| by Diana Hartman "This is absurd, this hero's welcome for a box, not for my love There's no way you're not coming back, I know you'll be coming home My knees are weak, my heart is heavy. The sun beats down my mood When are you coming home my love? The shots rang out at half past noon" |
by John Spivey I've read much commentary over the years about the state of education in our country, most of it voiced by politicians and citizens who've never taught and some of it voiced by frustrated teachers. I've never read an account, though, by someone who has taught at a highly successful school. I did, so I want to stop and tell you about Santa Barbara Middle School. |
Neil Entwistle...Back in the U.S.A.
We've been following the case of Neil Entwistle and will continue to follow all developments on this intriguing, and especially heinous, crime.
For to murder one's spouse, either in a pique of anger or after particular planning, is not all that unusual in the annals of true crime. To point a gun at a baby and pull the trigger is another matter entirely.
Which is why the motives of one who would do such a thing are the subject of much speculation. The most recent allegations are that the Entwistle murders of Baby Lillian and Rachel Entwistle were the aborted attempt by Neil Entwistle to enact a murder-suicide. A murder-suicide would explain, if it's possible to explain such a thing, how a desperate father could shoot his own baby.
For now Neil is back in the United States, having decided, wisely, to avoid an extradition fight. A fight Mr. Entwistle likely would never have won in that Britain has a very liberal extradition treaty with the United States. And if Neil Entwistle has any hope whatsoever of beating this rap, his future jury would likely cut no slack if Neil held up the trial until his inevitable return to the scene of the crime.
For now, Neil is safely ensconced in a local jail and has pled "not guilty" to the murders of his wife and daughter.
More details about the Entwistles and their problems are coming to light.
From CBS4Boston:
A newly released police affidavit sheds some light on Entwistle and his marriage. The unemployed engineer had debts in the tens of thousands of dollars. And he had recently expressed dissatisfaction with his sex life.
Psychologist and sex therapist Dan Polletts says an unhappy sex life alone would not lead to murder.
"It's motivation for marital unhappiness," said Polletts. "Motivation to turn to Internet porn addiction or prostitution, but not to off one's wife and child."
Polletts says there is likely some other underlying disorder.
"There has to be a deep personal disorder, psychopathic behavior so that one totally loses capacity for empathy," he said.
So far, prosecutors have theorized that Entwistle was so desperate about their financial troubles that he planned a murder suicide. Still, there are many questions about why.
Also from CBS4Boston, we get a detailed timeline from Neil Entwistle. I’ve listed a few pertinent ones. Read the article for a complete timeline.
Neil Entwistle's version of the events of January 20th:
* He woke up at 7am and fed Lillian
* At 9am he left the house to do errands
* He returned home at 11am
* He checked the baby's room but she was not there
* He entered the master bedroom and saw his wife partially covered
with the comforter
* He pulled down the comforter, saw his wife was pale, saw blood on
the baby and that the baby had been shot
* He drove to the airport and "walked around a bit"
* He returned to the airport, buying a ticket to London
* In London, he rented a car and drove to his parents' home to tell them what happened
Other Information In the Court Documents:
* There was no sign of forced entry at the Entwistle home.
* Police seized and searched two computer and a Palm Pilot from Neil Entwistle's home. They also searched a computer that Neil had used at the home of Rachel's parents.
* Entwistle allegedly typed in internet searches for "how to kill yourself," "suicide, "how to kill someone with a knife," and "euthanasia."
* Entwistle's father called Rachel's stepfather the Monday after the murders, saying Neil claimed he found the bodies, called police, then fled to England.
The Daniel Horowitz/Pamela Vitale Murder Trial
It became quite the subject of speculation when TV attorney Daniel Horowitz’ wife, Pamela Vitale, turned up bludgeoned to death in the couple’s home.
There were many legal celebrities involved in the incident. Beginning with Horowitz, a lawyer and frequent contributor to many of the legal talk shows. Then there was, very incidentally, Horowitz’ most famous client, Susan Polk. Polk was the subject of a recent 48 Hours special and has since fired Horowitz as her defense attorney due to his need to concentrate on his slain wife’s trial.
