A SoFlo heads-up at AMW this weekend . . .
John Walsh is going to cover a local story in one of his segments. I don't think I'm familiar with this case. Look for the unsolved killing of Dave Montney in Pompano Beach FL. See Linda Trischitta's article at the Sun Sentinel.
A couple of recent MIAs in the
True Crime Sphere are duly noted:
First, Trench Reynolds' website has apparently gone offline. He blogged at The Trenchcoat Chronicles and related blogs. He also made some other worthwhile contributions to this sphere. He attempted to organize some of the True Crime Bloggers into a web ring, which made it easier to find them.
Update: Trench has apparently
migrated again in a confusing way to HERE.
Ah, Trench, it really is difficult
to keep up with you sometimes!
People do come and go; sometimes it's because they have pressing matters to attend to in the Real World. But, sometimes, it's because they've experienced burn-out.
Another website that has disappeared over the past week is the message board that was devoted to the Meredith Kercher Case called Perugia Murder File.
If you are a fan of the message board format, I recommend you surf over to Web Sleuths Crime Sleuthing Community and take a look at their message board. I think you will find it to be comprehensive; it covers many crimes, some of which may interest you.
Meanwhile, Peter Quennell at True Justice for Meredith Kercher has posted the transcript of an interactive chat some lucky ducks had with John Follain, who is publishing a book about the case called Death in Perugia, which is scheduled to debut in August.
Quennell reports that the PMF message board on that crime, which I just mentioned above, is in the process of being rehabbed, but it is expected to return.
Last, but certainly not least: a newish True Crime Blog which recently came to my attention is called Tickle The Wire. It covers Federal crimes and is definitely worth a shuftie.
...
Saturday, March 19
Thursday, March 17
SoFlo: Crime & Fantasy -
The latest incarnation of
Charlie's Angels is being filmed in Miami . . .
A young woman in Sweden who has been charged with murder told detectives that she is in love with Dexter Morgan, a Miami serial killer in an American Cable TV series.
Beware of caravans that pass in the night:
In a move that is strangely reminiscent of a notorious gypsy racket, a former judge in Fort Lauderdale is trying to insert his wife into an old lady's will.
More body parts: Bags of human remains
were pulled out of Biscayne Bay yesterday.
...
Charlie's Angels is being filmed in Miami . . .
A young woman in Sweden who has been charged with murder told detectives that she is in love with Dexter Morgan, a Miami serial killer in an American Cable TV series.
Beware of caravans that pass in the night:
In a move that is strangely reminiscent of a notorious gypsy racket, a former judge in Fort Lauderdale is trying to insert his wife into an old lady's will.
More body parts: Bags of human remains
were pulled out of Biscayne Bay yesterday.
...
Wednesday, March 16
Hacking Around (5#) -
Parmy Olson interviews a teenage girl named Kayla,
who has allegedly disrupted the Internet, and
introduces you to her youthful hacker-style culture.
# Julian Assange told Cambridge students:
"We have no idea whether he [Bradley Manning] is one of our sources... there is no allegation that he was arrested as the result of anything to do with us. The allegation is that he was arrested as a result of him speaking to Wired magazine in the United States."
# Assange ambushed the
Australian PM Julia Gillard on TV.
# Adrian Lamo is interviewed by Monica Villamizar from Al Jazeera. Lamo, a member of the volunteer Project Vigilant, turned Bradley Manning in to the authorities.
# Meet Chet Uber, the security analyst who
started the volunteer network called Project Vigilant.
...
who has allegedly disrupted the Internet, and
introduces you to her youthful hacker-style culture.
# Julian Assange told Cambridge students:
"We have no idea whether he [Bradley Manning] is one of our sources... there is no allegation that he was arrested as the result of anything to do with us. The allegation is that he was arrested as a result of him speaking to Wired magazine in the United States."
# Assange ambushed the
Australian PM Julia Gillard on TV.
# Adrian Lamo is interviewed by Monica Villamizar from Al Jazeera. Lamo, a member of the volunteer Project Vigilant, turned Bradley Manning in to the authorities.
# Meet Chet Uber, the security analyst who
started the volunteer network called Project Vigilant.
...
Tuesday, March 15
Sleuths Aloft -
Ed Pilkington recently attended the monthly
luncheon meeting of the Vidocq Society in Philadelphia.
They are a diverse group of crime professionals who get together to pool their knowledge in order to help solve tough cases. After the banquet was over, they watched the presentation of a case for which detectives had come to the end of their leads and were in search of some new ideas and fresh suggestions.
Can't afford a bus ticket to Philly?
Not to worry, because there's hope for you online.
The True Crime Community has a presence on the Internet, too, where it consists of a network of loosely connected nodes of various sorts, including Blogs, Message Boards, and Discussion Groups. Some of these nodes have a special focus, such as: historical crimes, identifying John or Jane Doe cadavers, finding lost children or exploring ongoing criminal cases. And there is some crossover from Fictional Crime to True Crime.
How do you find these nodes? You have to surf the sidebars or link lists of each node until you find the ones in which you are interested or with which you feel comfortable.
Readers of my blog can look on my sidebar, where you will find The Rap Sheet blog, for example. Their sidebar is mostly for Mystery Fiction, but a section is devoted to True Crime. You can start there or perform a search engine query.
Generally, the True Crime Community maintains pleasant relations with professionals in the field, including detectives, reporters, and even some TV producers. It's not a conspiracy, but, sometimes, they consult a bit back and forth.
Every criminal case that gets publicity attracts some crazies. And the more the case is publicized, the more crazies it seems to attract. In the JonBenet Ramsey Case, you may remember, a guy stepped forward to give a false confession. That's not so unusual either. Strangely, serial killers seem to attract marriage proposals from infatuated fans. Sometimes you have to try to keep the situation in perspective; sometimes you may need to step away from it and get some fresh air.
The trial of Amanda Knox has attracted a much higher number of crazies than usual. Just why this has happened could be debated. I speculate it may be because of the Halloween backdrop of concealed identities which included the iconic Scream Mask from a well known teen movie franchise.
Regardless of why this has happened, I am appalled at the mistreatment of reporters that's been going on. Reporters and discussion groups covering that case have been threatened, harassed, and defamed. The people who have been engaging in this feral behavior belong in jail, in my opinion.
Please be courteous to members of the True Crime Community on the Internet. Remember: no one is forcing you to read their discourse. You can change the TV channel and you can change the web sites you read.
I don't update my sidebar links often
enough. I think I should try to do better on that.
:: The Guardian :: Pilkington ::
...
luncheon meeting of the Vidocq Society in Philadelphia.
They are a diverse group of crime professionals who get together to pool their knowledge in order to help solve tough cases. After the banquet was over, they watched the presentation of a case for which detectives had come to the end of their leads and were in search of some new ideas and fresh suggestions.
Can't afford a bus ticket to Philly?
Not to worry, because there's hope for you online.
The True Crime Community has a presence on the Internet, too, where it consists of a network of loosely connected nodes of various sorts, including Blogs, Message Boards, and Discussion Groups. Some of these nodes have a special focus, such as: historical crimes, identifying John or Jane Doe cadavers, finding lost children or exploring ongoing criminal cases. And there is some crossover from Fictional Crime to True Crime.
How do you find these nodes? You have to surf the sidebars or link lists of each node until you find the ones in which you are interested or with which you feel comfortable.
Readers of my blog can look on my sidebar, where you will find The Rap Sheet blog, for example. Their sidebar is mostly for Mystery Fiction, but a section is devoted to True Crime. You can start there or perform a search engine query.
Generally, the True Crime Community maintains pleasant relations with professionals in the field, including detectives, reporters, and even some TV producers. It's not a conspiracy, but, sometimes, they consult a bit back and forth.
Every criminal case that gets publicity attracts some crazies. And the more the case is publicized, the more crazies it seems to attract. In the JonBenet Ramsey Case, you may remember, a guy stepped forward to give a false confession. That's not so unusual either. Strangely, serial killers seem to attract marriage proposals from infatuated fans. Sometimes you have to try to keep the situation in perspective; sometimes you may need to step away from it and get some fresh air.
The trial of Amanda Knox has attracted a much higher number of crazies than usual. Just why this has happened could be debated. I speculate it may be because of the Halloween backdrop of concealed identities which included the iconic Scream Mask from a well known teen movie franchise.
Regardless of why this has happened, I am appalled at the mistreatment of reporters that's been going on. Reporters and discussion groups covering that case have been threatened, harassed, and defamed. The people who have been engaging in this feral behavior belong in jail, in my opinion.
Please be courteous to members of the True Crime Community on the Internet. Remember: no one is forcing you to read their discourse. You can change the TV channel and you can change the web sites you read.
I don't update my sidebar links often
enough. I think I should try to do better on that.
:: The Guardian :: Pilkington ::
...
Monday, March 14
Drop Dead Gorgeous -
About as exciting as
jamming an AK-47 up your vajingle . . .
The Qaeda Cult has launched a new publication aimed at very dim women who dream of bliss with mujahideen before they blow their wieners off with bomb belt kits.
Al-Shamikha features an evocative image of a niqabbed gal juxtaposed with the barrel of a very large sub-machine gun on its cover.
Back to you, Ron Burgundy!
:: Mail :: - - - :: Indy ::
...
jamming an AK-47 up your vajingle . . .
The Qaeda Cult has launched a new publication aimed at very dim women who dream of bliss with mujahideen before they blow their wieners off with bomb belt kits.
Al-Shamikha features an evocative image of a niqabbed gal juxtaposed with the barrel of a very large sub-machine gun on its cover.
Back to you, Ron Burgundy!
:: Mail :: - - - :: Indy ::
...
Sunday, March 13
Mez: Celebratory
Mania Condemned -
Umbria-24 Online News Service is reporting . . .
that Meredith Kercher's father has published an Op Ed piece in The Times of London (paywall!) lamenting the Media's mania over Foxy Knoxy, which has been replete with pervasive teledrama promotionals and even bowling parties, and has turned a real life murder into endless entertainment.
The Media seems to have been strangely
hypnotized into celebrating Meredith's murder.
:: Umbria24 (Italian) ::
:: Google Translation ::
...
that Meredith Kercher's father has published an Op Ed piece in The Times of London (paywall!) lamenting the Media's mania over Foxy Knoxy, which has been replete with pervasive teledrama promotionals and even bowling parties, and has turned a real life murder into endless entertainment.
The Media seems to have been strangely
hypnotized into celebrating Meredith's murder.
:: Umbria24 (Italian) ::
:: Google Translation ::
...
Saturday, March 12
Mez: Ineffective Refutation (6#) -
Was Amanda Knox shuttled
to Hell in a hand basket or effectively
moved to an innocent haven in her lover's bed?
Still under contention in the appeal process is testimony placing Knox and her lover Sollecito at the scene of the crime.
Luciano Ghirga for Defense argued that the new testimony removed Amanda Knox from the scene of the crime.
Prosecutor Manuela Comodi characterized the new testimony in the appeal case as an ineffective refutation of the previously given Curatolo testimony because the new testimony did not cover the category absolutely:
"there are other discos in Perugia and other bus
shuttle services whose operators had not been heard."
Antonio Curatolo, of no fixed abode, is a longtime habitué of that neighborhood who testified that he observed Amanda Knox and her lover, Raffaele Sollecito, on the night in question near the cottage which was the scene of the crime.
Curatolo appeared in courtroom testimony in this case at potentially great personal sacrifice. The Homeless are vulnerable to forces that can abuse, bully, extort, or subjugate them for sinister purposes. In calling such public attention to himself, Curatolo may pay a dear price by putting himself in harm's way. For example: he can easily be framed, defamed, or targeted as a snitch.
With the increasing rarity of birth defects uncorrected by surgical repair, the Homeless have often come to fill the void of monsters in the public's imagination. And the legal system has had to adapt to this change.
Curatolo is expected to take
the witness stand again on March 26th.
:: Nick Pisa: Tgraph :: -- [BBC] -- [Reuters]
:: Curtis Cartier notes the
development of cultish jargon in this case.
:: Lewis Page reveals: "neutral journalism is not just
incredibly boring, it is also bad for readers' mental health."
...
to Hell in a hand basket or effectively
moved to an innocent haven in her lover's bed?
Still under contention in the appeal process is testimony placing Knox and her lover Sollecito at the scene of the crime.
Luciano Ghirga for Defense argued that the new testimony removed Amanda Knox from the scene of the crime.
Prosecutor Manuela Comodi characterized the new testimony in the appeal case as an ineffective refutation of the previously given Curatolo testimony because the new testimony did not cover the category absolutely:
"there are other discos in Perugia and other bus
shuttle services whose operators had not been heard."
Antonio Curatolo, of no fixed abode, is a longtime habitué of that neighborhood who testified that he observed Amanda Knox and her lover, Raffaele Sollecito, on the night in question near the cottage which was the scene of the crime.
Curatolo appeared in courtroom testimony in this case at potentially great personal sacrifice. The Homeless are vulnerable to forces that can abuse, bully, extort, or subjugate them for sinister purposes. In calling such public attention to himself, Curatolo may pay a dear price by putting himself in harm's way. For example: he can easily be framed, defamed, or targeted as a snitch.
With the increasing rarity of birth defects uncorrected by surgical repair, the Homeless have often come to fill the void of monsters in the public's imagination. And the legal system has had to adapt to this change.
Curatolo is expected to take
the witness stand again on March 26th.
:: Nick Pisa: Tgraph :: -- [BBC] -- [Reuters]
:: Curtis Cartier notes the
development of cultish jargon in this case.
:: Lewis Page reveals: "neutral journalism is not just
incredibly boring, it is also bad for readers' mental health."
...
Friday, March 11
Mapping The Spills -
In the ongoing criminal investigation into WikiLeaks disclosures, Federal Judge Theresa Buchanan today granted DOJ prosecutors access to WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts for narrow information about their communication connections, but not their contents.
The accounts associated with Julian Assange belong to:
Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Icelandic MP; Rop Gonggrijp, Dutch hacker; Jacob Appelbaum from Seattle; and suspect Bradley Manning, already in custody.
:: Declan McCullagh :: -- [BBC] -- [Reuters]
...
