Toadfish Monastery

Open Water => Snark and Rant => Topic started by: Pachyderm on July 11, 2007, 01:49:15 PM

Title: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Pachyderm on July 11, 2007, 01:49:15 PM
www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=5030&nl=2

If that doesn't work, go to Konraband and type

"idiot on game show phone in" in the search box.

I have never been to Australia. I am sure there are many products I would not be familiar with. But, still....


Can I have a culling license, please?
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Swatopluk on July 11, 2007, 02:10:13 PM
Don't know the brand either (it was the same with sellotape just a few years ago for me) but wiki tells me that it is effectively the generic name for this type of stuff (i.e. used whether it is the actual brand or not) in the US and Down Under.

But game shows seem to attract room temperature IQs these days ;D :(
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on July 11, 2007, 02:41:01 PM
'saran wrap' is the brand-generic equivalent up here.  But most people also know Glad as a brand (more for garbage bags).
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Kiyoodle the Gambrinous on July 11, 2007, 04:33:46 PM
This reminded me somehow of this nice little movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Opsa on July 11, 2007, 07:00:43 PM
That made me slap my forhead so many times I think I  forgot what religion Buddhist monks practice.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on July 11, 2007, 07:14:18 PM
How about some "Talking to Americans"? :mrgreen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLXRVvA6T9k

Heh, hope you have a few minutes....   although it's more about Canadian in-jokes that actual stupidity.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on July 12, 2007, 02:48:11 AM
OK, I give up.  I am sitting behind a corporate firewall that won't let me see the link (adult material, apparently) and I suspect that my 28K connection at home will not be up to the job, so how about a hint as to what its all about... 

BTW, if its an australian term that you don't know, DaveL or myself will no doubt be able to help out.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Pachyderm on July 12, 2007, 03:02:38 AM
game show. fill in the blanks. two spaces.

gl_d wr_p.

woman fails to get it. despite being given multiple attempts. even presenter is stunned.

never heard of the brand name, but can guess.

woman fails to win thousand bucks....
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on July 12, 2007, 03:08:02 AM
Yeah, that qualifies as rampant stupidity, Glad Wrap is the almost completely ubiquitous name for any form of plastic film wrap used in the kitchen in Oz.  It is a brand name of the first major brand of this product over here.  I wonder if the contestant came from Dapto?
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on July 12, 2007, 04:47:17 AM
I am a blond
an an American
I would have won the money!

(course anyone on the continent is technically an American(even Canadians!)
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on July 12, 2007, 04:52:02 AM
No, you're reading your continental map wrong.

You are 'America'.
We are 'North'.

;D

(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6138/northamericabx0.jpg)
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on July 12, 2007, 04:54:35 AM
Quote from: Agujjim on July 12, 2007, 04:52:02 AM
No, you're reading your continental map wrong.

You are 'America'.
We are 'North'.

;D



OH! right -o

;D
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on July 12, 2007, 06:00:27 AM
So depending on how the letters are printed I would be from 'So'(uth) and the Chileans, Argentinians, Paraguayans, Uruguayans and half Brazilians are also America?
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Swatopluk on July 12, 2007, 12:37:11 PM
As Ephraim Kishon used to say, Israel is so small that on most maps the country is abbreviated to Isr. but the capital Jerusalem is always spelled out as if Isr. was part of J. not the other way around. He also opined that one reason not to give back the occupied territories is/was that it would allow space for the -ael.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: beagle on July 12, 2007, 07:55:39 PM
Quote from: Pachyderm on July 12, 2007, 03:02:38 AM
game show. fill in the blanks. two spaces.

gl_d wr_p.

woman fails to get it. despite being given multiple attempts. even presenter is stunned.

Perhaps it's "The Office" style irony. The contestant was re-enacting that bit from the Father Ted game show:

Presenter:   What is the capital city of England?
...

(Increasingly desperate) Presenter:  You live there...


Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on July 12, 2007, 10:51:29 PM
Quote from: beagle on July 12, 2007, 07:55:39 PM.... The contestant was re-enacting that bit from the Father Ted game show:

Presenter:   What is the capital city of England?
...

(Increasingly desperate) Presenter:  You live there...


