Simian Line Comments From Richard Unger

Richard Unger of HandAnalysis.net sent me some notes and opinions about the simian line. You can read his comments or join in the discussion on the forum: http://forum.humanhand.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=17

Handy Information

Found a neat little collection of "handy" info today. I haven't checked it all for accuracy, but it's still a good read. It's posted in Avoid Smoking, Death only comes sooner. Here's an excerpt:

"Each hand contains (plus or minus... everyone is different, and everyone counts these things differently...)
29 major and minor bones (many people have a few more).
29 major joints.
At least 123 named ligaments.

White children are four times more likely than black children to be born with webbed fingers.

Almost 90 per cent of women and 80 per cent of men in the age group 75-79 years have x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in their hands"

I was taught that there were 27 bones in the hand, but it's still a fascinating page to read through.

More Palmistry Plagiarism

The palmistry scams page has another new member - www.astropalmistry.com.pk

Much of his website content is plagiarized from various sources, with entire pages copied directly from www.cheirology.net

The most amusing part about this plagiarist is that in the fine print at the bottom of his front page you see his copyright statement:

"It is difficult to tell where one person's observations, theories and rules leave off and another's starts, so I don't lay claim to any of this palmistry material as fully my own, because I think it is universal truth and I am just reporting it as I learned it from others and my research results."

Ummm, when you copy a full web page and reprint it on your own site without permission, it's pretty easy to tell "where one person's observations leave off". As for "reporting universal truth" without citing sources - That's got to be the worst excuse for blatant plagiarism I've ever heard.

Palmistry "Travel Lines"

Today I was asked the question: "Does the absence of a travel line necesarily indicate that the subject will not make any long travels in his life time?" My answer may not sit well with many people.

The horizontal lines on the percussion side of the hand (mounts of Luna and Mars negative) are called "travel lines" in some traditional palmistry systems. In my experience these lines have very little to do with travel, and relate more to allergies, addictions, and other health issues. Lines branching from the life line are a more reliable indication of travel.

Note also that when the life line ends at the mount of luna (shaped like an "S" rather than an arc), then the entire life is made up of nearly constant change and travel. In these cases no individual trips and voyages are shown.

Palm Reading by Telephone?

How do you get a palm reading over the telephone?

The Daily Record: Bosses at Orkney Islands Council discovered workers had been ringing adult and other premium rate lines.

One even called a palmistry line while others rang competition prize lines.

Now measures are being put in place to bar any calls to inappropriate numbers by the council's 2000 workers.

Councillor Alistair Gordon added: "I am not 100 per cent sure about how you can get your palm read over the telephone but it must have been a pretty low Monday for that person."

How Do You Test a Psychic in The Witch City?

Salem Massachusetts has more than 20 fortune tellers, and many of them are in prominent downtown locations. City councilors are trying to figure out how to regulate their business before things get even further out of hand.

The News and Tribune: Should Salem's fortunetellers have to pass a test of their own to prove they're psychic?

City councilors, hoping to crack down on fraudulent fortunetellers, are trying to define exactly how a psychic can become licensed to set up shop in the Witch City. They want candidates to undergo a criminal background check and to either live or run a business in Salem for at least a year.

But many psychics want the city to go a step further | make sure they're actually qualified to predict the future.

"It's become a free-for-all," said Laurie Cabot, the official witch of Salem. "Anyone who says they're psychic can come into the city. We don't even know where they come from. We don't know their qualifications."

No Place for Palmistry at the Library

A library system in South Carolina had to cancel their summer program for youths after being accused of promoting witchcraft and drug use, and receiving threats by telephone and email. Their planned program included palmistry and tarot, which didn't sit well with members of a local Baptist church.

School Library Journal: The Pickens County Library System’s half-hour summer programs for middle and high school students were supposed to take a light-hearted look at the topics "Secrets and Spies: How to Keep a Secret by Writing in Code or Making Invisible Ink" and "What’s Your Sign?" Another program was to examine astrology, palmistry, and numerology; and others were to feature tarot cards, tie-dying t-shirts, how to make a Zen garden, and yoga.

Now the programs are cancelled in the wake of phone and e-mail threats from the community, believed to emanate from a single local Baptist church. The astrology program was labeled as "witchcraft" by callers, while the Zen garden and yoga programs were objected to as "promoting other religions." The t-shirts workshop? "Promotes the hippie culture and drug use," callers said.

"If you have an anonymous call of a bomb, what do you do?" asks Library Director Marguerite Keenan, explaining her decision to cancel the YA programs. "You clear the building, you close the building for the protection of the children. And that’s hugely sad."