Throw in Gloria Allred, famed attorney for Amber Frey of Scott Peterson fame. Allred was the subject of a court ordered gag as the woman not only actively contacted the alleged murderer’s girlfriend, a “Jenna”, she was all over the cable late shows telling all she knows.
Now that the case has gone to trial, with a Scott Dyleski, neighbor of Horowitz and Vitale, as the defendant, the case has taken a less sensational, yet still intriguing, turn.
For Scott Dyleski, a troubled youth at best, has a mother who desperately tried to cover for her son’s crime. Scott’s mother, Esther Fielding, was given parole if she testified against her son. Otherwise Mrs. Fielding too was headed to jail as an accessory to murder.
The other night, Dan Horowitz phoned into the Nancy Grace show. The man has suffered a horrific loss but we’ve not heard the end of this yet. Horowitz loves the spotlight and I speculate he’ll be out and about and commenting. Not to mention the book he’ll likely write.
At any rate, for a mother to testify against her son is different. But the woman really tried to cover up her son’s heinous crime, going to such lengths as burning his bloody clothes and damning reading material.
From KTVU.com:
Marjorie Fielding said that two days after Dyleski's arrest, on Oct.
21, she watched her sister burn a box of gloves and a red notebook or address book in the fireplace of her Bolinas home.
Dyleski's aunt also said two women, a teenage girl and her mother, visited Esther Fielding at the Bolinas home in the hours prior to the burning of the items.
Marjorie Fielding identified the women by their first names, Beverly and Jenna. Dyleski's girlfriend's name is Jenna, according to other testimony in the preliminary hearing.
Fielding said after the women's visit, she noticed some items that were not previously in her home. She described the items as a red journal, a red backpack, clothes, a bag of little bottles apparently containing absinthe, and a book with a title that included the words "mass murder."
After Esther Fielding burned the red notebook and gloves, Marjorie Fielding said the rest of the items were placed in a white bag, which was put in another building on the property.
Robert Blake-Another Blast From the Past
The Golden Rule of California Thumb is that celebrity criminals are not convicted. Witness O.J., Michael Jackson, and now, the bankrupt Robert Blake.
Indeed, Baretta is broke.
Blake was found guilty in a less onerous civil suit brought by his wife Bonnie Bakely’s children. Hollywood juries will give away celebrity money. O.J. lost a civil suit brought by Ron Goldman’s family and now Blake got hit with a thirty million dollar judgment.
Only Blake says he can’t pay.
From the LA Times-2/4/06:
Robert Blake Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
By Carla Hall,
Los Angeles Times
Actor Robert Blake, who last year stood trial on both criminal and civil charges in connection with the 2001 slaying of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, filed for bankruptcy Friday.
Blake has said publicly for months that he was broke as a result of his legal troubles. He was acquitted of murder charges in a criminal courtroom last March. However, a civil jury found in November that Blake had "intentionally caused" his wife's death and awarded her children $30 million in damages. (The civil case had a lower burden of proof than the criminal one.)
In the filing, Blake listed as his biggest liabilities the $30-million judgment, along with a $1,274,783 federal tax bill and a $334,337 state tax assessment. He also listed as a creditor his civil attorney, Peter Ezzell, whom he owes $7,903. Blake declared his assets to be in the range of $100,001 to $500,000.
Ezzell said Friday that he had capped his legal fees at $250,000 plus costs and written off thousands more to help his financially troubled client. Ezell said he was convinced that Blake was financially destitute. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have written off $200,000 in fees," he said.
Couple of things here: 1) Ezzell, God love him, capped his legal fees to defend Blake at $250,000 plus costs. As if, go with me here, this is a little bit of money. 2) Blake says his assets are in a range between one hundred thousand and half a million? He can’t be a little more specific than that?
This amount is totally not believable at any rate. Surely his house is worth quite a bit.
Blake will, like O.J. Simpson before him, get away with his crime with his funds intact.
Stupidity and Busted Ear Drums
This couple’s “crime” is relatively minor. The cost to them was a couple of busted ear drums but that’s pretty serious.
From the AP-check out the damage to the car!
