Check out the ponytail, folks. The nose. The skin tone. The friggin' hat.
The eye shape.
Those lips.
Those sunglasses.
The fact that he ties a string under his chin.
The unbuttoned shirt.
The blue halo around his head.
The words "McMahon BSO" written on his white t-shirt.Look familiar?
This cartoon character killed Nancy and Joey Bochicchio a mother and daughter in Boca Town Square Mall.Check out Crime Stoppers if you have any info about this Floridian, especially after police have revealed the goggles he used to cover the victims' eyes.
al-Qaeda Airplane, U.S. Soldier Taliban, Yemen Airstrike
Although most people are on vacation this Christmas holiday, terrorism never rests. Here are three al-Qaeda and Taliban related news this Christmas:
Yemen military, showing that they want to help the United States crack down on terrorism instead of harbor and support terrorists, use air strikes to bomb a meeting of al-Qaeda extremists in their borders. Mohammed Saleh Oumair, who had appeared on the al-Jazeera television network and denounced his government's recent crackdown on militants was killed. The big news is that the spiritaul advisor and WordPress blogger cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was reported as being killed, but his family is saying he is alive, so I guess he's alive. This is a very important news story because the U.S. has been "encouraging" [$$$] Yemen- the "spiritual homeland" of Osama bin Laden- to crack down on terrorism.
The Taliban released another video of Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, still being held hostage since June 30 2009. He read a statement and denounced the United States.
But the huge news in the United States is Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab who tried to activate some sort of device (which sounded like firecrackers in a pillowcase) and set fire to an NWA airplane in Detroit. Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab sounds a lot like the Show Bomber, Richard Reid. He'll probably be spending the rest of his life in Supermax prison with him. The Nigerian Abdul said he picked up the device from al-Qaeda, but that can't be proven now.
Anyway, based on news reports, it looks like a passenger helped subdue Abdul and the authorities took care of him, although some passengers may have been burned due to Abdul's fireball.
Of course, all of this begs the question: how was Abdul able to board the plane and get passed security in Nigeria and Amsterdam, especially since Abdul is on a database of having connections to al-Qaeda. He wasn't on the "Do Not Fly List", but he was on a list of suspected losers. I guess those two countries didn't run his name through. I'm pretty sure Nigeria is lax.
Since news can go viral very quickly on the internet and there are more bloggers than reporters in Dec 2009, we already have a bunch of theories, editorials, and deconstruction of events- there was no time for me to even digest the horrible experience for the passengers. So far I've read people blaming President Obama's lack of strong stance (who is vacationing in Hawaii) to an analysis that this proves that al-Qaeda so weak that they have amateurs trying to set off firecrackers now, and that this means we should end the war of terrorism- al-Qaeda has jumped the shark and is irrelevant.
My main issue is how did this guy slip aboard multiple planes and on Northwest Airlines Flight 253? I guess we can fault Nigeria and Amsterdam for not spotting him. Details are still emerging, so it will be easier for me to form an informed opinion soon.
If you think your Sherriff's Department is strict, let's not forget the hospitality of NYC police officers who always had a reputation for enforcing the most minor laws. I remember when my friend was pulled over because he driving in a car that had "uneven air" in his tires and ticketed. Oh, and heaven help you if you park on the "wrong side of the street" or jaywalk. I guess it's a nice way for the Commissioner to generate revenue, as opposed to, you know, tracking down real criminals.
Anyway, two guys dressed as Batman and Superman in New York City were approached by cops. The cops asked for their "license to dress up in a costume and perform". That's right, folks, we may live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it's illegal to dress up as a super-hero and entertain people in the streets (and hopefully get a dollar tossed at you) without a permit. [The offcial reason: to create "fair competition" for street vendors.]
So the cops ask for the license, and of course they don't have any. The cops ask for ID, and, well, Superman and Batman don't carry IDs, everyone knows that. We have two serious, serious crimes here, now don't we? The police handcuffed Batman, who was later revealed to be Frank Frisoli. Superman, however, freaked out, and punched a female cop; it took 7 cops to subdue Superman, who was revealed to be Maksim Katsnelson (this must have been the evil Superman from FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND).
Batman was let go because he cooperated, but Superman is in deep trouble now. Still, if you survey people they will tell you the two costumed avengers should have never been approached to begin with. Like I said, New York is overrated (page 1 on Google- eat it, Steven).
The following news story (I found via Drudge, see he's not all bad) is one of the clearest examples of Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital's term: LME.
GARY, Ind. (CBS) ― A 26-year-old convenience store clerk was shot and killed in broad daylight in Gary, Ind., and police say witnesses stood by and did nothing...
...When asked what he finds most disturbing about the surveillance footage, Titus said, "The fact that people went in and out of the store and didn't call police. There is a man laying there. Nobody thinks to dial 911 or check to see if he's OK or anything."
One of the rules of LME is not to get involved with events that do not directly effect you (or so you think- Peter Parker let a thief run by him while ignoring a policeman's call for help; the thief wound up killing his Uncle Ben).
The people here in this store wanted no part of being a witness or giving their names or dealing with anything that would have inconvenienced them.
Other rules of LME seen here:
1) Assuming. I'm sure someone assumed "somebody else" called 911. 2) Single track mind and selfishness: You go to the store to shop. You must get your item for yourself of for your family. Anything else- anything- can't get in the way of that goal. I can imagine one of them going home and telling his wife, "Hey honey, some clerk got shot at the store." And his wife replies, "Really? Well did you get my cigarettes?" 3) Racism. The late clerk's name was Gurjeet Singh. 'nuff said.
It's also like we've become desensitized to crime and death- unless it happens to someone we care about. I also think that people look down upon Indian or Arab clerks. I can't imagine people just standing around or continuing to shop before the 1980's. (If someone wants to search old newspapers online and lemme know, that would be cool and an enlightening experience.)
Jim Buckmaster (craigslist) says that craigslist reflects society at large:
“It was recently pointed out to us that with literally billions of positive human interactions facilitated by Craigslist, it is quite remarkable how little crime is associated with the site, given the much higher crime rates that exist in the world at large – which is a testament to the good intentions of the vast majority of Craigslist users,” he wrote via e-mail.
MEANWHILE, the murders, rapes, scams, robberies, drug dealing, fencing, and prostitution continue. Now that craigslist was forced to ask "escorts" for their phone numbers before posting on the U.S. adult section (formally known as erotic services), many prostitutes have been 1) posting in the "casual encounters" free section (which is "moderated" by readers; 2) moved to backpage.com; and 3) posted at R.A.W.'s blog.
The mutants will continue to spill in other places. None of their intentions are "good", Mr. Buckmaster.
News conference Monday...around 24 cats have been brutally tortured and buttered beyond imagination. The serial cat killer has terrorized families. Let's hope it stops now.
The suspect, Tyler Weinman, is a typical 18-year old Floridian: Facebook, Myspace, and cannabis. He was also part of an online group called "Catch the Cat Killer!".
His parents are divorced, and he split time with them. His location at the two different addresses allegedly coincided with the feline attacks. He may not have worked alone.
Let's hope there is real evidence, though, as I would hate for an innocent man to go to prison. I have a feeling a teen like him had an electronic trail and told his friends.
I'm sure he's not liking his holding cell right now. He'd really better watch himself, Bubba usually likes kittens.
U.S. Journalists Laura Ling, Euna Lee held in North Korea
North Korea's top kangaroo court sentenced two American journalists who were investigating North Korea sex slave trafficking to 12 years of hard labor for committing a "grave crime" against the country. The "trial" The trial was not open to the public or foreign observers.
Based on some reports it seems the two women were arrested on March 17 on the North Korean/Chinese border.
The two reporters actually work for Current TV, the station backed by Al Gore's money. Let's see if he can use his influence to get these American citizens freed.
As far as I'm concerned this is a hostage situation; North Korea is a rogue nation with fake laws.
WABC newsman George Weber (pictured above) met a 16-year old teenage boy for rough sex via craigslist. The teen- John Katehis- is being charged with murder and the MEDIA is ripping the kid to shreds because he has a violent MySpace page and Weber is a "respected" newsradio guy.
Weber offered John $60 to smother him and engage in rough bondage sex and hard drugs. Weber wound up dead via stabbing as he was tied up. For the record, the teen said it was self-defense. Regardless, the MEDIA is giving the 47-year old Weber a Free Pass (tm)- even though Weber and the boy did cocaine and vodka together, and Weber initiated the whole thing.
There's no question that John Katehis has emotional problems- but it could be argued he's just a normal MySpace teen: John likes prank calls, weapons, sex, and anarchy.
It's a huge shame that the MEDIA is making this out to be a craigslist encounter in which an innocent man was killed for $60.
It's not.
Last time I checked, being 16 years old makes you a minor. I doubt the teen has a good lawyer because he comes from a broken home in Queens, but any good defense attorney should be able to bring up the obvious.
Meanwhile, the 47-year old Weber was a closeted pervert, and his family should be embarrassed. His family should tell the NY prosecutors to get John help instead of prison time.
Once again, we have a double standard: could you imagine if a 16-year old goth chick killed Weber? Everyone would say how Weber is a pedophile. However, because John is a guy and likes long knives and anarchy symbols, he is being treated as an adult.
Please- before I get flamed- I understand Katehis stabbed Weber to death, and that was wrong. And if new details emerge, I'll publish a retraction.
But as far as the MEDIA outlets who are covering this story: you are a bunch of parrots just repeating the AP wire and original NY Post story- get to the REAL story: Weber is NOT a victim; John is the victim, and craigslist was once again the enabler. Stop craigslist. Free John Katehis.
John Katehis's MySpace page: frankly a very typical teenage boy, but reported by the MEDIA as being a SATAN WORSHIPPER.
Yeah, hi...my name is Ken Tracey, and I've been dead for four years now. Satan let me post to this blog just so I can get something off my chest: can the Department of Corrections please take me down from their Search for Sexual Predators website? I mean, I can't begin to tell you how I'm being punished down here.
I swear I never meant to hurt little Timmy, Ryan, and my nephew Zack. But the demons down here don't believe me. They give it to me worse that the felons I was stuck with at Big Pine.
How come my profile is still up there? I mean, they actually list me as deceased. They know I'm dead. I know I'm dead. Yet when people search sex fiends, there I am. Is this some eternal punishment in addition to what's happening down here?
Can't the database people not display you if you're deceased?