Keenan says that the stream of threatening 20 or 30 anonymous phone calls, plus e-mails, began two weeks ago. Callers spoke of "picketing" the county’s four libraries and made statements such as "We’re going to get you" and "How dare you?"

Palmistry on Facebook

OK, so I'm way behind the times. Yesterday I found out about facebook.com after receiving an invitation to join. Turns out they already have over 24 million members, and almost 300,000 in just the Greater Vancouver area.

It looks like I'm not the only hand analyst late getting onto facebook. If you search for "palmistry" the total is only 11 people and 5 groups listed. Compare that to the people interested in "meditation" where there are hundreds of listings, more than 500 groups, and 96 events.

So why are there so few interested in palmistry on facebook? Maybe palmists tend to look back towards old research, while those on facebook are looking ahead. Or perhaps the stigma associated with palmistry is still too much for social networking.

Splitting Fingernails & Osteoporosis

One early warning sign for osteoporosis is vertical splitting of the fingernails. This usually indicates a long-term calcium deficiency. My mother has osteoporosis so it runs in the family, and I have also had these fingernail splits a few times over the past decade. Each time I (eventually) added calcium supplements to my diet and the splitting disappeared in a few months.

These images were taken today, and show my own middle fingernail on the left hand. It was difficult to get a good photo of the fingernail split, so I played with the image color a bit so you can see it better.



Starting today I'm again taking calcuim supplements. The one that works best for me is "Mega Cal" soft chews by Jamieson. 650 mg twice per day.

I'll add new photos every once in a while so you can see the changes to the fingernail over time.

Post #50

Hard to believe it, but here's already the 50th post to this blog. Quite something, considering the first one was just April 29.

Big work day today, mostly on lots of small changes to the websites.

Horizontal Fingernail Trenches and Spinal Problems

Horizontal trenches across the fingernails are usually interpreted as revealing injuries or problems with the spine. The thumbnail shows the top 2 vertebrae, the index fingernail is C3-C7, middle fingernail is T1-12, ring fingernail is L1-4, and baby fingernail is the sacrum and coccyx.

Horizontal trenches are not always due to whiplash or other spinal injuries, however. They can also be caused by simply digging away at the cuticle with a metal object (such as nail clippers). This changes the meaning completely, and is then interpreted very much like bitten nails and cuticles (but more obsessive/compulsive).

You can still apply the related area of the spine to the interpretation. If the thumb shows the deep horizontal trench, for example, expect to also find pain caused by excessive muscle tension located near the base of the skull.

Fathers Day

My fascination with the hands comes from my Dad, so Fathers Day is always a meaningful day for me. (My dad has no hands, having lost them in an accident when he was 17.)

Fathers Day reminds me of how I got started studying the hands, and the fun it's been along the way. It also reminds me that times when I'm not staying motivated about work or study, then I'm probably not following my real interests and need to shift my attention to another hand-related subject for awhile.

Now with a 4 year old daughter of my own, Fathers Day has even more meaning!

Working at Larger Events

Tonight's corporate event is the AFABC's "Jazz at the Station". A six hour function with about 800 guests.

Larger events have their own unique challenges. With so many people, each hand analysis gets kept to about 3-4 minutes. At a glance you've got to be able to zero in on the most significant issues or problems shown on each set of hands, and keep the analysis as direct and specific as possible. Further, each reading needs to be unique - Not just telling each person nearly the same thing.

The clientelle at larger events is usually different as well, with higher expectations. For example, the hosts for tonight are Senator Larry Campbell, Catherine Pope from Global TV, and Fred Lee from CBC.

Wii Power Glove and Hand Gestures

Another attempt to use hand gesture recognition technology is with the Wii Power Glove (click to view video) This one seems inferior to what is being developed by Oblong Industries.

If you apply chirokinesics interpretations (hand movements and gestures), then the mind is kept rigid when using the glove and allows for only the most primitive thoughts and emotions. Note how firm the hand has to be held, and the awkward movement of the fingers and thumb to click.

Seems like your arm would also get pretty sore if you used this glove too much.

Email Issues

Due to a technical issue with the server, my incoming email was unavailable last night for nearly 9 hours. The problem has now been corrected, and I am once again receiving messages.

Switching RSS Feeds

I'll be switching the rss feed for HumanHand.com from the Handman Podcast to this blog. Seems to make sense, since this one is updated daily, and the podcast is less than monthly.

The change will take several days to complete, and until then you may notice web pages with different feeds.

