Random Thought of the Day

Quote: Evenbob

About 20,000 people die from snake bites
a year, worldwide. Want to guess how
many die in car wrecks?

Naw, I remembered it wrong. Most dangerous animal, I believe, not most deaths.

Quote: rxwine

Naw, I remembered it wrong. Most dangerous animal, I believe, not most deaths.

Most dangerous animal is a woman,
I have documentation. They steal
your money and your soul..

Have you seen the commercial where two guys are chased by a wild boar and one guy manages to search on a smartphone while running and get a wiki-answer that the thing to do is "pretend you are a tree"?

It actually occurs to me that there ought to be some liability it just making up stuff that some idiot would actually believe.

As far as hikers go - not hunters who are cornering, wounding, and harassing the pigs with dogs - fortunately they are very safe, unless somehow they managed to accidentally corner a mother with piglets. No wild boar would chase people as in the commercial; even a cornered, wounded one would charge only to get itself free from being cornered.

In VA there is a big effort to avoid the problems other states have had with wild boars out of control. Interesting to me

The below is about the only thing I found on the internet btw about what-to-do-if.

One guy gave a good answer:

"I've seen hundreds of pigs over the years and got "mocked charged" once after scattering a group atop a high foggy bald---the rest ran off and the leader circled back and charged but stopped a few feet in front of me. We grunted at about the same time and he took off. Another time I scared up a group and they charged past while I stood behind a tree. As usual with the outdoors, people highlight certain risks way beyond normal and instill fear which seems to be an American pastime. It's always about rattlesnakes or bears or pigs but never about the real dangers---cold rain induced hypothermia, or falling trees/tree limbs, or falling while wearing a heavy pack, or random lightning strikes..."

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/78026-What-do-you-do-in-a-wild-Boar-attack

Read on if interested in VA.

In VA there is a big effort to avoid the problems other states have had with wild boars out of control. Interesting to me, one big problem is hunters *sigh*. There are groups who want to hunt the wild pigs, and they bring them in illegally to do so. It's a pandora's box situation that they don't recognize [or they don't care]. Game and Fish point out that no matter how many the hunters kill, even a large percentage, it is never enough to exceed what natural reproducton will replace, and then some. They cite a case where a farmer thought hunters would be a good idea, but what happened was a decent kill-off just drove the balance away, that apparently game and fish thought they could trap. [I have to wonder how they think they can get them all, though] In any case, these groups are in conflict with what they want and it is a problem.

[edited]

I sit at a computer terminal and wonder about a wild boar attack.
I understand the theory of not running... they will treat you as prey if you act as if you prey.
I understand the theory of not turning your back but standing your ground and making noise to assert territorial dominance.
And I understand that many "charges" are really challenges to see what the opponent will do but will stop short of an attack if the opponent stands his ground.

Its just there is a time for old wives tales and a time for absolute certainty.

A time to recall all the bad advice thats been given over the ages and what not.

For some reason it is considered rude when a coworker tells me they have to take a day trip somewhere and I answer "Have a nice trip."

Quote: Nareed

For some reason it is considered rude when a coworker tells me they have to take a day trip somewhere and I answer "Have a nice trip."

I don't consider that rude.
Sometimes when a Manager needs to see somebody in their office.
We'll joke around and say something to that somebody like "It was nice knowing you"
That might be considered rude :-)

Quote: terapined

I don't consider that rude.

I should explain they almost always tell me this when they are going to ask me for money from petty cash.

I still don't think it's rude to say "Have a nice trip."

What I say when they ask for anywhere from 1/3 to all the nominal value of my cash fund, though, is really rude (the least of which is "Are you out of what little is left of your mind?") In my defense I have to say the fund is about $1,300 US and it almost never contains more than half its nominal value.

Quote: Nareed

For some reason it is considered rude when a coworker tells me they have to take a day trip somewhere and I answer "Have a nice trip."

If you're the person who operates the gallows, I suppose it's a bit cheeky to say, otherwise, not sure why it would be.

Quote: Nareed

What I say when they ask for anywhere from 1/3 to all the nominal value of my cash fund, though, is really rude (the least of which is "Are you out of what little is left of your mind?") In my defense I have to say the fund is about $1,300 US and it almost never contains more than half its nominal value.

Why not just have them pay for expenses themselves and submit receipts for reimbursement.

Quote: terapined

Why not just have them pay for expenses themselves and submit receipts for reimbursement.

Something along the lines of: "Why, you filthy commoner! I should have your head for suggesting such a thing!"