SIDEBAR #58 - Travis Alexander forum

[coffeejunkie]

Thanks for this - but my Huz' prostate cancer has metastized to his bones... But I'll send this article to him anyway - I haven't read it though.

:tyou:

I'm so sorry JINGLES and many prayers coming your way....:hug:

 

[coffeejunkie]

My dear friends, I need all the Prayers, Good Thoughts, Jingles coming my way! I was in the ER yesterday because I was having trouble breathing. My O2 stat rates were at 90. They pumped me full of steroids and antibodies. I am home now, but I am totally wiped out! A least I was not admitted and hoping I can keep it that way. On meds here at home. But so exhausted from not enough o2 love you all.

 

[Wagara]

My dear friends, I need all the Prayers, Good Thoughts, Jingles coming my way! I was in the ER yesterday because I was having trouble breathing. My O2 stat rates were at 90. They pumped me full of steroids and antibodies. I am home now, but I am totally wiped out! A least I was not admitted and hoping I can keep it that way. On meds here at home. But so exhausted from not enough o2 love you all.

Been there and done that. I know how tired you feel. Prayers for you. Just rest.

 

[YESorNO]

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Update on murderer's appeal:

Michael K. Jeanes, Clerk of Court
*** Electronically Filed ***
01/13/2016 8:00 AM

01/11/2016

MINUTE ENTRY

The Court has received Defendant Jodi Arias’ Motion to Reconsider Denial of Motion to
Strike filed December 23, 2015.

Having considered the motion, and no good cause appearing,

IT IS ORDERED denying Defendant’s Motion to Reconsider Denial of Motion to Strike. :denied:

http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Criminal/012016/m7169616.pdf

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:
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Aaron Hernandez anonymous tipster outed

"Normally, when someone offers tips or help to authorities, they know that they will be anonymous, but the ‘tipster’ in Aaron Hernandez’s murder trial may be surprised to find that her name, Jessica Mendes, has been released in unsealed court records.

The tipster who was questioned behind closed doors about alleged juror misconduct in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial is a North Dartmouth woman, according to unsealed court records obtained by the media.

The tipster, identified as Jessica Mendes, called one of the lawyers for the former New England Patriots star the day after he was convicted last April of first-degree murder, and told the lawyer one of the jurors knew about allegations against Hernandez in a Boston double murder, according to the records released Tuesday.

Evidence about the Boston murders was excluded from the trial concerning the June 2013 killing of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd in the North Attleboro Industrial Park, near Hernandez’s Westwood Estates home..."

https://movietvtechgeeks.com/aaron-hernandez-anonymous-tipster-outed/?page_y=0

WS thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...triots-player-charged-with-homicides-5/page14
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Timothy Madden pleads not guilty to rape, murder of Gabbi Doolin

"ALLEN COUNTY, Ky. (WKRN) – The man accused of raping and murdering a 7-year-old girl during a little league football game in Scottsville, Kentucky, has pleaded not guilty.

Timothy Madden, 38, appeared in Allen County Circuit Court Wednesday for an arraignment.

His attorney, Travis Lock, entered the not guilty plea on Madden’s behalf.

Madden was indicted on Dec. 11, 2015 by a special grand jury on charges of kidnapping, sodomy, rape and murder in the death of 7-year-old Gabbi Doolin...

The judge set a July 13 date for the next court hearing, which will be a pre-trial conference."

http://wkrn.com/2016/01/13/man-indicted-in-gabbi-doolins-rape-and-murder-due-in-court/

WS thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-7-Allen-County-14-Nov-2015-*ARREST*-2/page32
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Update: Reports: Man arrested in connection with death of American woman in Italy

"(CNN)A man has been arrested in connection with the death of Ashley Olsen, a 35-year-old American artist living in Florence, according to multiple Italian media outlets.
The reports did not identify the man and did not provide any detail.