It's not enough that I have to deal with Adolf and Saddam down here, right? You wouldn't believe the things they force me to do. At least little Timmy liked what I did to him- wait-no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to type that. I DIDN'T MEAN IT! NO! PLEASE LET ME CONTINUE TO TYPE. SATAN, PLEASE! ARGHHH!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
DailySkew:W.A.R., what do you think about the story making headlines: Chimp Attacks Woman.
W.A.R.: its pretty morbid.i mean its not everyday that a monkey rips a woman to shreds.truthfully i have been kinda in another zone these past few days.but sure enough i put on the tv(before comcast disconnected it) and theres this whole monkey attack story, and im like wow i didnt miss much now did it?
DS: Do you agree with the decision for the police to kill Travis the Chimp?
WR: well the ape attack is pretty sad on every end.i mean what else could they do when there is a monkey attack?
DS: What about smoke bombs?
WR: yeah.yeah.i guess the cops should have used smoke bombs.
DS: Tear gas?
WR: yeah. come to think about it this sounds like the cops shot first and asked questions later.
JohnTV is a hot trend right now. "John" as someone who pays prostitutes.
Here's JohnTV's stated goal:
"JohnTV.com is one Oklahoma man's effort to target, expose and impact street, organized and forced prostitution - as well as the sexual trafficking of individuals. JohnTV.com takes no formal stance against and supports the decriminalization of 100% private, consensual and unorganized prostitution. JohnTV.com believes that prostitution is not the world's oldest profession. Instead, we argue that prostitution is the world's oldest abuse of women."
Due to the graphic nature of JohnTV, I can't post a vid here, but you can click here to see JohnTV on YouTube. There are 70+ johns getting busted with hookers there.
The man in the ice in Detroit was not homeless or forgotten. But Johnnie Redding's frozen shoes sticking out the ice in an abandoned warehouse has become an unfortunate symbol of urban life. The concrete jungle where it's survival of the fittest- Detroit: an overburdened police force, a monstrous bureaucracy, rampant unemployment, growing crime rate, and where apathy reigns supreme.
Reporting live in front of my monitor: Continuing the DailySkew's public service announcement to STAY AWAY FROM CRAIGSLIST, here's a brief list of some new craigslist crimes(everyone is innocent until proven guilty):
I'M NOT GAY: Edward Terry Wallace robbed, assaulted, threatened, and raped two transsexuals near San Diego. He has a girlfriend and one-year old child. Wallace was reading the craigslist t4m sex posts, and decided to meet them to steal their money...and other stuff.
DON'T BUY TICKETS: Anthony Vaughn Davis, Madge L. Hayes, Robert Patrick Conderato were busted for running a scan using a stolen credit card to buy several concert tickets, and sold them on craigslist in the Pittsburgh area. The people that bought the tickets from their craigslist ad were denied entrance and held at admission. FATHER AND SON: Todd "Tutt" Carter, 38, and his son, Nicholas Harrison, 19 pimped out teenage girls across state lines. The son would "test" them out, and only give them just enough condoms to work, and treated them like slaves. All ads were on craigslist, of course.
SKEWED: Brad Self and Sean Boyle met a craigslist girl, robbed her of cash and drugs while they tied her up with duct tape. Then they posted about her on craigslist with a warning notice about her "lifestyle". They referred to each other as "Mr. Black" and "Mr. White", from the "Reservoir Dogs". They were just trying to "save" her: "Our illegal actions were outweighed by her illegal actions".
I DARE YOU: A man was driving a piece of construction lift equipment down a street at 3 a.m, driving at 2 mph. The man was in the lift bucket with an unopened six-pack of beer and a bag of beef jerky. First he told police he was just going to the store. But when they asked him why he was in the bucket on the lift, he said he was delivering the $20,000 piece of construction equipment on a dare from somebody he met on craigslist. The lift had been stolen from a construction site.
NEED A KIDNEY? William Miller posted: "Kidney's yours. It's As simple as that. Do it as soon as you want it done. $100,000". U.S. federal law prohibits selling human organs and tissues.
DON'T BUY ANYTHING: Ray John Hollandsworth estimated he had been paid about $2,000 since for his part in an overpayment scheme to scam buyers on craigslist, being operated by an unidentified person in Nigeria, who was supplying him with counterfeit money orders and bogus business checks.
RESERVING A PLACE IN HELL: Jordan Arnold, Christopher Black, and Jessica King took pictures of kids in lingerie, posted them on craigslist, set up a sexual encounter, drove the kids to a prearranged place, forced them to have sex with strangers in hotels in California, and then took all of the money.
Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital coined a term called Lazy Man Ethics (LME). The news that a man has been frozen in Detroit, and no one called the police for a month, is an example of this. Even worse, when the police were finally called- they never came!
The man is encased in ice at Roosevelt Warehouse, near 14th Street and Michigan Avenue. The warehouse, used by Detroit's school system, burned down in 1987 and thousands of books, scissors, footballs and crayons were left to rot while hundreds of Detroit schoolchildren went without school supplies.
Some rich guy bought it, and just let it continue to decay. There are holes, elevator shafts, and homeless people burning tires.
A bunch of guys were trespassing and were playing ice hockey. They saw the feet, but didn't call the cops. A friend of one of the hockey players called the newspaper.
Here's what some of the homeless people had to say: "Yeah, I seen him. I don't recognize him from his shoes. I figured someone else called the police. There's lots of people coming through here with cameras and cell phones. I don't got no phone. I don't got no quarter. Things is tight around here"
"Yeah, he's been down there since last month at least. I thought it was a dummy myself. You got a couple bucks?"
The reporter had to call the police and 9-1-1 several times, and one call was even disconnected with no follow up. The police did nothing, and were rude. After 24 hours the Detroit Fire Department finally agreed to meet the reporter at the scene.
SEOUL, South Korea – Prosecutors charged a popular South Korean blogger with spreading false information which damaged the country's foreign exchange market.
The 34-year-old, known by his screen name "Tony Vahl" after Martin Vahl , Danish-Norwegian botanist and zoologist, posted on his website that the government's bailout plan would cause more harm than good.
In a statement , prosecutors said the article was not only inaccurate but that it had "a clear and grave influence" on the foreign exchange market and undermined the nation's credibility.
Defense attorney-at-law CCB3 told MOT News that the blogger — identified in court documents as Rick Anthony Weinstein — was innocent, although he did not elaborate.
The blogger's arrest has ignited a debate about freedom of speech.
Vahl had rocketed to fame after some of his predictions, including the mortgage bubble, the collapse of investment banks, the oil bubble, and the current financial CRISIS proved to be correct.
In some 300 blog posts, he denounced the government's handling of the economy and made largely negative predictions for the future. His writings were sprinkled with technical jargon that suggested he was an economic expert. In fact, his identity was a hot topic of discussion in the South Korea message boards and MEDIA. Rumors abounded that he was Damian Conrad Hospital III posting as a sock puppet, while others believed him to be The Loyalist from Tashman Technologies, but neither could never be proven.
However, prosecutors said he is actually an unemployed Seoul resident who graduated from a junior college with a major in information and communication.
The former blogger has been in custody since his arrest earlier this month. No trial date or bail has been set as of press time.
If convicted, he faces five years in prison or a fine of 50 million won.
Boy George- the Karma Chameleon- is going to be rotting in a prison for 15 months after beating up an HIV infected male prostitute. Handcuffs, cocaine, cameras, a metal chain, and a laptop were all involved.
Big Bubba Rogers, who was released from the jail yesterday, said he saw Boy George weeping in his jail cell:
"When I walked into the cell I saw this fat, bald bloke sitting in the corner crying like a baby. He was shaking like a leaf, a total wreck. He kept sobbing over and over, 'I can't go to jail I'll be killed.' He was crying about how he was just a fat old pop star that everyone was laughing at. He said they are calling him 'The Culture Tub'."
"I told him not to worry, and told him I would protect him if he would help me out a little bit, by playing a the skin flute. After he played it, I walked out this morning. Hahaha..What a pathetic bloke."
No word if Boy George has been posting as The Borrower on the Internet discussing his addictions at press time.
As the self-appointed craigslist watchdog, I become glad when people are arrested stemming from craigslist crimes. I've said and debated on this blog many times: craigslist needs to be shut down since it breeds crime. I know the counter argument: people will just set up shop on another site. That's fine- shut that one down, too.
Anyway, I'm not here to debate, and I'm here to report(please note, all of these people are innocent until are found guilty in a court of law):
Need a room? Make sure you don't rent from 48-year-old Corey Kamyar Katir of California. He allegedly sexually assaulted a 24-year old woman who checked out the apartment.
Want to buy dogs or a dog crate? Don't go to craigslist. Michael Cafarella got jumped at a trailer park, beaten, tied up, tortured, and almost killed.
Want to work for the post office? Don't respond to the craigslist post-office job ad- it's a scam. You will lose all of your money.
Thinking about trading or buying a car from craigslist? Just thought you'd like to know that the car is probably stolen. You'll be out both cars or money. That's what happened to a man in Seattle.
Wanna sell your TV? Don't post on craigslist. A Milwaukee man gave his address to a "buyer" via e-mail. The next thing he knows, his window is broken, and his TV is gone.
As much as we blame the Nigerian scams and spam, one can't look past the "Christian Missionary Rental Scam" in Costa Mesa, California.
Need a cell phone or gift card? Don't look on craigslist. If the seller is named Charles Edward Carroll Jr., you will get robbed when you meet at the gas station.
One man in Virginia- Bao Duc Do- had $800 in his pocket for 5 hours with an 11-year old girl. He thankfully walked right into a police trap.
Students are realizing that they no longer need an allowance or to work at Starbucks to earn money. Young girls are selling their bodies in Ontario, and all their pimps use are a keyboard and mouse on craigslist to set everything up.
Speaking of pimps, a Pennsylvia man pimped out two teenage sisters on craigslist, and was arrested. The girls had been previously on missing person lists.
Some random "escort" crackdowns-
Des Moines police are tracking down escort ads in Iowa. Shameeka Huber, 31, was arrested at the Econo Lodge. She was going to sell her body and soul for $150:
33-year-old Marcia Perkins and 46-year-old Terri Clarke sold out for $160 and $250 dollars, and police busted them in their apartments in Wisconsin.
TallGrass CEO Benjamin David Banky was murdered by 61-year old Eric Allen Kirkpatrick at an office Christmas party in Vancouver. Eric, who was "was made redundant" on 12-11-08, gave new meaning to the words "you're fired" by opening fire at the party.
It's truly a nightmare before Christmas.
