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Post #1 Title: Thinking About Mysteries (Assignment 1)

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Post #1 Title: Thinking About Mysteries (Assignment 1)

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Made by Andrew Lysets & Luciana Pestana Barbosa Garcia

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Post #2 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (image)

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Post #2 Red Flag: Appeal to Authority (image)

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Definition:
It is the use of people dressed in a white lab coat, or celebrity endorsement, or even celebrities dressed in a white lab coat, in order to give credibility to a particular product.

Connection:
The perfume advertisement below connects with the Appeal to Authority Red Flag. The product Forever uses the strong image of singer and actress Mariah Carey as a way to convince the public that wearing such a perfume, the person will look beautiful, sensual and successful as Mariah Carey.
There is so much appeal, that the image of the product is small compared to the image of the woman.
Applying critical thinking it turns out that singer Mariah Carey is famous because of her talent and hard work, and that this was not due to the perfume she wears.

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Post #3 Red Flag: Mystical Energy (website)

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Post #3 Red Flag: Mystical Energy (website)

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Definition:
The red flag Mystical Energy is the one used to explain through crystals, light, or some kind of energy, some effect or result.

Connection:
The article indicates that the use of crystals will bring financial success, because by using that, the person will accept opportunities with more confidence. It also shows crystals to be used in debit situations or for anyone who seeks money.
Worse than that, in the indicated site there is a link to a virtual store selling those crystals.
How can wearing a bracelet help you pay bills, or solve a bad financial situation? There is no need for a deep application of critical thinking or skepticism to verify that this is something that will not happen.

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Everyone's been given financial advice at some point in their lives. You've been told to save for your retirement, cut down on your daily coffee expenses or diversify your investments. Chances are, you probably haven't been told to make yourself more energetically attuned to wealth. Let's face it, a crystal that vibrates with the energy of abundance may be the most diverse investment you ever make-and you probably won't be telling your financial advisor about it! But if you break down why these crystals have successfully brought wealth into the lives of so many, it really isn't that out there. Manifesting with crystals for wealth opens you up to recognize and accept opportunities with confidence. When you approach your business with a positive outlook, the wealth will follow.

Crystals for wealth, prosperity and success can provide an energetic layer of support as you embark on your career or investing efforts. Each of these crystals for money, prosperity and success work in a unique way to bring you the wealth and abundance you are seeking. Combining the energy of these wealth and success stones with your own intention is the most impactful way to open your life up to receiving a generous flow of wealth and abundance.

What you'll learn:

Which crystals to use for wealth, success and prosperity.

Watch the video to hear Heather Askinosie explain just how you should be using your wealth crystals.

How one person was able to use crystals for wealth in a ritual with a MAJOR pay off!

Crystals for Money and Wealth

Each of these crystals for wealth work in different ways, but they will all have a similar effect of attracting wealth, prosperity and success into your life. Let a raw Pyrite crystal or a Citrine point be your new financial advisor, helping you to be confident in risks, but grounded in a creative drive.

Wealth is the state of attaining material prosperity or money. Achieving a state of wealth often comes from hard work, new opportunities and positive outcomes. Use these crystals for wealth and money stones to aid in your ability in obtaining wealth.

Aventurine

Do you need to lighten up and play more when it comes to your finances? Make room for the fun and adventurous energy of Green Aventurine. This is the stone you need to shift into a more playful money mindset. Make sure to pack this crystal whenever you head out to the casinos or to a game night! Aventurine reminds you to keep it light and fun and abundance will follow.

This is one of the best money crystals because it is considered to be especially lucky when you are manifesting wealth. It is also the stone of opportunity, opening doors to new ventures. Carry 8 aventurine stones together, because 8 is the number of money.

Pyrite

If you find yourself feeling like you're not worthy of abundance, the crystal ally for you is Pyrite. Pyrite is that golden nugget of wisdom, and it literally looks like gold. It also has this shiny-mirror like quality that encourages you look at yourself and say, I am worthy.

This is one of the most popular crystals for money because it is known to remedy financial hardship and attract wealth. It aids you by ushering wisdom and confidence into your financial decisions. Through these properties, pyrite fosters wealth in both subtle and larger ways.

