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Oops! The Silly Mistakes Thread

Well if it wasn't in the Independent, I'd think Rynner had made up her name by using a few nautical words:

yeepp! mediterranean fish ship!

alternatively

I had a pie-shy referee in my pants

Oh dear, when the anagram mood strikes . . . :madeyes:
 
A little PS:

Stargazers seek astronaut's lost toolkit, in orbit above earth
Search for dim speck moving at 15,000mph
Lewis Smith, Science Reporter

Searching for toolbags in space is not exactly standard procedure for stargazers, but they have their chance this week.

Since the astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper lost her toolbag while on a space walk last week, it has been in orbit around the Earth.

Officials at Nasa had expected the bag, and any embarrassment associated with it, to burn up on reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Instead, however, it has presented amateur astronomers with a new and fascinating challenge.

For the rest of this month and into the first days of December the bag should be visible to anyone looking in the right place with a reasonably powerful telescope or binoculars. Calculations have revealed that the best opportunities to see it are early tonight and on Friday.

The task, however, will be to pick out an object the size of a backpack that is in orbit about 250 miles (400km) from the surface of the planet and travelling at more than 15,000mph.

Robin Scagell, of the Society for Popular Astronomy, was scanning space last night for a glimpse of the bag but without success. He intends to try again this evening and expects that it will be visible from Earth until the first week of December.

The angle at which it appears in the sky varies, but tonight it will be at 72 degrees and on Friday at 77 degrees. The bag will be in the southern part of the sky, travelling from west to east. The best viewing times will be at 6.08pm tonight, 6.33pm on Thursday, 5.24pm on Friday and 5.49pm on Saturday. Each appearance will last for three or four minutes.

People on the South Coast will have, weather permitting, the best view. Farther north it will be harder to see and in northern Scotland it will be out of view.

For those determined and lucky enough to find the bag, it will look like a tiny and faint star. “It’s fascinating seeing something that is tiny and has been thrown overboard,” Mr Scagell said. “It’s totally different from anything up in the sky. You can’t learn anything from it but there is the fascination of knowing what it is and seeing it with your own eyes.”

The bag slipped from the grasp of Ms Stefanyshyn-Piper during a repair mission on the International Space Station (ISS) as she became the first woman to lead a space walk.

The station is one of the brightest objects in the sky, but anyone hoping that it will offer a clue to the position of the bag will be disappointed. Although the bag is fairly close to the ISS, it is 100 times dimmer and completes its pass before the station appears. Most astronomers thought that the search of the night sky would be fraught with difficulties.

Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: “I would be a bit sceptical. It might be possible to pick it up with a telescope or a pair of binoculars, but it will be difficult. You would have to be very sure of the position. It’s like trying to spot a football next to a football pitch but from hundreds of miles away.”

Martin Barstow, of the University of Leicester, added: “I don’t see many people being able to find it. You would have to make a serious effort – I’m not sure I could be bothered.” 8)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 233612.ece
 
Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad
Science journal mistakenly uses flyer for Macau brothel to illustrate report on China

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Tuesday, 9 December 2008

A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.

Chinese characters look dramatic and beautiful, and have a powerful visual impact, but make sure you get the meaning of the characters straight before jumping right in.

There were red faces on the editorial board of one of Germany's top scientific institutions, the Max Planck Institute, after it ran the text of a handbill for a Macau strip club on the front page of its latest journal. :shock: Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the MaxPlanckForschung journal, but instead of poetry they ran a text effectively proclaiming "Hot Housewives in action!" on the front of the third-quarter edition. Their "enchanting and coquettish performance" was highly recommended.

The use of traditional Chinese characters and references to "the northern mainland" seem to indicate the text comes from Hong Kong or Macau, and it promises burlesque acts by pretty-as-jade housewives with hot bodies for the daytime visitor.

The Max Planck Institute was quick to acknowledge its error explaining that it had consulted a German sinologist prior to publication of the text. "To our sincere regret ... it has now emerged that the text contains deeper levels of meaning, which are not immediately accessible to a non-native speaker," the institute said in an apology. "By publishing this text we did in no way intend to cause any offence or embarrassment to our Chinese readers. "

But publication of the journal caused some anger among touchier internet users in China who felt the institute had done it on purpose to insult China, or that it was disrespectful to use Chinse as a decoration. But generally, the faux-pas sparked much amusement among Chinese readers.

