Awaiting Moderation
Evidently, there was an argument at a new years eve party, which means everyone was drunk. I suspect Mr. O’Donovan is not an innocent victim. Also, why did he take a knife to the party? ~ Suki Divine, a few minutes ago you said ” by my guess the klans legacy is alive and well in georgia still”. Do you stand behind that comment? ~ I can neither confirm, nor deny, listening to that program. ~ anniversary number thirteen of nine eleven – the end of innocence, possibly engineered/enabled by a war profit happy government – maintaining peace of mind in the midst of madness ~ I saw your comment, and thought you were mad at Mr. Brannon. I flashed to people burning their Beatle records, and the Nazi book burnings. Then I realized that burning a cd is 180 degrees different than burning a book. ~ @fieldnegro there are plenty of white people who try to ignore jesse jackson fox news does not speak for me ~ is #Ferguson a way of shutting your eyes, sticking your fingers in your ears, and pretending #Gaza isn’t happening? ~ @steveroggenbuck yesterday i drank 2 huge fruit smoothies (72+ ounces each) and i pooped 4 times.. EFFORTLESSLY.. and it smelled way better than usual poop 5:43 PM – 10 Aug 2014 ~ Lizzie Borden was so upset when her brother got to run the Cheese factory. Changing her name to Estelle did not fool the authorities. It was an unfortunate situation all the way around. ~ Your comment is awaiting moderation. ~ I wonder how people living under drought conditions feel about that ice and water being wasted. ~ If you trust G-d to take care of you when you die, there is no need to make noise about Jesus. People who talk endlessly about salvation are saying that they don’t have faith in G-d, that they need a gimmick. Trust G-d. Quit worrying about Jesus. ~ Comments here are under moderation. That means that when you hit “Publish,” we take it under advisement. If your comment is on-topic, inside the bounds of the rules, and in any way useful, we’ll also hit publish. All other comments are filed for reference. ~ One word about Lyndon Johnson: Vietnam. ~ This type of entertainment has a problem. With all the serious crime going on, these guys should not put on a fake crime to illustrate their social commentary. ~ You’ve reached the bandwidth limit for viewing or downloading files that aren’t in Google Docs format. Please try again later. You can also try to download the original document by clicking here. ~ Restaurant Manifesto @restofesto We’d gladly donate our tips to ALS research if we could dump buckets of ice on some of the douchebags we have to wait on. 4:37 PM – 17 Aug 2014 ~ Father, economist, counselor, cocktologist, amusing douche, StL enthusiast, eater, conspicious consumer.~ No claims to the accuracy of this information are made. The information and photos presented on this site have been collected from the websites of County Sheriff’s Offices or Clerk of Courts. The people featured on this site may not of been convicted of the charges or crimes listed and are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Do not rely on this site to determine factual criminal records. Contact the respective county clerk of State Attorney’s Office for more information. All comments and opinions are submitted by Internet users, and in no way reflect the views or opinions of this site’s operators. ~ thanks for the heads up the comments at the blog post are good especially the mug shot of mr. schorsch ~ The tank needs whitewall tires and mag wheels ~ @suey_park @steveroggenbuck beware of those who like to point fingers and scream racist @JohnLuce @suey_park beware of those who are so committed to their ego they will stretch the truth and don’t care about the harm they do. ~ Was wise used to describe your whole being, or your ass? ~ @mbsycamore Why are gay men obsessed with white sheets? @mbsycamore they can’t find shoes to go with the pointy hats ~ is it a good idea for you to visit Dangerous Minds? ~ Pictures for this collection of notes are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
English Vocabulary Quiz
A recent internet quiz is How Good Is Your English Vocabulary? This was a blow to the pride. I have always thought I was pretty good with words, and yet, with a few educated guesses, I only got 80.
The test has ten questions. Six times the definition is given, with two words to choose from. Four words are given, with two possible definitions.
The four words, leading to a binary definition decision, are abusion, bombilate, jargogle, and lubritorium. I have never used any of these words, even while performing the actions of the three verbs. I also make regular use of a lubritorium. It is a place adjacent to where you pay at the pump.