Italian officials have not announced the arrest and CNN has not independently confirmed it..."

www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/europe/italy...man-ashley-olsen-dead0846PMVODtopPhoto&linkId


[video=cnn;world/2016/01/14/italy-american-woman-death-nadeau-cnni-nr-lklv.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/europe/italy-american-woman-ashley-olsen-dead/index.html?sr=twCNN011316italy-american-woman-ashley-olsen-dead0846PMVODtopPhoto&linkId=20337874[/video]

WS thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...an-strangled-in-Florence-9-January-2016/page7
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[Spellbound]

My dear friends, I need all the Prayers, Good Thoughts, Jingles coming my way! I was in the ER yesterday because I was having trouble breathing. My O2 stat rates were at 90. They pumped me full of steroids and antibodies. I am home now, but I am totally wiped out! A least I was not admitted and hoping I can keep it that way. On meds here at home. But so exhausted from not enough o2 love you all.

For different reasons, I am in the same over-exhaustion boat. Let's have a coffee and PJ Day together .... with some naps tossed in.

 

[YESorNO]

State lottery: Winning tickets sold in Calif., Tenn., Fla.

"A ticket winning the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot was sold in Chino Hill, Calif., the California Lottery said on Twitter Wednesday night.

The Associated Press reported that winning Powerball tickets were also sold in Tennesee and Florida, according to a California lottery official.

The combination to win the historic jackpot was 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10...

The identities of the winners are not yet known..."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2016/01/14/powerball-thursday/78779006/
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[YESorNO]

Georgia to Execute Its Oldest Death Row Inmate Next Month

"...Brandon Astor Jones, 72, is scheduled to be put to death Feb. 2 at the state prison in Jackson, the office of Attorney General Sam Olens said in a news release. Jones was convicted of killing Roger Tackett, the manager of a Tenneco convenience store in Cobb County, during a robbery in 1979.

A federal judge later ordered a new sentencing hearing for Jones because jurors had improperly been allowed to bring a Bible into the deliberation room. Jones was resentenced to death in 1997.

The U.S. Supreme Court in October rejected an appeal from Jones. A divided Georgia Supreme Court and the federal appeals court in Atlanta had previously upheld his death sentence..."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/georgia-execute-oldest-death-row-inmate-month-36273621
---

Brandon Astor JONES

"Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Robbery
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: June 17, 1979
Date of arrest: Same day
Date of birth: 1951
Victim profile: Roger Tackett, 29 (service station manager)
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Cobb County, Georgia, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on October 17, 1979..."

http://murderpedia.org/male.J/j/jones-brandon-astor.htm
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Prison as a place of healing
By Brandon Astor Jones |

"...Yes, I know that some prisoners are incorrigible and demonstrate behaviours that suggest they should always be in prison, but how can anyone say that such a person is not capable of change – especially if you change the way you treat them? If you have never tried treating prisoners humanely and with respect you do not have a tried-and-true authority to make such judgement calls...."

http://newint.org/blog/2015/03/19/prison-place-of-healing/

My letter to Brandon Astor Jones

http://davidtonner.blogspot.com/2015/03/my-letter-to-brandon-astor-jones.html
--

We are prisoners, but we are human by Brandon Astor Jones

"In the September and October 1994 issues of New Internationalist, Brandon Astor Jones, a prisoner on death row in Georgia, US, wrote a two-part feature in which he contemplated the part prison plays in recycling the violence it sets out to punish. Still on death row in 2015, and now in his seventies and in poor health, Brandon has started working on a book, of which the below blog forms a part..."

http://newint.org/blog/2015/02/04/brandon-astor-jones-letter/
---

A look at living in prison:

Brandon Astor Jones
writing about life

"About

Brandon has been on death row in Georgia, US, for over thirty years. During that time he has written many articles, essays, short stories, poems, song lyrics, a novel (or roman á clef), and a memoir. He has been published in New Internationalist magazine, where I first read his work, and for many years he wrote a column in the Green Left Weekly newspaper.

