THE VIDEO JESSE VENTURA DOESN'T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE!

Background: For the 9-11 episode of the Tru TV television show "Conspiracy Theory", Jesse Ventura's crew filmed a test using thermite on steel beams at NM Tech's EMRTC (Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center). You can see the segment here:

starting at 2:00 minutes in.

There are two burn tests on the beam, one with the beam unpainted, the second with the beamed laced with thermite. After the first test, the narrator on the "Conspiracy Theory" show announces "The beam burns briefly, but it does not melt."

After the second test, Romero is shown asking the question "Does it burn long enough and hot enough so that we have structural failure?"

But, this question is never answered on the show. Instead, with a dodge that both Romero and I consider to be dishonest, Ventura simply asks "Anybody still got any doubts?"

The question that should have been asked here is "Was the beam cut? Did it fail??"

The answer to that question was left on the cutting room floor. Here, friends is "THE VIDEO JESSE VENTURA DOESN'T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE!"

First, some clips I've obtained directly from the EMRTC.

Clip #1: Pouring burning thermite on beam that has not been painted with thermite.


Clip #2: Pouring burning thermite on beam that has been painted with thermite.


Finally, Clip #3, "THE VIDEO JESSE VENTURA DOESN'T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE!":

Dr. Van Romero, banging on the beam after the second (thermite) test, and answering the question "Does it burn long enough and hot enough so that we have structural failure?"



The answer is "NO!"

I presented this in my critical thinking class as an excellent example of how to spin a scientific test as coming to the opposite conclusion of what it did in reality.

Here's another YouTube that takes Ventura to task on the cell phone argument:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOtv...eature=related

Cheers, Dave Thomas

Introducing the Toyota Tsunami!

What with all the problems Toyota has been having with cars that are affected by runaway acceleration, I conjured up a mental image of a new design, the Toyota Tsunami, that would be described with slogans like "It's a Force of Nature!", "Can't Be Stopped", and so forth.




Then I discovered my would-be joke was actually a reality, some 6 years back.

Check out "Toyota drops 'Tsunami' name for sports car model", or "My 2004 Celica GT-S Tsunami Edition" and see for yourself!

What is this world coming to? How can I snark Toyota, when they've already snarked themselves?!?