British criminals & Facebook

Earlier I posted about the escaped criminal who taunted police on Facebook and eventually got caught.  Now an incarcerated prisoner has broadcasted creepy threats via Facebook.  It appears his Facebook account has been terminated since then but it does seem like the English criminal has a social networking edge on his/her American cousins.

Catching prison escapees using Facebook

“For instance, if a prisoner escapes somewhere nearby, we could post it on Facebook,” So says Joshua McMillan of the Russellville Arkansas police.

Suddenly, I have this image of a New Yorker cartoon where a woman is on the couch huddled over her laptop while her husband sits in his recliner reading the newspaper.  A man in prisoner garb is peering through the window. 

And the woman says, “Honey, the police say my new Facebook friend, Bruce, just escaped from the county jail.”

Weird laws: don’t cheat on your wife in Hong Kong!

Here are a bunch of weird laws:

Milan – It is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits
Massachusetts – Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of the car during their shifts.
Denmark – People are legally obliged to honk the horn and check for small children underneath the car.
Thailand –  It is illegal for anyone to leave a building without wearing their pants
Michigan – Anyone bathing in public must have their swim suit inspected by a police officer.
Florida – Any unmarried woman who parachutes on a Sunday could be jailed.
Florida – Singing while wearing a cossie is strictly prohibited.
Portugal – It is unlawful to urinate in the sea
Hong Kong –  A betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill the mistress in any manner desired or kill the cheating husband with her bare hands.
Switzerland – Flushing the loo after 10pm is illegal.

Article:

Facebook same namers to marry

“A couple with the same name who met on Facebook have confirmed that they will marry this autumn.

Female Kelly Hildebrandt, 20, met 24-year-old male Kelly Hildebrandt on the social networking site and sent him a message about them sharing the same name.

After a string of emails, the duo eventually met up and developed a relationship. They have now revealed that they are engaged and will tie the knot in Miami, Florida later this year.”

Article:

Canadian judge okays mind reading lawsuit

“A Canadian man can go ahead with a lawsuit claiming federal police used mind-reading techniques while investigating him, a British Columbia judge ruled.

David Ross, who lives near Hope, British Columbia, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Vancouver, claims two police officers used what he called “neurophone, advanced neurophone and subliminal messaging” while he was under surveillance in 2003, according to court papers. He said that as a result, he suffers from headaches, sleeplessness and loss of normal brain function. A neurophone is an “electronic telepathy machine,” according to the Art of Hacking Web site.”

Article:

London underground gets philosophical

“Drivers on the London Underground have been issued with a book of philosophical quotes to read out along with their normal announcements.

The usual “mind the gap” and “the next station is…” will now be joined by insights from the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi.”

Article:

Guilty pleasure: guide to freeway interchanges

Here is a guide to the names of various forms of freeway interchanges.  I should also post my “boring postcard” book and show off my true colors.

Favorite?  Mine is the Lofthouse.

What is a Spooey?

Story behind $67 million suit against cleaners

I posted briefly about this case earlier this year.

“Washington D.C. judge Roy Pearson sued the owners of Custom Cleaners for losing his trousers. There is a reported history of problems with Custom Cleaner. Pearson stated in court papers that he took a pair of trousers to this dry cleaning shop back in 2002. The pants were lost. Owners Soo and Jin Chung gave Pearson $150 to replace his lost pants.

 Pearson said that he returned to Custom Cleaners in 2005 and his trousers were missing again. He was about to being a new job as an administrative judge. Pearson claims that these gray trousers were prized pants that he wanted to wear on his first day on the bench.

Court papers describe the gray trousers with also blue and red stripes. Pearson said that he brought one pair in to the dry cleaning shop for alternations. The trousers went missing after that.

 The Chungs have spent thousands of dollars defending themsevels against Pearson’s lawsuit. Jin Chung said that they have been paying lawyer fees for two year and have developed bad credit as well as stress because of Pearson’s lawsuit. Mrs. Soo Chung broke down in tears during an interview with ABC news. In the interview, she stated that the never thought that it would drag out this long. “I don’t want to live here anymore. It’s been so difficult. I just want to go home, go back to Korea” she said.”

Article:

Birmingham wants interchange seen from space

Okay, cities have lit landmark bridges and other iconic edifices for the public’s enjoyment before but now  Birmingham Alabama has taken this two steps further.  First, by lighting up an eyesore: Spaghetti Junction, a giant 1970s concrete interchange and second, they aren’t doing this for the enjoyment of thousands of people living on earth but for astronauts and other beings out in space who desire a visual treat while embarked upon their journey. 

Lord help them if they are using stimulus money for this.

Article

2,500 lefties killed each year using right-handed products

I don’t know if this is true but as an uncoordinated lefty, this makes my victimhood feel more righteous (sorry!)  Anyway, I’m posting this list from Gather.com of “fun facts” just because. 

• More people study English in China than speak it in the United States of America (300 million).
• Fast food provider Hardee’s has recently introduced the Monster Thickburger. It has 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat.
• Most of the deck chairs on the Queen Mary 2 have had to be replaced because overweight Americans were breaking them.

Entire list