Sunday marks the start of the Chinese New Year and it's a lucky one for those starting out in life. But the rest of us are in for a rough ride. Expect epidemics, disasters and violence in much of the world. "The Year of the Pig will not be very peaceful," said Hong Kong feng shui master Raymond Lo. Feng shui is the ancient Chinese practice of trying to achieve health, harmony and prosperity by using specific dates, numbers, building design and the placement of objects.

The pig is one of 12 animals (or mythical animals in the case of the dragon) on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, which follows the lunar calendar. According to Chinese astrology, people born in pig years are polite, honest, hardworking and loyal. They are also lucky, which is why many Chinese like to have babies in a pig year. "Any children born in The Year of Pig will receive help from others throughout their lives," Lo said. Ronald Reagan was a pig. So are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Woody Allen and Elton John. Not to mention Hillary Rodham Clinton.

But a word of caution to the presidential candidate. The pig finished last in the race that determined the zodiac's order, behind the dog. Other animals in the zodiac are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey and rooster. The zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle, and each year is associated with the five elements that Chinese mystics make up the universe: metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Therein lies the trouble. Pig years can be turbulent because they are dominated by fire and water, conflicting elements that tend to cause havoc, Lo said.

"Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish," he said. "We'll also see more fire disasters and bombings." He noted that the Russian AK-47 rifle, a weapon of choice among insurgents around the world, was invented during a pig year. "So it will not be surprising to see more gunbattles, murder with guns and bombing attacks in 2007," he said. Malaysian feng shui master Lillian Too agreed. "I wish I could say that there won't be natural disasters, but I am afraid it could be as bad as last year," she said.

Permalink | | | Comments (View) |



Gwyneth Paltrow and the Ghostbusters

Movie star Gwyneth Paltrow has graciously agreed to help out Oasis singer Liam Gallagher with his ghost problem.

Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has asked Gwyneth Paltrow for her help - to chase ghosts out of his house. The wild rocker - who shares his London home with fiancée Nicole Appleton and their four-year-old son Gene - is convinced his lavish pad is haunted, after hearing unexplained noises and chilling footsteps.

Liam has also been left bemused after several objects went missing from his house with no explanation. A source was quoted in Britain's Daily Star newspaper a saying: "A week ago he lost his keys and then they turned up in a kitchen cupboard and no-one had moved them. And now two pans have gone missing. "Sometimes he will hear sounds that don't make any sense."

The 33-year-old star has now apparently turned to Shakespeare In Love actress Gwyneth, who previously hired a Kabbalah priest to get rid of "bad energy" in her home earlier this year, to help him with an exorcism. The source added: "He is just asking Gwyneth what she did so he can follow suit." Liam and Nicole are said to already be looking for a new place - in case the proposed exorcism doesn't work.

Maybe Gwyneth can start her own service, kind of like a better-dressed version of Ghostbusters.

Posted on June 27, 2006
Permalink | | | Comments (View) |

The Politics of the Paranormal

With no presidential elections this year, Gallup has clearly run out of polling ideas. The latest Gallup poll shows that one in three Americans believes in ghosts.

32% of all adults say they believe that "ghosts/spirits of dead people can come back," while 48% do not, and 19% are unsure. An even larger number of Americans believe that houses can be haunted, with 37% holding that position, 46% saying no, and 16% not sure. There's an ideological twist, with 42% of liberals saying they believe in ghosts--but only 25% of conservatives and 35% of moderates saying this.

Belief in ghosts declines with age, with 45 of those 18 to 29 sticking to that, while only 22% of those 65 and over holding that view. The poll was based on interviews with 1,002 adults, with a plus or minus 3% sampling error.

Thanks for breaking the data down by political affiliation. No doubt that data will be crucial in the 2006 midterm elections.

Posted on July 12, 2005
Permalink | | | Comments (View) |



Who You Gonna Call?

Business Week has a new story about a hot new growth industry. You're probably thinking hybrid cars, blogs or iPods. But Business Week says the new growth industry is Ghostbusting. Yes, you heard it right.

Between 15 to 20 ghost seekers show up for nightly San Antonio tours, which run an hour and a half and cost $10 for adults, reports Martin Leal, Alamo City Paranormal's owner. A favorite part of the tour, Leal says, is when the tourists get to play around with the ghost detectors for 20 minutes or so. Leal says revenues, which have been flattish for years, grew 21% in 2004. He's now trying to take his association of a dozen local companies charging for ghost-hunting services, called the American Alliance of Professional Ghost Hunters, nationwide.

But there's a tragic side to this story. Apparently the CEO of the company that makes the bestselling ghost detector is a non-believer. On the bright side, he is more open-minded on the subject of aliens from other worlds visiting us.

Considered the Jaguar of ghost detectors is AlphaLab's TriField Natural EM Meter, selling for around $300 and measuring magnetic, radio-wave, and electric-field changes. The company, which sells about 200 such detectors a year, is considering making a detector that can draw an image based on the changes in the electromagnetic field it's detecting, says CEO David Lee, who has a Ph.D. in physics. Lee says he doesn't believe in ghosts but is undecided on the existence of UFOs.

We hear that in some quarters the term Ghostbusting is considered offensive. The politically correct term now is Ghosthunting.

Posted on May 13, 2005
Permalink | | | Comments (View) |