Does This Man Look As If he Never Eats

[Captain_Snort]

How many other (probably UK people) think this picture should have had the title 'You Dirty Old Man' and be shouting "'Arold!!!"

Steptoe reborn..

 

[Diamond]

The most important part is that NASA is extremely difficult to get a comment out of, unless you're a journalist or have friends inside NASA.

The other point: This was reported as fact by the Hindustan Times. It was quoted as being true right around the world, despite its preposterous claim, and it will continue to be claimed to be true for quite a while.

Perhaps someone could write to snopes.com?

Edit:

I also think that guy looks like one of the characters from the "Rocky Horror Show"

 

[arcticpenguin]

But within the hour, reading the web page of another group, a very well-informed and prestigious one, I was shocked to see that they'd been in touch with NASA over the same item, and had been told that NASA was active in this respect, with this man Manek! Who to believe?

That would be Bob Park'sWhat's New column over at the APS (American Physical Society) on 2003-07-03. Mr. Park has an update in his 2003-07-11 column refuting the earlier article. It sounds as if he got bad info from NASA, but I'm not sure.

 

[mgidm86]

I have a hard time believing that the guy is only 65 years old. If lack of food will do that to a person, then I wouldn't call this much of a sales pitch! Food rules!

 

[SidBB]

The first time I heard about him was in an article in The Times Of India, sometime in May. Here's what made me laugh:

Perhaps soon enough, science fiction films may not sound like so many flights of fancy. One may actually fly or be simultaneously at several places. Already, 65-year-old Hira Ratan Manek claims that he has been zealously pursuing such navigational and psychic powers by simply activating his brain with solar energy.

I was especially piqued about the NASA claim. I checked on the internet and only found similar articles but no substantiation about the NASA connection. I wrote to Mr. Randi who said he's a fraud and there's many others like him.

After that, I've written to the editor of The Times of India a couple of times but I haven't received any response. In fact, they even printed another story about him two weeks ago saying he's flying to the US for a series of tests at NASA.

Another Bombay daily, Mid-day however has printed the truth. What's ironic is that Mid-day is probably best described as a semi-tabloid, and this is one of the few sensible stories I've seen them print.

 

[arcticpenguin]

After that, I've written to the editor of The Times of India a couple of times but I haven't received any response. In fact, they even printed another story about him two weeks ago saying he's flying to the US for a series of tests at NASA.

Will he be flying to the U.S. in an airliner, or on his own? If the latter, he should make sure he files a flight plan with the F.A.A. They're a little touchy about unidentified aircraft entering U.S. airspace since 2001-09-11.