Blair visit a big publicity boost for Schwarzenegger in election year
Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross
Sunday, July 30, 2006
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to California was quite an election-year coup for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger is expected to get a big photo op with Blair today when he introduces the prime minister at that star-studded corporate conference down in Pebble Beach. It's hosted by News Corp. publishing mogul Rupert Murdoch and features the likes of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, U2's Bono and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Everything from the environment to poverty to AIDS will be addressed.
The even-bigger show comes Monday in Long Beach. That's when Arnold, who has been trying to buff up his eco-credentials, will join Blair and the likes of British Petroleum chief Lord John Browne and Virgin Group CEO Sir Richard Branson to announce a new agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions involving British and California businesses.
Speaking of green, Blair's visit is certain to cost San Francisco taxpayers plenty for all the police protection -- especially after the feds warned the department of a "high threat level'' and strong possibility of demonstrations.
"They've really ramped up the security,'' said one station captain, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the visit.
The department has mustered the full complement of 25 motorcycle cops to usher Blair around town -- the standard treatment for a U.S. president or visiting head of state.
There are a number of extra cops assigned to guard his Fairmont Hotel digs around the clock and deal with any protests.
Police sources say the call went out for no less than 400 hours of officer overtime -- at anywhere from $47 to $65 an hour -- and that's just mostly for the hotel detail. Down in the southern end of town, there were 80 more hours or so of overtime planned to cover Blair's visit today to the Delancey Street Foundation.
The motorcycle cops on duty today are planning on working 14-hour shifts -- not only escorting Blair in the morning and late at night, but keeping watch over the San Francisco Marathon in between.
While the bill for the Blair visit isn't in yet, you can bet it will easily match or surpass the $105,000 tab that police ran up during Prince Charles and Camilla's visit to the Bay Area in November.
Attention deficit: Maybe it's the wars in the Middle East -- or maybe America wants a break from celebrity trials -- but whatever the case, the murder trial of Scott Dyleski isn't turning into nearly the media circus that court officials had envisioned.
The 17-year-old Dyleski is accused of murdering Lafayette resident Pamela Vitale, wife of attorney and TV court commentator Daniel Horowitz. The killing in October got the national media's attention, partly because of who Horowitz is and partly because of the school photo that circulated of a stringy-haired, Goth-bedecked Dyleski.
Early inquiries from national media had Contra Costa County court officials bracing for wall-to-wall TV coverage. To accommodate the expected onslaught, officials set up a special media "spillover" room for reporters who couldn't get seats in the Martinez courthouse, barricades to protect the anticipated TV trucks, plus all the other technical hook-ups needed for high-profile coverage.
To help cover the costs, officials sold tickets to the media -- $120 guaranteed a seat every day of the trial, and $500 bought a TV truck space for a month.
So far, however, the tale has proved pretty much a national bust.
The court has sold only 19 seats (including one to The Chronicle) and five of the eight available truck passes. Two of the five have gone to local TV stations -- CNN, Fox and Court TV are representing the national electronic media, but even they're not giving it the heavy chatter.
"From what I've been told, other things started dominating the news -- the Middle East, the heat wave -- so the attention hasn't turned out to be nearly as heavy as we thought, '' said court Assistant Executive Officer Bill Darden.
Lawyer and court TV analyst Paula Canny gave a little broader picture.
"For one, a lot of the cable shows that used to do a lot of the court hoopla are no longer on the air," she said. "Two, unlike Scott Peterson, there aren't a lot of questions about did he do it or how he did it, so there isn't a lot of tabloid coverage.
"And three, you're talking about a 17-year-old kid, whose Mr. Goth picture makes people think of Columbine. And no one wants to think about something like that."
Go for the gold: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is trying to keep a good game face, but Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval's call for a referendum in November on whether the city should even bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics was just about the last thing he needed.
"He might have at least waited until we got out of the second round,'' said the mayor's press secretary, Peter Ragone.
Sandoval needs the backing of at least three other supervisors to get the measure on the ballot. So far, he has two -- Chris Daly and Ross Mirkarimi.
"And I have one more, but I'm not ready to disclose the name just yet,'' Sandoval said.
The fear in the mayor's office is that even going to voters to ask whether the city should spend millions on the games will reinforce U.S. Olympic Committee suspicions about the political will around here to host the event -- something that could kill the Bay Area's chances.
Newsom's aides also see a bit of payback in the play by Sandoval, who has been at odds with the mayor ever since Newsom opposed his bid to be city assessor.
"This has everything to do with politics and nothing do with policy,'' Ragone said.
Sandoval insists the Olympic question is all about policy -- specifically, the costs involved.
As for any paybacks: "I'm still a supervisor,'' Sandoval said, "and as a supervisor, my job is to ask the tough questions -- all the way to the end of my term."
On the job: "What is Karl Rove up to?" was the question former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown asked when he got back from watching the signing of the new Voting Rights Act at the White House this past week.
"President Bush only showed up for about 10 minutes, but Rove was working the crowd like nobody's business," Brown said. "He knew all of the brothers and sisters by first name and was all over the place. He was really on the job.
"He came up and said, 'Hello,' when I arrived, came up to me when I sat down -- then came back to say goodbye when I was leaving," Brown said of Rove. "And each time he repeated that he was coming out to San Francisco soon and wanted to get together."
Brown and Rove together?
Now that's a scary thought.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/30/MANDR.TMP
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Found this while surfing the net...
The difference between USA/Iraq and Israel/Hezbollah
1. How it started
Bush lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Israel was invaded, had soliders killed/kidnapped by Hezbollah
2.Who the enemy is
The US is fighting "insurgents" in iraq. They could be Sunni or Shi'a or Al Qaeda or anyone who wants to blow us up.
Israel is fighting a known terrorist group, Hezbollah. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks including some against Americans, and civilians.
3. The goals
Bush wants to bring "democracy" and stay until the "job is done" and other vague slogans that don't spell anything out.
Israel wants the release of captured soldiers and Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.
4. Civilian Deaths
Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died so far and thousands continue to die each month, often through targeted attacks by suicide bombers in public places. Both Sunnis and Shiites have targeted civilians, and Americans have killed them "accidentally" or by a few soldiers going too far.
In Lebanon, Israel has dropped leaflets and warned civilians prior to attacks and so far only a few hundred have been killed by Israeli forces. Hezbollah is firing rockets into civilian areas killing both Israeli's and Arabs (who they call "Martyrs", even the children they've killed)
Israel is fighting against a known and specific enemy who attacked them first and threatens their very right to exist.
America is stuck fighting in the middle of a civil war we helped to start because our leaders lied to us then and are lying to us now.
Blog from http://tinyurl.com/n2cmz
1. How it started
Bush lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Israel was invaded, had soliders killed/kidnapped by Hezbollah
2.Who the enemy is
The US is fighting "insurgents" in iraq. They could be Sunni or Shi'a or Al Qaeda or anyone who wants to blow us up.
Israel is fighting a known terrorist group, Hezbollah. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks including some against Americans, and civilians.
3. The goals
Bush wants to bring "democracy" and stay until the "job is done" and other vague slogans that don't spell anything out.
Israel wants the release of captured soldiers and Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.
4. Civilian Deaths
Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died so far and thousands continue to die each month, often through targeted attacks by suicide bombers in public places. Both Sunnis and Shiites have targeted civilians, and Americans have killed them "accidentally" or by a few soldiers going too far.
In Lebanon, Israel has dropped leaflets and warned civilians prior to attacks and so far only a few hundred have been killed by Israeli forces. Hezbollah is firing rockets into civilian areas killing both Israeli's and Arabs (who they call "Martyrs", even the children they've killed)
Israel is fighting against a known and specific enemy who attacked them first and threatens their very right to exist.
America is stuck fighting in the middle of a civil war we helped to start because our leaders lied to us then and are lying to us now.
Blog from http://tinyurl.com/n2cmz
Reponse from an Israeli teen
I had posted a question to Eugene, the young man who has written the "Live from an Israeli Bunker" blog, and another young man answered it via email by saying this below.
"Hi, Sunny!
I live in Israel and I thought I'd answer this question you had;"I'm sure you've been asked this already but I'd like to know for myself; why are innocent people being hurt and being put in the middle of a conflict that they were never involved in? Why do the children have to suffer? Not all Lebanese are Hezbollah so why do they have to endure such a tragedy? I'm not saying Israel doesn't have a right to defend themselves because I feel they do, but maybe something less violent could have been done first. This is just my opinion."
