Taking Some Time Off

I'll be taking some well-earned time off for the next couple of weeks. Answers to email questions and other correspondence will get done after I'm back to work.

Simian Line Forum Cleanup

I went through the Simian Line Forum today and cleared out all the inactive members - More than 130 members were removed, along with 1 inappropriate post.

If you haven't been to the forum lately, you will want to take another look.

Palmistry on Technorati

Technorati is one of the larger blog directories, and is used by some as a reference on blog popularity. Unfortunately, when comes to searching for palmistry blogs and posts, they are woefully lacking.

Technorati shows 30 blogs and 1588 posts about palmistry. Problem is that most of them are straight blog spam - The exact same 1 page content on each blog and nothing more. Then these spam blogs link to each other, which according to Technorati gives them "authority".

Hopefully Technorati will follow some of Google's example, and take strong steps to eliminate the rampant blog spam found there now.

Blog Stock Market

I found something great called "The Fantasy Blog Stock Market". Basically it's just what it sounds like - Blogs are treated like corporations, with their "shares" being bought and sold.

I stumbled onto this website by chance yesterday, and signed up as a free member right away. New members are given $500 of BlogShares cash, which can be used to buy shares and start building their empire. I must admit that I've probably spent too much time playing on this site already, but my $500 from yesterday is now sitting at a net worth of about $8.5 billion!

If you write your own blog, then you've definitely got to sign up. Your blog gets assigned a cash value and your shares start at $0.20 each. (All in BlogShares money of course.) Right now this blog is valued at $0, because it is still waiting to be indexed. Can hardly wait to see how high I can drive the price up, or maybe make it crash...

One warning - BlogShares can be addictive. There's a huge learning curve at the start, but it's fun enough to be well worth it. Click this link and start your own BlogShares empire!

The Biggest Palmistry Blog

Today is post number 100, making this by far the biggest palmistry and hand analysis related blog in all the blogosphere. (Well, at least in English - There may be larger palmistry blogs in a different language that I haven't found yet.)

So what's next? I expect there'll be a palmistry tutorial coming soon enough, perhaps using someone's hand images and analyzing them step-by-step. (Any volunteers that want to have their hands analyzed here?)

Before I can started on the tutorial, though, there are still many website updates to be done. So until then you'll have to settle for the beginners palmistry guide that's already on the website here.

A Good Handshake Opens Doors

Here's a great conceptual design by Naomi Thellier de Poncheville called the "Hand-le" - It's a doorknob shaped like a human hand. I'll install them here myself if they ever hit the mass market. Seems like it would be a problem for anyone who was left-handed, but other than that it looks great. Click here to see it for yourself.

Painted Hands

You may have recently seen pictures of hands painted to look like various animals. Most blogs posts and websites I've seen that reprinted these painted hands give no credit or mention the artist. I finally found out that the original artist was Guido Daniele.

You've got to see his painted hands to believe it:
Leopard - Cat - Dog - Cat #2 - Elephant

Working From Home

Days like today sure make me appreciate being able to work from home. It's been one of the first quiet days here in awhile, with the construction noise mostly just on the far side of the building. A perfect day to catch up on a slew of emails, relax, and spend time with family.

If things stay this quiet, I'll be able to start doing daytime hand analysis readings at home again!

How Much Do Hands Move?

Almost a month ago I received an email asking "What percentage of the day do humans use their hands?" The question stumped me at the time, and has had me pondering it ever since.

I suppose the best answer is that humans use their hands all the time - 100% of the day. Even when the hands are not in motion, they can still be seen holding a position that reflects what is happening in the person's mind. When the thoughts and emotions (and the nervous system) change, so does the natural hand position. Every finger twitch tells a tale, and even in sleep the hands can move.

The Handman Podcast Ending

Think I'll have to officially end The Handman Podcast or put it on hold for awhile. It's no problem recording them, but the rest of it takes me way too long. I already have a few episodes that were completely recorded but still have to be edited and uploaded - My time can be much better spent on other tasks.

Tai Chi Classes in September

Looks like I'll be teaching a couple more tai chi classes in Surrey starting in September - One at Fraser Heights and the other at Guildford. Each class is limited to 20 people, so it should be quite enjoyable for everyone.

