Marking the Monday morning kickoff . . .
of the George Zimmerman Trial, the WaPo is presenting this photo feature backgrounder essay consisting of 20 images accompanied by captions.
While it is a lovely project, it illustrates how obsessed the Mainstream Media is with steering this case often contrary to its facts. This photo essay may provide interesting geographic context to the trial, but the fatal encounter took place on Private Property, which most of the MSM still refuse to acknowledge.
Only Photo #9 seems somehow related to the fatal encounter, but its caption falls just short of explaining specifically how. Thus, each of my readers may take away something different from this caption.
I applaud the WaPo for putting their boots on the ground to produce this project; it is not a waste of space or time.
What we have here now is a push-pull effect, because in the May 28th hearing for pretrial motions, the judge attempted to narrow the scope of the territory to be covered in the trial and limit it to only the immediate circumstances of the fatal encounter.
Your field of vision is being expanded tonight with this photo essay, then it will be narrowed by Judge Nelson tomorrow morning.
* * * * *
"about 24 seats will be reserved
for randomly selected members
of the public who entered the lottery"
The Mainstream Media still wants to pretend there is a scarcity of trial availability limited to the physical space of the courtroom.
Actually, if you have a computer and an Internet connection you can probably find the proceedings being live-streamed somewhere online.
Most adults have to go to work or to school while the trial is taking place. Or they have other responsibilities to attend to.
But if you're retired or on vacation, it's all yours.
...
Sunday, June 23
Saturday, June 22
Old Heads on Young Shoulders -
I don't usually blog about
what's going on in my personal life . . .
because sometimes when people discover you're a writer, they confide weird things to you with the expectation that it is comparable to confiding in a priest, and I don't want to betray people's trust in me by being indiscreet about them, even if inadvertently.
But I do feel that I owe loyal readers some explanation for my lengthy absence from the Blogosphere recently.
Last fall I was called to do a project which I had never even considered before: be a house mother in a group home for young women. House mother??? I was never the stereotypical Leave It To Beaver maternal figure which I would associate with that role.
But one social worker believed I could do it and left me to consider how I would go about performing such a function. After mulling over the prospect, I decided I would adopt a kind of mentoring approach.
Thus, for about the last eight months, I have been supervising and mentoring a group of about a dozen young multicultural women with diverse issues. Some were in recovery from rehab, others had other problems.
Their average stay was supposed to be about three to six months. And the project afforded an unusual opportunity to make a positive difference in some people's lives, which tempted me.
Unfortunately, the woman who headed the social services organization which was operating the project had to shut it down because of a health crisis she experienced. Consequently, the young women were transferred to another organization.
In reflecting on the past several months, I was reminded of Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie:
"Little girls! I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme."
Although that now-defunct Fort Lauderdale group home was probably nothing like the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh, I hope I contributed something positive to my gals' progress and evolution.
And now you know the
explanation for my recent absence.
...
what's going on in my personal life . . .
because sometimes when people discover you're a writer, they confide weird things to you with the expectation that it is comparable to confiding in a priest, and I don't want to betray people's trust in me by being indiscreet about them, even if inadvertently.
But I do feel that I owe loyal readers some explanation for my lengthy absence from the Blogosphere recently.
Last fall I was called to do a project which I had never even considered before: be a house mother in a group home for young women. House mother??? I was never the stereotypical Leave It To Beaver maternal figure which I would associate with that role.
But one social worker believed I could do it and left me to consider how I would go about performing such a function. After mulling over the prospect, I decided I would adopt a kind of mentoring approach.
Thus, for about the last eight months, I have been supervising and mentoring a group of about a dozen young multicultural women with diverse issues. Some were in recovery from rehab, others had other problems.
Their average stay was supposed to be about three to six months. And the project afforded an unusual opportunity to make a positive difference in some people's lives, which tempted me.
Unfortunately, the woman who headed the social services organization which was operating the project had to shut it down because of a health crisis she experienced. Consequently, the young women were transferred to another organization.
In reflecting on the past several months, I was reminded of Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie:
"Little girls! I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme."
Although that now-defunct Fort Lauderdale group home was probably nothing like the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh, I hope I contributed something positive to my gals' progress and evolution.
And now you know the
explanation for my recent absence.
...
Wednesday, June 19
Don't Swat At My Dongle -
I'm on a dongle this week because I'm in transit. But I happen to be at Sbucks at the moment and wanted to check in. Normally, I don't blog much about my personal life; however, I may bend that policy to explain my blogging absence a bit further on.
Meanwhile, there's news
about The Perugia Slasher Case . . .
A dramatic 180 degree turn-about development for Amanda Knox. Judges for the court of cassation in Italy, who nullified her acquittal in March, have issued their treatise detailing their reasoning for that decision.
* * * * *
So much grim news; time for a hilarity break . . .
Ron Burgundy is back with a sequel. The legend continues, and, in a way, is the flip side to Life on Mars, which also had a sequel. Must be the right moment for it, since David Bowie is back with his sequel, Where Are We Now?
+ Will try to stay in touch more soon.
...
Meanwhile, there's news
about The Perugia Slasher Case . . .
A dramatic 180 degree turn-about development for Amanda Knox. Judges for the court of cassation in Italy, who nullified her acquittal in March, have issued their treatise detailing their reasoning for that decision.
* * * * *
So much grim news; time for a hilarity break . . .
Ron Burgundy is back with a sequel. The legend continues, and, in a way, is the flip side to Life on Mars, which also had a sequel. Must be the right moment for it, since David Bowie is back with his sequel, Where Are We Now?
+ Will try to stay in touch more soon.
...
Monday, May 27
Case Updates -
There has been a big information dump about the late Trayvon Martin which is under contention, as the nominal prosecutor wants to exclude it all from the court proceedings.
I believe we indicated here previously that Trayvon Martin appeared to be a Youth in Need of Adult Supervision (MINOS). It now seems that he should have been identified much earlier as an At Risk youngster and could have benefited from having a Guardian Ad Litem appointed for him long before he reached his majority.
:: WFTV :: - - - :: Hornsby ::
* * * * *
Andrea Vogt reported last week that Amanda Knox is experiencing mounting legal and financial problems as well as slow sales performance of her book. From that report:
"In Bergamo, anti-mafia magistrate Giuliano Mignini, who prosecuted the murder case against Knox and her one-time Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, [has] filed a defamation complaint... [which takes] ...issue with accusations that he intimidated, yelled and failed to protect Knox rights during his questioning."
It's been quite a while since I first harbored the suspicion that an Italian blogger who used to criticize Mignini about this case might be connected, but then a court in Florence squashed him like a bug. What happened to him then may happen next to Amanda Knox like a ton of bricks.
:: Andrea Vogt ::
+ Sorry for blogging pause, but
I've been a bit extra busy this past week.
...
I believe we indicated here previously that Trayvon Martin appeared to be a Youth in Need of Adult Supervision (MINOS). It now seems that he should have been identified much earlier as an At Risk youngster and could have benefited from having a Guardian Ad Litem appointed for him long before he reached his majority.
:: WFTV :: - - - :: Hornsby ::
* * * * *
Andrea Vogt reported last week that Amanda Knox is experiencing mounting legal and financial problems as well as slow sales performance of her book. From that report:
"In Bergamo, anti-mafia magistrate Giuliano Mignini, who prosecuted the murder case against Knox and her one-time Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, [has] filed a defamation complaint... [which takes] ...issue with accusations that he intimidated, yelled and failed to protect Knox rights during his questioning."
It's been quite a while since I first harbored the suspicion that an Italian blogger who used to criticize Mignini about this case might be connected, but then a court in Florence squashed him like a bug. What happened to him then may happen next to Amanda Knox like a ton of bricks.
:: Andrea Vogt ::
+ Sorry for blogging pause, but
I've been a bit extra busy this past week.
...
News Notes From Florida -
During a recent Wednesday evening rush hour, two women reportedly hailed a taxi cab in Fort Lauderdale and asked the driver to take them to several locations.
Then, events took an unexpected twist, when one of the women began choking the driver from the backseat while the other repeatedly struck him in the face before taking money out of his pocket.
The two women have been arrested for allegedly robbing and brutalizing the taxi cab driver and carjacking his vehicle, leaving him penniless and stranded.
The police have declined to
disclose how the women were found.
* * * * *
A French family's legacy may go
to the accused killer's wife in Florida.
* * * * *
Naples FL police have arrested a 12-year-old girl for placing a bomb threat note in the local public library's book return depository box.
...
Then, events took an unexpected twist, when one of the women began choking the driver from the backseat while the other repeatedly struck him in the face before taking money out of his pocket.
The two women have been arrested for allegedly robbing and brutalizing the taxi cab driver and carjacking his vehicle, leaving him penniless and stranded.
The police have declined to
disclose how the women were found.
* * * * *
A French family's legacy may go
to the accused killer's wife in Florida.
* * * * *
Naples FL police have arrested a 12-year-old girl for placing a bomb threat note in the local public library's book return depository box.
...
Sunday, May 19
Differently Knox -
James Raper, who has been described as a lawyer, has posted a study in which he carefully compares differing versions of Amanda Knox's story.
Does this mean that Amanda Knox is deliberately lying? No, not necessarily. There is another possibility which should be considered: that Knox may not be able to distinguish between what is in her imagination inside her head and what are independently existing facts in the external world.
It is my impression that Amanda Knox is an emotionally disturbed person. This is not an official disorder; it is, rather, an informal description of my impressions of her.
How can we evaluate the impressions we form of someone's state of mind? We can start with the Simple Two-Part Test:
1) Does the subject know right from wrong?
2) Can the subject appreciate
the consequences of their actions?
If someone cannot comprehend the causal nature of the connection between their actions and the results, reactions, or responses thereof, we may say that the person has a diminished capacity.
* * * * *
The Daily Mail is running an article in which Amanda Knox expresses her belief that the videotape clip of her and Raffaele Sollecito kissing in front of the cottage resulted in a misperception of her and had a damaging impact on her.
Actually, the videotape clip which had the negative impact was the "Wild Sex" CCTV footage of her and Sollecito laughing and joking and talking about "wild sex" in the lingerie shop only a day after her flatmate's corpse was discovered, not the images of their embrace in front of the cottage.
Can't Amanda Knox distinguish between these two videotape clips and the public's reaction to each of them? It is possible she cannot.
On what basis have I formed the impression that Amanda Knox is emotionally disturbed? There are several characteristics which I have observed over the course of time.
At the top of a potential list would be: inappropriate response. The behavior in the lingerie shop immediately after the ghoulish homicide of her roommate would be just one example of this characteristic.
...
Does this mean that Amanda Knox is deliberately lying? No, not necessarily. There is another possibility which should be considered: that Knox may not be able to distinguish between what is in her imagination inside her head and what are independently existing facts in the external world.
It is my impression that Amanda Knox is an emotionally disturbed person. This is not an official disorder; it is, rather, an informal description of my impressions of her.
How can we evaluate the impressions we form of someone's state of mind? We can start with the Simple Two-Part Test:
1) Does the subject know right from wrong?
2) Can the subject appreciate
the consequences of their actions?
If someone cannot comprehend the causal nature of the connection between their actions and the results, reactions, or responses thereof, we may say that the person has a diminished capacity.
* * * * *
The Daily Mail is running an article in which Amanda Knox expresses her belief that the videotape clip of her and Raffaele Sollecito kissing in front of the cottage resulted in a misperception of her and had a damaging impact on her.
Actually, the videotape clip which had the negative impact was the "Wild Sex" CCTV footage of her and Sollecito laughing and joking and talking about "wild sex" in the lingerie shop only a day after her flatmate's corpse was discovered, not the images of their embrace in front of the cottage.
Can't Amanda Knox distinguish between these two videotape clips and the public's reaction to each of them? It is possible she cannot.
On what basis have I formed the impression that Amanda Knox is emotionally disturbed? There are several characteristics which I have observed over the course of time.
At the top of a potential list would be: inappropriate response. The behavior in the lingerie shop immediately after the ghoulish homicide of her roommate would be just one example of this characteristic.
...
Thursday, May 16
In Some Little Corner of The World -
The other day I clicked on the TV
to catch the Noon News a bit early . . .
ABC's The View was still airing. I was taken by complete surprise when the Welsh crooner, Tom Jones, arrived in the spotlight and began singing Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen. It blew me away. I kept saying "Oh, wow!" It was an unusual treat, now being shared on YouTube.
# Easy Rawlins is back! Tanya Ballard Brown reviews
Walter Mosley's new mystery novel, Little Green at NPR.
# And Carl Hiaasen's newest
offering, Bad Monkey, is expected
to make its debut around June 11th.
...
to catch the Noon News a bit early . . .
ABC's The View was still airing. I was taken by complete surprise when the Welsh crooner, Tom Jones, arrived in the spotlight and began singing Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen. It blew me away. I kept saying "Oh, wow!" It was an unusual treat, now being shared on YouTube.
# Easy Rawlins is back! Tanya Ballard Brown reviews
Walter Mosley's new mystery novel, Little Green at NPR.
# And Carl Hiaasen's newest
offering, Bad Monkey, is expected
to make its debut around June 11th.
...
MIA Gold Heist -
It's the kind of crime
you have come to expect from SoFlo:
a shipment of gold bullion snatched from transit through the Miami Int'l Airport. Last seen being wheeled around a corner, then it seemingly vanished.
Half a million in gold from Ecuador has become someone's much dreamt of pot of enchanted fairy fortune somewhere over the rainbow.
Miami is certainly the setting for a number of TV series in which crimes like this so often take place: Burn Notice, CSI Miami, and other such weekly dramas, which usually solve the mystery within their allotted hour.
But, contrary to appearances in this caper, SoFlo law enforcement officers are no amateurs in the transmittal of valuable shipments, whether it be armored car cash pickups or precious metals. Generally accomplished via convoys with elaborate strategic planning and military precision execution, these operations are actually not so unusual.
