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|This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2009)
|London, England
|Synthpop, synthpunk, electronic rock, glam rock, alternative rock
|Years active
|A&G, Filthy Pretty
|Maya von Doll (vocals) 2003-present
Toni Sailor (guitar) 2004-present
Weston Doll (keyboards) 2006-present
Matt Lord (bass) 2006-present
Paul Stone (drums) 2006-present
|Past members
|Ana Doll (keyboards) 2003–2006
Gavin Jay (guitar) 2004–2006
Pato (guitar) 2003–2004
Sohodolls are an English electronic band from London. The group was formed in 2003 and, following various line-up changes, currently (as of March 2008) includes Maya von Doll (Vocals), Toni Sailor (Guitar), Weston Doll (Keyboard) Matt Lord (Double bass) & Paul Stone (Drums). These members are usually joined by other musicians on stage.
The band—whose name is sometimes punctuated with a space as Soho Dolls—have described their sound as a cross between "decaying and desperate glamour" and "savagery and sex".[1] Their debut album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation was released through A&G Records in September 2007.[2]
The Soho dolls were formed in 2003 as an all-girl-band signed to A&G Records, their first line-up consisted of Maya Von Doll, Ana Doll & Pato. their debut single "Prince Harry" would be released in 2004, accompanied with a music video, and the only release with female guitarist Pato, as she would leave the group soon after.
Later in 2004, in London, England, Maya Von Doll recruited guitarist's Toni Sailor (Sailor Doll) & Gavin Jay after they attended a performance at the Rhythm Factory, setting the layer of the second line-up.
In mid-2006, soon after releasing their second single "Stripper", both Gavin Jay and Ana Doll decided to part ways with the Sohodolls, wanting to explore more additions to the group in instruments, Maya & Toni hired both Paul Stone & Matt Lord, to play Drums & Double bass respectively, and later they, would also hire male keyboardist Weston Doll, giving the group its third and current line-up.
The band's first two singles caused enough of a stir to reach numbers seven and twelve on the UK Indie Chart released on Poptones, Alan McGee's record label. These were followed by another release of "Stripper", "No Regrets" and then "Right and Right Again", which won acclaim from The Fly to Clash and NME.[citation needed] They began writing and recording their debut album in 2006 with producers Robert Harder (Babyshambles, The Sunshine Underground) and Steve Lyon (The Clash, Depeche Mode).[3] In October 2006, the band released a download-only single, "No Regrets". Throughout 2006, Sohodolls attracted more attention, touring with She Wants Revenge during July, performing at Playboy Russia's annual Playmate of the Year party in Moscow in August, The Big Issue's 15th-anniversary concert in September, and two UK tours as well as international dates in Los Angeles, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Istanbul.[4]
Their debut album, Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation, was released in September 2007, preceded by the single download-only single "My Vampire" and fully released single "Right and Right Again". The album also contains five of the group's previous singles, including the two album-release singles & five newly recorded tracks made specifically for the album. it was also supported by an extensive 35-date headline tour of the UK.
Their 2006 single "Stripper" was used in the American television series Gossip Girl when one of the main characters, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) stripped to it in episode "Victor, Victrola", which aired on 7 November 2007 on The CW. The band was again featured in Gossip Girl when their song, "I'm Not Cool", played during the episode "In the Realm of the Basses" when Blair confronts Chuck in the Victrola club.
Their music also appeared in the 2011 video game Test Drive Unlimited 2, with the Allister Whitehead club remix of "Right and Right Again" rotating on the Hariba Radio in-game radio station and "Bang Bang Bang Bang" playing both on the RoadRock in-game radio station and also during the carwash scene.
Von Doll's solo song "Play My Way" was featured in the third episode of the fifth season of Gossip Girl, titled "The Jewel of Denial" and originally aired 10 October 2011.[5] On the same day, the track was released digitally by Quid Records.
On February 28, 2014, the band released a new EP, titled Mayday, containing 3 new songs. [6]
As well as having toured the UK seven times the band have also played in Japan, Korea (International Rock Festival at Pusan Beach), Moscow, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Rome, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Brussels, Hamburg, Madrid, Piza, Cologne, Oslo, Munich, Weinheim, Frankfurt, Freiburg and have toured widely in the UK, often playing towns off the beaten circuit. They have also toured with/supported IAMX, Ladytron, Klaxons, Daft Punk, Vive la Fête, She Wants Revenge, The Magic Numbers, Hanoi Rocks, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Marilyn Manson.
To promote the release of their debut album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation, Sohodolls embarked on their biggest tour to date. Starting at Hoxton Bar & Grill, London, on 4 September 2007, they headlined 34 venues across the UK.
- "Prince Harry EP"
- "Mayday EP" (2014)
- "Prince Harry" (2004)
- "Stripper" (2006)
- "No Regrets" (2006)
- "Bang Bang Bang Bang" (2007)
- "Pleasures Of Soho" (2007)
- "My Vampire" (2007)*
- "Right and Right Again" (2007)
Excluding "My Vampire", which was released as a download-only single, each of these singles has been accompanied with a music video.
Maya Von Doll's solo-singles[edit]
- "Play My Way" (2011)
- "Open Checkbook" (2012)
- "Is This Love" (feat. Robs & Duke) (2012)
- ^ Arjan Timmermans. "Free Download: Sohodolls "Pleasures of Soho"". arjanwrites.com. June 14, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ Releases. Drowned in Sound. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ "Sohodolls biography". sohodolls.co.uk. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
- ^ Bateman, Steve. "An interview". R*E*P*E*A*T. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Gossip Girl Music | Season 5 – Episode 3". The CW. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Twitter / Sohodolls: Mayday - EP by Sohodolls". Twitter.com. 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-08-13.


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One day in 1964, Maureen McChessney walked into a supermarket in Bedfordshire, England, and asked the whereabouts of an employee named Teresa. Once she was pointed out, McChessney glanced at her, just for a few seconds, and left.
McChessney didn't dare talk to that girl Teresa. One just didn't do things like that. It was liable to cause an awful upset in the family. So McChessney settled for that brief glance, noted that it was like looking at herself and, in keeping with the social norms of the time, walked away from her sister's life.
That was one of the early chapters in a complicated and tangled relationship that left two girls – half sisters who shared the same father – wondering about each other for nearly half a century, each knowing the other existed but not knowing the other also knew about her.
It goes back to 1948 when McChessney was born. Her mother, who wasn't married, raised her until she was 2 and then put her up for adoption. McChessney's birth mother remained in her life, though. McChessney knew her as her aunt, an awfully devoted aunt.
McChessney, though, had suspicions, and when she was 16 she confronted her aunt, who tearfully admitted that she was actually her mother. She then learned her father's name and contacted him.
McChessney saw her father only three times, but in one of those meetings, he told her she had a sister, and he even told her where she worked, but he instructed McChessney not to talk to her. Knowing the cat was out of the bag, McChessney's father then told his daughter Teresa that he had another daughter, her sister, but he shared little else.
For the next four decades or so, the two sisters wondered about each other, but bringing it up was taboo, and they made no effort to contact each other.
That changed in 2007. Teresa, who is now Teresa Gudgion, started to search for her sister through adoption records, the Salvation Army, anywhere she could think to look. She even contacted a person she knew was a relative of her sister and asked her whereabouts, but she got no answer.
Oddly, that relative knew exactly where everyone was. She had long been in contact with both Gudgion and McChessney. She knew the two knew about each other, but she deliberately built a wall between the two, never letting the two parties learn how to get in touch with each other.
Then, years after she was first approached, the relative, for some reason, told Gudgion how to reach her sister.
It turns out McChessney had married an American airman and become an Air Force wife and lived all over the world. They had finally settled in her husband's hometown, Fort Wayne, where she had worked at Burlington Air Express.
Last year, the sisters spoke to each other for the first time, over the phone.
Now, Gudgion, who is 62, has come to Fort Wayne, and she and her sister, 63, have been able to see each other face to face after 48 years of waiting. They show visitors a photo of their common father, a young kid in a heavy military uniform.
I always wanted Maureen to be a part of my family, Gudgion says. But once again, one didn't talk about things such as daughters their father had by another woman. It was swept under the carpet.

subset: commoncrawl


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It has extended over space as well as over time, and the sense of space until it terrifies us is exhilarating, and leaves behind it an effect like music. After one has read War and Peace for a bit, great chords begin to sound, and we cannot say exactly what struck them.
- Aspects of the Novel (1927) by E.M. Forster, pg. 39
E.M. Forster was not only an excellent novelist but an astute observer of literary craft. Here he examines how the scope of Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece generates its power, and in doing so produces one of the great literature-music analogies.
A lot of the covers of US editions of Pynchon's novels seem a bit serious and, well, bland for an author whose fiction is absolutely wild. The latest editions of his work as published by Vintage in the UK (designed by Yuko Kondo) seem much more appropriate to me, capturing the overwhelming multiplicity of people/places/things/interpretations in Pynchon's novels and, in doing so, a sense of his hilarity.
Dead, your majesty. Dead, my lords and gentlemen. Dead, Right Reverends and Wrong Reverends of every order. Dead, men and women, born with Heavenly compassion in your hearts. And dying thus around us every day.
- Bleak House (1853) by Charles Dickens, Chp. 47
This excerpt announces the death of the abandoned and largely unknown Jo and marks an emotional climax in the novel which is often considered one of Dickens' best. Dickens was famously concerned with the plight of the poor suffering under the crushing conditions of 'enlightened' London. But his often-brutal compassion is extended to those with whom he is simultaneously frustrated with for bringing about oppression of the poor. This is because his goal is not merely the alleviation of poverty but the extension of love to all people. As such, the passage is constructed not only to read as an announcement of a street urchin's death to unconcerned authorities but a proclamation of the mass spiritual death of those capable of preventing it.
"Your ID cards?" she asked, looking with astonishment at Korovyov's pince-nez and at Behemoth's primus stove and his torn elbow.
"I beg a thousand pardons, but what ID cards?" asked a surprised Korovyov.