On anti-cnn.com, a foreigner-baiting website set up after a commentator on the US broadcaster made anti-Chinese comments following the crackdown in Tibet in March, the reaction was mostly "evil fun". One wrote, "Next time, please find a smart Chinese graduate to check your translation", and another said they should try writing "I am illiterate".

The journal has since been updated online and its cover now carries the title of a book by the Swiss Jesuit, Johannes Schreck (1576–1630). The Jesuit text in question was "Illustrated Explanations of Strange Devices".

Chinese is a tonal language, which means words sounding the same can often have very different meanings depending on how they are spoken.

There are tales of drunken teenagers walking out of tattoo parlours with characters reading, "This is one ugly foreigner" or "A fool and his money are easily parted".

Another web-user wrote: "I recently met a German girl with a Chinese tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so loud, I could hardly breathe."

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 58031.html
 
Another web-user wrote: "I recently met a German girl with a Chinese tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so loud, I could hardly breathe."

We have a thread about that particular UL. :lol:
 
A seasonal one here:

Blue Peter's falling star moment

Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere was asked to place the star on top of the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square, which is brought to the UK from Norway each year.

But he was left red-faced when he accidentally dropped the giant star that has topped the tree for many years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7788810.stm

(With video! :D )
 
And another one...

Father's shock after his seven-year-old son gives carol singers £120
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:31 PM on 19th December 2008

Carol singers greeted by seven-year-old Andrew Davis when they turned up on his doorstep must have thought it was their lucky day.
Confronted by the group singing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas', the kind-hearted youngster found £120 lying on the kitchen table top and promptly handed it over.

Now his father Howard is pleading for the return of the money saying it was donated by mistake and that the cash had been intended to pay the child minder.
Mr Davis, 45, discovered the cash missing at his home in Andover, Hants, and quickly realised generous Andrew had given it away.
Mr Davis said: 'Apparently there were three teenage lads at the door singing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' at the door and he went to find some money.
'I'd left the £120 on the kitchen table top pay for a child minder and he must have just picked it up and given it to them.
'I'm hoping they realise £120 is a bit much for singing one song and come and give it back.
'I know it's the season of goodwill but no-one is that generous.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... s-120.html
 
Coming up to date...

Student's £100bn overdraft shock

A student from Ayrshire was left in a state of shock when his online banking statement showed him to be overdrawn by almost £100bn. :shock:

Donald Moffat, 38, from Irvine, said that on Tuesday morning his Barclays account was showing two separate withdrawals of £50bn.

The bank said a "technical error" was to blame and apologised.

Mr Moffat said Barclays also offered £10 in compensation for the phone calls he had to make to resolve the error. :roll:

The full-time student, who is also a part-time care worker, e-mailed a copy of his bank statement to BBC Scotland.

It showed a debit balance on 30 December of just under £100bn.

Mr Moffat said on Tuesday morning his wife had noticed "a major discrepancy of two £50bn debits" being taken out of his account.

"We knew we still had quite a bit left in the account as we checked last night before we went out," he said.

"This morning I went out to get a few things, then, when I came back, my account was overdrawn by that amount."

Mr Moffat said he had "been passed from pillar to post" after making the error known to Barclays.

He also said he was looking for the bank to up its offer of compensation for the level of stress he had been put under in trying to resolve the situation.

In a statement Barclays said: "Earlier today a technical error caused some customer accounts to be incorrectly debited.

"The problem was immediately identified and corrected within less than an hour, and all affected customer accounts are now showing correct balances.

"No customers will be financially impacted by this error. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 804876.stm

I feel I should check my bank account, but I'm worried I might suffer a heart-attack if I do... :(
 
Indiana Jones sequel is the most mistake-ridden film of 2008
The new Indiana Jones sequel has topped a list of the year's most mistake-ridden films.

By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 6:34AM GMT 31 Dec 2008

Despite having a budget of more than £100 million and Hollywood's most famous director at the helm, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull racked up 67 continuity and historical errors.

One obvious blunder was raised by motorcycle enthusiasts who noticed that the Harley Davidson used in the film, which was set in 1957, was actually a post-2000 model.

Another historical error was made on a map used in the film which used the name Belize, even though the country was called British Honduras until 1973.

There were also many continuity mistakes, including one which showed Harrison Ford with his shirt tucked in and then untucked in the same scene.

The errors have been compiled by film website moviemistakes.com, which encourages fans to point out the errors they notice.

Number two on the list was The Dark Knight with 46 mistakes.

