Canada Election 2011 Leaders Debate - Hand Movements and Gestures

OK, I just got through yet another leaders debate. Watching the conflict between the words and hand gestures was actually painful. That said, here's the brief overview and points of interest:

Approximately 9 minutes 30 seconds into debate:
Ignatieff speaks to Harper about the "Waste of public money" while suddenly switching to a hand gesture denoting a very specific point of interest. Investigation on this would likely reveal some very controversial details.

10 minutes into debate:
Harper speaks of "Raise the taxes on 100,000 Canadian businesses, THEY will not pay those taxes, they will pass that onto consumers". While saying "they", Harper gestures towards himself, revealing that he is either associated financially with at least one of those 100,000 businesses, or he views himself as the single person that Canadians pay taxes to. (The latter is more likely, considering his upcoming hand gestures.)

20 minutes in:
Layton says "They supported our small business tax cuts" while suddenly switching from very practiced and controlled hand movements to the very negative extended index finger gesture.

21:30:
Ignatieff starts using tightly closed fists as his main hand gesture. The topic at the time is Canada's role on the "international stage". The closed fist gesture is meant to show strength and forcefulness.

22:30:
Layton's speech about "We should be bringing our troops home from Afghanistan" used obviously phony and practiced gestures. His shoulders were WAY too far back to be natural.

44:00
Harper points to himself while saying "As a minority government" and "That's what this government has done", showing his thoughts of government and himself are basically the same. In other words, he IS the government. (Or at least his political party.)

CONCLUSION:

Harper: (Delusions of grandeur)
The strongest and best hand gestures for the debate, but like those of a CEO at a board meeting. Believes that HE is the party.

Ignatieff: (Delusions of being Canadian)
Uses fairly natural hand movements and gestures, but in a very practiced way (as if in front of a mirror). His common closed fists gesture shows that his platform is based on a show of personal strength and power.

Layton: (Delusions of being believable)
Layton used very grandiose gestures throughout the debate, especially as an attack on both Harper and Ignatieff. The result was a very weak series of hand movements, not at all like his usual practiced and overconfident gestures.

Duceppe: (Delusions of being an actual candidate)
While his hand gestures were by far the most natural and believable, his often pointed index finger reveals a rampant ego and judgmental attitude. Sure you can believe the words, but is that really what anyone would want???

"Your Life is in Your Hands" Now Available on YouTube

It took me awhile, but the first episode of "Your Life is in Your Hands" radio show is finally available on YouTube. The other episodes will also be added as time permits. Each one will be broken into 4 parts (due to YouTube's 15 minute maximum limit).

I would be thrilled if you would rate and/or comment on these. You can hear them all at http://www.youtube.com/user/RedPhoenixProduction

New Radio Show About the Hands

It's been more than a year since my last blog posts. Now that I've finished moving and getting a few other things dealt with, it's back to the business at hand (sorry, pun intended).

I will be hosting a new show on VoiceAmerica.com, the worlds largest internet talk radio. The show is titled "Your Life is in Your Hands", with topics each week relating to the hands (of course). Starting March 30 it airs live each Tuesday at 11:00am Pacific time on Voice America's "7th Wave" channel. The first episode is an introduction to palmistry and hand analysis, with guest Jennifer Hirsch.

Status Update

Family and personal matters are currently taking up most of my available time. Because of this my email replies & correspondence may be very slow, there have been very few website or blog updates recently, and very few to come over the next months. Corporate events and private readings are still being done, and Holistic Cheirology course students will continue to receiving email responses within 24 hours. I will continue to keep up with other emails as best I can, and will hopefully be completely caught up and back to regular website updates and blog posts by sometime this Summer.

2008 Leaders Debate - Analysis of Hand Movements & Gestures

Federal election time is here again in Canada. As usual I'll be observing and commenting on the party leaders' hand movements and gestures during their English language debates.

Report on the October 2 Leaders Debate:

This debate was rather painful to watch. Powerful individuals seeking the office of Prime Minister of Canada, but each with hand movements and gestures that were very negative, weak, deceptive, or all three.


Stephen Harper (Conservative)

Harper's hand movements and gestures have improved dramatically since the last election in 2006. He rarely used the (very negative) extended index finger gesture anymore - Far different to watch than last election.

His hand movements and gestures continued to show distinct personality weaknesses, however. His thumbs fell inside the hands easily and repeatedly (showing broken will, and not thinking for himself), and the left hand was held dominant when clasping his hands and interlacing the fingers (showing self-limiting attitudes and behaviors).


Stephane Dion (Liberal)

Dion's hand movements made it clear in the opening few minutes that his entire position on this election debate is "We have a plan." Each time he mentioned "the plan", his hands were being held about 10 inches apart as if he was holding a ball (shows a single or core issue).

When clasping his hands with fingers interlaced, Dion positioned his left hand on top, or dominant (self-limiting attitudes and behaviors).


