Wall-e wrote:johnnie wrote: I ask myself the same question as the title of this post in an otherwise quiet FL residential neighborhood as I hear fireworks with reports being launched on a Wednesday evening at 9:12 pm for no apparent reason.Who needs a reason.
True enough. It's festive at least and it happens seemingly at random all year round.
Bobzilla wrote:joey48442 wrote: Seems I remember a lot of threads with people talking about how their parents let them run all day and just called them back for dinner.At home, yes. Someplace not home (ie public places) no. They were right there. There was a big difference of what was acceptable at home, and what is acceptable around others.
I can agree with that.
I don't blame the parents at all. The 'gator was doing what 'gators do. The dad was, from what I can tell, a very reasonable distance from the kid, and he did something that is bawlsey, he jumped in and tried to wrestle a 'gator!! My first reaction was surprise that there were alligators in a Disney resort because, as someone mentioned, this is a resort attracting folks from the whole world. I'd expect to see very clear signage stating that there are critters in the water that can, and will, eat you.
I'm not saying Disney was negligent, but they should have done a bit more.
Parks in our area post signs to not feed gators, leave them alone, danger, etc. I have to assume Disney did not want to worry visitors too much. Bad decision.
spitfirebill wrote: I just recalled in the mid 60s, we visited my great uncle at his vacation house at Lake Placid. We went swimming all over that lake with no thought about gators. Maybe there weren't any back then.
That's probably because alligators were nearly extinct back then. They became endangered, and hunting them became illegal. The population boomed, and now they are off the endangered list, and there is a hunting season for them. These days they are easy to find--- golf courses, canals, ponds, even in swimming pools. Anywhere there is water, there is likely to be a gator.
Gators is good eatin'.
Personal note: heading down to Florida on Saturday. This is giving me a little food for thought, but not enough to make me crazy worried. One of the AirBnB places I'm renting has one of those "infinite pools" in the yard. I now have a mental image of lifting the lid to find a gator in there just swimming into the never ending current.
Beer Baron wrote: Gators is good eatin'. Personal note: heading down to Florida on Saturday. This is giving me a little food for thought, but not enough to make me crazy worried. One of the AirBnB places I'm renting has one of those "infinite pools" in the yard. I now have a mental image of lifting the lid to find a gator in there just swimming into the never ending current.
I would scream like a pre-pubescent girl and run toward the house, leaving a trail of scat the whole way.
I mean, people in this thread have referenced 4-6' 'gators as being small!
. Man, that's a LOT of killing power!
DrBoost wrote: I don't blame the parents at all. The 'gator was doing what 'gators do. The dad was, from what I can tell, a very reasonable distance from the kid, and he did something that is bawlsey, he jumped in and tried to wrestle a 'gator!! My first reaction was surprise that there were alligators in a Disney resort because, as someone mentioned, this is a resort attracting folks from the whole world. I'd expect to see very clear signage stating that there are critters in the water that can, and will, eat you. I'm not saying Disney was negligent, but they should have done a bit more.
I'm wondering what dad (and mom) would let a two year old wade in one foot deep water by himself. I guess I'm one of those damn helicopter grandparents.
I wouldn't worry about the "little" gators Doc---- they are generally skittish and run away once you get anywhere near them. The ones to watch out for are the ones that aren't afraid of humans. (usually due to idiots feeding them)
Now if you run into this guy-----yeah, I'd be a bit cautious. The guy filming was lucky this dinosaur wasn't hungry at the time. Gators can move on land---- very quickly. And this guy was plenty big to take down a full-grown man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXn1g0xtUMk
In reply to spitfirebill:
Confirmation of global warming
In reply to Joe Gearin:
Don't forget DDT did a number on gators and sea turtles as well, it doesn't help that reptile eggs are rather soft and leathery without a whole lot of calcium in them to begin with and that coastal areas and swampland were amongst the most heavily treated areas.
The media bias against attackers is unnerving
The shooter was struggling with his own sexuality, the gator was compensating for his shortcomings
I kind of assumed that Florida was a So-Cal lite, where the mild-ish climate meant that a lot of people who wanted easy living tended to move there. So, there's a self-selecting tendency for the weird/lazy/criminally inclined/retired people who don't care anymore to go somewhere like that. Not saying everyone in the state is like that, just that the proportion is higher than in many other states.
I find Florida too hot and humid, which is saying something, since I am from Ohio.
eastsidemav wrote: I kind of assumed that Florida was a So-Cal lite, where the mild-ish climate meant that a lot of people who wanted easy living tended to move there. So, there's a self-selecting tendency for the weird/lazy/criminally inclined/retired people who don't care anymore to go somewhere like that. Not saying everyone in the state is like that, just that the proportion is higher than in many other states.
