Also, a phallus on the roof? A ban on bestiality?
Good Guy of the Week from England. We need to import them now.
Many more Thoughts of the Week.
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The crime happened in 1955, but Harry Farrell embarked on the difficult task of documenting the murder of Stephanie Bryan that so enraged California.
It's a fascinating trip to crimes investigated in a distant past and players long gone or with faded memories.
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The night's theme music was made for this American Idol contender and yet only disappointment was delivered.
American Idol's Motown night on 3/25/09 a letdown like no other in the contest's history.
With pics and video you’ll find nowhere else on the Internet.
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There are two distinctly bad male dancers on this years "Dancing With the Stars". I mean DISTINCTLY bad dancers.
So why were only two FEMALES forced to dance off on 3/24/09?
A review, with pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.
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Pic of the Day
Review-“Shallow Grave In Trinity County” by Harry Farrell
Amazon link for this book
This is a book about the murder of Stephanie Bryan and subsequent trial of Burton Abbott, her murderer.
Wikipedia’s version blurb on Burton Abbott right at the start states that Abbott was convicted and put to death even though all the evidence against Abbott was “entirely circumstantial”.
First, this crime took place in 1955, an era when DNA testing was not available and when crime investigation was much cruder than in this day and age. Second, that bit about evidence being circumstantial is so misleading. It’s a liberal thing, a statement issued with the hopes that the sound of the term will leave the listener with a sense of disdain. How lame, the listener should think as is the hope, to find someone guilty based on only circumstantial evidence.
Eyewitness accounts are circumstantial evidence. Alibis, or lack of same, is another kind of circumstantial evidence. In fact, ANY kind of fact, event or guilt-pointing indicator that does NOT have something that one can hold in one’s hand, is considered circumstantial evidence. Such as fingerprints, body fluids, fibers and things that can be touched, are physical evidence and this type of evidence combined with “circumstantial” evidence can create a criminal case.
Either kind of evidence can, and often is, be used to convict an individual without any of the other. So if the DNA of a victim is found in the car or person of a individual who prior had no relation whatsoever with the victim, this is physical evidence and depending on the jury, is certainly enough to bring in a conviction.
If entries in a calendar or appointments tracked by a secretary indicate a suspect was with a victim at the suspected time of death; if the suspect lies about an alibi and it is discovered; if an eyewitness saw the suspect in the company of a victim around the time of a murder, this is all circumstantial and even without one fingerprint or bit of DNA (or if the DNA can be explained away by familiarity with a victim, such as parents and child), a suspect can most certainly be convicted through this plethora of circumstantial evidence.
Most important, ladies and gems and fans of True Crime books, Stephanie Bryan’s pocketbook and several of her underwear items were found in the BASEMENT OF BURTON ABBOTT’s HOME!
Burton Abbott had no contact whatsoever with Stephanie Bryan prior to her disappearance so why on earth would her slips and pocketbook be hidden in a box in the basement of his home?
Don’t believe that crap about it being circumstantial evidence only. Stephanie Bryan’s body was too decomposed to get any DNA, although that science was not known in the mid-50’s. Even if had, it was impossible to even determine if Stephanie had been raped.
Her body was buried in a shallow grave, as the book’s name depicts, close to a cabin owned by a relative of Burton Abbott. Another bit of circumstantial evidence and goodness now we have Stephanie’s body close to a cabin that Abbott had visited just prior to her death and those things belonging to Stephanie in Abbott’s basement and hey, this is all just “circumstantial” evidence.
We also have the eyewitness who spotted Stephanie and Abbott together in a local doughnut shop just before she disappeared, many witnesses who testified to seeing a man struggling with a young girl in a car, the man pushing her down to keep her out of sight, all at the time when Stephanie failed to return home from school on time.
Burton Abbott’s alibi story turned out to be a complete lie. He said he saw people he did not see on the afternoon of Stephanie’s disappearance and he said he went places where he could not possibly have gone that same afternoon. He claimed a female waitress took his order at one stop although the owners of the restaurant where he allegedly had lunch the day Stephanie disappeared only employed MALE waiters.
Yet this is all “only” circumstantial evidence folks.
Well it’s why we have a jury system. And Burton Abbott’s jury found the man guilty and in an intriguing note, Abbott was put to death by gas two years after that verdict.
Harry Farrell won an Edgar award for this book and it is, indeed, very well written. The reader will not sense any sort of preconceived notion in the narrative. It’s a “just the facts” kind of tale but the human element is not left out.
As I consider is often the case in True Crime books, the most interesting parts often come at the end. For this is when the author will reveal details about his or her investigation into the crime, snippets from major players in the crime, that sort of thing.
Both Burton’s mother and wife believed that he was innocent of the murder of Stephanie Bryan, a vibrant 14-year-old who deserved better than a lowly grave, dead at the hands of a self-involved pedophile like Burton Abbott.
I ask myself how on earth these women think those personal items of Stephanie Bryan came to be in the basement of Burton Abbott’s house. Do they really think that somebody broke into the house, went down into the basement, and hid Bryan’s pocketbook and undergarments in an empty soap detergent box?
These items were believed to have been saved by pervert Abbott as some cherished sort of “prize” and that is something such weirdos often do.
Many of the players, both defense, prosecution and relatives, of this crime, which was a huge crime in California in 1955, are either dead or very old. The author did manage to speak to a few of them nonetheless.
This book was an absorbing read and let’s hope Harry Farrell writes some more books as well as this one.
