Weird laws..

[Blatent2ndaccount]

So are there any strange or "you did it. your @#$%" laws in finland.

E.g I "think" in holland if you collide with a cyclist no matter who is at fualt.. its YOUR fualt and you are liable.
SOmewhere else put 100% blame on you if you rear end someone, no matter the circumsatnces.

In UK ... if you hit a deer. You are not allowed to take the carcass, but the car behind you can.

Stuff like that.

Are there any laws that i simply MUST know.. but your average tourist doesnt.
Are there any weird ancient laws .. like london cab drivers allowed to pee on thier rear wheel in public.

Stuff like that....

[Kutittaa]

• In Australia if you hit anyone on the right you're screwed.
• If you rear-end anyone you're screwed because you were too close no matter how far away you were.
• If you don't stop completely in front of a stop sign, and that's to a complete halt then you've 'run the sign' even if you roll over the line.
• A 'life sentence' in Australia is only 25 years.
• It's illegal to walk on the right hand side of a footpath. I've been asked by a policemen to move once before.
• Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) regulations, a modem can’t pick up on the first ring. (Back when we had Dial-up)
• Taxi cabs are required to carry a bale of hay in the trunk.
• It is illegal to wear hot pink pants after midday Sunday because the glare can cause drivers to crash.
• As above, it is also illegal to whitewash concrete because the glare can also cause accidents.
• All cars must have steering-wheel covers so the driver doesn't burn their hands and cause a crash after parking the car out in the sun.
• It is technically illegal to copy music from CDs you own onto your MP3 player or iPod...
• It is illegal for a male to be sexually aroused in public.
• Unless there is currently oncoming traffic high-beam lights must be on after 5pm.
• It is illegal to slander any member of the royal family.
• In Victoria Australia, only a licensed electrician is allowed to change a lightbulb
• If you can be heard by anybody while singing an obscene song, you’ll be in trouble. (Summary Offences Act 1966)
• It is illegal to crush a beer can with your foot, even if the saves space in the bin.
• It is against the law to ask any person if either of their parents are/were criminals.
• You may not trade with Pirates. (Crimes Act 1958)
• I̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶l̶l̶e̶g̶a̶l̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶t̶a̶r̶o̶t̶,̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶s̶y̶c̶h̶i̶c̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶c̶h̶c̶r̶a̶f̶t (Repealed, 2005)
• You must vote in Australia or you can be fined, or jailed on the second offence. But if you don't sign the voting register you don't have to vote...
• There is some law with Burkas.. you're allowed to wear them but if anyone asks you to remove your Burka to check your identity you must.
• The song 'Ba ba black sheep' is banned in Australia due to racial uproar caused in 1977.
• Euthanasia is illegal in Australia. I personally think this is retarded.
• Releasing a goldfish into open water in Queensland can apparently get you a $150,000 fine.
• In some parts of Northern Territory if you trespass you can be killed without the person(s) receiving punishment for it.
• Drinking alcohol is banned in 75% of Canberra.
• Musical instruments are banned from being played on a bus, the same as smoking.
• In Queersland you can't sunbake in the nude, but you can anywhere else. Though there is a single nude beach in Queersland.
• It is illegal to swear in public anywhere in Australia and can carry a fine of up to $250. A second offence gets you arrested and thrown in gaol for the night.
• Absolutely nothing is to be removed from a national park in Australia by unauthorised persons. No branches, leaves, not even trash or pebbles.
• You must not fly a kite over into someone else's property.
• It’s against the law to make a kangaroo drink over six bottles of beer. Of course, if he orders them himself, it’s his problem.
• You're not allowed to conceal a knife in Australia but you are allowed to wear one on your person as long as it's visible. The same goes for samurai swords.
• The legal age for straight sex is 16, unless the person is in the care/custody of the older person, in which case it is 18.
• Having an article of disguise without a lawful excuse is illegal. (Vagrancy Act 1966) But Morphsuits are legal, just not indoors in any public place.
• No keys of any kind can be left in unattended vehicles, including left in the doors.
• Persons under 18 in Australia are not allowed to be sold or offered cigarettes. But if one was to 'find' one they are allowed to smoke it.
• If you agree to offer a reward if someone finds a lost object of yours you must not ask any questions about how they got it.

If I remember correctly Finland had the worlds highest gun ownership per capita.

[Karhunkoski]

If I remember correctly Finland had the worlds highest gun ownership per capita.

