Word: agee
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Khashoggi's problems are in keeping with the way he operates. In an age of ubiquitous M.B.A.s and computer transactions, Adnan Khashoggi is a wily and gracious trader, an exemplar of the Arab-Islamic values of daring, cunning, loyalty and generosity. For him the deal is the thing, the only thing. Business, love, politics, diplomacy -- they are all forms of dealmaking. He proudly admits that he dissembles, uses women, flaunts his wealth to get an agreement. "When I am trying to broker a deal," he says animatedly, "in diplomacy or business, I don't tell the truth to both sides...
...many of them under 40, who are tuning in to "crystal consciousness," the pseudoscientific belief that such natural gemstones as quartz crystal, citrine, tourmaline and amethyst have paranormal healing and restorative powers. The crystal craze is part of a loosely linked spiritualism gaining ground on both coasts. Called "New Age" thinking, it is an esoteric blend of computer-age jargon and ancient religious practice, which often invested stones with powerful magic. Some other curious elements of the New Age faith include reincarnation, channeling (communing with souls in their afterlife) and psychic predictions. For not-so-New Agers, these prayer rocks...
...Age-old rite and techno-trend vocabulary meet in "programming," or getting the most out of your talisman. One West Coast formula for doing so goes this way: first, "clear" the stone by washing it in ocean water (in a pinch, salt water will do). Then leave it outside for at least 24 hours so that rays of the sun and moon may penetrate it. A quicker, high-tech method is to pass an audiocassette eraser over each side of the crystal for half a minute. To program, after the crystal has been cleared, hold it in both hands...
Programming is so important that a New Age breed of crystal therapists has sprung up to teach the uninitiated how to harness their rock power. Brett Bravo, 54, who was raised a strict Methodist in Texas, left organized religion in l975 to follow her "evolutionary spiritual path" to Solana Beach, Calif., where she conducts weekly seminars on how to program crystals. In a $45 one-day session, participants learn to cure ailments, erase negativity and recharge energy stores. "The way the stones heal," claims Bravo, "is by man's electrical field combining with the crystal's electromagnetic field. This affects...
East Coast devotees of New Age thinking tend to favor faster-acting applications. Douglas Hardy, former manager of Star Magic, a space-age gift shop in Manhattan, suggests drinking gem and tonic -- literally, water "on the rocks" -- to get a "crystal hit." The crystal, it seems, sends its vibes through the water, which then charges up the person drinking it. Even more practical advocates suggest placing a cluster of "charged" crystals inside a refrigerator to accelerate cooling and thus reduce the electric bill or -- better yet -- attaching a 3-in. crystal to an auto carburetor to save on gas mileage...