The following is a repost of an entry from my friend Dee at TheDeeZone ( http://TheDeeZone.WordPress.com ).
Normally I would not get involved in something of this nature, since a single sheet of paper could mean the difference between whether it is the right child, but in this case, that piece of paper may be impossible to get due to the earthquake, and his adoptive parents can vouch for his identity.
Since young Ronel has been adopted by Americans, and is undoubtedly quite traumatized, he needs to be released to his American parents immediately.
When it comes to bureaucracy, it is very true that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”, so I would ask that blog readers start contacting these government officials asap.
Many thanks in advance,
ElfNinosMom
——————————–
I am re-posting this from Aaron Ivey’s blog. The Ivey’s were in the process of adopting from Hait when the earthquake hit. Their son Amos was one of the children with Humanitarian parole when and came home last Saturday on a military flight. 27 children from the Real Hope for Haiti rescue center were supposed to be on that flight. All of them except Ronel were allowed to leave. Apparently, he was missing one piece of paper.
Soon after the earthquake humanitarian parole was issued to expedite the process for pending adoptions in Haiti. These are not new adoptions but ones that already been in works for months or even years. However, this week UNICEF stepped in and wants to slow the process down. Because of UNICEF’s new involvement, the process has once again been stalled for people in legit pending adoptions, such as Ronel. The US is deciding to comply with a request from the Haitian government. That request is to approve of all children who leave the country after they have been cleared by the United States. France and Canada have not complied and are getting their waiting children home.
Ronel and his family Ernest & Debra Parker are now caught in this new red tape. (Read more of the story on Debra’s blog) Ernest is now in Haiti with Ronel and they having been sleeping on the floor of the U.S. Embassy. They need our help NOW!
Here is how you can help:
Please pray for this situation to be resolved swiftly
Spend time contacting these officials listed below
Pass along to as many friends as possible to join the Parker’s side.
SOME TALKING POINTS: Be specific about the Parkers, the adoption is already finalized but red tape is delaying their release, sleeping on the floor in PAP at the US embassy, please do all you can to help, etc.. **contacting Congressman Poe by all means below is encouraged
U.S Congressman Ted Poe
Washington office – 202-225-6565
Kingwood,Tx office – 281-446-0242
Facebook: Ted Poe
Twitter: JudgeTedPoe
Raymond Joseph
Haitian Ambassador to US
embassy@haiti.org
p 202-332-4090
f 202-745-7215
Kenneth H Merten
US Ambassador to Haiti
Tabarre 41, Blvd 15 Octobre
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Haiti-earthquake@state.gov
P 509 22 29 8000
F 509 22 29 8028
Hilary Clinton/Dept of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000
Posted in Congress, Family, Law, Parenting, US Government, children, politicians, politics | Tagged Aaron Ivey, adoption, Amos Ivey, Congressman Poe, Debra Parker, disaster relief, Ernest Parker, Haiti, Hillary Clinton, Humanitarian parole, Kenneth H Merten, Raymond Joseph, Real Hope For Haiti, Ronel Parker, Ted Poe, Unicef, US Embassy | 6 Comments »
South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer recently said:
My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed.
You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.
My grandmother, who is also not a highly educated woman, says that Andre Bauer is evil for comparing poor people to animals, which I interpret to mean that Andre Bauer should be burned at the stake. And if an ill-educated old woman says it, and then their well-educated grandchild takes their statement to a completely illogical conclusion, then surely that conclusion must be true … right? LOL
I’m going to play Master of the Painfully Obvious by saying that if Andre Bauer were right, no one would live in poverty-stricken countries like Haiti and India. After all, since all but the most elite in those countries is far poorer than Americans, their population would have just died off generations ago. Instead, the population numbers in those countries continue to rise, which should come as no surprise to anyone except, of course, Andre Bauer and his grandma.
That’s not even getting into the sheer stupidity required for a politician to make that statement, especially in a state where unemployment is in the double digits.
Clearly, Andre Bauer is a frickin’ ‘tard.
I therefore crown Andre Bauer as the newest reigning King of Frickintardistan. All hail King Bauer!
Posted in Frickin' 'tards, Master of the Painfully Obvious, politicians | Tagged Andre Bauer, Lieutenant Governor Bauer, Lt Governor, South Carolina | Leave a Comment »
South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer recently said:
My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed.
You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.
My grandmother, who is also not a highly educated woman, says that Andre Bauer is evil for comparing poor people to animals, which I interpret to mean that Andre Bauer should be burned at the stake. And if an ill-educated old woman says it, and then their well-educated grandchild takes their statement to a completely illogical conclusion, then surely that conclusion must be true … right? LOL
I’m going to play Master of the Painfully Obvious by saying that if Andre Bauer were right, no one would live in poverty-stricken countries like Haiti and India. After all, since all but the most elite in those countries is far poorer than Americans, their population would have just died off generations ago. Instead, the population numbers in those countries continue to rise, which should come as no surprise to anyone except, of course, Andre Bauer and his grandma.
That’s not even getting into the sheer stupidity required for a politician to make that statement, especially in a state where unemployment is in the double digits.
Clearly, Andre Bauer is a frickin’ ‘tard.
I therefore crown Andre Bauer as the newest reigning King of Frickintardistan. All hail King Bauer!
Posted in Frickin' 'tards, Master of the Painfully Obvious, politicians | Tagged Andre Bauer, Lieutenant Governor Bauer, Lt Governor, South Carolina | Leave a Comment »
Earlier today, Casey Anthony pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of fraud related to theft of checks from her friend Amy Huizenga.
Jose Baez argued that his client should be treated the same as any other defendant, but that he believes she is being treated differently because she is an unpopular person. Baez stated that adjudication should be withheld and she should be placed in a pretrial diversion program, since it was her first offense.
Judge Stan Strickland accepted the plea without public allocution (i.e., telling the court details of what she did).
Judge Strickland found her guilty of six counts, and he withheld adjudication on seven counts.
A withhold of adjudication means that the judge did not formally find her guilty of those counts. This is especially meaningful in cases where a defendant has no previous felony record, and could lose certain civil rights simply by virtue of becoming a convicted felon. In Casey’s situation, though, a withhold of adjudication holds no real meaning since – even if adjudicated guilty – she would not have received more severe punishment.
Judge Strickland sentenced Casey to 412 days time served, and he imposed costs (court, investigation) on the charges for which she was adjudicated guilty. The cost of investigation is disputed by the defense, and the judge agreed that the issue could be heard at a later date.
On the charges for which adjudication was withheld, the judge sentenced her to one year of probation. There was some discussion about whether the court could order probation since she is incarcerated.
The prosecutor opined that she is going to be incarcerated for a very long time due to his belief that she will be found guilty at her murder trial. Baez disagreed, stating that the defense is working very hard to ensure an acquittal on that charge.
We also discovered that the defense had previously engaged in plea negotiations on the check charges with the prosecutor, but the prosecutor offered her a five-year prison sentence, which the defense believed was outrageous.
Casey Anthony stated in court today that she accepts “full and complete responsibility” for her actions with regard to the checks, and she apologized to Amy Huizenga, stating that she wishes she would have been a better friend. Amy Huizenga was not present at the hearing.
The hearing then moved on to pending motions in the murder case.
One very interesting aspect to the hearing on the murder charge, with regard to the defense Motion to Compel, is that there is apparently more latent print evidence which has not yet been disclosed to the defense.
The state agreed to secure testimony from the ex-wife of meter reader Roy Kronk, who found the remains of Caylee Anthony. The state brought up the issue of their costs in traveling out of the jurisdiction to Tennessee in order to participate, and the defense stated that if Casey had to pay those costs, they would be forced to ask that the court find Casey indigent for costs (in other words she is now paying her own costs, and they would ask the judge to enter an order finding she is unable to pay so the state would have to pay her costs from that point).
Eventually it was determined that the rules were silent on the defense paying those costs, though it does discuss the state paying defense costs, so the state would pay its own costs.
While the state agreed to preserve that testimony due to the health of the witness, they specifically did not waive their right to force her appearance at trial in the event that she is able to travel at that time.
The prosecution and defense were to meet after court for the purpose of coming up with a discovery schedule.
Posted in courts, crime | Tagged Amy Huizenga, Andrea Lyon, Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony, check fraud, criminal trial, discovery, evidence, felony, Florida, guilty, indgent, jail, Jose Baez, Judge Strickland, latent prints, meter reader, Motion to Compel, Orange County Jail, Orlando, plea, plea negotiation, prison, probation, Roy Kronk, Stan Strickland, Tennessee, withhold adjudication | 3 Comments »
From The Huntington Herald Dispatch:
HUNTINGTON — Both sides want their say in the case of a nationally known comedian charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse at a downtown nightclub.
The owner of Funny Bone Comedy Club, where Andy Dick performed last weekend, denied the allegations against Dick that resulted in the comedian’s arrest at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The comedian spoke for himself via weekend Internet message that asked readers to refrain from jumping to conclusions.
A lawyer for the alleged victims said Monday that they stand by their claims that Dick behaved inappropriately.
The Huntington Police Department released incident reports Monday about the events leading to Dick’s arrest. The police report filed Saturday morning said police responded to calls that Dick sexually abused other men at the Rum Runners nightclub at 819 3rd Ave. The report describes the 44-year-old comedian as an “intoxicated suspect.”
In addition to the alleged incidents early Saturday, two 19-year-old men from Charleston filed a report with the Huntington Police Department on Sunday night regarding another possible incident Sunday morning.
The men said they saw Dick while attending a party about 3 a.m. Sunday at a local residence. They said the next thing they remembered was waking up in a hotel room with Dick about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the report. The men were later treated at Charleston Area Medical Center, according to the police report.
No charges have been filed in connection with the Charleston men’s complaint.
Dick spent more than nine hours Saturday at the Western Regional Jail before Funny Bone Comedy Club owner Tom Schaefer paid $6,000 to bail out the comedian.
Schaefer denied the charges against Dick on Saturday, and Dick posted a message via Twitter urging patience.
“There are two sides to every story. Please reserve judgment until you hear mine. Thank you.” Dick posted at 4:46 p.m. Saturday.
Celebrity physician Dr. Drew Pinsky posted an identical message on behalf of his one-time patient who appeared last year on VH1’s “Sober House,” a spin-off of “Celebrity Rehab.”
The alleged victims from Saturday’s incident — a 33-year-old bar security guard from Ashland and a 24-year-old bar patron from Catlettsburg, Ky. — are not backing down, according to private attorney Mike Woelfel.
Both victims were named in official court documents charging Dick with sexual abuse.
The 24-year-old declined comment Monday when contacted by The Herald-Dispatch. The 33-year-old was unavailable for comment Monday.
Woelfel described the alleged conduct as “outrageous by any standard.” He also said Schaefer’s story is different than that of his clients.
“There’s not a scintilla of evidence to support … assertions that these events were imagined,” Woelfel said.
The two alleged victims contacted Woelfel’s office out of concern about statements made by those defending the suspect. Woelfel said they sought assistance from his office to make sure their voice is heard.
Woelfel, a private attorney working in Huntington, expressed faith in the prosecutor’s office. He said he was unsure the way his victims would define justice, such as prison time or a monetary award.
“The process will play out the way it plays out,” Woelfel said. “That is something the judge would decide.”
Woelfel said his clients were not seeking any type of civil litigation. He said such a companion lawsuit had not been discussed as of Monday morning.
Dick, a resident of South Pasadena, Calif., resumed his weekend performances at the Funny Bone after his stint at the Barboursville jail.
Did those newest two accusers just black out from drinking? Can they even prove they were with Andy Dick? Why did they go to the hospital, since what was described can happen after a night of drinking; were they injured, or did they legitimately fear they’d been drugged? Did something criminal (or suspicious) happen that second night Andy Dick was in town? Or is Andy Dick innocent of criminal wrongdoing on Friday night and/or Saturday night, and this a situation wherein a celebrity is being (possibly repeatedly) shaken down for money during a single weekend in a college town?
The local media covered the original arrest extensively, so chances are that the two men on the second night knew about it. I’m just sayin’.
Either way, Andy Dick is known for some extremely strange and outrageous behavior, and has been repeatedly arrested for behavior similar to that alleged on Friday; so if he’s innocent, he must be just walking around with a big ol’ target on his forehead.
Posted in celebrity, crime | Tagged arrest, sexual assault, WV, Huntington, Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew, Drew Pinsky, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Sober House, Andy Dick, celebrity justice, Mike Woelfel, Herald Dispatch, Funny Bone, Huntington Police Department, HPD, Rum Runners, Western Regional Jail, Tom Schaefer | 1 Comment »
This one is for my friend webhick, champion of ferrets everywhere and all-around great gal. Sure, she’s also one of the dreaded Illuminati, but it’s a little-known fact that these furry litle critters are the much-beloved Illuminati mascot.
http://www.kansascity.com/450/story/1701399.html
Posted in animals, crime | Tagged ferrets, Illuminati, Mexico City, webhick | Leave a Comment »
Posted in internets | Tagged IE, Internet Explorer, mobile browser, Opera 10, Skyfire | 3 Comments »
The White House Blog
The President on Haiti: “The First Waves of our Rescue and Relief Workers are on the Ground and at Work”
Posted by Jesse Lee on January 14, 2010 at 12:25 PM EST
This morning the President gave another update on relief efforts in Haiti, promising the people of Haiti that “you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten.”
Again, while the US Government is doing all it can, you can also help immediately by donating to the international fund of the Red Cross to assist the relief effort.
Donate $10 to the Red Cross to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting “HAITI” to “90999.”
Contribute online to the Red Cross,
Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.
And of course families of Americans living in Haiti should still contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/haitiearthquake
Posted in POTUS, US Government | Tagged earthquake, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Haitian earthquake, President Obama, White House | Leave a Comment »
(This writeup contains spoilers, so do not read if you want to be surprised by the episode.)
In the interest of disclosure, I should state up front that I am a big fan of Alice In Chains, going back to when original bassist Mike Starr was still in the band.
On Episode 1 of this season’s Celebrity Rehab, Mike Starr was such a nice guy that Shelly (the Resident Tech) noted that he is “awfully polite for a drug addict”.
After this second episode, I doubt she’d ever say that again.
Today, we got to see another side of Mike. He became nonverbal, started pacing incessantly and became intentionally very threatening, especially toward the cameramen.
Mackenzie Phillips was with him when his mind checked out, and she tried to bring him back and even warned him “you don’t want to do this”, to no avail. She went inside to get staff, because something was very, very wrong with Mike. The other patients were also clearly frightened.
Honestly, the dude’s countenance reminded me of Michael Myers (Halloween). Weird. I can’t help but wonder if he managed to sneak something into rehab, his behavior was that strange.
Unlike last year’s Celebrity Rehab “bad boy” cast member Steven Adler (original drummer for Guns N Roses), who mouthed off from time to time but wasn’t particularly dangerous – even when he caused bruises on the housemother in “Sober House”, it was only from slamming a door – Mike seems definitely to have a propensity for dangerousness under the right circumstances.
I have to admit, however, that if I had to guess which was more dangerous – someone who got kicked out of Guns N Roses for drugs vs someone who got kicked out of Alice In Chains for drugs – I’d guess Alice In Chains every single time.
But, I digress.
Dr. Drew attributes Mike’s frightening behavior to psychosis brought on by Methadone withdrawal. Mike said last episode that he take 100 mg of Methadone per day (which is a lot), and has for years.
At first Mike is just plain sick, but starts being passive-aggressive (for example, vomiting into the floor by his bed all night, then refusing to clean it up even though the smell alone was making Shelly sick). Then he became aggressive when Shelly tried to get him up for mandatory group. He not only calls her filthy names (“bitch” is one of the nicer things he calls her, to give you an idea), he also intentionally breaks the bedside lamp.
Shelly goes to Drew and wants Mike kicked out of rehab, but Drew is unwilling to do that because he believes Mike’s behavior is caused by drug withdrawal.
The next thing you know, all hell has broken loose with Mike’s mind.
Though at first Dr. Drew was ready to transfer Mike to a locked psychiatric ward when the signs of psychosis appeared, and spoke of the necessity of calling police to help transfer him due to his psychosis, Mike finally started responding verbally.
Mike told Drew that he hates the cameras (though of course he signed up for being filmed) and he blames Shelly for his anger. Drew tells Mike that Shelly’s just doing her job, and Mike replies, “No, she’s not.”
I’m not sure exactly why he dislikes Shelly so much that he’d go off the deep end, but I suspect unaired footage might explain that reaction better since she also majorly ticked off Steven Adler last season.
Dr. Drew ultimately decided a transfer is not necessary at this point, but noted the problem could get worse before it gets better.
Of course, previews show Mike wielding a baseball bat, bashing in the windshield of someone’s car. In light of today’s behavior, I can’t help but wonder why on earth they ever let him near a baseball bat.
In other Celebrity Rehab updates, Mindy McCready goes into a seizure, while Mackenzie Phillips laughs under the mistaken initial assumption that Mindy is faking. Of course, when she realizes the seizure is real, she freaks out and gets help. The preview for next episode shows a doctor telling Mindy she has brain damage (temporal lobe) and Mindy stating that’s the part of her head where she was repeatedly hit (assumably by her maniac ex, who was once charged with attempted murder for attacking her).
Tom Sizemore still isn’t in rehab, and neither is Kari Ann Peniche. Bob Forrest went to gather Tom, but he got away by jumping out of the vehicle, and is apparently off smoking crystal meth somewhere. Kari Ann hasn’t even been mentioned yet, but of course she was shown in the season previews.
By the way, “Dr. Bob”, Bob Forrest, is the lead singer for the rock band Thelonious Monster, and has an interesting past himself with all kinds of drugs and outrageous behavior. Scoot on over to YouTube and check him out.
Posted in Entertainment, Science, Shine on you crazy diamond, Youtube, celebrities, health, insanetertainment, media, music, reality tv, unusual behaviors | Tagged addiction, alcohol addiction, Alice In Chains, Bob Forrest, Celebrity Rehab, Celebrity Rehab 3, Dr. Drew, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Drew Pinsky, drug addiction, drug withdrawal, Guns n Roses, methadone, Mike Starr, psychosis, reality television, reality tv, seizure, Shelly Sprague, Sober House, Steven Adler, temporal lobe, Thelonious Monster, withdrawal | 1 Comment »
The FBI has released its files on Michael Jackson.
http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/jackson_michael.htm
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged child molestation, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michael Jackson, molestation | Leave a Comment »
The FBI has released its files on Michael Jackson.
http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/jackson_michael.htm
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged child molestation, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michael Jackson, molestation | Leave a Comment »
After a long absence, I am back to blogging.
Don’t expect ‘War and Peace’ yet though. I’m still pretty busy at this point.
I have kept up with reality television, and the Casey Anthony case, among other common topics here. So, it should be a fairly easy transition back into blogging.
I’m still taking care of Mammaw, and she’s doing pretty well, all things considered .
Looking forward to “seeing” all of my blog friends again! 
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
My beloved beagle, Li’l Bit, who I rescued about five years ago and who suffered from senility as I wrote about recently on this blog, passed away a week ago today from kidney failure. She just became sick one day, and the doctors couldn’t save her. She was estimated to be 17 years old.
I love you, Li’l Bit, and I will never, ever forget you. You were the sweetest, most docile little dog I have ever known.
Posted in obituaries, pets | Tagged dogs, obituaries, pets | 17 Comments »
In the season two opener of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Sheree Whitfield gets into a fight with her party planner, Anthony “Tony” Shorter (who sometimes uses the alias “Tyson”, according to a few sites).
When I say “fight”, I mean fight. The guy actually threatens Sheree with physical violence, cusses her out – even calls her “mama” a “bitch” – the whole nine yards. He had to be dragged out his own office to get him away from her. Watch the video, you’ll see what I mean. His behavior is absolutely outrageous, especially directed toward a female.
Sheree should have called “Pookie ‘n’ ‘em” from Cleveland to “whoop his ass”, as she mentions in the clip.
I’m hardly a Sheree Whitfield fan, but I still have to ask … How on earth did a wealthy woman like Sheree Whitfield ever get involved with common trash like Anthony Shorter in the first place?
I did google him like he suggested, by the way, and found out that he banned Sheree from her own party, and that the first thing he said in his response to a site which asked him about the incident was that he “likes pu**y”, as if that is somehow supposed to explain his outrageous behavior (and I don’t believe him anyway, by the way, since straight men are not that flamboyant). According to Google he actually seems to be a nobody, despite his overinflated opinion of himself.
I’m pretty sure I heard the sound of rushing water, as this grossly abusive and unprofessional so-called “party planner” flushed his entire so-called “executive” career down the toilet.
Posted in Entertainment, People in the news, STFU, Youtube, insanetertainment, media, unusual behaviors, women | Tagged Anthony Shorter, party planner, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Sheree Whitfield, Tony Shorter | 1 Comment »
I have written before here about my elderly beagle, Li’l Bit, and her health problems when I finally found a vet to remove a large tumor which other vets had refused to remove due to her age. Readers of this blog know that I treat my pets as family members because to me, that’s exactly what they are.
I absolutely adore Li’l Bit in particular, as she was a rescue dog found wandering near a major highway. She was already very old when we got her, and had been severely abused by her former owner, to the point that she had multiple old broken bones and even an abdominal hernia from being kicked, and we took her in and lovingly nursed her back to health in order to make her twilight years as happy and stress-free as possible. She is an extremely gentle little dog, and like a child to me.
Li’l Bit is strictly an indoor dog, and is treated with kid gloves at all times due to her advanced age. She only goes outside to potty, or when the weather is particularly nice so I think she will benefit from being outside. Other than that, she is kept inside my home with me, which is temperature-controlled environment with every imaginable creature comfort. She is not placed in crates or anything of that nature, and my home and lawn are completely pet-proofed to avoid injury, so she has always had the full ability to roam as she pleases. She therefore knows her way around my house and yard as well as I do, and possibly even better than me since animals have better sensory perception than humans.
We are not exactly sure how old Li’l Bit is, though the vet estimates her age at 17. That is very, very old for a dog, obviously, and to put it into perspective, in “people years” she is nearly 100 years old. She has always been quite feeble since we got her. She never runs, and she never plays beyond getting treats or a belly rub from us. She has never even intentionally looked us in the eyes because she is so timid, as you can see in the photo. At the very most she will walk quickly, but she does even that only very rarely. Usually, she walks very slowly. At her age and with her background of extreme abuse, of course, none of that is unexpected.
