Remembering……

Sharon Tate and Paul Richard Polanski

Jay Sebring

Abigail Folger

Wojciech Frykowski

Steven Parent

Leno and Rosemary LaBianca

Gary Hinman

Donald Shea

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Review

Fans of Westerns and American History will love this mini-series The Legend of Bass Reeves is the story of a Black man forced to fight for the confederacy, who escapes his cruel owner (FYI all slave owners were cruel), is a crack shot, and has a strong will to survive. Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) is a natural marksman and the series takes us on the journey as he becomes the first U.S. Marshal…

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Missing (1982). When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.

Oh, I loved this one. Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek always deliver, but they're emphatically, brilliantly human as father and daughter-in-law navigating hope and grief and desperation as they try to find the man who connects them. Moving and biting and a searing indictment on the US government. Really loved it. 8/10.

Full Trailer: “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” (2023)

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Attorneys for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon were unable to convince a judge Tuesday that they should be given a year to go through four terabytes of data and documents collected by prosecutors in their investigation.

Instead, New York County Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan gave Bannon four months to file his first motions in the criminal fraud case.

Bannon was charged in September with money laundering, conspiracy and a scheme to defraud, for his alleged role in an organization that raised millions on the promise they would privately build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the indictment, Bannon and the group, called We Build the Wall, are accused of pocketing some of those donations. Their trial will be scheduled for November 2023, Merchan said Tuesday.

Bannon's attorneys asked for a year to process the information, saying there's "no possible way we can go over the materials" in just a few months, but Merchan gave them until February 6, 2023.

Bannon, who was ordered in September to surrender his passport and attend all hearings in the case, arrived in a green jacket and untucked black button-down shirt. He has been charged with two counts of money laundering in the second degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, a scheme to defraud in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree.

Asked by a CBS News reporter if he believed any We Build the Wall executives cooperated against him prior to his indictment, Bannon replied, "I don't know."

Bannon added that prosecutors "haven't shown me anything yet."

Bannon has entered a not guilty plea in the case and previously called the charges "nonsense."

Bannon was indicted on federal charges in a similar case in August 2020 along with three other people associated with We Build the Wall. Bannon was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump in the federal case, in which two others, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, have entered guilty pleas. Proceedings for another defendant, Timothy Shea, ended in a mistrial and Shea will be retried, according to federal prosecutors.

An attorney for We Build the Wall, which also entered a not guilty plea in the New York case, said during the hearing Tuesday that the organization may not have enough funds to pay for his services.

Bannon's indictment comes as criminal investigations hover over many in former President Donald Trump's orbit.

Merchan is also presiding over the Trump Organization's fraud and tax evasion case, which goes to trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on Oct. 24. The company has entered a not guilty plea in the case. A block south is a civil court, where another judge has for three years overseen proceedings that led to a massive lawsuit filed on Sept. 21 by the New York Attorney General, who is seeking $250 million and an end to Trump doing business in New York. The Trumps and their company deny the allegations in the lawsuit.

Two miles away, in federal court in Brooklyn, Thomas Barrack, a billionaire friend of Trump's and 2016 inauguration committee chair, is currently on trial on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in an effort to sway U.S. foreign policy in favor of the United Arab Emirates' interests. Barrack denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.

The ornate stone lobby in that courthouse, the Raymond J. Dearie Atrium, is named for a semi-retired federal judge who was recently called upon to serve as a special master in a federal lawsuit filed by Trump. He sued the U.S. Department of Justice in August after it served a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, seizing White House files, some of which were labeled "Top Secret."

Bannon was found guilty in July of Contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena to appear before the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He could face up to two years in prison when he's sentenced this month.

Federal investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack have subpoenaed more than 40 Trump allies and supporters, including several associated with the fundraising PAC Save America. No charges have been filed in connection with that investigation.

Heroes Comic Con Finland 2024

so while Finland has decades of comics festivals this was the first under name Comic Con and had admission prices ( Finnish festivals are free of charge)

I was there friday and saturday and while many have complained how it was arraigned I felt it was mainly positive. Especially guests of honor on comics side.

DC editor Andrea Shea, Zoe Thorogood, Lee Bermejo, Howard Chaykin, Phil Noto and Stephanie Hans. And as this is Finland, one of the Nordic countries behind left side blue wall was the duck artist Don Rosa who had lines of several hundreds. Disney Donald Duck comics are huge and nerds like me do not have to line uo to meet other comics stars. ( Nothing wrong with Disney comics, I just outgrew them almost forty years ago)

This is from Howard Chaykin vs Lee Bermejo draw battle. Did not take that many pics as I believe you should ask for consent and secondly most tomatoes are better than my phone camera.

There were oddly few comics sellers. More places selling toys and nerd kitsch. I only bought some trades and original art from Howard Chaykin.

The talks and Q&A's were great. I truly agree that Zoe Thorogood is future of comics. Lee Bermejo is the epitome of a renaissance artist gentleman. Andrea Shea is an awesome human and even better editor.

Phil Noto is a gem and a great person and would be a high point but as Said they also had Howard Chaykin.

