#9 Back in the day when hanging was de rigour at San Quentin, they would select a few ropes, carefully measure and cut them to size for the intended end user, and then attach to each a stone weight equal to the heft of the condemned. They would tag them with the recipientâs name/number and leave them hanging for months until all the stretch was taken out of them. On the day before the blessed event the best of the lot was selected and tied to the gallows. If it had been cut too long, the ill-fated fellow would merely bounce off the floor â causing sheepish grins and consternation all around. If too short, the body could not attain the velocity necessary in order to produce a satisfying snap, thus breaking the neck for a nearly instantaneous death, rather than the slower, more gruesome strangling a non-snapping event produces. (See above: sheepish grins and consternation.) A rope with the stretch left in will give that unintended bungee cord effect and not allow for the snapping thingy. (See above: slower, more gruesome strangling.)
So clearly no one would want to use a new rope. Except for mojo. And Mike. And the rest of us.
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Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. He was arrested on Thursday morning at Belmarsh prison, in south-east London, where he is being held while he fights an attempt to extradite him to the US. Mr Abu Hamza is currently being questioned on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Police said a 47-year-old man was held under the Terrorism Act on Thursday. The offences Mr Abu Hamza is being questioned over are alleged to have taken place in the UK. The Crown Prosecution Service say they are working with the police to see if charges will be brought. If they are, the charges will be given priority over the US extradition attempt. The 11 charges the US authorities want Mr Abu Hamza to face include giving advice to those involved in a Yemen kidnapping in which three Britons died in 1989. Other allegations include attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in the north-western state of Oregon and sending someone to Afghanistan to fight for the Taleban. But Mr Abu Hamza's legal team say he will not get a fair hearing if he is extradited to the US.