Contestant: What, Sutton?
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: beagle on July 13, 2007, 07:31:25 AM
Just a small sherry. Go on, go on, go on, go on.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on January 24, 2008, 05:48:21 PM
so as not to begin another thread I'm putting THIS (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22813570/?GT1=10755)
here

Westboro Baptist Church (the ones that picket soldier funerals) is going to picket Heath's memorial---- yep it's because of that "fag" movie he was in

freakin assinine stupid dangerous morons!  :censored: :censored: :censored: :taz: :2guns: :microwave: :dalek: :duh: :soapbox: :desperate: and ETC
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Darlica on January 24, 2008, 06:15:13 PM
 :headbang::barf:

What I can't understand is why people in general let these morons disturb funerals and go on like they do? There must be some way to stop them. Egg them or throw rotten tomatoes at them!
Build a human wall (draped with the rainbow flag ;D) around them or at least between them and the grieving families! 

Or why not classify them as terrorists and send them to one of those nice little camps where everyone get to wear orange jumpsuits. I bet they are more of religious fundamentalists than at least a third of the people who currently are locked up there...
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: beagle on January 24, 2008, 09:26:42 PM
I think they're just reacting very badly to not being able to get Barbra Streisand tickets.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on January 24, 2008, 09:40:25 PM
To quote the Captain of a USN ship visiting Fremantle a few years ago (commenting on some protestors on the dockside) "the problem with living in a democracy is that every idiot gets to have his say".

These people abuse the right to free speach with their offensive behaviour and it strains my sense of tolerance.  I feel myself diminished as a human being that such vitriol can apparently be hurled about without consequence.

I am not going to think about these twinks any more for now.  Instead I am going to concentrate on sending good thought to Griffin and hope she comes back soon.

Sibling Bluenose
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Opsa on January 25, 2008, 10:30:44 PM
Griffin has been spotted and is doing better, but is still sleepy.

Don't let the jerks in the world get you down. I believe that there are many more decent people than there are jerks. It's just that the jerks can be so obnoxious it's like they're magnified. But they just act that way because they are so small-minded. And they love it when they irk the rest of us. That makes them feel important. Sad, really.

All we can do is try to understand that they are how they are right now because something's not been right for them and hope that something will happen to help them evolve. Maybe just seeing that reasonable people are not joining them will eventually turn them around.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Scriblerus the Philosophe on January 25, 2008, 11:15:21 PM
What I would love to see is for a-holes like the WBC to be totally, utterly ignored. That would deflate them faster than a rainbow people-wall (A rainbow people-wall just might make them more annoying in the long-run. they'll feel justified).
And I have every intention of ignoring those silly, silly people from this day forth.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Griffin NoName on January 25, 2008, 11:50:18 PM
Griffin is right here wondering what the heck has happened to you all NERDS. It's like an infection.

And dumbos, it's CLING FILM. DOh!
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Chatty on January 30, 2008, 04:25:42 AM
I have found the King Solomon's Mine of Stupid People.

They work for the City of Somerville.

They turned off the water in the ENTIRE town at 10 PM.

They DID NOT warn people. "There's no way to call everybody." Ummmm...DUH!! This freakin' town is less than 2,000 people (MUCH LESS). And MOST of them are related to others, and most of them them up here and know half the town. So, they couldn't call, say 20 people and tell them to spread the word? Half the town (or more)  would have known within 45 minutes.

We were at the local 'home style' cafe...(Mama's Kitchen where the owner's husband is our mayor.) They were warned so that they could close early and be able to have the kitchen clean. (Water won't be back on until 6 or 7 AM, with the restaurants all opening by 5:30 or 6 for the early coffee drinkers--our friend at Mama's was filling jugs and jars with water for the coffee machine so the whole city won't be grumpy.) So, we finished up, called Mom and Denise, then came home and Dan filled the washer, the tub and some water bottles (and Spencer's water dish.)

I went walking in the COLD to tell the neighbors. They all appreciated the warning, getting at least toothbrushing and coffee water lined up.

We literally have no more than 1,500 people in the 'area', and at least a third of them are on well water, not city water. How hard could it be???
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on January 30, 2008, 01:31:51 PM
Hmm, let me see, the last time Yarra Valley Water turned our water off they mailed everyone in our area about a week before hand to tell us.  Perhaps that's too high tech for your bozos.