The new Batman film, starring the late Heath Ledger, has been named film of the year in a poll and took £48.7 million at the UK box office – but fans still spotted some glaring bloopers.

At one point the Joker appears to sport different hairstyles in the same scene, while later in the film he is shown holding a gun in different hands.

Third on the list was the Abba musical Mamma Mia!, which was recently named as the best-selling DVD in film history. It has grossed more than £360 million worldwide and £70 million in the UK, knocking Titanic off the top spot.

Fans pointed out 45 mistakes. In one scene a man is shown getting out of the water but in the next shot he is completely dry.

In another a hairdryer changes colour from silver to green.

Jon Sandys, head of moviemistakes.com, said: 'With the budget of many movies, you'd think they could avoid mistakes like this, or at least use computers to cover them up. But they keep cropping up, and eagle-eyed movie fans keep spotting them.'

Top ten mistake-ridden films of 2008

1 – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 67 mistakes

2 – The Dark Knight – 46 mistakes

3 – Mamma Mia! – 45 mistakes

3 – Twilight – 45 mistakes

5 – High School Musical 3: Senior Year – 41 mistakes

6 – Journey to the Centre of the Earth – 31 mistakes

7 – Step Brothers – 24 mistakes

8 – Quantum of Solace – 23 mistakes

8 – Get Smart – 23 mistakes

10 – Iron Man – 21 mistakes

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film ... -2008.html
 
And TV gets a critical viewing too..

BBC bungles showpiece drama remake The 39 Steps with a host of howlers... like the biplane with a machine gun ‘ahead of its time’
By James Tapper
Last updated at 11:27 PM on 03rd January 2009

The BBC’s remake of The 39 Steps was meant to be a highlight of the Christmas schedule.
But no matter how replete with festive fare viewers may have been, many were quick to spot that the drama contained a string of historical errors.
In a climactic sequence, star Rupert Penry-Jones was seen being chased across the Scottish moors and attacked by a biplane with twin machine guns.

Yet at the time the drama was set, in June 1914 at the start of the First World War, no one had managed to fit a machine gun to an aeroplane without shooting off the propeller.

Other errors included using a steam train built in 1927 pulling British Rail carriages from the Fifties, key scenes taking place in an Art Deco building not designed until the Twenties, and the BBC using a 1924 Morris Oxford and a 1927 Wolseley in the car chases because 1914 models did not go fast enough to make it exciting.
One viewer even complained that a submarine surfaced in a freshwater loch instead of in one connected to the sea.

In all, 24 viewers rang the BBC to complain, with three specifically mentioning the plane, and there were several complaints on the Corporation’s website about the quality of historical research.
A still picture of the plane chase starring Penry-Jones, who played Adam Carter in Spooks, was used by the BBC in its publicity and he spoke in interviews of how thrilled he was to film the chase.

John Buchan’s book featured his hero Richard Hannay being buzzed by a biplane, but not shot at.

Historic Aircraft Association secretary Stuart Powney said: ‘In terms of historical accuracy, it wasn’t right at all.
‘At the beginning of the First World War, both sides had remarkably crude flying machines, not far removed from what the Wright brothers invented. The plane in the film was the SE5a, which didn’t come in until later in the war.’
One viewer wrote on the BBC’s message board: ‘Very poor historical research. The Germans did not develop a machine gun that fired through the propeller until May 1915, while the British did not have them until mid-1916.
‘Also, the cars appear to be postwar.’

Another said: ‘It was not like the book; the plane had a machine gun, the train was from the wrong company, the submarine seemed to come up in a freshwater loch.’
Some fans were also disappointed that the female spy Victoria Sinclair, played by Lydia Leonard, was invented by the BBC.

Classic car expert Willie Bennie, who sourced the cars, said he had found vehicles of the correct period but they were not able to go fast enough to satisfy the BBC’s appetite. 8)
He said: ‘I knew they were wanting to include car chases to make the drama much more exciting to watch. The trouble was that the cars of this era weren’t very fast.’

A BBC spokesman admitted they received complaints but declined to comment further.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... -8217.html
 
Miserable buggers. Can't they just enjoy a nice yarn? :lol:
 
10ft Santa balloon mistaken for crashing plane
Emergency services launched a major incident operation after reports of a plane crash, but discovered the downed aircraft was a 10ft tall helium-filled Santa Claus balloon.

Last Updated: 10:21PM GMT 04 Jan 2009

Five fire vehicles, including a heavy rescue unit, and two police cars and an ambulance were dispatched to the Yorkshire Dales village of Marrick after a 999 caller reported seeing a light aircraft or hang glider plunge into woods.

