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Britain and UFO's
By Brenda Diskin 2008-06-21

A UFO is any flying object that hasn't been identified as a natural or man-made entity.
Some people think these objects are alien spacecraft, although there appears to be no conclusive evidence yet UFOs have occurred in all shapes and sizes, but most often they are round, cylindrical, cigar shaped or triangular.

Some people believe UFO sightings can be traced back to biblical times.
Britain's encounters with UFO's began back in 1678 when residents in a remote Scottish hamlet were woken by a noise 'like a thousand winds'. Next morning all was normal apart from a perfectly shaped crop circle that had appeared in a field, this was dubbed 'The Devils Circle'. This was bang in the centre of an area known as the Bonnybridge triangle, an area bordered by Bonnybridge, Falkirk and Stirling which has seen at least 300 UFO sightings a year since 1991 which have been witnessed by Fireman, Policeman, and a helicopter pilot. Movement has also been captured on radar.

1743, Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales A farmer near Holyhead is alleged to have witnessed a 'boat' sailing in the clouds at about 1500 feet. The story appeared in the 'Flying Saucer Review' in 1971.
1901, Bournebrook, West Midlands, England A report was made of a 'hut' landing in a field that was occupied with small men wearing tin helmets. This 'hut' then took off into the sky.
It was in the 1940s that sightings started to hit the headlines.
In the 1970s, Erich Von Däniken wrote a number of best-selling books saying that aliens visited the Earth long ago. Highlighting biblical references to fiery objects in the sky, he even proposed that Christ may have been an extraterrestrial. Going back even further, he suggested that ancient man had been genetically altered by aliens, explaining the 'missing link' in human evolution.
There is no doubt that unidentified objects in the sky exist. The question is - what are they? Have people witnessed alien fly-bys or something more mundane?
There was one case where an ambulance man was travelling in a car with a male friend when a 40 foot shiny object swooped low over the car. They swerved off the road and blacked out. When they came to they continued their journey which should have taken 45 minutes only to find that 3 hours had passed that they couldn't account for. They were later hypnotised and both men described being medically examined by strange creatures after being abducted from the car.

DOZENS of mysterious lights were spotted hovering in the sky above Archway, London spreading panic among residents below. Unidentified flying orange objects stopped traffic and left residents staring skyward in disbelief at around 5.30pm on Thursday 1st February 2007

Islington police received four calls within a matter of minutes.

Witness Alex McAlister, 34, a market stall trader from Bredgar Road, Archway, said: "I just picked up my son from nursery in Bredgar Road. I had just come out of the door when I noticed what was going on in the sky.

"There were a group of them - 10 to 15 of them moving together. My first impression was that they reminded me of a squadron of aeroplanes in formation. But they didn't have a proper formation and they were all moving at the same speed. "They were coming from the north and moving south. And then they kind of stopped and they were hovering. There was no sound. They seemed to fade away and I saw more coming and then they stopped. It lasted about 10 minutes."
Islington police informed Contact International UFO Research about the sightings. Soon after another witness contacted the Oxford-based organisation, which is devoted to solving the mystery of UFOs, and described what he saw.

January 1st 2008 there were sightings witnessed by more than one person at a time in various areas in Yorkshire, Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Isle of Wight, Staffordshire, Essex, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Sussex.

Friday June 20th 2008. hundreds of sightings were reported over Wales. A UFO narrowly missed colliding with a police helicopter with a three man crew. They chased the UFO to North Devon but had to give up when they ran low on fuel. Experts revealed airline pilots have spotted hundreds of UFOs over the nearby Bristol Channel this year; they have been reporting two or three encounters a week between March and June 2008

These are just a few of the incidents many more have been documented of hundreds of years.

MILKMAID HELPS TO HALT SMALLPOX

by Brenda Diskin ( rewritten from Myth to Legend)

Old wives tales and folklore filled medical textbooks in the early 1700s; medicine was an emerging profession. One of the world's most famous doctors, Edward Jenner found a way to marry myth with medicine and in doing so saved millions of lives by discovering the way to halt the deadly disease smallpox; all with the help of a milkmaid.

