The flash fiction contest and a recent weird Facebook post made me think of something. An American friend posted something about this weekend being the end (or beginning? well, the switch) of daylight saving time. I thought this was weird and checked for my country, where it's at the end of October. Then I checked for the USA, where it's at the beginning of November. So I checked who first posted the info, and it was an Australian. While I commented about this, lot's of American friends overlooked that and went "thanks for the info!" Hahaha.
In any case, in a world where many learn about how thinks work via the television, it can happen that an Australian calls 911 for an emergency and doesn't get the help they need (or that a German is waiting for the jury at court and wonders why everything is different than on TV). Now, I think this joke only works as flash fiction, but if e.g. a child who watches TV all day wants to call an ambulance because his caretaker just went uncurious, they'd probably just as well call someone else instead to call for help (e.g. grandparents, friends), so I think the idea doesn't work. Even if it's the pre-cell phone era, say the 1980s, they'd have a phone book, or would know someone else's number.
(I was thinking about Australia, because they could be in a remote place without neighbours. Canada has 911, so it wouldn't work).
