How a Single Cockroach Cost 30 People Their Jobs

Posted by Alex in Animal, Politics on February 22, 2008 at 3:35 pm


Here’s a truly bizarre story of how a single cockroach put 30 people out of work in Turkmenistan:

For the viewers of Turkmenistan’s popular nightly news programme, Vatan, it was another routine bulletin. But as the newsreader began the 9pm broadcast, viewers across the central Asian country spotted something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach.

The cockroach managed to complete a whole lap of the desk, apparently undetected, before disappearing. The programme, complete with cockroach, was repeated at 11pm that night. [...]

The country’s president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, took news of the insect so badly that he responded by firing no fewer than 30 workers from the main state TV channel, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported yesterday.

Link – via Presurfer

Previously on Neatorama: Craziest Dictator Ever: Turkmenbashi


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8 comments to "How a Single Cockroach Cost 30 People Their Jobs"

  1. Thomas
    February 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    ..."The country’s *president*, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov?" This is Turkmenistan, so I believe the appropriate wording is either "ruthless dictator", or "autocratic freak".
    Shouldn't we use the right phrase before these guys' regimes are toppled?

  2. bean
    February 22nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    Aww, Karbanguly is just a big fuzzy bear. The trick is to scratch him right behind his left ear... then he'll do whatever you want.

  3. Pudifoot
    February 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    Wow! I am glad my name isn't Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov!

    "how do you spell you name, son" "I have no idea!" o.O

  4. Orjans Morjan
    February 22nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    I bet the presidential debates on TV are lively.

  5. Vako
    February 22nd, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    Gosh. Sounds like someone got a huka-bong up their butt.

  6. mrstinky
    February 23rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    does anyone have a clip of the broadcast? I want to see it!

  7. MoonCake
    February 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am

    firing 30 people at a news station would be huge.. that would take the station off the air and almost force a re-format. it would take soo long to get the station back up and running fluidly again.. what a mistake he made.

  8. seekshelter
    November 23rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    yay for ultimate power!!!


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