Firstly, I thought I'd just mention that Israel is barely using a small part of it's capabilities, the IAF is fighting at a restraint and has limited it's attacks to 20% power. There are only 2 Hativot in Lebanon, which is not THAT much...But that does not answer you question. I just thought you'd like to know that. :)The answer is quite simple, Hezbollah have set up their Bases in citizen populous, and are fighting in a guerilla type fighting from those citizen areas, which is known as a type of fighting that has a great impact on the citizens who live where the fighting is taking place. So basically, it's a win-win situation for Hezbollah, because in some cases we let them go (like when a friend of mine saw a Hezbollah terrorist holding a RPG launcher in one hand and a baby on the other, and had no choice but to let him get away), and they survive, or we have no other choice but to attack (like in Beirut, which contained terror facilities of highly importance) and get the bad reputation.
But oh well, there'll be peace in the middle east one day, I hope, no, I know I'll live to see it. :D
Idan, 18 years old from Israel"
Thank you Idan, you and Eugene have given me a lot of good information.
"Hi, Sunny!
I live in Israel and I thought I'd answer this question you had;"I'm sure you've been asked this already but I'd like to know for myself; why are innocent people being hurt and being put in the middle of a conflict that they were never involved in? Why do the children have to suffer? Not all Lebanese are Hezbollah so why do they have to endure such a tragedy? I'm not saying Israel doesn't have a right to defend themselves because I feel they do, but maybe something less violent could have been done first. This is just my opinion."
Firstly, I thought I'd just mention that Israel is barely using a small part of it's capabilities, the IAF is fighting at a restraint and has limited it's attacks to 20% power. There are only 2 Hativot in Lebanon, which is not THAT much...But that does not answer you question. I just thought you'd like to know that. :)The answer is quite simple, Hezbollah have set up their Bases in citizen populous, and are fighting in a guerilla type fighting from those citizen areas, which is known as a type of fighting that has a great impact on the citizens who live where the fighting is taking place. So basically, it's a win-win situation for Hezbollah, because in some cases we let them go (like when a friend of mine saw a Hezbollah terrorist holding a RPG launcher in one hand and a baby on the other, and had no choice but to let him get away), and they survive, or we have no other choice but to attack (like in Beirut, which contained terror facilities of highly importance) and get the bad reputation.
But oh well, there'll be peace in the middle east one day, I hope, no, I know I'll live to see it. :D
Idan, 18 years old from Israel"
Thank you Idan, you and Eugene have given me a lot of good information.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Child Protection and Safety Act
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69893
Bush Signs Sex Offender Legislation on 25th Anniversary of Adam Walsh Abduction; NCMEC Praises Lawmakers for Sex Offender Registry
7/27/2006 12:31:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children media line, 703-837-6111
WASHINGTON, July 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) calls the passage of "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006," the toughest and most important piece of legislation in the past 25 years in helping to save children's lives. This legislation (H.R. 4472) creates a national sex offender database and implements measures designed to drastically improve the tracking of sex offenders. It will also help to protect children against sexual exploitation and violent crimes.
"I commend President Bush and the members of Congress for enacting a bill allowing law enforcement to stay one step ahead of the sex offenders in this country who prey on our children. This bill provides a more comprehensive system for tracking sex offenders within the 50 states, calls for better resources for keeping tabs on these predators, and holds sex offenders accountable for failing to register," said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen.
"The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" will be signed into law today on the 25th anniversary of the abduction of Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of NCMEC co-founders John and Reve Walsh. The law is named for Adam, who was kidnapped from a shopping mall in Hollywood, Fla., and found murdered 16 days later. Sadly, no one was ever charged in Adam's murder. His abduction and murder helped spark the nation's missing children's movement.
Allen added, "Twenty-five years after Adam's abduction we can state with confidence that we have come a long way in our efforts to help keep our kids safer. Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of John and Reve, who have turned their personal tragedy into a call to action, we have this historic legislation. This new law will change the way we deal with child predators across this nation. Now we need Congress to fully fund this bill so it can be strongly executed."
Today, there are nearly 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States; however, as many as 150,000 are "lost" in the system having failed to comply with registration duties and remain undetected due to law enforcement's inability to track their whereabouts. NCMEC believes this new bill builds on 20 years of legislative efforts to better manage the problem of sex offenders in our communities.
Highlights of the bill:
1) Creates a national public sex offender registry. Provides the public with better and more uniform information about sex offenders so that all communities benefit from the same kind of information. States will be required to list all, not merely some, sex offenders on their Web site registries.
2) Provides for consistent sex offender requirements in all states. Sex offenders will no longer be able to take advantage of different state requirements to avoid registering. It mandates that sex offenders be registered before they are released from prison or three days after a sentence of probation. 3) Penalizes failure to comply with registration duties as a state and federal felony. 4) Enhances the ability of law enforcement to track sex offenders when they move, cutting down on the number of "missing" sex offenders in the system. It requires sex offenders to verify registration in person to law enforcement rather than by mail.
5) Makes important changes in the way law enforcement handles missing child reports. Reports must be entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center within two hours. It also prohibits the removal of a missing child report when the child turns age 18 before being recovered.
6) In response to the growing problem of commercial child pornography and the exploitation of children online, the bill increases the number of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the nation.
Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) was one of the primary authors of the original bill. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Joseph Biden (D- Del.) were the primary sponsors of the bill in the Senate. NCMEC also recognizes U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.); House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), along with all the members of the Judiciary Committees in both the Senate and the House and the other co-sponsors of the bill for their dedication in getting this legislation passed.
To obtain a copy of "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" and to learn what you can do to help protect children, visit http://www.missingkids.com.
-----
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 400,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 120,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 100,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 800-THE-LOST, or visit its Web site at http://www.missingkids.com.
---
http://www.usnewswire.com/
Bush Signs Sex Offender Legislation on 25th Anniversary of Adam Walsh Abduction; NCMEC Praises Lawmakers for Sex Offender Registry
7/27/2006 12:31:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children media line, 703-837-6111
WASHINGTON, July 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) calls the passage of "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006," the toughest and most important piece of legislation in the past 25 years in helping to save children's lives. This legislation (H.R. 4472) creates a national sex offender database and implements measures designed to drastically improve the tracking of sex offenders. It will also help to protect children against sexual exploitation and violent crimes.
"I commend President Bush and the members of Congress for enacting a bill allowing law enforcement to stay one step ahead of the sex offenders in this country who prey on our children. This bill provides a more comprehensive system for tracking sex offenders within the 50 states, calls for better resources for keeping tabs on these predators, and holds sex offenders accountable for failing to register," said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen.
"The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" will be signed into law today on the 25th anniversary of the abduction of Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of NCMEC co-founders John and Reve Walsh. The law is named for Adam, who was kidnapped from a shopping mall in Hollywood, Fla., and found murdered 16 days later. Sadly, no one was ever charged in Adam's murder. His abduction and murder helped spark the nation's missing children's movement.
Allen added, "Twenty-five years after Adam's abduction we can state with confidence that we have come a long way in our efforts to help keep our kids safer. Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of John and Reve, who have turned their personal tragedy into a call to action, we have this historic legislation. This new law will change the way we deal with child predators across this nation. Now we need Congress to fully fund this bill so it can be strongly executed."
Today, there are nearly 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States; however, as many as 150,000 are "lost" in the system having failed to comply with registration duties and remain undetected due to law enforcement's inability to track their whereabouts. NCMEC believes this new bill builds on 20 years of legislative efforts to better manage the problem of sex offenders in our communities.
Highlights of the bill:
1) Creates a national public sex offender registry. Provides the public with better and more uniform information about sex offenders so that all communities benefit from the same kind of information. States will be required to list all, not merely some, sex offenders on their Web site registries.
2) Provides for consistent sex offender requirements in all states. Sex offenders will no longer be able to take advantage of different state requirements to avoid registering. It mandates that sex offenders be registered before they are released from prison or three days after a sentence of probation. 3) Penalizes failure to comply with registration duties as a state and federal felony. 4) Enhances the ability of law enforcement to track sex offenders when they move, cutting down on the number of "missing" sex offenders in the system. It requires sex offenders to verify registration in person to law enforcement rather than by mail.
5) Makes important changes in the way law enforcement handles missing child reports. Reports must be entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center within two hours. It also prohibits the removal of a missing child report when the child turns age 18 before being recovered.
6) In response to the growing problem of commercial child pornography and the exploitation of children online, the bill increases the number of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the nation.
Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) was one of the primary authors of the original bill. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Joseph Biden (D- Del.) were the primary sponsors of the bill in the Senate. NCMEC also recognizes U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.); House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), along with all the members of the Judiciary Committees in both the Senate and the House and the other co-sponsors of the bill for their dedication in getting this legislation passed.
To obtain a copy of "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" and to learn what you can do to help protect children, visit http://www.missingkids.com.
-----
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 400,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 120,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 100,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 800-THE-LOST, or visit its Web site at http://www.missingkids.com.
---
http://www.usnewswire.com/
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Justice for Pamela
http://tinyurl.com/ka36e
Testimony to begin in trial of 'Goth' teen accused of killing prominent lawyer's wife
By Lisa SweetinghamCourt TV
Opening statements are slated to begin Thursday in the murder trial of a former Boy Scout who is accused of the bludgeoning death of high-tech executive Pamela Vitale, the wife of a prominent California defense attorney.
Prosecutors believe that 17-year-old Scott Dyleski murdered Vitale on Oct. 15, 2005, during a violent struggle at the home she shared with her husband, Daniel Horowitz, in Lafayette, a woodsy neighborhood about 20 miles east of San Francisco.
Investigators say they have compelling evidence linking Dyleski to the murder, including DNA, bloody clothing and a Goth-inspired symbol found in the teen's room, which appears to match the symbol Vitale's killer carved on her body.
Money and drugs are the alleged motives for Vitale's killing.
A teenage friend of Dyleski's testified under immunity during pretrial hearings that he and the defendant concocted a scheme to grow their own marijuana. Dyleski is accused of stealing credit-card information from neighbors and attempting to use their addresses to order the hydroponics equipment online.
Vitale and Dyleksi had never met, but her address was found among the stolen credit card evidence in Dyleski's possession.
A gag order prevents Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett and Dyleski's attorney, public defender Ellen Leonida, from discussing the case.
Leonida did not present evidence during pretrial hearings, but she has questioned the credibility of the state's DNA evidence and has unsuccessfully argued for a change of venue, noting that the high-profile coverage of the case has made it impossible for Dyleski to receive a fair trial.
Dyleski was arrested Oct. 19 and is being tried as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder, residential robbery and the special circumstance of murder during a robbery. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if he is convicted.
Web surfing interrupted
Married nearly 11 years, Vitale and Horowitz were living in a modular home on their 12-acre estate in 2005 while Vitale oversaw the construction of their dream house, an Italian-style hilltop villa with a vineyard.
Horowitz told officers that on Oct. 15, he arose at about 6:45 a.m., tended to the couple's two German shepherds, had breakfast with a friend at about 8:10 a.m., and worked at his office before picking up groceries and heading home.
According to computer forensics analysts, Vitale began her day by surfing the Web at 7:49 a.m. She viewed news reports on CNN.com, Courttv.com and Websleuths.com about the murder trial of Susan Polk, a woman who was on trial for the murder of her therapist husband.
Horowitz, and his co-counsel Ivan Golde, had recently taken Polk on as a client. Vitale was actively involved in her husband's practice. Earlier that week, Horowitz delivered opening statements in Polk's trial, which Vitale helped him to write.
Vitale's Web surfing ended at 10:12 a.m., which is when prosecutors believe she was interrupted and attacked by her killer.
Crime scene detectives believe Vitale put up a fight. Blood spatter was found over the walls and doors. There were broken pottery and crushed boxes, and a big-screen TV had been pushed against the entryway to the bedroom during the struggle.
Horowitz reported to detectives that he had tried calling his wife from work several times that day. He was concerned to see her white Mercedes in the driveway when he got home at 6 p.m., because she had plans to see the ballet with a friend.
As he walked toward the mobile home, Horowitz told detectives, he saw blood smears on the front door. The bags of groceries fell from his arms, he dropped to his knees, and he held the body of his wife, who was lying in a fetal position in the entryway.
A neighbor reported hearing Horowitz's car coming up the driveway, and then the sounds of a man crying out, "Oh my God, no, no, no."
Horowitz said he checked his wife's pulse, called 911, checked her pulse again and then called the local police.
He later told officers that he noticed Vitale's 2.5 carat wedding ring was turned with the diamond toward her palm, a custom whenever she was in the company of someone who made her uncomfortable.
The crime scene was rife with evidence. A piece of broken crown molding, one of the alleged weapons, had evidence of blood swipes and hair. The killer appeared to have taken a shower, leaving blood behind on the fixtures, and drank a glass of water before exiting.
Vitale's fight against her attacker, according to a witness present at her autopsy, resulted in 30 lacerations to her face and scalp, dislodged upper front teeth, two broken fingers, and a four-inch stab wound to her abdomen. Her official cause of death was "blunt force injury to the head."
Adding insult to injury, the killer carved an H-shaped symbol onto her back, as if leaving a signature. Detectives would be reminded of the symbol when their search of Dyleski's room turned up a dark connection.
A symbol of 'hate'
Esther Fielding testified during pretrial hearings that her son Scott Dyleski had studied online to receive his GED at age 16 and had been taking history, abnormal psychology and anthropology classes at Diablo Valley College.
Fielding was arrested nine days after her son for allegedly hiding and destroying evidence, including his journal and notes from his backpack, which she threw into a fire. Fielding escaped prosecution when she agreed to cooperate with authorities. She is expected to be a reluctant witness for the prosecution at her son's trial.
Prosecutors allege that Dyleski killed Vitale that Saturday morning, stuffed his raincoat and bloody clothes in a duffel bag, and hid the bag in an abandoned van that was parked on the property where he lived with his mother and three other families.
A member of Dyleski's household testified seeing wounds on the boy's face between 10:30 and 11 a.m. as he walked in the house. He allegedly explained that he scratched his face on a bush during a nature walk.
Crime scene analysts say a mixture of both Vitale and Dyleski's DNA was found on the duffel bag, and on a ski mask and shoes inside the bag. A swab sample from Vitale's right foot came back as a partial match to Dyleski's DNA.
When the 110-pound, 5-foot 6-inch teen was stripped and examined, investigators say he had numerous superficial injuries, including a scratch on his nostril, contusions on his arms and healing abrasions on his lower right leg.
Authorities collected evidence from Dyleski's bedroom, including artwork and poetry, allegedly signed by Dyleski, with the words "murder" and "Live for the kill."
A bumper sticker with the phrase "I'm for separation of church and hate" was noted for the style of the letter H, in "hate," that appeared similar to the symbol on Vitale's back. A CD of the band Velvet Acid Christ with a similar symbol on the CD packaging was also collected.
One of Dyleski's former housemates, David Curiel, testified that he made a discovery some three months after the boy was arrested and his mother had moved out: a sinister note lodged inside the top of a dresser drawer in Dyleski's room.
Scribbled on the paper, according to Curiel, was a list of actions including "knockout/kidnap," "keep captive to confirm PINs" and "cut up and bury."
"I was just aghast at what I was seeing," Curiel said. "It was a list of 'What to Do.'"
Testimony to begin in trial of 'Goth' teen accused of killing prominent lawyer's wife
By Lisa SweetinghamCourt TV
Opening statements are slated to begin Thursday in the murder trial of a former Boy Scout who is accused of the bludgeoning death of high-tech executive Pamela Vitale, the wife of a prominent California defense attorney.
Prosecutors believe that 17-year-old Scott Dyleski murdered Vitale on Oct. 15, 2005, during a violent struggle at the home she shared with her husband, Daniel Horowitz, in Lafayette, a woodsy neighborhood about 20 miles east of San Francisco.
Investigators say they have compelling evidence linking Dyleski to the murder, including DNA, bloody clothing and a Goth-inspired symbol found in the teen's room, which appears to match the symbol Vitale's killer carved on her body.
Money and drugs are the alleged motives for Vitale's killing.
A teenage friend of Dyleski's testified under immunity during pretrial hearings that he and the defendant concocted a scheme to grow their own marijuana. Dyleski is accused of stealing credit-card information from neighbors and attempting to use their addresses to order the hydroponics equipment online.
Vitale and Dyleksi had never met, but her address was found among the stolen credit card evidence in Dyleski's possession.
A gag order prevents Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett and Dyleski's attorney, public defender Ellen Leonida, from discussing the case.
Leonida did not present evidence during pretrial hearings, but she has questioned the credibility of the state's DNA evidence and has unsuccessfully argued for a change of venue, noting that the high-profile coverage of the case has made it impossible for Dyleski to receive a fair trial.
Dyleski was arrested Oct. 19 and is being tried as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder, residential robbery and the special circumstance of murder during a robbery. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if he is convicted.
