For the curious, news knowledge invites new questions.
Why does Europe, rarely beset by hurricanes, have better storm path prediction capabilities than the U.S. , which gets smacked hard regularly?
How can a full-grown tiger escape in Henry County?
Does crime pay? Are "beautiful" people treated differently?
Credit: George Mathis
Credit: George Mathis
My answers would be "smarter computers," "stupid humans," "lots of people must think so" and "yep."
Crime must pay pretty well, I figure, because so many get caught doing it. The United States has more people in jail and prison than any other country that bothers to keep accurate records.
If U.S. states were countries, Georgia would have the third highest incarceration rate on earth, says the Prison Policy Initiative . We'll have to start locking up more people if we want to beat out the District of Columbia and Louisiana.
Beauty always helps. Research suggests attractive people are hired sooner, promoted more quickly and get paid more. As you can tell from my photo, it's a miracle I have a job.
It's rare, but some people get ahead by mixing crime with beauty.
Mekhi Lucky was charged with speeding and driving a stolen vehicle in North Carolina in April of 2016. Before the calendar flipped he was also arrested five more times, according to a background search.
Lucky's luck changed when an Atlanta modelling agency discovered his jail photo on social media.
"I saw his mugshot last year. His look is extraordinary. I immediately found him interesting," said Demanti O'Bryant, the founder of St. Claire Modeling on InsideEdition.com . "Eventually I found him on Instagram and reached out."
Now, the 20-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., is the first thing you see when you go to the St. Claire website and will soon walk in Fashion Week in New York City.
Opinions will differ on Lucky's beauty. His most striking feature is his eyes, one is blue and one is brown, a genetic condition called heterochromia. But no one will argue he got his big break solely because of his physical appearance.
O'Bryant says Lucky, who seems to have resolved his legal issues, is no troublemaker.
"He has a clean slate with me," O'Bryant said. "He’s very well-mannered for the most part. For me, he acts like he has his head on straight and he’s very open to learning because it’s a whole lifestyle change."
Let's hope Lucky remains a model citizen. Fewer people behind bars saves honest folks money.
Heck, if building a catwalk is less expensive than housing a cat burglar every overcrowded jail in America should host a fashion show right now.
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