| Author | Message | ||
     whatchamacallit Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 73 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 71.235.182.97 |
I did a search on google for "ramtha fraud" to see what came up. This is the first citation: Last night I went to see a movie which was advertised as being about quantum physics, called “What the Bleep Do We Know?”. I was expecting something pretty dumb, but am always interested to see what people think about quantum mechanics. The film surpassed all expectations; it was certainly the stupidest thing I can remember seeing in a movie theater, and that’s saying quite a lot (I see a lot of movies…). There was some sort of plot involving a woman photographer (played by Marlee Matlin), who wanders around and has anxiety attacks. Interspersed with the plot were interviews with various supposed scientists with something to say about quantum physics, consciousness, God, etc. On the whole they were a bunch of complete flakes, although one of them (David Albert) is a philosopher of science here at Columbia. Evidently Albert claims he was taken advantage of, that his interview was heavily edited to misrepresent his views. The general idea was that since quantum mechanics supposedly says that there isn’t one reality, but an infinite number of possibilities, one just has to be enlightened to an awareness of this, and then you can make whatever you want happen. Somehow the main character of the movie was learning these amazing facts about quantum physics, and this then helps her deal with her anxiety attacks, bad body image and sex addiction (the film really goes off the rails in a bizarre scene where she is the photographer at a wedding party that turns into a grotesque kind of orgy). The whole thing is really moronic beyond belief. One of the scientists interviewed is John Hagelin who, besides being part of the TM cult surrounding Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, presidential candidate of the Natural Law Party, and “Minister of Science and Technology of the Global Country of World Peace” is a rather prominent particle theorist. Prominent if you go by citations that is. His 73 papers are mostly about supersymmetric GUTs and considered quite respectable, with a total of over 5000 citations, including 641 citations for one of them alone. Hagelin was a grad student at Harvard when I was an undergrad and I met him when we were in the same quantum field theory class. A roommate of mine was interested in TM and I think it was he who introduced us. I remember Hagelin wanting to discuss how quantum field theory could explain how TM’ers were able to levitate, something about how they did this by changing the position of the pole in the propagator. The fact that someone who spouts such utter nonsense can get a Ph.D. from Harvard and be one of the most widely cited authors on supersymmetric models is pretty remarkable. This entry was posted on Monday, September 27th, 2004 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized If you go directly to the URL where it is posted, there are additional links, also. It is posted here if you want to click directly: http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/blog/archives/000083.html | ||
| voidgate Member Username: voidgate Post Number: 56 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 144.138.162.235 |
Here are some comments and responses to the film makers open ltter to the media.......http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:s9SeqvsggOEJ:farshores.proboards6.com/index.cgi%3Fboard%3Dbeyond%26action%3Ddisplay%26num%3D1095861371+wine+ceremonies+Ramtha%27s+School+of+Enlightenment&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=8 | ||
| david_mccarthy Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 83 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.117.76 |
The slippery slope of arrogance and hypocrisy… Recently I had the opportunity to talk with the producer and promoter of “What the bleep”. They agreed that “some” of the movies precepts were based on bogus science, their reasoning is… ”If it gets people to think out of the box” then it is worth it. Go Figure. David (Message edited by David McCarthy on July 08, 2006) | ||
| whatchamacallit Intermediate Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 121 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 71.235.182.97 |
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/forums/view_topic.php?id=11776&forum_id=20 The opinions of people about RSE and movie. Some have experience there; some have not. Nor want to. | ||
| whatchamacallit Intermediate Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 122 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 71.235.182.97 |
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/forums/view_topic.php?id=11776&forum_id=20 The opinions of people about RSE and movie. Some have experience there; some have not. Nor want to. | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 150 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.114.41 |