Out of all the different tai chi forms and styles, my favorite is still by far "Single Moon Ascending to Heaven Tai Chi Chuan". It moves so much more internal energy through the palms than other styles do.

Free Palmistry Readings Offer Now On Hold

Some deals are too good to last, and Steven Galarnyk's generous offer for free palmistry readings has just been put on hold indefinitely. In an email to me today he wrote:

"I'm going to have to stop giving out free readings. I simply cannot provide decent readings with so many different requests coming in. I'll eventually start giving out readings again but for the time being I must put the offer on hold indefinitely. Those who have already submitted their prints to me will eventually get a reading in their email but only if they have already met the requirements. I'm currently busy trying to catch up on all the different readings but with more and more requests coming in I simply do not have the time to address all the emails."

So for now Steven's offer is on hold. I'll be sure to post when/if his offer starts again, and any other new ones I can find.

Splitting Fingernails

I get a lot of questions about fingernail conditions. Here's an example from yesterday:

"I have never had strong nails, they are thin and split easily. But the past 5 years my thumb nails are forming a ridge down the center and then they break open and split apart. Then they grow out and the process starts all over again. They seem to be worse in the summer. I am 56 and healthy, I get a check up every year and have bone density test when my doctor recommends it. This condition is not only ugly but very painful when the nail splits open down the center. I have to keep the nail trimmed very short. Can you give me any reason for this, and what can I do or what can I take to prevent it or lesson it."

Vertically splitting fingernails almost always indicate a lack of calcium, whether through inadequate diet or poor absorption. Maintaining sufficient calcium levels within the body eliminates the vertical splits.

The thumb nail takes about 9 months to grow out from the base to tip. If the split goes all the way to the cuticle, then it would take 9 months of continued calcium supplements to correct.

Alcohol and caffeine deplete calcium from the body, so intake should be reduced or eliminated.

Calcium needs to be taken twice per day to maintain sufficient levels. You can do things like have a piece of cheese in the morning, and a calcium supplement at night. (Or just make sure that both your breakfast and dinner contain foods high in calcium.)

Calcium also needs an acidic stomach to be properly digested and absorbed. Antacids should be avoided, even if they contain added calcium.

Vitamin D is also necessary to absorb calcium, either through sunlight or when added to foods (like milk).

The best calcium supplement I have found so far is "Mega Cal high absorption calcium", 650mg soft-chews by Jamieson.

Malformed Thumbs

The fire department was out here on Saturday night to assist our neighbor who lives 2 doors down. He is severely disabled mentally, and due to a problem with his front door an assisted living support worker could not get in to help him.

I've noticed his thumbs on a few occasions - They are very poorly formed and low-set on his hands, which is common for someone with such a severe disability. In fact, his malformed thumbs were probably one of the earliest signs of his condition when he was first born.

Intuitive Life Coach

It was suggested to me yesterday that I should not call myself a hand analyst or palm reader because that doesn't completely describe what I do, nor is it accurate enough. I was told that a much better description might be "Life Coach", or "Intuitive Life Coach".

When I do a private session with a client, or even the short readings at corporate events, my focus is not the typical palmistry hand readings. I examine both hands carefully to assess the person's natural talents and traits, and to see what areas are currently identified as difficulties, problems or limitations. (The "negative" or "bad" markings.) These problem areas can show as almost anything - Cuts and scrapes, faded fingerprints, fingernail problems, palm lines, etc. It's different for every set of hands, and the problems indicated change over time.

Next comes evaluating and comparing all the different problem areas to narrow it down to 1 or 2 "root causes". Most of the other issues and difficulties can be seen stemming from this root cause. It's like a knocking over a row of dominoes - You can either push them over one at a time (treating symptoms instead of the cause), or you can tip over just the first and let them all go down one after the other (dealing with the cause and let the symptoms disappear on their own).

Finally, I make suggestions or recommendations on how to directly deal with the root cause in the most efficient way possible - Their maximum gain from minimum effort. Sometimes it's a major issue that needs to be tackled head-on, other times it can be something as simple as reducing the intensity of exercise or doing a bit of basic meditation.

This can all be done in just a few minutes per person, which is how most corporate events go. A private session last much longer, of course, and usually includes palmar massage with directed energy work to make handling the root cause(s) much quicker and easier.

It goes way beyond just hand analysis as well. With each reading I also draw on my experience in meditation, martial arts, shamanism, hand gestures, and other metaphysical fields.

