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13 Aug 11 - 04:26 PM (#3207437) Subject: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I've just had a bunch of things hitting my window from a group of at least two lads with a catapult. Small things, could even have been peas. First I heard the sounds, then went upstairs to look out from the unlit room, which is when I saw the movement of the slingshot release. My friend has gone out to see what he can do - He's just come in. Nowhere near any trouble. Still. Penny |
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13 Aug 11 - 04:29 PM (#3207441) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: gnu Rap... return fire? |
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13 Aug 11 - 04:40 PM (#3207445) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,Eliza Even peas when fired from a catapault can be dodgy, re eyes etc. Any damage to your window panes Penny? Horrid to think these lads don't care about the people they're annoying. |
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13 Aug 11 - 04:52 PM (#3207451) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. No damage, and I can't find anything obviously ammo in the garden. A few pea sized pebbles about, but then they might have been there anyhow. My friend didn't see anything, and my neighbours hadn't been in the corresponding room. I have, to the disgust of my friend, called the police. Penny |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:03 PM (#3207458) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. Two police cars! This is evidence of a calm night elsewhere, I think. Penny |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:04 PM (#3207460) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Rapparee Let the cops deal with it. They have riot shields, tear gas, batons and all the necessary stuff to take the perpetrators down. Seriously, the kids probably aren't thinking: "Hey, let's see what this'll do!" A dose of police might be the thing to keep them from doing it again. |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:05 PM (#3207461) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Keep camera at ready for future events |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:05 PM (#3207462) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Rapparee I assume that by "lads" you mean they are 12 or under? |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:06 PM (#3207465) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge PS - if you live where I think you linve didn't they find a neanderthal man there in an archeological excavation - and several others still alive last week? If I am right on location I have a friend who used to live there |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:11 PM (#3207468) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Greg F. I have... called the police. Good for you! |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:19 PM (#3207474) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. By build, couldn't see any more, I would say the younger end of teens, 13 or 14 - not as young as 12. Not young enough for William and the Outlaws. Richard, I think that was where I used to live. Here the earliest archaeology is Roman, bar a few flint tools. Penny |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:26 PM (#3207482) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: McGrath of Harlow A really ugly heading for a thread. |
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13 Aug 11 - 05:33 PM (#3207486) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Yes Penny |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:05 PM (#3207506) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: olddude Let the big dog outta the house for a run ... works every time for me :-) |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:11 PM (#3207509) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Err, yep in complete agreement with RBridge here. Old fashioned physical threat of violence is usually very effective. As well as faster and less complicated that more normal modes of 'justice'. In other words get a few blokes to scare 'em off. |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:16 PM (#3207510) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Umm, I should append that my last post represented an entirely personal interpretation of prior posts made by RBridge. Thankee :D |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:34 PM (#3207517) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Greg F. A really ugly heading for a thread. Rather, a really APT heading. |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:37 PM (#3207522) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Van I was walking down my local high sreet a day ago and there was aman lying on the pavement and a you lad 14/15 years old threatening to stamp on his head. the old fella was a bit the worse of the wear and other people were watching. i walked over, offered him my hand and said get up pal. He got to his feet, thanked me said get away these kids have just gone mental.. he had been sitting on a bench this crew wanted. They had turfed him off detroying a litter bin in the process and were then prepared to kick his head in, or worse. |
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13 Aug 11 - 06:41 PM (#3207528) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Kids can be total c*nts to the homeless. I'd far prefer it if they ransacked JJB Sports for larks to be honest. |
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13 Aug 11 - 09:27 PM (#3207609) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Rapparee Why didn't anyone else do something? |
