Darwin was established in 1869 and has endured isolation and devastation over the years-bombing attacks by the Japanese in WWII, Cyclone Tracy in 1974 are two. Now it is linked by highway to Alice Springs, Adelaide and Melbourne. Many of Darwin's best attractions are not in Darwin but located a short drive away. And away we went-in the rain-to see Croc's Jumping!
CROC'S JUMPING
This poor fellow only had one leg. The other three were lost at "war". Yes, Yes and a hokee tourist stop was a part of the day. Bubba was in charge of choosing all excursions...WHAT WAS I THINKING. Nuff said.
AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE DARWIN AWARDS???
The Darwin Awards are a tongue-in-cheek honor, created by US scientist Wendy Northcutt to recognize those who have contributed to human evolution by exceptionally negative means.
| "In the spirit of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives. Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival." |
Accidental self-sterilization also qualifies. However: "Of necessity, the award is usually bestowed posthumously." But the candidate is disqualified if "innocent bystanders", who might have contributed positively to the gene pool, are killed in the process.
The Darwin Award books state that an attempt is made to disallow known urban legends from the awards, but some older "winners" have been 'grandfathered' to keep their awards. The Darwin Awards site does try to verify all submitted stories, but many similar sites, and the vast number of circulating "Darwin awards" emails, are largely fictional.
Northcutt has stated five requirements for a Darwin Award:
Inability to reproduce
- Nominee must be dead or rendered sterile.
- Sometimes this can be a matter of dispute. Potential awardees may be out of the gene pool due to age; others have already reproduced before their deaths. To avoid debates about the possibility of in-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, or cloning, the original Darwin Awards book applied the following "deserted island" test to potential winners: If the person would be unable to reproduce when stranded on a deserted island with a fertile member of the opposite sex, he or she would be considered sterile. Winners of the award, in general, are either dead or become unable to use their sexual organs.
- Astoundingly stupid judgment.
- The candidate's foolishness must be unique and sensational, likely because the award is intended to be funny. A number of foolish but common activities, such as smoking in bed, are excluded from consideration.[5] In contrast, self-immolation caused by smoking after being administered a flammable ointment in a hospital and specifically told not to smoke[6] is grounds for nomination. One 'Honorable Mention' (a man who attempted suicide by swallowing nitroglycerine pills, and then tried to detonate them by running into a wall) is noted to be in this category, despite being intentional and self-inflicted, which would normally disqualify the inductee.
Self-selection
- Cause of one's own demise.
- Killing a friend with a hand grenade would not be eligible, but killing oneself while manufacturing a homemade chimney-cleaning device from a grenade would be eligible.[8] To earn a Darwin Award, the candidate must have killed him- or herself, rather than a third party.
Maturity
- Capable of sound judgment.
- The nominee must be at least past the legal driving age and free of mental defect (Northcutt considers injury or death caused by mental defect to be tragic, rather than amusing, and routinely disqualifies such entries). After much discussion, there also exists a small category regarding deaths below this age limit. Entry into this category requires that the peers of the candidate be of the opinion that the actions of the person in question were above and beyond the limits of reason in their opinions.
Veracity
- The event must be verified.
- The story must be documented by reliable sources: e.g., reputable newspaper articles, confirmed television reports, or responsible eyewitnesses. If a story is found to be untrue, it is disqualified, but particularly amusing ones are placed in the urban legend section of the archives. Despite this requirement, many of the stories are fictional, often appearing as "original submissions" and presenting no further sources than unverified (and unreliable) "eyewitnesses". Most such stories on Northcutt's Darwin Awards site are filed in the Personal Accounts section.
FEEL FREE TO PLACE YOUR VOTE WWW.DARWINAWARDSOY YOY!
