This is an informal update to the two cases we've been following here which were generated in the mainstream media by Hollywood-connected press agents rather than by the shoe leather of journalists' primary reportage.
The Perugia Slasher Case is known as The Meredith Murder within Italy. As far as I know, the next court session is scheduled for November 6th. Amanda Knox recently took her show on the road and appeared via Skype on an Italian TV program called Porta a Porta.
I don't know whether or not she packed her newly-affected Percy Dovetonsils lisp with her for the occasion, but I don't think I'm going to watch the video just to find out.
Ultimately, I expect, a Red Notice will be issued for her.
* * * * *
CNN recently aired a retrospective on the Trayvon Martin shooting and the subsequent prosecution of George Zimmerman. They added only one new element to their narrative: some historical background about the relationship between Sanford and Goldsboro.
Other than that, they did not advance the story at all. It was mostly just a rehash. It was so superfluous that their website doesn't even provide a link to the program anymore.
But, not to worry, because some of the local news media has found another case they seem to be trying to promote as a sequel to the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Jandei Cherry was shot very late at night whilst he was proceeding down Hollywood Boulevard on foot and completely naked.
Uh-oh! Another Naked Face-Eating Zombie case?
Reporters did not mention whether the naked man tried to chew the shooter's face off as in the Miami causeway case, because, as you could already guess, they're just playing games with you to taunt you.
How deviant does a person's behavior have to be before you are forced to shoot them in self-defense? Do you have to wait until they have finished chewing off your nose, for example?
Eric Holder could get quite granular about it, so try to decide what percentage of your face the zombie has to consume before you are allowed to defend yourself.
:: Transcript pdf :: Knox on PaP ::
:: Oct 15th Video RAI ::
:: Tiziano's Translation ::
...
Saturday, October 19
Tuesday, October 15
A Clutch of Pearls -
Adam Woog reviews crime fiction set in India, Mississippi, and DC. Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri, "India’s Most Private Detective," puts in an appearance in The Case of the Love Commandos. And Judith Flanders pens a non-fiction study of crime in Victorian England.
# Author Jonathan Franzen expounds on what's wrong with the modern world. His new book The Kraus Project is reviewed by David Wolf.
# Donna Tartt who wrote cult classic The Secret History is presenting her third novel The Goldfinch which is reviewed by Catherine Taylor.
# Movie-maker Wes Anderson tells Matt Zoller Seitz how he made The Royal Tenenbaums. Great interview!
# NPR checks in with Bemelmans' Madeline; and
the elusive street artist Banksy may be visiting NYC.
...
# Author Jonathan Franzen expounds on what's wrong with the modern world. His new book The Kraus Project is reviewed by David Wolf.
# Donna Tartt who wrote cult classic The Secret History is presenting her third novel The Goldfinch which is reviewed by Catherine Taylor.
# Movie-maker Wes Anderson tells Matt Zoller Seitz how he made The Royal Tenenbaums. Great interview!
# NPR checks in with Bemelmans' Madeline; and
the elusive street artist Banksy may be visiting NYC.
...
Wednesday, October 9
Reading: In Charmed Circles -
Putting aside grim news for a
moment to note some delightful news . . .
Legendary Anchorman Ron Burgundy has been
persuaded to do some automobile commercials.
# G Willow Wilson reviews Dave Eggers' new novel
The Circle, and Bob Minzesheimer reviews it, too.
# Maureen Corrigan reviews JK Rowling's debut
Mystery novel The Cuckoo's Calling at NPR.
# Nathaniel Rich writes about
The Chelsea Hotel in NYC.
...
moment to note some delightful news . . .
Legendary Anchorman Ron Burgundy has been
persuaded to do some automobile commercials.
# G Willow Wilson reviews Dave Eggers' new novel
The Circle, and Bob Minzesheimer reviews it, too.
# Maureen Corrigan reviews JK Rowling's debut
Mystery novel The Cuckoo's Calling at NPR.
# Nathaniel Rich writes about
The Chelsea Hotel in NYC.
...
Monday, October 7
Blonde Trophy Game -
Fondling his crotch, the black stranger persistently asked the pretty blonde nursing student for explicit sexual favors while a Broward County FL bus was in motion recently.
The 22-year-old pregnant nursing student, who was on her way to a doctor's appointment, moved away from his unwelcome advances by changing her seat.
When that did not stop the harassment, the passenger sitting next to her pepper-sprayed her pursuer who responded by brutally beating him.
Incredibly, the entire incident
was captured on surveillance video.
:: Sun-Sentinel ::
:: NBC Miami :: - - - :: WSVN ::
...
The 22-year-old pregnant nursing student, who was on her way to a doctor's appointment, moved away from his unwelcome advances by changing her seat.
When that did not stop the harassment, the passenger sitting next to her pepper-sprayed her pursuer who responded by brutally beating him.
Incredibly, the entire incident
was captured on surveillance video.
:: Sun-Sentinel ::
:: NBC Miami :: - - - :: WSVN ::
...
Tuesday, October 1
Knox: Living
Someone Else's Life -
Amanda Knox says she feels like she is living someone else's life and has developed a peculiar obsession about visiting Meredith Kercher's grave.
The opening session of her do-over appeal commenced without her presence, which was not required, as she is being represented in the Florence court by lawyers.
The Italian Supreme Court declared the previous appeal process a kind of mistrial, nullifying it, and ordered the do-over. Mistrials occur in American, too, but the rules and specifications may be a bit different in each system as to exactly what constitutes a mistrial.
And what about Meredith Kercher's grave? That may be Knox's only tangible souvenir of the entire Perugian episode from which she has emerged.
:: Barbie Latza Nadeau reports the latest ::
:: Andrea Vogt reports ::
:: La Stampa ::
...
The opening session of her do-over appeal commenced without her presence, which was not required, as she is being represented in the Florence court by lawyers.
The Italian Supreme Court declared the previous appeal process a kind of mistrial, nullifying it, and ordered the do-over. Mistrials occur in American, too, but the rules and specifications may be a bit different in each system as to exactly what constitutes a mistrial.
And what about Meredith Kercher's grave? That may be Knox's only tangible souvenir of the entire Perugian episode from which she has emerged.
:: Barbie Latza Nadeau reports the latest ::
:: Andrea Vogt reports ::
:: La Stampa ::
...
Monday, September 30
Brief Browse -
Did you happen to catch Foyle's War on PBS TV last night? The episode called Sunflower takes place shortly after the end of WWII.
For a moment I thought I was watching Fabian of Scotland Yard. In an odd coincidence, Foyle seemed to resemble Fabian.
# In Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives, Sarah Weinman has put together an anthology of early trailblazing female Mystery writers.