Someone with Eric's name had previously posted on a website:
"I had a very stressful job that just kept getting more stressful, then my wife got cancer. Did my employer show any compassion? No, they upped the stress level while my wife fought her now-losing battle with cancer. As a result, I developed epilepsy. Then I was fired and two weeks in the hospital undergoing tests confirmed that it wasn't caused by physical trauma as initially thought but probably stress. Then my wife died and I'll be on these nauseating anti-seizure medications the rest of my life."
DailySkew psychologist Dr. Richard Hoffman says, "A person who would do this might have some kind of significant acute mental health problem, but more likely they are stressed and there are other multiple factors, such as family and financial issues."
By now, you've heard of the major news story about the corruption charge and arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and you, of course, have piled on the criticism, injustice, and your deserved cynicism of corrupt governor officials.
So allow me to take a totally different angle (just because I don't feel like ranting and raving about Chicago politics and corruption):
Here is a partial transcript from the press conference by Patrick Fitzgerald, United States attorney general for the Northern District of Illinois:
MR. FITZGERALD:
This is a sad day for government. It's a very sad day for Illinois government. Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low.
Governor Blagojevich has been arrested in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree. We acted to stop that crime spree.
The most appalling conduct Governor Blagojevich engaged in, according to the complaint filed today or unsealed today, is that he attempted to sell a Senate seat, the Senate seat he had the sole right to under Illinois to appoint to replace President-elect Obama.
Jeez, what happened to innocent until proven guilty. Shouldn't an official government agent attempt to be neutral or objective? Frankly, I dislike when the Justice Department uses the MEDIA to help make a conviction. Feel free to call me a bleeding heart liberal, naive, idealistic, or a defender of criminals, but it is kinda LAME when law enforcement and prosecutors have to make their case to the MEDIA and people to force the suspect to plead and cut a deal. If that doesn't work they hope for have a jury thinking the suspect is guilty. We've seen it with the Duke suspects and Barry Bonds.
Hundreds of millions of people never heard of Blagojevich today, but now we "know" that he is one of the biggest scums of the earth, an abuser of authority, plain mean, and did something horrific. And he did it all on TAPE! We know that he has been arrested by the FBI, and the Justice Department told us all the details, so he MUST be guilty, and this MUST be a serious, serious crime.
People love stories like this, and I have no winning argument. I'd just wanted to focus on the MEDIA hysteria and how the Justice Department manipulates it to put pressure on a defendant to get an easy plea.
By the way, remember the MEDIA hoopla about NY Governor Eliot Spitzer waaaaay back in March? Remember how the MEDIA and Justice Department convicted him publicly back then buy saying he used campaign funds for his hooker addiction?
Last month, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said investigators found no evidence that Spitzer or his office misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. Spitzer writes for MSN's Slate now.
Just sayin'.
Anyway, right wingers are trying to blame Obama for the Illinois governor's behavior, like he was responsible or "knew about it".
So OJ Simpson is going away to prison for 9-33 (yeah, right) years for kidnapping and armed robbery. He will always have his apologists and defenders because he is a symbol of white-on-black racism for the ignorant.
The first two O.J. trials (the criminal one, which he beat, and to a lesser extent the civil one, which he lost) really set the racial divide in this country. Black comedians and Black-American friends I know in general fully supported O.J. the 1990's. This time around, besides a few flakes, the news has been generally met with a smile.
In many ways, the first O.J. trial was overrated as "The Trial of the Century". It showed us how the MEDIA can sensationalize and influence the jury and court system. It gave birth to MEDIA people like Greta Van Susteren and "reality news" TV and all the "experts" and talking heads.
And, at risk of being labeled a bigot, it showed how Black Americans enjoy giving Free Passes (tm) to high-profile Black Americans (fast forward to 2008 Obama for another example).
Yes, you still have some that refuse to look at the details of this case, and claim the judge was "righting a wrong". I guess laymen love to make things so simple, since it makes a good story to end the sad chapter of O.J. Simpson.
In the end, there are more important things to worry about and focus on. Like Godzilla movie reviews.
Happy Thanksgiving: Mumbai Terror Attacks, Hostages, Al-Queda Penn Station
While you're busy making turkey recipes and feeling awkward around the in-laws this Thanksgiving, Indian army commandos are battling terrorists who launched attacks against luxury hotels and other targets in Mumbai (Bombay), killing 104 people, at and near the Taj Mahal Palace. Over 300 people have been wounded.
Deccan Mujahideen, a new terrorist group, claims responsibility
While you are debating football games, eight Israelis, including a rabbi, are being held by terrorists in Mumbai Chabad House.
While you are juggling traveling issues with the family, and having a 4-day vacation, a British citizen has this to report:
"I'm holed up in my room with furniture blockading the door. I've been here for over 18 hours now, with no food, hardly any water, no television or radio or information.
"I'm listening to what's going on outside, which for 18 hours has been punctuated by explosions and varying degree of farcity - semi-automatic and automatic gunfure and people rushing up and down the corridor outside.
Meanwhile, the NYC subway system is acting under red alert due to intelligence saying Al-Queda would strike Penn Station during the holidays. The northeast and Amtrak have been crippled during the busiest travel day of the year.
I guess we all have something to be thankful for this year: #1 that terrorists haven't blown us up.
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Remember, ESPN says: "Thursday's first course may not be to everyone's liking, but the rest of the football being played on Thanksgiving Day (and night) is tasty! All eyes will be on quarterback Donovan McNabb and whether he can bounce back from his benching last Sunday in Baltimore."
LIVE...on Cronica TV..an Argentine police officer in trouble for human rights violations blows his brains out, while the most funny theme song of all time plays in the background.
Click on the pic for the direct link if you are sadistic!!!
You know, I thought I knew all the "happening" websites, but I had never head of JustinTV.com (basically it's a web forum with streaming webcams) until Chuck at work told me about a 19-year old boy from Pembroke Pines, Florida OD'ed streaming live.
The comments posted were edging him on, and then he pretty much fell asleep and never woke up. Chatters made fun of him and many thought it was fake.
This is another sad story in the ongoing saga of the Internet blurring fantasy and reality, and anti-social people using the Net to express their suffering. The callous reactions of the suicide are all symptoms of the underlying desensitization of the world we live in today.
Not only were the chat comments bad while it was happening, but people made fun of this guy after the fact, too.
Here are some comments I found today:
"who the f--- would OD on a webcam? that's the most boring way to film a suicide ever. what a loser."
"Too bad you didn't post the link while it was fucking happening!"
"why do I always miss these when they're live"
"That kid has made multiple attention whoring suicide related threads on the misc and it was sadly just a case of boy who cried wolf."
"You will only see more of this s--...oh well"
"link to video is dead, any others? No, I don't give a s-- that some guy died, yes I'm a terrible person, no it doesn't bother me in the least to admit that."
"Don't you think it's a little creepy to watch some teenage dude kid on his webcam? Could you not find a better use of technology or time? If you're gonna watch a cam why not watch some chick..."
"F-. Missed it."
And here's what the JustinTV CEO said:
"As for the broadcaster incident last night, we don’t comment on individual videos, however, our policy prohibits inappropriate content on Justin.tv. We rely on the community to flag videos that they feel are objectionable. Once a video is flagged, it is reviewed and quickly removed from the system if it violates our Terms of Use."
DailySkew will not post the chat transcript, pics, or videos of this suicide (the pic in this post is a typical JTV chat room). You can find them yourself if you are morbid enough.
Childhood Memories: Glenwood Projects, Brooklyn New York
My actual childhood home address was in the news recently: 885 East 56th Street in Brooklyn, NY.
You can read about the police incident...it had to do with loud music, resisting arrest, shots fired, and a death.
I was raised in the Glenwood Public Housing, called "The Projects" by the residents and everyone else in the neighborhood.
I think it was called "The Projects" because it was a social experiment after World War II: to provide rent to people on a sliding scale based on their income. You had to be working (not just on welfare or disability), and fit in a certain wage range to qualify. If you were just on welfare the Fort Green projects was your chance to get housing.
To say that Glenwood wasn't safe is an understatement. I was 5 in 1982 when Glenwood's own police offer James Carragher was off duty and confronted by muggers. There was a gun duel and Mr. Carragher was tragically killed right in front of the door to his building. His family was close to my mother, and had mutual friends.
Eventually my grandfather, grandmother, friends, and I were all victim of violent crimes near or in The Projects.
You may have seen NY crime on TV, movies, books, or comics, and I can assure you- it's all real. It's like Gotham City and Sin City. There were drug clinics where junkies would go for free highs. One drug addict actually set up a mugging on his immigrant father in front of the bank on Social Security Check day.
My mother says drugs were always on the streets in The Projects from the 1960's on. My grandmother says that 1920's to 1950's NY was safe, with the occasional robbing or Manhattan murder. An older neighbor once told me "things got bad" due to busing and integration.
Do you know how gangs celebrated July 4th in The Projects? They would beat up a smaller kid or teen walking alone, knock him out, put a firecracker stick in his mouth, light it, and have his face explode...all for laughs.
One of my closest friends, a Russian, had his grandmother stabbed to death. She came to America to live the American Dream.
Thankfully, my mom, grandma, and granddad loved me, and kept me safe. The highest crime wave in New York history occurred in the early 1990's, late 1980's. So when I was a kid, even though getting mugged or burglarized was a part of everyone's life (and everyone knew someone who was murdered or raped in the streets at night), I was still able to have a fun and happy childhood.
Those who "got out" of the bad neighborhoods moved to "the islands" (Staten Island) or moved to the far away land of "upstate New York".
Our neighbors in the 885 building were awesome. I have never been around a community like that since I left Brooklyn. Many families were immigrants trying to make it, hard working single mothers, retirees, people with disabilities (deaf, speech, psychological, handicapped, retarded) and other lower middle class people of all races and backgrounds. I would not trade those experiences for anything...no offense to the small towners, but being exposed to different cultures, religions, and races is a great learning experience.
Of course, many neighbors were running scams..cheating on food stamps, working off the books, working numbers, vices, etc...it was all part of the hood, trying to get ahead or stay afloat.
[I do want to say one thing about "raw deals" and "underprivileged" and "justice"...my idol, a friend of the family, was raised in a poor Brooklyn neighborhood, and his mother eventually also lived in The Projects, as did he. He studied, kept out of trouble, and got a scholarship. He loved to read Superboy comics, watched Twilight Zone and Prisoner episodes, and listened to the Beach Boys. He liked to swim at the beach, and play basketball every day. He became a professional, property owner, and to this day probably is the most successful person I know. So I don't want to hear people cry about how it's impossible for poor people in ghettos to ever make it, and how the government must get overly-involved, or worse- to defend and justify violent crimes, drug addicts, and thieves because they don't have "opportunity". People make choices in life, and need to accept full responsibility.]