This review was from last Feb. 2006 Seattle. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=29460 Dance, Ramtha, Dance! ‘What the Bleep’ Is Longer and Loonier than Ever Before BY ANNIE WAGNER I’ll give them this: The What the BLEEP franchise is pretty damn clever. Following the same basic strategy of those Lyndon LaRouche pamphlets distributed by glassy-eyed college dropouts on Broadway and the Ave, BLEEP (which made $11 million on its initial release) plants recognizable academic jargon into intentionally convoluted and hard-to-follow arguments, then takes a left turn into lunacy. The filmmakers put a bunch of anonymous talking heads on a screen and bide their time as the supposed experts hit up fancy concepts like “grand unified field theory” (ooh) and “neuropeptides” (aah). You may not have a clue what they’re talking about, but gee do they sound smart. The next thing you know, you’re nodding sagaciously as the “experts” explain how your cells are addicted to negative emotions and that if you really wanted to, you could change the pH of a little white box with your mind. The first What the BLEEP (a ridiculous narrative-”documentary” hybrid) came out in 2004. You might have thought that this directors’ cut would have afforded the filmmakers the opportunity to refine or withdraw some of the original film’s more reckless claims. No such luck. What the BLEEP!? Down the Rabbit Hole—padded with an extra hour of crude cartoon animation and all-new pseudoscience—doesn’t make responsibility a top priority. The filmmakers (all of whom are affiliated with the New Age sect Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment, or RSE, in Yelm) decided not to remove footage of David Albert, a philosophy professor at Columbia University and one of the film’s few legitimate academics, who has publicly denounced the distortion of his views through selective editing. Dumb move. They also retain the testimony of Miceal (sic) Ledwith, one of “Ramtha’s Appointed Teachers.” According to Willamette Week and Salon, Ledwith, who used to be known as Monsignor Michael Ledwith, resigned from his post as president of Dublin’s Maynooth College after a seminarian accused Ledwith of sexually abusing him as a boy. This revelation gives the personal-responsibility shtick he preaches in the film (“If we’re victims, we should ask ourselves, have I a victim mentality?”) a certain je ne sais—barf. Then there’s the chiropractor and the paranormal researchers and the transcendental-meditation advocate… Suffice it to say, you’re not going to learn anything about quantum physics from this film. annie@thestranger.com Continued... | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 151 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.114.41 |
Continued.. Dance, Ramtha, Dance! ‘What the Bleep’ Is Longer and Loonier than Ever Before BY ANNIE WAGNER If you are dragged to see the interminable What the BLEEP!? Down the Rabbit Hole by some supremely gullible friend, there are odd moments of hilarity to savor. The hokey “experiment” conducted by a Japanese “researcher” named Masaru Emoto, for example, made the new version, despite ridicule from scientists and journalists. In his study (which, needless to say, was neither double-blind nor published in a peer-reviewed journal), bottles of water were affixed with labels like “Chi of Love” and “You make me sick I hate you.” Then the bottles were frozen and the resulting ice crystals examined under a microscope. According to some lady in the movie, who is inexplicably delivering a lecture in a windy subway tunnel, the crystals from the "love" bottle were beautiful, and the “hate-sick” crystals were not. The only difference I could discern was that the love crystal was dyed blue, and the hate-sick crystal was dyed puke green. But what the bleep do I know? And then, of course, there’s Ramtha himself, the 35,000 year-old Lemurian warrior who is “channeled” by a superrich, puffy-faced blond woman from Yelm named JZ Knight. Ramtha appears in the film, speaks in a wacky brogue, and puffs away on a Sherlock Holmes–style pipe. But sadly, he does not dance. Whatever put this idea into my head, you might ask? Quoth the press notes: “Noted parapsychologists Ian Wickramasekera and Stanley Krippner of Saybrook Graduate School repeatedly observed that while JZ Knight is channeling Ramtha, her brain-wave state shifts from beta (a normal waking state) to delta (deepest sleep). Although operating from delta, Ramtha is able to talk, walk, eat, drink, and dance using JZ’s lower cerebellum.” God, would I shell out to see two and a half hours of that. Dance, Ramtha, dance! from http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=29460 | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 157 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.114.41 |
“Dr.” Masaru Emoto “The Hidden Messages in Water.” There is certainly something hidden.. and it is not in the water…… Emoto’s quackery is not particularly dangerous, except perhaps to your pocketbook. But there are many more like him around the world, and they are spreading false hope to people who are often in great pain, or suffering from terrible diseases. from.. http://www.electronglutton.com/opinion/20051003.html | ||
| journeythroughramthaland Junior Member Username: journeythroughramthaland Post Number: 40 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 24.130.149.15 |