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The Obama Press Conference-3/24/09
Obviously, I mean OBVIOUSLY folks, President Barack Obama is an in-your-face president and hey, why not?
I’d suggest, softly, that there’s some truth to the saying that familiarity breeds contempt and gaffes such as poking fun of Special Olympics tend to happen the more one is exposed in such a pop culture type of manner.
But there’s something to be said for Obama’s verbal fluency. He’s miles ahead of Dubya even if he needs a telepromptor to burp and much of what Obama says is double-speak and lies. Still he has an engaging manner, a friendly smile and his descendency from the throne into our homes via Jay Leno might endear him to many.
Frankly I wish he’d go away but I don’t like the guy.
I’d also argue that Americans like their Presidents tucked away most of the time, to be brought out for the annual SOTU speech and during national emergencies. Playing Devil’s Advocate, I’d accept that one should always play up their strong points. Obama’s strong points may not include telling the truth but for sure he’s got great speaking skills. Somewhere out there is a Republican with such greak oratory skills. We just have to find him or her.
At any rate President Obama went and pre-empted American Idol AGAIN and if anything will make the public tired of seeing this man, it is this action.
The next day, I’m not making this up, don’t I see Obama on my TV screen yet again, this time some crazy town hall thing going on over the Internet.
The following day, AGAIN, there he is. Obama never met a camera he didn’t love, eh?
The press conference was all right although the man had a telepromptor as big as a movie screen. He also lied and evaded on every question and damn I loved how he had those reporters he would call on already prepared ahead of time, how’s that for spontaneity?
I’m quite sure that those reporters, who KNEW they would be called upon before the press conference, had to submit the questions they intended to ask ahead of time.
Such an honest guy. Such a fine, upstanding, proud-of-himself kind of guy.
By the time this guy’s term is done we will have an All-Obama All of the Time Cable channel and what’s even funnier, the thing will probably have plenty tuning in.
The rest of us will be watching American Idol.
Seems there are only fifteen states that do not outlaw bestiality and the snarky comment I had ready to type died on my fingertips.
For this article states that both Florida and Alaska were considering enacting laws to ban sex with animals and myself held in a chuckle that Alaskans and Floridians would even have to consider such an action.
Then I discover that most of the other states already have such laws and I figure, well hey, the world is filled with weirdos. If there was no law against, say, making love with the family pup, well I suppose such actions would continue on, even if only acted upon by that one and only weirdo inhabiting the entire state.
We need such laws to protect the animals from our perverts is what I’m saying here and I don’t have a snarky comment about it anymore.
THE LAWS OF ULTIMATE REALITY
Came across this somewhere on the Internet and I thought it worth a smile.
Law of Mechanical Repair -After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.
Law of Gravity -Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Probability -The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.
Law of the Alibi -If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).
Law of the Bath -When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of Close Encounters -The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result- When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
Law of the Theater - At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and co st of the carpet/rug.
Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Brown's Law of Physical Appearance- If the clothes fit, they're ugly.
Oliver's L aw of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.
Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy -As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.
Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.
The funnier thing about this story is that these folks had this thing painted on their roof for a whole year before they knew about it!
A helicoptor pilot spotted it and began ferrying passengers over the roof, heh.
Even weirder, the mother of the kid says she and her husband do not want any more children so they are uncomfortable living under such a huge fertility symbol.
How about you have a huge erect penis painted on your roof dipshit!?!?
Thank You Walmart
I’d written about my disappointment with Walmart over a delivery of a new monitor for husband’s birthday that never arrived in an early March Blog post.
Somehow the monitor got “lost in transit”, which I translate to mean the monitor was stolen by a Walmart employee. I say this because, according to the tracking records, the monitor arrived at a major nearby city in Delaware. It was when it was on its way to a local store in the “site-to-store” shipment that the thing got lost.
Walmart did promptly give me back the money charged on the gift card I had used and the help people were prompt to react to my complaint.
Walmart suggested that if I order another monitor and have it delivered to my home that Walmart will pay the delivery charge. I was to order the monitor and indicate it should be delivered to my house. I would be charged the delivery fee for such a shipment but if I send in a copy of this email offer the delivery fee would be refunded to me.
I went ahead, skeptically, and ordered another monitor. Which husband loves by the way, 22 inches wide! I had it delivered to my home and was, indeed, charged a delivery fee. The monitor was delivered to my house within five days of the order. I then sent an email to help@walmart.com and within the day was refunded the delivery fee.
I am impressed, yes I am.
Walmart managed to make a customer very happy by a)being the cheapest available selling this monitor and yes I searched the Internet, b)having a terrific web site to track movements of ordered products, c)responding quickly to my complaint when the shipment went awry and d)offering a very fair trade to quell my discontentment.
All this without the help of the mighty unions who hate and demonize Walmart all the time. Because Americans, yon ladies and gems, will choose their pocketbooks over a bunch of union thugs, yes they will.
Here’s a Tidbit
Well I thought it was intriguing.
At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09. This will never happen again.
His name is Daniel Hannan and he’s been the darling of Conservative talk shows this week. Hannity had him on as a guest and he speaks as fine as he does on the video below.
The best of all was when Laura Ingraham, while interviewing one ersatz American conservative on her radio show this week, suggested that maybe Republicans should take a page out of Hannan’s book.
On Hannan, in a most interesting interview, Hannan begged America to NOT, under any circumstances, go for government health care. He cites his own country’s horrific government health system as an example of why we shouldn’t muck our own system, the best on the planet.
Ending With a Smile
American Idol 09-Motown Night/Smokey Robinson/Disappointment
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