Ghosts in Literature

Do you believe in ghosts? Well, whether you believe them or not, they have been a part of our culture and are in our everyday life. For example, the “bless you” said after someone sneezes comes from an ancient belief that ghosts can enter the body during the sneeze.

After reading “The Woman in White”, by Wilkie Collins, were Anne Catherick is first thought to be a ghost because o her white clothes, vague gaze and enigmatic speeches, I decided to investigate famous ghost in literature.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a change of heart after being visited by several ghosts representing different eras of his life's Christmases. These ghosts (Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come) rehabilitate Scrooge by showing him visions. Scrooge comes to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Though ghosts appear in several of Shakespeare's plays (such as "MacBeth" and "Julius Caesar"), King Hamlet is among the better known of the Bard's ghosts and plays an integral part in "Hamlet". Hamlet may be the central character in the play named after him, but without his father's ghost, there would be no story. King Hamlet appears three times in the play, each time during the night. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his treacherous brother Claudius, and asks Hamlet to avenge his death.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

A schoolmaster in love with a local girl finds his plans interrupted by the appearance of the ghost of a Hessian trooper, who rides around in search of his own head.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This is the nightmarish story of a governess at an English country estate trying to rescue the children under her care from the influence of their former governess and steward, both dead.

Living With Ghosts by Prince Michael of Greece

A slaughtered Renaissance princess. A foul Irish Dragon. A Baroness whose lover was killed by her husband in a duel. The castles of Europe are thick with ghosts, and Prince Michael has seen them all. He doesn't just tell old ghost stories, he claims to have made contact with the dead so they can tell us what happened to them.

Strange, Thy Name is Human

After years and years of evolution we reached a remarkable complexity that make us, the human beings, unique. But, a few things still puzzle the scientific community.

· Blushing: Even Darwin struggled to explain why we would evolve a response that lets others know that we have cheated or lied.

· Laughter: The discovery that laughter is more often produced at banal comments than jokes prompts the question, why did it evolve?

· Pubic Hair: Scent radiator, warmth provider, or chafe protection? The answer to why humans have clumps of hair in private places is still open for debate.

· Teenagers: Even our closest relatives, the great apes, move smoothly from their juvenile to adult life phases – so why do humans spend an agonizing decade as teenagers?

· Dreams: Today, most researchers reject Freud's belief that dreams are expressions of our unconscious desires – but if that's the case, what are they for?

· Altruism: People still debate whether humans are genuinely altruistic by nature, but if we are, most agree it doesn't make evolutionary sense (survival of the fittest, right?)

· Art: Sexual display, learning tool or form of social glue? Why humans need Art?

· Superstition: Many of us have superstitions – odd, reassuring habits that make no rational sense – but there may be an underlying reason for such behavior. Or not.

· Kissing: The urge to kiss is not brought about by genes, so why do we find it so pleasurable to share saliva?

· Nose picking: Many of us do it, but eating bogeys offers little nutritional reward – could there be a health reason for the unappealing habit?

in http://www.newscientist.com/special/ten-mysteries-of-you

Savage Garden - Affirmation (with lyrics)

Lissencephaly

Lissencephaly, which literally means "smooth brain," is a rare, gene-linked brain malformation characterized by the absence of normal convolutions in the cerebral cortex and an abnormally small head (microcephaly). It is caused during embryonic development by defective neuronal migration.

Symptoms of the disorder may include unusual facial appearance, difficulty swallowing, failure to thrive, muscle spasms, seizures, and severe psychomotor retardation. Hands, fingers, or toes may be deformed.

The severe malformations of the brain in lissencephaly most likely will not respond to treatment. Normal supportive care may be needed to help with comfort and nursing needs. Seizures may be controlled with medication. Progressive hydrocephalus may require shunting. If feeding becomes difficult, a gastrostomy tube may be considered.

The prognosis for children with lissencephaly depends on the degree of brain malformation. Many will die before the age of 2. Some will survive, but show no significant development beyond a 3- to 5-month-old level. Others may have near-normal development and intelligence. Children with lissencephaly often die from aspiration of food or fluids, or from respiratory disease.