The accounts associated with Julian Assange belong to:
Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Icelandic MP; Rop Gonggrijp, Dutch hacker; Jacob Appelbaum from Seattle; and suspect Bradley Manning, already in custody.
:: Declan McCullagh :: -- [BBC] -- [Reuters]
...
Thursday, March 10
They R From
The Inter Tubes (4#) -
Still in the sandbox, but
already posted on the Net . . .
Bill Keller's latest musings about The Future of Journalism, in light of recent events, such as the M&A of AOL and The Puff Toast.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Keller has an acutely ironic sense of humor, especially since an incident in which he felt aggregated by Ms Stassinopoulos. Full Disclosure: Bill Keller aggregates me ;-)
Yes, he collects me on his Blogrunner aggregator, but it does adhere to the accepted rules of Fair Usage - so, no complaints here.
I took a look at The Puff Toast website today and
saw that the Readers' Blogs occupy the far left column.
Newspapers have adopted a number of diverse approaches to the incorporation of this kind of feature. The Seattle PI provides server space for their reader blogs. In contrast, The Miami Herald took over the SoFlo regional aggregation function from the erstwhile BlogNetNews.
Other newspapers have solicited Topical Blogs
from their readership, like: Wassup Wid Wiener Dogs.
Clearly, I do sympathize with the bloggers and I hope
they are able to find a happier place for themselves.
:: Keller: All the Aggregation That’s Fit to Aggregate
# Bulletin from NPR: The Joooz control American
newspapers, but they don't control NPR radio.
Maybe over at NPR they need some drug rehab.
::: Second Shoe Drops: NPR CEO
Vivian Schiller resigns after video sting.
# It's those 4chan kids again and
their hijinks as Anonymous in the defense
of WikiLeaks maestro Julian Assange:
:: 4chan's Chaos Theory by Vanessa Grigoriadis.
...
already posted on the Net . . .
Bill Keller's latest musings about The Future of Journalism, in light of recent events, such as the M&A of AOL and The Puff Toast.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Keller has an acutely ironic sense of humor, especially since an incident in which he felt aggregated by Ms Stassinopoulos. Full Disclosure: Bill Keller aggregates me ;-)
Yes, he collects me on his Blogrunner aggregator, but it does adhere to the accepted rules of Fair Usage - so, no complaints here.
I took a look at The Puff Toast website today and
saw that the Readers' Blogs occupy the far left column.
Newspapers have adopted a number of diverse approaches to the incorporation of this kind of feature. The Seattle PI provides server space for their reader blogs. In contrast, The Miami Herald took over the SoFlo regional aggregation function from the erstwhile BlogNetNews.
Other newspapers have solicited Topical Blogs
from their readership, like: Wassup Wid Wiener Dogs.
Clearly, I do sympathize with the bloggers and I hope
they are able to find a happier place for themselves.
:: Keller: All the Aggregation That’s Fit to Aggregate
# Bulletin from NPR: The Joooz control American
newspapers, but they don't control NPR radio.
Maybe over at NPR they need some drug rehab.
::: Second Shoe Drops: NPR CEO
Vivian Schiller resigns after video sting.
# It's those 4chan kids again and
their hijinks as Anonymous in the defense
of WikiLeaks maestro Julian Assange:
:: 4chan's Chaos Theory by Vanessa Grigoriadis.
...
Tuesday, March 8
Lagniappe, It Ain't -
Arianna Stassinopoulos is caught
burning her bridges behind her . . .
Dylan Stableford records Ms Stassinopoulos in a real Gotcha! Moment.
And what a classy lady she reveals she's not:
"Go Ahead, Go On Strike - No One Will Notice!"
I've never read her website and I don't intend to change that, but I formed the impression that part of her website operated as a Blog Hub. There are several Blog Hubs on the Internet, such as Pajamas, Townhall, and Kos, to name a few. There are probably others.
Can you imagine her saying this to
the prominent blogger Andrew Sullivan?
In this one moment, she reveals that she really doesn't know anything about bloggers or blogging. She's clueless.
Let's hope the bloggers find another hub where
they can feel simpatico, if that's what they want.
:: The Wrap ::
...
burning her bridges behind her . . .
Dylan Stableford records Ms Stassinopoulos in a real Gotcha! Moment.
And what a classy lady she reveals she's not:
"Go Ahead, Go On Strike - No One Will Notice!"
I've never read her website and I don't intend to change that, but I formed the impression that part of her website operated as a Blog Hub. There are several Blog Hubs on the Internet, such as Pajamas, Townhall, and Kos, to name a few. There are probably others.
Can you imagine her saying this to
the prominent blogger Andrew Sullivan?
In this one moment, she reveals that she really doesn't know anything about bloggers or blogging. She's clueless.
Let's hope the bloggers find another hub where
they can feel simpatico, if that's what they want.
:: The Wrap ::
...
The Boys' Detective Agency -
Is there any connection between Stieg Larsson and what's been happening to Julian Assange in Sweden lately?
There may be some obscure connection . . .
Stieg Larsson became a wildly popular Mystery Novelist after he died. But before he wrote Mystery novels, he was already something else. He ran a magazine that punched above its weight called Expo. It was affiliated with a couple of other similar magazines, such as Searchlight Magazine in the UK.
Back in January, Nathaniel Rich
wrote an article about the author which
illuminates this earlier chapter in Larsson's life:
:: Stieg Larsson's Enigmas ::
...
There may be some obscure connection . . .
Stieg Larsson became a wildly popular Mystery Novelist after he died. But before he wrote Mystery novels, he was already something else. He ran a magazine that punched above its weight called Expo. It was affiliated with a couple of other similar magazines, such as Searchlight Magazine in the UK.
Back in January, Nathaniel Rich
wrote an article about the author which
illuminates this earlier chapter in Larsson's life:
:: Stieg Larsson's Enigmas ::
...
Saturday, March 5
Another Midwich Cuckoo? (5#) -
One evening this past week, a guy on the
C2C radio program mentioned Julian Assange . . .
disclosing that Assange had been exposed to a weird mind control cult during his childhood. He said we could read about it in the Wikipedia article about Assange. And so I did. I read the article about Assange and then read the article about the cult.
One of the peculiar characteristics of that cult was that the female leader used to dye the children's hair very blond. Thus, a group portrait of the children is evocative of the Midwich Cuckoos. Did you ever see that movie? It's a British movie from 1960 about a strange group of blond children who have psychic powers of mental telepathy - the ability to read people's minds - and can compel people to act according to their group will.
Is that what the cult was all about? For what purpose was the leader training those children? What were the goals she wanted to achieve? What were her aspirations for them? What was the intellectual baggage of the group? There seems to be very little of that kind of information about them currently available to us. The leader was reported to have had an affinity for hatha yoga, but the practice of hatha yoga does not produce results like that cult. What other intellectual influences contributed to her modus operandi - Madame Blavatsky? Wikipedia does not include the more esoteric aspects of the cult.
But when Julian Assange appears in public affecting platinum hair, which is associated with that Australian cult and the Midwich Cuckoos, that hair makes him look like the ambassador from a possibly sinister flying saucer group. Prof Rosen's "Voice from Nowhere" is now speaking to us from Zeta Reticuli? Caution - there may be a bumpy road ahead!
Steven Spielberg has optioned a biopic of Assange. Well, Spielberg has done some Sci-Fi before. Will Spielberg keep the spacey hair? Hmmm.
Not that Assange's WikiLeaks is a novelty, since we already have a website that's been publishing "leaks" for years. It's called Cryptome. Why would we need another? I don't know.
I have a customary orbit in cyberspace, as most people do. I read some blogs, newspapers, and websites, maybe not every day, maybe I drop in only once a week. As I am surfing my usual rounds, Julian Assange has popped up and intruded into my little world more than once recently. There are lots of theories about him going around.
More intriguing, however, is the chatter on the Internet. The latest chatter is wondering whether there is any connection between Julian Assange's rather strange choice of pals and the men who were threatening the late Stieg Larsson. I don't know the answer to that question. I have never read Larsson's books because they were described as very violent.
John Young of Cryptome has just posted a backgrounder by Robert Manne on Assange. It's good, but very long.
...
C2C radio program mentioned Julian Assange . . .
disclosing that Assange had been exposed to a weird mind control cult during his childhood. He said we could read about it in the Wikipedia article about Assange. And so I did. I read the article about Assange and then read the article about the cult.
One of the peculiar characteristics of that cult was that the female leader used to dye the children's hair very blond. Thus, a group portrait of the children is evocative of the Midwich Cuckoos. Did you ever see that movie? It's a British movie from 1960 about a strange group of blond children who have psychic powers of mental telepathy - the ability to read people's minds - and can compel people to act according to their group will.
Is that what the cult was all about? For what purpose was the leader training those children? What were the goals she wanted to achieve? What were her aspirations for them? What was the intellectual baggage of the group? There seems to be very little of that kind of information about them currently available to us. The leader was reported to have had an affinity for hatha yoga, but the practice of hatha yoga does not produce results like that cult. What other intellectual influences contributed to her modus operandi - Madame Blavatsky? Wikipedia does not include the more esoteric aspects of the cult.
But when Julian Assange appears in public affecting platinum hair, which is associated with that Australian cult and the Midwich Cuckoos, that hair makes him look like the ambassador from a possibly sinister flying saucer group. Prof Rosen's "Voice from Nowhere" is now speaking to us from Zeta Reticuli? Caution - there may be a bumpy road ahead!
Steven Spielberg has optioned a biopic of Assange. Well, Spielberg has done some Sci-Fi before. Will Spielberg keep the spacey hair? Hmmm.
Not that Assange's WikiLeaks is a novelty, since we already have a website that's been publishing "leaks" for years. It's called Cryptome. Why would we need another? I don't know.
I have a customary orbit in cyberspace, as most people do. I read some blogs, newspapers, and websites, maybe not every day, maybe I drop in only once a week. As I am surfing my usual rounds, Julian Assange has popped up and intruded into my little world more than once recently. There are lots of theories about him going around.
More intriguing, however, is the chatter on the Internet. The latest chatter is wondering whether there is any connection between Julian Assange's rather strange choice of pals and the men who were threatening the late Stieg Larsson. I don't know the answer to that question. I have never read Larsson's books because they were described as very violent.
John Young of Cryptome has just posted a backgrounder by Robert Manne on Assange. It's good, but very long.
...
Tuesday, March 1
A Different Dimension -
Cult cartoonist and offbeat
social commentator Ben Katchor returns with a new
book of picture stories called The Cardboard Valise.
It will be released by Pantheon on March 15th.
Katchor is the first comics creator
to receive a MacArthur "genius" grant.
:: Newsweek by Malcolm Jones ::
:: Pub Weekly ::
...
social commentator Ben Katchor returns with a new
book of picture stories called The Cardboard Valise.
It will be released by Pantheon on March 15th.
Katchor is the first comics creator
to receive a MacArthur "genius" grant.
:: Newsweek by Malcolm Jones ::
:: Pub Weekly ::
...
Bookish:
Colorful Characters (5#) -
Salvo Montalbano wakes up
to find a dead horse outside his home . . .
Crime Scraps reviews Andrea Camilleri's
Track of the Sand in its English edition.
# Miranda Seymour reviews David McKie's
Bright Particular Stars - Glorious British Eccentrics.
# Comic strip detective Dick Tracy's
latest artist, Dick Locher, retires.
# Getting animated: Who are the best
and worst Simpson-ised celebrities?
# A significant new American Literary Review.
...
to find a dead horse outside his home . . .
Crime Scraps reviews Andrea Camilleri's
Track of the Sand in its English edition.
# Miranda Seymour reviews David McKie's
Bright Particular Stars - Glorious British Eccentrics.
# Comic strip detective Dick Tracy's
latest artist, Dick Locher, retires.
# Getting animated: Who are the best
and worst Simpson-ised celebrities?
# A significant new American Literary Review.
...
Monday, February 28
FL Bookish Notes (5#) -
The Adam Walsh Case is revisited
in a new book by Joe Matthews and
Les Standiford: Bringing Adam Home.
# Chauncey Mabe discusses
Dystopian Novels on his Blog.
# Not Simpatico Anymore: The "unfriending" on an internet social network erupted into violent confrontation in Brooksville FL. [SPTimes]
:: According to Wikipedia: "Bob Clark's 1972 horror film Deathdream (aka Dead of Night; The Night Andy Came Home) was filmed entirely in Brooksville."
...
in a new book by Joe Matthews and
Les Standiford: Bringing Adam Home.
# Chauncey Mabe discusses
Dystopian Novels on his Blog.
# Not Simpatico Anymore: The "unfriending" on an internet social network erupted into violent confrontation in Brooksville FL. [SPTimes]
:: According to Wikipedia: "Bob Clark's 1972 horror film Deathdream (aka Dead of Night; The Night Andy Came Home) was filmed entirely in Brooksville."
...
Sunday, February 27
Mez: Migrating Verdicts -
Amanda Knox, Meredith Kercher & Perugia:
What if the ancient Romans had helicopters?
Claudio Giusti, in an effort to bridge the international gap in understanding, has written an Op Ed piece positing the hypothetical premise "what if the Meredith Homicide in Perugia Case had occurred in America." He then goes on to compare systems and results from his perspective. I think his attempt to bridge this gap is worthwhile, but I disagree with him on some points.
Where does the situation stand today? Don't worry: if I make any serious errors, some legal scholar will correct them.
The Italian Court's verdict seems to be the equivalent of a Manslaughter conviction here in the U.S. There is only one debate left unresolved between Prosecution and Court. It essentially revolves around the role of Drugs in this crime.
:: The Court recognizes the central role Drugs played in this crime, but claims the Drugs constitute a Mitigating Factor so as to result in the Diminished Capacity of the defendants.
:: The Prosecution likewise accepts the centrality of the Drugs, but claims they constitute an Aggravating Factor resulting in the equivalent of Depraved Disregard.
If the Prosecution is validated in this claim during the Appeal process, it would raise the conviction level to the equivalent of Murder 2. But, even if the sentence were increased appropriate to Second Degree Murder, the defendants would not be exposed to the Death Penalty in the United States.
The Prosecution, on this basis, is asking for an increase in the sentence to a term of Life, but the Italian definition of Life sentence does not stipulate "for the rest of your natural life." It is, rather, commonly presumed to mean a term of 30 years.
