There never seems to be a shortage of news stories about people who are, well, dumb, really dumb. here are a couple that appeared recently....
I think most of us realize that you call 911 when you have an emergency and need the police or an ambulance, but apparently that word has not completely gotten through yet. A Connecticut man knows how he likes his sandwich, and so does the 911 dispatcher who took his call complaining about how it was made. Here is what he told the 911 operator when she asked him if he needed the police, an ambulance or firefighters: “I specifically asked for little turkey, and little ham, a lot of cheese and a lot of mayonnaise and they are giving me a hard time. I wonder if you can stop by and just … ,” he said when he called 911 from Grateful Deli in East Hartford. The 911 operator was amazingly calm and professional and simply told the man that if he did not want the sandwich "just don't buy it", but do not to call 911 unless he has a more life threatening emergency to report. In the end, the man was not charged with abusing the 911 system, but he did later call and apologize, not to 911 but the Deli Manager (it seems he likes the sandwiches and wants to keep buying them there....).
And from the "Cultural Differences" category:
Once again this spring the Chinese marked the Qingming holiday with celebrations honoring the dead by making offerings to their deceased relatives. At the "tomb-sweeping" festival, people present paper replicas of items their ancestors are believed to need in the afterlife. Uncreative relatives give play money, but the offerings can be elaborate, such as shoes, cars and TV sets, or this year's hot item -- paper iPads (which were selling in Hong Kong for the equivalent of about $3). [The Register (London), 3-29-2012]
Oops!
At the 10th Arab Shooting Championships in Kuwait in March, as medals were presented and winners' national anthems were played, officials were apparently ill-prepared for medalist Maria Dmitrienko of Kazakhstan. Consequently, her "national anthem" was, inadvertently, the humorous ditty from the movie "Borat." (Instead of such lyrics as "sky of golden sun" and "legend of courage," the audience heard "Greatest country in the world / All other countries are run by little girls" and "Filtration system a marvel to behold / It removes 80 percent of human solid waste.") Dmitrienko reportedly kept a mostly straight face throughout, although Kazakhstan later demanded, and received, an official apology. [Daily Mail (London), 3-23-2012]
Least Competent Criminals
Questionable Strategy: Robert Strank, 39, was arrested in Beavercreek, Ohio, in April and charged with trying to rob the Huntington Bank. According to police, he had approached the bank's counter but become ill and asked a teller to call 911 to summon medics. There were conflicting news reports about when medics arrived to treat Strank. Strank recovered and subsequently presented the same teller his pre-written holdup note demanding cash. He was arrested in short order. [WDTN-TV (Dayton), 4-20-2012; WHIO-TV (Dayton), 4-23-2012]
I think most of us realize that you call 911 when you have an emergency and need the police or an ambulance, but apparently that word has not completely gotten through yet. A Connecticut man knows how he likes his sandwich, and so does the 911 dispatcher who took his call complaining about how it was made. Here is what he told the 911 operator when she asked him if he needed the police, an ambulance or firefighters: “I specifically asked for little turkey, and little ham, a lot of cheese and a lot of mayonnaise and they are giving me a hard time. I wonder if you can stop by and just … ,” he said when he called 911 from Grateful Deli in East Hartford. The 911 operator was amazingly calm and professional and simply told the man that if he did not want the sandwich "just don't buy it", but do not to call 911 unless he has a more life threatening emergency to report. In the end, the man was not charged with abusing the 911 system, but he did later call and apologize, not to 911 but the Deli Manager (it seems he likes the sandwiches and wants to keep buying them there....).
And from the "Cultural Differences" category:
Once again this spring the Chinese marked the Qingming holiday with celebrations honoring the dead by making offerings to their deceased relatives. At the "tomb-sweeping" festival, people present paper replicas of items their ancestors are believed to need in the afterlife. Uncreative relatives give play money, but the offerings can be elaborate, such as shoes, cars and TV sets, or this year's hot item -- paper iPads (which were selling in Hong Kong for the equivalent of about $3). [The Register (London), 3-29-2012]
Oops!
At the 10th Arab Shooting Championships in Kuwait in March, as medals were presented and winners' national anthems were played, officials were apparently ill-prepared for medalist Maria Dmitrienko of Kazakhstan. Consequently, her "national anthem" was, inadvertently, the humorous ditty from the movie "Borat." (Instead of such lyrics as "sky of golden sun" and "legend of courage," the audience heard "Greatest country in the world / All other countries are run by little girls" and "Filtration system a marvel to behold / It removes 80 percent of human solid waste.") Dmitrienko reportedly kept a mostly straight face throughout, although Kazakhstan later demanded, and received, an official apology. [Daily Mail (London), 3-23-2012]
Least Competent Criminals
Questionable Strategy: Robert Strank, 39, was arrested in Beavercreek, Ohio, in April and charged with trying to rob the Huntington Bank. According to police, he had approached the bank's counter but become ill and asked a teller to call 911 to summon medics. There were conflicting news reports about when medics arrived to treat Strank. Strank recovered and subsequently presented the same teller his pre-written holdup note demanding cash. He was arrested in short order. [WDTN-TV (Dayton), 4-20-2012; WHIO-TV (Dayton), 4-23-2012]
Live Long and Prosper...(better than these guys)
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