Thus, there is no reason to believe that this gold can move through the ether into a permanent state of Oblivion.
South Florida is now necklaced by a network of high tech highways which may lack gun towers, but are embedded with highly sophisticated surveillance equipment. If satellite cameras can photograph a pack of cigarettes in your shirt pocket, a shipment of gold does not have much of a chance of going too far AWOL for very long.
The FBI is coordinating the investigation.
...
you have come to expect from SoFlo:
a shipment of gold bullion snatched from transit through the Miami Int'l Airport. Last seen being wheeled around a corner, then it seemingly vanished.
Half a million in gold from Ecuador has become someone's much dreamt of pot of enchanted fairy fortune somewhere over the rainbow.
Miami is certainly the setting for a number of TV series in which crimes like this so often take place: Burn Notice, CSI Miami, and other such weekly dramas, which usually solve the mystery within their allotted hour.
But, contrary to appearances in this caper, SoFlo law enforcement officers are no amateurs in the transmittal of valuable shipments, whether it be armored car cash pickups or precious metals. Generally accomplished via convoys with elaborate strategic planning and military precision execution, these operations are actually not so unusual.
Thus, there is no reason to believe that this gold can move through the ether into a permanent state of Oblivion.
South Florida is now necklaced by a network of high tech highways which may lack gun towers, but are embedded with highly sophisticated surveillance equipment. If satellite cameras can photograph a pack of cigarettes in your shirt pocket, a shipment of gold does not have much of a chance of going too far AWOL for very long.
The FBI is coordinating the investigation.
...
Tuesday, May 14
A Breezy Browse -
Matthew Walther reviews an enjoyable book of email exchanges between two literary figures: Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein at TDB.
# Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, a light and humorous beach read, is new in paperback for this summer.
# An essay about Italian caffe
espresso vs American coffee by Sara Davis.
# Patti Smith writes about a French
author who inspired her: Albertine Sarrazin.
# Mike Ripley's latest column.
...
# Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, a light and humorous beach read, is new in paperback for this summer.
# An essay about Italian caffe
espresso vs American coffee by Sara Davis.
# Patti Smith writes about a French
author who inspired her: Albertine Sarrazin.
# Mike Ripley's latest column.
...
Sunday, May 12
Truth or Consequences, Italian Style -
The Prosecutor from Perugia, Dr Giuliano Mignini (JD), has filed a complaint against the Italian magazine OGGI for publishing excerpts from Amanda Knox's memoir in Italy which are alleged to contain false and defamatory claims about him, according to a new report by Andrea Vogt. John Follain has filed a report about this, too.
:: OGGI article in English ::
...
:: OGGI article in English ::
...
Thursday, May 9
Knox: The CNN Interview -
As part of her ongoing Media tour to promote her book of prison memoirs, Amanda Knox recently sat for a CNN Cable TV interview.
In a prior interview with Diane Sawyer Knox adopted a mysterious new affectation: a suddenly swish lisp. If you were one of the viewers who was wondering what this mannerism was all about, you may discover the explanation in this subsequent CNN interview.
There are three characters in this interview: Amanda Knox, Chris Cuomo, and a Big Pink Dildo.
Whoa! Where did this Dildo come from?
Amanda Knox moved into the Pergola St cottage equipped with a Dildo which she kept in a transparent plastic toiletries kit bag and, arguably, flaunted by leaving it ostentatiously displayed in commonly used areas of their living quarters, according to the other gals who were her flatmates there.
CUOMO: So then that means, in your mind, you spent four years of your life in jail because of a perverted prosecutor?
KNOX: Yes, that's what I think.
I didn't watch this interview when it was aired.
I just read the transcript.
It wasn't the prosecutor's Dildo.
...
In a prior interview with Diane Sawyer Knox adopted a mysterious new affectation: a suddenly swish lisp. If you were one of the viewers who was wondering what this mannerism was all about, you may discover the explanation in this subsequent CNN interview.
There are three characters in this interview: Amanda Knox, Chris Cuomo, and a Big Pink Dildo.
Whoa! Where did this Dildo come from?
Amanda Knox moved into the Pergola St cottage equipped with a Dildo which she kept in a transparent plastic toiletries kit bag and, arguably, flaunted by leaving it ostentatiously displayed in commonly used areas of their living quarters, according to the other gals who were her flatmates there.
CUOMO: So then that means, in your mind, you spent four years of your life in jail because of a perverted prosecutor?
KNOX: Yes, that's what I think.
I didn't watch this interview when it was aired.
I just read the transcript.
It wasn't the prosecutor's Dildo.
...
Monday, May 6
Knox-Sawyer:
Some Staircase Thoughts -
Now that the much-touted ABC prime time interview and media blitz is over, it is an appropriate moment to reflect on what has happened here and to put some perspective on it.
The Amanda Knox book of prison memoirs is not the first time the Mainstream Media has made a big fuss about such an opus; the previous such event should present us with a cautionary tale. But has the Media learned anything from Jack Abbott and his book, In the Belly of the Beast? It doesn't look like they have.
Jack Abbott was a prison inmate; his book consists of his letters to Norman Mailer about his experiences in the prison system. On July 19, 1981, the New York Times published a rave review of it.
According to her remarks in the Sawyer interview, Knox seems to have developed an obsession with Meredith Kercher and the Kercher Family, expressing her aspirations to somehow contact them. The Kercher Family has made in very clear they do not wish to have any contact with Knox.
If Knox does not drop her obsession with them, it's bound to get her into even more trouble. When are her lawyers going to advise her to stop saying she's hoping to contact them?
Most of the young women who roomed together on Pergola St have moved on with their lives. Is Amanda Knox's life really so vacuous that Meredith Kercher's death is the only significant thing that has ever happened to her?
What will happen with Amanda Knox's case? I don't know. There are a lot of Italians who regard her as a toxic personality and they don't want her to return to Italy. Jack Abbott committed suicide. Sometimes these situations resolve themselves beyond the legal system.
...
The Amanda Knox book of prison memoirs is not the first time the Mainstream Media has made a big fuss about such an opus; the previous such event should present us with a cautionary tale. But has the Media learned anything from Jack Abbott and his book, In the Belly of the Beast? It doesn't look like they have.
Jack Abbott was a prison inmate; his book consists of his letters to Norman Mailer about his experiences in the prison system. On July 19, 1981, the New York Times published a rave review of it.
According to her remarks in the Sawyer interview, Knox seems to have developed an obsession with Meredith Kercher and the Kercher Family, expressing her aspirations to somehow contact them. The Kercher Family has made in very clear they do not wish to have any contact with Knox.
If Knox does not drop her obsession with them, it's bound to get her into even more trouble. When are her lawyers going to advise her to stop saying she's hoping to contact them?
Most of the young women who roomed together on Pergola St have moved on with their lives. Is Amanda Knox's life really so vacuous that Meredith Kercher's death is the only significant thing that has ever happened to her?
What will happen with Amanda Knox's case? I don't know. There are a lot of Italians who regard her as a toxic personality and they don't want her to return to Italy. Jack Abbott committed suicide. Sometimes these situations resolve themselves beyond the legal system.
...
Sunday, May 5
Weekend Browse -
Adam Woog reviews The Tooth Tattoo by Peter Lovesey which is set in the atmospheric city of Bath in England. Murder, string quartets, and fanatical groupies. Can Chief Inspector Peter Diamond solve the mystery?
# Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes is a new graphic detective novel by Matt Kindt reviewed here by Doreen Sheridan.
# Ziggyology by Simon Goddard traces how David Bowie became Ziggy Stardust.
# Adam Morris reviews Cypherpunks by Julian Assange.
# An excerpt from The Annals of Unsolved Crimes.
# The 10 best magicians - in pictures.
...
# Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes is a new graphic detective novel by Matt Kindt reviewed here by Doreen Sheridan.
# Ziggyology by Simon Goddard traces how David Bowie became Ziggy Stardust.
# Adam Morris reviews Cypherpunks by Julian Assange.
# An excerpt from The Annals of Unsolved Crimes.
# The 10 best magicians - in pictures.
...
Friday, May 3
Review: Knox TV Special -
The ABC TV Amanda Knox Prime Time Special with Diane Sawyer is over, and we can't call it Checkbook Journalism, because it wasn't any kind of Journalism whatsoever. It was a strictly promotional, hour-long commercial for her book.
You know those guest spots on late night shows where a movie star drops in to plug his latest movie? That's what the ABC Amanda Knox Special was, but dragged out and stretched to fill an entire hour. And, even then, ABC was not completely honest or straightforward about how much of this kind of content viewers should expect.
Not only was there an hour with Diane Sawyer, but after that, the Nightline program would be offering even more Amanda Knox content, which I wasn't able to catch. Moreover, the next morning, I was quite disgusted to discover that Amanda Knox was scheduled to invade GMA. At my age I have very limited tolerance for people like Amanda Knox.
How did Amanda Knox come off in the special? She came off as Miss Thing with the quivering lip who portrays herself as the principal victim whenever a plane crashes in Sri Lanka. Her posturings looked almost laughably ridiculous. The Drama Queen who thrusts herself into the center of every story, no matter how absurd it may be.
Were there any glaring errors in the special? Yes, I spotted one howler. ABC News felt compelled to include a clip of Elizabeth Vargas hectoring Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini with misattributed remarks she accused him of making.
A quick and simple Google search query yielded more accurate sourcing for such remarks: Amanda Knox was described as a "diabolical, Satanic, demonic she-devil" by Patrick Lumumba's lawyer, Carlo Pacelli, according to one newspaper article. When is ABC going to quit flogging this dead horse?
The Meredith Kercher Homicide was a ghoulish crime. The American Public should try to ignore this troubled young woman, give her some space, and let her get the professional help she needs away from the glare of the unblinking spotlight.
CBS has previewed their upcoming crime show for this weekend. It will be about a chef who ate his wife. I think I'll skip that one.
...
You know those guest spots on late night shows where a movie star drops in to plug his latest movie? That's what the ABC Amanda Knox Special was, but dragged out and stretched to fill an entire hour. And, even then, ABC was not completely honest or straightforward about how much of this kind of content viewers should expect.
Not only was there an hour with Diane Sawyer, but after that, the Nightline program would be offering even more Amanda Knox content, which I wasn't able to catch. Moreover, the next morning, I was quite disgusted to discover that Amanda Knox was scheduled to invade GMA. At my age I have very limited tolerance for people like Amanda Knox.
How did Amanda Knox come off in the special? She came off as Miss Thing with the quivering lip who portrays herself as the principal victim whenever a plane crashes in Sri Lanka. Her posturings looked almost laughably ridiculous. The Drama Queen who thrusts herself into the center of every story, no matter how absurd it may be.
Were there any glaring errors in the special? Yes, I spotted one howler. ABC News felt compelled to include a clip of Elizabeth Vargas hectoring Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini with misattributed remarks she accused him of making.
A quick and simple Google search query yielded more accurate sourcing for such remarks: Amanda Knox was described as a "diabolical, Satanic, demonic she-devil" by Patrick Lumumba's lawyer, Carlo Pacelli, according to one newspaper article. When is ABC going to quit flogging this dead horse?
The Meredith Kercher Homicide was a ghoulish crime. The American Public should try to ignore this troubled young woman, give her some space, and let her get the professional help she needs away from the glare of the unblinking spotlight.
CBS has previewed their upcoming crime show for this weekend. It will be about a chef who ate his wife. I think I'll skip that one.
...
Monday, April 29
Ben & Mark Go Social -
What role has Social Media played
in the Sanford Shooting Case involving
Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman?
CFTV Reporter John W Davis shares an illuminating video link featuring lawyers Mark O'Mara and Benjamin Crump who both address the question.
Tomorrow will be an
important day in court for the case.
...
in the Sanford Shooting Case involving
Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman?
CFTV Reporter John W Davis shares an illuminating video link featuring lawyers Mark O'Mara and Benjamin Crump who both address the question.
Tomorrow will be an
important day in court for the case.
...
Wednesday, April 24
Popcorn Juries -
Since much of the American trial-watching public has been following the Jody Arias trial, the upcoming Amanda Knox interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC TV is going to seem like a pale sequel in comparison. ABC has been running teasers lately to promote their exclusive.
"Arias initially denied involvement then later blamed it on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she said it was self-defense."
Contrasting sharply with the newly emerging twists and turns in the Arias trial, the public face of Amanda Knox is mostly the creation of a press agent and is expected to spout mostly fluffy drivel.
An Arias courtroom seat recently sold for
$200, according to the AP's Brian Skoloff.
...
"Arias initially denied involvement then later blamed it on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she said it was self-defense."
Contrasting sharply with the newly emerging twists and turns in the Arias trial, the public face of Amanda Knox is mostly the creation of a press agent and is expected to spout mostly fluffy drivel.
An Arias courtroom seat recently sold for
$200, according to the AP's Brian Skoloff.
...
Sunday, April 21
A Bit of a Browse -
"The mystery of just why and how Jim Thompson disappeared, and by the agency of whom, is one that persists still and probably always will." Silk Thread by Larry Wallace.
# John Le Carre's latest novel,
A Delicate Truth, is reviewed by Mark Lawson.
# A Neo-Noir offering from Akashic written with tongue in cheek by Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender, including illustrations by Paul Pope. It's the By the Balls Collection.
# John Leyden reports the latest
update on the LulzSec hackers.
...
# John Le Carre's latest novel,
A Delicate Truth, is reviewed by Mark Lawson.
# A Neo-Noir offering from Akashic written with tongue in cheek by Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender, including illustrations by Paul Pope. It's the By the Balls Collection.
# John Leyden reports the latest
update on the LulzSec hackers.
...
Sunday, April 14
Mail Crimes & French Lit Fest -
For almost two decades toward the end of the Twentieth Century, a shadowy figure wearing a hoodie haunted America. Nicknamed the Unabomber, he sent mail bombs to college professors, computer geeks, scientists, and others.
