The Tragedy of Tragedies

The Tragedy of Tragedies-Too sad for words.

Recently a car left the road at very high speed and rolled several times and plunged down an embankment, killing two occupants, and injuring for life the third. Those people were on their way home having spent the night at a bar. It is probably fair to assume that alcohol played a major role in the loss of control, added to perhaps sleepiness as well.

I want to be sensitive in what I am going to say about this crash, because the driver of the car and one of the female passengers were brother and sister. They were killed.

The only good thing that can be said is that no other member of the public was injured or killed outside of those in the car.

Not one parent needs prompting to think about what it must be like to be the parents of those two lost souls. Your children go out for the evening together for a night of entertainment, and later the police, come knocking at your door to tell you that both of them are dead awakens you. That they died under circumstances that were entirely avoidable only makes it worse.

I am angry as hell that the driver of that car caused such a result, and I am angry that he placed other members of the public in danger owing to his irresponsibility. They have personally paid the ultimate price, and I know that they are not the only people to have behaved in such a manner, but that is precisely the point of this essay. I appeal to other drivers to take note.

If you drink alcohol or take drugs and drive, especially while you are sleepy you cannot later claim that the results of your actions are unintended consequences. It will not be enough to stand with a long face and say that you are sorry, because it is a fact that you are both a very sorry and pathetic cretin. I was young once, and with the Grace of God I never harmed anyone through acting so foolishly, but I have to take a strong stand to point out that each of us are responsible for our own actions. No-one else can take the blame.

So, once again, when you go out for the evening and there is a car involved, someone has to be the designated driver. That person abstains absolutely from drinking or taking anything that will impair his judgement.

Period !!!!!!!!


Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael

Dumb and his Sister Dumber

Dumb and his Sister Dumber -Too much of the Wacky Weed!

You just can’t make up a story like this. It has to be true.

The local Spanish newspaper, Levante, reported the following:

A local policeman on patrol on his motorcycle, noticed a fairly large van parked in a place in the city centre that was clearly marked “No Parking.” Because the vehicle was so large it was causing difficulties for passing traffic. The patrolman stopped to see whose van it was, and he took a look in the back window panel, and practically had a heart attack. The van was completely full of marijuana plants. He called for backup!

While several policemen milled around the van, a man and a woman came walking out of a bar where they had stopped to have a coffee. “Hey, fellas, what’s all the fuss?”

“You have parked your van in a no-parking zone and it is causing great difficulties.”

“Oh! Sorry about that!” said Dumb.

“But your van is completely full of marijuana plants, from what we can see,” said the officer.

Dumber piped up: “Oh, those are for our own use.”

“A whole freaking van full!!!!!! Madre Mia!

The police have confiscated the van and the Mary Jane, and they are thinking about it. Dumb and Dumber may actually get their drugs and van back. They will have to pay a fine for illegal parking.

Only in España!

Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael

Tomatina 2011

Tomatina Ketchup 2011

The Spanish town of Buñol has successfully held another of its crazy events that fascinates people from around the world. The most amazing thing about this is that to the best of my knowledge there has never been a death arising from the madness.

I am writing this as a motoring topic because it takes place in one street that is only about four short blocks long, and it is a single one way lane that is barely wide enough for a large truck to pass through.

Add to that, about forty thousand people crowd into the street and get totally out of their minds, but not necessarily on alcohol. The reason we say that there are about forty thousand people is because this is the maximum number of people that can squeeze into the area.

As a lead-in to the arrival of the tomatoes the crowd gets hosed down with water to avoid heat stroke. Then the most dangerous thing takes place as the most massive trucks arrive filled to the top with tomatoes. This year has been a very good year for the tomato crops, being very large and sweet and juicy, that you might mistake them for fruit.

The truck enters the street at the far end, led by guides on foot, and it has to make its way down the entire length of the road that is so full of people that for individuals to move out of the way is very difficult as there is no place to go. The lower sides of the trucks are boarded up so as to make it difficult for people to fall under the wheels. However, when the tomatoes start flying the street becomes a slush of ketchup that make it almost impossible to stand up.

To make matters worse the truck will tip out the last half of its contents, people and all, and while this is all done in slow motion the danger level in the minds of health and safety people is off the scale. This routine is repeated five times.

It is a modern miracle that no one has been hurt or killed in the Tomatina, but when it comes to Spanish festivals, it they aren’t late at night, or incredibly loud, or totally good naturedly violent or deadly dangerous, what would be the point?

Who paid for the 120,000 kilograms of tomatoes?

Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael