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Monday, July 23, 2007
Justice for All?
Two recent, widely-reported cases regarding child molestation have left legal observers scratching the heads and wondering whether some Judges have lost touch with reality.
Take the case of Mahamu Kanneh, an immigrant who received political asylum in the U.S. after fleeing Liberia. He was charged with repeatedly raping and molesting a 7 year-old girl. However, Judge Katherine Savage of Montgomery County, Maryland, dismissed the charges against the accused after granting the defense's "speedy trial" motion wherein they argued that the case had been inexcusably delayed as a result of the court system's failure to obtain an interpreter for the defendant, who purportedly is only fluent in his native West African language. Representatives of the Court system admitted that they could not find an interpreter after diligently searching for one.
Interestingly, however, the defendant attended an American high school and an American community college. And when contacted telephonically by a reporter at his home, the defendant denied the allegations against him and stated that the dismissal of the charges was "a good thing." When asked if the charges were true, he said, "I said what I had to say" before hanging up.
And a member of the media had no problem finding local interpreters fluent in Kannah's native language.
The next case is worse. Lincoln, Nebraska Judge Kristine Cecava sentenced convicted 50-year-old child molester Richard Thompson - who was accused of raping a 12-year-old girl - to no jail time because he was too short, and the judge felt that he would therefore be abused behind bars (He is 5'1" tall). So now, Thompson is walking the streets among us and serving probation, rather than doing hard time. Jim Hedley - the Editor of the Sidney Sun-Telegraph, a local newspaper - was in attendance in Court during the Judge's ruling, and thought the Judge was joking. "We just cannot believe that this has happened," he stated.
The Kannah case demonstrates that some cases do fall through the cracks. What I'm wondering is, why is it not Kanneh's responsibility to obtain his own interpreter? Is English not the language of this country? Why should the taxpayers be burdened with this responsibility?
Either way, I suppose the taxpayers pay - financially, by funding an interpreter, or socially, with Kannah walking the streets as a free man.
Just ask Richard Thompson.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Follow these Instructions
I've seen an increase in my law practice of divorce cases where a spouse is caught red-handed having an affair. Not in the usual come-home-from-work early and find your spouse with someone else way; instead it's those darn cell phones that blow the whistle on an unfaithful spouse. The most common occurence: a bar-room chat with a paramour, picked up on a cell phone that inadvertently dialed the cheater's home phone while it's innocently sitting in the cheater's pocket.
My advice to clients: Make your life simpler and happier, and don't cheat. My back-up advice: if you do cheat, then for God's sake, turn off your cell phone.
Now, however, I have an update on that advice: Turn off your cell phone AND remove the battery.
According to reports, the United States Government has a new eavesdropping tool that permits them to listen in to your private conversations through your cell phone - EVEN IF YOU AREN'T TALKING ON IT. The key to this technology is the phone's Global Positioning Sattellite Receiver, which evidently not only can annouce to the government where you are, but can also activate your cell phone's internal microphone - even if the phone is turned off. As long as the battery is in the cell phone, whether the phone is on or off, your private moments may in fact not be so private because your phone's microphone can send your conversation to whomever has the means to listen.
This new surveillance techique, referred to as a "roving bug", was exposed in a recent United States District Court decision authored by District Judge Lewis Kaplan.
If you live a clean life, don't break the law, and do nothing in private that you wouldn't mind seeing on the front page of the newspaper, then, by all means, feel free to disregard my advice.
If, however, you aren't one of the 1/2 of 1% who fall within that category: You have been warned.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Mixed Signals
So President Bush has somehow convinced Congress that a "surge" in troops is necessary in Iraq. In fact, the Administration has recently stated that the surge is beginning to work, but that much work is still ahead of us.
And so it was with just a little bit of shock that I watched this week's video of Vice President Cheney, on yet another surprise visit to Baghdad's "Green Zone", exiting Air Force Two. You see the Green Zone is supposedly the safest place in Iraq, an oasis of peace among the war-torn cities of Iraq.
Why my surprise?
Underneath the VP's unbuttoned suit jacket, in plain view for everyone to see, was an item you won't soon find on sale at Brooks Brothers.
A bullet proof vest.
This might not have come as such a shock to me if the VP had worn a flak jacket openly before. Perhaps before the "surge" that is purportedly beginning to show some signs of success.
The VP's new fashion statement comes amidst reports that the Iraqi Parliament - whose work is critical in attempting to attain political and economic stability - will be taking a 2 month vacation. And Tim Russert reported Wednesday that a group of Congressional Republicans who previously supported the war privately met with the President to discuss their disgust at the situation. Speaking frankly, at least one Congressman told the President that the Administration has no credibility on the war, and that defeat should be admitted.
Either the surge is working or it isn't. Is more time needed? Perhaps. But carting out the VP with a flak jacket in what is supposed to be the safest area of Iraq, when none was previously required, after the surge which is supposedly beginning to work, is more than bad public relations.
It's a sign of defeat.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
On the Wrong Side of the Law?
Clayton Police Chief, Newfield Councilman, former State Assembly Candidate and activist for New Jersey's MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), Frank Winters - and his wife Beatrice - have been charged with stealing $150,000.00 from a non-profit organization.
The Chief was arrested in his police uniform as he was driving to work yesterday morning, and his wife was taken into custody shortly thereafter at their home. According to law enforcement sources, the Winters - who own a trinket company that provides organizations with keychains, pins, and other trinket-type items - charged the MADD organization for products which were never delivered. The Winters also allegedly did not advise MADD of their ownership of the company.
For at least part of the period in question, Chief Winters served on the MADD committee charged with providing oversight into the organization's financial matters. Police allege this position helped him commit the crime.
Both the Chief and his wife stopped participating in MADD 3 years ago.
If convicted, the Chief faces 10 years in state prison.
On a personal note, Chief Winters interjected himself into the controversy surrounding my former client Kenneth Powell, who was charged with manslaughter after he allegedly "permitted" a friend to drive drunk. The drunk driver later killed himself and John Elliot, a recent Naval Academy graduate, after a head-on collision. This case marked the first time in the history of the country that the person charged with the DWI death was not the driver of the automobile, but was allegedly an "accomplice" to the drunk driving. Mr. Powell was correctly found not quilty of the most serious charge, and the remaining charges against him were dismissed after 2 hung juries.
I debated the Chief on CourtTV in this matter, and it is a shame to think that Chief Winters may have simply been "posing" as a MADD officer concerned about drunk driving when in fact he may have been in it to line his own pocket.
Mr. and Mrs. Winters deny the allegations. They're innocent until proven guilty, so we'll give them their day in court. Which, interestingly, is a statement I don't recall Chief Winters making when Mr. Powell was facing a terrible injustice.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A "Do-Over" for the Internet?
Researchers are studying whether or not to completely "scrap" the internet as we know it, and re-build it better, faster, stronger.
Although the internet has steadily advanced in the 37 years since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock oversaw the transfer of test data between two remote computers, some experts are concerned that the Internet's outdated platform raises enhanced security and mobility issues which will only worsen if growth on the old platform continues.
A new, more secure and technologically advanced network could be created parallel with the current internet, and eventually totally replace it. Any replacement internet is not expected to be developed for 10 to 15 years.
A number of "clean-slate" projects are currently underway. The National Science Foundation is working to create an experimental research network known as the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI), and is funding university research. Major universities such as Princeton, Rutgers and Stanford are researching internet replacement individually, and the United States Department of Defense is exploring the concept.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The White House's Wanted Ad
Reports today indicate that President Bush is looking for an individual to serve as "War Czar", tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So far, the candidate search is not going well.
According to foxnews.com, no less than three retired four-star generals have declined the job offer.
Retired Marine Gen. Jack Sheehan, one of the sought-after generals who said thanks, but no thanks, indicated he had concerns regarding the ability of a war czar to trump administration officials - including the Vice President - who Sheehan suspects aren't interested in developing a plan to get out of Iraq. General Sheehan succinctly summarized why he's taken a pass on the job: "The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going."
I suspect that the White House might wish to update their "wanted ad" to fit the times, tailoring it just slightly in order to entice the right folks to apply:
WANTED: War Czar. F/T+, Competitive Salary & Excellent benefits. Applicant must possess strong communication skills and ability to subvert truth before Congress. Position requires multitasking which could include additional wars/responsibilities. Please direct inquiry and desired independent prosecutor to: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500. IMMEDIATE OPENING.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Educating the Educators
There are many reasons I defend students who get in trouble with their school district. It's oftentimes because the student hasn't done anything wrong.