The iconic image of a shadowy figure in a hoodie came to be closely associated with this elusive fugitive.
But we live in an era of spectacle, some say, in which images can be manipulated and used to brainwash people.
Thus, last year, a group began waging an intense propaganda campaign to convince the American Public that if you think a shadowy figure in a hoodie may be sinister, you are a Racist, even though the Unabomber was White.
Nevertheless, if you observe a shadowy figure loitering around your mail kiosk at night and you do not recognize him as a neighbor, you should call the police and report it.
# A report from France in English
about this year's Crime Fiction Festival there.
...
The iconic image of a shadowy figure in a hoodie came to be closely associated with this elusive fugitive.
But we live in an era of spectacle, some say, in which images can be manipulated and used to brainwash people.
Thus, last year, a group began waging an intense propaganda campaign to convince the American Public that if you think a shadowy figure in a hoodie may be sinister, you are a Racist, even though the Unabomber was White.
Nevertheless, if you observe a shadowy figure loitering around your mail kiosk at night and you do not recognize him as a neighbor, you should call the police and report it.
# A report from France in English
about this year's Crime Fiction Festival there.
...
Saturday, April 13
Worth Noting, However Briefly -
The London Book Fair
begins on Monday . . .
What kind of publishing environment do today's
young novelists encounter, asks Alex Clark.
# Heather Mac Donald writes about the dangers
represented by loiterers. Recommended. [CityJ]
# Emily Rhodes reviews The Exiles Return
by Elisabeth de Waal. It's about post-WWII Vienna.
...
begins on Monday . . .
What kind of publishing environment do today's
young novelists encounter, asks Alex Clark.
# Heather Mac Donald writes about the dangers
represented by loiterers. Recommended. [CityJ]
# Emily Rhodes reviews The Exiles Return
by Elisabeth de Waal. It's about post-WWII Vienna.
...
Thursday, April 11
Browsing Around -
Cuban writer Jose Latour, now based in Canada, has a new mystery thriller novel out called Riders of Land and Tide. John Barber writes about him at the G&M.
# Shocked by Patricia Volk is a coming of age story about the author's complicated relationship with an elegant but highly critical mother; reviewed here by Heller McAlpin.
# "The Slow Death of the American Author"
by Scott Turow, an Op-Ed piece at the NY Times.
# Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, a novel by Susanna Clarke, will be coming to the BBC and BBCAmerica in 2014.
# Mike Ripley's latest
Getting Away With Murder column.
# BBC TV Centre in London demolished.
# In the mood to listen to some old-fashioned Noir?
Jake Hinkson writes about the Night Beat radio
series and leaves a link to it in the comments.
# Controversy about the song Accidental Racist.
...
# Shocked by Patricia Volk is a coming of age story about the author's complicated relationship with an elegant but highly critical mother; reviewed here by Heller McAlpin.
# "The Slow Death of the American Author"
by Scott Turow, an Op-Ed piece at the NY Times.
# Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, a novel by Susanna Clarke, will be coming to the BBC and BBCAmerica in 2014.
# Mike Ripley's latest
Getting Away With Murder column.
# BBC TV Centre in London demolished.
# In the mood to listen to some old-fashioned Noir?
Jake Hinkson writes about the Night Beat radio
series and leaves a link to it in the comments.
# Controversy about the song Accidental Racist.
...
Tuesday, April 9
After The Kissoff II -
Then, we come to the issue of Geo Locating Cues. In the transcript of Zimmerman's conversation with the dispatcher, Zimmerman appears to have difficulty giving his location over the telephone.
First, some system needs to be selected for orienteering, such as North East Quadrant or something else; then, more signs are needed.
A good, but not expensive, beginning for this process could be: planting some distinctive trees and shrubs, as in "I'll meet you under the big oak tree."
The Geo Locating issue goes beyond Law Enforcement. It is crucial to the Health and Safety of residents. What if a resident has a heart attack and a family member calls 911 for Fire and Rescue with Cardiac Resuscitation equipment?
You can't have the Rescue Unit driving round and round the ring road endlessly, trying to figure out where their heart attack patient awaits them, because time is of the essence. The Condo Commandos need to start thinking about making better provisions for Geo Locating Cues within their campus.
Since the teenager Trayvon Martin is presumed to have died intestate, we will be interested to see whether any inter-family disputes arise over the settlement, with regard to the youth's estate. Trayvon, it appears, had numerous half-brothers from diverse babymamas with even weirder names than his.
I would only be guessing, partly on the basis of those weirdish names, that the father is a member of a syncretic cult which may be an offshoot of the Moorish Science Movement. At some point in the future I expect them all to hold a very public reunion with each of the weirdly named half-brothers wearing a fez, taking turns in eulogizing their fallen brother.
The next issue on the agenda for this case is expected to be: the disputation about whether or not Zimmerman Defense can depose Benjamin Crump.
Will Benjamin Crump Esq be deposed?
...
First, some system needs to be selected for orienteering, such as North East Quadrant or something else; then, more signs are needed.
A good, but not expensive, beginning for this process could be: planting some distinctive trees and shrubs, as in "I'll meet you under the big oak tree."
The Geo Locating issue goes beyond Law Enforcement. It is crucial to the Health and Safety of residents. What if a resident has a heart attack and a family member calls 911 for Fire and Rescue with Cardiac Resuscitation equipment?
You can't have the Rescue Unit driving round and round the ring road endlessly, trying to figure out where their heart attack patient awaits them, because time is of the essence. The Condo Commandos need to start thinking about making better provisions for Geo Locating Cues within their campus.
Since the teenager Trayvon Martin is presumed to have died intestate, we will be interested to see whether any inter-family disputes arise over the settlement, with regard to the youth's estate. Trayvon, it appears, had numerous half-brothers from diverse babymamas with even weirder names than his.
I would only be guessing, partly on the basis of those weirdish names, that the father is a member of a syncretic cult which may be an offshoot of the Moorish Science Movement. At some point in the future I expect them all to hold a very public reunion with each of the weirdly named half-brothers wearing a fez, taking turns in eulogizing their fallen brother.
The next issue on the agenda for this case is expected to be: the disputation about whether or not Zimmerman Defense can depose Benjamin Crump.
Will Benjamin Crump Esq be deposed?
...
After The Kissoff -
Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman
The recent disclosure of a settlement reached between the HOA of The Retreat at Twin Lakes (or their insurance company) and the estate or birth parents of the itinerant teenager Trayvon Martin does not come as a surprising event in cases like this or "Slip and Fall" or other kinds of Death by Misadventure.
In my experience, typically, the organization admits no guilt or blame and the decedent's representatives agree to refrain from further litigation with some (secret) sum of "go-away" money paid to them in exchange for their relinquishing any further claims.
Thus, we almost take it for granted as a expected given in this kind of situation. This settlement, including any nondisclosure provision, is pretty standard stuff, I believe.
OK, "Slip and Fall" it isn't this time, but now that this landmark has been established, I want to address a couple of the issues raised post-kissoff: first, the insecure and porous enclosure of the multi-residential campus; and, second, the Geo Locating Cues.
An architect wrote an Op-Ed piece about this case in which he opined that the campus of this development is poorly designed. I happen to agree with him. The townhouses or villas look lovely, but the environment is sterile and disorienting, among other things.
How could the developers have left the enclosure so porous and insecure? Other condo complexes have high concrete walls around them. These developers may have had to trim costs to keep their offerings within the preplanned price points. Then, they may have claimed that they expected to complete the enclosure at some future date. It should be clear by now that the estate's boundaries security needs more attention sooner rather than later.
Somewhat related to this issue is the protocol for guests. Aren't residents expected to notify Security that they are housing guests and provide their identities? Aren't guests supposed to get signed security passes? Are guests allowed to roam the campus after dark without being accompanied by their resident hosts? How do unit owners know whether someone is a legitimate guest or a trespasser?
Continued in Part II which follows . . .
...
The recent disclosure of a settlement reached between the HOA of The Retreat at Twin Lakes (or their insurance company) and the estate or birth parents of the itinerant teenager Trayvon Martin does not come as a surprising event in cases like this or "Slip and Fall" or other kinds of Death by Misadventure.
In my experience, typically, the organization admits no guilt or blame and the decedent's representatives agree to refrain from further litigation with some (secret) sum of "go-away" money paid to them in exchange for their relinquishing any further claims.
Thus, we almost take it for granted as a expected given in this kind of situation. This settlement, including any nondisclosure provision, is pretty standard stuff, I believe.
OK, "Slip and Fall" it isn't this time, but now that this landmark has been established, I want to address a couple of the issues raised post-kissoff: first, the insecure and porous enclosure of the multi-residential campus; and, second, the Geo Locating Cues.
An architect wrote an Op-Ed piece about this case in which he opined that the campus of this development is poorly designed. I happen to agree with him. The townhouses or villas look lovely, but the environment is sterile and disorienting, among other things.
How could the developers have left the enclosure so porous and insecure? Other condo complexes have high concrete walls around them. These developers may have had to trim costs to keep their offerings within the preplanned price points. Then, they may have claimed that they expected to complete the enclosure at some future date. It should be clear by now that the estate's boundaries security needs more attention sooner rather than later.
Somewhat related to this issue is the protocol for guests. Aren't residents expected to notify Security that they are housing guests and provide their identities? Aren't guests supposed to get signed security passes? Are guests allowed to roam the campus after dark without being accompanied by their resident hosts? How do unit owners know whether someone is a legitimate guest or a trespasser?
Continued in Part II which follows . . .
...
Friday, April 5
Trayvon: Settlement Arranged -
FL HOA Buys Off
Itinerant Teen's Birth Parents . . .
The administrative organization of the private property multi-residential estate at which Trayvon Martin was slain has opted for a financial settlement with Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, birth parents of the 17-year-old juvenile.
The Retreat at Twin Lakes Estate, which has only insecure porous boundaries, has been repeatedly looted by neighboring marauders.
Local Sanford native Natalie Jackson works for the Benjamin Crump law firm which is representing Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.
The youth, who attended multiple high schools and apparently had no fixed abode, was said to have been loitering around the U.S. Mail facility of the estate and peeping in residents' windows without any security guest pass, identification, or adult supervision.
Estate resident George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death, claims he was acting in self-defense. When Zimmerman approached the youngster to ask him what he was doing on the private property estate, the teenager allegedly assaulted Zimmerman instead of answering him.
This condo complex does not seem to have any viable future in its current location.
:: WPTV ::
...
Itinerant Teen's Birth Parents . . .
The administrative organization of the private property multi-residential estate at which Trayvon Martin was slain has opted for a financial settlement with Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, birth parents of the 17-year-old juvenile.
The Retreat at Twin Lakes Estate, which has only insecure porous boundaries, has been repeatedly looted by neighboring marauders.
Local Sanford native Natalie Jackson works for the Benjamin Crump law firm which is representing Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.
The youth, who attended multiple high schools and apparently had no fixed abode, was said to have been loitering around the U.S. Mail facility of the estate and peeping in residents' windows without any security guest pass, identification, or adult supervision.
Estate resident George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death, claims he was acting in self-defense. When Zimmerman approached the youngster to ask him what he was doing on the private property estate, the teenager allegedly assaulted Zimmerman instead of answering him.
This condo complex does not seem to have any viable future in its current location.
:: WPTV ::
...
Wednesday, April 3
A Historic Visit -
Havana Blogger Yoani Sanchez has received a warm welcome in Miami. I had been concerned that hecklers might try to silence her or shout her down, but almost everyone has been on their best behavior and let her speak, I am happy to report. Miami's Cuban Exile Community can be a tough crowd, but Yoani seems to have won them over. Looks like some reconciliation going on, and that's a good thing.
I didn't study Political Science in college, so I'm not well equipped to give anyone political advice. And I'm not a Leftist or a Rightist; I've always been an Indy voter. Speaking solely on the basis of the most logical or rational choices, it seems to me that the current Cuban regime should look to move more in the direction of the Scandinavian model of Socialism, since their societies appear to be quite prosperous. What are they doing right which Cuba can learn from?
For my part, I am mostly concerned with respect for basic human rights. Giving Yoani permission to take a trip abroad is definitely a step in the right direction. People have a right to share their experiences and observations from their lives, to communicate and to socialize with their friends and families. No government should cut them off or isolate them from the outside world. I hope Yoani's visit here is a sign of better conditions to come.
In an ironic sidebar to Yoani's visit, the person who is responsible for maintaining our WiFi Internet connection doesn't consider it a high priority. As a result our connection repeatedly gets disrupted when she erratically doesn't pay the bill as it comes due. She is still firmly entrenched in the Twentieth Century and doesn't seem to have any awareness that many people today communicate and socialize over the Internet, by Email, IM, Skype, etc. One can only wonder how much longer she is going to be able to sustain living in that kind of Retro Life Bubble without adverse impact on her.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
I didn't study Political Science in college, so I'm not well equipped to give anyone political advice. And I'm not a Leftist or a Rightist; I've always been an Indy voter. Speaking solely on the basis of the most logical or rational choices, it seems to me that the current Cuban regime should look to move more in the direction of the Scandinavian model of Socialism, since their societies appear to be quite prosperous. What are they doing right which Cuba can learn from?
For my part, I am mostly concerned with respect for basic human rights. Giving Yoani permission to take a trip abroad is definitely a step in the right direction. People have a right to share their experiences and observations from their lives, to communicate and to socialize with their friends and families. No government should cut them off or isolate them from the outside world. I hope Yoani's visit here is a sign of better conditions to come.
In an ironic sidebar to Yoani's visit, the person who is responsible for maintaining our WiFi Internet connection doesn't consider it a high priority. As a result our connection repeatedly gets disrupted when she erratically doesn't pay the bill as it comes due. She is still firmly entrenched in the Twentieth Century and doesn't seem to have any awareness that many people today communicate and socialize over the Internet, by Email, IM, Skype, etc. One can only wonder how much longer she is going to be able to sustain living in that kind of Retro Life Bubble without adverse impact on her.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
Tuesday, March 26
More Perugia Ordeal -
In a very calculated move, the Italian Supreme Court released its decision on the Perugia Slasher Appeal in the middle of the night . . .