The first question is the definition “Fond of company, a social individual. gregarious, perceptive” This is obvious. In fact, perceptive might be the opposite of social, unless you can keep your uncomplimentary observations to yourself.
The second question was “Able to be manipulated without breaking. malleable milieunous” When I looked up mileunous later, I could not find an english definition. It appears to be French.
Pedantic is an option for two definitions. “Wicked to an extreme, malicious. nefarious pedantic” “Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules. pedantic pediatric” And yet, pedantry is seen by some as nefarious. In the age of obamacare, pediatric billing can be both pedantic and nefarious.
The quiz does not give correct answers. One possible mistake was with syntax. This is a word which I have seen used, and sort of know the meaning. However, when asked to choose between “The study of the origins of separate languages vis interchangeable root words” and “The study of the rules whereby words … are combined to form grammatical sentences”, I drew a blank. Syntax is not spelled sin tax, and is not a government levy on alcohol and gambling.
This quiz seems to be collecting eyeballs for the sponsor. Rooms to go, Target, and AT&T, among others, are paying per view. When you take the test over and over, to try and move your score up, these sponsors ante up for the clicks. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Richards
A comment at a recent post mentioned “Jenning’s Rose Room, a classic poor white juke and dance hall … where Trader Joes now sits.” PG had been in that building when it was called Richards. Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
There is no telling what the original use of the building at 931 Monroe Drive was. It was across the street from Grady Stadium, and adjacent to Piedmont Park. The railroad tracks that became the beltline ran behind it. The parking lot was primitive, with a marquee sign built at some point. (PG drove by that sign several nights and saw that Lynyrd Skynyrd was playing.)
There was another nightclub building on the hill behind JRR. One night, PG went to see a jazz band there, accompanied by someone who lived in a nearby house. After seeing the band, PG was led to a horse stable behind the bar. The horses were not well maintained … you could see the ribs sticking out. There is a story of a goat getting loose from the stable, and being chased out of the jazz bar during happy hour.
Jennings Rose Room was before PG’s time. There is a story that some men had lunch there, and made a bet. The idea was to hit a golf ball from the JRR parking lot, and putt it into a hole at Piedmont Park. A biscuit was used as a tee. The first shot went across the street, onto the field at the stadium. Eventually, the ball was hit across Tenth Street, onto a green, and into the cup.
At some point, Jennings Rose Room closed. A gay club called Chuck’s Rathskeller was opened in that location. A rock and roll club or two did business there. Then Richards opened.
The first time PG was in the house was after a Johnny Winter concert at the Fox. There were rumors of visiting musicians dropping by Richards to play after their shows. Mr. Winter was only onstage for a couple of minutes after PG got there.
The most memorable trip to Richards was during the summer of 1973. The headliner was Rory Gallagher, who was ok but not spectacular. The opening act was Sopwith Camel, one of the forgotten bands of the seventies. They performed a novelty hit, “Hello Hello”. Someone in the audience liked it, and paid them to do it again. The band wound up doing “Hello Hello” five times, and said that was the most money they made in a long time.
Average White Band was making the rounds that fall, and had a show at Richards. A lot of the audience was black, and they hit the dance floor in unison when “Pick up the Pieces” was played. Fellow Scotsman Alex Harvey was in town, and joined AWB to sing “I heard it through the grapevine”.
Muddy Waters played at Richards one night. The band did most of the playing, with Mr. Waters tossing in a few licks on bottleneck guitar. He might have sang a couple of times.
About this time, Iggy Pop played a few shows at Richards. One night, someone snuck up on him, and gave him a hug. It was Elton John, wearing a gorilla suit.
PG saw three more shows (that he can remember) at Richards. Richie Havens was worth the two dollar admission. Soft Machine played in the winter of 1974. Larry Coryell played a show that summer, with the Mike Greene Band opening. PG got to talk to Mike Greene that night. The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (who do the Grammy Awards) had a President named C. Michael Greene at one time. PG thinks this is the person he talked to that night.
Two friends of PG went, as their first date, to see Spirit at Richards. They were married a few years later. Towards the end of 1974, Richards was running out of steam. They advertised a New Years Eve show starring B.B. King, and sold high priced tickets. When the crowd showed up for the show, they found the doors locked. Richards had closed.