She does still get enjoyment out of life, in that she knows when it is suppertime and becomes quite excited by food. The vet told us long ago to give her whatever she wants to eat, as long as it isn’t harmful (chocolate, small bones, etc) because at her age, it isn’t going to hurt her and can only enhance her enjoyment of life when she obviously doesn’t have much time left no matter what we do. So after dinner each day, we give her whatever “people food” we have left on our plates. That is the only time she shows any excitement about anything, and boy, does that ever excite her!
More recently, she has been engaging in very odd behavior which the vet cannot explain. She has been given multiple full workups, including bloodwork, and they can find nothing physically wrong with her. She does have some blindness and deafness, and she has arthritis, but all of that is common and even expected in a dog her age, especially one who has been severely abused.
She likes to take walks on the leash, though she can’t walk very far. I take her on a little walk several times a day, and let her determine where to go and when it is time to go home. Even that has become problematic, though, because she has become increasingly confused by the world around her.
The first warning sign that something was very wrong with Li’l Bit happened about a year ago.
She sleeps in my room at night, and she has always been a very, very quiet dog. She is so quiet, in fact, that I had never even heard her bark once. That night, however, she awoke with the strangest howling sound I have ever heard from a dog, a sound so strange that it scared the life right out of me to the point that we both sat bolt upright in bed, with me shaking like a leaf and grasping my other half for dear life. She then began barking like crazy, and walking very quickly around the house, much more quickly than I even thought possible, and was even walking into walls. When I say she walked into walls, I mean that she would walk into a corner of the wall and keep moving her legs as if she were still going somewhere. Try though we may, we could not get her to calm down, or even to notice that we were there. She continued that behavior for almost an hour, with us trying to calm and reassure her the entire time. Later that same night, she did it again, and then repeated the behavior once again several days later.
We of course checked the property carefully each time, thinking perhaps she heard something outside despite her deafness, but our other dog did not react at all though he is much younger and normally reacts quite vocally to outside stimuli, wanting immediately to be allowed outside to investigate. Yet not even the motion detector floodlights had been triggered outside our home, so there was nothing there. So we told ourselves that she had a nightmare, since she had been severely abused prior to the time we got her, and was possibly walking in her sleep and reenacting the abuse by trying to run away from her abuser. I did call the vet, just to be on the safe side, and they said not to worry, that dogs can have “night terrors” just like people do, and given her prior abuse, that was the most likely explanation.
After that happened, however, she started changing dramatically, and her behavior has continued to decompensate severely. Though at first she would come to us for an occasional belly rub or back scratch, she was rarely assertive about getting attention to the point that when she was assertive we were absolutely thrilled, but we would normally have to seek her out to ensure she received petting and physical attention. We didn’t think a whole lot of that, given that she had been severely abused by other humans. Honestly, I thought it was normal under the circumstances.
Over time however she became even more distant, until today, she doesn’t seek or even want any attention at all. Though we do still seek her out to give her attention, she looks at us like she doesn’t know who we are, or what we are doing. The best way I can describe her now is as if the lights are on, but no one is home. The one and only thing which interests her at this point is “people food”, but even with that, she gets so confused that we have to literally lead her to the bowl every single time, even though it is always in the exact same place. Even with our gentle guidance toward the food, she will still try to go in another direction, due to her extreme confusion which seems to worsen when she gets excited.
She used to keep me company during the day as I would work, just basically hanging out in my home office. Now she sleeps during the day, all day, and stays awake at night pacing the floors endlessly and scratching at her ears, though the vet has repeatedly said there is nothing wrong with her ears. To be on the safe side since it was such a problem, though, the vet still put her on a course of antibiotics and an antibiotic/antifungal/steroid ear drop. I always look to see if there is something causing the itching, obviously, and I keep her ears scrupulously clean just to err on the side of caution since a scratch which breaks the skin could result in a serious blood infection if her ears are not kept very clean. I have found, however, that if I scratch her on her side, on the opposite side of the ear she is scratching, she will stop scratching her ear. The vet said that is proof that there really is nothing wrong with her ears, and that the ear scratching is just a “nervous tic”.
Though she was house-trained, so that had never been a problem, she also began urinating in the house, in full view of both of us. Based upon my experience with my late Doberman Pinscher, who started doing the exact same thing which I correctly viewed as a cry for help (the vet determined she had leukemia, though even he didn’t suspect any physical ailment until the blood results came back because it was found so early) I insisted upon taking Li’l Bit to the vet for the soiling behavior. At my insistence they did a full workup, including blood work, but couldn’t find anything wrong with her.
The soiling problem continued, and worsened. It got to the point where, when we put her outside to potty, she would stand there staring into space as if she had no idea what was expected of her. We would have to carry to the grass, and even then it was as if she was lost. No matter how long we leave her outside to potty, she would rarely urinate there, and would instead simply urinate inside whenever the mood struck her, even if she had just been brought back inside. I scrubbed the floors (obviously) not only for hygienic purposes but also to ensure she wasn’t returning to a scent signature; I spent a ton of money on cleaning agents which are made just for that purpose. Again, I took her to the vet, and again the vet couldn’t find any physical explanation for the behavior.
Due to that behavior, I have to watch her carefully at all times, and carry her outside immediately after she gets a drink of water to make sure she urinates. I can’t even just lead her to the door, because she invariably urinates before she gets there. She doesn’t even bother walking into the grass. She will simply urinate wherever she is standing at the time the urge hits. At the same time, I don’t get the impression that she is incontinent, because there is no “dribbling” of urine. It is more like she has simply forgotten everything she has ever been taught, and is incapable of learning it again.
In the last couple of months, the problem began to include drinking her own urine if I didn’t remove her from it the very moment it occurred, whether outside or inside, even though she has plenty of clean fresh water easily accessible at all times. Once she urinated in the floor while I was taking a shower, then just laid down in her own urine and immediately went to sleep; luckily I knew to look for urine, and to check on her, so she was only there for at most a couple of minutes, then of course was bathed immediately. It got to the point where she was defecating in the house as well, and she wasn’t even repeatedly doing it in the same place each time, so she wasn’t following a scent signature and that of course means it wasn’t just a bladder control problem. Again, it was as if she had simply forgotten that she has to go outside to relieve herself. None of that is normal behavior, needless to say.
Recently she was outside for a little while, but when we went to let her in, we couldn’t see her. Our backyard is not an area where our dogs could get lost, mind you. It’s not small but also not especially large, and it is pretty open with the exception of a gazebo near the house and a line of trees for privacy purposes on the sides and back of the property. We freaked out and feared she had somehow gotten out of the yard, though the yard is completely fenced in and none of our dogs have ever gotten out. However, with a dog as old as Li’l Bit, especially with her sight and hearing deficits, getting out of the yard could be absolutely catastrophic, so we were frantic. We found her in the far back of the yard wandering around the trees, lost even though there are only a few trees there in a straight line, and even when we were leading her inside, she was still clearly confused.
Another time recently she was outside on the patio, standing right next to the house, and I couldn’t get her to understand how to get back into the house, though clearly that’s what she wanted to do. Just this morning, she was outside to potty and we found her walking around in circles near the garden shed at the back of the property. We went outside to lead her back in, and she started following us immediately, but she would forget where she was going and just start walking around like she was lost again, even that close to us, and within sight of the house. The poor little dog became lost with us standing right there three times, in the very short distance between the shed and the house, so we finally picked her up and carried her back inside.
Even inside the house, she gets so lost and confused that she will literally walk around in circles and into walls just trying to find the stairs. This happens even when she is standing right in front of the stairs, and even when I lead her to the stairs, she seems to not understand that I am taking her where she is trying to go until she is actually upstairs.
Most disturbingly of all, she stares into space, and she has stopped interacting with us on any level, to the point that she shows absolutely no recognition even when we give her attention. I do not at all get the impression that any of this is due to sight deficit, because she does not react normally to touch either. Like I said, it’s like the lights are on but nobody’s home, and it’s getting worse whether the vet can find something physically wrong with her or not.
There is clearly something very wrong with my little dog, to the point that I now watch her like a hawk even inside the house, and pick her up and carry her wherever she needs to go because she gets lost even walking into another room. If it isn’t explained by a physical problem, as apparently it is not given how many times she has been examined by a vet and given complete blood work, it must be explained by something else.
As readers of this blog are aware, I have cared for my elderly grandmother (who raised me, so she is actually my mother) who has dementia. Time and again, we wondered if perhaps Li’l Bit also has dementia, because the comparisons were obvious. Time and again, the vet told us that dogs don’t get that disease, and that Li’l Bit is perfectly healthy albeit quite aged, and therefore has only diseases typical of dogs her age, such as arthritis. There is not even any evidence of kidney, liver, or heart disease, so she is surprisingly healthy for a dog so old. That’s also what makes this all so confusing for us, in trying to figure out what’s wrong with our beloved beagle so we can help her.
Today, when researching a symptom pertinent to my grandmother’s dementia, I found out completely by accident that elderly dogs (and cats) can indeed become very senile, similar to Alzheimer’s Disease in humans, and that it is likely the explanation for Li’l Bit’s behavior given that she has received repeated complete physicals which came out fine. Unfortunately, since it was not diagnosed early despite our best efforts to obtain a diagnosis, it appears there is nothing anyone can do to help her, much less to reverse the effects. There are medications available, but they are only effective if given early. In Li’l Bit’s case, “early” would have been a year ago when we first sought medical treatment for her symptoms.
From the Merck Veterinary Manual:
Cognitive dysfunction or senility has the following necessary and sufficient condition: change in interactive, elimination, or navigational behaviors attendant with aging that are explicitly not due to primary failure of any organ system. This is a potential animal model for the age-dependent cognitive changes that occur in humans. The affiliated behaviors may be associated with Alzheimer’s-like (senile dementia of the Alzheimer type) lesions. The syndrome occurs in both dogs and cats. It is important to differentiate early cognitive dysfunction from old-age onset separation anxiety. Cognitive dysfunction sometimes involves age-dependent changes in dopaminergic function and microembolic events and is associated with deposition of amyloid plaques; however, the presence of such plaques is not sufficient to diagnose the condition. Many dogs and people with extensive plaque formation experience no decrements in cognitive function.
The following clinical signs may be associated with cognitive dysfunction:
1) Disorientation—the dog or cat seems to get lost in the house or confused when outside. The pet may become increasingly distressed within each episode of disorientation early on in the progression of the cognitive changes, and less so as the changes become more pronounced.
2) Alterations in social and environmental interactions—as cognitive decline progresses, affected dogs and cats interact less with their canine and feline housemates, play less, ignore favored toys, and withdraw from clients, often refusing interaction with them. If forced to interact, the animal can become completely withdrawn, or agitated and more distressed, possibly to the extent of becoming aggressive as a means to decrease interaction. When greeted, affected pets appear not to recognize clients. This profound alteration in client interaction and affect is the change that most distresses clients.
3) Changes in sleep-wake cycle—affected dogs and cats may no longer exhibit standard sleep-wake cycles and instead may pace and/or vocalize during the night. Because cats sleep often during the day as a normal behavior, these changes may be most noticeable in dogs, who will sleep during the day when clients are available to interact with them. Increased vocalization that is repetitive and monotonic is the most common complaint of clients with aging cats. The most distressing aspect of changes in sleep patterns for the clients is that they cannot comfort their pets when they pace and vocalize. Early in the progression of the condition, changes may be manifest only as increased time spent sleeping, which may be considered a normal aging change. Unfortunately, we do not know the extent to which this assumption is true, and such knowledge would allow earlier recognition and intervention for cognitive changes.