The "Speckled Monster", as it was known by Jenner, smallpox was the biggest killer of it's time. Affecting all classes of society in the 18th Century, no one was immune from the disease. Around 10% of the population died from smallpox and a further 20% would ended up scarred which was why many rich and fashionable women of the time took to wearing veils and beauty spots.

The disease is thought to have existed since Egyptian times and from the 16th Century smallpox became extremely common in Europe, killing large numbers of people.

From the 1700s onwards, with people living in cramped and unsanitary conditions due to the introduction of towns and industry, the virus wiped out large amounts of the population. In London the number ran into many thousands.

In 1763 smallpox was used by the British in North America as germ warfare and as a result decimated the Native American population.

As no cure could be found, people searched for ways to prevent themselves from contracting the disease. In 1721, a method of vaccination was brought to England, by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of the British Ambassador to Turkey. Her method, picked up from the women in the court in Turkey, involved scratching the vein of a healthy person and pressing a small amount of matter, taken from a smallpox pustule of a person with a mild attack, into the wound.

Edward Jenner was born and brought up in Berkeley in Gloucestershire, among farming families. As a boy, he was treated for smallpox by the vaccination method after first being starved and bled. He was then locked up with a number of other boys until the illness had run its course. After qualifying, many of his patients were farmers, labourers, and milk maids. From this community, he heard of many old wives tales relating to the treatment and prevention of illness, most of which could never be proven.

There was an old wives tale that said milkmaids were the prettiest and fairest in the land, this did not allude to genetic beauty only found in women who worked with cows it was more to do with the fact that they were very rarely disfigured by smallpox scars.
Local folklore told him that milk maids could never get the disease as they were "protected by some force of nature".
Upon examination of his patients during the 1788 epidemic, he saw there was some truth in the matter, even when whole families were struck down by the condition. If a daughter, wife or sister was a milkmaid she was very rarely affected by it.

Jenner had noticed that when he was variolating (vaccinating) people the majority of them showed signs, however mild, of the illness; milkmaids did not. When treating milkmaid Sarah Melmes, for small pox like marks which appeared on her hands and on the udders of the cows she milked. Jenner realised that she had probably been infected with cow pox, which was harmless to humans and which made her immune to the life threatening human strain.

Jenner went on to prove his hunch, by carrying out an early clinical trial on the eight-year-old son of his gardener. The boy, James Phipps, was infected with cow pox, became mildly ill, then when well again, he was infected with smallpox, and showed no sign of illness whatsoever. Jenner had discovered a cure for the "Speckled Monster".

Jenner coined the word vaccine from the Latin vacca for cow, and called the process vaccination.

Jenner died in his home village in 1832, eight years before his vaccine became the government prescribed standard for the prevention of smallpox.