He is a father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Brandon and I have not met, but corresponded for many years. I feel privileged to call him my friend."

https://brandonswriting.wordpress.com/about/

(writings from 1/2007 thru 3/2014)
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And a book he wrote:

while the Mississippi and Hudson merge: A roman ¿ clef

"...Astor Jones is a remarkable person. He had only a very spotty education, not finishing the eighth grade. As a young man he became involved in a burglary/robbery that ended in a fatal shooting. He was convicted as an accomplice to the murder.By virtue of an astonishing amount of reading, he has become self educated-an autodidact. He is now a learned man. His essays on current topics have been published widely in Australia, the United Kingdom and America.He has now written this intriguing novel, a roman á clef, combining an actual episode in history with rich, imaginative fiction. Wilson Brown, an escaped slave, was indeed awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his heroic actions under the Command of Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut during the Battle of Mobile Bay.The novel depicts most graphically the life of African-Americans under slavery. Just as Wilson Brown was able to preserve his dignity and worth as a human being under extraordinarily trying circumstances, so too has Brandon resurrected his authentic self-hood.-Clifford J. Straehley, M.D., California, USA"

http://www.amazon.com/while-Mississippi-Hudson-merge-roman/dp/0595484131
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He did a lot of "talking" all those years in jail. Wonder if the murderer will start writing blogs? maybe a book? :sheesh:

 

[YESorNO]

Supreme Court finds Florida’s capital punishment process unconstitutional

"The Supreme Court found Florida’s unique system of imposing a death sentence unconstitutional on Tuesday, saying it gives power to judges that is rightfully reserved for juries.

The decision united the court’s liberals and most of its conservatives, who voted 8 to 1 against the system employed by a state that’s among the leaders in imposing capital punishment. Florida has nearly 400 inmates on death row.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Florida’s process reduces the jury’s role to an advisory one and leaves the work of finding the special circumstances that render a murderer eligible for the death penalty up to a judge.

That is the reverse of what the court in 2002 said was required, she wrote.

The Constitution means for “a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death,” Sotomayor wrote. “A jury’s mere recommendation is not enough.”..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...bed1b0-b93e-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html
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Year after arrest, no Ohio trial set in Capitol plot case

"CINCINNATI — A year after FBI agents moved in to arrest a young suburban Cincinnati man they said had just bought weapons for an attack on the U.S. Capitol, there's no trial scheduled and it's not certain there will even be one.

The federal judge and attorneys in the case are awaiting the results of a mental evaluation of Christopher Lee Cornell, 21, at a federal center in Chicago. Authorities have told the judge she'll have the report by Jan. 28.

U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith ordered the evaluation in November after Cornell's attorneys filed a court-sealed report after stating that there was "reasonable cause" to believe Cornell suffers from a mental disease or defect. Beckwith wants to know whether Cornell is competent to stand trial on charges from an alleged plot to attack the Capitol with pipe bombs and guns in support of the Islamic State group.

"We're waiting for the report on what the government says is his mental state," attorney Martin Pinales said this week.

Cornell has been held without bond since his Jan. 14 arrest by the FBI in a gun shop parking lot just west of Cincinnati. Asked how Cornell has been doing behind bars, Pinales replied: "At times good, at times not good; like any other person would be."..."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ohio-trial-set-in-capitol-plot-case/ar-CCsOV2

WS thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Cornell-Ohio-Man-arrested-for-terrorist-plot
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New Jersey father killed toddler son over fear of losing new teenage girlfriend, prosecutor says

"Camden County authorities charged David “DJ” Creato Jr., 22, with murder for the death of his toddler Brendan in October, when he was found partially submerged in a river near the father’s Haddon Township apartment.

Creato called 911 around 6 a.m. the morning that his son disappeared, saying that the child from a previous relationship had likely unlocked the door and left the house, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

His new 17-year-old girlfriend Julie Spensky, who he met through dating app Tinder in the summer, was said to have a disdain for Brendan. When the child's body was found, his brain showed signs of “homicidal violence” that could have come from drowning, asphyxiation or blunt force..."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...n=Feed:+NydnRss+(Top+Stories+-+NY+Daily+News)
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[YESorNO]

Another stupid man :sheesh:

Ohio man who sent selfie to police arrested in Florida

"An Ohio man wanted for drunk driving who sent police a more flattering photo of himself because he did not like his mug shot has been arrested in Florida, police said.

"How's this photo Donald Pugh?" asked the Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff's Office on its Facebook page, showing the suspect's new, broadly smiling mug shot. "Maybe that selfie helped people identify you better?".

