Friday the 13th

Superstitions are based on the belief of the irrational. People choose to belief something and they decide to firmly stand by it making it their own reality. In their mind it’s true. It can become a fear or an obsession.

The fear of Friday the 13^th is a phobia called paraskavedekatriaphobia. The foundation for this psychological problem dates back to ancient times. All through out history people have believed that 13 is an unlucky number and a lot of historical and biblical tragedies have taken place on a Friday. The combination of the so-called bad luck number and day has created the notion that Friday the 13^th is a day to be feared.

http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html#friday

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29661652/

Image from brandsquare.com

Knocking On Wood

Ever been with someone or a group of friends and you or someone else says " I hope the Red Sox don't lose tonight?" or "I have not broken a bone yet?" and you knock on wood? Why do we rush and find the nearest piece of wood to knock our knuckles against?

Knocking on wood or touching wood supposedly will block off bad spirits or luck towards you and basically are tempting fate. There is no clear origin on where this old myth has originated from but there are numerous suggestions on how this superstition arose. Most say that it began over in Europe a few hundred years ago where they believed their gods or even mythical creatures such as fairies and leprechans lived in trees. People would communicate with them through the trees for good fortune. In some Chinese and Korean cultures, it is believed when the mother who is giving birth passes away, her spirit lives in the trees. There are even beliefs going as far back as to Greek mythology where Zeus believed that the oak was sacred.

There are stories about touching wood that have originated through religion as well. In Christianity their followers believe that the wooden cross is a symbol of good luck. Even in the Jewish religion during the Spanish Inquistion, people of Jewish faith fled to built wooden synagogues and had to knock to enter to remain safe and sound.

Even children's play games have origin about the touching of wood. The commmon game of tag, children will seek safety by touching a nearby tree for safety from being "it".There is even places where they sell touch rings (shown above) so when you are looking around to knock on some wood for luck, you do not need to. Whatever your reasoning is to knock or touch wood for good luck, there is a reason why we do it. The answer to why may be hard to research or investigate but as long as it keeps bringing you good luck in your life why question it?

Sources:

http://www.touchwoodrings.com/

www.unexplainedstuff.com

Is Today Your Day?

What if I told you that before you get out of bed in the morning, before you do anything, your day is already planned. Many people believe that ones biorhythm can graph what kind of mood they are going to be in, therefore determining how strong , emotionally sensitive and how intelligent you will be. By knowing these factors you will know if today is the best day for you to attempt that triathlon, go for that job interview, deal with a grieving friend, etc. Or you might find that it's best for you to stay away from some or all those things and take a day of rest.

Biorhythms begun in ancient China with the thought that ones emotions go thru cycles from the day they are born. They believed the connection to be with the sun, moon and plants. Thus creating graphical information with a 27 day cycle ( the suns full rotation ). This cylce would be able to show a person what days they would be at their most productive. Now a days the same concept is used but they also have connection with our energy field ( which can't be proven ) and its affect on our glands ( which we don't know because we can't prove our energy field ).

So how can we figure out our biorhythm? Well you can plug in your name and birth date in a cute little biorhythm calculator that you can find on google, or I am sure that an expert can do it for you at a charge. Once this is done some squiggly lines will show your ups and downs of your emotional, physical, and intellectual state. When the line is at a high point your emotional, physical and/or intellectual mood will be at its strongest and if the line is low you will know that day you will be weak. What is hard to believe about biorhythm is that a persons mood can not be measured, there is no way to know when a child is born the mood they will be in when they are 50. There are too many factors that determine how you are feeling, thus you can never predetermine how they will effect you. Another flaw about these graphs is that they can consequently coincide with a persons life. These graphs have high points that last a couple of days then a slow fall to a bottom then back up to the top, for instance when someone is sick they would be low for a little then slowly begin to get better. They kind of state the obvious, but can not be applied to everyones life to predetermine there mental and physical future.

