BioElectric Shield
http://www22.inetba.com/advancedliving/shieldwork.ivnu

HOW DOES THE SHIELD WORK?

The shield utilizes proven physics principles to help you cope
with and perform at higher levels despite energy drains, overload,
stress and electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution toxicity in your daily life.

For decades physicists have used crystals to refract EMF radiation. In 1912,
Max von Laue and his associates showed that x-rays could be reflected
and redirected with specific crystals in much the same way as mirrors are used to
reflect and redirect visible light. In 1914, their work earned them the
Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1915, two British physicists, Sir William H. Bragg
and Sir William L. Bragg, won a Nobel prize for their research demonstrating
that many crystals reflect and redirect electromagnetic energy.

The Shield contains a scientifically researched,
activated matrix of quartz and other crystals.

The BioElectric Shield works in 2 ways:

By deflecting and redirecting energies that impinge on you from your environment

• (just as a mirror deflects light)

By reinforcing and balancing your own natural positive energies,

• making you less susceptible to outside disturbances and
  
• helping you cope with the energy overload
  
• modern day living and the stresses of life.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(NAN - you had axed me about my necklace)

Testing For Electromagnetic Field(EMF) Sensitivity

The Shield company has performed 10 research studies over the years.They say: "In the past, we have written these up in rather technical language, yet most people reading about the Shield want to know the 'bottom line' plain english results. The following is a less technical, but informative summary of our studies."

For 5000 years the Chinese have used acupuncture point measurement as an accurate measure of a person's health. For this research we used a computerized acupuncture testing device which showed that after wearing a Shield for 3 weeks there were documented improvements in the immune system, kidney, liver, gall bladder, allergy points, stomach, allergy points, in summary, the body organs and systems.

In two controlled studies, the placebo effect was investigated by two doctors, one in Montana, and one in Pennsylvania. They both found that the authentic Shield strengthened 50 patients but the placebo shield did not strengthen anyone. This showed that the effects of the shield are NOT psychological!

There are many sources of electromagnetic radiation ranging from what we consider minor sources such as a battery, to a cell phone, or a computer, more significant radiation. These three devices all radiate 60 hertz frequency waves. In two studies using a battery operated watch, 50 patients were tested. When the watch was held in the heart area, 49 out of 50 people showed a drop in muscle strength. All 49 regained their original level of muscle strength after placing a Shield on their chest for only one minute.

Over 14,000 customers have been tested at trade shows in a similar manner. We pretest them for muscle strength and then they hold a cell phone as if they are making a call. 98% of the population is significantly weakened just by holding the cell phone! Once they add a Shield to their chest, their strength is restored, much to their amazement- but not ours. This means that of 14,000 people, the phone weakens 11,760, and of that group, 11,524 are strengthened. That's a large research sample!

The Company president is an Occupational Therapist. She wanted to test people using a finger strength device used in hospital OT departments. She pretested 50 people using a dynamometer. Then she post-tested them after they wore a Shield for only a minute. She noted that 2/3 of the people showed a 24% increase in dynamometer measured finger strength after this one minute wearing a Shield. She also wanted to test people who visualized stress, another area dealt with routinely by Occupational Therapists. She pretested the opponent's muscle in the hand of 50 volunteers. Then they were asked to visualize a stressful situation. Upon retesting she found that 47 of the 50 volunteers had significantly weakened hand strength. After wearing a Shield for only one minute, all 47 volunteers regained their strength while still visualizing the very same stressful situation that weakened them before! Conclusion: the Shield counteracted stress for these volunteers.

A pioneer in sound healing, Sharry Edwards, Ph.D., offered to test 3 of her patients without a shield, and then after wearing a shield for only 5 minutes. She found that all three of their voice patterns went into "perfect resonance" after only 5 minutes. She stated this was "unheard of, and most impressive, demonstrating the balancing and strengthening effect the Shield has on the human body".

Lastly, because we are committed to proving beyond the "shadow of a doubt" that the Shield strengthens the body, particularly against electromagnetic radiation, we purchased a testing device that is used in many hospitals and clinics. Computerized myography is used by physical therapists to assess muscle strength, accurate to two tenths of a pound.. We pretested 25 people. After sitting in front of a computer screen for only 5 minutes, myography showed an average loss of 17% strength- nearly 1/5 of a person's strength! Then after wearing a Shield for only 5 minutes, still with the person

In summary, research has shown that the Shield assists in handling stress as well as electromagnetic radiation. Customer comments also document the Shield effectively shields you from other people's energy as well...

would this be positive feedback?

The notion of raising consciousness through reaching critical mass is being promoted by a number of New Age spiritualists. Ken Keyes, Jr. has published a book on the Internet that calls for an end to the nuclear menace and the mass destruction which surely awaits us all if we do not make a global breakthrough soon. The title of his treatise is The Hundredth Monkey. In his book he writes such things as "there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!"

GHOSTS!

Ghost Kites,
Next Saturday the 28th at Ocean Beach
Kite flying with Noise accompaniment,
Kites begin at 1,
music at 2

field trip!

Letter of Invitation to the 5th International Conference on Qigong

Dear Sir/ Madam,

The World Qigong Federation decides to hold the Fifth International Conference on Qigong on November 3-8 in 2006 in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. We sincerely invite you to attend this conference.

Thailand is a country renowned for its beauty and long history. As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok boasts numerous tourist attractions including the sparkling Buddhist temples and palaces, lively and colourful nightlife, rivers and canals that earn Bangkok the name of "Eastern Venice", and many large scale shopping malls where superior Thailand silk, cotton cloth, gems, bronze and a variety of internationally renowned handicrafts are offered.

With a history of more than five thousand years, Chinese Qigong is regarded as an ancient wisdom for today's lifestyles. Thanks to the Chinese Qigong Masters, this time-honoured treasure has been promoted worldwide. Today, Qigong is playing an important role in areas of medical treatment and health care, and has become increasingly popular as a new branch in the science of human body.

The Fifth International Conference on Qigong aims to contribute to peace, health, exploration and dedication. At the same time, it is to promote traditional Chinese culture and to explore the way ahead for the science of the human body. Contents include academic exchange on Qigong science, demonstration of Qigong, consultation on health care, forum (health/fitness/ longevity), exhibition (Qigong related products) and council meeting of World Qigong Federation. This event will be broadcast in both Chinese and English so as to present to the world the latest achievements in the scientific research of Qigong.

The registration fee is US$600.We offer a US$100 early bird registration discount as well as a conference information package which will include conference documents and dissertations, if you sign up and prepay US$200 before August 30, 2006, with the remaining amount being paid upon arrival. All other expenses including lodging and meals should be borne by participants themselves. Discount is offered to groups of 10 or more at regional or national level.

Additional lectures on medical Qigong treatment and health care will be available after the conference. We will then also be organising sightseeing tours for participants. All our services are designed to make your stay in Thailand a pleasant and memorable one.

Yours sincerely,

Chainnan Feng Lida
Organizing Committee of the Fifth International Conference on Qigong
October 8, 2005

Contact Person: Tan Teo Song
Mobile: 01186
Scorpion Holding Company Limited
10 Flr 253 Soi Asoke Sukhumvit l2 Road
Klongtoey Nua Wattana
Bangkok 10110 Thailand
www. scorpion-holding.com Tel:(66 2)260-9732-4 Fax:(662)261-9699
E-mail: scorpion@samart.co.th

The creation of Qi energy music

MAY THE KNOWLEDGE OF QI ENERGY

SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

Introduction

Twenty years ago hardly anybody in Australia had heard of Qigong or Qi energy whereas today many throughout the world and in Australia are actually practicing Qigong and using the knowledge of Qi energy in healing and self healing.

