ODDS and ENDS: Man channels video game to try to fool cops, other offbeat offerings
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It’s one of the best ways to escape in the popular Grand Theft Auto series of video games: Visit a Pay ‘n’ Spray paint shop and get your vehicle repainted in order to fool the police.
But a Florida man and woman found out life is not a video game when they tried the trick in Palm Coast recently.
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Police alleged Reinier Lazaro Perez and Dayanly Cutino Gonzalez were eyed behind a Days Inn spray-painting a Peterbilt semi-tractor in the back corner of the parking lot.
Someone called in thinking it looked suspicious. When Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, the two ran off down a highway.
Gonzalez was captured right away. Reinier managed to hide in the woods for about two hours before being found, according to reports.
The recovered semi-tractor is valued at (U.S.)$280,000 and had originally been painted pink.
It had been spray-painted red.
SPIES NEED RETRAINING
Spies used to be, well, spies. Going about their business in the shadows, in secret. At least that’s what we read in John le Carre’s novels.
Nowadays, British spies have gone public, causing some fears in the country, according to reports.
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Some MPs on the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee have sounded the alarm about the problem.
A report by the ISC refers to newspaper interviews by MI5 and GCHQ bosses, and the head of MI6’s Twitter account.
Spy chiefs have also appeared on the BBC, and the head of GCHQ is set to guest-edit Radio 4’s Today program, according to the report.
Agencies have used social media and interviews to explain their work and increase recruitment and diversity.
In its annual report, the committee said it recognized the “important role public outreach can play in attracting employees by opening up about the culture and working practices in such secret organizations,” but added such activity “must be undertaken in a strategic and considered manner.”
It added: “The committee is concerned that, if media engagement strategies go too far, they risk trivializing the important work of the agencies and diverting their focus from national security priorities. Social media is also known to be a battleground for covert hostile state action, so any enhanced media engagement should not undermine the agencies’ ability to act covertly and keep the U.K. safe.”
THAT MUST BE SOME GOOD CHICKEN
A North Carolina fast food outlet was so popular it was forced to close.
A Chick-fil-A in Charlotte was getting so much drive-thru traffic that cars were clogging up nearby streets, causing a danger to other motorists and pedestrians, according to MSN.
The city decided it could solve the problem by insisting the restaurant be a drive-thru only. More lanes were added and indoor dining was barred.
It seemed like a poor call on paper, but instead of just making the restaurant busier, the extra lanes apparently solved the problem.
New walkways linking public sidewalks to the restaurant are also expected to keep pedestrians safe and prevent cars from blocking the sidewalk, city documents show.
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