Darwin award Condidate?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by GrumpyCabbie, Mar 30, 2012.

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  1. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    We're having a bit of a fuel crisis over here in the UK at the moment. Fuel has kept hitting record highs virtually every day for the last couple weeks and then to top it off the tanker drivers have decided to go on strike - or at least threatened to.

    This has led to a run on fuel stations;

    http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2012/03/panicking-over-petrol
    BBC News - Fuel strike over Easter ruled out by union


    My town is now dry of all fuel so I'm glad I'm not in the taxi game anymore (and I took the foresight to fill up last week), but the reason for this thread is the following;

    BBC News - Woman seriously burned decanting petrol

    So a woman poured petrol from one can to another in her kitchen when she had the gas cooker/stove on!?! We all know what would happen next - BOOOOM! :confused:

    You couldn't make it up! Obviously it's very bad for this woman and she wishes she hadn't done it, but come on, who in their right mind would slosh petrol around in a confined space/room with gas rings burning? :rolleyes:
     
    #1 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 30, 2012
  2. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Let me ask the reverse question. How many humans have never done something unsafe and stupid in their lifetime? (I don't qualify.)

    It's a public service to continously make folks aware of other's mistakes that can prevent future disasters. Thanks for that. It's risky business picking Darwin Award Candidates and thinking that the judges are perfect.
     
    #2 FL_Prius_Driver, Mar 30, 2012
  3. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    Not to make light of the situation (pun intended), since she already has a daughter, and since she is in her 40s, it probably doesn't matter if she is still in the gene pool or not.
     
    #3 Michgal007, Mar 30, 2012
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  4. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I must have missed that... you are out of the taxi game?
     
    #4 spiderman, Mar 30, 2012
  5. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Yes.

    2009 petrol £1.00 a litre, $5.91 a US gallon
    2012 petrol £1.42 a litre, $8.40 a US gallon



    Not sure what I'm going to do instead. Like the idea of a 'green' cab company but the banks are not lending at all. :confused:
     
    #5 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 30, 2012
  6. airportkid

    airportkid Will Fly For Food

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    Sounds like you need Newt Gingrich over there; he can get the price down to $2.50. Not clear whether that was per gallon, liter, quart, pint, shot glass or eyedropper, but a politician's promise is as good as, uh, hmmm, well, it's a promise. We're done with him here so you can have him.
     
    #6 airportkid, Mar 30, 2012
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Bummer. Well hope something comes up for you soon.
     
    #7 spiderman, Mar 30, 2012
  8. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    so your out of a job because the gas price is to high?
     
    #8 Flying White Dutchman, Mar 30, 2012
  9. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Not as such but it hasn't helped. Unfortunately over here the taxi rates/tariff is set by the local council who base them on the cost of living. Now that's all very well but fuel is our biggest outlay by far, so a 40% increase in two years isn't matched by the 6.2% cost of living increase. Unlike a shop or haulage company or any other business out there, I am not able to increase my prices to reflect increased costs. In the past petrol went up and down (usually up) much more slowly and could easily be absorbed, but 20% a year just doesn't help.

    How are other drivers managing? I guess they're not, or working 20 hours a day or more! I am aware of one driver who worked 28 hours in a row! Now that is criminal in my mind and I'm not prepared to risk that (and the passengers) just to make a couple quid. Others are claiming unemployment but working and hoping they don't get caught, whilst others have a wife with a good job and/or are old enough to have no mortgage to pay etc.

    If you own a company and have some vacancies, then let me know - I'll do pretty much anything (legal and within reason), am smart, friendly :) and fairly intelligent. The old friend network for work has dried up and there is nothing out there :(
     
    #9 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 30, 2012
  10. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    ^ I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm retired myself, so I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions. Maybe when all the cabbies quit because fuel costs more than the fare, the council will raise the rates. Or there just won't be cabs any more. Then I suppose there will be unlicensed black market cabs that charge what the market will bear.
     
    #10 daniel, Mar 30, 2012
  11. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    If the town's out of gas and you're sitting at home, you're missing a business opportunity. Dust off that bicycle and start a courier service.

    How does the local population feel about rickshaws? :D
     
    #11 hyo silver, Mar 30, 2012
  12. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    That would never happen here, because gas is a liquid. :p
     
    #12 hyo silver, Mar 30, 2012
  13. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    That story must be really confusing in America - she poured gas into a gas container but the gas was ingnited by the stoves gas burner.

    But you insist on calling petrol gas :)
     
    #13 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 30, 2012
  14. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    True I try to say gaso in my posts and nat gas
     
    #14 wjtracy, Mar 30, 2012
  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    If she is still alive, and the injuries weren't the sort that render her incapable of reproduction (much more common to males than to females), then she is not a candidate for a Darwin Award.

    And as previously mentioned, she already has a daughter. True Darwins must be earned prior to first reproduction.
     
    #15 fuzzy1, Mar 30, 2012
  16. Silver bullit

    Silver bullit Right Lane Cruiser

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    "Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Well this is obviously a desperate incident and a terrible thing that has happened to this woman and my heart goes out to her and her family." +1
     
    #16 Silver bullit, Mar 31, 2012
  17. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    And I'd agree with that. Thankfully she survived and the damage was limited and nodoubt she has learned a dreadful lesson, but please what the hell was she doing with petrol inside, in a kitchen with gas hobs burning.
     
    #17 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 31, 2012
  18. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    welcome to the US 1973 gas crisis

    [​IMG]




    [​IMG]
     
    #18 SlowTurd, Mar 31, 2012
  19. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    and china should have stayed like this...


    [​IMG]
     
    #19 SlowTurd, Mar 31, 2012
    dbcassidy and Presto like this.
  20. icarus

    icarus Senior Member

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    Sorry to be a stickler, but the top picture is not from 1973. There is at lest one VW Rabbit and possibly a Ford Fiesta. Neither were introduced to the US market until 1976!

    Icarus
     
    #20 icarus, Apr 1, 2012
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