#Arrested: Suspected robber used hashtags to demand money from bank tellers

Washington Post: The notes passed to the bank tellers were clear, police said. The man on the other side of the counter demanded money, and each message ended with an unusual twist: “#nopolice,” “#becarefull,” or “#Afterwork?”

It was a calling card left at a series of robberies that investigators eventually dubbed the “Hashtag String.”

The chain of bank heists came to a close Thursday, police said, when the man police were looking for unwittingly parked the suspected getaway car next to a detective investigating the case.

“Not only do we have an unusual end to a string of bank robberies,” said Prince George’s County Police spokeswoman Julie Parker, “this is the first time that we know of that hashtags were used to rob a bank.”

Remy: I need a #Hashtag

“I’ll ride with you” story was a complete fake?

"Surprise! Woman who started viral “I’ll ride with you” story admits it was a complete fake"

I saw a woman on the train start to fiddle with her headscarf.

Confession time. In my Facebook status, I editorialised. She wasn’t sitting next to me. She was a bit away, towards the other end of the carriage. Like most people she had been looking at her phone, then slowly started to unpin her scarf.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I was struck by feelings of anger, sadness and bitterness. It was in this mindset that I punched the first status update into my phone, hoping my friends would take a moment to think about the victims of the siege who were not in the cafe.

I spent the rest of the journey staring—rudely—at the back of her uncovered head. I wanted to talk to her, but had no idea what to say. Anything that came to mind seemed tokenistic and patronising. She might not even be Muslim or she could have just been warm! Besides, I was in the “quiet carriage” where even conversation is banned.

By sheer fluke, we got off at the same station, and some part of me decided saying something would be a good thing. Rather than quiz her about her choice of clothing, I thought if I simply offered to walk her to her destination, it might help.

It’s hard to describe the moment when humans, and complete strangers, have a conversation with no words. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for so many things—for overstepping the mark, for making assumptions about a complete stranger and for belonging to a culture where racism was part of her everyday experience.

But none of those words came out, and our near silent encounter was over in a moment.

My second status was written as a heartbreaking postscript to my first. While the woman appeared to appreciate my gesture, we had both left defeated and deflated. What good is one small action against an avalanche of ignorance?

Hours later, social media showed me good people can create their own avalanche of kindness.

So, the woman’s head scarf may not have been a hijab, and she may not have been a Muslim, and she may not have been self-conscious about riding the train. All of that was pure bleeding-heart fantasy from a university professor who wanted some attention online.

And boy, did she get it!

# activism

Hashtag activism actually does focus attention on issues, in its way, directing attention for real actors to take real action in the real world beyond vapid hashtag messages on social message boards, but hashtags after the attention is already focused is mere pointless narcissistic selfie. Especially when you are closest to the the one person invested with sufficient power to direct action. None of this is so interesting as the guy who flat freaks out about sensing Michelle Obama being accused of cheap activism. Lemon, I believe, is not having it. Lemon first assumes the guest is talking about Michelle Obama, and he is referring to Michelle O. although he does not mention her specifically, it still upsets Lemon terribly and Lemon cannot let it go.

Why are we even subjected? Nobody voted for Michelle O. When you hire elect a Democrat president you get a twofer, a Democrat operative wife, When you hire elect a Republican president you get a demure woman behind the man, a gracious hostess to international guests, a woman with a pet social cause. That is my observation of these two fundamentally vile parties. I frankly cannot care about Monica Lewinsky I cannot possibly care about Michelle Obama, I don't care what they are talking about. I'm posting this because I find Lemon's reaction astounding. Astoundingly inappropriately defensive.

What do I expect the first lady to do? She is an unelected person. Not an official. I expect her to pick out White House china and allow elected officials to run the country as they're hired to do, and unelected non-officials remain irrelevant. Whoa, whoa, hang on. Who are you targeting? So who are you targeting? Who. Are. You. Targeting? I'm asking you, who are you targeting?  Who. Are. You. Targeting?

Six times the same question where one time will do and that why I don't bother. 

[Incidentally, "press pound sign" does not make sense to British because they are  thinking, "£".]

Still, after all that, they are not so bad as Jordanian journalists. They are arguing about the Syrian war and apparently feel much more strongly than protecting the honor or intelligence or vanity of one's favorite first lady.