Just read on the net: a man went over Niagara Falls without ANY safety aid - no barrel, life preserver, etc.
They say he is the first man to do this and survive. Many have attempted, and all have died.
I got to thinking (yes, the cogs do move occassionally)....would I consider this bravery to the max or insanity.
I'm thinking mostly crazy...but definately a little bravery. 180 foot fall with perilous rocks etc is something I could never do.
What's your take on this?
Posted by Alan Ackerson (Member # 3224) on :
Ummmm...has anyone seen Bruce around today?
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
I've been a fan of "that Seventies Show" and 2 words come to mind... DUMB *SS. The fact that he survived shows how stupid he is. If I recall correctly, there are large fines and imprisonment assessed to anyone that survives. He better have a good bank account and some vacation time coming if he was employed. In a way, I'm a little envious too. Just to say that I went over the falls at Niagra gotta be worth a few beers to the drinking buddies.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
& what better place to prolong the promise of a few beers then in prison Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Personally, I thought it was really stupid. What the hell was he thinking? Oh, obviously, he wasn't.
Big difference between bravery and stupidity.
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
hahaha...I love your responses!
They claim he is "eligible" for a $10,000 fine. Even if I was that stupid, the money would give me pause.
Checkers: my wife and I love "that 70's show". We don't miss an episode....and are patiently waiting for the world series to end so we can check out the new shows.
Getting back to the guy over the falls: They claim that he snatched a wad of moss off the bank and exclaimed, "I'm keeping this for a souvineer".
If he goes to prison I think he'll get offers other than a free beer!
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Well I guess that makes me crazy, insane, and stupid because my one last goal in life is to jump from the top of Angel Falls the worlds tallest waterfall in the world at 3,200 ft.
And I'll gladly pay the $4,000.00 bucks for the privelede and adventure. Sure as hell beats shuffleboard. Niagra in a barrel? piece of cake...
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
I believe Bob, he seems crazy enough to do it. Let's meet before Angel Falls though.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Crazy is in the eye of the beholder.
And he is also NOT the first person to do it and survive, the media has the wrong information once again.
There's a guy that's still alive to this day, in his 50's, that went over the falls as a child by accident when his family had boat trouble on the river above the Falls. There's a film about him in the IMAX theater up there, along with all other kinds of information about it.
Posted by Steve Burke (Member # 2674) on :
I think he is not crazy, nor is he brave-
crazy is going into a biker bar yelling "who is the dumba$$ with the pansy-colored Harley outside?"
Brave is rushing into a burning car to save a baby in a carseat.
STUPID is doing something to deliberately endanger your own life for nothing but getting your name in the news or to have some other goofball buy you a beer because he is not as stupid as you!!
People who do these things should be forced to: 1) Pay the salaries of the EMT's who invariably rush over to help; 2)Pay for their own hospital care, no insurance should pay; 3)Approach at least 5 other people who's loved ones haved killed themselves doing similarly stupid things and say "I was lucky to have lived- aren't I cool?"
What a self-centered idiot...
Posted by Tony Potter (Member # 1199) on :
Said in the paper this morning he had claimed for years to suspect a spot where one could go over and live... and had been talking about it to his buddies lately... well, I personally think he lucked the h3ll out. I suspect it was a situation of suicide v.s. fame and either being saw as better to himself.
But, if i were to ever be in such dire straits to consider taking my life... it would be in as grand a fashion as I could come up with... it being a one-time deal (usually haha)... but I got a little girl that I would miss too much.
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
They had his mother, father & brother on the Today Show this morning as we were getting ready for work and they were talking about the incident. His brother said he had some "mental problems". Oh Gee, YA THINK!!! His brother had a hard time holding his head up straight and talking in complete sentences. The whole family will probably make enough $ to pay the $10,000 fine they talk about and then some. The parents said they had just taken a trip to the falls with this guy a few weeks ago and he didn't say anything about trying to go over the falls. He was upset about his parents moving and relocating to a different part of the country though. The father said he wouldn't berate the guy when they finally get to see him. The mother didn't know what was going on the whole interview and she didn't know what she would say. I couldn't tell if she just didn't get it or couldn't hear what others were saying with that little probe in her ear. (Does anybody else hear the theme from the Twighlight Zone in the background?)
[ October 22, 2003, 09:29 AM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
Posted by Troy Haas (Member # 472) on :
Steve B.