This was a strategic choice designed to inflict maximum damage on the ABC organization, the Tinker Bell News Network, and the rest of the American Media. ABC has a big Amanda Knox interview with Diane Sawyer coming up soon, and, in anticipation of that prospect, they've turned the case into a grotesque multi-million dollar industry, treating it as if it were a telenovela.
The timing of the decision's release was clearly intended to be a deliberate slap in the face to the American Mainstream Media, as it circumvented the Evening News on U.S. TV.
:: Hollywood Reporter ::
:: Andrea Vogt ::
...
This was a strategic choice designed to inflict maximum damage on the ABC organization, the Tinker Bell News Network, and the rest of the American Media. ABC has a big Amanda Knox interview with Diane Sawyer coming up soon, and, in anticipation of that prospect, they've turned the case into a grotesque multi-million dollar industry, treating it as if it were a telenovela.
The timing of the decision's release was clearly intended to be a deliberate slap in the face to the American Mainstream Media, as it circumvented the Evening News on U.S. TV.
:: Hollywood Reporter ::
:: Andrea Vogt ::
...
Monday, March 25
A Quick Browse -
The preliminary list of prospective candidates
for the George Orwell Prize has been announced.
# The Flamethrowers is a new novel by Rachel Kushner about life in New York City during the 1970's; reviewed here by Bonnie Altucher.
# He Died With His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond is recommended by author A.L. Kennedy.
# A first look at Stephen King's new novel Doctor Sleep.
...
for the George Orwell Prize has been announced.
# The Flamethrowers is a new novel by Rachel Kushner about life in New York City during the 1970's; reviewed here by Bonnie Altucher.
# He Died With His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond is recommended by author A.L. Kennedy.
# A first look at Stephen King's new novel Doctor Sleep.
...
Sunday, March 24
Perugia Slasher Ruling Due -
Meredith Kercher Murder Case . . .
The Italian Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling late tomorrow on whether the acquittals at Appellate level of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito should stand or be rejected. Prosecutors in Perugia want the acquittals tossed and a new trial held in Florence.
:: Nick Squires :: reports from Rome ::
:: Andrea Vogt reports ::
...
The Italian Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling late tomorrow on whether the acquittals at Appellate level of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito should stand or be rejected. Prosecutors in Perugia want the acquittals tossed and a new trial held in Florence.
:: Nick Squires :: reports from Rome ::
:: Andrea Vogt reports ::
...
Trayvon Nullification Vehicle -
Jim DeFede, CBS Miami reporter, becomes the willing dupe of a very cynical, venal, and malicious propaganda machine which is demonstrably working here to nullify Due Process when, on the pretext of sharing some of his favorite books about Florida, he reports:
"According to the killer, George Zimmerman, it was the victim's fault. His presence had made him feel threatened. That was why he had followed the boy, and ultimately killed him, so the police said what they would have in 1980, 1935, 1920 - or 1876 or 1818. It had been okay to kill him. They told Zimmerman he could go home."
Hey, Jim, when are you moving to Burma?
You don't deserve to live in the United States!
Yes, folks, this is what the American Press consists of these days: whores, psychopaths, seditionists, nihilists, drug addicts, low lives, and pond scum; coming to a neighborhood near you real soon to poison your jury pool and guarantee that you can never get a fair trial.
These are the people who have the megaphones, the videocams, and the distribution system that constitute The Mighty Wurlitzer Propaganda Machine. These are the people who have the connections to buy Freedom of the Press.
This is what passes for Freedom of the Press these days: the freedom to poison jury pools, the freedom to thwart Due Process and the freedom to obstruct the course of justice.
:: Blowing Sunshine ::
...
"According to the killer, George Zimmerman, it was the victim's fault. His presence had made him feel threatened. That was why he had followed the boy, and ultimately killed him, so the police said what they would have in 1980, 1935, 1920 - or 1876 or 1818. It had been okay to kill him. They told Zimmerman he could go home."
Hey, Jim, when are you moving to Burma?
You don't deserve to live in the United States!
Yes, folks, this is what the American Press consists of these days: whores, psychopaths, seditionists, nihilists, drug addicts, low lives, and pond scum; coming to a neighborhood near you real soon to poison your jury pool and guarantee that you can never get a fair trial.
These are the people who have the megaphones, the videocams, and the distribution system that constitute The Mighty Wurlitzer Propaganda Machine. These are the people who have the connections to buy Freedom of the Press.
This is what passes for Freedom of the Press these days: the freedom to poison jury pools, the freedom to thwart Due Process and the freedom to obstruct the course of justice.
:: Blowing Sunshine ::
...
Friday, March 22
Counterfeit Edens -
The Retreat at Twin Lakes, which was
the setting for the Trayvon Martin Shooting . . .
was a porously enclosed multi-residential private estate located in Sanford Florida. Its lack of secure boundaries made it a magnetic treasure chest attracting outside marauders.
Instead of reporting the situation as it existed, the Mainstream Media preferred to depict it as a kind of paradise theme park into which George Zimmerman, the villain, introduced Evil.
The American Press is no longer being held accountable for presenting fantasy in place of fact. Lawyer James Beasley, recently hired by Zimmerman, seems to be the only agency able to get results.
Meanwhile . . . the city of Sanford has held a special summit meeting of community leaders to discuss what needs to be done about the current crime rate among its young African-American males which is "spiraling out of control."
Google seems to be in the process of shredding and burying the Blogosphere. People have been reporting that their Google Alerts have not been working properly. And I have been getting Error results lately when I've tried to ping their Feedburner page.
It is no longer possible to use Blog Search to find blogs discussing your topic of interest; the results are highly manipulated, censored, very limited, and usually worthless.
It's beginning to look like Google may have acquired BlogSpot just to destroy it. Most of the space on Google News is now devoted to simply advertising the legacy media giants.
Soon we will have only one
news source: Google, our new Overlords.
The visit of Blogger Yoani Sanchez is throwing the American MSM into turmoil, because it puts on display their frothing hypocrisy. In Cuba the government is hostile to Bloggers, but here in the U.S. it is the MSM which seethes with intense hatred for self-selected alternate perspectives in the Blogosphere.
Clearly, this sinister Coalition of the Swilling is getting ready to crush us. Kent Brockman, as a trusted TV personality, will be helpful in rounding up the gullible to toil in their underground caves.
...
the setting for the Trayvon Martin Shooting . . .
was a porously enclosed multi-residential private estate located in Sanford Florida. Its lack of secure boundaries made it a magnetic treasure chest attracting outside marauders.
Instead of reporting the situation as it existed, the Mainstream Media preferred to depict it as a kind of paradise theme park into which George Zimmerman, the villain, introduced Evil.
The American Press is no longer being held accountable for presenting fantasy in place of fact. Lawyer James Beasley, recently hired by Zimmerman, seems to be the only agency able to get results.
Meanwhile . . . the city of Sanford has held a special summit meeting of community leaders to discuss what needs to be done about the current crime rate among its young African-American males which is "spiraling out of control."
Google seems to be in the process of shredding and burying the Blogosphere. People have been reporting that their Google Alerts have not been working properly. And I have been getting Error results lately when I've tried to ping their Feedburner page.
It is no longer possible to use Blog Search to find blogs discussing your topic of interest; the results are highly manipulated, censored, very limited, and usually worthless.
It's beginning to look like Google may have acquired BlogSpot just to destroy it. Most of the space on Google News is now devoted to simply advertising the legacy media giants.
Soon we will have only one
news source: Google, our new Overlords.
The visit of Blogger Yoani Sanchez is throwing the American MSM into turmoil, because it puts on display their frothing hypocrisy. In Cuba the government is hostile to Bloggers, but here in the U.S. it is the MSM which seethes with intense hatred for self-selected alternate perspectives in the Blogosphere.
Clearly, this sinister Coalition of the Swilling is getting ready to crush us. Kent Brockman, as a trusted TV personality, will be helpful in rounding up the gullible to toil in their underground caves.
...
Thursday, March 21
G Reader Orphans -
Joshua Rothman engages in a bit of nostalgia for Google Reader, but, in the end, he reluctantly admits to himself
and us:
"I won’t miss Reader when it shuts down, on July 1st. But I will miss the old me - the person I described in Google Reader, without knowing it."
Rebecca Greenfield shares some theories about why Google Reader was doomed and some alternatives.
+ Adding Our Man in Boston to sidebar links.
...
and us:
"I won’t miss Reader when it shuts down, on July 1st. But I will miss the old me - the person I described in Google Reader, without knowing it."
Rebecca Greenfield shares some theories about why Google Reader was doomed and some alternatives.
+ Adding Our Man in Boston to sidebar links.
...
Monday, March 18
Trayvon / Zimmerman Update -
George Zimmerman's Defense submitted a motion for the court to reconsider the deposition of Benjamin Crump. And it's worth reading.
# Nearly a third of U.S. adults have stopped turning to a news outlet because it no longer provides them with the news they were accustomed to getting, according to this year's Pew News Media Report.
# When a reporter is assigned to do a project he knows nothing about, he usually does some homework first to prepare for his assignment.
But when reporter Craig Rivera is assigned to interview a woman within the campus of a condo complex, he demonstrates that he knows nothing about condo complexes, how they operate or how they finance their expenses.
Younger viewers may not notice anything amiss with Rivera's performance, but viewers who are in the 55+ empty nest category will, because they are more apt to be familiar with how these communities operate.
After Rivera has passed through the gates of the Retreat at Twin Lakes which bear conspicuous signage warning that you are now entering Private Property, he doesn't seem to believe the signs. He is seen on camera declaring that the communal concrete path he is using is a Public Walkway.
It is not.
The maintenance of the common facilities of condo complexes is financed by the condo owners who pay a special fee to have the grassy commons mowed, the clubhouse cared for, and whatever other amenities the community may offer, such as swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.
Brandy Green says that she has lived in the RATL for four years and has never heard of any crimes happening there. What about reports of a rash of thefts within the estate? She says she doesn't believe the reports.
Her denial absolves her of any responsibility to help her neighbors, who she refers to as "they."
She describes the communal concrete walkways thusly: This is where they walk their dogs. She does not use the word "we," which implies that she is a transient renter who has nothing invested in the community and that she doesn't identify with her neighbors.
This points to the crucial reason why many condo owners are strongly opposed to other owners in their community being allowed to rent out their units to transients.
Many gated communities are enclosed by high walls, but this one was not securely enclosed. According to news reports, there were gaps in the enclosure which allowed intruders, marauders, and trespassers to enter.
Among the more sensitive areas of an apartment complex or condo community is the mail kiosk.
Thieves may loiter about to ask residents what time the mail is delivered, because they may want to intercept the mail person in order to steal the master key for the mail kiosk.
Once they have the master key, they may be able to steal checks from the residents' mail. And much trouble can ensue from such events.
Thus, it is crucial for residents to report anyone loitering near the mail kiosk, especially at inappropriate times.
Although younger viewers may watch this video and not question what they are seeing, more mature and experienced viewers may have second thoughts after watching it.
...
# Nearly a third of U.S. adults have stopped turning to a news outlet because it no longer provides them with the news they were accustomed to getting, according to this year's Pew News Media Report.
# When a reporter is assigned to do a project he knows nothing about, he usually does some homework first to prepare for his assignment.
But when reporter Craig Rivera is assigned to interview a woman within the campus of a condo complex, he demonstrates that he knows nothing about condo complexes, how they operate or how they finance their expenses.
Younger viewers may not notice anything amiss with Rivera's performance, but viewers who are in the 55+ empty nest category will, because they are more apt to be familiar with how these communities operate.
After Rivera has passed through the gates of the Retreat at Twin Lakes which bear conspicuous signage warning that you are now entering Private Property, he doesn't seem to believe the signs. He is seen on camera declaring that the communal concrete path he is using is a Public Walkway.
It is not.
The maintenance of the common facilities of condo complexes is financed by the condo owners who pay a special fee to have the grassy commons mowed, the clubhouse cared for, and whatever other amenities the community may offer, such as swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.
Brandy Green says that she has lived in the RATL for four years and has never heard of any crimes happening there. What about reports of a rash of thefts within the estate? She says she doesn't believe the reports.
Her denial absolves her of any responsibility to help her neighbors, who she refers to as "they."
She describes the communal concrete walkways thusly: This is where they walk their dogs. She does not use the word "we," which implies that she is a transient renter who has nothing invested in the community and that she doesn't identify with her neighbors.
This points to the crucial reason why many condo owners are strongly opposed to other owners in their community being allowed to rent out their units to transients.
Many gated communities are enclosed by high walls, but this one was not securely enclosed. According to news reports, there were gaps in the enclosure which allowed intruders, marauders, and trespassers to enter.
Among the more sensitive areas of an apartment complex or condo community is the mail kiosk.
Thieves may loiter about to ask residents what time the mail is delivered, because they may want to intercept the mail person in order to steal the master key for the mail kiosk.
Once they have the master key, they may be able to steal checks from the residents' mail. And much trouble can ensue from such events.
Thus, it is crucial for residents to report anyone loitering near the mail kiosk, especially at inappropriate times.
Although younger viewers may watch this video and not question what they are seeing, more mature and experienced viewers may have second thoughts after watching it.
...
Sunday, March 17
Notable Media Developments -
The Boston Phoenix Alt-Weekly has come to an end. Its demise came as a shock to many because it seemed like one of the most vigorous members of its genre. Some say that the era for Alt-Weeklies has passed, but there may yet be autopsies to determine what, if anything, went wrong.