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13 Aug 11 - 09:52 PM (#3207616) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: gnu Rap... nobody was carryin. And, when ya can'y defend yerself, yer fucked. |
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13 Aug 11 - 10:17 PM (#3207623) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge I'm a bit puzzled why I am thought to have suggested a violent response to Penny's issue. I thought I was suggesting getting evidence in case of legal process. |
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13 Aug 11 - 10:50 PM (#3207630) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Bobert Hey, we used to do these kinds of things as kids... Glad it ain't today or someone would gun us down??? I think people are a little uptight... B~ |
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14 Aug 11 - 03:17 AM (#3207676) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Sorry, my error regards RBridge's comment. Seriously though I know someone who had all the windows in their house shattered by kids firing pebbles from a slingshot. Police can't do anything about them, they're too young. |
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14 Aug 11 - 03:54 AM (#3207687) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I was concerned that they might do damage elsewhere if they got a bit more hyper. My friend apparently used to tap on restaurant windows with something on a string and then run off. I suppose I was a bit more concerned this week than I would have been a fortnight back. I seem to have a memory from somewhere that catapults are not allowed any more. My William Brown bit of brain seems to remember feeling this was a bit uncalled for as a law. See how mixed up I am? Richard, next time I will remember my camera. I suspect the flash might have a deterrent effect. Unless it escalates things. Penny |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:05 AM (#3207690) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,Eliza Rapparee, there was a very interesting experiment shown on TV some years ago. Actors were asked to lie down in the street and pretend they had collapsed. Some even had fake blood on them. Some were respectably dressed, others dressed as homeless people. The dreadful thing was, hardly anyone came to their aid. Some lay there for considerable lengths of time. And often it was the most unlikely 'Samaritans' who finally came up to see what they could do, elderly ladies, a young child etc. I expect folk were too scared to 'get involved'. But surely someone could have called an ambulance, even if from a safe distance. Quite shocking. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:11 AM (#3207692) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Studies have shown that people have different modes in different environments. In cities full of other people they switch off their sense of social responsibility chip (someone else can take care of this) while in village with no-one else around (someone else can't take care of this) they are far more likely to get involved. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:19 AM (#3207700) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,Eliza I agree, livelylass. Desmond Morris the zoologist recently made a comment regarding the riots, that humans are not really adapted to live in big towns or cities. It prevents their forming cohesive social groups, as they would in a village, and thus they feel threatened, stressed and tense. Certainly if anyone (even a stranger) were found collapsed in our village, no-one would hesitate to help. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:34 AM (#3207703) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I once saw a man lying unconscious in Dover (Kent, UK) outside Boots the Chemist, in the days before mobile phones, and went into the shop to ask if they could call an ambulance. Their attitude was that he was a drunk, and they often saw people in that state. Penny |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:43 AM (#3207706) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: VirginiaTam Programmable digital sign in window. Message to be |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:53 AM (#3207710) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,Eliza When I first arrived in Norwich to live (1970's), having spent many years in friendly and congenial Glasgow, I was horrified to see an elderly lady lying full length outside Debenhams, her shopping scattered everywhere, including fruit and veg from the nearby market. She was unconscious, and people were actually STEPPING OVER HER and her shopping to get past!! Luckily, some shop assistants from Debenhams came out when I went to get help from the shop, and they called an ambulance. Sadly, I later learned from them that she had died. I wondered what sort of area I'd come to! My village is better though. |
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14 Aug 11 - 05:08 AM (#3207719) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Will Fly Kids behaviour - and the reason for it - is often hard to discover. Whenever I read stuff like this, I think back to my own childhood - around 11 or 12. We got up to all sorts of naughtinesses - this would be in the very early '50s in a small industrial village in south-east Lancashire. I recall,one day just before November 5th, me and a friend stuffed lighted threepenny bangers (fireworks) into an airbrick in the side of a house - just for fun. It couldn't have done any damage, but they were pretty loud. In the middle of our 'fun', we felt huge, gloved hands on our shoulders - the hands of the local cop on the beat. "What do you want to do?", he asked us, "get taken home to your parents by me, or apologise to the old man who lives here?" No contest! Being taken home would have meant a belting - so we knocked on the door and, very humbly, apologised. The old man took it in good part, we got a good talking to by the bobby - and a swift clip round the ear before being sent off home. The point is, though, that even 'good' kids can do inexplicable things sometimes from motives that we don't really know. Boredom, curiosity, simple naughtiness. I think it's part of the revolution that kids need to experience as part of growing up. Most get over it and through it - some don't. |
