Hello there and welcome to the midweek edition of the Levy Letter. Yesterday I said it seemed nice and sunny, how the weather has changed! It felt suitably nippy as a walked into the office this morning!
Coffee Crazy! Ive been reading today about new research which suggests that people who drink too much coffee could start seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices. The study found that people who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one. A Durham University team questioned 200 students about their caffeine intake. However academics say the findings do not prove a casual link. They also stress that experiencing hallucinations is not a definite sign of mental illness. "This is the first step toward looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations," said psychology PhD student Simon Jones, who led the study. Simon Jones said previous research had suggested factors such as childhood trauma could be linked to hallucinations. When under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which is produced in greater quantities after consuming caffeine. The extra cortisol boost could be what causes a person to hallucinate. Therefore, Mr James added, it made sense to examine the link between caffeine and mood. Among the experiences reported were seeing things that were not there, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of dead people. However, Mr James stressed more work was needed to pin down the link. "Stressed people may simply drink more caffeine. Even if caffeine were responsible for hallucinations in some way, the part it plays would be! small compared to other factors in life." So it may not be time to give up the coffee just yet! Zavvi Closures The administrator of music, games and DVD chain Zavvi have announced it is closing a further 18 stores with a loss of 353 jobs. Zavvis flagship store in Piccadilly in London, which employs 110 people, is one of the shops to go. The remaining 74 stores throughout the UK will remain open. The administrator is still hoping to sell the business as a going concern. The troubled chain has been badly affected by the demise of Woolworths. Last week the administrator closed 22 stores. "Despite having received in excess of 70 expressions of interest, we have not received any offers for the store portfolio as a whole. Hull and Grimsby are two of the stores which will close in our region. Winehouse Divorce The husband of Amy Winehouse, Blake Fielder-Civil, is seeking a divorce on the grounds of her alleged adultery, his solicitor has said. His representative, Henri Brandman, released a short statement confirming he had been instructed to commence proceedings. The pair married in Miami in May 2007 but the couple have had to deal with Winehouses drug problems and Fielder-Civils jail sentence. Mr Brandman said in a brief statement, "I can confirm that I have been instructed to commence divorce proceedings on the grounds of Amy's adultery. If you are out and about in Grimsby on Saturday, head on down to Market Square in Freshney Place. Paul and I will be there between 12pm and 1.30pm. It would be great to see you there. This is the last Levy Letter for now. Thanks so much for reading the Letter since I started writing it some years ago. As I am now working across television and radio for BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, I recognise that we need to develop a new way for me to be in contact with you and the new listeners on BBC Radio Humberside. I have ambitious plans for the Letter and once the team and I have sorted them Ill be in touch again. Take care and goodbye for now, Peter And for the latest news and more where you live, go to: http://bbc.co.uk/humber and http://bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the BBC Look North newsletter, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/looknorthhull/newsletter/newsletter_index.shtml, enter your email address in the unsubscribe box. Your email address will be held by the BBC and kept confidential, and will only be used in relation to this newsletter. You will be given the option to unsubscribe from this newsletter each time you receive it. Please visit the BBC's Privacy & Cookies Policy (www.bbc.co.uk/privacy) for more information.