# Justin St Clair writes about Thomas Pynchon's
new novel Bleeding Edge at the LARB.
# Victor Davis Hanson has written an essay about some popular myths, legends and contemporary American fairytales which have been presented to us as News.
...
For a moment I thought I was watching Fabian of Scotland Yard. In an odd coincidence, Foyle seemed to resemble Fabian.
# In Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives, Sarah Weinman has put together an anthology of early trailblazing female Mystery writers.
# Justin St Clair writes about Thomas Pynchon's
new novel Bleeding Edge at the LARB.
# Victor Davis Hanson has written an essay about some popular myths, legends and contemporary American fairytales which have been presented to us as News.
...
Wednesday, September 25
The White Widow,
The Mad Cook & The Coed -
Amanda Knox,
China Arnold and
Samantha Lewthwaite . . .
Does leafy ennui transform some
suburban housewives into terrorists?
Lots of speculation now in the international media about whether Samantha Lewthwaite was involved in the Kenya shopping mall attack.
# Here in the U.S., the cable tv talk shows, which frequently spotlight mothers accused of killing their adorable little children, are preoccupied with China Arnold, dubbed The Microwave Mom, a young mother who is accused of cooking her baby in a microwave oven.
# And the do-over appeal trial of Amanda Knox in Florence is scheduled to begin September 30th. Andrea Vogt has been reporting on it lonterm and continues to keep track of it.
The Seattle native recently gave an interview to the British media, explaining why she won't travel to Italy for the proceedings.
...
China Arnold and
Samantha Lewthwaite . . .
Does leafy ennui transform some
suburban housewives into terrorists?
Lots of speculation now in the international media about whether Samantha Lewthwaite was involved in the Kenya shopping mall attack.
# Here in the U.S., the cable tv talk shows, which frequently spotlight mothers accused of killing their adorable little children, are preoccupied with China Arnold, dubbed The Microwave Mom, a young mother who is accused of cooking her baby in a microwave oven.
# And the do-over appeal trial of Amanda Knox in Florence is scheduled to begin September 30th. Andrea Vogt has been reporting on it lonterm and continues to keep track of it.
The Seattle native recently gave an interview to the British media, explaining why she won't travel to Italy for the proceedings.
...
Monday, September 23
Is That For Real? -
Harry the CGI Lizard . . .
is a lovely piece of work who has charmed many TV viewers. Rushes, the company which created him, has posted some information about him. He looks like a relative of the Anole family of lizards.
* * * * *
Aaron Alexis carved two cryptic phrases on the stock of his shotgun. One phrase was "Better off this way" and the other was "My ELF weapon."
What does ELF mean?
I think it means
Electronic Life Form in this context.
Schizophrenics sometimes refer to
themselves or others as dolls, robots, or puppets.
There have been a number of SciFi movies based on the premise that CGI figures from cyberspace have passed through a "membrane" from the computer screen or TV to our earthly reality space.
Alexis may have come to suspect that some of the people he was working among at that facility were not real people, but, rather, were like digital facsimiles. Or maybe intrusive aliens or invading ETs. Or hostile entities of some kind who were masquerading as humans.
Add some paranoia to that state of mind and he may have believed he needed a shotgun to exterminate them.
Just guessing. [two messages]
* * * * *
Zombie has posted an analysis
of some BBC reportage about
the shopping mall attack in Kenya.
...
is a lovely piece of work who has charmed many TV viewers. Rushes, the company which created him, has posted some information about him. He looks like a relative of the Anole family of lizards.
* * * * *
Aaron Alexis carved two cryptic phrases on the stock of his shotgun. One phrase was "Better off this way" and the other was "My ELF weapon."
What does ELF mean?
I think it means
Electronic Life Form in this context.
Schizophrenics sometimes refer to
themselves or others as dolls, robots, or puppets.
There have been a number of SciFi movies based on the premise that CGI figures from cyberspace have passed through a "membrane" from the computer screen or TV to our earthly reality space.
Alexis may have come to suspect that some of the people he was working among at that facility were not real people, but, rather, were like digital facsimiles. Or maybe intrusive aliens or invading ETs. Or hostile entities of some kind who were masquerading as humans.
Add some paranoia to that state of mind and he may have believed he needed a shotgun to exterminate them.
Just guessing. [two messages]
* * * * *
Zombie has posted an analysis
of some BBC reportage about
the shopping mall attack in Kenya.
...
Saturday, September 21
Other Uses of Legacy -
-- Trayvon Martin, Rev ML King Jr,
& Detective Inspector Richard Poole --
This may be the first positive development in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin's tragic death by misadventure . . .
An announcement was made last week of an assembly of students at a Fort Lauderdale high school presided over by many black officials, including at least one Christian clergyman and the local black police chief, to discuss the circumstances of the teenager's death and techniques to avert such violent confrontations in the future.
One aspect of Rev Martin Luther King's legacy which received no press attention at all during the recent commemorations: teaching skills in nonviolent conflict resolution. In all likelihood, if Trayvon Martin had been taught these skills, he would have survived that fateful encounter without untoward incident.
Kudos to whoever brought this initiative to these black youngsters. Did the kids get any exposure to this approach when the meeting occurred? We cannot ascertain what actually transpired there due to inadequate MSM reportage.
You can look up the mainstream press reports about the meeting, but they yield little useful information in this vein. Whenever Trayvon Martin's name is mentioned, it is usually used as a lightening rod to evoke a twisted propaganda spin and/or race-baiting.
We welcome this initiative which we believe moves the focus of the case into a more helpful and constructive direction.
* * * * *
You would think that the BBC TV mystery series Death in Paradise airing on WPBT2, would be very popular here in SoFlo. It is an offbeat police procedural set on a fictional Caribbean island which features a displaced quirky UK detective from Croydon. I've watched a few episodes, though, I confess, I haven't followed the story arc religiously.
So, is it popular around here? That's hard to determine, but it brings me to another current issue in the black community, which I've seen up close.
African-Americans are no longer the only black people living here. Broward County has experienced an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean. They are here by choice; no one dragged them to Florida in chains.
And in many cases they have advanced qualifications for jobs which may put them in a supervisory capacity over local residents of color. Rather than viewing them as inspirational role models, some African Americans may develop resentments, and conflicts in cultural values may ensue.
One example of this issue impacts young African American gay people, who have had problematic interactions with Haitians who, they allege, demonstrate bigotry against gays.
Thus, it is not only White people, Latinos, Asians or Russians, that African-Americans youngsters have to learn to get along with. They may have to learn to cope with other black ethnicities who have strongly held but significantly different cultural values.
...