The ancients in China came to the conclusion thousands of years ago that Qi (Life Force Vital Energy) is the essence of all things on earth, and that the whole universe is but movement or mutation of Qi, and so was it too with the human body. The body’s basic Qi is the Yuan Qi or Primary Qi There were other kinds of Qi: the Zangfu-organ Qi of the heart, lungs, liver etc), the Meridian Qi, the Ying-nutrient Qi, the Wei-defensive Qi, and the Zong-ancestral Qi. The strength or intensity of the Qi (especially the Primal Qi) the upflow, downflow, outflow and inflow of Qi determined the health of the body or even its life and death.

The entire system of Traditional Chinese Medicine is founded on the concept of Qi. Chinese herbal medicine considers whether a given herb is Yin or Yang in its energy; whether it is a tonic for deficiencies in Qi or whether it clears and creates an outflow, and what organ it effects etc. In acupuncture and tuina massage, the points selected and methods used are all based what effect it would have on the Qi energy flow and hence how it would benefit the body. The health problem is looked at in the context of the whole body, and so too the measures to achieve its healing. Emphasis is on the body regaining the free flow of Qi and regaining balance, and as a consequence all the organs and the whole body will function normally and diseases will be overcome.

Experience Qi energy through the practice of Qigong

Qigong, is an integral part of Chinese Traditional Medicine. The two characters in " Qigong" literally mean " Qi training" or "Working with Qi. The gentle movements, easy postures and simple meditation techniques bring about a balanced energy flow, the end result is optimum health of the body and mind. Qigong is not derived from martial arts such as Taichi which uses the slow movements mirroring combat to become health exercises. (When Taichi is practiced for health, it stresses Qi flow and harmony in movement, although the imaginary opponent is still the basis of all movements) Qigong is purely to nurture the energy flow with no opponent in mind, stressing harmony within and harmony with the universe.. There is movement Qigong and stillness Qigong, and one should do both. Qigong is not a religion and people of any religion may practice Qigong.

The Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and most other similar colleges and universities have a Faculty of Qigong. What better way for the students to learn about the Qi energy flow in the body than physically experiencing this. themselves through the practice of Qigong.. Through study in these halls of learning, some of the students become Qigong teachers and Qigong healers. Here research is also carried out on ancient documents, and modern hi-tech equipment is used in the quest to unravel the mystery of Qi.. Conclusions from such research is benefiting other disciplines. China’s famous nuclear physicist Professor Qian Xueshen once wrote: "Research into Qi energy will lead us to the last frontiers of man’s understanding of the human body."

Qigong is easy to learn

You will find learning Qigong just plain sailing. After all we really are all naturals!.. We are only allowing the body and mind only be itself, we are just taking off the brakes and roadblocks. Its is just a process of freeing oneself. The following guidelines should prove useful:

1. "Be as one with the Universe" ("Tian Ren He Yi")

Watching one practicing Qigong, it may look like a lone solitary soul doing movements deep in thought entirely by oneself. However, the person would have become a part of the world around, of the planet earth below and of the starry sky above, and of the mountains and rivers far, far away. As one develops in Qigong we may feel was are a universe ourselves within the greater universe. We may sense within us the micro-cosmic orbit, and the greater-cosmic orbit, the endless flow which mirrors the great circular flow of the galaxies and of the Universe. We blend our Qi with that of the rivers and oceans and the forests and mountains, and also draw upon their Qi to strengthen ourselves. As we progress to practicing serious self healing and to projecting the healing Qi to others, the concept of "being as one with the universe" becomes evidently crucial..

This is how we connect and be as one with the universe when we start practicing the Great Stork Qigong:..

We stand two feet shoulder apart, knees slightly bent, shoulders relaxed. The upper part of the body is light and floating but the lower part is solid as a rock and the feet are firmly planted on the ground. We stand in front of an ancient pine tree ( a real one, or an imaginary one) and our feet are just like the roots of the tree going deep into the ground. Our body is like the pine tree rising high into the sky. We are not just like the pine tree, we feel as if we have become the pine tree. Then our hands slowly rise reaching up upward towards the sky. and when the hands are coming down, we are showered with the radiance of the Universe……

Learning Qigong, you come to know where the Qi has been nurtured and is strong and naturally find a way to go to these places. One of these places would be the ancient Taoist mountain at Qingcheng Shan, Sichuan China where for thousands of years the Qi has been nurtured to be sent to the four corners of the earth for the benefit of others. Here one could sit down beside the Cleansing Heart Pool and let the crystal clear stream flow through heart and liver. Such is an experience of a lifetime, and having learnt Qigong, you would be able recall this healing in such a way as to take yourself there again and you may feel it happening again. There are many such places to visit in China, and many strong Qi energy places in Australia and the world await our discovery.

2 Remember "If one is sincere, one will be endowed with the power of the Qi" ("Cheng Ze Ling")

One enters the realm of Qigong with the heart, with humbleness and compassion.. Qigong is really not mastered by meticulously remembering the techniques and practicing the forms, or seeking out the methods which promise the most powerful flow of Qi. By being dedicated and content at letting things happen rather than. seeking a thrilling experience, the power of the Qi will be revealed.

3. Don’t try too hard.

We may be excused for being in a great haste to achieve, after all that is how we have been trained all our lives. In Qigong however, we must be prepared to be not worried about how long it will take, for natural progress is actually the fastest way. Haste may close the door on one. Of course one has to make an effort. The best way to think is: "As if one is trying and as if one is not trying". For instance in stillness Qigong, as one sits with back upright and shoulders relaxed, you think of the concepts " Relaxed and Quiet". Let the word " relaxed" come to mind, but don’t try too hard and set about physically relaxing the muscles; rather let the concept itself take over you. . The same with entering the quietude, just float into a world of stillness and silence without trying. .

4. Select one form of Qigong that is best suited to your situation

It is said that there are 80,000 different kinds of Qigong in China. So many methods have been developed in hundreds far away mountains and valleys, all bringing a particular benefit. Choose one that is both easy and enjoyable and suits your both physically and mentally. I always teach beginners the Great Stork Qigong because it includes the basic attitudes and stances all in one set. For instance, the standing stance before any movement is necessary for all forms: For people who need to deal with cancer, either from a preventive point of view or overcoming it, the unique walking form called Guolin Qigong is ideal. The President of the world Academic Society of Medical Qigong, Professor Feng Lida, a prominent immunologist, recommends this set on the basis of the successful experience of thousands of cancer patients in China.. Also, any form which pays special attention to the liver would be recommended at some stage, for the health and balance of the liver has a direct effect on the whole body in that only when the Qi in the liver is free flowing and smooth will the Qi in the whole body be balanced and free flowing. It is not wise to learn many kinds at once as the Qi flow can become erratic

5. Seek to meet the Qigong Masters of China.

One reads in the ancient scripts about the Master passing on new learning without teaching, without speaking, with the power of the Qi being passed on through the Qi. I believe this really happens. Many years ago I met Grand Master Yan Xin who had many special healing powers, using his voice, written words, or just a thought to effect healing, and I was invited to accompany him on his healing rounds. After a number of meetings with him and other Masters , I discovered later that gradually I would be sending out Qi not only through the hands as before, , but also through the voice, through the eyes, through a thought, and that distance was no obstacle.. To have the opportunity of further opening up to the Qi, sometime in your Qi journey may you should go to China to visit them.

Becoming a Qi Energy Healer

We are just like the other stars in the Universe. As our channels are more open and the Qi flows freely, and as we become more and more as one with the Universe, we become a star that has become brighter and we radiate more healing to those around us. Our positive thoughts become powered with Qi and may have a long lasting effect on others.

When one knows and sincerely believes in the power of the Qi, the ability to do Qi healing comes naturally without effort. Some people are born with this ability without understanding it; almost everybody can acquire this ability, . Following is one of the basic routines to follow to strengthen the Qi::

Stand with knees slightly bent, shoulders relaxed, facing a pine tree ( or a huge gum tree palms of the hands facing the tree, standing about 3 metres away from the trunk. There are rings of Qstrong Qi around the tree, so sense and select where the Qi is strongest to stand. Connect with the sky and mother earth and silently seek permission to share the Qi of the tree. Stand thus 20 minutes and close with hands one over the other below the navel ( men left hand first, ladies right hand first).

