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Great Acts Of Stupidity

The general consensus that has emerged here over the last few years is that we don't mock the appearance of non-public figures and generally restrain from mocking even the more public ones until they say something really bloody stupid.

Your post seems below the belt to me, but this is no 'safe-place' and it's your call.

Do you mean me?
 
This photo was taken there by Escette. You can see the interesting black volcanic sand and the idiots pratting about on the shoreline.
"Blake"?
 
Awesome nature. That last vid of the sneaker at Coos Bay, Oregon is like a flash flood. Nobody would be able to resist such force. In such places, kids are taught from an early age to beware and avoid the dangers that visitors are usually totally oblivious of. The Australian Outback is a case in point. Recently, a German couple perished when they left their broken down vehicle in the desert to walk for help. Neither got more than about 2km before they suffered dehydration, went dizzy and fell over and got cooked. As kids we are taught not to camp in dry creekbeds or under large gum trees. Creeks dry 99% of the time can flash flood on a fine day if water cascades in from storms a hundred klicks away. My university lecturer went camping in the Flinders Ranges during term break and never returned to our tutorial class. He pitched his tent under a gum tree and suffered multiple breaks in both legs when a 400kg limb just dropped onto him in the night. Imagine that. You probably can't, which is why we don't lambast the dead. Yes they were ignorant but given the knowledge the locals have, warnings would more often be heeded. Those who are aware of the dangers and go risk it anyway are the ones who get Darwin awards. Tourists have a certain responsibility to themselves, or at the very least to their kids, to get the good oil wherever they go. Most don't. There'll probly be a study out soon on the alarming rise of the selfie death. The Grim Reaper must've rubbed his hands together the day the 'smart' phone went on sale for the first time.

To be honest, I'd quite happily have camped in a dry creek-bed or under a gum-tree without such local knowledge - they definitely come under 'quirks' of nature that defy logical thinking. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have tried walking through the outback in the middle of the day, though - not unless I could actually see some buildings very close by!

I'd agree that there are some situations where the danger is blindingly obvious, and victims of sheer stupidity deserve little sympathy. I used to live within screaming distance of Mt Snowdon, and during spring/summer there were very few days when the rescue chopper wasn't out and about, usually multiple times. Typically, it would be tourists who saw it as a biggish hill, and would set off in t-shirts and trainers - I mean, the UK doesn't have any 'real' mountains, and there's even a train going to the summit, clearly nothing to worry about, right? I fear that even if I had the skills to serve in Mountain Rescue, I would never have the patience.
 
This happens on Ben Nevis as well which is nearly 1000ft higher.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have tried walking through the outback in the middle of the day, though - not unless I could actually see some buildings very close by!


Surely they would have broiled even quicker if they has stayed in their greenhouse car? I am guessing in this case the stupidity was in driving out there in the first place but I've never really needed to consider how to behave in Australia!
 
Surely they would have broiled even quicker if they has stayed in their greenhouse car?
Staying with the car, rather than in it, is recommended if you get stranded in high summer out in the scrub. This is going to sound patronising, but maybe somebody reading it might find it helpful some day - who knows.

Car doors can be opened, and have windows that can usually be rolled down, both of which allow for trapped heated air inside to escape. Then they can be closed at night to keep the (usually very) cold night air out, allowing the occupants to avoid the worst extremes of exposure.

Other reasons to remain with the vehicle:
1. Shade
2. Easy to spot from the air
3. Burn a spare tyre to make black smoke which can be seen over a great distance in flat country during the day

You're right, it would not be wise to travel in high heat in isolated country without at least a general knowledge of the dangers and the survival tips - one being keep as much drinking water on board as you can. The folks in question had emptied their little 600ml spring water bottles and thrown them away within a km of their vehicle. God knows why they did that. If they'd actually located a water source they could have refilled and carried.
 
Staying with the car, rather than in it, is recommended if you get stranded in high summer out in the scrub. This is going to sound patronising, but maybe somebody reading it might find it helpful some day - who knows.
Not at all. :) Round here "hot" means "still would not leave the house without a jacket in my bag" so I would have no idea.
 
That version of hot sounds pretty good to me, with the heat we've had this past week. Down to 25C today which has been heaven sent. Heading out now to get proper cooled in the hills and do a spot of stargazing. Hope I don't do anything stupid. :bananas:
 
My personal favourite survival tip from down under:

'If you want to drive into the outback, use a Land Rover. If you want to come back again, use a Toyota.'
Yep. Toyota - number 1 for reliability. I can personally attest to that.
 
It may be years before this woman finds out how stupid it was to crawl into a security X-ray machine ...