& Detective Inspector Richard Poole --
This may be the first positive development in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin's tragic death by misadventure . . .
An announcement was made last week of an assembly of students at a Fort Lauderdale high school presided over by many black officials, including at least one Christian clergyman and the local black police chief, to discuss the circumstances of the teenager's death and techniques to avert such violent confrontations in the future.
One aspect of Rev Martin Luther King's legacy which received no press attention at all during the recent commemorations: teaching skills in nonviolent conflict resolution. In all likelihood, if Trayvon Martin had been taught these skills, he would have survived that fateful encounter without untoward incident.
Kudos to whoever brought this initiative to these black youngsters. Did the kids get any exposure to this approach when the meeting occurred? We cannot ascertain what actually transpired there due to inadequate MSM reportage.
You can look up the mainstream press reports about the meeting, but they yield little useful information in this vein. Whenever Trayvon Martin's name is mentioned, it is usually used as a lightening rod to evoke a twisted propaganda spin and/or race-baiting.
We welcome this initiative which we believe moves the focus of the case into a more helpful and constructive direction.
* * * * *
You would think that the BBC TV mystery series Death in Paradise airing on WPBT2, would be very popular here in SoFlo. It is an offbeat police procedural set on a fictional Caribbean island which features a displaced quirky UK detective from Croydon. I've watched a few episodes, though, I confess, I haven't followed the story arc religiously.
So, is it popular around here? That's hard to determine, but it brings me to another current issue in the black community, which I've seen up close.
African-Americans are no longer the only black people living here. Broward County has experienced an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean. They are here by choice; no one dragged them to Florida in chains.
And in many cases they have advanced qualifications for jobs which may put them in a supervisory capacity over local residents of color. Rather than viewing them as inspirational role models, some African Americans may develop resentments, and conflicts in cultural values may ensue.
One example of this issue impacts young African American gay people, who have had problematic interactions with Haitians who, they allege, demonstrate bigotry against gays.
Thus, it is not only White people, Latinos, Asians or Russians, that African-Americans youngsters have to learn to get along with. They may have to learn to cope with other black ethnicities who have strongly held but significantly different cultural values.
...
Saturday, September 14
Zimmerman:
From The Distaff Side -
The Shrieking Fake News -
Shellie Zimmerman's attorney, Kelly Sims, convened a press conference with Shellie at his side supposedly to discuss the rather commonplace domestic disturbance which occurred during the the dissolution process of the Zimmermans' union, viz: dividing up their property.
Sims, however, then danced around and around any of the real legal issues which may be involved. So, I am now going to address a crucial legal issue involved in this matter . . .
According to my best understanding of the circumstances, Shellie Zimmerman was recording George Zimmerman, who terminated and destroyed the videotape recording of him.
Florida is a two-party consent state. If George did not give his permission to be recorded, it may have been his legal right to terminate Shellie's illegal recording of him.
From where I sit, the recording - if it still exists at all - would not be admissible as evidence because it looks like poison fruit from a poison tree.
I would suggest the authorities forget about the videotape and just let the couple get on with their lives.
If anything about my understanding of the Law is incorrect, Mark O'Mara or another Florida lawyer can correct it.
Thanks to Kelly Sims for wasting our precious time. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, someone died here and an amazing amount of time-consuming bureaucracy and red tape ensued from the event. Thus, my delay in posting on this topic. He was in very poor health.
This group house has a different demographic mix from the previous group house in which I mentored about a dozen young multicultural women. There are a number of EDPs here.
CNN's HLN TV channel has apparently accumulated a repertory company of Shrieking Black Women they feature sometimes. When given a live camera and a microphone, they immediately start screaming TRAY-VON at TV viewers. I can't stand listening to shrieking people and usually turn them off.
I have come to believe that this channel in particular has been trying to use the shooting of Trayvon Martin to trigger a race war in an abuse of the First Amendment.
Thorny Question: Which of the Apostles of Jesus was named Trayvon? I can't even pronounce the names of some of his half-siblings.
Trayvon Martin was NOT MURDERED! He brutally assaulted and battered George Zimmerman who shot the teenager in self-defense. This was not an example of "senseless gun violence." It was an example of a gun saving a man's life.
African-Americans constitute no more than 15% of the U.S. population. I hope they eventually learn to get along more harmoniously with the mainstream majority.
...
Sims, however, then danced around and around any of the real legal issues which may be involved. So, I am now going to address a crucial legal issue involved in this matter . . .
According to my best understanding of the circumstances, Shellie Zimmerman was recording George Zimmerman, who terminated and destroyed the videotape recording of him.
Florida is a two-party consent state. If George did not give his permission to be recorded, it may have been his legal right to terminate Shellie's illegal recording of him.
From where I sit, the recording - if it still exists at all - would not be admissible as evidence because it looks like poison fruit from a poison tree.
I would suggest the authorities forget about the videotape and just let the couple get on with their lives.
If anything about my understanding of the Law is incorrect, Mark O'Mara or another Florida lawyer can correct it.
Thanks to Kelly Sims for wasting our precious time. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, someone died here and an amazing amount of time-consuming bureaucracy and red tape ensued from the event. Thus, my delay in posting on this topic. He was in very poor health.
This group house has a different demographic mix from the previous group house in which I mentored about a dozen young multicultural women. There are a number of EDPs here.
CNN's HLN TV channel has apparently accumulated a repertory company of Shrieking Black Women they feature sometimes. When given a live camera and a microphone, they immediately start screaming TRAY-VON at TV viewers. I can't stand listening to shrieking people and usually turn them off.
I have come to believe that this channel in particular has been trying to use the shooting of Trayvon Martin to trigger a race war in an abuse of the First Amendment.
Thorny Question: Which of the Apostles of Jesus was named Trayvon? I can't even pronounce the names of some of his half-siblings.
Trayvon Martin was NOT MURDERED! He brutally assaulted and battered George Zimmerman who shot the teenager in self-defense. This was not an example of "senseless gun violence." It was an example of a gun saving a man's life.
African-Americans constitute no more than 15% of the U.S. population. I hope they eventually learn to get along more harmoniously with the mainstream majority.
...
Thursday, September 5
What's Goin' On? (#4) -
In a piece of moving nostalgia, Juan Williams writes about the music then and now, which compares some of the songs from the summer of 1963 with what's being written today.
His piece inspired an interlude
of related reverie on my part, too . . .
One of my favorite songs from popular music over the past several decades is Nightshift by The Commodores. It refers to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye. Both of them represent notable thematic threads.
Much of the music we remember from the Sixties was associated with Berry Gordy's Motown which generally had an uplifting tone because of a strong Gospel component. Jackie Wilson ("higher and higher") came out of Gospel Music. He, in turn, became an inspiration to others.