Tiger's Eye

If you need of to shift your perspective, look no further than Tiger's Eye. This multidimensional stone reminds us that there isn't only one way to get things done. When we look at a situation from one point of view for too long, we get tunnel vision. Connect with the energy of Tiger's Eye to see the situation through a fresh pair of eyes. It reminds you that there are multiple ways and paths to find financial success.

This stone for success will give you the willpower and motivation you need in order to take action to achieve success. It will help you remained calm even in hectic situations, aiding in your ability to be a successful leader.

Citrine

When the negative money mind chatter begins to creep in, there's no better crystal to turn to than Citrine. Citrine is the light maker and the ultimate wealth crystal for manifestation. When you want to manifest more wealth and abundance, shift your mindset by bringing in the light with citrine. It helps you to open yourself up to embrace a more positive mindset.

Citrine is one of the best prosperity crystals because it helps you achieve your intentions faster. It is also referred to as the merchant stone because it helps to bring prosperity to business owners.

Green Jade

If you're thinking of starting a new business or project, and you need to plan for financial longevity, Jade is the crystal to turn to. Jade is not that quick fix crystal for wealth. It's that crystal that reminds you to stay wise, remain consistent and keep working towards your prosperity goals.

Since ancient times, jade has been one of the most recognized crystals for prosperity, wisdom and harmony. It is considered an extremely lucky stone and can promote the flow of prosperity and abundance into our lives. Combine green jade with other green stones to increase their prosperity energy.

Heather's Top Picks for Crystals for Wealth

One of Heather's favorite tools for bringing in abundance is a pair of Lucky Crystal Elephants. An elephant with its trunk facing upwards is said to bring wealth, new opportunities and an extra dose of luck. When paired together in Aventurine and Tiger's Eye, these crystal elephant figurines become a powerful tool to shift your wealth luck. Wondering how to use these crystals for wealth in your home or office? Here's how:

1. Place your elephants on your office desk to invite in wealth, opportunity and abundance.

2. Use them on your crystal altar to hold the space of wealth.

3. Keep them facing your front door as a symbol of protection and strength.

4. Keep them by your front door facing into your home to usher in the free flow of wealth and abundance.

Heather Walks You Through These 5 Crystals for Wealth, Success and Prosperity

In this video, Heather discusses why she uses crystals for wealth and which ones are her personal favorites!

How One Person Used Wealth Crystals in a Prosperity Ritual to Get BIG Results

After our book, Crystal Muse, came out, one of our employees decided she wanted to try the Money Magnet ritual for herself. Her name is Tiffany, and she was at a point where she was feeling blocked financially in her life. She was looking to use wealth crystals to bring abundance and light back into her life, and have the strength to get through this obstacle. She chose to wear the crystals in the form of our Money Magnet bracelets. For 40 days, in the morning, she put on her bracelets, chanted the Ganesh mantra Om Gan Ganapataye Namo 108x to align with the energy of removing obstacles. Then she said the affirmation: I am a money magnet, aloud 8x. At night before she went to bed, she repeated this process.

The challenge of consistency fueled Tiffany to keep going. She wanted to prove to herself that she could get through these 40 days. She told me that at the time she began the ritual, she didn't believe she was a money magnet. But as the days progressed, she started to believe it more and more.

Just 2 days after the ritual ended, she received 2 checks in the mail from her school. Before opening them, Tiffany assumed they would be small checks, around $5.00 - $10.00, as that was what she had received from them in the past. To her surprise, there was one check for $200...and one for $5000!! Immediately, thinking this must be a mistake, she called her school. They told her there had been an error in their system regarding her scholarship and financial aid, so the $5,200 dollars was not a mistake.
How cool is that? What we love about Tiffany's story is that her financial breakthrough came from somewhere completely unexpected. It doesn't always have to be a new opportunity or a project you've been working on - it can be from something that's not even on your radar. And when we open ourselves up to the flow of abundance and truly believe that we are money magnets, everything aligns.
How to Use Crystals for Wealth

Ideally, you would pick eight crystals for wealth to use. They can all be the same or they can all be different, but the number eight is the number of prosperity and will amplify that energy. After discovering the money crystals for you intention, you can keep them in a small bag and carry them in your purse or pocket. Money stones are ideal to be kept around you at all times, so find a way that you can comfortably carry them with you, in whatever way works for you.