"Are you writers?" asked the woman in turn.
"Of course we are," replied Korovyov with dignity.
"May I see your ID's?" repeated the woman. […]
"In order to ascertain that Dostoevsky is a writer, do you really need to ask him for an ID?" […]
"You are not Dostoevsky," said the citizeness, who was becoming addled by Korovyov.
"Well, but how do you know, how do you know?" replied the latter.
"Dostoevsky is dead," said the citizeness, but not very confidently.
"I protest!" exclaimed Behemoth hotly. "Dostoevsky is immortal!"
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, pg. 300 (Burgin & O'Connor translation)
In my opinion the funniest exchange from Bulgakov's thoroughly entertaining magnum opus. In The Master and Margarita, the capital of atheism - Satlin's Moscow - is made non-consensual host to the devil and his retinue (two of which are featured above), whose existence the city's populace desperately attempts to deny despite mounting evidence of his devious presence. With a premise like that, hilarity and absurdity are naturally - rather, supernaturally - bound to ensue!
Just as the lower edge of the red disk rested on the high fields against the horizon, a great black figure suddenly appeared on the face of the sun. We sprang to our feet, straining out eyes towards it. In a moment we realized what it was. On some upland farm, a plough had been left standing in the field. The sun was sinking just behind it. Magnified across the distance by the horizontal light, it stood out against the sun, was exactly contained within the circle of the disk; the handles, the tongue, the share - black against the molten red. There it was, heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun.
Even while we whispered about it, our vision disappeared; the ball dropped and dropped until the red tip went beneath the earth. The fields below us were dark, the sky was growing pale, and the forgotten plough had sunk back to its own littleness somewhere in the prairie.
- My Antonia (1918) by Willa Cather, pg. 183
At the suggestion of her friend and fellow novelist Sarah Orne Jewett, Willa Cather turned her literary attentions towards her Midwestern homeland. Though her earliest fiction had raged against the hardships and restraints of rural and small town life, Cather in reflection came to recognize the beauty of the place, people, and way of life. Yet the power of her works (of which My Antonia is frequently considered foremost) comes from the narrator's simultaneous romanticism and admittance of its shortcomings. Even though the plough necessarily is recognized in its littleness, however, it still remains the dominant force in Cather's characters - one to which they will return in both spirit and body.
Here's an entertaining (and potentially useful!) flow chart to help one decide which Shakespeare play they should read first, or next. Some of the pathways are quite humorous!
Sometimes, a film / television version of a novel perfectly nails the moment as it was originally created. The 2012 BBC adaptation's portrayal of the famous almost-kiss from Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End (the longing! the restraint!)has got to be one of those times.
"I wish she would let you find out a little about the people for yourself"
- The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) by William Dean Howells, pg. 82
William Dean Howells is best known today as the champion of American realism. Insisting that fiction be about real people facing real scenarios with real emotions, Howells sought both a deeper level of meaning and an American form. If calling his style a success is overly subjective, his project, by influencing generations of American writers, certainly was. This quote, spoken by Tom Corey regarding his frustration with George Eliot's Middlemarch, serves to highlight the aims of Howells' own agenda by contrast. Unlike Eliot's narrator-dominated 'realism,' Howells' purer form attempts to portray for readers the people as themselves - an approach essential to Silas Lapham, in which a man's character is far more complex than his rise or fall.
"Don't you understand about yourself yet? You're going to be a teacher."
Suddenly Sloane seemed very distant, and the walls of the office receded. Stoner felt himself suspended in the wide air, and he heard his voice ask, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Sloane said softly.
"How can you tell? How can you be sure?"
"It's love, Mr. Stoner," Sloane said cheerfully. "You are in love. It's as simple as that."
- Stoner (1965) by John Williams
Williams' novel about the quiet and by-most-standards insignificant Midwestern professor is, at its heart, about love. At the end of the day, the big things turn out to not so big. Instead, it is the soft, subtle music of the accumulation of small things - which Stoner begins to realize with the discovery that this accumulation is the continuous and ever-uncompleted essential condition of existing - that defines a life. And these 'small things'? Why, they're the unforced instantiations of love, of course.
Most of what matters in our lives takes place in our absence.
- Midnight's Children (1981) by Salman Rushdie, pg. 543
A list of quotes 'representative' of Rushdie's instant success (and topic of heated discussion) would likely include a quarter of the novel. This idea, however, is as essential to the work as any other. Stated more than once and emphasized many more times in ulterior ways, it explains the structure of Midnight's Children: the first 150 pages are occupied with events preceding the narrator's, Saleem's, birth. But it also embodies the central parallel between protagonist and nation, both born at the same strike of midnight, the intimate bond which connects Saleem's fate to that of 600 million. Historical indebtedness and embeddedness are inherent to existence in the present; what's more, the forces which shape any one individual's unfolding present originate in the multitude of often-unknown others.


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14.Pop Art is killing me, Andy Warhol is killing me, Roy Lichtenstein is killing me, 70s Series are killing me, 70s and 80s singers are killing me, The 80s and 70s are killing me...Anyway, I love those killers!
Marvel Comics
Comic Vintage. Marvel.
Comic - Wonder Woman
Comic Vintage - Batman
Comic Vintage - Society isn't my God!
Comic - Superman
Comics Sounds
Comic Vintage Sound Effects
Comic Vintage - I'm Free Of You!
Roy Lichtenstein - Drowning Girl


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Medal of Technology and Innovation
The recently renamed National Medal of Technology and Innovation is presented to individuals, teams, and companies for achievement in the innovation, development, commercialization, and management of technology.
Established by Congress in 1980 as part of the Stevenson-Wyler Technology Act, two companies, four teams and two individuals received the first Medals of Technology in 1985.
Currently, under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (COMPETES) H.R. 2272 signed into law August 9, 2007, the US Patent and Trademark Office at the Department of Commerce administers the National Medal of Technology and Innovation program, previously managed by the Technology Administration Department of Commerce.
More than 170 individuals, teams and companies have been recognized with a Medal of Technology and Innovation for extraordinary achievements that have shaped world cultures and economies and reflect America's true spirit of innovation.


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A pragmatic solution for communities and employers
The spatial mismatch between housing affordability and employment opportunities poses a challenge for employers seeking a stable and competitive workforce. Many workers struggle to save up the sizable down payment required to mortgage a home.
When looking for a home, many people prefer to live near their workplace—and most employers see the benefit of having a nearby workforce. Pragmatic policies driven by these values have tremendous impact for employers, workers and the communities that house them by contributing to more stable and productive workplaces and neighborhoods.
Since 2001, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has been promoting Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH), a proven strategy that extends housing affordability for employees while enhancing the competitiveness of businesses. Through EAH, companies provide guidance and financial assistance to employees who purchase or rent homes in or near communities where they work.
EAH can be designed to fit an employer's personnel objectives and budget. The cost to the employer varies based on the amount of financial assistance offered to employees, plus the costs of administration and housing counseling by a HUD-certified agency. Special state incentives, including tax credits and matching funds, make EAH financially attractive for employers.
Employees can benefit from these incentives, too: For families earning up to 80 percent of the area median income, the Illinois Housing Development Authority will provide up to $7,500 as a triple match of employer-funded downpayment assistance.
EAH requires a very limited time commitment from the employer during the initial set-up, when particulars like eligibility criteria and assistance amounts are determined. MPC pairs employers with a nonprofit housing counselor from our network, who handles all administration from then on.
Employers such as the University of Chicago and Medical Center, Loyola University and Robinson Engineering are enjoying the range of benefits that result from EAH:
Recruitment: Offering EAH makes employers more competitive and attracts talented workers.
Retention: Employee turnover is expensive. EAH is proven to increase retention, ultimately reducing turnover costs.
Both the structure of the forgivable loan and the increased employee loyalty and satisfaction motivate employees to maintain their relationship with the employer. A study by Aurora Medical Centers, of Milwaukee, Wisc., found that their EAH employees had retention rates two to three times greater than their average employee or regionwide retention rates.
Revitalization: When employers are located in or near an economically distressed community, the homeownership and investment that EAH promotes can be a part of anchoring and revitalizing that community.
Relations: Because EAH strengthens the community surrounding an employer, it can create a bond or improve the existing relationship between an employer and its neighbors.
More news »
Illinois Housing Development Authority
For 80 years, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has made the Chicago region a better place to live and work by partnering with businesses, communities and governments to address the area's toughest planning and development challenges. MPC works to solve today's urgent problems while consistently thinking ahead to prepare the region for the needs of tomorrow. Read more about our work »
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Lake Vista Lakewood Ranch Condos
Lake Vista is one of the newest additions to the Lakewood Ranch condo scene. Centrally located in the middle of 'The Ranch' these condos have easy access to everything. Golfers have a variety of great tracts to play on within a 10 minute drive. Lakewood Ranch main street is just down the street from Lake Vista. Residents can walk to shopping. movie theaters, and tasty restaurants.
Made up of six low rise buildings with three levels of condos. All of the units look out over a preserve providing relaxing views and plenty of privacy. You will love the new construction that offers high ceilings, large windows, spacious floorplans, large terrace and plenty of natural light. You won't find low ceilings, dim lighting and lack of sunlight like you find in older construction.
Explore these other Lakewood Ranch condos: Watercrest, Miramar, Boca Grove and Moorings. If you prefer a single family home then take a look at these villages: The Lake Club, The Country Club, Riverwalk, Summerfield, Greenbrook Village and Edgewater.
Lake Vista Condos For Sale - Updated Daily!
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This Lake Vista Residence Condominium Features An Open...
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- 3
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This Lake Vista Residence Condominium Features An Open Floor Plan With 3 Bedrooms And 2 Half Baths. ...
This Lake Vista Residence Features An Open Floor Plan...
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- $338,500
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- 3
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- Kelly Gettel & Company Pllc
This Lake Vista Residence Features An Open Floor Plan With 3 Bedrooms And 2 ½ Baths. As You Enter...
All listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified through personal inspection by appropriate professionals. Listings displayed on this website may be subject to prior sale or removal from sale; availability of any listing should always be independently verified.
