'06 Darwin Award nominees

[Larry]

Link (http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2006.html)

Voting's still open.

[Teller]

I didn't see anybody whose genes we'll miss.


Seriously. How ****ing stupid do you have to be to play "lightsaber" with a flaming gas-filled flourescent bulb. :doh:

[JMS]

How about that guy "bear man". They made a movie about him using real footage. This crazy guy would sneak into US National park reserves so he could live and comune with the Gizzly bears. He fancied himself a documentary film maker thus the reason he filmed himself. My wife and I are watching him talk baby talk with what looked like an 800 lb 11 feet tall carnivore only like 10 feet away... Coarse the bears ate him. My wife's father was a super intendent of several national parks. She said growing up they had lots of guys like this visit their parks...


I vote him for the darwin awards.. of coarse the bears ate him!!

[PokerPacker]

my favorite:
Faithful Flotation
2006 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin
(August 2006, Libreville, Gabon) In August, a congregation's 35-year old pastor insisted one could literally walk on water, if only one had enough faith. Big and bold was his speech. He extolled the heavenly power possessed by a faithful man with such force that he may well have convinced himself.

Whether or not he believed in his heart, his sermons left room for only shame should he leave his own faith untested. Thus, the pastor set out to walk across a major estuary, the path of a 20-minute ferry ride. But the man could not swim.

Lacking the miraculous powers of David Copperfield, let alone holy Jesus Christ, this ill-fated cleric found only a Darwin Award at the end of his final path.

[Park City Skins]

Unfortunate souls all. But jumping from a moving train?

[Blighty Skins]

How about that guy "bear man". They made a movie about him using real footage. This crazy guy would sneak into US National park reserves so he could live and comune with the Gizzly bears. He fancied himself a documentary film maker thus the reason he filmed himself. My wife and I are watching him talk baby talk with what looked like an 800 lb 11 feet tall carnivore only like 10 feet away... Coarse the bears ate him. My wife's father was a super intendent of several national parks. She said growing up they had lots of guys like this visit their parks...


I vote him for the darwin awards.. of coarse the bears ate him!!

He wouldn't "sneak" into National Parks. He would go in and camp, the Rangers knew full well he was there. He'd been going for 15 seasons, or 15 years. It's unfortunate what happened to him.

He's called Timothy Treadwell, his girlfriend Amie Huguernard also died in the grizzly attack trying to defend him from a bear, with a frying pan. They don't deserve to be in the Darwin awards. He had a real respect for the bears and loved wildlife. The attack which killed him was a night-camp attack, nothing to do with him going up to them...the bear came to them seeking food.

Anyway, it would be the 2003 Darwin awards seeing they were killed in 2003.

Read up on it...it's interesting.

[Raub]

The helium balloon story is classic! :laugh:

I'm guessing they weren't scholastic wonders.

[JMS]

He wouldn't "sneak" into National Parks. He would go in and camp, the Rangers knew full well he was there. He'd been going for 15 seasons, or 15 years. It's unfortunate what happened to him.

He's called Timothy Treadwell, his girlfriend Amie Huguernard also died in the grizzly attack trying to defend him from a bear, with a frying pan. They don't deserve to be in the Darwin awards. He had a real respect for the bears and loved wildlife. The attack which killed him was a night-camp attack, nothing to do with him going up to them...the bear came to them seeking food.

Anyway, it would be the 2003 Darwin awards seeing they were killed in 2003.

Read up on it...it's interesting.

The movie clearly states that he wasn't in a national park but rather a national park reserve. He would sneak into these remote areas literally hiding from rangers as they flew and drove past. So says the movie. Then he would live in the reserve for months at a time.. ( also illegal ).

The dude didn't respect the bears and he didn't respect nature. The dude was a loonie tune who would walk up to 800 lb carniverous apex preditors and talk baby talk to them.... It's in the film countless times.... The person who strips naked and walks through the tiger cage may claim that he respects animals, but I don't see it. Clearly putting himself and others in danger without having done any of the dudilligence is more atune with insanity than respectful observance.

One last thing... This bear dude... his claim to fame was that he almost landed the part of Woody Boyd on Cheers... He was chosen and finally beaten out by Woody Harrelson.... Sad to think that their are folks out there with less common sense than Woody Harrelson.