You can also form a grid in the southwest quadrant of your home, which is the wealth and abundance sector. Ideally, you would have a large piece of raw pyrite cluster and you would surround the cluster with your eight crystals for wealth. Working together, the stones will invite in the flow of abundance into your life.

Crystals for Debt

Sometimes, before you can grow your wealth, you have to reduce your debt. If you know you have a tendency to engage in negative financial habits, using crystals will help you to break that cycle and establish a better pattern. For those whose debt is tied up in student loans, health costs or unforeseen expenditures, crystals provide an optimistic outlook that enables you to take advantage of opportunities for growth.

The longer your money mindset is in a state of lack, the more it feels like you're sinking. It can seem like no matter how much you kick, you still can't get above water. Crystal energy can be like a life raft during moments like these. It supports you with calm, grounding energy, so that you can look around for the solutions that you were unable to recognize while your mind was panicking.

We've all been in a position where we could have taken a risk, or decided to play it safe. When you feel like you're in state of lack financially, taking a risk is extra scary. But sometimes it pays to shift your approach, and do something different. Needless to say, that takes an abundance of courage. These crystals for debt will fortify your spirit with courage, enhanced decision-making skills and motivation so that you can transform your debt into abundance. Our favorite crystals for debt are:

Iolite: Rather than just instilling you with confidence, Iolite energy forces you to confront some uncomfortable fears. Use the confident energy of Iolite to bring about change in your outlook. Iolite is recommended as a stone for combatting debt because it brings your focus to the unhelpful mindsets or patterns that you engage in. Whether it's spending money you don't have, or feeling too defeated by debt to save, Iolite energy bolsters your courage so that you can recognize your need for change.

Malachite: Malachite has the willpower and motivation you need to see your financial goals through. With this confident determination, not only will you be able to refrain from sliding backward into familiar traps, you'll experience a vitality that will propel you toward making positive decisions. As a stone of transformation, malachite has the energy to turn your financial situation around.

Amethyst: Amethyst brings clarity with its calming vibes. When you have a clear mind, you make better decisions. One of the reasons that amethyst is believed to benefit the areas of success and business is that it elevates mental cognizance. If you're too stressed about money to recognize or pursue opportunities for growth, using amethyst can help you relax and collect your thoughts. With a calm and clear perspective, you'll better be able to take take advantage of opportunities for change.

Remover of Obstacles Bracelet: The Remover of Obstacles Bracelet pushes you to move forward and breakdown any barriers that lie between you and your goals. If challenges seem to keep popping up and derailing your efforts, this bracelet packs the energy you need to stay motivated in your aims. With Citrine to uplift the spirit, Smoky Quartz to release frustration, copper to ground and amplify your energy, and Rudraksha Seeds to expand awareness of life's beauty and opportunities.

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Crystals for Wealth, Prosperity and Success - Energy Muse

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Everyone's been given financial advice at some point in their lives. You've been told to save for your retirement, cut down on your daily coffee expenses or diversify your investments. Chances are, you probably haven't been told to make yourself more energetically attuned to wealth.

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Post #4 Red Flag: Suppression by Authorities (video)

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Post #4 Red Flag: Suppression by Authorities (video)

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Definition:
1. To put down by authority or force. To be enforced by government entity or private agency.

2. To be secured from common insight.
2b: To suppress by written and/or oral discussion

Connection:
Journalists in Cameroon fear suppression by authorities, who can force news outlets to conform to pro-government narratives or face persecution. Many journalists would only speak to CPJ about the state of affairs in Cameroon on condition on anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Fear is a big mitigating factor on how we perform our jobs, functions and tasks. It also goes hand in hand with the ramifications of those actions through reprisals, persecution, after effects of what we have said or done.

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Cameroon's Journalists Face Suppression by Authorities

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Definition:
A product is not necessarily healthy and effective just because it is natural. That is, a natural product can also make you sick or even die.

Connection:
The article reports the story of a man who died due to the misuse of natural supplements in an attempt to prevent the reappearance of a cancer.
In addition, the text has information about the great consumption of all natural supplements in Australia, indicating how this can be fatal, harm, or have potential negative effects.
Applying critical thinking, it is observed that there is no scientific information regarding the use of this product. Unfortunately, when a product is sold like being "natural", people believe they can consume unrestricted, which ultimately leads to harmful situations for the user.

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Supplements, vitamins and other complementary medicines are a $3.5 billion industry in Australia, but one Melbourne man has highlighted the potentially life-threatening consequences of taking health fads and so-called "miracle diets" too far.

When the 67-year-old went into hospital for routine surgery, doctors were at a loss to figure out why the seemingly fit and healthy pensioner who didn't smoke had low levels of oxygen in his red blood cells -- something usually associated with serious illnesses like lung disease, anaemia and heart disease.

"This gentleman had told me he cycles 80 kilometres a week," the patient's anaesthetist, Dr Alex Konstantatos from Alfred Hospital, told HuffPost Australia.

Chatting to the man, who was in remission from prostate cancer, Konstantatos uncovered that he had been self-medicating with apricot kernels.

"The gentleman involved has a scientific background and he had read that apricot kernel extract would prevent his cancer from recurring," Dr Konstantatos explained.

Early in 2016, apricot kernels rose to prominence as the latest "superfood" -- touted as bursting with nutrients and cancer-fighting agents. But such claims have since been debunked, with medical experts warning of the seed's high levels of amygdalin, a substance which the human body converts into the toxic chemical, cyanide.

Eating more than two kernels a day puts an adult over the safe level of cyanide -- a toxic chemical that can lead to dizziness, breathing difficulties, joint and muscle pains and, ultimately, death, according to Australia's food safety watchdog.

The 67-year-old had been taking three tablets of the apricot kernel-based supplement Novodalin each day, as well as grinding up his own brew at home -- adding up to more than 17mg of cyanide a day.

Blood tests revealed he had cyanide in his bloodstream at 25 times acceptable levels.

Yet despite stern warnings from the medical team at Alfred Hospital and clear evidence that his body wasn't carrying oxygen as it should, he refused to give up his daily ritual.

The effects of dosing yourself with substantial but non-lethal quantities of cyanide every day have never been tested, Konstantatos said.

"What we do know is that a big enough dose can kill you."

In fact, cyanide is so lethal and its effects so unknown, there is no standard test for it in those who are alive. To conduct this man's blood test, his blood samples had to be transported to Sydney and tested by a forensics team.

"If you're taking something which releases cyanide in a way where you're not actually measuring how much you take, there's a very small difference between what might be a small dose of cyanide and that which would seriously effect parts of your body, like your brain and heart," Konstantatos warned.

There is also no evidence indicating that the extract cures cancer.

"(Cyanide) can stop basically all cells in the body from incorporating oxygen and turning that oxygen into energy so that the cell can function.

"If you compare that to an anti-cancer drug that has been scientifically validated, a lot of (them) will kill cells but they will selectively kill cells. There's been a lot of research conducted to show that those chemotherapy agents will predominantly kill the cancer cells and do as little harm as possible."

In 2015, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand banned the sale of apricot kernels in foodstuffs, but the supplement, often marketed as B17, is still available online via alternative health food websites -- many of which advocate consuming up to 20 kernels per day.

With around two thirds of Aussies saying they've taken some form of complementary medicine in the past year, Konstantatos has voiced concern about the rising prominence of alternative medicines which haven't been scientifically validated.

He hopes this case will send a warning about the dangers of self-prescribing such medicines, and will encourage doctors to ask patients about what complementary medicines they take.

"People should research every medication that they choose to take that is not prescribed to them and educate themselves about the potential effects," he said.

The findings of the tests on this patient were published in international peer-reviewed journal BMJ Case Reports on Tuesday.

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This Health Food Fad Gave A Melbourne Man Cyanide Poisoning

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Supplements, vitamins and other complementary medicines are a $3.5 billion industry in Australia, but one Melbourne man has highlighted the potentially life-threatening consequences of taking health fads and so-called "miracle diets" too far.