Listing information is provided for consumer personal, non-commercial use, solely to identify potential properties for potential purchase; all other use is strictly prohibited and may violate relevant federal and state law.
Listing data comes from My Florida Regional MLS.
Listing information last updated on September 19th, 2014 at 5:26pm.


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Category: Uncategorized
What would you like to see in the 2014 Racing Season?March 20, 2014
Comment below and let us know what you would like to see at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino throughout the 2014 live harness racing season!
Creatine, Pet Rock Rebound in Hoosier Stakes ActionNovember 8, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—November 1, 2013—On a night ruled by upsets, Creatine and Mike Lachance stayed true to course to pull of a slight upset in the $286,500 Carl Erskine trot at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, November 1. After finishing second to Spider Blue Chip in the $500,000 Breeders Crown last week, Creatine was able to reverse the charges and use a sharp, front running effort to hold off a late charge from the recent Breeders Crown Champion and score in 1:54.3.
Lachance left no room for error as he sent Creatine to the front from post two while odds on favorite, Spider Blue Chip and Ron Pierce opted for a pocket trip. Creatine dictated fractions of :27.2 and :57.3 before feeling pressure on the outside from E L Rocket and Yannick Gingras.
Reaching the three-quarter clocking in 1:26.2, Creatine braced for the stretch drive as Spider Blue Chip tipped from the pocket and a host of others followed suit. Saving his best for last, Creatine was able to hold off a hard charging, Spider Blue Chip to get the win by a head.
"We just ran out of racetrack in the Breeders Crown," winning trainer Bob Stewart noted. "This horse has been racing tough all year and tonight, he showed how tough he is. I leave the driving up to Mike (Lachance), that is my strategy, and tonight it all worked out for us."
Notching his eighth win from 16 seasonal starts, Creatine has now earned $815,459 for his connections at Diamond Creek Racing. The Kentucky Futurity Champion is sired by Andover Hall and has now won 11 of 23 lifetime outings. Creatine's next engagement will be at Balmoral Park in the American National.
Pet Rock and David Miller followed suit in the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby by holding off Breeders Crown Champion Foiled Again late in the stretch to score in 1:50.3. After finishing second to Foiled Again in the Breeders Crown Open Pace, Pet Rock and Miller turned the tables and used a similar front running effort to get the victory.
Golden Receiver and Corey Callahan were the first to get a call as they left alertly from post nine to reach the front through the first quarter in a brisk :25.2. Pet Rock made a swift move down the backside and cleared to the front through the half mile time in :53.4. Gingras could wait no longer as he sent Foiled Again to the front to begin a long, first-over bid.
Foiled Again reached the leader's wheel at the three-quarter station in 1:22.2, but Pet Rock was up to the task. Miller asked his horse for more and Pet Rock responded with a :28.1 final quarter to finish three-parts of a length in front of his nemesis.
Virgil Morgan, Jr. trains the four-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover-Casual Beauty for owner Frank Bellino. Notching his fifth win of the season, the multiple World Champion has amassed$880,820 this season while establishing two world records. It was recently announced that Pet Rock would retire to stud duty in 2014.
"His records speak for themselves," Virgil Morgan noted after the victory. "He is a true champion, winning on all sizes of tracks speaks to his versatility and it means a lot for him to go out on top here tonight."
Dedi's Dragon Stuns Harness Racing World at Hoosier ParkNovember 8, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—November 1, 2013—As Al Michaels once said, "Do you believe in Miracles?" While it might not be of the same magnitude as the United States beating the Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Ron Burke certainly believes in his three-year-old pacing colt, Dedi's Dragon, after tonight's stunning performance.
At odds of 43-1, Dedi's Dragon pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season as he was able to wear down the overwhelmingly favored, Captaintreacherous, late in the stretch to win the $252,000 Monument Circle pace for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, November 1. Driver Yannick Gingras was able to work out a perfect, second-over trip to get the sophomore colt home in 1:50.4.
Fool Me Once and Ron Pierce were the quickest off the starting gate and reached the first panel in :26 flat. Captaintreacherous and Tim Tetrick, sent off at odds of 1-9, moved to the front as the field straightened away down the backstretch and led the field of ten through the first half mile in :55. David Miller and Beach Memories were the first to take aim at the leader as the field approached the final turn with Dedi's Dragon and Gingras in tow.
As the field reached the three-quarter clocking in 1:23.1, Tetrick began to ask Captaintreacherous for more as the rest of the field closed in. Gingras had Dedi's Dragon perfectly placed second over and when he tipped the horse three-wide down the stretch, the three-year-old son of Dragon Again responded with a :26.4 final quarter to win by a head over the grudgingly reluctant Captaintreacherous.
"Ronnie (Burke) told me that the horse warmed up better than he ever has," Gingras noted of his mount. "We were hoping for second in here tonight but he post paraded good and the trip worked out perfectly for us. I saw Tim's horse (Captaintreacherous) was laboring but I didn't think we could catch him, he's a champion, but my horse raced unbelievable tonight."
Notching his fourth win from twenty seasonal outings, Dedi's Dragon established a new lifetime best mark with the victory. Dedi's Dragon has now amassed $687,660 for his connections at Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, P. Collura, and T. Hendler.
"This is obviously the biggest win of his career," Burke noted in the winner's circle. "Oddly enough, he seems to race his best races when he is racing this horse (Captaintreacherous). He does his best work on a big track but we came here tonight hoping for second and he surprised us all. Captaintreacherous is a champion but Yannick just had this horse in the right place at the right time tonight."
Gingras and Burke teamed up twice more to find the winner's circle on a stakes filled night at Hoosier Park. JK Endofanera kicked things off with a victory in the $157,100 Elevation Pace for two-year-old colt and gelding pacers. Notching his third win of the season, JK Endofanera established a new track record for two-year-old pacing colts with his 1:51.4 score.
Pink Camo and Gingras found the winner's circle again for the Burke Team in the $32,800 Circle City pace for three-year-old pacing fillies setting off a sign for things to come.
Poison's Bret Michaels to Open New Indy-Area VenueNovember 8, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.; –Oct. 31, 2013– Hoosier Park Racing & Casino's new Terrace Showroom venue announced Thursday that its first performer will be Bret Michaels, lead singer of the band Poison. Michaels will kick-off the venue's list of four concert dates on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Better known as the front man for the band Posion, Michaels is also an actor, producer, and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the band Poison who has gone on to sell more than 30 million records worldwide. In total, Poison charted ten singles in the Top 40, including six Top 10 singles and the number-one single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" which Michaels wrote.
All shows will begin at 8 p.m. The complete list of acts set to perform is as follows:
- Saturday, Nov. 23, Bret Michaels
- Saturday, Dec. 14, The Pointer Sisters
- Friday, January 17, Josh Turner
- Saturday, February 22, Cheap Trick
Hoosier Park's new indoor venue is set for completion in early November after four months of construction. The new venue was designed to provide concertgoers the big venue comfort and sound with all of the personal service and attention to detail of an intimate concert experience. The 1,200-seat, state-of-the-art indoor facility features custom built and cushioned theater-style seating, an arena quality light and sound system, and a full service dining section. One of the venue's more unique elements are 20 luxurious private suites complete with personal thirty-two inch HDTVs and modern, relaxing lounge furniture.
"Over the past five years, Hoosier Park guests have been giving us suggestions for a new indoor venue," said Jahnae Erpenbach, Hoosier Park's vice president and general manager of gaming. "With their collective input, we built the new Terrace Showroom to give each and every guest a more thrilling experience featuring the biggest names in entertainment – from national touring music acts and comedy shows to noteworthy speakers and authors."
Tickets for Bret Michaels go on sale Friday, Nov.1 ranging from $35-$85 and include dinner and show packages. Remaining show tickets will be on sale soon. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 800-745-3000 or by visiting Ticketmaster.com. Concertgoers may also purchase directly from the box offices located in Shelby's Gifts at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino or the Logo Shop located at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Club Centaur and Grand Rewards members will receive a 20 percent discount on tickets purchased at both box offices.
Harness Racing Superstars to Hoosier ParkOctober 31, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—October 29, 2013—Based on the heels of a 27% increase in year-to-date handle, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will offer arguably the best 14-race card in its' 20 year history on Friday, November 1. Hoosier Park will play host to Grand Circuit racing action for the third time this season and welcome the top rated horses in North America to Hoosier Park as they convene on the seven-eighths mile oval in search of the lucrative purses offered on the 14-race card beginning at 5:30 p.m. For the first time in its' 20year history, Hoosier Park will host a standout card that includes the $286,500 Carl Erskine, the $250,000 Monument Circle, and the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby.
Fresh off his victory in the Breeders Crown final on October 19, the defending Pacer of the Year, Captaintreacherous will once again make his way to Hoosier Park to compete in Friday night's $250,000 Monument Circle stake for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers. The biggest star in harness racing will put his six race win streak on the line as faces nine other rivals and starts from post two for trainer Tony Alagna and driver Tim Tetrick.
Older pacers will also be in the spotlight at Hoosier Park on Friday as a field of ten will be sent postward in the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby. In what may be the most talented field ever assembled, the field boasts combined career purse earnings over $16 million and includes three World Champions.
Heading the list of entrants in the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby is the richest pacer in the history of the sport, Foiled Again who will start from post six for Hoosier Park's leading trainer, Ron Burke. Joining him is multiple World Champion, Pet Rock who will start from post three for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. The field also includes World Champion, Bolt The Duer who will look to make it back to back wins at Hoosier Park from post two after scoring in the 2013 Dan Patch Invitational Pace earlier in the season.
The $286,500 Carl Erskine trot will be highlighted by the 2013 Breeders Crown Champion Spider Blue Chip who will start from the coveted rail position for driver Ron Pierce. Creatine, the 2013 Kentucky Futurity Champion, will look to make amends for a second place finish in the Breeders Crown Final and start from post two in the ten horse field for trainer Bob Stewart.