[Blighty Skins]

Well first of all you didn;t even know his name...and now all of a sudden you're an expert. Ok then... I'm just saying he doesn't deserve to be in the Darwin awards. You can say what you want, but fact remains in the 15 years "loony" wandered up to the bears, he wasn't eaten once, made friends with one bear who was very fond of him and was not liked by the bear that killed him (his nickname for the bear was "Jim the grumpy old bear". He was also making a documentary and if he wasn't eaten would've released IT instead of the movie on his death, thus a "professional" in my eyes.

Why should he be set apart from the Australian croc guy, Irwin, who was another risk taker and also lost his life? So just because Irwin was on TV all the time, that makes it OK? Or is it normal and acceptable to ride piggy-back on 15 feet monster crocs?

Respect where respect is due...

:2cents:

[PokerPacker]

Well first of all you didn;t even know his name...and now all of a sudden you're an expert. Ok then... I'm just saying he doesn't deserve to be in the Darwin awards. You can say what you want, but fact remains in the 15 years "loony" wandered up to the bears, he wasn't eaten once, made friends with one bear who was very fond of him and was not liked by the bear that killed him (his nickname for the bear was "Jim the grumpy old bear". He was also making a documentary and if he wasn't eaten would've released IT instead of the movie on his death, thus a "professional" in my eyes.

Why should he be set apart from the Australian croc guy, Irwin, who was another risk taker and also lost his life? So just because Irwin was on TV all the time, that makes it OK? Or is it normal and acceptable to ride piggy-back on 15 feet monster crocs?

Respect where respect is due...

:2cents:
hey, lets not bring Steve into this, what he did was for the good of the crocs. he was rescuing them.

[Blighty Skins]

hey, lets not bring Steve into this, what he did was for the good of the crocs. he was rescuing them.

Well, what Treadwell was doing was saving grizzlys from hunters (It's legal to hunt them in Canada and Alaska). Irwine once dangled his 8 month old daughter 5 feet from a monster crocs mouth. Was that also to "save" the croc? No the real diference is Irwine made a lot of money out of "saving" crocs, Treadwell didn't.

Double standards?

[PokerPacker]

Well, what Treadwell was doing was saving grizzlys from hunters (It's legal to hunt them in Canada and Alaska). Irwine once dangled his 8 month old daughter 5 feet from a monster crocs mouth. Was that also to "save" the croc? No the real diference is Irwine made a lot of money out of "saving" crocs, Treadwell didn't.

Double standards?
i haven't said an ill thing about grizzley man, i'm just saying keep irwin out of it.

[Blighty Skins]

i haven't said an ill thing about grizzley man, i'm just saying keep irwin out of it.

LOL...errr..no...but your request has duly been noted. :laugh:

:rolleyes:

[[[ghost]]]

I didn't see anybody whose genes we'll miss.


Seriously. How ****ing stupid do you have to be to play "lightsaber" with a flaming gas-filled flourescent bulb. :doh:


They're are some very stpid people in this world. I've been to that site before, and they're are people who actually go outside and onto their roofs to fix their sattelites- during hurricans.

[Henry]

I saw the bear man movie. And yes, in my opinion, his was a Darwin award-worthy death.

[jrockster21]

Treadwell was a loony-tune, especially based on the movie. Maybe the movie unfairly painted him that way, but I don't know. The argument has been made that he was not being helpful to the Bears; they should be separated from human society, not have some loony-tune stalking them all the time (not to mention getting them used to humans and thereby endangering other people who happen to be near the bears). I remember one part of the movie this bear dropped a deuce. Next thing you know, he was examining this bear's feces, and practically gushing over how magical it was to be touching this bear's crap. I swear he almost started rubbing it all over himself...he was a straight loony-tune. I think the one good thing this guy did was to go around, educating kids about Grizzlies.

To be fair, however, Steve Irwin narrowly escaped many Darwin-award worthy deaths as well.

[Blighty Skins]

I'm saying neither Irwine nor Treadwell deserve the Darwin award. Though between the two, Irwine was the pro, Treadwell was the amatuer. Though that's where the differences end, in my opinion. They both loved nature and both died for it. Tragic thing was that Treadwell got his girlfriend killed. They were both trying to protect an endangered species, in fact why grizzly hunting is still allowed in Alaska and Canada is beyond me and in that sense Treadwell was successful in highlighting this.