But police officers who were first on the scene in Swaledale, eight miles from Richmond, found a bright-red, partially-deflated Father Christmas hanging from the branches. :D

Last night a North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "We dont know who it belonged to, once we had ascertained it was not a serious incident we didn't really pursue it much further."

The first call was made to the North Yorkshire Fire Service just after 4.30pm on Saturday. A spokesman said: "We were alerted to a possible hang-glider crash at Hags Gill Farm.

"As it was reported as an air crash we sent two pumps, a heavy rescue unit, an incident support unit and a senior officer. What they actually found was a large 10ft helium Santa stranded in treetops. Our services were not required. I believe it was deflated by a police officer who climbed up the tree."

A spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: "It was a false alarm with good intent. It was getting dark and the caller, a local resident, reported seeing something, possibly a hang-glider, coming down in the trees. Night was falling and it was difficult to see exactly what had happened. The call was made with honest and good intentions."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... plane.html

Ho Ho Ho! :D
 
Vail skier caught dangling with his trousers down on lift
It must rank among the most unpredictable of skiing mishaps.

Last Updated: 10:11PM GMT 06 Jan 2009

An unfortunate skier at a ritzy Colorado resort found himself unintentionally flashing the world after he got tangled in a ski lift and ended hanging upside down with his trousers round his ankles. :shock:

According to reports, the unidentified man and a child boarded the Skyline Express lift at the luxury Blue Sky Basin resort at Vail last week expecting a swift ride up the mountain.

But because the chairlift's seat was not in the correct position, as the man got on, he slipped through a gap between the chair and the seat back.

His ski boot and ski became lodged in the lift, preventing him from falling. But as he slid, his trousers and underwear became caught and were pulled down, exposing him to tourists at the crowded ski resort, some of whom took pictures of the helpless dangling figure. :oops:

Photographs of the man's Jan 2 ordeal ended up on the website The Smoking Gun. The pictures show the child sitting next to him on the lift.

It took about 15 minutes before resort staff were able to reverse the lift and free the skier, who had been trapped hanging 20 feet about the ground, The Smoking Gun reported.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -lift.html
 
The day got worse for him - he had severe frostbite, and his fiancee broke it off.
 
Channel ferry grounded on wreck

A Channel ferry with nearly 400 people aboard was grounded in bad weather when the crew failed to detect a charted wreck, an accident report has said.

A paper chart indicating the wreck off Deal in Kent was available on the P&O Ferries vessel Pride of Canterbury.

But the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the chart was not referred to "at the crucial time".

The ferry suffered severe damage to its port propeller but was able to sail unaided to Dover on 31 January 2008.

No-one was hurt and the ship berthed with the help of two tugs.

The report said that as the bad weather had temporarily closed the port of Dover, the ferry had sheltered in an area off Deal known as "The Downs" before she ran aground.

The wreck would not have been displayed on the ferry's electronic chart because of the settings in use at the time of the incident. :roll:

The officer of the watch was navigating by eye and with reference to the electronic chart but he was "untrained in the use and limitations of the system".

The ferry's master had given verbal instructions on the geographic limits of the area in which the vessel was to wait.

The report said that as the vessel was approaching a turn, the bridge team became distracted by a fire alarm and a number of telephone calls.

The ferry then overshot the northern limit of the safe area before the turn was started.

The MAIB said the bridge team management was "ineffective" and there was no formal passage planning for the navigation of the vessel while waiting in The Downs.

The information exchange at watch handovers was not performed in a systematic way and the vessel's position was not systematically plotted on the paper chart.

The MAIB said that it had issued safety notices to ferry and other ship operators which detailed lessons learned from the accident.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7827527.stm

Ar, I tell 'ee, all this electrickery ain't no good! ;)
 
The ferry's master had given verbal instructions on the geographic limits of the area in which the vessel was to wait.

Like, 'It's a bit shaller, an' watch out for t'wreck!' :lol:
 
PICTURED: The moment AA man towed BMW over hydraulic bollards . . . and sent it flying
By Colin Fernandez
Last updated at 11:02 PM on 13th January 2009

Driving to work at Heathrow Airport, a woman motorist who broke down naturally enough called the AA to rescue her.
After all, the breakdown company likes to bill itself as the 'fourth emergency service'.
But the AA's intervention led to disaster when the black BMW was sent flying into the air by automatic bollards while being towed into a car park.
As these astonishing CCTV images show, things initially went smoothly, with the AA van clearing the entrance with ease.