"I am overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of exceptional horses that are coming to Hoosier Park," Hoosier Park's Vice President and General Manager or Racing, Rick Moore noted. "This is unequivocally the best harness racing card to ever take place at Hoosier Park and we couldn't be more excited to offer this opportunity to racing fans across the country."
Racing fans will have the chance, once again, to participate in a special wagering opportunity offered for the 14-race card on Friday, November 1. A $15,000 guaranteed pick-4 pool will be available as part of the Strategic Wagering Program through the cooperative efforts of the United States Trotting Association, Hoosier Park, and the Indiana Standardbred Association.
The Pick-4, which offers a 50-cent minimum wager, will begin in the eighth race and will continue through the eleventh race. Approximate post time for the first leg of the wager, the eighth race, is 8:20 p.m. (est.). Free past performances for the Pick 4 races will be available on the USTA website. Expert selections and handicapping tools are also available on Hoosier Park's website.
Hoosier Park to Host Grey Ghost Halloween Pacing DerbyOctober 31, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—October 30, 2013—It is nothing out of the ordinary to see a field of eight horses assemble behind the Hoosier Park starting gate, but when the eighth race goes to post at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Thursday, October 31 racing fans will have the chance to see something they have never seen before. A field of eight grey pacers will line up behind the starting gate to contest the first annual $10,000 "Grey Ghost Halloween Pacing Derby" at Hoosier Park.
Hoosier Park's Racing Secretary, Scott Peine assembled a field of eight "ghostly" pacers in honor of the Halloween holiday. According the United States Trotting Association, less than five percent of all harness horses are grey in color. Slated as the eighth race on the 14-race card, the "Grey Ghost Halloween Pacing Derby" has an estimated post time of 7:50 p.m.
Jason Dillander has been enlisted to drive the morning line favorite, Silver Devil, from post eight for trainer Nick Giberson. The three-year-old gelded son of Duneside Perch will look to make it back to back wins at Hoosier Park after scoring in a division of the Circle City stakes in 1:53.1 on October 26. Hoosier Park's leading driver, Tyler Smith, will drive Tommy Two Shoes from post five for trainer Steve Main and has been tagged 5-1 on the morning line.
The entire field, in post position order, is as follows: 1) Lady Of The West (Chad Clark) 2) Gunnin' Forafight (Pete Wrenn) 3) Strawberrys On Top (Josh Slater) 4) Crime of Passion (Trace Tetrick) 5) Tommy Two Shoes (Tyler Smith) 6) White Ruler (Trent Stohler) 7) Rockin Glory (Robert Taylor) 8) Silver Devil (Jason Dillander).
Along with winner's circle give-aways and promotions, Hoosier Park's Halloween card will also feature the $22,000 Preferred Trot for fillies and mares. Love N Lindy will look to score her second consecutive victory at this level from post 8 with Jason Dillander in the sulky.
Just one day later, Hoosier Park will offer arguably the best 14-race card in its 20 year history on Friday, November 1 as Grand Circuit racing action returns to Hoosier Park's seven-eighths mile oval. For the first time in its' 20year history, Hoosier Park will host a standout card that includes the $286,500 Carl Erskine trot, the $250,000 Monument Circle pace, and the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby.
Freshman Wrap Up Indiana Sire Stakes Finals at HoosierOctober 31, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—October 23, 2013—Hoosier Park Racing & Casino played host to a pair of $40,000 Indiana Silver Sire Stake finals on Wednesday, October 23 as the freshman trotters highlighted the 14-race card for the culmination of their Sire Stakes season.
Highlight As and Ed Hensley swept the second round of the Indiana Silver Sire Stakes and extended their win streak to five with a win in the $40,000 Indiana Silver Sire Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Using his customary late charge, Highlight As was able to track down horses late in the lane and score the victory in a lifetime best performance of 1:57.3.
Unhurried from the gate, Hensley placed Highlight As along the rail in fifth while the battle for early position ensued. Brad Hanners sent the bettors' choice, Sandy Ztam to the front and they dictated fractions of :28.3 and :58.3 before ever being contested. Domitian Hall and Pete Wrenn benefitted from a pocket trip while Lou Man and Sam Widger were next in third. Sandy Ztam relaxed on the front and continued to lead the field through the three-quarter clocking in 1:28.1 as the rest of the field closed in around the final.
Sandy Ztam was able to hold off a charge from the pocket sitting Domitian Hall but Highlight As loomed large in the background. Using a :28.4 final panel, Highlight As powered home to put a nose in front of Lou Man at the wire. Sandy Ztam held on gamely to finish third. As the publics' second choice, Highlight As returned $6.80 to his backers at the window.
"He has been a fun colt to drive all season," Hensley noted after the race. "He is a colt that loves to track down horses in the lane and the trip worked out for us tonight. I wanted to avoid trouble and I knew if we were close around the last turn he would be good in this field of horses tonight."
Sired by In Dix Huit, Highlight As has now won seven of eight seasonal starts while bankrolling $44,653 for his connections at ACL Stuteri. The homebred freshman is trained by Annette Lorenzton.
Baby Steps and Tyler Smith used the same late surging tactics to score in the $40,000 Indiana Silver Sire Stakes final for two-year-old filly trotters in 1:59.3. The freshman filly extended her win streak to two after a win in the last preliminary Indiana Silver Sire Stakes leg at Hoosier Park on October 16.
Leaving from post five, Baby Steps settled along the rail in third while Swanslittlelady and Sam Widger left alertly to land on top through the opening panel in :28.1. The top pair yielded the lead to Sack Full of Money and Pete Wrenn down the backside and they dictated splits of :58.4 and 1:28.3.
As the field turned for home, Swanslittlelady pulled from the pocket and matched strides with the leader. Smith, using a well timed rally, tipped his filly off the rail and she responded to power home a winner. Swanslittlelady held on gamely to finish second while Earls Dixie Darlin and Trace Tetrick rallied from well off the pace to finish third. Baby Steps returned $7.80 to her backers at the window.
Trained by Dan Perdue, Baby Steps has now won three of six lifetime starts while amassing $30,152 for her connections at Sage Knoll Farm. Sired by Keystone Savage, the freshman filly was bred by Michael Bardo.
Record Breaking Meet in the Making at Hoosier ParkOctober 31, 2013
ANDERSON, Ind.—October 22, 2013—At a time when most tracks consider the status quo to be a great accomplishment when it comes to maintaining handle, Hoosier Park has bucked the trend with a sensational all-sources handle increase of 27% through the first 140 days of the meet. Building on the successes of the 2012 Standardbred season, Hoosier Park's 20th season of live harness racing continues to produce encouraging gains on all fronts.
With a renewed focus on fresh marketing efforts, facility enhancements, specialty wagers, and an increase in overall quality of racing, Hoosier Park has been grabbing the attention of bettors throughout the country.
In its' 20th season of live harness racing, Hoosier Park is in the midst of its' fastest season to date. Hoosier Park's track surface continues to sizzle as 24 track records have been re-established this season. Uncle Peter recently lowered the overall track record for older horses on the trot to 1:52.3 in the $230,000 Centaur Trotting Classic on Saturday, September 21. Drivers like Ed Hensley, Tyler Smith and Trace Tetrick have been leading the way. Smith also reached harness racing history at Hoosier Park as he become the youngest driver to record 1,000 career wins at 20 years-old.
"The track has been phenomenal this season," Smith noted. "The horses have responded really well to the new surface and I think it shows in the number of track records we've seen this year. Hoosier Park has done a great job of not only promoting the sport but promoting me as well. It has been a pleasure to race here all season."
The 2013 meet has also seen horses like the 2012 Pacer of the year and World Champion, Captaintreacherous, world record holder, A Rocknroll Dance, and the 2013 Dan Patch Invitational winner Bolt The Duer, visit the Hoosier Park winner's circle.
Fresh off his win in the 2013 Breeders Crown, Captaintreacherous heads the list of nominations for the 2013 edition of the $250,000 Monument Circle pace for three-year-old colts and geldings slated for Friday, November 1 at Hoosier Park.
"These results have really exceeded my most optimistic expectations," Hoosier Park's Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore noted. "It's almost unheard of in this day and age for a track to post double digit increases, especially for a meet stretching from Spring to Fall. We would like to thank everyone involved in our successes, most importantly our partnership with the Indiana Standardbred Association, our horseman, our drivers and our customers for their contributions to making this our most successful meet to date."
Live racing at Hoosier Park will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, with a daily post time of 5:30 p.m. The 160-day, all harness racing meet began on April 2 and will be conducted through November 9.
Local Coupon Booklet Aimed to Benefit Animal Protection League, Build Awareness
ANDERSON, Ind. – Oct. 17, 2013 – Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will host the Animal Protection League (APL) "Night at the Park" on Friday, Oct. 18 beginning at 5 p.m. The APL, a local group of dedicated people making second chances for unwanted animals, teamed with Hoosier Park Racing & Casino to raise awareness and funds to increase the care and adoption of animals in need.
The APL, located in Anderson, protects and saves abused and neglected animals of all kinds. From dogs and cats to horses and exotic animals, the APL finds new, supportive homes for the surrendered and abandoned.
"As a strong advocate of the APL, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino understands the sacred trust animals place in their human caretakers. Each year thousands of racehorses pass through the stalls of our racetrack and we go to great lengths to make sure they receive the utmost care and protection available," said Rick Moore, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino's vice president and general manager of racing.
Racing fans are encouraged to pick up a free APL Savings Booklet at Trackside Club Centaur Rewards. The booklet features Hoosier Park's All-Star Drivers and pictures of local pets in need. The All-Star drivers, many of whom own and train their racehorses, are working as a team to support the APL.
Guests can also take advantage of more than $100 in great community cash offers, dining discounts, and more located in the back of the booklet. All Hoosier Park guests donating $10 to the APL through the Club Centaur Rewards desk will receive $10 in free slot play.
Andy Shetler, a member of Hoosier Park's All-Star driver program, supports the Animal Protection League through fundraising efforts throughout the racing season. In addition to his charitable contributions, Shetler volunteered to donate a percentage of his driver earnings on Friday to the APL.