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Post #6 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (article)

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Post #6 Red Flag: Ancient Wisdom (article)

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Definition:
The fact that an alternative medicine is ancient does not mean that it has a scientific basis or that it has effective results.

Connection:
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine where you put special cups on the skin with the purpose of creating suction. This is used by people seeking treatment for pain, inflammation or relaxation.
The report shows a 63-year-old Chinese man who was being treated to seek a cure for his illness. The result was disastrous and the man went to the hospital with wounds and necroses in the application area.
Applying critical thinking, it is observed that there is no scientific information regarding the use of this alternative medicine. However, a lot of people seek this kind of medicine in order to relief pain or cure diseases.

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When cupping goes VERY wrong: Man left with seven horrific holes on his back after month-long botched therapy

Li Lin was sent to hospital after developing a high fever after cupping

The man from China had started treatment to cure his 'frozen shoulder'

Cups were placed in the same place every day for a month

Halfway through his treatment he developed blisters and popped them

Horrifying images have emerged of a man left with seven holes in his back after undergoing cupping therapy which went wrong.

63-year-old Li Lin from Chengdu, China, was promised that the treatment would make his 'frozen shoulder' feel better, reports the People's Daily Online.

The man says he had been having cupping treatment every day in the same place for around a month when large blisters started to appear.

From May 22 to June 20, Li underwent cupping in a small massage parlour to try and cure his frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder is a condition that leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder and in some extreme cases people are unable to move their shoulder at all.

He said: 'The clerk advised me to stick to cupping for a month to cure my frozen shoulder'.

Cupping is a therapy in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin creating suction and are thought to stimulate the flow of energy inside the body.

During treatment, the man had the cups placed in exactly the same place every time.

Li said that during the last ten days, blisters began to form on his back from the locations the cups had been placed.

Instead of stopping the treatment, he asked his wife to pop the blisters before rubbing his back with oil.

On June 20, the man went for cupping treatment and during his walk home, he began to feel uncomfortable and had a high fever.

His family rushed him to the hospital.

Surgeon Xie Liang said that when Li was sent to the emergency room with a fever of 37.7 degrees and his back was completely swollen.

On examination, it was found that he had a bacterial infection.

Doctors said that it was lucky that Li came to the hospital when he did as if he had continued then he would have developed sepsis.

Medical staff said that the cupping should not have been done in the same position as it causes skin burns and infections.

Li's situation is improving and is not considered life threatening.

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Man left with holes on his back after month-long botched therapy

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Li Lin was sent to hospital after developing a high fever after cupping The man from China had started treatment to cure his 'frozen shoulder' Cups were placed in the same place every day for a month Halfway through his treatment he developed blisters and popped them Horrifying images have emerged of a man left with seven holes in his back after undergoing cupping therapy which went wrong.

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Post #7 Reason for Belief: Patternicity (video)

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Post #7 Reason for Belief: Patternicity (video)

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Definition:
The reason for belief Patternicity is a natural instinct of people to recognize meaningful figures in various objects and places. This is because human beings naturally look for patterns.

Connection:
This news shows us how the formation of clouds with the sun made it look like the image and presence of an angel in the sky of the city of Montgomery, Texas, USA.
This connects with the reason for belief Patternicity, which is the tendency to identify a meaningful figure in inanimate objects.
The picture was a viral image and many people believe that an angel really was on the town of Montgomery that evening.
Based on skepticism we can evaluate that the visualization of the cloud in the form of an angel in that evening is a mixture of coincidence and tendency or beliefs of the person who is watching.

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"Wow, that's a big angel in the sky!"

That was Eyewitness News viewer Danny Ferraro's first impression when he turned on to a Texas highway and looked up Monday evening.

A group of clouds resembling an angel covered the sun, sending glowing rays all around it.
RELATED: Study examines migration patterns of clouds
Known as crepuscular rays, these beams of light are more commonly called "angel rays" or "God rays," and Ferraro said it had a deeper meaning for him.

"I just felt like God was saying, 'I'm always with you.' I don't know how many people saw it as there were many on the road, but I'm sure it meant something special to everyone who did."

Ferraro added that the cloud formation lasted for just a few moments, and he was in the right spot at exactly the right time to capture it on camera.

What do you see?