Web surfing interrupted
Married nearly 11 years, Vitale and Horowitz were living in a modular home on their 12-acre estate in 2005 while Vitale oversaw the construction of their dream house, an Italian-style hilltop villa with a vineyard.
Horowitz told officers that on Oct. 15, he arose at about 6:45 a.m., tended to the couple's two German shepherds, had breakfast with a friend at about 8:10 a.m., and worked at his office before picking up groceries and heading home.
According to computer forensics analysts, Vitale began her day by surfing the Web at 7:49 a.m. She viewed news reports on CNN.com, Courttv.com and Websleuths.com about the murder trial of Susan Polk, a woman who was on trial for the murder of her therapist husband.
Horowitz, and his co-counsel Ivan Golde, had recently taken Polk on as a client. Vitale was actively involved in her husband's practice. Earlier that week, Horowitz delivered opening statements in Polk's trial, which Vitale helped him to write.
Vitale's Web surfing ended at 10:12 a.m., which is when prosecutors believe she was interrupted and attacked by her killer.
Crime scene detectives believe Vitale put up a fight. Blood spatter was found over the walls and doors. There were broken pottery and crushed boxes, and a big-screen TV had been pushed against the entryway to the bedroom during the struggle.
Horowitz reported to detectives that he had tried calling his wife from work several times that day. He was concerned to see her white Mercedes in the driveway when he got home at 6 p.m., because she had plans to see the ballet with a friend.
As he walked toward the mobile home, Horowitz told detectives, he saw blood smears on the front door. The bags of groceries fell from his arms, he dropped to his knees, and he held the body of his wife, who was lying in a fetal position in the entryway.
A neighbor reported hearing Horowitz's car coming up the driveway, and then the sounds of a man crying out, "Oh my God, no, no, no."
Horowitz said he checked his wife's pulse, called 911, checked her pulse again and then called the local police.
He later told officers that he noticed Vitale's 2.5 carat wedding ring was turned with the diamond toward her palm, a custom whenever she was in the company of someone who made her uncomfortable.
The crime scene was rife with evidence. A piece of broken crown molding, one of the alleged weapons, had evidence of blood swipes and hair. The killer appeared to have taken a shower, leaving blood behind on the fixtures, and drank a glass of water before exiting.
Vitale's fight against her attacker, according to a witness present at her autopsy, resulted in 30 lacerations to her face and scalp, dislodged upper front teeth, two broken fingers, and a four-inch stab wound to her abdomen. Her official cause of death was "blunt force injury to the head."
Adding insult to injury, the killer carved an H-shaped symbol onto her back, as if leaving a signature. Detectives would be reminded of the symbol when their search of Dyleski's room turned up a dark connection.
A symbol of 'hate'
Esther Fielding testified during pretrial hearings that her son Scott Dyleski had studied online to receive his GED at age 16 and had been taking history, abnormal psychology and anthropology classes at Diablo Valley College.
Fielding was arrested nine days after her son for allegedly hiding and destroying evidence, including his journal and notes from his backpack, which she threw into a fire. Fielding escaped prosecution when she agreed to cooperate with authorities. She is expected to be a reluctant witness for the prosecution at her son's trial.
Prosecutors allege that Dyleski killed Vitale that Saturday morning, stuffed his raincoat and bloody clothes in a duffel bag, and hid the bag in an abandoned van that was parked on the property where he lived with his mother and three other families.
A member of Dyleski's household testified seeing wounds on the boy's face between 10:30 and 11 a.m. as he walked in the house. He allegedly explained that he scratched his face on a bush during a nature walk.
Crime scene analysts say a mixture of both Vitale and Dyleski's DNA was found on the duffel bag, and on a ski mask and shoes inside the bag. A swab sample from Vitale's right foot came back as a partial match to Dyleski's DNA.
When the 110-pound, 5-foot 6-inch teen was stripped and examined, investigators say he had numerous superficial injuries, including a scratch on his nostril, contusions on his arms and healing abrasions on his lower right leg.
Authorities collected evidence from Dyleski's bedroom, including artwork and poetry, allegedly signed by Dyleski, with the words "murder" and "Live for the kill."
A bumper sticker with the phrase "I'm for separation of church and hate" was noted for the style of the letter H, in "hate," that appeared similar to the symbol on Vitale's back. A CD of the band Velvet Acid Christ with a similar symbol on the CD packaging was also collected.
One of Dyleski's former housemates, David Curiel, testified that he made a discovery some three months after the boy was arrested and his mother had moved out: a sinister note lodged inside the top of a dresser drawer in Dyleski's room.
Scribbled on the paper, according to Curiel, was a list of actions including "knockout/kidnap," "keep captive to confirm PINs" and "cut up and bury."
"I was just aghast at what I was seeing," Curiel said. "It was a list of 'What to Do.'"
This makes me angry
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=380101 Destiny Norton Found Dead, Suspect Arrested
July 25th, 2006 @ 4:00pmKSL Team Coverage
The neighbor who kept the body of 5-year-old Destiny Norton in his basement told police the girl "went limp" after he lured her into his house and gagged her.
Destiny's body was found last night around 8:30 in the basement of 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson's home, about 150 feet behind the Norton's home. Sara Woods / Neighbor: "We're sick, this is right behind the wall of my house!.To have her missing, and have her turn up just two doors down, and we didn't even know she was here."
Craig Gregerson has been booked on kidnapping and murder charges. A spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office says prosecutors have not yet met with police. He says it could be a couple of days, before formal charges are filed. According to a probable cause booking statement, Gregerson saw Destiny outside his home. He then opened the gate to his backyard and lured the five-year-old into his home. The statement went on to say Destiny began to scream, so Gregerson put his hand over her mouth and began to squeeze. Her body then went limp and he laid her body on the floor. The man who calls himself Destiny's uncle, Peter Brooks, broke down when he heard the circumstances surrounding Destiny's disappearance. He says, Gregerson should receive the death penalty. Brooks believes the police betrayed the family's trust, but credits them for bringing an end to the mystery of Destiny's disappearance. Peter Brooks, Destiny's Uncle: "With everything I've said about the police department and law enforcement agencies, there is a bottom line to this; and the community needs to know this, they are teh ones who brought Destiny home." Earlier in the week when detectives went door-to-door in the neighborhood, they interviewed Gregerson inside his home. But police say canines never picked up Destiny's scent.
And even though Gregerson refused to allow police to search his home, the police chief says that is not sufficient probable cause to search someone's home. They had to wait for a warrant. Then last night, police received two tips. One was information leading them to Gregerson. The other was the witness who supposedly saw Destiny in a black truck outside a convenience store in Farmington. Police say these two tips came in around the same time and investigators were pursuing the leads simultaneously. Chief Chris Burbank / Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "As I was sitting in my office, I had two leads come to me. One was concerning the incident in Farmington and the black pickup. The other was this information. They said should we hold onto the info on the pickup? I said definitely not. In the event the information we had here did not pan out, I wasn't about to give up a lead in Farmington."
The Farmington lead turned out to be nothing. Then, around 10:30 last night, police called a press conference, but left a lot of questions still unanswered. How long was Destiny in that basement? And what led police to Gregerson's house now-- why not a week ago? The police chief's only statement about that was that there has been conflicting information from various sources up until the last minute. Another important piece of information to confirm-- could Destiny have been somewhere else when police originally went to Gregerson's home? Police have not said a word about the investigation today, and there are so many unanswered questions. They are choosing to wait until autopsy results come back. That could be as late as tomorrow but we may know preliminary autopsy results later today.
The suspect, 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson is seen here in a mug when he was arrested in 2004 for investigation of domestic assault. No charges were ever filed in that case, Nancy Volmer, a spokeswoman for Utah's district courts, said Tuesday. Court papers paint a picture of an abusive husband. Gregerson, a Radio Shack warehouse clerk, kicked and punched his wife, once causing a miscarriage, in a trouble marriage detailed in court papers filed in March by her attorney. His mother-in-law filed an affidavit accusing Gregerson of once choking and punching her when she tried to kick him out of her home. Gregerson once threw the couple's 1-year-old daughter across a bed when the infant kicked some food off his lap, said an attorney for Gregerson's wife. The attorney, Delano Findlay, detailed those allegations in a court filing in March, opposing a protective order Gregerson had obtained against his wife, Catherine Gregerson. A judge revoked the order and dismissed Gregerson's hand-scrawled complaints, which Findlay called fabricated. According to the papers, Gregerson told his wife that he didn't care if he killed her that it would be better to be in jail than living with her.