# Google has announced they are retiring their Google Reader and Igoogle. Some Tech websites have been proposing other options, including Feedly, Netvibes, The Old Reader, and many others. If you're interested, you should take a look around.
# Blogger Yoani Sanchez has finally managed to exit Cuba for a trip abroad! She is expected to appear here in SoFlo at Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower on April 1st.
# One of South Florida's most active bloggers, known simply as Rick, is hanging up his keyboard and calling it quits, probably due to burnout. I hadn't read his blog in years. It made me uncomfortable because he seemed to use a lot of stuff owned by other people or publications without posting legal permissions for doing so. I only learned about the end of his blog belatedly from reading other local bloggers.
...
# Google has announced they are retiring their Google Reader and Igoogle. Some Tech websites have been proposing other options, including Feedly, Netvibes, The Old Reader, and many others. If you're interested, you should take a look around.
# Blogger Yoani Sanchez has finally managed to exit Cuba for a trip abroad! She is expected to appear here in SoFlo at Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower on April 1st.
# One of South Florida's most active bloggers, known simply as Rick, is hanging up his keyboard and calling it quits, probably due to burnout. I hadn't read his blog in years. It made me uncomfortable because he seemed to use a lot of stuff owned by other people or publications without posting legal permissions for doing so. I only learned about the end of his blog belatedly from reading other local bloggers.
...
Tuesday, March 12
Browsing Around -
Cartoonist and Metro Archeologist Ben Katchor has a new book out called Hand-Drying in America which is reviewed by David L Ulin at the LAT.
# Adam Woog reviews Cara Black's latest
Aimee Leduc Mystery, Murder Below Montparnasse.
# James McGrath Morris reviews a gripping new
memoir, After Visiting Friends by Michael Hainey.
# The Infatuations by Javier Marias is a murder mystery
novel which, Robert McCrum claims, is never boring.
...
# Adam Woog reviews Cara Black's latest
Aimee Leduc Mystery, Murder Below Montparnasse.
# James McGrath Morris reviews a gripping new
memoir, After Visiting Friends by Michael Hainey.
# The Infatuations by Javier Marias is a murder mystery
novel which, Robert McCrum claims, is never boring.
...
Wednesday, March 6
Trayvon: Tainted Testimony -
It was disclosed in Tuesday's court hearing that the state's star Witness 8 lied about being so distraught over Trayvon Martin's death that she had to go to the hospital.
Ever since the Dr Phil program presented Alicia Martin, Trayvon's stepmother who raised him on an everyday basis for most of his life, the credibility of this story has not been able to withstand close scrutiny in strong sunlight.
Even if DeeDee's story turns out to be little more than a tissue of similar lies, her story does not directly impact on the central credibility of the story of Trayvon Martin's death.
Most normal American parents treat their animal pets better than Trayvon was treated by his father, because most pet owners provide an ID tag to their dogs and cats.
Every year many elementary schools hold an ID Day. Mothers bring in a recent photo of their child and help make up a kit which can be used by police or the media in case a child gets abducted or goes missing.
Do you believe any father would dump his son without identification a hundred miles away from home on someone else's private property and without any adult supervision? Couldn't a mature adult parent anticipate the possibility that his son could get arrested for trespassing? Are these people for real?
This story was originally released to the Media and then to the public based on the presumption that the America public has no life experience or common sense.
:: ClickOrlando ::
...
Ever since the Dr Phil program presented Alicia Martin, Trayvon's stepmother who raised him on an everyday basis for most of his life, the credibility of this story has not been able to withstand close scrutiny in strong sunlight.
Even if DeeDee's story turns out to be little more than a tissue of similar lies, her story does not directly impact on the central credibility of the story of Trayvon Martin's death.
Most normal American parents treat their animal pets better than Trayvon was treated by his father, because most pet owners provide an ID tag to their dogs and cats.
Every year many elementary schools hold an ID Day. Mothers bring in a recent photo of their child and help make up a kit which can be used by police or the media in case a child gets abducted or goes missing.
Do you believe any father would dump his son without identification a hundred miles away from home on someone else's private property and without any adult supervision? Couldn't a mature adult parent anticipate the possibility that his son could get arrested for trespassing? Are these people for real?
This story was originally released to the Media and then to the public based on the presumption that the America public has no life experience or common sense.
:: ClickOrlando ::
...
Monday, March 4
Perugia Slasher Update -
Amanda Knox is giving her first American television interview to ABC News in an on-camera sitdown with Diane Sawyer which is scheduled to air April 30th.
The interview is timed to promote the publication of Knox's book of memoirs which will debut simultaneously.
...
The interview is timed to promote the publication of Knox's book of memoirs which will debut simultaneously.
...
Thursday, February 28
Trayvon Death: A Year
of Slippery Boundaries -
The anniversary of Trayvon Martin's death passed with peaceful gatherings in his name in Sanford, Miami, New York City, and elsewhere.
Nevertheless, the Mainstream Media have installed Race Czars performing as Black Spokesmen to tell us how we must think about Race in the News Media so that everyone can be politically correct.
Since Race is mostly an intellectual construct combined with a generous dose of subjective perception, this has incited an angry backlash of its own which is often reflected in the comment threads to their news stories. Just as responsible reporters insert the descriptive qualifier "alleged" into their stories, they may need to start adding "perceived" as well.
* * * * *
The FBI is refusing to disclose their records on the Trayvon Martin Shooting without the DOJ's approval.
There are two things you should keep in mind about this:
First, the FBI is not called in for every shooting incident. This was a local event which occurred on a private property multi-residential estate displaying conspicuous warning signs that you are entering Private Property, you are being watched, and your behavior is reported to the police.
The second thing to keep in mind is The Big Picture. The DOJ already made the decision to send in their Community Affairs Unit, which is how they wanted to handle this situation.
* * * * *
Talk Show Host Steve Malzberg touched bases with Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz day before yesterday about the ongoing legal process in the George Zimmerman Case.
* * * * *
:: News organization turns off online
commenting for most crime stories. ::
:: Black Journalists at CNN ::
...
Nevertheless, the Mainstream Media have installed Race Czars performing as Black Spokesmen to tell us how we must think about Race in the News Media so that everyone can be politically correct.
Since Race is mostly an intellectual construct combined with a generous dose of subjective perception, this has incited an angry backlash of its own which is often reflected in the comment threads to their news stories. Just as responsible reporters insert the descriptive qualifier "alleged" into their stories, they may need to start adding "perceived" as well.
* * * * *
The FBI is refusing to disclose their records on the Trayvon Martin Shooting without the DOJ's approval.
There are two things you should keep in mind about this:
First, the FBI is not called in for every shooting incident. This was a local event which occurred on a private property multi-residential estate displaying conspicuous warning signs that you are entering Private Property, you are being watched, and your behavior is reported to the police.
The second thing to keep in mind is The Big Picture. The DOJ already made the decision to send in their Community Affairs Unit, which is how they wanted to handle this situation.
* * * * *
Talk Show Host Steve Malzberg touched bases with Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz day before yesterday about the ongoing legal process in the George Zimmerman Case.
* * * * *
:: News organization turns off online
commenting for most crime stories. ::
:: Black Journalists at CNN ::
...
Monday, February 25
Fragile Veneer -
Tomorrow is being commemorated as the anniversary of the Trayvon Martin Shooting in Sanford FL, where life will never be same again.
The town has sacked its white police chief and hired an African American for the job. And a native of Sanford is working at the law firm which has produced the state's
Star Witness #8 in the criminal prosecution of the accused shooter, George Zimmerman.
The town of Sanford, it has emerged, is actually two towns combined. The other town called Goldsboro was a historically black town which was absorbed by Sanford. Some black residents still harbor resentments about it, feeling that the merger stripped them of their identity and history.
This resentment roils just under the surface there, where the racial fissures that divide the two towns were papered over for cosmetic appearance and prospective prosperity. In retrospect, that merger may have been a mistake, because it left many black residents feeling robbed.
The story was originally introduced into the Mainstream Media by a well-connected Press Agent, after which it was ruthlessly exploited by the Press which has largely replaced accurate reportage about it with worthless or incendiary propaganda.
:: A Year After ::
:: Transcripts of Witness 8 ::
--- via TalkLeft Discussion Forum ---
...
The town has sacked its white police chief and hired an African American for the job. And a native of Sanford is working at the law firm which has produced the state's
Star Witness #8 in the criminal prosecution of the accused shooter, George Zimmerman.
The town of Sanford, it has emerged, is actually two towns combined. The other town called Goldsboro was a historically black town which was absorbed by Sanford. Some black residents still harbor resentments about it, feeling that the merger stripped them of their identity and history.
This resentment roils just under the surface there, where the racial fissures that divide the two towns were papered over for cosmetic appearance and prospective prosperity. In retrospect, that merger may have been a mistake, because it left many black residents feeling robbed.
The story was originally introduced into the Mainstream Media by a well-connected Press Agent, after which it was ruthlessly exploited by the Press which has largely replaced accurate reportage about it with worthless or incendiary propaganda.
:: A Year After ::
:: Transcripts of Witness 8 ::
--- via TalkLeft Discussion Forum ---
...
Saturday, February 23
Blackwell's Own Goal -
Trayvon Martin Shooting;
George Zimmerman Accused . . .
The leitmotif of Friday afternoon's court session was the state's Star Witness #8. I followed the live-streamed proceedings on my laptop, but the quality of the audio I received was rather poor.
The Defense Team fielded two principal motions. The first motion was an effort to depose Benjamin Crump who was being represented by Bruce Blackwell. The second motion was an effort to get the addresses of Witness #8 and several other witnesses as well.
Benjamin Crump's role in this matter is highly ambiguous. I would describe his role as that of a deus ex machina because it was he who inserted Witness #8 into this case. If it weren't for Benjamin Crump, there would be no DeeDee. Her entry into this case was critically contingent upon Benjamin Crump producing the largely unintelligible tape recording of her alleged ear witness of the incident. The problem with this is that deus ex machina is not a legally-defined role.
Bruce Blackwell argued that his client Benjamin Crump should be immune, exempt, and insulated from deposition. And, according to my best understanding, Blackwell, at one point, argued that Crump's role was that of a Qui Tam, which I did not find credible at all. From where I sit, Crump's role appears to be, at best, that of a friend of the court or amicus curiae. It is what it is and quite simply just that.
As far as Don West's questions about the provenance of Witness #8 which can impact upon DeeDee's authenticity and veracity, Blackwell seemed to argue that such discourse would be privileged "work product." Thus, as a direct result of Blackwell's argument, DeeDee herself now appears to have been the "work product" of Benjamin Crump who may have entirely manufactured her.
Blackwell bloviated to such a degree about this that I believe he scored an "own goal" with it. In using this "work product" concept, Blackwell seemed to have completely rubbished DeeDee's credibility altogether. At this point, Tinker Bell might be more credible.
One is obliged to wonder why Blackwell was trying so hard to shield Crump from scrutiny concerning the provenance of Witness #8 - the obvious probability would be: because Crump suborned this witness. I hope that's not true.
I agree that DeeDee's identity should be protected and I expect her to testify in court in silhouette behind a screen. It's my impression that she speaks only an African American subculture patois, a dialect which is so distinctly different from mainstream American English so as to be incomprehensible to 300 million other Americans. Thus, DeeDee is entitled to be furnished with a court-appointed interpreter.
I agree that her address should be shielded from the Media and the random Public, but it is my understanding that the law clearly affords Defense access to it.
In the end, Judge Nelson ruled that Defense may not depose Benjamin Crump because he has nothing relevant to contribute. I think he does have relevant information about the provenance of this magic rabbit he pulled out of his hat which directly impacts upon the authenticity and veracity of Witness #8, but I won't miss his deposition, since Blackwell has already all but destroyed her credibility anyway.
This case has suffered mightily in the Public's understanding from shoddy reportage which mostly looked like the product of some exotic Institute of Propaganda. Even a year later, some reporters still haven't accurately nailed down the basic "W" issues.
Thus, I was happy to see that TV Station WKMG in Orlando commissioned a competent person to write a summary of this hearing which is distinguished by the absence of such batsh*t crazy nonsense. Kudos to this organization! I can only hope that other news organization will now follow suit. It's about time; don't you think?!
:: WKMG Summary of Hearing ::
:: TalkLeft Discussion of Hearing ::
...
George Zimmerman Accused . . .
The leitmotif of Friday afternoon's court session was the state's Star Witness #8. I followed the live-streamed proceedings on my laptop, but the quality of the audio I received was rather poor.
The Defense Team fielded two principal motions. The first motion was an effort to depose Benjamin Crump who was being represented by Bruce Blackwell. The second motion was an effort to get the addresses of Witness #8 and several other witnesses as well.
Benjamin Crump's role in this matter is highly ambiguous. I would describe his role as that of a deus ex machina because it was he who inserted Witness #8 into this case. If it weren't for Benjamin Crump, there would be no DeeDee. Her entry into this case was critically contingent upon Benjamin Crump producing the largely unintelligible tape recording of her alleged ear witness of the incident. The problem with this is that deus ex machina is not a legally-defined role.
Bruce Blackwell argued that his client Benjamin Crump should be immune, exempt, and insulated from deposition. And, according to my best understanding, Blackwell, at one point, argued that Crump's role was that of a Qui Tam, which I did not find credible at all. From where I sit, Crump's role appears to be, at best, that of a friend of the court or amicus curiae. It is what it is and quite simply just that.
As far as Don West's questions about the provenance of Witness #8 which can impact upon DeeDee's authenticity and veracity, Blackwell seemed to argue that such discourse would be privileged "work product." Thus, as a direct result of Blackwell's argument, DeeDee herself now appears to have been the "work product" of Benjamin Crump who may have entirely manufactured her.
Blackwell bloviated to such a degree about this that I believe he scored an "own goal" with it. In using this "work product" concept, Blackwell seemed to have completely rubbished DeeDee's credibility altogether. At this point, Tinker Bell might be more credible.