If you are so lucky as to visit the Taoist Qingcheng Shan Centre, stand before the 2000 year old Gingko tree where you will be so overwhelmed that tears may flow. If you take a photo, the photo will connect you with the real tree afar and you may practice using the photo.

When you have had such wonderful experiences similar to these you are ready to help others, that is doing the basic movement of the hands, bringing in Qi through the soles of the feet and cleansing with a downward stroke using the other hand, moving what was taken out to the bottom of the sea. From then onwards one needs to study the basics of the whole system of Chinese Traditional Medicine, especially the knowledge of Qi meridians and collateral’s. Before doing anything more than this in healing, one should be guided by a Master, as there are many things to avoid and many more things to learn.

The creation of Qi energy music

While I was involved in Qi energy healing, I began using recordings of my voice so that the patient could "take the healing home". I dawned on me that the Qi waves, the healing message, could be recorded.. This was what I had been searching for, for recording would make it possible for many more people to benefit from Qi energy healing. But a tape with just voice, or just Qi energy thought with no voice or sound would be difficult to accept. by anyone’s imagination. so I tried using music to carry the message first using the piano. I was encouraged as people could feel this quite easily. I am not a composer, and I wondered where the music would come from. Then the first piece of music came. "Inner Peace came to me 5 o’clock on a Sunday morning. I could hear it in my head and I had to get up to record it. Other recordings followed. While playing the music, my mind would go to different parts of the Universe, visualising different parts of the body being healed, bringing golden rays of light etc Three years later, at the 3^rd International Qigong Science Conference in Kyoto in 1993, I heard a report by professor Xia Shuangquan that he had evidence of Qi energy waves being recorded as sub-sonic waves. I think I was the person most interested in this observation.

When one enters the door of Qigong, before one is a bright beautiful road, endless in possibilities and enjoyment., I am forever experiencing this.

http://www.qi.org/articles/jack_lim.htm

Jack Lim

email: jacklim@primus.com.au
website: www.jacklim.com
www.relaxationmusic.com.au

West vs. East

There has existed for quite some time the distinction between current western medicine and ancient eastern "alternative medicine." Western medicine has dealt primarily with the study of the nervous system, the visceral organs, and "observable" behavior, treating illness with drugs, designed to alter the body's chemistry. A western doctor looks for pathological conditions manifested through physical symptoms. While eastern medicine focuses on these aspects as well, it studies these symptoms through an understanding of Qi-energy (also called Ki-energy) that flows through invisible meridians throughout the body as well as the universe. This energy is the vital elemental life force of Asian medicine. Practically every method of healing involves some rendition of this vital energy-except, of course, for mainstream western medicine. Why is that modern medicine has virtually ignored this force that has been studied for centuries? What is happening as these two faces of medicine are colliding? Is there truth to the idea that our bodies are not merely neurons firing, but that our very life relies on a mysterious undetectable force surging through our bodies? Are these two seemingly conflicting ideas one and the same?

Qi-Energy and Qi Gong

Many westerners are familiar with the terms Yin and Yang. The balance between these two forces is the key to understanding Qi-energy. Yin refers to the passive/dark/inside aspects of the "body,i" while Yang is comprised of the active/light/outside of the "body".Western medicine, therefore, deals primarily with the treatment of Yin, while Eastern medicine focuses on the balance between the two, predominantly, however, the Yang or energy that charges the body. There are 14 meridians (through which Qi-energy flows) that run throughout the body. When the balance between the Yin and Yang is disrupted in these meridians, sickness occurs. One of the Eastern methods of rectifying this problem is through the practice of acupuncture-the insertion of needles into specific points located throughout the body.

Another, although less well known in Western culture, practice is that of Qi Gong (pronounced chee goong). "Witness a child running onto the warm sands of the beach sometime. Notice how deeply they breathe in the salty air or how their arms open wide to embrace all the fun that lies before them. This is Qi Gong in its purist form. Children have a natural relationship with the energy of their environment. Adults have to learn what comes naturally to our offspring. Any argument as to where Qi Gong was "invented" misses the reality of what Qi Gong really is.". Basically, Qi Gong is a discipline comprised of breathing and mental exercises, sometimes coupled with physical exercise. Qi Gong is designed to balance the Qi-energy system throughout the body. The way that Qi Gong works is by coordinated breathingthrough which one achieves a mental serenity ultimately leading to an increase in the body's resistance to disease. The methods involved in Qi Gong emphasize using the abdomen while breathing, rather than the chest. Involved, are three different kinds of abdominal breathing. The first is "normal sequence breathing" in which the abdomen expands during inhalation and contracts when the person exhales. "Reverse sequence breathing" involves the opposite. The third type of breathing is "latent breathing" in which the abdominal movement is insignificant while the breathing is slow and soft. This process of breathing strengthens both the internal Qi-energy flow as well as the circulation of blood along the meridians. After some time, the individual will feel a sensation of heat in the abdomen. The source of this heat is the Qi-energy. It may then be directed to the caudal end of the spine and on towards the spinal vertex and finally up to the head. Interestingly, the mind and body cannot be separated when one is practicing Qi Gong. The flow of Qi is directed by the mind, and without it, Qi-energy cannot be felt and reinforced. When one is practicing Qi Gong, one must think of not thinking about anything. However, ultimately, the individual must actually be thinking of nothing-not just thinking about not thinking. Ultimately, the three principles of practicing Qi Gong are physical and mental relaxation, coordination of the mind and Qi, and achieving a rhythm of practice.

The Neuron-Qi Connection

Another theory about the mechanisms of Qi Gong involves its relation to the field of psychoneuroimmunology, the idea that the immune system controls neural functioning, the central nervous system (CNS) controls the immune system, and the coordination of the two allows behavioral-psychological events to occur. If the pathways are ultimately connected, the field supposes that the brain can influence the immune system. Additionally, if this is true, then the pathways can be reversed and the immune system can influence the neuronal activity, therefore affecting such psychological aspects as emotion and thought (6).

The Thalamic Neuron Theory (TNT) has also been proposed as a possible explanation for the efficacy of Qi Gong practices. This theory is comparable to the psychoneuroimmunology theory in that it maintains that the CNS is involved in all disease processes. Disease, is a result of unbalanced central neural circuitries, reversible through physical means such as acupuncture (physical neuromodulation) or chemiconeuromodulation such as Chinese techniques aimed at mimicking the habituation process. These processes are described as five assertions:

"1. Every dysfunction arising from the periphery,...,will either immediately or eventually lead to an equivalent derangement in the equivalent neural circuitries within the CNS.

2. The CNS then responds by instituting corrective measures, resulting in the normalization of these neural circuits which then correct the deficiencies in the diseased part of the periphery to end the disease process.

3. If the normalization of the physiological programs embodied in the neural circuitries in the CNS is impaired, the initial derangement may remain status quo or can cause other neural circuits to go awry. Hence the disease either stays chronic or progresses.

4. Any event that can adversely affect any central circuitry is therefore capable of inducing pathological changes, resulting in diseases. Overly intense emotions such as anger, grief or fear can cause the central circuitries to malfunction. ...Likewise, devastatingly strong physical stresses such as excessive heat, cold, humidity, etc. are equally capable of setting up neurophysiological derangements within the CNS. These resultant malfunctions in the CNS can not only themselves cause physical illnesses, but can also set up such conditions as to increase the individual's susceptibility to other pathogenic processes.

5. The CNS itself can also malfunction due to aberrant biochemical reactions stemming from say, genetic diseases like manic depression, Huntington's, chorea, etc." (6).

Qi Gong and other techniques are thus explained by Western medicine. But is this the whole story?