Jenner

Nexus of the Soul

Resplendent tendrils of the everlasting soul entwine and mesh with the aura of another, morphing and creating the dance of souls uniting into one. The effervescent flow between each of the auras transcend all rhythms and comprehensions. Latching onto to one another with a perpetual bond of love, the strands of energy lock lovingly forever, blending and bonding to create a harmonious symbiosis of bliss.
Every individual, entity and item on this plane of existence carries with them a permanent imprint of energy. Surrounding their delicate and fragile molecular cohesion, a dense and permanent glow of existence resides. Affected by various energy environments, this rainbow of potential colors forms the illuminating and energetic shield known as your aura.
Whether falling in love or attaching one’s interest to a cherished item, the aura reaches it’s ethereal grasp to mesh flawlessly with the chosen suitor. As time goes on, the essence of both bodies become stronger and more cemented together. Entangling their auras with love, therefore creating an invisible nexus and fusion.
Envision the auras as clouds merging with one another in the sky, the seams dissipate and the two become one. Though the original clouds still exist, they have flawlessly integrated their fluidity. Human auras react in the same fashion. Our soulful emanation melds with other souls to create a unification called love.
Humans can also attach their aura to places and items, but the intensity relayed from the place or item is far less dramatic than that of a living being. Reciprocation of this energy is essential for a permanent and tremendously satisfying bond.
Infatuation or obsession can occur when someone who desires the blending does not receive the reciprocation of the feelings of love and is denied in the attempt. This denial can result in the lacking individual to develop possessive behavior. The pursuer is that of an energy vampire, attempting to drain the essence by force or manipulation. The less the victim gives, the more energy the obsessive person desires to obtain. Usually due to many factors such as a traumatic, affection neglected childhood or mental disorder, the obsessive personality craves the attention and rewards of merging auras with another. When denied, the pursuer can become violent, irrational and more determined, potentially turning them into stalkers.
The best way to deal with these individuals is to ignore and continue to deny them any energy, positive or negative. Eventually their subconscious realizes that they are getting nowhere and will look elsewhere.
Some individuals with dysfunctional or depleted auras with behave with derogatory and demeaning natures towards others. These people feel the need to steal others’ positive ambiance to increase the power of their own. By constantly belittling and bullying others, they infiltrate the energy of their targets, temporarily and artificially restoring their own. Toxic individuals, such as complainers and people with negative attitudes, fall under the same category.
This unnatural act of energy thievery causes a continuous roller coaster of opposing energies for the aura pirate. They must learn to repair their own aura from within, not by stealing from innocent bystanders for their temporary fix. Simply avoiding these individuals and recognizing their attempts nullifies the embezzlement.
A constant healthy and vibrant aura is obtained by those who remain in balance with mind, body and soul. Pure and healthy auras tend to surround individuals who practice meditation, yoga and various self rewarding activities. Usually they are those who eat healthy and mind their body. Creating a balance within and without is the key to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Maintaining awareness and mindfulness of the energy field can keep the aura in perfect condition, warding off physical and mental illnesses as well as the bombardment of negative energies.
When healthy auras merge, the result is that of ethereal bliss. Finding mutual love and acceptance is one of the most rewarding and glorious occasions for your soul to experience. The constant loving ache for one another is but a glimpse into the gates of heaven itself. The joys and blissful conditions that the bonds create can last until eternity. Love extends far beyond the grasp of lovers. It can reach the far corners of the earth, providing positive energy to those in need in the form of prayer. The adhesive of love between parent and child is like no other glue imaginable.
If only we understood the power and magnitude of this precious positive energy, we might then begin to manifest the world that we all truly desire.
When the death, divorce or physical separation occur, the ethereal bonds are literally torn at the seams, causing a tear or temporary hole to form. These painful and traumatic instances can leave a person incapacitated with despair and the unbearable experience of emptiness and a baron soul.
Picture coating both of your hands with honey, imagine pressing your hands together as in prayer. If you slowly pull your hands apart, you can see the strands of gold begin to separate, yet resist against the detachment. They cling gracefully to one another and the further apart your hands go, the less resistant the bond. When done slowly and less traumatically, the tendrils of honey seem to separate more easily and effortlessly.
If you were to forcefully and quickly sever the communion of your hands, you’d see the areas on your palms where the honey literally was torn from your grasp. Large holes are left, precariously ripped and forcefully divided from it’s source of cohesion.
Your soul and aura are the same, when death, divorce or distance is forecasted and presumed, the ties that have bound the souls as one have time to unwind their delicate ringlet of energy and heal more slowly.
When tragedy and shock rip the fragile and breakable covenant, the result is that of shear and excruciating pain from the very core of the soul. While it can repair in it’s time on earth, the earthbound soul may never seal the wounds that these sorrows can bestow.
It is my intention to provide soulful knowledge so that the masses who are bombarded daily with negativity, hardship and grief may arm themselves with the comfort, kindness and love that is embedded within the united energy of the souls.