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14 Aug 11 - 05:16 AM (#3207721) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I suppose that that style of intervention was what I wanted for the lads -nothing heavy, just a warning that there could be unexpected consequences. Penny |
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14 Aug 11 - 05:18 AM (#3207723) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Remember the biography of the war-hero Douglas Bader? |
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14 Aug 11 - 05:42 AM (#3207730) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. Sorry, no. Only saw the film ages ago. Penny |
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14 Aug 11 - 05:56 AM (#3207735) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Andrez Love the animation VTam :-) Cheers, Andrez |
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14 Aug 11 - 06:38 AM (#3207749) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Ah - one of his "pranks" was to use an air-rifle to shoot the shadowy pink figure seen through the frosted glass window of a local lady dignitary. |
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14 Aug 11 - 07:45 AM (#3207774) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Lizzie Cornish 1 You know, Richard, I've often wondered if Douglas was on the Asperger circle. He had no idea of the consequence of his actions, was ruthless at times, drove his fellow prisoners in the camps insane many a time with his selfish attitude, not concerned at all about them gettting into big trouble for his antics..and your story above also adds more fuel to my theory too. Of course, as a pilot he was second to none and also as a figure of bravery, against appalling odds.... He was inspirational to many and doggedly determined to never give up or given in. But it was almost as that wasn't even on his horizon.You merely got on with the next day as best you could. He did appreciate it was his arrogance that caused his accident in the first place...but it didn't stop him from continuing to live his life in the way he wanted, right up to the last days of his life... Anyway, just a few thoughts, from a broad..... |
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14 Aug 11 - 08:49 AM (#3207787) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Lizzie Cornish 1 And yes, Will...young boys have always done silly things. I loved your post above. |
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14 Aug 11 - 09:37 AM (#3207817) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Bobert So we had these people in the neighborhood where we grew up and the guy was an anal ass-hole (as if there are any other kinds) who would sit by the window and if any ball landed in his yard he would run out, scoop it up and take it back in the house, never to be returned or seen again... And no kid could so much a take step on his property without him coming out screaming at him or her... So one Halloween he decided to act as if he was a human being rather than a Nazi kid hater and set out a pumpkin and some decorations??? So me and my buddy, Jim Clark, put about 3 or 4 M-80s together, wrapped the fuses together and stuffed in one end of a cigarette (timer) and went up to the door "trick 'r treating" and while one of us kept Mr. Meanie distracted the other deposited the M-80s with the lit cigarette into the pumpkin, then went across the street where half the neighborhood kids had assembled to wait for the "trick" part of "trick 'r treat"... Well, about 2 minutes later: KAAAAAAABBBBOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMBBBBBB!!! Mr. Meanie didn't play Halloween ever again but he, for some reason, quit making off with balls that ended up in his yard... Now if we had done this today we would have probably all been arrested and tried as terrorist and gotten 25 years to life... I mean, I'm not condoning vicious mischief but mischief in general used to be part of being kids and was alot more creative than sitting with a little plastic box in one's laps looking at a tiny screen and pushing buttons... Never mind... B~ |
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14 Aug 11 - 09:42 AM (#3207819) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Lizzie Cornish 1 :0) Bobert :0) |
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14 Aug 11 - 09:53 AM (#3207824) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,livelylass Kids do lots of funny things which are perfectly harmless and then again they can also work in sadistic little mobs terrorising vulnerable people (obviously not homes containing big tough blokes) with a campaign of harassment. Penny S might have been merely on the receiving end of a silly prank, or arguably she could be on the potential receiving end of a campaign of harassment, like the mentally ill person I know who came home one night to find every single window in his house had been smashed with pebbles by local kids. Because the police are unable to touch these kids, and they well know it, they are basically free to do as they will. And that can lead to real suffering on the part of the victim (who is usually already vulnerable and marginalised) if left unchecked. |