Jack Layton (NDP)

Layton once again showed very scripted and practiced hand movements and gestures. He rarely moved any finger on its own, but rather kept them together and extended with open hands. Normally this would be considered a very positive and powerful way to gesture, but that is certainly not the case when it's just an obvious facade. Occasionally his fingers could be seen to move in natural gestures, and more than once that natural gesture was the extended index finger with the thumb contracted inside the hand (shows rampant Ego and placing blame on others, with no acceptance of personal responsibility).


Gilles Duceppe (Bloc)

Duceppe's hand movements and gestures were by far the worst of all the 5 debating leaders. His resting hand position was frequently held with fingers interlaced and left hand dominant (self-limiting attitudes and behaviors), and one of his most common gestures was waving and pointing the extended index finger (rampant Ego, placing blame on others, and no acceptance of personal responsibility).


Elizabeth May (Green Party)

May was the only party leader whose hand movements and gestures were basically natural and honest, rather than practiced and scripted. Unfortunately they were not strong and positive gestures. Everything from the "patting on the head" gesture (condescending or treating others like children), to the extended index finger being pointed at others. On the plus side, when she extended her index finger she usually had the thumb extended with it (still shows rampant Ego, but at least with some acceptance of personal responsibility).


Conclusion:

Based solely on their hands, the debate winner was clearly Jack Layton, with Elizabeth May running a distant 2nd. Layton's gestures may have been practiced and scripted, and also weak and without personal responsibility, but at least an effort to use positive hand movements was there. If he continues to use positive hand positions and gestures, perhaps the strength and integrity usually shown by his hands will spread to the rest of his life and personality, and not remain just a facade.

I suppose it was inevitable...

For the first time ever, I was stood up by a client tonight. The event was already booked and an additional reader hired. I got to the location and was told by the client that we weren't needed anymore to do palm and tarot readings. I don't believe it's just me when I think that she could have let me know in advance by returning the phone message left with her sister yesterday, even if she didn't receive the 2 confirmation emails send previous to that.

Oh, well - A couple hundred dollars I'm out of pocket, not to mention the hours put in. Time for a policy change. From here on in I guess I'll have to take a non-refundable deposit for private parties and events where another reader is also booked.

How Long Can the Construction Noise Continue?

The best laid plans of mice and men...

After the scaffolding came down, I thought for sure the construction noise would quiet down for awhile. No such luck. They're still at it with concrete saws, sledgehammers, and other heavy machinery. Until the noise level gets down to a reasonable volume, there will still be delays on correspondence and website updates.

Back to Work II

So it's taking longer to catch up on correspondence and website work than originally thought. For the last 4 days we've had heavy machinery right outside our door. 4 days of backhoes and bulldozers, and at least 1 more day to go. Too loud to hear myself think...

Back to Work

OK, so it's back to work for me now. Taking most of June off was one of my best decisions ever. Feeling far less burned out, and ready to get back into some research projects. The construction/restoration work is still going on, so there's still not too much quiet time to think clearly here, but at least the scaffolding has finally been taken down so now some sunlight gets in.

Email correspondence and website updates will be caught up over the next few days.

On Vacation Until July

Well, the construction/restoration work here is getting closer to completion but is still ongoing, which means still very little quiet time for work, emails and website maintenance. Rather than getting completely burned out trying unsuccessfully to keep up, I'll be taking time off until July. I'm even going on an actual vacation with a trip to Tofino. (My first travel holiday in over a decade.)

Through June I will only be working at corporate events that have already been booked. I'll do my best to catch up and keep up with the email questions, but most website maintenance, link requests and directory updates will have to wait until early July for a reply. Holistic Cheirology students will continue to have student support available throughout June, but new enrollments will have to wait a bit longer.

See you in July!

Extra Horizontal Lines on Fingers

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about the meaning of extra horizontal lines on the fingers, especially on the baby finger.

The easiest way to understand these lines is to think of each horizontal line as a 'challenge' or 'block' to be overcome, and each vertical line as a 'breakthrough' or 'advancement'. The baby finger represents all forms of communication with others, so the extra line is an added communication challenge the person faces.

You'll need to look at the bone length of each phalanx. The base segment (proximal phalanx) shows basic forms of communications, things like psychic/intuition and 'body language'. The middle segment shows languages, including mathematics and music. The tip segment shows the communications initiated by the individual (they thought about it, put it into language, and then took action). When bending the finger you will see which segments are long or short. The longer the segment, the more active that aspect of communication is for the individual and more natural talent to develop.

By bending the finger you can also see exactly where the horizontal lines are in relation to the joints. Normal position for the lines is exactly opposite each joint (except for the base knuckle).

Once you compare the joints and horizontal lines, you can see which one segment has the extra line crossing it. That form of communication skill is where the added personal challenge is. (Low on the segment is early life, high up is late in life.)

When vertical lines cut through the horizontal ones, it shows that challenge has been successfully overcome.

Months More of Work Delays Ahead

The ongoing construction/restoration work here has become far too disruptive to continue attempting to keep up with writing and blog posts. Monday through Friday is pretty constant noise and dust now, which makes it impossible to think clearly for long or get any regular work done.