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"Wow, that's a big angel in the sky!" That was Eyewitness News viewer Danny Ferraro's first impression when he turned on to a Texas highway and looked up Monday evening. A group of clouds resembling an angel covered the sun, sending glowing rays all around it.

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Post #8 Reason for Belief: Unexplained (video)

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Post #8 Reason for Belief: Unexplained (video)

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Definition:
The reason for belief Unexplained is an attempt to explain to ourselves when we are confronted with something or with an unexplained phenomenon.

Connection:
The video shows the interview with three girls who said they had witnessed and seen the Alien of Varginha. They tell how the creature was and how was the feeling at that moment.
In 1996, a series of unexplained events took place in the city of Varginha, located in central Brazil. Such events involved people seeing UFO's and also aliens. Much has been reported in the media, and more than 20 years later, the Alien of Varginha is still in the imagination of the local population.
Applying critical thinking process in cases like these can help in verifying that women may have seen a sick animal, or something they did not identify at the time, but that is not necessarily an alien.

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Brazilian Alien Sighting | National Geographic

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Emotional Connection (article)

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Emotional Connection (article)

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Definition:
The reason for belief Emotional Connection is one in which a person is influenced by his thoughts, altering his or her way of feeling. For example, a person who, in losing a loved one, seeks a medium for the purpose of contacting the dead relative.

Connection:
The article reports the search for a woman by means of communicating with her dead father.
It brings numbers and shows how the spiritualist industry has moved people and believers around the world for many years.
Interesting point of view of the woman who repeatedly makes it clear that the medium's powers would only be a hoax.
If we look at this issue in a skepticism point of view, we can see that people who say they talk to dead, risk telling common information from a reasonable person. And if the "medium" hits 1 in 3, the person who is trying to communicate tends to believe that there has been contact with the deceased.

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'Say hi to Grandad from me," shouts Miranda, 16, as I head off out. My father died six years ago. He hasn't been in touch since. Then again I've not expected him to be. But should I be doing more to encourage a posthumous relationship with someone who was such an important figure in my life, whom I loved and I still miss?

Some people do try to keep up with family members on "the other side": the Spiritualists' National Union estimates that around 100,000 Britons attend its 322 churches regularly, and it claims many of these people have intermittent, or even regular, communication with dead loved ones. All you need to do, it seems, is turn up and be "open to the moment". So I'm off to the spiritualists' HQ, a grand-looking 19th-century pile next door to Stansted airport, to find out whether they can raise my dad. Thankfully, explains Steven Upton, the SNU's public relations person, the positioning of the runway means there's no aircraft noise at all in the panelled drawing rooms, making it all the more peaceful for the mediums to be able to "tune in" to the voices from across humanity's final frontier.

There are different ways of being "open" to a message from beyond the grave. You can book a private sitting, which was the preferred route of many of the bereaved widows and mothers of the first world war, in spiritualism's heyday; or you can attend a public service, beloved of spiritualists such as the author Arthur Conan Doyle, at which one, two or more mediums will perform, fielding a variety of spirit callers and then trying to work out who the messages are for.

Joanna and her family in 2002. Her father, Michael, is second left and her mother-in-law, Laura, is on the right.

To maximise the chances of a chat with my dad, I'm going for both. So by early afternoon here I am, ensconced in a vast drawing room with Steven's wife Stella Upton, a schoolmarmish 59-year-old who is happy to put out some feelers to see if anyone is there for me. Stella doesn't want me to tell her anything before we start: the point about spiritualism, which started in 1848 when three American sisters called Leah, Margaret and Kate Fox claimed to be getting messages through a series of rapping noises, is that it's all evidence-based.

The Fox sisters later admitted it was a hoax, but intriguingly that didn't put the dampeners on it. Spiritualists believe the messages are their own proof: the idea is that the invisible visitors proffer information that only the recipient could possibly know about or understand.

As far as the Uptons are concerned, that moment in the Fox household was the equivalent of an Alexander Graham Bell or a Guglielmo Marconi eureka: a connection was made, a new form of communication was born and, in that instant, death was changed for ever. It's the kind of breakthrough we get these days from mission control in Nasa; only instead of news from the stars, mediums get news from the heavens. So here I am waiting for Stella to wow me with the details and information she will soon be tuning into, like a living and breathing radio with an extra wavelength.