There were some security measures implemented in The Projects, which I witnessed. The front door to each building was locked and residents were assigned keys. Senior citizens volunteered to stand guard and be a neighborhood watch, and had a direct line to the Housing Police. After I left, assemblywomen Helene Weinstein got behind installing security cameras in every building.
My last summer there, it got so bad that I was a shut-in. I was unable to walk (or even take the bus!) to my comic book store and escape reality by reading about the crime fighters that I wished would save me. So I stayed home and did the TV, Apple computer, and video game thing, in addition to reading all of my old comic book issues.
The irony is that I moved to Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes, Florida- the two Broward Counties known for their high crime rates. It truly was a sick and twisted fate. That's why part of me is liberal (most people in The Projects were Democrats, and relied on government assistance, as did I), but the other part of me doesn't have a problem with extreme steps to prevent crime, as Rudy Giuliani did to clean up Manhattan (after I left).
Greek Ship with Filipino Crew Hijacked by Somali Pirates (My brother-in-law)
Jolan Besana, my sister-in-law's husband, is one of the members of the MT Centauri, a Greece-owned cargo ship. Somalian pirates armed with rocket launchers took over the ship, that has a crew of 25 or 26 Filipinos. This happened off the southern coast of Somalia. The cargo is carrying 17,000 tons of salt, and the crew and ship is being held for ransom, with the threat of death.
The pirates hijacked the ship on Wednesday night. My wife's sister no longer has any more tears left.
The Gulf of Aden- which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean- was the only route the MT Centauri could have made to get back home, and it is one of the world's busiest waterways (off Mogadishu). The ship had been en route to Kenya to unload the salt.
Piracy continues to be a world wide problem, and the United Nations needs to be more involved to patrol certain waters, especially off Africa's coast.
Negotiations are taking place between the terrorists and the Greece owned shipping company. International maritime authorities are also involved. The Philippines, which can't legally give into the demands, have been trying to ban Filipino seamen to work near African coasts. In other words, it's up to private firms to raise money to get the sailors back. A German firm recently gave $1 million dollars for the release of only 8 sailors.
Somalia has said that the seafarers remain unharmed. Around 80 Filipinos are still being held hostage in Somalia from previous kidnappings.
I happen to know that Jolan always gave food and money to African workers who helped him unload cargo in previous trips, and that he truly has a great and generous heart. He is a sailor because it is the only way he can support his family, as he had great electronic and mechanical skills that makes him a valuable crew member.
I am asking for your prayers for his safe recovery home, as he has 3 children in General Santos City in the Philippines, Jola, Jericho, and Julian. Today is Jolan's birthday, and it's heartbreaking a good man is being held captive.
Damian Hospital and Jolan Besana's first encounter in Feb. 2006
Beth Ann Chester, 27, a former Health and Gym teacher, was sentenced 1 1/2 to 3 years in jail for having sex with the then 14-year old boy student.
She had sent him nude pics, had sex in the parking lot, and met several times. Chester was married. She even contacted him after she was arrested.
In addition to the light jail time, she gets 5 years of probation with tons of restrictions, saying that she can never contact him. She can't own a cell phone or have Internet access when she's released.
In many ways, it is a tough sentence because being on probation with restrictions really sucks, but in other ways, this is a really light sentence.
It's light because she's a child molester. And if a male teacher did this, I think that his sentence would be stiffer. There is also a stigma that Chester and the boy had a "romance", but the fact is Chester is a sexual predator.
In my ideal world, she (like all child molesters) would be sent to a place where she can be rehabilitated, because she is sick. If she showed no signs of rehabilitation, she would be chemically castrated and turned into a eunuch. She would be responsible for paying restitution to the victim as well.
Aliases: Robert Bruce Banner, David Banner, Bruce Jones, Warren Allen Wright, Warren Allen Richards
DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth:
1981
Hair:
Red
Place of Birth:
Saudi Arabia
Eyes:
Blue
Height:
5'7" to 5'10"
Complexion:
Sickly Pale
Weight:
Approximately 140 pounds
Sex:
She-male
Build:
Underweight
Occupation:
Posts on blogs
Remarks:
W.A.R. is the leader of an organization known as Liquid TV. He is right-handed and walks with a cane.
Scars and Marks:
W.A.R. has a skin condition in his genital.
U.S. Citizen
CAUTION
W.A.R. IS WANTED IN CONNECTION WITH POSTING STUPID COMMENTS ON BLOGS. THESE POSTS HAVE OFFENDED OVER 200 PEOPLE. IN ADDITION, HE IS A SUSPECT IN ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING AND FILESHARING.
The Rewards For Injustice Program is offering a reward of up to 1 lottery ticket for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction of W.A.R. An additional 2 scratch-offs are being offered through a program developed and funded by the Human Society of America.
Sex Tourism Thailand, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Cuba.
Many men like to engage in "sex tourism" in foreign countries. You can say it's the global outsourcing of sex. It's about slavery, control, manipulation, and pedophilia.
Although United States federal law says that "any citizens who engage in international travel with the purpose or effect of having commercial sex with a person under the age of 18, or any sex with a person under the age of 16 is subject to prosecution", it is rare any gets in trouble for this. Pornography filmmakers do this too. Fools only get caught if they took pictures of the kids and saved them on their laptops.
So where the law can't protect people, it's up to the sex tourists to stop on their own, and for us to spread the word, and not to encourage the exploitation of women and children around the world.
If only these perverts could see the consequences of their actions, and all the negative karma they spread.
If you are a sex tourist, let me list the negative things you're causing:
1) You're showing these women that sex has no meaning, and no love, and that their bodies can be sold. 2) You may be spreading or catching STDs. 3) You cause emotional and physical stress and baggage that they will carry for the rest of their lives. 4) They will continue to engage in sex acts and continue to be in the sex industry (web cams, stripping, brothels, etc.). Having a normal relationship after being treated like a sex slave is virtually impossible. 5) Many girls are under 18. You are raping them, and destroying their innocence. 6) You may believe that you are "helping" these girls short-term by giving them money, but you are destroying their lives...and yours. 7) It teaches men to view women as sex objects. All women are harmed by this.
***
So what can we do?
If you have friends that are thinking about taking a trip somewhere, and are boasting about "how many women" they can have or "how cheap the women are", you need to open your mouth and tell them how much damage they can inflict on these girls. You need to tell them to work on their own real relationships. They need to find another "hobby". Don't laugh when they talk about all the things they are going to do in these countries. Don't condone it. Embarass them, and tell them the seriousness of it.
Rachel Hoffman, NOT to be confused with the DailySkew's own Dr. Richard Hoffman
ABC and 20/20 asks "Are Pot Users Criminals?" I guess in this post-9/11 world we live in, that question seems valid to millions of people, kind of like "Are undocumented immigrants illegal?"
You see, the last time I checked drug use without a prescription was illegal.
I happened to catch this on 20/20 last night, after driving over [censored]. I thought this article was a good follow-up to your post on the ill-effects of smoking marijuana.
Here's my take: the 20/20 presentation makes it seem like a 1/4 lb of marijuana and six ecstacy pills is okay to have, and that the police were excessive in threatening her with felony charges -- even though she had been busted once and was on parole for a year!
The police chief looked extremely nervous, getting grilled on national television. On television, nervousness = incompetent liar.
Not being smooth on TV doesn't make you a liar or incompentent.
Everyone is blaming the police for sending her out on that botched sting. I agree that they come off as cops from Hazard County, BUT ... what about HER?
It's funny, when Brian Ross mentioned she was a College Graduate, he made it sound like it was the equivalent of being an Elementary School Graduate. "She's just a College Graduate."
Boy, how standards have fallen. Excuse me, but I'm not buyin'.
She was perfectly capable, as a 23-year-old ADULT, of calling her lawyer and getting legal advice. She was perfectly capable of reading whatever agreement she had signed, and seeing whether the deal to avoid jail-time was legit (assuming she even signed anything -- she's certainly smart enough to not just go with the word of a police officer from Leon County with no written documentation, as a College Graduate).
Instead, here we have another 23-year-old desperately hanging on to her teenage years, refusing to 1)grow up, 2)take responsibility for her actions, and 3)go to jail for four years.
She wanted a get out of jail free card. Well, she's not jail ... but if she had done what any sane, normal college educated person would have done, she would not have gone to some park alone to meet with two black men to buy drugs AND a gun. She would be alive today.
Excuse me, but I don't feel sorry for the purple-floppy-hat-girl. The police were jerks, but she had a choice -- she could have spoken with her lawyer. She could have read the agreement.
Christian Bale (Batman and Bruce Wayne) may be in trouble with the law.
"The Dark Knight" star was allegedly arrested in London for assault. His mother and sister pressed charges. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY and nothing has been confirmed. The source was the BRITISH MEDIA.
The huge Internet news today is that criminalsearches.com is up and running (Beta). It is FREE and enables quick and easy criminal record searches.
Stuff like this is very appealing for people who want to look up their co-worker, neighbor, or dating partner.
Before you get too excited about accessing public records, here is my quick review of the site:
Not all criminal databases are used; it is NOT all-encompassing. It doesn't seem to go back very far, either.
A lot of people whom I know have been convicted of crimes simply do not come up in the search results.
If you type "Larry" but the person's name is "Lawrence", you are out of luck.
Most links send you to paid sites where you can get full background checks.
The site looks lite it was slapped together in a couple of weeks.
There is nothing NEW on this site. You can simply go to your County's Clerk of Courts website to find the same thing. However, criminalsearches.com combines many Clerks of Court databases.
And now, here are my thoughts on the ethics of this site:
As soon as word gets around, everyone is going to be looking up each other. I wonder how many relationships will be damaged with the heavy marketing of this site, which is so free and easy? [Please note: every state has court records and prison records available, but they are not marketed well, so the general public doesn't really know about them.]
There is a sex offender page, so you can find sex offenders that live in your zip code or near your home. I wonder how much harassment (or harm) these people are going to be dealing with now.
People will feel that the site is valid, reliable, and an authority about if someone is a criminal or not, but they would be mistaken. How many people have the same name? It's like online polls- a fun little thing to do and waste time, but nothing to base decisions on or take seriously.
We live in a myspace, youtube, facebook, ebay, google searches, and craigslist world. Nothing is private and nothing is sacred. It USED to be that if you had a spotty history, you can at least start a "new life" at a new job or if you move to a different town you can get a second chance. Now, your history follows you around wherever you go. And heaven help you if your name is "John Smith".