And then there was Marvin, who started out conventionally enough, but veered into a distinctly different direction; his later work became the germination of the more serious forms of Poetic Rap which led to Gil Scott-Heron.
"What happened to our upbeat Motown Revolution?" a mature black friend asked me a few years ago, shaking his head. "I'll tell you what happened," he continued. "It got hijacked by dark, evil forces, so that now all we've got is ho's, bitches, and the n-word. But who are these people who hijacked it and how did they do that?"
I had no clear answers for him since I've never followed popular music and the music industry very closely. I do remember, though, that somewhere seemingly between Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron there was a song being played on the radio quite a bit called The Message. Maybe those lyrics influenced the direction this musical genre took and led to where the situation stands today.
Poetic Rap seemed to decline after Gil Scott-Heron's success. But that kind of lyrical tone once more became popular with Bob Marley's songs which came out of a series of crossover reggae albums and are still heard today. Marley's No Woman No Cry was later adapted by The Fugees from New Jersey, its settings transposed to America, and it became a kind of nostalgic favorite of mine for a while.
Rap Music seems to have exploded since then, but I no longer keep up with popular music. If I am around young people while they're listening to it, I'm exposed to some of it, but I often don't understand the lyrics, and don't pay much active attention to it. It just doesn't appeal to me.
I, too, hope the more negative music fades away.
* * * * *
# "And who shall I say is calling?"
:: Who By Fire :: by Leonard Cohen ::
* * * * *
# A worthwhile preview of Fall Books.
...
His piece inspired an interlude
of related reverie on my part, too . . .
One of my favorite songs from popular music over the past several decades is Nightshift by The Commodores. It refers to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye. Both of them represent notable thematic threads.
Much of the music we remember from the Sixties was associated with Berry Gordy's Motown which generally had an uplifting tone because of a strong Gospel component. Jackie Wilson ("higher and higher") came out of Gospel Music. He, in turn, became an inspiration to others.
And then there was Marvin, who started out conventionally enough, but veered into a distinctly different direction; his later work became the germination of the more serious forms of Poetic Rap which led to Gil Scott-Heron.
"What happened to our upbeat Motown Revolution?" a mature black friend asked me a few years ago, shaking his head. "I'll tell you what happened," he continued. "It got hijacked by dark, evil forces, so that now all we've got is ho's, bitches, and the n-word. But who are these people who hijacked it and how did they do that?"
I had no clear answers for him since I've never followed popular music and the music industry very closely. I do remember, though, that somewhere seemingly between Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron there was a song being played on the radio quite a bit called The Message. Maybe those lyrics influenced the direction this musical genre took and led to where the situation stands today.
Poetic Rap seemed to decline after Gil Scott-Heron's success. But that kind of lyrical tone once more became popular with Bob Marley's songs which came out of a series of crossover reggae albums and are still heard today. Marley's No Woman No Cry was later adapted by The Fugees from New Jersey, its settings transposed to America, and it became a kind of nostalgic favorite of mine for a while.
Rap Music seems to have exploded since then, but I no longer keep up with popular music. If I am around young people while they're listening to it, I'm exposed to some of it, but I often don't understand the lyrics, and don't pay much active attention to it. It just doesn't appeal to me.
I, too, hope the more negative music fades away.
* * * * *
# "And who shall I say is calling?"
:: Who By Fire :: by Leonard Cohen ::
* * * * *
# A worthwhile preview of Fall Books.
...
Wednesday, September 4
Clad in Plaid -
Would you believe . . . ?
George Zimmerman, stuck in the starving MSM spotlight since his acquittal for the Sanford FL shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, was pulled over for speeding again!
Naturally, the incident has generated lots of "news" for the edification of those counting blades of grass on their lawns or otherwise busy watching paint dry on their cottages.
The comment threads attached to
some of these articles are downright antic.
# Jonathan Cohen has written a very thoughtful and eloquent essay about the Trayvon-Zimmerman affair.
:: Recommended ::
...
George Zimmerman, stuck in the starving MSM spotlight since his acquittal for the Sanford FL shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, was pulled over for speeding again!
Naturally, the incident has generated lots of "news" for the edification of those counting blades of grass on their lawns or otherwise busy watching paint dry on their cottages.
The comment threads attached to
some of these articles are downright antic.
# Jonathan Cohen has written a very thoughtful and eloquent essay about the Trayvon-Zimmerman affair.
:: Recommended ::
...
Tuesday, September 3
More Trayvon Agitprop -
The recent commemorations of the 1963 Black Civil Rights March on Washington were substantially marred by the propaganda campaign throughout the week leading up to the ceremonies.
Sybrina Fulton, birth mother of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin (reputed to be the teenager's father), and their whiplash lawyer, Benjamin Crump, were traveling around and making so many appearances on TV talk shows that they were very hard to miss. And their message was:
Trayvon was not doing anything
wrong. Trayvon was racially profiled.
I don't see the Sanford shooting incident that way.
At the risk of over-simplification: Profiling is when the FBI takes a group of crimes which they feed into a computer data base, then performs a grep query, and then analyzes the results in an effort to determine any elements these crimes share in common in order to establish whether there is a recognizable pattern in this group of crimes. Perhaps they are looking for a serial bank robber or serial killer. Trayvon Martin was not reported to be part of such a process. He was not racially profiled or profiled at all.
In contrast to the above, Crime Watching involves exactly the opposite process: recognizing pattern disruption. For example, if a homeowner always keeps his basement window locked, but one evening the CW notices it is open.
I believe what the Trayvon Trio really mean to
say is that Trayvon was stereotyped, not profiled.
As far as their contention that Trayvon was not doing anything wrong, I disagree. Since I wasn't there, all I have to go by are the transcripts and testimonies. According to those, Trayvon may have been loitering at other people's mailboxes. I believe this was mentioned in Rachel Jeantel's testimony. Had I been the CW there, I probably would have reported that to the police.
The commemorations of the 1963 Black Civil Rights March on Washington may have given many younger people the incorrect impression that ML King was the singular leader of that movement. Actually, the movement was led by a group of Black Christian Clergymen.
One of those clergymen, Rev Abernathy, recruited me into their struggle. I was persuaded as to the merit of their cause because Rev Abernathy struck me as a real Christian with a strong commitment to his faith.
Most Americans are Christian. This formed the common frame of reference which resulted in the success of their movement.
While I would agree that MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech was very inspirational, we are no longer living in the Sixties. MLK's dream was fulfilled, and it's time to move on to the next chapter of history for the 21st Century.