One is obliged to wonder why Blackwell was trying so hard to shield Crump from scrutiny concerning the provenance of Witness #8 - the obvious probability would be: because Crump suborned this witness. I hope that's not true.
I agree that DeeDee's identity should be protected and I expect her to testify in court in silhouette behind a screen. It's my impression that she speaks only an African American subculture patois, a dialect which is so distinctly different from mainstream American English so as to be incomprehensible to 300 million other Americans. Thus, DeeDee is entitled to be furnished with a court-appointed interpreter.
I agree that her address should be shielded from the Media and the random Public, but it is my understanding that the law clearly affords Defense access to it.
In the end, Judge Nelson ruled that Defense may not depose Benjamin Crump because he has nothing relevant to contribute. I think he does have relevant information about the provenance of this magic rabbit he pulled out of his hat which directly impacts upon the authenticity and veracity of Witness #8, but I won't miss his deposition, since Blackwell has already all but destroyed her credibility anyway.
This case has suffered mightily in the Public's understanding from shoddy reportage which mostly looked like the product of some exotic Institute of Propaganda. Even a year later, some reporters still haven't accurately nailed down the basic "W" issues.
Thus, I was happy to see that TV Station WKMG in Orlando commissioned a competent person to write a summary of this hearing which is distinguished by the absence of such batsh*t crazy nonsense. Kudos to this organization! I can only hope that other news organization will now follow suit. It's about time; don't you think?!
:: WKMG Summary of Hearing ::
:: TalkLeft Discussion of Hearing ::
...
Tuesday, February 19
Hole In The Wall Furor -
A Banksy mural called Bunting Boy which was hacked off a wall in north London is being put up for auction in Miami with a guide price of $500,000 to $700,000, much to the consternation of local residents across The Pond.
:: Guardian :: - - ::WSVN ::
:: BBC :: - - :: Haringey ::
...
:: Guardian :: - - ::WSVN ::
:: BBC :: - - :: Haringey ::
...
Monday, February 11
SoFlo Using Social Media -
The Miami Herald is changing
its internet commenting system . . .
"Readers who want to comment on stories will be required to log in using a Facebook account... The cloak of anonymity stifles respectful debate. We believe this change will encourage conversation - but in a safer, civilized space."
Social Media is a safe place?
A South Florida man used Facebook to recruit a local 16-year-old girl to "join da team" and work for him in the flesh industry, telling her she could make as much as $3,500 a week for selling her services, according to court records.
Meanwhile, WPTV is reporting that Facebook may be working on an app that tracks users' locations, but James Ball is not convinced this concept is so nifty.
...
its internet commenting system . . .
"Readers who want to comment on stories will be required to log in using a Facebook account... The cloak of anonymity stifles respectful debate. We believe this change will encourage conversation - but in a safer, civilized space."
Social Media is a safe place?
A South Florida man used Facebook to recruit a local 16-year-old girl to "join da team" and work for him in the flesh industry, telling her she could make as much as $3,500 a week for selling her services, according to court records.
Meanwhile, WPTV is reporting that Facebook may be working on an app that tracks users' locations, but James Ball is not convinced this concept is so nifty.
...
Sunday, February 10
Weekend Browsing -
Famous Literary Agent Sterling Lord has published his memoirs at the age of 92 in paperback and e-book formats, Carolyn Kellogg reports.
# Rage is Back is a novel by Adam Mansbach about NYC's Graffiti Subculture; reviewed here by Geeta Dayal. An interview with the author by Jonathan Donaldson.
# Adam Woog reviews a clutch
of new Nordic noir mystery novels.
# Nicolas Lezard reviews
Forever Rumpole by John Mortimer.
# An unusual graphic novel about
architecture, Batman: Death by Design.
# Letter from the Jaipur Lit Fest from JD Daniels.
# Jake Kerridge picks some new detective novels.
# Geoffrey Wansell reviews
a trio of crime fiction novels.
# The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
reviewed here by Anna Mundrow.
...
# Rage is Back is a novel by Adam Mansbach about NYC's Graffiti Subculture; reviewed here by Geeta Dayal. An interview with the author by Jonathan Donaldson.
# Adam Woog reviews a clutch
of new Nordic noir mystery novels.
# Nicolas Lezard reviews
Forever Rumpole by John Mortimer.
# An unusual graphic novel about
architecture, Batman: Death by Design.
# Letter from the Jaipur Lit Fest from JD Daniels.
# Jake Kerridge picks some new detective novels.
# Geoffrey Wansell reviews
a trio of crime fiction novels.
# The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
reviewed here by Anna Mundrow.
...
Thursday, February 7
Six Degrees of Ambiguity -
IMO: Trayvon Martin, A Death By Misadventure vs
George Zimmerman, Accused 2nd Degree Murder . . .
A seemingly voluble old-fashioned Southern country lawyer put in a dramatically late appearance during the Tuesday morning proceedings which could have been straight out of Perry Mason. He had the entire courtroom riveted on him when he introduced himself as Mr Blackwell, according to my notes, and announced that he was there to represent Bernard Crump, lawyer for the birth parents of the decedent.
With a collegial nod to Mark O'Mara, he apologized for being late, explaining that his client, Mr Crump, was based at a distance in Tallahassee. Mr Blackwell wanted to submit an affidavit on behalf of his client whereupon a back-and-forth erupted about the use of the affidavit and/or the deposing of Mr Crump. Don West for the Defense argued that since he hadn't had an opportunity to look at the 15 page affidavit, it would be premature to decide about a deposition; however, Don West also introduced a point of law about this matter.
Does Mr Crump's affidavit satisfy all our questions about Witness #8? No, it didn't answer all my questions. I still feel unclear about how many DeeDees there may be; whether the DeeDee interviewed by Mr Crump and the DeeDee recorded by Matt Gutman are one and the same; whether any of the DeeDees is substantially as Mr Crump depicted her; and whether this conversation actually took place at all.
Already a possible discrepancy has arisen in discussions about this case; viz: Mr Crump claimed DeeDee was a juvenile of tender age and a legal minor, but an alternate source of information claims she was not a minor and that she was already 18 years old or more.
Witness #8 aka DeeDee appeared in this case like the quintessential legerdemain white rabbit from out of the cloak of Benjamin Crump Esq, but since then has been mostly just magic with scant documentation.
If the State cannot nail down a palpable one-and-only DeeDee, I expect that failure would significantly erode the credibility and efficacity of its case against George Zimmerman.
Further to Defense's crucial question: what were the circumstances of the State's first contact with Witness #8? Someone - I believe it was Bernie de la Rionda - mentioned that it was Martin Spoffard who was the State's first contact with Witness #8. Thus, observers were left to assume that Don West will have to locate this individual on his own and depose Spoffard himself for further information.
Undoubtedly, Mr Blackwell's belated entry with sizzling affidavit in hand was the highlight of the hearing, although there had been some chatter on the Internet which predicted that Mr Crump would be represented by a spectacular
Jackie Chiles.
Judge Nelson refused Defense's effort to delay the trial, and I formed the impression that she wants to wrap up this trial as speedily as possible.
From the Stuff Happens Dept: my Internet connection was disrupted due to some mysterious red tape snafu; sorry for the delay in posting this entry. I watched the proceedings streamed over Click Orlando, although I arrived a bit late.
TalkLeft has a recap of the legalities covered in the foregoing session and a link to a copy of the aforementioned affidavit.
The next hearing may be on March 5th.
...
George Zimmerman, Accused 2nd Degree Murder . . .
A seemingly voluble old-fashioned Southern country lawyer put in a dramatically late appearance during the Tuesday morning proceedings which could have been straight out of Perry Mason. He had the entire courtroom riveted on him when he introduced himself as Mr Blackwell, according to my notes, and announced that he was there to represent Bernard Crump, lawyer for the birth parents of the decedent.
With a collegial nod to Mark O'Mara, he apologized for being late, explaining that his client, Mr Crump, was based at a distance in Tallahassee. Mr Blackwell wanted to submit an affidavit on behalf of his client whereupon a back-and-forth erupted about the use of the affidavit and/or the deposing of Mr Crump. Don West for the Defense argued that since he hadn't had an opportunity to look at the 15 page affidavit, it would be premature to decide about a deposition; however, Don West also introduced a point of law about this matter.
Does Mr Crump's affidavit satisfy all our questions about Witness #8? No, it didn't answer all my questions. I still feel unclear about how many DeeDees there may be; whether the DeeDee interviewed by Mr Crump and the DeeDee recorded by Matt Gutman are one and the same; whether any of the DeeDees is substantially as Mr Crump depicted her; and whether this conversation actually took place at all.
Already a possible discrepancy has arisen in discussions about this case; viz: Mr Crump claimed DeeDee was a juvenile of tender age and a legal minor, but an alternate source of information claims she was not a minor and that she was already 18 years old or more.
Witness #8 aka DeeDee appeared in this case like the quintessential legerdemain white rabbit from out of the cloak of Benjamin Crump Esq, but since then has been mostly just magic with scant documentation.
If the State cannot nail down a palpable one-and-only DeeDee, I expect that failure would significantly erode the credibility and efficacity of its case against George Zimmerman.
Further to Defense's crucial question: what were the circumstances of the State's first contact with Witness #8? Someone - I believe it was Bernie de la Rionda - mentioned that it was Martin Spoffard who was the State's first contact with Witness #8. Thus, observers were left to assume that Don West will have to locate this individual on his own and depose Spoffard himself for further information.
Undoubtedly, Mr Blackwell's belated entry with sizzling affidavit in hand was the highlight of the hearing, although there had been some chatter on the Internet which predicted that Mr Crump would be represented by a spectacular
Jackie Chiles.
Judge Nelson refused Defense's effort to delay the trial, and I formed the impression that she wants to wrap up this trial as speedily as possible.
From the Stuff Happens Dept: my Internet connection was disrupted due to some mysterious red tape snafu; sorry for the delay in posting this entry. I watched the proceedings streamed over Click Orlando, although I arrived a bit late.
TalkLeft has a recap of the legalities covered in the foregoing session and a link to a copy of the aforementioned affidavit.
The next hearing may be on March 5th.
...
Saturday, February 2
Poking The Peacock -
NBC News Chief Steve Capus is stepping down from that position and will be leaving the organization altogether in the near future.
NBC is the target of a lawsuit by George Zimmerman's Defense for maliciously manipulating a tape recording in order to give viewers the false impression that Zimmerman is a racist who shot Trayvon Martin because the juvenile was Black.
Speaking of Zimmerman, a hearing will be held on this coming Tuesday, February 5th, before the judge.
Also of interest to those following the case, Defense has filed a Motion for Specific Discovery.
...
NBC is the target of a lawsuit by George Zimmerman's Defense for maliciously manipulating a tape recording in order to give viewers the false impression that Zimmerman is a racist who shot Trayvon Martin because the juvenile was Black.
Speaking of Zimmerman, a hearing will be held on this coming Tuesday, February 5th, before the judge.
Also of interest to those following the case, Defense has filed a Motion for Specific Discovery.
...
Wednesday, January 30
News Notes From Florida -
All they ever found of Lorraine Hatzakorzian's remains was her head. No one knows what happened to the rest of her. But the authorities did discover who was driving her blue Dodge pickup truck.
# George Zimmerman's lawyer has released what the defense says is a new picture of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Wednesday. Mark O'Mara has filed for a continuance, asking for more time to prepare the case, as it has been a protracted struggle to get prosecutors, who seem to be dragging their feet in slow motion, to turn over evidence.
# An elderly Canadian snowbird couple were found slain inside their Hallandale Beach condo earlier this past month. David Pichosky, 71, and Rochelle Wise, 66, from Toronto were the victims of a double homicide, but the police have not disclosed much information about the circumstances, which has left the couple's neighbors feeling very uneasy.
...
# George Zimmerman's lawyer has released what the defense says is a new picture of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Wednesday. Mark O'Mara has filed for a continuance, asking for more time to prepare the case, as it has been a protracted struggle to get prosecutors, who seem to be dragging their feet in slow motion, to turn over evidence.
# An elderly Canadian snowbird couple were found slain inside their Hallandale Beach condo earlier this past month. David Pichosky, 71, and Rochelle Wise, 66, from Toronto were the victims of a double homicide, but the police have not disclosed much information about the circumstances, which has left the couple's neighbors feeling very uneasy.
...
Monday, January 28
Brief Browse -
Fans of Miami's Wacky Factor . . .
will be delighted to learn that Dave Barry has a new novel making its debut called Insane City. And NPR has posted a recent interview with him.
# Laura Wilson briefly reviews a clutch of crime fiction picks, including The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner.
# The Future of Davos:
Is a Hipper World Forum On Its Way?
# Man Booker Prize Finalists announced.
# Jaipur Literature Festival
...
will be delighted to learn that Dave Barry has a new novel making its debut called Insane City. And NPR has posted a recent interview with him.
# Laura Wilson briefly reviews a clutch of crime fiction picks, including The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner.
# The Future of Davos:
Is a Hipper World Forum On Its Way?
# Man Booker Prize Finalists announced.
# Jaipur Literature Festival
...
Friday, January 18
Chasing Media Phantoms -
"Trust your mother, but cut the cards,"
as the late Sidney Zion used to say . . .
The story about the football player's girlfriend who turned out to be a hoax, which the Mainstream Media went along with, is a cruel story, but not more cruel than the MSM's shoddy reportage of the Trayvon Martin shooting.
"The tissue of lies in the Notre Dame star’s personal life would have been easy to unravel, but few tried. How the mainstream press fell for the story of an imaginary tragedy."
# How does a five-month-old baby go missing for 15 months and no one look for him? the High Priests at The Miami Herald cogitate. Yeah, that's a real thumb-sucker.
A five-month-old child named Dontrell has gone missing for 15 months. What went wrong here? Well, we can guess: the young mother should have been plugged into the long-established Baby Be Well Program sometimes known as the Well Baby programs.