Did extraterrestrial life really visit earth?

Over thousands of years humans have recorded events that seem to suggest other worldly beings came down from the skies to visit earth. Earth has been around for over 831 billion years, who's to say that our ancestors have not been visited by extraterrestrial beings. Ancient theorist and Scientist point to the immense size of the universe and can see that other beings must exist somewhere else besides earth. The Egyptians were the smartest civilization among their time, they created huge statues and monuments that still stand until this very day. The question is where did they get the technology and the mathematics to create such enormous figures? One stone alone weighs 1 - 20 tons, the figures are over 481 feet tall and the perimeter of the pyramid divided by two times the height would equal to pi (3.1416...) up to the fifteenth digits . As advance as we are now we still do not have the technology to recreate these monuments as perfect as the Egyptians created it. The Egyptian hieroglyphics tell their history almost in complete detail however never do they mention the creation of these monuments. Is it because they did not create them? The ancient text in various cultures make it very clear that many of our achievements happened due to extraterrestrials that had arrived. The Egyptians talks about the sky opening up and bright light coming down to teach them wisdom. All religion suggest that god came from the sky and ascended the earth, however where did religion begin and why is it that "god" and "aliens" have alot of resemblance?

If you research our ancient history their are many artifacts and hieroglyphics in ancient civilizations throughout different cultures that our ancestors worship the sky, way back to the cavemen. Astronaut theorist site as evidence the major similarities of isolated cultures all over the planet. Many different cultures all built immense structure to honor other world beings. Why do so many ancient text seem to reference men flying in the sky. Why do the ancient Egyptians, Hopi Indians, and the Dogan Tribe of North Africa all believe there ancestors came from what we knew as the Constellation Sirius. The Egyptian pyramid were supposedly built to carry the corpse of the deceased Pharaohs, however scientist recently discovered that the three pyramids of Giza line up exactly to constellation of Orion's belt. David Childress, the author of " Technology of the Gods" discusses how aliens may be among us, in the bible it discusses how we are made in the likeliness of "god" and in all ancient religions there is one thing they all have in common and that is that one day "god" will return, however what if god is really an extraterrestial being? Their is evidence that suggest that it is possible that humans have been visited by extraterrestrials in the distant past and if we are to quick to discard that possibility then we might be shutting ourselves out from going farther then we have ever been.

References:

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is an ancient chinese practice aimed at strategically arranging space to maximize the flow of good Ch'i, or life force energy. This idea has been dated back as far as 7,000 years. Marta Barreras, writer for Total Health, writes "practicioners of Feng Shui believe that by maximizing the flow of good Ch'i in an environment, they can create greater health, harmony, and prosperity for themselves and others."

Maintaining good Ch'i is not a terribly difficult thing to do. In her article, Feng Shui, Barreras provides six ways to do so. The first practice freeing oneself from clutter to prevent blocking energy flow. Barreras believes that bringing plants into an environment represents wood from The Five Elements of nature. Inducing this element is believed to help attract a healthy life force. In addition to that, enhancing your entryway (with flowers or a waterfountain) to your house is also said to help attract healthy life forces. Barreras writes of honoring your kitchen as well. Having a sanctuary in your kitchen is supposed to be important being that the thoughts and feelings of the cook are said to be apart of the food we eat. She also suggests treating your bedroom as a sanctuary, free of work and chaos. The last bit of advice she gives to maintain good Feng Shui is being open to uncovering any blind spots. One should gain more knowledge about Feng Shui so he or she can see anything they may be missing.

It is easy to see the appeal of Feng Shui. The promise of spiritual harmony sounds good to anybody. Who would not clear the clutter from their house or set up a small sanctuary in their kitchen if a peaceful life was sure to follow? However, like all pseudoscience practices, there is skepticism, and with good reason. If it were a proven science, I believe it would be a much more common practice.