The BMW, however, with its driver at the wheel is not so lucky, and the automatic barrier slams down onto the boot of the towed car.
And seconds later hydraulic bollards shot up into the vehicle's underside, sending the car flying 6ft into the air at a 45-degree angle.
No doubt in a panic, the shocked woman is forced to scramble from her vehicle to the ground.
Yesterday embarrassed AA officials claimed their mechanic had done 'everything by the book' during the incident.
A spokesman said: 'The patrolman was assured that it was fine to proceed through the barrier.

'He did everything by the book and drove through in good faith.'
The blunder happened on December 30 last year during what should have been a routine breakdown call-out.
By now the bollards are at full height and the barrier has come down on the car which is at a 45-degree angle

CCTiV footage of the incident later appeared on a number of video sharing websites - although British Airways, who operate the car park, have pulled the footage from the Youtube video clip site.

A British Airways spokesperson confirmed that the driver was a BA staff member and the incident took place at a BA car park at Heathrow.
The spokesperson said: 'I think there was a fault with the bollard system. Different procedures will be followed for towing vehicles from now on.'

She added that there was 'no serious damage' to the vehicle.

An AA spokesman added: 'We are aware of the video being on Youtube and we understand that British Airways are investigating.
'Our patrolman had explained the situation to the security team at the car park and they assured him that towing the vehicle wasn’t a problem.

The identity of the woman driver has not been revealed.

Automatic rising bollards have caused numerous mishaps across Britain in recent years.
Last year in Cornwall, malfunctioning bollards sent cars flying into the air in a shopping centre in Truro, Cornwall.
And CCTV footage of cheeky drivers trying to follow buses through areas protected by automatic bollards in Manchester city centre have also become an internet favourite.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... lying.html
 
Immediately after the accident, it all goes a bit Camberwick Green. :lol:
 
Woman driver parks car on top of neighbour's
A female driver managed to mount a neighbour's car when doing a three-point turn in a tight suburban cul-de-sac.

Last Updated: 6:59PM GMT 16 Jan 2009

The woman hit the accelerator instead of the brake on her automatic car and her £18,000 B Class Mercedes vehicle shot onto the roof of a Chrysler Neon parked in a driveway in Ashtead, Surrey.

The Chrysler's owner Robert Den-Hartog, 35, a primary school teacher, discovered his £10,000 car had been wrecked after being woken by the noise of the impact.

This picture shows the aftermath of the accident. Police were called but no action was taken.

Mr Den-Hartog who lives with his wife Claire, 35, a physiotherapist said: "I couldn't believe my eyes why I saw what happened.

"My wife and I had tea that night and just gone to bed at about 10.30pm, tired after work and I have to get up early.

"I was fast asleep when Claire woke up when she heard the noise and ran to the bedroom window.

"She said, 'you're not going to believe this,' so I ran over to the bedroom window and looked out. I just said: 'Holy Moses!' and ran down stairs to help the woman out of the car."

He added: "When we were woken by it I was shocked and hoping that she wasn't hurt.

"I wasn't really angry but you never get the full money back form the insurance and I suppose now I'm going to have to look for a new car. I think mine is pretty much written off."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... bours.html
 
Football club holds minute's silence for 'dead' ex-player... only to discover he's still alive
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:49 PM on 23rd January 2009

A football club has scored an own goal after holding a minute's silence for a former player who turned out to be alive and well hundreds of miles away.

Former amateur footballer Tommy Farrer, 86, was shocked after his wife Gladys received condolence messages from a club he played with more than 50 years ago.

Mr Farrer, who played for Bishop Auckland Football Club in the north east during the 1940s and 1950s, was shocked after learning club members held a minute's silence in his honour.
Bishops bosses only realised their mistake when club chairman Terry Jackson called Mr Farrer's wife to express his sympathy over her husband's death.

Mr Jackson was left red-faced after she told him her husband was alive and had just ducked out to buy a newspaper.
He apologised for the mix up and said the tribute was made with the best intentions.
'It is the first and, hopefully, the last time something like this has happened,' he said.

'When any person involved with the club passes away, we always try to make sure there is some kind of remembrance for them.

'The news came via Bishop Auckland Social Club, and we took it very seriously. We thought it was very clear.

'But it's quite evident now that we had not been told the right information'.

