Discussions on Formal Sentencing Hearing - Jodi Arias #12

[FelicityLemon]

OT When did the advertisements start appearing "inside" our posts? I find them distracting and annoying. One even blocked out a poster's name. Just a tad too intrusive imo.

Rant over. :gaah:

LOL my first thought was "oh my god, I didn't put that there as my sig and I hope people don't think I'm spamming!" then I realized it wasn't just my post. I think WS is trying to find a place to settle the ads. I don't have a problem with them being on the far right 1/4 or 1/5 of the screen/page - on my puter it's showing up as that right now, but only a fifth of the page it looks to be.
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I Spam myself a few times a year! -
Fried Spam slices topped with maple syrup.
Fried Spam slices with Cheddar melted on top.
Broiled Spam slices (both sides) pineapple slices and cheese on top.
Fried Spam with tons of mustard in a sammich.

yum. Spam.

 

[RickshawFan]

With respect....I don't begrudge anyone for writing books. The more information out there the better. If the Hughes want to set the record straight about their friend, good. The book offers insight on how a sociopath, Jodi Arias, operates and manipulates and takes control of her target
If Paul wants to write about his experiences attending the trial, good.
Ann Rule knew Bundy and wrote a book. Is she profiting from a serial killing psychopath or contributing to the knowledge of how some of these folks are living among us?
Bugliosi wrote Helter Skelter. Is that profiting on the torture of Sharon Tate? Or is it an insider reporting on one of most prolific killings of recent history?
This is the USA. People are allowed to make money. Travis was all in favor of making profits. He used some to live on and gave some back to his church and the homeless

Ann Rule's books are very well researched. There is not a whole lot of frou frou. They are not in the category of fiction, nor in the category of non-fiction, but a hybrid called true crime. They focus on the criminal(s) and how the crime(s) and trial(s) played out: they do not trade on a victim's good name. In the Ted Bundy instance, Rule knew the criminal and wrote accordingly. In the Diane Down's instance, she focused on Downs and was not making $$$ off the experiences and personality of Downs' victims. I have read almost all of Rule's books (I was in Eugene when the Downs saga was playing out), and she doesn't have overt crushes on the expert witnesses.

Some of this stuff that's being written about the JA trial is extremely voyeuristic and creepy, in my opinion. And it is tilted towards making dollars off a slaughtered man's good will and reputation. I'm not speaking of the Hugheses, but of those who never met the victim in this case.

And unless you're writing fiction, skewing facts to fantasies, for me, is a non-starter. And trial writing that reflects a mushy crush on an expert witness, IMO, just highlights the writer's inability to relay information that is rooted in reality. What would be the point of reading a book like that?

 

[Smarty Jones]

I don't have Barnes and Noble over here. Sorry. I agree with you re Amazon but I couldn't get the book anywhere else here.

Jumping off here - I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I use Amazon Smile - I can donate a portion of what I spend to my favorite charity. In a way offsetting corporate wrong-doings.

 

[Jmoose]

Disclaimer: I have deeply personal reasons for saying this, but good for you, good for Barnes & Noble, and SCREW Amazon!

I know Amazon can be a good place to shop, but like Walmart and other big retailers, it reminds me of the "too big to fail" banks from 2008. Something's wrong with this picture. Companies that make it their #1 policy to put profits over people (jobs) aren't worthy of our hard-earned dollars.

(Sorry if I have offended anyone.)

JMO

Isn't Barnes and Noble also a huge retailer that started the process of 'death' for small independent bookstores, which Amazon essentially finished?

 

[Luvrosco]

Yes to Barnes and Noble.

 

[LAcres]

After reading the Hughes's book, I so completely understand why Travis became the perfect victim for Jodi. I will not go into more detail about my thoughts, but I do believe it is a read you should do, no matter what you think about the Hughes. Travis becomes clear, at least to me. What a perfect victim he was. The perfect storm.

 

[geevee]

It's VERY annoying, half the page is just a waste.
I never watch tv because of commercials, and I don't want to read a blog with commercials flooding around everywhere.
I will not click on any of those pop ups.
Think I'm done now.

I don't like the way the thread is scrunched over to make way for a large advertizing column.

I really don't like it that members are sharing their post with ads (I don't see them [at least yet] as my browser is able to block most page ads).

I hope this doesn't make me dislike WS enough to stop coming here.

