speaking of funny...

Greg dug up this list of the "Most ridiculous British laws." Pat and I laughed pretty hard, so we though we'd make it "front page" news in case you're not reading the comments...

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down.

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day.

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter.

6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet.

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen.

8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing.

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour.

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

We have heard versions of #10 (we are in York, of course). We heard that the Scotsman doesn't necessarily have to be armed, but just identified within the city walls. There are two versions of the rules for killing him 1) you must use a bow and arrow, but can be anywhere within the walls when you do it or 2) you must be standing ON the wall with your bow and arrow. Other people add a qualifier that it can't be done on Sunday. Our "house rule"--we say you have to shoot from the walls to make it more of a challenge. We don't care what day.

On doing some "weird news" web research, I found some more information on this strange subject. Believe what you want...

As a matter of fact, England is lucky anybody visits its towns, since York might not be alone in allowing profiling-based, archery-enhanced homicide. According to Mundayweb.com, Welshmen can still be shot with a longbow if found in Hereford, (but not on Sunday). And "in Chester you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight."