Oops! The Silly Mistakes Thread

[maximus otter]

Commuter tries to drive across a bridge but ends up on a ferry

COMMUTER Sophie Montague has told how she drove on to a waiting ferry — after mistaking it for a bridge.

She says on it: “I literally cannot cope with myself.

"I have tried to cross the River Thames on what I thought was a road and I have actually ended up on a ferry.”

The camera pans to show a view of stationary vehicles and the white side of the boat.

Sophie, who was relying on her sat nav, laughs: “I just, I can’t even . . . how?”

Fortunately the free journey on the Woolwich Ferry in East London lasts just five minutes.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/21004136/drive-river-thames-mistook-road-ferry/

maximus otter

 

[Trevp666]

I have a special word that I bring into use on these sorts of occasions when confronted with the sort of behaviour exhibited by that young lady.
Idiot.

 

[Stormkhan]

Well, as the Woolwich ferry (which I have extensive experience of) is free then no harm done. If it wasn't then I'm sure anyone taking the money would've corrected the dimwit!

 

[Trevp666]

Thing is though, is how can you have such little awareness of your surroundings in the first place????
She must have driven past multiple signs etc.

 

[Trevp666]

Lets face it - you'd have to be fatally stupid to miss this lot.
(The approach to the southern entrance - the northern side is similar - there are also staff members that stand in the road but when this pic was taken the ferry was not in operation)

 

[Stormkhan]

Probably looking too much on her 'phone, satnav, on board TV etc. etc.*

* Casting nasturtiums, I know, but almost predictable.

 

[escargot]

I once lit a cluster of church candles and placed them on and around the side of the bath at my previous partner's house one New Year's eve.

We're going back here, I promise!
If I recall correctly, it was quite a magnificent experience; aromatic bubbles, classic fm (lol), very Vicar of Dibley. Anyway, I forgot to blow them out later, setting fire to the bath. Just the bath, thankfully. I didn't even know, previously, that a bath could set alight. I offered to pay to replace it, but he wouldn't hear of it. This was probably a contributing factor as to why the relationship lasted almost 20 yrs. Lovely man

You both got off lightly there. Others (possibly described further upthread) did similar to surprise partners and burn their homes out.

Example, one of many -

Boyfriend welcomes lover home with romantic candle message - and wrecks home in blaze

A romantic boyfriend lit dozens of candles to welcome his girlfriend back - and wrecked their home in a fire.

The photos are horrific.

 

[ramonmercado]

Thing is though, is how can you have such little awareness of your surroundings in the first place????
She must have driven past multiple signs etc.

I once got on the wrong ferry from Le Havre. I meant to get the one to Rosslare but got on the ferry to Cork instead. At least it was the right country.

Edit: tricky memory.

 

[Sid]

Lets face it - you'd have to be fatally stupid to miss this lot.
(The approach to the southern entrance - the northern side is similar - there are also staff members that stand in the road but when this pic was taken the ferry was not in operation)
View attachment 62412

Typical of today really. . . having far too much belief in tech rather than looking where you're going!

 

[Stormkhan]

Hence the desire for self-driving cars. They can't be arsed to drive for themselves.

 

[RaM]

Which is I suppose ok till the car gets confused and goes to default I’am out of this mode then they arrive at the seen of the accident before the disinterested driver who likely doesn’t have the skill to sort it out anyway has time to react.

 

[Sid]

Hence the desire for self-driving cars. They can't be arsed to drive for themselves.

Might be not such a bad Idea - if you could feed-in your destination, then you might not end up sitting in a queue on a Ferry instead of on a Bridge!

 

[Tunn11]

Thing is though, is how can you have such little awareness of your surroundings in the first place????
She must have driven past multiple signs etc.

To be fair it was Woolwich, (Cromer on Thames) can't be blamed for trying to ignore your surroundings.

 

[Sid]

To be fair it was Woolwich, (Cromer on Thames) can't be blamed for trying to ignore your surroundings.

"Huh:" 'Cromer-on-Thames' (Woolwich Docks) my old playground! Used to cycle 15 (30 there and back) miles to get there and go round by the massive timber importers yards, and just have look-around on the Thames banks - surprising the sort of stuff you'd come across there then.

 

[escargot]

Lets face it - you'd have to be fatally stupid to miss this lot.
(The approach to the southern entrance - the northern side is similar - there are also staff members that stand in the road but when this pic was taken the ferry was not in operation)
View attachment 62412

What have I missed? Can't find a post about this.

Reminds me of the terrible accident that befell Viola Beach in Sweden.
When their manager was driving them to the airport after a performance he sped past the signs for the rising bridge, hitting two of them, and collided with the bridge as it was moving. All five were killed.