Mr Giusti has made some astute, humorous, and opinionated observations about how the American Public views criminals in cliches, memes, and readymade templates.
Actually, even though Amanda Knox et al would not be exposed to the Death Penalty in the U.S. because this was a lenient (lower court) verdict, many Americans would be contacting the DOJ in DC, demanding that the DOJ bring Federal Civil Rights charges against the trio for violating Meredith Kercher's Civil Rights as a racial minority living in that cottage.
Thus, Amanda Knox would be facing
an entirely new and additional set of charges.
The facts are the facts. And the fact is that Meredith Kercher was an Asian Indian carrying British national papers. There is already a legal precedent established on this: the notorious Dot-Busters Case of New Jersey.
Our legal system and the Italian legal system may differ in the ways they go about a case, but both are trying to achieve the same result: Justice.
The crime of Perugia in America by Claudio Giusti
:: Original Article in Italian ::
:: Google Translation ::
...
What if the ancient Romans had helicopters?
Claudio Giusti, in an effort to bridge the international gap in understanding, has written an Op Ed piece positing the hypothetical premise "what if the Meredith Homicide in Perugia Case had occurred in America." He then goes on to compare systems and results from his perspective. I think his attempt to bridge this gap is worthwhile, but I disagree with him on some points.
Where does the situation stand today? Don't worry: if I make any serious errors, some legal scholar will correct them.
The Italian Court's verdict seems to be the equivalent of a Manslaughter conviction here in the U.S. There is only one debate left unresolved between Prosecution and Court. It essentially revolves around the role of Drugs in this crime.
:: The Court recognizes the central role Drugs played in this crime, but claims the Drugs constitute a Mitigating Factor so as to result in the Diminished Capacity of the defendants.
:: The Prosecution likewise accepts the centrality of the Drugs, but claims they constitute an Aggravating Factor resulting in the equivalent of Depraved Disregard.
If the Prosecution is validated in this claim during the Appeal process, it would raise the conviction level to the equivalent of Murder 2. But, even if the sentence were increased appropriate to Second Degree Murder, the defendants would not be exposed to the Death Penalty in the United States.
The Prosecution, on this basis, is asking for an increase in the sentence to a term of Life, but the Italian definition of Life sentence does not stipulate "for the rest of your natural life." It is, rather, commonly presumed to mean a term of 30 years.
Mr Giusti has made some astute, humorous, and opinionated observations about how the American Public views criminals in cliches, memes, and readymade templates.
Actually, even though Amanda Knox et al would not be exposed to the Death Penalty in the U.S. because this was a lenient (lower court) verdict, many Americans would be contacting the DOJ in DC, demanding that the DOJ bring Federal Civil Rights charges against the trio for violating Meredith Kercher's Civil Rights as a racial minority living in that cottage.
Thus, Amanda Knox would be facing
an entirely new and additional set of charges.
The facts are the facts. And the fact is that Meredith Kercher was an Asian Indian carrying British national papers. There is already a legal precedent established on this: the notorious Dot-Busters Case of New Jersey.
Our legal system and the Italian legal system may differ in the ways they go about a case, but both are trying to achieve the same result: Justice.
The crime of Perugia in America by Claudio Giusti
:: Original Article in Italian ::
:: Google Translation ::
...
An Episode of Coffin Trolls -
The mastermind who
ran a Fort Lauderdale gang . . .
of coffin trolls was sentenced to prison Friday. He
apologized in court, where his lawyer disclosed
that his client had substance abuse problems.
The coffin trolls preyed on
grief-stricken mourners at funerals.
The gang shadowed funeral processions in order to break into automobiles parked at graveyard services, then disguised themselves with wigs and other paraphernalia to impersonate the victims at their banks, stealing money from the bank accounts.
Charges included Identity Theft and Bank Fraud.
:: Sentinel: Paula McMahon ::
...
ran a Fort Lauderdale gang . . .
of coffin trolls was sentenced to prison Friday. He
apologized in court, where his lawyer disclosed
that his client had substance abuse problems.
The coffin trolls preyed on
grief-stricken mourners at funerals.
The gang shadowed funeral processions in order to break into automobiles parked at graveyard services, then disguised themselves with wigs and other paraphernalia to impersonate the victims at their banks, stealing money from the bank accounts.
Charges included Identity Theft and Bank Fraud.
:: Sentinel: Paula McMahon ::
...
Friday, February 25
Bookish: Under Paris (2#) -
Patti Abbott hosts author Cara Black . . .
who writes French Mysteries in English. In this blog entry she reveals how she came to write her latest, Murder in Passy, the eleventh Aimée Leduc novel.
I happened to notice that National Geographic Magazine recently published a feature about what's under Paris.
...
who writes French Mysteries in English. In this blog entry she reveals how she came to write her latest, Murder in Passy, the eleventh Aimée Leduc novel.
I happened to notice that National Geographic Magazine recently published a feature about what's under Paris.
...
Thursday, February 24
The Pain Gain (3#) -
Has the VVM New Times Publishing Empire just
received a crushing blow to their advertising base?
The Broward Palm Beach Edition of New Times is no longer available in my immediate vicinity, but the last time I glanced at their print edition, it seemed like it carried a lot of advertisements for pain management and pain clinics. In light of yesterday's raid on this genre of business, can we anticipate sufficient erosion to finally starve them out of business?
Federal Agents conducted a widespread sweep of pain clinic pill mills across the Tri-County South Florida area on Wednesday which allegedly have been illegally distributing stupification drugs, such as oxycodone.
The Internal Revenue Service, using DEA officers, instituted forfeiture seizure of fancy toys, including two Lamborghinis, and six parcels of real estate; arrested personnel; and shuttered numerous sites.
Charges include money laundering, which
is a covert influence on the local economy.
But how far has it spread?
::Miami Herald:: -- ::Sentinel:: -- ::Reuters::
...
received a crushing blow to their advertising base?
The Broward Palm Beach Edition of New Times is no longer available in my immediate vicinity, but the last time I glanced at their print edition, it seemed like it carried a lot of advertisements for pain management and pain clinics. In light of yesterday's raid on this genre of business, can we anticipate sufficient erosion to finally starve them out of business?
Federal Agents conducted a widespread sweep of pain clinic pill mills across the Tri-County South Florida area on Wednesday which allegedly have been illegally distributing stupification drugs, such as oxycodone.
The Internal Revenue Service, using DEA officers, instituted forfeiture seizure of fancy toys, including two Lamborghinis, and six parcels of real estate; arrested personnel; and shuttered numerous sites.
Charges include money laundering, which
is a covert influence on the local economy.
But how far has it spread?
::Miami Herald:: -- ::Sentinel:: -- ::Reuters::
...
The Fluffy Edition (2#) -
Is PR fluff taking over our news?
The midday TV news gives us a handful of headline stories within the first five or ten minutes. If you arrive late in front of your screen, you're out of luck.
You could sit there like a brainless zombie for the next fifty minutes and never catch a clue about what's going on in the world around you, because they won't repeat the headlines of the major news stories on the half hour, before the end of the program, or ever again. The rest of the hour is like a carnival sideshow.
Earlier today (Wednesday) was a good example of what's been going on lately. Amid stories of Libya in turmoil and an earthquake in New Zealand, the broadcast was interrupted for - cut away! - a courtroom scene featuring Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan. And then, Important Haircut News featuring Jennifer Aniston and Justin Bieber. Usually, they fill in the rest of the program with Junk Medicine. What is going on here?
They call it Churnalism in the UK,
which means churning press releases,
:: according to Paul Lewis at The Guardian.
* * * * * *
Over time, Edward Gorey
accumulated a cult following . . .
NPR has a feature piece on
The Strange Case of Edward Gorey written by
Alexander Theroux with an excerpt and comments.
...
The midday TV news gives us a handful of headline stories within the first five or ten minutes. If you arrive late in front of your screen, you're out of luck.
You could sit there like a brainless zombie for the next fifty minutes and never catch a clue about what's going on in the world around you, because they won't repeat the headlines of the major news stories on the half hour, before the end of the program, or ever again. The rest of the hour is like a carnival sideshow.
Earlier today (Wednesday) was a good example of what's been going on lately. Amid stories of Libya in turmoil and an earthquake in New Zealand, the broadcast was interrupted for - cut away! - a courtroom scene featuring Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan. And then, Important Haircut News featuring Jennifer Aniston and Justin Bieber. Usually, they fill in the rest of the program with Junk Medicine. What is going on here?
They call it Churnalism in the UK,
which means churning press releases,
:: according to Paul Lewis at The Guardian.
* * * * * *
Over time, Edward Gorey
accumulated a cult following . . .
NPR has a feature piece on
The Strange Case of Edward Gorey written by
Alexander Theroux with an excerpt and comments.
...
Tuesday, February 22
Mez: Lifetime's
Dot-Buster Movie
I managed to catch this presentation last night
and have jotted down some of my initial reactions . . .
The Lifetime Cable TV Channel's presentation about The Meredith Homicide in Perugia started disingenuously by telling the audience that there are two sides to every story. Actually, there are at least a dozen sides to this story, since each and every one whose life this tragedy directly touched brought away from it their unique side to the story. Filomena, the former cottage roommate, for example, has her own side of this story, and it is probably one that will haunt her for many years to come.
In the Fall of 2007, Meredith Kercher, an Anglo-Indian student from Leeds University, who was in Perugia to advance her European Studies as an Erasmus Scholar, was brutally attacked by a gang of youths stoned on drugs and engaged in a "wilding" episode.
Meredith Kercher was not White. She was alone in the cottage and believed she was among friends. She was mistaken, because The Dot-Busters were about to raid Perugia. But this movie is not her story.
The makers of this movie have twisted The Meredith Kercher Homicide into someone else's story. The throughline POV of this movie is that of Edda Mellas, because the Dot-Busters are marauders who have stolen even this crime from its victim. Meredith Kercher was only an ephemeral and insignificant prop in their much more important lives.
And the tipoff to all this was casting a White European gal as Meredith Kercher. Would you find it credible if the movie makers had cast a White Swedish man to play Patrick Lumumba? If this had been an honest movie, an Indian actress would have been assigned to play Meredith Kercher.
But this was not an honest movie. It was a two hour dramatization coupled with an hour of cunning propaganda worthy of The Manchurian Candidate. The three-hour (!) package of this presentation was a highly manipulative and ruthlessly exploitive product to cover up a Racist murder.
And you get a Free Pass on the first Indian victim from the American Press, which is simply repeating their non-performance in the previous Dot-Buster case, because they are running on Auto-Pilot and slavishly dependent on handouts from unscrupulous Hollywood Press Agents who throw them a few crumbs once in while. Without the handouts, many of them are brain-dead.
The mother was chosen as the protagonist of this dramatization so that millions of American mothers would identify with her. After all, many American mothers send their daughters away to college, but never expect their daughters to join a marauding gang of murderous
Dot-Busters.
During the three-hour ordeal of this presentation, did they get anything else blatantly wrong? Just off the top of my head, yes, they did. They claimed that it was possible for an intruder to gain entry to the cottage via the second story bedroom window known as Filomena's window. As far as I know: it was not possible.
There was nothing entertaining about this presentation. In the third hour, a female voice-over was accompanied by very loud, melodramatic, intrusive and obnoxious music. The music gave me a headache.
And they conveyed to us the very strong impression that they fully intend to turn this telemovie into an entire industry like an ongoing, never-ending Reality TV Series until they liberate Amanda Knox.
This movie should have remained
in the vault. Its audience was mugged.
...
and have jotted down some of my initial reactions . . .
The Lifetime Cable TV Channel's presentation about The Meredith Homicide in Perugia started disingenuously by telling the audience that there are two sides to every story. Actually, there are at least a dozen sides to this story, since each and every one whose life this tragedy directly touched brought away from it their unique side to the story. Filomena, the former cottage roommate, for example, has her own side of this story, and it is probably one that will haunt her for many years to come.
In the Fall of 2007, Meredith Kercher, an Anglo-Indian student from Leeds University, who was in Perugia to advance her European Studies as an Erasmus Scholar, was brutally attacked by a gang of youths stoned on drugs and engaged in a "wilding" episode.
Meredith Kercher was not White. She was alone in the cottage and believed she was among friends. She was mistaken, because The Dot-Busters were about to raid Perugia. But this movie is not her story.
The makers of this movie have twisted The Meredith Kercher Homicide into someone else's story. The throughline POV of this movie is that of Edda Mellas, because the Dot-Busters are marauders who have stolen even this crime from its victim. Meredith Kercher was only an ephemeral and insignificant prop in their much more important lives.
And the tipoff to all this was casting a White European gal as Meredith Kercher. Would you find it credible if the movie makers had cast a White Swedish man to play Patrick Lumumba? If this had been an honest movie, an Indian actress would have been assigned to play Meredith Kercher.
But this was not an honest movie. It was a two hour dramatization coupled with an hour of cunning propaganda worthy of The Manchurian Candidate. The three-hour (!) package of this presentation was a highly manipulative and ruthlessly exploitive product to cover up a Racist murder.
And you get a Free Pass on the first Indian victim from the American Press, which is simply repeating their non-performance in the previous Dot-Buster case, because they are running on Auto-Pilot and slavishly dependent on handouts from unscrupulous Hollywood Press Agents who throw them a few crumbs once in while. Without the handouts, many of them are brain-dead.
The mother was chosen as the protagonist of this dramatization so that millions of American mothers would identify with her. After all, many American mothers send their daughters away to college, but never expect their daughters to join a marauding gang of murderous
Dot-Busters.
During the three-hour ordeal of this presentation, did they get anything else blatantly wrong? Just off the top of my head, yes, they did. They claimed that it was possible for an intruder to gain entry to the cottage via the second story bedroom window known as Filomena's window. As far as I know: it was not possible.
There was nothing entertaining about this presentation. In the third hour, a female voice-over was accompanied by very loud, melodramatic, intrusive and obnoxious music. The music gave me a headache.
And they conveyed to us the very strong impression that they fully intend to turn this telemovie into an entire industry like an ongoing, never-ending Reality TV Series until they liberate Amanda Knox.
This movie should have remained
in the vault. Its audience was mugged.
...
