Bizarre news from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where maverick British biologist <a href="http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html" target="_blank">Rupert Sheldrake</a> narrowly avoided a potentially fatal attack while presenting at the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness.

From the<a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Man-accused-of-stabbing-speaker-at-La-Fonda" target="_blank"> Santa Fe New Mexican</a>

<em>R</em><em>upert Sheldrake of London was sitting up and alert as medics took him on a gurney to an ambulance outside Santa Fe's historic hotel at the southeast corner of the Plaza. Asked if he was OK, Sheldrake smiled and responded, "I hope so."</em>

<em>Hirano Kazuki, 33, of Yokohama, Japan, spent Wednesday night in jail after he was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony. He provided no resistance as officers led him in handcuffs from the hotel.</em>

<em>Hirano had been attending the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness. Other attendees said he had been acting oddly. They said he confronted Sheldrake earlier this week, telling him he heard voices and saw demons. Another featured speaker at the conference told the man he was "full of negative energy" and counseled him to "calm down," said Evan Mecham, an attendee from Broomfield, Colo.</em>

I'm sure many of us have had to fight hard to resist the urge to attack a speaker at fortean or parascientific gatherings, but this must really be a first and we wish Dr Sheldrake a speedy recovery.

<strong>UPDATE 10 April 08 from <a href="http://www.dailygrail.com/news/sheldrake-survives-stabbing" target="_blank">The Daily Grail</a></strong>

<em>I thought you might like to know that Rupert Sheldrake is recovering well from his wound and is currently out of the hospital.</em>

<em>Pamela Smart, a fellow researcher and collaborator of Sheldrake, sent me this via e-mail:</em>
<blockquote>Rupert is recovering really well and is now out of hospital. It didn’t take him long to walk with a stick and he has no pain. The doctors are astonished at his speedy recovery. Many people have been sending him healing and saying prayers for his speedy recovery, which appears to have been very successful indeed. He is very cheery and said he’s enjoyed his time in hospital where he’s received many messages of love and warmth giving him lots of strength. He will be fulfilling his commitments in Tucson at the next conference this week.</blockquote>
<em>I really thin</em><em>k this is great news; and I also suspect that Rupert might later want to undergo a study on the effects of prayer and good wishes in the recovery of patients, don't you think? :-)</em>

via <a href="http://www.dailygrail.com/news/sheldrake-survives-stabbing" target="_blank">The Daily Grail</a>
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