phaedrus@eneevax.UUCP (07/10/84)
Last night I happened to walk downstairs and saw people walking on hot
coals on the boob toob. Since I had read something about this fad, I
decided to stick around and see what was up. Would you believe this
folks -- There was a guy (on Merv Griffin no less) claiming that he could
alter peoples belief systems so that they can perform biochemical changes
in their bodies. He claims he has done this for a lot of people in Calif.
Merv claimed that the coals were at around 1200-2000 deg. (Fahrenheit?),
and there's this group of about 8 people breathing hard, murmuring,"cool
moss, cool moss, cool moss....," looking into the air and walking on coals.
Is this guy for real? Did anybody else see the show or heard of this guy?
His name by the way is Tony Robbins (I think).
I would have been more impressed if Russell Targ, the famous (or the infamous)
para-psychology type person had not come on the same show. He also had an
interesting claim -- He claimed that for 9 weeks one of his buddies (who was
on with Targ) predicted what the state of the silver market would be on
Monday the previous Thursday. They claim (listen to this) they were never
wrong, and they made over 100,000 big ones for their client.
I am highly skeptical but curious. Does anyone have any opinions or thoughts
on the matter. (Are you out there Martin Gardener? If so give us your
thoughts)
--
Without hallucinogens, life itself would be impossible.
ARPA: phaedrus%eneevax%umcp-cs@CSNet-Relay
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!eneevax!phaedrusalan@sdcrdcf.UUCP (07/11/84)
<I can even walk on water when it's cold enough> Walking on coals is a physical phenomenon, not a religious one. When the coals are hot enough, the netural presperation which results on the bottom of the feet, at the thought of doing this feat, is converted into a layer of steam which acts as a good heat insulator, protecting the feet. Anyone can walk on very hot coals. Obviously, the layer of steam is short lived, which is why the magical powers of the mystics to walk on coals always mysteriously disappear after a few seconds. The hotter the coals, the better it works. That is why the mystics often insist on heating them in a huge bon-fire overnight. They don't want to take a chance on stepping on one that won't sustain the layer of steam. In about 1976, Jearl Walker, who writes the Amateur Scientist column for Scientific American, wrote all about this in one of his colunms. He actually got up the nerve, and walked on coals, himself. He also suggested that, since it can be shown by physics that anyone can walk on coals, that people who get their Ph.d degrees in Physics ought to prove to the world that they believe in what they preach. He suggested that the graduates be on one side of a bed of hot coals, and the person handing out the degrees be on the other side. All the graduates would have to do to recieve their degrees is walk barefoot across the coals to get to guy handing them out.
rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (07/13/84)
I think obtaining your degree by walking over the coals (although
an "occult" practice) is an excellent demonstration of heart
knowledge over head knowledge. We run into that in net.religion.
The "armchair" physicist who propounds the steam theory should be
given an opportunity to prove that he does have it.
Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}
AT&T Technologies, Inc.............. Norcross, Ga
(404) 447-3784 ... Cornet 583-3784bsafw@ncoast.UUCP (The WITNESS) (07/16/84)
> From: alan@sdcrdcf.UUCP > > In about 1976, Jearl Walker, who writes the Amateur Scientist column for > Scientific American, wrote all about this in one of his colunms. He > actually got up the nerve, and walked on coals, himself. He also suggested > that, since it can be shown by physics that anyone can walk on coals, that > people who get their Ph.d degrees in Physics ought to prove to the world > that they believe in what they preach. He suggested that the graduates be > on one side of a bed of hot coals, and the person handing out the degrees > be on the other side. All the graduates would have to do to recieve > their degrees is walk barefoot across the coals to get to guy handing them > out. Thank God I'm not in the physics department! -- Brandon Allbery: decvax!cwruecmp{!atvax}!bsafw 6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, OH 44131 "himself being one universe's prime example of utter, rambunctious free will!"