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Steve 'crocodile hunter' Irwin dead


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 Quote:
Originally posted by le spud:
Strange how the death of a famous father is cited as such a massive loss to the wife and kids, seemingly more devastating than the death of a suburban working class parent killed in a car crash.
Spud, I agree that it's no different but I guess in this case the fact that most people in Australia were very familiar with his family that the feel more for the kids because they knew more about them.

Steve was just a guy doing what he loved and having a great time along the way. Anyone who has met him will know that he is the same on & off the camera. I wish I could have his level of enthusiasim for my job!

My eldest son (3) & niece (7) are pretty upset becuase they loved Steve (from Wiggly Safari) and were looking forward to seeing him when we visited Australia zoo this coming Xmas.

I was watching the Wiggly Safari (for the 10 millionth time) when I read the news on the net..

RIP Steve.

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Nice dvd cover. Sounds like he did a great job reaching kids.

 

Just looking at the news. Its getting out of hand. Google ads (in all their annoying glory) are full of stingray items. And now this

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/449513p-378353c.html

 

 Quote:
City waters danger-free: pros

 

BY JOTHAM SEDERSTROM

DAILY NEWS WRITER

 

New York beachgoers have a better chance of seeing the Loch Ness monster than getting fatally stung by a stingray like the one that killed "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, experts said yesterday.

"The odds of that happening anywhere, let alone in New York, are next to impossible," said Hans Walters, an animal expert at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island.

 

Cownose and roughtail stingrays typically scour the ocean floor several miles off the Atlantic coast, but they occasionally swim closer to the shore in search of food, Walters said.

 

Unlike a 350-pound roughtail at the aquarium, the stingrays most likely to make an appearance in the waters off Coney Island or the Rockaways usually weigh less than 10 pounds, he said.

 

Nonetheless, the best way to avoid being stung by a stingray's venomous barbs is by shuffling your feet in the sandy water, which tends to scare off marine life.

 

"I've heard of people bitten by bluefish and pinched by crabs, but I've never once heard of anybody stepping on a stingray in New York," Walters said.

 

Experts said that, unlike remote areas like those off Australia, stingrays along New York's shores have been "domesticated" after so many encounters with humans.

 

Visitors clamoring to get a peek at the New York Aquarium's massive stingray yesterday said they doubted a similar attack would happen in New York.

 

"I'm not worried at all," said Long Island fisherman Rich Schenck, 56, while strolling near stingray and shark tanks.

 

"They're more scared of you than you are of them," he noted.

 

While swimmers are often enticed by snorkeling or scuba guides to pet stingrays on their flaps, which feel like a giant sponge, the aquarium does not allow contact with its sea life.

 

Despite the unlikely odds of being attacked, however, not all Coney Island beachgoers were ready to jump back in the water.

 

"Hell, no!" said Queens resident Derrick Morales, 21, who was sunning himself yesterday. "That's crazy. You don't know what the hell is out there."

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Nice article above spud!

Yeah the kids loved him and why wouldn't they. It's understandable that some adults aren't really into his in ya face approach but animal planet and the wiggles aren't really aimed at adult ages.

 

By the way, he was in his khaki's when the accident occured.

One of the hundreds of reports said that a wetsuit would have prevented any injury.

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One of Australia's greatest authors of cultural literature and poetry died yesterday. His name was Colin Thiele. I am personally saddened that his passing was all but unnoticed in Australia due to the noise over Steve Irwin.

 

Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but any Australian older than 30 should have read Storm Boy or Blue Fin or Fire in the Stone, all of which are classic Australian children's books. All were truly Australian in essence and a huge part of my childhood.

 

Indo - you should get the books for your boys. After all, the stories are based in South Oz and are all about the people, the ocean and the land. They are all beautiful books and they don't come much more Australian than these. (all were made into movies)

 

Storm Boy

 Quote:
A moving, classic Australian story of 'Storm Boy' who lives a solitary life with his father in a shack on the Coorong wilderness in South Australia. They live near a bird sanctuary and Storm-boy develops a special relationship with an orphaned pelican he calls Mr Percival. His life changes when he meets ‘Fingerbone Bill’ who has been banished by his people, the Kunai.
Blue Fin

 Quote:
set around the tuna fishing town of Port Lincoln, South Australia. The main character is 16 year old Snook, who would love to be a fisherman but he is not very capable and is clumsy and weak. Snook’s father owns a tuna boat called Blue Fin and does not believe that his son has the qualities of a tuna fisherman.

When Snook is called up for action it is only the start of the adventure. When they are caught in a waterspout, the tiny boat must battle the extremes of the ocean, with Snook at the helm of the boat.

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> When they are caught in a waterspout, the tiny boat must battle the extremes of the ocean, with Snook at the helm of the boat.

 

It sounds like they're frucked then...

 

 

> Aussie police have reviewed the footage of his death and have said he wasn't doing anything to aggravate the stingray.

 

Well clearly Aussie police need to review their opinion of what constitutes aggravating a stingray.

 

 

> One of the hundreds of reports said that a wetsuit would have prevented any injury.

 

Seeing as they can stick their barbs deep into sea turtles, I have my doubts about that.

 

 

> "Hell, no!" said Queens resident Derrick Morales, 21, who was sunning himself yesterday. "That's crazy. You don't know what the hell is out there."

