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A couple of weeks ago we saw a smoking BMW on the hard shoulder and, unlike the rest of the traffic for 15 minutes, pulled over and checked that everyone was safe and the fire brigade had been called.
After a few minutes the first bang, probably air bags, was shortly followed by large flames and billowing smoke - the traffic still carried on.
The blowing of the battery and some impressive low flying wheel trim as the tyres gave way did nothing to slow down the traffic.
Then the best bit, the traffic HELD UP THE FIRE ENGINE! After the fire crew was on site and, 1 minutes work, the fire was out they thanked me for stopping and gave a well chosen OpEd on the state of the rest of humanity...
veni bibi saltavi
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Back in the 80's a famer that his remote hay sheds kept getting burned. Must have happened half a dozen times.
The fire brigade had a call out charge that was not met by insurance so it was more cost effective to let it all burn and claim it than call the fire brigade and try to salvage something!
Amazing actuarial prowess in action by the insurance people.
Ger
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Ger Hayden wrote: The fire brigade had a call out charge
Are you kidding? It should be a free public service, and only violations as fake calls should be made paid for. What country it was? 
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
"When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
"just eat it, eat it"."They're out to mold, better eat while you can" -- HobbyProggy
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Still does - read all about it [^]
Ger
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And I thought in Italy we were over-taxed... It is criminal for a State to put a fee over national safety services precisely because both poor and overconfident or tight people would not call them, leading to potential disasters.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
"When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
"just eat it, eat it"."They're out to mold, better eat while you can" -- HobbyProggy
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Whats worse - if you being the good samaritan call them to save my bacon - you pay!
Ger
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Chris C-B wrote: I now have to find another fuel-fire extinguisher.
No good deed goes unpunished! Unless you're Superman and can just blow the fire out, of course.
Chris C-B wrote: I don't know where the Tannhäuser Gate is
Second star on the right and straight on til morning?
I am not a number. I am a ... no, wait!
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Many years ago I was working midnight-8am shift, and I drove past a small shed fire in the middle of the night next to a home. I had a fire extinguisher so I stopped, and while I was there I called the fire dept on my cellphone.
Big mistake.
The cops accused me of starting the fire and questioned me for 45 minutes until they finally accepted my story and let me leave.
I learned my lesson.
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I wish I lived in a country like that  In the UK any such incident reduces both directions of the motorway to a crawl as the people on the opposite side slow down to rubberneck.
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Chris C-B wrote: As in all good Christian countries, everybody just drove right on past
While I understand your frustration, it is hardly a religious affiliation - they same could happen in any country with any faith or non-faith system.
Why don't people stop? They don't think they can help, they don't have the tools or knowledge to help (not everyone carries a fire extinguisher), not everyone has a a cell phone, SOME may have had pressing engagements. All of this is to say... not all people are uncaring, they may have their reasons.
(Edited to fix a typo)
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Tim Carmichael wrote: they may have their reasons.
Number one being, "Nothing to do with me"; followed by, "Oh dear, I hope someone stops to help them soon".
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Tim Carmichael wrote: While I understand your frustration, it is hardly a religious affiliation
It's the cool thing to do. Attack religion, doncha know!? 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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RyanDev.rep++;
There are plenty of unthinking, subservient people on each side of the debate.
Some of us have been doing since before it was cool - in my case, since the age of 11 or 12 when I refused to attend church any longer. That was well over 25 years ago.
If only more people were willing to be good people and help others because they need it, not simply for fear of retribution or a judgement day.
On a side note, sorry for the snide remark I made the other day. That was not cool. 
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enhzflep wrote: Some of us have been doing since before it was cool
You were cool before it was cool to be cool. 
enhzflep wrote: If only more people were willing to be good people and help others because they need it,
Agree 100%.
enhzflep wrote: ot simply for fear of retribution or a judgement day.
That's just it. 90%+ Christians don't do good things for fear of judgement day. We do it because it is the right thing to do. Somehow, many atheists or non-religious people seem to think that Christians are only good because we are told to, as if we'd be mass murderers without religion. 
enhzflep wrote: On a side note, sorry for the snide remark I made the other day.
Never saw it. No need to apologize to me.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Chris C-B wrote: I don't know where the Tannhäuser Gate is. Can anybody help me out here?
Yep, it's in Poland: Tannhauser Gate[^]
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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There have been studies on this phenomenon (can't be fagged to look it up).
It turns out that as soon as on person stops to help a bystander a whole bunch of other people will join in - the hero is the first person who stops to help a bystander.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Chris C-B wrote: Tannhäuser Gate
Somebody found it[^]. It's actually a "defect" in the timespace continuum where two normally distant points are actually close or touching, thus creating a "gate" or "wormhole".
Decrease the belief in God, and you increase the numbers of those who wish to play at being God by being “society’s supervisors,” who deny the existence of divine standards, but are very serious about imposing their own standards on society.-Neal A. Maxwell
You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun
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Slightly off topic, but Roy Batty[^] is six days old today.
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It's on Wikipedia now, so it must be true. 
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde
Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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That only applies if DD has no access to an internet connection.
This space for rent
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I hope its not true - I genuinely liked him on-screen, plus I'm hoping for a second Dogma movie.
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One of my favourite films. What's not to love? The voice of Metatron, Jay and Silent Bob, one of Chris Rock's less annoying rolls and, of course, Salma Hayek.
This space for rent
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Salma Hayek.
That is all.
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