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zygmunt_rocks_on

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Aug 19, 2001
Messages
273
Needle Panics

Just read the other day (In, I think, the London Evening Standard) of Hypodermic needles, presumably discarded by junkies, being taped "sharps up" to benches in London's Russell Square. This was apparently a story from the police, but interestingly had a "police spokesman" they didn't name. I seem to recall a least one similar story from Leeds... and somewhere else in London... sorry, Newcastle Brown has ruined my memory...

It COULD be true, and the square is well known for addicts, but i'm wondering if this an extension of the "prick in a nightclub" (ahem) FOAFlore?
 
I don't think snopes has that particular variation, though...

Nonny
 
Yes, you're right. I've never heard that variation either.....any clue when the boards will be back up? ;)

sureshot
 
No clue when the real MB will be back, but there's been an unofficial temporary site set up at this location, courtesy of ThespiSis.

Meanwhile, you can still email UL sightings to [email protected].

Nonny "we're not trying to take over, honest" Mouse
 
Take over? Naturally not -- merely keeping the dream alive, for which I, for one, am grateful. When the message board comes back up, we can all hit the ground running.

In the meantime, snopes has temporarily become a moveable feast.

Ah, well . . . time for bed. I've got an argument scheduled at work tomorrow morning, and I want to be fresh for it.

VeebleFetzer

Peace
 
Has anyone heard of needles being buried points up on local playing fields.

This ones rather popular in our area.
 
A few weeks ago a teacher that I know found a large amount of broken glass and a number of metal chunks strewn over the primary school footy pitch. There are folk about who are twisted enough to do it.

I once dug a number of snapped razor blades out of a local wooden climbing frame. Luckily we don't have any hypos lying around for idiots to find.
 
New user first post so ...Hello!! :)

I got an e-mail about this a couple of days ago from a colleague, the first I'd heard about this 'scare', apparently used syringes were being left point up in dark cinemas - some with notes attached saying 'you've been infected with HIV' - very pleasant - as usual an un-named source in Taiwan, but supposedly coming to London soon.........

Lil

:D
 
This arrived on the network at work today

Wm.

HIV Warning A few weeks ago, in a movie theatre in Melbourne, a
person sat on something that was poking out of one of the seats.
When she got up to see what it was, she found a needle sticking
out of the seat with a note attached saying... "You have just
been infected by HIV".

The Disease Control Centre in Melbourne reports many similar
incidents have occurred in many other Australian cities recently.
All tested needles ARE HIV Positive. The Centre also reports that
needles have been found in the cash dispensers in ATMs. We ask
everyone to use extreme caution when faced with this kind of
situation. All public chairs/seats should be inspected with
vigilance and caution before use. A careful visual inspection
should be enough. In addition, they ask that each of you pass
this message along to all members of your family and your friends
of the potential danger. We all have to be careful at public
places! This is very important. Just think about saving a life of
someone even you don't know by forwarding this message. Please
take a few seconds of your time to pass it along.

Rob Bates
Australian Red Cross Blood Service
Ph: (08) 94212877
Fax: (08) 94212366
e-mail: [email protected]
 
Ah, here we go, The Austrailian Red Cross Blood Service's website. First thing posted on the first page:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have received a broadcast email titled "HIV warning", please note that this is a hoax, and is not an official communication from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused you.

So, no it's phooey.
 
"Welcome to the AIDS Club."

Anyone who has been into the clubbing scene for the past decade will undoubtably have heard this one. The ever-present 'friend of a frriend' will know of someone or have heard a rumour that someone who knows thingamy who used to live beside doo-da ad nauseum , who was out at [insert popular clubbing venue here] one night having a brilliant night, when all of a sudden he/she felt a sharp pain in her arm/leg. Looking down she saw a like pin-prick, like a needle mark.

From here in the tale there are variants, like how upon going to get a coat at the end of the night, or upon reciept of a letter the next day in the post (lets forget the obvious that the postal service here doesn't operate on a Sunday!) with a written legend:

"Welcome to the AIDS Club."

or other such prosaic prose. I have heard this about two separate clubbing destinations in Northern Ireland alone ('Lush!', Portrush; 'The Met', Armagh) over the last five years. Some of the rumours even reach local newspapers, and in some cases even regional television news. Now, I can fully concede that the house/techno music scenes are certainly conducive to abject paranoia due to the amount of illicit substances around, but this one, I feel has absolutely no grounds. No-one, as is always the case in Urban Mythology, knows the eact person this has happened to; or if it has, the person has been the result of a practical joke of very poor taste. These practical jokes always occur some weeks after the original rumour has surfaced, after a period of heightened awareness either within the clubbing community or in the media. I feel that this takes on the exact nature of the architypal Urban Myth, and has spread widely over the whole country, perhaps even to the holiday Meccas of Ibiza and Aiya Napa.