And many times it's because the school district did something wrong.
Just ask 15 year old Cody Webb, a Pennsylvania high-schooler who found himself on the wrong side of the law through no fault of his own. According to published reports, Cody was arrested and charged with the felony of "threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction" after a bomb threat was called into the school district's hotline number at - according to school records - 3:17am on March 11th. According to Cody's cell phone, it was also determined that Cody had called the hotline number at 3:12am the same morning.
When the principal saw that Cody's cell phone indicated a call had been made at around the same time as the bomb threat, he stated, "We got him. We got him." When confronted with the allegation, Cody refused to confess and was charged.
Only problem was, the school forgot to re-set their phone hotline's internal clock to spring ahead. The bomb threat was actually made at 4:17am, over one hour after the call from Cody's cell phone.
After spending 12 days in juvenile detention, a judge dismissed the charges.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Daddy Lesson #1: Expect the Unexpected
While raising my 5 year-old son Alex, I've come to realize that one of the great joys of parenting is teaching your child new things. Whether it's how to swing a bat or recognizing a lower case letter, there's so much joy that comes from witnessing the light of understanding beaming from your child's eyes.
Case in point: just yesterday, the world's number one Pirate fan pointed out a Pirate flag in a book we were reading, at which time I mentioned that it's called a "Jolly Roger". Alex didn't seem to be paying much attention at the time, as he had already begun asking me another question about what we were reading. But, sure enough, when we came across another picture of a Pirate flag a few pages later, he immediately noted, "There's a Jolly Roger".
That's my boy.
On the flip side, I've learned something else, too: That oftentimes, your child (or children, for a little foreshadowing), ends up teaching you. In the most recent case, it's a life lesson on expecting the unexpected.
Case in point: March 29, 2007.
What began as a normal work day day for this well-organized and somewhat "controlling" attorney rapidly unraveled into chaos which ended with - well, you'll soon learn how it ended.
Laura was in her 31st week of our twin pregnancy, and we arrived at Antenatal Services for our regularly scheduled ultrasound appointment at 9am. Mind you, this was just a blip on the radar screen for me (although a blip that was much anticipated as we both obviously received great enjoyment from seeing the babies) in what was a pretty busy day, full of professional engagements but thankfully no court appearances. We were both looking forward to seeing how the babies were developing and documenting their continued growth, as last month we had learned that each twin weighed approximately three pounds.
Before getting the ultrasound, however, Laura was scheduled for an NST test which measures both babies' hearbeats as well as their fetal movements. After fitting Laura with the monitoring equipment, the nurse also fixed a strap across her belly which measures contraction activity.
Our nurse tried in vain for about an hour to detect both fetal hearbeats at the same time. It seemed that after finding both heartbeats, they would then lose one of the hearbeats. The machine was also picking up Laura's hearbeat instead of one of the baby's heartbeats. For a time the machine only registered the heartbeat of one baby.
Interestingly, one of the nurses noted that the machine standing next to Laura's chair, which was collecting data on the heartbeats, fetal movement, and any contractions, indicated that Laura appeared to be having contractions. Approximately 6 minutes apart.
"Is that what they feel like?", Laura asked genuinely. With our first child, Laura was not blessed to have experienced the pains of labor, as Alex's birth was quick and uneventful.
After calling in another nurse to assist, and not having any luck getting both heartbeats at the same time, a doctor was finally called. Immediately after reviewing the machine's readout, we were ordered to travel across the street, STAT, to attempt to rule out the fact that Laura was in labor.
Off to Underwood Hospital we went, hoping that today was not going to be the day that our twins entered the world. That would make them 2 months early, as our due date was May 29th.
The walk over to Underwood's emergency room was quick - the Antenatal Unit is right around the corner - and we were attended to immediately. Now, at this point my mind is starting to race a little. I'm thinking of my wife, and I'm concerned because she's telling me that the contractions ("Now I know what they feel like!") are not going away. I'm thinking of all the things on my work schedule that may not get attended to. I'm happy that I decided last week to keep my new camera in the back of the car.
The Underwood nurses hooked Laura up to another machine, and now Laura is banging out contractions like a pro. At this point, things started to go downhill quickly.
We are told that Laura's cervix is dialated 1 - 2 centimeters.