I've already had to stop teaching private students here because of all the construction work, and will not be doing any hand readings at my home until this is all done. No new students will be able to start the Holistic Cheirology course until then either. Working at other locations is no problem, so I am still available for corporate events and private parties. My tai chi classes for seniors are also happening Tuesday mornings at the Guildford Recreation Center in Surrey.

All the construction work is scheduled for completion sometime this Spring, so expect very few new blog posts or website updates until late March or April.

Acrylic Fingernails and Hairdressers - A Bad Combination

I've never been a big fan of artificial fingernails. Acrylic nails (in my opinion) cause too much damage to the real fingernail to be worth any visual improvement they might provide.

For some people the damage caused by acrylic nails can be more severe than for others. A good example is hairdressers, who can have nearly constant problems caused by the use of false nails. As part of their job, hair stylists hands get wet frequently. Once the fake nails get to be a week or so old the adhesive bonds can weaken, allowing water to get between the acrylic fingernails and the real nails. Once water is getting trapped in regularly the nails weaken even more, which can cause them to separate from the finger or develop a fungus.

So think twice before getting those artificial fingernails done again - You may think they look nice, but is it really worth the damage to your real nails?

Broken Fingernails and Bleeding Cuticles

I've been more than a tad reclusive again lately, having very little contact with anyone except family, clients and students. Lots happening, but mostly just keeping to myself and not writing much at all. I seem to do this from time to time when something big is coming up that will require a lot of my energy, effort, and clear thinking. (That plus getting worn down by all the construction/restoration work that's still going on outside right where my patio and tranquil garden used to be. Today they're removing our windows again to finish the installation.)

One thing I noticed was that just before becoming reclusive again, ALL my fingernails broke and the cuticles on most of them began bleeding. In hand analysis that's a strong indication of exhaustion, hypercritical thinking, and the need to take a break and "recharge the batteries". It also shows that effort is being wasted trying to hide the exhaustion from others - They see it easily anyway.

My fingernails kept breaking short until last week, and the bleeding cuticles are finally looking better. Sure enough, now I'm getting back to writing and socializing again.

Suggested Christmas Gifts Based on the Hands

I've been asked to do a few reporter and radio interviews lately on the topic of looking at someone's hands to suggest the best Christmas gifts for them - A fun little subject. The basic technique that anyone can do is to view the hand size (small or large) and firmness (hard or soft hands).

Large hard hands are quite competitive, driven, and detail-oriented, so they enjoy receiving new equipment for their favorite sport or hobby. Something to really improve their game or score, and give them a real edge over the competition.

Large soft hands are far less competitive, but still detail-oriented. They prefer getting the latest high-tech devices, so look towards electronic gadgets, computers, hardware or software.

Small hard hands need something practical and useful. Get them power tools, gardening tools, clothes, or car accessories.

Small soft hands like receiving things that help their social life or save them time. Things like home small appliances or cel phones go over well.

If the hands are medium length, then compare the finger length to palm length. If the fingers are longer than the palm, then go with the large hands gifts. If the fingers are smaller then the palm, then go with small hands suggestions. If the fingers and palm are about the same length, then consider the hand to be true medium size. Medium hands, hard or soft, like to socialize and just "do their own thing". These are the ones who prefer gift certificates from places they like to shop or eat at anyway.

Slow Replies to Email Questions

It has been an extremely busy few weeks (or months?) and despite extra effort, my email correspondence has quickly fallen way behind. After responding to many more today, I now have a backlog of 'only' 391 messages and questions left to answer.

How Many Fingers and Knuckles on the Human Hand?

A couple of common questions I get are "Do we have ten fingers or eight fingers and two thumbs?" and "Does a hand have 4 knuckles or 14 knuckles?"

In each case, both answers are considered correct.

Technically it is a bit more accurate to say that there are 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

The word "knuckle" uses the same distinction in its definition, so each hand has EITHER:
4 fingers and 4 knuckles, OR
5 fingers and 14 knuckles.

Fewer Posts

I've decided to make posts on this blog less frequently. You already can get a good idea of my day-to-day life from the previous posts, so future topics will be more directly related to palmistry and the HumanHand.com website.

Fingerprints of Foster Parents

Last night I was reading palms at another event for foster parents, and once again noticed the same high occurrence of the double-loop thumb prints (also called double whorl ). About 25% of the hands I saw had at least one double-loop fingerprint on each hand, and a few people had it on 6 or more of the 10 fingers.

(Double Loop - Fingerprint image from Creative Chemistry - Fingerprinting)

It's really quite interesting to see how similar fingerprint patterns can be found on groups of people with shared interests or similar careers.

Where Does the Time Go?

Seems like the last blog post was just written yesterday. So much going on these days it's hard to keep up with it all. Then to top it all off the construction here has been terrible the past 3 days - We've had to keep going out to get away from the noise and vibration. This building renovation project is expected to continue through the Winter, but hopefully we'll have quieter days again.