4) Changes in elimination behaviors—clients often describe cognitive changes associated with eliminative behaviors as a loss of housetraining. It is likely that there are changes in memory and learning associated with true housetraining (eg, the ability to inhibit elimination unless provided with an appropriate substrate) that are affected as a result of cognitive changes, but in general these dogs are not incontinent. The pets either appear to forget to eliminate when taken to their normal locations and substrates, and then eliminate anywhere when the need is urgent, or they have reduced inhibition and will eliminate wherever they are once they reach a certain threshold stimulus. The extent to which cognition is involved in inhibition of volitional behaviors is largely unexplored in dogs and cats but appears to be important in humans.
There are numerous drugs—and the list is always growing for humans—that may be effective in the treatment of cognitive decline. However, there is only one drug, selegiline, that is approved for canine cognitive dysfunction in the USA. All other use is extra-label, and for some of the medications, canine and feline dosages have not been investigated. Treatment with any cognitive enhancer is likely to be lifelong. Because most of these medications are metabolized through renal and hepatic cycles, pre- and postmedication biochemical evaluation is warranted.
In addition to medications, cognitive enrichment and a prescription diet (Hill’s b/d® ) have been shown to improve learning and reduce signs of cognitive dysfunction in aged dogs. In the UK, a dietary supplement is available that diminishes signs of cognitive dysfunction. The earlier behavioral, pharmacologic, and dietary intervention are accomplished, the more likely that the dog or cat will improve. However, at present the course of this condition can only be slowed, not aborted.
I am brokenhearted, needless to say. I just wish the veterinarian had done a little basic research long ago, when I tried to tell her that there is something very, very wrong with my Li’l Bit despite physical examinations saying otherwise. Perhaps then, though there is no cure, my poor little dog would have been given appropriate treatment early enough to make a difference. It’s too late for Li’l Bit now though, because at this point, her mind is gone and all I can do is either continue to try to make her comfortable, or euthanize her to end her suffering. I don’t know what I am going to do, except that I need to consult with multiple veterinarians who actually understand that particular disease.
Hopefully, however, my experience with Li’l Bit will help other pet owners facing a similar situation, by arming them with information which they can then present to their veterinarians in order to get an early diagnosis.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alzheimer's Disease, beagle, canine, cats, dementia, disease, dogs, elderly, feline, old age, pets, senility, sundowning, veterinarian | 12 Comments »
Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the brilliant Angela’s Ashes, has died at the age of 78. McCourt is also the author of ‘Tis and Teacher Man, both of which are also autobiographical in nature.
I have considered Frank McCourt to be the greatest living American author, since the deaths of writing icons Kurt Vonnegut Jr and Hunter S Thompson.
Though he started his writing career very late in life, after dedicating himself to teaching at New York inner city high schools, Frank McCourt succeeded far beyond his wildest dreams. His life as memorialized in his books stands as a testament to the human spirit, and therefore will live on long after all of us are gone.
Sleep softly, Teacher Man. You will be missed.
Posted in People in the news, celebrities, obituaries | Tagged Angela's Ashes, books, Frank McCourt, Hunter S Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut Jr, memoirs, Pulitzer Prize, Teacher Man, Tis | 1 Comment »
Marinade Dave: Team Casey requests fraud trial delay
The prosecution has requested a speedy trial date on the fraud charges against Casey Anthony, under a 2005 Florida law which grants victims the right to a speedy trial.
The accused’s right to a speedy trial is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution, but nowhere does the US Constitution guarantee any such right to victims. The accused may waive their constitutional right to a speedy trial, at their option.
Under the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, capital crimes and infamous crimes are specified as superior in nature to typical crimes insofar as defendants’ rights, since those crimes require a Grand Jury indictment. The Fifth Amendment also decrees that no defendant may be compelled to be a witness against their own interest.
Since the verbiage of the Fifth Amendment is “be”, not “testify”, it can be interpreted to mean actions other than testifying. It could be interpreted as being forced to defend oneself against a separate but related offense, especially if the defense against the lesser crime would negatively impact the defendant in an infamous capital crime in which the defendant has waived speedy trial as a matter of necessity due to the complexity of the case. While I am a proponent of victims’ rights, the fact remains that states simply do not have the right to override constitutional protections.
An argument on appeal could reasonably be made that, if the fraud trial proceeds first, Casey would be compelled to be a witness, by virtue of simply defending herself, regarding issues directly affecting the capital murder case. After all, the fraud goes to motive in the murder, according to Casey’s own statements to police as well as the prosecution’s theory of both crimes. Furthermore, the fraud charges are clearly inferior to the murder charges, and the alleged fraud took place after the alleged date of the murder.
For those reasons, if the state’s motion for speedy trial is granted against the wishes of the defense, I would fully expect the defense to file an appeal challenging the constitutionality of the new Florida law. I would not be at all surprised if, as a result of the Casey Anthony case, the Florida law granting speedy trial rights to the victim is found to be unconstitutional.
Of course, that is a double-edged sword in a case as infamous as this one, where the nation is watching carefully. An appeal of that nature would undoubtedly cause many to react even more viciously against Casey Anthony. However, it should not have that effect, given that the right of the accused versus the right of the victim is a question of constitutional importance which should and must be clarified.
Constitutional rights are intended to protect everyone, but are particularly important when someone’s life is at stake. The truth is, our constitutional rights are the only thing protecting any of us against the full force and power of the state, especially when one is innocent of the charges against them.
We therefore must zealously protect the constitutional rights of all, regardless of our personal feelings about their guilt. A law which overrides constitutional protections today, and thus helps satisfy the public’s bloodlust against Casey Anthony, could just as easily be used to convict an innocent person tomorrow. That, my friends, is not justice.
Posted in Constitution, Courts & Justice System, Law, People in the news, constitutional rights, crime | Tagged Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony, Constitution, constitutional rights, Fifth Amendment, fraud, Sixth Amendment, speedy trial, US Constitution, victim rights | 6 Comments »
I have covered comedian David Spates‘ “Talking With Dave” YouTube series on this blog previously. This time, he takes on celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who recently got punched in the face after having confrontations with both Fergie and Will.I.Am of the band Black Eyed Peas. They were (understandably, in my opinion) upset about all the filth he posts on his blog about them.
Disclaimer: I am not a Black Eyed Peas fan, nor do I have anything against them. I couldn’t even tell you what genre they are in, much less name any of their songs.
I have to admit, though, I laughed out loud when I first heard about Perez getting punched. I laughed even more when I heard Perez’s reaction to it. Sheesh, get a grip.
Perez: You got punched in the face for calling someone a “faggot” (among other things). Just exactly what did you think would happen when you did that, especially since you did it in public and, even according to your own statement, did so in an intentionally aggressive manner? Did you think he’d just be flattered and ask you out on a date? Do you actually believe that there are no real-life consequences to the endless filth and lies you post on your site? Do you actually believe that because it’s “against the law” people can’t punch you? There are two kinds of assaults, after all. There are physical assaults, and verbal assaults. You engage in verbal assault every single day, so what makes you think others will not respond similarly, and what makes you think law enforcement will care when it does inevitably occur?
For those unfamiliar with his site … Perez Hilton draws penises (among other things) next to celebrity mouths on his site, and writes all kinds of questionable comments on their photos. That’s not even getting into the fact that a lot of what he writes is not even true.
As just one example, when he heard that Michael Jackson had been taken to the hospital with cardiac arrest, he posted on his blog that Michael was faking it to get out of his upcoming tour. Of course, if Michael was faking, that was one helluva fake-out because he died shortly thereafter at the hospital.
So that kind of blogging behavior, especially on an ongoing basis for years, was bound to end badly sooner or later. I’m just surprised it took so long before someone reacted with violence.
What I’d like to know, and this is a serious question, is how someone like Perez – whose sole claim to fame is engaging in vicious gossip on a website – ever got invited to judge the Miss America pageant. Were Borat and Triumph The Insult Comedy Dog unavailable that day?
In the video below, David Spates explains why Perez Hilton is an idiot. It’s very long, but well worth every minute. It even includes Perez’s actual recorded statement about the incident, as David dissects it all piece by piece with a lot of common sense. There is no actual profanity in it, but there are some words which come close (like “mother fudger”), so you probably don’t want to watch it at work.
David explains my opinion about the incident better than I ever could, including discussing the fallacious logic that someone can’t hit you for bad behavior because it’s “against the law”, so give it a watch.
Posted in Entertainment, Law, Master of the Painfully Obvious, People in the news, STFU, Youtube, celebrities, crazy claims, humor, insanetertainment, internets, media, megabitchery, personal responsibility, unusual behaviors | Tagged Black Eyed Peas, David Spates, Fergie, Perez Hilton, Will.I.Am, YouTube | 1 Comment »
This is one of my all-time favorite Weird Al songs.
Yeah, I’m actually a big fan of both Alice In Chains and Weird Al. LOL I’m even one of the “Close Personal Friends Of Al” (not really, that’s just the super cool name of his fan club).
I saw Weird Al in concert years ago. It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen, hands down, and I have seen a LOT of concerts. He actually changed into the costumes from his music videos, and he walked around in the audience to sing “One More Minute”.
Elf and I got to meet Weird Al and his band afterward, and they were all great. The band in particular was fantastic, and actually hung out with Elf for a while, to take goofy photos. That was cool, especially for Elf, who was only about 12 at the time.
So here’s a shout-out to Al’s security guard Mongo, who got me the passes to the meet’n'greet after I explained to him in front of The Florida Theatre, on a lunch break from defending murderers and all kinds of truly nasty critters, that my son is a huge Weird Al fan. After the show Mongo was actually onstage looking for me, to give me the passes, and of course I wasn’t very hard to spot since I have long red hair. Thanks a million, Mongo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spZzKtjIRZg&feature=channel
Darn it, that wasn’t intended to be embedded because I knew embedding was disabled. However, WordPress won’t let me even just put in the link. Argh.
Remove the space from this, and it should get you there:
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=spZzKtjIRZg&feature=channel
(WordPress is turning into a real pain in the rear end, since they dumbed down the way to post YouTube videos. Argh again)
Posted in Entertainment, Shine on you crazy diamond, Youtube, celebrities, humor, insanetertainment, internets, music | Tagged Mongo, One More Minute, Weird Al, Weird Al Yankovich | 3 Comments »
I previously wrote a post about the arrest of Real Housewives of Orange County and Date My Ex: Jo and Slade star Slade Smiley for nonpayment of child support.
Bear in mind, when I wrote that, I didn’t have anything personal against Slade Smiley. I even watched those two reality shows, though I found them both way too boring to cover here. However, I have covered the Atlanta and New Jersey Real Housewives series on this blog, which is the only reason the information about his arrest fell into my radar at all. As I made it clear in the post, I don’t even have anything in particular against people who get behind on their child support, as long as they are doing their best.
However, though the post was nowhere near as nasty as it could have been, especially given that Slade is hardly poor, I got a nastygram comment on that post, from someone who I’d guess, based upon timing and content, got a trackback on the Slade website embedded in that earlier post. That comment claimed that the arrest was for not paying his attorneys, rather than for not paying child support. That same person also viciously attacked the mother of Slade Smiley’s son, Michelle Arroyo, far beyond what would be considered decent given that she is caring for a terminally ill child (her son with Slade has inoperable brain cancer).