So it's probably correct that a better description of what I do is "Intuitive Life Coach". Time to think about getting some new business cards...

Sciences of Palmistry Are Garbage?

Have you heard yet about the tragic (and ongoing) story of palm reader and author Andrew Fitzherbert, who was convicted of murder based solely on questionable DNA evidence? The prosecutor even mentioned "the garbage bin of the sciences of palmistry".

Online Opinion: In August 1999, palm reader Andrew Fitzherbert was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Brisbane veterinarian Kathleen Marshall, 52.

Fitzherbert, then aged 49, had no criminal record and those who knew him described him as a pacifist. An acclaimed palm reader, with three books on palmistry published, he did readings from his home.

The hearing began in July 1999 in the Brisbane Supreme Court. The cornerstone of the defence was DNA evidence given by Ken Cox, a forensic biologist from a laboratory with a history of errors.

Fitzherbert had a rock solid alibi. If the evidence of the alibi witnesses was to be accepted, there was simply no opportunity for the accused to commit the murder, and what was conspicuously absent was a motive.

Prosecutor Paul Rutledge described the DNA evidence as going “cleanly, directly to the heart of the matter”, and said Fitzherbert was a liar, reminding the jury they’d been given the “expert evidence” of a scientist compared to the “garbage bin of the sciences of palmistry”.

However, Bond University’s Chair of Criminology Professor Paul Wilson points out that DNA evidence is not infallible, as most people think. “Forensic Science is part art, part science. It’s very, very dangerous to convict purely on forensic science evidence and even with DNA evidence there can be problems. How DNA is collected, transported, stored, analysed, interpreted can lead to errors and miscarriages of justice.”

Fitzherbert’s lawyer, Laura-Leigh Cameron-Dow says. “Ken Cox included test results in his analysis that shouldn’t have been recognised in court as reliable. The defence didn’t query Cox as to whether the results received from samples were strong enough to be recorded as positives under scientific guidelines established for use of DNA evidence in the courtroom.”

Fitzherbert appealed his conviction in March 2000 and acted for himself. He was unsuccessful.

Fitzherbert had the right to retest the blood samples at the government’s expense at the time of his trial and at his appeal, but was not made aware of that right. Since 2003, Cameron-Dow has made several requests to the Queensland Attorney-General to release crime scene samples for testing.

Attorney-General Kerry Shine said he wouldn’t allow further testing as all items had been tested, and there was nothing wrong with the DNA testing method. Cameron-Dow claims not all items were tested and Cox admitted this.

Read the full article by Mary Garden

Sounds to me like it was more of a persecution than a prosecution. So why wasn't more done then, and what can be done now?

Free Palmistry Reading Update

Steven Galarnyk is still offering free palmistry readings, but there are now a few requirements if you'd like him to to read your hands.

Steven says: "If you are going to ask me for a palm reading please tell me a bit about yourself and your experience with palmistry (none is fantastic!). In addition if you would like to know about what your future MAY hold I require your age and your permission to tell you if you want to know what your future MAY hold. Please be patient about your readings as they are free. I'm working hard and for free. I also require that you give me YOUR WORD that you will tell me percisely how accurate I was in the reading. I REQUIRE this because I wish to grow in the skill."

Send your hand images and info to JohnnyFett@hotmail.com

Price Increase

I will soon be increasing my rates for private hand readings and corporate events, and also eliminating the 2 hour minimum for outcall. This means that individuals can finally get a full session from me at their own homes and hotel rooms, without needing to have another person booked as well.

Website Work Day

A full day of work on website updates and content revisions, and still another couple of day's worth to go. At least there's no renovation noise here today!

Free Palmistry Reading From a Real Person

Steven Galarnyk is one of the youngest people to complete a Palmistry International course. He is now offering free palmistry readings to everyone who asks.

An offer like this is unlikely to last for long, so request your free reading now or you'll probably miss out. Send your palm image(s) to him at JohnnyFett@hotmail.com.

Click here for a list of other sites that also offer free palmistry readings.

Update on Meditation Hand Positions eBook

Some new additions have been put into the eBook Power Meditations: Using Meditation to Increase Mental Power. The webpage writeup has also been improved to better describe the book, and to explain why specific hand positions are so important in meditation.