# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945 "2021-01-31T21:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 313
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6251 "2023-01-31T22:15:59Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Not the parts that have fallen into the sea, I’m assuming. I went from the north end of the walk to the Breakers. There was only one small section closed where I was. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6252 "2023-01-31T22:18:46Z")
Ah, so you were able to get around it, then. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6253 "2023-01-31T22:24:31Z")
Last time I was in Chicago, I tried the transparent viewing booths at the observation lounge at the…whatever the hell the Sears Tower is. Given my problems with heights, I was sure I’d be able to set foot on the transparent lucite floor 1,353 feet above Wacker Drive. I found I _could_, but only if I kept one hand on the (equally transparent) wall. Stand in the middle of the ledge? Nope. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It was a little physically tiring, but it really got to me mentally. I’m usually okay with heights, but it was so tall, thin, and (seemingly) spindly that it took some real effort to overcome that. From a distance, it seems massive and solid, but the last climb to the top is open and airy. I know the stones are as big around as tree trunks, and have been standing for hundreds of years, but it still got to me. The YouTuber Tom Scott, who does a series called _Interesting Places_, was invited to tour the steel mesh just below the glass dome of the Albert Hall, 40 meters above the auditorium floor. He reported that it was terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6254 "2023-02-01T00:49:51Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Last time I was in Chicago, I tried the transparent viewing booths at the observation lounge at the…whatever the hell the Sears Tower is. I do NOT know why, with my fear of heights\*, this doesn’t get to me. Same with the Tokyo Tower that has a glass floor. I think my brain’s good at assessing the chances of dying. Almost none at the Sears Tower, but on a steel mesh 125’ feet above a concert hall? (How many holes does it take to fill the Albert Hall… with my screaming?) . \*There I was, all roped in, about to rappel down a cliff for the first time, when I realized my rope was anchored to the base of a bush that was below my knees. That meant the first seconds would be free fall until the slack got taken up. I asked my guide/friend if I’d mentioned a crippling fear of heights. He said “Look up. Are you afraid?” _“No…”_ “Look down.” _“Afraid, afraid, afraaaid!”_ “See? You don’t have a fear of heights, you have a fear of depths!” And while we were laughing, I sat back with no support 😬 and, five minutes later (or so it felt)… the rope finally caught and I was actually able to have fun rappeling. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6255 "2023-02-01T03:04:24Z")
A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I’m afraid of widths ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6256 "2023-02-01T07:17:03Z")
Ok, I’m going to show you a stupid motherfucker. > I mean, I’m just at a loss for words. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6257 "2023-02-01T14:55:50Z")
Cocaine is a helluva drug! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6258 "2023-02-01T17:53:48Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > He reported that it was terrifying. Just now watched on YT - kinda funny. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6259 "2023-02-01T19:42:37Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > > > He reported that it was terrifying. > > Just now watched on YT - kinda funny Yeah, his channel is pretty much always worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6260 "2023-02-01T22:05:00Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Oh, lordy. [Goiânia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident) Australian-style? Nope, it’s been [found](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/world/asia/australia-radioactive-capsule.html). But that Goiânia link was a good read. ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6261 "2023-02-02T11:01:22Z")
Here’s one found over on the Hackaday website: > **[Kramatorsk radiological accident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kramatorsk_radiological_accident)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Kramatorsk radiological accident was a radiation accident that happened in Kramatorsk, in the Ukrainian SSR from 1980 to 1989. A small capsule containing highly radioactive caesium-137 was found inside the concrete wall of an apartment building, with a surface gamma radiation exposure dose rate of 1800 R/year. The capsule was detected only after residents requested that the level of radiation in the apartment be measured by a health physicist.... Four (or maybe 6?) deaths and 17 other exposures. Ukraine sure has had its share of radiation problems! 💔 ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6262 "2023-02-02T17:54:10Z")
