High-explosives

[Gunnar]

High-explosives of military quality are brisading in the
neighbourhood, possibly to celebrate christmas. Police
say "aha..." anyone got a suggestion before we have to
attend our childrens funeral?

/Gunnar

 

[ECH, M.D.]

My personal opinion, which counts for naught, is that those responsible for approving the use of fireworks should have to personally man the Emergency Rooms of the hospitals and be forced to help treat those who have had their hands blown off or lost their sight or suffered severe burns over their body with horrible life long scars as the residual. Of course, what do I know. These people just want to have fun. I too, am watching some 12 and 13 year old boys playing with what appears to be "cherry bombs" and doing it in a most dangerous fashion. I see them light the "bomb" and attempt to throw it before it goes off. I also see them pick up a "piece" that did not explode to see what happened (VERY DANGEROUS). And, this is going on without any supervision whatsoever. Lets see just how many are injured over the holidays with this practice of "safe" fireworks.

 

[Gunnar]

I thought any trinket that goes "boom" was at least officially
prohibited. "New years fireworks" are normally based on black-powder or similar, with paper cover, that at least don't
spread any dangerous shrapnel. When you hear detonating,
rather than exploding charges, something differrent is at hand.
What to do? Kill the offenders before they kill my kids?
Then I wouldn't be any better than them.

Call the police? I did. No more comments.

Open a school of high explosives manufacture and usage? Maybe
the best deal, but "slightly risky"...

I downloaded some pictures of people getting badly hurt
and showed them to children around. No real reaction.

Maybe one way would be to engage victims to do a "road show",
telling their stories.
Maybe "macabre", but if it does the trick, and the engaged
people are willing to prevent further disasters...

Any ideas and suggestions are welcome. As much as I respect you
and all volonteering people, I'd rather not see my kids in
need of your services. Neither would you, I guess.

Let's pray for a silent night. Even in the ER.

/Gunnar

 

[Tom]

I don't think Gunnar was talking Cherry Bombs, but C-4,Det-Cord, Symatex etc., real nasty stuff

 

[Gunnar]

Yepp. You got it! There's a certain differrence in sound
and effects on loose objects in the living room...

Don't know if C-4 etc is readily available here (not that
it is very difficult to make), but I guess the mine-workers
can get hold of booster charges for anfo blasts etc. Which
is bad enough. Military personnel could of course get hold
of "better". Judging from appearant det velocity, I'd guess
a load of TNT has "vanished" somewhere from. It's too slow
for det-cord, but considerably faster than any combusting
substance I know of. (Yeah, I know "flash-powder", but those
mixtures normally don't upset your dinner plate unless
placed directly underneath...)

 

[Tom]

No big "flash bang", just the deep rumble of heavy destruction

 

[ECH, M.D.]

Re: High-explosives/ LOW I.Q.

In keeping with the spirit of the post....I will share the DARWIN AWARDS with you as I think it most timely.

They have finally been released! For those not familiar with the Darwin Award, It's an annual honor given to the person who provided the Universal human gene pool the biggest service by getting killed in the most extraordinarily stupid way. As always, competition this year has been keen again. Some candidates appear to have trained their whole lives for this event!

DARWIN AWARD CANDIDATES

#3. Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in Andover Township, NJ, in September, and his wife Bonnie was also injured, by a quarter-stick of dynamite that blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite
and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but they apparently failed to notice THAT THE WINDOW WAS CLOSED.

I have the complete list if you are interested!
CHEERS
ECH

 

[Gunnar]

Re: High-explosives/ LOW I.Q.

Have a few of these as well, but we maybe should keep them to
private mail, rather than public discussion.There's always
the risk that an indicriminate reader will try to show
that he/she knows better. And fail.

About explosives I normally say

"-If you know what you're doing, you don't do it.
If you don't know what you're doing, you do it. Once."

Horrible to show a picture of "best assembly of the pieces of
Nicky, 13, that were actually found", to the neighbourhood
children, just to see them 10 minutes later play the same game...

How to get the message through?

Parents turn off the TV at the first notice of any sexually
explicit material, while happily letting their children
suck in Sly Stallone blasting people into pieces.

Have we really sunk so deep?

 

[Marco]

This is nothing special for just the DR only.
I am from the Netherlands and in my country dozens of people
blow their eyes, hands or heads off by playing with fireworks,
bombs or whatever they like to detonate to celebrate new years'
eve. Unlike the DR, Holland has an active governmental campaign
to warn people about the dangers of playing with that stuff.
Does it help? Not at all.

I guess stupid people are everywhere and there?s really not much
you can do to stop them from blowing their heads off...

Just my .5 peso of course...

Marco

 

[Gunnar]

You're quite right. I just wish I could think of a way to
avoid them blasting MY (and my childrens!) head(s) off in the
process...
BTW, here it is not only a Christmas/New years problem, this
goes on the whole year!

Merry BOOM and Happy new whooosh!