Yesterday's Christian leadership seems to have been replaced mostly by race-baiting racketeers.
The Sanford Shooting Hoax will go down in the annals of American Legal History in ignominy together with the Tawana Brawley Hoax and the Duke Lacrosse Hoax.
No amount of propaganda is going to change that in my opinion, although some keep trying.
For example: A Hallandale FL woman, Sherry Suttles, has made a 45-minute movie about the shooting of Trayvon Martin called 44 Daze. The focus of her movie is on Sanford town officials and their reactions to the shooting incident. Of course, she's entitled to her opinion. I believe the public benefits from reading or viewing multiple and diverse points of view.
I don't think the Sanford FL shooting of
Trayvon Martin had anything to do with Racism.
Sorry about my lack of blogging
lately, but I've been very busy.
...
Sybrina Fulton, birth mother of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin (reputed to be the teenager's father), and their whiplash lawyer, Benjamin Crump, were traveling around and making so many appearances on TV talk shows that they were very hard to miss. And their message was:
Trayvon was not doing anything
wrong. Trayvon was racially profiled.
I don't see the Sanford shooting incident that way.
At the risk of over-simplification: Profiling is when the FBI takes a group of crimes which they feed into a computer data base, then performs a grep query, and then analyzes the results in an effort to determine any elements these crimes share in common in order to establish whether there is a recognizable pattern in this group of crimes. Perhaps they are looking for a serial bank robber or serial killer. Trayvon Martin was not reported to be part of such a process. He was not racially profiled or profiled at all.
In contrast to the above, Crime Watching involves exactly the opposite process: recognizing pattern disruption. For example, if a homeowner always keeps his basement window locked, but one evening the CW notices it is open.
I believe what the Trayvon Trio really mean to
say is that Trayvon was stereotyped, not profiled.
As far as their contention that Trayvon was not doing anything wrong, I disagree. Since I wasn't there, all I have to go by are the transcripts and testimonies. According to those, Trayvon may have been loitering at other people's mailboxes. I believe this was mentioned in Rachel Jeantel's testimony. Had I been the CW there, I probably would have reported that to the police.
The commemorations of the 1963 Black Civil Rights March on Washington may have given many younger people the incorrect impression that ML King was the singular leader of that movement. Actually, the movement was led by a group of Black Christian Clergymen.
One of those clergymen, Rev Abernathy, recruited me into their struggle. I was persuaded as to the merit of their cause because Rev Abernathy struck me as a real Christian with a strong commitment to his faith.
Most Americans are Christian. This formed the common frame of reference which resulted in the success of their movement.
While I would agree that MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech was very inspirational, we are no longer living in the Sixties. MLK's dream was fulfilled, and it's time to move on to the next chapter of history for the 21st Century.
Yesterday's Christian leadership seems to have been replaced mostly by race-baiting racketeers.
The Sanford Shooting Hoax will go down in the annals of American Legal History in ignominy together with the Tawana Brawley Hoax and the Duke Lacrosse Hoax.
No amount of propaganda is going to change that in my opinion, although some keep trying.
For example: A Hallandale FL woman, Sherry Suttles, has made a 45-minute movie about the shooting of Trayvon Martin called 44 Daze. The focus of her movie is on Sanford town officials and their reactions to the shooting incident. Of course, she's entitled to her opinion. I believe the public benefits from reading or viewing multiple and diverse points of view.
I don't think the Sanford FL shooting of
Trayvon Martin had anything to do with Racism.
Sorry about my lack of blogging
lately, but I've been very busy.
...
Tuesday, August 27
The Sanford Legal Sinkhole -
More Fallout From
The Trayvon-Zimmerman Affair . . .
George Zimmerman, the former Crime Watcher who was violently attacked by teenager Trayvon Martin inside the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community in Central Florida and, as a result, fatally shot the juvenile in self-defense, is asking the state to reimburse his legal costs, as Florida law allows.
# Recently it was reported that Zimmerman visited Kel-Tec, the gun manufacturer in Cocoa FL, to thank them; they produced the gun which saved his life.
# CNN-HLN TV's Talking Head Jane Velez-Mitchell is often completely out of control these days; viz: screaming, ranting, demonizing people, and generally berserk. She should not be shown on TV in such an agitated and demented condition.
# Townhouse units in the RTL gated community which were originally priced at $250,00 are reported to have plummeted in value to only $80,000 in the wake of the teen's violent ambush of the Crime Watcher.
No estimate has been made public yet as to how much it will cost the State of Florida to completely demolish the multi-residential complex or whether a real estate deal is in process to convert it to a Section 8 secure facility for prison convicts attached to electronic monitoring devices.
...
The Trayvon-Zimmerman Affair . . .
George Zimmerman, the former Crime Watcher who was violently attacked by teenager Trayvon Martin inside the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community in Central Florida and, as a result, fatally shot the juvenile in self-defense, is asking the state to reimburse his legal costs, as Florida law allows.
# Recently it was reported that Zimmerman visited Kel-Tec, the gun manufacturer in Cocoa FL, to thank them; they produced the gun which saved his life.
# CNN-HLN TV's Talking Head Jane Velez-Mitchell is often completely out of control these days; viz: screaming, ranting, demonizing people, and generally berserk. She should not be shown on TV in such an agitated and demented condition.
# Townhouse units in the RTL gated community which were originally priced at $250,00 are reported to have plummeted in value to only $80,000 in the wake of the teen's violent ambush of the Crime Watcher.
No estimate has been made public yet as to how much it will cost the State of Florida to completely demolish the multi-residential complex or whether a real estate deal is in process to convert it to a Section 8 secure facility for prison convicts attached to electronic monitoring devices.
...
Witness Threatened -
With the 24/7 news and commentary cycle we now have, TV Talking Heads can scream and rant and demonize people over and over and over again both live and then on repeat airings. Add the Internet and Social Media and we have a very combustible brew.
So, it shouldn't be surprising that the coverage of some featured cases such as Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox, George Zimmerman and Jodi Arias has ignited heated emotions producing an atmosphere of menace which can even potentially impact Due Process.
Trial witness has received hate mail and
death threats in response to her testimony.
"People were filled with such
hatred for someone they didn't know."
* * * * *
Media Criticism: Howard Kurtz has moved from CNN to a new Fox News show, Media Buzz, which will debut on September 8th at 11am.
...
So, it shouldn't be surprising that the coverage of some featured cases such as Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox, George Zimmerman and Jodi Arias has ignited heated emotions producing an atmosphere of menace which can even potentially impact Due Process.
Trial witness has received hate mail and
death threats in response to her testimony.
"People were filled with such
hatred for someone they didn't know."