http://thespiritguide.wordpress.com/

Cataracts
By Brenda Diskin ©2008-07-29

Ever since I was a child I have struggled with my eyesight. I had extremely good vision in my left eye and a stigmatism in my right. I have always worn glasses to correct my far sightedness. Being a little vain in my teenage years (and because there were no designer frames then and contact lenses were expensive) I used to remove my spectacles when I went out which meant I was constantly aware of trying to keep my right eye 'straight'. Over the years my 'good' left eye has never let me down, allowing me to see quite long distances, to read numerous books, to sew, draw, paint and pursue various hobbies and handicrafts. I first noticed a definite change about 8 years ago, although I could still pursue the rest of my hobbies I found reading started to get difficult due to the fact my eyes became extremely tired. I would read a few lines and my eyes just wanted to close, which meant I found myself reading the same few lines over and over. It took an eternity to read a book and started to become more of a chore than a pleasure.
I have always loved to write so I thought that would be the answer but slow typing speeds and arthritic fingers make transferring stories and poems to the computer a long and arduous job. Nevertheless I still gain a lot of pleasure from my writing.

About a year ago I started having to use buses on a fairly regular basis and noticed that I was having difficulty seeing the numbers unless the bus was extremely close. I put this down to wrong prescription on my spectacles and the fact that the bus numbers aren't lit up like they are in London. Even when I missed a few buses because I couldn't get my hand out to stop them in time because they were so close I still didn't think there was a problem.

About five months ago I noticed that my spectacles seemed to be constantly dirty, especially the left eye, and was constantly cleaning them. Again I didn't think there was a problem I presumed I wasn't cleaning them properly or that they were scratched. I was told by the optician at Vision Express about four years ago that I had the start of a cataract but I have visited the optician (a different company) several times since and been assured that I did not have a cataract. I would like to add that although I was using the same company I had seen three different opticians so thought they couldn't all be wrong.

About four months ago we were out shopping in Huddersfield market when I asked Mick to check if my spectacles were dirty. He said they were a little dirty. As I looked up I realised it wasn't my spectacles, which Mick was still holding, it was my eyes.

From then on my eyes continued to deteriorate. I could see black on white writing fairly easily and if something was up close, although it was hazy, I could see it. Anything more than 6 - 8 feet away was a blur, I could not make out the features on someone's face. It was like a Sci-Fi film, everyone looked like they had blank faces as I could only see the outline of their heads.

I went along to the optician and asked if they could check my eyes for problems. The optician I saw said my eyes were normal and my vision hadn't changed hardly at all as I could still see the letters on their board the same as before and could read the little card they gave me with the various size sentences on while wearing my spectacles. He did various tests and said there was nothing wrong, definitely no cataracts. He told me I had to expect my vision to be blurred when I took my spectacles off. I insisted I knew my eyes and there was definitely something wrong. Because I was so insistent he sent a letter to my doctor asking for me to be referred to hospital.

I waited three weeks for an appointment and on June 3rd 2008 I attended Royal Hallamshire hospital. By this time I was looking at what other things could be wrong with my eyes as the optician had insisted that I did not have cataracts, the other options were not good. I started to resign myself to the fact I was possibly going blind.
My appointment was for 8.30am and they saw me on time. The nurse checked my eyesight and escorted me to another waiting area. I only waited about 5 minutes before the doctor called me in. He asked me some questions and asked what I thought the problem was. I told him I thought it was cataracts but the optician had told me it wasn't. He examined my eyes and said that he also thought it was cataracts which was quite a relief. He then put some drops in my eyes ready for another test which he told me was to make sure that he had given me the right diagnosis. I returned to the waiting area for 15 minutes then I was called back in. He asked me to look at some lights and looked into my eyes. The whole process was absolutely painless. The doctor then told me exactly what they would do if they operated, what the success rate was and went through the recovery process. He then asked if I would like the operation, when I said I did he put me on the waiting list which is about two months.

On July 10th 2008 I was called to Weston Park hospital for a pre-operation check. Again my appointment was for 8.30am. The nurse called me and tested my eye sight I was then sent to see the theatre nurse who went through the operation procedure and made me an appointment for the operation on 31st July and also made the post op appointment. The whole consultation only took about 30minutes. I am now two days away from my operation; I have to be at the hospital at 7am. I am having a local anaesthetic which is drops in the eyes to make them numb.