That nasty comment got caught in my spam filter, so even I hadn’t seen it yet when Ms. Arroyo originally commented to ask about my source for the information. In fact, I didn’t check the spam filter until three days after the post, two days after the nastygram, and less than a day after Ms. Arroyo’s original comment. That of course means Ms. Arroyo couldn’t have seen it either until after the fact, and that the nastygram writer had no idea Ms. Arroyo would ever see their attack upon her.
Oops. LOL
Below is Michelle Arroyo’s comment, in its entirety, detailing the real story behind why Slade Smiley was arrested, which is actually much worse than just failing to pay child support.
I have confirmed that this comment was indeed posted by Michelle Arroyo. Her comment has been edited here only for ease of readability, and I thank her for taking the time to set the record straight.
First, I will clarify the reason Mr. Smiley was arrested. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest due to his failure to appear in connection with a Stipulation and Order after Hearing filed October 9, 2007. This Stipulation specifically outlined the eight counts of contempt that Mr. Smiley signed a guilty plea, in order to allow him an additional twelve months to pay the sums due in connection with the contempt and fulfill his court ordered obligations. They date back to February 2005 and are summarized below:
1. Mr. Smiley was given 12 months from Septeber 7, 2007 to purge the (8) eight counts of contempt.
2. The contempt will be purged when the last payment is made to all parties and all payments have been made in full.
3. Payments due for all outstanding attorneys fees court ordered to be paid by Mr. Smiley. Additionally, Mr. Smiley would have to bring outstanding current claims for his half of reimbursement for expenses due for minor child current.
4. Mr. Smiley agrees that burden to prove the eight (8) counts of contempt are met.
5. Mr. Smiley is required to meet with Ms. Arroyo monthly to confer and reimburse the other for their respective one-half share of the expenses for Grayson, including medical costs, therapy cost and school costs.
6. Mr Smiley shall pay 100% of the attorney’s fees and costs incurred relating to and arising from the preparation and court appearances for the contempt including all costs to enforce the Orders made December 14, 2006, December 18, 2006, Ruling made February 14, 2007, May 3, 2007 and to date.
7. Mr. Smiley is to pay child support arrears that were previously being paid by wage assignment directly to Ms. Arroyo within the 12 month period, i.e. on or before September 7, 2008.
8. Respondent shall immediately take all necessary steps to ensure Ms. Arroyo’s access to Grayson’s medical insurance provider.
So you see this is not just about his financial obligations, but his refusal to comply with court orders in connection with his son’s medical insurance and meeting to confer with me with respect to Grayson’s care.
These are the facts of the case pending in Orange County. The remaining outstanding child support, and one-half share for out of pocket expenditures for Grayson for the last two years are being handled through the Los Angeles Court System.
For the record, the http://www.amazinggray.org website was designed solely to keep in touch with family and friends and the groups we belong to that actively advocate for pediatric cancer research, and are involved with groups that focus on quality of life for our children.
Grayson has recovered well from his recent surgery and is looking forward to enjoying his summer with friends and family. Thank you for your effort to post actual facts, rather than the typical tidbit of inaccurate information that was released as a statement from Mr. Smiley’s representatives.
I now understand very well why Ms. Arroyo wanted to set the record straight, especially when faced with the publicity machine behind a reality tv star (including the sock puppets like the one who attacked her here). Slade has said that he didn’t know anything about it, and tried to spin it as if he just missed a payment or two in order to make himself look good, and make his child’s mother look as bad as possible. Of course, the Slade camp also claimed that Slade had only failed to pay his attorneys, then they attacked Ms. Arroyo publicly on this blog.
Obviously, however, he knew about it beforehand, since it was a case ongoing for years and he knew exactly what was required of him by the court. After all, he was found in contempt of court, not once, not twice, but eight times over, in a case involving failure to support a terminally ill child, when he is a reality television star. There was no way he was ever getting away with that, nor should he get away with it.
What I find most disturbing about this situation is that Slade had to be forced by a court to provide access to medical insurance providers, when the insurance is for a dying child. That is absolutely beyond unconscionable.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Family, Law, Parenting, People in the news, celebrities, children, health, law enforcement, personal responsibility, prisons | Tagged child support, Date My Ex: Jo and Slade, Grayson Smiley, Michelle Arroyo, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of Orange County, Slade Smiley, Slade Smiley arrest | Leave a Comment »
Marinade Dave posted a little research he did on the Casey Anthony case, in which he found that the two houses closest to the area where Caylee was found have the names “Zenaida” and “Gonzalez”.
Interesting, and very strange. Yes, it’s even a little creepy.
Of course, that still doesn’t explain how Casey knew that someone named Zenaida Gonzalez had looked at the very same apartment at Sawgrass where she claimed “Zanny The Nanny” lived (though the apartment was long empty), but nevertheless, it’s still something to ponder.
Posted in Law, People in the news, crime, internets | Tagged Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony, Sawgrass Apartments, Zanny The Nanny, Zenaida Gonzalez | 63 Comments »
Brown Trial July 9, 2009: The Verdict | Bombs, Taxes, and Red Crayons.
Ed and Elaine Brown, who engaged in a nine-month heavily armed standoff against federal Marshals, were found guilty on all counts. They are now facing a minimum of 30 years in prison before they are even eligible for parole, because one of those counts (charged against each) comes with a term of life. The other guilty counts will likely be ordered to be served concurrently, given that at their ages, they are very unlikely to live long enough to serve even the mandatory minimum.
Click the above link to read details, including Ed’s parting words to the reporters and jury.
I am not surprised by the verdict, nor am I happy that two elderly people will probably never again see the light of day. I actually find it very sad, because this did not have to happen at all.
At the same time, I honestly believe Ed Brown is crazy, and I think he is extremely dangerous, so prison (or a mental institution) is the best place for him. We do have to consider the safety of others, after all. Maybe the judge should order Ed’s sentence to be served consecutively, just to make sure he never gets out.
I just wish Elaine’s attorney had put on a viable defense. It was silly to believe the jurors wouldn’t see right through the “she knew the bombs were there, but she didn’t make them” argument. Her best bet was and always has been a battered spouse syndrome defense.
Oh, well. Maybe on appeal she can claim ineffective assistance of counsel, though it’s unlikely to be successful since trial strategy alone, even if it fails miserably, does not a successful ineffective assistance claim make.
I just wonder if one day Elaine will wake up in her prison cell and realize that, by being a “loyal wife” and standing by her crazy-ass husband no matter what he did, she threw her own life away forever.
Then again, perhaps it is better for Elaine if she never comes to that realization, since the consequences of her decision can never be changed.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Department of Justice, Family, Law, Libertarian Posers, People in the news, US Government, crime, prisons, taxes, unusual behaviors | Tagged Ed Brown, Elaine Brown, guilty verdict, judge, jury, prison, US Marshals | 4 Comments »
Meet Project Runway’s Newest Designers! – - Project Runway : People.com.
Project Runway returns on August 20th on Lifetime.
Project Runway left Bravo after last season, and was quickly replaced by low-rent copycat The Fashion Show, which featured designers who … well, some of them couldn’t even sew, if you can believe that, LOL
The weirdest designer by far on The Fashion Show was Merlin, best known for cracking an actual whip at models when he previously appeared on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.
Something tells me that The Fashion Show contestants are Project Runway rejects, so I look forward to the return of the original.
Posted in Entertainment, People in the news, insanetertainment | Tagged Bravo, Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Lifetime, Merlin, Project Runway, The Fashion Show | 9 Comments »
I was one of the billion people worldwide who watched the Michael Jackson memorial today. It was actually very touching, and I have to admit that I teared up more than once, especially when they showed the very young Michael I remember, and especially when his young daughter spoke at the end. The latter broke my heart, but admittedly it would have broken my heart even if her father had worked in a widget factory.
That being said, there was one thing stated which had me fuming at the television set.
That statement in question was that God “took” Michael.
Maybe, but only if the doctor who gave him the deadly drugs thinks he’s God. That’s very possible, since many doctors do have a god complex. However, as for the Almighty taking Michael Jackson, that simply isn’t what happened.
I realize that it may make some people feel better to believe otherwise. However, had the Almighty taken Michael, then Michael would have died from natural causes, even if those causes were secondary to an accident. Instead, he died of very unnatural causes. He died because some extremely unethical doctors wanted to line their pockets with his money, and they wanted to rub shoulders with a mega-celebrity, so they supplied him with any and every drug he wanted, regardless of whether it was safe, or even if it might kill him. They played Russian Roulette with his life, and he lost.
Were it not for those doctors playing god, there is every reason in the world to believe that Michael Jackson would be alive right now, and for years to come. Michael Jackson was a reasonably healthy middle-aged man, as evidenced by the rehearsal video filmed just two days prior to his death, and as evidenced by the fact that no cause of death was found during two separate autopsies absent toxicology reports.
The cops don’t believe God is to blame, either. According to publicized reports, LAPD Homicide Division served search warrants yesterday, upon multiple doctors involved in Michael Jackson’s care.
Methinks somebody – maybe more than one somebody – is in one helluva lot of trouble. Methinks they should be too, no matter who was found dead with bottles – plural – of a deadly anesthetic only used in operating rooms found in their house. Michael’s celebrity has nothing to do with whether what those doctors did was right, or wrong. If they did that same thing to a homeless guy, with no family and no one to care if he lived or died, it would be equally wrong, and equally illegal.
I don’t care if Michael wanted the drugs, and I don’t care how much money he had to buy them. These doctors took the Hippocratic Oath of “First, do no harm” so that they could get a license to practice medicine – which placed them in a position of public trust – and then killed their patient by supplying (and possibly administering) any number of extremely dangerous and even deadly drugs to him, most if not all of which appeared to be unnecessary, and even medically contraindicated in those dosages and combinations.
Personally, I hope they figure out which doctor gave him the Diprivan (as well as anything else which may have played a part in his death, if determined to have not been medically desirable given his health status) and charge them with second-degree murder, thus holding them up as a warning to all others.
Posted in Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Entertainment, Law, People in the news, Science, celebrities, children, health, law enforcement, music, obituaries, religion | Tagged Diprivan, drug abuse, drugs, First do no harm, god, god complex, Hippocratic Oath, medicine, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson children, Michael Jackson memorial, physician | 13 Comments »
Slade Smiley, reality television star of both The Real Housewives of Orange County and Date My Ex: Jo and Slade was arrested for nonpayment of child support.
That wouldn’t really be a huge deal, except that the child for whom he failed to pay support is his nine-year-old son Grayson Arroyo-Smiley, who has inoperable brain cancer and has been fighting the disease since preschool.
Sometimes things do happen in life which are beyond our control – job loss, major illness – and there is no money for child support. I understand that completely, and I’m not complaining at all about noncustodial parents who do the best they can.
In this case, however, the noncustodial parent had his own reality tv show, lived in a McMansion, and therefore isn’t exactly poor. He also put the child’s mother through the incredible hassle of having to go through the court system, when she should be able to focus all her energies on their son and his devastating illness. I doubt Slade is spending a lot of time with the little boy, given that he seems more interested in humping reality star after reality star (the latest being Gretchen Rossi of The Real Housewives of Orange County).
Send some love to Grayson and his mom (Michelle Arroyo) at Amazing Gray. Feel free to send an email to Slade’s site for Grayson as well (which seems to be just another vehicle to promote his own career).
