NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

Action Movie

Modern life is, as we all know, rubbish. Then again, when we were young we yearned for a way to have our favourite movies available whenever we wanted them – but in those days that would mean having a dedicated theatre room with a screen and a projector. Nowadays anyone can have a huge library of films on hand, in high definition and Dolby sound, running through their wide-screen TV.

But that is not without its hazards, as one family in India discovered last month with tragic consequences. A young newlywed, Hemendra Merawi, was unwrapping wedding presents with his family at his house in Chhattisgarh in early April. One of the prize gifts was a brand-new home theatre music system, which he eagerly plugged in. As the switch was thrown, the equipment exploded, killing him on the spot; five other members of the family were badly hurt, one of whom – his elder brother –died later in hospital.

A police team and forensic specialists attended the scene. They could not find any trace of explosive or flammable material in the house and the new equipment was the only item to have exploded. Further investigation is underway, although press reports do mention sinisterly that the district is subject to terrorist activity by Maoist rebels. All in all, it would probably have been better just to go to the cinema.

AH, HUBRIS

Not quite so tragic but still alarming was an incident in Sydney, Australia over the Easter weekend, when five people were rushed to hospital with burns after an outdoor fire pit exploded. According to reports, the explosion happened while the fire pit’s fuel system was being refilled with ethanol.

The owners of the property where the incident happened – said to be a “luxury multi-level home” overlooking Newport Beach that was bought for A$8.5m in 2020 –were hosting an Easter gathering in their backyard at the time. One of those injured had to be put in an induced coma prior to being taken to hospital. Neighbours said the evening was “bedlam” – but not because of the party or the explosion, rather the number of locals who came out to see what was going on.

Ambulance Chasing

Police in New York were called to help stop an ambulance at the end of March, and had to resort to extreme measures at the end of the chase. It all started when a 47-year-old man was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in Manhattan for observation (observation of what we are not told). Some time later, the man left the hospital – again, it is not clear whether he was discharged or just walked out; perhaps he was not under close observation – and found that the ambulance that had brought him to the hospital was still outside. What’s more, there was no-one in it, the doors were unlocked and the key was in the ignition.

Not surprisingly under such circumstance, the man decided to get in and drive off. The now-missing ambulance was tracked by GPS travelling north on I-87 and it was spotted by state troopers near Tarrytown. The driver failed to stop and the troopers gave chase, which only ended when police threw a tyre-spiking device across the road on a bridge across the Hudson River.

The man was arrested on several charges, including driving while intoxicated. Now it makes sense…