Prince among mortals. Because I had the chance I told him he breaks the saying " never meet your heroes" Talented, smart, grumpy and snarky in the most lovable roguish way.

And yes, of course I took my Thick Black Kiss to be signed.

Hope next year will have guests of similar caliber.

Cora's Story: Goth Family Tree, Round 18

Here is the updated Goth family tree for Cora's Story after round 18 (90in-game days). Changes from the round 17 post are bolded.

Mortimer Goth married Bella Bachelor, and they had two children: Cassandra and Alexander.

Cassandra Goth married Don Lothario, and they had four children together: Twins Isabella and Nick (born round 1), and twins Adrian and Michael (born round 3). Cassandra also had a daughter as a result of an alien abduction, named Nova (born round 6).

Isabella "Izzy" Lothario married Ricky Cormier, and they had four children together: Twins Donald and Walter (born round 9), Aldric (born round 10), and Richard (born round 11). Izzy passed away at home surrounded by her family. Currently her son Donald lives in the Goth Manor with his daughter Anna (born round 17) and his father, Ricky.

Nick Lothario, called Nicky by his family and close friends, is Isabella's twin brother. He has one daughter as a result of an alien abduction, named Luna (born round 11). He currently lives with his fiancée, Shanna Mazza.

Adrian Lothario married Sophie Miguel, and they have two children, Cassie (born round 14) and Miguel (born round 15).

Michael Lothario lives on his own following the death of his wife, Diana Burb.

Nova Lothario has never been married.

Alexander Goth married Lucy Burb. They had two children, Whitney (born round 6) and Johnna (born round 7).

Whitney Goth married Orlando Centowski, and they had three children together: Lucas (born round 15), and twins Alexis and Ophelia (born round 16). Following Orlando's passing, Whitney adopted a child, Isaiah (born approximately round 16).

Johnna Goth has never been married.

Mortimer Goth married Dina Caliente, following the disappearance of his first wife, Bella. Mortimer and Dina had two children together: Cora (born round 1) and Morty (born round 3).

Cora Goth married Tara Welsh. They adopted a child, Danny Welsh-Goth (born approximately round 8). Cora passed away at her home, the same day Danny's twins were born.

Danny Welsh-Goth married Tosha Go, and they have four children together: Natalie (born round 16), Danielle (born round 17), and twins Lia and Cornelius (born round 18). Danny also has two children with Jane Stacks: twins Jay and Shea (born round 16).

Morty Goth married Kaylynn Langerak, and they had two children together: twins Parker and Arthur (born round 17). Morty Goth died of old age.

December 17th of 1970, Charlie was on trail for the Tate labianca murders, picture shows Charlie leaving the grand jury hearing after being indicted for additional murder change for the death of Donald shorty shea.

Bloody Pile of Horror Wrap Up

Forgotten Realms claims the TV title from Alien Nation.

Derrick Ferguson defends the Young Guns Title against Hunter Shea.

Startling Detective Adventures defeats Fantasy Tales to retain the Tag Team Title.

Returning horror authors defeat new reads in the Chamber of Horrors in a contested match. All beefs will be squashed when David Sodergren and Ray Garton settle their difference in the steel cage. The winner claims the Intercontinental Title and gets a shot at the World Title.

John Maddox Roberts defeats Sigfridur Skaldaspillir and keeps hold of the European Title.

Mike McQuay vacates the Intercontinental Title in a no-contest match against Jack Slade's Gatling.

Kevin Randle and Vietnam Ground Zero keep the high ground and save the United States title from Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm.

Richard Stark's Parker defeats Robert Faulcon's Night Hunter and is our new Trash Fiction Championship World Champion.

Joe R. Lansdale wins the dubious honor of first place in the 30 author Reading Rumble for the Cruiserweight Championship, coming to a social media platform near you.

Do you think any of the remaining Manson family still locked up should be paroled?

shorter answer: no, i don’t think so. i can genuinely understand the points made by people who think that they (especially leslie van houten. i’ve always seen quite a lot of people rooting for her, for numerous reasons) should be paroled, but i don’t agree with them. in my opinion, no matter how old, fragile, physically sick and remorseful they might be now, no matter how much time has passed by, no matter how much they have improved (recovered, became responsible, level headed, mature) over the years... no parole. no parole for any of them. they’re right where they belong.

longer (much longer) answer below..........

personally, i look at this question from many different perspectives. i thought about it many times over the years, since i first started researching deeper and deeper about charles manson, the manson family and their crimes. and my point of view was and still is: no, i don’t think they should ever be paroled. i can’t speak much about charles ‘tex’ watson (i honestly have little to no sympathy for him, for some reasons), bruce davis or bobby beausoleil. there’s also steve ‘clem’ grogan, the only manson family member convicted of murder who has been granted parole; i can’t speak much about him either, i never went deep into their personal stories or analyzed their “improvements over the years”. i’ve always been more interested in the girls and charles manson himself.