The next tenant for 931 Monroe Drive was going to be Cabaret After Dark, a gay club. There was a fire the night before the grand opening. The building was never used again. Eventually, a shopping center was built on the site.
UPDATE: Here is an article, from the Great Speckled Bird, about Richards. This is a repost.
Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life
The recent book by Graham Nash, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life, begins in the same place as “Songs for Beginners.” England is at war, and the luftwaffe is visiting Manchester regularly. Young mothers go to a safe place in North England to have their babies. One turned out different.
The Nash family lived in what was called a “council home.” In America, it would be called a project. Things did not get better when father went to prison. Years later, when Graham came home for a visit, he saw his mother making out with another man.
Now, in stories like this, it is music that saves the young man. He meets Allan Clarke in school, and the two sing well together. Various singing groups follow, more musicians are recruited, and they name a band after Buddy Holly.
Mr. Nash spoke an event to promote this book. At seventy two, he has a full head of snow white hair. Many of the stories in the book were told here, some with details added. One of these tales is the time the Everly Brothers came to Manchester. Graham and Allan were determined to meet their heroes, and hung out on the steps of a hotel until late at night. Finally, the Everly Brothers arrived. They spent a half hour talking to the star struck young men. This story is on Page 43.
So the Hollies make it big, and go to America. Graham Nash meets Mama Cass, who introduces him to David Crosby and Steohen Stills. Somehow, he meets Joni Mitchell. Graham makes beautiful music with all three, not always playing the same instrument. Joni is well known for her open tuning.
Grahams mind is expanding, with a little help from his friends. The decision to leave the Hollies is made. Atlantic records trades Richie Furay to Epic records for Graham Nash. A music publishing contract is torn up. Don’t try this at home.
One day, Joni and Graham go into a thrift store. Joni buys a vase. They go home. Graham says “I’ll light the fire, while you put the flowers in the vase that you bought today.”
Crosby Stills & Nash become superstars. Neil Young, bless his heart, joins the band. They go to Woodstock, and get scared shitless. Joni Mitchell stays in New York City, because her manager does not want her to miss the Dick Cavett Show on Monday. (Listen to Grace at 10:05) Joni writes a song about the event she missed.
Time marches on. The various relationships, both musical and romantic, come and go. A man makes a bet with Graham that he cannot write a song in a half hour. The result is “Just a song before I go.”
No story involving David Crosby is complete without a drug lecture. One story was so explosive, the legal department called Graham before the book was published, just to confirm the story. It is on page 263. David sold his Mercedes for crack. The man who bought it od’d. David broke into his house, stole the bill of sale and car keys, took the car, and sold it again.
Somehow, David Crosby is still alive today. So is Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell. This might be surprising to some. Even if Graham were to fall over dead today, he leaves a fine body of work behind him. This book is just another part. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. .
What Denomination Are You?
The fbf put up a link to an internet quiz, What Christian Denomination Should You Actually Be a Part Of? As the reader(s) of this blog might discern, PG is an acknowledged non christian. His favorite denomination is the twenty. They are easier to spend than fifties and hundreds.
The first question is “What is the source of your beliefs?” The choices include scripture, uncertainty, conscience, and people who talk about scripture. This question presupposes the omnipotence of the belief paradigm. In other words, not everyone feels that what you believe is a big deal.
PG has three “fundamental” beliefs regarding xtianity. G-d does not write books. Jesus has nothing to do with life after death. It is none of your business. Are these concepts an allergic reaction to years of christian noise, both joyful and joyless? Is it a weary soul talking common sense? Who came first, the chicken, or the egg? Do you really need to know?
The second question is “how is one “saved?”” This is a big deal to Jesus worshipers. The xtian obsession with life after death makes PG want to run screaming. The seldom heard option offered here is “I don’t know/no opinion.”
One concept is that what happens to the dead is none of the living’s business. Maybe, if you have faith in G-d, things will turn out ok. When you devote every sunday morning to screaming about so called salvation, you advertise a lack of faith in G-d.
Third is “what are your opinions on war?” This is one of those contradictions. You just have to understand. An abortion is bloody murder. When Israel shells a school housing refugees, it is justifiable self defense. The reconciliation of beliefs and practices is a source of brain damage. This is not a spiritually uplifting practice.