They do not even need to know everyone's address (although I would think the City would have them all anyway), the post office over here can do bulk mail outs for very small areas and it does not cost much more than a few cents above the postage.  I am sure the post office in your town could manage it if asked.  What's more they do not need a lot of notice since it simply piggy backs onto their normal distribution system.  I do not think Austalia Post are rocket scientists when it comes to this. I reckon your posttal system could probably manage too.  I think you may be right about the City of Somervile
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on January 30, 2008, 01:42:08 PM
about WBC-- I agree- I wish we could ignore them and I also agree that they do abuse the right of free speech and turn it into something so negative. Quite often a local VFW or similar group will stand guard at a soldiers funeral so these idiots can't get too close---I like the rotten egg and tomato idea.

And what Chatty said about the town--- that is so true- call 20 and everyone will know within 45 minutes.Around my community it is called "someone call Mrs. Ketting" or my cousin Rosemarie(the woman has and uses all 3 of her cell phones)- hey you know what- we have family in TX so next time call me and I'll call Rosie and she'll let TX know about it, we even have access to the BOA electronic sign in Longview( I know that is a far piece from Somerville- but someone would see it and call). Lack of planning on the part of the water dept bozos- and of course the ones who made the muck up were probably all tightly tucked in at the country club leaving the poor saps at the phone desk to handle the ire of the community.


:fone: about our family phone network--- one can get in trouble and be called on it loooong before one even commits the act! some sort of Aunt psychic naughtiness foreknowledge thing.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Griffin NoName on January 30, 2008, 02:08:28 PM
In the UK we are supposed to have our radios on 24/7 in case of major announcements.

Well, it worked when WWII was declared !
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on January 30, 2008, 03:11:20 PM
I think most of the USA also has an Emergency Broadcast System dealio-I suppose that one town could utilize their own little bit of it via the local national affiliate to get word out.

This is a test
This is only a test
if this had been an actual emergency you would have been instructed on where to go for more information
This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System


Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Scriblerus the Philosophe on January 30, 2008, 08:33:00 PM
Jeeeez. What a collection of fine minds you have running the town there, Chatty. Considerate, too.
Honestly, it shouldn't be too hard. Seriously, with a town that small, a few phone calls and requests, like you said, should be more than enough to get the word out.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: pieces o nine on January 30, 2008, 09:35:12 PM
Perhaps they were attempting to thwart those who would "drown gubmint in a bathtub" by, um, shutting off the water to the local bathtubs...
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Chatty on January 31, 2008, 02:01:14 AM
It was..interesting. We're now on a 24 hour "please boil all drinking water" restriction.

I love my little reverse osmosis system.
-------

Anthro, about the country club...the closest we get to a country club in the pool room at the VFW hall, or the 'regular suspects' table at Mama's Kitchen.

We small, we po'.  We are the lowest average income county outside the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Lambicus the Toluous on January 31, 2008, 07:28:00 PM
Yeah, that makes sense.  When water isn't in motion, it starts to grow things.  If you let even treated water sit around in the pipes long enough, eventually the residual chorine will get overwhelmed, and bacteria and microbes will start to grow.

Quote from: Bluenose on January 30, 2008, 01:31:51 PM
Hmm, let me see, the last time Yarra Valley Water turned our water off they mailed everyone in our area about a week before hand to tell us.  Perhaps that's too high tech for your bozos.

They do not even need to know everyone's address (although I would think the City would have them all anyway), the post office over here can do bulk mail outs for very small areas and it does not cost much more than a few cents above the postage.  I am sure the post office in your town could manage it if asked.  What's more they do not need a lot of notice since it simply piggy backs onto their normal distribution system.  I do not think Austalia Post are rocket scientists when it comes to this. I reckon your posttal system could probably manage too.  I think you may be right about the City of Somervile

Even without the post office, they could still notify residents.

A part of one of my summer jobs when I was in school was to drop off notices at peoples' homes before the city did some sort of work that would affect them.  It doesn't take a whole lot to let a student or a temp loose with 1,500 copies of a notice, a map and a clipboard.

Failing that, for a town of 1,500 people, it'd probably do just fine to set up a portable sign in front of the town hall that says "Water service to be shut off between ____ and ____" for a week or two ahead of time.

OR... if even that's too much bother, a quick phone call to the local newspaper and radio station would get the word out, too.