Let's face it -- it got to Northern Ireland...!
 
They've got a pretty neat message board, too. I hang out there even more than here.

Nonny
 
this has happened (there was no written msg's or phone calls or any thing)

what happened was a door man in doncaster became infected with aids and started to activly infect women in the local area on purpose and he eventually infected something like 200 women before he was caught and prosecution was begun but he died before comming to trial
he got up the morning after and woke the women up and told them what he had done and then left

cas
 
I'd heard that had happened, but I'm not sure that its quite the same thing. What I'm referring to involves the actual puncture marks with a needle, and always with the card soon after. Its 'happened' to so many people I'm surprised most house music fans aren't all dead by now.

Perhaps what you mention is the original starting point, which has been altered in a Chinese Whispers kind of way.
 
It certainly seems to come up periodically, it was last heard of in Essex in 1998, wonder where it is now???????????
 
I remember that there was a Primal Scream gig in Edinburgh a few years back where several people were apparently attacked with syringes, so apparently that does happen.
 
Syringes at a Primal Scream gig?!

Breakfast said:
I remember that there was a Primal Scream gig in Edinburgh a few years back where several people were apparently attacked with syringes, so apparently that does happen.

I's have thought that the syringes would have been found backstage rather than in the crowd;)

I concede that incidents like that do happen, but aren't these more often than not the practical (unfunny) joke follow-up attacks to the original rumour?
I suppose what I'm driving at is that if no-one had started the 'AIDS Club' Legend, nobody would have to worry about getting stabbed in the leg at whilst dancing to Sasha, as nobody would be arsing about trying to imitate the percieved 'badguy'.
 
One of the messages about AIDS that was drummed into us in the Eighties was that you couldn't catch AIDS easily because it was a fragile virus and therefore shaking hands sharing cups etc was safe.
If that is the case how can needles that have been hanging around for some days be dangerous?
This does not involve other viruses such as Hepatitis which is a robust virus and which will remain viable for a long time outside the body.
 
I totally agree with the above point. I was always under the impression that HIV can only survive for about 5 seconds outside the human body. This medical tidbit came from a cleaning supervisor in a hospital so obviously there is a certain FOAF feel to this but it sounds about right.
 
JurekB said:
I was always under the impression that HIV can only survive for about 5 seconds outside the human body.

I was of the same opinion, something to do with it not being warm enough. Is that still the same in tropical countries where the mosquitoes are?

There was a case in Merseyside somewhere 5-10 years ago where a council street cleaner claimed he'd caught AIDS from a discarded needle in a waste bin, think he won but not sure. Always wondered about that for this very reason.
 
I have heard that AIDS should not be able to survive outside the body for more than 6 hours. But I would imagine that if the syringes had blood in them it might be able to survive for some time.
 
Someone said above that the last reported case was in essex in 1998. Where and when exactly was this? It would be of interest to know considering I live in essex.
 
the aids club

a gouy gets hit upon by this beautifull lassie and they go back to his for some fucking great sex. He wakes up in the morning to find 'welcome to the AIDS club' writen on the mirror in lipstick.

A variation on the theme. Not only can you see fear of infection and enforcment of sociaties codes moral codes in this one but you also get Woodbine Willie's 'Honeytrap'. What more can you want?
 
My understanding is that even in a 'high risk' unprotected sexual encounter, the chances of catching HIV are around 1%.

Thats not to encourage unprotected sex, but just to put this in some sort of perspective.
 
I do know a girl (not a FOAF but an actual F :)) who was stabbed in the leg with a syringe when leaving a nightclub. Fortunately she got no ill effects from it. At least I hope so or I'm in real trouble :eek!!!!: :eek: ;)
 
wintermute said:
...but just to put this in some sort of perspective.

Perspective? In the aria of urban myth perspective is nothing.

I mean what risk do you run of waking up with a kidney removed?
 
I've always wondered if there have been cases where people have woken up in an ice-filled bathtub with an incision in the side, and next to the tub is standing a used dinner plate and half a bottle of chianti. :blah:
 
Xanatic said:
I've always wondered if there have been cases where people have woken up in an ice-filled bathtub with an incision in the side, and next to the tub is standing a used dinner plate and half a bottle of chianti. :blah:
Or, alternatively, with the top of their skull removed...... :madeyes:
 
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