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14 Aug 11 - 10:24 AM (#3207830) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Well, hopefully common sense will return to this country...and I hope that runs through many places, not just the legal side of things, nor the parental side of things, but also the educational side of things too.....in that they stop this madness of stressing many children over subjects that many of them have absolutely no interest in whatsover....and if those children refuse to learn what they are told to, they are labelled 'failure' and shoved out of the system eventually, left to fend for themselves.... Of course, their natural talents, way of learning, thinking etc, should have been recognised by folks who know about these things, then a structured education put in place for them, so that they spend the majority of their days learning stuff that interests them, will be of great help to them, and others, in the future and will, at the end of many years of many such days, give them an education that is totally awesome! Then, maybe they'd not be throwing bricks through windows, or setting town and cities alight.. But hell, what do I know, huh? |
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14 Aug 11 - 10:29 AM (#3207836) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Bobert The pebbles that Penny described were so small that they "might have been peas"... Hardly 9/11... lol... I mean, are we all so terrorized that our kids are going to be expected to act like adults by the time they are 4 years old??? Seems that 3 of the P-Vines 5 grandkids are just like that... It's a shame to have never enjoyed playing a little prank here or there... I mean, pranks are what make us human... Bullying??? No... Pranks??? Most definite... Jus' MO, of course... B~ (proud-prankster) |
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14 Aug 11 - 11:44 AM (#3207882) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge You surprise me Bobert, and not in a good way. No, I don't think your prank was funny, and I do think you should have been arrested. Explosives are dangerous. |
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14 Aug 11 - 11:50 AM (#3207887) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Jack the Sailor What was that phrase Bobert used? "anal...." |
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14 Aug 11 - 11:56 AM (#3207893) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I've just had a follow up call from the local PCSO. It seems that recently they've had trouble with people catapulting ball bearings through windows in the neighbouring village, so they want any updates. I've also recalled having interfered with some young people engaged in something that could have been bullying one of their number - in a fairly low key friendly way, and they wouldn't have been aware of where I came from. Penny |
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14 Aug 11 - 12:21 PM (#3207913) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Bobert Ball bearings and peas are different animals... You are entirely correct, Penny, that ball bearings are weapons and not kids stuff... And, thank you, JtS... Lotta people just wound a little tight these days... As for M-80s??? Hey, when I was a kid they were easy to get and all the kids had 'um... And I don't recall anyone ever hurting themselves with them... I mean, every one knew not to hold them in their hands and watch them go off... BB guns??? Same... We aren't talking pump pellet rifles here... They were Daisy BB guns and if ya got hit with one it might sting a little but no one got hurt with them either... I recall BB gun battles that lasted for days... No ambulances... No "this could poke you eye outs"... No blood... Just clean fun with an occasional "ouch"... Big whoop!!! These days kids just don't have any fun... They can't play in the woods because the boogie-man will get them... They can't even walk to scholl because the boogie-man will get them... Heck, they can't even walk a 100 feet from the school bus down their own driveway without Mommy sitting there in the Honda waiting to dive their poor little souls the 100 feet home because the boogie man might get them... FDR said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" and that's about it... We need to deal better with the fear-peddlers and say, "No thanks, my kid can walk a 100 lousy feet"... Sheesh!!! B~ |
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14 Aug 11 - 12:28 PM (#3207922) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Jack the Sailor They want to protect the kids from bad influences by having them stay home and play "Grand Theft Auto." |
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14 Aug 11 - 12:33 PM (#3207925) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Bobert LOL, Jack!!! |
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14 Aug 11 - 03:45 PM (#3208067) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: VirginiaTam Knew 3 boys when I was a kid who were maimed by M80s. Two lost fingers, one lost his sight. My little brother knew these boys and yet repeatedly would slam a big landscaping rock down on 3 to 5 rolls of caps at a time, twice really smashing and burning his fingers. My conclusion? Boys are dumb. I am constantly surprised they survive past 15 years of age. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:27 PM (#3208087) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Q (Frank Staplin) I remember having a lot of enjoyment from the explosive or incendiary mixtures we made. The chemistry sets we has back before WW2 were quite comprehensive. After we tried and liked some particular result, larger quantities of the components were available from local drugists. Making ammonium metaperiodate explosive (safe when wet, explodes on contact when dry) was a favorite. Lining teacher's desk drawer with the composition after she left in the afternoon was sure to make a big bang when she opened it next morning. A happy time was spent going over the fireworks catalogues before the Fourth and sending in our orders, the cost smilingly borne by s parent or relative. The shipment arrived in a big box at the railroad freight station. We always ordered a large quantity of Japanese "dynamite" bombs (a hard cylinder about 2 inches long and about 3/4 in in dia.), which were strong enough to blow the bottom out of a pail. A serviceable pail or washtub was not to be found in the neighborhood on the fifth. If one was careless, these bombs could take off a finger or two. Kids don't have any fun anymore. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:33 PM (#3208092) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Jack the Sailor Kids don't have any fun anymore. Men and boys will always find ways to damage themselves. |
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14 Aug 11 - 04:35 PM (#3208095) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Donuel Village idiot is practicly a term of endearence. The thread title here is less pointed than Vandals in my town. Kids may be less imaginative in the real world but in their virtual world they are firing RPGs and even launching nuclear weapons. |
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14 Aug 11 - 06:45 PM (#3208178) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge When I was young you could get plastic pellets for air pistols. A kid in my road nearly lost an eye. Anal? |
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17 Aug 11 - 07:15 PM (#3208601) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Q (Frank Staplin) DrugCrazed- And before that, the corner pool hall (billiards parlor?) |
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17 Aug 11 - 07:30 PM (#3208604) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Q (Frank Staplin) I got tossed from high school once, and told by the chemistry instructor that I would never be a chemist or scientist. Making guncotton in the drawer of my lab bench. (There are recipes on youtube- http://www.youtube/watch?v=fATwABP19er) Quite explicit, too. Of course, after that warning, I became, among other things, a professional geochemist. |
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17 Aug 11 - 11:30 PM (#3208254) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Uncle_DaveO Penny, from here west of the Big Pond, I am not sure I understand what you mean by "catapult", with a "slingshot release". Can you describe the device? A slingshot in my experience has a Y-shaped handle, the two upper ends bridged (no pun there) with an elastic band (which would have been cut from an automotive inner tube, in my misspent youth). Is that your "catapult"? Dave Oesterreich |
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17 Aug 11 - 11:48 PM (#3208275) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge I am sure that, technically, a slingshot is what David used in his battle against Goliath. |
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17 Aug 11 - 11:54 PM (#3208279) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Tootler That's a catapult, Dave. |
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18 Aug 11 - 12:05 AM (#3208284) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Uncle_DaveO When I was a fool kid, maybe 11, an elderly relative gave me a string of small firecrackers. Riches! My neighborhood buddy, Larry, and I engaged in the sport of twisting the fuzes of two or maybe three together, putting them under an empty tin can, lighting the fuze(s), and scampering away to a safe distance, to see the can propelled high in the air. Great sport! Once there was an apparent fizzle, with no explosion. After maybe twenty seconds Larry went up to the can, to investigate and to re-arm. Just as he arrived and bent over the device, it belatedly went off. To the hospital, right away! Luckily, his eyes were spared, but to this day (if he's still alive seventy years later) he bears a scar from about an inch in front of his left ear, in an arc down below his mouth and to the middle of his right cheek. Of course the remaining firecrackers were summarily confiscated, but much, much worse, Larry's parents prohibited his associating with me thereafter. Dumb kids. Dave Oesterreich |
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18 Aug 11 - 11:34 AM (#3208881) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST As a kid I lived near the cats-eye factory in Yorkshire and used to collect reject cats-eyes as catapult ammunition. They went vast distances and were handy for knocking out street lights. Wouldn't dream of doing so now and no doubt I'd be the first to complain if some kid knocked out the lights in my street. However, I never harassed the neighbours, never bullied anyone and certainly wouldn't pick on anyone mentally or physically disabled. I think it helped knowing that you'd be in big trouble at home if caught whilst up to no good. |
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18 Aug 11 - 12:27 PM (#3208906) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Musket That reminds me of why they use cats' eyes in the first place. Because if they used cats' arses, they'd need twice as many cats. Bum Bum! |