Contractions keep coming. Quicker, and more painful. By 1pm, Laura is having contractions every minute and is now 2-3 centimeters dialated. The doctors are pumping medicine into Laura to try to stop the contractions.
The medicine is not working.
By now I have broken out my cell phone and called everyone on our VIP list to let them know that today may be the day. In fact, I tell some of them in no uncertain terms that it looks like today will be the day. I notice that I'm shaking a bit and when I speak, I sound like a voice on a tape in fast-forward.
At 1:30pm. we are told that Laura is being transferred to Pennsylvania Hospital, since they have a world-class neonatal unit. This makes me feel somewhat more comfortable.
My wife, on the other hand, is in the throws of labor. She's in agony.
We're at Pennsylvania Hospital, and people from our VIP list begin showing up. Laura's mother-in-law, my father and step-mother. Laura's best friend Tricia.
A doctor is speaking with us. "You're 3 centimeters dialated. If you get to 5, they're coming. We're going to try to stop the labor, but if they want to come, they're coming."
Laura and I exchanged nervous glances. We knew that at 31 weeks pregnant, we were only 4 weeks premature of the "average" twin pregnancy gestation, 35 weeks. Survivability should not be an issue, but complications very well could be.
We figured if it happens, it happens.
It happened.
At 6:17pm we welcomed Jacob Matthew Manganello into the world. At 6:19pm, his brother Joshua Micah Manganello was born.
The statistics:
Jacob Matthew Manganello, 4 pounds, 5 ounces, 17 1/2 inches, lots of dark hair
Joshua Micah Manganello, 4 pounds, 18 inches, lots of dark hair.
Mommy and the children are resting comfortably, and both babies are perfectly healthy. The children will be spending some quality time in the NICU for a few weeks, after which we - and their big brother Alex - will welcome them home.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Freeze with your hands up! (and your Blackberry down!)
Legislation introduced in Trenton by Assemblymen David Mayer (D-4) and Paul Moriarty (D-4) would ban the use of Blackberry and other cell phones to send emails or text messages while driving. The proposed bill would make the law a primary offense, meaning that police officers could execute a traffic stop based upon witnessing the digit(al) infraction.
Interestingly, both Mayer and Moriarty came clean and admitted that they've both been guilty of DWT (Driving While Texting). Calling it "addictive", the lawmakers indicated that they needed the law for their own good.
United States Congressman Robert E. Andrews (D-1, N.J.) acknowledged that while he doesn't text while driving, he has sent emails when stopped at a traffic light. And, on more than one occassion, he has been prompted to proceed through the intersection by the horn of the car behind him after the light has already turned green.
The proposed penalty for the offense is $250.00.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Breaking News - Dumb and Dumber
Two Rowan University students are facing criminal charges for stealing approximately 600 copies of a newspaper that contained information regarding their friends' recent drug bust.
According to reports, Daniel Martin, 19, and Thomas Khotinsky, 18, were recently snagged with nearly a half-pound of pot in their Rowan dorm room. The March 1st edition of The Whit, Rowan's on-campus newspaper, contained an article on the dou's demise. The two unnamed friends of the drug team evidently thought that they could help their pot-possessing friends avoid embarassment by putting the fix in on the distribution of the newspapers, so they went to the Student Center and swiped all the newspapers they could find.
Instead of quieting the story, however, the Jeff Spicoli wanna-be's ended up with more notoriety: prominent articles on the drug bust and the theft tie-in in the Courier-Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
And Chris's Blog.
In a related story, Rowan Police are reportedly working in conjunction with the Glassboro Police Department to investigate the recent steep decline in the purchase of rolling paper from area convenience stores.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Music to your Ears; Shot to your Wallet
50 Ohio University students are finding out the hard way that there can be repercussions to downloading and file-sharing music:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258041,00.html
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Thanks for the Memories
Today is a sad day, as my childhood home is being sold this morning. Things haven't been the same there since my mother passed away three years ago, and so my step-father Dave finally decided to move out and move on. Makes sense to me.
Last night I had an opportunity to spend some last moments in the happy house that hosted so many defining moments in my childhood. I had mixed feelings about going to the house, on the one hand looking forward to getting closure on my childhood, but on the other hand feeling some trepidation toward what those final moments would be like.
