This is the time of year when publishers and
book sellers tend to promote ghost stories and such . . .
# Offbeat Ghost Story: A former software executive from London buys a farm out in the country. He seems to be surrounded by a kind of time warp of yesteryear. And then he discovers that the farm is haunted. The Gate of Air by James Buchan is reviewed by Steven Poole.
# Murder Underground: Former police detective and current author of Mystery Thrillers, Matti Joensuu writes about a series of deaths which take place in subway stations in Helsinki. Priest of Evil is translated by David Hackston and reviewed here by Anita Sethi.
# "A deathly delight:"
Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book
:: reviewed by Patrick Ness with a big thumbs-up.
# Memoirs of a foreign correspondent:
Killing My Own Snakes by Ann Leslie
:: reviewed by Peter Wilby.
# A retired gentleman in India finds his life, puttering around in his garden, rather boring, so he decides to open a marriage bureau. Described as a light and quirky story. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama reviewed by Catherine Taylor.
...
Saturday, October 25
Friday, October 24
LATE NOTES (3#) -
The Florida Supreme Court has refused to recognize "false-light" lawsuits, ruling that the libel and defamation avenues are sufficient protection, reports Paul Flemming.
# Frank in Perugia has a new entry posted. A flame war broke out late on the comment thread of his last entry in response to comments posted there by IW to Michael.
# Romenesko reports that The National Enquirer has acquired Radar Mag for its website. The print edition will end; the website will be rebuilt to compete with TMZ.
...
# Frank in Perugia has a new entry posted. A flame war broke out late on the comment thread of his last entry in response to comments posted there by IW to Michael.
# Romenesko reports that The National Enquirer has acquired Radar Mag for its website. The print edition will end; the website will be rebuilt to compete with TMZ.
...
Mez: MORE MANGA & CARTOONS (5#) -
The Meredith Kercher Murder Case -
We still do not have any of the Manga images or graphic replicas of the Manga pages which were used by the prosecutor in his summation, according to Nick Pisa.
The best we can do at this point is an article reported by Erica Pontini at La Nazione. The scenes under focus are from the Manga called Blood: The Last Vampire which allegedly show a naked girl on the floor similar to the position of Meredith Kercher's body when discovered. Beside the Manga corpse, according to Pontini's verbal description, are three people watching; among these three is a female who is sitting (somehow) in or on an armchair, laughing.
Earlier, as I recall, it had been reported that
this Manga was found on Sollecito's bedside table.
Random coincidence? Or inspiration?
Why the images are not being shown to the public is a mystery. Is there a copyright problem? Who owns the copyright - the publisher and/or the artist or author? Have they not been contacted? Thus far, we have only secondhand information about this. Perhaps, during the real upcoming trial, they will release comparative images.
Defense for Sollecito presented today. And once again, cartoons were being discussed! Sollecito couldn't have killed Meredith Kercher, because, according to his new alibi, Sollecito was on the Internet, downloading a cartoon at the time Kercher was killed. I didn't come across any details as to which cartoon it was.
:: Pontini :: -- [Gtranslated]
Sollecito Defense:
:: BBC :: -- :: Guardian ::
...
We still do not have any of the Manga images or graphic replicas of the Manga pages which were used by the prosecutor in his summation, according to Nick Pisa.
The best we can do at this point is an article reported by Erica Pontini at La Nazione. The scenes under focus are from the Manga called Blood: The Last Vampire which allegedly show a naked girl on the floor similar to the position of Meredith Kercher's body when discovered. Beside the Manga corpse, according to Pontini's verbal description, are three people watching; among these three is a female who is sitting (somehow) in or on an armchair, laughing.
Earlier, as I recall, it had been reported that
this Manga was found on Sollecito's bedside table.
Random coincidence? Or inspiration?
Why the images are not being shown to the public is a mystery. Is there a copyright problem? Who owns the copyright - the publisher and/or the artist or author? Have they not been contacted? Thus far, we have only secondhand information about this. Perhaps, during the real upcoming trial, they will release comparative images.
Defense for Sollecito presented today. And once again, cartoons were being discussed! Sollecito couldn't have killed Meredith Kercher, because, according to his new alibi, Sollecito was on the Internet, downloading a cartoon at the time Kercher was killed. I didn't come across any details as to which cartoon it was.
:: Pontini :: -- [Gtranslated]
Sollecito Defense:
:: BBC :: -- :: Guardian ::
...