The papers stated Catherine Gregerson is a battered wife who put up with it because she loved him and felt a need for his love. Eyewitness News spoke with Catherine Gregerson early on in the search for Destiny last Tuesday. Cadie Gregerson/ Neighbor/ July 17: "I came over and I talked straight to the mother. Then I went and took my daughter inside and then went straight out to go look. I mean, I have a child too. How would I feel? It's the same way. What if my child went missing? I'd be completely devastated." Witnesses say they saw Gregerson's wife several times near the house prior to his arrest, including last night after his arrest. Jeannie Hill / Family Friend: "She came up last night, and says, ‘Oh, where's my husband?'. And she said the guys name, and somebody said, you need to go, he was just arrested for murder. And she didn't even seem surprised, she just walked away." Gregerson's wife told KSL radio today, she things her husband has been set up. Catherine Gregerson, Doug Wright Show: "I think somebody's setting him up. Unless I hear it from my husband's mouth himself that he did it...that's what I think and I have yet to talk to my husband." She also claims she had no knowledge of this until she walked up to the house last night.
She helped with the search efforts in the days following Destiny's disappearance and even spoke to one of our crews on the scene. Today she said she's heartbroken about what's happened. She also says she was in the home as recently as yesterday, but didn't notice anything unusual. Doug Wright: "Did you notice anything unusual at all in the home?" Catherine Gregerson, Suspect's Wife: "You know what, the house smelled like it normally does. I didn't smell a single thing. I've been in that house several times since she was missing and I haven't smelled a single thing. And if he killed her, I will not stand by him, no doubt in my mind at all. But if he tells me to my face that he did it, but I will stand by him if he denies he did it." Cadie Gregerson said her husband had only some minor trespassing brushes with law in high school. Police say they never had enough probable cause for a warrant and the Norton family never identified Gregerson as a suspect. In fact, neighbors barely saw him. He kept to himself. Sara Woods / Neighbor: "The only time I hung out with him is when he was standing here talking with the FBI, and he lied right to our faces. He look right at us and said "I wish I knew where he was." Peter Brooks, Destiny's Uncle: "I have no idea who he is. I never got to know any of the neighbors." Police say Gregerson lived in the house alone, though we know he is married with a small child.
Norton's family and friends are devastated and outraged. Holding up Gregerson's mug shot, the crowd reacts to seeing his face. Peter Brooks/Destiny's Uncle: "You see that? Let society see what the face of a sick man looks like. The man who would take a five-year-old child away from a loving family like ours. Let everyone remember this face." A growing pile of cards, candles and stuffed animals now sit outside Destiny Norton's home. During that week, hundreds of Utahns, many complete strangers, helped search for the little girl. Now, the community is showing their support with items left in Destiny's memory. Jeannie Hill, Family Friend: "The whole community, they've been wonderful. They've been wonderful. They've been so helpful and looking everywhere." Destiny's family will remember her as a beautiful little girl, mugging for the camera at her parent's recent wedding, full of life and laughter. Destiny's younger sister, Trinity turned one-year old today. A family spokesperson says the family is turning their attention to her today. Peter Brooks: "After such a tragic loss, that was Rick and Rachael's focus, was to make sure that today was Trinity's day." Pictures of Gregerson with his own child and family are posted online. He's listed himself on the website myspace.com. We couldn't find Gregerson listed on the state sex offender registry. But once again, he was arrested for assault and domestic violence charges a couple years ago, and now is charged with Destiny Norton's murder.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
July 25th, 2006 @ 4:00pmKSL Team Coverage
The neighbor who kept the body of 5-year-old Destiny Norton in his basement told police the girl "went limp" after he lured her into his house and gagged her.
Destiny's body was found last night around 8:30 in the basement of 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson's home, about 150 feet behind the Norton's home. Sara Woods / Neighbor: "We're sick, this is right behind the wall of my house!.To have her missing, and have her turn up just two doors down, and we didn't even know she was here."
Craig Gregerson has been booked on kidnapping and murder charges. A spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office says prosecutors have not yet met with police. He says it could be a couple of days, before formal charges are filed. According to a probable cause booking statement, Gregerson saw Destiny outside his home. He then opened the gate to his backyard and lured the five-year-old into his home. The statement went on to say Destiny began to scream, so Gregerson put his hand over her mouth and began to squeeze. Her body then went limp and he laid her body on the floor. The man who calls himself Destiny's uncle, Peter Brooks, broke down when he heard the circumstances surrounding Destiny's disappearance. He says, Gregerson should receive the death penalty. Brooks believes the police betrayed the family's trust, but credits them for bringing an end to the mystery of Destiny's disappearance. Peter Brooks, Destiny's Uncle: "With everything I've said about the police department and law enforcement agencies, there is a bottom line to this; and the community needs to know this, they are teh ones who brought Destiny home." Earlier in the week when detectives went door-to-door in the neighborhood, they interviewed Gregerson inside his home. But police say canines never picked up Destiny's scent.
And even though Gregerson refused to allow police to search his home, the police chief says that is not sufficient probable cause to search someone's home. They had to wait for a warrant. Then last night, police received two tips. One was information leading them to Gregerson. The other was the witness who supposedly saw Destiny in a black truck outside a convenience store in Farmington. Police say these two tips came in around the same time and investigators were pursuing the leads simultaneously. Chief Chris Burbank / Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "As I was sitting in my office, I had two leads come to me. One was concerning the incident in Farmington and the black pickup. The other was this information. They said should we hold onto the info on the pickup? I said definitely not. In the event the information we had here did not pan out, I wasn't about to give up a lead in Farmington."
The Farmington lead turned out to be nothing. Then, around 10:30 last night, police called a press conference, but left a lot of questions still unanswered. How long was Destiny in that basement? And what led police to Gregerson's house now-- why not a week ago? The police chief's only statement about that was that there has been conflicting information from various sources up until the last minute. Another important piece of information to confirm-- could Destiny have been somewhere else when police originally went to Gregerson's home? Police have not said a word about the investigation today, and there are so many unanswered questions. They are choosing to wait until autopsy results come back. That could be as late as tomorrow but we may know preliminary autopsy results later today.
The suspect, 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson is seen here in a mug when he was arrested in 2004 for investigation of domestic assault. No charges were ever filed in that case, Nancy Volmer, a spokeswoman for Utah's district courts, said Tuesday. Court papers paint a picture of an abusive husband. Gregerson, a Radio Shack warehouse clerk, kicked and punched his wife, once causing a miscarriage, in a trouble marriage detailed in court papers filed in March by her attorney. His mother-in-law filed an affidavit accusing Gregerson of once choking and punching her when she tried to kick him out of her home. Gregerson once threw the couple's 1-year-old daughter across a bed when the infant kicked some food off his lap, said an attorney for Gregerson's wife. The attorney, Delano Findlay, detailed those allegations in a court filing in March, opposing a protective order Gregerson had obtained against his wife, Catherine Gregerson. A judge revoked the order and dismissed Gregerson's hand-scrawled complaints, which Findlay called fabricated. According to the papers, Gregerson told his wife that he didn't care if he killed her that it would be better to be in jail than living with her.
The papers stated Catherine Gregerson is a battered wife who put up with it because she loved him and felt a need for his love. Eyewitness News spoke with Catherine Gregerson early on in the search for Destiny last Tuesday. Cadie Gregerson/ Neighbor/ July 17: "I came over and I talked straight to the mother. Then I went and took my daughter inside and then went straight out to go look. I mean, I have a child too. How would I feel? It's the same way. What if my child went missing? I'd be completely devastated." Witnesses say they saw Gregerson's wife several times near the house prior to his arrest, including last night after his arrest. Jeannie Hill / Family Friend: "She came up last night, and says, ‘Oh, where's my husband?'. And she said the guys name, and somebody said, you need to go, he was just arrested for murder. And she didn't even seem surprised, she just walked away." Gregerson's wife told KSL radio today, she things her husband has been set up. Catherine Gregerson, Doug Wright Show: "I think somebody's setting him up. Unless I hear it from my husband's mouth himself that he did it...that's what I think and I have yet to talk to my husband." She also claims she had no knowledge of this until she walked up to the house last night.