The Mystery Continues

One factor that makes the concept of Qi-energy difficult to digest is that it exists throughout the universe. One can receive and give energy to a tree or rabbit, for example. Human beings are taught to understand themselves as superior beings, our mechanisms and intellect unlike, or at least more advanced, than that of other lower beings. How is it that what makes us tick, is essentially the same as the "vital energy" found in the earthworm, flower, or perhaps even bacteria?

What is it about the practice of Qi Gong that is able to cure diseases? Does the answer lie in the biological explanations proposed above, or is there something immeasurable that merely exists in the world? I find it difficult to fathom that we will never understand the mechanisms behind alternative medicinal practices, but we need to think beyond what we already know. Our minds have tremendous capabilities relating to our behavior. Undoubtedly, the mind's control of the energy within our bodies is more complicated than we yet understand. However, it is also intrinsically connected to the pathways connecting the vast system of "smallest boxes"-the neurons. Given this, it is not unreasonable to propose that the reason that a stimulus in the form of pressure placed on an acu-point in the foot results in the alleviation of stomach pains. Specifically how these exercises cure paralysis, however, remains a mystery.

It is fairly accepted that mental and physical exercise leads to a healthier life. But how can such dramatic results as curing paraplegia and cancer be explained in more "scientific" terms? Because Western medicine is so skeptical of the influences and mechanisms of Qi Gong, little research has been done on its biological correlates. It is clear that something is happening, but it does not appear scientific enough to be advocated by Western doctors. One of the main problems involved in this dilemma is the separation of mind, brain, and body. There are physicians who treat the body; there are psychotherapists who treat the mind; and there are psychiatrists who treat the brain. Eastern "alternative" medicine emphasizes the need for a non-dualistic standpoint. Not onlydoes brain=behavior, but mind=brain=body. This connection has such wide implications that it must be further explored. The key to fully understanding behavior may lay buried in the nuances of this centuries-old Eastern practice.

WWW Sources

1) Commentary about the East vs. West Question

2) Acupuncture.com, A chart of the 12 main meridians and their acu-points.

3) Explanation of Qi Gong

4) Shendong.com, A guide to Qi Gong techniques

5) Qigong.net, The Effect of Short and Long Range Qi Emission on Three Biochemical Processes: Nucleotide Polymerization, Protein (Fab Fragment) Crystallization and Enzyme (Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase) Activity (abstract and figures).

6) Aikido.com,

Alternative Cancer Treatment

Try a FREE qi (chi) energy healing treatment with a qigong healer in Miami!

The Cure for Cancer is Here

The cure for cancer is here! What is this miracle cure? It has been known in China for 3,000 years: "qigong" or healing with human energy fields. One hundred million Chinese begin every day with qigong exercises to improve their energy fields and their health. One billion Chinese are obsessed with the health benefits of qigong. Most countries abandoned their traditional medicine systems in the modern era. But the Chinese never abandoned energy healing and have become even more convinced about its effectiveness as China has modernized. Thousands of recent Chinese studies at top Chinese universities have verified that the ancient energy treatments, including acupuncture, really do work.

Energy Healing: Supported by Science

Energy healing is fully supported by advanced science. Einstein proved that matter and energy are different aspects of the same thing. Physicists have known since 1920 that under the laws of quantum mechanics energy and matter is constantly interchanging, even within the human body. "We"re not living the miracles we can," says Effie Chow, a qigong master based in San Francisco. Chow claims to have healed severely disabled patients, including victims of cerebral palsy, cancer patients and quadriplegics, using the healing power of qigong.

Qigong: Not Widely Known

You may wonder why you are reading about this in Qi-Energy.com instead of hearing it from your doctor or from a major newspaper. One reason is money -the drug industry, one of the biggest political contributers and advertisers in the U.S. - doesn"t want people to know about energy cures. "Medical doctors themselves are not excited about qigong because it cuts into their income," says Kenneth Sancier, Phd., at the Qigong Institute for Research. As for insurance companies, he adds, "If everyone were to use qigong, premiums would have to be lower." Another reason qigong is little known in the U.S. is that western medicine is very closed to new ideas, believing it has all the answers. But that is changing. The public is becoming informed of the huge cost and limited success of drugs and surgery in dealing with chronic illnesses like cancer. Millions of Americans are waking up to the power of qigong.

Cancer Studies

"It is generally known that qigong practice is beneficial to health and can prevent disease. However, it is less known, that qigong may be an effective way to treat various diseases, including cancer," says Kevin Chen, Phd., a researcher at University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. Chen reviewed more than 50 studies in the article "Exploratory Studies of Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China." He found many cases of "complete remission" in advanced cancer patients using qigong. "Most patients achieved significant short-term improvement in their health and/or a recovery from cancer through qigong practice alone. Furthermore a large proportion of these patients became cancer-free," he says. "The qigong groups had a better survival rate" than those receiving western treatments.. Chen describes one study of 1648 patients with various cancers carried out over 8 years at Beijing Miyun Capital Tumor Hospical "This study documented significant improvement for 32.4 percent of patientsŠ more than 500 of the cancer patients survived 5 years or longer (30 percent). This is a much better result than other tumor hospitals that have not combined qigong therapy in their treatment plans."

What Is Qi?

According to traditional Chinese medical theory, qi, or life energy, is said to flow through the body via a series of "meridians" or channels. A blockage in any one of these meridians will lead to illness. Healing comes from breaking down energy blockages, which is called qigong. "A tenet of qigong is that the mind leads the qi and the qi leads the blood," says Kenneth Sancier. Relaxing the mind relaxes the body, allowing one's qi to flow more freely, freeing up blockages and improving health.

Qigong: Four Methods

There are four ways to obtain qigong"s health benefits:

1) The first and most powerful way is to find a qigong master who has years of training, and have him send you emitted-qi. There are many such qi-masters in China but unfortunately only a few in the U.S.

2) The second way to benefit from energy healing is to practice qigong by learning to enhance the flow of qi through your body. There are special exercises for different parts of the body, one to strengthen the heart meridian, another to fortify the kidneys. As little as 10-15 minutes a day over a period of months can greatly enhance one"s well-being, according to qigong experts. But it is important to practice daily. Within medical qigong there are hundreds of variations. One popular style is "Wild Goose" Qigong, consisting of 64 movements that emulate the behavior of the wild goose. Another is Five-Element Standing Stake Qigong, a stationary style considered by many practitioners to produce the most powerful healing effects. For more serious conditions like cancer, qigong experts recommend 4-6 hours per day of intense practice. This intensity level is common at the qigong hospitals scattered around mainland China. Daily practice is used in China to prevent as well as cure disease. Healthy Chinese incorporate qigong into their daily regimen to enhance vitality and stave off illness, practicing their slow, gentle movements in parks and squares around China in the early morning hours, when universal qi is said to be greatest.

3) The third method for obtaining health benefits from energy is acupuncture. This method is weak compared to qigong but effective over several treatments. Acupuncture does not create energy but instead redirects existing qi to problem areas to eliminate local blockages.

4) Finally, Chinese doctors prescribe herbs like ginseng to enhance and channel energy.

http://www.qi-energy.com/alternativecancertreatment.htm

The Perceptual Theory of the Staring Effect

Rupert Sheldrake (1994) has a radically new theory of perception. http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-09/staring.html

Contrary to commonly held and, so Sheldrake believes, possibly mistaken assumptions, we do not see images of things inside our brains. The images, in fact, may be outside us: "Vision may involve a two-way process, an inward movement of light and an outward projection of mental images." Imagine, for example, that as you read this page rays of light are traveling from the paper and print in front of you, into your eyes, and from there into the visual processing centers in your brain. At the same time this is happening, Sheldrake suggests that your images and perceptions of these very words are projected outwards through your eyes into the world, ending up exactly where the page and print are. There is no conflict between the real page and the imaged page because they look identical and occupy the same area of space. In the case of illusions and hallucinations, the images do not coincide with the things outside us but involve projection, an outward movement of images, nevertheless.