Pugh, 45, had posted a photo of himself wearing sunglasses in a car after he saw the two mug shots that the Lima, Ohio, police department had posted on its Facebook page.
"Here is a better photo that one is terrible," Pugh wrote when he sent in the selfie..."

http://www.reuters.com/article/ohio-mug-shot-idUSKCN0UR26K20160113
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The new way police are surveilling you: Calculating your threat ‘score’

"...As a national debate has played out over mass surveillance by the National Security Agency, a new generation of technology such as the Beware software being used in Fresno has given local law enforcement officers unprecedented power to peer into the lives of citizens.

Police officials say such tools can provide critical information that can help uncover terrorists or thwart mass shootings, ensure the safety of officers and the public, find suspects, and crack open cases. They say that last year’s attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have only underscored the need for such measures...

But perhaps the most controversial and revealing technology is the threat-scoring software Beware. Fresno is one of the first departments in the nation to test the program.
As officers respond to calls, Beware automatically runs the address. The searches return the names of residents and scans them against a range of publicly available data to generate a color-coded threat level for each person or address: green, yellow or red.

Exactly how Beware calculates threat scores is something that its maker, Intrado, considers a trade secret, so it is unclear how much weight is given to a misdemeanor, felony or threatening comment on Facebook. However, the program flags issues and provides a report to the user..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...7355da0c_story.html?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003
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When a Kid Kills His Longtime Abuser, Who's the Victim?

"The perplexing double standards of death penalty politics..."

http://www.motherjones.com/politics...enalty-sexual-abuse?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003
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Who killed Amber Hagerman? Murder case that inspired Amber Alerts remains unsolved 20 years later

"ARLINGTON, Texas — Unlike terror bulletins or weather warnings, the mayday for missing children has a namesake: Amber.

“It’s a shame my daughter had to be butchered and had to go through what she went through for us to have the Amber Alert, but I know she would be proud of it,” Donna Williams said during a recent visit at her home.

On Wednesday, two decades will have passed since a stranger snatched 9-year-old Amber Hagerman off her bicycle from a vacant supermarket parking lot in broad daylight and drove away in a black pickup truck..."

http://news.yahoo.com/who-killed-am...alerts-unsolved-20-years-later-142605215.html
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[YESorNO]

When a prison closes, what happens to the prison town?

"WARWICK, N.Y. — This fall, a sports village called The Yard opened on 36 acres in this rural community a few hours north of New York City. Athletes of all ages come to practice and play on the facility's indoor and outdoor turf fields.

But an unusual sight greets patrons at the entrance to the property: The main gate is crowned with sparkling razor wire, while an empty guard tower rises at its side.
No, it isn’t a prison. But it was...

Mid-Orange Correctional Facility closed here in 2011. It’s one of 15 prisons that New York State has shuttered in the past four years..."

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2016/0101/When-a-prison-closes-what-happens-to-the-prison-town
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Death penalty has been surrounded by new uncertainty in 2015

"Capital punishment continued a years-long decline in 2015 as America carried out its fewest executions in 24 years, and opponents say there are strong signs that the long-term future of the death penalty is in doubt.

The new year might provide significant support for forces seeking to end capital punishment. The South has largely been an exception to the diminishment of the death penalty, but even in that region there have been some signs of uncertainty about its use.

The 28 inmates executed in the U.S. this year mark a precipitous fall since the modern peak of 98 executions in 1999, when the nation's homicide rate was much higher and the public voiced stronger worries about crime...."

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-year-ahead-executions-20151227-story.html
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The Guilty Have a Better Chance for Parole or Pardon Than the Innocent

"In order to obtain a parole, pardon or some form of clemency, admissions of guilt, acceptance of responsibility and expressions of remorse are considered as the most important factors in granting liberty from confinement. Their purpose is apparent and for the guilty they pose no barrier; for the innocent they may impose an insurmountable one. The guilty seeking release may feign remorse, but feigning guilt for the innocent demands too much of a sacrifice. Stories abound of those wrongfully convicted being denied release because of their insistence upon their innocence. The pressure to lie and admit guilt must be staggering. Some succumb. There are anecdotes of those who finally do and are denied release because they have claimed their innocence in prior applications and are thus deemed untruthful and their expressions of remorse insincere..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judge...ter-_b_8885290.html?utm_hp_ref=crime&ir=Crime
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What’s Going On in Our Prisons?