One big thing that worries me is safety: at least around here, the rule is that any time you shut down the fire sprinklers in a building that requires them, you have to post a fire watch (i.e. someone whose only job is to wander the building with a fire extinguisher) around the clock until the sprinklers are reactivated.  I'm guessing that if the town didn't tell anyone before it shut off the water, then there would probably have been at least a few businesses that were deficient in terms of life safety for a while.

I hope they at least told the fire department.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Pachyderm on February 01, 2008, 12:03:49 AM
one of my lecturers was high up in the Emergency Planning section of an Australian State Government.

They had to shut down the water supply for a fairly large area. Told everybody, had reserves kept for schools, hospitals and the Fire boys. All good. State sent people out to physically switch off mains etc. Informed residents about times of switch-offs, so some stocking up could be done. All good.

Couple of days later, health centres and hospitals report huge increase in persons reporting with burned scalps. Water off, but not power. Presence of kettle seemed to be saying "Wash your hair with freshly boiled water...."

Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Swatopluk on February 01, 2008, 10:05:04 AM
Or they confused Fahrenheit and Celsius again ;D
Hey, why does this boiler not go above 100 degrees? It's warmer outside than in this kettle.

I took a bath once, when hot water was switched off. The problem was to get enough water hot by using the (cooking) stove and the water cooker usually used for tea before the earlier batches had cooled down too much. And it was difficult to get extra hot water once I sat in the tub. Now I know why bathing was a rare and family occasion once.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: anthrobabe on February 01, 2008, 02:59:28 PM
Chatty do you still have gunslingers too? I know what you mean- I've seen some tiny TX towns, you drive in and the theme song from The Good The Bad and The Ugly starts playing....


Swato- while growing up and 'camping' I've had my share of freezing tub baths with scalding pockets of molten lave temp water. I agree this is one reason that many took baths once a ____ in history.

One historical invention that changed the life of women in particular was the advent of the hot water reservoir on/with the kitchen stove-- those few gallons of water that could be heated and held must have seemed like a miracle to many.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Chatty on February 01, 2008, 07:43:40 PM
I spent a week snowed in, in the backwoods hills of Oklahoma, where to have hot bathwater, you went out to a 55 gallon drum (set on its side), filled it by means of a hand pump, then started a fire under it. A wood fire, and you'd best NOT use the stovewood.

Then you went inside and put some cold water in the tub..not much, but some. When the water outside was about done, you opened the bathroom window, and ran the attached pipe into the tub, then opened the valve. After the "tank" drained, you could either put out the fire, or the next potential bater could refill the tank.

You went in, stirred the water with a canoe paddle, then added cold water as needed. Lots of fun, especially in 3 feet of snow.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on February 02, 2008, 01:43:53 AM
Maybe not for daily bathing, but I like the idea of that system.  My first run at the Monastery (I'm planning to start with a campground, and knock some rough cabins up as I have to cut trees down for the bamboo to spread) is gonna have one of those to heat the hottub.  :D
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Chatty on February 02, 2008, 06:57:36 AM
Try to use a better boiler than a used 55 gallon drum, 'K?

Or at least get a good clean one.   ;)

Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on February 03, 2008, 12:04:43 AM
Ayuh, I'd be picky about what was in the drum previously.  But I'm sure I could come up with something.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Sibling Chatty on February 03, 2008, 04:24:35 AM
The ones this guy used were old herbicide barrels...for a little concoction of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Little number known for the color of the 2 stripes on the barrels--orange ones.

His grandsons and I hunted him down new barrels when the snow cleared, and had the old ones hauled away.
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Aggie on February 04, 2008, 02:22:41 PM
Quote from: Sibling Chatty on February 03, 2008, 04:24:35 AM
The ones this guy used were old herbicide barrels...for a little concoction of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Little number known for the color of the 2 stripes on the barrels--orange ones.

His grandsons and I hunted him down new barrels when the snow cleared, and had the old ones hauled away.

:o  And all the lovely co-synthetic dioxins.  :P

Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Pachyderm on February 04, 2008, 03:06:37 PM
In Africa, they would have used those barrels to make the palm wine....
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Bluenose on February 04, 2008, 10:08:42 PM
Hey!  Someone's found out the secret ingredients to Captain's Delight XO!  ;)
Title: Re: Rampant Stupidity
Post by: Pachyderm on February 05, 2008, 12:50:04 AM
No problem, I used to work in a chemistry lab. I'm sure I can concoct another secret ingredient or two.... 8)