Our class discusses a particularly prevalent theme in descriptions of Feng Shui. The objective behind this practice is to maximize "energy flow" by properly arranging space. Timothy Lawson, author of Scientific Perspectives on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, describes terms such as energy as "imprecise terms" which should be seen as "red flags." He contends that "pseudoscientists often use such terms in imprecise ways that have little or no connection to reality." Therefore, they should be taken with a grain salt.

Birthday Cake Time!

How many people can blow out your birthday candles in one puff of air? Most people believe that the wish will come true if you can. Others may not even know why they are blowing their candles out because it is just the way they were taught. Where did this tradition come from? The Food Network had an episode on cakes and the history and traditions surrounding them.

I learned that this tradition is a very old one. Priests that gathered around the alter would burn incense and they believed that the prayers of the Israelites would be carried up to the throne of God by the smoke coming from the incense. Today, our tradition believes that if you blow out your candles in one puff of air our silent wish will come true. I once wished that I would get to go to Tunnels of Fun and I never did get to go there.

Of course, there is no scientific proof that the good luck we wished for is actually going to come true because we blew out our candles in one puff of air on our last birthday. You can not test this belief because it is not testable so for right now it remains a believable tradition and I will mark it in the pseudoscience category.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/BirthdayCake.htm

http://www.templestudy.com/2008/07/18/blowing-out-birthday-candles/

http://www.candles-4-u.com/birthday-candles.htm

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-celebrations/bday.html

Phiten:a superstitious fad?

Baseball has a new fad that has exploded in the past few years. A brand named Phiten makes products that are supposed to regulate your flow of energy. With the proper flow of energy these products are supposed to help alleviate discomfort, a speedy recovery, and counteract fatigue. They were developed in Japan based on ancient movement arts that have been studied for hundreds of years. These products are said to be scientifically proven to give almost instant relief. They make necklaces, bracelets, arm sleeves, and even tape.

I can almost guarantee that when you watch a major league baseball game that you see at least 3 people wearing one of their products. I have also bought these products specifically the necklace and the bracelet. I feel that the affects of these products are more mental than anything else. If you or any of your friends have played a sport like baseball you would know how superstitious most of the players are. If they have a good game wearing one of these products they won’t want to play without it.

Even though I wear these products I am still a skeptic just like some doctors. Just like Dr. Orrin Sherman from NYU Hospital who says, “There’s just no way the chemical structure of the body can be influenced by magnets that small. It’s all superstitions with no scientific basis.”( scienceline.org) There is no independent research to back up the companies claim. This is why Dr. and author of The Psychology of Superstition, Stuart Vysen says, "People don't understand science all that well, so if you throw some science speak at them it sounds plausible."( cbsnews.com) I am not saying that these products do not work. If you are interested in these products try them out, and let me know what you think.

Can music really raise our IQ?

Music is found everywhere and has even become a part of our society. While people tend to enjoy different types of music, there has been one in particular that may change or at least at one time has believe to of changed your intelligence, Mozart. It has been said that classical music ill improve your spacial ability along with your IQ. Listening to Mozart has been an example of why it is essential to be able to have been replicated before claiming a causation among raising some one's IQ.

In the book: Scientific Perspectives on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, Readings for General Psychology by Timothy J. Lawson, a study conducted by Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1993), illustrated that after listening to Mozart, 36 college students showed an increase on spatial reasoning scores on the Stanford-Binet scale of intelligence. Even though the significance was very small (only about 8 IQ points) pseudoscience took over and claimed that we can all raise our IQ, forcing causation rather than an insignificant correlation which made this bogus theory very popular. However, after several experiments tried to reproduce the same results, there was not any differences between the participants. It is suggested psychologically that while music itself cannot exactly help your IQ, those who are fortunate to have classical music in their households will have their children benefit anyway. Not because of the music but rather that type of music typically owned by families with a lot of wealth and therefore resources that would be able to benefit their children and enable them to learn and educate themselves possibly better then other children.

