At Home: Job Failure
There’s nothing more humiliating than attempting a crime, bungling it, and getting caught. For one wannabe criminal, his incompetence will earn him jail time?and has made him a laughingstock to criminals and law-abiding citizens alike.
As The Calgary Sun reports, Darrell Snyder botched three robberies in 13 minutes and is now awaiting sentencing as ?the robber who couldn’t.?
The first attempt was at a convenience store. Snyder, wearing a bandana to disguise his lower face, ?pointed a replica handgun? at the cashier, but then dissolved into laughter and left without ?[making] any demands.? Next, Snyder entered a Tim Horton’s; ?[when] a staff member noticed him, he pointed the gun at her and told her it was a robbery.? She immediately moved to safety and called the police, and Snyder left quickly. Shortly afterward he made a final attempt, accosting a pedestrian and ?[demanding] he turn over whatever he had on him.? The would-be victim refused, so Snyder gave up and rode away.
Snyder has since pleaded guilty to ?three counts each of robbery, using a firearm during a robbery and wearing a disguise? and expects to be sentenced to at least 30 months of jail time.
Around the World: Bad Air Day
Air pollution is a continuing problem, and government environmental agencies have created a spectrum of acceptable pollution levels. But what previously was seen as relatively safe for human health may in fact be dangerous, new studies suggest.
As The Globe and Mail reports, ?two separate studies? show that moderate air pollution levels significantly increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes.
One study, which surveyed results worldwide, noted that nearly every ?major component of air pollution . . . was associated with an increased risk of heart attacks.? This was the case even when air pollution fell within WHO recommendations.
The other study noted that ?the risk of stroke was about 35 per cent higher on days when the air quality was classified as moderate compared to good days with lower pollution levels,? study leader Gregory Wellenius told reporters.
Pollution could trigger heart attacks or strokes because ?outdoor air particles can cause inflammation, change how blood vessels work, increase the chances that platelets in the blood will form a clot, and disrupt the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling heart rate and blood pressure.?