 

[Tunn11]

"Huh:" 'Cromer-on-Thames' (Woolwich Docks) my old playground! Used to cycle 15 (30 there and back) miles to get there and go round by the massive timber importers yards, and just have look-around on the Thames banks - surprising the sort of stuff you'd come across there then.

You may not recognise it now. Arsenal opened up for housing and Council offices/ Tesco/ housing block (a.k.a the Borg Cube) winning the Carbuncle award a while back.

 

[gordonrutter]

What have I missed? Can't find a post about this.

Reminds me of the terrible accident that befell Viola Beach in Sweden.
When their manager was driving them to the airport after a performance he sped past the signs for the rising bridge, hitting two of them, and collided with the bridge as it was moving. All five were killed.

https://forums.forteana.org/index.p...ly-mistakes-thread.25999/page-67#post-2231968

From Maximus Otter

 

[Stormkhan]

My childhood home was in Plumstead - up the hill from Woolwich - and spent ages in the town. Having looked on Google Earth, it has certainly changed greatly ... but some bits look the same. I used to spend hours on the ferry, with a packed lunch.

 

[Sid]

You may not recognise it now. Arsenal opened up for housing and Council offices/ Tesco/ housing block (a.k.a the Borg Cube) winning the Carbuncle award a while back.

No, all different now I expect - hardly ever been back to London, so great changes would be a certainty.

 

[Tunn11]

My childhood home was in Plumstead - up the hill from Woolwich - and spent ages in the town. Having looked on Google Earth, it has certainly changed greatly ... but some bits look the same. I used to spend hours on the ferry, with a packed lunch.

I worked in Woolwich and Plumstead at various period between the late '70s and 2000s. Lots of changes but still a lot of streets staying unchanged.
A surprising number of people doing family history find links to the Arsenal as it was a major employer for a long period. Sheltering from the rain on Skye in the piping museum I was chatting to a staff member who was born in Plumstead!
https://www.royal-arsenal-history.com

As this is the mistakes thread this story was told to me by a "tourism officer" for Woolwich (Yes, really)

The arsenal site was MOD and had pretty strict security, even in the 1980s one of our porters was moved on for photgraphing the gate. Opposite the arsenal is Woolwich covered market whose glass roof has heritage listing. It was constructed in the late 1930s under license from the German company that developed the lamella structure system. The roof gives fine views over the arsenal site, so it is quite likely that German "advisors" were on the roof at various times!

 

[maximus otter]

Alcohol crackdown enrages Scotch whisky industry​

A row has erupted between the Scotch whisky industry and the Scottish government after a report claimed all alcohol products were “variations of the same thing”, with vendors calling it a “slap in the face” to traditional distilleries.

[The Scottish government] has come under fire for the remarks, which were published as part of a consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion.

The consultation said: “Without branding and other marketing strategies, alcohol products in each beverage sub-sector are essentially variations of the same thing.”

Vendors of Scotch whisky, one of the country’s most famous exports, have hit back at the claim, saying that the comments showed “no regard for the history” of the famous tipple.

Mike Stuart, of Inverurie Whisky Shop, said distilleries in Scotland “all do something unique and the Government has just thrown them all in together”.

In 2021, Scotch whisky exports were worth £4.5bn.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/c...hol-crackdown-enrages-scotch-whisky-industry/

maximus otter

 

[Stormkhan]

I worked in Woolwich and Plumstead at various period between the late '70s and 2000s.

I lived in Plumstead from 1964 - 1981. My mum was a barmaid, working all around SE London - including 'Richardson's pubs' - and did a stint in Plaisted's in Woolwich*. My dad worked in security, mainly in the warehouses of Silvertown, across the river.

Anyhow ... back to the silly mistakes theme!

* A Fortean note is Plaisted's was considered haunted and my mum experienced a paranormal event which she was happy to recount and yet she claimed she didn't believe in ghosts. Go figure.

 

[Frideswide]

my mum experienced a paranormal event which she was happy to recount and yet she claimed she didn't believe in ghosts. Go figure.

this seems to be fairkly common? I can't square this circle

 

[Sid]

this seems to be fairly common? I can't square this circle

Seems like the sensible verdict would be the "middle-of-the-road' syndrome, damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of scenario?

 

[Kondoru]

Oh, whiskey; why am I surprised at their reaction?

(Its called `water of life` and its good for you....)

 

[ramonmercado]

Oh, whiskey; why am I surprised at their reaction?

(Its called `water of life` and its good for you....)

Uisce Beatha.

 

[ChasFink]

Alcohol crackdown enrages Scotch whisky industry​

A row has erupted between the Scotch whisky industry and the Scottish government after a report claimed all alcohol products were “variations of the same thing”, with vendors calling it a “slap in the face” to traditional distilleries.

[The Scottish government] has come under fire for the remarks, which were published as part of a consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion.