Darwin award winners are morons...best one I ever read was a some Polish friends who were "partying". Usual Warsaw-Pact machismo, one of them chops his foot off with a chainsaw to show how tough he is. His friend, not to be outdone, chopped his head off. :laugh:

[JMS]

Well first of all you didn;t even know his name...and now all of a sudden you're an expert. Ok then... I'm just saying he doesn't deserve to be in the Darwin awards. You can say what you want, but fact remains in the 15 years "loony" wandered up to the bears, he wasn't eaten once,



Actually he was eaten exactly once.




made friends with one bear who was very fond of him and was not liked by the bear that killed him (his nickname for the bear was "Jim the grumpy old bear". He was also making a documentary and if he wasn't eaten would've released IT instead of the movie on his death, thus a "professional" in my eyes.


He had a hundred dollar video camera and filmed himself acting like an ass baby talking to bears.



Why should he be set apart from the Australian croc guy, Irwin, who was another risk taker and also lost his life?


Steve Irwin owned a nature park. Was a relatively famous naturalist and croc expert. No comparison to baby talking bear dude, trespassing in nature perserves.



So just because Irwin was on TV all the time, that makes it OK? Or is it normal and acceptable to ride piggy-back on 15 feet monster crocs?


Just because Irwin was successful. Made a living at his profession, and didn't break the law.

Respect where respect is due...

:2cents:[/QUOTE]

[Blighty Skins]

No, you're wrong, because in 15 years he wandered up to bears, he was NEVER eaten. He was eaten when a bear came into his tent compound searching for food. he didn't wander up to it, in fact he was about to go to sleep...didn't have his shoes on. The bear was toothless (or had them in very bad condition), was hungry due to not being able to hunt (due to his age) and at that point was intent on having an easy meal (Treadwell). What would you have done? Remember...no guns because it was in a Park and they forgot to bring Bear Spray with them...though how effective this is is questionable, anyway.

Oh so because Irwin owned a nature park, that makes his actions OK? :rolleyes: And if Irwin was a croc expert, then Treadwell was a bear expert. I don't recall Irwin having a PHD on Croc Handling. He became an "expert" by doing, just like Treadwell, who interacted with bears for 15 years.

Treadwell put his girlfriend in danger, Irwin put his daughter in danger when he dangled the 8 month old infant in front of a monster croc's mouth.

Treadwell did not "trespass" in Nature Parks. No idea where you got that from. :rolleyes: What he used to do is hide from Rangers because he didn't like them...and Rangers like to keep tabs on people in the Parks for their own safety, I suppose?

Irwin was killed by a Stingray...yet was a croc expert. I can say that's pretty dumb too. :cheers:

[JMS]

No, you're wrong, because in 15 years he wandered up to bears, he was NEVER eaten. He was eaten when a bear came into his tent compound searching for food. he didn't wander up to it, in fact he was about to go to sleep...didn't have his shoes on. The bear was toothless (or had them in very bad condition), was hungry due to not being able to hunt (due to his age) and at that point was intent on having an easy meal (Treadwell). What would you have done?


He got eaten. And he was eaten because he made a mistake which any moron who read the safety brochure of the park would have avoided.

He was not eaten in his tent.. the tent was not ripped open or otherwise damaged..



The tent in which Treadwell and Huguenard had been camping showed no signs of being ripped open by a bear trying to attack people inside, but a friend of Treadwell's said it was common for him to leave the tent in the dark to confront bears that approached his camp.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/4118880p-4134149c.html



Dozens of scientists, bear guides and outdoor authorities who have spent their lives around Alaska's bruins have criticized Treadwell's daytime activities. The Californian had a seemingly overwhelming need to get close to bears.




It was hard to avoid being shocked or impressed by the fearless way he eased up to within feet of some of the most powerful predators on the continent. Treadwell said he could calm them by talking in his high-pitched sing-song voice and tell from their body language whether they posed any threat. ( baby talk!!)







Remember...no guns because it was in a Park and they forgot to bring Bear Spray with them...though how effective this is is questionable, anyway.


There is hunting at Katmai National Park so their web site says. But Bear Boy was oposed to carrying a gun on moral grounds.. He believed the bears were his friends...



Oh so because Irwin owned a nature park, that makes his actions OK? :rolleyes: And if Irwin was a croc expert, then Treadwell was a bear expert. I don't recall Irwin having a PHD on Croc Handling. He became an "expert" by doing, just like Treadwell, who interacted with bears for 15 years.