In many questions, you must choose the least bad answer. This is typical. For what type of worship suits you, being home churched is not an option. For what definition of the trinity best describes your belief, there are no good answers. PG feels that the concept of a triune G-d is a grotesque violation of the First commandment.
The first commandment says to have no other G-d before you. In Jesus worship, this one G-d expands to at least six: G-d, Jesus, Holy Ghost, The Bible, Satan, and Salvation.
There are a few more questions. There is a Catholic slant to this quiz, with emphasis on the Virgin Mary. There is the concept that authority in today’s church was passed down from the disciples. Hopefully, Judas was not included. Finally, there is a question about Gay marriage. Maybe this quiz was designed by a Catholic divorce lawyer.
The answer was probably as good as could be expected. “You should really be Non-Denominational! You’ve never understood why people get so caught up with labels, creeds, and institutions. For you, faith is what matters. You have a personal relationship with God and you’re not so worried about being a member of any specific group or sect. You enjoy Bible study, casual gatherings, and a church where everyone is welcome regardless of theological labels.”
Whatever. Why study a book that teaches people to hate you? Maybe the advertisers at this quiz are getting a spiritual return on their investment. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
A Sad Event
It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news. Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection, and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.
Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs.Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he was still a crusty old man and was considered a roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly dad, Pop Tart.
I am not clever enough to compose the above piece. Credit is hereby given to whoever wrote it. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The spell check suggestion for Doughboy is Doughnut.This is a repost.
Impeach Nixon And Agnew
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“the arm chair activism is bullshit and does nothing for the charities they’re promoting” Not only that, it can do serious damage to your community. ~ One night, Bob Mould was rehearsing in Athens GA. The 40 watt club had a cancellation, and asked him to play. His band did not have a name. He was in a Waffle House in Athens, and looked on the table, and saw a pack of sugar. ~To begin with, he was at a house party, not a bar. Second, there is a good bit of uncertainty as to what happened. Some say it was an argument. Some say it was a discussion that got out of hand. Remember, this was early new years day morning. People at a party are liable to be drunk, and do stupid things. This includes Mr. O’Donovan. You also might wonder why Mr. O’Donovan brought a knife to a new years eve party. The articles I saw do not specify what type of knife. I suspect it was not a pocket knife.~ Joe.My.God. ~ “He was yelling. I was yelling, but it was not an argument. That’s the way we expressed our opinion.” Urica Bell Morrow GA ~30 We are going to run out of water someday ~ “In the scope of large-scale evangelical opinion, we are merely a whispered voice of dissent—and every effort will be made to silence that whisper. People who claim to be “Spirit-filled” and people who tout the virtues of tolerance are awfully quick to get angry, aren’t they? That’s because in a culture like ours where diversity, inclusivity, and tranquility are deemed higher values than truth, there will be strong resistance to any message that exposes the fallacies of popular opinions” It has been my experience that many professional Jesus worshipers are mean, angry people. They use Jesus as a tool of their anger. When you point this out, i. e. “expose the fallacies of popular opinions” they get even angrier. ~Maybe you should say what some Palestinians did. They are individuals. Also, that is East Jerusalem, not Gaza. ~ Asking for a link got me called a racist ~ The first time I went to XYZ mountain was my thirtieth birthday. ~ I don’t go there much anymore, and did not notice. So they left the front, and took out the back. I have mixed feelings. I was only inside once or twice, and it was not in good shape. ~ There is a house down the street from me that is being mcmansionized. Last night I rode by, and saw the oak tree in front being cut down. For some reason, that affected me more than the house being torn down. ~ The spell check suggestion for mcmansionized is simonized. ~ The twenty four hour syndrome. You are in a magical place, and beside yourself with glee. After a while, reality creeps back in. You realize that you still carry the same baggage as before. ~ You hear a lot about Israeli military superiority. In this country, we can see the overwhelming superiority of the Israeli PR machine. ~ Don’t