Captain Kirk You Great Big Berk

There, That Ought To Attract Some Attention
In fact I shouldn't pick out James Tiberius K. as the sole guilty party here, Starfleet and the entire Federation are to blame as well.
     Oh, a "Berk"?  An Anglo-Saxon vulgarism, the origins of which we will not go into here, except to note that it is most emphatically not a compliment.
     Yes, we are back to "Why Hand-Phasers Are Rubbish" to which might be appended the coda "Especially In Close-Quarters Combat".  You regularly see Jim et al slogging it out with the Dilaudids, blasting away with phasers at close range, or even on occasion doing the same in the narrow corridors of the 'Enterprise'.  Art?

No!  Bad Art!  Neglectful Art!
(His pash d'amour Mara Corday)

     Sorry, gentle readers, he's been a bit feisty since we started giving him spent nuclear fuel rods to eat in lieu of coal.  Allow me to wheel out the cattle-prod array -*

This kind of sloppiness -

     This is highly problematic.  As with an atomic blaster, how do you stop your deadly phaser blast from continuing on past your vapourised Dilaudid foe, through the nearest wall and into the middle distance, incidentally also vapourising half a dozen complete innocents who just happened to be in the way?  What do you do if your enemy ducks round cover or takes a hostage?  What do you do if the power runs out?
     Conrad has the answer! (as ever).  Rather than an incredibly expensive weapon that gives the user's position away instantly, which makes an unimpressive 'Zizz' when fired and thus terrifies nobody, what Jim TK needs is - Art?

The Webley Mark VI!

     This piece of infernalness is guaranteed to make an ear-splitting roar in a confined space, together with a huge muzzle flash and gouts of smoke - utterly terrifying to anyone on the receiving end.  If you do get hit with a .455 round from one of these, you fall to the floor and (I do like saying this) cease to take an interest in proceedings.  Any of your unwounded compatriots will see your (perhaps still writhing) body leaking copious amounts of yellow blood - Dilaudid blood chemistry is based on sulphur - and wonder if it's worth carrying on.  Plus, a smartarse like JT Kirk, or more probably the smarterarse Mister Spock, would be able to accurately ricochet rounds round corners.
     Then, if you run out of bullets, simply grasp the barrel and Hay Pesto!  A handy, weighty, robust metal club capable of bashing in helmets and heads.  Try doing that with a phaser.
     Now, time to fire the motley from a cannon into a swimming pool of cold custard!

Custard ahoy.

More About KILLER EELS!
You needn't think that just because I've not been banging on about them that they aren't still a mortal threat to Hom. Sap.  I happen to know that the South Canadian Joint Chiefs of Staff consider them to be the 3rd Greatest Potential Threat to Humanity, after Mind Control Rays and Self-aware Robot Soldiers.
     Anyway, here's proof that you can NEVER RELAX YOUR VIGILANCE!  Art?

Not a CGI

     O Foolish Humans! They were daring to trespass in the watery territory of a Gulper Eel, which demonstrated what it intended to do to them.  They backed off and left, which is much the wisest course.  Art?

Big Mouth Strikes Again?

     It is unwise, to say the least, to pick a fight with a KILLER EEL! in it's own backyard.
     BOOJUM! - helping you stay ahead of the struggle to survive.

Another Dam-caused Deluge
This catastrophe, where the Gleno Dam failed in 1923, is down purely to greed and a desire to cut corners.  Hint: where 4 million tons of water are concerned, short cuts are not an option.  The dam's design was changed, without being approved, the concrete used was sub-standard, the metal reinforcement was old scrap, and the whole thing hadn't cured properly by the time it's reservoir started to fill.  Art?

Aftermath

     When it went, it took 356 people with it, and I cannot find any account of those responsible being brought to book, so they probably got away with it.  The whole thing led to a much tighter control of dam construction in Italy.  Nowadays the Gleno is a rather scenic tourist attraction.  Art?

After the aftermath

     And with that, it's time for some food.  Later!


*  144 of the rascals in a non-conductive frame; we call it "The Persuadertron"