Woman accompanies handbag through X-ray machine
Officials at a Chinese railway station are asking passengers not to crawl into X-ray machines after a woman who refused to part with her handbag did just that.

Staff at the Dongguan Railway Station in the southern part of the country said a woman traveling during the Lunar New Year rush on Sunday attempted to take her purse with her through the security scanner, but she was told the bag would have to go through the X-ray machine with the rest of her luggage.

Security camera footage from the station shows the woman place her bag on the conveyor belt before crawling into the machine after it. ...

Station officials said they want to remind passengers not to enter the machines as the radiation can be harmful.

SOURCE (With Video): https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2018/0.../?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=4
 
What is wrong with people?

Don't call Police over KFC crisis. Because apparently people need to be told this.

KFC lovers are being urged not to call the police over the fried chicken "crisis".

The fast food chain closed half its 900 UK outlets after "operational issues" with its new delivery firm DHL.

"For those who contacted the police about KFC being out of chicken...please STOP" officers in Manchester pleaded.

Police in London joined them in tweeting the chicken shortage was "not a police matter" but neither force could confirm if it had received calls.

Also
Moron puts other peoples lives at risk in Glencoe by ignoring avalanche warnings then demanding to be rescued.

The danger area where the man got into difficulty had been roped off and had warning signs due to the potential risk of avalanches.

Mr Gunn said the man was "very lucky" that the avalanche left him hanging on a small rock shelf and he was only buried up to his neck and not under the snow.

After about 40 minutes, the man was able to reach his mobile phone and called a friend who alerted the ski patrol at Glencoe Mountain snowsports centre.

Along with other ski centre staff, Mr Gunn and the other ski patrollers managed to free him from the avalanche debris.

Mr Gunn said all those involved in the rescue effort were relieved that the man had escaped being seriously injured, or been buried completely by drifting snow, making it harder to find him.
It is a good job I am not in charge of mountain rescue or I would have left him there..
 
Yes, time to start bringing in charges for this level of idiocy IMO.:pitch:
Reminds me (sort of) about the time when I was working at Morrisons supermarket (there are other supermarkets available disclaimer) and was also one of the first aid crew .. so I/we got a call out over the P.A., I was the first one there and met up with the teenage girl who had cut her finger .. yesterday .. and not even in our store.

After waving off the other two first aid staff who were heroically dashing to our location, she giggled (I shit you not) and said "Ooh .. look! .. all these people running over just for me !".

After restraining myself from ripping into her, I calmly explained that she shouldn't be creating dramas for attention and advised her to buy some plasters .. yesterday .. FFS :mad:

... and a different old woman who insisted on bringing her next to death's door husband into the cafe 2 or 3 times a week then also scrambling all first aid units every time he started looking a bit peaky .. and then having a go at the first aid staff for not doing whatever she imagined we should be doing instead .. if it had been up to me, they both would have been barred from the store .. she managed to get one first aid lady to quit her role because the woman was pulling this crap so often the lady got fed up.
 
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What is wrong with people?

Don't call Police over KFC crisis. Because apparently people need to be told this.

I was posted to our Force Control Room as a Radio Operator/Call Handler for about three years. l could fulminate for Britain on the topic of ****ing stupid calls to the police:

999 call: “It’s been over 30 minutes since l ordered my Domino’s pizza and it isn’t here yet.”

999 call: “My neighbour’s central heating is too loud!”

999 call: “There’s a giant man-eating spider in my hall!” (Someone had pushed a kid’s toy rubber bug through his letter box...)

And a personal favourite, from a hysterical woman trying to be helpful (Note: this is the entire transcript of her call):

“There’s been a huge road accident! People are dead and the road is blocked by cars, some of them on fire! We need police, Fire and ambulance immediately! *click, brrrrrr...*

*PC Otter leans back in his chair and reflectively chews pen while waiting for the second call...*

maximus otter
 
How did you last 3 years?! Hopefully those types of calls were infrequent.

There’s been a huge road accident! People are dead and the road is blocked by cars, some of them on fire! We need police, Fire and ambulance immediately! *click, brrrrrr...*

To be fair, maybe you are used to seeing loads of dead bodies and people on fire and stuff but I think the rest of us could be forgiven for being a bit flustered and forgetting minor details like the location! :)
 
Mediocre dumb rather than greatness, I admit, but watch the little shit start hopping when the lift starts playing up. Apparently his Daddy and he have denied he was in any way involved because he can't pee that high. No guessing where his irresponsible behaviour was learned. Good on ya, Daddy.
China warns parents after boy filmed peeing
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-43198994

 
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