Yeah, I know, my old buddy Mike would say, "It's all public record". But what's going to be happening is that people will run your name through, and make a pre-judgment against you (including job interviews).
Females who have committed crimes are in danger if some pervert wants to visit or stalk a troubled woman lives near him.
I can list so many things about how the negatives outweigh the positives, but I'm not asking for a call to action. It is what it is. My only warning to you is that if you use it, realize that the database is not accurate, it is easy to misidentify people with similar or the same names, if you type any part of the name wrong you get no results, and that you should judge a person based on what you see and hear, not what some automated website says.
Did you ever watch a YouTube video of your favorite TV show, movie, cartoon, or music? Well, Google stored that info, and a judge forcing Google to turn over millions of videos your user login IDs, when you watched videos, your computer's IP address, and numbers that identify the videos. The order applies to videos watched on YouTube and to videos embedded on other Web sites, like this blog and other websites you may accidentally stumbled upon.
Fact: It is not illegal for us to WATCH copyrighted material on the Internet, however it IS illegal to UPLOAD copyrighted material in the U.S.
Fact: Google should not have allowed users to monitor their own content.
Fact: Your private viewing history will be in the hands of two billion dollar corporations, and possibly law enforcement agencies.
Fact: Viacom is the old guard media, and Google wants everything to be open source. (Google has controversial views about privacy.) However, both companies need to make profits at our expense. Users are used to, and expect, having free copyrighted content at their fingertips. Sites like Hulu.com are a step in the right direction because NBC and FOX have limited free content. YouTube is totally unregulated, and forces a New Age of free information.
The Joe Horn case is a hot debate. So many liberals and conservatives are spin, spin, spinning, that I feel the urge to cut through the BS and make things SIMPLE.
Ever since 61-year-old Texan Joe Horn fatally shot two men he suspected of burglarizing his next-door neighbor's home, he has been praised and condemned for his actions. He was found not guilty today.
Here's what happened:
Horn saw two men robbing his neighbor's house. They had loot, and were coming out of his windows.
Horn called 911, and explained everything.
The 911 operator told him to stay put, so he would not get hurt.
Horn thought that the police would take too long, and that his neighbor's property would be stolen, so he left his home with his licensed shotgun and shot the men.
That should be the end of story. He should not have been forced to go to court, get all the press, and be the subject and tool of people with agendas. But in the U.S., a guy can't even shoot CRIMINALS CAUGHT IN THE ACT who ran on his YARD without getting ripped.
Texas law is on his side.
It's as simple as that.
Read on if you want to hear SPIN:
The liberals say Texas law is OLD, and outdated, and his lawyer used 1800's code to wrap neighbor's property into it.
That Horn wasn't in danger himself, therefore it wasn't self-defense.
That Horn disobeyed the 9/11 call.
He told the 9/11 dispatcher: "I'm not going to let them get away with it" and "I'm gonna kill them."
That Horn wanted to kill Hispanics.
That Horn tailor made and created the situation by charging these men, whom we should sympathize for.
That society's fabric will be destroyed if we allow "exceptions" like Horn taking "the law into his own hands".
With all our sophistication, we're still a part of the Old West.
Property is more valuable than life.
He shot those guys in the BACK!
Can homeowners kill ANYONE on their property?
And from the conservatives:
He's a HERO.
The two criminals were ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, DRUG ADDICTS, and CAREER CRIMINALS.
Our society would be better OFF if Horn was your neighbor.
1973 law is clear: a person is justified in using deadly force to protect a neighbor's property from burglary if the person reasonably believes deadly force is immediately necessary to stop the burglars from escaping with the stolen property, and if the shooter reasonably believes that "the land or property cannot be protected or recovered by any other means."
The scum were IN HIS YARD, too.
What has society come to when we are defending illegal immigrants who are breaking into our homes?
They were running to ATTACK him, and who knows what ELSE they were going to do?
Horn was HELPING society.
Why is it as soon as someone takes INITIATIVE, they get blacklisted?
What does LME (lazy man ethics (tm)) say? Keep in mind, society is worse because of LME. LME says he should have done nothing, not even call. LME says that if he did call, he definitely should not have left his house. That should tell you a lot.
Now, how about my Buddhist perspective?
The Truth is that property doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. Horn took the initiative to defend society, and he is paying for that. As an older man, he comes from a generation where people should be walking on other people's property. He has to live locked in his home now. He'll probably be killed one of these days.
Violence is a never-ending cycle. As far as the two criminals- it was their karma that put them in that situation, and I am not crying, nor defending them. They have a lot of karma to burn off now, and, to a lesser extent, so does Horn. But in this case, Texas law was on Horn's side. Cosmic law? Well, that works in mysterious ways, beyond some judge. It has to do with Horn's intentions- something we cannot know.
Jessica’s Law, if passed, would require a 20-year sentence for rape of a child under 12.
However, MA Democratic Representative (and defense attorney) James Fagan said that he would “rip apart” 6-year-old victims on the witness stand and “make sure the rest of their life is ruined, so when they’re 8 years old they throw up; when they’re 12 years old, they won’t sleep; when they’re 19 years old, they’ll have nightmares and they’ll never have a relationship with anybody. It's a knee-jerk legislation and every time the Legislature has named a law after somebody, it has been a failure.”
In my opinion, the criminal justice system (specifically the penal and correction facilities) should do more to reeducate and rehabilitate criminals than to simply punish them. I think if found guilty of a crime, the perpetrator should serve the full sentence based on criminal code (no bills) unless the criminal shows a complete change.
THAT BEING SAID, as an elected official, James Fagan's comments are inexcusable, and he needs to be held accountable.
Well, in other news R. Kelly was found NOT guilty of having sex with a preteen or making video tapes of an underage girl. R Kelly's alleged preteen porn video was pretty big news back in the day, but it turns out it wasn't R Kelly in that video. All of the other young girls were unable to prove their rape allegations, either.
R Kelly is a famous R&B music superstar. Kelly was married to his protege Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15. However, the marriage was annulled by her parents. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001.
RFK Assassination Was Sirhan Alone? Sandy Serrano Conspiracy
DailySkew contributor R.A.W. managed to get his hands on an old newspaper from 1968 that was in his late uncle's attic this weekend. Attached is a copy of a particular article that we both found very interesting.
It seems like the history books and MEDIA have sold to us that Sirhan Sirhan was not part of a greater conspiracy, and acted alone, without any accomplices. They would like us to think he was a madman who was a lone wolf.
However, Sandy Serrano not only reported her eyewitness account that night to the LAPD, but her story was carried by nationwide newspapers, and the BBC and NBC.
Sandy was a 20-year old youth volunteer for Robert Kennedy, who reported that she saw a woman and man running downstairs. Earlier in the night she had seen a young woman in a white dress with dark polka dots walking up the back stairway of the Ambassador hotel, with two men-one was wearing a white shirt and a gold sweater, the other looking dirty and out of place, short, and with bushy dark hair (Sirhan Sirhan). Shortly after hearing what she thought were backfires from a car (it was RFK getting shot), the woman and one of the men came back down the stairs, in an excited fashion, speaking loudly. Sandy said:
She practically stepped on me, and she said, "We've shot him. We've shot him." Then I said, "Who did you shoot?" And she said, "We shot Senator Kennedy." And I says, "Oh, sure." She came running down the stairs, very fast, and then the boy in the gold sweater came running down after her, and I walked down the stairs.
The police told Sandy to CHANGE HER STORY. Smells like a total COVER-UP to me and R.A.W.:
The Hogan clan continues to sink in the general public's eye. (Inside pro wrestling fans have already known all about Hulk Hogan behind the scenes.) Even Linda Hogan was wearing a indecent outfit to jail.
Here are some highlights from the latest jail phone call recordings:
Linda Hogan tells her son Nick that she's suffering more than victim John Graziano's mother:
"I knew him more than his own mother knew him. She has no other recourse than to be nasty and vindictive now... She's not sad. She's just acting angry like she wants the money. John never meant anything to her or Ed... I miss John and I miss you two. She's not suffering, I am. She didn't give two shits."
Nick spoke to Hulk about meeting with an evaluator regarding a transfer:
"I'm not going to put on my court clothes, I'm going to come in my jumpsuit for the sympathetic factor."
Hulk Hogan speaks about John the victim:
"Well, I don't know what type of person John was or what he did to get himself in this situation," I know he was pretty aggressive and used to yell at people and used to do stuff. For some reason, God laid some heavy shit on that kid, man. I don't know what he was into."
Nick responded:
"John was a negative person."
Hulk and Nick discussed their plans for a reality show that would feature Nick attempting to bounce back following a stay in jail. Hulk proposes the name "The New Nick" and told that his son work on names. Nick says:
"I want to do it where I'll make the most money."
Hulk suggests that he, Eric Bischoff, and Jason Hervey will team up.
Recently, Hogan and Nick spoke in "carny" a secret pig-Latin language to fool the MEDIA.
The Pinellas County Sheriff who runs the jail where Nick Hogan was being held on May 9 (before he was transfered to prison) decided to released a taped conversation between Nick and his divorcing parents- Hulk Hogan and Linda Bollea. (Personally, I think jails should NOT release taped conversations to the MEDIA.)
"I have to get out of here. I can't deal with this for eight months. They put me in a crazy ward. If I knew I was going to be in a windowless cell by myself, I would rather have gone to trial. It's so much worse than you could ever imagine. This is like a state prison. I'm all by myself"
For those of you who do not follow the world of professional wrestling, 17-year-old Nick Hogan was DUI and drag racing (although he denied it) back in August, and left his best friend critically injured. Hulk Hogan tried everything in his power to get the MEDIA on his side, pay off the victim's parents, and may have been at the scene to try and cover up evidence.
Ultimately, Nick, who actually got speeding tickets previously (and according to some reports, he got a ticket that night), was sentenced to:
8 months hard time
DUI school as soon as he's released from prison
5 years probation, which includes a no-alcohol condition
500 hours community service
Does Nick deserve this? Yes. This sentence is normal, especially since he had a poor traffic record, which both of his parents tried to downplay. With Hulk away for most of his upbringing, and his mother being a ditz, Nick has gotten away with a lot of stuff, and it's about time it caught up with him. He truly is a spoiled brat, not smart, and his parents have been enabling this behavior for his entire life.
Yet another craigslist crime was busted. This time, an enraged wife named Ann Marie Linscott was arrested for posting a classified advertisement for a hitman to assassinate her husband's mistress.
