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American Morning

Headlines Making News 'Over There'

Aired May 16, 2003 - 07:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: If the British have their way, the world will be going to London in the year 2012. Britain has put in a bid for the Olympic Games, and that tops our Friday look at stories making news across the pond.
My friend, Richard Quest, joins us, as he does every Friday, for our regular segment called "Over There."

Hello -- Richard. Are you entered in any of the events, assuming they get the Games?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Believe me, if I entered the Olympics, everybody would come and watch.

They are ours! In two years' time, the IOC will declare London to be the place for the 2012 Olympics. The announcement was made in parliament yesterday by the British government. They have had months of wrangling over this, Jack, over how we would pay for the $3.5 billion estimated it would cost to stage the 2012 Olympics. But finally, London has decided we are going to bid for these games, and we want to win them.

Now, why this is interesting, because look at the other cities that may be up for grabs for the Olympics. You've got New York, which is claiming its right to have them. Madrid thinks it should be in there. Moscow is likely to throw its hat in the ring. And guess which other one? Paris!

CAFFERTY: Yes.

QUEST: In the next month or so, we expect to hear the French are going to try and get the 2012 Olympics.

CAFFERTY: Do you think they have the nerve to ask after all of this nonsense that's going on, they're actually going to make a bid for this thing?

QUEST: Almost certainly Paris will throw its hat into the ring.

So, now, you've got this wonderful axis. But, may as well forget about it, New York. The 2012 Olympics are ours.

CAFFERTY: That's fine. Do you know what? I don't want them in New York. New York is crowded and complex and difficult enough on a daily basis. I can live without the Olympics in 2012, if I'm even here in 2012. 911 calls, obviously people get a mistaken idea of what those three letters -- or numbers on the telephone are for. One of the law enforcement agencies over there has a good idea.

QUEST: Yes, now you call it 911. Here in Britain, we call it 999. And basically, there's a fascinating...

CAFFERTY: You would.

QUEST: ... the -- yes, well. The Avon and Somerset police have decided to publish the worst examples of abuse of the emergency phone system. One man rang 999, or 911, to say that his wife wouldn't cook him dinner, and that was an emergency. She had only...

CAFFERTY: Well, that's an emergency of sorts.

QUEST: She had only left him a couple of old Salmon sandwiches. Another woman -- and I think we can hear this women -- she rang 911 to say she couldn't find her spectacles and she had to peel the potatoes! Come on!

CAFFERTY: I mean, come one. You know, she would be in danger of perhaps injuring herself without her spectacles.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, I've lost my glasses, the ones for my nearsight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm trying to get my lunch, and I can't see to do my potatoes very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, but you're through to the police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I can't come and look for your glasses. I'm sorry. You'll have to peel your potatoes on your own.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I know, but I still need them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you don't ring 999 for the look of your glasses.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: Oh, that's hilarious. I mean, I feel bad for the lady, but that's pretty funny.

QUEST: If you want to hear more of those, it's the Avon and Somerset police in Britain, and you can go to their Web site.

Jack, how is your Latin?

CAFFERTY: How is my what?

QUEST: Latin.

CAFFERTY: Oh, my Latin? I actually did take three years of that dead language in high school. That's probably the right choice for me, don't you agree?

QUEST: You did Latin and you ended up like that.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yes, I wind up in New York talking to you on Friday mornings, so go figure.

QUEST: A new Latin dictionary has been published to bring it up- to-date. The FBI is in there. It's known as officium (ph) for delatum (ph) investigatorium (ph). If you want to know what Walter Rogers and our correspondents in the Iraq war were using, they were using telephonium (ph) alvo (ph) telephisico (ph) coneuntum (ph), which is a posh (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But it's a posh way of saying the videophone.

CAFFERTY: All right, one last thing. We were going to read some of these, but I'd rather get your take on these child-free zones. I read a column you wrote on the Internet about child-free zones on the airlines. I take it you're in favor?

QUEST: Oh, yes. Babies should be at the back of the plane, absolutely, as far as humanly possible from me.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Easy! My!

QUEST: And, listen. This is a -- this is a working area.

HEMMER: Make it fast.

QUEST: But the best part was a viewer who wrote to me after that article who said, "Richard Quest was never a baby, and there is only one thing worse than sitting next to a baby, and that's sitting next to Richard Quest."

CAFFERTY: Oh, now, now. One of our viewers said that they should soundproof those overhead compartments. They're just the right size to stick a baby in.