She helped with the search efforts in the days following Destiny's disappearance and even spoke to one of our crews on the scene. Today she said she's heartbroken about what's happened. She also says she was in the home as recently as yesterday, but didn't notice anything unusual. Doug Wright: "Did you notice anything unusual at all in the home?" Catherine Gregerson, Suspect's Wife: "You know what, the house smelled like it normally does. I didn't smell a single thing. I've been in that house several times since she was missing and I haven't smelled a single thing. And if he killed her, I will not stand by him, no doubt in my mind at all. But if he tells me to my face that he did it, but I will stand by him if he denies he did it." Cadie Gregerson said her husband had only some minor trespassing brushes with law in high school. Police say they never had enough probable cause for a warrant and the Norton family never identified Gregerson as a suspect. In fact, neighbors barely saw him. He kept to himself. Sara Woods / Neighbor: "The only time I hung out with him is when he was standing here talking with the FBI, and he lied right to our faces. He look right at us and said "I wish I knew where he was." Peter Brooks, Destiny's Uncle: "I have no idea who he is. I never got to know any of the neighbors." Police say Gregerson lived in the house alone, though we know he is married with a small child.
Norton's family and friends are devastated and outraged. Holding up Gregerson's mug shot, the crowd reacts to seeing his face. Peter Brooks/Destiny's Uncle: "You see that? Let society see what the face of a sick man looks like. The man who would take a five-year-old child away from a loving family like ours. Let everyone remember this face." A growing pile of cards, candles and stuffed animals now sit outside Destiny Norton's home. During that week, hundreds of Utahns, many complete strangers, helped search for the little girl. Now, the community is showing their support with items left in Destiny's memory. Jeannie Hill, Family Friend: "The whole community, they've been wonderful. They've been wonderful. They've been so helpful and looking everywhere." Destiny's family will remember her as a beautiful little girl, mugging for the camera at her parent's recent wedding, full of life and laughter. Destiny's younger sister, Trinity turned one-year old today. A family spokesperson says the family is turning their attention to her today. Peter Brooks: "After such a tragic loss, that was Rick and Rachael's focus, was to make sure that today was Trinity's day." Pictures of Gregerson with his own child and family are posted online. He's listed himself on the website myspace.com. We couldn't find Gregerson listed on the state sex offender registry. But once again, he was arrested for assault and domestic violence charges a couple years ago, and now is charged with Destiny Norton's murder.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
Friday, July 21, 2006
My heartache
A shattered heart tells many tales of times that a loved
one has broken it.
Many stories of painful moments that have left a heart
torn into pieces and never whole.
The gashes grow bigger with each moment it cannot
undo or force itself to forget.
A heart never forgets or trully heals it only mends
temporarily until another tale is born.
Excruciating heartache pounding on my chest to free
itself of captivity.
Wanting so much to make the person it loves trully
happy.
Those tales of the broken heart are not forgotten.
Heart is kept in captivity to be guarded and watched.
To never go through a similar tale again.
Yet heat hurts because it's love is forcing it to forget.
Therefore, the blood is falling with no signs of stopping.
The pools of it filling the captivity drowning the heart.
Heart wants to make the love happy but at what price is
it willing to risk it or the love willing to risk it's well-
being?
How far will they both go?
The answer is until one no longer exists like before.
Hurting so much that I cannot hide it any longer and a
river of tears flow down my cheeks to my pillow.
Crying until I cannot anymore.
Words the invisible knife that goes deeper with each
word spoken until it makes it through.
Words that then make a knife slice downward more each
time with it’s painful intention.
In the end, what is left is a broken heart, sitting inside
depressed crying in pain.
My mind can’t stand the heart this way.
Thoughts fluttering in of the possible solutions all no
good to be thought; let alone acted upon.
My heart feels so weak it can’t go on; there is no hope
or support.
Time to end it, my heart can’t take any more and either
can I.
Hands shaking as they accept the mind’s command.
Taking slowly a few pills at a time, in the palm of my
hand and taking them to my mouth.
After that slowly taking a knife and slicing my will to
live.
Sitting in the corner in the fetal position, my face to the
wall and my back to the rest of it all.
Silently awaiting my fate as the blood trickles all over and my blurred vision sets in.
Could this be the end?
Oh please let it be!!
I can take no more.
Set me free of this life and bring my heart to the joyful
beats it once had.
Bring me to the place of ecstasy and harmony so that for
once I may be happy.
I cannot and will not take this pain and guilt anymore.
one has broken it.
Many stories of painful moments that have left a heart
torn into pieces and never whole.
The gashes grow bigger with each moment it cannot
undo or force itself to forget.
A heart never forgets or trully heals it only mends
temporarily until another tale is born.
Excruciating heartache pounding on my chest to free
itself of captivity.
Wanting so much to make the person it loves trully
happy.
Those tales of the broken heart are not forgotten.
Heart is kept in captivity to be guarded and watched.
To never go through a similar tale again.
Yet heat hurts because it's love is forcing it to forget.
Therefore, the blood is falling with no signs of stopping.
The pools of it filling the captivity drowning the heart.
Heart wants to make the love happy but at what price is
it willing to risk it or the love willing to risk it's well-
being?
How far will they both go?
The answer is until one no longer exists like before.
Hurting so much that I cannot hide it any longer and a
river of tears flow down my cheeks to my pillow.
Crying until I cannot anymore.
Words the invisible knife that goes deeper with each
word spoken until it makes it through.
Words that then make a knife slice downward more each
time with it’s painful intention.
In the end, what is left is a broken heart, sitting inside
depressed crying in pain.
My mind can’t stand the heart this way.
Thoughts fluttering in of the possible solutions all no
good to be thought; let alone acted upon.
My heart feels so weak it can’t go on; there is no hope
or support.
Time to end it, my heart can’t take any more and either
can I.
Hands shaking as they accept the mind’s command.
Taking slowly a few pills at a time, in the palm of my
hand and taking them to my mouth.
After that slowly taking a knife and slicing my will to
live.
Sitting in the corner in the fetal position, my face to the
wall and my back to the rest of it all.
Silently awaiting my fate as the blood trickles all over and my blurred vision sets in.
Could this be the end?
Oh please let it be!!
I can take no more.
Set me free of this life and bring my heart to the joyful
beats it once had.
Bring me to the place of ecstasy and harmony so that for
once I may be happy.
I cannot and will not take this pain and guilt anymore.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Amidst the chaos, a glimmer of humanitarianism
http://tinyurl.com/ngp6v
Copyright (c) 2006 The Daily Star
Friday, July 21, 2006
Invaders test ground defenses in South
By Leila Hatoum and Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: Israel has opened a 60-kilometer front along the southern Lebanese border, from Naqoura to Majidiyeh, a Lebanese security source said on Thursday. "This front is to estimate Hizbullah's retaliation strength on the ground," the source said. "The fighting zone is inside Lebanese territory, which the UN itself has marked and which Israel agrees is Lebanese."
As The Daily Star went to press, three Israeli bombs fell on the southern suburbs of the capital and additional ordnance hit the northern city of Baalbek, leaving both areas ablaze. No casualty count was available.
Although up to now Israel has only hinted that it might undertake a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, on Thursday its tanks in fact attempted to cross the UN-demarcated Blue Line.
According to a Hizbullah statement, Israeli troops met "fierce resistance from Hizbullah fighters as the Israelis crossed into Lebanon."
An Israeli Army spokesperson said his troops were looking for "tunnels and weapons for the second day."
The Hizbullah statement said Israeli tanks and soldiers were "relentlessly trying to advance into Lebanese territory to achieve any military victory, but they were defeated by Hizbullah fighters. The latest Israeli attempt to advance toward the Southern Lebanon town of Maroun Al-Rass failed as the Israelis lost two Merkava tanks and a helicopter."
According to a statement from Amal, one Hizbullah fighter - identified as Hani Alawiya, 50 - died in the clashes at Maroun Al-Rass.
A separate Hizbullah statement said nine Israeli soldiers died in a Hizbullah ambush Thursday afternoon.
The resistance group's Al-Manar TV aired footage of Israeli Army equipment seized by Hizbullah fighters in the clashes.
Hizbullah guerrillas continued on Thursday their missile bombardment of Haifa, the party said, and fighters advanced as far inside Israel as the northern settlement of Avirvim.
Meanwhile, a source close to the resistance denied reports that rocket posts in Baalbek had been hit, or that the party had such posts in the area.
Media reports said Thursday that Israeli warplanes had struck Hizbullah's rocket operations headquarters in Baalbek and claimed the unit controlled the party's storage and distribution of rockets.
Also Thursday, Israeli warplanes and warships continued their bombardment of Lebanon, from the North to the South and the Bekaa Valley.
In the latest reported civilian casualties, four Lebanese were killed when an Israeli missile struck their car in Tyre as they were fleeing the city.
Beirut's southern suburbs were hit in the early morning. The strike targeted a construction site that Hizbullah said was a mosque.