To limber up, Stella stares off into space. I'm prepared for a long wait but - no - the lines are crackling almost immediately. The caller, says Stella, is a gentleman. "Is your father in the spirit world?" she asks. He is: but how do I know it's him? First things first: the evidence. "He's a very softly spoken man," ventures Stella. And he was.

"He died of an illness not an accident," she goes on. He did, but so do most of us. She doesn't think he was a religious person (he was a devout Catholic); she keeps seeing a garden and flowers (that means nothing to me) and when his illness dragged on, he was uncomfortable in his chest (my father had Parkinson's disease, and eventually died of pneumonia). Before he got ill he was always relaxed and jovial (true, but so are lots of people).

There's no stopping Stella now. My dad was numerical and intellectual (no, not especially); he dressed very smartly (not particularly, and no more so than others of his generation); he would always give people second chances (true but a fairly common trait); he was a man who liked "proper food" (as did most of his generation) and he was a good communicator (true, in the sense that he was a great raconteur).

Joanna's sister Clare with both grandmothers, in 1972, a few months before her death.

Sometimes, disconcertingly, Stella seems to actually be talking as my dad. "I feel ready to go," she says. "We didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and I'm sorry for that."

It's true that I wasn't with my father when he died, but I have never felt we had anything we didn't say to one another. Then comes a rather weird wideball. "I keep seeing snow," says Stella. "Would you understand that?" And the funny thing is, I do: my parents lived in a hilltop Yorkshire village where virtually every year they were snowed up, sometimes for weeks on end. My dad thought that was a huge adventure.

So how does it feel to communicate with the dead? "It's a mind-to-mind business," says Stella. "I feel their emotions and I might feel symptoms of their illnesses." But, she says, it's also a bit like assembling a jigsaw; sometimes you get a piece of information and you're not sure how it fits in. This explains why every other sentence Stella utters, when she's in full flight with one of her spirit visitors, is: "Do you understand that?" It's all to do, she says, with the interpretation of what she's feeling and hearing - that's why she has to keep asking the living end of the conversation whether what she's saying makes sense.

Does a medium ever see a dead person? Sometimes, yes, says Stella. But not my dad; she didn't actually see him. Now that the line seems to have gone down between her and him, I let her in on a secret: if my dad was to make contact, the person he would surely mention is my sister Clare, who died when we were children. Ah, says Stella. And lo and behold, here Clare is, quick as a flash. "I'm aware of a grave," she says, which seems a pretty safe bet. "I don't have a feeling for how she passed but I think it was quick. I don't feel any illness; it feels she was here one minute and gone the next."

Clare was run over, so she certainly did die quickly. But Stella is aware that's not quite enough in the way of evidence; so there's more. "She's showing me a small toy, or it might be a blanket, that your mother always kept." I'm not aware of anything, I tell her. Ask your mother, says Stella. Later, I do: she has nothing like that of Clare's, although it might have been a reasonable guess to assume she would.

Stella is a trained and accredited medium through the SNU, but you can't just learn to be a medium, she believes, you have to have a gift for it. As a child she was aware of a lot of visitors to her grandmother's house. "They seemed very rude because they never talked to me and one day I mentioned them to my grandmother who said, describe these friends. So I did, and she said: they've all passed." (Spiritualists don't talk about death; they always talk about "passing".)

Stella has been practising as a commercial medium for the last 27 years and, as well as relaying messages to people who have lost someone, she occasionally gets involved in solving a mystery. Like the time when the mother of a missing youth came to her. "I had to be honest with her. I said, I think he's in the spirit world. But he helped me draw a map and I gave it to her; she gave it to the police and it led them to a place where there was a body."

An engraving of the Fox Sisters' 1848 spiritualist hoax.

In fact, says Stella, the body wasn't that of the missing boy, but a few months later, his remains were found. "I felt bad when I told her he was probably dead," she says. "But you have to go with what you're feeling, even if it's painful."

On the other hand, she admits she sometimes suppresses some of the most distressing information if a spirit communicates with her about the details of a difficult passing. "But the thing is that the spirit doesn't want their relative upset anyway."