While the Mozart effect may be a fluke other than the original experiment conducted, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and raise either our own IQ or our children's by simply listening to classical music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdqyJYLXzW4&feature=related

Who is talking about me?

I have heard many different versions of this superstition. If your ears ring, itch, or burn it means someone is talking about you. Some superstitions even go as far as to say which ear means good or bad talk. This topic is even asked by people on Wiki answers and Yahoo! answers. This is how superstitions spread in such a significant way by asking other people in an unscientific way.

This ringing is most likely a medical cause which most people ignore because they believe it is nothing significant. The ringing, itching, or burning could be Tinnitus, Meniere's disease, recovery from loud noise, fluid in the ears, trauma, ear infection, allergic reaction and many more. In any case if the ringing persists then it is a good idea to see a doctor.

Then there might be another explanation for the ringing that I believe could be the cause. The mind-body connection is a powerful one. If you really want or enjoy the idea that someone could be talking about you that may cause the ringing in your ears as well.

So either a medical issue or an imaginary issue is the cause for the ringing. There is no scientific proof that someone talking about you is causing your ear ringing so I would stop blaming people for talking about you as I used to.

I believe I can fly

Throughout history, individuals have claimed to have a mystifying ability to lift themselves into air without any physical force, defying gravity. This concept, known as levitation, has said to have been practiced for hundreds of years. Levitation is typically associated with spiritual mediums, demonic activity, shamans, witches, and religious figures. A famous levitator, Daniel Dunglas Home of Scotland, held many séances throughout his time during the 1800s. Scientists, aristocrats, and royalty watched him as he flew through air in and out of windows and caused objects to rise from the ground. A well-known physicist, William Crookes, observed Home on 50 occasions, and many sources claimed that Home was not a fraud. There are also many Indian yogis and Tibetan lamas who claim that they are able to levitate through meditation and breathing techniques (Simon Harvey-Wilson).

So how could this possibly occur? Skeptics believe that perhaps a person can hallucinate that they were levitating or maybe they were under hypnosis? Maybe they were just lying and utilizing illusions as means of appearing to levitate. Supporters believe that levitation can occur through physical forces from other dimensions that are able to manifest in the real world (Alan Hefner). Perhaps spirits or aliens have the ability to levitate people as well. Theoretical physicists in the United Kingdom have hypothesized that a force called the “Casimir force,” which causes objects to stick together on a quantum level, could be reversed – causing objects to repel one another. This theory could actually be used in association with levitation (Agençe France-Presse). Studies in neuroscience and psychiatry are helpful in studying levitation because many believe that levitation is able to occur at different levels of consciousness and in trance states of mind (Simon Harvey-Wilson).

So why do people believe in this phenomenon? As stated previously, the concepts of levitation are ancient and are apparently still practiced today. Many levitation advocates claim levitation can be easily accomplished through meditation as well. In my opinion, although the concept is intriguing, I’ll believe it when I see it. Most people on TV who claim to levitate, like Criss Angel and David Blaine, are just illusionists. Currently, there is no scientific evidence neither proving nor disproving human levitation.

Are Demons Real?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074 Paranormal Activity Movie Clip





Demons are said to be spiritual concepts that have no existence and is not a physical being. Demons date back to biblical times and are still talked about in todays day and age. In the bible God portrayed demons as horrible spirits that posessed people and it was also said that people will go to one of two places, heaven with God and the angels or hell with the devil. Sinners who do not turn their soul over to the Lord supposedly go to hell and those that do, have a second chance at eternal life in heaven.



I do believe demons are real, maybe not as real as the demon portrayed in the movie Paranormal Activity however there are good and bad spirits. As stated in the bible, the devil was once an angel who got kicked out of heaven. Do we call murderers, rapists and sinners demons? sometimes, yes but there is only one person to judge and that is God. Growing up in a christian home, I was taught to believe in heaven and hell and also God and the devil. I have never experienced any paranormal activity or even felt like i was being chased by the devil...Do devils haunt certain types of people like in the Paranormal Activity movie or are they just a figment of our imagination? Demons may come in different forms among different cultures, but all believe they come and they come to bring evil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon

Broken mirror: 7 years of bad luck??