 

[GigiG]

Ann Rule's books are very well researched. There is not a whole lot of frou frou. They are not in the category of fiction, nor in the category of non-fiction, but a hybrid called true crime. They focus on the criminal(s) and how the crime(s) and trial(s) played out: they do not trade on a victim's good name. In the Ted Bundy instance, Rule knew the criminal and wrote accordingly. In the Diane Down's instance, she focused on Downs and was not making $$$ off the experiences and personality of Downs' victims. I have read almost all of Rule's books (I was in Eugene when the Downs saga was playing out), and she doesn't have overt crushes on the expert witnesses.

Some of this stuff that's being written about the JA trial is extremely voyeuristic and creepy, in my opinion. And it is tilted towards making dollars off a slaughtered man's good will and reputation. I'm not speaking of the Hugheses, but of those who never met the victim in this case.

And unless you're writing fiction, skewing facts to fantasies, for me, is a non-starter. And trial writing that reflects a mushy crush on an expert witness, IMO, just highlights the writer's inability to relay information that is rooted in reality. What would be the point of reading a book like that?

I hear what you're saying.

But as much as Paul Sanders gets facts wrong (I hope he has a good editor!), and has an obvious crush on DeMarte, I still like to hear things from a juror's perspective. I have never been a juror, and think I'm in the minority of the population who wishes to someday be one.

Also, I have been an aficionado of the True Crime genre for longer than I care to admit; far before OJ and CourtTV. Ann Rule is the best of the best, and I never tire of reading her work. She's always been my preferred "beach read." (Unfortunately, I think I've already read everything she's written to date.)

As to the other stuff, every book written about a "true crime" involves a certain measure of conjecture. Even when there's a confession, who knows what really happened? Ann Rule does that in all of her books to some extent, and I think it's only human nature to speculate as to how the missing pieces fit together with the facts at hand.

I wholly admit to being a bit of a junkie about this stuff. But just like juries all over the country, I'm satisfied with the fact that I can accept or reject whatever I choose to regarding what I read.

I understand the distaste about people making money from writing books about crime victims. I have been critical of some, others -- not so much -- it all depends. I think TexMex made a good point that it's a free country and people are allowed to write about whatever they want, just as we are allowed to buy and read whatever we want.

JMO

 

[ILikeToBendPages]

LOL my first thought was "oh my god, I didn't put that there as my sig and I hope people don't think I'm spamming!" then I realized it wasn't just my post. I think WS is trying to find a place to settle the ads. I don't have a problem with them being on the far right 1/4 or 1/5 of the screen/page - on my puter it's showing up as that right now, but only a fifth of the page it looks to be.
-------------------------------------------------

I Spam myself a few times a year! -
Fried Spam slices topped with maple syrup.
Fried Spam slices with Cheddar melted on top.
Broiled Spam slices (both sides) pineapple slices and cheese on top.
Fried Spam with tons of mustard in a sammich.

yum. Spam.

Spam and macaroni and cheese

 

[krkrjx]

IMO, a person who commits a crime as well as anyone who tries to help them get away with it, who then goes on to write a book, is cashing in. The money they make is blood money and I hope karma one day bites them where the sun don't shine.

Many people write books about a crime that touched their lives in some way and are not cashing in; some just have a desire to inform the public, for others it may be a healing process, and for some it is a tribute to the victim(s). I do not fault them for doing this, nor do I consider anything they earn from it to be blood money.

I now believe Chris and Sky Hughes have written their book as a tribute to their beloved friend. I hope they donate what they make on sales to one of Travis's favorite charities but if they do not, I am not going to worry about it. I will not consider anything they get as cashing in as clearly their book was a labor of love.

 

[GigiG]

Isn't Barnes and Noble also a huge retailer that started the process of 'death' for small independent bookstores, which Amazon essentially finished?

I'll grant you that. But Amazon (Jeff Bezos) has taken things to a whole new level. It's not just bookstores, it's about overhauling online retail (and other businesses) in such a way as to increase profits with a total disregard for the employees who helped build their success, and have in no way not done their jobs well. Real people and their livelihoods are just collateral damage to him in his quest for ever greater profits.

Like I said earlier, I don't want to get political on this forum; this is not the place. But given the option of patronizing either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, I hope people will give some real thought about where they spend their money...

 

[Ricki]

I don't like the way the thread is scrunched over to make way for a large advertizing column.

I really don't like it that members are sharing their post with ads (I don't see them [at least yet] as my browser is able to block most page ads).

I hope this doesn't make me dislike WS enough to stop coming here.

Spellbound posted this on the sidebar today. I tried it and it worked for me.


