their much loved favourite humour led act. Behind the curtains real life was playing out its twists of cruel fate for many in their own personal lives and like the circus clowns with made up faces depicting tears many comedians seem to teach us it is necessary to be professional and give a great performance no matter what they have been through. Does humour mean that no matter what tragic event is inflicted on us we have to carry on, can these experiences be the inspiration for some to find humour out of life's difficulties?

If we learn anything from some of the most loved comedies, it is that life may not always go as planned. I was on holiday and on a ferry in the Irish sea when a series of happenings occurred almost like an episode out of You've been framed. The ferry was crowded and the only space was a few seats left empty behind a door that turned out to be to the men’s toilet. This was no ordinary door, it was unique and there was a few obstacles to overcome. The only trouble was not many people seemed to know about the discreet obstacles, one being that the handle was loose, there was a spring loaded catch that needed the handle to be fitted on to for use, oh and if that wasn't enough one had to act with skill, fitting in the handle and using it as it stayed on its spring. The first hapless passenger who had not known about any of the door's finer features grasped the handle and after pushing down pulled towards himself only to find himself flying backwards holding the handle. He regained his stance and threaded the handle back and carefully holding the door went inside. It did not take long for the whole process to be repeated by the next passenger. Confused expressions were replaced by ones of anger and then determination but my entertainment was rudely cut short when I found out why the seats around me had been left vacant. There was an almighty blast from the ship's fog horn accompanied by a downpour of water issuing from the bell of the horn. I was drenched and shocked, I looked at the wet puddle on the deck and felt like an extra out of a notorious Carry On up on Deck film. The word Comedy and Timing came to mind but I just took it in good spirit as there was nothing else I could do. Unfortunately the weather had taken a turn for the worse as bright sun light had disappeared and was replaced by murky fog. The ship had a see-saw pitch and my dinner was demanding to be released up through my mouth, in desperation I made it to the ship's rail with my mouth wide open and a forceful wind hit me full in the face and like a boxer who had been hit by a far too worthy opponent I went tripping and skidding along the deck in a somewhat clumsy meets there is nothing to see here of a performance. It was only then that I realised how fortunate I had been. I almost lost my glasses and clutched at the ship's rail as my feet had lost contact with the deck. The shock and fear had made me forget about feeling sick as a far worse thing could have happened and at that time I could not swim. Apart from that life threatening fact I would have been stranded in a rather large pool... the sea!

If anything my humour filled trip on a ferry taught me a few things about life. Something that many comedy sketches seem to do is transfer a sense of wit along with a much loved comical scene and in a way my trip was a lesson that taught me not to be so concerned about small things when bigger things could happen.

Thinking Outside of the Box.

History is full of techniques that utilise the latest technology and puts this into every day use but sometimes something so awe inspiring seems to have been missed.

Although there has always been a draw back in having to steer in relation of the direction of the wind, for hundreds of years man has used the power of the wind to fill the sails of all kinds of vessels. Modern vessels use fossil fuels and a large amount of the capacity of the vessel is set aside for carrying that fuel. What if the two features could be altered in one stroke and become a financial advantage?

My possible innovation could be that the sails are altered into wind turbines that stand vertical and automatically adjust the angle of the blades according to the speed it revolves at. The energy produced is converted into electric power that can be stored for when there is no wind and the electricity is used to split sea water into hydrogen gas and burned in a conventional piston engine or jet type electric generator for more electricity as an electric motor is used to drive the propellers.

In my suggestion every direction of the wind is right for the wind turbines so the vessel can move directly against the direction of the wind. The whole sea is the liquid fuel. One of the benefits of the system is using renewable energy and that the waste products are turned into water.

I did think about approaching Dragon's Den but at the moment all I have is an idea and that is not enough to qualify for an investment. It needs a company who has the vision for a green future, someone who would like to put action to this plan. Dragons do your stuff and breathe life into this idea if you dare... If taken further a working vessel would indicate that this wind based solution to an energy age old problem would be trade viable and would have extremely high future market potential. A good profit return is another requirement in any sustainable plan and this environmentally friendly energy idea would be able to meet that demand and have a life saving benefit. Positive influences in this plan for nature, impact on society and future lives would be huge and so I find myself saying that this is a Call Out to a Dragon, an investor who may feel that there is a potential benefit to this thinking outside of the box green form of energy?

Unknown to me until just before I published this blog is that there is in fact already a ship launched in 1967 by Germany called the Hydrogen Challenger. The interesting point is the vessel is being used to produce, store and ship hydrogen gas to the mainland. I think the case for wind and hydrogen powered vessels has been proved to be viable. It is just amazing when everybody is talking about renewable energy, this innovation seems to be being ignored.

Daydreams.

It was only comparatively recently that I rediscovered my pleasure in daydreaming. As a small boy I remember how my mother used to scold me for not joining other boys who were running and playing football. I was content to be engrossed in a fascinating world of imagination where I was the hero pirate like Errol Flynn or Tarzan of the Apes.

The other day I became interested in self hypnoses and was amused to see that it was recommended to create enjoyable and restful scenarios which would result not only in pleasure but great therapeutic benefit. I started to think of my most happy times and sat comfortably in an armchair and with my eyes closed. Fully relaxed and in a few moments I was transported to the seaside. I felt the warmth of the sun and a gentle breeze on my face. Overhead I heard the calls of the seagulls and in the background a burble of day trippers eating their ice creams and laughing happily. After a few minutes I started to explore the beach and under the pier were scattered rocks topped with dark green slippery seaweed which had a strong salty aroma, amongst them were the rusting lattice metal pillars supporting the seaweed draped pier. In my scenario the wind was getting stronger and I noticed at the base of the cliff an entrance to a cave. As I moved towards the cave tiny crabs swam in the small pools that had been created by the ebbing tide. On the sand next to the pier countless casts were scattered across the exposed sandy seashore as tiny creatures busily carried out their daily tasks. Before entering the cave I looked back at my trail of footprints in the wet soft golden sand and overhead in the pastel blue soft white billowing clouds gently moved creating patterns in the sky. A curved rainbow with its elusive pot of gold streaked the heavens. I felt a spot of warm rain on my cheek and I stepped inside the most glorious decorated cave. The walls and ceiling were decorated with countless sea shells in intricate and beautiful patterns. Lights were placed to illuminate this Aladdin cave of endless beauty.

I think daydreaming far from being a waste of time is a never ending tool of enjoyment and relaxation. It is believed to be a key to good health. Daydreaming gives one a relaxed mind and it is well known how many a form of meditation and natural practical exercise art uses this same type of relaxed mental state. We all know how pressures of the day build, by taking out a few minutes daydreaming is important in giving the mind a chance to release pleasure endorphins and is to the body like taking a health tonic. Next time you feel you need to why don't you give it a try? Daydreaming could be a natural remedy to reduce the distress caused to your body and health because of the tensions and pressures in life.