The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Dazi]

I don't have any questions yet, but I am sure I will.     This is a great thread.

[Pinky830]

Is it really so dangerous to live in Australia? I have friends from there who I'm sure are trying to scare me when they talk about spiders and snakes, crocodiles and sharks etc etc etc and that I shouldn't come over because so many people aren't prepared and die.

But it doesn't seem to be in the news that all these naive tourists are dying over there so I think they're making it up!

I look forward to hearing from out Oz ehellions, but Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country" definitely makes Australia sound like a deathtrap. A beautiful and charming deathtrap, though.

[Eisa]

With the captain thing, there is actually no rule that says the captain must stay with the ship while it sinks.

There is also no rule that says women and children must get off first.

No, but it is in general assumed that when there are crew and passengers, the professionals (crew) stay until all passengers are safe. You kind of want the people who know how to work emergency systems to hang around long enough to put them in place. In the Greek cruiseliner sinking someone mentioned above, the passengers had to rely on the band to tell them what to do.

As far as the captain going down with his ship, as opposed to being the last one to leave, that was never a rule, more a matter of professional pride.

Oh yes, I know. I just remember reading recently somewhere how many people were surprised that there isn't an official rule regarding those things. So that captain didn't technically do anything wrong rule-wise, but...well, looked like an absolute jerk, anyway.


I have friends who live in Australia. It seems like yes, it IS a death trap. Particularly with huntsman spiders! *shudders*

[MommyPenguin]

Have you guys ever heard of the ship that was the origin of the phrase "women and children first?"  Reading the account always makes me tear up.  The HMS Birkenhead, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Birkenhead_%281845%29.  Basically, the ship did not have enough lifeboats for everybody on board, so the women and children were evacuated first while the men stood fast aboard.  After the ship broke in two, the captain called out that all those who could swim should leap overboard and make for the boats.  However, it was a military ship, and the military commander gave the soldiers their final order... to stand firm.  He knew that if they dove overboard and made for the lifeboats, in their panic they would overturn the lifeboats and the women and children would be killed.  Three men disregarded the order and jumped and swam for the boats anyway, but the rest of the men stood there on that ship as it broke into pieces, exhibiting a bravery that is just incredible.

Some of the men did survive, swimming to shore after the destruction of the boat, which is why we know all the details.

[StarDrifter]

Is it really so dangerous to live in Australia? I have friends from there who I'm sure are trying to scare me when they talk about spiders and snakes, crocodiles and sharks etc etc etc and that I shouldn't come over because so many people aren't prepared and die.

But it doesn't seem to be in the news that all these naive tourists are dying over there so I think they're making it up!

It's not hugely dangerous - except to people who are Darwin Award candidates no matter where they go.

We do have venomous snakes - but most of them live in deserts and bushland; places that are largely uninhabited.

We certainly have venomous spiders (huntsman's don't fall into that category) and they certainly are dangerous, but it's hammered into kids from as early as preschool/kindergarten (so, age 3 or 4) that you DO NOT TOUCH the spider with the pretty red stripe! Because redbacks are common even in the inner city pretty much everyone knows to leave them alone, or spray them with the bug killer before you get rid of them.

Crocodiles only live up north, and it's always well signposted that they're known to be/have been sighted in the area. Idiots who climb onto the croc traps for 'pretty photos' deserve to lose the hand they are teasing a 12-foot killing machine with.

We also have blue-ringed octopi and box-jellyfish (the 'Squishy' in Nemo is a box-jellyfish) but every surf-lifesaver is trained in how to treat the stings.

Then there's the sharks, but they mostly ignore people.

Realistically, the most dangerous animals (to tourists who don't know better) are probably the kangaroos, because people think they're harmless, but the middle toenail on their back foot is about two to four inches long and usually fairly sharp - male kangaroos who are fighting over a female during mating season can disembowel each other with them, and every year or so a story surfaces about a tourist thinking it'll be funny to try and 'box' with a kangaroo, and getting sliced from neck to navel when the roo kicks them in self-defense.

When I put it like that (and these are just off the top of my head) Australia really does sound insanely dangerous! But then you also need to consider that the Australian continent is roughly the same size as the Continental US and we only have 20 million people living here; the large majority of the continent is uninhabited.

[kareng57]

Continuing the 'rag' questions - what is the 'belt' Margaret uses in "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"? I'm probably showing my age here, but that's the only place I've ever heard of it.

Before the days of the pads with adhesive on the bottom to hold them to your underwear, you had to use a "belt". Basically it was similar to a garter belt except it had the strings in the middle instead of on the sides. The pads had a tail on the front and back that went through a loop on the string to hold them in place.

Example here (NSFW) http://www.mum.org/insideMUM1.htm

(Who knew there was a "Museum of Menstruation?)

And if you were wearing shorts - you needed to take great care that the back "tail" was securely tucked downward......

