Australian officials wanted to get rid of some commemorative mugs that misspelled US President Barack Obama’s name. And boy, did they ever.
A Parliament House official told senators on Monday that 198 mugs were smashed and buried under wet concrete at a loading dock behind the building. Senator John Faulkner called it a “mafia-style execution” for the mugs, which had an extra “r” printed in Obama’s first name.
The government made 200 of the mugs to commemorate the US president’s planned visit to Australia in 2010, which was later cancelled. No mugs were created when Obama finally made it to Australia last year. Only two of the mugs were ever sold from the Parliament House gift shop. – Sapa-AP