Sunday, February 20
Tokyo Won't Let Go -
True Crime: Lucie Blackman, an attractive 21-year-old airline stewardess, took an offbeat job as a hostess in a Japanese nightclub, disappeared, and was later found murdered.
The case has dragged on and on for years, covered diligently by reporter Richard Lloyd Parry. His book about it, People Who Eat Darkness, is reviewed here by Blake Morrison of The Guardian.
If you are interested in True Crime,
this is a piece you probably wouldn't want to miss.
:: Blake Morrison: The Guardian ::
...
The case has dragged on and on for years, covered diligently by reporter Richard Lloyd Parry. His book about it, People Who Eat Darkness, is reviewed here by Blake Morrison of The Guardian.
If you are interested in True Crime,
this is a piece you probably wouldn't want to miss.
:: Blake Morrison: The Guardian ::
...
Thursday, February 17
Phantom Manholes (3#) -
A search for 254
mysteriously missing manholes . . .
by an outside auditing operation uncovered the theft of millions of dollars over the course of a decade by a Public Works Department official in North Miami Beach, according to Nadege Charles at The Herald.
# Orlando: A federal grand jury has issued an indictment for an alleged Russian sex-trafficking ring which is accused of operating in Central Florida, placing ads to solicit customers for massage services on websites such as Backpage, an online classified section run by Village Voice Media.
...
mysteriously missing manholes . . .
by an outside auditing operation uncovered the theft of millions of dollars over the course of a decade by a Public Works Department official in North Miami Beach, according to Nadege Charles at The Herald.
# Orlando: A federal grand jury has issued an indictment for an alleged Russian sex-trafficking ring which is accused of operating in Central Florida, placing ads to solicit customers for massage services on websites such as Backpage, an online classified section run by Village Voice Media.
...
Wednesday, February 16
Brief Links (2#) -
Stieg Larsson's longtime companion, Eva Gabrielsson, is publishing a memoir of their life together. The English language version is due here in June, according to Sasha Watson at Slate.
Barbie Nadeau reviews the upcoming Lifetime Cable TV movie about The Perugia Slasher Murder Case. I don't know yet whether I'll be able to catch it or not. Nadeau got a special preview at TDB.
...
Barbie Nadeau reviews the upcoming Lifetime Cable TV movie about The Perugia Slasher Murder Case. I don't know yet whether I'll be able to catch it or not. Nadeau got a special preview at TDB.
...
Tuesday, February 15
Mez: Loose Lips (3#) -
The parents of convicted killer Amanda Knox were indicted today (Tuesday) for allegedly defaming the police in Perugia, Italy. Curt Knox and Edda Mellas were ordered to stand trial for claims they made to a British newspaper that their daughter had been mistreated by the police. The couple did not attend the hearing.
Their trial is scheduled to begin on July 4th.
:: CNN :: - - :: BBC :: - - :: Local ::
...
Their trial is scheduled to begin on July 4th.
:: CNN :: - - :: BBC :: - - :: Local ::
...
Bookish: Moving Moments (9#) -
Japanese crime writer Keigo Higashino is interviewed by Andrew Joyce at the WSJ. He is a bestseller in Japan where some of his stories have been made into movies.
:: His first entry here is The Devotion of Suspect X.
# When writers move: A couple of pieces
about notable writers changing their environments:
First, Carolyn Kellogg on the West Coast interviews New York resident Jonathan Lethem about his move to Claremont California to teach at Pomona College.
Then, Paul Theroux writes about his lasting impressions of the years he lived in England from the end of 1971 until the beginning of 1990.
# Julia Handford tells us about Norwegian
writer Jo Nesbo's new crime novel The Leopard.
# Adam Woog reviews Alan Bradley's
A Red Herring Without Mustard as a
thumbs-up. Sleuth Flavia de Luce is
the daughter of a shabby aristocrat.
# Writer Christopher Fowler has established a new website as a treasure trove for The Peculiar Crimes Unit. And he's going to have a graphic novel version make its debut soon called The Soho Devil.
# Laura Wilson briefly reviews a
handful of thrillers at The Guardian.
# Ever hear a haunted teriyaki truck story?
Jennifer K Chung is actually a software engineer, but
she won a writing contest with her entry: Terroryaki.
...
:: His first entry here is The Devotion of Suspect X.
# When writers move: A couple of pieces
about notable writers changing their environments:
First, Carolyn Kellogg on the West Coast interviews New York resident Jonathan Lethem about his move to Claremont California to teach at Pomona College.
Then, Paul Theroux writes about his lasting impressions of the years he lived in England from the end of 1971 until the beginning of 1990.
# Julia Handford tells us about Norwegian
writer Jo Nesbo's new crime novel The Leopard.
# Adam Woog reviews Alan Bradley's
A Red Herring Without Mustard as a
thumbs-up. Sleuth Flavia de Luce is
the daughter of a shabby aristocrat.
# Writer Christopher Fowler has established a new website as a treasure trove for The Peculiar Crimes Unit. And he's going to have a graphic novel version make its debut soon called The Soho Devil.
# Laura Wilson briefly reviews a
handful of thrillers at The Guardian.
# Ever hear a haunted teriyaki truck story?
Jennifer K Chung is actually a software engineer, but
she won a writing contest with her entry: Terroryaki.
...
FL Bookish:
Alligator Attraction -
Sunday, February 13
Mez: Unsavory Agenda -
The Lifetime Cable TV movie about the
Perugia Slasher murder is neither fair nor balanced.
Careful, your agenda is showing!
Giving the dramatization of this homicide the name of the convicted killer is a sleazy attempt to displace Meredith Kercher as the victim in this story and to transform Amanda Knox into the central Maiden in Peril - a stock ingenue character in the genre of Teen Slasher movies. Having accomplished this sly switcheroo, Lifetime is introducing Recreational Murder as an accepted form of American entertainment.
When I was a child, the government established the Comic Book Code, which was only recently discarded. I don't think anyone wants to introduce a similar code for violence in teen movies, but this Lifetime presentation is making a good argument to do that.
Shortly before Meredith Kercher was slaughtered, she appeared in photos accompanied by Ghostface, a character in the Scream series of Teen Slasher movies. The appearance of Ghostface seemed to foreshadow the tragic events that followed. To this day, it remains a burning question: This after that or this because of that?
Then, just to pile Pelion on Ossa, Lifetime would have us believe that it is merely a random coincidence that Hayden Panettiere, who is a ensemble member of the Scream franchise, was chosen to star as the fake Maiden in Peril in Perugia, a meretricious substitute for the real victim.
On a bet or a dare, just how tacky could they get? If they wanted to see how much they could get away with, surely this has got to be the pinnacle of bad taste.
Lifetime's Perugia Slasher movie will only inspire copycat crimes. The timing of this movie is atrocious and the motivation is unsavory.
:: NY Post ::
...
Perugia Slasher murder is neither fair nor balanced.
Careful, your agenda is showing!
Giving the dramatization of this homicide the name of the convicted killer is a sleazy attempt to displace Meredith Kercher as the victim in this story and to transform Amanda Knox into the central Maiden in Peril - a stock ingenue character in the genre of Teen Slasher movies. Having accomplished this sly switcheroo, Lifetime is introducing Recreational Murder as an accepted form of American entertainment.
When I was a child, the government established the Comic Book Code, which was only recently discarded. I don't think anyone wants to introduce a similar code for violence in teen movies, but this Lifetime presentation is making a good argument to do that.
Shortly before Meredith Kercher was slaughtered, she appeared in photos accompanied by Ghostface, a character in the Scream series of Teen Slasher movies. The appearance of Ghostface seemed to foreshadow the tragic events that followed. To this day, it remains a burning question: This after that or this because of that?
Then, just to pile Pelion on Ossa, Lifetime would have us believe that it is merely a random coincidence that Hayden Panettiere, who is a ensemble member of the Scream franchise, was chosen to star as the fake Maiden in Peril in Perugia, a meretricious substitute for the real victim.
On a bet or a dare, just how tacky could they get? If they wanted to see how much they could get away with, surely this has got to be the pinnacle of bad taste.
Lifetime's Perugia Slasher movie will only inspire copycat crimes. The timing of this movie is atrocious and the motivation is unsavory.
:: NY Post ::
...
Saturday, February 12
AOL: Going Fractal (3#) -
I have been reading a lot of commentaries about AOL's acquisition of The Puffington Toast this past week, but, thus far, no one has bothered to mention that there are other blog hubs out there on the Internet. Today, finally, Nate Silver pointed to some of them:
"Many popular blogs, ranging from Daily Kos to Hot Air to Talking Points Memo, also have areas for unpaid, user-generated content..."
I can think of at least one other blog hub, Townhall, although it is Conservative in its political orientation. I'm not familiar with Daily Kos; I am somewhat familiar with the other two.
I've never been a reader of Puff Toast and I don't expect that to change. It's my impression that the theme of the reader blogs at Puff Toast is Celebrities. I mostly don't care about that niche; nor do I care about Sports Blogs in general either.
Although I don't find Nate Silver's complicated calculations very persuasive, I don't think the disgruntlement of the contributing bloggers at Puff Toast is just about money per se. Many of them seem to feel somehow betrayed in terms of their dignity and self-esteem. That's a bummer; and I can sympathize with that.
What does Tim Armstrong have in mind in make this acquisition? I won't pretend I understand his thinking, but I think I understand something about the dynamics of the Internet, having used it for the last several years.
When a meme goes "viral," its growth seems to go in a fractal type of pattern. One person e-mails it to five of his friends; then each of them e-mails it to five of his friends, etc.
Thus, the conjunction of Puff Toast with AOL would seem to afford more opportunity for this kind of fractal dynamic to operate.
Pete Cashmore points out that newspapers and other legacy media have been slow in adopting this growth dynamic.
:: Nate Silver ::
:: Pete Cashmore ::
:: Dan Kennedy ::
...
"Many popular blogs, ranging from Daily Kos to Hot Air to Talking Points Memo, also have areas for unpaid, user-generated content..."
I can think of at least one other blog hub, Townhall, although it is Conservative in its political orientation. I'm not familiar with Daily Kos; I am somewhat familiar with the other two.
I've never been a reader of Puff Toast and I don't expect that to change. It's my impression that the theme of the reader blogs at Puff Toast is Celebrities. I mostly don't care about that niche; nor do I care about Sports Blogs in general either.
Although I don't find Nate Silver's complicated calculations very persuasive, I don't think the disgruntlement of the contributing bloggers at Puff Toast is just about money per se. Many of them seem to feel somehow betrayed in terms of their dignity and self-esteem. That's a bummer; and I can sympathize with that.
What does Tim Armstrong have in mind in make this acquisition? I won't pretend I understand his thinking, but I think I understand something about the dynamics of the Internet, having used it for the last several years.
When a meme goes "viral," its growth seems to go in a fractal type of pattern. One person e-mails it to five of his friends; then each of them e-mails it to five of his friends, etc.
Thus, the conjunction of Puff Toast with AOL would seem to afford more opportunity for this kind of fractal dynamic to operate.
Pete Cashmore points out that newspapers and other legacy media have been slow in adopting this growth dynamic.
:: Nate Silver ::
:: Pete Cashmore ::
:: Dan Kennedy ::
...
Friday, February 11
Toothy in Marathon -
Another chapter from the annals of:
He was mad, bad, and dangerous to know . . .
A 15-year-old Florida girl who came home with bite marks and bruises claimed to have been attacked while out jogging and even supplied the name of a classmate as her alleged attacker, but after a lengthy investigation by police detectives, it emerged that she had engaged in a fantasy romance session with a 19-year-old male companion because she is a fan of the Twilight vampire-themed romance movies and books.
:: KeysNet :: - - - :: Sentinel ::
...
He was mad, bad, and dangerous to know . . .
A 15-year-old Florida girl who came home with bite marks and bruises claimed to have been attacked while out jogging and even supplied the name of a classmate as her alleged attacker, but after a lengthy investigation by police detectives, it emerged that she had engaged in a fantasy romance session with a 19-year-old male companion because she is a fan of the Twilight vampire-themed romance movies and books.
:: KeysNet :: - - - :: Sentinel ::
...
Cuba on Net Threshold (6#) -
"After three years, my virtual space
is again sighted from inside Cuba." --Yoani Sanchez
The Cuban regime has unblocked local access to Yoani Sanchez and other bloggers, but will the opening of this portal to the Future remain open?
"Havana is hosting the Informatica 2011 fair Feb 7-11, expected to bring in many foreign computer experts. Among the participants is the head of the United Nation’s telecommunications agency."
# A new undersea fiber optic cable will be operational in July. The project is being carried out by Alcatel-Lucent SA of Paris.
# Dennis Loy Johnson, Yoani's American publisher, writes about the potential effects of the Internet on Egyptian and Cuban dissidents.
# Are recent events in Egypt worrying the current Cuban regime? Is this one of the reasons they've unblocked Yoani?
...
is again sighted from inside Cuba." --Yoani Sanchez
The Cuban regime has unblocked local access to Yoani Sanchez and other bloggers, but will the opening of this portal to the Future remain open?
"Havana is hosting the Informatica 2011 fair Feb 7-11, expected to bring in many foreign computer experts. Among the participants is the head of the United Nation’s telecommunications agency."
# A new undersea fiber optic cable will be operational in July. The project is being carried out by Alcatel-Lucent SA of Paris.
# Dennis Loy Johnson, Yoani's American publisher, writes about the potential effects of the Internet on Egyptian and Cuban dissidents.
# Are recent events in Egypt worrying the current Cuban regime? Is this one of the reasons they've unblocked Yoani?
...
Thursday, February 10
Mez: Slasher Movie Fallout -
It's very unusual to see a case on TV
that's been "ripped from the headlines." True or false?
In reality, it's quite common. The long-running TV series Law and Order does it frequently. But we don't hear about a lot of people suing them successfully over it. Surely, that must mean they're doing something right.
On the other hand, Executive Producer Craig Piligian, the man behind The Perugia Slasher movie destined for Lifetime Cable TV, is getting a lot of flack for his project.
Could it be that Piligian has not gone
about this project as adroitly as he might have?
Michael Schneider interviews Piligian, who claims he's made a few minor adjustments in his "marketing" approach for this movie in response to the firestorm of criticism he has faced lately.