I don't recall Irwin getting eaten by a croc! I don't recall anybody associated with Irwin, like his wife or child getting eaten by a croc. Likewise Irwin was a professional Croc expert who lived indoors with his wife and familiy on money he earned being a Croc expert. Bear boy was an actor a part time bear phyco and lived with his parents the rest of the year.



Treadwell put his girlfriend in danger, Irwin put his daughter in danger when he dangled the 8 month old infant in front of a monster croc's mouth.


Treadwell's girlfriend was eaten. Irwin's daughter was not. Irwin's even occured in his park where he was in total control of the situation. So says Irwin and the fact that nobody been hurt at that park in a decade bares him out. Bear Boy's girlfriend was eaten.



Treadwell did not "trespass" in Nature Parks. No idea where you got that from. :rolleyes: What he used to do is hide from Rangers because he didn't like them...and Rangers like to keep tabs on people in the Parks for their own safety, I suppose?


I got it from the movie.... I could be wrong on that.. or maybe the film maker put it in their for effect.



Irwin was killed by a Stingray...yet was a croc expert. I can say that's pretty dumb too. :cheers:
Actually sting rays are very docile and shy animals. It's not like folks die do to sting ray attacks every year. Now If he were killed by a tigershark or a sea snake then you would have a point. Frankly I don't believe many folks including Irwin thought there was much danger from the Rays. It was more of a fluke than given. Bear boy was a dead man walking..

Did you see the movie... It sounds like you have definite opinions about Treadwell. What are they based on. My opinions are based on the movie, and my father in law's stories of whacko park tourists... I would love to have a greater understanding of this. Please share the basis of your opinions.

[PokerPacker]

Irwin was killed by a Stingray...yet was a croc expert. I can say that's pretty dumb too. :cheers:
you insist on bringing him down, don't you? stingrays don't typically kill people, they're considered the kittens of the sea. it somehow got the idea that he threatened it (he probably didn't notice it) and it stabbed him in the back and through the heart. that was a case of a random tragedy, not stupidity.

[jrockster21]

you insist on bringing him down, don't you? stingrays don't typically kill people, they're considered the kittens of the sea. it somehow got the idea that he threatened it (he probably didn't notice it) and it stabbed him in the back and through the heart. that was a case of a random tragedy, not stupidity.

It was definitely not random tragedy. A guy like Steve Irwin puts his life in danger many more times than your average person. People that do that end up getting hurt more often than others...so getting stung to death by a stingray is not normal, but surviving the million other things he lived through isn't normal either...the odds just caught up with him. RIP.

[Blighty Skins]

JMS, you're just twisting it to what you want to make it sound. So because Treadwell came out of hs tent, that's the reason he was eaten by the bear? So a nylon tent would have saved him and his girlfriend? In actual fact, they recommend you DON'T stay in your tent if a bear wanders into an encampment, reason being many people have been killed in their tents. So the time he took advice from "experts" on how to handle a bear encounter, he was eaten. Ironic. :doh:

Nope. The Park where he was at was illegal to carry firearms. That's in the official police report... ;)

Irwin dangled his baby daughter feet from a crocodile which also got bad media attention. And yes, experts usually recommend this is not a good idea. :doh:

No...I'm pretty sure he didn't trespass...never once was he put in jail for trespassing. And also, he had no reason to, seeing there are many Parks you may enter. What the Rangers didn;t like about him was that he would say he'd be in one encampment, then go make his own in a secluded spot and hide it in thick brambles. So the Rangers couldn't keep an eye on him...for his own safety.

And bollocks about sting-rays being docile, harmless!!! They are very dangerous animals...you know, that sword like think at the back is a defensive WEAPON!!! Like bear experts say you shouldn;t approach a bear they also say you shouldn't swim anywhere NEAR a stingray. And Irwin was right on top of it... People die from getting near sting-rays...so no, no freak accident. And before you doubt me...look it up!! So yes, Irwin should have known better and what he did was pretty STUPID.

[PokerPacker]

And bollocks about sting-rays being docile, harmless!!! They are very dangerous animals...you know, that sword like think at the back is a defensive WEAPON!!! Like bear experts say you shouldn;t approach a bear they also say you shouldn't swim anywhere NEAR a stingray. And Irwin was right on top of it... People die from getting near sting-rays...so no, no freak accident. And before you doubt me...look it up!! So yes, Irwin should have known better and what he did was pretty STUPID.
just because they have the means to harm, doesn't mean they like to. usually stingrays would prefer to escape or swim away. its rare that they actually use their barb, even rarer that they hit you in the heart.

