How often haven't you been in a position of an awkward silence, when you've tried to find something witty to say at the coffee-table, just like everyone else at that table.

How often haven't you been a part of a group of ignorant listeners to some rattler who's telling funny tales assembling admirerers just as cowshit assembles flies.

Where do these rattlers find these tales?

 

1.

In 1991 I was working as a deputy whose job was to find employment for disabled people in and around Keflavik, Iceland. For the reason that I wanted to find out what was happening in employment-matters of disables abroad I applied for and received a financial aid from the European Council allowing me to travel to London England. In London I got a great reception by people who worked in the employment-field and they lead me around this great city.

Having been working on and introducing the Netsaga a couple of years, "destiny" intervened unexpectedly but delightfully in my relentless search for my "better half".

During the autumn of 2005 in quite a beautiful weather I was standing in front of the Bonus-store by Laugavegur in Reykjavik distributing my cards to just about any rover.

In the 1880's Arthur Law had written a play in which the sole survivor of a shipwrecked vessel, the Caroline was called Robert Golding. Within days of the play's first performance he read a newspaper story about a real shipwreck in which there had been only one survivor. The name of the ship the Caroline; the name of the survivor, Robert Golding.

On 2 November 1941-16 days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor-The New Yorker ran two advertisements for a new dice game called The Deadly Double. A boxed advertisement, carrying the name Monarch Publishing Co., New York (with no further address), appears as a pointer to the main advertisement on p. 86.

This pointer has long been held to contain clues to the 7 December raid on Pearl Harbor. It is headed: Achtung, Warning, Alerte! In it are two dice, one black, one white, each with three faces showing. The white dice faces carry the numbers 12 and 24 and XX (twenty in Roman numerals) while on the black dice faces are the numbers 0, 5,7.

I expected to be told after the show, but the presenter pointed at one of the cameras fucused on us and I heard, although I could not see past the studio lights, the voice of its operator. Another camera swung around and picked him up so I was able to see the man behind the voice on the monitor. Still operating his camera and with other crew members' good-naturedly, heckling his performance, he mentioned some details of John Lennon's involvement with the number 9-the Beatle was born on 9 october 1940 and Sean, his and Yoko's son, was also born 9 October. It was an intriguing anecdote.

Anecdote?

The eighteenth century adventurer Cagliostro is said to have used the Chaldean system of numerology to forecast the deaths of both Louis XlV and his wife Marie Antoinette. The prediction was made at a gathering in Paris (some accounts say it was a dinner party of aristocrats, others a meeting of Freemasons). Having found the king's number, Cagliostro said it showed that the king would lose his on the scaffold before his 39th year (he was guillotined with his wife in 1793, aged 39). Cagliostro further corectly predicted that Marie Antoinette's 'number' showed she would meet a premature death through beheading following a term in prison and starvation. Louis XlV came to the throne in 1643, which equals 14 (1+6+4+3), single digit 5 (1+4). He died in 1715, another 14, or 5, at the age of 77...

There are many cases of whole families who seem dogged by a number persistently weaving itself into their lives, often involving a birth date-that is brothers, sisters, cousins, parents all born on the same date over the generations, although there are variations.

Some examples.

Julie a caller to a radio programme, said her mother was born on 2/2/22 and is a twin. The mother and her husband bought a block of land, Lot No.22. When it was given a housenumber, it was again No. 22. They lived there for 22 years. The telephone number added up to 22. After many years of calling lottery tickets by her two daughters' names she decided one day to name one No. 2 and she won first prize.

Princess Beatrice, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, was born at eight minutes past 8 pm on 8/8/88.

August End

Actress Ingrid Bergman died on 29 August 1982, her birth date.

The Encyclopaedia of Association Football, Maurice Golesworthy.

Double Cover-l

In Des 1990 two books released within a week of esch other carried as a cover illustration The man in Black (1925) by Napier Waller (1893-1972). The books were Frank Moorehouse's Lateshows (Picador) and Margaret Scott's The Baby-Farmer (Collins A&R). There was a further coincidence. One of the stories in Lateshows, The Disciplining of Other People's Children, tells of the author's efforts at babysitting. In M. case the illustration is clearly meant to represent a debonair man about town, with his black suit, hat and white silk scarf. Scott's novel is set in the 1870s and concerns a murderous trade in baqbies in Victorian London, thus giving the illustration a very different meaning.

