Part 3 (2/2)
M. T. P. Gilbert, et al., ”The emergence of HIV/AIDS in the Americas and beyond,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 (2007), 18566-18570. 104 (2007), 18566-18570.
A. Katzourakis, ”Macroevolution of complex retroviruses,” Science Science 325 (2009), 1512. 325 (2009), 1512.
Paul Sharp and Beatrice H. Hahn, ”Prehistory of HIV-1,” Nature Nature 455 (2008), 605. 455 (2008), 605.
M. Worobey, et al., ”Direct evidence of extensive diversity of HIV-1 in Kinshasa by 1960,” Nature Nature 455 (2008), 661- 664. 455 (2008), 661- 664.
CHAPTER 9.
WORKING NINE TO FIVE.
If you find yourself thinking, ”This tricky shortcut will save a little time . . .” then you might be headed for a Darwin Award.
Construction, demolition, and all things in between. Whether you're a professional or a do-it-yourselfer, even a seemingly safe, sane, straightforward job can turn into a hazard in the hands of a Darwin Award wannabe. From seasonal ski-lift operator to career safety inspector, working for a living working for a living takes on a startling new meaning! takes on a startling new meaning!
Wheel of Fortune * Pillar of Strength * A Screw Loose * Bricks in the Head * Down in the Dumps * Duct Don't [image]
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Darwin Award Winner: Wheel of Fortune Unconfirmed Featuring work and machismo
WINTER 1995, MICHIGAN
During the ski season at Sugarloaf Resort, a new lift operator a.s.signed to the bottom of Lift 2 was greatly impressed by the bull wheel that turned slowly above his head. The giant spokes on the wheel were impossible to resist. He grabbed a spoke and did a few pull-ups while the wheel turned.
After entertaining himself in this manner for a while, he decided to try this trick on the outer rim of the wheel. His timing was off-he did not drop down in time. Caught between the wheel and the lift cable, he was sliced in twain during his fateful final trip around the bull wheel.
Reference: Anonymous eyewitness [image]
Darwin Award Winner: Pillar of Strength Confirmed by Darwin Featuring work, vehicles, and gravity
9 OCTOBER 2008, SOUTH AFRICA
For days, Johannesburg office workers watched a demolition worker slowly chip away at a pillar supporting the concrete slab above him. One said, ”I wondered how they would drop that section.” The walls were gone, and only the support pillars remained.
Dozens of observers watched the slow and senseless demolition proceed. Finally the only possible outcome concluded this epic battle. The besieged support collapsed, crus.h.i.+ng man and machine beneath a pile of rubble.
The worker, fifty-two, was killed instantly inside the cab of his mini-excavator.
Observers said they had been concerned about the workers' safety for several days. ”I cannot believe they did not foresee this,” said a shocked witness who did not foresee this. ”There was no common sense!”
Reference: thetimes.co.za Darwin Award Winner: A Screw Loose Confirmed by Darwin Featuring work and falling!
14 APRIL 2008, TEXAS
A contract worker was hired to install reinforcement bars on a communi- cations tower near Camp Bullis. He was wielding power tools high above the ground, when two other workers saw him lean back and fall 225 feet to his death. Turns out, the man had wrenched loose the bolts on the bar to which he was attached. Police are calling it a tragic accident.
”Pride goeth before a fall.”-Proverbs 16:18 Team Darwin is calling it a ”wrenching” accident.
Reference: woai.com [image]
Darwin Award Winner: Bricks in the Head Confirmed by Darwin Featuring work, gravity, and do-it-yourself
30 APRIL 2009, YORK, UNITED KINGDOM
In another do-it-yourself project gone wrong, a forty-one-year-old homeowner attempting to demolish a large brick garden shed succeeded in his primary objective, but suffered collateral damage when the cement-slab roof demolished him.
The unfortunate chap was alone on his property at the time. While one has to question the wisdom of undertaking a demolition project with no one on hand in the event of a mishap, a neighbor happened to witness this ”mishap” and immediately summoned help. Hydraulic rams and high-pressure air bags were employed, but it was too late to stop fate. Paramedics p.r.o.nounced the homeowner dead at the scene.
Speaking to the press, a neighbor described the accident as unspeakable.
In the unequal contest between flesh and stone, the stone always wins.
Reference: York Evening Press Evening Press, thepress.co.uk [image]
Reader Comment
”This could have been on Renovation Realities Gone Wrong: the Don't DIY Renovation Realities Gone Wrong: the Don't DIY TV show.” TV show.”
At-Risk Survivor: Down in the Dumps Confirmed by Reliable Eyewitness Featuring work, insurance, and feces!
2006, UK
During the sc.r.a.pe and resurface of a large residential street in Edinburgh, it was noticed that a large foul sewer ran down the street. As it was believed to be quite shallow, it was necessary to determine its exact route in order to avoid damage by the resurfacing works. Working in a sewer can be dangerous, so three men were sent to an expensive two-week training course, and another six thousand pounds went into the purchase of appropriate equipment: masks, suits, and gas monitors.
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