Some days ago I had posted over here about the climate becoming extreme. Which resulted in a hailstorm around a 100 miles away from me - That caused a lot of damage to solar panels, (and car which were parked outside in the open). See link below. https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/never-before-seen-weather.44499/ Now however, I'm going to share something even more stranger with you all... Which are pictures of solar panel belonging to a friend, that got destroyed by a bullet. But how is this possible you might ask yourselves? Because solar panels are pointed up at the sky. So not easy to hit, unless shot at from a helicopter or an aircraft. Or from a building or a natural structure like a hill which is higher - And so has a direct line of sight view. However no such possibility of it happening anywhere near my friend's house. So exactly what just happened??? Answer: A returning bullet which was irresponsibly fired by some idiot a mile or so away, (during a wedding party celebration)... So what goes up, must come down - Therefore a returning bullet at the trajectory, is just as lethal as fired point-blank! Because now it's assisted by gravity on the downward path. Luckily no one was hurt, as it happened late during the night. But isn't it ridiculously beyond belief? I mean, just a few days ago I was complaining about the climate becoming more extreme. Because of which a solar panel farm got destroyed. But here I now see this happening??? Doesn't seem like it's a good time for solar panels these days... And funnily, had the bullet impacted just a few inches to the side, it would have saved the panel. But I guess this is what Murphy's Law is all about. So an entire costly 300 Watt solar panel just got destroyed. My friend is right now fuming with rage... Because all that he ever wanted, was to go green.
Wow....that is so lucky that it hit the solar panel and not a human being. Craziness S-H. Let's hope that is the end of the solar panel disasters and all of the meteors stay in the sky. I was sure sad to hear about the children hurt in the hail storm.
I just can't understand what's wrong with the world nowadays? Whatever happened to decency, common sense, responsible behavior? We were talking about climate becoming more extreme. And what we can do as individuals to better safeguard our own assets like solar panels. Plus our gardens, in which we all have invested so much of our time and energy. And yet here we are, now also having to combat insanity of other people at large - This is clearly not the world I had imagined I'd be an adult in during my childhood...
Yesterday was the 14th of August, my country's independence day. So again, there was a lot of aerial firing - Which is fine if you do it in an unpopulated area. As it's sort of like a tradition here in our culture, (which also keeps a neighboring enemy country scared, because it shows that every citizen and every home over here is armed to the teeth). So whenever there is a cause for celebration, there has to be a show of strength as well. Usually at weddings, religious holidays, independence day, or whenever Pakistani team wins any type of event in sports, (specially if India is defeated by our team). In the past nobody really cared about it, some even supported it. But now this trend is becoming very annoying in the urban areas. So below is what happened yesterday - Yes you guessed it, more solar panels destroyed... Authorities are trying to encourage people to fire blanks at weddings and other such events. So that there is no damage to someone else's property and no injuries caused. But I guess it'll take time for the message it to sink in. Meanwhile solar panels continue to get destroyed in the process. It's now turned into one of those situations where you don't know whether you should laugh or cry. So might as well end up doing both, at the same time...
And this really now needs to be seen in order to be believed... Villagers in India are deliberately destroying solar panels, which are providing them with power. Why??? Because they are sun worshipers, who say that solar panels "steal" power from the sun. Which to them is sacred. So in their opinion, solar panels are a blasphemous abomination, which needs to be removed...
@S-H, I'm so sorry for the irritating and frustrating craziness. About 30 years ago, when I lived in Chicago, my coworker was watching the 4th of July fireworks from his roof-top deck. He was grazed by a bullet that fell from the sky. It left a scar running down his chest. Imagine his good luck! If he was standing a few inches differently, it could have killed him! (Or imagine his bad luck, to be injured by a random bullet falling from the sky) The fact is, there have always been responsible and irresponsible people, there have always been heroes and cowards, makers and takers, there have always been people who were violent and destructive, and people who were peaceful and helpful. It may not help to say that, but it helps me think this is not just the worst of times. There are good, helpful, industrious, kind, responsible people in the world now. And there are some real ones too. But it's a shame about the solar panel, all of them. In my area, where wildfires destroy thousands of acres of dried out forest, about 80% to 85% of the wildfires are caused by humans. https://www.nps.gov/articles/wildfire-causes-and-evaluation.htm https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89757/people-cause-most-us-wildfires It's crazy! I'm working on fire - hardening my home and property, but if there's a wildfire here, it's still going to be a matter of luck if my home isn't destroyed by some human-started wildfire.
Scientists explore and discover, inventors inspire and innovate, while engineers apply all of this to make everyone's life easier. And the wise ones in the society try to protect it all, in balance with nature, while maintaining a modest and respectful lifestyle - However ordinary people of today everywhere in general, (I'm disgusted to observe), use less and abuse more. That too with the utmost shamelessness combined with arrogance and gusto. Ungrateful s***nes, each and every single one of them... I think what I'm most angry about is, that I've got guns and ammunition too, (along with edged weapons), and I have a license for them, along with carrying permits. So I don't want to brag, but I'm the most heavily armed person that I know - But do I go firing guns in the air like a deranged idiot??? Of course not! But what really makes my blood boil, is that when some people look at me now, they assume that I too must be one of those who abuse the privilege of owning firearms. And I'm truly sorry about the wildfire situation in your area. I totally get what you're saying, that majority of fires are started by irresponsible people. Who go camping for the first time in their lives after just watching a few videos on YouTube, (then assume that they also are now "experts" when it comes to being outdoor)... Take for example what happened in Hawaii few weeks ago - Again, irresponsible human behavior was to blame.
I've only just seen this thread SH I had to have a few very rude and loud words when the idiots in our village (who murder pheasants for fun) shot their guns over our greenhouses, raining lead pellets down on us. They used to regularly shoot over our fields, they didn't care that their shot was falling on us and our campers.