The consultation said: “Without branding and other marketing strategies, alcohol products in each beverage sub-sector are essentially variations of the same thing.”

Vendors of Scotch whisky, one of the country’s most famous exports, have hit back at the claim, saying that the comments showed “no regard for the history” of the famous tipple.

Mike Stuart, of Inverurie Whisky Shop, said distilleries in Scotland “all do something unique and the Government has just thrown them all in together”.

In 2021, Scotch whisky exports were worth £4.5bn.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/c...hol-crackdown-enrages-scotch-whisky-industry/

maximus otter

Does anyone know what the government was getting at in this ridiculous statement? Were they trying to say distillers shouldn't mention what makes their product different?

A while back a large liquor store near me had a tasting of five whiskys - four of them Scotch. The tastes were so different that if I hadn't seen the labels I wouldn't even have thought they should be called the same thing. Similar variations can be found in gin, and to a lesser extent nearly all spirits.

 

[Frideswide]

Does anyone know what the government was getting at in this ridiculous statement? Were they trying to say distillers shouldn't mention what makes their product different?

That doesn't seem very likely.

It's a consultation document. Which means all sorts of views will be in there, including ones to try top get people engaged and responding. SOP.

Even taken the reported statement at face value, stripped of argument and context, it's true. All whiskies have more in common than they do with a meat pie, a dishwasher or a large red geranium. They are a distilled spirit. Which makes the branding and advertising, word of mouth and traditions very VERY important. That is how the imbibers can select and choose between them.

Consider the source of the article and what purpose it might have!

 

[Mikefule]

Alcohol crackdown enrages Scotch whisky industry​

A row has erupted between the Scotch whisky industry and the Scottish government after a report claimed all alcohol products were “variations of the same thing”, with vendors calling it a “slap in the face” to traditional distilleries.

[The Scottish government] has come under fire for the remarks, which were published as part of a consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion.

The consultation said: “Without branding and other marketing strategies, alcohol products in each beverage sub-sector are essentially variations of the same thing.”

Vendors of Scotch whisky, one of the country’s most famous exports, have hit back at the claim, saying that the comments showed “no regard for the history” of the famous tipple.

Mike Stuart, of Inverurie Whisky Shop, said distilleries in Scotland “all do something unique and the Government has just thrown them all in together”.

In 2021, Scotch whisky exports were worth £4.5bn.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/c...hol-crackdown-enrages-scotch-whisky-industry/

maximus otter

Make your definition broad enough and it becomes true. "Beverages containing ethanol" includes whisky, gin, beer, mead, wine, alcopops...

Make your your definition narrow enough and you go the other way. "Champagne is only champagne if it is made in a specific way and comes from the Champagne region of France." Any other fizzy wine that looks and tastes almost exactly the same is not Champagne.

A Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and a Lada are all variations of the same thing: just cars. The same could be said of The Halle Orchestra, and Slaughter and the Dogs: musical entertainment.

There's a Fortean aspect to this type of question. Before deciding whether we believe something exists (Bigfoot, UFOs, ghosts) a good starting point is to decide what is essential to the definition. In a sense, all Fortean phenomena are "variations of the same thing" if you merely define "Fortean phenomena" as "anomalous phenomena attested by witnesses but not accepted by mainstream science."

This is semantics. The important point is whether there are important differences. The report was part of a consultation on advertising and promotion of alcoholic drinks. Alcohol abuse and dependency are a big problem in Scotland, and in many parts of the world.

Regulating the advertising and promotion of alcoholic drinks needs a more nuanced approach than this headline suggests. In the main, the problem is low priced and readily accessible alcohol such as cheap cider, export strength lager, cheap blended whisky.

Yes, I'm sure there are a few high performing high net worth alcoholics who drink fine wines or 12 year old malts, but that's not where regulation needs to focus.

 

[Yithian]

That doesn't seem very likely.

It's a consultation document. Which means all sorts of views will be in there, including ones to try top get people engaged and responding. SOP.

Even taken the reported statement at face value, stripped of argument and context, it's true. All whiskies have more in common than they do with a meat pie, a dishwasher or a large red geranium. They are a distilled spirit. Which makes the branding and advertising, word of mouth and traditions very VERY important. That is how the imbibers can select and choose between them.

Consider the source of the article and what purpose it might have!

Perhaps I am at fault here, but I took the 'Silly Mistake' to be not claiming whiskies are all 'essentially the same' (which, as you say, they are as soon as you 'pan out'), but rather 'telling the Scottish public that whiskies are all the same' as it's as liable to be as well-received as telling the Koreans that all kimchi is the same, the Greeks that all Feta is the same or the French that all Champagne is the same: definitely ill-advised.

Nonetheless, if the matter is too much of a political football, I will remove it.