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| Kite deaths mar Pakistan festival |
| 2004-02-17 |
| Now I feel bad for laughing at the Anti-Kite Flying Democratic Front Up to nine people have been killed and dozens injured during an annual kite-flying festival called Basant in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Three people were electrocuted when banned metal wires they were using to fly kites - or catch stray ones - fell onto electric power lines. A young girl’s throat was slit by a stray metal kite string stretched across a road, witnesses said. At least two more people fell from roofs during the spring festival. Two men were also reportedly killed when they were hit by cars while trying to catch stray kites. Despite a ban on firing guns, several people were injured by stray bullets. Officials at a Lahore hospital said 42 children and 60 adults had been treated for kite-related injuries, the AFP news agency reported. Each year the festival spells tragedy for many families, the BBC’s Paul Anderson in Pakistan says. It has become a highly competitive event in which people employ extraordinary skills to bring down - better still, capture - an opponent’s kite. Sometimes they use string coated in pulverized glass to cut an opponent’s kite; other times metal wire - which is often coated in corrosive chemicals, our correspondent says. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #21 Sparks: That's (Super Genius) to you, bub. |
| Posted by: W.E. Coyote 2004-2-17 9:15:01 PM |
| #20 If some bastard cut my string, I'd nail the bastard in the throat with a lawn dart. I always keep one on my person - it's one of the few lethal weapons not on the TSA list of prohibitted items. Shipman, I also modified it with a special styrafoam disk about four inches in diameter mounted about two inches down the shafte from the highly sharpened point - just in case I need to block the airway of large predatory sea mammal. Shamu thinks he is stalking me, but sometimes the hunted becomes the hunter. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-17 8:50:39 PM |
| #19 Re the warning labels on the Coleman lanterns. There was a woman in my office that actually tried to iron the wrinkles out of her polyester dress during work. The dress of course melted on her legs and burned the hell out of here. After the squad evac'd her, I checked out the box the iron was in. Yep, it said "Not for use on clothes while on your person". That must have confused her. BTW - she had an MBA from Syracuse. I'm sure that most of us have heard in one of our leadership or management classes something like "Winners always find a way to win". The equally true collorary is "Losers always find a way to lose". I think that applies to our friends with the kites. Darwin calling. . . |
| Posted by: Doc8404 2004-2-17 4:59:06 PM |
| #18 Sorry Shipman, the Rocket Pogo-Stick prototype was destroyed during user testing. Condolences to Mr. W.E. Coyote (Genius). |
| Posted by: Sparks 2004-2-17 4:55:49 PM |
| #17 Thanks, Dar. I realized my comments had little to do with Pakistani kite flying. The point I was trying to make is exactly what you said. It is a reality that more and more we are being told and even encourged to belive that we are not responsable for what we do. Common sense is almost a thing of the past. "We are all victims." Opus from Bloome County. |
| Posted by: DEACON BLUES 2004-2-17 4:10:56 PM |
| #16 For real Sparks? I remember a gas operated one... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-17 3:39:57 PM |
| #15 How long before they start mounting AK47s on those kites?? BTW, like Dar said, Deacon has a good point. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-2-17 3:37:02 PM |
| #14 Shipman, how 'bout the ACME Rocket Pogo-Stick? |
| Posted by: Sparks 2004-2-17 2:59:45 PM |
| #13 Jon--Deacon's commenting on cingold's comment(#1), and he's got a point. There are fewer and fewer people in the US willing to take accountability for their actions. Any moron who decides to use a power tool as a suppository then sues the manufacturer for not putting a label "Do Not Use as a Suppository" on the product and has a good chance of winning thanks to those soak-the-rich juries and trial lawyers. Ever looked at an old Coleman lantern next to a new one? The new one is covered with stupid warnings ("Lantern gets hot"--no sh-t!). It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves camping back in the 70's! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-2-17 1:10:25 PM |
| #12 SH I once tried to interest the Whammo Corp. in my almost pantented SABOT blow gun. This was a few years after the Jarts fiasco... the corporate lawyers took one look at my design and told me to get lost yesterday. True Story. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-17 1:06:36 PM |
| #11 what the fuck is this Deacon blues fella on about and what the fucks it gotta do with paki's flying deadly kites? Please tell us deacon otherwise were left thinking your some kinda fuck wit. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-2-17 1:00:45 PM |
| #10 The guys at Whammo Corporation are probably developing a business plan for unloading all the Jarts - lawn darts - that became illegal to sell in the late 70's. I bet ACME Corporation will soon open up a Lahore office as well. :-} |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-17 12:59:05 PM |
| #9 Um....Your point is? Also your Caps Lock is stuck. There is no need to shout. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-2-17 12:57:09 PM |
| #8 THE US IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT DEMANDS PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILIT? I'M FAT SO IT'S MCDONALD'S FAULT, I HAVE CANCER FROM SMOKING FOR 30 YEARS SO IT'S THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY'S FAULT, I'M AN ALCHOHOLIC SO IT'S THE DISTILLER'S FAULT, I KILLED MY NEIGHBOR WITH A HAND GUN SO IT'S THE FIREARM'S MANUFACTURER'S FAULT. THE LIST GOES ON. WE ARE ALL VICTIMS. |
| Posted by: DEACON BLUES 2004-2-17 12:17:59 PM |
| #7 It's the turbans. They're way too tight. I guess the Prophet wore his that way... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-2-17 12:03:40 PM |
| #6 jesus these fuckers can't even have fun without maiming and killing each other. These people need to grow brains badly |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-2-17 11:57:46 AM |
| #5 No matter what passtime these clowns take up, they find a way to add danger to endeavor. I imagine the Pakistani kids must sharpen their Tiddly Winks to a razor's edge also. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-17 11:46:13 AM |
| #4 What to make of a group of people who have a knack for even turning something as lovely as kite flying into TERRORISM, tribal and ethnic conflict, bloody carnage and mayhem. |
| Posted by: Garrison 2004-2-17 8:50:56 AM |
| #3 Time to build Whispering Death the US brand stealth kite. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-17 7:43:26 AM |
| #2 Daayum,that be some serious kite-flyin. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-2-17 7:20:20 AM |
| #1 I still can't agree with the Kite Killing Democratic Front. I had too much fun flying them as a kid. I agree that metal wires should be banned, but a string coated in pulverized glass to cut an opponent’s kite isn't that bad. Here's an idea -- what about imposing responsiblity on kite flyers for their actions? Like, also, maybe imposing responsibility on people for firing guns into the air? Is the US the only country that demands personal accountability? |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-2-17 7:07:29 AM |