After parking my car in the driveway, I noticed that my step-father had left a bunch of trash piled up outside. A quick look found dust-laden dumbbells (barely used but quite old), a few discarded tools, and some small furniture items. Most of my family's possesions had been removed long ago, and these were the last hold-outs. I noticed a few framed drawings designated for the trash heap as well, one of which I think is the Chesapeak Bay Bridge which my mom was particularly fond of. I wasn't, so in the trash it stayed.
At first when I tried to open the side door, I thought it was locked. That was strange, I thought, as Dave had promised to leave it unlocked. I grabbed the handle and pushed a little harder, and the door grudgingly opened.
They say that a person's sense of smell can bring back the most vivid memories - something with the way our brains are wired - and with my first few steps the aroma of my childhood flooded me.
Winter mornings when 807 was closed (and many when it wasn't), being awoken to my mother's tell-tale morning greeting (Sweety-weety-weety, time to rise and shine), summer trips to the Shore, birthday parties, learning to ride a bike, playing baseball in the yard, playing in the leaves, my father and I playing, Grandma coming over, driving a car through (not in) the garage (long story), ice skating in the side yard, playing under my mom's bed, high school baseball games, graduations.
Love. Happiness.
Some sadness. Some pain, too. But not too much.
My memories in overdrive, I did one final walk through the place where I developed from a baby, to a toddler, to a boy, to a young man, and to a man. The kitchen where I watched my mother cook our great meals....the dining room where we gathered every Christmas Eve....the living room that was home to our Christmas tree, the sunroom.
My bedroom - Atari and baseball cards, my faithful dog Heidi and Speed Racer bedsheets. Fresh paint, new carpet, Wade Boggs scrapbook and new school clothes for September. Cable TV and my desk. A door that never shut right.
In all honesty, I did a few corny things too. A phone was still hooked up, so I dialed my cell phone number. 589-5948 appeared in the cell's display window. That'll be the last time that happens.
There was an old - very old - schoolhouse type pencil sharpener in our pantry, which Dave left. I connect the pencil sharpener with early memories of my mother, mainly because we used it all the time and mom was, after all, a schoolteacher. I decided to take it with me, but I couldn't unscrew it off the wall - it was holding on tight. So I just yanked it off.
And of course I said goodbye to my faithful companion Heidi, the loveable mutt who shared so many childhood joys and tears with me.
It was odd how empty the house was. I recalled my mother's reaction when I first moved out in my early 20's; after cleaning out my bedroom, my mom walked in to find the room barren. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Now I know how she felt.
Truth be told, things have never been the same at Crafton Avenue since i got a phone call from Dave in January of 2004. Mom had been very sick with cancer. Evidently the battle was over.
Immediately after getting the call, I charged to the house from my home in Williamstown. The roads icy and it still dark, I wondered what it would be like to be at the house with my mother gone. Her spirit still there, perhaps, but my mom gone nonetheless.
As I bade farewell to my childhood home last night I was reminded of a little note that my mom left for me when I purchased my home in 2003, shortly before her death:
"August 29, 2003. Christopher, Your first home of your own....May you find comfort, contentment, Good friends, much laughter, Health and happiness always Within these walls. Remember that the walls, floor and roof Do not constitute a home; The people living there do."
Apparently, mom was on to something. My time on Crafton was done. What had been my childhood home - and I suppose always will be my childhood home - is no longer my home. Certainly not legally, but not emotionally either. Life moves on.
With that, I walked out, closed the door, and hopped into my car. Looking up at my car's GPS navigation system, I tapped the screen to wake it up, hit the Navigation button, and watched the first choice pop up on the screen:
"Would you like to Navigate home?"Labels: Wit
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Happy Holidays
The past year has been a busy one both professionally and personally, and with the Holiday Season upon us I wanted to take a moment to share some personal reflections as well as wish you and yours the best this Christmastime.
2006 began with a bang as we were successful in settling some significant cases and receiving a large jury award. My family and I enjoyed spending time in March and May in France, England and Scotland, but the rest was short-lived as the Kiddie Kollege day care poisoning fiasco was just around the corner. In fact, I was enjoying my annual Ocean City, N.J. vacation in August when the cell phone began ringing off the hook as the Kiddie Kollege situation came to light.