 

Derrick, you're a true prince of New York.

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I found out last night one of my mates in Fukuoka got stung by a sting ray 2 weeks ago eek.gif Said the tip got down right to the bone and it was the most painful thing hes experienced he said. He was swimming above it and saw it further down so he dove down closer and the tail whipped up at him like a spear. Hand is still swollen 2 weeks later.

 

Guess theyre not so docile after all...

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I wonder how long until we get a Jaws-style evil stingray movie.

 

I just read the germaine greer article which is so poorly written. I agree with the sentiment but she is a surprisingly poor writer:

 

 Quote:
You can just imagine Irwin yelling: "Just look at these beauties! Crikey! With those barbs a stingray can kill a horse!" (Yes, Steve, but a stingray doesn't want to kill a horse. It eats crustaceans, for God's sake.)
Here she has completely put words into Irwins mouth and then criticized him for it. I think this is the worst paragraph I have ever read in a broadsheet newspaper.
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Spud, I just read the news about C.T.

Grew up reading those books and watching the movies. Storm boy was filmed just down the road.

Those books are on the list for the boys, but still abit young.

The movies are classic and hopefully the boys will enjoy em when they're older. Though a re make could be good.

 

O11 I have my doubts too, but thats just what one "expert" had said.

 

When I was in Mexico, and one point there were little rays all over the place and people were getting stung by them everyday. They still insisted in wearing no booties and putting their feet on the ground! Idiots!

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 Quote:
The much-loved TV star could be given a state funeral if his family agree.
 Quote:
On Tuesday, Australia's federal parliament paused to honour Mr Irwin, whom Prime Minister John Howard said had died in "quintessentially Australian circumstances".
quintessentially Australian circumstances - what are they?
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Senseless bravado resulting in premature death.

 

Actually the quintessential Australian way of death is to it to drift too far from the crown of the road, put two wheels on to the gravel, give the steering a big heave, and spin and roll the ute into the trees.

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"If you can`t say anything nice about someone/something, don`t say anything at all."

I`m a big believer in not saying anything `bad` about peeps who are no longer in the Breathing Arena. For starters, they have no right of reply. It`s okay to have thoughts or an opinion but what is gained by airing them/it.

Found this article interesting: http://blogs.theage.com.au/thedailytruth/archives/2006/09/crocodile_tears.html

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Bobby – I too was amazed at how poorly Geeereree wrote. I first read the article in news paper A. At the bottom it noted it was an edited extract of the original. So I looked uop the original and it really was bad by comparison. The edited version made her point far more effective. Her original version was full of her twisted tirade. She reminds me of me.

 

Indo – I thought you would have had them as a kid as well. He was writing pretty much about your back yard. Your kids will like them (although I remember the movies had a melancholic feel to them, a sad message).

 

Powwwers – you know it is quintessentially Australian to shoot everyone several times once they are dead ;\) . I don’t think to many people have much of a problem with Steve in life. He was what he was. But I think some crowds are getting tired of the fuss being made in the media lather up a frothing excitement and sell papers.

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Here is what a very popular news paper said about Irwin 2 years ago. Today they are pulling the cords in the other direction and whipping up anything they can to prove that indeed the popular media and newspaper editors are almost the least likeable institutions and people on Earth.

 

 Quote:
Dad's a Drongo

Jill Singer

Herald Sun, 8 January 2004

 

Steve Irwin's idiotic behaviour with his month old baby should come as no surprise. Since when did anyone really consider the man was in any way normal?

 

His public persona is that of a fairly simple-minded, passionate but good-hearted Neanderthal. The world famous Crocodile Hunter has never pretended to be all that bright. Instead, Steve has always been keen to tell anyone who listens about how he's just a genuine caring bloke who loves his wife, children, crocodiles, John Howard and George Bush.

 

His take on the world is that of a Tarzanesque, chest-beating reductionist - there are dangers out there and people need to learn how to survive from the moment they leave their mother's womb…..

http://scatt.bilegrip.com/s8singer.040110.htm

 

And yesterday the papers were serving up this load of emotional hubris

 

DTinsanity.jpg

 

The material in this post comes from this blog

http://blogs.smh.com.au/thedailytruth/archives/2006/09/crocodile_tears.html

 

(and that blog is sponsored by a big newspaper as part of its push-pull goodcopbadcop emotive manipulation of the public)

 

Can’t blame them, they are driven to make money. Everything else is secondary.

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OK, now we're wheeling out child psychologists are we.

 

This is getting quite funny really. Actually, I must admit, I found it quite funny all along but was too polite to admit it. But now, with the child psychologists, and the 'never speak ill of the dead' line out in the open, all is permitted. All reactions should be considered normal.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by Bushpig:
complete over-reaction eh! As spud pointed out, funny how one of our famous authors died with barely a peep out of the press...
yeah it is, but Steve was very popular in more recent times and not only in Australia. Doesn't really suprise me in the least.
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actually it is similar to the time that tramp Diana died and Mother Theresa died fairly soon after.

The reaction to Dianas death was the yard stick for "over reaction" and hype, the media thrashed that one ad nauseum yet there was barely a "peep" a comparison to the death of Mother Theresa.

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