It starts when the young mother is giving birth in the hospital (if not in the pre-natal phase). A Registered Nurse Practitioner comes around and solicits the young mother by offering her a range of irresistible services while getting the mother's contact information, home address, etc.
Then, when the young mother leaves the hospital, the RNP takes the initiative to travel out into the field and visits the young mother in situ. The RNP is able to answer all sorts of questions, has resources available for vaccinations, and can spot any basic problems which may arise.
# It Came Outa Boca Loca: The Weekly World News is going behind a paywall! Their website now has twice as many visitors per month as its former print edition, so they have decided to follow the leadership of The Miami Herald.
...
as the late Sidney Zion used to say . . .
The story about the football player's girlfriend who turned out to be a hoax, which the Mainstream Media went along with, is a cruel story, but not more cruel than the MSM's shoddy reportage of the Trayvon Martin shooting.
"The tissue of lies in the Notre Dame star’s personal life would have been easy to unravel, but few tried. How the mainstream press fell for the story of an imaginary tragedy."
# How does a five-month-old baby go missing for 15 months and no one look for him? the High Priests at The Miami Herald cogitate. Yeah, that's a real thumb-sucker.
A five-month-old child named Dontrell has gone missing for 15 months. What went wrong here? Well, we can guess: the young mother should have been plugged into the long-established Baby Be Well Program sometimes known as the Well Baby programs.
It starts when the young mother is giving birth in the hospital (if not in the pre-natal phase). A Registered Nurse Practitioner comes around and solicits the young mother by offering her a range of irresistible services while getting the mother's contact information, home address, etc.
Then, when the young mother leaves the hospital, the RNP takes the initiative to travel out into the field and visits the young mother in situ. The RNP is able to answer all sorts of questions, has resources available for vaccinations, and can spot any basic problems which may arise.
# It Came Outa Boca Loca: The Weekly World News is going behind a paywall! Their website now has twice as many visitors per month as its former print edition, so they have decided to follow the leadership of The Miami Herald.
...
Wednesday, January 16
Trayvon Case: Backing Down (3 of 3) -
What about this "Duty to Retreat?"
"You either have the ability to defend yourself without the duty to retreat or you don't," explained Jacksonville attorney Mitch Stone.
How does that premise relate to this case? I believe the State could try to take it in potentially two differing directions.
First, they might argue that Zimmerman should have tried to disengage from the physical struggle with the teenager, but, in my opinion, this line of argument is a cul-de-sac, because Zimmerman's back was up against concrete which was being used by Trayvon Martin as a weapon, so that Zimmerman had no egress available to him.
A possible second direction the State may try to advance here could be the premise that Zimmerman was obliged (by the illusory Duty to Retreat) to stay in his vehicle and should not have questioned the teenager.
This is a fundamentally flawed line of polemic, I believe, because the encounter took place on private property, the owners and management of which have a right to know who goes on their property and what they are doing there.
Any prosecutor who expects to abrogate the rights of private property, including estate and shopping mall owners and management, in this way is headed toward doom, I am inclined to believe.
End of Part 3 of 3 Here.
...
"You either have the ability to defend yourself without the duty to retreat or you don't," explained Jacksonville attorney Mitch Stone.
How does that premise relate to this case? I believe the State could try to take it in potentially two differing directions.
First, they might argue that Zimmerman should have tried to disengage from the physical struggle with the teenager, but, in my opinion, this line of argument is a cul-de-sac, because Zimmerman's back was up against concrete which was being used by Trayvon Martin as a weapon, so that Zimmerman had no egress available to him.
A possible second direction the State may try to advance here could be the premise that Zimmerman was obliged (by the illusory Duty to Retreat) to stay in his vehicle and should not have questioned the teenager.
This is a fundamentally flawed line of polemic, I believe, because the encounter took place on private property, the owners and management of which have a right to know who goes on their property and what they are doing there.
Any prosecutor who expects to abrogate the rights of private property, including estate and shopping mall owners and management, in this way is headed toward doom, I am inclined to believe.
End of Part 3 of 3 Here.
...
Trayvon Case: Backing Down (2 of 3) -
I have no interest in demonizing a juvenile minor; my point here is that there may have been overly lax supervision of a minor, which was evinced in the youngster's strange reaction to his encounter with a resident of the estate, George Zimmerman.
Instead of simply explaining to Zimmerman that his father left him there to babysit a younger child named Chad, Trayvon reacted by violently assaulting the resident Zimmerman.
On the face of it, Trayvon Martin's reaction doesn't make any sense, and we have struggled to figure out what Trayvon's state of mind could have been to motivate such a weird reaction. Over time I have come up with several tentative theories, but none of them satisfy me. Properly done, this is known as a psychological autopsy.
Wasn't Trayvon Martin just minding his own business at the time of the fatal encounter? Trayvon Martin was on someone else's private property. Speaking from practical experience, I would say: when you are on someone else's private property, your business very much becomes their business.
Do we have a right to wonder about someone's state of mind? Sure we do. If you ask someone whether they are lost, you don't expect them to punch you in the nose.
Attorney Jeralyn Merritt explains the legal aspect
of this issue in extensive detail in her blog post today.
Continued . . .
...
Instead of simply explaining to Zimmerman that his father left him there to babysit a younger child named Chad, Trayvon reacted by violently assaulting the resident Zimmerman.
On the face of it, Trayvon Martin's reaction doesn't make any sense, and we have struggled to figure out what Trayvon's state of mind could have been to motivate such a weird reaction. Over time I have come up with several tentative theories, but none of them satisfy me. Properly done, this is known as a psychological autopsy.
Wasn't Trayvon Martin just minding his own business at the time of the fatal encounter? Trayvon Martin was on someone else's private property. Speaking from practical experience, I would say: when you are on someone else's private property, your business very much becomes their business.
Do we have a right to wonder about someone's state of mind? Sure we do. If you ask someone whether they are lost, you don't expect them to punch you in the nose.
Attorney Jeralyn Merritt explains the legal aspect
of this issue in extensive detail in her blog post today.
Continued . . .
...
Trayvon Case: Backing Down (1 of 3) -
The Birth Mother of slain juvenile Trayvon Martin has called for the repeal of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Sybrina Fulton, accompanied by a group of state legislators, appeared at a press conference in Tallahassee earlier today.
The defense team for George Zimmerman has received Martin's school records, but won't release them to the public.
Despite that, it has come to light that the youth attended numerous schools, which is not even possible in other parts of the country under normal circumstances, where communities routinely send out detectives to verify the residence of parents in their district and may sue them for fraud or theft of services in order to recover expenses of student tuition.
To date, we do not know where Trayvon Martin was actually residing, who his legal guardian was, or what relationship - if any - Sybrina Fulton had with him. A different woman named Alicia Martin appeared on the Dr Phil TV Show as his stepmother and claimed to have raised him on an everyday basis for much of the teen's life.
The father appears to be an itinerant truck driver, who may or may not have been Trayvon's legal guardian. The peripatetic Tracy Martin dumped Trayvon on an alien private estate in a universe far from home without instructions, rendering his son a possible Youth in Need of Adult Supervision.
Sometimes it seems like the more
we read about this case, the less we know.
Continued . . .
...
The defense team for George Zimmerman has received Martin's school records, but won't release them to the public.
Despite that, it has come to light that the youth attended numerous schools, which is not even possible in other parts of the country under normal circumstances, where communities routinely send out detectives to verify the residence of parents in their district and may sue them for fraud or theft of services in order to recover expenses of student tuition.
To date, we do not know where Trayvon Martin was actually residing, who his legal guardian was, or what relationship - if any - Sybrina Fulton had with him. A different woman named Alicia Martin appeared on the Dr Phil TV Show as his stepmother and claimed to have raised him on an everyday basis for much of the teen's life.
The father appears to be an itinerant truck driver, who may or may not have been Trayvon's legal guardian. The peripatetic Tracy Martin dumped Trayvon on an alien private estate in a universe far from home without instructions, rendering his son a possible Youth in Need of Adult Supervision.
Sometimes it seems like the more
we read about this case, the less we know.
Continued . . .
...
Sunday, January 13
Browsing Around -
Murder off Miami by Dennis Wheatley was originally published in 1936 and then reprinted in the 1970s. Today, it has become a collector’s item. Christopher Fowler wrote about it recently on his blog.
# Anyone miss Max and Freddy, the bicker team of Cologne detectives, from the German Tatort TV series shown here on the MHz Network? Alexandra Alter reviews Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus, newly translated from German.
# Adam Woog's Mystery column this month includes the return of the precocious detective Flavia de Luce.
# British author Warren Ellis debuts his novel Gun Machine which Douglas Wolk reviews at LAT.
# Hatchet Job of the Year: "searching for the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months." Shortlist of nominees for the past year revealed.
...
# Anyone miss Max and Freddy, the bicker team of Cologne detectives, from the German Tatort TV series shown here on the MHz Network? Alexandra Alter reviews Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus, newly translated from German.
# Adam Woog's Mystery column this month includes the return of the precocious detective Flavia de Luce.
# British author Warren Ellis debuts his novel Gun Machine which Douglas Wolk reviews at LAT.
# Hatchet Job of the Year: "searching for the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months." Shortlist of nominees for the past year revealed.
...
Friday, January 11
New Spree Groupies -
Serial and Spree Killers
have attracted groupies before . . .
Such a retinue or fanbase has emerged around the accused Colorado movie theater shooter James Holmes called the Holmies, which is beginning to attract attention from the Mainstream Media.
Trench Reynolds gives his picks of Best and Worst for the past year, including the new teen group called the Holmies, which he has blogged about before.
# The Watson Computer
couldn't cope with the Urban Dictionary.
# Dan Kennedy in Boston blogs an entry
about the ongoing collapse of corporate radio.
...
have attracted groupies before . . .
Such a retinue or fanbase has emerged around the accused Colorado movie theater shooter James Holmes called the Holmies, which is beginning to attract attention from the Mainstream Media.
Trench Reynolds gives his picks of Best and Worst for the past year, including the new teen group called the Holmies, which he has blogged about before.
# The Watson Computer
couldn't cope with the Urban Dictionary.
# Dan Kennedy in Boston blogs an entry
about the ongoing collapse of corporate radio.
...
Thursday, January 10
Firestorm Over Boca U -
James Tracy is a tenured Media and
Communications professor at FAU in the
land of the shopping zombies, Boca Loca . . .
Apparently, Tracy has dared to suggest on his blog that alternate theories of what happened in the Sandy Hook mass shooting are possible. Moreover, he has allegedly asserted that there are: Unanswered Questions and Missing Information. OMG!
Thus, Tracy has committed an American version of blasphemy by challenging the self-appointed high priesthood of the Mainstream Media who have now whipped up a hysteria about him.
...
Communications professor at FAU in the
land of the shopping zombies, Boca Loca . . .
Apparently, Tracy has dared to suggest on his blog that alternate theories of what happened in the Sandy Hook mass shooting are possible. Moreover, he has allegedly asserted that there are: Unanswered Questions and Missing Information. OMG!
Thus, Tracy has committed an American version of blasphemy by challenging the self-appointed high priesthood of the Mainstream Media who have now whipped up a hysteria about him.
...
Sunday, January 6
A Breezy Browse -
Alex Harvey has written a feature piece about singer/song writer Tom Waits for the LA Review of Books describing the life Waits once had in Los Angeles which informed the kind of songs he was writing.
# Thomas Pynchon will debut his new novel called Bleeding Edge this fall via Penguin Press, according to Jason Boog.
# Amy Wilentz revisits Haiti in her new book Farewell, Fred Voodoo, which is reviewed by Hector Tobar at LAT.
# Tom Slater reviews Sam Thompson's Communion Town, a story which unfolds via multiple points of view in a post-modern construction.
# Alex Hern writes that the graphic
novel Scene of the Crime is back in print.
# Sarah Ward reviews Bed of Nails by
French Mystery author Antonin Varenne.
...
# Thomas Pynchon will debut his new novel called Bleeding Edge this fall via Penguin Press, according to Jason Boog.
# Amy Wilentz revisits Haiti in her new book Farewell, Fred Voodoo, which is reviewed by Hector Tobar at LAT.
# Tom Slater reviews Sam Thompson's Communion Town, a story which unfolds via multiple points of view in a post-modern construction.
# Alex Hern writes that the graphic
novel Scene of the Crime is back in print.
# Sarah Ward reviews Bed of Nails by
French Mystery author Antonin Varenne.
...
Friday, January 4
Strangers In The Night -
. . . shoobee shoobee doo . . .
Some of the people you see on the streets here in South Florida may be your neighbors, but some may be just passing through. Some may be roofless, while others may be enslaved. Appearances can be misleading.
An elderly man was catching a bite to eat one evening at a Wendy's branch in Fort Lauderdale when he met a young couple there. They all got to chatting during which it emerged that the couple needed a place to stay.
The elderly gent impulsively offered to put them up in his apartment, whereupon the trio was observed leaving the restaurant together. The seventy-year-old man was never seen in public again. That was on Oct 15th.
At the beginning of November, police were called to his apartment complex because a foul odor was detected there. It was only then that the body was discovered. Arrest warrants were issued.
The hold-back and big reveal turned out to be that no gun or knife was used to commit this homicide; instead, a plastic bag was allegedly used by the young couple to suffocate their host.
* * * * *
A young woman enrolled in a drug rehab program disappeared. The ensuing investigation into her fate yielded the information that she had found a dubious benefactor. It was only then that the entire sinister pattern began to emerge.
She had become ensnared in a sex slavery racket. Sadly, this is not a unique case. A higher than average percentage of transients in the area permits this kind of traffic to blend in with more conventional guests. And don't be misled by the dreadlocks - this is a multi-ethnic problem.
* * * * *
American medical schools customarily locate many of their training facilities in urban areas because the population density there affords more of a concentration of opportunities for physicians to acquire experiences which will develop their skills.
