“Brief Encounter” or “What’s in a Title?” – Guest Post by Carl31

“I’m here to assist you in filling out your form,” said the guy behind the desk, “What’s your name?” he begun.

“Carl,” I replied.

“… and your surname?”

“Thirtyone”.

“Pardon?” he queried.

“It’s a long story. I know it’s a number, but I like it. It rolls off the tongue.”

I smiled, a bit nervously. He looked unmoved, and after a short pause returned to his paperwork. The guy wasn’t the Gestapo, but he wasn’t exactly full of fun, either. He was in the middle, I supposed.

“Its not often we get numbers for surnames, sir. That’s up to you, though,” he said without raising his head, “Can I have your title, please?”

Who is above the law? – Guest Post by Glasgow Paul

I have received a heartfelt but hypothetical cri de couer from Glasgow Paul. He would clearly be a troubled man if it were true.

I will leave him to tell you his tale. Something about it seems vaguely familiar…

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Let us assume for a minute that I am a petty thief. I have a record for various offences and have been punished on several occasions for my crimes.

It now turns out that I am being accused of murder year after year for about the last ten years! I have a lot of friends however whose income is dependent on me remaining at large. I also bring a lot of income to the country as I and my friends spend a lot of money travelling around from July to May each year.