A pet parade in the front side paddock will take place Friday evening and feature animals available for adoption. Guests can also enjoy live racing, animal-lover activities, games, and prizes throughout the evening.
Live racing continues at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, October 18 at its' regularly scheduled post time of 5:30 p.m. The 160 day, all harness racing meet will follow a Tuesday-Saturday schedule and be conducted through November 9.
Captaintreacherous Returns to Indiana for Monument CircleOctober 31, 2013
Captaintreacherous added to his list of accomplishments when he won the Breeders Crown on Oct. 19, but his work is not finished.
The 3-year-old colt pacer heads to Hoosier Park on Friday night to face a field of nine foes in the $252,000 Monument Circle. The race is part of a stakes-filled card that also includes the $286,500 Carl Erskine for 3-year-old trotters and the $223,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby for older pacers.
Captaintreacherous, who has won 12 of 13 races this year and $1.87 million, is the 4-5 morning line favorite in the Monument Circle. He starts from post two for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Tony Alagna.
Following the Monument Circle, if all goes well, Captaintreacherous will visit Balmoral Park for the American-National Stakes on Nov. 9 and then possibly challenge older rivals in the TVG Free for All Series final on Nov. 30 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
"That's the schedule, but we're taking it one race at a time," Alagna said. "If everything goes well, and he ships home good, we'll decide what to do with that (TVG) race.
"Everything is in good shape right now. He had a light week after the Breeders Crown and then we trained him up and he headed to Chicago on Tuesday."
Captaintreacherous won the $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers 12 days ago at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs by a neck over Sunshine Beach. It was his sixth consecutive victory since losing by a nose to Sunshine Beach in the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine at Pocono Downs.
By winning the Breeders Crown, Captaintreacherous joined Gallo Blue Chip and Rocknroll Hanover as the only horses to win the Crown, North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace in the same year.
Last season, Captaintreacherous finished third in the Breeders Crown. It was his final start of a campaign in which he won eight of 10 races and was named Pacer of the Year.
"To get the Breeders Crown was nice for him, especially because he wasn't able to win at (age) 2," Alagna said. "That was a tough loss for us at the end of the year. It was nice to see him put together two incredible performances in this year's Breeders Crown (elimination and final)."
Captaintreacherous' other wins this year include the Max C. Hempt Memorial, Cane Pace and a division of the Tattersalls Pace. He also won a $52,000 invitational for 3-year-old pacers at Hoosier Park on Sept. 21.
"That was probably the most pressure I felt all year because he was supposed to go out there and win," Alagna said. "But with every start there is some kind of pressure. It's a good pressure, though."
Captaintreacherous is the No. 2-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Top 10, behind 3-year-old filly trotter Bee A Magician.
The Monument Circle includes two other horses that competed in the Breeders Crown: Beach Memories, who was fourth, and Apprentice Hanover, who finished sixth.
Following is the field in post position order with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Up Up And Out, Marcus Miller, Erv Miller; 2. Captaintreacherous, Tim Tetrick, Tony Alagna; 3. Emeritus Maximus, Doug McNair, Alagna; 4. Dedi's Dragon, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke; 5. Apprentice Hanover, Jody Jamieson, Ben Wallace; 6. That Friske Feelin, Brett Miller, Burke; 7. The Pan Poobah, Ricky Macomber Jr., Burke; 8. Fool Me Once, Ron Pierce, Mark Austin; 9. Our Dragon King, Peter Wrenn, Dirk Simpson; 10. Beach Memories, David Miller, Brian Brown.
Note: Beach Memories starts from the second tier.


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View photos from day 2 of rookie minicamp >>
IRVING, Texas – This weekend's rookie minicamp provided a first look on the field at all the new draftees, undrafted rookies and workout players hoping to get noticed, as well as some select first-year pros.
Two weeks after hearing their names called in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Cowboys' selections appeared together on the field with Cowboys jerseys and shorts to give their first impressions as a group.
Some of those draftees stood out more than others, as was the case for the other 40 players on the field, comprised of undrafted rookies and select veterans.
Thursday's rainy weather held off for the rookie minicamp to commence as planned on Friday without field conditions playing a part in inhibiting performances. The DallasCowboys.com staff took a look at which new players stood out the most during the two days and four practices.
Most Noticeable Draft Pick:
Nick – The first guy that stood out to me this weekend was
Bryan – The one player that stood out for me this weekend was cornerback B.W. Webb. The movement skills he showed on film along with his quickness showed up in this camp. I will be very interested to see how he responds when this squad gets completely together and how he does covering guys like Bryant and Austin that are going to make covering that much difficult than the receivers that he is facing now. There is no doubt of his talent.
Rowan – If for nothing else than the fact that he towers over most other players at his position or on the outside, the most noticeable was
David – The guy I had my eyes on the most was
Most Noticeable Rookie Free Agent:
Nick – The guy I noticed was
Bryan – I really like what I have seen overall all of safety Jakar Hamilton. Things didn't start out well for Hamilton on Friday morning but he fought through the practice and bounced back nicely in the afternoon. With the two practices on Saturday he was once again around the ball and not only showed some range in the team periods coverage wise but when he had to go one-on-one with Gavin Escobar he was able to get the job done position wise.
Rowan – Kendial Lawrence looked shifty, demonstrated an ability to catch the ball and caught my eye out of the backfield. Granted, he's not getting tackled. But the running back from Missouri looks like a player that should be able to compete for a role on the team after a solid final year in college.
David – I kept having to look at my roster to figure out who No. 14 was. But
Nost Noticeable Workout Player:
Nick – Hard to say you notice these guys. But Adrien Spencer will be my pick because when I first noticed him, I thought he was a little
Bryan – Jason Garrett spoke about guard D.J. Hall, but defensive tackle Nick Johnson deserves some consideration to being added to this roster for training camp this summer. He has been able to make plays against Frederick and Leary when he has faced those matchups. With Brian Price now on injured reserve they are going to need to add some help inside so he might be a good fit.
Rowan – Most of the attention naturally goes toward the seven draftees. But occasionally, a player will come down with a pass or bat a ball and garner some looks. Wide receiver Antoine Hicks joined the rookie minicamp after most of the workout players, but in one day at camp he made an impression by getting separation and fighting for the ball.
David – Dominique Whaley was only at minicamp for a day, but he showed up looking the part of an NFL running back. He looked good in no-contact drills, and he showed some sharp hands.


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King George's son, James, was dead, killed in battle after winning the approval—and the promise of gold—from King Midas. In a desperate time like that, the King had no choice but to call for Rumplestiltskin, who has provided the King with James in the first place. The King traded the location of a certain Fairy Godmother in exchange for Rumplestiltskin replacing his lost son. While Rumple couldn't bring James back from the dead, he could procure his long, lost twin brother. So it was that James' brother, a poor shepherd, agreed to a deal of his own with Rumplestiltskin to become a Prince.
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Witness the action first hand from an exclusive and luxurious area located just a few metres away from the pitch. Learn more about the services and advantages of Juventus Premium Club!
The Gianni and Umberto Agnelli Club isn't just the sector with the best view in Juventus Stadium, it's also a place where the past and future come together and Bianconeri fans get a tangible feeling of belonging to a football team with a hundred-year-old tradition that has created a recognised brand all over the world.
You too can become an important part of this ongoing story. Club Agnelli allows clients the chance to enjoy every match in typical Juventus style by sitting in the comfort of luxury armchairs and also eating at the club's most elegant and exclusive restaurant.
Available Upgrades: PLATINUM, GOLD and SILVER parking spaces, Concierge service.
Please note: Juventus Premium Club seats are only sold as season tickets and cannot be purchased for individual matches.


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|Knights Inn Seal Beach properties are listed below. Search for cheap and discount Knights Inn hotel rooms in Seal Beach, CA for your upcoming meeting or individual travels. We list the best Knights Inn Seal Beach properties so you can review the Seal Beach Knights Inn hotel list below to find the perfect place.
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Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born January 26, 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist. He is the music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is honorary conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Gustavo Dudamel
MaestroCam: Mahler Symphony No. 2 - Movements 2 - 5
The Sim�n Bol�var Symphony Orchestra performs Mahler's second symphony, Resurrection.
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Links & Information
- Official homepage at gustavodudamel.com
- Twitter at https://twitter.com/GustavoDudamel
- Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GDudamel
- Wikipedia article on Gustavo Dudamel
- Last.fm page on Gustavo Dudamel
- Discogs at discogs.com/artist/1057191
- MusicBrainz entry on Gustavo Dudamel
Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Gustavo Dudamel at musicbrainz.org. Find out more about our use of this data. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
BBC Reviews
Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare 2011Reviewed by Daniel Ross
The inspirational conductor holds onto his fine reputation.


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Ratings based on 330 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
4.8 Room cleanliness
4.7 Service & staff
4.7 Room comfort
4.8 Hotel condition
They paid and stayed.
We double-checked.
We double-checked.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from manchester UK
Excellent!Posted Sep 23, 2014
I very much enjoyed my stay at the Andaz. As I was on a red eye flight I had asked for an early check-in which was accommodated with me getting to my room for 11am. The rooms are modern with an interactive tv and soft touch lighting controls. I particularly appreciated the free non alcoholic mini bar & snacks. The bathroom and shower were clean & boasted twin hammered sinks & a rain shower. I cannot fault the hotel in any way and would drfinitely use again.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Miami, FL
Great location, easy to get to everything.Posted Aug 25, 2014
Pros: Subtly elegant exterior, peaceful interior lobby and rooms. Accommodating and diligent staff. Excellent room service - delicious food and prompt ser
Enjoyable and pleasant stay. Asian-inspired decorated bedrooms and baths. Very quiet.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from NYC
great HotelPosted Aug 18, 2014
Pros: service, location, design
Cons: room service menu, dinner menu to be extended
Location: park, shopping, offices
I was very impressed and did not expect what I experienced. Fantastic front office, great service, amazing room, loved the bathroom and great gym. room service was good however limited menu, but overall extremely pleased and happy with the hotel
by A verified traveler
Overpriced, underwhelmingPosted Aug 15, 2014
Pros: Location, quiet.