Sheldrake's hypothetical process of outward projection of images has some interesting implications. If our minds reach out and "touch" what we look at, then we may directly affect what we look at. For example, when we stare at somebody from behind, they may be able to actually feel that we are staring at the back of his or her neck. This feeling of being stared at apparently gives the impression of strain or pressure from skin, muscle, tendon, and joint in or around the neck region. Titchener (1898) described the feeling as "a state of unpleasant tingling, which gathers in volume and intensity until a movement which shall relieve it becomes inevitable" (895). There is in fact a sizable literature of experiments on "psychic staring," the fact that some people believe that they can determine when they are being stared at by another person who is not directly in their field of vision. Colwell, Schroeder, and Sladen (2000) reviewed this literature and carried out some empirical tests.

The psychologist Titchener reported the phenomenon over a century ago, and the idea that "unseen" staring can be detected has been supported in the subsequent research with incidence rates as high as 68-86% (Coover 1913), 74% (Williams 1983), and 92% (Braud, Shafer, and Andrews 1993a). Titchener rejected the idea that the staring effect was based on telepathy and suggested the hypothesis that the eye is attracted to movement and the starer's gaze is therefore attracted to the staree's head turning in his direction. This is certainly the case in everyday life. One of us (DM) well remembers a staring incident when his son Michael was about eight years old. Michael became disturbed one day as we were walking along a neighborhood street that people were staring specifically at him. I asked Michael how he knew that unless he had already been staring at them! Michael's feeling of being stared at disappeared shortly after that. Similarly, Titchener attributed the cause of the feeling of being stared at to the staree, not the starer, and so the attribution of causality to the starer is false, a misinterpretation (Colwell, Schroder, and Sladen 2000).

Sheldrake has conducted new experiments on the staring phenomenon and encouraged school children and other members of the public to participate in his research program. Experimental kits can be downloaded from the New Scientist Web site, including an interesting list of twenty-four "random" sequences for use in experimental trials. Sheldrake suggests that each child in a group be tested with a different sequence or use sequences determined by tosses of a coin. The results are being compiled by Sheldrake into a pooled data set.

There are two basic methods that Sheldrake's revolutionary experimenters are expected to use:

1. Pairs of schoolchildren divide into starers and starees with the starer sitting at least one meter behind the staree. Using random number sequences and a method for signalling trials such as a "clicker," the starer signals the start of each of a sequence of twenty trials. The staree wears airline blindfolds, and responses are recorded on data sheets by the starer. After a block of twenty trials, the two children change roles.

2. Starers and starees are isolated with starers inside and starees outside of the school building.

Early results reported in the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph (Matthews 1997) obtained from 18,000 trials with schoolchildren suggest that non-staring trials produce chance guessing by the starees, whereas staring trials produce a 60 percent accuracy rate, a statistically significant result.

New Staring Studies

One of the authors (JC) decided to put the Sheldrake findings to rigorous test under controlled laboratory conditions (Colwell, Schroder, and Sladen 2000). On the basis of Sheldrake's observations, it was decided to investigate the staring effect both with and without feedback. Two new experiments were carried out at Middlesex University.

Experiment One

Twelve volunteers, seven men and five women, who believed in the staring detection effect, were tested individually in a situation where they were stared at (or not) through a one-way mirror while sitting with their back to the mirror. Sheldrake's original sequences were downloaded from the New Scientist Web site and used to guide staring and non-staring trials. Each participant received the first 12 sequences in the same order, with 20 trials in each sequence. The beginning and end of each trial was signaled to the staree on a monitor, after which he indicated whether or not he thought he was being stared at by pressing one of two response buttons. No feedback was given on the accuracy of each trial for the first three sessions (60 trials), but on the remaining nine sequences (180 trials) the word "correct" or "false" appeared after each response. The results are summarized in table 1.

---

Table 1. Overall accuracy scores in Experiment One
(Colwell et al. 2000).

Non-Feedback Trials				Feedback Trials
	Stare	No Stare	Total accuracy	Stare	No Stare	Total accuracy
Avg.	16.4	13.5	29.9	53.7	45.0	98.7
MCE	15.0	15.0	30.0	45.0	45.0	90.0
Avg.-Average MCE-Mean Chance Expectation

---

The results showed that with no feedback, no significant results were obtained. With feedback, however, there was statistically significant above-chance accuracy, with 98.7 correct trials compared to a Mean Chance Expectation (MCE) of 90.0 (p<.001). On the surface, these results appear to confirm Sheldrake's original findings. However, the different results obtained with and without feedback suggested that there could be another "normal" explanation of these data.

The starees may have been learning something useful about the sequences as a result of the feedback. If the sequences used to generate the trials were not perfectly random then they could have a predictable patterning in their structure. It is sometimes the case that experimenters use pseudo-random sequences rather than truly random ones (Brugger, Landis, and Regard 1990). This enables the experimenter to equalize the number of trials in two different experimental conditions (e.g., stare versus non-stare) and means that the starees may have been able to learn the sequence structure from the feedback. Such learning will increase with exposure, and to test for this possibility the twelve sessions were divided into four blocks of three sessions each (table 2) and accuracy scores were compared across the four blocks of sessions.

---

Table 2. Average accuracy for staring and nonstaring trials across the four blocks of 60 trials each
(Colwell et al. 2000).

Block	Stare Avg	Stare Sig Level	No Stare Avg	No Stare Sig Level	Total (Stare + No Stare)	Total Sig Level
1	16.42	NS	13.50	NS	29.92	NS
2	17.25	.009	13.67	NS	30.92	NS
3	17.75	.001	15.33	NS	33.08	.002
4	18.67	.0001	16.00	NS	34.67	.001
Avg.-Average Sig.-Significance NS-Not Significant

---

The results in this table show clear support for the hypothesis that learning has taken place. The average level of accuracy improves from block 1 (no feedback) through blocks 2-4 (with feedback). This can be seen in the gradually increasing accuracy (see columns 2 and 6).

This suggests that Sheldrake's "random" number sequences actually contain structure, or bias, and therefore an analysis of them was undertaken. The number of repetitions in a sequence of 20 binary events should be 9.5 (Wagenaar 1970, 1972). The numbers of repetitions in Sheldrake's 12 sequences are: 6, 6, 6, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 7, 7, 7, averaging 7.42, and this is below chance level. The average probability of a repetition is 0.39, well below what would be expected in a truly random sequence (0.50). Another way of analyzing the patterning in the sequence trials is to divide the series of stare (S) and no stare (N) trials into the eight possible trios or "three-tuples" of trials, e.g., SNS, SNN, SSN, etc. (Rapoport and Budescu 1997). In theory a random sequence should contain an equal number of the eight kinds of three-tuples giving each of the eight a probability of 1/8 =.125. The frequency of each trio was analyzed across the 12 sequences. There were huge deviations from a random distribution with many more alternating sequences (SNS and NSN) than there should have been and far fewer sequences of SSS and NNN. The deviation from randomness was highly significant (p<.001).

It appears likely that the subjects in the staring research are able to score above chance as a consequence of being able to learn the non-random patterns in the sequences using the feedback. This idea receives support from the literature on "implicit learning," which suggests that the learning can take place incidentally without conscious awareness (Reber 1989). There is a huge literature on "probability learning" that suggests people are very good at learning the global and local probabilities in the patterning of events (e.g., Servan-Schreiber and Anderson 1990). The tendency of the participants to avoid multiple repetitions was well matched by Sheldrake's sequences that showed exactly the same property. The fact that starees can guess when staring is occurring at above-chance levels therefore demonstrates nothing other than an ability to notice patterns. This is a low-level ability that even a mouse can manage. However, it could be argued that improvement was not due to learning, but to an increase in sensitivity to unseen staring with repeated exposure -that is, a paranormal explanation. A critical test of the two explanations was to rerun the experiment using genuinely random sequences. Improving performance would support the paranormal explanation whereas an implicit learning explanation would predict failure to beat the mean chance expectation (MCE).