be obtuse. ~ six words to eliminate just, should, but, always, actually, never, ~ i dont want to talk about it i have no influence on that conflict the children of gaza were not even born when 911 took place i am sick and tired of this confilct i support israel with my taxes and i am not going to give them my peace of mind ~ I am writing a post about facebook interrupting my sunday morning peace of mind. There will be historic pictures. They will be more enjoyable than the text. Neither the text, nor the pictures, will affect the conflict I am writing about. ~ the banker who puts the douche back in fiduciary ~ When you give a shit do you gift wrap it? Concern for your neighbor is a wonderful thing. To express this concern by using a vulgar word is puzzling. This vulgar word represents animal waste. There should be a way of expressing concern for your neighbor that smells better. ~ The english language has some quirks. So many people refer to anything and everything as *feces*. It is said that profanity is a substitute for thought. This is probably the case with the majority of *waste* slinging in everyday discourse. ~ “People may say I can’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.” Florence Foster Jenkins ~ And the Arby’s is now a Starbucks. ~ I am surprised the Krystal/Starbucks on 7th street is still there, assuming that it is ~ I am curious to see what they do with the Starbucks on 7th since the red brick building behind it is designated as a historic building. I lived in that building when the Starbucks was a Krystal that brought all the scum of the earth to that corner. The building was designed by Neil Reed was the first residential building in Georgia with steel beam construction. The small garden in back had the only peachtree on (OK, adjacent to) Peachtree street. ~ Creem magazine called that Krystal the roughest hamburger stand in America. ~ And it was! The manager was a no-nonsense lady with a steel-gray bouffant hairdo with the demeanor of a prison matron. She was tough as nails and took no shit off anybody. I guess you had to be to manage that place. ~ 756 West Peachtree is a designated hysteric landmark. ~ The Fox network should change it’s name to wolf, as in the boy who cried wolf. After years of constant Obama bashing, few believed them about Benghazi. ~ I wouldn’t put my hand there ~ how long have we been, about seven miles… no its more like a quarter mile … thats why you see a lot of gays in real good shape ~ The Soviet Union declared war against Japan on August 8, 1945, This was accompanied by an invasion of Japanese occupied Manchuria. Many feel that this was a key factor in Japan’s decision to surrender. ~ Phil Ochs was included in the Great Southeast Music Hall’s autograph lobby wall. He said “Impeach Nixon and Agnew Phil Ochs” ~ Wow, Luther – that must have been very close to the time he killed himself. ~ Mr. Ochs died in 1976. Tricky Dick resigned forty years ago this week. The night of his resignation, I saw Rahsaan Roland Kirk at the Music Hall. ~ 0.01% used, leaves room for 54 million more emails. ~ It’s there as an option. As others have mentioned above if you go to your blog’s Dashboard and navigate to Posts > Add New it will load the traditional editor. ~ “Depression is a mental affliction, yes, but also spiritual.” For once I agree with you. I think of the misery that is caused by mean, agressive christianists. They think having an opinion about life after death makes the abuse worthwhile. It is profoundly depressing. I see Jesus through his believers treat me. Today a popular christianist blogger is trolling for traffic by exploiting the death of a man who brought joy to millions.~ Some people may not be able to see this attachment because of its privacy settings .~ I don’t like the new interface. I have only used it once. 1- I don’t know if something is saved, or published. 2- You cannot preview the post in a separate window. I like to have both the edit page, and the preview, on my screen when I edit 3- I did not see the shortlink. This is handy for twitter. 4- Putting the various options in a sidebar, and drastically reducing the size of the edit window, is a bad idea. 5- This morning, I was in a hurry to get to work. I had a post prepared, and just enough time to get it posted. This was a terrible time to deal with a new interface. ~ @imPalestine Yesterday, I went to Gaza’s graveyard to visit my grandma’s grave. I didn’t find it. It was hit by a missile. I saw my grandma’s bones. ~ “He was yelling. I was yelling, but it was not an argument. That’s the way we expressed our opinion.” ~ Maybe the man is standing on the bridge because too many strangers have yelled at him. Sometimes your good intentions cause more harm than good. ~ The sunglasses mirror selfie ~ pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Market Research
A strange phone call just took place. “Amanda” asked for me by name. This is interesting, since I have a non published number. Maybe she has connections.
