If it were for Economics...

[Joe Fulton]

Another gem from GraphJam:

[Michael A. Williams]

I'll take a quick stab at this. I'm not sure, Joe, if you put this up for a good laugh and to get some feedback, or you think there's something in it. I suspect the former.

First off, The evidence for Remote Viewing and Dowsing is quite large. My understanding is that the Military and the Intelligence community still use Remote Viewing, but keep it private because of the "laugh factor" that the mainstream media brought to it when their research into it was revealed. Again, there's numerous stories about the major oil and mineral companies employing both, along with other, more standard scientific methods. Again, they don't talk about this publicly.

The research work of Russel Targ and Harold Putoff is public and their positive results speak for itself. Their two most famous subjects, Pat Price and Ingo Swann, got phenomenal results not only "in the field," but in the lab. Naturally, the Skeptics question this with pseudo arguments. I refer people to a site that debunks the skeptics, and on its Chair Committee is Dr. Brian Josephson, a Noble Prize winner in physics.

http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/

The high cost of Health Care in the U.S. is a complex matter and the attempted suppression of the Alternate Health Community is well documented. There is much more to alternative health than the three examples mentioned. It's the profit interests of the pharmaceutical companies that is the main culprit here. If it can't be patented, then they can't make huge profits. The "jerry-rigged" research studies they subsidize and the medical doctors and scientists they buy off to sign on to these false studies promoting their products over many alternative remedies is just now coming to light.

There's been a number of articles over the years pointing out that many Wall Street types and CEO's consult Astrologers on many decisions. Tarot, I haven't heard anything about, but again, they obviously don't want to publicly announce these things or else the press, and stockholders, would make them out to be "crackpots."

The Alternative Energy community is a complex matter. Forget "crystal energy," for anything major, though there are people making a good living selling crystals and pendants and whatnot, so capitalism thrives in that arena. But, aside from that, it's a whole other blogpost to discuss all that's happening with alternative energy, pro and con.

As for "hexes and curses," was that thrown in for a joke? Though there is a whole school of thought that there's more to "voodoo curses" than the power of suggestion. Again, too involved to go into here.

[Joe Fulton]

Yeah, it was, admittedly a dual use thing. First is humor. I likezez GraphJam.

The second reason was more of just pointing out public perception. It's nice to know how others view our efforts. It's too easy for a bunch of true believers to convince themselves that such and such has to be true because we all agree that it's true. In addition accepting 'pat' conclusions cuts us off from exploring other explanations...short circuiting the imagination. The one thing that I would say is open to criticism in this field is that we are so hung up on explanations from decades past that we have forgotten that those explanations were framed in accordance with the needs of their culture, not ours.

[Michael A. Williams]

I'm not sure who you're saying are looking for "pat" answers; the paranormal investigators or the reductionist skeptics? Probably both, you'd say. I'd say more the reductionist skeptics. Again, I invite all interested parties, which may not be too many, to check out this site before making conclusions, pro or con:

http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/

Research money and grants are hard to come by in the parapsychology field. These things require funding and the materialists have a virtual strangle hold over about 90% or more of the research money available.

Anyhow, here's an interesting article on how "pathological skepticism is conducive to illness."

http://www.new-age-spirituality.com/evidence/skepticrun.html

[Joe Fulton]

I would point at paranormal investigators. I can't really see the same terminology and way of thinking that has been around for over 100 years still being valid today, carte blanche.

I'll check out the articles later on...more later :)

[Michael A. Williams]

Thanks, Joe, but I must respectfully disagree. I'd say the "pat" answer folks are the skeptical materialists who haven't come up with anything new.

As you might know, one of the premiere parapsychologists around is Dr. Charles T. Tart. As you've mentioned you're a Buddhist, he also is a Buddhist, for over 30 years, but of what school I don't know. You might want to contact him and inform him of the errors of his ways. You two would at least have the Buddhist terminology to be able to communicate more effectively with. If you have some advanced thinking in this area, I'm sure he's open to listening to a fellow Buddhist. Contact him through his website:

http://www.paradigm-sys.com/

In another forum, on "Science and extra-dimensions," I mentioned a Dr. Rick Strassman, who's been investigating psychedelics and extra-dimensions. I was going to add more on him and his studies, but it seems that topic found little interest here. Anyway, he's a long time practicing Buddhist, also. I remember reading somewhere that other prominent investigators in this "para-reality" field are Buddhists. Does Buddhism encourage these types of endeavors, or are they operating outside the Buddhist "canon" and perhaps dangerously close to being "ex-communicated"?

I look forward to your reply after perusing the sites mentioned earlier.