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Can you really be scared to death? And other weird ways that may invite Death home

It’s common to hear of someone dying of a broken heart, or being scared to death, common as in just kidding or pure jest…right? Well, maybe not.

According to an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, there have been cases documented of people actually dying from strong emotions.

Some of the examples include Roman emperor Nerva (A.D. 30-98), who died due to a fit of anger directed at some senator who offended him; a 13th century pope (Innocent IV) was said to have died of grief when his army was overthrown, and it was also told that some American patriots died of sheer happiness after finding out that General Cornwallis’s men had been defeated (more like creamed) at Yorktown.

G. L. Engel, author of the study, also gathered 170 recent accounts of death due to life disturbing events like the death of someone close, threat of injury or death, death upon reuniting with someone long lost, grief, death by mourning or on an anniversary, happy endings…etc.

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Unemployment figures: Half truths wrapped in bacon

Since the recession started, unemployment has been a closely watched figure, and every time it increases, the stock market seems to take a tumble.  As people lose their spending cushion and lock down their finances for future hardships, the recoil sent back into various industries forces further contraction.  Where spending makes up the entirety of our economic success, when we fail to spend, we also will fail to grow.

When companies start to follow the same path as individual consumers, unemployment figures begin to change.  This has generally increased over the last year, with a few brief spurts of life, but generally the numbers inspire uncertainty and fear into those with jobs and those looking for work who have been laid off.

Eight to 9 percent, or even 10 percent of our total population (350,000,000) is 35,000,000.  That isn’t necessarily a bad figure when you take into consideration all those who file for benefits with no intention of ever getting employment again and are content with living off of the government’s paycheck and free handouts for their miserable existences brought on by massive amounts of underachieving and lack of motivation.

The real problem is far greater than a small number like 8 to 9 percent.

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Twitter takes away from verbal socialization

Twitter has officially taken over.

I’m not really sure how or why but there is talk of Twitter, “twittering” or “tweets” everywhere. I have a Twitter account and I’m proud to say that it doesn’t consume my life…at least not yet.

Apparently because of this I’m behind the times. (And if YOU’re not on Twitter, then you’re seriously not with it.)

Its popularity increased earlier this year when all the celebs began to “tweet.” Even the old ones! I guess America was surprised to know that Barbara Walters could use a computer.

Twitter has become what all other social networking sites dream to be: phenomenally used worldwide and all over the news. Its verbs have quickly become more acceptable to use than ones like “Facebooking” or “MySpacing” and I wonder why. Social networking is the only way to go with friends, family and co-workers.

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