“Amanda” was taking a “survey.” There were going to be four questions. She was talking fast, so I may not get all the questions verbatim. I used to work in market research, although not for a firm giving it’s name as “Market Research.”
The questions were about media content, and children. “Amanda” asked me to think of my children, and grandchildren. She never asked me if they exist, which they do not. The first question was whether I thought parents should have some control over what their children watched. I said no. There were a few seconds of awkward silence.
There were two more questions. They were along these lines. Do I think that some programming is inappropriate for children. Since I don’t watch much tv, I said I don’t know.
I have forgotten the third, and final, question. It had something to do with protecting children from bad programming. I did not give the answer I was supposed to. After this question, “Amanda” thanked me for my time.
I had a couple of questions. She said “I am Amanda, with Market Research, calling on behalf of Kids First.” She then hung up. When I called *69, I got the phone number of Corporations for Character. It seems as though “Amanda Thomas” is a machine.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Every 36 Hours
The issue of black people killed by police is in the public eye. PG saw a tweet, saying that a black person was killed by the police every 28 hours. There was a link to a report, Report on Black People Executed with out Trial by Police, Security Guards and Self-Appointed Law Enforcers January 1 – June 30, 2012. The report looks at 120 POC between 01-01-2012 and 06-30-2012.
There is a list of cities where these incidents took place. Atlanta is on top, with 10 deaths. The 10 deaths is actually for Georgia, with one incident taking place near Savannah.
Here are the ten deaths from Georgia. Bear in mind that the information presented here is from the report. For eight of the men, a link is given to a news report.Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
1/1/2012 Canard Arnold, 17, Atlanta GA ~ A white security guard, alleged he felt his life was in danger when Arnold was involved in a shooting with another man, so he fatally shot Arnold. Witnesses say that Arnold was unarmed and running away from a gunfight that others were involved in. Also witnesses say that Arnold never confronted or threatened the security guard. He was shot in the back.
3/1/2012 Freddie Burton Jr, 24, Clayton County ~ Burton allegedly robbed a Jamaican restaurant of $200 at gunpoint. As he was running away from police, he discharged his weapon and escaped. Then he carjacked a vehicle and jumped out of it while it was moving resulting in the car crashing into a house. Burton finally barricaded himself in his sister’s house. A SWAT team failed at negotiating his surrender. A shootout resulted in his death.
3/24/2012 Ervin Jefferson, 18, DeKalb County ~ As he was trying to protect his sister, Jefferson was shot by two security guards who impersonated police officer.
3/27/2012 Tendai Nhekairo, 18, Cobb County ~ Zimbabwean teenager attended Campbell High School. There were conflicting reports about whether his bizarre behavior threatened anyone. Police shot him while he was naked. They alleged he had a knife.
6/16/2012 Marcus Bell, 26, Jonesboro ~ Officers responded to a call about a domestic disturbance. Bell barricaded himself in his apartment but allowed the woman to leave. She showed signs of assault. After a two-hour standoff, officers obtained a warrant for the woman’s assault and forced their way into the apartment. Bell apparently never fired a shot.
6/21/2012 name not released as of 6/29/12 Mount Zion Road, Clayton County ~ Police stopped a car with 5 passengers. One had outstanding warrants. When the officer asked him to step out of the car, suspect allegedly pulled gun from waist and started shooting. One officer and the driver of the car were shot before the suspect was killed.
6/26/2012 Deshone Lamar Travis, 20, Port Wentworth GA ~ Police went to Travis’ home to question him about a robbery. He was uncooperative. Officers “feared for their life” because Travis backed his car towards them. Officers fatally shot him. Witnesses said Travis was driving no more than 5mph and was no threat.
6/27/2012 Christopher Calhoun, 38, Atlanta GA ~ Calhoun was wanted on drug and theft charges in Mississippi. Based on a tip, police found him in the parking lot of an Atlanta mall. Police shot and killed him when he allegedly pointed a gun at them.