Fortunately the couple saw the lighter side of things and said they were even touched by the gesture.
Mr Farrer said: 'Whoever it was who told people I had died obviously contacted the football club and they decided to go the whole hog by arranging the silence.

'I'm very moved that they went to such trouble for me, I played for them a very long time ago.'

The grandfather said he was surprised to hear the crowd at last Wednesday's home match against Benfield had held a minute's silence as a mark of remembrance.

.....

During his time with his former club, Mr Farrer won eight amateur international caps.
But Mr Farrer moved away to Maidstone, Kent, in the 1950s and lost contact with his old club members.
Mr Jackson said: 'We're glad to hear that Tommy is still with us and hope he remains in good health for many years to come.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... alive.html
 
Another football-related one:

ITV boss sorry over missed goal

ITV boss Michael Grade has apologised after viewers missed a crucial FA Cup goal due to a technical hitch.

Everton's winning strike in extra time happened as ITV1's coverage went to an advert break, :shock: prompting presenter Steve Rider to make an apology.

Grade says he was "disappointed as anyone to miss the goal" and said the glitch was "inexcusable".

An automated system for broadcasting adverts was still in place during the extended Liverpool v Everton match.

It is used when schedules are running normally, and fails to take overruns into account.

Viewers in some regions were still able to see substitute Dan Gosling's goal, but others returned to the coverage during the players' celebrations.

"Technically it came at a particularly bad time for us," said Rider before saying sorry.

Grade said: "We have years of experience in dealing with the changes in ad break patterns when games go into extra time and sometimes penalties.

"This we have done faultlessly through the Champions League, World Cup and European Championships.

"We are awaiting the results of our technical inquiry so we can put in place stringent and immediate procedures to address this," he added.

In a statement, ITV called the occurence an "unprecedented transmission error".

Everton fan Robbie Hall said: "I was watching on Freeview and once the adverts got under way we had no idea what was going on.

"After about 10 seconds the game returned just as Gosling scored. I saw the goal live but it was a mess."

Paul Snowdon from Merseyside said: "ITV needs to start taking its football seriously. This should never have happened.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7871844.stm
 
"An automated system for broadcasting adverts was still in place during the extended Liverpool v Everton match.

It is used when schedules are running normally, and fails to take overruns into account. "


Automated service for a live sport game: impossible. In all my years of working live to air TV broadcast, there is no way any network would ever let automation roll breaks during a live game. More likely some co-ord bored with the game walked out to the kitchen to get a cup of tea and missed a cue (it happens), or a trainee co-ord hit the Bus Take button early. Networks who screw up broadcasts of live events only ever say "it was a technical glitch" if something goes wrong, while you can bet on the problem being caused by good old human error.

"After about 10 seconds the game returned just as Gosling scored. I saw the goal live but it was a mess."

So 10secs is regular reaction time for a tired co-ord to realise something is wrong, work out what's wrong, then scramble to hit a button as soon as they can & return to the event. Bummer of a thing to happen, someone might be loosing their job.
 
I hope this doesn't invoke Godwin's Law....

The Courier

Bungling Council Flies Nazi Flag
A FLAG only used by the Nazis during their occupation of what is now the Czech Republic has been flying over the Caird Hall in Dundee.The horizontal tricolour, which has a top white stripe with equally-broad red and blue bands underneath, was used to represent the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the second world war.

The flag was introduced after Bohemia and Moravia, part of what is now the Czech Republic, were declared a protectorate of Germany in March 1939 by Adolf Hitler.

It was designed to replace the flag of the former Republic of Czechoslovakia, which is still used by the Czech Republic today.

It was never used again after the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945—but was hoisted above the Caird Hall several months ago.

Dundee City Council admitted yesterday it put the flag up because it believed it was the Slovakian flag, which is also a tricolour but with white, blue and red stripes as well as an emblem.

Ironically, the real Czech Republic flag—which Czech troops fighting against the Nazis used—also flies above the Caird Hall.

Bohemia and Moravia were autonomous Nazi- administered territories but considered part of Greater Germany from 1939 to 1945.

Although the initial months of the occupation were relatively mild for the general population, by the end of 1941 they were being heavily oppressed.

Jews, however, were persecuted immediately and were soon being deported to concentration camps.

Around 350,000 Czechs were sent to Germany to work as labourers to assist with the German war effort.

By the end of the war, the Jewish population—around 18,000 strong in 1939—had been virtually wiped out.

It is estimated 35,000 to 55,000 Czechs were murdered in camps or because of political persecution.