Balloon in car creates XL explosion
SHERIDAN, Colorado (AP) -- A couple planning to set off their own Super Bowl pyrotechnics accidentally blew up their own car while transporting a balloon filled with an explosive gas.
Norman Frey, 46, and his companion suffered busted eardrums in the explosion Sunday as they drove to a party for Super Bowl XL, according to the Arapahoe County sheriff.
The balloon had been filled with acetylene, a flammable gas used in welding, and it had rolled across the back seat, possibly causing static electricity that ignited the gas.
The explosion broke windows, bent doors outwards and pushed up the roof about a foot.
"Looking at the car closely, it's amazing that these people weren't killed," Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.
Several people reported the explosion, but when a deputy arrived, Frey and the woman had abandoned the vehicle.
The license plate led them to Frey, who faces a felony charge of possession, use, or removal of explosives or incendiary devices. The woman will not be charged, authorities said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
Smuggling a Human Head Without Proper Documentation
Which does, of course, beg the question as to what documentation is required to transport a human head. The “criminal” in this case is a Haitian woman and she did allege a desire to ward off human spirits.
Heh.
Now she has to ward off the evil spirits of the United States Customs authorities.
From DFW.com:
Airport screeners find human head in bag
The Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Airport baggage screeners found a human head with teeth, hair and skin in the luggage of a woman who said she intended to ward off evil spirits with it, authorities said Friday.
Myrlene Severe, 30, a Haitian-born permanent U.S. resident, was charged Friday with smuggling a human head into the U.S. without proper documentation.
Customs and Border Protection officials found the head Thursday after Severe arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on a Lynx International Airlines flight from Cap Haitien, Haiti, said Barbara Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami.
"It still had teeth, hair and bits of skin and lots of dirt," Gonzalez said.
Undercover Cat
While we bow and give kudos to undercover cat Fred, it’s the fake veterinarian that intrigues. A fellow ups and decides he’s a vet and boom, he starts neutering animals and performs other animal care for which he was not trained or certified.
Worse, the guy wants $135.00 to neuter a kitten! That’s twice what my vet charges and he’s legal with 25 years experience.
From Yahoo.com:
Kitten Goes Undercover in Vet Scam Probe
NEW YORK - He came from the streets of Brooklyn, a cool customer on four legs, the perfect bait for a sting on a fake veterinarian.
Meet Fred, undercover kitten.
Authorities on Wednesday introduced the 8-month-old former stray cat that posed as a would-be patient while police investigated a college student accused of treating pets without a license.
At a news conference, Fred sported a tiny badge on his collar as he posed for photos with owner Carol Moran, a prosecutor.
"He's pretty easygoing, a real Brooklyn guy," Moran said.Fred shared the spotlight with Burt the Boston terrier, an alleged victim of Steven Vassall, 28, who was arrested last week and released on $2,500 bail.
Burt's owner, Raymond Reid, contacted authorities after the dog survived a botched operation. In hindsight, he said, he should have been suspicious of a veterinarian who only made house calls and treated animals at an undisclosed location.
Vassall "seemed like a genuinely nice guy," Reid said. "I'm glad they caught him, but at the same time I feel sorry for him."
Last week, an investigator posing as Fred's owner summoned Vassall to an apartment rigged with a hidden camera. Authorities played a videotape at the news conference showing the defendant saying the kitten could be neutered for $135.
