Introducing the WTF! Awards

A friend that I greatly value suffered a great loss this past week. It's funny, I don't recall when Marc and I became friends; I feel as if I've known him for ages. Logic tells me that our friendship began sometime after 9/11/06, the day that I began blogging. His sorrow is his to tell, so I will simply encourage you to stop by his blog, read his words and offer what comfort that you can.

As for me, I hope to make you chuckle a bit today. Laughter really is the best antidote to whatever ails you.

Several entries ago, I wrote of the things that made me have to wash my mouth out with soap, the events, behavior, and/or statements that made me exclaim, WTF! I've decided to take it one step further and to officially create the WTF Awards. Unlike the Darwin Awards, no one has to die to earn a WTF Award. The criteria is quite simple: the behavior, statements, or events have to move me to proclaim, WTF! I encourage you to send me nominees for future awards whenever you find yourself exclaiming, WTF! And now, for the first official WTF! Awards.

The Power of the Weave
I first heard this story on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, (TJMS) my favorite morning radio show. Tom, Jay, and Sybil find the news stories that other stations miss or dismiss. The setting is Kansas City, MO and the theme is love gone wrong. A young woman got into her car and was approached by a man who informed her that her recently ex-boyfriend still loved her. She responded, "Well, I don't love him." The ex-boyfriend, who was evidently lurking about, upon hearing her less than favorable response, fired a gun at her, breaking out her rear window. She gunned the motor, wheeled her way out of the parking lot and called 911. For some unfathomable reason, she then went back to the scene of the crime, where the police met her. The ex and his friend were gone, but the police caught up with them and arrested them. At some subsequent point, the bullet that was fired through the rear window was located--caught in the young woman's hair weave. She wasn't injured. The weave stopped the bullet. I'm seriously thinking about getting a weave, just in case anyone decides to try and shoot me in the head. Update: The ex's cousin called the TJMS to say that the alleged victim was stalking him and that she probably placed that bullet in her hair weave and broke out her own window.

'Twas Beauty that Killed the Beast
Academic researchers recently released the results of a study conducted at the University of South Florida that offers an interesting perspective on what went wrong with the McCain/Palin campaign. Sarah Palin's beauty made it impossible for voters to take her seriously. Her sexy good looks were perfect for getting her magazine covers and media attention, but actually worked against her for getting votes. It seems that pretty women are perceived as incompetent. I'm thinking that if Palin had uglied up a bit, then no one would have probably noticed her incompetence.

This Is An Emergency!
My perspective on this story has changed from when I first hear about it on TJMS. Latreasa Goodman, age 27, went to a McDonald's in Fort Pierce, Florida and placed an order for a 10 piece chicken nuggets combo. After she paid for the order, she was informed that there were no more nuggets. Ms. Goodman, asked for her money back but was told that there was a no refund policy but that she could have a substitute meal that didn't include nuggets. Ms. Goodman called 911, (three times) in an effort to get her money back. When I first heard the story, it was presented as, "Woman calls 911 because McDonalds ran out of nuggets." I laughed and marveled at her ridiculous behavior, and called the poor woman an idiot. However, after reading additional details of the story and hearing the 911 calls, while I don't think that this was an appropriate use of the 911 system, I also think that the real nitwits in all of this are the media outlets who published misleading headlines and McDonalds. This woman wasn't asking for police assistance because McDonalds ran out of nuggets, she wanted her money back because McDonalds couldn't fill her order. Given these economically stressful times, I see her point. She ordered nuggets, they couldn't produce them, so refund her money. Instead, this particular McDonalds tried to force her to accept a substitution that she didn't want. The update is that McDonalds has apologized to Ms. Goodman, stating that their policy is to offer a substitution but if the customer does not want the substitution, then the customer is to receive a refund. My WTF! Award goes to McDonalds and the media that went for the humorous headline rather than accuracy.

The Birds Are Coming!
This story has been giving me waking nightmares ever since I read it this past week. I have a bird phobia. If you don't have a phobia of any sort, you may not fully understand what I'm talking about. Phobia's are not rational. A fully developed phobia can render an otherwise reasonable adult incapable of moving. I don't know where my bird phobia comes from, it's just been with me forever. I never go in pet stores because most of them sell birds. Even a bird in a cage sets my pulse to racing. I can tolerate birds flying in the sky, but if one lands near me, I have to escape. So this story horrified me. A tractor-trailer was driving along on a Nevada highway when a golden eagle crashed through the windshield into the cab of the truck. Golden eagles only weigh 15 pounds but they have a seven foot wing span. It seems that the misguided bird was very angry, so the two guys in the truck ran for their lives. The eagle seems to have survived with only a slightly swollen head. Meanwhile, every time I'm in my car, I grip the steering wheel and frantically search the skies for any dive bombing birds.