And once again, craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster (CEO of what??? All he does is host a message board and sell t-shirts) responds to another craigslist crime via E-MAIL and says:
"Out of 550 million classified ads posted over 12 years, this is the first such incident that we're aware of. But again, the ad itself was generic, and we're not a party to subsequent private e-mail communications."
Founder Craig Newmark was not reached for comment.
In other craigslist news, police have arrested a man pretending to be a jewelry broker, who has been writing bad checks to scan thousands from sellers. Remember, craigslist doesn't have any affiliations with PayPal to secure any transaction.
In Ohio, police responded to 4 ads, and busted prostitutes, who also had drugs on them. One of the escort's drivers, told police some inside information: he said that the woman charged $200, and gave him 2/3 of the cash, which he split with "someone else". So, this woman- who is like a slave- only made $68.
A group of teens in Queens and Long Island, NY posted ads pretending to sell cars for tens of thousands of dollars. When potential buyers went to meet them with the money and to pick up the car, they were robbed.
Recently, someone posted a woman's name, and phone number of craigslist, and pretended she was a prostitute on a fake craigslist post. She was not- she was an ordinary citizen. She had to get her telephone number changed because men would call her at all hours of the night looking for sex.
So...what can you do to stop craigslist?
1) Quit defending it. Quit acting like regulation is undemocratic or fascist. craigslist has shown that this type of free, unregulated, anonymous system is too powerful in the hands of the people. craigslist should have mandatory registered e-mails, PayPal, fees for posting ANY ad, NO sex ads, and complete moderation. Quit calling Damian Hospital and Tony Vahl anti-Americans for wanting to protect YOU, your family, and children from the horrors of craigslist.
2) Get the facts, and spread the word, and boycott craigslist. <---That site is against human trafficking and child slavery, which runs rampant on craigslist. (Keep in mind, I only tackled U.S. craigslist. Each country has it's OWN craigslist problems.)
3) Understand when the craigslist founders donate to charity, they report it to the MEDIA so all the good craigslist does comes up in the search engines. The donations help with craigslist's positive PR. But local law enforcement knows all about craigslist.
From: Dr. Hoffman To: DailySkew.com Re: Heath Ledger
I understand that the death of Heath Ledger has stirred up some controversy on your site. I thought I'd apply my skills to the problem, and assist in clearing up any misinterpretation of the facts. Here are some revealing quotes from a thisislondon.co.uk article, with my expert comments in brackets. You be the judge:
In Perth, his home town, Ledger's father Kim read out a statement in which he insisted the death was an accident.
Surrounded by his ex-wife Sally and their sobbing daughter Kate, he said: "We confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda."
He went on to describe his son as "a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many." Kim continued: "Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him."
[Apparently, he was an Enneagram type four or six.]
"I last spoke to him the night before he died. He said he could not see me that night but really wanted to meet me the next day. He made me promise that I would call him in the morning and wake him up. I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his body," Film director Shekhar Kapur said.
He added: "He was one of the most gentle, most honest, most caring, and most compassionate persons I had met."
[Mr. Ledger did not own an alarm clock, and he clearly did not want to sleep late that day.]
There are claims the strain of playing the Joker in the new Batman film may have proved too much for the star – in a recent interview, he told how the role of a "murderous psychopath" had left him "sleepless and exhausted". He is also said to have recently suffered pneumonia.
[Although I'm sure some of the comic book fans you quoted would feel vindicated by this, I do not believe playing the Joker killed him. Consider, he was in the middle of filming another project at the time of his death -- he was past the role.
A low immune system and sleeplessness can seriously affect one's mental state and thought processes.]
Ledger's ex-fiancée Michelle Williams and their two year old daughter Matilda flew from a film set in Sweden to their home in Brooklyn following tragedy.
"You can't begin to imagine the state she's in," an executive on the film told the Mail Online.
Her father Larry Williams said: "It has just broken everybody's heart in my family. I think Tennyson got it right in the poem he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends. And oh what a beautiful flame he made. That was Heath."
He said Ledger was devoted to the couple's daughter.
"The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly. The Tennyson poem is just so true. His years were few but he left a beautiful legacy."
[I am sure that Ms. Williams is distraught. I am sure that some will blame her for not being more supportive of Heath, and standing by her man.
I do not agree that she should be blamed for anything.
Heath Ledger was responsible for his own actions, as we are all individually responsible for what we do. He chose not to seek proper psychiatric treatment. He chose to remain despondent. He chose to allow a downward spiral to occur without fighting it.
As a professional who has counseled thousands of people, I have seen the power of the will ... ordinary people overcoming the same personal adversity (divorce) that Heath encountered, with professional help and medication. Unlike those people, Heath had access to the best doctors and best treatments the world has to offer. It was purely his decision to not seek that help.]
"Heath was shattered by his split from Michelle," the source told Mail Online, adding: "He became a recluse. He barely slept he was dealing with terrible mood swings."
Ledger spent the past several months mourning the loss of his relationship with Williams and friends say he had become an introvert, who was headed in a downward spiral.
"Heath totally wanted to be on his own these past few months since he and Michelle split in September," says a source. "She was very much in love with him, but the fact he continued to dabble in drugs kept their relationship from being one she could rely on.
"Heath was shattered by his split from Michelle," the source told Mail Online, adding: "He became a recluse. He barely slept he was dealing with terrible mood swings."
Ledger spent the past several months mourning the loss of his relationship with Williams and friends say he had become an introvert, who was headed in a downward spiral.
"Heath totally wanted to be on his own these past few months since he and Michelle split in September," says a source. "She was very much in love with him, but the fact he continued to dabble in drugs kept their relationship from being one she could rely on.
"Now poor little Matty is left without a father, and Heath has died a senseless death.
"He had so much to live for and he was so talented. He was working on a new film, and he had everything in life to live for. Now, tragically, he has thrown it all away at just 28."
[Unlike the Virginia Tech killing, where this website suggested that no one reached out to the shooter ... there is no question in my mind that Ledger was talking to people, while working on set and off. While he may have become an "Introvert," he still had interaction with the outside world -- that was the nature of his work.
It is possible that he suffered from a kind of tragic hubris -- having everything except that which he wanted the most -- Michelle, more privacy ... and perhaps the ability to kick his drug habit instantaneously.
It is clear that Ledger needed to take time off from filming and stay in a rehabilitation facility until he was past the withdrawal symptoms accompanied by an addiction to heroin. It was his choice to continue working and not seek help.]
"And he's been battling some pretty serious demons. It's just so incredible that it was allowed to gone on unchecked for so long."
Ledger's former fiancée Williams failed to talk sense into her now deceased former partner.
"She cared for him deeply but his life was unmanageable," said the source. "As much as she wanted to stay together, he was a different person these past couple of years.
"The tragic reality was that he lost his grip on life."
As for Ledger's trip to rehab, the source said: "It was during his filming of The Dark Knight. Heath's addiction was really getting in the way of his ability to act. He went to rehab but left fairly quickly, within a number of days.
"Tragically, he never really faced up to his addictions. Had he done so, he would be alive today."
In an interview last November, Ledger spoke of the joy of fatherhood; "Having a child changes every aspect of your life – for the better, of course. The sacrifices are large, but what you get in return is even bigger than the sacrifices you make.
"I feel, in a sense, ready to die because you are living on in your child."
[While being a parent is a source of great joy and pride ... and while one can see the circle of life ... one can experience how their parents felt when they were children, etc., that does not mean one should feel ready to die because your lineage will be carried on! Yes, your child will carry forth a part of you, but it helps if you raise them to adulthood first!
At any rate, it is not clear whether Mr. Ledger actually committed suicide or not. For all we know, he took an extra sleeping pill or two, hoping to get a good night's sleep. For all we know, when he finally fell asleep, his body shut down due to the strain.
I am certain that the mix of illegal drug use and prescription drugs did not help his health at all.
I do think this is a real shame, and I am sad to see it. I just hope others will learn from this ... but I highly doubt it. Every so often, we have examples of celebrities dying due to accidental or purposeful overdoses ... no one ever seems to get the message that once you die, that's it! It's not a joke, or a video game -- it's final. There is no turning back.]
To: Numbersix@dailyskew From: jorgeizcierda@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: f___ you
hey ______ i dunt appesiate u writin all that _____ about me, esocilly since u dunt had any fax true. hear is what happen:
my cousin gave me the checks to cash at my banc,it only take me a few minute to cash out the checks.i have close to 7000 dollars. i drove to my restuant businees to tell my boss somethin.i only leave my car for 2 minutues.i come out next thing i know the cash, my passport, and my driver lisense all stolen. u have no idea how much truble i am in now.i call the policia they tell me there had a witness who saw a black car pull up next to mines and go in my car and walk awat with something then drive off.i am no drug dealer i was successful and respect busineesmans in venezeula now i come to america mywife divorce me my busineess partenr screw me out of 20,000 dollars i work at tashman and they fire me even though i do a good job now i try to work for restaurrant and this waht happen to me. hey ____ go _____ yurself you ____ _____ and _____ everyone who say i am drug drug dealer you ___ dunt no nothing you sorry piece of ____ ____. u better tell the turh to everyone_____
_______ Jorge
Okay, Jorge, let's see the plot holes or suspect info in your story:
#1- Why couldn't your "cousin" cash his own checks? #2- Is he legal? #3- Is this money legal? #4 -Is this money being reported to the IRS? #5- Is your cousin here in the U.S.? #6- Can you prove that you even have a cousin? #7- When were you going to deliver this money to him? #8- Why did you go to the restaurant? #9- Did you see anyone follow you? #10- Why did you leave the doors to your car unlocked? #11- Why did you leave your passport and driver's license in your car, and not in your wallet? #12- What was so important at the restaurant where you left that much cash in the car? #13- What did the police say? #14- What did your cousin say?
You are stuck in a big lie now, Jorge. How long did it take you to come up with this story? This story is so bad, I have no idea if there really was $6,500 and you are desperate and stupid enough to believe that the police will find and give you that money. Or perhaps you double-crossed someone and kept the money for yourself. Or, as others commented, perhaps you really are a drug dealer who got robbed. But even if your story is true, there is one thing about it that is true: law-abiding legal citizens don't cash out that money and leave it in their unlocked car. I guess since your passport was stolen, you have no visa anymore either, and no ID card to prove your residency. How convenient.
Seems like Adam "Pacman" Jones hit one of his attorneys-a woman named Wanda Jackson- at a strip club while arguing about his divorce.
Jones, who already is going through legal woes, just keeps adding to them.
