Autoscopy

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For paranormal points of view click here.

An autoscopy is an experience in which a person seems to be awake and sees her/his body and the world from a location outside her/his physical body. More precisely, autoscopy experiences are characterized by the presence of the following three impressions:

  • feeling of disembodiment (location of the self outside one's physical body);
  • seeing the world from an elevated and distanced visuo-spatial perspective (extracorporeal, but egocentric visuo-spatial perspective); and
  • seeing one's own body (autoscopy proper) from such distant perspective.

Autoscopies have puzzled humans from time immemorial and are abundant in the anthropological records of most ancient and modern societies. Only recently they are being studied from the points of view of neurobiology and neurology rather than from a paranormal basis.

bbc & manch

One of the most recent reviews of the neural aspects of autoscopies has been published by Bunning and Blanke(2005) of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, and Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland. They have reviewed some of the classical precipitating factors of autoscopies. These are sleep, drug abuse, and general anesthesia as well as their neurobiology. They have compared them with recent findings on neurological and neurocognitive mechanisms of autoscopies. The reviewed data suggest that autoscopies are due to functional disintegration of lower-level multisensory processing and abnormal higher-level self-processing at the temporo-parietal junction. The researchers argue that the experimental investigation of the interactions between these multisensory and cognitive mechanisms in autoscopies and related illusions in combination with neuroimaging and behavioral techniques might further our understanding of the central mechanisms of corporal awareness and self-consciousness.

References

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Bunning and Blanke(2005). Prog Brain Res. 150:331-50. Abstract PMID 16186034 (PubMed - in process)


Nightmare

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http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary-tb?book=Dictionary&va=nightmare

Peron

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Juan Domingo Perón

 

Term of Office: June 4 1946
September 21 1955 and October 12 1973
July 1 1974
Predecessors: Edelmiro Farrell and Raúl Lastiri
Successors: Eduardo Lonardi and Isabel Perón
Vice-presidents: Hortensio Quijano, Alberto Tessaire and Isabel Perón
Date of Birth: October 8, 1895
Place of Birth: Lobos, Buenos Aires
Date of Death: July 1, 1974
Place of Death: Buenos Aires
Profession: Military
Political Party: Justicialist

Juan Domingo Perón (October 8, 1895July 1, 1974) was an Argentine military officer and the President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974.

Biography

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Born in a town near Lobos, Province of Buenos Aires, he was the son of Mario Tomás Perón, a farmer, and Juana Sosa. He entered the Military School at age 16 and following graduation he made good progress through the ranks. He served in Italy during the late 1930s as a military observer.

History

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In May 1943, as a colonel, he was a significant figure in the military coup by the GOU (United Officers' Group) against the civilian government of Ramón Castillo. Initially Under-Secretary for War under General Pedro Ramírez, he became Secretary of Labour and Welfare (November 1943) and then Vice President and Secretary for War under General Edelmiro Farrell (February 1944).

Forced into resignation by opponents within the armed forces on October 9, 1945, Perón was arrested shortly afterward, but mass demonstrations organized by the CGT trade union federation forced his release (October 17), and popular support gained him the presidency with 56 percent of the vote in the February 24, 1946 elections.

Perón pursued social policies aimed at empowering the working class. He greatly expanded the number of unionized workers, and helped establish the powerful General Confederation of Labour (CGT). He called this the "third position", between capitalism and communism, although he was strongly anti-American and anti-British. He confiscated much of the British and American-owed assets in Argentina. Perón also pushed hard to industrialize the country; in 1947 he announced the first five-year plan to boost newly nationalized industries. His ideology would be dubbed peronism and became a central influence in Argentine political parties.

Also despite his alleged right wing tendencies, he resisted the entreaties of the military in 1943 to crack down on homosexuality. Instead he ordered the police and judiciary to let up on their gay-baiting. In addition, Perón promoted the tango and legalised prostitution.

Perón married Aurelia Tizón on January 5, 1929, but she died of uterine cancer thirteen years later. Perón married Eva Duarte (19191952) on October 21, 1945 who was hugely popular. Known as Evita, she helped her husband develop support with labour and women's groups. She died of cancer in 1952 at the age of thirty-three. Perón won re-election in 1951, but economic problems, high levels of corruption and conflict with the Roman Catholic Church contributed to his overthrow in an army-navy coup in September 1955. He went into exile in Paraguay, later he lived in Panama, where he met nightclub singer María Estela Martínez. Eventually settling in Madrid, Spain, he married María Estela Martínez in 1961.

In Argentina, the 1950s and 1960s were marked by frequent changes of government, with low economic growth and continued social and labour demands. When the governments failed to revive the economy and suppress escalating terrorism from groups like the pro-Perón Montoneros in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the way was open for Perón's return. General Alejandro Lanusse had taken power in March 1971 and had declared his intention to restore constitutional democracy by 1973. From exile Perón supported left-wing Peronists and the more active unions.

On March 11, 1973, Argentina held general elections. Although Perón was prevented from running, voters elected his stand-in, Héctor Cámpora, as president. Cámpora resigned in July 1973, paving the way for new elections. By now Argentina was in such shambles political leaders were literally begging Perón to return. Perón traveled back to his homeland, and won a decisive electoral victory. He became President for a third time in October 1973 with his wife Isabel as Vice President.

The third presidency of Perón was disrupted by conflict between his leftist and rightist supporters; as Perón became more right-wing, there were numerous terrorist acts. In an attempt to restore public order, the government resorted to a number of emergency decrees. Perón died on July 1, 1974 with the problems unresolved and was succeeded by Isabel. She was overthrown on March 24, 1976 by a military junta, headed by General Jorge Videla.

Perón is buried in La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires. Curiously, his tomb was profaned in 1987 and the hands of his corpse were stolen. To this date, who did it and why still remains a mystery.

Notes

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In the late 1940s, Argentina, alongside with other South American countries, became a leading haven for Nazi war criminals. Believes that this was done with Perón's approval are based on extensive references. Cf, among others, those compiled at [1], and [2].

References

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Preceded by Vice-President of Argentina
19441945
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Argentina
First and Second Terms

19461952, 19521955
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Argentina
Third Term

19731974
Succeeded by

The expression Old Hag Attack refers to a hypnagogic state and in which there is paralysis and, quite often, accompanying terrifying hallucinations. When excessively recurrent some consider them to be a disorder while many populations treat them as part of their culture.

See, among others, Kettlewell N, Lipscomb S, Evans E. (1993). Differences in neuropsychological correlates between normals and those experiencing "Old Hag Attacks". Percept Mot Skills. 1993 Jun;76 (3 Pt 1):839-45; discussion 846. PMID 8321596