Experiment Two

Colwell, Schroder, and Sladen repeated the experiment with one main difference. Ten properly randomized sequences taken from random number tables were used instead of Sheldrake's nonrandom sequences to guide staring and nonstaring episodes. Tests of randomness were carried out and passed. Feedback was given in all sessions, the first one of the ten being purely for practice. In this case no improvement in guessing rates occurred over the three blocks of trials. The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that the improvement in accuracy during staring episodes observed in experiment one was due to pattern learning. When no feedback was provided and pattern learning was blocked (experiment one, blocks 1-3) no ability to detect staring was observed and also no learning. These data suggest that there is no evidence of a general ability to detect unseen staring when the staring and nonstaring trials are properly randomized or when no feedback is provided. The only positive results were in the context of feedback and the nonrandom sequences generated by Sheldrake.

Sheldrake has made little attempt to control for sensory cueing in his research, but some studies have solved the problem by increasing physical separation. For example, Williams (1983) linked starer and staree (in rooms sixty feet apart) by closed circuit television. Following a random number sequence, the monitor in the starer's room would come on for 12-second periods, enabling him to view the staree, and these constituted the staring periods. Presumably 12-second nonstaring periods were also provided. A positive detection effect was obtained. No feedback was given, and so implicit learning would not be possible. However, as in Sheldrake's research, randomness of sequences was not controlled for, and the possibility of a matching in bias between experimental and response sequences exists, which could lead to increased accuracy (Gatlin 1977).

Explanations in terms of sequence randomness would not account for the positive results obtained by Braud, Shafer, and Andrews (1993a, 1993b). This research used a setup similar to that of Williams (1983), except that the measure of detection was physiological-spontaneous phasic skin resistance response (SSR), which measured sympathetic autonomic nervous system arousal. However, the robustness of Braud et al.'s findings is open to question, since some replications have found the effect (Schlitz and LaBerge 1997), while others have failed (Wiseman and Smith 1994; Wiseman et al. 1995). Collaborative research by Wiseman and Schlitz (1997) using the same methodology, the same equipment, in the same location, at the same time, drawing participants from the same pool, resulted in evidence of a staring detection effect for Schlitz (a psi believer) but not for Wiseman (a skeptic). Possible reasons for these experimenter effects are discussed, though no firm conclusions are drawn, and further research on this experimenter effect is recommended.

However, as both Colwell, Schroder, and Sladen (2000) and Baker (2000) point out, the detection of staring at a subconscious level provides no support for claims by Sheldrake and others of a conscious awareness of being stared at in the absence of normal sensory information. Baker's recent research, which included "informal staring" at individuals in everyday situations before asking them if they had been aware of being stared at, and laboratory sessions in which subjects acted both as starers and starees, provided no empirical support for a conscious ability to detect unseen staring.

Summary

Sheldrake has made the bold claim that people are able to consciously detect unseen staring at above-chance levels. Unfortunately the sequences he has used in his research are completely unsuitable. They follow the same patterning that people who guess and gamble like to follow. These guessing patterns have relatively few long runs and many alternations. The biased nature of Sheldrake's sequences has several unfortunate implications. First, it leads to implicit or explicit pattern learning when feedback is provided. When the patterns being guessed mirror naturally occurring guessing patterns, the results could go above or below chance levels even without feedback. Thus significant results might occur purely from nonrandom guessing. The New Scientist Web site is disseminating Sheldrake's nonrandom sequences to young people and other amateur scientists all over the world. This may be having an unintended negative influence on scientific education and rigor among some of society's most motivated and enthusiastic young scientists. It is also vicariously increasing the likelihood that thousands of amateur investigators all over the world could be misled into paranormal beliefs by their potentially spurious findings. This is surely not what the magazine intended. The evidence reviewed here provides no support to the claim that people can consciously detect unseen staring.

References

• Baker, R.A. 2000. Can we tell when someone is staring at us? Skeptical Inquirer: 24 (2): 34-40.
• Braud, W., D. Shafer, and S. Andrews. 1993a. Reactions to an unseen gaze (remote attention): A review, with new data on autonomic staring detection. Journal of Parapsychology 57: 372-390.
• ---. 1993b. Further studies of autonomic detection of remote staring: Replication, new control procedures, and personality correlates. Journal of Parapsychology 57: 391-409.
• Brugger, P., T. Landis, and M. Regard. 1990. A "sheep-goat effect" in repetition and avoidance: Extra-sensory perception as an effect of subjective probability? British Journal of Psychology 81: 455-468.
• Colwell, J., S. Schroder, and D. Sladen. 2000. The ability to detect unseen staring: A literature review and empirical tests. British Journal of Psychology 91: 71-85.
• Coover, J.E. 1913. The feeling of being stared at. American Journal of Psychology 24: 570-575.
• Gatlin, L.L. 1977. Meaningful information creation: An alternative interpretation of the psi phenomenon. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 73: 1-18.
• Marks, D., and R. Kammann. 1980. The Psychology of the Psychic. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books.
• Marks, D.F. 2000. The Psychology of the Psychic (second edition). Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books.
• Matthews, R. 1997. The Sunday Telegraph. 2 November, p6.
• Rapoport, A., and D.V. Budescu. 1997. Randomization in individual choice behavior. Psychological Review 104 (3): 603-617.
• Reber, A.S. 1989. Implicit learning and tacit knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 118: 219-235.
• Schlitz, M.J., and S. Laberge. 1997. Covert observations increases skin conductance in subjects unaware of when they are being observed: A replication. Journal of Parapsychology 61: 185-196.
• Servan-Schreiber, E., and J.R. Anderson. 1990. Learning artificial grammars with competitive chunking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 16: 592-608.
• Sheldrake, R. 1994. Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: A Do-It-Yourself-Guide to Revolutionary Science. London: Fourth Estate.
• Titchener, E.B. 1898. The feeling of being stared at. Science (New Series):VIII, 208, December 23, 895-897.
• Wagenaar, W.A. 1970. Subjective randomness and the capacity to generate information. Acta Psychologica 34: 233-242.
• Wagenaar, W.A. 1972. Generation of random sequences by human subjects: A critical survey of literature. Psychological Bulletin 77 (1): 65-72.
• Williams, L. 1983. Minimal cue perception of the regard of others: The feeling of being stared at. Journal of Parapsychology 47: 59-60.
• Wiseman, R., and M.D. Smith. 1994. A further look at the detection of unseen gaze. Proceedings of Presented Papers 37th Annual Convention. Ed. by D.J. Bierman, 465-478. Parapsychological Association, Fairhaven, Mass.
• Wiseman, R., M.D. Smith, D. Freedman, T. Wasserman, and C. Hurst. 1995. Two further experiments concerning the remote detection of unseen gaze. Proceedings of Presented Papers 38th Annual Convention. Ed. by D.J. Bierman, 480-492. Parapsychological Association, Fairhaven, Mass.
• Wiseman, R., and M. Schlitz. 1997. Experimenter effects and the remote detection of staring. Journal of Parapsychology 61: 197-207.

About the Author

David F. Marks is a professor of psychology at City University, London.

John Colwell is principal lecturer in the School of Social Science, Middlesex University, London.

See also:

Search CSICOP:
stare , Sheldrake

Can We Tell When Someone Is Staring at Us?