I think it is here to stay, but I have a suggestion if you are brave enough to try it. What I posted above about the skins appears to have changed my setting for my PC also, and I have a whole width page of posts, no ads in a column down the right side. Try this:

go to your general settings. (can access it from the top of this page under Forum Actions)
scroll down to Forum Skin.
Choose WS Mobile.
If you get some kind of message similar to "this is not supported on your ____", click on FULL SITE just below that.

That should be all you need, and the left column of ads is gone. Let me know if it worked for anyone. If it didn't work, go back and re-do and make sure to click on Save Changes.

 

[GigiG]

This will not be worth rehashing for many, but I like the way Debbie Maran further debunks the "broken finger" red herring here:

http://jodiariastrialtruth.blogspot...-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=13

 

[geevee]

Spellbound posted this on the sidebar today. I tried it and it worked for me.


I think it is here to stay, but I have a suggestion if you are brave enough to try it. What I posted above about the skins appears to have changed my setting for my PC also, and I have a whole width page of posts, no ads in a column down the right side. Try this:

go to your general settings. (can access it from the top of this page under Forum Actions)
scroll down to Forum Skin.
Choose WS Mobile.
If you get some kind of message similar to "this is not supported on your ____", click on FULL SITE just below that.

That should be all you need, and the left column of ads is gone. Let me know if it worked for anyone. If it didn't work, go back and re-do and make sure to click on Save Changes.

That's pure genius, worked perfectly, thanks so much Ricki (and Spellbound)!

 

[Spellbound]

That's pure genius, worked perfectly, thanks so much Ricki (and Spellbound)!

You are welcome, and I am glad it helps. Actually, another poster (jamiect) posted something on Sidebar from Dave the Tech Guy about a new WS Mobile Skin. When I tried it on iPad, I was shocked that it took away that entire right column. An added bonus!

jamiect's post:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Arias-Alexander-forum&p=11725202#post11725202)

Dave's post on WS mobile skin:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?278106-WS-Mobile-skin&p=11718297#post11718297

 

[Meemaw12]

@StevenJA86: @cshughes I'm doing great.So happy the book has taking off.Grateful the truth is out there. You guys did an amazing job #OurFriendTravis

Steven Alexander
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ricki]

@StevenJA86: @cshughes I'm doing great.So happy the book has taking off.Grateful the truth is out there. You guys did an amazing job #OurFriendTravis

Steven Alexander
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad to hear that he is doing better. He finally got some justice for his brother and closure for himself and the rest of the family.

 

[Spellbound]

Isn't Barnes and Noble also a huge retailer that started the process of 'death' for small independent bookstores, which Amazon essentially finished?

Or was it Borders Books, who tried redirecting its online sales to Amazon, and ended up closing all their stores?
an interesting read on Borders here:
http://business.time.com/2011/07/19...out-of-business-and-what-will-take-its-place/

 

[FelicityLemon]

IMO, a person who commits a crime as well as anyone who tries to help them get away with it, who then goes on to write a book, is cashing in. The money they make is blood money and I hope karma one day bites them where the sun don't shine.

Many people write books about a crime that touched their lives in some way and are not cashing in; some just have a desire to inform the public, for others it may be a healing process, and for some it is a tribute to the victim(s). I do not fault them for doing this, nor do I consider anything they earn from it to be blood money.

I now believe Chris and Sky Hughes have written their book as a tribute to their beloved friend. I hope they donate what they make on sales to one of Travis's favorite charities but if they do not, I am not going to worry about it. I will not consider anything they get as cashing in as clearly their book was a labor of love.

Oh, how I agree with you. I believe they wrote it to help set the record straight and to try and counteract years of lies from his murderer and her defense team.

Not that sandy is capable of writing a book, but that would be so egregious in my eyes and I think she would be deserving of the inevitable scorn and disgust directed her way. Unfortunately, that would also reach her children. Hopefully, she'll think of how it would affect her entire family and money just isn't worth their mental and emotional well-being. Or, maybe it is to her. I understand a mother wanting to protect their child, but what she did and continues doing isn't helping anyone, least of all her own family. I feel for the siblings when it's one child who continually sucks the family dry emotionally.

Paul Sanders? Ooh. Found a niche and is trying to cash in.

 

[GigiG]

From twitter:

...Regarding Irrevocable Trust Fund: It is the grantor / "donor" who can not change or revoke his/ her donations.... It CAN (and you know it will) be modified...with permission / consent of the BENEFICIARY...Whoever that may be...