DALLAS, TEXAS — More than 30 people were injured recently after walking on hot coals as part of a self-help seminar hosted by motivational speaker Tony Robbins.
Robbins’ website said the three-day Unleash the Power Within event is intended to help people “break through any limit” and improve their quality of life.
A Dallas Fire and Rescue spokesman speculated that the large number of participants caused the lines to slow down and left some coal-walkers stranded in one spot. He said most fire-walkers escape burns because the coals don’t conduct heat efficiently.
This is the second such incident at a Robbins seminar. In 2012, 21 people were burned at a fire-walk hosted by Robbins in California.
SARNIA, ONTARIO, CANADA — About 1,500 American revelers floating down a river between the United States and Canada had to be rescued when a sudden storm blew their rafts out of control and into Canadian territory.
The Americans were taking part in Michigan’s 39th annual “Port Huron Float-Down” on the St. Clair River. The event covers five river miles from Port Huron to Chrysler Beach.
First responders said the situation was complicated by the fact that many of the thousands of participants were intoxicated.
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS — Lawrence John Ripple, 70, robbed a bank last month in order to go to jail and get away from his wife.
After an argument with Mrs. Ripple, Mr. Ripple announced that he would “rather be in jail than at home.” He then walked to a nearby bank and handed a teller a note stating that he had a gun and wanted money.
The teller handed over $3,000. Ripple sat down in the lobby and waited for police to arrive. He was taken into custody and subsequently remanded to a federal facility in Leavenworth, Kansas.
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