Also, after the National Football League suspended him, he signed a rap deal and joined TNA Wrestling (the OTHER league). He made a mockery out of pro wrestling (like it really needs to be mocked even more?) by winning the tag team titles but was not allowed to engage in any physical harm as per his NFL contract. Thankfully, TNA did not extend his contract. We can only hope that Pacman Jones disappears from the public consciousness, but that seems very unlikely at this time.
Yet another fatal car crash occurred this weekend, as Roger Avary, who is a Hollywood screenwriter and producer was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence after a passenger, Andreas Zedini, in his car died. Roger's wife was injured in the car wreck, as well.
Roger Avary is best known for his work with Pulp Fiction, although it is disputed how much work he actually contributed to it. He most recently co-produced Beowulf.
Once again, it's amazing how people think they can drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and believe that they can get home in one piece. Once again, another life is lost. I mean, look, Roger Avary and Jim Leyritz have money to hire a cab or get a designated driver, but they chose not to. You would think harsher penalties would exist or some other method we can use to "encourage" people to not DWI.
Injustice in China More than 50 municipal inspectors attacked and killed a blogger who was filming a protest. Wei Wenhua was a 41-year-old construction company executive who filmed a scuffle between city inspectors and villagers protesting over the dumping of waste near their homes.
The villagers tried to prevent the inspectors from unloading the garbage, and a fight ensued.
When Wei took out his cell phone to record the protest, he was brutally attacked by the mob of inspectors.
For those of you who think China is a free state because it is embracing capitalism, because it trades with the U.S., or because it's such a great vacation spot, stories like this one are more telling to what really goes on there by government officials.
As much as the Chinese government tries to prevent freedoms by censoring and regulating the Internet and freedom of speech, bloggers try their best to express the injustices that they have to deal with in their lives.
Multiple MEDIA sources are reporting that former football star and double-murdered O.J. Simpson is in custody in Florida with a bail bondsman, and will be shipped to Las Vegas for a hearing. He is said to have violated the conditions of his release.
I would hope the majority of Americans, regardless of skin color, could see that this man is a big, fat, lying loser.
The Roger Clemens drama just continues to become even more of a circus, as Roger said he taped McNamee in a phone conversation last week.
"I'll go to jail, I'll do whatever you want," McNamee said during the conversation.
"I need somebody to tell the truth," Clemens said.
During the tape, McNamee never said he lied when he told baseball investigator George Mitchell last year that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in 1998, 2000 and 2001.
"I'm in your corner," McNamee said. "I'd also like not to go to jail, too."
Clemens was mostly expressionless while the tape played, even when McNamee said, "You treated me like family."
Clemens said McNamee initiated the conversation, which was laced with emotion and profanity. McNamee, a former strength coach for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, sounded as if he were a desperate man.
"I'm firing my lawyers. I'm getting rid of everybody," McNamee said. "My wife is gone. My kids are gone."
So, there you have it...Clemens says he now has the smoking gun that proves McNamee lied about everything.
So why does this sound suspicious?
Did Clemens threaten him?
Pay him off?
Make him promises?
Create a new reality selling a false truth to McNamee?
It's amazing that Clemens called him up and taped everything without McNamee knowing. Last time I checked it was illegal to tape a phone conversation without permission.
Clemens never said anything like, "I want you to come down to Houston and tell the world the truth - that I never took steroids."
When asked Monday why he didn't do just that, Clemens said, "I would be afraid for him, because my family's very upset. I'm trying to keep my composure through all this."
Clemens has yet to establish why, exactly, McNamee would betray his multimillionaire meal ticket and friend if, as Clemens repeatedly asserted on 60 Minutes, "It never happened." If McNamee knew Clemens never took steroids, and that he himself never injected Clemens with steroids, then what pressure could the feds exert? If McNamee is the only evidence here, how could the feds prove the unprovable? If it didn't happen, how could McNamee be prosecuted for perjury for telling the truth?
I watched one of my favorite VCR tapes with my family yesterday: Pinstripe Dynasty, which featured the 1996 New York Yankees championship year.
Of course, one key moment of the season was when Jim Leyritz hit the go-ahead homerun in Game 4's 8th inning of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. The Yanks were trailing 6-0 in that game, after Yanks' starting pitcher Kenny Rogers got knocked out early.
Talk about a lifestyle that just catches up with you. After earning around $11,000,000 in his career, he has around $600,000 left, and is facing a prison sentence for DUI manslaughter here in sunny Fort Liquordale.
The MEDIA never reported what went on behind the scenes:
And your co-workers and friends always like to say that we shouldn't judge their lifestyles. They like to believe that their reckless actions featuring drugs, alcohol, and sex with numerous partners don't have any consequences. They think all of those things happen in the vacuum called "Friday and Saturday night". They are wrong, and always will be wrong.
Accidents happen, there is no question about that. But getting behind a wheel of a car stoned or intoxicated is dangerous to other people who are not involved in your crazy life.
Jimmy Leyritz, let's face facts, you were a backup player and pinch hitter for your entire career, even though you wanted to be starter. You had a couple of lucky high-profile hits. But you were a trouble-maker for all of your 11 years, squandered away your fortune, used performance enhancing drugs (HGH or steroids) and never admitted it until AFTER you retired, openly lashed into your former teammates and organization at any opportunity you got, and effectively ended your own life by taking the life of a fellow driver on the road.
This post was submitted by DailySkew contributor CCB3. This is too funny to pass up. I can't verify if this was really on COPS or if it's a parody, but it's very funny.
Speaking of COPS, that television show has claims to be one of the first true, unscripted reality shows. When FOX first came out, many people liked In Living Color, The Simpsons, and Married...With Children, but there is no denying that COPS played no small part in FOX becoming a major television network, spawning numerous rip-offs and parodies.
My favorite part of this video occurs at the 1:25 mark....
One of the reasons why I was always stand-offish regarding Michael Moore's theories is the way he totally disrespected Charlton Heston at his own home in Moore's documentary "Bowling for Columbine". Moore thinks he "won" this "debate" with Heston, but he really didn't.
I agree with our constitutional right to bear arms. And it may sound like a right-wing slogan, but guns DON'T kill people, people kill people. Gun control is another unwinnable war, like the war on drugs, and the war on terrorism. It is so idealistic! Criminals will always get their hands on them. It's as simple as that.
We have the freedom to be responsible or irresponsible, that's what makes democracy so great. If Joe Blow puts a loaded gun in his closet, and his little kid finds it- Joe Blow needs to held accountable. Period.
Quite frankly, this interview is a great reason why Moore comes off as a sniveling, deceptive pig. Heston is just being honest here. He comes from a different era.
MEDIA spinning Fox News and other MEDIA outlets are reporting that a Seventh Day Adventist passenger who was riding a Texas bus was escorted off it for reading her Bible too loud to her kids on the way to church.
I can see many special interest groups jumping to her defense, and attorneys at law smelling a civil suit.
However, I'm using this news story as an exercise showing that you shouldn't jump to conclusions.
The Texas Department of Transportation has a policy:
Any passenger who is speaking too loud and disturbing either the bus driver or the other passengers- can be asked to leave the bus. (As a side-note, when I was in Hong Kong, I saw that questioning the bus driver or disrespecting any bus policy is TABOO.)
Until we get the facts- statements and witnesses saying that she was too loud and disturbing, we should withhold judgment. As the spokesperson said from the Department of Transportation: it doesn't matter if she was reading "Moby Dick" or the Declaration of Independence too loud- disruptive passengers speaking too loud are in violation of transportation policies.
I know, I know- it's a better MEDIA story to pitch that we live in a moral bankrupt society, yet a woman can't even read the Bible to her kids on a bus in the way to church.
But guess what folks, have you even ridden a bus when someone is SHOUTING AND PREACHING THE WORD OF THE LORD ABOUT HOW WE ARE ALL GOING TO GO TO HELL FOR THINKING IMPURE THOUGHTS AND NOT LETTING OUR LORD JESUS INTO OUR HEARTS? IT'S ANNOYING, NO MATTER WHAT THE MESSAGE IS.
Seriously Christine, if I'm on a bus, I just want to get to my destination with as little hassle as possible. Save your LOUD RANTS for the message boards.
However, if you truly were not being LOUD, I hope you to get the support to file a civil suit, and please accept my apologies for mocking you. I am trying to keep an open mind, I really am, but in my experiences bus drivers don't get their supervisors unless a passenger truly was unruly.
2007 Skew Review Damian Hospital 12-31-2007 Going into 2007, Tony Vahl and I had high expectations that the Year of the Pig would be a year of chaos and unpredictability. Sure enough, we were correct. Below is a list of some events from 2007:
Politics
The battle for Presidential nomination started at the earliest point ever. Candidates have been using the Internet more than ever to spread their message, and live debates gave YouTube all the recognition and validity it needed to be an instant way to reach out to the people.
New Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sure set expectations high that the Democrats would put this nation back on course after taking over Congress.
Senator Larry Craig got busted in a men's restroom, and denied making homosexual advances to an undercover policeman. Former male prostitutes or other men Larry came onto in the past have since come out, to verify that he is gay, but Larry stands firm that it was all a misunderstanding.
President George W. Bush: his popularity is the lowest for any president, and many senior advisers resigned from his administration. I will not waste anymore space talking about all the things GW and his cronies did this year.
Crime
Shootings grabbed headlines- from Virgina Tech to children's school to a mall. In all cases, the Internet played a key as a forum for the killers' rants. And the MEDIA had a field day with it.
The MEDIA still focused and gave way too much attention to missing persons and alleged kidnappings for certain families. The MEDIA has continued to pick-and-choose who gets the coverage. MEANWHILE, thousands of others never get MEDIA attention because they are not marketable enough.
Craigslist and MySpace's murder, rape, kidnapping, and prostitution rates have increased.
Global
China has been accidentally poisoning and exporting toys and dog food to the United States.
China has been testing long-range missiles, and space weapons.
China continues to execute government officials and dissenters.
The military regime in Myanmar severely beat and arrested protesters, many of them monks. The world shrugs.
The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, continued to have a pissing contest with the West over its right to harness and produce nuclear energy. He had threated to destroy Israel several times, but always denies it when speaking to Western reporters. His public Iranian speeches always contain his threats that he would destroy the West, but he seems to change his tune when talking to the U.N.
An earthquake in Japan released 300 gallons of radioactive water into the sea. Can Godzilla be far behind, now?
Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize and two Oscars for spreading the word about the dangers of Global Warming.
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf was forced to step down as military leader, but was sworn in as a civilian president. He has been losing control all year.
The death tolls and unrest due to the war in Iraq has increased.
Bombings in Iraq and Israel are commonplace.
Boris Yelstin passed away.
