Skeptics vs. Believers

Nope. I'm not referring to global warming here. I've been going back and forth on the CNN web site with others for days over the story of that guy that supposedly spent 13 months at sea, showing up a bit over a week ago in the Marshall Islands.

I'll certainly concede he might well have done what he claims. There is evidence that supports his story. I"m also very skeptical if only because of his appearance. I've looked worse after a day at the beach. He should have open sores covered with bandages from sun damage for one thing.

Some believers have said he was probably naturally light skinned and that accounts for his light skin color. Sorry. If he was light skinned he'd probably be in even worse shape. Don't light skinned folks get sunburned faster than dark skinned folks?

A couple of other commentators pointed out he had a cabin on his boat to protect him from the sun. If so, he'd still have to spend a substantial amount of time outside the cabin searching for food,

Then yesterday some commented he was in an open boat, without a cabin. Yet today I hear someone still saying he had a cabin. The picture on the left was taken from the CNN web site and is supposedly the boat he survived in. No cabin, but from the markings that can be seen it seems to be from a spanish country.

No biggie. I'm fascinated by such stories, but still skeptical. What does bother me a bit are those that seem to take everything they read in the news at face value.