Saturday, July 21, 2012

Don't walk on burning coal

I assume you've seen the news stories about 21 people who were burned after intentionally walking on burning coals at the behest of a "motivational speaker". Duh. I especially liked this paragraph in an AP report:
Walking across hot coals heated to between 1,200 to 2,000 degrees provides attendees an opportunity to "understand that there is absolutely nothing you can overcome," according to the motivational speaker's website.
You have to hope that was a typo in the news story, rather than the speaker's promotional materials. With folks like these, you never know. Here's the lesson: avoid snake-oil salesmen. They exist to con you out of your money. And as for "motivational speakers", you'll find there's one right inside your head. It's called a brain. Visit it sometime.