But he still has not justified the necessity
of the urgent rush to present it so soon. [tvguide]
#Esther Weon writes
a thoughtful Op Ed piece at Neon Tommy.
...
that's been "ripped from the headlines." True or false?
In reality, it's quite common. The long-running TV series Law and Order does it frequently. But we don't hear about a lot of people suing them successfully over it. Surely, that must mean they're doing something right.
On the other hand, Executive Producer Craig Piligian, the man behind The Perugia Slasher movie destined for Lifetime Cable TV, is getting a lot of flack for his project.
Could it be that Piligian has not gone
about this project as adroitly as he might have?
Michael Schneider interviews Piligian, who claims he's made a few minor adjustments in his "marketing" approach for this movie in response to the firestorm of criticism he has faced lately.
But he still has not justified the necessity
of the urgent rush to present it so soon. [tvguide]
#Esther Weon writes
a thoughtful Op Ed piece at Neon Tommy.
...
Stalking Nikki Finke (3#) -
Some creep is taking delight in pestering Nick Finke
on the pretext that he needs to get a photo of her . . .
He needs to get a life of his own!
Nikki Finke writes about Entertainment. I think she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be a celebrity or a public person. That should be her prerogative.
You don't usually see these pests stalking guys who write about Entertainment like Glenn Garvin or Eric Deggans. Why not? Because these creeps would expect to get punched in the nose by a guy. Women seem to be especially susceptible to stalkers.
Boundaries. It's all about boundaries, as far as I'm concerned. Civilized people respect other people's boundaries. If Finke has made it clear that she wants to remain a private person, you should respect that. It may be hard for some people in the Media to accept, but not everyone wants to be a celebrity.
I have been quietly stewing about this story since I first read about it yesterday and, at this point, I couldn't blame her if she asks the FBI for protection.
Stop harassing Nikki Finke!
:: The Wrap :: Daily vs Deadline Photo ::
:: NY Observer :: Is She Too Reclusive
For Her Own Website? By Daniel D'Addario ::
:: Profile ::
...
on the pretext that he needs to get a photo of her . . .
He needs to get a life of his own!
Nikki Finke writes about Entertainment. I think she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be a celebrity or a public person. That should be her prerogative.
You don't usually see these pests stalking guys who write about Entertainment like Glenn Garvin or Eric Deggans. Why not? Because these creeps would expect to get punched in the nose by a guy. Women seem to be especially susceptible to stalkers.
Boundaries. It's all about boundaries, as far as I'm concerned. Civilized people respect other people's boundaries. If Finke has made it clear that she wants to remain a private person, you should respect that. It may be hard for some people in the Media to accept, but not everyone wants to be a celebrity.
I have been quietly stewing about this story since I first read about it yesterday and, at this point, I couldn't blame her if she asks the FBI for protection.
Stop harassing Nikki Finke!
:: The Wrap :: Daily vs Deadline Photo ::
:: NY Observer :: Is She Too Reclusive
For Her Own Website? By Daniel D'Addario ::
:: Profile ::
...
Tuesday, February 8
Tahrir Square Inspiration (4#) -
SandMonkey, Sawiris, and Syria . . .
I was surprised the other evening to see Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's Nightly News, chatting with Egyptian blogger SandMonkey. I couldn't quite believe my eyes. I've never met SandMonkey in person, although I've been reading his blog for a number of years.
:: Egyptian Blogger goes public ::
# An interview with Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris, who is a Coptic Christian supporter of the protesters and the need for demoocratic reform.
:: businessman ::
# Syria has unblocked BlogSpot and some Social Media venues, according to Anas Qtiesh at GVO and other sources. Welcome back, folks!
...
I was surprised the other evening to see Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's Nightly News, chatting with Egyptian blogger SandMonkey. I couldn't quite believe my eyes. I've never met SandMonkey in person, although I've been reading his blog for a number of years.
:: Egyptian Blogger goes public ::
# An interview with Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris, who is a Coptic Christian supporter of the protesters and the need for demoocratic reform.
:: businessman ::
# Syria has unblocked BlogSpot and some Social Media venues, according to Anas Qtiesh at GVO and other sources. Welcome back, folks!
...
The Future
Is Already Here (5#) -
Holographic Helpers &
Havana's Cone of Silence . . .
Passengers at Manchester and London Luton airports will encounter holographic greeters beginning this week, according to reporter Juliet Turner at The Telegraph.
"Holly and Graham are not going to have a hangover; they're not going to have a row with their partner the night before."
Similar holographic helpers are being prepared for Havana Cuba where they will be equipped with a Wi-Fi connection and an uplink to a special cargo plane flying around the Caribbean. One holographic helper has even been made to look just like a very helpful Che Guevara. And they say he's a perfect match.
:: Telegraph :: Juliet Turner ::
:: BBC :: - - - :: SkyNews :: - - - :: Cone ::
...
Havana's Cone of Silence . . .
Passengers at Manchester and London Luton airports will encounter holographic greeters beginning this week, according to reporter Juliet Turner at The Telegraph.
"Holly and Graham are not going to have a hangover; they're not going to have a row with their partner the night before."
Similar holographic helpers are being prepared for Havana Cuba where they will be equipped with a Wi-Fi connection and an uplink to a special cargo plane flying around the Caribbean. One holographic helper has even been made to look just like a very helpful Che Guevara. And they say he's a perfect match.
:: Telegraph :: Juliet Turner ::
:: BBC :: - - - :: SkyNews :: - - - :: Cone ::
...
Monday, February 7
Mez: Slasher Block II -
What are the prospects of blocking the Lifetime movie, which no one has even seen or reviewed yet, in the USA? Not very good, according to Nick Vivarelli at Variety:
"Experts say the lawyers can easily prevent the telepic from airing in Italy, but that differences between the Italian and U.S. legal systems make it much more difficult to block its Stateside TV release."
Meanwhile, books about
the case continue to roll off the presses . . .
Library Journal has posted a Pre-Publication Alert for Nina Burleigh's book on the Perugia Slasher Case:
The Fatal Gift of Beauty:
An American Girl and a Murder in Italy.
"Here, journalist/author Burleigh (e.g., Unholy Business) reconstructs a murder case that has proved to be about much more than murder. There will be interest."
What about the video clips posted on the Internet?
I'm not a lawyer, but permit me
to point out a couple of cogent points:
1) - Meredith herself does not appear in the clips.
2) - The issue of Simulation has become a very
contentious topic in our legal system in recent years.
...
"Experts say the lawyers can easily prevent the telepic from airing in Italy, but that differences between the Italian and U.S. legal systems make it much more difficult to block its Stateside TV release."
Meanwhile, books about
the case continue to roll off the presses . . .
Library Journal has posted a Pre-Publication Alert for Nina Burleigh's book on the Perugia Slasher Case:
The Fatal Gift of Beauty:
An American Girl and a Murder in Italy.
"Here, journalist/author Burleigh (e.g., Unholy Business) reconstructs a murder case that has proved to be about much more than murder. There will be interest."
What about the video clips posted on the Internet?
I'm not a lawyer, but permit me
to point out a couple of cogent points:
1) - Meredith herself does not appear in the clips.
2) - The issue of Simulation has become a very
contentious topic in our legal system in recent years.
...
Google Geek Found (3#) -
Wael Ghonim will be released from
government detention on Monday, according to his
brother, Hazem, Margaret Coker at the WSJ reports.
Prominent Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris
of Orascom Telecom confirmed the information.
Coker goes on to share some
background on Ghonim's civic engagement.
...
government detention on Monday, according to his
brother, Hazem, Margaret Coker at the WSJ reports.
Prominent Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris
of Orascom Telecom confirmed the information.
Coker goes on to share some
background on Ghonim's civic engagement.
...
Sunday, February 6
Mez: Blocking The Slasher -
Will Carlo Dalla Vedova and Luca Maori from the Amanda Knox defense team prevail in their efforts to block Lifetime's February 21 presentation of the Perugia Slasher movie on their subscription-only TV channel?
A&E Television Networks, the parent company of that channel, probably retains high power Hollywood lawyers who specialize in the Entertainment field and are experts in dealing with such issues.
No one has actually seen the entire movie yet!
The latest word from the grapevine is that Lifetime has used a kind of Rashomon Approach with multiple versions of the story from different perspectives in order to cover themselves.
As for the video clips available over the general access Internet, that may turn out to be a separate argument.
Dalla Vedova has given Lifetime
a February 10th deadline to respond.
Personally, I think Lifetime's
timing is unfortunate and premature.
I can only speculate that Lifetime is trying to catch some synergy from Hayden Panitierre's other Slasher movie, Scream 4.
:: NY Times :: - - - :: Nick Pisa: Mail ::
...
A&E Television Networks, the parent company of that channel, probably retains high power Hollywood lawyers who specialize in the Entertainment field and are experts in dealing with such issues.
No one has actually seen the entire movie yet!
The latest word from the grapevine is that Lifetime has used a kind of Rashomon Approach with multiple versions of the story from different perspectives in order to cover themselves.
As for the video clips available over the general access Internet, that may turn out to be a separate argument.
Dalla Vedova has given Lifetime
a February 10th deadline to respond.
Personally, I think Lifetime's
timing is unfortunate and premature.
I can only speculate that Lifetime is trying to catch some synergy from Hayden Panitierre's other Slasher movie, Scream 4.
:: NY Times :: - - - :: Nick Pisa: Mail ::
...
Saturday, February 5
Mez: Cranked Up Kill Clips -
Promotions have begun for Hayden Panettiere's new Teen Slasher movies on both TV and the Internet. The actress appears in Scream 4 and a Lifetime Cable TV production about the hand-wringing over Foxy Knoxy.
Panettiere was seen the other evening here in the U.S. on Access Hollywood, an American Celeb Tabloid program which is broadcast after the regular news. But, as a ditzy unguided missile, she's had to compete with the latest reports about Lindsay Lohan.
Now that film clips of the Perugia Slasher dramatization have been posted on the Internet, Meredith Kercher's father has expressed his horror at the depictions.
Lawyers for Amanda Knox have also reacted by issuing some kind of "cease and desist" notice to Lifetime, demanding the removal of the material, which they seem to feel could prejudice the appeals process for their client.
Any publicity about a movie is usually viewed by the Industry as better than no publicity, especially when its free. And controversy tends to fuel publicity.
Scream 4 is scheduled to debut on
April 15th. It is directed by Wes Craven.
"Ghostface often calls his victims
on the phone, taunting or threatening them
before killing them with a 6 inch hunting knife."
Panettiere plays Kirby Reed, the best friend
of Sidney Prescott's cousin, Jill Roberts.
...
Panettiere was seen the other evening here in the U.S. on Access Hollywood, an American Celeb Tabloid program which is broadcast after the regular news. But, as a ditzy unguided missile, she's had to compete with the latest reports about Lindsay Lohan.
Now that film clips of the Perugia Slasher dramatization have been posted on the Internet, Meredith Kercher's father has expressed his horror at the depictions.
Lawyers for Amanda Knox have also reacted by issuing some kind of "cease and desist" notice to Lifetime, demanding the removal of the material, which they seem to feel could prejudice the appeals process for their client.
Any publicity about a movie is usually viewed by the Industry as better than no publicity, especially when its free. And controversy tends to fuel publicity.
Scream 4 is scheduled to debut on
April 15th. It is directed by Wes Craven.
"Ghostface often calls his victims
on the phone, taunting or threatening them
before killing them with a 6 inch hunting knife."
Panettiere plays Kirby Reed, the best friend
of Sidney Prescott's cousin, Jill Roberts.
...
Thursday, February 3
Tahrir Square Geeks (2#) -
Even when patched together with all kinds of crazy gadgets, obscure phone numbers, and magic formulas, the communication network with Egypt has managed to hang together somehow.
Sandmonkey just checked in to his blog. After posting an impassioned entry, he is headed back to Tahrir Square to bring some First Aid medical supplies to the injured.
"People were complaining that they miss their lives. That they miss going out at night, and ordering Home Delivery. That they need us to stop so they can resume whatever existence they had before all of this."
:: Read the rest ::
:: And from Wired: Cairo's Band of Geeks ::
...
Sandmonkey just checked in to his blog. After posting an impassioned entry, he is headed back to Tahrir Square to bring some First Aid medical supplies to the injured.
"People were complaining that they miss their lives. That they miss going out at night, and ordering Home Delivery. That they need us to stop so they can resume whatever existence they had before all of this."
:: Read the rest ::
:: And from Wired: Cairo's Band of Geeks ::
...
Wednesday, February 2
Egypt Connected Again (4#) -
Egypt is plugged into the Internet again, according to a ZDNet specialist, but he thinks it may be a bumpy ride for a while. Read the tech details if you understand that kind of stuff.
:: BBC [print] :: Egypt online again ::
"We confirm that Facebook and Twitter are up and available inside Egypt, at least from the places we can monitor,” the [Renesys] company wrote in a blog post. “No traffic blocks are in place, DNS answers are clean, IP addresses match, no funny business. For now."
Google Geek Wael Ghonim . . .
:: From Twitter at #jan25:
Wael Ghonim has been found, severely beaten
and injured. He is said to be currently resting.
Not officially confirmed!
...
:: BBC [print] :: Egypt online again ::
"We confirm that Facebook and Twitter are up and available inside Egypt, at least from the places we can monitor,” the [Renesys] company wrote in a blog post. “No traffic blocks are in place, DNS answers are clean, IP addresses match, no funny business. For now."
Google Geek Wael Ghonim . . .
:: From Twitter at #jan25:
Wael Ghonim has been found, severely beaten
and injured. He is said to be currently resting.
Not officially confirmed!
...
Tuesday, February 1
Violent Hegemony Efforts (2#) -
To what lengths are some people willing to go
in order to impose their will on Florida legislators?
And will their persistence ever pay off?
A man has been charged with sending a threat to Florida state Rep William Snyder (R) of Stuart an hour after the mass shooting in Arizona.
The e-mail message implied that harm would come to him or his family members if he didn't drop his Immigration issue position.
Like the Arizona Act, a proposed Florida bill would permit law enforcement officers to request proof that a person is in the U.S. legally, if the officer has reasonable suspicion that they are not.