Check out this press release! In addition to adding more plastic to the earth, you can see that Mr. Emoto as well as JZ have begun to reap the benifits of What the bleep. JZ will be touting her stuff Nov 2nd on larry king and the good Dr. here has created HIS own reality by selling water at about $15.00 per gallon!!! Think about that the next time you are at the pump thinking Gasoline is too expensive! The New Snake Oil salesmen/women....... All Press Releases for October 17, 2006 Posted to Del.icio.us Subscribe to this News Feed The Official Dr. Emoto's Ready to Drink Indigo Water Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document. Dr. Emoto partners with H2Om water with intention. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 17, 2006 -- H2Om LLC, creators of the world’s first vibrationally charged, interactive, bottled spring water, today announced details about their exciting alliance with the world famous Dr. Masaru Emoto, one of the first water researchers to discover a method for visually revealing the crystalline structure of water. Dr. Emoto’s “Message from Water” books and his recent exposure in the hit movie, “What the Bleep Do We Know,” have changed our understanding of consciousness and our connection with water. As a long-time advocate for peace in relation to water, Dr. Emoto acknowledges his role as a “messenger,” teaching and conducting seminars throughout the world. “We are proud to announce that our company, Hado Life USA, has partnered with H2Om for the Official Dr. Emoto’s ready to drink INDIGO WATER. We fully resonate with H2Om’s positive intention and goals to make the world a better place to live for everyone, and raise our consciousness levels to help our mother earth. We believe our Indigo water (which ready to drink version will be available to the public in 07) can bring a world of greater well being, peace and beauty. We are so exited to be working together with H2Om to provide this wonderful water for everyone to drink.” said Hiro Emoto, Vice President Hado Life USA. Recent worldwide studies have shown that water registers and faithfully illustrates its response to the frequencies it is exposed to. Photographic documentation has confirmed that water is directly effected by words, sound waves, and thought patterns. continued....... | ||
| journeythroughramthaland Junior Member Username: journeythroughramthaland Post Number: 41 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 24.130.149.15 |
Dr. Emotos press release continued..... Dr. Emoto’s Hexagonal Water (derived from distilled water) is more easily assimilated at the cellular level. It may be one of the best ways to overcome dehydration and protect your body from the symptoms of disease and premature aging. Dr. Emoto’s water moves into the cells, taking nutrients and expelling metabolic wastes more efficiently than average bottled water. Filtered municipal water (most bottled water) has very few beneficial qualities; its structure retains many of the chemical signatures used in its purification process (chlorine, chemicals etc.). Hexagonal water forms an organized crystalline matrix with properties that are different from ordinary water. It appears to play an important role in biological functions and is being linked with improved hydration, enhanced nutrient absorption, DNA function and improvements in metabolic efficiency. Since its launch February 14th, 2006, H2Om natural spring water has attracted the attention of scientists, celebrities, philanthropists, and the press worldwide. From ‘The Wall Street Journal’ to ‘InStyle Magazine’ people are beginning to notice that there is something very special about this water. H2Om is a crystal clear natural spring water infused with the power of intention. “Love” and “Perfect Health” are the first two varieties offered. The process utilizes words, thought, music and human interaction. Their slogan, “Think it while you drink it” empowers the drinker to apply their intention to the water as the driving force to create positive energy in their lives on a daily basis. “It is very important to us to be working with creative people that are like minded regarding the long term protection and enhancement of our natural environment. A portion of Indigo’s proceeds will go to the International Water for Life Foundation. We also actively support the millennium goals of the United Nation’s International Decade for Action campaign,” said Sandy Fox co-founder and vice president in charge of marketing. H2Om’s Vibration Hydration™ natural spring water line is sold through Whole Foods Markets in Southern California, health food stores, spas, and yoga studios, as well as online at www.H2OmWater.com, at an MSRP of $1.49 per half-liter bottle, less than the cost of many of today's premium waters. H2Om delivers a powerful message. Love, give, take action, be positive, live a healthy life, stay hydrated, and whichever variety of H2Om water you drink, “Think it while you drink it.”™ ### | ||
| whatchamacallit Intermediate Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 259 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 24.177.245.142 |
Article worth reading on What The Bleep and misrepresentation of some of the interviewees... http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=83 | ||
| whatchamacallit Intermediate Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 262 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 24.177.245.142 |
AN OPINION FROM A BLOGGER http://snodgrass.net.au/?p=97 What the Bleep do we Know ? I was given the movie “What the Bleep do we Know ?” for Christmas. The title is ironically accurate. They literally know nothing about what they are talking about in the movie. I tried to watch the movie a few months ago, but had to stop after 10 minutes as it was so painful. I decided that to get through this I would need some moral support and a bottle of red. So Jack D came around last night to watch it with me. We were prepared for the worst and the movie certainly lived up to our expectations. It was soooooooooooo bad. We were alternating choking and rolling around laughing. There is a sort of story line through the movie about a lady trying to get control of her life. The majority of the movie is sound bites and very short segments of various talking heads spouting rubbish. The