12 December 2008

Prison break reveals lack of literary depth at the Canberra Times.

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times has what could have been a short piece on a Belconnen Remand Centre inmate (or are we meant to call them a “resident” these days?) caught trying to tunnel to freedom.

The story is significantly padded by references to the movie “The Shawshank Redemption”. As if that movie is the only prison break recorded in popular culture.

Anyone want to suggest other famous tunneling prison breaks for future reference? Both fictional or historical are fine.

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hehehe how embarrassing for them – the police discovered it, NOT the custodial officers

sorry to be a three-post nutbag, but wasn’t howard jones a bad-haired eighties popster with nik kershaw? surely, an appropriate new career..?

ooh, and i liked this bit:

Superintendent of Custodial Operations Howard Jones said he expected charges of attempting to escape lawful custody to be laid against the prisoner.

how do they know this ‘resident’ was trying to escape – maybe he was digging a tunnel to let someone else in? what, with canberra’s tight rental market and all…

ian mcewan’s ‘the innocent’ is all about tunnelling, though not to escape; sort of.

was also going to shout out to hogan’s heroes – but i know nu-think!

(and the black pudding’s very black today, mother. even the white bits are black.)

Libby Prison Tunnel Escape
Silvio Porto Tunnel Escape
Island Farm Tunnel Escape

As we are including POW camps, I think the tunnels under the Berlin Wall probably count too.

But the Canberra Time could learn much from Esquire Magazine, which provides a “How they almost did it” slideshow for the Kinross Prison Tunnel Attempted Escape.

The Wooden Horse at Stalag Luft III wasn’t bad, either:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wooden_Horse

barking toad3:59 pm 12 Dec 08

be!!!!!

barking toad3:59 pm 12 Dec 08

Speaking of Denley Moor, which we’re not, Canberra is having one of those days.

Eric would rapt.

Can’t believe no one has mentioned Hot Shots! Part Deux

Naked Gun 33+1/3.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/25/iraq.tunnel/

From my high school maths, it sounds like they flushed somewhere between 7500 and 17000 cubic feet of dirt down the latrines. colonel Klink works for the americans now.

Fortress? Only because it’s technomological (and rubbish).

Papillon – gotta be one of the greatest escape stories ever.

Not a bad movie, great book, even if it is only partly autobiographical.

Count of Monte Christo (I forget the spelling). And isn’t that a type of toasted sandwich now?

Primal said :

Alcatraz was no match for David Copperfield.

Dickens … now there’s some literary cred.

Copperfield is no match for the Amazing (James) Randi (or Claudia Schiffer, apparently :P)

Alcatraz was no match for David Copperfield.

My personal favourite would have to be Colditz Castle, or Oflag IV-C the camp where the Germans kept prisoners who showed a penchant for escaping during world war two.

Who would have guessed that this approach would simply lead to a lot of escape attempts?

I want to see the “residents” of Belco remand build a Glider in their cell.

But Tomkinson did get to build a full scale model icebreaker. Lost points though on slowness to take advantage of Suki.

Surely Hogan’s Heroes is the benchmark for the escape caper.

barking toad11:58 am 12 Dec 08

Tomkinson was 17 miles from Greybridge before he was caught by the school leopard.

Ah yes, Escape from Alcatraz is one of my faves

I quite liked Clint Eastwood in “Escape from Alcatraz”.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079116/

Hint of truth, mostly fiction though.

This one in Colombo comes complete with electricity and lighting.

These guys in New Jersey used swimsuit girl pinups to hide the holes in their cell walls.

And this guy in Duesseldorf just mailed himself out.

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