In light of this second threat: it now seems likely that the Immigration issue was the real motive for the threats sent to talk radio host Joyce Kaufman who supported Allen West's successful political candidacy.
"Allen West, unlike most South Florida members of both parties, opposes any path to legal status for those who reside here illegally, including those brought as children."
...
in order to impose their will on Florida legislators?
And will their persistence ever pay off?
A man has been charged with sending a threat to Florida state Rep William Snyder (R) of Stuart an hour after the mass shooting in Arizona.
The e-mail message implied that harm would come to him or his family members if he didn't drop his Immigration issue position.
Like the Arizona Act, a proposed Florida bill would permit law enforcement officers to request proof that a person is in the U.S. legally, if the officer has reasonable suspicion that they are not.
In light of this second threat: it now seems likely that the Immigration issue was the real motive for the threats sent to talk radio host Joyce Kaufman who supported Allen West's successful political candidacy.
"Allen West, unlike most South Florida members of both parties, opposes any path to legal status for those who reside here illegally, including those brought as children."
...
Egypt's Million Protest (4#) -
All roads into the city of Cairo have been
shut down in addition to the railroad lines.
Sandmonkey is updating on Twitter
via Jordan. He says he's stuck on the
highway trying to get into downtown.
Google Geek Wael Ghonim is missing; his
friends and colleagues are very concerned about him.
Washington has sent veteran diplomat
Frank Wisner to meet with Egyptian leaders.
:: Updates :: Guardian Live Blogging:
"The march will go from Tahrir Square
towards Mubarak's presidential palace,
which is currently under heavy guard."
...
shut down in addition to the railroad lines.
Sandmonkey is updating on Twitter
via Jordan. He says he's stuck on the
highway trying to get into downtown.
Google Geek Wael Ghonim is missing; his
friends and colleagues are very concerned about him.
Washington has sent veteran diplomat
Frank Wisner to meet with Egyptian leaders.
:: Updates :: Guardian Live Blogging:
"The march will go from Tahrir Square
towards Mubarak's presidential palace,
which is currently under heavy guard."
...
Monday, January 31
Not Quite Sneaker Net (8#) -
Media Briefs & More . . .
No photographers on the scene? No problem!
Sometimes surrealistic Taiwanese computer animated antic news scenarios, described by Richard Vine, who profiles Next Media Animation (NMA), the company producing them.
# Is there Life after
The Village Voice? Wayne Barrett
will be a special contributor to NewsBeast.
# Prof Frances Fox Piven, 78, has had to get police protection due to threats she has received which were allegedly inspired by Glenn Beck's adverse remarks about her, according to Paul Harris at The Guardian Observer.
# Patch Made: Egyptians can SAY it
to Twitter now with voice connection.
:: Jan 25 Voices on Twitter ::
# Verity Stob delves into Swedish Noir by reviewing Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Henning Mankell's Firewall from a technical computing point of view; plus comments.
...
No photographers on the scene? No problem!
Sometimes surrealistic Taiwanese computer animated antic news scenarios, described by Richard Vine, who profiles Next Media Animation (NMA), the company producing them.
# Is there Life after
The Village Voice? Wayne Barrett
will be a special contributor to NewsBeast.
# Prof Frances Fox Piven, 78, has had to get police protection due to threats she has received which were allegedly inspired by Glenn Beck's adverse remarks about her, according to Paul Harris at The Guardian Observer.
# Patch Made: Egyptians can SAY it
to Twitter now with voice connection.
:: Jan 25 Voices on Twitter ::
# Verity Stob delves into Swedish Noir by reviewing Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Henning Mankell's Firewall from a technical computing point of view; plus comments.
...
Saturday, January 29
Under The Net (3#) -
Government forces in Egypt are
cracking down on journalists who are trying to
report on events there during the Internet blackout . . .
The BBC's Assad Sawey appeared on screen while soaked in blood, and some CNN personnel have had their cameras confiscated, according to a report by Dan Goodin at The Reg.
But Egyptians are resourcefully using
workarounds, Diane Macedo tells us.
Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Cairo, said
the city looked like a war zone on Saturday morning.
...
cracking down on journalists who are trying to
report on events there during the Internet blackout . . .
The BBC's Assad Sawey appeared on screen while soaked in blood, and some CNN personnel have had their cameras confiscated, according to a report by Dan Goodin at The Reg.
But Egyptians are resourcefully using
workarounds, Diane Macedo tells us.
Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Cairo, said
the city looked like a war zone on Saturday morning.
...
Friday, January 28
Bookish: Brief Notes (7#) -
Christopher Fowler, back from a refreshing
exotic vacation, is now on the trail of an
obscure architectural mystery in London . . .
# Tom Nolan reviews a handful
of new Mystery novels at the WSJ.
# Lindsay Ann Hawker's
alleged murderer writes a book.
# On January 25, Yasmine El Rashidi writes:
"I had made a plan with a journalist friend to head out early and stop by several of the designated protest locations - the Supreme Court, Cairo University, the popular Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque, and Shubra - before deciding where to go."
She describes her firsthand experiences
:: at the blog of The NY Review of Books.
:: Issandr says he's updating his blog from Tunisia.
# The Literarian, a new online
:: magazine from The Center for Fiction [via]
...
exotic vacation, is now on the trail of an
obscure architectural mystery in London . . .
# Tom Nolan reviews a handful
of new Mystery novels at the WSJ.
# Lindsay Ann Hawker's
alleged murderer writes a book.
# On January 25, Yasmine El Rashidi writes:
"I had made a plan with a journalist friend to head out early and stop by several of the designated protest locations - the Supreme Court, Cairo University, the popular Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque, and Shubra - before deciding where to go."
She describes her firsthand experiences
:: at the blog of The NY Review of Books.
:: Issandr says he's updating his blog from Tunisia.
# The Literarian, a new online
:: magazine from The Center for Fiction [via]
...
Thursday, January 27
On The Run (5#) -
Authorities have captured and removed a fourteen foot Burmese python weighing about 150 to 200 pounds near the Riverside Apartments in Tarpon Springs FL.
# A spin-off of Bones, the Fox TV mystery series about a forensic anthropologist, is going to be based in South Florida. It's called The Finder.
# Young Florida woman allegedly hired a "hit man" to just cripple her boyfriend because she couldn't afford to pay full price to get him killed.
# Boca Loca retirement village found to be
harboring alleged drugs racketeering fugitive.
# Penance Demanded: The Miami Herald newspaper is slammed by Cuban exiles for publishing a Politically Incorrect advertisement. Many heated comments ensue.
...
# A spin-off of Bones, the Fox TV mystery series about a forensic anthropologist, is going to be based in South Florida. It's called The Finder.
# Young Florida woman allegedly hired a "hit man" to just cripple her boyfriend because she couldn't afford to pay full price to get him killed.
# Boca Loca retirement village found to be
harboring alleged drugs racketeering fugitive.
# Penance Demanded: The Miami Herald newspaper is slammed by Cuban exiles for publishing a Politically Incorrect advertisement. Many heated comments ensue.
...
More: Lonely Piano (3#) -
The image of the baby grand piano on the sandbar really went viral. It even made BBC TV. I saw it on the Beeb last night. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people. But why? That in itself is an intriguing question.
Speaking for myself only, I associated it with the earlier image of the lonely cellist who persisted in playing his cello every day through the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia.
Many people around the world found him inspiring because he seemed to represent the hope that Civilization would prevail over a reversion to the forces of darkness and savagery there.
His cello became a symbol representing the hope of civilization; and his persistent attachment to it came to represent an inspiration that in spite of all the violence going on around him, Humanity would persistently cling to the values we normally associate with that cello. The piano on the sandbar evoked my memories of that earlier inspiration.
When I posted the link to the piano story, I commented on the image; but, on second thought, I deleted my comment, because I soon realized that the image could generate Reverie and a creatively productive experience for the viewer.
Around SoFlo, the image triggered mostly just some quick quips, although some people thought it might be a publicity stunt for the newly-opened Frank Gehry concert hall. That's not such a shabby thought. And it brings us to Architecture.
Architecture, they tell us, is about how we experience the space around us. But it can be a difficult experience to verbalize.
I remember vividly my experience years ago, when we visited the work of Mr Lapidus. Moving down the grand staircase at the Fontainebleau Hotel made me feel like Loretta Young, a glamorous movie star. The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on: I felt that Mr Lapidus had a magic touch and I became a fan.
When Mr Lapidus sprinkled his magic fairy dust, he could imbue the environment with glamor and majesty and even some exhilaration. I can only hope that Mr Gehry proves to be a worthy successor to Mr Lapidus with comparable inspirational results.
The explanation for the piano being left on the sandbar? It was put there as part of a hare-brained photo-shoot scheme, of course. But, surely, you must have guessed that by now. The image was far more powerful than its relatively prosaic explanation.
Maybe SoFlo has enjoyed basking in its glow for a moment. Maybe it has been an uplifting moment. And maybe it was a felicitous coincidence.
:: BBC :: Grand piano appears on Miami sandbank
:::: BBC :::: Piano mystery solved
:: TDB :: Frank Gehry's New World
Symphony Center in Miami Beach
...
Speaking for myself only, I associated it with the earlier image of the lonely cellist who persisted in playing his cello every day through the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia.
Many people around the world found him inspiring because he seemed to represent the hope that Civilization would prevail over a reversion to the forces of darkness and savagery there.
His cello became a symbol representing the hope of civilization; and his persistent attachment to it came to represent an inspiration that in spite of all the violence going on around him, Humanity would persistently cling to the values we normally associate with that cello. The piano on the sandbar evoked my memories of that earlier inspiration.
When I posted the link to the piano story, I commented on the image; but, on second thought, I deleted my comment, because I soon realized that the image could generate Reverie and a creatively productive experience for the viewer.
Around SoFlo, the image triggered mostly just some quick quips, although some people thought it might be a publicity stunt for the newly-opened Frank Gehry concert hall. That's not such a shabby thought. And it brings us to Architecture.
Architecture, they tell us, is about how we experience the space around us. But it can be a difficult experience to verbalize.
I remember vividly my experience years ago, when we visited the work of Mr Lapidus. Moving down the grand staircase at the Fontainebleau Hotel made me feel like Loretta Young, a glamorous movie star. The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on: I felt that Mr Lapidus had a magic touch and I became a fan.
When Mr Lapidus sprinkled his magic fairy dust, he could imbue the environment with glamor and majesty and even some exhilaration. I can only hope that Mr Gehry proves to be a worthy successor to Mr Lapidus with comparable inspirational results.
The explanation for the piano being left on the sandbar? It was put there as part of a hare-brained photo-shoot scheme, of course. But, surely, you must have guessed that by now. The image was far more powerful than its relatively prosaic explanation.
Maybe SoFlo has enjoyed basking in its glow for a moment. Maybe it has been an uplifting moment. And maybe it was a felicitous coincidence.
:: BBC :: Grand piano appears on Miami sandbank
:::: BBC :::: Piano mystery solved
:: TDB :: Frank Gehry's New World
Symphony Center in Miami Beach
...
Tuesday, January 25
SoFlo: Lonely Piano (4#) -
Glenn Garvin tells us that the National Association of Television Program Executives is meeting in Miami Beach. And they've got surprises up their sleeves like you wouldn't believe. For example:
The Japanese programming execs remade
"the grisly, homicidal Forensic Files as a game show."
# It's a Mystery: A grand piano
has been left on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay.
# Boca Raton high school
student Brett Loewenstern is going
to Hollywood for American Idol.
# Reporter Vanessa M Gezari from St Petersburg visits
with Zarghoona Salehi who works for Pajhwok News.
...
The Japanese programming execs remade
"the grisly, homicidal Forensic Files as a game show."
# It's a Mystery: A grand piano
has been left on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay.
# Boca Raton high school
student Brett Loewenstern is going
to Hollywood for American Idol.
# Reporter Vanessa M Gezari from St Petersburg visits
with Zarghoona Salehi who works for Pajhwok News.
...
Monday, January 24
Loose Links (4#) -
Choco Churn: Turmoil in
Cote d'Ivoire is causing a
spike in cocoa prices. [blmbrg]
# The current regime in Iran has launched their new cyber-police unit to crack down on dissidents. The Revolutionary Guard is already in control of most of the telecom activity in the country.
# Bombay, now known as Mumbai,
inspires writers, Tripti Lahiri tells us.
...
Cote d'Ivoire is causing a
spike in cocoa prices. [blmbrg]
# The current regime in Iran has launched their new cyber-police unit to crack down on dissidents. The Revolutionary Guard is already in control of most of the telecom activity in the country.
# Bombay, now known as Mumbai,
inspires writers, Tripti Lahiri tells us.
...
Sunday, January 23
Mez: Handle
With Care (4#) -
Amanda Knox returned to court on Saturday . . .
She was previously convicted by a lower court of unintentionally killing her Eurasian flatmate, Meredith Kercher, while stoned on drugs, in concert with two others.
The appeals court was presided over by Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, who appointed two independent DNA experts, Stefano Conti and Carla Vecchioti from Sapienza University, to review the findings of the lower court on two controversial pieces of evidence. They have 90 days to make their examination and will report their findings to the court on May 21.
The next hearings are scheduled for
March 12, March 26, April 16 and May 21.
And in another case associated with Beatles music:
Patricia Krenwinkel, who participated in the Tate-LaBianca murders more than 40 years ago, was denied parole for the thirteenth time on Thursday.
:: Andrea Vogt: SPI ::
:: Barbie Nadeau: CNN :: - - - ::BBC::
...
She was previously convicted by a lower court of unintentionally killing her Eurasian flatmate, Meredith Kercher, while stoned on drugs, in concert with two others.
The appeals court was presided over by Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, who appointed two independent DNA experts, Stefano Conti and Carla Vecchioti from Sapienza University, to review the findings of the lower court on two controversial pieces of evidence. They have 90 days to make their examination and will report their findings to the court on May 21.
The next hearings are scheduled for
March 12, March 26, April 16 and May 21.
And in another case associated with Beatles music:
Patricia Krenwinkel, who participated in the Tate-LaBianca murders more than 40 years ago, was denied parole for the thirteenth time on Thursday.
