(Almost) Darwinian Acts Of Lunacy...Good-bye 2014

I was lying in bed this morning wondering what I would use for a blog topic. I decided to do something that I've never done before...I'd go fishing for a topic.

I plotted, in advance, to scour the headlines for the most incredibly stupid act of New Year's Eve or New Year's Day (so far).

There was a lot of competition for the title of 'most incredibly stupid act'. I decided to settle on a group of four canoeists who thought it would be a good idea to go for an evening paddle on the Ottawa River. Here's what the headline said....

Canoeists Rescued From Ice-Clogged Ottawa River.

I won't bore you with the entire article, but I will share a few points of note:

- frigid temperatures
- caught on ice shelf 150 metres from shore
- canoe taking on water
- four people in their early 20s
- they were not intoxicated (hard to believe given their age and choice of activity)
- none had life-jackets
- rescued by firefighters
- assessed by paramedics, deemed fine and released.

For those of you who think Ottawa is a village full of idiots, please add these four to your list. One of the most shocking revelations from this article was that they were assessed by paramedics. If it was up to me I'd have 'rescued' them with a raft of psychiatrists. My gawd people can be steeee-you-pid!

Looking forward....

Let's bury this story in the 2014 archives and tip-toe into 2015 with a little more optimism for both Ottawa and for the human race.