Richard, it's good to see you, as always. Richard Quest joining us from "Over There."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired May 16, 2003 - 07:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: If the British have their way, the world will be going to London in the year 2012. Britain has put in a bid for the Olympic Games, and that tops our Friday look at stories making news across the pond.
My friend, Richard Quest, joins us, as he does every Friday, for our regular segment called "Over There."

Hello -- Richard. Are you entered in any of the events, assuming they get the Games?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Believe me, if I entered the Olympics, everybody would come and watch.

They are ours! In two years' time, the IOC will declare London to be the place for the 2012 Olympics. The announcement was made in parliament yesterday by the British government. They have had months of wrangling over this, Jack, over how we would pay for the $3.5 billion estimated it would cost to stage the 2012 Olympics. But finally, London has decided we are going to bid for these games, and we want to win them.

Now, why this is interesting, because look at the other cities that may be up for grabs for the Olympics. You've got New York, which is claiming its right to have them. Madrid thinks it should be in there. Moscow is likely to throw its hat in the ring. And guess which other one? Paris!

CAFFERTY: Yes.

QUEST: In the next month or so, we expect to hear the French are going to try and get the 2012 Olympics.

CAFFERTY: Do you think they have the nerve to ask after all of this nonsense that's going on, they're actually going to make a bid for this thing?

QUEST: Almost certainly Paris will throw its hat into the ring.

So, now, you've got this wonderful axis. But, may as well forget about it, New York. The 2012 Olympics are ours.

CAFFERTY: That's fine. Do you know what? I don't want them in New York. New York is crowded and complex and difficult enough on a daily basis. I can live without the Olympics in 2012, if I'm even here in 2012. 911 calls, obviously people get a mistaken idea of what those three letters -- or numbers on the telephone are for. One of the law enforcement agencies over there has a good idea.

QUEST: Yes, now you call it 911. Here in Britain, we call it 999. And basically, there's a fascinating...

CAFFERTY: You would.

QUEST: ... the -- yes, well. The Avon and Somerset police have decided to publish the worst examples of abuse of the emergency phone system. One man rang 999, or 911, to say that his wife wouldn't cook him dinner, and that was an emergency. She had only...

CAFFERTY: Well, that's an emergency of sorts.

QUEST: She had only left him a couple of old Salmon sandwiches. Another woman -- and I think we can hear this women -- she rang 911 to say she couldn't find her spectacles and she had to peel the potatoes! Come on!

CAFFERTY: I mean, come one. You know, she would be in danger of perhaps injuring herself without her spectacles.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, I've lost my glasses, the ones for my nearsight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm trying to get my lunch, and I can't see to do my potatoes very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, but you're through to the police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I can't come and look for your glasses. I'm sorry. You'll have to peel your potatoes on your own.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I know, but I still need them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you don't ring 999 for the look of your glasses.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: Oh, that's hilarious. I mean, I feel bad for the lady, but that's pretty funny.

QUEST: If you want to hear more of those, it's the Avon and Somerset police in Britain, and you can go to their Web site.

Jack, how is your Latin?

CAFFERTY: How is my what?

QUEST: Latin.

CAFFERTY: Oh, my Latin? I actually did take three years of that dead language in high school. That's probably the right choice for me, don't you agree?

QUEST: You did Latin and you ended up like that.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yes, I wind up in New York talking to you on Friday mornings, so go figure.

QUEST: A new Latin dictionary has been published to bring it up- to-date. The FBI is in there. It's known as officium (ph) for delatum (ph) investigatorium (ph). If you want to know what Walter Rogers and our correspondents in the Iraq war were using, they were using telephonium (ph) alvo (ph) telephisico (ph) coneuntum (ph), which is a posh (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But it's a posh way of saying the videophone.

CAFFERTY: All right, one last thing. We were going to read some of these, but I'd rather get your take on these child-free zones. I read a column you wrote on the Internet about child-free zones on the airlines. I take it you're in favor?

QUEST: Oh, yes. Babies should be at the back of the plane, absolutely, as far as humanly possible from me.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Easy! My!

QUEST: And, listen. This is a -- this is a working area.

HEMMER: Make it fast.

QUEST: But the best part was a viewer who wrote to me after that article who said, "Richard Quest was never a baby, and there is only one thing worse than sitting next to a baby, and that's sitting next to Richard Quest."

CAFFERTY: Oh, now, now. One of our viewers said that they should soundproof those overhead compartments. They're just the right size to stick a baby in.

Richard, it's good to see you, as always. Richard Quest joining us from "Over There."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.