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Law, Parenting, People in the news, celebrities, children | Tagged Date My Ex, Date My Ex: Jo and Slade, Grayson Arroyo-Smiley, Jo de la Hoya, Michelle Arroyo, Real Housewives of Orange County, Slade Smiley | 22 Comments »
“Cop Without a Badge” Re-issued, More Excerpts | ABSURD TO SUBLIME.
There are excerpts at the above link from the book Cop Without A Badge by Charles Kipps.
Reports note that the book has been reissued, due to Danielle Staub of The Real Housewives of New Jersey being a person profiled in that book (which is actually about the exploits of her first ex-husband, Kevin Maher).
Staub was charged over 20 years ago, with crimes related to a kidnapping for ransom related to a cocaine deal gone bad. According to the book, at that time, Staub was a stripper with an endless hunger for cocaine. Staub was then known as “Beverly Merrill”, but has since changed her name.
However, after reading those excepts, is my opinion that the book is horribly written. It is so badly written, in fact, that I wouldn’t waste my money on it, even though I am interested in the subject matter and collect all kinds of books.
I guess at least now we don’t have to wonder why the book went out of print in the first place. LOL
Posted in Book review, Entertainment, People in the news, crime, women | Tagged Beverly Merrill, book excerpt, Charles Kipps, Cop Without A Badge, Danielle Staub, Kevin Maher, Real Housewives of New Jersey | 1 Comment »
The Real Housewives of Atlanta will return for its second season on July 30 (10 p.m., ET).
Returning this year are aspiring country singer Kim Zolciak, entrepreneur Lisa Wu Hartwell, the outspoken NeNe Leakes and budding fashion designer Sheree Whitfield. Meanwhile, Kandi Burruss, a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and former member of Xscape, will join the mix, becoming the official fifth castmate, replacing DeShawn Snow. According to the network, the newest Housewife’s storyline will involve balancing wedding planning, writing and recording a new album as a solo artist and being a mom. Burruss is friends with Wu Hartwell.
As for the veterans, Bravo notes that upcoming Atlanta episodes will document the development of Whitfield’s She by Sheree fashion line and her dating life, Zolciak’s life after breaking up with beau “Big Poppa,” and Leakes’s upcoming self-help book for women.
via The Real Housewives of Atlanta Returns – PEOPLE TV Watch.
I dunno, I don’t care about She By Sheree at all (unless it fails miserably, like it did the first season when she gave a “fashion show with no fashions”, LOL) or NeNe’s book (though she may actually be able to help some women, and NeNe is a hoot).
The truth is, I only really like these shows when the “housewives” are extremely dysfunctional, which is why I don’t watch The Real Housewives of New York or The Real Housewives of Orange County (bitchy and dysfunctional are two entirely different things). I definitely got a kick out of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but again, only because they are extremely dysfunctional.
I’ll definitely watch, though, because I did like the first season of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Hopefully the second season is nowhere near as boring as it sounds.
Posted in Entertainment, People in the news, celebrities, humor, insanetertainment, women | Tagged Big Papa, Big Poppa, DeShawn Snow, Kandi Burruss, Kim Zolciak, Lisa Wu Hartwell, NeNe Leakes, Real Housewies of New Jersey, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, She By Sheree, Sheree Whitfield, Xscape | 3 Comments »
Bombs, Taxes, and Red Crayons.
Zoe the Dog was on the porch as well and the witness was feeding her pizza. Once he felt that they were positioned appropriately (he sat between Ed and Elaine close to Ed’s gun arm), he used the code word “party” in conversation and both of the Browns were grabbed, tasered, and handcuffed.
Ed put up a fight and warned the Marshals, “You don’t know what you’ve done.” Elaine became very animated and was yelling profanities.
The jury was then shown a brief video of the scene taken just after the arrest. Dutch’s face is blurred out, and Zoe the Dog darts into the house in fear when Ed tries to talk her while he’s standing handcuffed. A minute later, she’s seen stealing a pizza slice and running.
That sounds like a clear-cut case of petit theft to me. Book ‘em, Dano! 
What are the chances that Zoe the Dog’s theft would be caught on tape, then the tape played as evidence in a federal trial? LOL
Anyhoo, head on over to Bombs, Taxes, and Red Crayons at the above link, and check out JJ MacNab’s latest humorous (and not so humorous) report on the trial of Ed and Elaine Brown, who were involved in a nine-month armed standoff against US Marshals.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Department of Justice, Law, People in the news, US Government, animals, crime, humor, insanetertainment, internets, law enforcement, pets | Tagged Ed and Elaine Brown, Ed Brown, Elaine Brown, New Hampshire, tax protester, tax protester trial, trials, US Marshals, Zoe the Dog | 3 Comments »
This is the video of Michael Jackson’s final rehearsal for his upcoming “This Is It” tour. The song he is performing is “They Don’t Really Care About Us”, and the footage was filmed on June 23rd.
After watching that video, I find it very hard to believe that he was in anywhere near as much pain as the drugs found in his home would suggest. I couldn’t move like that if my life depended on it. Most people couldn’t. Still, his talent cannot be denied, and it does not seem to have lessened with time.
Whether Michael’s pain was real or imagined, it is now gone forever.
Sadly, however, the pain for those who loved him is only just beginning.
Posted in People in the news, Shine on you crazy diamond, Youtube, celebrities, health, music, obituaries | Tagged Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson death, Michael Jackson final rehearsal, Michael Jackson final rehearsal video, They Don't Really Care About Us, This Is It tour | Leave a Comment »
Powerful sedative found in Michael Jackson’s home – Yahoo! News.
I have no idea why Michael Jackson, or anyone else, would have a drug of that nature in their home.
Diprivan (also known as Propofol) is an intravenous drug used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. In Michael Jackson’s case, if a Registered Nurse treating him is to be believed, he wanted to use the drug to treat insomnia.
I understand if the guy needed to sleep, because I get insomnia myself from time to time, but The Big Sleep is a whole other ballgame.
I suspect some doctor somewhere is in a lot of trouble right now, whether that’s what actually killed him or not. It’s not as if you can go to your friendly neighborhood drug dealer and get medications of that nature, after all, so he had to have gotten it from a physician.
Posted in People in the news, Science, celebrities, health, music, obituaries | 4 Comments »
“MySpace mom” Lori Drew’s conviction thrown out – Ars Technica.
Lori Drew’s conviction was thrown out today on the basis of legal interpretation. The judge ruled that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act did not apply to the facts of the case.
Lori Drew had made a false MySpace profile, pretending to be a cute boy named Josh Evans. She befriended Megan Meier, a neighbor girl and former friend of her daughter’s, and engaged in an ongoing plot to humiliate and embarrass the 13-year-old, who she knew had a history of serious depression.
Megan Meier committed suicide, many believe as a direct result of Drew’s actions.
Lori Drew admitted to police what she had done, when making a complaint about the Meiers destroying a foosball table she had stored in their garage, but charges were not brought locally. A federal prosecutor in California, home of MySpace, brought the charges in an attempt to make Drew pay for what she had done. Drew was found guilty by a jury.
Many hailed the judge’s action as proper, while others are extremely anger that Lori Drew is not being held legally responsible in the death of Megan Meier.
Personally, I think the judge made the right legal decision in this case, as I have previously stated should be the decision. However, I also think – and have always stated – that Lori Drew should have been charged with any of a number of serious state-level crimes, including child abuse, child endangerment, and possibly even negligent manslaughter, for her actions which led to the death of Megan Meier.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Law, Parenting, People in the news, children, crime, internets, women | Tagged Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Josh Evans, Lori Drew, Megan Meier, MySpace, Myspace suicide, suicide, Terms of Service | 27 Comments »
DEA joins Michael Jackson Death Investigation – KTLA.
It’s reported that Jackson’s body had multiple injection marks when he died. He also allegedly used a slew of aliases, including Omar Arnold and Jack London, along with the name of a bodyguard and the office manager of one of his doctors, to obtain prescription medications.
My concern is that, if someone is getting prescriptions under multiple names, pharmacists cannot tell whether the patient is getting too much of a particular medication, or whether there may be a problem with taking medications which are incompatible. The failure of that line of patient defense may prove to be catastrophic.
At the same time, I understand why celebrities may need to do that, thanks to the out-of-control tabloid press. After all, if I get a prescription, nobody cares except me. If someone like Michael Jackson gets a prescription, millions of people care, so tabloids are willing to pay top dollar for that information.
What do you think? Do you understand why celebrities use aliases when obtaining prescriptions and think it’s okay, or do you think it is a practice which should or must be stopped? Do you think it would be okay if a celebrity only used one pseudonym for medications, as opposed to many?
Posted in Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Law, People in the news, Science, US Government, celebrities, health, law enforcement | Tagged celebrities, Jack London, medication, Michael Jackson, Omar Arnold, pharmacists, prescriptions, tabloids | 3 Comments »
Two anti-smoking drugs to carry mental-health warnings – CNN.com.
The FDA said Chantix and Zyban will carry the warnings to alert consumers to the risks of depression and suicidal thoughts when using the drugs.
The drugs also have been reported to cause changes in behavior, hostility and agitation in users, whether users had a history of psychiatric illness or not. In many cases, side effects started shortly after use began and ended when the medication was stopped. The FDA does not know what is causing the changes and said people taking these products should be monitored by their doctor.
Posted in Science, health | Tagged Chantix, depression, FDA, suicidal thoughts, Zyban | 2 Comments »
The Smoking Gun has posted the Last Will and Testament of Michael Joseph Jackson, for anyone interested.
Last Will of Michael Joseph Jackson
JULY 1–A will signed in 2002 by Michael Jackson stipulates that his assets be placed in a family trust and that his mother be appointed the guardian of his three offspring. The will, a copy of which you’ll find below, lists three executors, including lawyer John Branca and music industry executive John McClain. The will makes no provision for bequests to Jackson’s father or any of his eight siblings, and a court filing indicates that beneficiaries of the Michael Jackson Family Trust are limited to his children and mother Katherine. Six other relatives, including his brother Tito’s three sons, are named as “contingent remainder beneficiaries” who would share the estate in the event that Jackson’s principal beneficiaries died before he did. Branca and McClain believe that the value of Jackson’s estate “exceeds $500 million” and consists of “non-cash, non-liquid assets,” including Jackson’s share of lucrative music royalty rights. In the case that Jackson’s mother were to predecease him (or was unable or unwilling to serve as guardian), Jackson stipulated that singer Diana Ross should be appointed guardian of his minor children. The “Last Will of Michael Joseph Jackson” was executed in Los Angeles on July 7, 2002. (8 pages)
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Family, Finances, Law, Parenting, People in the news, celebrities, children, music, obituaries | Tagged Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson children, Michael Jackson estate, Michael Jackson will, Tito Jackson | 4 Comments »
Unable to sleep tonight, I started searching random keywords on WordPress just for something to do, and ran across a blog which blew me away so much that I had to do a “Press This” about it.
The Opiate Fields is written by a mother who is much like me. Her son is the same age as my son, is also in a rock band, and lost his father as a young teen. However, that’s where the comparisons end, because her experiences with her son are very, very different from mine.
Reading about what she has gone through (and continues to go through) every single day definitely brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “there but for the grace of God go I”.
Her description in the side column is
My son’s life was never supposed to end up this way, with a needle in his arm and opiates running viciously through his veins.