:: Andrea Vogt: SPI ::
:: Barbie Nadeau: CNN :: - - - ::BBC::
...
Friday, January 21
Civility in
Public Discourse (2#) -
In the aftermath of the Tucson shooting spree there has been a lot of soul-searching about the tone of public discourse; but a lot of scapegoating, finger-pointing, and blame-gaming has been cycling through the Media, too.
According to PEJ, from January 8-16, 59% of the commentary in Blogs and social media involved Liberals blaming Conservatives for their tone, while 28% involved Conservatives criticizing the Left or defending themselves.
Thus, we might propose
an old axiom: Let peace begin with me.
If each individual Blogger would try to exercise some self-control and refrain from contributing to this cycle, the atmosphere might calm down.
But it is possible that some people don't want to calm down; they may be spoiling for an ever-nastier fight. It's your choice to make.
:: PEJ ::
:: Tu quoque ::
...
According to PEJ, from January 8-16, 59% of the commentary in Blogs and social media involved Liberals blaming Conservatives for their tone, while 28% involved Conservatives criticizing the Left or defending themselves.
Thus, we might propose
an old axiom: Let peace begin with me.
If each individual Blogger would try to exercise some self-control and refrain from contributing to this cycle, the atmosphere might calm down.
But it is possible that some people don't want to calm down; they may be spoiling for an ever-nastier fight. It's your choice to make.
:: PEJ ::
:: Tu quoque ::
...
Thursday, January 20
Late Media Notes (3#) -
After threats of violence caused cancellation of the originally scheduled screening of Iranium, Canada's Minister of Heritage James Moore vowed the documentary movie about Iran and its nuclear ambitions will be shown, The Wrap reports.
# Snooki Polizzi’s novel is now #24 on the
New York Times Best Seller list, according to CNN.
# The Parents Television Council has asked the U.S. Justice Department for an immediate investigation into Child P*rn and Juvenile Exploitation with regard to an MTV series called Skins, according to Reuters.
...
# Snooki Polizzi’s novel is now #24 on the
New York Times Best Seller list, according to CNN.
# The Parents Television Council has asked the U.S. Justice Department for an immediate investigation into Child P*rn and Juvenile Exploitation with regard to an MTV series called Skins, according to Reuters.
...
Radio Talkers Cancelled (2#) -
Nationally syndicated pundits Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have lost their Philadelphia radio outlet WPHT, after Beck was cancelled by his New York City affiliate WOR 710 AM. In a fit of apparent sour grapes, Beck trashed Philly.
Meanwhile, Will Bunch of the Attytood Blog, reports
Beck's strange Puppet Master problem and asks:
"Surely a coincidence, right?"
:: Radio Info ::
:: Attytood ::
...
Meanwhile, Will Bunch of the Attytood Blog, reports
Beck's strange Puppet Master problem and asks:
"Surely a coincidence, right?"
:: Radio Info ::
:: Attytood ::
...
Bookish: Midnight Oil (4#) -
A special feature issue of Tehelka,
a weekly news magazine from India,
has a Pulp & Noir Mystery Theme . . .
Editor Tarun J Tejpal begins with
an introductory letter to readers,
eloquently explaining the rationale behind this.
Then Gaurav Jain describes
the contents which include the work of three
Pakistani writers, a graphic novelist, and more.
There are original short stories listed in a grid
on the front page with such sumptuous illustrations
you might even want to keep some of them.
:: Enjoy! ::
*******************************************
# In case you run out of reading material for this weekend, Ken Bruen is presenting the first chapter of his serial mystery novel Black Lens.
It will continue to be posted at the Mulholland Books
::::: website at the rate of one chapter per week.
...
a weekly news magazine from India,
has a Pulp & Noir Mystery Theme . . .
Editor Tarun J Tejpal begins with
an introductory letter to readers,
eloquently explaining the rationale behind this.
Then Gaurav Jain describes
the contents which include the work of three
Pakistani writers, a graphic novelist, and more.
There are original short stories listed in a grid
on the front page with such sumptuous illustrations
you might even want to keep some of them.
:: Enjoy! ::
*******************************************
# In case you run out of reading material for this weekend, Ken Bruen is presenting the first chapter of his serial mystery novel Black Lens.
It will continue to be posted at the Mulholland Books
::::: website at the rate of one chapter per week.
...
Wednesday, January 19
Bookish: Detecting Trio -
Do you miss Lord Peter Wimsey? If so, you're in luck.
Jill Paton Walsh is spinning a Wimsey-inspired story called The Attenbury Emeralds with the permission of the Sayers Estate. Tom Nolan reviews it, a new Swedish mystery, and more at the WSJ.
# Jake Adelstein worked as a reporter on the Crime Beat of the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun for twelve years, although he's originally from Missouri. Zac O' Yeah caught up with him and talked with him about his book Tokyo Vice.
# Author Judith Flanders recounts how Crime Detection and Scotland Yard were established during the Victorian Era in her book The Invention of Murder, reviewed by Wendy Moore at the Telegraph.
...
Jill Paton Walsh is spinning a Wimsey-inspired story called The Attenbury Emeralds with the permission of the Sayers Estate. Tom Nolan reviews it, a new Swedish mystery, and more at the WSJ.
# Jake Adelstein worked as a reporter on the Crime Beat of the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun for twelve years, although he's originally from Missouri. Zac O' Yeah caught up with him and talked with him about his book Tokyo Vice.
# Author Judith Flanders recounts how Crime Detection and Scotland Yard were established during the Victorian Era in her book The Invention of Murder, reviewed by Wendy Moore at the Telegraph.
...
POVs & Mixed Nuts (4#) -
The Guardian columnist who covers American Talk Radio also covers its Cable TV counterpart, Fox News. Sadhbh Walshe's latest column or blog entry concerns the Fox Pundits' reactions to the Tucson shootings "as they continue to be shocked by the hypocrisy of the 'hate-filled' left."
I don't subscribe to Cable TV for numerous reasons. I had it briefly because it came with my rented studio accommodations. Do you find this entertaining? I consider it mostly a waste of time.
A long comment thread follows The Right Word.
# Why Does Roger Ailes Hate America?
:::::: By Tom Junod at Esquire.
A much-recommended (but long)
in-depth look at the dramaturge in
charge of the Fox News Cable TV Channel.
# Ellisa Martinez, the accused School Lockdown
Lady, is expected to use an Insanity Defense,
according to court papers filed Tuesday.
# A new and improved Fantasyland will be
unveiled in 2012. It will be twice the size it is now.
...
I don't subscribe to Cable TV for numerous reasons. I had it briefly because it came with my rented studio accommodations. Do you find this entertaining? I consider it mostly a waste of time.
A long comment thread follows The Right Word.
# Why Does Roger Ailes Hate America?
:::::: By Tom Junod at Esquire.
A much-recommended (but long)
in-depth look at the dramaturge in
charge of the Fox News Cable TV Channel.
# Ellisa Martinez, the accused School Lockdown
Lady, is expected to use an Insanity Defense,
according to court papers filed Tuesday.
# A new and improved Fantasyland will be
unveiled in 2012. It will be twice the size it is now.
...
Tuesday, January 18
SoFlo Scorchers (3#) -
A Broward County Commissioner
has told the Sun Sentinel newspaper
that local bloggers want to kill her . . .
Stacy Ritter claims to be in fear for her life. I've never seen any evidence of her allegation; if such threats reside on a blog here in Florida, the FBI would have arrived on the blogger's doorstep by now. If such evidence actually exists, Ms Ritter should send it in to them. But maybe it's an X-File.
Anthony Man has been reporting lately on the kind of overheated political rhetoric being employed in some quarters of Broward County. A professor at Barry University suggests it's "out of control" already.
And if it isn't Politics, it could be
Money causing trouble around here . . .
With a $20-million family fortune at stake, a Fort Lauderdale man is accused of trying to hire a hit man to eliminate his younger brother.
Jim Roy Watkins, 59, was arrested Friday and is currently being held without bond, after police claim a witness wore a wire on which the plot was described.
His brother, Steven, 53, said he was
devastated to learn about the alleged plan.
Linda Trischitta at the Sun Sentinel reports.
...
has told the Sun Sentinel newspaper
that local bloggers want to kill her . . .
Stacy Ritter claims to be in fear for her life. I've never seen any evidence of her allegation; if such threats reside on a blog here in Florida, the FBI would have arrived on the blogger's doorstep by now. If such evidence actually exists, Ms Ritter should send it in to them. But maybe it's an X-File.
Anthony Man has been reporting lately on the kind of overheated political rhetoric being employed in some quarters of Broward County. A professor at Barry University suggests it's "out of control" already.
And if it isn't Politics, it could be
Money causing trouble around here . . .
With a $20-million family fortune at stake, a Fort Lauderdale man is accused of trying to hire a hit man to eliminate his younger brother.
Jim Roy Watkins, 59, was arrested Friday and is currently being held without bond, after police claim a witness wore a wire on which the plot was described.
His brother, Steven, 53, said he was
devastated to learn about the alleged plan.
Linda Trischitta at the Sun Sentinel reports.
...
Monday, January 17
Covering
An Abandoned Beat -
Last night at Midnight, we had another episode of Varg Veum. Afterwards, we watched another extra feature video by Chris Arth in which he interviewed the actor who plays the hero. While the actor does speak and understand English, his English is so heavily accented that it can be difficult to decipher. Among other things, he revealed that one of his favorite movies is Chinatown.
The episode, called The Woman in the Fridge, dealt with the persistence of personality traits combined with the mutability of identity - in this case: gender identity.
In our area, this International Mysteries series is broadcast on an obscure secondary Public Broadcasting TV channel: 17.2; and it comes on at Midnight, even though it is listed on their main schedule for 9pm. If you live in another geographical area of the country, you may have to do a bit of research to find it. The quality of their offerings ranges from good to excellent.
Many American newspapers are no longer providing comprehensive TV schedules. Or they may provide only a bare bones Primetime schedule. Even the schedule they do provide may be from the pre-digital era. Thus, this series may not even be noted.
This recent move repeats their earlier elimination of radio schedules. In general, there is very little or no coverage of what's happening on American radio. It may surprise you to learn that the UK Guardian newspaper has decided to cover this beat and has actually assigned a reporter to do that. Her column or blog appears in the American section of their Comment is free feature, which can be found on their website.
We had a mostly nasty and stormy day
today with a tornado watch, so I stayed offline.
...
The episode, called The Woman in the Fridge, dealt with the persistence of personality traits combined with the mutability of identity - in this case: gender identity.
In our area, this International Mysteries series is broadcast on an obscure secondary Public Broadcasting TV channel: 17.2; and it comes on at Midnight, even though it is listed on their main schedule for 9pm. If you live in another geographical area of the country, you may have to do a bit of research to find it. The quality of their offerings ranges from good to excellent.
Many American newspapers are no longer providing comprehensive TV schedules. Or they may provide only a bare bones Primetime schedule. Even the schedule they do provide may be from the pre-digital era. Thus, this series may not even be noted.
This recent move repeats their earlier elimination of radio schedules. In general, there is very little or no coverage of what's happening on American radio. It may surprise you to learn that the UK Guardian newspaper has decided to cover this beat and has actually assigned a reporter to do that. Her column or blog appears in the American section of their Comment is free feature, which can be found on their website.
We had a mostly nasty and stormy day
today with a tornado watch, so I stayed offline.
...
Friday, January 14
Home Decor Raid -
Wednesday, January 12
When Nesting
Trannies Attack -
Drag Dressers Pump
Pepper Spray at Shocked Shoppers . . .
A wild afternoon robbery invasion at a Boca Loca Home Depot featured cross-dressers armed with vapors, whooshing their way through the store as they scooped up merchandise, who then attempted to flee using a red Ford Explorer, but the accused miscreants were captured by Loss Prevention Officers before they could peel out of the parking lot.
The suspects are reported to be from the Miami area.
"Kendal Edgar Lowry, 26, of Opa-Locka, was wearing a yellow tank top, gray pants and mid-calf gray flat-heeled boots. David Tucker, 24, of Miami, wore a pink shirt, denim skirt and flip flops of unknown color."
No description of their hairstyles was available.
The store had to be evacuated to air out the fumes.
...
Pepper Spray at Shocked Shoppers . . .
A wild afternoon robbery invasion at a Boca Loca Home Depot featured cross-dressers armed with vapors, whooshing their way through the store as they scooped up merchandise, who then attempted to flee using a red Ford Explorer, but the accused miscreants were captured by Loss Prevention Officers before they could peel out of the parking lot.
The suspects are reported to be from the Miami area.
"Kendal Edgar Lowry, 26, of Opa-Locka, was wearing a yellow tank top, gray pants and mid-calf gray flat-heeled boots. David Tucker, 24, of Miami, wore a pink shirt, denim skirt and flip flops of unknown color."
No description of their hairstyles was available.
The store had to be evacuated to air out the fumes.
...
Bookish: Passing Notes (8#) -
Brian McManus writes about Philadelphia Noir and author David Goodis. Francois Truffaut used a Goodis story called Down There as the basis for his movie Don't Shoot The Piano Player.
# Author Michael Chabon, who has been working on a new book lately, writes about his sense of place at The Atlantic.
# Alan Littell writes about his days at the old Paris Herald newspaper with the odd characters, including Art Buchwald, who used to work there, too.
# Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt
reviewed at EW. Pop Culture memoir of teenage years.
# Readers name their favorite International Mysteries:
::::: Set in Europe ::: and Elsewhere :::
# Inside Nick Hornby's Ministry of Stories
is an imaginative creative writing laboratory
for children, Roger Tagholm reports.
# Do you live in one of the most literate
American cities? Seattle has fallen from first place.
...
# Author Michael Chabon, who has been working on a new book lately, writes about his sense of place at The Atlantic.
# Alan Littell writes about his days at the old Paris Herald newspaper with the odd characters, including Art Buchwald, who used to work there, too.
# Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt
reviewed at EW. Pop Culture memoir of teenage years.
# Readers name their favorite International Mysteries:
::::: Set in Europe ::: and Elsewhere :::
# Inside Nick Hornby's Ministry of Stories
is an imaginative creative writing laboratory
for children, Roger Tagholm reports.
# Do you live in one of the most literate
American cities? Seattle has fallen from first place.
...