Co-author of a book on health food-Junko Lambert.

Same Titles

Journalist Peter Watson went undercover for a book he wrote that resulted in this coincidence. He posed as an art dealer called John Blake in order to recover a stolen Caravaggio painting. The book of his experiences he called The Caravaggio Conspiracy. In the week it was published, a novel by Oliver Banks also came out, called The Caravaggio Obsession, a fictional account of an art dealer trying to locate a stolen Caravaggio. In it the fictional dealer's name is Richard Blake. Watson had had some dealings with coincidences before this: he had written a book about the coincidences in the lives of identical twins.

The International Journal of Parapsychology reported the following eerie experience, which began when Dr. Lawrence LeShan met Dr. Nina Ridenour to discuss his manuscript, which dealt largely with mysticism. Dr. R. is an expert on the subject. As they talked, LeS. took careful notes of her advise and comments, incl. making a list of the books she recommended he read. One of the eight books on his list was Crammer-Bing's The Vision of Asia. He mentally noted her comment on it: -Until you read this you won't understand the difference between Eastern and Western mysticism. It was significant for him, because the difference between the mysticism of East and West was vital to the idea he was exploring.

This case involves the furore that broke out over 2 books which were published 50 years apart in different parts of the world yet have so many points in common that claims of plagiarism were levelled, claims hotly denied by one of the authors involved, Colleen McCullough. The books in question are M's the Ladies of Missalongbi and the earlier The Blue Castle by Canada's Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Cables.

Consider the plots.

Jung with his interest in synchronicity would have loved all this. As we saw saw in Chapter One he believed many coincidences were the work of a universal force seeking to impose some kind of order. One part of that force was what he called the collective unconscious - that is in addition to our individual unconscious we are all tuned into a collective unconscious. He wrote: We may think we are following our noses and may never discover that we are for the most part supernumaries on the stage of the world theatre. There are factors which although we do not know them, nevertheless influence our lives, the more so if they are unconscious.

This case was reported in the American National Tattler Amazing but True column, written by Doug Storer. It concerns 2 Texans, one Allen Falby, an El Paso County highway patrolman, the other Alfred Smith. a businessman.

They met for the first time on a hot June night when F. crashed his motor bike. He had been racing down the road, chasing a speeding truck, when the vehicle slowed to turn.

In July 1989 golfer Oliver Anthony, 61 of Memphis, Tennessee placed a golf ball in his pocket while playing a round. On the course a man approached him, brandishing a gun and demanding money. When A. refused the gunman started shooting. One shot hit the ball in his pocket leaving him with a bruised leg. The other shots missed and the gunman fled.

Ms Patricia Weston was deputy principal of a large high school in the town of Bunbury, Western Australia in 1977. She asked a friend, Barry Smith down from Perth, the state capital to partner her at the school's annual ball. They attended a local restaurant for dinner before the dance. Afterwards as he changed from his dinner jacket he noticed he had lost his gold pen. Next morning they went back to the ballroom. Failing to locate the pen there, they tried the restaurant, where the owner was pleased to return the gold Schaeffer which was easily identified as it had 'B.Smith' inscribed on it.

A woman responded to a newspaper advertisement from a handwriting expert offering to do character readings from samples sent to her. The woman sent a note written by her boyfriend and asked if he would make a good husband. The graphologist replied with a firm no, adding that he had been a pretty rotten husband to her for the past 3 years. She added a PS: Thanks for the evidence.

William Caxton who introduced printing to Britain had an assistant, Wynkyn de Worde.

The Final Act

Canadian actor Charles Coghlan became ill and died in Galveston, Texas during a tour of the American state in 1899. He was buried in a lead coffin which was sealed inside a vault.

A common complaint the world over is that taxi drivers do not know how to find the address you want. An Athenian taxi driver had no such problem. The fare he picked up one day gave the driver's own address as his destination. Once there the driver watched as the man took out a key and let himself in.

Using his own key the driver followed and interupted the man as he was about to make love to the driver's wife. Said the driver later: -It must have been his unlucky day. Athens has 70000 taxis.

