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To: SE who wrote (25003)6/9/1999 3:24:00 PM
From: SE  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 44573
 
These awards are given annually (and posthumously) to those individuals
who
did the most for the human gene pool by removing themselves from it.

DARWIN AWARD RUNNERS-UP:

#1 - LOS ANGELES, CA. Ani Saduki, 33, and his brother
decided to remove a bees' nest from a shed on their
property with the aid of a pineapple.
A pineapple is an illegal firecracker which is the
explosive equivalent of one-half stick of dynamite. They
ignited the fuse and retreated to watch from inside their
home, behind a window some 10 feet away from the hive/shed.
The concussion of the explosion shattered the window
inwards, seriously lacerating Ani. Deciding Mr. Saduki
needed stitches, the brothers headed out to go to a nearby
hospital. While walking towards their car, Ani was stung
three times by the surviving bees. Unbeknownst to either
brother, Ani was allergic to bee venom, and died of
suffocation en-route to the hospital.

#2 - Derrick L. Richards, 28, was charged in April in
Minneapolis with third-degree murder in the death of his
beloved cousin, Kenneth E. Richards. According to police,
Derrick suggested a game of Russian roulette and put a
semiautomatic pistol (instead of the more traditional
revolver) to Ken's head and fired.

#3 - PHILLIPSBURG, NJ. An unidentified 29 year old male
choked to death on a sequined pastie he had orally removed
from an exotic dancer at a local establishment. "I didn't
think he was going to eat it," the dancer identified only
as "Ginger" said, adding "He was really drunk."

#5 - MOSCOW, Russia-A drunk security man asked a colleague
at the Moscow bank they were guarding to stab his
bulletproof vest to see if it would protect him against a
knife attack. It didn't, and the 25-year-old guard died of
a heart wound. (It's good to see the Russians getting into
the spirit of the Darwin Awards.)

#6 - In FRANCE, Jacques LeFevrier left nothing to chance
when he decided to commit suicide. He stood at the top of
a tall cliff and tied a noose around his neck. He tied the
other end of the rope to a large rock. He drank some
poison and set fire to his clothes.
He even tried to shoot himself at the last moment. He
jumped and fired the pistol. The bullet missed him
completely and cut through the rope above him. Free of the
threat of hanging, he plunged into the sea. The
sudden dunking extinguished the flames and made him vomit
the poison.
He was dragged out of the water by a kind fisherman and was
taken to a hospital, where he died of hypothermia.

#7 - RENTON, WASHINGTON, USA. A Renton, Washington man
tried to commit a robbery. This was probably his first
attempt, as suggested by the fact that he had no previous
record of violent crime, and by his terminally stupid
choices as listed below:
1. The target was H&J Leather & Firearms...a gun shop.
2. The shop was full of customers, in a state where a
substantial portion of the adult population is licensed to
carry concealed handguns in public places.
3. To enter the shop, he had to step around a marked Police
patrol car parked at the front door.
4. An officer in uniform was standing next to the counter,
having coffee before reporting to duty. Upon seeing the
officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup and fired a
few wild shots. The officer and a clerk promptly returned
fire, removing him from the gene pool. Several other
customers also drew their guns, but didn't fire. No one
else was hurt.

AND THE 1998 DARWIN AWARD WINNER IS.....

THOMPSON, MANITOBA, CANADA. Telephone relay company night
watchman Edward Baker, 31, was killed early Christmas
morning by excessive microwave radiation exposure. He was
apparently attempting to keep warm next to a
telecommunications feed-horn. Baker had been suspended on
a safety violation once last year, according to Northern
Manitoba Signal Relay spokesperson Tanya Cooke. She noted
that Baker's earlier infraction was for defeating a safety
shut-off switch and entering a restricted maintenance
catwalk in order to stand in front of the microwave dish.
He had told coworkers that it was the only way he could
stay warm during his twelve-hour shift at the station,
where winter temperatures often dip to forty below zero.
Microwaves can heat water molecules within human
tissue in the same way that they heat food in
microwave ovens. For his Christmas shift, Baker reportedly
brought a twelve pack of beer and a plastic lawn chair,
which he positioned directly in line with the strongest
microwave beam. Baker had not been told about a tenfold
boost in microwave power planned that night to handle the
anticipated increase in holiday long-distance calling
traffic. Baker's body was discovered by the daytime
watchman, John Burns, who was greeted by an odor he mistook
for a Christmas roast he thought Baker must have prepared
as a surprise. Burns also reported to NMSR company
officials that Baker's unfinished beers had exploded.