Sure we don’t have piranhas or grizzlies… but we do have feral pigs and kangaroos

Feral hogs (“razorbacks”) are a problem in many of the states–but fortunately they taste good.

…taipans and brown snakes… and crocs….

Not to mention the Sydney funnel spider, the blue-ringed octopus & the box jellyfish! Australia’s deadly wildlife is famous.

Yeeesh. AP’s gotta be wondering what he’s gotta do to get a laugh.

And a beef pie left on the kitchen bench for two hours during summer can kill you.

The Thin Man Returns on November 19, 2012 at 4:42 PM

Under ideal conditions, 37C, E. coli can reproduce every 19 minutes. Other bacterium are slower. As the temperature gets higher or lower reproduction slows down. Assuming your pie picks up the nasty variant of E. coli then you are look at 2e5 or 32 bacteria after 2 hours. So unless you didn’t store your meats and/or then cook your pie incorrectly 2 hours is not enough time to reach a critical mass of bacteria.

trotted out when somebody does something unbelievably stupid.

Ace ODale on November 19, 2012 at 3:36 PM

hmmm I thought this was the RINO theme song

And in Aussie land, “pie” is usually Steak and Kidney –
MunDane68 on November 19, 2012 at 4:13 PM

Indeed, beef or lamb or chicken – that’s the default pie, not apple or fruit of some kind. And a beef pie left on the kitchen bench for two hours during summer can kill you. The vast majority of hospital admissions over Christmas (summer here) are food poisoning due to poor food storage. Sure we don’t have piranhas or grizzlies (or Aussies in space) but we do have feral pigs and kangaroos that’ll go you if you get too close (a roo will put its front paws on your shoulders and tear your guts out with its hind feet), taipans and brown snakes that get peed off real fast and kill very quick, and crocs in the northern creeks that eat American tourists (fact) and just this past week ate a 7 year old Aboriginal girl. Using piranhas and bears is just a way of making it amusing so the dumb kiddies who skateboard on train platforms will watch and listen. As for electrical work, it’s actually illegal here to do electrical jobs without qualifications and a licence. Hasn’t stopped me from changing a light fitting or two but it would stop my insurance paying out if I burn myself or the house down…

Ace ODale on November 19, 2012 at 3:36 PM

You know, that’s not a bad idea.

No public good is done by reminding people not poke a grizzly bear with a stick.

keep the change on November 19, 2012 at 2:42 PM

I think the idea is to equate very ridiculous, stupid ways to die (like using your privates as pirahna bait) with crossing against signals.

You wouldn’t poke a grizzly with a stick because that’s unbelievably stupid. And now, maybe standing too close to the edge at a subway terminal might get filed away in your subconscious as being equally stupid.

That and being humorous helps to drive home the real points, too.
IMHO, anyhow.

Until now.

♪♫ So many dumb ways to die…

Sure, I know it was just a silly song, but if they had put more thought into the lyrics, they could have come up with more relevant dangers if it was meant to serve as a PSA. No public good is done by reminding people not poke a grizzly bear with a stick.

If you absolutely have to DIY, check out wiring/electrical code books from the library, ask on dedicated forums, learn what everything does before you do anything. Seriously. Please.

MelonCollie on November 19, 2012 at 2:32 PM

There’s a big difference between DIY electrical in your house and hooking it up to the grid. Yes, you need knowledge but once you have it it’s not that hard to do right and stay safe. The fact that a professional can be careless doesn’t make an amateur unable to do it.
No amateur should ever be working on live wires but there’s no reason any home electrical should ever be down with the Main on.

And who dies from eating an unrefrigerated pie? Too many questions, not enough time.

keep the change on November 19, 2012 at 2:29 PM

It depends entirely on what’s in said pie, and consequently what’s grown in it from being at room temperature.

There’s a big misconception that “food poisoning” just means you barf a few times or have to camp out on the john. El-wrongo. There are things that will kill you or make you wish they had.

This is cute and funny but how does doing your own electrical work get in there?

Rocks on November 19, 2012 at 1:34 PM

Low-voltage systems (120v here in the USA) kill more people and cause more fires than every other kind put together. If you don’t know EXACTLY what you’re doing, “don’t die from DIY”. This guy was a professional and he suffered horrific injuries from a few seconds of carelessness. We had to watch the full video in my electrical class.

If you absolutely have to DIY, check out wiring/electrical code books from the library, ask on dedicated forums, learn what everything does before you do anything. Seriously. Please.

And who dies from eating an unrefrigerated pie? Too many questions, not enough time.