"...The New York State Commission of Correction has longstanding authority to regulate and visit prisons. The state comptroller pointed out in a 2006 audit that the commission had essentially defaulted on that responsibility. Nine years later, little has changed. The commission investigates some inmate deaths, but it cannot be fairly described as a monitoring body.

The result is that New York’s prison system operates almost entirely below the radar. This invisibility should end by setting up a system of effective independent governmental oversight to ensure the health and safety of prisoners. If harm is to be prevented in these dark places, we must know what is happening inside...

Nationally, the situation is not better. For example, abuse of prison inmates appears to be endemic in Florida, prison rape is widespread across the country, and the hanging death in a Texas jail cell of Sandra Bland, who was arrested after a routine traffic stop, highlighted the national problem of suicide in custody. (Her family has disputed the finding by authorities that she killed herself.).."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/opinion/whats-going-on-in-our-prisons.html?mabReward=A2
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How DNA mugshots can solve crimes: Q & A with Kenneth Kidd

"...Kidd’s pioneering lab at Yale School of Medicine has enhanced the power of DNA analysis still further by identifying genetic markers with especially high resolution called ‘microhaplotypes’; these shorter strings of DNA are simply far less likely to degrade than the much longer strings used for analysis today, and stand at the front lines of forensics poised to help solve crimes. Aeon spoke with Kidd to learn how his new markers are helping to resolve two of forensics’ biggest headaches: degraded DNA and contaminated samples, where the DNA of multiple individuals is tangled together..."

https://aeon.co/opinions/how-microh...ail&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-e1ddb693c5-68895113
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[YESorNO]

5 Things You Did In The 70s That You Could Never Do Today

"The 1970s were a special time in America. We celebrated our 200th year of independence, we had disco, and we protested the Vietnam War. But with 200 years of independence, one would think that a person living in America was free to live their life the way they see fit.

Not so.

There were things we did in the '70s that we could never do today. Now, I'm not talking about murder or tax evasion or even a Brady Bunch reboot... nothing that drastic. I'm talking about things done privately... inside the family.

There are five things that you could do in the '70s that you could never, ever get away with today because they are so despicable, at least to "p.c." police, they would have you arrested and Child Protective Services would take your children away... probably..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-baxley/1970s-nostalgia_b_8881148.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
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Macy's lists 40 store closures, plans for thousands of layoffs

"Macy's (NYSE: M) is closing 36 stores of its total 770 Macy's-branded locations by early spring 2016. Those will join four closed in the final three quarters of 2015 for a total of 40 shuttered locations....

The full list of stores closing follows:..."

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinna...e-closures-plans-for-thousands.html?ana=yahoo
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Like Macy's, J.C. Penney to Close Stores in 2016

"...J.C. Penney (JCP - Get Report) , which has roughly 1,060 stores in the U.S., will shutter seven locations in 2016 in a bid to more efficiently operate in an era of digital commerce and dense urban areas. According to the company, which appeared at the ICR Conference on Tuesday, all seven of the stores earmarked for closure will be of the smaller size and they generally exist in older malls where traffic is sparse. Of the seven stores, two are owned by J.C. Penney and the rest are leased..."

http://www.thestreet.com/story/1342...se-stores-in-2016.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

Here are the 39 locations J.C. Penney is closing

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/here-are-the-39-locations-j-c-penney-is-closing/
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Kmart to close several stores, including 4 in California

"Kmart will close four stores in California in March and April, a company spokesman said Wednesday amid reports of a number of other Kmart closures across the nation...

News outlets across the country have reported that a number of Kmart stores will be shut in the spring, including in Hawaii, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan..."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-kmart-stores-closing-20160113-story.html
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[YESorNO]

Opinions
Our unrealistic views of death, through a doctor’s eyes

"...If I’m lucky, the family will accept the news that, in a time when we can separate conjoined twins and reattach severed limbs, people still wear out and die of old age. If I’m lucky, the family will recognize that their loved one’s life is nearing its end.