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18 Aug 11 - 01:15 PM (#3208333) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Musket Ah, perhaps its time to make up your mind.. Are they glued to their Playstations, which can give them cancer, according to The Da*ly M*il or are they all latter-day Dennis the Menace wannabes? The latter is healthier if you survive the pranks I suppose. We used to wrap sellotape around bangers to make them more powerful and much louder. One trick that got my mate expelled from school was to wrap a banger as above, place it in a plastic bag, big enough to have enough oxygen for the blue touch paper but small enough to successfully flush.... You can guess the rest. It went down in school folklore as the day of the flying turds... Me? I just supplied the banger, the bags and did a dry run to see what size would flush. That's what mates are for, he said it was just him. That mate? We know him as Steamin' Willie on Mudcat pages and many on the folk circuit know him under his real name, although he insists on his ridiculous nom de plume... |
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18 Aug 11 - 01:56 PM (#3208371) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. There seems to have been a post lost from me. Firstly, it had never occurred to me that my title referred to that old expression about the simple inbred types found in ancient rural environments. Kicks self for personal idiocy. Secondly, the Y-shaped device with elastic or similar is indeed what I meant. I didn't see it, so don't know whether it was a homemade one, or the more high-tech versions sold in fishing tackle shops for spreading bait. The arm movements are quite distinctive, though, and different from the fabric round-the-head still-used-in-the same-area-David-did movements. The language confusion is one of those pond things. Thirdly, I taught for a year in a school where one of the teachers, as a child, playing war up on the hills around Dover, had had a disagreement with some sort of left over military kit, as a result of which one of his fingers was a joint or two shorter than standard issue. I'm not sure if it was an explosive or a bit of barbed wire, but it was boys'games harm. Fourthly, I was always envious of boys' school science, which included the Dartford chemistry teacher setting off a Thermite reaction with an airgun in the playground, Dover grammar boys making small devices that involved a pair of coins with something explosive in between, put on steps to alarm the unwary, and making odd mixtures of chemicals to produce dense clouds of smoke under the benches. Also of my own science teacher, a sole sister among brothers, who in her youth had fun shooting old vacuum filled light bulbs with an air gun to implode them. I don't know why I was such a wetblanket the other night! Penny |
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18 Aug 11 - 02:16 PM (#3208385) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,999 Kids with slingshots--there oughta be a law. |
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18 Aug 11 - 02:20 PM (#3208390) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Looks as if my interpretation of his name has more validity than I could have guessed. |
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18 Aug 11 - 03:38 PM (#3209027) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: GUEST,999 "I never harassed the neighbours" I did once. Took out every window in their house over a few months. They poisoned my dog, Ginger. I feel no remorse to this day. |
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18 Aug 11 - 03:52 PM (#3208448) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Q (Frank Staplin) Tricks with sodium metal. Not for mudcat audiences. |
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18 Aug 11 - 04:03 PM (#3208464) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Richard Bridge Yes indeed Q. Someone got expelled from my school for that version. |
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18 Aug 11 - 04:20 PM (#3208475) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: DrugCrazed Every time I see games being blamed for something, I lose more faith in humanity. I'll just point to television, comic books, movies, and everything else that used to be blamed. Rant over. |
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18 Aug 11 - 04:21 PM (#3208478) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: DrugCrazed Oh, and I'm not just saying that because of my age/profession(ish). |
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19 Aug 11 - 11:45 AM (#3209440) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. Now I would have thought that making guncotton was the marker of someone who was going into chemistry. Unless he was a teacher of the sort that thought a really neat lab notebook was the important thing. Penny |
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19 Aug 11 - 10:45 PM (#3209761) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Ron Davies Boys blowing up things has a long and honorable tradition. In David McCullough's current book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris 1830-1900 (which is an absolute joy to read--full of great stories), he notes that James Fennimore Cooper, despite (or because of) being the scion of a prominent family (Cooperstown named for his father), was expelled from Yale at 16. Reasons included 1) locking a donkey in a recitation room and 2) exploding a home-made bomb under a dorm door. This was about 1805. |
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20 Aug 11 - 03:18 PM (#3210024) Subject: RE: BS: Idiots in my village From: Penny S. I did come across some junior school aged boys in a wood near Barnehurst whom I think I failed to persuade not to explode banger gunpowder in milk bottles. Wasn't bothered about tipping it out ono stones and lighting it, but the bottles! I never heard of anyone being blinded there, so maybe I did succeed, at least in getting them to stand well back. Penny |