I don't remember it ever having the highest. But certainly close behind USA and Yemen. Oh and the Swiss, with the option to keep your assualt rifle in the wardrobe post military service...

[rinso]

Oh and the Swiss, with the option to keep your assualt rifle in the wardrobe post military service...

With one live bullet.

[Rip]

If I remember correctly Finland had the worlds highest gun ownership per capita.

I don't remember it ever having the highest. But certainly close behind USA and Yemen. Oh and the Swiss, with the option to keep your assualt rifle in the wardrobe post military service...

The numbers are well below of those in USA while only marginally above those in Scandinavia, Germany and France:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co ... _ownership

[Rip]

[list][*]In Australia
[*]If you rear-end anyone you're screwed because you were too close no matter how far away you were.
[*]If you don't stop completely in front of a stop sign, and that's to a complete halt then you've 'run the sign' even if you roll over the line.

I think these apply here too.

[*]A 'life sentence' in Australia is only 25 years.

In practice here usually 12-15 years

[Pursuivant]

Some gems
http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1734/17340002000

7 luku
Miten humalisto on istutettava ja kunnossa pidettävä
1 §
Jokaisessa talossa pitää olla humalisto, ja istuttakoon talonpoika joka vuosi hyviä juuria neljänkymmenen salon varalle, kunnes näitä tulee kaksisataa kokonaiseen taloon. Joka ei sitä tee, vetäköön sakkoa kultakin vuodelta [talarin], ja istuttakoon kuitenkin niinkuin on sanottu, jollei havaita, että humalistoa ei voi siihen istuttaa taikka siinä voimassa pitää.
2 §
Nimismies pankoon syyskäräjissä syytteenalaiseksi sen, joka ei ole humalistoa näin istuttanut, ja ottakoon sakon ulos ennen Tuomaanpäivää. Jos nimismies sen laiminlyö, maksakoon itse sen sakon.
3 §
Jos talonpojalla jo on kaksisatasalkoinen humalisto, pitäköön sen voimassa, ja enentäköön sitä, jos voipi. Jos hän laskee humaliston rappiolle, vetäköön sakkoa talarin kustakin neljästäkymmenestä salosta. Jos hän sen ihan autioksi jättää, vetäköön sakkoa kymmenen talaria ja tehköön humaliston uudestaan.

If you own a house, you must grow hops. Otherwise the sheriff will summon you to the fall assizes and you get fined a thaler.
You also should be aware of par.12, "How Swine be let into Acorn Forest" and par.13 "Of Bees"

Now if you have any animals

2 §
Jos yhden tahi useamman kyläkunnan asujamet ovat sopineet karjan kaitsemisesta ja paimentamisesta ja joku jättää sen täyttämättä, korvatkoon sen vahingon, jonka eläin hänen syystänsä tahi laiminlyömisestänsä tekee taikka saapi. Paimeneksi pantakoon naisia, jos mahdollista on, eikä poikia, kymmenen talarin sakon uhalla.

So, if you tell the kids to go take the dog for a walk, you must tell the girls to do it and not the boys or you get fined 10 thalers.

Especially pigs

4 §
Siat ovat kirren maasta lähdettyä rengastettavat, jotteivät nurmia nurin tonkisi; ja on siltavoudin pidettävä siitä tarkka vaari. Ottakoon myös kiinni taikka merkitköön kaikki ne siat, jotka rengastamattomina tapaa, ja lunastakoon omistaja ne häneltä takaisin, kahdella markalla kunkin. Jos omistaja ei tahdo niitä lunastaa, haastakoon siltavouti hänet Oikeuteen, ja maksakoon omistaja sitten siltavoudille kaksinkertaisesti joka siasta. Jos siltavouti sen laiminlyö, vetäköön sakoa talarin; ja rengastamattomat siat saa kiinni ottaa kuka tahtoo ja voipi, ennen muita se, joka tiluksiltansa ne tapaa ja vahinkoa kärsii, ja olkoon ottajalla sama oikeus kuin siltavoudilla.

So, your swine must have nose-rings or the bridge-reeve will seize them and you must pay 2 marks to get it back.