But I’m not always lucky. The family may ask me to use my physician superpowers to push the patient’s tired body further down the road, with little thought as to whether the additional suffering to get there will be worth it. For many Americans, modern medical advances have made death seem more like an option than an obligation. We want our loved ones to live as long as possible, but our culture has come to view death as a medical failure rather than life’s natural conclusion.

These unrealistic expectations often begin with an overestimation of modern medicine’s power to prolong life, a misconception fueled by the dramatic increase in the American life span over the past century...

With unrealistic expectations of our ability to prolong life, with death as an unfamiliar and unnatural event, and without a realistic, tactile sense of how much a worn-out elderly patient is suffering, it’s easy for patients and families to keep insisting on more tests, more medications, more procedures.

Doing something often feels better than doing nothing. Inaction feeds the sense of guilt-ridden ineptness family members already feel as they ask themselves, “Why can’t I do more for this person I love so much?”..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...doctors-eyes/2012/01/31/gIQAeaHpJR_story.html
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Baby Boomers' Last Revolution Will Be Changing the Way We Die, Part 1

"Baby boomers have spent more than half a century revolutionizing the way we live. Now it is time for us to revolutionize the way we die...

We understand that some of you who came after us consider us spoiled and selfish. You're welcome for that, too. We did not invent the idea of complaining about the excesses and failures of the previous generation, but we pretty much perfected it...

We can handle whatever you've got. We survived disco, yuppies, Iran-Contra, the Starr report, the dot.com bubble and the sub-prime meltdown. One word of advice, though: No complaining unless you have a constructive solution to propose along with it. Otherwise, it's just whining.

Before we turn it all over to you, though, we've got one last revolution: end-of-life care...

We used to talk to our friends about caring for our children, about teething, homework, and college applications. Now we exchange stories about caring for our parents, about finding caregivers and assisted living facilities, about durable powers of attorney and navigating Medicare, about dementia and rehab after strokes...

Over and over, my friends have told me, "I thought I was doing the right thing by seeking out the best treatment options for my parents and insisting on every possible procedure and medication. But now I realize that it was for me, not for them." .."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nell-minow/baby-boomers-last-revolut_b_8726888.html
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Baby Boomers' Last Revolution Will Be Changing the Way We Die, Part 2

"In Part 1 I explained why Baby Boomers, now in our 60s and caring for parents in their 80s and 90s, are going to change the way we think about end of life care. Part 2 is about how we begin...

Talking about the end of life is scary. Not talking about it is worse. We need changes and the baby boomers are our best shot for making them. I am trying to have that conversation with my parents and am determined to have it with my children. As Atul Gawande says, "the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life -- all the way to the very end.".."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nell-...ut_1_b_8917342.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
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A Therapist’s Fib

"...Bruce was a genius. I know this because he told me. In every session. He was a parolee who had twice served prison time for molesting children. But he was innocent. He told me this, too. He had been framed. Both times. By different people.

He told me that he was so smart that he could get people to do anything he wanted them to do. He said he felt guilty because he had played “mind games” with a prison psychologist who eventually killed himself. I asked if the psychologist could possibly have killed himself for any other reason. Bruce knew this wasn’t possible, because of the catastrophic potential of his mind games. And it was quite a burden to live with the consequences of his power, he confessed. To make matters worse, people did not see his genius, while they did see him, wrongly, as a sex offender. That’s why he was depressed.

Bruce came to me for depression treatment at an outpatient mental health agency. He did not want to discuss recidivism. He already attended court-mandated sex offender treatment elsewhere, and he had, of course, committed no crimes. But how was I to help him with depression? I had a hard time focusing on the problem, because I kept getting distracted by my fear for the kids living in his neighborhood. In addition, I discovered that a part of me didn’t want him to feel better. I lacked the “unconditional positive regard” that the psychologist Carl Rogers felt was necessary for fostering healing..."

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.co...emc=edit_ty_20160112&nl=opinion&nlid=73927810
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Natural-born paedophiles

"Some paedophiles may be hard-wired to commit their abusive acts. Should that alter their crime in the eyes of the law?..

...there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that paedophilia might not be a learned desire but rather an in-born biological trait, like a cleft palate or a hook nose. And lack of emotional control, a separate trait, might be biologically-based as well...