"No Hizbullah leaders or members died in Thursday's bombing of Bourj al-Barajneh [part of Beirut's southern suburbs]," said a statement. Hizbullah dismissed as false claims made by the Israeli Army that the strike targeted a bunker.
"The building which Israel used 23 tons of explosives on was a mosque," it said.
The bombardment of the suburbs resumed Thursday afternoon as Israeli attack helicopters targeted the area's empty streets and buildings.
The flow of displaced Lebanese also continued Thursday, as residents of Southern towns and villages, under constant attack by Israel, continued to pour into Sidon.
Eyewitnesses said that convoys of hundreds of families "crammed in cars and buses, starting to arrive in Sidon and its suburbs during the early hours Thursday."
Malek Abdul-Khaliq, the governor of the South, and representatives from the Higher Relief Committee distributed 4,000 food portions and aid to the displaced Thursday, in collaboration with the army.
The Hariri Foundation has also provided the displaced with 7,000 food portions, 2,000 mattresses and 3,000 blankets over the past week.
The UN and several humanitarian organizations have estimated that some 500,000 Lebanese have been displaced by the Israeli assault.
The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees said Thursday that the situation for civilians in the South "is increasingly critical due to Israeli raids."
Sven Berthelsen told the Danish news agency Ritzau from Beirut that "the situation is serious and is deteriorating every day.
"They are starting to lose electricity, and water pumps are working less and less," he added. "Very few basic foodstuffs are getting to this zone."
In the absence of safe passage guarantees from Israel, UNRWA is unable to send aid to the region. UNICEF, the WHO and the UNHCR are facing the same dilemma.
Other NGOs are working on the ground to help the displaced but their numbers are increasing and the offerings the NGOs have are insufficient, a Daily Star reporter observed.
Separately, the Lebanese Higher Relief Commission said that at least 30 houses had been completely destroyed since Israel launched its attacks, 1,000 residences damaged, 20 bridges demolished and five gas stations burned in the Bekaa district. - With agencies
Copyright (c) 2006 The Daily Star
Friday, July 21, 2006
Invaders test ground defenses in South
By Leila Hatoum and Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: Israel has opened a 60-kilometer front along the southern Lebanese border, from Naqoura to Majidiyeh, a Lebanese security source said on Thursday. "This front is to estimate Hizbullah's retaliation strength on the ground," the source said. "The fighting zone is inside Lebanese territory, which the UN itself has marked and which Israel agrees is Lebanese."
As The Daily Star went to press, three Israeli bombs fell on the southern suburbs of the capital and additional ordnance hit the northern city of Baalbek, leaving both areas ablaze. No casualty count was available.
Although up to now Israel has only hinted that it might undertake a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, on Thursday its tanks in fact attempted to cross the UN-demarcated Blue Line.
According to a Hizbullah statement, Israeli troops met "fierce resistance from Hizbullah fighters as the Israelis crossed into Lebanon."
An Israeli Army spokesperson said his troops were looking for "tunnels and weapons for the second day."
The Hizbullah statement said Israeli tanks and soldiers were "relentlessly trying to advance into Lebanese territory to achieve any military victory, but they were defeated by Hizbullah fighters. The latest Israeli attempt to advance toward the Southern Lebanon town of Maroun Al-Rass failed as the Israelis lost two Merkava tanks and a helicopter."
According to a statement from Amal, one Hizbullah fighter - identified as Hani Alawiya, 50 - died in the clashes at Maroun Al-Rass.
A separate Hizbullah statement said nine Israeli soldiers died in a Hizbullah ambush Thursday afternoon.
The resistance group's Al-Manar TV aired footage of Israeli Army equipment seized by Hizbullah fighters in the clashes.
Hizbullah guerrillas continued on Thursday their missile bombardment of Haifa, the party said, and fighters advanced as far inside Israel as the northern settlement of Avirvim.
Meanwhile, a source close to the resistance denied reports that rocket posts in Baalbek had been hit, or that the party had such posts in the area.
Media reports said Thursday that Israeli warplanes had struck Hizbullah's rocket operations headquarters in Baalbek and claimed the unit controlled the party's storage and distribution of rockets.
Also Thursday, Israeli warplanes and warships continued their bombardment of Lebanon, from the North to the South and the Bekaa Valley.
In the latest reported civilian casualties, four Lebanese were killed when an Israeli missile struck their car in Tyre as they were fleeing the city.
Beirut's southern suburbs were hit in the early morning. The strike targeted a construction site that Hizbullah said was a mosque.
"No Hizbullah leaders or members died in Thursday's bombing of Bourj al-Barajneh [part of Beirut's southern suburbs]," said a statement. Hizbullah dismissed as false claims made by the Israeli Army that the strike targeted a bunker.
"The building which Israel used 23 tons of explosives on was a mosque," it said.
The bombardment of the suburbs resumed Thursday afternoon as Israeli attack helicopters targeted the area's empty streets and buildings.
The flow of displaced Lebanese also continued Thursday, as residents of Southern towns and villages, under constant attack by Israel, continued to pour into Sidon.
Eyewitnesses said that convoys of hundreds of families "crammed in cars and buses, starting to arrive in Sidon and its suburbs during the early hours Thursday."
Malek Abdul-Khaliq, the governor of the South, and representatives from the Higher Relief Committee distributed 4,000 food portions and aid to the displaced Thursday, in collaboration with the army.
The Hariri Foundation has also provided the displaced with 7,000 food portions, 2,000 mattresses and 3,000 blankets over the past week.
The UN and several humanitarian organizations have estimated that some 500,000 Lebanese have been displaced by the Israeli assault.
The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees said Thursday that the situation for civilians in the South "is increasingly critical due to Israeli raids."
Sven Berthelsen told the Danish news agency Ritzau from Beirut that "the situation is serious and is deteriorating every day.
"They are starting to lose electricity, and water pumps are working less and less," he added. "Very few basic foodstuffs are getting to this zone."
In the absence of safe passage guarantees from Israel, UNRWA is unable to send aid to the region. UNICEF, the WHO and the UNHCR are facing the same dilemma.
Other NGOs are working on the ground to help the displaced but their numbers are increasing and the offerings the NGOs have are insufficient, a Daily Star reporter observed.
Separately, the Lebanese Higher Relief Commission said that at least 30 houses had been completely destroyed since Israel launched its attacks, 1,000 residences damaged, 20 bridges demolished and five gas stations burned in the Bekaa district. - With agencies
Lebanon's capacity to rebuild is greater than that of others to destroy
Editorial from Lebanon's "The Daily Star"
Nothing can describe the feeling of having worked tirelessly for 15 years rebuilding a country from the ruins of war, only to see it once again laid waste within a period of days. Just over a week ago, the Lebanese were only beginning to reap the benefits of all their toils, with the summer tourist season making a major comeback. But now the bridges, buildings, factories and roads that they have spent the decade-and-a-half working to rebuild have been destroyed, along with any immediate hope of an economic rebound. Even the airport, which was named after late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was a driving force behind much of Lebanon's reconstruction, has been put out of action in a relentless series of air raids.
Yet the ambiance of horrendous destruction has not ruined the country's spirit of humanity. The resilience of this spirit can be seen in each and every act of compassion that Lebanese citizens are now showing toward their compatriots, 500,000 of whom have been made homeless as a result of Israel's assaults across the country. As a wide range of Israeli weapons rains down from above, many Lebanese on the ground are arming themselves with determination, and channelling all of their energies into providing relief and refuge to their fellow citizens.
Political parties, including the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, have been turning their offices into temporary shelters and providing food, water and words of comfort to terrified refugees. Christian churches and schools have opened their doors to the floods of mostly Shiite refugees, proving that compassion and mercy know no religious or sectarian boundaries. Artists, including the SHAMS Arts Collective and Sanayeh's Zicco House, are now using their talents to prepare food and distribute supplies such as water and medicine to those made homeless as a result of Israel's offensive. http://www.dailystar.com.lb
These simple acts of kindness and generosity in these times of crisis are a testament to the spirit of the Lebanese people. Their response to this tragedy has been to pool all of their resources in order to provide assistance to those in need. They are demonstrating that their capacity for compassion is abundant, even now, in the midst of massive destruction.
These gestures also prove yet again that the will of the Lebanese to survive and rebuild is far stronger than the will of others to kill and destroy. They know that Israel has launched a deadly mission to set their country "back 20 years" - an assault that has claimed the lives of about 300 civilians in just eight days. But in spite of that, the Lebanese are holding on to the belief that no matter how hard this country is trampled upon, it will once again rise up from the ashes, all the more determined to thrive.