Thus, a young Canadian physician who wanted to specialize in trauma surgery moved from her relatively sedate environment in Toronto to South Florida.
She writes a muddled-minded Op Ed piece in The Miami Herald in which she laments that she has encountered a level of Cruelty here among her patients, who are often the victims, which she was unprepared to deal with.
Maybe she picked the wrong specialty.
How about switching to Dermatology?
If we reduce the numbers of guns on the streets, the psychopaths will probably use knives instead. Or maybe even plastic bags.
...
Some of the people you see on the streets here in South Florida may be your neighbors, but some may be just passing through. Some may be roofless, while others may be enslaved. Appearances can be misleading.
An elderly man was catching a bite to eat one evening at a Wendy's branch in Fort Lauderdale when he met a young couple there. They all got to chatting during which it emerged that the couple needed a place to stay.
The elderly gent impulsively offered to put them up in his apartment, whereupon the trio was observed leaving the restaurant together. The seventy-year-old man was never seen in public again. That was on Oct 15th.
At the beginning of November, police were called to his apartment complex because a foul odor was detected there. It was only then that the body was discovered. Arrest warrants were issued.
The hold-back and big reveal turned out to be that no gun or knife was used to commit this homicide; instead, a plastic bag was allegedly used by the young couple to suffocate their host.
* * * * *
A young woman enrolled in a drug rehab program disappeared. The ensuing investigation into her fate yielded the information that she had found a dubious benefactor. It was only then that the entire sinister pattern began to emerge.
She had become ensnared in a sex slavery racket. Sadly, this is not a unique case. A higher than average percentage of transients in the area permits this kind of traffic to blend in with more conventional guests. And don't be misled by the dreadlocks - this is a multi-ethnic problem.
* * * * *
American medical schools customarily locate many of their training facilities in urban areas because the population density there affords more of a concentration of opportunities for physicians to acquire experiences which will develop their skills.
Thus, a young Canadian physician who wanted to specialize in trauma surgery moved from her relatively sedate environment in Toronto to South Florida.
She writes a muddled-minded Op Ed piece in The Miami Herald in which she laments that she has encountered a level of Cruelty here among her patients, who are often the victims, which she was unprepared to deal with.
Maybe she picked the wrong specialty.
How about switching to Dermatology?
If we reduce the numbers of guns on the streets, the psychopaths will probably use knives instead. Or maybe even plastic bags.
...
Thursday, January 3
Novelist Gets Slammed -
The Saudi novelist Turki al-Hamad has been arrested by KSA authorities for emitting provocative tweets.
It appears (albeit at long distance) that Prince Nayef, who has been serving as Interior Minister lately, may have been pressured by prickly religious elements to go after Perceived Insults to Islam.
Well, you know how it is with Perceived Insults:
The color Aqua can be perceived as Blueish Green or Greenish Blue. But then you have to choose how you will interpret it.
You have to choose to be insulted. Then, on second thought or review, you can make a different choice that maybe you were not insulted.
For what purpose do you choose to be insulted?
"His novels have dealt with political and social matters long considered taboo in the religiously conservative kingdom."
What happened to the approach of convening a panel of scholars to discuss these issues with those who deviate from the Kingdom's official interpretations? Where is the shura on this matter? Looks like a lot of intermediate process is missing here.
Was this arrest the result of one individual's personal grudge or vendetta?
Saudi intellectuals have accumulated at least 500 signatures on a petition for Al Hamad's release, according to the latest AFP report.
:: GlobalVoices :: - - - :: Volokh ::
...
It appears (albeit at long distance) that Prince Nayef, who has been serving as Interior Minister lately, may have been pressured by prickly religious elements to go after Perceived Insults to Islam.
Well, you know how it is with Perceived Insults:
The color Aqua can be perceived as Blueish Green or Greenish Blue. But then you have to choose how you will interpret it.
You have to choose to be insulted. Then, on second thought or review, you can make a different choice that maybe you were not insulted.
For what purpose do you choose to be insulted?
"His novels have dealt with political and social matters long considered taboo in the religiously conservative kingdom."
What happened to the approach of convening a panel of scholars to discuss these issues with those who deviate from the Kingdom's official interpretations? Where is the shura on this matter? Looks like a lot of intermediate process is missing here.
Was this arrest the result of one individual's personal grudge or vendetta?
Saudi intellectuals have accumulated at least 500 signatures on a petition for Al Hamad's release, according to the latest AFP report.
:: GlobalVoices :: - - - :: Volokh ::
...
Wednesday, January 2
The Case of The Naked Roofer -
It's raining men!
Hallelujah! It's raining men!
Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood is seeking TIPS concerning the beating death of Dylan Thomas Tharp, whose nude body was found on top of the Peabody Auditorium on November 3rd.
Chitwood is convinced that somebody out there knows something, so a $5,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of Tharp's killer.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call detective Dale Detter at #386-671-5218.
:: It's Raining Men ::
...
Hallelujah! It's raining men!
Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood is seeking TIPS concerning the beating death of Dylan Thomas Tharp, whose nude body was found on top of the Peabody Auditorium on November 3rd.
Chitwood is convinced that somebody out there knows something, so a $5,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of Tharp's killer.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call detective Dale Detter at #386-671-5218.
:: It's Raining Men ::
...
Tuesday, January 1
SoFlo Paper To Be Orphaned?
Sun Sentinel parent company, Chicago-based Tribune, is undergoing a makeover as a TV organization poised to sell off its newspapers, according to Reuters.
It's anyone's guess whether a prospective buyer would be interested in buying the Broward-oriented print publication set in the context of a literacy rate reputed to be comparable to that of backwoods rural Mississippi.
If Tribune cannot find a buyer for its Broward outlet, will the orphan newspaper have any future at all?
:: Reuters ::
...
It's anyone's guess whether a prospective buyer would be interested in buying the Broward-oriented print publication set in the context of a literacy rate reputed to be comparable to that of backwoods rural Mississippi.
If Tribune cannot find a buyer for its Broward outlet, will the orphan newspaper have any future at all?
:: Reuters ::
...
Monday, December 31
End of Year Browse -
If you've sensibly decided to stay off the roads tonight and safely away from erratic drivers, you can curl up somewhere cosy and enjoy a bit of literary lagniappe . . .
# Rachel Arons has compiled some of the
most notable Literary Feuds of the past year.
# The Spectator's Best Book Picks of 2012:
:: Part One :: and :: Part Two ::
# Emily Temple gives us a peek at some
books scheduled to make their debuts in 2013.
# Murder at Locker 02-069 - one of
America's first school shooters - written by
Susan Taylor Martin - via Gangrey Blog.
...
# Rachel Arons has compiled some of the
most notable Literary Feuds of the past year.
# The Spectator's Best Book Picks of 2012:
:: Part One :: and :: Part Two ::
# Emily Temple gives us a peek at some
books scheduled to make their debuts in 2013.
# Murder at Locker 02-069 - one of
America's first school shooters - written by
Susan Taylor Martin - via Gangrey Blog.
...
FL Top of the Pop 2012 -
Florida's top news story of this past
year according to the vox pop around
here was the Causeway Cannibal Attack . . .
A Haitian man, who had been circulating in an outdoor social gathering where someone could have slipped a strange mickey into his drink, attacked a homeless man who was sleeping on the MacArthur Causeway and then gnawed off most of his victim's facial features. Even Carl Kolchak couldn't have made it up!
In sharp contrast, newspaper members of the Associated Press chose the Sanford Shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman as Florida's top news story.
That story may have been distinctive because it had the worst quality reportage of any American news story over the year.
...
year according to the vox pop around
here was the Causeway Cannibal Attack . . .
A Haitian man, who had been circulating in an outdoor social gathering where someone could have slipped a strange mickey into his drink, attacked a homeless man who was sleeping on the MacArthur Causeway and then gnawed off most of his victim's facial features. Even Carl Kolchak couldn't have made it up!
In sharp contrast, newspaper members of the Associated Press chose the Sanford Shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman as Florida's top news story.
That story may have been distinctive because it had the worst quality reportage of any American news story over the year.
...
Tuesday, December 25
Paper or Virtual Elves -
It's Christmas Eve 2012 as I write this entry
or, as the Cuban Spaniards call it, Nochebuena . . .
Newsweek Magazine is saying goodbye to its print
artifact. And the Tribune newspapers are dropping the Associated Press.
Tribune is the parent company of the Sun Sentinel newspaper in the Broward County area, but it is not a local company. The Tribune company is based in Chicago.
Meanwhile . . .
The Miami Herald has just put up a paywall.
According to their website,
today their special holiday feature was:
It's all about the pig.
How to roast a pig, Cuban-style.
Their central photo above the (virtual) fold looked more like a Three Kings Day religious drama than an American-style holiday, but perhaps that's just quibbling.
The Miami Herald has a Spanish language edition which is reported to be doing very well. It also has an English language edition which is like an atrophying vestigial organ.
Locally, the situation is complicated. Many people in South Florida get much of their news from TV. Although many of them have so-called smart phones, a large percentage of the population seem to be borderline or completely illiterate.
I don't want to get nostalgic.
Have a Merry Christmas!
:: PandoDaily :: - - :: BrowardBeat ::
...
or, as the Cuban Spaniards call it, Nochebuena . . .
Newsweek Magazine is saying goodbye to its print
artifact. And the Tribune newspapers are dropping the Associated Press.
Tribune is the parent company of the Sun Sentinel newspaper in the Broward County area, but it is not a local company. The Tribune company is based in Chicago.
Meanwhile . . .
The Miami Herald has just put up a paywall.
According to their website,
today their special holiday feature was:
It's all about the pig.
How to roast a pig, Cuban-style.
Their central photo above the (virtual) fold looked more like a Three Kings Day religious drama than an American-style holiday, but perhaps that's just quibbling.
The Miami Herald has a Spanish language edition which is reported to be doing very well. It also has an English language edition which is like an atrophying vestigial organ.
Locally, the situation is complicated. Many people in South Florida get much of their news from TV. Although many of them have so-called smart phones, a large percentage of the population seem to be borderline or completely illiterate.
I don't want to get nostalgic.
Have a Merry Christmas!
:: PandoDaily :: - - :: BrowardBeat ::
...
Sunday, December 23
Browsing Around -
An informal chat
with writer Michael Chabon . . .
about some of his favorite pop culture this past year. He is currently engaged in creating a project for HBO Cable TV about a team of charlatans who are recruited by British intelligence to perpetrate deceptions against the Nazis.
# Toby Keats is the Paris reporter for a fictional American newspaper in the 1920s when he becomes involved in some kind of mysterious intrigue and a competitive chase for strange automatons. Peter Lewis reviews The Paris Deadline by Max Byrd.
# Maureen Corrigan shares her picks of the Best Mysteries of the past year with an emphasis on the female perspective.
# Tom Nolan shares almost a dozen of his favorite Mystery reads from the past year with a brief but effective description of each one.
# A Gothic Tale: The Beautiful Child by
Emma Tennant is reviewed by Frances Wilson.
# Alison Flood at The Guardian reviews
Harbour Nocturne by Joseph Wambaugh.
# Willie Nelson has a new book of memoirs.
# Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley,
Alan Light and more at Our Man in Boston.
...
with writer Michael Chabon . . .
about some of his favorite pop culture this past year. He is currently engaged in creating a project for HBO Cable TV about a team of charlatans who are recruited by British intelligence to perpetrate deceptions against the Nazis.
# Toby Keats is the Paris reporter for a fictional American newspaper in the 1920s when he becomes involved in some kind of mysterious intrigue and a competitive chase for strange automatons. Peter Lewis reviews The Paris Deadline by Max Byrd.
# Maureen Corrigan shares her picks of the Best Mysteries of the past year with an emphasis on the female perspective.
# Tom Nolan shares almost a dozen of his favorite Mystery reads from the past year with a brief but effective description of each one.
# A Gothic Tale: The Beautiful Child by
Emma Tennant is reviewed by Frances Wilson.
# Alison Flood at The Guardian reviews
Harbour Nocturne by Joseph Wambaugh.
# Willie Nelson has a new book of memoirs.
# Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley,
Alan Light and more at Our Man in Boston.
...
Saturday, December 22
Sneakerhead Uproar -
There's big money in celebrity athlete sneakers,
especially when a limited edition is issued . . .
In Miami Gardens many youngsters who are fans of Air Jordan were disappointed because burglars got to the available sneaker supply of Air Jordan XI "Breds" before the kids could take them home.
:: ABC Local 10 ::
:: BizJournal ::
...
especially when a limited edition is issued . . .
In Miami Gardens many youngsters who are fans of Air Jordan were disappointed because burglars got to the available sneaker supply of Air Jordan XI "Breds" before the kids could take them home.
:: ABC Local 10 ::
:: BizJournal ::
...
Sunday, December 16
Spoofing on Tragedy -
William Henderson is reporting that there are fraudsters posting fake messages on the Internet who are pretending to be the Sandy Hook school shooter.
I have lived through a number of these school shootings, shopping mall shootings, and similar events. The Mainstream American Media has settled into a formula for covering these events which I often find distasteful by now. In an effort to avoid glorifying the shooter and turning him into a celebrity they have tried to create a hagiography of the victims.
It would be interesting to learn more about the shooter and his mother, his activities on the Internet, and other circumstances surrounding this event, but people need to be patient and give the detectives some time to investigate.
:: The Telegraph ::
...
I have lived through a number of these school shootings, shopping mall shootings, and similar events. The Mainstream American Media has settled into a formula for covering these events which I often find distasteful by now. In an effort to avoid glorifying the shooter and turning him into a celebrity they have tried to create a hagiography of the victims.
It would be interesting to learn more about the shooter and his mother, his activities on the Internet, and other circumstances surrounding this event, but people need to be patient and give the detectives some time to investigate.
:: The Telegraph ::
...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
