[at-l] Telemarketer Saves Hiker

[saunterer@jimbullard.org (saunterer@jimbullard.org)]

At 08:47 PM 07/02/2002 -0600, Ron Martino wrote:
>Bryan Kramer wrote:
> >
> > I heard this on the radio but my first thought was: "How many cel towers
> > are there in the Andes? Darn few is my guess" They even identified the
> > phone company as Bell South. I smell a hoax myself.
> >
> > Bryan
>
>         If so, they suckered just about everyone. I've seen the story in a
>number of online news reports, including sites that tend to be pretty
>skeptical. But you might be correct.

It wouldn't be the first time the media had gotten suckered by an urban 
legend.  I once heard an urban legend I had just finished reading about in 
a book being broadcast on a national network broadcast as if it was real 
news.  The book, a collection of urban legends, was several years old when 
I read it.  Paul Harvey is renowned for repeating urban legends as are 
other radio commentators of his type.  The marks of an urban legend 
are:  no specific names/places (here we have names but the main character 
"isn't answering his cell phone"), an indirect source ("it has been 
reported"), the story is slightly fantastic but still marginally credible 
(it *could* have happened) and it makes a great story.

My thoughts were 1) if his minutes were up why did he leave the phone 
turned on?  Was he expecting a call?  2) Storing fresh batteries in the 
freezer may (emphasis on *may*) prolong their usability (once warmed up) 
but it doesn't "recharge" it.   If the batteries were already low and his 
minutes were up why did he keep taking the batteries out and throwing them 
in the snow to "recharge" them?  It's counter intuitive and with no minutes 
he couldn't call out anyway.  To my mind this reeks of urban legend.

sAunTerer