Martyn Geddes from Dundee spotted the flag over the Caird Hall and was amazed to find it belonged to a country that existed for six years under Nazi rule.

“You would think the council would make sure they knew what the flags they are flying were,” he said.

“It was only used for six years so it’s even weirder— they must have ordered the wrong flag.”

There is no possibility the flag is simply upside down either, as no country has a flag with a blue stripe at the top of a horizontal tricolour.

A spokeswoman for Dundee City Council said it would remove the flag but did not know how the mistake had been made.

“We sent someone up to take a look and the label on the flag said Slovakia, which is wrong. There has been an error and we will try to find out how it happened.”

Dr Paul Miller, consul general for the Czech Republic in Scotland, said the flag was hardly used during the occupation and so was unlikely to cause any offence to Czechs.

“I grew up during the war and never saw the flag,” he said. “But the council have definitely put up the wrong flag—there is no country with a flag like that
.”
 
Blundering travel agent sent holidaymaker who wanted to go to Costa RICA 1,300 miles the wrong way... to Puerto RICO
By Luke Salkeld
Last updated at 9:39 AM on 11th February 2009

When Samantha Lazzaris saved up for a holiday halfway round the world, she was careful about choosing the perfect destination.
However, it seems her travel agent exercised a little less care.
Instead of arriving at San Jose airport in Costa Rica, Central America, her plane landed in San Juan on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico 1,300 miles away.
It was only when she got into a taxi that she realised there had been a mix-up.
She said: 'I asked the taxi driver to take me to the hotel I'd booked, but he looked at me in amazement.
'He was speechless then laughed and said, "This is not Costa Rica. It's Puerto Rico".
'I didn't believe him. I was in shock. I looked around the airport, saw posters of Puerto Rico everywhere, and thought, "What am I going to do? Where is Puerto Rico? Where am I?" :shock:

'It turned from what should have been a trouble-free luxury trip into a distressing nightmare, as I was left to find my own way to Costa Rica.'
Miss Lazzaris, 33, an alternative therapist from Bristol, claims staff at a branch of Thomas Cook in the city used the wrong airport codes on her £500 flight-only tickets.

Instead of entering the code for Juan Santa Maria in San Jose, Costa Rica, which is ' SJO', staff incorrectly entered 'SJU', the code for San Juan in Puerto Rico.

But because her e-ticket listed only the codes and not the destination, she says she was oblivious to the fact that she had boarded the wrong flight.

etc...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -RICO.html

Yes, a travel agent cock-up: but Ms.Lazzaris didn't notice the destination when she was called to board, or hear any cabin announcements about the flight...? :?
 
This one is a classic!

The mystery of Ireland's worst driver

Details of how police in Ireland finally caught up with the country's most reckless driver have emerged.

He had been wanted from counties Cork to Cavan after racking up scores of speeding tickets and parking fines.

However, each time the serial offender was stopped he managed to evade justice by giving a different address.

But then his cover was blown.

It was discovered that the man every member of the Irish police's rank and file had been looking for - a Mr Prawo Jazdy - wasn't exactly the sort of prized villain whose apprehension leads to an officer winning an award.

In fact he wasn't even human. :shock:

"Prawo Jazdy is actually the Polish for driving licence and not the first and surname on the licence," read a letter from 2007 from an officer working within the Garda's traffic division. :roll:

"Having noticed this, I decided to check and see how many times officers have made this mistake.

"It is quite embarrassing to see that the system has created Prawo Jazdy as a person with over 50 identities." :D

The officer added that the "mistake" needed to be rectified immediately and asked that a memo be circulated throughout the force.

In a bid to avoid similar mistakes being made in future relevant guidelines were also amended.

And if nothing else is learnt form this driving-related debacle, Irish police officers should now know at least two words of Polish.

As for the seemingly elusive Mr Prawo Jazdy, he has presumably become a cult hero among Ireland's largest immigrant population.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ire ... 71.stm?lss
 
I burnt £1k pub dough in oven
By JAMES CLENCH

DOZY Luke Woolston felt the heat from his boss after he hid £1,000 of takings in a hot oven — and they went up in smoke.

Trusting Martin Talbot asked barman Luke, 19, to cash up at his boozer then put the money in a “safe” place.

But he was horrified when Luke texted to say he had shoved the full till drawer in the switched-on cooker — and then smelt burning.

