Is this really "the highest profile stand your ground case in Florida since George Zimmerman"?...
When journalists descended on Sochi last week, many took to Twitter to express their dismay at the state of their hotel rooms. While their conditions are hardly ideal- yellow water, bees in the honey, and more- they are certainly providing entertainment for audiences back home.
One Twitter account, @SochiProblems, has become particularly viral- even outnumbering the official Sochi Twitter account by more than 100,000 followers. Here are six of the most horrifying #SochiProblems that make me feel especially thankful that I am in the US, where there is clear water, working doors, and toilets that flush the paper. Side note: while many Sochi fakes have come out, we believe these (unfortunately) to be real.
"As a native San Diegan, David Alvarez has been a fierce advocate for his city, and on the Council, has led efforts to build a strong middle class, put neighborhoods first and expand opportunities for kids in and out of school. Today, with the city's economy and neighborhoods poised to make progress there is no question that David is the right choice to be San Diego's next mayor and I am excited to support him," Obama said.It is well known that such an endorsement has been the kiss-of-death for many campaigns. All joking aside, the race between the two men is extremely close. Both candidates are political wonks -- which is what we got in the last mayor (minus the troubling propensity for assaulting women).
The BDS movement presents little real threat to Israel currently, while the European governments do present a potential threat, but it is a diplomatic, not boycott, threat. Kerry, and the boycott movement, conflate the two.The problem is that despite the fact that there's no evidence that the BDS movement is gaining mainstream acceptance there are many who pretend that it has. Let's look at the New York Times coverage of some recent BDS activity. Last May the paper reported, Stephen Hawking Joins Boycott Against Israel:
The academic and cultural boycott, organized by international activists to protest Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians, is a heated and contentious issue; having Dr. Hawking join it is likely to help the anti-Israel campaigners significantly.There are two items of note. The first is that the BDS movement is described in terms of being a "protest" against "Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians." It is not described as a movement to delegitimize Israel. The second is the assertion that Hawking's action "is likely to help the anti-Israel campaigners significantly." This is a judgment, but it is also somewhat quantifiable. Will subsequent reporting use similar standards? The article later noted that the Oxford student union overwhelmingly voted against an academic boycott of Israel. Later that month when Alicia Keys announced that she would defy the anti-Israel activists two months later, the New York Times reported:
But it is not to be, as reported by the L.A. Times Promoter calls off DMX-George Zimmerman boxing match (h/t Hot Air):
A publicity-stunt boxing match is no more. The much hyped and even more divisive bout between DMX and acquitted Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman has been called off, according to the promoter. "This was the wrong person to put in the ring and define celebrity boxing," Damon Feldman said Saturday on Twitter, referring to Zimmerman. He said he was scrapping plans because "I'd rather be happy and make people happy." The DMX camp, meanwhile, was putting its own spin on the cancellation, suggesting DMX had second thoughts. "The George Zimmerman fight is canceled,” DMX spokesman Domenick Nati said in a statement Saturday. “DMX never agreed to the fight and we thank you for all of the support from DMX's fans.” The bout between the veteran rapper and Zimmerman had generated strong negative response. Many said that added attention for a controversial figure like Zimmerman was a bad idea all around.The Daily News reports:
Saturday Night Card Game...
Defense accomplishes little in cross of homicide detective, fiancé, others...
Would offset funds used to support boycott groups from state aid, unlike prior bill that cut off all state aid...
"Your base is running away, Wendy."...
(Defense Counsel Cory Strolla and State Attorney Angela Corey.)[/caption]
State Attorney Angela Corey would take the lead on the two evidence technicians, before turning things over to Assistant State Attorney Erin Wolfson for direct of the Deputy.
[caption id="attachment_78073" align="alignnone" width="450"]
(State Attorney Angela Corey.)[/caption]
Ron Davis, father of Jordan Davis, was again present in the courtroom.
(Detective Andrew Kipple.)[/caption]
The first State's witness was Detective Andrew Kipple, the senior evidence technician involved in processing the crime scene and evidence.. His testimony would consume the large majority of the morning.
Another week of college antics, political correctness and general lunacy in the place we call "Higher Education"...
Martha Robertson solicited money based on claim GOP tried to hack her website, but has dropped plans to hire a cybersecurity firm to provide proof....
(Patrol Officer Robert Holmes)[/caption]
Assistant State Attorney handled the direct examination of Holmes.
[caption id="attachment_77963" align="alignnone" width="450"]
(Assistant State Attorney Erin Wolfson)[/caption]
Holmes is a 7-year veteran of the police department, with prior Navy service. Perhaps the most remarkable part of his testimony to me was how little first aid training he'd received either as a policeman or seamen. Basically, his training was limited to CPR (last taught to him 7 years prior at the police academy) and how to use a tourniquet. Period.
Holmes described receiving the call of shots fired, arriving at the scene to see Jordan Davis cradled in the arms of his friends. Davis had no pulse. There was no pool of blood (of course, given the deep internal nature of the wound and the fact that Davis' blood pressure would have been zero at that point, there wouldn't be much blood). When Andrew Williams performed CPR compressions, however, Holmes observed blood coming from Davis' back. He described Davis' friends as shocked, as he drove them collectively back to the police station to meet with detectives.
On cross, Strolla asked why Holmes hadn't performed first aid himself, rather than let a "civilian" do it. It was here Holmes explained the paucity of his first aid training, and indicated that he'd thought it best to defer to a civilian who purported to have greater skills.
Strolla also explored the apparent fact that the interviews conducted at the police station by detectives were not recorded, despite the station having adequate capabilities to do so. It seems he intends to argue that this allowed the statements of the Durango survivors to be altered and coordinated over time.
One interesting point on direct arose when Corey asked Holmes where his notebook was from the night of the shooting, and Holmes casually indicated that the notebook was gone, destroyed. This seemed as if it might have some import, but Strolla never touched upon it in cross.
Offline, a Federal law enforcement officer contacted me to share that in his service notebooks were dated and destroyed by fire at pre-determined intervals, to ensure the confidentiality of their contents. Perhaps a similar policy is being followed by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Holmes came across as professional and objective, as is typical of police officers of any meaningful experience.
When asked to give a good reason (other than Corvettes) why he shouldn't run for President, Vice President Joe Biden told CNN "New Day's" Kate Bolduan in an interview, "I can't." “There may be reasons I don't run, but there's no obvious reason, for me, why...
