Sounds like a “Near Miss” Darwin award to me!
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"pyrolord314
Sounds like a “Near Miss” Darwin award to me!
Would that be the same as second place?
not quite…a near miss is declared because they didn’t either get themselves killed by the stupidity of their action, or make themselves sterile due to their stupid action.
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I think that if the explosion causes damage below your waist line, it could result in becoming a “near Miss”.
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The reporters for the organizations you mention have their jobs because they have sources and know how to develop them if they need new ones. The PBS report I cited reported that sources said they ransom was paid and that Colonial said they did not pay it. PBS did not take sides, just reported what they discovered. If one or the other is found correct, they will report that, too. BTW, when they make an error, they admit it, just like all responsible news organizations do. Irresponsible ones do not admit they are wrong, but repeat the errors they made, only louder. Think about that the next time you hear or read something labeled as news.
Local ABC reported that a station in Charlotte was charging $10 a gallon. That should help.
Some of you folks think you are dealing with kindergartners. What is your definition of hoarding? Weeks supply? Month? Year? Some people on here have proudly talked about never getting gas until they are on fumes, yet you won’t meet an emergency manager or civil defense director that will not suggest to fill up at 1/2 tank. So which is common sense? Wait until you are empty and then see that there is a shortage, or replenish your supply before you run out? I always have an extra package of TP and paper towels on hand. Is that hoarding, or is that just a safety stock to not have to resupply when there is a shortage?
And @VDCdriver tell the truth now. The gov banned 100 watt light bulbs and LED replacements were not yet in great supply. The disasterous mercury filled curly bulbs that give off little light was the alternative. Yes some people stocked up as the manufacturing was moved to China. Then the ban was lifted, and the Chinese bulbs flooded the market. Also the production of good quality reasonably priced LEDs became available and people started converting. Another government program run amok.
It was a complete success. The US is saving over $600 MILLION annually by switching to LED. That money saved equates to energy saved which in turn equals less pollution. Want me to do the math for you.
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I have just come to accept your grade school insults to intelligence as normal SOP but why you think it has some kind of impact I have no idea. I’m perfectly capable of doing simple math. You missed the point that quality reasonably priced LEDs were not available when the 100 watt bulbs were being banned. Now that they are available, so are Chinese made 100 watt bulbs. So what is your point? What do you think worked?
Math? A 100 watt Chinese bulb costs about $3 a 4 pack at Menards. An equivalent LED is about $5 each. Still I spent over $500 for LEDs to replace my garage and shop 100 watt bulbs, regardless of the math. I probably also spent over $1500 on LEDs for bulbs in the house. Still I like them even if it doesn’t make sense. You come up with all these numbers out of who knows where but personally I doubt that I will ever live long enough to save enough electricity to pay for the $2000 I have spent for LEDs.
I will continue to replace my bulbs with LEDs as the old ones expire, but spare me your silly arguments and insults.
As far as hoarding and panic buying which was the issue, everyone needs to have in place simple programs for insuring their survival in the event of emergency conditions. Emergency managers recommend having stocks of food, water, medical supplies, and other necessities on had for at least several weeks. It is just common sense and not hoarding. You don’t wait for a hurricane to have plywood on hand for the windows, or to have an emergency generator. You shouldn’t wait until you have 1/8 th tank of gas to fill the tank. Those that do, panic at the least blip in the system.
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I think that I exercise common sense by almost always waiting until my gas gauge is at the 50% mark. The only exception is if I am about to take a long drive, in which case I will go to Costco for gas even if I only need a few gallons. This past week, I resisted the impulse to fill-up when my gauge was at the 75% mark, and I’m glad that I did resist that urge. I am still slightly above the 50% mark, so I probably won’t fill the tank until the end of next week.
I was telling the truth about my hoarding friend. His lack of success in selling even one of his hoarded incandescent bulbs would seem to be pretty good evidence that nobody wants them–at any price–at least in his county.
The Darwin awards have honorable mentions, such as the group that tried to run their conversion van using open buckets of gas inside, pouring the gas directly into the carb and then the backfire happened.
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That was one of those 80’s full size vans where they had the cover off of the engine because the carb wasn’t getting fuel so they used 5 gal buckets like you would buy at the hardware store and had the whole van full of fumes. All 3 had burns but lived to tell the story. On I-405 near Bellevue many years ago.
BELLEVUE – Fumes from an open bucket of gasoline inside a stalled van contributed to an explosion that sent three Bellevue residents to the hospital with burns, police and fire officials said Thursday.
The woman told investigators that she and two male friends were getting some gas from a Factoria gas station minutes before the explosion, according to a Bellevue police press release. They were having problems keeping the older model Chevy van running, so they filled an open bucket with two gallons of gas and kept it inside the van because they did not have a proper enclosed gas container.
After removing the engine cowling from between the two front seats to get direct access to the carburetor, the group used a water bottle to transfer gas from the bucket directly into the carburetor from the inside of the van to keep the engine running, police said.
The vehicle stalled just before 145 Place S.E and the driver tried to restart it, Bellevue police said. Investigators say that the fumes built up from the open bucket of gas exploded, triggered by the van’s own ignition when the driver tried to restart the van.
The van became fully engulfed in flames and started rolling backwards, Bellevue police said. Witnesses told police the woman jumped out the back of the van and fell to the ground on fire, with the van rolling over her leg. The two men, who were also on fire, jumped out of the van and ran towards the Chevron station on the corner. One of the men made it to the station and tried to douse himself with water, police said.
Well I agree there isn’t exactly a good after-market for 100 watt bulbs, but gee Menards still sells them for some reason. Point was people that needed them back then tended to stock up when they were being banned. Then times changed and they remained available. Not a big loss to just throw them out now.
I agree, but don’t try telling that to a hoarder like him!
It makes me cringe, but every Sunday night (garbage collection is on Monday morning) he goes around his town, poking through garbage cans in order to extract “treasures” that he brings home, rarely if ever uses, and never discards. And, his garbage-picking is not because he is poverty stricken. It’s actually pretty sad, IMHO.
So I guess the suggestion is I should not smoke after filling up the 6 gallon tank for the boat, I have thought the same thing, I don’t know about you, but it seems so often I cannot fill up the 6 gallon tank with some gas going besides in the tank.
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OK I guess he really is a hoarder of stuff rather than a boy scout type just wanting to be prepared for unforeseen or foreseen circumstances. Send him around if he needs more stuff. Over the years I have been in a lot of people’s houses for one reason or another and one was so totally filled with old newspapers stacked up, there was only a path from the front door to the kitchen. I mean 3-4 foot stacks of newspapers. I don’t know why newspapers and magazines but there must have been some valuable articles on WW II toward the bottom.
And LED lights (reasonably priced) are made in the US today. Prices for LEDs (and pretty much anything ) comes down when the market grows. Economics 102. Even IF the LED prices stayed high they’d still have saved a lot of money and been a lot better for the environment. Try to actually do some research before you go off on one of your conspiracy theories.
Why? I was very happy with CFLs which were MUCH MUCH cheaper then LED’s and were far more energy efficient then standard bulbs. Then when LED’s dropped CFL’s went away. Fluorescent lights (the long ones) are still being used and sold. They were the goto light for offices for decades.
That is likely the reason why wife #2 divorced him, and wife #3 is separated from him.
It’s a shame that well-meaning liberals like me pushed for elimination of laws permitting involuntary committment to mental hospitals.
Yes, unfortunately I am powerless to do anything about helping him to get treatment for his mental state. Hopefully wife #3 will do the right thing.