Tag: disasters

Will the Supermoon destroy us all?

I saw an interesting headline in the news recently: Will March 19 “Supermoon” Trigger Natural Disasters? Uhh… What is this “Supermoon”?  Apparently it’s just that the moon will be closer to the Earth than it has in the past 18 years (“just” 221,567 miles away), and it will be a full moon.

Here’s what is amusing to me about the article:

“One astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet.”

Notice the first word of that quote.  The guy is Richard Nolle, who runs a website, and he termed this upcoming event an “extreme supermoon”.  He says when this happens, “chaos will ensue: Huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth.”  If there’s truth to that, then we should be very concerned.   But the very next sentence of the article clarifies the situation:

(It should be noted that astrology is not a real science, but merely makes connections between astronomical and mystical events.)

Ahh…   Back in factual terms, a seismologist has said it does cause more “stress” to the Earth, but it’s a less-than-1-percent increase in earthquake activity and slightly higher in volcanoes.  He thinks there should be more of an effect, but the evidence just isn’t there.  The U.S. Geological Survey has done a lot of studies and haven’t found anything significant at all.

The article goes on to say, “Most natural disasters have nothing to do with the moon at all.”   Notice the first word again.  So the moon is to blame for some Earth destruction after all!  Well, as they say, you can’t be too careful — so obviously we should blow up the moon! (There are numerous discussions here at Buffet o’ Blog on why the moon should be destroyed.  Feel free to search the archives and join the discussion.)

videos of deep-fried turkey disasters

Baking a turkey has long been part of most Americans’ Thanksgiving tradition.  But let’s face it — it’s kinda boring to watch a turkey bake. Plus turkey is healthy and not very fattening, which doesn’t fit in with our modern culture.  So now more and more people are deep-frying their turkey, which makes it more unhealthy (along with more flavorful), and there’s also the danger of deep-frying it improperly, which is exciting for some people.

I’ve heard so many reports of deep-fried turkey disasters in recent years that it seems like it’s becoming a sport.  There are probably countless videos on YouTube of this, but here’s a few highlights I’ve come across.

In the following video, note the lack of protective gear, and also notice the child in the background covering his eyes.  Somehow he knew something was going to go wrong.  And somehow this accident even inspired a dance from the man responsible for it.

This next video features firefighters showing the right and wrong way to deep-fry a turkey.  First, they do it correctly, with it fully thawed and dry.  Next they drop a partially thawed turkey in the deep-fryer.  Then they put a mostly frozen turkey in the deep-fryer.  Lastly, they show you what happens if you pour water on an oil fire.  (The last part is quite impressive, because it’s not near my house.)

This next one is great.  This “chef” uses the Archimedes Principle to properly deep-fry a turkey.  (That’s a great line.  I had never heard it used like that, and there may be a reason why.)  Then at the end, he says, calmly, “We are now frying a turkey.”  Perhaps, but he’s also burning a turkey… and his deep-fryer… and the house…

In this next video, we start with the fire already burning.  Several people are yelling, “Use a fire extinguisher!”  At least one person has the knowledge to say it should be one made for oil fires.  (There are different kinds of fire extinguishers, if you didn’t know.)  You might be able to guess whether this was the right kind or not.  I like how at the end one guy says, “It’s fine”, after it’s been on-fire over a minute and they’ve sprayed it down with a fire extinguisher (which might not be good for food).

Think you’ve seen everything there is to see regarding turkey frying accidents?  In the next video, some morning show radio DJs simulate the dangers of deep-frying a turkey (improperly) inside your living room.  Somewhere, Fire Marshall Bill is smiling…

BTW, this may look cool, but you shouldn’t try this at home.