Cons: Rooms, service and rates.
This is Hyatt's answer to the W, a modern-boutique joint with a young staff and, one assumes, clientele. And its location is terrific, around the corner from Grand Central, the Public Library and Bryant Park, as well as an easy walk to the theater district and Times Square. Given the location, surprisingly quiet, too. But things fell apart quickly from there. My "loft suite" was poorly designed, cramped, with an awkward layout, hard-to-access desk outlets, chipped paint, timer-run lights that would go out during a shower (and why was the switch *outside* the space?!), a desk chair that wouldn't move easily on the carpet, one of those stoopid Euro-style showers without a door so that the bathroom inevitably floods, a fancy clock-radio that didn't work properly, minibar freebies that were supposed to be replaced and weren't, and so on. Worst of all, after a middle-of-the-night hotel-wide water-valve repair, our water stopped working intermittently, going out twice while I was showering and then continue to sputter for the balance of our stay. I notified the front desk and left a complaint with management, but I never heard back and the problem wasn't fixed. Like the W, the Andaz staff is young and clueless. For instance, the bell staff watched us take our bags out to the curb, but until I was in the street trying to hail a cab, no one came out to assist. I got a nice rate that is way below what most pay now, but this is barely a 3-star place that charges 5-star prices.
for Familiesby A verified traveler from New York
Fabulous hotel, great locationPosted Aug 10, 2014
Pros: Everything.....great location, friendly & helpful staff, good spacious rooms.
Cons: Noise from traffic
Location: On 5th Avenue close to Central Station, Empire State, Times Square, Central Park etc.
Had 3 nights at the Andaz on our first visit to New York. Great location and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. The room was spacious and comfortable. Our only disappointment was the road noise in the room. We were at the front of the hotel on the 3rd floor so whilst we had great views we also had the noise from traffic at a fairly busy junction. Other than that we couldn't fault this place, would definitely stay again.
for Couplesby A verified traveler from Denver
Great modern concept hotel and unique midtown viewPosted Jul 29, 2014
If you're looking for a modern concept hotel, look no further. This hotel exceeded my expectations on every level, great room, views, food, facilities, and yikes what a location. Thanks for everything staff at the Andaz!
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from rhode island
andaz roomsPosted Jul 27, 2014
Pros: modern facility
Cons: open bar up earlier so if guests arrive early and room is not ready they can go downstairs and have a drink. andaz could make more money!!!!
Location: great location near Bryant park and subways
hotel was beautiful. nice staff but woke me out of a dead sleep at 9:00am to clean the room.check out was at 11:00.good location would recommend
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from melbourne
Wonderful hotel in nice location in midtownPosted Jul 18, 2014
Best staff and very convenient location close to Grand Central station, delis, shopping. The Andaz suite was quite crammed for our family of four. Note there is no door separating the bedroom from the living area which was a little less private than we liked. The kitchenette was a useful feature and the free snacks & drinks were a bonus plus coffee & wine downstairs. The bed was a little hard for our liking. The wonderful helpful staff and location cannot be beaten. We had a lovely stay.
by A verified traveler
Rooms not functional; nice staff and locationPosted Jul 15, 2014
Pros: Nathan provided exceptional customer service.
Cons: lighting, bathroom / bedroom layout, FOOD...was terrible (was great when I stayed in March 2013 it was great).
Location: Great location.
This is the second time I've stayed at this property, but this time in a more expensive suite. The room was stylish/minimalist and the sitting room was comfortable. The bathroom shower being exposed to the bedroom was very inconvenient - no privacy, difficult for one person to sleep and the other to shower. Also, the lighting is terrible in the rooms. It's impossible to see to do makeup or style your hair. The rooms need some repairing and maintenance. They look ragged and worn. I was also quite confused by the 'complementary wine and soft drinks' in the lobby which never seemed to be there.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Qatar
Perfect hotel for a few days in NYCPosted Jul 7, 2014
The hotel is comfortable and centrally located on 5th avenue. We enjoyed walking to most places like Central Park, museum mile, the Empire State Building and Times Square. The rooms are spacious, very basic but comfortable. The bathroom is large with a strong shower. The complimentary minibar was a nice touch. We had lunch at the restaurant - the food was nice and very fresh. Room service food was average. Coffee was served in the lobby every morning and good wine in the evening.


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Stow mayor seeks refocus by council on controversial legislation in new year
In this file photo, council members sit closely to listen to a hand recorder. Thursday, council passed legislation requiring homeowners of drug labs to pay for costs associated with cleanup. (Heather Beyer/Ohio.com)
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Stow residents swarm City Hall to address council on the proposed Redmon Funeral Home legislation. (Heather Beyer/Ohio.com)


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In what could potentially be good news for some of the children who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a doctor claims to have a cure -- more sleep. Dr. Vatsal Thakkar believes that more than a third of children have been misdiagnosed with ADHD when what they're really suffering from is sleep deprivation.
I'm sure there are plenty of parents who have been through countless doctors, medications, and other treatments with their children who will bristle at this assertion. However, he's not saying that ADHD isn't a real thing for some people, he just believe that "a substantial proportion of cases are really sleep disorders in disguise." Interesting.
His theory makes a sense too. Thakkar, who's a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine, told the Daily Mail that the symptoms of both (hyperactivity, difficulty focusing, aggression, and forgetfulness) are quite similar -- especially in children. Another doctor, Dr. Neil Stanley, agreed with the theory and told the paper that as ADHD diagnoses have risen, kids have gotten less sleep. He said kids today get at least one less hour of sleep than they did 100 years ago. Others studies have also made a link between sleep disorders and ADHD.
More from The Stir: ADD/ADHD in Girls: 10 Symptoms to Consider
Additionally, Thakkar says that it may be easier for doctors to hand out an ADHD diagnosis than to tell parents their kids need better sleep habits.
For some children it may be a diagnosis of convenience. Yet by misdiagnosing sleep-deprived patients as having ADHD, we are not only doing a disservice to those who really have ADHD but may be treating thousands of patients with poor sleep with medications designed to control or modify daytime behavior.
I don't doubt that ADHD is a very real and chronic condition for some children that no amount of sleep will cure, but if you could cure your child's symptoms with better sleep habits, wouldn't you want to? The CDC estimates that 3-7 percent of school-age children have ADHD. Between 2003 and 2007, the rate of reported cases in children ages 4-17 increased 22 percent. And with one of the prominent treatments for it being drugs like Ritalin -- that have side effects -- some more z's sounds like a much better option. Hopefully there will be more research into this area soon.
Do you think your child's ADHD really could be sleep deprivation?
Image via davitydave/Flickr
I think it is definitely a possibility and it'd be worth exploring that option before jumping right to drugging my kid. It totally makes sense, kids today get far less sleep than they need. I remember 25 years ago kids used to get up at around 7am and go to bed by 8pm. Now they're up at 5am to go to daycare in time for their parents to get to work, then are up until 11pm in order to spend time with their parents after they get off from work and eat. I can see it in my own kids' behavior when for a few nights in a row they stay up even 1 hour later than normal.
My kids are going through sleep deprivation right now due to birthday festivities, end of school year activities and baseball. They are little terrors today! I know that they need a few nights of consistent sleep to get back to normal. But yes, my kids act crazy, hyper, act out and just generally don't listen when they are tired.
As a 3 time sleep deprived new mom, I can see that definitely as the factor, or a contributing factor, along with crappy nutrition. Plus when I am sleep deprived myself - i crave crappy food.
Absolutely! There are so many factors - including amount of sleep - that affect kids' behavior and focusing abilities. Making them take mood- and personality-altering drugs isn't the answer in about 75-90% of these "diagnoses".
I think that kids definitely act up when they don't get enough sleep, but I DON'T agree that a little more sleep is the answer for these kids. The meds for ADHD are stimulants. You know your kid has ADHD (and not just symptoms) if you give them a stimulant and they mellow out instead of perk up. That's not sleep depreviation. As the mom of 2 ADHD kids and YEARS of doctor visits (including every home-made remedy and "way of doing things" under the sun), I'm a little pissed that I'm constantly having to defend that ADHD really exists and isn't just my over-reaction or a lack of parenting.
i definitely agree that its over diagnosed... but also agree that in some cases its very real. if i ever ran into a dr who felt my kid had adhd id start with everything OTHER than medication. and this makes sense!


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But frankly, as an American, I don't feel all that comfortable pointing fingers and laughing at the Italian justice system. It's not like an innocent person has never gotten wrongly convicted and as a result spent significant time in prison for it in the US.I don't know. I'm pretty comfortable saying that both the Italian and the American justice systems are fucked up. I'm confident many Italians would agree.
She has some visible psychopath traits, but also some autistic traits (and those have a lot of overlap from 20,000ft), combined with her story adding up to her pretty clearly hiding something because she was afraid of getting into more trouble.Ok, seriously, what? What is a "visible psychopathic trait", exactly?
" ... let me tell you about my own experience with Mignini, because, when I was writing 'The Monster of Florence', he called me in for an interrogation.posted by ericb at 2:37 PM on October 3, 2011 [29 favorites]
I had irritated him with my theories. And he accused me of being an accessory to murder. He accused me of being -- of involvement in satanic rites and satanic sex. And he demanded that I confess to all these crimes that I had committed, and, if I didn't, that he would indict me in -- for perjury.
And, when I didn't confess to these nonexistent crimes, he did in fact indict me for perjury and suggested that I leave Italy. And, so, this is a very abusive prosecutor. He makes up theories. He's -- he's -- he's obsessed with satanic sex.
And let's not forget that his original theory of the crime was that this was a satanic killing, that -- that Meredith Kercher was murdered in a satanic rite, that -- that, somehow, Amanda Knox was a satanist.
I mean, these are crazy theories."