thrust of the movie is that you can control the world by thinking about it and that Quantum Mechanics and Science supports this. Unfortunately (for them) this is complete nonsense. They seriously misrepresent Science, and Quantum Mechanics in particular, to suit their cause. Quantum Mechanics really only applies at the scale of subatomic particles. If you hear someone talking about Quantum Mechanics at the large scale (people etc) you need to reach out and slap them. Eventually they will get the message. Through the whole movie they are continually saying things which use the words of Science, but are really pseudoscience. I guess that they are hoping people won’t know the difference, and I guess that most people won’t. There were so many demonstrably false statements that I completely lost count. There was a great one when J.Z. Knight was talking about the wonders of modern technology and gave as an example “anti-gravity magnets” ! It will come as quite a surprise to those of us who live in the real world that anti-gravity magnets exist. Similarly, some other lady said that “cells come in to get nutrients [and then go back again]”. This sets biology back a few hundred years. She is obviously unaware that the cells in our body stay still and the nutrients circulate around out bodies to the cells. They made many claims like “Science tells us that we are all connected at the fundamental level” and so on. Science doesn’t tell us that at all. They made so many claims like this with no reference to specific research or other means of verifying their claims - obviously because such evidence does not exist. If you are wondering where they got these people from, the answer is that most of them are associated with the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. Their leader, J.Z. Knight, is “channeling” a 35,000 year old spirit called Ramtha during the movie ! I guess that someone 35,000 years old would have to know what they are talking about. Oh, that’s right, channeling is a hoax. I forgot for a moment. I could go on and on, but I would recommend reading this excellent summary. It was certainly an interesting experience and certainly good for a laugh. 10 years ago I would have loved it, but not anymore. I am sure that if you are unaware of the realities of Science, then you could quite possible find it “life changing” as many claim. I would recommend that you don’t see it. You will just be filling your head with nonsense. | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 209 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.104.206 |
Here’s another one that gave me a few chuckles.. God..I could use a good laugh.. From… http://www.offoffoff.com/comments/show.php3?new_id=7003&orig_url=/film/2004/whatthebleepdoweknow.php Subject: Another cult recruitment film Date: Jan. 31, 2005 Sender: Eireann Previous | Next I've heard a whole lot of back and forth about this movie, which is much more interesting to me than the movie itself. I'm very much in favor of this movie being pulled out of theaters and never seeing the light of day again. When I saw it, I really wanted to like it. I sincerely did. But my BS meter went off the chart by the end of the film and I was left wondering exactly what I was being forcefed. I saw it again and I couldn't even take it seriously. The main praise that I hear about the movie is that it makes you think. What exactly is this movie making you think? Is it leaving you with more questions than answers? That's the point. They want to leave you wanting. This is step #1 in what I see as a mass push for recruitment into the Ramtha School of Enlightement. Everyone that I see pushing this film is claiming to be open minded. So, let's be open minded and use critical thinking. Who made this film? Followers of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. Every one of the directors is a long time student of this organization. Who are the "experts" in this film? Where do they teach? The vast majority either give lectures or sell books through... you guessed it, the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. The bleached blonde in the movie is Ramtha herself. She's a 56 year old woman who put a cardboard pyramid on her head and was introduced to Ramtha, a 35,000 year old warrior from the lost city of Atlantis. So, she decided to start her own religious movement based on the teachings of the spirit that she channels. Go to Ramtha.com and read what this woman is claiming. There are plenty of articles and interviews. Do the research and find them, if only in the interest of keeping an open mind. Now, let's look at the science that they employ to make their point. The DC meditation experiment, which was conducted by John Hagelin, was bogus. Crime increased in Washington DC. Actually, it was one of their worst summers, according to police statistics. Dr. Emoto's water experiments. They've never been replicated in a double blind experiment. The bit about Carribean islanders not seeing Christopher Columbus's ships? Several flaws. The Santa Maria sunk prior to reaching land. Clipper style ships had not been designed yet. And most importantly, studies of the tribes during that time proves that these Caribbean islanders were seafaring people and a boat wasn't an alien concept to.. continued... (Message edited by David_McCarthy on November 30, 2006) | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 210 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.104.206 |
