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name and position for the record, sir?”
    The professor adjusted his feet under the desk, and replied.  “My name is Matthew Martin, I am a professor of biology of at the University of Cambridge, England.”
    “Thank you, sir.  Now, please proceed with your testimony.”
    Doctor Martin felt himself calming.  This was no different than a lecture at the university, he thought.  His tone was even as he said, “Many of you might have sensed throughout your lives that there was something beyond what you could see or touch, that there was a power or presence, if you will, beyond the physical world.  You might have heard of psychic phenomena such as fortune-telling or mind reading or telepathy.  You might have seen these things for sale, perhaps at a fair or on the internet.  You might have experienced certain strange feelings or thoughts that you could not explain. Feelings such as d éjà vu or premonitions.  You might have sensed that ideas were placed in your mind.  You might believe that you were contacted by something or someone.  You have heard of 'out of body' experiences and find them either unsettling, or empowering. You might have been frightened, even terrified at times and not known why, for example, in the dark.
    “If any of this is true of you, then rest assured, you are not alone.  I have also experienced some of these things, and so have ninety- nine point two percent of the world's population, according to research.  And I believe,” he chuckled, “that the same is true of this as it is about the study on men and masturbation: ninety-nine percent of men admit they have masturbated, and the other one percent are lying.
    “Now, these phenomena are so common and so pronounced, in fact, that religions are founded upon them.  When looked at as a whole, the fact is that, for better or worse, the 'spiritual' or 'psychic' side of humanity has been the greatest force for change acting on the world since the beginning of recorded history.”
    He shifted his feet again.  “In dealing with these phenomena, let us call them 'psychic phenomena,' you will fall into one of nine groups.  In the first group, you find them so overpowering that they become the focal point of your worldview and you ascribe powers of good or evil to them, devote significant amounts of your time trying to appease them, and do a great deal to convince others to do the same.  This would be most of the population who strictly adhere to a religion of some sort.
    “Second group: You believe they are real and are forces to be harnessed for your personal benefit and advancement.  This would also be many religious adherents, such as charismatic Christians, Krishna Buddhists, and so forth.
    “Third group: You believe they are mostly evil and, as such, should either be ignored or warded away through the use of incantations, good luck charms, evil eyes, or other means.  This would include many Native American faiths and superstition of the American Ozarks in the nineteenth century.
    “Fourth group: You do not know what to think, so you think nothing.
    “Fifth group: You believe they have something to do with outer space and are at risk of becoming fixated with UFO sightings, crop circles, cattle mutilations, abductions, and other phenomena.  Once a firm believer, you may become convinced that you have experienced sightings or abductions yourself.  The UFO's ARE FOR REAL organization is a glorious example of this.
    “Sixth group: You are skeptical, you think that in cases where subjects are not fabricating information, psychic phenomena are always explainable by science.  They are contrivances or afflictions of the mind; for example, they take the form of mental illnesses or randomly firing neurons, as in dreams.  Most of these phenomena, if problematic, can be dealt with through the use of drugs.  Psychologists make billions of dollars every year treating their patients from just this mindset.
    “Seventh group: You are curious,