Bird Ruins Try for World Record in Falling Dominos

[johnny]

Originally posted by Link: quote: Originally posted by Legolas: For your comparison: Sparrow Mus

Sparrow is spreeuw toch? [/QUOTE]Nope, sparrow=mus.

[Legolas]

And spreeuw = starling.

[Timber Loftis]

The bird knocked over about 23,000 dominoes. That's about 1/2 of 1% of the 4.2M+ dominoes scheduled to go down. 1/2 of 1% of their work -- and they shot it. They had about 200,000 dominoes left to place, meaning it would only add about 10% additional time to the time it will already take them to complete the setup. Additionally, the group was trying to break ITS OWN record. Point being: on balance, the bird caused VERY LITTLE harm to the group or the event.

The common sparrow is listed as endangered there. 2 million breeding pairs 20 years ago have been reduced to about 25% of that number now. You need a permit to kill this bird, and prosecutors are investigating the matter. Point being, the offense of killing the bird not only is illegal, but it OUTWEIGHS the social utility of killing it.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

[ 11-16-2005, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

[johnny]

A radiodeejay has called upon all people to go to that building and throw rocks or whatever it takes to make the rest of the dominos drop as well.

That's right, we're about to start a civil war over a dead sparrow.

[Ilander]

Yeah, speaking as an American who kills birds...that's absurd. Just get over it. Birds...well, they can be pests. This bird proved itself to be a pest, and could have become more of a pest, had the guy not shot it. Give THAT guy a medal. Little birds are hard to hit.

[johnny]

Originally posted by Ilander: Yeah, speaking as an American who kills birds...that's absurd. Just get over it. Birds...well, they can be pests. This bird proved itself to be a pest, and could have become more of a pest, had the guy not shot it. Give THAT guy a medal. Little birds are hard to hit.

It wasn't flying around, it was sitting down quietly. Stevie Wonder could have made that shot too.

[armageddon272]

I believe that exterminator overreacted a bit, but I'd be pretty ticked off too if my 28,000 dominos were knocked over. Someone said, "What if a person knocked them over, would you shoot them?." Frankly, the guy was using a pellet gun, so I would have shot them (probably in the shins) or at least hit him in the face.

I mean, I can somewhate see where the animal rights activists are coming from, but then I keep a line from South Park comes to mind.

Mr. Garrison: All right, children, I have just been informed that since our school has been attacked by eco-terrorists for the 47th time, we are going to change our school mascot. Class: AWWWWWWWWW!!! Stan: Buh, Mr. Garrision, if we change our mascot, that means the eco-terrorists win! Mr. Garrison: That's right, Stanley, the eco-terrorists win. [approaches the students with a stack of papers and begins distributing it] Now, I have here a mascot selection sheet. Every student is supposed to check the box next to the mascot they like the most. And the most popular selection will be the school's new mascot. Clyde: But we like being the Cows! [a bucket of fake blood is doused on him and the rest of the class gasps.] Dreadlocked PETA man: You're responsible for the enslavement and genocide of millions! Mr. Garrison: [taking action] Get, get outta here, PETA! We're changin' the mascot already! Dreadlocked PETA man: Who'll speak for those who cannot speak for themselves?? Mr. Garrison: [throws some papers at the PETA member] Go on, get, get outta here! [breaks out a can of mace and sprays it on him] Get, get out! [the man leaves] Jesus, where do they keep coming from?? [sprays some more for effect] Go on, get outta here. Stan: This is bullcrap, dude! Mr. Garrison: Now children, it's not that bad. There's plenty of great new mascots on the sheet to chose from. The Hurricanes, the Blizzards, the Redskins, the Indians... Wendy: But aren't Indians and Redskins just as offensive? Mr. Garrison: No, those are fine. PETA doesn't care about people.

[Larry_OHF]

A funny but interesting quote from the show you have there, armageddon272. If PETA would instead focus their energy on saving all those poor kids in child-labor shops, this world might be a bit better. Rucassing over one bird that took a wrong turn and ended up dead because of it is a waste of good potential resource.

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Ilander: Give THAT guy a medal. Little birds are hard to hit.

[img]graemlins/whackya.gif[/img] Obviously, some of us ignore the wisdom of Atticus Finch. [img]graemlins/whackya.gif[/img]

Besides, being a Kentuckian, it's unseemly of you to praise such mediocre rifleman skillz. We have a reputation to protect.

[Memnoch]

Animal agency up in arms over shooting of sparrow Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Page A18 Amsterdam -- The Dutch animal-protection agency demanded prosecution yesterday after the shooting of a sparrow that had knocked over 23,000 dominoes during a group's attempt to set a record. The ill-fated bird flew into an exposition centre Monday in the northern city of Leeuwarden, where employees of TV station Endemol NV had worked for weeks setting up more than four million dominoes in an attempt to break the official Guinness World Record for falling dominoes. The sparrow belonged to a species on the national endangered list. The Endemol organizers, who are out to break their own record of 3,992,397 dominoes during a live television broadcast on Friday, defended the killing. AP