Golden Gate bridge to spend $50m on nets to save jumpers.... - Page 3 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

mikey_the_redneck · 08-07-2009, 08:23 AM

My god................just let them jump.

troutman · 08-07-2009, 08:49 AM

They will just find some other way to end their lives.

CaptainCrunch · 08-07-2009, 08:56 AM

It would be cheaper to buy a billion tons of jello and pour it into the water under the bridge.

CaptainCrunch · 08-07-2009, 08:56 AM

Futurama had it right with the suicide booths.

Instead of the anticipation of jumping off of the bridge and living through the fall, you have the choice of quick and painless or slow and agonizing.

burn_baby_burn · 08-07-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I watched the entire film and I must say it creeped me out a bit. There are 2 scenes in the film where you actually watch soeone jump off the bridge. My mind went immediately to the encredible sadness and pain they must have felt. If had known it was coming I would have closed closed my eyes as it's not something I want to watch. It's the fact it was real human being that disturbed me greatly.

I laughed out loud the first time I saw the guy jump at the end a few years ago. Not sure if I have become desensitized to things like this from watching TV and movies, not to mention some pretty graphic stuff on the internet over the years.

Knowing families that have had to deal with suicides, I realize how horrible it can be for the loved ones of the deceased. In my opinion, suicide is one of the most selfish and cruel things an individual can do to their families and friends. Now sometimes the mental health of the deceased is the cause and its sad that they couldn't get help. One of the people that I know that committed suicide was just a normal guy who had a bad day. His family hasn't been the same since and it has been nearly 20 years.

mykalberta · 08-07-2009, 09:13 AM

Only in SFO.

Honestly who cares how they spend their Liberal dollars.

jacenta · 08-07-2009, 09:28 AM

Isn't the American government:
- In a recession
- in a huge defecit?
- Fighting a losing war?
When I am broke, it means i have f***ing 0$.
I love how when the government is broke, they still have money to spend on a 50 million dollar net.

I also saw this documentary probably less than a year ago. I believe that alot of the time there wasn't even a camera crew, just a camera focused on the bridge. But I could be wrong, or it might not have been the same documentary.

My x worked at the QEII Hospital in halifax in the emergency room and they had about 7 jumpers a week. Half of them lived and half of them didn't, and the ones who lived and werent paralized from the neck down usually were in again for either drug overdose or jumping or putting a shot gun to there mouths.

PS The MacKay and MacDonald bridges in halifax are not all that high and still the ones that survive break every bone in there body, so i think that hitting water is preety much the same as hitting concrete except you dont flatten like Wiley Coyote.

CaptainCrunch · 08-07-2009, 09:34 AM

Is there any chance that this encourages thrill seekers to jump off of the bridge to test the nets?

KTrain · 08-07-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Is there any chance that this encourages thrill seekers to jump off of the bridge to test the nets?

It wouldn't be much of a thrill if they were close to the railing. If you only drop 5-10 feet it isn't much of a thrill.

jacenta · 08-07-2009, 09:50 AM

that would be a thrill for me. looking down from the woodislands ferry is my idea of heights adventure.

mykalberta · 08-07-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacenta

Isn't the American government:
- In a recession
- in a huge defecit?
- Fighting a losing war?
When I am broke, it means i have f***ing 0$.
I love how when the government is broke, they still have money to spend on a 50 million dollar net.

Not only that, California is in even more debt. Did anyone buy up the California IOU's on Ebay. I picked up a couple of smaller denominations, all under $6.

Dion · 08-07-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

I laughed out loud the first time I saw the guy jump at the end a few years ago. Not sure if I have become desensitized to things like this from watching TV and movies, not to mention some pretty graphic stuff on the internet over the years.

You must be desensitized as I don't know how anyone could laugh at something like that.

Quote:

Knowing families that have had to deal with suicides, I realize how horrible it can be for the loved ones of the deceased. In my opinion, suicide is one of the most selfish and cruel things an individual can do to their families and friends.

I strongly disagree. The whole issue of wether it's selfish has been discussed at lengths before in another thread so i'll leave it at that.

You Need a Thneed · 08-07-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunk

I'm guessing it costs $50 million because its engineering and construction is probably not like erecting a badminton net.

Exactly. Its not just a net, it building the supports for the net, installing the supports, and installing them in a safe manner (and of course the installation has to be done from above, with everything tied off.

It's not an easy installation.

Azure · 08-07-2009, 10:26 AM

I say the money would be better spent at preventing the people from going to the bridge and wanting to kill themselves in the first place.

Dion · 08-07-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure

I say the money would be better spent at preventing the people from going to the bridge and wanting to kill themselves in the first place.

Or providing better mental health services so those looking for help have a place to go.

zuluking · 08-07-2009, 10:52 AM

What they need is a nice pedestrian bridge to instill peaceful thoughts and reform these jumpers.

And I know where they can gets one!

octothorp · 08-07-2009, 10:57 AM

I can't believe everyone's overlooking the obvious solution: build four strategically placed snipers nests, stocked with snipers with tranquilizer darts. You don't even need to best snipers, since they should be able to get several shots off between the time that a guy starts climbing the fence and the time that he gets to the top. Maybe it could be part of a police academy training program.

You'll need about 16 snipers working 40 hour weeks to cover the whole year, and I'd allocate about $50,000 each per annual wages (unless you go the training route, where you can probably reduce this to next to nothing). That comes out to less than $1 million per year. Now, I don't know what the lifespan of these nets is, but unless it's 50 years or so, the sniper nests are going to be a better investment.

As an added bonus, EMS costs go down, since it's a lot easier for them to just drive by and scoop an unconscious guy off the pavement rather than trying to get them out of the nets. And the thrill-seeker element goes down, too.

jacenta · 08-07-2009, 11:00 AM

Pure Genius

Azure · 08-07-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Or providing better mental health services so those looking for help have a place to go.

Meh. Thats kinda what I meant.

Canada 02 · 08-07-2009, 12:01 PM

I always thought a bungee cord and piano wire would be a great attention-whore way to commit suicide. Piano wire around the neck, jump off the bungee platform or bridge, then as you reach that critical distance in your dive, the piano wire cuts off your head, and you bounce up and down from the bungee, spraying like a ketchup bottle