The spiritualist industry does seem deeply syrupy: all the messages seem to be positive, as though everyone who has "passed" has gone through some kind of Disneyesque transformation and moved on to a happy-ever-after in which all the trials and tribulations of their earlier lives can be wiped clean.

In the evening, the on-site church is packed for the service: it's all big windows and bright stained glass, with the ambience of a crematorium where someone has forgotten to deliver the body.

The messages, relayed by Stella and her fellow medium, Eileen Davies, come through thick and fast, and every one is laced with an almost desperate, dogged reassurance that all is well. "Your father wasn't a man who said things easily, but he wants you to know how proud he is of you"; "She wants you to know she didn't suffer at the end"; "He wants you to know that, though his passing was so difficult for you, he is happy now".

One of the saddest moments is when Stella says she's tuning in to a young man who died in a car accident. Three hands go up in an instant to claim him: suddenly, I'm aware of how much pain and suffering is represented in this room. For some, perhaps a spiritualist church represents the one safe place where, in a society that has lost touch with death and prefers to keep it hidden, it can be talked about openly. Because the dead are not banished here, they are welcomed. Or at least, a sanitised, presentable manifestation of them is welcomed.

Then, towards the end of the service, there's a shock. Stella tunes in to someone she describes as "a very thin woman ... she's someone's mother-in-law ... someone over there," she says.

Yikes: she's pointing straight at my section of the congregation and my mother-in-law was a bird-like figure who weighed seven stone on a good day. "She says you didn't have a good relationship; she says she knows now that was unreasonable, that she thought no one could ever be good enough for her son."

I'm sinking lower and lower into my chair when, mercifully, a hand goes up on the other side of the room, and the scratchy mother-in-law is claimed. "Funny, I was sure she was guiding me to that side of the room," says Stella, giving my area a pointed glare. "Anyway, she says she wants you to know she's sorry. She says she was never proud of you before but she has had more time to think about it since she's been in the spirit world, and now she is proud of you."

Then comes a line that sends a shiver up my spine: "She says she's happy to be back in touch. She says to tell you she'll be back another time."

That's it: I'm done with raising the dead. Let me rest in peace. My mother-in-law, I'm afraid, will have to find someone else to talk to.

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Can this spiritualist medium speak to my dead father?

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'Say hi to Grandad from me," shouts Miranda, 16, as I head off out. My father died six years ago. He hasn't been in touch since. Then again I've not expected him to be. But should I be doing more to encourage a posthumous relationship with someone who was such an important figure in my life, whom I loved and I still miss?

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Post #10 Critical Thinking: Red Flag: Appeal to Authority

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Post #10 Critical Thinking: Red Flag: Appeal to Authority

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Define Problem:
Why is that we seek approval of someone acting in a professional capacity or a celebrity when looking for credibility for a particular product or service?

Gather Information:
Mariah Carey is a singer/songwriter noted for her five-octave vocal range, power, and signature use of the whistle register. Ms Carey has received many accomplishments and awards including 5 Grammy Awards, 19 World Music Awards, 10 American Music Awards, 10 Billboard Awards and being on top of the US Top 200 Billboard for 11 consecutive weeks.

Evaluate Evidence:
No product or service can replace, enhance or change a person's appearance and/or ability to achieving the stature and allure achieved by Ms. Carey. This has been achieved through hard work, practice and dedication to her craft. This would include wearing, "Forever Perfume"

Recognize Assumptions, Emotions, Biases:
In society, we as people are looking for a quick fix and we don't care about the time sacrificed made to achieve the result desired and all of what it entails. We are all about the results. The faster the better.

Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives:
If you are interested in being a professional singer, you should to the following:
a) Identify your style
b) Identify your audience
c) Obtain a vocal/singing coach and receive lessons
d) Practice
e) Perform
f) Be perceptive to feedback
g) Repeat steps c, d, e and f

Select Best Alternatives:
In order to be like someone, you need to put the hard work to achieve the result desired. You should also be cognizant of that, it is possible that no matter what you do to achieve that result may not a 100% guarantee, we must be able to look in the mirror and say that you are satisfied in the hard work, practice and dedication completed.