How many people have heard about the superstition that breaking a mirror

can cause seven years of bad luck? How many people still mention it when they know someone who breaks a mirror or they break a mirror themselves? This superstition dates back to the Roman Empire in which Romans were the first to create glass. This superstition was passed down to other cultures at the time including Africans, Greek and Chinese. They believed that the mirror was a reflection of the person and captures the soul and when the mirror was broken, the persons soul became corrupted. It is said that if you break a mirror you should bury the pieces and avoid touching the glass itself.

Many traditions, customs and beliefs have been passed down from earlier humans and while there are some firm believers in superstitions and myths, others dont. Im quite sure everyone has broken a mirror at some point in their life. Has anyone experienced bad luck afterwards? I believe everything happens for a reason and there is a reason for everything happening. Lets say you break a mirror then lose your job, maybe something better is about to come along so the loss cannot be totally blamed on a broken mirror.

The experience of bad occurences may be blamed on the mirror, but it could all just simply be a mind game. The more thought you put into something, the more life you give it. If you worry and dwell on something that happened, everything after that event will then be related to that event. I disagree that a broken mirror brings seven years of bad luck, I dont believe there is any evidence that can stroingly support this claim so therefore, it shall remain a myth.

The Q Ray Braclet: Myth or Reality

The Q Ray braclet is a braclet that has been said to relieve pain, promote a better mood, a better well-being and also to give good luck. The Q Ray braclet has also been said to restore energy, improve muscle flexibility and performance. It releases positive and negative ions throught the body is based on principles that are more than 2000 years old. The Q Ray braclet has been compared to Ancient Chinese Acupuncture and with promises of better health and performance, consumers are willing to pay top dollars for something that may not really work.

A study was done in which participants were randomly given braclets, one was a real Q Ray braclet and one was a placebo. After the study was complete the researchers found that the relationship between the two sets of participants had a positive correlation in the decrease of pain, however was insignificant because they Q Ray braclet ultimately had the same effect that the placebo braclet did. In the article link above, the author states that people who believe in the powers of the braclet are the only one who see the effects of the braclet. The actual "powers" of the QRay braclet have been proven to be irrational and ineffective through scientific testing. So is it a mind thing? Do people really see and feel the effects that the Q ray braclet offers or is the just another myth?

I disagree that an ionized braclet can have effects on a persons health, mind or body. I feel as if this is just another scandal that promises something and ultimately doesnt deliver anything but unsatisfied customers. People are willing to spend money to test new products and to actuallyt see if they work, but with the upset of no results one could become depressed. This is just another "try me" scam which was said to be a fraud and the company was eventually ordered to repay millions of dollars in damages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQSixe-sC0I QRAY theory video

Pop Rocks and Cola?

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/poprocks.asp.
According to this website, these adored candy pieces were invented way back in 1956 by a General Foods research scientist named William Mitchell and hit the markets near 1975. It was clear why children would love these treats, not only were they tasty but fun! Really who would not be able to enjoy the concept of candy making sizzling and fizzing sounds due to the large amounts of carbonation? Despite the large amount of success Pop Rocks had among the public, rumors spread like wildflowers that they were unsafe and dangerous. One of the biggest started all the way back in 1976 and yet still heard today is that mixing Pop Rocks and Cola will cause your stomach to explode! Parents have warned children of the dangerous side effects of Pop Rocks ever since the rumor of the "death" of the beloved kid, Mikey, formally known as doing LIFE cereal commercials.