The Alton (Illinois) Evening Telegraph reported in Sept 1946 that when its normally busy obituary writer Mildred West-she reported an average of 10 deaths a week-took a week's holiday, the people of Alton obligingly stopped dying. Once back on the job the death rate of ten or so a week immediately resumed.

Geoffrey Crooke was in a bookshop scanning a page page 112 of Jean Houston's Godseed. He had just come to the passage, '...the pattern of fortunate coincidences around her was astonishing. Synchronicities just seemed to flourish in her presence...' when he overheard a snatch of conversation between 2 women at the counter in which in which the word 'synchronicity' was emphasized.

Story 1: Clairvoyant Margaret Dent relates that as a teenager for some reason she joked with her friend Janis that one day they would be sisters and have the same surname. They would puzzle over this comment and thought it may be some sort of carry-over from a previous life. In any case, Margaret was due to marry her long-time friend Paul, even though she was having serious doubts about it. One day M. met a man called Bobby accident. She went out with him that night but felt so guilty about Paul and was such miserable company she felt sure she would not see him again.

In 1994, water was found in a galaxy 200 m. light-years away. Scientists say the galaxy is in the constellation of Pisces-the fish.

Result Posted

When Sidney successfully campaigned to stage the Olympic Games its long-time postcode became its campaign slogan-Sidney 2000.

On a visit to his mother, Wayne Jones decided to do something about the clock which had been sitting on her mantelpiece for months not working. Heading for a watchmaker with the clock under his arm he broke into a jog-and the movement jolted the clock into action at exactly the same time it had stopped.

A homoeopathic remedy for barking dogs is made from the Bach flower.

Watching Him

TV presenter Larry Emdur who hosted a show about coincidences has his own incredible story to tell. It began with his father who on his 21st birthday had received a beautiful antique watch from his parents. Unfortunately Larry's father lost it. On Larry's 21st birthday his friends at work clubbed together and bought him a grey suit. He had only ever worn navy or black suits. Searching in his father's sock drawer for a grey pair to go with the suit he discovered-under a grey pair at the back of the drawer-the watch.

As he bravely faced the fiery West Indian bowling attack, Australian cricketer Tim May had every reason to believe the coincidences surrounding were a portent of victory.

It had been 4 years since May last played for Australia and his recall came for the Fourth Test of the 1992-3 series at the Adelaide Oval, his home ground.

On 25 January, May had taken an amazing 5 wickets for only 9 runs-reason enough for him and his team -mates to celebrate. With the West Indies all out for a lowly 185, victory looked certain.

A traveller's tale comes from ex-RAF man David Furlonger, who runs David's Seafood Kitchen, in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. One night in August 1986, he was chef on duty at his restaurant. It was a cold and miserable night, raining heavily. -We had only a commercial traveller and a couple in the restaurant, he recalled. My wife who was doing the waitressing came into the kitchen and said, -The couple out there has an unusual English accent.

Twins of course have most chances of being involved in coincidences between themselves. But Chris and Christine Mikhael and their family have been more than surprised at the co. that have occurred so far in their young lives, especially by the sudden prediction made by their motherwhen their all-important Higher School Certificate examination reports arrived at their home on 11 Jan 1989.

Shortly after reading a story from Koestler's case-book on coincidences, I found myself involved in an equally poignant situation which had relevance to the original story.

K's case concerns a mother whose daughter was jilted for the second time. The mother could find no way of comforting her or stopping her tears. She went into the kitchen to get a drink praying desperately for guidance but realizing she was usually inarticulate in such situations.

Waiting for the kettle to boil she distinctly heard the words:

- As the sun sets it also rises.

Dr Ira Progoff, in his book Jung, Synchronicity and Human Destiny (1973) tells the following story: One day a stranger came to Abraham Lincoln with a barel full of odds and ends. He said that he was in need of money and that he would be much obliged if Lincoln would help him out by giving him a dollar for the barrel. The contents he said were not of much value; they were some old newspapers and things of that sort. But the stranger needed the dollar very badly...

José Silva is the creator of Mind Control, a widely acclaimed self-improvement programme which teaches people to use their minds at a deeper and more effective level-even while they are asleep-and which boasts more than 1 million users throughout the world. Silva tells of a coincidence which helped him to develop an important part of his course, the usefulness of dreams in problem-solving.