"But [Mignini's] American detractors have claimed his investigation was a 'railroad job from hell', starting from the moment he questioned Knox for hours without a lawyer, coaxing her into naming an innocent man, Patrick Lumumba, as the likely murderer, to his suggestion that Knox and Sollecito's slaying of Kercher was inspired by the occult."And, her Italian was very rudimentary at the time of the interrogation.
She has some visible psychopath traits, but also some autistic traits (and those have a lot of overlap from 20,000ft), combined with her story adding up to her pretty clearly hiding something because she was afraid of getting into more trouble. From there it isn't much of a leap to suppose she's a psychopath covering up her role in a murder. Or maybe she's a geeky kid covering up drug/sex games gone wrong. Miscarriage of justice in any case, so correct result.That just seems like bullshit to me, the basic media smear bullshit. The media created a strawman version of her that was "drawn Bad", when in reality she might have been pretty normal. If someone took every odd or unusual thing you'd ever done, then narrated it to scary music, how do you think it would make you look to people who didn't know you?
and if it wasn't for pure luck, Patrick Lumumba, the man Knox tried to pin the whole thing on would probably had been sent to prison for a very long time despite his innocence. -- 2manyusernamesWhat Knox claimed was that she was coerced into confessing, and named him because she thought he would have an air-tight alibi. Pretty stupid, but the police ruled him out pretty much right away.
Anyway, I hate the effect this must be having on the Kerchers; they have no daughter to come home, and now no culprit. -- fightorflightExcept for the guy who actually did it.
I don't believe a single person posting here has been following the trial in any more depth than the news reports, yet everyone, just like my friend, feels they have the ability to scream 'she did it' or 'she's innocnet you moron' as if they were there. It's sick and it's boring. -- ciderwomanFirst of all, what we thought all along was just validated by the higher court. Second of all -- and this is important -- the most basic facts of the case indicate she didn't do it. Like the fact she had an alibi with lots of witnesses (I suppose the prosecutor thought they were all satanic co-conspirators) the fact that there was no physical evidence and very importantly the fact there was tons of physical evidence linking the crime to a completely separate person who didn't know Knox or her boyfriend. Given those facts alone, it seems insane for people to think that she did it. Also, we've read up about the case. You don't need to know every single detail.
I am in NO WAY saying I think she did it. What I am saying is that I find a lot of the anti Italian Court rhetoric slightly worrying (it feels like 'oh we can't get a fair trial outside the US' to me) -- ciderwomanNo no, we don't think you can get a fair trial in the US at all. Actually over the past week there were some pretty problematic cases. Troy Davis, who was executed despite having bad evidence and coerced witness testimony (most of the witnesses recanted). There was also the West Memphis Three being released -- in that case two people were just released from prison after 18 years for a murder they very clearly didn't commit. One of them had been sentenced to death. And they were convicted on the same bullshit 'satanic' and personality factors that Knox was convicted on.
There are inconsistencies, for example why did the boyfriend not remember if he was with Knox, why did he say he downloaded the film she said they watched when his computer wasn't used?People don't always remember everything accurately. And ultimately who knows? It's actually pretty irrelevant to whether or not the couple murdered someone
Your argument against the "eye movement stuff" is correct right up until the point that you assume the west memphis three are innocent, that Amanda Knox isn't a psychopath.If my argument seems wrong to people who think the west Memphis three are guilty, then I'll take that as confirmation that I'm correct. Thank you.
However there was physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, and a confession. Given that, if you think she convicted for basically being a devil worshipping sex pot, then I think you owe it to yourself to take a look at why you think that.See, the problem with using vicious, misogynistic, slut-shaming garbage in a criminal trial is that it's really not possible to determine whether someone was convicted because of the vile misogyny or because of the DNA evidence and/or confession. One would think that would be a good reason not to contaminate your trial with really repulsive misogyny, but I'm sure that's naive.
delmoi: You once again miss the point, which is that it is impossible to form a properly informed opinion from what you read in the news even if the proverbial broken clock is occasionally right.I don't think that's even remotely true. It's obvious that people can look at the facts of a situation and come to a conclusion about it. We do it about everything else in the world, why not murder cases as well?
Is it so hard to admit that there's something with bias going on?I think there was clearly some initial bias going on. But I think if you look at the facts it's pretty obvious she's innocent.
Indeed. I very strongly think that relying on news organizations to reliably and fully convey these facts is futile.Indeed. If only there was a website where news could be "filtered" through comments from intelligent people into some "meta" analysis.
1) Lying to save your own ass: She tried to frame another person for murder.She lied after an extremely long, terrifying interrogation. This is not unusual, and it's not evidence of being a psychopath.
3) Lack of empathy: a) stories about her going shopping or so on the day after her murder and generally not being too concerned.She was locked out of her apartment, where all of her clothes were, because it was a crime scene. She had to go shopping because she had no clothes to wear. This is not evidence of being a psychopath. The fact that the British and Italian media spun it that way is evidence of some moral problems on their part, though.
4) Promiscuous behavior. Lots of partners according to her diary.We know, because the prison authorities tricked her into revealing all her sex partners, that she had slept with seven men. A man who had slept with seven women would never in a million years be considered so promiscuous as to be a suspected psychopath. Again, this is evidence of the British and Italian press's misogyny, not anything wrong with Amanda Knox.
5) Narcissist behavior: apparently enjoyed the media attention.What evidence do you have of that?
6) Superficial Charm: Putting this last on the list, because I am least sure about it, but I remember some accounts that described her as charming.I am sure that someone, somewhere, has described you as charming. Let's find a murder to pin on you!
"What are you still doing here?" a well-dressed woman shouted at our NBC crew as we sat down for dinner at a local restaurant Tuesday. "Isn't your job done?"I'm having a disconnect. How is it that the American media somehow affected the outcome of a trial in a small burg in Italy? Do Italians normally get their new from American media? Is the American media some sort of coercive powerful entity that bullies judges and juries in Italy?
She, like many others around here, blame the American media for what they say was a pro-Knox campaign that influenced the jury's decision.
"Seven young girlfriends of murder victim Meredith Kercher testified in a Perugia courtroom today that accused killer Amanda Knox had been been behaving strangely and, in their words, 'inappropriately.'Give me a fucking break! All hearsay ... and fundamentally gossip!
The young women, friends who had studied and spent time together in Perugia with Kercher, provided almost identical versions of what Kercher allegedly had told them about Knox in the few weeks that they lived together and what happened after Kercher was found dead.
In repeated questioning by the prosecution, the first two witnesses, Robyn Carmel Butterworth and Amy Frost, portrayed Amanda Knox as an emotionally indifferent person with what they termed odd habits.
They referred to what British student Kercher had confided to them about Amanda Knox's behavior, some of it annoying and some of it simply perplexing. They also told the court what they observed about Amanda Knox at the police station after the murder.
'Kercher talked to me about their relationship,' Butterworth said in English, as an interpreter translated into Italian for the court. She complained about Amanda Knox's bathroom habits, often a complaint between roommates, Butterworth said
'Sometimes, the bathroom was not clean and the toilet not flushed,' Butterworth said, 'and Meredith didn't know what to tell Amanda, so she asked us for advice.'
Another thing that Kercher had remarked upon with her friends, and which the witnesses were questioned repeatedly about, was Amanda Knox's putting an open toiletry bag in their shared bathroom that contained condoms and a sex toy.
'Meredith thought this was a bit strange,' Butterworth testified. 'It didn't upset her but she said it was strange.'"
"[The] magistrate in [the] Meredith Kercher murder case is himself waiting to find out whether he will be jailed for abuse of office.posted by ericb at 2:28 PM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
The criticisms [of his actions in the Knox case] will have come as no surprise to a man who has strongly believed for years that opponents were secretly plotting his downfall.
... Mignini continues to work as he awaits his appeal, which starts on 22 November.
Mignini has claimed Douglas Preston, the US novelist who challenged Mignini's theories about the Monster of Florence, is masterminding a US press campaign against him over his handling of the Knox case. 'It's all Preston,' he said.
So it was unsurprising that Mignini should add a touch of conspiracy theory to his summing up in the Knox appeal, claiming that 'our judicial system has been subjected to a systematic denigration by a well-organised operation of a journalistic and political nature'.
"About 50% of all criminal convictions in Italy are reversed or greatly modified on appeal. Knox and Sollecito join the 4 million Italians since the war who have seen their lives ruined by false criminal charges, only to be proclaimed innocent after many years of agony and imprisonment.posted by ericb at 2:45 PM on October 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
While they don't like others pointing it out, many Italians are well aware that their judicial system is dysfunctional. Silvio Berlusconi is absolutely right when he says the judiciary needs fundamental reform. The Italian judiciary, a holdover to a great extent from the Mussolini era, when Italy was a police state, acts with no checks and balances, in which prosecutors and police wield enormous power.
If you are arrested for a crime and have no alibi, you are in very serious trouble. The de facto burden of proof is on you to prove your innocence, despite lip service in the Italian constitution to the idea of innocent until proven guilty.
The Italian justice system often seems more concerned with preserving the honour and reputations of powerful individuals than with finding the truth. This, in a nutshell, explains why Knox and Sollecito were not released when Guede was identified, why dubious DNA and forensic lab work was relied upon, why prosecutors and police leaked so much damaging and salacious information to the press, and why these two innocent young people spent 1,450 days in prison for murder they did not commit. It was all about honour, reputation, and the saving of face."
As for the promiscuity thing, I thought it was seven partners within a few months after she came to Italy, which struck me as above average.It was seven ever, total, in her entire life. Three of them were since she'd been in Italy.
"There was no convincing proof that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were actually in the room when Meredith Kercher died. Even the presence of Amanda Knox's blood and footprints in the house were successfully explained away. Her defence claimed that Knox's blood could have been there because she was a resident at the farm house on Pergola Road."You mean based on the thoroughly refuted DNA evidence that was thrown out because they used a scientifically invalid measurement that's likely to lead to contamination? I don't recall anyone saying Knox's 'blood' was found anywhere, just her DNA, which could have come from skin cells or anything else.