Common sense could explain that there could not be in explosion in your stomach from child's candy however, there have been a few people that were willing to test this pseudoscience phenomenon. Conclusions were drawn by rumors alone, there was not any scientific date proven to help with the alarmed parents from these ideas. The psychology behind this bogus claim deals with the base of fear and rumors. This is why it is extremely necessary for anything to be proven true, needs to undergo numerous tests, experiments, and peer reviewed data and then come up with a proven fact versus just a legend or rumor based from "fake" science.

When tested, other than burps with a little bloat, you will survive what many thought could kill you. This video shows someone trying out this example of pure pseudoscience...would you care to try too? http://www.metacafe.com/watch/508106/pop_rocks_coke_urban_legend_revealed/

Welcome...

...To the new incoming on-line summer class. Feel free to browse past posts but comments must be made to new posts after this date. In the meantime enjoy one of my favorite videos!
Darren Brown, Playing With Paper

The Shape of the Earth

Despite plenty of evidence that suggests the Earth is round, there are still people that claim the Earth is flat, believe it or not. One of these groups, known as the "International Flat Earth Research Society", not only claim that the Earth is flat, they also claim the Earth does not rotate at a speed of 1000 MPH. Former president of the Flat Earth Society, Charles Johnson, stated “the idea of a spinning globe is only a conspiracy of error that Moses, Columbus, and FDR all fought."

While there are a vast number of ways to prove the Earth is not flat, there are a few that are the most common. Firstly, the Greeks discovered a long time ago that by observing lunar eclipses, one could see the Earth is in fact round. When the Earth blocks the sun from the moon, a round shadow is casted on the moon’s surface. Secondly, the Earth has different time zones. It would be impossible to be night time on one side of the globe and daytime on the opposite side if the Earth was flat, especially considering the volume of the sun is over one million times that of Earth’s. Third, every single picture of the Earth suggests its shape is circular. Of course the Flat Earth Society believes these pictures are a product of a conspiracy, however over the last 50 years of collecting pictures and videos taken by orbiting satellites and space stations, every single picture and video shows the Earth is round. Lastly, the force of gravity is the same everywhere on Earth, which suggests the Earth is a spherical shape. These are just a few methods out of many others that prove the Earth is round.

Those holding the belief that the Earth is flat continue to rely on nothing but pseudoscience and myths to back up their claims. Even when presented with overwhelming scientific evidence and common sense, some people are just downright stubborn.

Dont believe everything through the lense.

For centuries we have tried to explain our existence, everything from present and past life, the stars, planets, and even the paranormal. Our early ancestors believed in an afterlife and the belief that if we don’t properly commit to good in our life here we can be stuck in a limbo where no one can leave until wrongs are corrected. Events would happen with maybe someone seeing something and possibly hearing someone cry out for help or to get out but there was no way to prove any such thing. It was not until the camera was introduced that a lot more interesting photos have come to light with people speculating shadows, figures, and orbs floating in photographs.

During my short existence here I grew an understanding in something else beyond my knowledge existing out in the stars and skies. The problem that exists is that for the others that believe such things as well try to prove it daily. There are so many programs that are out there now from ghost hunters, ancient aliens, destination truth, and many more that try to prove ghosts existing by tricking the viewers into thinking something else is happening or that shadow wasn’t from there light but because something floating in a corner.

My first job was within retail and I focused on photography there. For 4 years I developed photos and took classes and grew knowledge on the topic and subject of photography. If there is one thing the job of a photo developer can teach you, it is that people not only take the strangest photos but also believe everything coming out of their photo. They cannot be so wrong. Techs within the process can damage film easily by opening the slit much more than needed causing an aurora of colors to show on your film. They can even not clean the rollers to develop the roll into a strip. This can lead to dust sticking onto the film. Even if film gets stuck some images from another roll can attach onto another picture causing the two to combine into one image with shadows appearing in it.