This, a thousand times this. Also not helping is the gigantic freak magnet under our state.
Margie
Marjorie Suddard wrote: Also not helping is the gigantic freak magnet under our state. Margie
That made me laugh in a weird high-pitched "welp" that attracted much attention here in the office. One member of the Emergency Response Team looked deep into my eyes and asked if I needed assistance.
captdownshift wrote: The media bias against attackers is unnerving The shooter was struggling with his own sexuality, the gator was compensating for his shortcomings
This article makes the problems in my life seem so small.
Joe Gearin wrote: I wouldn't worry about the "little" gators Doc---- they are generally skittish and run away once you get anywhere near them. The ones to watch out for are the ones that aren't afraid of humans. (usually due to idiots feeding them) Now if you run into this guy-----yeah, I'd be a bit cautious. The guy filming was lucky this dinosaur wasn't hungry at the time. Gators can move on land---- very quickly. And this guy was plenty big to take down a full-grown man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXn1g0xtUMk
The general rule is 6' or larger, keep an eye on the kids and dogs. 9' and up, adults need to stay away from the water.
This is a good read for those of you that aren't familiar with gators.
http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20Parks/Wildlife%20Page/WW_alligators.pdf
In reply to paranoid_android74:
I'm glad that someone else enjoyed it. I can only imagine the humor that would be the lead researcher's tinder profile
In reply to eastsidemav:
Pretty much every lazy shiftless person I grew up with moved down to live with their grandparents. If Facebook is to be believed most have gone no further.
DrBoost wrote:Marjorie Suddard wrote: Also not helping is the gigantic freak magnet under our state. MargieThat made me laugh in a weird high-pitched "welp" that attracted much attention here in the office. One member of the Emergency Response Team looked deep into my eyes and asked if I needed assistance.
This is a common occurrence around your office.
Wall-e wrote: In reply to eastsidemav: Pretty much every lazy shiftless person I grew up with moved down to live with their grandparents. If Facebook is to be believed most have gone no further.
I actually heard this quite a bit. The basic idea being the parents or grandparents hoped the younger generation could keep them out of a care facility longer.
We keep trying to convince the in-laws to buy a place with property in Florida with the intention of going out a few times a year (from Arizona) to get our beach fix and tend to the property.
We're not shiftless though, just want our kids to know their grandparents.
In reply to PHeller:
There was a time in the late 80s where every Mameluke that was getting too old to be living at home loaded up their 5.ohs or IROCs and headed south with tales of opening up pizzeria or bagel shop. Most of them look to now be behind on child support and planning to open a car wash.
In reply to Wall-e:
Kind of funny, now that I think about it - most of the retirees/snowbirds I know in Cocoa Beach are from Ohio, Canada, or the NY/NJ area. There do seem to be more NY style pizza joints there than anywhere else I've ever been.
Wall-e wrote: In reply to PHeller: There was a time in the late 80s where every Mameluke that was getting too old to be living at home loaded up their 5.ohs or IROCs and headed south with tales of opening up pizzeria or bagel shop. Most of them look to now be behind on child support and planning to open a car wash.
Why are we baggin' on people who aspire to recreate instead of working? I've slaved away over half my life and berkeley if I'm not kinda sorry about that. I believe it was Kansas who so eloquently put it... "and all your money won't another minute buyyyy-eeee-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, dust in the wind (repeat)"
I dream of a world where I'm behind on child support, chillin' in my jet ski rental shop... gazing out at a sweet IROC parked front/center... maybe smokin' a little mother nature from a glass pipe shaped like Jake from Adventure Time. Maybe get my certificate in massage therapy or some respectable E36 M3 like that.
Huckleberry wrote:Wall-e wrote: In reply to PHeller: There was a time in the late 80s where every Mameluke that was getting too old to be living at home loaded up their 5.ohs or IROCs and headed south with tales of opening up pizzeria or bagel shop. Most of them look to now be behind on child support and planning to open a car wash.Why are we baggin' on people who aspire to recreate instead of working? I've slaved away over half my life and berkeley if I'm not kinda sorry about that. I believe it was Kansas who so eloquently put it... "and all your money won't another minute buyyyy-eeee-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, dust in the wind (repeat)" I dream of a world where I'm behind on child support, chillin' in my jet ski rental shop... gazing out at a sweet IROC parked front/center... maybe smokin' a little mother nature from a glass pipe shaped like Jake from Adventure Time. Maybe get my certificate in massage therapy or some respectable E36 M3 like that.
And I'm going to crash on your couch.
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