My life was never supposed to end up this way, fearing that each and every moment will be the one when I am told that my only child is dead.
We are both living in a special place in hell, which I like to call “The Opiate Fields”.
It only gets better from there, and I definitely recommend it as a must-read blog. Honestly, I’m still in awe, because I would never be able to write about something that painful, and cannot even imagine living it.
Here’s an excerpt:
I put him in rehab repeatedly even before he was out of high school, trying to stop his downward spiral. When one program didn’t work, I’d try another. I spent literally every cent I had, including the insurance money I received when my husband died, trying to get my son off drugs. I tried being tough, and I tried being understanding. I even went into therapy myself, thinking perhaps it was somehow my fault, and that I was the one who needed to change. Nothing I did, and nothing the doctors did, made a damn bit of difference. He was hell-bent on self-destruction.
By the time he was 16, a doctor proclaimed that my son was a lost cause. I refused to believe that. I still refuse to believe that.
I’m glad to see she never gave up on her son no matter what anyone said. It’s sad that she blamed it on herself, though. Drug addiction of that extreme type and extent is caused by a dysfunction of the brain, not by mothers. Her son may very well be suffering from an underlying mental illness which has gone undiagnosed as well, but she hasn’t said enough about his behavior yet for me to even make a guess about what it might be. It could be a lot of things.
Take a few tissues when you read it, though. It’s just unbelievable to read what that poor mom has gone through, not only with her son, but one of her son’s friends. Un-fricking-believable. In fact, I wouldn’t believe it, except that I actually know some young musicians who use drugs and act just like them, and they have tried similar stunts with me. Needless to say, they didn’t get away with it here, LOL, but she seems like a super nice lady who was just more than a little naive and wanted to think the best of the kids, and as a result has been victimized over and over again by these young predatory drug addicts.
I’m glad to see she finally woke up to their tricks, though. Some people never do, sadly.
Posted in Family, Parenting, Science, children, health, internets, women | Tagged addiction, blogging, drug addict, drug addiction, drugs, mental illness, mothers, opiates, Parenting | 1 Comment »
SIMON COWELL OFFERED $144 MIL A YEAR TO STAY ON ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ – New York Post.
Wow. That’s a LOT of money for judging a singing competition.
Posted in Entertainment, Finances, People in the news, celebrities, media, music | Tagged American Idol, contract negotiations, Simon Cowell | 2 Comments »
Duane “Dog” Chapman may be in the doghouse yet again.
DENVER – A public defender is demanding that TV bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman be charged with felonies for claiming that a man fired a gun at him and his crew while they were filming in Colorado Springs last month.
Attorney William Schoewe alleges Chapman and others made up the claim to boost publicity for the A&E reality show “Dog The Bounty Hunter.” Prosecutors dropped charges against a suspect, saying the evidence was insufficient.
I no longer watch Dog (and haven’t in years) so I haven’t seen that episode, and I haven’t read the police reports, so I don’t know exactly what was said or who said it. What I do recall from news reports, however, is that police found no evidence at the scene supporting Dog’s claim that the suspect had shot at him.
Someone must have told police that the man shot at Dog, though, since charges were brought against him. Without a statement, and without evidence at the scene, the police had no probable cause to charge him with that crime.
If anyone has a link to Dog’s statement to police, or to that episode of the show, please post it. I’d be interested to know exactly what the police were told, and who said it, as well as how the situation was presented on his show.
In other Dog news, Dog’s brother-from-another-mother Tim Chapman was found not guilty by a judge with regard to misdemeanor indecent exposure charges. The judge specifically found that the prosecutor didn’t prove that Tim intentionally exposed himself.
A felony charge of terroristic threatening, due to Tim driving out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell and almost running over a security guard when he was caught with his pants down (literally), was previously dropped. Tim blamed that part of it on …wait for it … Beth Chapman. He was allegedly worried about what she would say.
I have to admit, that’s actually possible, LOL.
Though Tim Chapman blasted prosecutors for what he termed “a waste of taxpayers’ money”, the prosecutor stated that she still believes he intentionally exposed himself.
Chapman states that he fought the charge because his wife recently filed for divorce, and he is trying to get custody of his two young children, but an indecent exposure conviction would get in the way of that goal.
Given the undisputed facts of the indecent exposure case though – that he was clearly seen in his vehicle, in a public parking lot in broad daylight, with no pants or underwear on – it’s still very doubtful he could get custody. Even if one believes Tim’s version of events (that he was just changing his clothes because he spilled orange juice on himself) it still shows extremely poor judgment on his part.
Nevertheless, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he loves his kids and that they love him, so it’s a shame that he and his estranged wife can’t just work things out for the benefit of their children.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Entertainment, Law, Parenting, People in the news, celebrities, children, crime, insanetertainment, unusual behaviors | Tagged Beth Chapman, child custody, Dog Chapman, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, Duane Dog Chapman, indecent exposure, terroristic threatening, Tim Chapman | 11 Comments »
On the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion show, Dina was asked if it was true that she spent a million dollars on her wedding to Tommy Manzo. She said it was not true.
However, in a twist to rival only Danielle’s delusional belief that no one would ever find out that her criminal history was in a book (not to mention public records), it turns out that Dina and husband Tommy Manzo were profiled on VH1’s reality show “My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding”, which proves that she was lying. In fact, at the link below, there is a video from that show to prove it.
Dina and Tommy Manzo on My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding
Total cost of the wedding? $1,150,000
It’s not exactly a flattering portrait of them as a couple, either. On that show, Dina says they dated for five years, and Tommy repeatedly cheated on her. What a catch!
This of course also brings into question Dina’s assertion that her husband was never on the show because he didn’t want to be on reality tv.
There is a treat for fans in that video, though. Look for a younger Lexi and a much thinner Caroline.
Posted in Entertainment, Lies and the lying liars who tell them, People in the news, celebrities, insanetertainment, internets, media, unusual behaviors, women | Tagged Caroline Manzo, Dina Manzo, Lexi, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Tommy Manzo, wedding | 3 Comments »
CNN offers comprehensive coverage of the life and death of Michael Jackson, for those interested in the topic.
Michael Jackson Dead At 50 – Special Reports from CNN.com.
I was a big fan of The Jackson Five as a little girl, so much so that I still remember all their names. I even remember their cartoon, though most people probably didn’t even know there was one (yeah, I know, I’m really showing my age by admitting that). At one point I couldn’t decide if I liked Michael Jackson or Donny Osmond the best, but truth be told, I had a big crush on both of them. I have always believed that Thriller was the greatest music video ever made.
Nowadays I am hardly a rabid Michael Jackson fan, though, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise just because he passed away. I still enjoy his music, though I don’t go out of my way to listen to it anymore, but through that music he brought a dimension to the lives of many, including me, which otherwise would not have existed at all. Michael Jackson broke through many, many boundaries; without him, I believe the world would be a very different place.
In fact, my own personal world is very different than what it otherwise might be, because of Michael Jackson. He is the reason why, though I grew up in an impoverished area of Appalachia where whites and blacks were still quite separate (and not at all equal), I never harbored any racial prejudice despite my upbringing. Long before he sang about it, Michael Jackson taught me that race is nothing but a skin color. I sincerely thank him for that.
At the same time, the sordid world of tabloid journalism would be quite different as well without Michael, Bubbles The Chimp, Michael’s (alleged) hyperbaric sleeping chamber, and the many allegations and accusations leveled against “Wacko Jacko” over the years. Supermarket tabloids like The National Enquirer managed to stay in business for decades because of Michael Jackson’s antics, and unfortunately, he never seemed to let them down. Despite what the younger generation seems to believe, sites like TMZ and Perez Hilton only built upon that sleazy tabloid style of celebrity “journalism”, they certainly didn’t invent it.
I can’t honestly say the world is a better place due to that particular contribution to pop culture, but I think the ever-eccentric Michael just viewed things differently than the average person, and never realized until it was too late what the press would do if they ever turned against him. And turn against him, they did.
Of course the most obvious subject for the press was Michael’s ever-changing facial appearance. His family teased him relentlessly about his nose when he was a child, from what I have read, and that may have been the catalyst for what appears to have been body dysmorphic disorder resulting in his many (eventually bizarre) plastic surgeries. Michael was very sick, in my opinion, but that can be explained by the fact that he led a life unlike anyone else on earth, from a very, very young age, and under threat of severe physical punishment if he failed to perform perfectly.
I therefore noted the changes in his appearance – after all, it was impossible not to notice them – and never believed it when said his skin color changed due to vitiligo, or that he hadn’t had a nose job. I do have eyes, after all, and I remembered very clearly what he looked like as a child, so I could see that his appearance had changed dramatically, and to a degree which would be impossible without extreme surgical intervention. However, I didn’t engage in the endless discussion and speculation on that subject. Michael Jackson was mentally ill, in my opinion, and therefore in desperate need of help and understanding, not public ridicule.
Unfortunately, when you are a star of his caliber, and when you have that kind of money, others only say what they think you want to hear. That extends to professionals as well, so if one doctor says no to plastic surgery, someone in Michael’s position can always find another one willing to say yes. Perhaps that even ultimately led to his untimely demise.
The other thing which stands out from Michael Jackson’s life are the child molestation accusations. For the record, as I stated publicly at the time of the accusations, I never believed Michael Jackson was molesting children. This opinion has absolutely nothing to do with my enjoyment of his music, and everything to do with the extremely unusual life he had led from a very tender age. In a nutshell, I think his maturity was severely stunted, to the point that he simply could not understand that, as an adult, he was held to a different set of rules. Watching the Martin Bashir documentary only reaffirmed that opinion.
I could be wrong in believing the accusations were false, but I don’t think so, and a jury didn’t think so either.
I did however, as a result of those accusations, learn to harbor a deep and abiding dislike for “journalist” Diane Diamond, then with CourtTV, who clearly enjoyed the power given her to destroy the life of another human being, based solely upon the word of someone who stood to gain great wealth from the accusation. Boundaries of responsible reporting were crossed again and again, as the accusations and eventual trial were covered. The media changed into something more closely resembling a tabloid, and thus became far more vicious and intrusive, almost overnight.
However, I never depend upon the media to tell me what I should think about anything, so I sought to find out for myself. The first accuser’s affidavit simply did not ring at all true to me; I got the distinct impression that they mixed truth with sick fantasy, to create an allegation of child molestation. The second accuser’s mother was known for suing everyone in sight, and both had lied under oath before, so they simply were not credible. The fact that he settled with the first boy does not necessarily mean he was guilty either. He was a mega-celebrity, the biggest recording artist in the world, and many times people in his position will settle out of court, rather than have everything they have worked for destroyed by a single false allegation. This is especially true when he had no way of proving his innocence. If you or I had the kind of money Michael Jackson had, we might do the same thing if faced with those same circumstances.
The question in my mind is (and always has been): What kind of parent would ever allow their child to spend such an inordinate amount of private time with a grown man who was obviously, at best, highly eccentric? As a mother, I would never have allowed that, and I don’t care who the adult may have been, or how much money he may have had. It simply would never have happened.
Since it was grossly irresponsible parenting in the first place, there is no reason to believe those same parents would not also be irresponsible enough to lodge false accusations and even coach their child, in order to make millions off their son’s relationship with Michael. The first accuser’s dad was a lawyer, and he walked away with an astonishing $15 million, but no criminal charges were even brought because they refused to cooperate with the police after they got the money. What does that tell you about the truthfulness of the accusation? The second accuser’s mother sought an attorney to file a civil suit before even going to police, which speaks volumes as well.