* * * * *
Media Criticism: Howard Kurtz has moved from CNN to a new Fox News show, Media Buzz, which will debut on September 8th at 11am.
...
Saturday, August 17
Whilst Perusing The Net -
Have been catching up with some of
this summer's literary activity on the Net . . .
If you're looking for a quiet evening read this weekend, you might want to delve into The Guardian's Edinburgh Int'l Book Festival Blog.
Hopped over to some of our Internet pals in Cairo via their Twitter feeds this afternoon, and it's a horrible mess over there right now. Doesn't make for very pleasant reading.
Have you ever seen the movie
The Night Listener (2006)
starring Robin Williams?
It is an exploration of
our threshold to tolerate Ambiguity.
Some people can tolerate more Ambiguity than other people can. For some folks Life has to be formulated in black and white; while others seem to dither in infinite shades of gray.
Lately, some of the Talking Heads on TV have been banging on about ranters and haters on the Internet and attribute this behavior to bloggers, but it turns out they are actually referring to commenters on the comment threads of some news stories.
This weekend I happened to come across such a commenter who seemed somehow suspect to me. Was this an authentic person or a spoof? The more I read of her comments, the more skeptical I became that this was a spoof.
Regardless of which it is, I lack the motivation to investigate further and am content to just leave it at face value. I simply don't have a need to resolve the matter.
But the encounter reminded me of the movie.
...
this summer's literary activity on the Net . . .
If you're looking for a quiet evening read this weekend, you might want to delve into The Guardian's Edinburgh Int'l Book Festival Blog.
Hopped over to some of our Internet pals in Cairo via their Twitter feeds this afternoon, and it's a horrible mess over there right now. Doesn't make for very pleasant reading.
Have you ever seen the movie
The Night Listener (2006)
starring Robin Williams?
It is an exploration of
our threshold to tolerate Ambiguity.
Some people can tolerate more Ambiguity than other people can. For some folks Life has to be formulated in black and white; while others seem to dither in infinite shades of gray.
Lately, some of the Talking Heads on TV have been banging on about ranters and haters on the Internet and attribute this behavior to bloggers, but it turns out they are actually referring to commenters on the comment threads of some news stories.
This weekend I happened to come across such a commenter who seemed somehow suspect to me. Was this an authentic person or a spoof? The more I read of her comments, the more skeptical I became that this was a spoof.
Regardless of which it is, I lack the motivation to investigate further and am content to just leave it at face value. I simply don't have a need to resolve the matter.
But the encounter reminded me of the movie.
...
Friday, August 16
Dreaming Of No Consequences -
Some people dream they can fly, while others
dream they can act without consequences . . .
Protesters, angry about the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who have been occupying the Florida Capitol, are finally leaving the building despite their inability to achieve their goals thus far.
They have been calling for repeal of the state's SYG law and the enactment of a special Trayvon Martin Law, which, we can only presume, may enable any teenager to violently assault, batter, and kill Neighborhood Crime Watchers with impunity.
But that was just the beginning.
Trayvon Martin's birth mother and father gave away school backpacks earlier today, not in their own reputed community of Miami Gardens, but in nearby Opa-locka.
Sybrina Fulton said on TV that they are going to contribute financially to the funeral costs of an innocent little girl who was fatally shot, because her son Trayvon was killed by senseless violence, too.
Trayvon Martin was killed as a consequence of his violent assault and battery on an officially designated Neighborhood Crime Watcher in a gated community where he was wandering around without any adult supervision despite conspicuous warning signs posted at the entrance.
...
dream they can act without consequences . . .
Protesters, angry about the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who have been occupying the Florida Capitol, are finally leaving the building despite their inability to achieve their goals thus far.
They have been calling for repeal of the state's SYG law and the enactment of a special Trayvon Martin Law, which, we can only presume, may enable any teenager to violently assault, batter, and kill Neighborhood Crime Watchers with impunity.
But that was just the beginning.
Trayvon Martin's birth mother and father gave away school backpacks earlier today, not in their own reputed community of Miami Gardens, but in nearby Opa-locka.
Sybrina Fulton said on TV that they are going to contribute financially to the funeral costs of an innocent little girl who was fatally shot, because her son Trayvon was killed by senseless violence, too.
Trayvon Martin was killed as a consequence of his violent assault and battery on an officially designated Neighborhood Crime Watcher in a gated community where he was wandering around without any adult supervision despite conspicuous warning signs posted at the entrance.
...
Tuesday, August 13
SoFlo Collectibles -
Monday, August 12
The Trayvon Tipping Point -
Kin Yoo Rede Diss?
Now that the Sanford Shooting Case is over and George Zimmerman has been acquitted of the charges against him, we are facing the aftermath of repercussions and ripple effects.
During the trial there had been some discussions about possible Brady violations, and Zimmerman's attorney is following up on some loose ends. Zimmerman himself has some developing litigation which involves mainstream Media treatment in association with another lawyer who specializes in that area.
We are also being subjected to numerous celebrities' comments expressing their perspectives on the situation, but I'm not going to comment on their comments here.
You may or may not have noticed something very peculiar about the MSM's treatment of the gated community where the shooting occurred: there are huge and very conspicuous Warning Signs at the entrance to that estate. You may have noticed warning signs at the entrances of shopping malls.
Here in Florida many establishments have warning signs posted on their doors informing you that the management reserves the right to eject you from their premises for any reason or no reason at all at their discretion and that the police may be summoned to remove you by force if necessary.
Why were the Warning Signs at the entrance to the RTL estate so persistently disregarded by the MSM? It is probably the same reason why the Aventura Shopping Mall and other area shopping malls have had to establish curfews for unescorted teenagers on their premises.
I would estimate that about 97% of the population of Broward County is borderline illiterate at best. Many of these people cannot accurately copy your name clearly printed on your bank check to give you a receipt or other document, and it is one of the principal reasons why so many people and situations get "lost" in the "system." Records are frequently misfiled due to illiteracy, since at least some of these people work for the government here.
This is the Tipping Point which represents
the triumph of Depravity over Civilization.
Nearly every week we see peculiar news and crime stories rooted in this issue. And I do not use the term "Depravity" lightly, as you are about to discover.
Recently, WSVN TV reporter Carmel Cafiero presented the plight of a disabled lawyer who is unable to find a parking spot for the handicapped because all of the designated spots were taken by drivers who were not handicapped.
As the actual video unfolded while Cafiero was investigating, all of those found on camera who were abusing the spots allocated for the use of the handicapped were Black Females with only one exception.
What is going on? There seems to be a guerrilla war against Literacy being conducted around here by the Black population which is often being used to sabotage the "system." It seems to me that it requires real Depravity to rob a cripple, which is what has happened to the disabled lawyer.