BLOGGING NOTES -
Delayed Today & Here's Why:
I was delayed in blogging today because when I first arrived at Blogger this afternoon to sign in, I received a Security Alert for Bad Certificate at Blogger and declined to proceed.
Here's what the Certificate said:
werd_inc, w--kitchensinks.n0t
I read this Certificate which appeared to be
spoofed with a teenage "mad skillz" hacking style.
And I formed the impression that
this was done for Phishing purposes.
As if all that wasn't enough, I then discovered that the folks at Google/Blogger had removed all interactive ways of notifying them when it appears that Blogger has been hacked.
This is the second time in the past few days
that I have experienced this phenomenon.
While this was happening, I came to learn that Microsoft issued a critical patch and I incorporated it. The process took only a few minutes on dial-up and is almost idiot-proof.
So, we shall now proceed belatedly. . .
But keep your fingers crossed, just in case
more mischief is planned for us.
...
I was delayed in blogging today because when I first arrived at Blogger this afternoon to sign in, I received a Security Alert for Bad Certificate at Blogger and declined to proceed.
Here's what the Certificate said:
werd_inc, w--kitchensinks.n0t
I read this Certificate which appeared to be
spoofed with a teenage "mad skillz" hacking style.
And I formed the impression that
this was done for Phishing purposes.
As if all that wasn't enough, I then discovered that the folks at Google/Blogger had removed all interactive ways of notifying them when it appears that Blogger has been hacked.
This is the second time in the past few days
that I have experienced this phenomenon.
While this was happening, I came to learn that Microsoft issued a critical patch and I incorporated it. The process took only a few minutes on dial-up and is almost idiot-proof.
So, we shall now proceed belatedly. . .
But keep your fingers crossed, just in case
more mischief is planned for us.
...
Thursday, October 23
Bookish: DIVERSE BRIEFS (4#) -
George Kimball writes about the emergence of a long-lost manuscript by Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs called And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks at The Phoenix.
# Paul Constant interviews Amy Bender
who writes fancifully magical stories.
# Chris Wiegand interviews
American crime writer James Sallis.
# And Just a Reminder:
The Miami Book Fair is coming up Nov 9-16th.
...
# Paul Constant interviews Amy Bender
who writes fancifully magical stories.
# Chris Wiegand interviews
American crime writer James Sallis.
# And Just a Reminder:
The Miami Book Fair is coming up Nov 9-16th.
...
Wednesday, October 22
Mez: KNOXY BLOWBACK (5#) -
The Meredith Kercher Murder Case -
American Insurgents . . .
The campaign to support and advocate for Amanda Knox may have had some unintended consequences, as it has inflamed Italian public opinion.
La Stampa has characterized Supporters of Amanda Knox with a comparison to communist insurgents!
In The Story Behind The News, Francesco Semprini sends a dispatch from New York giving some background and context to the support campaign with a bit of biographical material on the more prominent figures orchestrating it.
:: La Stampa it :: --- :: Gtranslated ::
:: Italian indignation :: -- :: Prosecutors infuriated ::
# There is a report in Il Messaggero which seems to indicate that the presiding judge and the prosecution in this case have been assigned additional protection after the NBC video (which I did not see) was aired. I'm not sure that I understand this remark accurately or that it is founded on fact rather than rumor.
...
American Insurgents . . .
The campaign to support and advocate for Amanda Knox may have had some unintended consequences, as it has inflamed Italian public opinion.
La Stampa has characterized Supporters of Amanda Knox with a comparison to communist insurgents!
In The Story Behind The News, Francesco Semprini sends a dispatch from New York giving some background and context to the support campaign with a bit of biographical material on the more prominent figures orchestrating it.
:: La Stampa it :: --- :: Gtranslated ::
:: Italian indignation :: -- :: Prosecutors infuriated ::
# There is a report in Il Messaggero which seems to indicate that the presiding judge and the prosecution in this case have been assigned additional protection after the NBC video (which I did not see) was aired. I'm not sure that I understand this remark accurately or that it is founded on fact rather than rumor.
...
KHYBER PASS & BEYOND (4#) -
Florida college student Juddi Kenan (Jawad is his Pakistani name) has been sent to a judicial holding cell for 14 days for trying to "sneak into" Mohmand Agency without the proper authorization or signed documents. His father Taj Mohammad, who is a resident of Darra Adamkhel, was present in the courtroom. [dawn]
# Afghan reporter Perwiz Kambakhsh will not be put to death, but is to serve 20 years in prison for "insulting" Islam.
# Electrical power supply to the city of Karachi has been shut down for Wednesday due to a problem in a high-tension wire between Baldia and Bin Qasim which started tripping off the grid stations of the entire city, according to GeoTV News.
