Mesmer treated patients both individually and in groups. With individuals he would sit in front of his patient with his knees touching the patient's knees, pressing the patient's thumbs in his hands, looking fixedly into the patient's eyes. Mesmer made "passes", moving his hands from patients' shoulders down along their arms. He then pressed his fingers on the patient's hypochondrium region (the area below the diaphragm), sometimes holding his hands there for hours. Many patients felt peculiar sensations or had convulsions that were regarded as crises and supposed to bring about the cure. Mesmer would often conclude his treatments by playing some music on a glass armonica

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Mesmer

HYPNOSIS is a state of human consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness and an enhanced capacity for response tosuggestion. The term may also refer to an art, skill, or act of inducing hypnosis.[1

TONY ROBBINS
 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tony-robbins-coal-walk_us_576d8a3ce4b017b379f5e9ac?ir=Crime&section=us_crime&utm_hp_ref=crime

A hundred years ago I sat in the Student Union of my university smoking cigs and reading and drinking vending machine coffee and chatting with my friends.
I was multi-tasking, so to speak.
And from time to time, this fellow would march down one of many aisles yelling:
SHEEP, SHEEP, SHEEP
I was  supposed to feel guilty about attempting to get a degree? To learn something?
I was supposed to feel guilty about not standing outside and screaming meaningless crap?
THE POINT?
I was captivated by this Tony Robbins note at Huffpo.
This fellow, whom I have always disliked (which is probably how I ended up where I am)
talked 6,000? people to walk on hot coals.
hahahahhah
And guess what?
Some folks burnt their feet. hahahahah
Now according to the Huffpo article, only 21 folks burnt their feet.
hahahahahah
I would have guessed at least a thousand folks burnt their feet.
But I would guess that at least a thousand peeps felt some discomfort.
hahahahah
WHO THE FUCK WOULD INSURE ROBBINS?
Certainly 21 folks are going to get all their money back and extra.
hahahahaha
I actually was dumb enough to sign up for some bullshit self help TED kind of thingy in the 80's.
I actually paid $500.00 to attend this silliness.
By noon I had had it. I had to sneak out of the building to get to my car because there were militiamen guarding the doors. hahahah
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
People will believe in anything.
If you think you are numb to this genetic disease just watch TV ads sometime.
BUY THIS OR THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU. BUY THAT AND THAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU. BUY A HUNDRED KNIVES YOU DO NOT NEED. BUY THIS CAR INSURANCE OR BUY THIS DRUG AND EVEN THOUGH IT MAY KILL YOU OR CRIPPLE YOU FOREVER OR DESTROY YOUR INNERTS; YOU SHOULD PURCHASE THIS DRUG.
But we know it works.
Whether it is toilet tissue or tooth paste or underwear....
It does not matter.

If advertising did not work, we would have no problem with ads.

There would be no ads.

We as human beings will believe anything. And I mean anything.

Back to Tony

Can you believe that this fellow could talk 6,000 people to walk over hot coals?

I know, I know.

More bombing in Vietnam will lead us to victory.

Nixon knew this bombing would not lead us to victory

http://www.c-span.org/video/?404547-1/reflections-richard-nixon

Kill them over there so we do not have to kill them over here?

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/opinions/zakaria-iraq-war-lessons/index.html

Eggs are bad for you. 

But eggs are good for you.

http://index.about.com/index?qsrc=999&qo=semQuery&ad=semD&o=28796&l=sem&askid=ed292b3d-7123-4753-9976-3b4ab5f7111b-0-ab_msb&q=are%20eggs%20bad%20for%20you&dqi=eggs%20are%20bad%20for%20you&am=broad&an=msn_s

Antibiotics in our food will kill us (even though we live 50 years longer than the age where we had no antibiotics?)

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3175

I will probably write more about this in the future.

This question that comes to mind always involves this Trump guy.

Why would anyone listen to this idiot?

Because it is in our genes.

We will build a 200 billion dollar wall and Mexico will pay for it? (What about Honduras?)

I will fix the economy to an extent never equaled in the history of man.

This whole rant came of some clue in the NYT crossword the other day.

Lama and mantra.

If you just repeat your message, often enough (or have surrogates repeat the message) people will follow you.

It is the mantra not the message.