More fallout from the case: The Chicago-based Tribune owns both the Orlando Sentinel and the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspapers. The Orlando Sentinel was covering the Sanford Shooting Case in Central Florida. The Tribune economized by sharing some of that content with the Sun Sentinel.
You may have noticed that I eventually stopped following their coverage of the case. I decided midway through that Character issues were distorting their Reportage so egregiously, it wasn't worth the time spent in reading it.
While it wasn't as inflammatory as the coverage of The Miami Herald, it was just a waste of valuable time.
Turning The Page: According to Jim Romenesko, Orlando Sentinel Editor Mark Russell has been sacked.
Is it possible for us to have a national conversation about Racism right now? No, I don't believe it is currently possible.
In order to do so, we would have to have a common frame of reference based on a shared set of core values, which we no longer have.
Maybe at some point
in the future it will be possible again.
...
Now that the Sanford Shooting Case is over and George Zimmerman has been acquitted of the charges against him, we are facing the aftermath of repercussions and ripple effects.
During the trial there had been some discussions about possible Brady violations, and Zimmerman's attorney is following up on some loose ends. Zimmerman himself has some developing litigation which involves mainstream Media treatment in association with another lawyer who specializes in that area.
We are also being subjected to numerous celebrities' comments expressing their perspectives on the situation, but I'm not going to comment on their comments here.
You may or may not have noticed something very peculiar about the MSM's treatment of the gated community where the shooting occurred: there are huge and very conspicuous Warning Signs at the entrance to that estate. You may have noticed warning signs at the entrances of shopping malls.
Here in Florida many establishments have warning signs posted on their doors informing you that the management reserves the right to eject you from their premises for any reason or no reason at all at their discretion and that the police may be summoned to remove you by force if necessary.
Why were the Warning Signs at the entrance to the RTL estate so persistently disregarded by the MSM? It is probably the same reason why the Aventura Shopping Mall and other area shopping malls have had to establish curfews for unescorted teenagers on their premises.
I would estimate that about 97% of the population of Broward County is borderline illiterate at best. Many of these people cannot accurately copy your name clearly printed on your bank check to give you a receipt or other document, and it is one of the principal reasons why so many people and situations get "lost" in the "system." Records are frequently misfiled due to illiteracy, since at least some of these people work for the government here.
This is the Tipping Point which represents
the triumph of Depravity over Civilization.
Nearly every week we see peculiar news and crime stories rooted in this issue. And I do not use the term "Depravity" lightly, as you are about to discover.
Recently, WSVN TV reporter Carmel Cafiero presented the plight of a disabled lawyer who is unable to find a parking spot for the handicapped because all of the designated spots were taken by drivers who were not handicapped.
As the actual video unfolded while Cafiero was investigating, all of those found on camera who were abusing the spots allocated for the use of the handicapped were Black Females with only one exception.
What is going on? There seems to be a guerrilla war against Literacy being conducted around here by the Black population which is often being used to sabotage the "system." It seems to me that it requires real Depravity to rob a cripple, which is what has happened to the disabled lawyer.
More fallout from the case: The Chicago-based Tribune owns both the Orlando Sentinel and the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspapers. The Orlando Sentinel was covering the Sanford Shooting Case in Central Florida. The Tribune economized by sharing some of that content with the Sun Sentinel.
You may have noticed that I eventually stopped following their coverage of the case. I decided midway through that Character issues were distorting their Reportage so egregiously, it wasn't worth the time spent in reading it.
While it wasn't as inflammatory as the coverage of The Miami Herald, it was just a waste of valuable time.
Turning The Page: According to Jim Romenesko, Orlando Sentinel Editor Mark Russell has been sacked.
Is it possible for us to have a national conversation about Racism right now? No, I don't believe it is currently possible.
In order to do so, we would have to have a common frame of reference based on a shared set of core values, which we no longer have.
Maybe at some point
in the future it will be possible again.
...
Tuesday, July 30
SYG: Black Lawyer Blowback -
Answered Prayers &
Unintended Consequences . . .
Many residents of Miami Beach have been praying for the end of Urban Beach Weekend, a controversial annual festivity which has created some Quality of Life problems for them.
It looks like they may now get relief from an unexpected quarter: the head of an African-American lawyers organization has called for African-Americans to boycott tourism in Florida until the state repeals its Stand Your Ground law.
John Page, the current head of the National Bar Association, made a public appearance with Trayvon Martin's mother to outline their new strategy.
...
Unintended Consequences . . .
Many residents of Miami Beach have been praying for the end of Urban Beach Weekend, a controversial annual festivity which has created some Quality of Life problems for them.
It looks like they may now get relief from an unexpected quarter: the head of an African-American lawyers organization has called for African-Americans to boycott tourism in Florida until the state repeals its Stand Your Ground law.
John Page, the current head of the National Bar Association, made a public appearance with Trayvon Martin's mother to outline their new strategy.
...
Friday, July 26
Fake Security -
Hundreds of people in Florida are alleged to have gotten phony credentials as armed security guards who could be hired for jobs in airports, courthouses, ports, jails, and other public places, according to WFTV.
# Young activists calling themselves the Dream Defenders are occupying the Florida Capital. They want lawmakers there to create a special Trayvon Martin Civil Rights Act which would repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law.
...
# Young activists calling themselves the Dream Defenders are occupying the Florida Capital. They want lawmakers there to create a special Trayvon Martin Civil Rights Act which would repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law.
...
The Trayvon Gateway III -
Yet, when the State prosecuted its case against George Zimmerman, it falsified the scene of the shooting by means of a trompe l'oeil trick witness who inserted spurious hearsay material into the proceedings, vilifying the Crime Watcher as a creepy stalker and a child rapist. This was the pernicious choreography of the malicious hoax:
1) Omit the conspicuous warning signs which identified Zimmerman and explained what he was doing on the telephone.
2) Introduce an illusory "witness" to suggest that Zimmerman was a criminal instead of a Crime Watcher.
3) And then, prosecute Zimmerman on this very basis, which was a deliberate hoax.
Even a week after the verdict, the cable TV networks are still using this case for decadent entertainment with CNN, the operator of both CNN and HLN, leading a rabid lynch mob of hyperbole and perverted disinformation. They should be prosecuted like the radio station in Rwanda.
This case, in my opinion, has considerably worsened race relations in America. And the more the race agitators keep trying to stir the pot, the more the white crackers here say they're stocking up on ammunition. This does not bode well.
...
1) Omit the conspicuous warning signs which identified Zimmerman and explained what he was doing on the telephone.