[Suze]

Continuing the 'rag' questions - what is the 'belt' Margaret uses in "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"? I'm probably showing my age here, but that's the only place I've ever heard of it.

Before the days of the pads with adhesive on the bottom to hold them to your underwear, you had to use a "belt". Basically it was similar to a garter belt except it had the strings in the middle instead of on the sides. The pads had a tail on the front and back that went through a loop on the string to hold them in place.

Example here (NSFW) http://www.mum.org/insideMUM1.htm

(Who knew there was a "Museum of Menstruation?)

And if you were wearing shorts - you needed to take great care that the back "tail" was securely tucked downward......

which beats me why anybody wants to wear thong underwear...

I only had to wear a belt a few times (thank goodness for sticky backs) and that was enough "butt floss" for the rest of my life.

[tallone]

Is it really so dangerous to live in Australia? I have friends from there who I'm sure are trying to scare me when they talk about spiders and snakes, crocodiles and sharks etc etc etc and that I shouldn't come over because so many people aren't prepared and die.

But it doesn't seem to be in the news that all these naive tourists are dying over there so I think they're making it up!

It's not hugely dangerous - except to people who are Darwin Award candidates no matter where they go.

We do have venomous snakes - but most of them live in deserts and bushland; places that are largely uninhabited.

We certainly have venomous spiders (huntsman's don't fall into that category) and they certainly are dangerous, but it's hammered into kids from as early as preschool/kindergarten (so, age 3 or 4) that you DO NOT TOUCH the spider with the pretty red stripe! Because redbacks are common even in the inner city pretty much everyone knows to leave them alone, or spray them with the bug killer before you get rid of them.

Crocodiles only live up north, and it's always well signposted that they're known to be/have been sighted in the area. Idiots who climb onto the croc traps for 'pretty photos' deserve to lose the hand they are teasing a 12-foot killing machine with.

We also have blue-ringed octopi and box-jellyfish (the 'Squishy' in Nemo is a box-jellyfish) but every surf-lifesaver is trained in how to treat the stings.

Then there's the sharks, but they mostly ignore people.

Realistically, the most dangerous animals (to tourists who don't know better) are probably the kangaroos, because people think they're harmless, but the middle toenail on their back foot is about two to four inches long and usually fairly sharp - male kangaroos who are fighting over a female during mating season can disembowel each other with them, and every year or so a story surfaces about a tourist thinking it'll be funny to try and 'box' with a kangaroo, and getting sliced from neck to navel when the roo kicks them in self-defense.

When I put it like that (and these are just off the top of my head) Australia really does sound insanely dangerous! But then you also need to consider that the Australian continent is roughly the same size as the Continental US and we only have 20 million people living here; the large majority of the continent is uninhabited.

See, I thought so. Americans don't go crazy about how wolves and bears eat everybody up (though they generally could!) It's just every continent has it's dangers to look out for. Still hard not to seem gullible if EVERY aussie I know says the same thing..is it like the national joke or something? 

Then again, if a large part is uninhabited...I assume there's a Spiderpeople or Snakepeople Empire out there, undiscovered and waiting to strike.

[DangerMouth]

^ and don't forget the drop bears

[snowfire]

I'll just toss them a jackalope or two to keep them ocupied. 

[Julian]

^ and don't forget the drop bears

and the hoop snakes!  

The urbanised parts of Australia are pretty tame - the occasional redback spider or poisonous snake, and as anna_garny said, we're taught from a young age to not touch.

Crocs can be a problem up in the tropical north, particularly with the recent floods - they're tending to move out of their normal range.  Crocs are usually territorial, and stay in the same area for decades.

Irukandji jellyfish are a problem up north too - tiny little jellyfish with a deadly sting.

Huntsman spiders are big, hairy and ugly - and, unless you're arachnophobic with a dicky ticker, essentially harmless.

Probably the most dangerous creature here is the average car driver...  

[RedDwarf]

There's common sense rules that can be stuffed up or tourists don't know about them. Like- Carry water. Stay in the shade/use sunscreen if you don't want to burn horribly. Don't go out into the bush alone. Make noise so snakes are scared off. etc.

[A.P. Wulfric]

Re: Aunt Flo- According to the world of Ayla, leather thongs and mouflon wool were used. She hasn't invented the tampon yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon.

My question-who decided that mint was the fresh breath signifier?  Why mint? Why not chocolate? or vanilla? or orange?  When, why and how was it established that mint should equal fresh? 

Second question-why do restaurant garden and chef salads always taste better than my own salads? Same ingredients, but I scarf those and occasionally only pick at mine-and don't make them daily.

[DottyG]

dicky ticker

Ummmm......WHAT?!

[KenveeB]

dicky ticker

Ummmm......WHAT?!

From the context, my best bet is "bad heart".