Tuesday, January 11
Drone Expected in SoFlo -
A new Eye in the Sky aid may be arriving soon at the Miami-Dade Police Department. Described as Honeywell's T-hawk, a 20-pound drone that can fly for 40 minutes at 10K feet and cruise at 46 miles an hour.
I believe the MDPD was lent the craft to try out not long ago, but no one even noticed it while it was aloft. The current article about it, however, seems to have kicked up quite a fuss.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office often uses a helicopter which used to have a big searchlight at night, but not anymore. I suspect they've switched to more modern night vision equipment on it which was originally developed for the military.
:: WSVN: Drone ::
...
I believe the MDPD was lent the craft to try out not long ago, but no one even noticed it while it was aloft. The current article about it, however, seems to have kicked up quite a fuss.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office often uses a helicopter which used to have a big searchlight at night, but not anymore. I suspect they've switched to more modern night vision equipment on it which was originally developed for the military.
:: WSVN: Drone ::
...
Friday, January 7
Step On Your Face 2 -
SF Weekly vs Bay Guardian Settlement . . .
The previously established generation of free weeklies are now known as Shopper-Service publications. They were supposed to offer a lower cost alternative for small business operators like plumbers and house painters to advertise than the local Metro-Regional newspapers. Some of them have thrived in the post-WW2 suburban environment.
The newer "Alt" Weeklies are aimed at a different set of advertisers: Entertainment and Leisure businesses. There may be a bit of overlap sometimes with regard to some local restaurants, for example.
The basic "content" consists of a calendar format. They present some entertainment or leisure event each day for the entire week. It's a recognizable formula, but in and of itself has no redeeming social value whatsoever.
In the local VVM outlet around here, their concept of Culture is the promotion of sexual fetish conventions. And their concept of Literacy is comic books.
At least you can always recognize the VVM readers: they're the ones with hair on the palms of their hands.
Ironically, the original Village Voice was established partly to displace an entrenched machine. Now the corporate entity that bears their name has become another machine - an Infernal Machine.
Just a brief word on the issue of Reader Figures. Any such statistics coming from free publications have no credibility, in my opinion.
:: Romenesko ::
:: VVM :: (wikipedia) ::
...
The previously established generation of free weeklies are now known as Shopper-Service publications. They were supposed to offer a lower cost alternative for small business operators like plumbers and house painters to advertise than the local Metro-Regional newspapers. Some of them have thrived in the post-WW2 suburban environment.
The newer "Alt" Weeklies are aimed at a different set of advertisers: Entertainment and Leisure businesses. There may be a bit of overlap sometimes with regard to some local restaurants, for example.
The basic "content" consists of a calendar format. They present some entertainment or leisure event each day for the entire week. It's a recognizable formula, but in and of itself has no redeeming social value whatsoever.
In the local VVM outlet around here, their concept of Culture is the promotion of sexual fetish conventions. And their concept of Literacy is comic books.
At least you can always recognize the VVM readers: they're the ones with hair on the palms of their hands.
Ironically, the original Village Voice was established partly to displace an entrenched machine. Now the corporate entity that bears their name has become another machine - an Infernal Machine.
Just a brief word on the issue of Reader Figures. Any such statistics coming from free publications have no credibility, in my opinion.
:: Romenesko ::
:: VVM :: (wikipedia) ::
...
Step On Your Face -
and grind his heel
into your mouth to shut you up . . .
SF Weekly and Bay Guardian settle their
differences 'on mutually acceptable terms,'
although the details are not being disclosed.
The VVM Machine (aka New Times Media) has learned nothing. In their summation statement they are still touting how many more readers they have compared to the Bay Guardian. They are incorrigible bullies and incurable sociopaths. Their statement willfully disregards what the judge told them.
When this case started, I had a mild aversion to Michael Lacey. At the end of this rather lengthy legal process, I now intensely loath him and view him as one of the most evil men in the United States.
Has the Public gained anything from this legal process. I believe so. The Public now has a much more clarity about what the entity known as Village Voice Media actually is and how they operate. VVM is essentially an advertising machine. The multiple weekly publications are illusory satellites with VVM as the glue.
The very same characteristic that makes VVM practically judgement-proof also provides a disincentive to ever improving the quality of their product, making them an Infernal Machine that can only move in an ever downward spiral.
Any object that is not prodded, poked or pushed in a particular direction is subject to entropy, drag, and degradation.
It's like a weekly injection of raw sewage into Society.
NB: Part 2 follows . . .
...
into your mouth to shut you up . . .
SF Weekly and Bay Guardian settle their
differences 'on mutually acceptable terms,'
although the details are not being disclosed.
The VVM Machine (aka New Times Media) has learned nothing. In their summation statement they are still touting how many more readers they have compared to the Bay Guardian. They are incorrigible bullies and incurable sociopaths. Their statement willfully disregards what the judge told them.
When this case started, I had a mild aversion to Michael Lacey. At the end of this rather lengthy legal process, I now intensely loath him and view him as one of the most evil men in the United States.
Has the Public gained anything from this legal process. I believe so. The Public now has a much more clarity about what the entity known as Village Voice Media actually is and how they operate. VVM is essentially an advertising machine. The multiple weekly publications are illusory satellites with VVM as the glue.
The very same characteristic that makes VVM practically judgement-proof also provides a disincentive to ever improving the quality of their product, making them an Infernal Machine that can only move in an ever downward spiral.
Any object that is not prodded, poked or pushed in a particular direction is subject to entropy, drag, and degradation.
It's like a weekly injection of raw sewage into Society.
NB: Part 2 follows . . .
...
Thursday, January 6
Onward To Pansy Magic -
I got unexpectedly busy today, but not too busy to note that January 6th is the most widely accepted date in the West to mark Epiphany, which is also known as Trois Rois or Twelfth Night.
It means that it's time to take down the Christmas decorations if you've left yours up til now, because this is the end of the Yule Season and the traditional end of Christmas. The stores have already started to redecorate for Valentine Day - hint hint!
What about the outside lights? Some people find the long winter nights too gloomy; they prefer to leave their lights up for a while longer.
When I was a young child, this occasion was a signal to start preparing to put up your pansies. They took longer to come into flower and melted out with the onset of summer heat.
Today's pansies have undergone hybridization processing. They come into flower in a shorter period of time, so that they don't need to be started as early. But, since pansies are something to look forward to in spring, Pansy Magic was an exciting time of the year.
We used to put them up in an old cardboard shoebox that still had a lid. Once planted and covered, they were carefully placed in the back of a seldom-used closet for a couple of weeks. One was absolutely not allowed to peek or open the box for 14 days.
What was going on in there? Pansy Magic. It had two requirements: darkness and secrecy. At the end of exactly 14 days, we were allowed to open the box. We would always squeal with delight at the results we discovered and we would always exclaim: Pansies!
Have a happy whatever you celebrate!
...
It means that it's time to take down the Christmas decorations if you've left yours up til now, because this is the end of the Yule Season and the traditional end of Christmas. The stores have already started to redecorate for Valentine Day - hint hint!
What about the outside lights? Some people find the long winter nights too gloomy; they prefer to leave their lights up for a while longer.
When I was a young child, this occasion was a signal to start preparing to put up your pansies. They took longer to come into flower and melted out with the onset of summer heat.
Today's pansies have undergone hybridization processing. They come into flower in a shorter period of time, so that they don't need to be started as early. But, since pansies are something to look forward to in spring, Pansy Magic was an exciting time of the year.
We used to put them up in an old cardboard shoebox that still had a lid. Once planted and covered, they were carefully placed in the back of a seldom-used closet for a couple of weeks. One was absolutely not allowed to peek or open the box for 14 days.
What was going on in there? Pansy Magic. It had two requirements: darkness and secrecy. At the end of exactly 14 days, we were allowed to open the box. We would always squeal with delight at the results we discovered and we would always exclaim: Pansies!
Have a happy whatever you celebrate!
...
Wednesday, January 5
Forbidden Fun (2#) -
Two Iranian expats, Kambiz Hosseini and Saman Arbabi, have a TV show on VOA satirizing the News Media of Iran, much to the dismay of the current government regime there.
Dressed in outlandishly rakish skateboarder grunge like a knit watchcap, fingerless gloves, Sex Pistols T-shirts, nose rings, and punkly painted fingernails, the pair deliver their weekly Parazit Edition to thousands of their delighted fans in Iran who surreptitiously download it in ingenious ways.
Tara Bahrampour reports at the WaPo.
*****************************************
# Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and human rights
activist based in Lahore, explains the role
of the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan's current
turmoil and future prospects at the LAT.
...
Dressed in outlandishly rakish skateboarder grunge like a knit watchcap, fingerless gloves, Sex Pistols T-shirts, nose rings, and punkly painted fingernails, the pair deliver their weekly Parazit Edition to thousands of their delighted fans in Iran who surreptitiously download it in ingenious ways.
Tara Bahrampour reports at the WaPo.
*****************************************
# Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and human rights
activist based in Lahore, explains the role
of the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan's current
turmoil and future prospects at the LAT.
...
Local Noises (5#) -
The Whole Enchilada: Rick Hirsch, formerly in charge of the Broward County Edition, has been appointed Managing Editor of the entire Miami Herald. He is described as progressive with regard to New Media and Internet Initiatives. Congratulations, Rick!
# All hell broke loose in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (yesterday) when a police chase erupted through the Lakes District in southeastern Broward County. Officers, responding to a call about a loud domestic disturbance waking up the neighborhood, discovered a fleeing suspect wanted for Attempted Murder. Dominic H Rosato, 27, was taken into custody.
# He Coulda Been A Contender: Miami-Dade County has illegally refused to allow Fort Lauderdale stevedores permits to work in their port, according to a Federal judge.
# Reckless Eyeballing Murder: The suspect claimed that "the victim had recently looked at him in an inappropriate manner of which (the suspect) felt was loaded with homosexual connotations, thus causing him to kill the victim."
# Human Trafficking: Fort Lauderdale jury hears very disturbing testimony of former child sex slave who was abducted in Asia and brought to live in Florida.
...
# All hell broke loose in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (yesterday) when a police chase erupted through the Lakes District in southeastern Broward County. Officers, responding to a call about a loud domestic disturbance waking up the neighborhood, discovered a fleeing suspect wanted for Attempted Murder. Dominic H Rosato, 27, was taken into custody.
# He Coulda Been A Contender: Miami-Dade County has illegally refused to allow Fort Lauderdale stevedores permits to work in their port, according to a Federal judge.
# Reckless Eyeballing Murder: The suspect claimed that "the victim had recently looked at him in an inappropriate manner of which (the suspect) felt was loaded with homosexual connotations, thus causing him to kill the victim."
# Human Trafficking: Fort Lauderdale jury hears very disturbing testimony of former child sex slave who was abducted in Asia and brought to live in Florida.
...
Tuesday, January 4
Heard Over
The Back Fence (3#) -
ETs, Voodoo, and Corruption . . .
Is anyone out there listening?
Cape Canaveral's Jim Lewis from Merritt Island
is sending messages to ET aliens in Outer Space.
"We taste terrible!" was one of the first messages to
any aliens out there from a cautious resident in Texas.
:: Chris Kridler has the whole story at Florida Today.
# Broward County has stalled in
hiring an anti-corruption watchdog.
# Akashic's new Haiti Noir, edited by
Edwidge Danticat, is Carolyn Kellogg's topic.
Some crimes may involve Voodoo. Expect to
hear more about this in weeks to come here in SoFlo.
...
Is anyone out there listening?
Cape Canaveral's Jim Lewis from Merritt Island
is sending messages to ET aliens in Outer Space.
"We taste terrible!" was one of the first messages to
any aliens out there from a cautious resident in Texas.
:: Chris Kridler has the whole story at Florida Today.
# Broward County has stalled in
hiring an anti-corruption watchdog.
# Akashic's new Haiti Noir, edited by
Edwidge Danticat, is Carolyn Kellogg's topic.
Some crimes may involve Voodoo. Expect to
hear more about this in weeks to come here in SoFlo.
...
Monday, January 3
Bookish: Castles
With Secrets (2#)
A 65-year-old woman was found frozen to death inside a vast historic Swedish castle, police in Kalmar disclosed Sunday. She was said to have been suffering from emotional problems.
The first new Kurt Wallander novel
in a decade will be published in March.
Called The Troubled Man, it involves Kurt's investigation into the disappearance of daughter Linda's prospective father-in law, Alison Flood reports at The Guardian.
...
The first new Kurt Wallander novel
in a decade will be published in March.
Called The Troubled Man, it involves Kurt's investigation into the disappearance of daughter Linda's prospective father-in law, Alison Flood reports at The Guardian.
...
Sunday, January 2
Bookish: Even The Details (3#) -
Guardian writer Stuart Evers really started an intense debate about which actor does the best portrayal of Swedish detective Wallander. If you are here in the US, you may believe there are two actors to chose from, but if you are in the UK, you now know there are actually three. The comment thread rocks with even nit-picky details such as Volvos vs Saabs.
I'm partial to Krister Henriksson and his
supporting cast; I don't mind the subtitles.
I haven't seen the Rolf Lassgard portrayal. I do watch the BBC Branagh version - the landscape photography and production values are quite good. But Henriksson seems more mellow and believable to me.
For tonight's International Mysteries at Midnight they have previewed one of the Bruno Cremer as Maigret series. We haven't had a Tatort in a while. We're still getting some Montalbanos. I also liked the few Varg Veum episodes we got.
Which Wallander do you prefer?
**********************************
# George Prochnik has an interesting
essay about a group of often overlooked
Austrian writers worth visiting at TDB.
...
I'm partial to Krister Henriksson and his
supporting cast; I don't mind the subtitles.
I haven't seen the Rolf Lassgard portrayal. I do watch the BBC Branagh version - the landscape photography and production values are quite good. But Henriksson seems more mellow and believable to me.
For tonight's International Mysteries at Midnight they have previewed one of the Bruno Cremer as Maigret series. We haven't had a Tatort in a while. We're still getting some Montalbanos. I also liked the few Varg Veum episodes we got.
Which Wallander do you prefer?
**********************************
# George Prochnik has an interesting
essay about a group of often overlooked
Austrian writers worth visiting at TDB.
...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