Would you tell a lie, if that lie would pay off to the tune of $15 million? Would you let a child molester walk free to molest again and again, if you truly believed they had molested your child? Think about it.
All in all, the media circus revolving around Michael Jackson’s death is much stranger than anything Michael could ever have done in life. Not only did the worldwide web almost get shut down by the news, as website after website – from Google to Twitter – became overloaded with hits, but the mainstream media has covered his death nearly to the exclusion of all other news. Even the network national news covered Michael’s death for most of its newscast, though they had nothing of value to add to what had already been said elsewhere.
Those who demonized Michael in life are coming together to mourn him in death. HLN has turned into the “All Michael Jackson, all the time” channel, and even their infamous Nancy Grace Show – which spent an inordinate amount of time crucifying Michael in the court of public opinion, long before the molestation case ever even got near a jury, and who continued to do so even after his acquittal – has jumped on the “Remembering Michael Jackson” bandwagon, in a shameless quest for ratings. I just hope fans watching that coverage are aware that these are the very same people who played a crucial role in destroying their music idol’s life and reputation when he was still alive.
So, what happened to cause Michael’s sudden unexpected death? Since the autopsy was inconclusive, I think it’s reasonable to assume his death was drug-related, especially since police impounded his doctor’s car in the belief it may contain evidence, and especially since the Jackson family attorney says that he warned about that very possibility long ago. I personally suspected that his death was drug-related when the news first broke that he had suffered cardiac arrest, since a cardiac arrest and a heart attack are two different things, and since he was only 50 years old. What I find extremely unusual about this situation is that a physician was actually there with him, so a lethal drug overdose should not have even been a possibility. I therefore look forward to more news on that front.
As a mother I very much feel for Michael’s three children, who have lived an incredibly sheltered (and more than a little strange) life as a result of their father’s eccentricities and his fame, as well as his infamy. This is going to be terribly difficult for them, as they adjust to an entirely new life without their only parent. At the same time, they will be embraced by the world now, in a way they would never have experienced when their father was alive. I attribute that to what I call “Sins Of The Father Syndrome”, and it is, quite sadly, a phenomenon which is not unusual even among those who are neither wealthy nor famous. It’s just too bad that no one was willing to forgive Michael Jackson of his perceived sins when he was still here to enjoy that himself.
Rest in peace, Michael. I sincerely hope you have finally found the peace you were never able to find in this world.
Posted in celebrities, children, obituaries | Tagged Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson child molestation, Michael Jackson death, Michael Jackson drug overdose, Michael Jackson plastic surgery | 21 Comments »
The Real Housewives of New Jersey aired the second of a two-part reunion show last night. Caroline Manzo, best described as the tough-as-nails matriarch of the group, burst into tears and became somewhat hysterical over something Danielle Staub allegedly planned to do to her younger sister Dina. However, she refused to say what it was, because Dina had made her promise beforehand not to do so.
Danielle claimed she didn’t know what they were talking about, but I got the impression from her facial expressions (or at least, what facial expressions she has left thanks to Botox) that she was not at all surprised by the unspoken accusation, as she would be if she truly didn’t know what they were referencing.
Could it have been a threatened slander suit, over Dina allegedly talking to others about Danielle behind her back? Possibly, but I seriously doubt Caroline would burst into tears over that. She’d just call in the lawyers and say “bring it on”, because Dina cannot be held legally liable for showing others a book, or for stating her opinion about what is in that book. After all, it is reasonable to believe that what is in the book is true, since there was no libel suit when the book was published, and since many of the accusations are supported by public records.
I’m not saying that everything in the book is true, mind you. I previously posted a link to public records about her arrest and conviction, but I have no proof one way or the other regarding any statements made which are not covered by those records, except perhaps that she may be a nymphomaniac based upon her blatantly sexual behavior during the show.
Dina also pointed out that “it didn’t happen”, which means that it was a planned course of action which didn’t take place, and not just something Danielle said. Caroline’s emotional reaction, and the fact that they refused to say what it was, also leads me to believe it was something far more serious than a lawsuit.
Personally I suspect the Manzos were told, whether true or false, that Danielle planned to physically harm, or get someone else to physically harm, Caroline’s sister Dina. That’s a threat I would take very seriously if I were the Manzos, based upon Danielle’s criminal history as well as more than one threat of physical violence which Danielle actually made on the show. Besides, given her previous threats against others, there is no reason to believe she wouldn’t have run her mouth and threatened someone yet again, whether she actually intended to do anything or not.
Do I know for sure that’s what she allegedly did to cause that reaction from Caroline? No, but it must be considered that Caroline’s father-in-law was murdered many years ago, and though the case was never solved, the police believed the crime was perpetrated by the mob. Given that Danielle has had known past ties to organized crime of a different type, I could definitely see the otherwise-tough Caroline reacting that way to that particular kind of threat, even if the threat was not serious enough to involve the police.
Did the accusation surprise me? No, not at all, given the behavior of all of these women (with the exception of Jacqueline). In fact, I’m surprised that it wasn’t an issue long before now, with all the threats flying back and forth. While normally I would write off threats from females as someone just running their mouth, Danielle in particular shouldn’t be threatening anyone, even if she doesn’t actually intend to follow through with that threat. It is entirely reasonable for others to take her threats at face value, and respond accordingly.
Does anyone reading this know what happened, or have any theories about it?
Posted in Entertainment, Family, People in the news, celebrities, insanetertainment, megabitchery, unusual behaviors, women | Tagged Caroline Manzo, Danielle Staub, Dina Manzo, Real Housewives of New Jersey | 11 Comments »
During the first of a two-part Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion special, it was revealed in a conversation, about whether the rumors that the Manzos have mob connections are true, that Caroline Manzo’s father-in-law, Albert “Tiny” Manzo, was murdered in 1983. What happened, and why would it be brought up in that context?
News reports of the era clearly suggest that Albert “Tiny” Manzo was killed in a mob hit, and it definitely sounds like one.
Police who discovered Manzo’s naked, 350-pound body stuffed inside the trunk of his Lincoln Continental in Hillside immediately noticed two things out of the ordinary: Manzo’s massive arms and legs had been wrapped in plastic, and his chest was ripped open with a quartet of gunshot wounds.
Manzo disappeared in mid-August of that year while traveling from one of his two Paterson restaurants to a meeting in Wayne. Police found his body Aug. 22 inside the trunk of his car, which was parked at a Hillside supermarket.
The murder was never solved. The Union County prosecutor and police investigators speculated that Manzo was killed as a result of involvement with organized crime figures. One theory is that he angered local mob figures by attempting to open an illegal gambling club in Paterson without their permission.
Ironically, the friendly and gregarious Manzo had based his mayoral campaign on a law-and-order platform, promising to hold public hangings in the yard of the Passaic County Jail.
That is truly a tragedy and a shock to the family, and I can completely understand why Caroline Manzo is still quite emotional about it to this day, since this gentleman was her father-in-law. If the police theory is right, I have to respect Mr. Manzo for having the guts to stand up to organized crime. I can also understand why Caroline Manzo finds the internet rumors of a Mafia connection to be hurtful.
At the same time, if indeed this gentleman ran afoul of the Mafia because he was opening an illegal gambling parlor without their permission, he clearly wasn’t quite as law-and-order as others might believe.
Does that mean the Manzos have mob connections of any type today? Not necessarily, so I think it is unfair to make that assumption. At the same time, in all honesty, I still did wonder where some of the housewives’ husbands got that much money.
The Manzos seem to have received $500,000 from Albert Sr.’s life insurance policy in 1989, six years after his death. The holdup was because the insurance company, Massachusetts Mutual, refused the claim because he didn’t disclose he had diabetes, so there are court records on that dispute. The policy was initially applied for in June, and the initial payment was made less than a month before his murder, so I’d bet the company suspected he knew he had pissed off the wrong people when he purchased the policy, but they just couldn’t prove it.
Note to self: Never buy a life insurance policy from MassMutual, because their excuse to get out of paying the policy proceeds is ridiculous. Who cares if the man had diabetes, when he underwent a required physical prior to policy issuance (so their own doctor should have tested for that, especially given his massive size), when he obviously died not of diabetes, but from four gunshot wounds to the chest? It wasn’t a suicide, after all, and I’m sure if the man had a choice, he’d be alive to this day. Furthermore, if the insurance company could prove he knew he was about to die, they’d have brought that as an argument against payout instead. So they needed to just pay the proceeds, since they accepted the risk, and not give the grieving family of a murder victim such a hard time. This is in fact a good example of why I hate insurance companies. But, I digress.
It appears that Albert Sr. started The Brownstone as well as another restaurant many years ago, so that alone was a successful preexisting asset which could easily support the Manzo family, but probably not at that level of wealth. However, if properly invested over the years – especially if used to invest in other profitable businesses as I would assume the Manzos have done, since they seem to be hardworking and have very good business sense – they could all indeed live very well even today from the proceeds of that insurance policy. When the policy proceeds were combined with The Brownstone asset as well as the second restaurant (and there may have been other significant business assets as well), the family was surely worth well over $1 million even then. In 1989, that was a LOT of money.
Teresa Giudice’s husband, however, strikes me as nothing but a common thug. I also find it very hard to believe he makes that much money in the construction business, especially after the scene at his office, which suggests his company’s office is smaller and less well-equipped than the home office from which I am typing this. Of course, their McMansion could be built far less expensively by a contractor than by anyone else, but that still doesn’t explain Teresa spending over $100,000 on furniture – in cash, no less – to furnish a single room of that home. Even if her husband inherited money like the Manzos, she spends it like she has a money tree in the back yard, so it wouldn’t last for any sustained period of time even if wisely invested, since very successful investments must be nurtured, and since the current economy appears to have had no negative effect on their lifestyle at all. Quite the contrary, because Teresa said on the show that she pays cash even for shockingly expensive purchases because she “heard” the economy has taken a downturn. I therefore think it is normal for others to have at least some suspicions about the source of their income given all that combined with his persona, his wife’s violent public behavior (not to mention his laughing reaction to it), and the amount of organized crime in New Jersey.
I understand that the “housewives” think that kind of suspicion is unfair. However, surely they realized how others would view the situation, before they decided to star on a popular reality show and spend money like it’s water. This is even more so given some of their clearly threatening behavior on that show, which in Teresa’s case became physical. Besides, people are always going to question where the “housewives” got their money, because those very same questions have arisen with every version of the Housewives franchise. For those reasons, they should have seen the suspicions coming from a mile away.
However, after reading up on the murder of Albert Sr and the insurance dispute which followed, I am going to assume the Manzos got their money through hard work and the inheritance of a long-established successful business, combined with the well-invested proceeds of a long-ago life insurance policy. Perhaps something will come to my attention which may explain how the Guidices can afford their lifestyle as well. Until then, however, I’m certainly not ready to assume they have any current connections to organized crime, unless I see something which clearly points in that direction.
Posted in Courts & Justice System, Entertainment, Family, Finances, Law, People in the news, Shine on you crazy diamond, celebrities, crime, obituaries, women | Tagged Albert Manzo, Albert Tiny Manzo, Caroline Manzo, murder, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice | 3 Comments »
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