Makes your blood boil, doesn't it??? Yes I know the feeling... But if we now go out there and give such people exactly what they deserve - Starting with a tight slap across their face. Then we'll automatically become the reason for escalation, (which hardly ever ends on a positive note). Nobody seems to have any respect for someone else's property anymore... Over here, this tradition of firing guns in the air was mainly created as an act of arrogant defiance. Against the British colonials, aimed to scare the daylights out of them, specially their women, (which actually worked so well that the British army never could take certain areas of what's now Pakistan). But it's now been over 75 years since our independence! So please give it a rest, as now many people have installed costly solar panels on their rooftops. But people will always be people, so once something gets deeply rooted into the culture. It's almost impossible to remove. This video below shows a bit of our history, why a huge percentage of our population is still continuing with this act of defiance... Such is how it is, when the bulk of a country's population is a melting pot of different types of martial races - Who've known nothing but war since inception... Only way to control such people, is to always keep them in some amount of discomfort. So they always have a cause to fight against. Otherwise they'll start biting each other for no reason, (or like now start destroying rather other's solar panels) - How do I know this? Because I'm one of them!!! Only difference is that I don't go firing guns in the air.
I think everyone who owns a gun ought to be sent a bill for the damage, with the onus on them to prove it wasn't their gun that did the damage.
Please don't, or I'll go bankrupt in no time. Because I'm the most heavily armed person known to the authorities... There is a new local law put into effect now. That anyone seen firing guns in the air over any urban area - Will have to pay a fine of around 5,000 Rupees. But how do you catch someone who's just done that sort of an irresponsible thing??? So I'm asking for an amendment into this law. That the person reporting such an irresponsible individual, (with video evidence) - Also gets a financial reward. So increase the fine to say 10,000 Rupees, 5,000 of which the authorities can keep as a windfall, while the remaining 5,000 should go to the person who's just reported that irresponsible individual. I'm also asking that repeat offenders should have their weapons confiscated, and barred from applying for a new firearms license for at least 5 years. That's my idea and proposal anyhow. But how far will it go with the authorities? I have no idea at this time... In China however this sort of a thing has proven to be very effective, when it comes to reporting traffic violations, (with video evidence). That's why dashboard cameras in cars are now suddenly so popular in China. As the person who's reporting the violation with video evidence (at some internet portal) now gets his road tax reduced. While the person who's committed the act gets the road tax of his or her car increased automatically. It's called "social scoring" over there, if I'm not mistaken, (will have to look it up). It's on the same pattern as the East German Stasi, which was kind of like an improvement over the Soviet KGB - Where ordinary citizens were encouraged to report on each other, and got rewarded in exchange, (if the tip-off proved to be correct)... It's actually awakening the worst attributes of human nature. Which the evil Nazi party too realized, and thus capitalized on, (encouraging neighbors to anonymously report on each other in the most unkind way) - No doubt a most ugly thing to awaken among the population, but what other option is there left now? In view of idiots firing live rounds in the air. Since nowadays almost everyone has a smartphone with a camera - This should prove to be very easily accomplished, (like in China). With minimal effort for the authorities, as the citizens themselves will do most of the job, (by reporting the offenders in exchange for rewards). Anyway, let's first see how they receive my proposal. Only afterwards will I know more. But considering how things are over here nowadays, whatever I've drafted to the powers that be - Will most likely be filed away in some cabinet, never to be seen again... However someone from anywhere else in the world who may be facing a similar problem. Might accidentally find this post, and the solution which I've proposed above - It's wonderful how these days internet search engines empowered by AI can link anything together. Therefore anyone who's interested, can at least see my proposal here. Who knows what the future holds.
It's a hard decision to make, turning people against each other. Divide and conquer springs to mind, but as you say, you've got to start somewhere when people are doing you wrong. Maybe (like in the video clip) they will give the power back when it's all over Oh, I do think the people who think solar power is stealing from their god should stop eating anything that's produced by photosynthesis or breathing any gas (like oxygen) that's produced by the same process
The bullet incident, in particular, is both surprising and concerning. It's fortunate that no one was hurt, but it's a stark reminder of the importance of responsible behavior and safety measures, especially when it comes to firearms. Your friend's frustration is understandable, as going green with solar panels is not only an eco-friendly choice but also a significant investment. Murphy's Law, indeed, has a knack for showing up when you least expect it. If you or your friend ever need advice on solar panel maintenance, repairs, or optimizing their performance, there are plenty of resources available, including forums like this one and organizations like solar energy Ireland. They can offer valuable insights and tips to help navigate these unexpected challenges.
As the end of year approaches, so too are people (irresponsible crackpots) practicing for their new year "party" - Therefore look what I just found around my solar panels. One is a 7.62mm slug, no doubt fired from a Russian TT33 pistol, (the most popular weapon with punks and street thugs over here). And the other is a 9mm slug. Both don't have any metal jacket, so extremely poor and cheap quality of ammunition, which no responsible gun owner would buy. So from this alone I can tell what type of people must have fired these in the sky - Thankfully no damage to any of my solar panels yet, but new year is still a week away...
And even though there was a strict ban on aerial firing - Massive gunfire in the sky was witnessed my everyone the moment clock struck midnight on New Year's eve... And so this is what I found on my rooftop in the morning. Exactly between the row of my solar panels - So had it been a foot and a half in either direction, my solar panels too would have gotten a hit... This too is a 7.62mm slug, no doubt from another Russian Tokariv 33 pistol, (or a local replica of a TT33). However this one is a full metal steel jacketed one. So very good quality ammunition. Yes steel jacketed one, (not copper jacked), so this one is armor piercing - And so illegal in the West, but pretty common here since the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979...