Since then, I have proudly led the charge in implementing legislative reforms which are awaiting the Governor's signature and which should prevent a Kiddie Kollege-type disaster from occurring in New Jersey again. It is a case like this which motivated me to become a lawyer in the first place.
My family and I just returned from a week in Walt Disney World in Florida, and during our trip we were treated to watching the Space Shuttle Discovery take off from Cape Canaveral. I'll never forget the look on my 5 year old son Alex's face as he stood in front of Cinderella's castle, looking at the sky over Tomorrowland, and watched Discovery rocket to the heavens. If my boy ends up being an astronaut, that'll be why.
The combination of our European travels and watching the amazing feat of space travel remind me of the fact that, despite all the cultural and linguistic differences, the people of the world are much more alike than they are different. This is especially important to remember during this time of war, and I think a philosopher said it best: "To end wars, all we have to do is choose to love our children more than we hate our enemies".
Last, but certainly not least, I'm so happy to share with you the wonderful news that, around May 29, 2007, my wife Laura and I will be welcoming identical twin Manganello's to the world. World, look out!
My wish for you and your family is that the coming year brings good health and many blessings.
Happy Holidays,
Chris
"If you ever look down on a man, it should be to give him a hand"
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Simply put. . .
O.J. Simpson is an a$$hole.
UPDATE to 9/13/06 "(Lack of) Grace Under Pressure"
As a reward for demonstrating her admittedly annoying legal acumen, and evidently as a result of the fact that during the period of time in question she was sitting in front of a television camera, Nancy Grace now finds herself on the business end of a lawsuit accusing her of being responsible for the suicide death of little Trenton Ducket's mother. According to the suit, Grace is responsible for her suicide because she embarassed her on national television by peppering her with accusatory questions shortly before her suicide.
This is the kind of suit that gives lawyers a bad name. Pah-lease.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
In the presence of the King
When: Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 7:45p.m.
Where: The Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Symphony Space, 95th and Broadway, Upper East Side, New York, New York
Who: Famed horror writer extraordinare Stephen King. Chris Manganello. And about 1,500 others.
Why: Promoting King's new novel, "Lisey's Story", the story of a writer's widow who comes to terms with her novelist husband's untimely death through her exploration of his writing studio and her own family's struggles.
Subtext: I've always been a huge - HUGE - Stephen King fan. I fell in love with his writing after reading The Talisman twenty-two years ago, and the love affair (albiet unrequited) has grown from there. So, when I had the opportunity to see Stephen King in person, I grabbed it. For an hour and a half last Tuesday, I was treated to sitting about 20 feet away from the man who inspired so many sleepness nights during my youth.
Totally, totally cool.
Visions (or not) of Grandeur
There have been a few times in my life when I just couldn't believe what I was reading. Once was when I read an article about how Pizza Hut was negotiating with NASA to purchase the rights to emblazon the moon with a Pizza Hut logo that would be visibile from earth. Evidently there was some type of laser technology available that could actually do this.
I'm not kidding.
Luckily for star gazers and nighttime lovers, the idea fell through and the moon remained the same.
The latest Holy Shit moment came a week or so ago, when I read that - get this - scientists and engineers had actually made an object invisible with an "invisibility shield".
Again, not kidding. Go ahead, google it. You'll see (or maybe not. Ha!)
The "cloaking" technology works thus: since all vision is caused by the reflection of light rays bouncing from an object into someone's eye, why not wrap an object in an invisibility shield which will collect all the light around the object so no light can "bounce" back to an eye. There you see it, and now you....don't!
The latest experiment was deemed successful as it made an object completely invisible in two out of our three dimensions. There was only one problem: the object still cast a shadow. Scientists are working on this problem now.
I don't know about you, but to me this is both totally freaky and very cool. Stay tuned.
Tortorous
I'm hoping - without holding my breath - that Americans are interested in their Administration's tortured (couldn't resist) explanation of just what Vice President Dick Cheney meant when he stated that a dunk in water is a "no-brainer".
Cheney was responding to a radio interviewer's question regarding whether or not the Bush Administration condones "water boarding" suspected terrorists or enemy combatants, a form of torture where a captive's head is placed underwater for an extended period of time, so that the captive believes he is about to drown. Evidently, coming this close to meeting your Maker inspires quite a few confessionals.
