Bevan Goes On Tour, and open thread

Here's the latest "news," and I use that term here very loosely, from the Global Good News people. They were trying to create a group of some magic number of Yogic Flyers... how many decades ago? They're still at it, right now, and even with the subsidy of millions of dollars from Howard Settle, they're still saying they can't reach that alleged goal.

This was sent on various TM movement e-mailing lists, you can also see the whole thing on the Global Good News website.

US: National Invincibility tour begins 10 April in Texas
by Global Good News staff writer

Global Good News
28 March 2011






National Invincibility Tour April / May 2011
Dr. Bevan Morris, Prime Minister of the Global Country of World Peace
President of Maharishi University of Management
Working with Maharishi for 42 years
Dr Bevan Morris will be touring the United States in April and May, to inspire the permanent creation of the national invincibility group of 2,000 Yogic Flyers in Maharishi Vedic City and in the Golden Domes of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. 

As always, these sorts of grandiose plans of the TM movement are tinged with a hint of megalomania. They're now talking about the task of changing "the trend of time itself and the destiny of the human race." It's downright ludicrous that the members of a shrinking core of true believers think that they have that kind of influence, just by simply thinking some very special thoughts, bouncing on foam rubber,  and calling it "flying." From the "Event Highlights:"

∙ How to achieve the goal of Dr. Howard and Dr. Alice Settle,* supported by Dr John Hagelin—to achieve the number of 2,000 practicing Yogic Flying morning and evening on a permanent basis—which Maharishi said would fundamentally change American society, and change the trend of time itself and the destiny of the human race. 

The TM-Free News Brief  is on hiatus... until there's some real news, unlike this drivel from the folks at "Global Good News." Don't forget to like us on Facebook if you haven't already.

Posted on 2:32 AM / 0 comments / Read More

Your Brain on East-Facing Buildings, and open thread

Here are a few images found on the web. These are from an online presentation, "Intro To Maharishi Sthapatya Veda," which is the TM movement's architecture and construction product, promoted by the very same people who attempt to sell Transcendental Meditation as some kind of "scientifically validated" practice.

Despite the reference to "neuro-scientific research" in the second slide, there is zero scientific evidence that indicates that physical orientation has any direct effect on the human brain. Of course, that doesn't stop the promoters of TM from making these sorts of outrageous claims, that aren't even clearly supported by the religious traditions of India. In other words, it appears "Maharishi" and his entourage may have made this stuff up. It's a uniquely megalomaniacal stance, this claim that almost all buildings across the planet should be bulldozed and rebuilt according to their rigid strictures.

The first slide is very similar to a poster I once found taped to the doors of a since-demolished building at the Maharishi University of Management, announcing that certain doors were not to be used. Here's my previous article with a picture of that poster, and more about the 70 million dollar office building that was built near Washington, DC, to comfort those few people who've developed this kind of peculiar phobia about the orientation and design of buildings. Or as a peculiar gimmick to sell the building to renters - funny, that trick doesn't seem to have worked, at last glance the building still sits mostly empty.

The TM-Free News Brief is on hiatus this week.


If you don't see an "add your comment" link below, click on the article title to see the comments. Disqus seems to have broken something this morning. It's fixed.

Posted on 11:23 PM / 0 comments / Read More