6/27/2012 Trevion Davis, 13, Clayton County ~ Police responded to a call about a residential break-in and found three young men in the backyard. The police alleged Trevion “presented that handgun. Subsequently officers fired upon that individual.” One officer shot Trevion in the head. Police later found that the “firearm” was a BB gun
6/28/2012 David Foreman, 31, Brookhaven ~ DeKalb County officers responded to a 911 call about a “domestic dispute”. When officers confronted an agitated Foreman, he held a pistol to his own head. Then he allegedly pointed the weapon at officers who shot him 3 times.
Mow The Lawn
Israel is mowing the lawn in Gaza, again. One of the weapons used is Hasbara. “In Hebrew it literally translates to “an explanation” but 972 Mag gives us the modern definition: “A form of propaganda aimed at an international audience, primarily, but not exclusively, in western countries. It is meant to influence the conversation in a way that positively portrays Israeli political moves and policies, including actions undertaken by Israel in the past. Often Hasbara efforts includes a negative portrayal of the Arabs and especially of Palestinians.”
One claim made is human shields. The story has Hamas storing weapons in residences. This claim was made in many recent wars, including Vietnam. If the enemy bombs an area, and civilians are killed, then the enemy looks bad. Mr. Netanyahu recently increased the semantic firepower. He claimed Hamas was using human shields to gather “telegenically dead Palestinians for their cause.”
Not everyone believes the human shields claim. Here is another report. “Some Gazans have admitted that they were afraid of criticizing Hamas, but none have said they had been forced by the organisation to stay in places of danger and become unwilling human-shields. The Bani Sobeila area, near Khan Younis, where the Abu Jamaa deaths took place received leaflets dropped from the air last week warning them to leave.
But almost all stayed. One reason for that was many of the houses belonged to the Abu Jamaa clan who felt there was safety in staying together. Another reason was given by a neighbour, Abdullah al-Daweish: “Where do we go to? Some people moved from the outer edge of Khan Younis to Khan Younis centre after Israelis told them to, then the centre got bombed. People have moved from this area to Gaza City, and Gaza City has been bombed.”
Amnesty International has a report on the conflict. “The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities, and what obligations of Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are relevant?
Amnesty International is aware of these claims, and continues to monitor and investigate reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. As explained above, in previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip, and available evidence indicates that they continue to do both during the current hostilities, in violation of international humanitarian law. During the current hostilities, Hamas spokespeople have reportedly urged residents in some areas of the Gaza Strip not to leave their homes after the Israeli military dropped leaflets and made phone calls warning people in the area to evacuate. However, in light of the lack of clarity in many of the Israeli warnings on safe routes for civilians to evacuate, the lack of shelters or other safe places in the Gaza Strip for them to go to, and numerous reports of civilians who did heed the warnings and flee doing so under Israeli fire, such statements by Hamas officials could have been motivated by a desire to avoid further panic. In any case, public statements referring to entire areas are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Furthermore, international humanitarian law is clear that even if officials or fighters from Hamas or Palestinian armed groups associated with other factions did in fact direct civilians to remain in a specific location in order to shield military objectives from attacks, all of Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Famous Last Words
There used to be a blog called Execution of the day. It is still available, but last put up material in September of 2011. The next to last post is about Troy Davis, who met his maker about that time. The last post is about the last words of those about to die, some of which are funny. EOTD published a feature in 2009, about an economical Englishman named John Christie, that was adapted for use here. Pictures by “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Electric Chair “I’d rather be fishing” Jimmy L. Glass 12 June 1987
“How about this for a headline for tomorrow’s paper? ‘French Fries’!” James French 10 August 1966
“Well, gentlemen, you are about to see a baked Appel.” George Appel 9 August 1928
Firing Squad “Why, yes, a bulletproof vest.” Domonic Willard
“Take a step forward lads – it’ll be easier that way.” Robert Erskine Childers 24 November 1922
Poisoning “You guys doin’ that right?” Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams 13 December 2005
Hanging “Please don’t let me fall.” Mary Surratt 7 July 1865
“Is it safe?” William Palmer 14 June 1865.
“I’ll be in Hell before you start breakfast! Let her rip!” Tom ‘Black Jack’ Ketchum’s 26 April 1901.
“Hurry up. I’d like to be in hell in time for dinner.” Edward H. Ruloff 18 May 1871
“If anyone has a message for the Devil, give it to me – I’ll deliver it!” Lavinia Fisher February 18, 1820.