2) Introduce an illusory "witness" to suggest that Zimmerman was a criminal instead of a Crime Watcher.
3) And then, prosecute Zimmerman on this very basis, which was a deliberate hoax.
Even a week after the verdict, the cable TV networks are still using this case for decadent entertainment with CNN, the operator of both CNN and HLN, leading a rabid lynch mob of hyperbole and perverted disinformation. They should be prosecuted like the radio station in Rwanda.
This case, in my opinion, has considerably worsened race relations in America. And the more the race agitators keep trying to stir the pot, the more the white crackers here say they're stocking up on ammunition. This does not bode well.
...
The Trayvon Gateway II -
During the trial and before the verdict came in, I found myself, by chance, in a TV lounge frequented by some young women. As I entered, two young mothers left to check on their toddlers. While I was sitting there, enjoying a soft drink, a young African-American woman entered, quickly grabbed the TV remote control, and began surfing through the channel onscreen guide of program listings.
"Who is this George Zimmerman?" she asked rhetorically to no one in particular. And then she continued.
"I mean what is his problem? Everybody knows this trial is just a waste of time because we're going to kill him when it's over, no matter what the verdict is."
This was the state of mind in Fort Lauderdale FL at the time. One cannot fault the newly elected Sheriff of Broward County for trying to stay ahead of the curve by issuing videos in an attempt to keep the public calm. Although the situation here remained calm on the surface, troubled waters were roiling just underneath the relatively smooth surface.
The scene of the Trayvon Martin Shooting was a private estate called the Retreat at Twin Lakes which included on its campus many townhouses.
Prominently posted at the entrance to the estate was conspicuous signage warning: you are entering private property; you are being watched by neighborhood crime watch; and your behavior is being reported to the police. For the benefit of those who cannot read English, a large graphic of a watchful eye was displayed.
Would you have any reason to disbelieve these warnings?
Continued . . .
...
"Who is this George Zimmerman?" she asked rhetorically to no one in particular. And then she continued.
"I mean what is his problem? Everybody knows this trial is just a waste of time because we're going to kill him when it's over, no matter what the verdict is."
This was the state of mind in Fort Lauderdale FL at the time. One cannot fault the newly elected Sheriff of Broward County for trying to stay ahead of the curve by issuing videos in an attempt to keep the public calm. Although the situation here remained calm on the surface, troubled waters were roiling just underneath the relatively smooth surface.
The scene of the Trayvon Martin Shooting was a private estate called the Retreat at Twin Lakes which included on its campus many townhouses.
Prominently posted at the entrance to the estate was conspicuous signage warning: you are entering private property; you are being watched by neighborhood crime watch; and your behavior is being reported to the police. For the benefit of those who cannot read English, a large graphic of a watchful eye was displayed.
Would you have any reason to disbelieve these warnings?
Continued . . .
...
The Trayvon Gateway -
Now that George Zimmerman, America's foremost political prisoner, has been acquitted of the criminal charges against him, there are several points I want to address.
First, congratulations to the Zimmerman Defense Team for a successful defense.
Let's start out softly. It has emerged from this trial that many people, especially young people, do not understand profiling and why it cannot be made illegal.
Here is an informal example which illustrates profiling. A Crime Watcher in an enclosed private estate of townhouses has observed that around the same time of day every day at about 7pm the pedestrians he encounters in the southeast quadrant of the campus are dog walkers. This, then, is the profile of pedestrians in the early evening in that area of the campus.
The profile is the extrapolation of a pattern. The act of extrapolating a pattern cannot be made illegal. A pattern is simply fact-based and doesn't necessarily mean anything criminal is involved.
Will youngsters understand this? Many youngsters have been misled by unscrupulous leaders during the course of this case and, consequently, do not want to understand it.
Continued . . .
...
First, congratulations to the Zimmerman Defense Team for a successful defense.
Let's start out softly. It has emerged from this trial that many people, especially young people, do not understand profiling and why it cannot be made illegal.
Here is an informal example which illustrates profiling. A Crime Watcher in an enclosed private estate of townhouses has observed that around the same time of day every day at about 7pm the pedestrians he encounters in the southeast quadrant of the campus are dog walkers. This, then, is the profile of pedestrians in the early evening in that area of the campus.
The profile is the extrapolation of a pattern. The act of extrapolating a pattern cannot be made illegal. A pattern is simply fact-based and doesn't necessarily mean anything criminal is involved.
Will youngsters understand this? Many youngsters have been misled by unscrupulous leaders during the course of this case and, consequently, do not want to understand it.
Continued . . .
...
Monday, June 24
Doin' A Little
Disney on Zimmerman -
Cops here in SoFlo have a colloquial expression for Special Effects used on a crime scene: they call it "doing a little Walt Disney." This activity can range from simple cosmetic enhancement to flat-out fakery.
It has only recently emerged in reportage from The Washington Post that the State has a dirty little secret in the prosecution of George Zimmerman as depicted earlier today in the opening statement of John Guy. Zimmerman has been set up as a patsy and fall guy to cover up a scheme being used by the authorities to insert criminals into the gated communities in Central Florida.
Let's say you've invested over $250,000 for a townhouse unit in the Retreat at Twin Lakes. How much do you think that condo would be worth on the open market if it were publicized that criminals are being moved into that estate? It would be much cheaper and more convenient to blame George Zimmerman as a loose cannon for the trouble going on there.
It's all laid out in black and white by their own admission from none other than Sanford city commissioner Patty Mahany. Close readers need only reread the caption material accompanying Photo #9 of the photo essay I linked to in the previous entry and consider the implications.
Thus, in the end, this case is not
really about Race or even about Guns.
It's about Florida Real Estate.
...
It has only recently emerged in reportage from The Washington Post that the State has a dirty little secret in the prosecution of George Zimmerman as depicted earlier today in the opening statement of John Guy. Zimmerman has been set up as a patsy and fall guy to cover up a scheme being used by the authorities to insert criminals into the gated communities in Central Florida.
Let's say you've invested over $250,000 for a townhouse unit in the Retreat at Twin Lakes. How much do you think that condo would be worth on the open market if it were publicized that criminals are being moved into that estate? It would be much cheaper and more convenient to blame George Zimmerman as a loose cannon for the trouble going on there.
It's all laid out in black and white by their own admission from none other than Sanford city commissioner Patty Mahany. Close readers need only reread the caption material accompanying Photo #9 of the photo essay I linked to in the previous entry and consider the implications.
Thus, in the end, this case is not
really about Race or even about Guns.
It's about Florida Real Estate.
...
Sunday, June 23
Trayvon: Elastic Bracketing -
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.
...
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.
...
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.
...
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