If I really wanted to write up possible mistakes the new guy/girl can make developing a roll I can be here all day. The bottom line is any of these mistakes can make that customer think there house is haunted or be in complete shock over what they see. People are completely gullible on the topic and I have had my fair share of believers doubting my understanding on photography thinking their dust is in fact a sprit stopping by to say something to them.

Recent year’s digital became the “New Wave” leading to more ridiculous photos being taken and developed digitally. This is actually due to Photoshop editing, over exposure on the shutter speed, and people not knowing how to use this new technology they spent $1500 to get.

The bottom line when it comes to photos and the explanations which can be determined its more probable that the roll of film was tampered with than someone taking a photo of a ghost. In my time developing I only had a handful I could not explain, actually 2 only two photos. Out of at least a couple million I developed.

The Courage to Heal? or The Courage to Blame?

Is it really true that we can recall past "repressed" memories or are these really just concocted, rebuilt stories of events that once occurred? Many people are beginning to claim that through the power of hypnosis they are able to recover memories that have been gone for years, even decades.

Can this really happen? Is a therapist really able to put you into a state that allows you to uncover things you once had no memory of? According to the book "The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse" coauthor Ellen Bass claims this is possible.

This book begins with the disclaimer that the author is not "academically educated as a psychologist." With even further admittance that the book is not based on fact with Bass stating "none of what is presented here is based on psychological theories," this book has still become the "Bible" of the incest-recovery movement.

How can this be? Well, that explanation is easy. The authors of the book reach out to anyone who feel as though they may have been sexually abused at some point in their life. They state "If you are unable to remember any specific instances of abuse . . . but still have a feeling that something abusive happened to you, it probably did." Who wouldn't want the confirmation that the nagging feeling their having is in fact, the truth. Even more amazing, the authors go on to assure the readers that their feelings can be taken as proof that "something happened" even if their memories have yet to surface.

Books like this are what lead to things like the 1990 conviction of George Franklin of the rape and murder of his daughters best friend based on the recovery of a repressed memory she discovered after a hypnosis session with her therapist. The jury convicted her father based on nothing more than her testimony of her 20 year old repressed memory.

Books like this, based on nothing more than opinion, but stated as facts, are what lead to our society falling for false claims and belief in things based on pseudoscience.

Graphology: I write who I am

I decided to take a look at the link posted at the end of our graphology lecture to see what it said about me. The first part asked me about my signature. I was slightly confused by the scale they gave me in the questions. The first question was looking at my signature in comparison to the rest of my handwriting with a scale of "tiny" but with 3 choices away from "generally the same" and another three circles to pick from for "huge". And then of course "varies", but with one circle to chose from for that one. It could vary on the large side, or the small side, but I guess that doesn't matter.

Next it asked about slope, giving me "wayup" (what?) with 3 circles, "waydown" (again...what?) with 3 circles, "level", but this time it was "varies a bit" or "varies a LOT!" as opposed to just "varies".

There was also a section that talked about people mixing cursive and printing, which I know some people to do; however, when it came time for me to fill in the bubble, I noticed it had an area for CAPS, which deviated from the question completely. If you chose "printing MOSTLY" CAPS or "printing NEARLY ALL" CAPS (difference???) you could not chose between cursive and printing, which was the actual question.

A bit discourage by the odd scale system this test had, I was interested to see this bit at the bottom of the page, "last thing: Handwriting is completely different from Astrology, and yet there are some common traits in handwriting which parallel certain other common references in Astrology & Astrological Studies. Would you like to be informed of Astrological Parallels in your hand?" Of course I chose yes. Who knew?