So did Jerry Falwell, Lady Bird Johnson, Tammy Faye Bakker, Ingmar Bergmann, Tom Synder, Bill Walsh, Hank Bauer, Joel Siegel, Clete Boyer, Phil Rizzuto, Merv Griffin, Leona Helmsley, Richard Jewell, Pavarotti, Jane Wyman, Norman Mailer, Evel Knievel, and millions more.
War in Somalia: And still going...
Hong Kong continued to create laws to be environmentally-friendly, now that it is a economic superpower.
Microsoft released Vista and became under fire for forcing this operating system on all new Dells and other computers instead of Windows XP or a "blank" system.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was granted the power to rule by decree, publicly attacked capitalism and democracy, allied with Cuba and Iran, and unsuccessfully tried to rewrite the constitution.
Russian leader Vladamir Putin has been headed back to his KGB roots...
Dubai is the in-vogue place to invest in real estate and visit- just don't commit any crimes there...or get raped.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto was assassinated.
Pop Culture
Harry Potter is still hot.
Pirates of the Caribbean is a FRANCHISE.
Ana Nicole Smith...why did her death get so much MEDIA attention?
American Idol took a major hit in ratings and relevancy. So did most TV shows.
The music recording industry has turned to the Internet to try and make profits, after experiencing record lows in CD sales.
Network television has been offering free TV shows online for the same reasons.
Spider-Man 3 grossed a world-wide total of $890,871,626, yet other Marvel movies (Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Surfer) weren't as hot.
Michael Moore's Sicko opened a lot of eyes about the U.S. healthcare system.
The Transformers live action movie made over $300,000,000 in the U.S. TMNT wasn't even close.
Don Imus was fired for making racial jokes on air.
He eventually got a new show.
Bob Barker retired from the Price is Right. Was replaced by Drew Carey.
Led Zeppelin reunited.
Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen still running strong.
Britney Spears is officially recognized by the MEDIA as being done.
Comic Books
Marvel
Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) is the new Captain America, after Steve Rogers was assassinated by Crossbones, who was hired by the Red Skull.
With the world knowing that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, the Kingpin put a hit on Aunt May. With Aunt May dying, Peter made a deal with the Devil (Mephisto) to save her life. The deal: Peter's marriage and memories of love for Mary Jane Watson would be erased from continuity. Mary Jane also makes a deal with the Devil to erase Spider-Man from ever removing his mask in public. So: everything is back to status quo. Harry Osborn (Green Goblin) is also back in this new Marvel time-line, since he would have never died if Peter and Marry got married.
Tony Stark (Iron Man), who, for all intents and purposes, had been portrayed as a villain (George Bush style) in 2006, is now in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., and has a movie coming out next year.
DC
DC has continued to fill in details about it's New Earth and New Multiverse. It is NOT the same as the old multiverse, and many fans are still confused, complain..but still buy the comics.
The Anti-Monitor has returned, and former Green Lantern Kyle Raynor is Parallax.
Professional Wrestling
John Cena was given a huge WWE Champion's push for the most of the year, defeating all comers, but was sidelined with an injury. Women and kids love him; guys hate him.
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker are still Main Eventers.
A week after Vince McMahon faked his own death for ratings, Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy (former valet) and son, before committing suicide. This was the #1 pro wrestling story of the year.
Other deaths: Bam Bam Bigelow, Bad News Brown, Ernie Ladd, Mike Awesome, Arnold Skaaland, John Cronus, and more....
Hulk Hogan and his wife Linda filed for "divorce" after their son Nick got involved in a DUI, seriously injuring his friend, whose parents are suing the Hogans.
Chris Jericho returned, after publishing his awesome autobiography.
Bret Hart published his tell-all autobiography in Canada.
The growing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (UFC, K-1) is threatening WWE's grip on the Pay-Per-View market and young male demographic.
United States
A bridge collapsed during rush hour in a major city, and it was revealed that MOST of the nation's infrastructure is POOR and ready to crumble.
Race relations are still easily stirred in any case where the police uses force... or if any comedian makes a joke.
Keywords: Wildfire, Malibu, rich folk, MEDIA
$1.2 TRILLION dollars worth of property value decreased, and the number of home foreclosures DOUBLED from last year.
Terrorist plots were prevented (thankfully).
The Writer's Guild goes on strike. TV shows goes on hiatus. Jay Leno can't write his own material. Can we please get hired?
Sports
Barry Bonds made history by breaking the all-time homerun record, and only the San Fransisco fans and a certain blog cared.
Bonds was indicted on perjury.
Football quarterback Michael Vick originally denied any wrongdoing in running a barbaric dog fighting venture, but finally plead guilty. He also killed dogs that didn't fight well.
Former Marlins closer U. Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison for murder in his home country.
Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship.
An NBA referee was caught betting on games.
Marian Jones pleaded guilty to steroid use after denying it.
The New York Mets had their biggest collapse.
Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain became an overnight sensation, although flying ants ruined his moment.
Roger Clemens' return was overhyped, and didn't translate into a ring.
A-Rod was MVP.
Red Sox win! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Red Sox win the 2007 World Series over the Colorado Rockies.
The Boss, George Steinbrenner, was revealed to be a non-entity. His son Hank took over, and proceeded to pay hardball with the team.
Yankees manager Joe Torre quit, followed by bench coach Don Mattingly. Joe Giraldi was named new manager.
The Mitchell Report reaffirmed that we live in a Grim Earth, as 88 players were named. Roger Clemens' legacy is forever tainted.
The New England Patriots finished 16-0.
Former Yankees World Champion Jim Leyritz killed a woman while DUI.
Tashman Technologies (tm), a fictional universe
After The Loyalist finally retired, he had achieved a dream...and then lived through a nightmare.
The Lone Teleporter was killed, brought back for a one-shot cameo, and forgotten about.
The Lobo Bros. disappeared.
The Latino World Order invaded Tashman's office, had a coup, and demanded "Fair Play and Fair Pay". They got it.
Tashman had its slowest year, and tensions were high, as backstabbing and cliques were solidified.
Luthor lost everything.
Third shift stopped for a while after V. quit when work was slow, and Raw went to 2nd shift.
C.E.O. and Overmind had a major, final, career-threatening blowout in January, but things cooled off (mostly) for the rest of the year.
Tashman's main rival folded.
Captain Fascist, Arse, Character Assassin, and Gazelle are still running strong in another company.
The Fossil and The Stork are looking for work. So's J.A.P.
Mrs. Overmind celebrated her one-year Tashman anniversary.
Overmind somehow survived nine.
Phive was fired.
Christmas party was BYOB.
Feel free to add your 2007 events in comments! And your predictions for 2008- The Year of the Rat.
Former Yankees World Champion Jim Leyritz (backup catcher) killed Fredia Ann Veitch, who was an ordinary citizen like you and I, working night shift. He was DUI, and he drove his car fast and blew threw a red light down here in Broward County (she was driving home from Fort Lauderdale to Plantation.)
I've followed Leyritz's career since he came up in 1990. I thought he was a great hitting catcher, pinch-hitter, and part-time designated hitter for the Yanks. But according to many baseball history books and autobiograpies I have read, he dubbed himself "King" and wanted to be a full-time player. Eventually, managers Buck Showalter and later Joe Torre grew to dislike Jim.
Jim is highly charismatic, cocky, arrogant, and a joker. Quite honestyly, if he was an African-American player, he would have been labeled a "clubhouse cancer" in 1990. Instead, the MEDIA always referred to him as "clutch", a "New York Icon", and "scrappy". Nice double-standard. The MEDIA and announcers never told us the bad things about "The King", so fans such as myself and my family couldn't help but like him, and awe at his sheer "determination". After Jim finally retired after making a few failed comebacks (and bouncing from team to team) he got an announcing gig for MLB.com, and still continued to give quotes to radio shows and newspapers to run is mouth off. See, Jim was bitter and was opinionated about a lot of things. He'd like to say things against his former teammates and managers.
He also said he admitting taking HGH or steroids during his great 1995/1996 clutch pinch-hitting campaigns, in which he saved the Yankees' post-season dreams. He also admitted being drunk a lot while playing. Unfortunately, his wild baseball antics spilled over into real life. Frieda Ann Veitch was a mother of two, just trying to make ends meat, by working in a steakhouse in Broward County. Her friends told her to switch her shift or to get another job; she was all set to switch- starting in the new year. So here is Frieda, driving home after a rough week, having never achieved the fame and fortune as Jimmy "The King" Leyritz. She goes through the green light, like you're supposed to, but here comes Jim blasting through the red light.
It's a shame that there are questions about if Jim will serve any prison time. I guess because he is a millionaire he can afford an attorney-at-law who will somehow get his client off with probation or timed served, even though he is guilty as sin.
For those of you who do not know about Broward County, Florida- it is one of the worst places to drive in the world. People like Jim Leyritz have taken over the roads and highways. That's why I'm at home bloggin', folks.
Kendra Bull was arrested Friday, charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct and freed on $1,000 bail.
Bull, 20, said she accidentally spilled salt on hamburger meat and told her supervisor and a co-worker, who ''tried to thump the salt off.''
On her break, she ate a burger made with the salty meat. ''It didn't make me sick,'' Bull told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But then Police Officer Wendell Adams got a burger made with the oversalted meat, and he returned a short time later and told the manager it made him sick.
Bull admitted spilling salt on the meat, and Adams took her outside and questioned her, she said.
''If it was too salty, why did (Adams) not take one bite and throw it away?'' said Bull, who has worked at the restaurant for five months. She said she didn't know a police officer got one of the salty burgers because she couldn't see the drive-through window from her work area.
Police said samples of the burger were sent to the state crime lab for tests.
City public information officer George Louth said Bull was charged because she served the burger ''without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it.''
TONY VAHL SAYS: That story amazes me on many levels:
1. She alerted her supervisor, and all he did was try to "thump the salt off?" The supervisor should have spent a night in jail, as well. What, they were to busy to cook another hamburger? Damn. 2. Kendra, after alerting the supervisor, admits to what she did. I guess she's not good at practicing LME.[Lazy Man Ethics] 3. Gee, Kendra, nobody cares that you ate the salty burger and didn't get sick. 4. Anyone eating at McDonald's is exhibiting reckless conduct with their health anyway ... so I don't really sympathize with the officer. Everyone knows you take a risk when you eat fast food. 5. This sounds like an Onion article. 6. The officer must have a lot of time on his hands, to be sending burgers to the crime lab for analysis. I think he needs to justify his salary! 7. What the hell is a City Public Information Officer? How many levels of bureaucracy is needed?
