mac124
06-03-07, 18:15
DARWIN AWARD: Mole Hunt
Confirmed True by Darwin
January 2007, Germany | A 63-year-old man's extraordinary effort to
eradicate a mole from his property resulted in a probable victory for
the
mole. The man had pounded several metal rods into the ground and
connected
them to a high-voltage power line, with the intent of rendering the
subterranean realm uninhabitable.
Incidentally, the maneuver electrified the very ground he stood upon.
He
was found dead at his holiday property on the Baltic Sea. Police had
to
trip the main circuit breaker before venturing onto the property.
The precise date of the sexagenarian's demise could not be ascertained,
but
the electricity bill may provide a clue.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2007-01.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Rock Out
Confirmed by Darwin
November 2006, Singapore | Picture a college dorm room.
Textbooks, dirty laundry, sexy posters, food wrappers, and in the
middle of
it all, a 16-year-old male rocking out to loud music. A typical
student, a
typical day.
But this particular student, bouncing on his bed as he rocked out on
his air
guitar, was about to \"take things too far,\"
according to the coroner's report. Li Xiao Meng, a student at
Singapore's
Hua Business School, bounced up and down on his bed with such
enthusiasm
that he rocked himself right out of the third-floor window.
Normally the windows are locked, but students reportedly force the
locks so
they can sneak a cigarette. Perhaps alluding to Ted Nugent's rock
song, the
court ruled it a case of \"Death By Misadventure.\"
Reader Comments:
\"Did he fall, or did he dive into an imaginary mosh pit?\"
\"Dude! Where's my mosh pit?\"
\"Oingo Boingo\"
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2006-09.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Barn Demolition
Unconfirmed by Darwin (Can you confirm?)
January 2007, Georgia | Raising a new barn is an endeavor that brings a
community together in a working celebration.
Demolishing a barn, on the other hand, is a more solitary pursuit. A
trio
of friends set out to dismantle a dilapidated structure one bracing
winter
afternoon. Speaking of bracing...
There was wood to be cut, so it seemed sensible for one industrious
friend
to fire up his chainsaw. It was less sensible for him to set about
severing
crucial support posts.
Carrying the weight of a full barn roof, those wooden beams were all
that
stood between the workers and structural collapse.
With minimal forethought, this ill-fated lumberjack could have
anticipated
his soon-to-be deadly problem. It was all fun and games until the roof
succumbed to the pull of gravity. As a consolation prize, the deceased
was
indeed successful at demolishing the barn.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2007-02.html
DARWIN AWARD: Jumping Jack Cash
Unconfirmed by Darwin
(March 2000) The Grand Canyon in Arizona is cordoned off by a fence
around
the more treacherous overlooks, to prevent unsteady sightseers from
tottering into the depths. Some of these overlooks have small towering
plateaus a short distance from the fence. Tourists toss coins onto the
plateaus, like dry wishing wells. Quite a few coins pile up on the
surfaces, while others fall to the valley floor far below.
One entrepreneur climbed over the fence with a bag, and leapt to one of
the
precarious, coin-covered perches. He filled his bag with booty, then
tried
to leap back to the fence with the coins.
But the heavy bag arrested his jump, and several tourist were treated
to a
view of his plunge to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
He did not survive to harvest the piles of coins that had suffered his
same
fate.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2000-08.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Fatal Footsie
Confirmed True by Darwin
March 1999, Phnom Penh | Decades of armed strife have littered Cambodia
with
unexploded munitions and ordnance. Authorities w
Confirmed True by Darwin
January 2007, Germany | A 63-year-old man's extraordinary effort to
eradicate a mole from his property resulted in a probable victory for
the
mole. The man had pounded several metal rods into the ground and
connected
them to a high-voltage power line, with the intent of rendering the
subterranean realm uninhabitable.
Incidentally, the maneuver electrified the very ground he stood upon.
He
was found dead at his holiday property on the Baltic Sea. Police had
to
trip the main circuit breaker before venturing onto the property.
The precise date of the sexagenarian's demise could not be ascertained,
but
the electricity bill may provide a clue.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2007-01.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Rock Out
Confirmed by Darwin
November 2006, Singapore | Picture a college dorm room.
Textbooks, dirty laundry, sexy posters, food wrappers, and in the
middle of
it all, a 16-year-old male rocking out to loud music. A typical
student, a
typical day.
But this particular student, bouncing on his bed as he rocked out on
his air
guitar, was about to \"take things too far,\"
according to the coroner's report. Li Xiao Meng, a student at
Singapore's
Hua Business School, bounced up and down on his bed with such
enthusiasm
that he rocked himself right out of the third-floor window.
Normally the windows are locked, but students reportedly force the
locks so
they can sneak a cigarette. Perhaps alluding to Ted Nugent's rock
song, the
court ruled it a case of \"Death By Misadventure.\"
Reader Comments:
\"Did he fall, or did he dive into an imaginary mosh pit?\"
\"Dude! Where's my mosh pit?\"
\"Oingo Boingo\"
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2006-09.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Barn Demolition
Unconfirmed by Darwin (Can you confirm?)
January 2007, Georgia | Raising a new barn is an endeavor that brings a
community together in a working celebration.
Demolishing a barn, on the other hand, is a more solitary pursuit. A
trio
of friends set out to dismantle a dilapidated structure one bracing
winter
afternoon. Speaking of bracing...
There was wood to be cut, so it seemed sensible for one industrious
friend
to fire up his chainsaw. It was less sensible for him to set about
severing
crucial support posts.
Carrying the weight of a full barn roof, those wooden beams were all
that
stood between the workers and structural collapse.
With minimal forethought, this ill-fated lumberjack could have
anticipated
his soon-to-be deadly problem. It was all fun and games until the roof
succumbed to the pull of gravity. As a consolation prize, the deceased
was
indeed successful at demolishing the barn.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2007-02.html
DARWIN AWARD: Jumping Jack Cash
Unconfirmed by Darwin
(March 2000) The Grand Canyon in Arizona is cordoned off by a fence
around
the more treacherous overlooks, to prevent unsteady sightseers from
tottering into the depths. Some of these overlooks have small towering
plateaus a short distance from the fence. Tourists toss coins onto the
plateaus, like dry wishing wells. Quite a few coins pile up on the
surfaces, while others fall to the valley floor far below.
One entrepreneur climbed over the fence with a bag, and leapt to one of
the
precarious, coin-covered perches. He filled his bag with booty, then
tried
to leap back to the fence with the coins.
But the heavy bag arrested his jump, and several tourist were treated
to a
view of his plunge to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
He did not survive to harvest the piles of coins that had suffered his
same
fate.
References: http://DarwinAwards.com/darwin/darwin2000-08.html
- - -
DARWIN AWARD: Fatal Footsie
Confirmed True by Darwin
March 1999, Phnom Penh | Decades of armed strife have littered Cambodia
with
unexploded munitions and ordnance. Authorities w