Monday, August 6, 2012
A mouthful of feathers
Here at Hoot we’ll readily admit that we’re not noted thrill seekers – well, not unless getting cheap car insurance quotes is what gives you your kicks.
But for one young thrill seeker in the US there was a particularly nasty surprise last week when, taking a ride on the world’s tallest rollercoaster, something suddenly exploded in his face.Now, what could it have been? We know he was roughly of teenage years, so was it a pimple? No. We know he’s American and was at a fun park, so was it a can of Cola? No! Give up? Alright, we’ll tell you: it was a pigeon.
Yes, you heard right, a pigeon. You know, one of those “rats with wings” you tend to see congregating and defecating on statues. Those podgy urban vultures that waddle towards you in parks in order to harass you for your chips.
Yes, the poor boy had been hit in the face by a pigeon and was left with bruises, scratches and... a mouth full of feathers.
"When it hit me I was like, did somebody throw a ball or something? When I started spitting out feathers, I was like, that was a bird."
And, by all accounts, things were also pretty horrific for the roller coaster passengers around the boy.
"They say the bird exploded,” he said. “It hurt a lot for like three seconds. People behind us had feathers and blood all over them."
Well, if that’s how you “like” get your thrills. We’ll “like” stick to car insurance, “like” thanks.
Photo © Cristiano Betta via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: cheap car insurance quotes, young
Friday, September 16, 2011
The world’s youngest driver?
A YouTube clip of a 4-year-old Chinese girl driving a car has caused an internet sensation.
In the video, the girl, perhaps the youngest driver in the world, sits in the driver’s seat as she calmly drives along a motorway in Shandong Province – an area not noted for its safe and sedate driving.
Amazingly, she is seen overtaking other vehicles as she drives at speed, while her parents appear completely nonplussed, occasionally interacting with her from the backseat until her father says, “Jia Zeng, stop the car. Let daddy drive.”
As someone with young nephews and nieces, as much as I’m shocked to see a 4-year-old allowed behind the wheel, I’m equally astounded at how well-behaved she is. It’s usually at the point that you ask a young child to do something that it throws itself headlong into a tantrum – certainly not something you’d particularly want if it was piloting a car down the motorway.
Once she’s pulled over to let her daddy drive, he pops out of the back seat and removes some wooden blocks from the accelerator – meanwhile she returns to being a normal 4-year-old and pops a sweetie in her mouth.
I’m not familiar with motoring law in China, but I find it hard to imagine that it wouldn’t be an offence. I’m also certain that Chinese car insurance companies don’t offer car insurance to drivers as young as four.
Poor girl, it might look like fun, but it is impossible not to fear for her safety.
Labels: 4-year-old, car insurance, Chinese girl driving a car, young, youngest driver in the world