Martin, 36, said: “He’s usually a sensible lad so I trusted him to cash up and conceal the takings away from prying eyes. I thought he was joking when he said he’d stuck the money in the oven.

“But when I got to the kitchen and smelt the burning, I realised he was being serious. I pulled out the plastic till drawer using oven gloves and stared at £1,000 of badly burnt notes.

"I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

But the big-hearted landlord has forgiven Luke and allowed him to keep his job at The Jolly Farmers in Ormesby, Norfolk.

He said: “I could have screamed and shouted at Luke but it’s not really my style. He’s worked here for two years and hasn’t put a foot wrong until now.”

The Bank of England has told him some notes may still be useable if their serial numbers are legible. His laughing insurers also said he may get some cash back.

Martin — who handed drinkers useless charred £10 and £20 notes to pay for pints after the blunder — added: “They gave Luke loads of stick. The humiliation was punishment enough.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 262090.ece

The landlord seems very laid-back about it: see this video:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7906870.stm
 
I guess he's got money to burn! :p (I know that wasn't very creative of me, but I couldn't resist!)


rynner2 said:
I burnt £1k pub dough in oven
By JAMES CLENCH

DOZY Luke Woolston felt the heat from his boss after he hid £1,000 of takings in a hot oven — and they went up in smoke.

Trusting Martin Talbot asked barman Luke, 19, to cash up at his boozer then put the money in a “safe” place.

But he was horrified when Luke texted to say he had shoved the full till drawer in the switched-on cooker — and then smelt burning.

Martin, 36, said: “He’s usually a sensible lad so I trusted him to cash up and conceal the takings away from prying eyes. I thought he was joking when he said he’d stuck the money in the oven.

“But when I got to the kitchen and smelt the burning, I realised he was being serious. I pulled out the plastic till drawer using oven gloves and stared at £1,000 of badly burnt notes.

"I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

But the big-hearted landlord has forgiven Luke and allowed him to keep his job at The Jolly Farmers in Ormesby, Norfolk.

He said: “I could have screamed and shouted at Luke but it’s not really my style. He’s worked here for two years and hasn’t put a foot wrong until now.”

The Bank of England has told him some notes may still be useable if their serial numbers are legible. His laughing insurers also said he may get some cash back.

Martin — who handed drinkers useless charred £10 and £20 notes to pay for pints after the blunder — added: “They gave Luke loads of stick. The humiliation was punishment enough.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 262090.ece

The landlord seems very laid-back about it: see this video:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7906870.stm
 
Soldier dumped by girlfriend after streaking as Cupid at football match
A soldier lost his girlfriend and was hauled into court because he streaked across a Premier League football ground on Valentine's Day dressed as Cupid.

Last Updated: 7:19PM GMT 25 Feb 2009

James Miller, 20, stripped down to a pair of white boxer shorts and ran across the pitch at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park firing a dozen red roses from a bow and arrow in a bid to impress girlfriend Jade Thompson, 19. :D

Miller however was warned by military bosses he could face a court martial over his stunt and his embarrassed girlfriend dumped him. :(

Miller, a craftsman in the Light Dragoons regiment, was fined £200 and banned from all football matches for three years for encroaching on a playing area under Football and Disorder Act.

Speaking outside Blackburn magistrates court, he said: "I'm sorry for what I did but I never realised it would cause so much trouble.

"I just wanted to impress my Jade and it backfired really badly. I genuinely thought I could win her back by dressing up as Cupid. "That sort of behaviour always seems to work some romantic magic in the movies. Now I have no girlfriend and no job."

The court hear how Miller, of Marlborough Road, Accrington, did his streak during Blackburn's FA Cup clash with Coventry City three days after setting up a dare group on social networking site Facebook.

Magistrates told him: "We find that your behaviour was immature and disorderly, although you found it amusing it was unacceptable given that the safety of all spectators is paramount. We hope this sends out a clear message to all those contemplating repeating your actions."

After the case Fashion and textiles student, Miss Thompson, who works at a restaurant at the M65 services near Burnley said she had changed her Facebook relationship status to "It's complicated."

She said: "He must think it's funny but after that I didn't want anything to do with him. It was just general relationship stuff and not just the prank.

"I broke up with him for all sorts of reason. I can't believe what he did. If he honestly thought I would be impressed with what he did then he must be more stupid than he looks. :shock:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... match.html
 
This made me laugh!
I honestly felt bad for the guy till I thought of myself in the same position-
if my boyfriend did such a thing I would most certainly not be impressed. :oops:
 
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