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Physics news on Phys.org
You don't need a gun to do dangerous things:

https://www.vvng.com/motorist-on-i-15-stop-to-play-in-snow-on-the-runaway-truck-ramp-in-cajon-pass/ said:
Motorist on I-15 stop to play in snow on the runaway truck ramp in Cajon Pass

runaway-truck-ramp.png

CAJON PASS, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Saturday was another busy day for the California Highway Patrol as they received numerous calls reporting motorists stopping to play in the snow along the I-15 freeway in the cajon pass.

On Saturday, November 30, 2019, at 8:32 am, dispatch logged a call on the NB I-15, north of Oak Hill Road of several vehicles pulled over to the right shoulder and people playing in the snow.

At 12:23 pm a traffic hazard was reported on the southbound I-15 at the runaway truck ramp.

Victor Valley News Group member Shirley McConnell was traveling though the pass when she was flabbergasted by the hoards of people pulled over to play in the snow.

According to CHP incident logs, six vehicles were pulled over and twelve people were out of their vehicle and snowboarding on the truck ramp.

“People are out of their cars on the 15 freeway on cajon pass playing in the snow with their children. “They are on the truck runaway ramp. I hope a truck does not lose its brakes and need to use it. This is a shame,” stated McConnell.

snowplay-cajon-pass-12-1024x602.png

A similar problem was reported by motorists traveling northbound on the I-15 in the Mountain Pass area.

Thankfully no injuries were reported.
 
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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212780184459436&set=gm.3011852048842944&type=3&theater said:
Something you don't see everyday, as it is a very rare thing to occur... Gearheads will brag about how their car can do burnouts... Trains can do a burnout too!

This obviously isn't supposed to happen... The engineer operating the locomotive that did this is in deep doo-doo with his bosses. Locomotives have things called "wheel-slip indicators" on them. His either didn't work, or he ignored it for whatever reason. But my goodness, if the thing didn't start rolling after moderate throttle, why throttle up and burn the rail?

rL6UWxSdlGP5RUklysAiz8eqYQ&_nc_ht=scontent.fymq2-1.jpg

Apparently, this is a real thing.
 
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berkeman said:
An early front-runner for the 2020 Darwin Awards...

A man was shot to death by the handmade device he made to protect his home

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/01/us/maine-man-booby-trap/index.html

View attachment 253541
If you're curious, this sort of thing is illegal in the USA [well, at least many states within], so I would recommend against doing these sorts of things. Here is some background on the setting up booby-traps in your own home, from a legal perspective (USA):

 
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Yeah, booby traps are bad news. I work part-time in EMS, and sometimes have to enter areas for wellfare checks or to try to find somebody who has called EMS for help. Getting shot or blown up on calls like that would be a bad thing...
 
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I get this message in the above post.

Cannot load tweet. Disable your adblocker and tracking protection.[/color]

Uhmm, no thanks!
 
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nsaspook said:
I love those DUST 'shorts'.
Same for me. . . . 👍
.
 
Tumbleweeds block WA highway, trapping people in their cars.
Screen Shot 2020-01-01 at 4.34.34 PM.png


Several vehicles and one semi truck slowed down because of low visibility and eventually came to a stop, Thorson said. Then they got covered in tumbleweeds, rendering them unable to proceed.
The piles of tumbleweeds were as high as 20 to 30 feet in some places, Thorson said, blocking SR 240 around mile post 10, about 20 miles west of Richland in the south-central part of the state.

Tumble weeds do their tumbling as a seed distribution technique. After the plants have grown and made seeds, they dry up and break off from their roots and roll around dropping their seeds in areas distant from the parental plant.
 
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Yeah, my wife and I just saw that on our local news TV broadcast. We looked at each other like, "what?" o0)
 
jack action said:
Although, a link found in the comments is worth taking a look at. It lightens the tone of this article.
This doesn't make it less stupid, just a bit more sophisticated.
A North Carolina town rejected the further installation of solar panels; some residents registered fears that the panels would disrupt the local ecosystem, while many others worried property values would be affected.
Property value is debatable, yes. However, disrupting the ecosystem? Have you had a look at the landscape? The ecosystem has already been disrupted for decades. Human agriculture is at least as disrupting as some panels are. It is only that we are accustomed to it. But it won't pass a biological test on biodiversity.
 
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fresh_42 said:
US town rejects solar panels amid fears they 'suck energy from the sun', cause cancer - and will harm house prices

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...-up-all-the-energy-from-the-sun-a6771526.html
These article URLs look suspiciously similar.

Choppy said:
{Dec 14, 2015}
Another Travesty of Science - Rejecting Solar Panels For...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-up-all-the-energy-from-the-sun-a6771526.html

Sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

I love when I pass these senility tests.
 
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fresh_42 said:
This doesn't make it less stupid, just a bit more sophisticated.

Property value is debatable, yes. However, disrupting the ecosystem? Have you had a look at the landscape? The ecosystem has already been disrupted for decades. Human agriculture is at least as disrupting as some panels are. It is only that we are accustomed to it. But it won't pass a biological test on biodiversity.
The first article makes it look like the decision was taken based on baloney science, as the second one shows a more realistic fear of creating a jobless town. The "scientific" comments are only from one or two citizens, speaking freely at a public comment period. There are always such misinformed and demagogue comments in those periods. That doesn't mean they were the basis for the decision.
 
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