Now when you move from your house, you must pay attention to paragraph 26

10 §
Talonpoika älköön talosta muuttaessansa viekö tilalta tuohia, aidaksia, turpeita, polttopuita, hirsiä eikä mitään muutakaan, mitä hän talon tiluksilta on ottanut; ei myöskään sontaa. Jos hän sen tekee, vetäköön sakkoa niinkuin 10 luvussa sanotaan, ja tuokoon takaisin mitä on vienyt. Älköön myöskään ennen lähtöpäivää tilalta viekö eläimiä tahi eläimenruokaa, kymmenen talarin sakon uhalla. Jos hänellä, lähtöpäivän tultua, on jälellä eläimenruokaa, jonka aikoo myydä, tarjotkoon sitä maanomistajalle tahi jälkeentulijallensa. Olkoon talonpoika myös velvollinen jättämään taloon nen lukot, jotka ovat ovissa ja seinissä kiinni, niin myös pellit, akkunat, pitkän pöydän ja lavitsan, seinässä kiinni olevat penkit ja vuoteensijat sekä muun kiinteän, aittaan, kotaan, latoon, talliin ja navettaan kuuluvan sisustuksen. Jos hän niistä jotakin viepi pois, vetäköön jokaisesta sakkoa kaksi markkaa ja toimittakoon sen takaisin.

So, when you move house, you are not allowed to take the crap with you.

[Pursuivant]

Are there any laws that i simply MUST know.. but your average tourist doesnt.

Well, not as much any more, but the "double sundays" and "everything is closed" holidays. You see foreign families bewildered waiting for the bus (that won't come) and wandering around the city with all doors closed devoid of population... "holiday" in Finnish means "stay home and have the hangover as theres nothing else to do". The "party" is the day before... Juhannus used to be shocking for weekend tourists in Helsiki. Carted out of Stockmann's at 1pm on a Friday... "what is happening"... nothing. Where can we go? Buses run until 15 so you can go but can't come back. When will things be open? .... Monday, but as its July, smaller shops are closed. But we came here for the week!? Now you know why it was so cheap.

One "weird law" was/is the ban on "chained and tied sales". There is actually a special law passed allowing to sell 3G phones tied to a contract. But in principle, a phone may not be tied to an operator.

Oh, and of course, maybe not for tourists but people moving here and getting a car. Speeding tickets are pegged against your income. So if I and Teemu Selänne drive 120 on a 80 road, I pay a grand and Selänne pays 100 grand. Its a system based on "day fines". And lying to the police isn't advisable, as they have a nifty app to query the public tax records (another shock to some).

Add to that "drink driving" is operating any machine with wheels drunk anyplace. So you can not drive your moped doing donuts in your livingroom drunk, only sober. Good car school teacher example, I still remember it

[Rip]

Some gems
http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1734/17340002000

This one is nice too
http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1734/17340004

(the part, if applied literally (I understand it is nowadays "pronounced with interpretation") still requires judges to give an oath that they will uphold the "laws of God and Sweden")

Things that aren't any more in the statue book, but used to be in my life time were those declaring sorcery a crime and murder of Russian emperor an act of treason.

[Pursuivant]

There is still "whomever seduces a person under the age of 18 to drink a strong drink so that they become intoxicated"
Yeah, they deleted a lot of the "good stuff" in the 1990's
Oh, and there is still the law, if you are engaging a woman, and lie your social status you will be imprisoned for a year, two if you boink her

BTW the new stuff is interesting too. Or when something became illegal.... Dr Moreau was banned only in 2009

Laiton perimään puuttuminen

Joka ryhtyy tutkimukseen, jossa puututaan ihmisen tai ihmisen alkion taikka sikiön koskemattomuuteen ja jonka tarkoituksena on mahdollistaa
1) ihmisen toisintaminen,
2) ihmisen aikaansaaminen alkioita yhdistämällä taikka
3) ihmisen aikaansaaminen yhdistämällä ihmisen sukusoluja ja eläimen perintötekijöitä,
on tuomittava laittomasta perimään puuttumisesta sakkoon tai vankeuteen enintään kahdeksi vuodeksi.

[Jukka Aho]

3) ihmisen aikaansaaminen yhdistämällä ihmisen sukusoluja ja eläimen perintötekijöitä,

I, for one, welcome our night vision-enabled, tailed chimera overlords! (And humans are but one species of “animal”, anyway.)

[visuvesi2009]

There is a law that still stands in London that all "Hackney Carriages" (Black cabs) should carry food for the horses

In Cambridgeshire a woman may suffer a punishment by stoning for having a child out of wedlock