More True Crime Updates HERE
RECALLS-A Public Service
Lasko Recalls Box and Pivoting Floor Fans Posing Fire Hazard WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Com-mission, in cooperation with the firm named below, todayannounced a voluntary recall of the following consumerproduct. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Lasko, General Electric, Galaxy, and Air King Brand Box and Pivoting Floor Fans Manufacturer: Lasko Products Inc., of West Chester, Pa. Hazard: An electrical failure in the motor can pose a fire hazard to consumers. Incidents/Injuries: Lasko has received 42 reports of firespossibly associated with motor failures, with seven reports of injuries, including burns and smoke inhalation. At least eight of the reported fires resulted in extensive property damage. Description: This recall involves various models of Lasko,Galaxy, Air King and General Electric fans manufactured between January 1999 and July 2001, and sold through February 2004. Styles and model numbers of recalled fans, which are either stamped or on a label on the bottom of the fans, are listed below: Brand Type of Fan Model Numbers Lasko Box Fan Cyclone Fan Wind Machine Air Companion Air Director Wind Tunnel Models 3700, 3723, 3733, 3750 Models 3510, 3550, 3800, 35105 Models 3300 and 3521 Model 3515 Model 2135 Models 3400 and 3410 General Electric Box Fan Cyclone Fan Model 106620 Models 106600, 106630 Galaxy Box Fan Model 3733 Air King Cyclone Fan (20" deluxe pivot fan) Air Companion (15" deluxe pivot fan) Model 9500 Model 9515 Detailed information and pictures of affected models can be found at www.laskoproducts.com Sold at: Discount department stores nationwide from September 2000 through February 2004 for between $10 and $25. Consumer Contact: For additional information, visit Lasko's Web site at www.laskoproducts.com or call the firm at (800) 984-3311 anytime. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ VSM Sewing Inc. Announce Recall of Sewing Machines WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Husqvarna Viking Designer I Sewing and Embroidery Machines Manufacturer/Distributor: VSM Group AB of Husqvarna, Sweden, and its subsidiary VSM Sewing Inc. (Husqvarna Viking), of Westlake, Ohio Hazard: Electrical arcing can occur in the machine's power supply, posing a risk of fire. Incidents/Injuries: The firm reports three incidents of these machines overheating and catching fire. One incident resulted in extensive smoke damage to a consumer's home, and the other two incidents resulted in minor property damage. Description: The Husqvarna Viking Designer I sewing and embroidering machines have white plastic exterior and contain the words "Husqvarna Viking" and "Designer I." The recall involves units with serial number, which are located on the bottom of the machine, in the following ranges: Beginning with Ending with 0 0 or 6 1 9 2 3 3 1 4 2 5 0, 1, 3, 4 or 9 6 1, 3 or 4 7 1, 2 or 4 8 2 or 4 9 1 or 5 Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Husqvarna Viking at (800) 446-2333 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to the firm's Web site at www.husqvarnaviking.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ Recent Death Prompts Renewed Search Simplicity Cribs with Graco Logo WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the death of a 19-month baby in Myrtle Creek, Ore., the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Simplicity Inc., of Reading Pa., are renewing the search for recalled Aspen 3 in 1 Cribs with Graco logos. The child died on January 6, 2006, after two of the mattress support slats came out of his recalled crib. He became entrapped between the mattress and the footboard of the crib and suffocated. CPSC and Simplicity Inc. announced the recall of about 104,000 Aspen 3 in 1 Cribs on December 21, 2005. The recall was conducted because the screws on the wooden mattress supports can come loose, allowing a portion of the mattress to fall. This poses a suffocation hazard to young children who can slide down and become entrapped between the unsupported mattress and end of the crib. Prior to the report of this death, Simplicity Inc. received 14 reports of the mattress supports coming loose, including eight reports of entrapment. Five injuries were reported including scratches and bruises to the face and head, a strained neck and a report of a child turning blue. Although the Graco logo appears on these products, the cribs were manufactured by Simplicity Inc. Consumers should only contact Simplicity about this recall. The recalled cribs are made of wood and have wooden mattress supports. Only cribs with wooden mattress supports and with model number 8740KCW SC and serial number 2803 SC (made the 28th week of 2003) to 1605 SC (made the 16th week of 2005) are included in this recall. The model and serial number are printed on the envelope attached to the mattress support. To receive a free repair kit or for more information, contact Simplicity Inc. at (800) 784-1982 anytime, or visit the Web site at www.simplicityforchildren.com |
Pictures to Test Your Stress Level
Are they perfectly still?? Scroll down to the bottom of the pictures...when you relax they stop moving....
The pictures attached are used to test the level of stress a person can
handle.
The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling stress.
Alleged criminals that were tested see them spinning around madly; however, senior citizens and kids see them standing still.
None of these images are animated - they are perfectly still...
How smart is Your Right Foot?
This is so funny that it will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't.
1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction.
I told you!! And there's nothing you can do about it!
More Miscellany posts HERE
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