A coincidence which has its origins in antiquity surfaced during the search to interpret the inscription of the famous Rosetta Stone in 1820. The translator, Dr Thomas Young, had received a parcel of manuscripts from a man named Casati in Paris, incl one which bore in its preamble something resembling the text of the Rosetta Stone.

In 1992 Alan Leary, a video-shop owner was convinced by his friend Stephen Hourigan that he should have a relaxing game of golf. Alan had never played the game, so it came as a surprise when at the par-3 fourth he holed in one.

Thanks, Dad

In 1984 police booked Julia McArdie for failing a breath test-the machine had been invented by her father.

In July 1992, a man admitted to a court that he whipped a teenage boy while the youth was strapped to a bondage rack. The man's name: Julian William Whippy.

Pullar in Rowers' Town

A dentist of Henley-on-Thames: Mr. Pullar.

Electrician CW Winterbotham advertises himself as an electrical heating specialist.

Just Married

While the wedding reception for Ian Smith and bride Cathy was in full swing, outside some of the guests were working on the groom's silver Commodore with shaving cream, tin cans on the bumper bar and straw stuck to the bodywork with honey.

Owner of several gardening firms-Ernie Digweed.

Family Firm

A photographer named Father brought his son into the business and put up the sign Father&son.

On 28 Jan 1986, the worst space disaster in the US occurred when the shuttle Challenger exploded within a minute of take-off, killing all 7 crew members. Later in the year a rocket ship-shaped child's bed canopy appeared in department stores bearing the name Challenger. It was made of 'washable FIRE RESISTANT nylon'.

One of a group of people sharing the one home told me they changed their front -door lock when one lost a key. Another of the tenants tried the old key on the new lock-and it worked.

On 25 Nov 1991, after a radio news reported the death of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the pop group Queen the record that followed was the song Another One Bites the Dust, sung by Oueen.

Man to Man

30 passengers were killed when a New York commuter train left the rails while crossing the bridge over Newark Bay and plunged into the waters beneath. The following day newspapers ran pictures of the carriages being winched back on the bridge. One picture showed a carriage with its number clearly visible on a side panel-932.

At a Hiroshima Peace Rally in 1992, the star attraction was a rock band-the Urban Guerillas.

Met by Chance

A car and a motor cycle collided in Stourbridge, England. The name of the driver, Frederick Chance, the name of the motor cyclist Frederick Chance.

In 1849, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, then 19 was visited by an obscure Hungarian countess who accused him of having had her son murdered. Young Michael Karoli had been executed on the orders of Baron Julius von Haynau, general of Franz Josef's army, as he tried to put down the Hungarian revolt against the empire.

Countess Karoli followed her accusation with a 5-part curse: -May heaven and hell blast your happiness. May your family be exterminated. May you be smitten through the persons of those you love. May your life be wrecked. May your children be brought to ruin.

Retired stipendiary magistrate (SM) Frederick Sheppard of Armadale in the state of New South Wales, tells this story of his own personal coincidence.

- In 1957 I was dealing with a case at Inverell and the police prosecutor read the antecedents of a defendant: Charleville Court of Petty Sessions (Queensland) before Mr Fred Shepherd SM-6 months hard labour. -That can't be right sergant, I said. I have never been in Charleville and I would not have jurisdiction in Queensland. Inquiries showed that there was a Fred Shepherd, a magistrate in Queensland.

TV reporter Tory Hoarder and producer Chris Morris first met while working together on a current affairs programme. They discovered both were born on the same day. In July 1988 they each gave birth to their first child on the same day, both girls.

Qantas airlines security officer Bill Teunissen formed a 'phone friendship' with Tom Ouincy who was in military liaison at the US embassy in Canberra. The two organized flight bookings for service personnel.

After 15 months Quincy announced that he was being shifted. No he did not know where. -They tell you you're going but not where, the embassy man explained.

As he hung up Bill thought wryly that he could hardly say he would not see his old friend again as he had never seen him in the first place.

In the 40's, my grandmother lived in a farmhouse who's kitchen drain drained directly behind the house from a pipe out onto the lawn.

While doing dishes, she placed her ring on the edge of the windowsill and it fell in, going down the drain with the water.

Her and Grandpa were never able to find it.

In 1982, an article appeared in the town newspaper that my grandparents still subscribed to about a woman who pulled a carrot from her garden and found that the carrot had grown through a wedding ring.