Conference hydra::dejavu

    First off, so as to avoid confusion, there is an obvious typo
    in the previous.  It would seem that either Lisa Marie Falkner
    is *4* years old (rather than 14) or that both dates should have
    said /73 (rather than /83).  It doesn't matter much to the story.
    
    Anyway...
    
    I can think of three explanations for the apparent synchrony:
    
    	1) Outlandish coincidence.  The odds against any particular
    	   outlandish coincidence are, by definition, outlandish,
    	   but there are so many, many possible outlandish coincidences
           that it is *highly* likely that some outlandish coincidences
    	   will take place.
    
    	2) Subliminal suggestion.  Something in the shared environment,
    	   perhaps in an obstetrical examining room at the hospital
    	   for example, produced a subconscious suggestion as to the
    	   name of the child.  It could have been a magazine cover,
    	   with the name on it tucked away in a corner.  The common
    	   suggestion source might have more to do with being 9 months
    	   pregnant at the same time in the same town rather than the
    	   simple coincidence of using the same delivery room.  For
    	   example, something said on the radio when both mothers had
    	   it on but were not listening to it.
    
    	3) Psi.  You are welcome to believe this explanation or not.
    	   As I have said elsewhere in this conference, the existence
    	   of psi (but not its nature) has been repeatedly demonstrated
    	   under conditions which would clearly be sufficient to establish
    	   scientifically the existence of a less controversial notion.
    	   The informed debate is over whether special standards are
    	   applicable because of the "a priori" unlikelihood of the
    	   phenomena -- which is a subjective judgement.  Of particular
    	   relevance is the experiments by Kripner, et. al. at the
    	   Maimonides Sleep Research Laboratory, which demonstrated
    	   "dream telepathy" under conditions which would rule out
    	   subliminal suggestion and put a precise figure for the size
    	   of coincidence which would have been necessary for the given
    	   results.  The experiments demonstrated that one person could
    	   apparently influence the dream content of sleeping people
    	   without any conventional communication between them (alternately
    	   it could be described as demonstrating that people could
    	   choose to dream about a subject when they did not know by
    	   conventional means what that subject was).
    
    						Topher

    oops
    re.1
    yup i typo-ed 2 timses 
    both dates should have been /73
    and to make a disclaimer for the argument in .1
    neither women in question had ever met each other
    neither one used the same ob-gyn clinic
    neither one had ever toured the hospital they were in
    no subliminal messages were heard that I know of
    no particular celebrity with the name of Lisa was in the news -
    to my knowledge

Hi Kerry,

It sounds like a pretty interesting "coincidence" in any case.  Has your
wife had any other dreams along this line?

		Dave

    re.3 EX - WiFe dave *EX* :^)
    
    re.4 my ex, as I, hate Elvis pelvis.
    
    Can't talk for the other lady.

    
    When a friend met her roommate for college, she discovered that
    they met once before, their mothers shared a semi- private suite 
    when they where both born in the hospital.
    
    Anyone else know any stories like this?

    I presume you know of LISA MARIE PRESLEY?
    
    At any rate, I too, thought of naming my daughter (born in 1971)
    either Lisa Marie, or Michele Lee, or Elizabeth Ann, or , or...
    I settled for Laura Dawn.  In other words, there are certain
    names that seem to "go together" in stages; not sure of what
    the popular names today are but there seem to be more "Joshua's,
    Jasons, Amy's," etc.

    This is not so dramatic, but the same name.  When I was 14 years
    old, I DECIDED I was going to have 3 children.  A boy first named
    Michael Scott and twin daughters, Lisa Marie and Lauren Michele.
    
    At 26, I married and at 30 had my son, Michael Scott.  My husband
    at the time had been married previously.  His wife miscarried twins,
    but soon after had a daughter whom they named Lisa Marie.
    
    H

    
    
    re: .5
    
    		Yes.  When I was a little girl in grade school I had
    	a best friend named Andrea.  We later found out that we were
        born on the same day, in the same hospital, and only minutes
    	apart.  Could be the reason we were so close.
    
    			Unfortunately we have lost touch.
    
    					Judy
    
    	

    
    Back when I was in high school, I dated a fellow for a little while, 
    and it turned out that he was born the next day in the same hospital 
    I was born in (we were from different towns, 15 miles apart).  The 
    chances were good that we and our mothers were in the hospital at 
    the same time.
    
    Cindy