Hey, I never said she is a psychopath, just that some of her behavioral patterns seem to match that of one.Yeah if you take a single anecdote from someone's entire life then anyone could be made to look like a 'psychopath'. You don't think there's been, in your entire life, a time that you didn't appear to be empathetic? You've never lied in your entire life?
For a year, Knox and Sollecito were kept in preventive detention – Italy has no bail system – while Mignini, the police, and various forensic experts built the case against them. Crucial evidence that could have exonerated them was lost or mishandled. For example, the hard drive on Sollecito's computer, which could have shown he was on his computer during the time of the murder, was "fried'' by investigators as they supposedly tried to copy it.posted by delmoi at 4:23 PM on October 4, 2011 [3 favorites]
As for the promiscuity thing, I thought it was seven partners within a few months after she came to Italy, which struck me as above average.It was seven ever, total, in her entire life. Three of them were since she'd been in Italy.
Why did she name him? Would you have done that?I have no idea what I would have done, and neither do you. Years ago, a neighbor of mine falsely confessed to raping and murdering his own mother after hours of grueling interrogation, only to be exonerated by DNA evidence. Kevin Fox falsely confessed to murdering his 3-year-old daughter. I'm not arrogant enough to be sure that I would be able to resist that kind of pressure, and you shouldn't be either.
The four-year saga showed the world that "the credibility of [Italy's] justice system is beyond a joke," wrote Giuliano Ferrara, chief editor of the conservative daily Il Foglio in a front page piece comparing Ms. Knox to Mr. Berlusconi.posted by ericb at 11:21 AM on October 5, 2011
"Your Amanda, our Berlusconi: each his or her own hostage to Justice," wrote Mr. Ferrara in the open letter to foreign reporters published both in English and Italian. "For years we have been trying to explain to you that Italy's biggest problem is not [Berlusconi] ... but a Media-Justice 'inside the Beltway' complex that has turned Italy into the very opposite of a country under the Rule of Law."
Ferrara's comments echo those of other influential Berlusconi backers who have long blamed Italy's judicial system for the fact that the prime minister is involved in several trials ranging from corruption to underage prostitution. So it is no surprise that some are now attempting to turn the Knox trial into the case for Berlusconi. Political agendas aside, however, their attacks of the judiciary reflect a growing distrust among Italy's citizens.
According to a July poll by Ipr Marketing polling agency, 59 percent of Italians put "little or no trust at all" in the justice system. (Berlusconi has posted the poll on his website).
One of the biggest problems of the Italian judiciary is the length of trials, on average between four to six years, due both to bureaucracy and a system where three separate degrees are almost mandatory - meaning that after the first trials two appeals are de facto automatic. There could still, in fact, be a third trial for Knox, though the Seattle student is unlikely to come back to Italy.
"Knox was well-coached before the appeals trial. She had learned her lesson that the American tendency to smile at everyone is not always a good idea, and throughout the summer she barely looked back at the crowds at all. Many interpreted this as strength and stoicism, but from yesterday's display, it was clear that she was at the end of her rope. I don't care what insults the attorneys hurled—she-devil, demon—when they saw this human being physically drawn back from the brink of despair, it might even have made them shudder a little."*posted by ericb at 11:28 AM on October 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
"Katie Crouch asks an important question in the wake of the Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito exoneration: What can be done to stop a circus like this one from happening again? There are a number of important flaws in traditional systems of justice that this case helped expose, especially with regards to how character assessment of the defendants is weighed too heavily and actual evidence too lightly, and perhaps addressing those problems could help significantly. That said, one thing that could help is looking at the dangers of an overly simplistic view of prejudice and privilege. [...more...]"posted by ericb at 11:31 AM on October 5, 2011
"The failure and the triumph of Amanda Knox's story are both specific to an American woman in a foreign justice system whose framework differs critically from our own. If Knox were homely, or modest, or male, she'd probably never have been charged to begin with. But it's also likely that, once convicted, a different Amanda Knox wouldn't have held the interest of the court long enough to be freed. The passions of the investigators and, arguably, of Knox herself, led to her conviction and, paradoxically, to her acquittal and release.posted by ericb at 11:40 AM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
... Knox had every reason, until her arrest in November 2007, to believe that cops and judges existed to protect her. Why wouldn't she? A gorgeous middle-class white American college student on a study year abroad is someone by whom society has done pretty well. Hers is the passion of a comfortable kid who can't quite believe things aren't working the way they're supposed to. And the most peculiar and riveting aspect of [her] appeal statement that helped free her is the persistence of that faith. She punctuated her points with respectful, but assertive, gesticulations. It's the way you dream (literally, in nightmares) about appealing to captors. 'I'm not escaping truth. I never escaped. I'm not fleeing from justice,' Knox said. No, guys, don't you get it? I'm on your side!
It worked. Well, her statement worked, following years of international pressure and a damning report in which court-appointed experts found 54 errors in the original investigators' procedure and handling of evidence.
... In Italy, investigators propound a single, supposedly objective story in order to establish the absolute truth of a crime. Their purpose, at least in theory, is to determine truth, not to prosecute a defendant. Defense lawyers' ostensible role is not to present an opposing story, but to support the defendant in the investigation. The judge is not neutral, but is a member of and guiding presence on the jury, which renders its verdict by simple majority. This 'inquisitorial' process stands in contrast to the American adversarial system, in which two sides -- prosecution and defense, in a criminal trial -- present competing stories. An impartial jury must reach a unanimous verdict, and a presiding judge approves it.
The single-narrative structure of the Italian system lends itself to the kind of runaway train that was Amanda Knox's legal journey. First she was a Satanic ritual orgy killer; then she was jealous; at one point she was said to have slaughtered Kercher in a marijuana-induced rage. The case stuck because it was interesting to the investigators, and it survived the 2008 conviction of a third defendant, Rudy Guede, because the investigators shifted their version of Knox's (and Sollecito's) role as the evidence changed. They weren't necessarily looking to railroad her, but they couldn't look away from the case that involved a beautiful girl, foreign college kids, and DNA on a bra clasp. Knox's own lawyers notoriously characterized her as 'Jessica Rabbit' at one point, to distinguish the sexy and warm defendant from the diabolical murderer the investigators saw.
American litigators are constantly accused of being too aggressive, of picking fights, of acting like pit bulls. Our two-sided system of zealous advocacy has serious flaws. But supposed impartiality has more insidious effects than does frank opposition. Amanda Knox's own zealous participation -- in fun, in adventure, in guileless cooperation with investigators -- ensnared her in legal and personal horror. 'I insist on the truth,' Knox said yesterday. 'It deserves to be defended and acknowledged.' She respectfully challenged authority to correct itself and to do its job. An admittedly privileged, American woman expected no less."*
On whether she's a psychopath, as well as sour cream's list (fingering her boss in retaliation stands out - the police didn't just make that up), and my suspicion that her seat of consciousness isn't where everyday people would expect it, and the fact she was somehow involved in a murder... I'd put the chances of psychopathy around 70%. That says nothing about whether she's guilty of anything.Yeah, it's probably in her hypothalamus or something instead of her Penial gland where it belongs. Descartes proved it.
Personally, I've determined you are 86.21% likely to have no idea what the hell you're talking about, and I arrived at this figure by pulling it out of my ass.I'm quite sure the figure is 100%.
"Your Amanda, our Berlusconi: each his or her own hostage to Justice," wrote Mr. Ferrara in the open letter to foreign reporters published both in English and Italian. "For years we have been trying to explain to you that Italy's biggest problem is not [Berlusconi] ... but a Media-Justice 'inside the Beltway' complex that has turned Italy into the very opposite of a country under the Rule of Law."Does Berlusconi actually want a country with a rule of law? I kind of doubt it.
"There was too much tension," he said. "There was too much attention on this case and that was because of the excessive media interest. People got fired up.That's why I said what I did (before retiring) that it was not a football match and I didn't want cheering."posted by BobbyVan at 1:19 PM on October 5, 2011
"Instead, well, too much was made out if it. Then there is the political background, many wanted Amanda in prison because she was American," Hellman added.
Amanda Knox 'Could Make Millions From TV And Press Deals'posted by ericb at 2:28 PM on October 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
"She'll write, because that's her way of dealing with things," her stepfather, Chris Mellas, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.*posted by ericb at 2:53 PM on October 5, 2011
- Boyfriend Sollecito (or whatever his name was)That one confuses me. If she's guilty, they committed the crime together. If she's not guilty, she may have been singled out because she was a young and sexy and owned a vibrator and had had at least one one-night stand, and he may have been co-accused because of guilt by association. But that wouldn't be her fault, because she wouldn't be guilty. So how exactly did she ruin his life? Did her satanic slut vibes force him to commit a murder or something?
The owner of a Milan nursery school testified in court that Rudy Guede had broken into her school and stolen a big kitchen knife. Nursery school owner Maria del Prato testified that she had stopped by her school Saturday Oct. 27, when it was closed, and came upon Guede in her office.3) He is described as a "troubled youth" well known to the local police.
"I asked him who he was," she told the court, "and he replied perfectly calmly, even though I had caught him red-handed." Del Prato said he told her he was "a kid from Perugia" who had arrived the night before and had nowhere to sleep.
Del Prato doubted his story, as her locker had been opened, and she said she believed Rudy was looking for something to steal.
Not to flog a dead horse, but I just thought of another indicator of psychopathic behavior: leaving a trail of wrecked lives in one's wake.What the fuuuuuuck? If anything, all you've done is show that the prosecutor (who was under indictment for abuse of authority before Meridith was even killed) might be a 'sociopath' because he the principle agent in ruining those people's lives (excluding Meridith, but including her family). In fact all the people in your list are psychopaths because their lives have all been ruined and they were all related!
So basically, what you're saying is that being accused of a crime is evidence of being a psychopath.Not only that, but by his definition any victim of a crime is also a psychopath. Just look at how many of the people who associated with Meredith Kercher had their lives ruined!
I have said that there are several indicators that point to a psychopatic nature. No single one of those indicators makes you a psychopath.If you're not a clinical psychologists examining someone in a clinical setting, please, shut the fuck up.
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