Holistic Cheirology™ Goes to Malaysia

Holistic Cheirology™ is a unique method of hand analysis that incorporates palmar massage and internal energy to correct imbalances as they are identified. The method is now being evaluated by Caason Tan for use in Malaysia as an alternative medicine technique.

Caason Tan heads the complimentary therapy division at SivaSanta clinic in Malaysia. The clinic provides free traditional and alternative medicine services to the poor on Penang Island.

Website Updates Underway

Finally had some time to start on a few website updates - Began with the Palmistry Profiles already, but much more to do. The most work will probably be on the palmistry ecourse page, and then hopefully still time enough to add more to the fingerprint compatibility pages.

One of My Favorite Events

Some corporate events are more fun to read hands at than others. One of my favorites is coming up again next Saturday - The AFABC's annual jazz music evening. This year it's Jazz at the Station.

AFABC: The very cool evening of dancing and partying with Vancouver's top jazz musicians is back! Join us this year at the funky Rocky Mountaineer Train Station for an even bigger and better "Red Hot Jazz" night. The evening will be hosted by Catherine Pope, Global TV, Fred Lee, CBC's Man About Town, and Senator Larry Campbell.

If you're near Vancouver and enjoy great jazz music, this is one party you don't want to miss. See you there!

Holistic Cheirology™ Now an Official Trade-Mark

Holistic Cheirology™ is now the official name for the system of hand analysis and therapy that I created, use and teach. It's a method that combines and incorporates palmistry, finger movements, palmar massage techniques, and internal energy.

The Holistic Cheirology™ system and certification course are already approved by both the International PalmTherapy Association and the 18 Daoist Palms Kung Fu System - two world leaders on the subject of how vital energy moves through the hands.

Simian Line Theories

I've just added a new section to the forum for simian line theories and discussions. Shaleyu recently joined the forum and posted some interesting suggestions of her own. You can read her comments here.

Do you have your own theories about the simian line? Share them here.

Work Interruptions

Well it's official - We're in for 8 months of restoration work on our home starting mid-June. It's a massive project that includes new patio doors, windows, and work on the building envelope. Looks like my meditation times won't be as quiet for awhile...

Fingernail Injuries and Black Fingernails

When you injure your fingertip and the nail starts turning black, it can be tempting to think "It's just a fingernail so it will be fine in a few days". Unfortunately that's not always the case, and sometimes medical treatment is required to keep it from getting worse. An injured nail that turns black is called "Subungual Hematoma", which just means blood under the fingernail.

WebMD: If the pain is mild and the hematoma (blood collection) is less than 25% of the area under the nail, then home care is recommended.

If the hematoma is 25% or more of the underlying nail area, then medical attention is required.

If the injury that causes the subungual hematoma is severe enough to cause intense pain and tenderness or if the blood collection beneath the nailbed occupies 25% or more of the nail area, you should seek medical attention. The mechanism of injury for this condition can cause a fracture to the bone at the end of the finger or toe or a laceration to the nailbed under the nail that may require further medical attention.

Location, Location, Location

When planning a corporate event, location can be everything. Today for example, I'll be reading hands at an event being held at another golf and country club. Sounds like a great idea to give VIPs a free day of golf followed by a dinner party, especially with the beautiful weather we've been having here the last weeks. Unfortunately Mother Nature seems to have decided that we need a day of rain, and today's the day. The sun is just starting to disappear behind the incoming clouds, and the weatherman is calling for wet weather the rest of the day (and clearing up again tomorrow, of course).

Times like this I'm sure glad I'm not the one organizing these events. At least I'll be indoors where weather is not such a factor.

Catch-up Time

My wife starts 3 weeks of vacation today, which means that I'll finally have some time to catch up on work and correspondence while she looks after our daughter. Hopefully I'll even have enough time to take care of some much-needed website updates as well.

How Sensitive are the Fingertips?

Most people take for granted the amazing design of the human hand, and how sensitive the fingertips can be.

ChatNChill - The human hand has a particularly refined sense of touch. According to Smithsonian magazine, researchers found that our hand can detect a dot just three microns high. (A human hair has a diameter of 50 to 100 microns.) However, by "using a texture rather than a dot, the researchers found the hand can detect roughness just 75 nanometers high"—a nanometer being one thousandth of a micron! Such remarkable sensitivity is attributed to about 2,000 touch receptors in each fingertip.

Certain functions once lumped together under touch are now regarded as senses in their own right. For instance, pain receptors respond to and distinguish between mechanical, thermal, and chemical forces or agents. Other sensors signal an itch. Evidence suggests that we have at least two kinds of pressure sensors—one for light surface pressure, another for deep stimulation.