It's my day for wading through TM Org emails from TM Admin appealing for funds.
This one bothers me more than most.
It seems Prince Charles’s Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health has commissioned a film in which 18 "scrupulous organizations" will present their sales pitches on each of their approaches to "integrated health."
The TM Org is crowing that they've been invited to participate.
The kicker is that each participating organization has to pay £12,500 to buy into the project (approximately $19,000 US). I guess the UK TM Org doesn't have that kind of spare change available.
What a great opportunity to raise funds from true believing TMers! What a great way to gain sadly needed credibility for the TM Org!
What a great way to take advantage of British royalty celebrity!
I will be writing an email to the Foundation and to Prince Charles decrying his support for the TM Org.
I hope others will consider doing the same. If anyone writes one that they feel covers most of the bases, I hope you will consider posting it in the comments below to give the rest of us ideas.
Below are quotations from the email:
Prince Charles’s Foundation for Integrated Health has commissioned a film on different approaches to integrated health. Transcendental Meditation has been invited, along with just 18 organisations to participate. We can determine what interviews and other footage makes up our section, which will end up as about 3.5 minutes. We will also have full copyright over all footage (probably about 2 hours or so) and can do what we want with it, afterwards. The film will be premiered at the Foundation for Integrated Health’s annual meeting 8,9,10 July at the Royal Society of Medicine. In addition to being shown on the big screen there, it will be distributed on DVD to every PCT, NHS Trust, and Strategic Health Authority, will be available on the FIH’s website, and Natural Health magazine will also circulate it. [Emphasis in the original.]
The tone will be positive, and only scrupulous organisations have been invited, so they can present themselves as an example of best practice in their area. We will approve all copy before it is used. No organisation will be approached that we would see as a rival: our topic (meditation) will be exclusive....
Clive Owen, the Programme Director, was favourably impressed by the recent American University study on blood pressure in students that I mentioned to him, and said that this was exactly what they were looking for: objective verification, personal empowerment, natural, and preventive. In fact, he said TM seemed to him to be “the most natural approach of all”.... Can Britain learn something from the USA? As you probably know, federal funding in the US for research on Transcendental Meditation and cardiovascular disease has amounted to over $24 [sic] so far and independent scientists are publishing positive results regularly....
Please let me know by return [email] if you are inspired to support this project yourself (pledged donations would enable us to commit to the plan and pay later) or can share this with others who may like to support.... [Emphasis in the original.]
Dear Sidha,
A very special opportunity has arisen to share information about Transcendental Meditation with a wider public. I know you would like to know about it....
We have currently raised £7000 of the £12,500 needed for this once-off opportunity...
With best wishes,
Charles Cunningham
Teacher of Transcendental Meditation
Phone 020 8894 9229
Mobile 07852 279 176
Skype charleshcunningham
www.t-m.org.uk
Just think of all those shiny new DVDs pushed into the hands of young school children, congresspeople, Oprah....
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
— Edmund Burke
J.