On Tuesday, October 24, 2006, radio show host Scott Hennan stated on his show that his callers had told him, "Please, let the Vice President know that if it takes dunking a terrorist in water, we're all for it, if it saves lives." While interviewing Cheney, Hennen asked the VP, "Would you agree a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?"
Here is the verbatim response from the man who is one heartbeat away from the most powerful position on the globe: "Well, it's a no brainer for me, but for a while there I was criticized as being the Vice President for Torture. We don't torture. That's not what what we're involved in."
Please allow me to provide some intellectual subtext to what Cheney said: "Well (uh-oh, gotta buy some time to think of an answer), it's a no brainer for me (yes, I condone this form of torture), but for a while there (recently) I was criticized (people realized) as being the Vice President for Torture (I am in favor of torture). We don't torture (We do torture). That's not what we're involved in. (We do it everyday).
Only in America can such a duplicitous, mind-bendingly non-answer serve to answer a question of such constitutional dimension. To make matters even more clear (completely confusing), Presidential spokesperson Tony Snow recently quipped, "You know as a matter of common sense that the Vice President of the United States is not going to be talking about water boarding...You think Dick Cheney's going to slip up on something like this? No, come on."
Just tortorous.
Is a "slip up" in the form of a verbal snafu, where the Vice President inadvertently admitted condoning torture, any more suprising than the "slip up" that occurred when the Vice President shot a man? That slip up was suprising as well, but it happened. The thing is, it's hard to verbally back-peddle from a gunshot. A statement made on a radio show? Well, that's different.
But it's still a no-brainer. In more ways than one.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
T.O.'s anti-climactic homecoming
Many Philadelphia Eagles fans readied themselves for today's home game against the Dallas Cowboys with great anticipation, looking to the T.O. homecoming as an opportunity to show the infamous former Eagles wide receiver some Philly cheer.
As so many things revolving around T.O. seem to end, the T.O. - Eagles reunion was lackluster. The controversy didn't live up to its pre-game hype, which is really not very surprising. Like a classic prize fight between two boxing champions, seldom does the sporting act itself live up to the hysteria before the contest.
I'm typing this blog before the game's over...it's actually early on in the third quarter now, and the Eagles are down. And I'm doing this to prove a point.
My not-so-difficult prediction:
Eagles win, pulling it out late in the game.
T.O. is as much a factor in the second half of the game as he was in the first. Which is to say, not a factor at all.
And Eagles fan are left wanting more. What's a win without a pound of flesh?
Another day, another game. On any given Sunday, I guess.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Devil's in the ......United Nations?
Venezualan President Hugo Chavez's hyperbole-laden rant at the United Nations Assembly yesterday, in which he referred to President Bush as "the devil", was a carefully planned political ploy as much as it was utterly ridiculous.
Chavez, who is in the heat of lobbying for a position for Venezuala in the rotating seat on the UN Security Counsel, used his opportunity on the world stage to state that the U.S. President needed psychiatric help, even going so far as to say that the spot where he was standing "smells like sulfur still." Interestingly, Chavez's speech was greeted by giggles and tepid applause.
Now, there are quite a few legitimate criticisms you can lob against our President. For one, he's not that intelligent. A good man, maybe even a good leader, perhaps, but really not all that smart. And he can't speak in public worth a lick. It's often embarassing to listen to the guy trying to say the word on the tip of his tongue that he just can't get out right. Subliminable. Strategery. "Fool me once, shame on you......fool me twice......well, you shouldn't fool me."
You know what I mean.
But the devil? The devil?
I didn't vote for the guy. I can't stand most of his political views, and it is true that his World View is, in fact, turning much of the world against us. Thankfully, one of the beautiful aspects of our democratic system of government is that the pendulum can swing to the other side, and our country can do an about-face from Bush's ill-conceived international politics.
The thing is, we're all Americans. So when Chavez gets up and calls my President the devil, I have to object to that. And not just because the devil is much, much smarter than George Bush.
The President, as misguided and uninformed as he may be, is not evil. Evil is genocide. Evil is blind hatred. Evil is murder of your political adversaries.
Ok, so Chavez was simply exercising his right to free speech, which is ironic because his subjects can't do the same in his own country. Fine, I understand that.
Just don't expect me to be very sympathetic to Chavez if our President decides that Venezuala is the next country he wants to conquer.