Until recently, paedophilia was thought to result from early childhood trauma, probably sexual abuse of some sort. But new research reveals that paedophiles tend to share unique brain structure and some unusual physical attributes. The scientist James Cantor and his colleagues at the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto published studies in 2008 and again in 2015 showing that paedophiles had less white matter in their brains..."

https://aeon.co/essays/if-paedophil...ail&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-e1ddb693c5-68895113
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My father, mental illness and the death penalty

"The story of Ricky, a convicted child molester and murderer, and the mother of the child he killed; and of mental illness, the death penalty, victimhood and seeking understanding."

[video=youtube;gMNlRovT5x4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMNlRovT5x4[/video]

 

[YESorNO]

I will post more about Knox and the amazing developments that are unfolding daily. I have to compose myself first.

Please know that all the posts, messages, calls, emails have meant the world to me. You all have no idea how much you touch my heart. Xo

Link: http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_600_noupscale/564b77991e00002e00264b14.gif

 

[YESorNO]

My dear friends, I need all the Prayers, Good Thoughts, Jingles coming my way! I was in the ER yesterday because I was having trouble breathing. My O2 stat rates were at 90. They pumped me full of steroids and antibodies. I am home now, but I am totally wiped out! A least I was not admitted and hoping I can keep it that way. On meds here at home. But so exhausted from not enough o2 love you all.

Take care CJ and rest as much as you can. :blowkiss:

I will pray that you will feel better soon.

 

[YESorNO]

For different reasons, I am in the same over-exhaustion boat. Let's have a coffee and PJ Day together .... with some naps tossed in.

You rest, too, my dear. :blowkiss:

 

[YESorNO]

Alan Rickman, giant of British screen and stage, dies at 69

"Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years, has died in London aged 69. His death was confirmed on Thursday by his family who said that he died “surrounded by family and friends”. Rickman had been suffering from cancer..."

http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...-giant-of-british-film-and-theatre-dies-at-69

Link: http://static.independent.co.uk/s3f...bnails/image/2016/01/14/12/alan-rickman-8.jpg

He was so funny in the movie Galaxy Quest. He was such a versatile actor, IMO.

RIP :candle:

 

[YESorNO]

WTH are DaisyMae and Bernina? I need them on here pronto.

FYI: Bernina stopped by with a message for you- see post 513 on 1/12 and I've seen daisymae, here and there, on WS, just not on the SB.

 

[Zuri]

My dear friends, I need all the Prayers, Good Thoughts, Jingles coming my way! I was in the ER yesterday because I was having trouble breathing. My O2 stat rates were at 90. They pumped me full of steroids and antibodies. I am home now, but I am totally wiped out! A least I was not admitted and hoping I can keep it that way. On meds here at home. But so exhausted from not enough o2 love you all.

Oh CJ, I am so sorry you are sick. Jingles and prayers sent. Is this asthmatic bronchitis? Pneumonia? Was this a sudden onset or chronic? God bless and feel better soon. Gatorade is your friend.

 

[Niner]

and Mornafternoonevening all!

So sorry to hear... hope and a positive attitude along with a few laughs will help, keep you in my prayers...

Thank you KayCherry - and :welcome6: to the Sidebar!! :happydance:

Here's my Smile for the day...

Bernina is probably out riding her horse

or out there in the wind

Cancer affects so many wonderful people. I think VP Biden taking on cures for cancer is noble, but not profitable for the drug companies. Who have a HUGE lobby presence. Who rake in tons of money from chemo drugs. I often wonder if they are truly invested in finding a cure. I hope so.

Nope!

They'd lose too much money if a cure was found! Unfortunately...

I'm so sorry JINGLES and many prayers coming your way.... :hug:

:tyou: coffeejunkie! :hug: back at ya!! and JINGLES!!!

Update on murderer's appeal:

Michael K. Jeanes, Clerk of Court
*** Electronically Filed ***
01/13/2016 8:00 AM

01/11/2016

MINUTE ENTRY

The Court has received Defendant Jodi Arias’ Motion to Reconsider Denial of Motion to
Strike filed December 23, 2015.

