Chicago has heaps of homicides, we just do. New York and Los Angeles have more in terms of raw numbers but Chicago has the most per capita.
So it was interesting to read about neighbor-to-neighbor hostility in the UK. Since May, two different men have died in disputes with their neighbors over the hedges that separate their properties (only one of the deaths was gun-related; the other was a man who had a heart attack after a neighborly fistfight).
"Members of Parliament are so concerned about the issue of hedges, that they are grappling with the complexities of drafting legislation on the subject.
"Not only do they cause bitter, long-running disputes between neighbours, damaging people's health and happiness, but they damage people's enjoyment of their gardens - one of the principal pleasures of our lives in the United Kingdom," said Wirral MP Ben Chapman in the week after the shooting of Mr Wilson. "
If you are buying property in the UK you might want to hire a private detective to check out your prospective neighbors. For 395 Pounds (can't make that little pound-symbol thingy, sorry) a detective will spend 7-10 days snooping around the neighborhood, chatting up mothers in the playground, noticing if the nighttime is quiet or noisy, running credit checks on the people in the neighborhood (if they are deadbeats they are unlikely to be good neighbors) and so forth.
I wasn't able to find anyone in the Chicago area who offers such investigations. I did, however find a site that offers to teach you how to become a Private Investigator (there is a nice picture of Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I.)
This learn-to-be-a-detective information is part of the Fabjob website ("From drab job to FabJob!" says their perhaps under-focus-grouped slogan). Other fabjobs on offer include Become A Pop Star!, Become An Archaeologist! (a picture this time of Indiana Jones), and, why the hell not, Become An Olympic Athlete !
It might surprise you to know that no matter how old or out of shape you are right now, there are a number of Olympic sports you could successfully compete in if you start preparing now.
Only $14.95 which seems cheap for such valuable information.