The Psychic Staring Effect: An Artifact of Pseudo Randomization

Follow-Up: Research on the Feeling of Being Stared At

Follow-Up: Robert Baker Replies to Sheldrake

Sheldrake Online

Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Revolutionary Science

The Psychology of the Psychic

that is a cute monkey!

hundredth monkey phenomenon

I live and work alone and travel light, relying largely on my memory and making a point of letting intuition guide my way. --Lyall Watson*

The hundredth monkey phenomenon refers to a sudden spontaneous and mysterious leap of consciousness achieved when an allegedly "critical mass" point is reached. The idea of the hundredth monkey phenomenon comes from Dr. Lyall Watson in his book Lifetide (1979). Watson, who has a Ph.D. in ethology for work done at the London Zoo with Desmond ("The Naked Ape") Morris, was writing about several studies done in the 1960's by several Japanese primatologists of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Watson alleged that the scientists were "reluctant to publish [the whole story] for fear of ridicule." He writes that he had "to gather the rest of the story from personal anecdotes and bits of folklore among primate researchers, because most of them are still not quite sure what happened." So, wrote Watson:

I am forced to improvise the details, but as near as I can tell, this is what seems to have happened. In the autumn of that year an unspecified number of monkeys on Koshima were washing sweet potatoes in the sea. . . . Let us say, for argument's sake, that the number was ninety-nine and that at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday morning, one further convert was added to the fold in the usual way. But the addition of the hundredth monkey apparently carried the number across some sort of threshold, pushing it through a kind of critical mass, because by that evening almost everyone was doing it. Not only that, but the habit seems to have jumped natural barriers and to have appeared spontaneously, like glycerine crystals in sealed laboratory jars, in colonies on other islands and on the mainland in a troop at Takasakiyama.

Yes, according to Watson, one monkey taught another to wash sweet potatoes who taught another who taught another and soon all the monkeys on the island were washing potatoes where no monkey had ever washed potatoes before. When the "hundredth" monkey learned to wash potatoes, suddenly and spontaneously and mysteriously monkeys on other islands, with no physical contact with the potato-washing cult, started washing potatoes! Was this monkey telepathy at work or just monkey business on Watson's part?

It makes for a cute story, but it isn't true. At least, the part about spontaneous transmission of a cultural trait across space without contact is not true. There really were some macaque monkeys who washed their sweet potatoes. One monkey started it and soon others joined in. But even after six years not all the monkeys saw the benefit of washing the grit off of their potatoes by dipping them into the sea. Watson made up the part about the mysterious transmission. The claim that monkeys on other islands had their consciousness raised to the high level of the potato-washing cult is a myth (Amundson 1985, 1987; Pössel and Amundson, 1996).

Ron Amundson wrote a very critical article of Watson's claim in 1985. In 1986, in a response to Amundson's critique of the hundredth monkey claim, Watson said his data came from "off-the-record conversations with those familiar with the potato-washing work." Markus Pössel contacted Masao Kawai, one of the senior researchers working on the original macaque project, and asked him about Watson's claims. Kawai said he was not "aware of any sweet potato washing or other skills that propagated more rapidly than would be expected by normal, individual, 'pre-cultural' propagation." When asked about "spontaneous and rapid spread of sweet potato washing from Koshima to groups of macaques on other islands and on the mainland," Kawai responded: "Individual monkeys in other groups or in zoos may have accidentally learned washing behavior, but it hasn't been observed anywhere on Koshima that washing behavior has spread to other group members."

When asked if there were "anecdotes or bits of folklore" among his primatologist colleagues regarding rapid behavior propagation, Kawai said "No." And when asked were there any contacts between Lyall Watson and his (Kawai's) colleagues, Kawai said "No." Thus, I repeat: Watson created the hundredth monkey phenomenon. Amundson refers to Watson's "myth-making" rather than his confabulation. Watson's response to Amundson's critique was published in the Fall 1986 issue of Whole Earth Review. Watson wrote: "I accept Amundson's analysis of the origin and evolution of the Hundredth Monkey without reservation. It is a metaphor of my own making, based—as he rightly suggests—on very slim evidence and a great deal of hearsay. I have never pretended otherwise. . . ." Watson has apparently made no effort to contact the researchers to inquire about the hearsay he claims he heard. In any case, Watson did not put forth the idea as a metaphor; he put it forth as a fact for which there was some unspecified hearsay evidence.

It should be noted that Watson is the author of some 25 books, and the hundredth monkey nonsense involves only a few paragraphs of his total output. Watson is unrepentant about it, however, and writes on his website: "I still think it's a good idea!" As a metaphor? Or as a fact? I wonder.

The notion of raising consciousness through reaching critical mass is being promoted by a number of New Age spiritualists. Ken Keyes, Jr. has published a book on the Internet that calls for an end to the nuclear menace and the mass destruction which surely awaits us all if we do not make a global breakthrough soon. The title of his treatise is The Hundredth Monkey. In his book he writes such things as "there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!"

It seems to be working for spreading the word about the hundredth monkey phenomenon.

Even though there is no evidence for the hundredth monkey phenomenon, Rupert Sheldrake has claimed that his theory of morphic resonance explains "the increasing ease with which new skills are learned as greater quantities of a population acquire them."*

http://skepdic.com/morphicres.html

---

morphic resonance

Morphic resonance is a term coined by Rupert Sheldrake for what he thinks is "the basis of memory in nature....the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species."

Sheldrake has been trained in 20th century scientific models--he has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Cambridge University (1967)--but he prefers Goethe and 19th century vitalism. Sheldrake prefers teleological to mechanistic models of reality. Rather than spend his life, say, trying to develop a way to increase crop yields, he prefers to study and think in terms outside of the paradigms of science, i.e., inside the paradigms of the occult and the paranormal. One of his books is entitled Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals. One of his studies is on whether people can tell when someone is staring at them. (He says they can; others have been unable to duplicate his results.*) He prefers a romantic vision of the past to the bleak picture of a world run by technocrats who want to control Nature and destroy much of the environment in the process. In short, he prefers metaphysics to science, though he seems to think he can do the former but call it the latter.

'Morphic resonance' (MR) is put forth as if it were an empirical term, but it is no more empirical than L. Ron Hubbard's 'engram', the alleged source of all mental and physical illness. The term is more on par with the Stoic's notion of the Logos or Plato's notion of the eidos [eidos] than it is with any scientific notion of the laws of nature. What the rest of the scientific world terms lawfulness--the tendency of things to follow patterns we call laws of nature--Sheldrake calls morphic resonance. He describes it as a kind of memory in things determined not by their inherent natures, but by repetition. He also describes MR as something which is transmitted via "morphogenetic fields." This gives him a conceptual framework wherein information is transmitted mysteriously and miraculously through any amount of space and time without loss of energy, and presumably without loss or change of content through something like mutation in DNA replication. Thus, room is made for psychical as well as physical transmission of information. Thus,

it is not at all necessary for us to assume that the physical characteristics of organisms are contained inside the genes, which may in fact be analogous to transistors tuned in to the proper frequencies for translating invisible information into visible form. Thus, morphogenetic fields are located invisibly in and around organisms, and may account for such hitherto unexplainable phenomena as the regeneration of severed limbs by worms and salamanders, phantom limbs, the holographic properties of memory, telepathy, and the increasing ease with which new skills are learned as greater quantities of a population acquire them.*

While this metaphysical proposition does seem to make room for telepathy, it does so at the expense of ignoring Occam's razor. Telepathy and such things as phantom limbs, for example, can be explained without adding the metaphysical baggage of morphic resonance. So can memory, which does not require a holographic paradigm, by the way. The notion that new skills are learned with increasing ease as greater quantities of a population acquire them, known as the hundredth monkey phenomenon, is bogus.