EDIT:
from wikipedia:
Dasyatids generally do not attack aggressively or even actively defend themselves. When threatened, their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when they are attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is whipped up. This attack is normally ineffective against their main predator, sharks.[2] Humans are usually stung in the foot region (depending on the size of the stingray); it is also possible, although less likely, to be stung by brushing against the stinger. The stinger often breaks off in the wound, which is non-fatal to the stingray, and will be regrown. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain and swelling from the venom, and possible later infection from bacteria on parts of the stinger left in the wound. Immediate injuries to humans include, but are not limited to: poisoning, punctures, severed arteries and possibly death. Fatal stings, such as that which killed Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin in September 2006,[3] are extremely rare.

[jrockster21]

just because they have the means to harm, doesn't mean they like to. usually stingrays would prefer to escape or swim away. its rare that they actually use their barb, even rarer that they hit you in the heart.

Actually, I think stingray barbs in the lower leg are a pretty common occurrence. Its easy to avoid them, yes, but its also easy to step on them if you're not aware they are there.

[PokerPacker]

Actually, I think stingray barbs in the lower leg are a pretty common occurrence. Its easy to avoid them, yes, but its also easy to step on them if you're not aware they are there.
i just edited my previous post to include a wikipedia entry.

[manicd]

I think this should clear things up.

http://www.travisandjonathan.com/GrizzlyBearMan.html

[Blighty Skins]

Hippos are cute and cuddly, yet kill more people than any other wild animal in Africa. Hardly rhino, aren't they? Experts say you should stay away from Stingrays at all cost, to not swim near them because of their deadly barb. Like you shouldn't go near lions because of their deadly teeth and cobras because of their deadly venom. And bears.

Yes, it says Sting Rays PREFER to run away. But you left out the part where it says it WILL use it's barb as a last resort if it really feels threatened or harrased. Which begs the question, just what was Irvin trying to do it? I supsect he was trying to ride it like he does the crocs. I mean, it was his trademark afterall. Ride a blimming stingray? He's lucky he didn't get the barb up the arse. Crikey! Buggered by a stingray!

They both died stupidly for something they loved. :2cents:

[Stophovr6]

Hippos are cute and cuddly, yet kill more people than any other wild animal in Africa. Hardly rhino, aren't they? Experts say you should stay away from Stingrays at all cost, to not swim near them because of their deadly barb. Like you shouldn't go near lions because of their deadly teeth and cobras because of their deadly venom. And bears.

Yes, it says Sting Rays PREFER to run away. But you left out the part where it says it WILL use it's barb as a last resort if it really feels threatened or harrased. Which begs the question, just what was Irvin trying to do it? I supsect he was trying to ride it like he does the crocs. I mean, it was his trademark afterall. Ride a blimming stingray? He's lucky he didn't get the barb up the arse. Crikey! Buggered by a stingray!

They both died stupidly for something they loved. :2cents:

They both died stupidly, which is a perfect candidate for the Darwin award. I think Steve Irwin should be on that list as well as the grizzly retard.

You can cry foul about it, but if idiots die taunting predators(and let's be real, that is all it is) and animals with deadly defense mechanisms, that's their problem. There are plenty of people who respect and care for wild animals who don't stupidly put themselves in harms way on purpose.

[Blighty Skins]

I think Snake Man should be added to the list:



Cobra bite kills Thai 'Snake Man'


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39954000/jpg/_39954347_snake_head_203.jpg Most snakes are harmless to people - but a few are deadly

A Thai man who held a world record for time spent with snakes has died after being bitten by one of his pet cobras.
Boonreung Bauchan - known as the Snake Man - suffered a venomous bite in the elbow while he was showing villagers a deadly snake, a hospital doctor said.

He took herbal medicine and a shot of whiskey, and continued with the show until he collapsed, the doctor added.

By the time Mr Boonreung was taken to hospital, the poison had spread through his body.

He won a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records after spending seven days in an enclosure with snakes in 1998.

The 34-year-old from Thailand's north-eastern Si Sa Ket province was supporting his family with income from his snake shows, according to The Nation newspaper.

It quoted his father as saying that boxes of pet snakes were still at the house.

"They look fiercer now. So no one dares get closer to the boxes," he was quoted as saying.



:D