Nothing can describe the feeling of having worked tirelessly for 15 years rebuilding a country from the ruins of war, only to see it once again laid waste within a period of days. Just over a week ago, the Lebanese were only beginning to reap the benefits of all their toils, with the summer tourist season making a major comeback. But now the bridges, buildings, factories and roads that they have spent the decade-and-a-half working to rebuild have been destroyed, along with any immediate hope of an economic rebound. Even the airport, which was named after late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was a driving force behind much of Lebanon's reconstruction, has been put out of action in a relentless series of air raids.
Yet the ambiance of horrendous destruction has not ruined the country's spirit of humanity. The resilience of this spirit can be seen in each and every act of compassion that Lebanese citizens are now showing toward their compatriots, 500,000 of whom have been made homeless as a result of Israel's assaults across the country. As a wide range of Israeli weapons rains down from above, many Lebanese on the ground are arming themselves with determination, and channelling all of their energies into providing relief and refuge to their fellow citizens.
Political parties, including the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, have been turning their offices into temporary shelters and providing food, water and words of comfort to terrified refugees. Christian churches and schools have opened their doors to the floods of mostly Shiite refugees, proving that compassion and mercy know no religious or sectarian boundaries. Artists, including the SHAMS Arts Collective and Sanayeh's Zicco House, are now using their talents to prepare food and distribute supplies such as water and medicine to those made homeless as a result of Israel's offensive. http://www.dailystar.com.lb
These simple acts of kindness and generosity in these times of crisis are a testament to the spirit of the Lebanese people. Their response to this tragedy has been to pool all of their resources in order to provide assistance to those in need. They are demonstrating that their capacity for compassion is abundant, even now, in the midst of massive destruction.
These gestures also prove yet again that the will of the Lebanese to survive and rebuild is far stronger than the will of others to kill and destroy. They know that Israel has launched a deadly mission to set their country "back 20 years" - an assault that has claimed the lives of about 300 civilians in just eight days. But in spite of that, the Lebanese are holding on to the belief that no matter how hard this country is trampled upon, it will once again rise up from the ashes, all the more determined to thrive.
"Live from an Israeli Bunker"
http://israelibunker.blogspot.com/ or www.israelibunker.com
Please check out this blog, featured on CNN. It contains opinion of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. I found it very informative.
Also, here at CNN, there is a poll asking "Do you think the Israeli military response inside Lebanon is justified?" Click on link, poll near center of page.
Please check out this blog, featured on CNN. It contains opinion of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. I found it very informative.
Also, here at CNN, there is a poll asking "Do you think the Israeli military response inside Lebanon is justified?" Click on link, poll near center of page.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Amazing Race, the reality show I actually watch
'Amazing Race' moves to new night, time
By BETH HARRIS,
Associated Press Writer
An Indian-American husband and wife, a gay couple and two Muslim friends are among the 12 teams that will compete in "The Amazing Race" this fall.
The three-time Emmy-winning reality show is moving to Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS. Its 10th season will start in Seattle, with the teams traveling westward for the first time and stopping in China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Kuwait and Madagascar, among other countries.
They will travel more than 40,000 miles in under 30 days in pursuit of the $1 million prize.
"This cast is as different as it's ever been," executive producer Bertram van Munster told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting. "It's meltdown city on this trip."
Van Munster said the language barrier made traveling difficult for the teams, along with 130-degree heat in Kuwait and filming in Communist countries. In Vietnam, the government insisted on viewing daily footage but didn't request any changes or cuts.
"The show worldwide is extremely popular and that has helped us," he said.
The teams announced Saturday are:
• Vipul Patel, 29, and Arti Patel, 26, of Windermere, Fla. They are the first Indian-Americans on the show.
• Brothers Erwin Cho, 32, and Godwin Cho, 29, of San Francisco.
• Tom Rock, 39, and Terry Cosentino, 45, a gay couple from New York City.
• Friends Kellie Patterson, 22, and Jamie Hill, 22, of Columbia, S.C.
• Friends Lyn Turk, 32, of Birmingham, Ala., and Karlyn Harris, 32, of Helena, Ala.
• Husband and wife David Conley, 32, and Mary Conley, 31, of Stone, Ky.
• Friends Bilal Abdul-Mani, 37, and Sa'eed Rudolph, 39, of Cleveland, who are Muslims.
• Friends Peter Harsch, 35, of Laguna Beach, Calif., and Sarah Reinertsen, 31, of Trabuco Canyon, Calif. Sarah has an artificial leg.
• Rob Diaz, 31, and Kimberly Chabolla, 28, of Los Angeles, who are dating.
• Friends Tyler Denk, 29, and James Branaman, 27, of Los Angeles, who are models.
• Friends Dustin Konzelman, 24, of Riverside, Calif., and Kandice Pelletier, 24, of New York City, both former Miss USA contestants.
• Father and daughter Duke Marcoccio, 52, and Lauren Marcoccio, 26, of Warwick, R.I.
http://tinyurl.com/rxfo3
By BETH HARRIS,
Associated Press Writer
An Indian-American husband and wife, a gay couple and two Muslim friends are among the 12 teams that will compete in "The Amazing Race" this fall.
The three-time Emmy-winning reality show is moving to Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS. Its 10th season will start in Seattle, with the teams traveling westward for the first time and stopping in China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Kuwait and Madagascar, among other countries.
They will travel more than 40,000 miles in under 30 days in pursuit of the $1 million prize.
"This cast is as different as it's ever been," executive producer Bertram van Munster told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting. "It's meltdown city on this trip."
Van Munster said the language barrier made traveling difficult for the teams, along with 130-degree heat in Kuwait and filming in Communist countries. In Vietnam, the government insisted on viewing daily footage but didn't request any changes or cuts.
"The show worldwide is extremely popular and that has helped us," he said.
The teams announced Saturday are:
• Vipul Patel, 29, and Arti Patel, 26, of Windermere, Fla. They are the first Indian-Americans on the show.
• Brothers Erwin Cho, 32, and Godwin Cho, 29, of San Francisco.
• Tom Rock, 39, and Terry Cosentino, 45, a gay couple from New York City.
• Friends Kellie Patterson, 22, and Jamie Hill, 22, of Columbia, S.C.
• Friends Lyn Turk, 32, of Birmingham, Ala., and Karlyn Harris, 32, of Helena, Ala.
• Husband and wife David Conley, 32, and Mary Conley, 31, of Stone, Ky.
• Friends Bilal Abdul-Mani, 37, and Sa'eed Rudolph, 39, of Cleveland, who are Muslims.
• Friends Peter Harsch, 35, of Laguna Beach, Calif., and Sarah Reinertsen, 31, of Trabuco Canyon, Calif. Sarah has an artificial leg.
• Rob Diaz, 31, and Kimberly Chabolla, 28, of Los Angeles, who are dating.
• Friends Tyler Denk, 29, and James Branaman, 27, of Los Angeles, who are models.
• Friends Dustin Konzelman, 24, of Riverside, Calif., and Kandice Pelletier, 24, of New York City, both former Miss USA contestants.
• Father and daughter Duke Marcoccio, 52, and Lauren Marcoccio, 26, of Warwick, R.I.
http://tinyurl.com/rxfo3
Friday, July 14, 2006
From Professor Dunham
Received via email.
"Sunny's site listed an interest in alternative religions. My post, in response to her site's question, "Do you believe in fate?" said I don't believe in fate in any strict deterministic sense, but do believe in karma. I said while I hoped "one death & then you get Heaven by virtue of a gracious God" would be great, part of me fears, "after 10,000 lifetimes you might just start to get it right" might be more like it."
Thank you Professor Dunham, I know I can always count on you to be seriously knowledgeable yet humorous at the same time. You're too great!
"Sunny's site listed an interest in alternative religions. My post, in response to her site's question, "Do you believe in fate?" said I don't believe in fate in any strict deterministic sense, but do believe in karma. I said while I hoped "one death & then you get Heaven by virtue of a gracious God" would be great, part of me fears, "after 10,000 lifetimes you might just start to get it right" might be more like it."
Thank you Professor Dunham, I know I can always count on you to be seriously knowledgeable yet humorous at the same time. You're too great!
Monday, July 10, 2006
For Beth Karas
All of my sympathies are with you at this terrible time.I know your mother is finally resting.
You have been very brave making your mother comfortable enough so she may pass.
You are a wonderful person and many of us stand by you in this difficult time.
May you and your family be blessed.
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