1.) Definatly, and it should include "Hazzard pay" 2.) Most insurance's have a provission for "injuries sustained while commiting a crime" 3.) Don't agree with this one, why put the families through that.
Have to agree though, NOT Brave or Crazy, just plain stupid....
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Straight from the horses mouth in an interview:
Kirk Jones told ABCNEWS that his jump down Niagara Falls came after months of struggling with depression. (ABCNEWS.com) ‘Grace of God’ Niagara Falls Jumper Survives and Claims New Lease on Life
N I A G A R A F A L L S, Ontario, Oct. 22 — After surviving a plunge over Niagara Falls, Kirk Jones has told ABCNEWS that he now believes life is worth living again.
"These past few months have been difficult for me," said Jones in a phone interview with ABCNEWS from his hospital bed.
"Many things together caused this depression and I actually thought that it wasn't worth going on. But I can tell you now, after hitting the falls, I feel that life is worth living," he said.
Forty-year-old Jones, who survived a jump down the falls Monday, said the plunge was like being "in a giant tunnel going straight down, surrounded by water."
"I hit hard," Jones said. "I was being thrown left and right, being turned upside down like a barrel roll. At this point I was realizing I was still alive and I was able to come up," he said.
Jones, of Canton Township, Mich., is the first person known to have plunged over the falls without safety devices and lived. Rescuers pulled Jones to safety after he managed to swim to some rocks.
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
This guy was shooting for a Darwin Award and missed. The fine is only $10g? They should make a law that anyone who does this and survives, forfeits ALL profits from selling interviews, story rights, etc. to the National Nitwit Enquirer, and the money should go to the EMT squad that pulled his silly a** out of the river.
Can you imagine being too dumb to die?
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Cam.....hehehe...I should have posted what the father said in the interview....something like this:
"I figured if he went over and died it was his decision, and if he lived then it was meant to be."
This isn't exact, but close...can you imagine some turnip head dad encouraging his son to follow his dream to go over the falls?
Makes you believe the Beverly Hillbillies moved to Michigan!!! (I hate to admit it...but that's where the family resides) Posted by Glen Perye Jr (Member # 159) on :
Well first off 15 people have gone over the Canadian falls. in and on things 5 have lived, the first was a women teacher from bay city Mich. Said she was 43 turned out she was 63. didn't make a dime from her lecture tour. Died in the poorhouse. Can you tell the name of the last person to go over the falls. Before this Moron wrapped in an idiot did, probally not. The last two that tried, one on a jet ski and another in a kayak both died. the guy who went over when he was a kid was wearing a life jacket. he said he would have nothing to do with this nut!. The idea came to him after the visit a month ago. He didn't care if he lived or died his friend locally that took the video of it said that he thought he could make a couple of bucks from it if he lived. Being a loco local the papers and news has been full of more than you would ever want to know about this guy. the only good thing I've heard so far about it is the police over there said that there is nothing on the tape it is blank. Guess somebody in the cop shop had an opps, LOL and the 10,000 can fine is about 8,500 us his father said in print locally when asked about the fine. "he will be breaking rocks for a long time" what helps the people going over the horseshoe falls is all the air that is entrapped in the water, when it hits the pool at the bottom the air collects in a large bubble and comes to the surface and pops. this and no rocks there in the pool helped him. if he would have been 20 secs sooner hitting the bottom he would have hit the tour boat. The Maid of the Mist he would have probally went thru the top deck and killed or injured a lot of people on the boat. God protects fools and little childern. he probally fits on both counts. It will help him get free beers at the bars he seems to spend time in Caton. he has a full page of supsended driving arrests. But he has had his fifeteen minutes of fame. Maybe he can get some more if they ever have who wants to marry a moron. Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Clarification: The news reports all say he is the 1st person to go over the falls WITHOUT any type of aid and live.
In other words...other people have done it and lived but all had some sort of safety device, whether it was a life vest, barrel, etc.
This cook went over with just his clothes on...and survived, thus making him the first [idgit] to survive the falls without any type of safety aid.
Posted by Glen Perye Jr (Member # 159) on :
Well a judge just barred him from coming back into Canada, amywhere, anytime, for any reason. To bad we can't keep him out of Michigan. It would raise the level of the gene pool Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
if i decide to commit suicide i will take an overdose of insulin & go to sleep.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Applause]](graemlins/clap.gif)