In Other News

[BlackCat]

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cn87608w389o

Meh, the sailors could at least have dressed as stormtroopers

[Broken_Erika]

Suspected burglar caught after sitting down with book

A would-be burglar in Rome was caught after stopping to read a book on Greek mythology in the middle of a robbery, Italian media report.
The 38-year-old reportedly gained access to a flat in the Italian capital's Prati district via the balcony but became distracted after picking up a book about Homer's Iliad on a bedside table.
The 71-year-old homeowner is said to have awoken and confronted the alleged thief, who was engrossed in the book.
News of the failed robbery attracted the attention of the book's author, who told local media he wanted to send the man a copy so he could "finish" his read.

After being caught off-guard, the alleged robber reportedly attempted to make a quick getaway by escaping via the same balcony, but was arrested shortly afterwards.
He is said to have told police he had climbed the building to visit a person he knew.
"I thought I had ended up in a B&B, saw the book and started to read it."
Giovanni Nucci, the author of The Gods at Six O'Clock, which explains the Iliad from the perspective of the gods, told Il Messaggero: "It's fantastic."
"I'd like to find the person caught red-handed and give him the book, because he'll have been arrested halfway through reading it. I'd like him to be able to finish it.
"It's a surreal story, but also full of humanity."
The thief was reportedly in possession of a bag containing expensive clothing allegedly stolen from another house earlier that evening.
Nucci said his personal favourite deity was Hermes, the god of thieves.
"He is also the god of literature. It is clear: everything fits," he joked.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg4kpv3p4zo

[-Jrabbit]

In other news, our old friend Asher:
1. is an American citizen now, and
2. recently got married.

[pchang]

And he’s probably > 40 years old….

[-Jrabbit]

Well, of course. No "probably" about it...

[Meticulous Man]

[Ming]

Town Is Missing its Clothing as 4-Pawed Cat Burglar Pilfers Items from Neighbors and Brings Them Home


Taboo pictured with her stash of hot property

There are cat burglars, then there are cat-burglars.

Taboo, a 12-year-old black and white resident of West Yorkshire in England, has stolen gloves, socks, underpants, and shoes from properties across the area.

Her owner, Sandra Danskin has now been forced to share regular pictures of the loot on social media so residents can reclaim their stolen items.

But Danskin, who works night shifts, said sneaky Taboo is rarely caught and has become a master of her criminal trade.

“Whenever I come home from my shift there are all sorts of things waiting for me, either dragged in through the cat flap or left on the drive,” Danskin told the British news media service SWNS. “This morning I had four pairs of socks and a pair of underpants. She loves bringing back items of clothing like that, but also we’ve had a mop head and kitchen rolls.”

“We even had half a dozen eggs once, still in their box, but all broken. We think she must have taken them off someone’s doorstep when the milkman dropped them off.”

Neighbors have joked that they changed the locks of their houses, and that Danskin should figure out how to train her little thief to discern worthless goods from high-end goods like Rolexes.

Sandra believes that Taboo steals clothes from people’s washing lines or sneaks into their houses if their doors are left open. The little Lupin has only been caught once so far when a neighbor spotted her trying to take a T-shirt from his clothes dryer in the kitchen.

“If she brings back a sock she will always go back and get the matching one so there’s a pair,” Danskin said. “I have a box full of stuff she’s brought for me and every now and then I go on Facebook and post a photo of it all so people can claim it.”

Taboo was originally a house cat and belonged to Sandra’s daughter, Gemma. Eventually, Gemma could not bear with the kleptomaniac cat any longer, and Taboo went to live with Sandra and her three other cats.

Now the cat burglar loves to let her current owner know when she’s pulled off a successful heist by emitting a signature howl.

“Whenever she gets something she sits outside and makes this high-pitched whining noise to let me know,” says Danskin. “I’ve tried talking to her about it but she doesn’t change her ways. Underwear, socks, shoes… she just keeps bringing them.”

“I can’t tell you how many pairs of gardening gloves she’s brought me. I’ve never heard of a cat doing anything like this before, and she shows no signs of stopping.”

Evidently, she’s never heard of Charlie, the Klepto-Cat of Bristol. Charlie became famous some years ago for stealing toys from the houses around her owner’s home in very similar circumstances. Must be something with tuxedo cats.