My results for my personality were: You like to keep life in perspective and have a fairly straightforward way of viewing yourself and others. To you, Life is neither a stage nor a tragedy play! You are fairly comfortable with who you are and your family. Its likely that you enjoy throwing a good party, and just don't like being cooped up all evening. And once Friday afternoon comes, you're probably often right ready to bolt out to find the weekend's next social event! Hmmm... So you like to be one person out in the world and another person in the privacy of your own space, eh? Interesting. Does that also mean that you have multiple personalities? (Probably not but then... who knows!? You could be a hard one to figure out! ;-) Lone Rangers often keep a bit of distance between themselves and others. Do you ever hear people define Jess as a Lone Ranger? Or is it that you're more of what some might define as "a creative force of the next generation!" Either way, you don't mind straying from that straight and narrow path, shall we say, so you get good marks for originality! I guess that you must be something of a sentimentalist, eh? Do people ever say, "Oh, yeah: Jess can really be an old softie sometimes! A real kind soul." But then, this can get you into trouble sometimes, too, though, because you can have a difficult time saying "No!" and can feel guilty for not being All things to All People!!Although there are aspects of you which have that conservative hesitance to risk, you tend to move often in the direction of ALMOST getting out there!

So I am a party animal, a social butterfly...but I'm a Lone Ranger? The rest of it, I don't even know. It is kind of all over the place.

As for the Astrological section: And you know, you might have a bit of a strong calling as a Gemini, since you like to mix yourself selectively with different versions for different moods! You may well be a Cancer astrologically, or have Cancer figuring pretty strong somewhere in your chart. Because you've got that nurturing sentimentalist which seems to be there in your handwriting, and likely reflected in your stars. What do you know about what's at the top of your chart? Perhaps a strong Water Sign?

They got the Cancer right, but it was not really clear if they guessed I was. In order to avoid pinning me down wrong, it was "I may well be a Cancer or have Cancer figurig pretty strong" somewhere in my chart. A lucky guess, but with the small amount of questions they asked, I don't see how they could figure out I am a "nurturing sentimentalist" My handwriting was "flat", "round" (how is it both??) and "slanted to the right

All in all, it is safe to say this is just nonsense.

Baby Einstein: Leave your baby in front of the TV, and they will become smarter!

The Mozart Effect has stemmed a lot of interesting products. As we all know from class, this "effect" has absolutely not effect at all. This does not stop anyone from using the study as its claim, though. I found this link, aimed for parents, about all the studies produced after the original study for the Mozart Effect. http://www.parenting-baby.com/Parenting-Baby-Music-Research/Music-Research.html. There are a lot of studies there, most which have not found significant results. But who really thinks a good majority of people know how to read through a study the way psychology students do? How many parents really took classes in college that allowed them to become properly educated on what makes a good study and what results are significant?

Sites like the one I listed only seem to confirm to the average person that the Mozart Effect is indeed valid. Since most people don't know any better, and are going by what they hear, they buy into products like Baby Einstein. I took Developmental Psychology a year or so ago, and I remember my professor showing us a clip of what Baby Einstein consists of. Nothing. Shapes, colors, random flashes. If anything, it is prepping your child to have ADD or ADHD by the lack of consistent images, and constant flashing and fast-pace. Yet, somehow, parents are tricked into thinking this branches off of the supposedly significant findings of the Mozart Effect (the makers of Baby Einstein have music CDs as well).

It is silly to think a baby will become smarter because it is listening to music or watching "Baby Einstein" on TV. Since when was TV helping children? An interest group finally caught way of Baby Einstein, and Disney is now offering a "recall" to anyone who purchased a Baby Einstein DVD between certain qualifying periods. http://www.businesspundit.com/after-controversy-dinsey-issues-baby-einstein-recall/. While this seems like a step in the right direction, you know, letting parents know their child will not become smarter by watching a circle float across the screen, Disney, in an effort to maintain their claims, have only offered the "recall" to be exchanged for their other products. So since watching TV isn't exactly the best for your child, and they accept this, they are allowing you to get a music CD instead because that will really boost their IQ.

Saddening to see Disney will still not accept the facts, but with some light shining upon these DVDs, perhaps parents will be more persuaded to do some research for themselves and decide to stop looking for miracle ways to make their children intelligent.