In short, although Sheldrake commands some respect as a scientist because of his education and degree, he has clearly abandoned science in favor of theology and philosophy. This is his right, of course. However, his continued pose as a scientist is unwarranted. He is one of a growing horde of "alternative" scientists whose resentment at the aspiritual nature of modern scientific paradigms, as well as the obviously harmful and seemingly indifferent applications of modern science, have led them to create their own paradigms. These paradigms are not new, though the terminology is. These alternative paradigms allow for angels, telepathy, psychic dogs, and hope for a future world where we all live in harmony and love, surrounded by blissful neighbors who never heard of biological warfare, nuclear bombs, or genetically engineered corn on the cob.

http://skepdic.com/morphicres.html

resonance on my radio

http://www.resonancefm.com

Imagine a radio station like no other. A radio station that makes public those artworks that have no place in traditional broadcasting. A radio station that is an archive of the new, the undiscovered, the forgotten, the impossible. That is an invisible gallery, a virtual arts centre whose location is at once local, global and timeless. And that is itself a work of art. Imagine a radio station that responds rapidly to new initiatives, has time to draw breath and reflect. A laboratory for experimentation, that by virtue of its uniqueness brings into being a new audience of listeners and creators. All this and more, Resonance104.4fm aims to make London's airwaves available to the widest possible range of practitioners of contemporary art.

I'm listening to an interesting PODCAST now - about magic - very interestig...witches and whatnot - happy clappy!

"Operating in an enchanted realm of total creative freedom far beyond the ever-encroaching demographic and corporate timidities of either the BBC or commercial radio" Observer Music Monthly

"Not a week goes by without your hearing at least a couple of things that make you cry out loud, What in God's name was that?" The Independent

Bad Vibrations?

By Martha W. Kleder

Mattel is marketing a toy broomstick in its Harry Potter line that is raising eyebrows.

The Harry Potter Nimbus 2000, for sale since October of 2001, is marketed to 8—to 12-year-old children. A toy replica of the broomstick Harry Potter uses in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the Nimbus 2000 is, according to at least one mother, providing a little too much stimulation.

Quoting from the editorial review posted on the Amazon.com Web site, “Kids can now ‘fly’ a Nimbus 2000 broomstick just like member of their favorite Quidditch team.”

“The Nimbus 2000 features a grooved stick and handle for easy riding. Enhancing the excitement are the vibrating effects and magical swooping and whooshing sounds the broom makes when on. Sounds can also be activated when the switch is set in standby mode. Requires three AA batteries (included),” reviewer Larry White adds.

A check of other online toy stores shows that description to be accurate.

Sarah Rosales, Vice President of Public Relations for Mattel's Entertainment Division said, “Our intent in creating the Nimbus 2000 Flying Broomstick was to bring the magic of the fictional ”Harry Potter“ tale to life for children. The toy was created to mimic the effect of flying and uses batteries to produce swooshing sound effects.”

“At Mattel, the well-being of children is always our top priority.”

Rosales added that Mattel “does not consider the toy inappropriate” adding that they “apologize that some parents may consider it to be [inappropriate], but that was not the company's intention.”

Customer reviews of the toy are mixed. A reviewer identified as “A toy enthusiast from New Jersey” described her shock when she purchased the toy for her daughter last Christmas.

“It wasn’t until after she opened her gift and started playing with it that I realized that the toy may offer a more than sensational experience. The broomstick has cute sound effects and ***VIBRATES*** when they put it between their legs to fly,” she wrote on December 26, 2001.

“Come on — what were the creators of this toy thinking? She’ll keep playing with the Nimbus 2000, but with the batteries removed,” she added.

Other reviewers were apparently not as quick on the uptake. “Ashley” from Texas is one who found nothing unusual with the toy.

“My 12-year-old daughter is a big Harry Potter fan, and loved the part with the Nimbus 2000, so I decided to buy her this toy,” Ashley wrote on June 11, 2002. “Even my daughter’s friends enjoy playing with this fun toy. I was surprised at how long they can just sit in her room and play with this magic broomstick!!”

Other reviewers seemed to be simply clueless. “Poola13” from Ohio noted how popular the toy was with his/her 12-year-old daughter and her friends. Poola13 added in the June 11, 2002, review that, “they play for hours in her bedroom with this great toy. They really seem to like the special effects it offers (the sound effects and vibrating). My oldest daughter (17) really likes it too!”

Now, given the growing attention this toy is receiving on various Internet message boards, that last message is likely a tongue-in-cheek posting, however the first question remains true, “What WERE the creators of this toy thinking?”

Calls to Mattel were not returned by press time.

Mattel contact info: http://www.mattel.com/contact_us/default.asp

Concerned Women for America
1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 488-7000
Fax: (202) 488-0806

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/753/CFI/cfreport/

Frog eggs tuned to bad vibrations

By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

It's not that easy bein' green, Kermit the Frog once sang. Kermit wasn't kidding — consider the choice faced by his cousin, the red-eyed tree frog.

A photogenic frog found in Central America, the tree frog lives out its days high in the jungle canopy, if it survives becoming lunch for predators as a tadpole or earlier. Tree frogs hatch their eggs onto leaves overhanging ponds. Clutches of these frog embryos hatch after 6 to 8 days, falling into the ponds below. If they aren't eaten sooner. And that's where the choice comes in.

"The sensory world and behavioral decisions of embryos may be richer and more sophisticated than we imagined," reports a paper in the current Journal of Experimental Biology. The study authors, led by biologist Karen Warkentin of Boston University, report that tree frog eggs seem tuned to vibrations from predatory snakes attacking an egg clutch, leading to early hatching, up to 30% earlier than normal to escape ending up as dinner.

"In an evolutionary sense, there is a tradeoff, because early hatching leaves you more vulnerable to other predators," such as shrimp, fish and dragonfly nymphs, Warkentin says. Freshwater shrimp are a main predator of tadpoles, but only a few days of growth makes most tree frog tadpoles too big and too canny for most of the shrimp to eat. So the frogs would prefer to hatch at the latest possible date, so they are as big as possible when they hit the water. "But if you know you are about to be eaten by a snake, you might as well hatch out and take your chances," she says.

In the rain forest, the eggs are exposed to all sorts of vibrations, from rain storms mostly, Warkentin says. The eggs hatching early in response to every sort of vibration, would be a bad decision. Warkentin had previously shown the eggs hatching in response to snake attacks. But what's amazing is that experiments by Warkentin and her colleagues, Michael Caldwell and J. Gregory McDaniel show the eggs only hatch out early to the right kind of vibrations and ignore the others. The eggs have a quite narrow, specific view of what is a "scary" or "bad" vibration, and most vibrations don't scare them.

To show this, her team recorded various kinds of vibrations from rain storms to snakes biting the clutches at a jungle lab in Gamboa, Panama. They then collected almost 500 egg clutches and brought them into the lab. Each clutch contained at least 20 eggs. They connected the clutches to an experimental shaker and played various vibrations, including random white noise ones of varied length and duration.

Hatching in response to vibrations varied from effectively zero eggs to about 74% of them under the right conditions. The sweet spot was a vibration lasting just a second in duration, coming at intervals just a bit longer than a second apart. Snake attacks are also an intermittent pattern — bites and pauses. In the wild, it takes a snake minutes to eat an entire clutch, according to the study, giving the eggs time to hatch, which they mostly start doing within four seconds of an attack. "Hatching is an irreversible change for these frogs, so this is a serious choice they face," says Warkentin.

"That vibration says 'danger', it says 'scary' to the embryo," Warkentin adds. "The cool thing is that multiple lines of information have to be processed by the egg."

"Vibration-cued anti-predator defense," likely occurs widely in the animal kingdom, the study suggests. Singing frogs and crickets fall silent as people walk by after all. Some lizard eggs and fish eggs may respond similarly, but no studies have looked at vibration-cued hatching in birds yet, Warkentin says. Her team suspects that other facets of predator vibrations may cue the eggs to hatch as well, such as the actual frequency of the vibrations. Wasps also prey on tree frog eggs and the researchers hope to take a look at their vibrations as well.

Each week, USA TODAY's Dan Vergano combs scholarly journals to present the Science Snapshot, a brief summary of some of the latest findings in scientific research. For past articles, visit this index page.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2006-04-09-egg-vibration_x.htm