them. I've seen plenty of new things in my life. Things that were completely alien to me. The fact is that I could see them. So, one has to wonder why they have to employ this kind of bunk science if they have a valid point. Why isn't there concrete evidence supporting their claims, rather than made up pseudo science. Why put the pseudo science in there at all? If their message is so great, why do they have to lie to people to get their point across? Because they know there are people out there who need a PhD to tell them what to believe. That's the reason for the "science" To lend credibility to a doomsday cult who believes that gray aliens control the world's banks (I'm not kidding either.) I'm especially impressed by how the filmmakers demonize the media. Perfect target, seeing as the media is responsible for researched reporting and it's very easy to find out just how bogus these people are. David Albert has gone on record saying that the 5 hour interview that he gave Ramtha and Dr. Dispenza was chopped and edited to fit their concepts. What nobody realizes is that the interview was given to help them understand the flaws in their thinking. Again, why are they lying to people? Another lie. They claim that Ramtha has nothing to do with the film, yet Ramtha and Dr. Dispenza actually conducted some of the interviews used for this movie. Why lie? What this boils down to is a thinly veiled, very creative cult recruitment vehicle. They put some pretty pictures, some PhD's and loose facts on the screen, tell you what will make you feel good and wait for everyone to beg them to tell them how. Just like every other infomercial I've seen on late night TV. I'm an insomniac. I see a lot of them. There's also a cry to disregard the messengers and just focus on the message itself. That's probably because once the messengers are focused on, all of the skeletons come out of the closet. While the message that we control our own destiny is very nice and often true, we don't need a cult to tell us this. Most people know that the choices they make affect the rest of their lives. And that they have choices. If you really hate your job, you have the choice to find a new one. It's called being responsible and being a grown up. Yes, smiling at people will have an effect on them. Remember the movie "Pay it Forward?" A similar message without the lies and the nonsense. http://www.offoffoff.com/comments/show.php3?new_id=7003&orig_url=/film/2004/whatthebleepdoweknow.php | ||
| whatchamacallit Intermediate Member Username: whatchamacallit Post Number: 263 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 24.177.245.142 |
I remember when What The Bleep was released and running in Yelm Cinemas. Students were forced to go to the theater and watch it. It was part of the week's retreat-event. Students were told that it would also be coming out in DVD so they could buy it and share it with others. Smooth... I am happy to say that despite my long tenure in the "school" (or is it the "religion"?), I didn't go ahead and buy copies for other people. I told them to dig deeper before believing what they presented as "facts". Hey, is that place a school ? A religion? Both? Confused? Or just changing timelines as it suits them ? Just wondering if anyone knows? GRIN | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 212 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 216.227.104.206 |
"I remember when What The Bleep was released and running in Yelm Cinemas. Students were forced to go to the theater and watch it." Can anybody else hear the deafening silence from the Yelm chamber of commerce and the likes of M C? A sad case of.. Where there is money to be made “F..k” the moral principles..The show must go on. "Hey, is that place a school ? A religion? Both?" It is whatever O.J. Simpson’s lawyers .. “Oops”… I mean JZ Knight’s lawyers say it is.. | ||
| journeythroughramthaland Member Username: journeythroughramthaland Post Number: 57 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 76.170.95.25 |
Here is a review on a blog that had quite a bit of responses to it before it was closed for comment. http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/04/what_the_bleep_.html Happy holidays to all!!!! | ||
| laughsinterror New member Username: laughsinterror Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 24.16.246.91 |
Wow. I'm really surprised to see my old Off Off Off review posted here. Actually, I'd completely forgotten about it until I landed here. Thanks much and I'm glad it made people laugh. -Eireann | ||
| david_mccarthy Intermediate Member Username: david_mccarthy Post Number: 224 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 66.243.212.81 |
Thank you JTR for the link.. Skeptico certainly unmasks the BS in the "What The Bleep Movie". The comment section sure brought a chuckle or two..He does not suffer fools lightly.. Well worth the read. David | ||
| in_the_zone Member Username: in_the_zone Post Number: 59 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 67.176.40.134 |
I spent good money chasing a bad experience when my wife and I went to the What The Bleep conference in Santa Monica 2 years ago. Most of it was totally boring, especially JZ...actually she was embarassingly incoherent (we were not yet in rse at that point). The other presenters were, for the most part, on a crusade for themselves, having found some degree of celebrity with the movie. Candace Pert was a joke, for example. Other presenters were hostile. I suppose they were trying to create distance between themselves and the obvious ramtha connection. And the people who produced and emceed the program were awful. All in all, I liked the movie. But the rest of it was sheer opportunism. |