Part Two (The operation and recovery)

My partner Mick took me to the hospital we arrived exceptionally early and waited about an hour and 20 minutes for them to call me. The nurse called me and told Mick I would be ready to go home about 10am and that they would call him when I was ready. The nurse took me upstairs to the ophthalmology department. I was shown to a waiting room. There were three of us waiting for the operation. I was told I was first and was taken in to an office where I was asked to confirm my personal details, my blood pressure was checked and three lots of drops were put into my left eye. I was told the first drops were to stop the others from stinging and the others were to dilate my pupil. I was then called in to see the surgeon who explained everything and marked above my eye with a felt tip pen to indicate which eye was to be operated on. I had to have another two lots of drops in my eye as my pupil was not dilating quickly enough so my operation was put back to second. A male nurse came to collect me; he introduced himself and checked my details again. He then took me along to the theatre where I was helped onto the couch and my head laid on a specially shaped pillow to stop my head from moving. A cover was placed over me and a heart rate monitor was attached to the centre finger of my right hand. I was told to keep my hands by my sides. The male nurse held my left hand and explained that if I was uncomfortable or needed anything I was to squeeze his hand. A paper sheet with a hole around my eye was placed over my face and taped around my left eye. A tube blowing fresh air was placed under the paper sheet. I bright light was switched on and I was told to look straight ahead. All I could see was the light.

The Operation
The lens is located immediately behind the pupil and consists of several parts. In the centre there is the core which becomes opaque with increasing age. There is a soft skin which lies around it. The whole lens is surrounded by the lens capsule. The lens capsule is hung up by elastic fibres, the zonula fibres, from the ciliary body of the eye behind the iris
Today during the cataract operation the entire opaque lens is mainly no longer removed from the eye, and the lens capsule is if possible left in the eye. In the case of the most frequent form of the cataract operation the lens capsule is opened circularly by means of a small incision, the harder lens core is liquefied by ultra sound waves and subsequently sucked out together with the softer lens skin.
Instead of the natural lens an intraocular lens is then implanted into the eye.
In order to insert the artificial lens as well as the necessary operation instruments into the eye, a small corneal incision is made, which closes again after the operation without any artificial stitches.
The surgeon started the proceedure. He cleaned around my eye with antiseptic, then put in a drop to make the anesthetic drops from being painful. He then put in the drops to numb my eye. He put a clamp on my eyelid to stop me from blinking. This was slightly uncomfortable but not painful. The surgeon made the first incision which I did not feel at all, I couldn't even see the instruments coming towards my eye, all I could see was the light. He then told me that the next instrument would make a buzzing noise but not to be alarmed. Again I felt nothing just heard what sounded a little bit like a very quiet dentist drill. Next, the surgeon said I would feel a slight pressure when he put in the new lense. The pressure was only very slight and did not hurt at all. He then asked if I could see anything, to which I answered I could see orange and purple lights and the shape of his head. He told me the operation was successful and taped a patch over my eye.
The Recovery
Day 1 (Operation Day)
I left the hospital with a blue tinted patch over my eye which I had to keep on until the following morning and then put back on each night for a week (to stop me rubbing my eye in my sleep). I noticed my eye was very sensitive to light and being as my right eye has always been so I had to stand and wait for Mick with both my eyes closed. I was told to take paracetemol for any pain. I felt no real pain in my eye but a little discomfort as though I was wearing a very uncomfortable contact lense. Did not feel the need to take any painkillers. Towards the evening I noticed an improvement in my sight even though I was still wearing the patch.

Day 2
When I woke up my eye was stuck together. I removed the patch and bathed my eye with cooled boiled water and cotton wool as instructed by the nurse. I put the first drop in my eye (1 drop four times a day for 4 weeks). My eyesight had improved considerably, in fact so much that I could actually see with my left eye without glasses ( for distance, I could not read or use the computer) but I felt a bit 'off balance' as my right eye has very little vision.. I asked Mick to take me to buy some cheap reading glasses (will buy some decent ones when my eye has healed and I know what prescription I will require) and some sunglasses. My eye was still very sensitive to light and I noticed some light flashes to the left hand side which are quite annoying. My eye was quite swollen around the eyebrow and cheekbone. I bathed my eye and put in the drops throughout the day. I was able to sit and watch some films quite comfortably. Towards the evening my eye felt a bit sore and very tired.