Having considered the motion, and no good cause appearing,

IT IS ORDERED denying Defendant’s Motion to Reconsider Denial of Motion to Strike. :denied:

:cheer: . :cheer:

and Thanks for the link here to Ashley Olsen thread!

Nope - I didn't win the Lottery either... And the most frequent #s you posted YESorNO - none of them came up! I was going to run out last night when I saw these numbers, but didn't - so didn't waste another $6 on it!! LOL!

More RAIN today!! :skip: We got .675 inches of rain yesterday! I'm keeping the totals of our rain measurement, to see how much we will get from this El Nino!

Okay - will post this and see if there are any more posts here... cguru:

Had to edit my quote above - so will share a picture. I don't :think: I've posted this before...

 

[Caylee Advocate]

This just breaks my heart, true love at its finest. Bless his heart!!!




CHILLICOTHE - For former Powerball million-dollar winner Charles "Tom" DeBord, the only numbers that really matter are 51, 7 and 11.

That's the 51 years, seven months and 11 days the Chillicothe resident spent married to his wife, Cheryl, the last few months of which the two had together after matching five Powerball numbers in late February of last year and claiming a $710,000 payout after taxes. As Powerball mania grips people from all over the country in pursuit of a record-breaking $1.5 billion top prize that was up for grabs in Wednesday night's drawing, DeBord serves as the embodiment of how money can't necessarily buy happiness.

He said he would trade his winnings in a heartbeat if it would have eliminated the cancer that ended his wife's life or stopped the heart attack that shortly afterward claimed his son, Bill. For Charles, a self-professed gambler, it's not about the money.

"I'm just a small-city boy," the 73-year-old said Wednesday while seated in the living room of his modest double-wide home with walls and shelves full of family photos. "Big homes don't mean (anything) to me. I don't need a big home. All I need is someplace to keep me warm and a nice, comfortable bed when I go to bed."

His idea of splurging with his lottery winnings? A black 2013 Hyundai that had 25,000 miles on it when he purchased it.

Having won a lottery prize of $60,000 once before when appearing on the show "Cash Explosion," he still vividly remembers the day he won at Powerball. The couple was just coming off of a gambling trip to Atlantic City during one of Cheryl's nine bouts with cancer. Cheryl was having a good morning and Charles fixed her breakfast before turning attention to preparing to use his nebulizer for treatment of his own health issues.

"Before I started doing it, I remembered that I had a Powerball ticket," he said. "I got it and took it into her and said, 'When you've got time, check these numbers, maybe we've got one or two.' I started doing my treatment, and she started hollering and screaming, and I shut the nebulizer off and said, 'What is wrong with you?' and she said, 'You won!' "

Initially thinking matching five numbers would only net a prize of $100 or $150, Charles agreed to head to the nearby Corner Market to try and find out what they had actually won. While asking the store clerk, a nearby customer grabbed a lottery pamphlet and was the first to tell Charles he was a millionaire — at least, before taxes. Cheryl took the news with a smile and started calling close friends and the couple's three sons, many of whom also expressed disbelief.

The two didn't have any grand plans for the money, at least for themselves.

"As soon as we knew we won it, we decided we're going to help the kids out," he said. "We're in our 70s, we didn't owe anybody anything, so we didn't need the money."

The joy of having won it was short-lived, however. Charles' bride of more than a half century, whom he met on a blind date when he was a senior and she was a sophomore in high school, lost her final battle with cancer July 29. Just a few days later, his son, Bill, was bending over to grab a screwdriver while hooking up a stereo when he keeled over and died of a heart attack — a broken heart, Charles says, because his son was so attached to his mother.

While it's obvious the pain still lingers, with emotion welling up as he speaks of his lost loved ones, Charles is finding ways to move on. He is staying true to the promise to help his other two sons and their families meet their financial needs as they arise; he can be found several days each week at middle and high school sporting events his youngest family members are playing in; and, yes, he still plays the lottery. He had eight possible chances at the $1.5 billion grand prize Wednesday night.

For whomever does take home the record-breaking amount, whenever it is won, he offers a simple piece of advice from the perspective that life — and death — has provided.

"Just stay the same way you are," he said.