# India on the moon. [ndtv]
...
# Afghan reporter Perwiz Kambakhsh will not be put to death, but is to serve 20 years in prison for "insulting" Islam.
# Electrical power supply to the city of Karachi has been shut down for Wednesday due to a problem in a high-tension wire between Baldia and Bin Qasim which started tripping off the grid stations of the entire city, according to GeoTV News.
# India on the moon. [ndtv]
...
AF: MUZZLING MOBILES -
Afghan Taliban are demanding a complete
moratorium on mobile phones operating
in Ghazni for at least the next ten days.
Why - do they have something special planned?
:: Reuters via Yahoo ::
...
moratorium on mobile phones operating
in Ghazni for at least the next ten days.
Why - do they have something special planned?
:: Reuters via Yahoo ::
...
Mez: KNOX DEFENSE Two (3#) -
The Meredith Kercher Murder Case -
They're going to call in the cavalry . . .
# Not surprisingly, lawyers for Amanda Knox claimed that the prosecution has insufficient evidence to sustain its charges and that Knox should be released without trial.
# A formal request has been submitted
to move the case to to U.S. It's just a formality.
# Frank in Perugia has a new blog entry posted about the Tues hearing, but if you are a sensitive person, you may find it upsetting.
Luciano Ghirga joked:
The U.S. Marines will come to free Amanda.
:: Frank :: There was only one assailant ::
...
They're going to call in the cavalry . . .
# Not surprisingly, lawyers for Amanda Knox claimed that the prosecution has insufficient evidence to sustain its charges and that Knox should be released without trial.
# A formal request has been submitted
to move the case to to U.S. It's just a formality.
# Frank in Perugia has a new blog entry posted about the Tues hearing, but if you are a sensitive person, you may find it upsetting.
Luciano Ghirga joked:
The U.S. Marines will come to free Amanda.
:: Frank :: There was only one assailant ::
...
Tuesday, October 21
Mez: KNOX DEFENSE (5#) -
The Meredith Kercher Murder Case -
Diabolical Activities and
The Sign of The Cat's Ear . . .
Amanda Knox's Defense presents to the court today while a trans-Atlantic war of words has broken out over the case.
First, some reporters may have used the word "satanic" in descriptions of the case, whereas, French reporters used the word "diabolical." Reporters are often under pressure to dispatch under press-rolling deadlines. In this case, I believe the French reporter happened to make a better choice at this point in time.
Parenthetically, this controversy triggered a mini-reverie for me about the diverse descriptions of the writing on the wall at the Son of Sam Case suspect's apartment.
As Knox’s defence team began a robust rebuttal of accusations that she stabbed Miss Kercher during a violent sex game, friends and family said they were deeply concerned about "prejudicial and misleading information" that had tarnished her name. [Squires]
I'll try to check at the end of
the day here for more dispatches.
:: Nick Pisa: War of Words ::
:: Andrea Vogt: special dispatch to the P-I ::
:: Later Pisa dispatch - 5:55pm 21 Oct ::
:: Nick Squires :: --- :: Meo Ponte ::
...
Diabolical Activities and
The Sign of The Cat's Ear . . .
Amanda Knox's Defense presents to the court today while a trans-Atlantic war of words has broken out over the case.
First, some reporters may have used the word "satanic" in descriptions of the case, whereas, French reporters used the word "diabolical." Reporters are often under pressure to dispatch under press-rolling deadlines. In this case, I believe the French reporter happened to make a better choice at this point in time.
Parenthetically, this controversy triggered a mini-reverie for me about the diverse descriptions of the writing on the wall at the Son of Sam Case suspect's apartment.
As Knox’s defence team began a robust rebuttal of accusations that she stabbed Miss Kercher during a violent sex game, friends and family said they were deeply concerned about "prejudicial and misleading information" that had tarnished her name. [Squires]
I'll try to check at the end of
the day here for more dispatches.
:: Nick Pisa: War of Words ::
:: Andrea Vogt: special dispatch to the P-I ::
:: Later Pisa dispatch - 5:55pm 21 Oct ::
:: Nick Squires :: --- :: Meo Ponte ::
...
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