Day 3
Took off the patch this morning (no stickiness). We took Mick's dad out shopping; I had to wear my sunglasses as my eyes were still very sensitive to light. Once again I had a little soreness during the day which eased with bathing and the drops. Still haven't had to take any painkillers. Watched some more films tonight. Not able to focus on the computer enough to catch up with my work. Once again my eyes got tired and sore towards the end of the evening but this was only mild discomfort and to be expected.

Day 4
Went for a ride on Mick's motorbike today I was a bit worried about going over any big bumps in case it jarred my eye. I found the cold air blowing up my helmet quite uncomfortable on my eye so had to close my eyes while we were going at speed on the motorway. No problems or mishaps. Still got the light flashes and sensitivity to bright light.

Day 5 (Monday)
Went to the Gym today to work out. The hospital said this was okay but not to go swimming because of the risk of infection. Still got the flashing and light sensitivity.
My eyes are still getting tired and sore at night but I expect this.

Day 6
The swelling around my eye has gone down a bit so I don't look so much like Neanderthal man (or woman). Still got the sensitivity and the feeling of a slipped contact lense. Went to the gym - no problems. Eyes still getting very tired.

Day 7
Eyes are looking more normal. Will be really glad when I can put a bit of mascara on. Off to the gym. Still got the sensitivity and flickering light to the left of my eye.

Day 8 Post Op Appointment.
Arrived 8.30am. Got seen more or less straight away. The nurse tested my reading ability in my left eye. Which was quite good. They then put me on a machine to check my distance sight. I returned to the waiting area where I remained until I was called to see the other nurse to check my eye to see if it was healing properly. I asked the nurse about the sensitivity, flickering and feeling of a slipped contact lense and was assured this was quite normal and would pass. The nurse checked the slits made in the cornea to see if they were healing (one is where the instrument is inserted to suck out the old lense and the other where the new lense is inserted). She put some drops in to numb my eye and removed two lower eyelashes which were growing into my eye. A drop of orange dye was put in my eye to check everything was healing properly . I was told I had a couple of broken blood vessels which were quite normal and nothing to worry about and that my eye was healing well. I mentioned the problems with the focus in my right eye and was told the doctor I saw at Hallamshire had said that although I have a slight cataract in my right eye they were waiting to see if it caused a problem before doing anything about it so I have been referred back to the Royal Hallamshire to see what they intend to do with my right eye. I was given a note for the optician in case they decide not to do anything with my right eye. Left the hospital and went to the gym. My left eye was a little achy and sore but no real problem.

Days 9, 10, 11 Soreness and sensitivity easing. Finding more of a problem focusing with my right eye and whether it is imagination or not, I seem to be noticing the cataract more since my left eye has improved.

Day 12 Monday (11th Aug). Went to the gym today (my right eye is very achy) and when I got home I had received the appointment to go to the hospital to see about my right eye. I have to go back to the original consultant at Royal Hallamshire on 3rd September at 8.30am.

Day 13 - Day 18 Still a prickly feeling in my eye and quite sensitive to light

Day 19 (Monday 18th Aug) The sensitivity in my left eye seems to have quietened down and it is only feeling prickly when I am tired. Eyesight in my left eye is extremely good. Still using the drops. Last day for using them will be 28th August. I highly recommend the operation. I have got the best eyesight I have ever had, without glasses, in my left eye.

I have now got to wait until 3rd of September to see if they are going to do my right eye. I will update when I get the results of the consultation.

UPDATE: Wednesday September 3rd 2008. Arrived at Royal Hallamshire Hospital at 8.30am. After haveing my eyesight tested I was called in to see Mr Nelson who asked me about the problem with my right eye. He then said he couldn't understand why they didn't book me an appointment for an operation straight away. I told him there seemed to be some uncertainty as to whether they were going to operate om my weaker eye. Mr Nelson said he was not sure what they were going to do with my right eye exactly and that it will never be as good as my left but there will be a definate improvement.

I now have to wait to receive an appointment.

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