mjs@eagle.UUCP (M.J.Shannon) (04/12/85)
> The flames have risen and faded about that old message (I've forgotten its > author) about the firewalking seminar. I don't intend to fan those flames > again, but I can't resist posting this part of an article by Robert Sheaffer > in The Skeptical Inquirer. The Skeptical Inquirer is the journal of the > Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Once again, the public is being fooled. The single fact that is ignored in the Skeptical Inquirer article is that some of these people have successfully done their fire-walking without injury at one time or another. A magazine claiming to be as rigorously scientific in method as SI should at least present ALL observed phenomena, not just those that support their skepticism. I long ago cancelled my subscription to that magazine for their tendency to ignore valid data (but, I must admit, they are often more scientific than the article posted would indicate). -- Marty Shannon UUCP: ihnp4!eagle!mjs Phone: +1 201 522 6063
dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady) (04/17/85)
> Once again, the public is being fooled. The single fact that is > ignored in the Skeptical Inquirer article is that some of these people > have successfully done their fire-walking without injury at one time or > another. I believe you misread the article, or perhaps part was missing in the posting. The Skeptical Inquirer never suggested that no one ever succeeds at firewalking. Indeed, as I'm sure they're quite aware, injuries are relatively rare for people who don't catch a coal on the foot (as happened to Jearl Walker once) or remain standing too long in one spot. The point being made by SI was that people are being mislead by these firewalking instructors who fail to point out that there really is (sometimes) an injury. Or to note that the "training" is irrelevant, since plenty of folks have done it without any mystical teaching. -- D Gary Grady Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC 27706 (919) 684-3695 USENET: {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary
tim@cithep.UucP (Tim Smith ) (04/21/85)
The Southern California affiliate of the organization that puts out "The
Skeptical Inquirer" ( I forget the name... ) sponsered a lecture last week
at Caltech, called "The Physics of Firewalking". After the lecture, several
of us firewalked. No one was seriouly hurt, although several people developed
blisters.
I got a hot ember stuck on one of my toes on my first step. That caused quite
a bit of pain, but no blisters or other damage. The pain was gone after about
an hour. Mom always did tell me not to go barefoot....
--
"Just use your nuro-linguistic-programming to set up
the right morpho-genetic field, and the rest is easy"
Tim Smith
ihnp4!{wlbr!callan,cithep}!tim