Shell Oil reports record profits. > **[Shell reports record profits as energy prices soar after Russia's invasion of...](https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1153762405/shell-profits-russia-ukraine?utm_term=nprnews)** > > Energy companies have been reporting blockbuster profits since last year, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices sharply higher. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6263 "2023-02-03T17:05:36Z")
> **[Man who allegedly tried to murder in-laws charged with trying to hire hitman...](https://abc7chicago.com/will-county-stabbing-michael-liu-murder-for-hire-hitman/12763297/)** > > A Wisconsin who is charged in the stabbing of his in-laws in their home in Unincorporated Crete is now also charged with trying to hire a hitman from prison. Who does he think he is? Al Capone? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6264 "2023-02-03T17:07:37Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Michael Liu of Wisconsin, charged with trying to kill in-laws in Will County, now charged with murder for hire plot from prison - ABC7 Chicago](https://abc7chicago.com/will-county-stabbing-michael-liu-murder-for-hire-hitman/12763297/) > > Who does he think he is? Al Capone? - Depends. Has he paid his taxes? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6265 "2023-02-03T21:41:00Z")
[https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/travel/the-hotel-this-influencer-wanted-to-stay-at-for-free-is-now-billing-her-millions/ar-AA172uKL](https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/travel/the-hotel-this-influencer-wanted-to-stay-at-for-free-is-now-billing-her-millions/ar-AA172uKL) An ‘influencer’ asks an Irish hotel to give her a free room in exchange for ‘exposure’ through her YouTube channel. The hotel’s owner replied [redacted parts by me]: > If I let you stay here in return for a feature in your video, who is going to pay the staff who look after you? Who is going to pay the housekeepers who clean your room? The waiters who serve you breakfast? The receptionist who checks you in? Who is going to pay for the light and heat you use during your stay? The laundering of your bed sheets? The water rates? Maybe I should tell my staff they will be featured in your video in lieu of receiving payment for work carried out while you’re in residence?In future, I’d advise you to offer to pay your way like everyone else, and if the hotel in question believes your coverage will help them, maybe they’ll give you a complimentary upgrade to a suite. This would show more self-respect on your part and, let’s face it, it would be less embarrassing for you. Best regards, Paul Stenson [redacted website address] P.S. The answer is no. But the smackdown isn’t all. > White Moose Cafe and Charleville Lodge owner Paul Stenson posted a picture of a bill he planned to send to Elle Darby. In it, he charges her 4,300,000 Euro (~$5.3 million) for “the provision of features in 114 articles across 20 countries with a potential reach of 450 million people.” That’s before taxes. > > He also notes payments must be made with actual money and that “mentions in videos will not qualify as payment.” Stupid ‘influencers’ think they’re actually doing something worth money! Good on the hotel owner. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6266 "2023-02-03T23:18:46Z")
Whenever I see such articles, the first question popping into my mind is: _What the fuck is an “influencer”?_ Oddly enough, none of the articles manages to explain WTF that is. Color me not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6267 "2023-02-03T23:45:15Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Whenever I see such articles, the first question popping into my mind is: _What the fuck is an “influencer”?_ It’s modern-day speak for someone who has a lot of online followers. It doesn’t matter what they’re famous for. Most often they are people who upload a lot of popular videos to a social media platform. Imagine that Michael Jordan got people to buy Nike shoes without actually having accomplishments like being a good basketball player. Instead he just put up TikTok videos where he filmed himself pranking people or trying on different outfits or lip syncing. They’re basically cult web celebrities. They’re usually don’t enjoy widespread fame, but their fans are especially dedicated. That’s a bit complicated to explain in an article though. Imagine if every article about NFTs tried to explain what they were. 99% of the article would be filled with that. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6268 "2023-02-04T00:04:16Z")
Let me follow up… Sometimes a conscientious author will link a term that readers might be unfamiliar with to an article (or some other page) explaining what it is. But at this point, I think it’s such a common term that is used so much in modern day speech that they assume the average reader knows what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6269 "2023-02-04T01:03:24Z")
Oh, the Internet-era version of Kardashians. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/6270 "2023-02-04T01:07:00Z")
The influencer concept has become so mainstream that it’s being parodied in [at least one ad](https://youtu.be/1Lmtua61GhU) I’ve seen (30 second video on Youtube). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945.md?page=312) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945.md?page=314)