Monday, September 18, 2006
The sky is falling?
Last week's death of two skydivers at Freefall Adventures Skydiving School in Cross Keys, New Jersey has the airport's neighbors crying foul faster than the terminal velocity of freefall. These are just the latest in a string of deaths over the past few years at the skydiving school, where packing your parachute should come only after signing your Last Will and Testament.
Truth be told, the deaths at Freefall Adventures don't appear to be statistically out of line from what you would expect at any other skydiving school. That's small consolation to the human projectiles themselves when they realize that they're about to play smashmouth with the earth at 120 miles per hour, and the earth's gonna win.
Now, consider that the area surrounding the skydiving school was mostly rural when it first began operating decades ago. Since then, suburban sprawl has replaced the lush green landing pads which surrounded the school, which makes it much more likely that an errant skydiver could be crashing into a nearby home.
Already they've come close. Last week's death ended with the skydivers' broken bodies laying in an 8-inch deep impact hole of the front yard of an abandoned home. A few years back, a skydiver fell to his death and landed in the driveway of a home as the home's family watched in horror from their front porch just feet away. Ironically, this jumper hit the driveway's basketball hoop on the way down. It didn't break his fall, but hey, two points.
So it seems like the local residents may have a point. Right?
Wrong. Sure, noone wants a human missile to throttle itself through their roof and land in their living room. Or worse, imagine a falling skydiver landing on a child. But, frankly speaking, the chances are much more likely that you'll be killed driving to your lawyer's office on the way to sue the skydiving school.
Especially if you drive the way I do.
In a world where everybody seems to have their own cause celeb, it doesn't surprise me that there are those who now want to ban skydiving in suburban areas. It also doesn't surprise me that families would be concerned about the potential for a hazardous situation. But what does surprise me is that anybody takes this seriously.
At least in this area, no skydiver has hit or hurt a person. Or even damaged property (basketball hoop excluded). I'm pretty confident that the world-wide statistics are similar. So, from a cost-benefit perspective, what really is the cost to local residents if skydiving continues? I've heard of the "emotional trauma" that witnesses to skydiving deaths experience. Well, I've got an idea to give them, which is the same thing I would say to someone who is against pornography - if you don't want to see it, then don't watch. That's how things work in America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
I can assure you that the sky is in fact not falling, even if the public's support for skydiving is.
And that's from someone who lives just a mile from Freefall Adventures.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Dog The Bounty Hunter becomes the Hunted
Duane "Dog" Chapman, whom many of us have come to know and love as the Hawaii-based reality star of the A&E series "Dog, The Bounty Hunter", was arrested this past Thursday for failing to appear in a Mexican court following charges of conspiracy and illegal detention of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
It is indeed ironic that Dog, who is known as much for his preachy sermons to bail jumpers as he is for his over-the-top agressiveness in hunting down and apprehending fugitives, has himself been arrested for bail jumping.
The sticky wicket that Dog now finds himself in is a result of the little-known fact that bounty hunting is as illegal in Mexico as, say, bail-jumping is in the United States. Woops. Mexican authorities evidently do not abide by the credo of "letting sleeping Dogs lie".
Now, my wife and I are fans of Dog, so for us this kind of sucks. I mean, we feel bad for him because we like the guy that we see on television. In fact, I even called cross-country and woke my wife up at 3a.m. one morning when I was in Los Angeles for a TV appearance and my driver mentioned to me that he had just driven Dog in the same car a few days earlier. Cool stuff.
But alas, Dog has been brought down to size. At least for now. I, for one, hope he is able to clean up the mess he has created for himself. Unfortunately, it may be somewhat difficult for him to avoid paying a hefty price, because, as they say, the law is the law.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is yet another example of a person's biggest strength being his biggest weakness. Dog's biggest strength: his relentless pursuit of fugitives. His biggest weakness: His ignorance of the very laws he upholds as a bounty hunter. Ironic indeed.
Perhaps Dog can in part blame his canine namesake for his problems. As the saying goes, every Dog has his master. And in this case, Dog's master speaks espanol.
Aloha? Nope, try Hola. Or, perhaps more fitting, adios.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Shameless self-promotion
When I basically flunked out of Villanova University and found myself at Gloucester County Community College, little did I know that one day I would be named GCC's outstanding Alumnus of the Year. Pitman boy does good!
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