Baked Goods “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait expres” Translation: Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose. Stepping on the toes of her executioner should have been the least of Marie Antoinette’s worries on 16 October 1793.
While eating breakfast, PG perused something called “execution of the day“. On July 15, 1953, John Christie was hung in England. He was 54. Chamblee 54, who is 55, sees a pattern. The original source says it all better: “Albert Pierrepoint was given the job of dispatching him, so Christie was hanged at Pentonville Prison on this day in 1953, aged 54.”
Mr. Christie lived at 10 Rillington Place, which was the title of a movie about his exploits. He was in the habit of murdering people and hiding the bodies in the house. He also had two middle names…his full handle was John Reginald Halliday Christie. He married a girl named Ethel Waddington. Do you have any trouble believing he was British?
The first known murder was in 1943. There was a war going on, and killing was quite the fashion. Mr. Christie had a girlfriend named Ruth Fuerst. She did not survive a nooner. In his eventual confession, Mr. Christie said “‘I left her there in the bedroom. After that I believe I had a cup of tea and went to bed”. … “The second was in 1944 – a neighbour, who was convinced he was a doctor. He didn’t persuade her otherwise and the 32-year-old was gullible enough to listen when he told her to inhale some gas scented with friars’ balsam. The carbon monoxide rendered her virtually unconscious enabling Christie to have his way with her. As with Fuerst, he strangled her either before or during the rape. You may be wondering what he did with these two bodies…he buried them both in the garden and in one report he may even have used one of their leg bones to support fencing.”
Things were quiet for a while…well not really, there was this family of three…but things were relatively quiet until 1952. At that time Ethel Christie met her maker, with the help of her husband. He wondered what to do with the body, until he saw loose floorboards in the living room.
Within a few weeks, more women passed away, with his assistance, and were stored in various parts of the house. John Christie moved out of 10 Rillington Place. The new tenants complained about the aroma, and before long John Christie had a noose around his neck. This is a repost.
Israeli Public Relations Machine
Israel is having problems. Rockets are going from Gaza into Israel. In response, a well armed, sophisticated army is attacking Gaza. There are lots of casualties, mostly civilians in Gaza.
There is another front to this conflict. The United States supports Israel. The weapons that kill children in Gaza are paid for by the American economy. Unless you make campaign contributions to politicians, your opinion does not matter.
Part of the American front is a campaign by the Israeli public relations machine. The IPRM is almost as well equipped as the IDF. The opinions of the non politician supporting Americans are meaningless. This does not stop the IPRM from mounting an American offensive. The word offensive is both a noun, and an adjective.
One of the fronts in this offensive is facebook. The supporters of Israel are posting memes and videos. Many of the points they make are easily taken apart by logical arguments. A meme is not a logical affair. It is the use of graphic images to influence emotions. They are usually posted by people who don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
This is a lovely mid summer sunday morning. People have the freedom to do what they want. If you want to go to church, no one is stopping you. If you want to drink coffee and look at the internet, that is your privilege. It is a time to have peace of mind.
This peace of mind was disturbed today. There was a meme. The picture shows the world trade center on fire. The words say: “America Remember this? Israel is fighting the same terrorists.”
This is ridiculous. The children being slaughtered in Gaza were not born in 2001. The 911 actors were primarily from Saudi Arabia, a country with close ties to Israel. Saudi Arabia, and the other Arab countries, are exploiting the plight of the Palestinians for it’s own advantage. To say that the children of Gaza are the “same terrorists” is a sick joke.
There are many things you can say about the current conflict. Amnesty International has investigated the affair, and issued a report. A.I. is leery of claims about human shields, and Israeli warnings to civilians. There are reports of Israel using vile anti personnel weapons. These weapons would have little impact on tunnels and rockets, and could only serve to hurt people.
PG participates in the American economy. He buys gasoline. The profits from the sale of oil possibly go to help Gaza buy rockets. Other parts of the American economy support Israel. This is the big government that so-called conservatives complain about.
America is going to support both sides of this brutal conflict, whether PG likes it or not. What he does not have to do is to let Israel take away his peace of mind. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
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