so, focusing on patricia krenwinkel and leslie van houten: i believe it is possible (i always leave room for doubt. i’m rather paranoid about people and their honesty lol) that they are remorseful. and yes, i do consider the facts that they are elderly now (i’ve read that leslie has been diagnosed with a chronic physical illness, i haven’t looked into it yet but i’m guessing it’s probably related to old age), they have spent most of their lives in prison, they are model prisoners and have put in great efforts into recovery, self development, and being active and helpful in the prison environment. and ofc, they were very young when they committed the crimes, they were psychologically vulnerable and already dealing with traumas, they were easily influenced and charles manson was a deranged, extremely manipulative and evil individual. and also the fact that they (not only leslie, patricia and the others who participated in the murders, but the manson family as a whole, except their Leader) were under a huge influence of drugs while their brains were still not properly developed (a few exceptions here and there, some members were a bit older, but most of them were very very young). when looking up information about the manson girls over the years, i found myself relating to lots of their personal struggles, and even some of their behaviors (not murder tho lol). i can tell you, with all honesty, that i’ve tried (and still do, every now and then) to put myself in their shoes.

and then, i try to put myself in the places of the victims - gary hinman, steven parent, jay sebring, abigail folger, wojciech frykowski, sharon tate (with her unborn baby son), leno labianca, rosemary labianca, donald shea. i believe that there were more victims, and also that they would have even more victims if they weren’t stopped. i try to imagine how it must have been like for the victims - i try to imagine myself in their situations, and i can’t even begin to fathom it. although i believe that i have a significant tolerance when it comes to true crime and related topics, i’m also a sensitive person deep down, i have a pretty active imagination and a shitload of anxiety. so trying to envision situations like that in graphic detail, it overwhelms me and i have to force myself to stop thinking about it. but as much as it sucks, i guess that’s mostly why i just don’t have it in me to think that the manson gang should be paroled.

i also try to imagine how it must have been like, how it must be like, to the people who knew/were related to the victims - their parents, siblings, children, partners, friends, even relatives that they didn’t get the chance to ever meet. i look at this case from all these perspectives, and in the end i always stick to the side of the victims and their loved ones. if someone i know (Especially someone i am close to) happened to be murdered in the way that the victims of the manson family were murdered, i would want the perpretators to be in prison for the rest of their lives. (on a sidenote, i find it quite disturbing how rosemary labianca’s granddaughter, who was born a decade after rosemary’s death, was also stabbed to death)

you know, when i was at the height of my “lowkey unhealthy obsession” with charles manson and the manson family, people would ask me if reading and researching so much about it, if looking at crime scene photos and watching documentaries and interviews, if consuming SO much content about it and thinking about it constantly affected my mental health. most of the time i would reply “no, not really, i just find it extremely interesting and morbidly fascinating. i keep looking and looking into it because i want to understand why all of this happened”. while this is technically true, there are two things in particular that i never really shared with many people.

on august 9th, i always think a lot about the tate-labianca murders, even more than the usual. sharon tate is a favorite celebrity of mine, for many many years now. when i was a senior in high school, on august 9th i woke up and before going to class i secretly cried in my bathroom thinking about her and what happened to her - what these people did to her and her baby. when i was in class, i kept thinking about it and a very close friend noticed that i was more quiet and reserved than usual - she asked me if there was something wrong, and i felt Extremely silly when i said “not really. but you know, today is august 9th, that’s the day that sharon tate and other people were murdered by the manson family in 1969, and i keep thinking about it and i feel really sad”. i cried a little. on another occasion, when i was researching about the murders in order to write some posts on my (now defunct) true crime blog, i had a dream that people were breaking into my house and i saw someone who looked like one of the manson girls (the physical characteristics were very very similar) running towards me with a knife. it was a quick, blurry dream (nightmare?), thankfully. it was so quick, and i didn’t dream that i was actually being murdered, but it was enough to make me wake up feeling distraught and uneasy - i kinda jumped out of bed and had to take deep breaths for a few seconds.

nowadays i still look at some content and updates. i like the cielodrive website the most. but i try to restrain myself from looking too much into it because - even though i don’t admit it very often - it gets to me. it makes me question so much about humanity, about life itself. as i stated before, i started researching because i wanted to understand why. i keep going back to it because, in a way, i still want to understand why - i guess i will always want that. but i know i will never truly understand. all the things i’ve read and watched so far, all the theories, comments, photos, videos and testimonies... just the tip of the iceberg, imo.

the crimes committed by charles manson and the manson family had a TREMENDOUS sociocultural impact. countless lives have been negatively affected by those people and their actions, in sooo many ways. they didn’t just “kill a bunch of people, including a hollywood actress, in a short timespan”. charles manson wasn’t just “a crazy, creepy, beardy old man”. there’s so much more to all of it.

and i have said it before and i will say it over and over again: no parole. no parole for any of them. they’re right where they belong.

The "We Build the Wall" federal fraud case hosted in Manhattan, New York, ended in mistrial Tuesday after a juror displayed "political bias" in bringing forward "government witch hunt" allegations. 

Timothy Shea, from Castlerock, Colorado, was accused along with three others, including former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon, of defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign known as "We Build the Wall" that raised more than $25 million. 

Under the false pretense that the money would be used to privately fund construction on the border wall, federal prosecutors said the defendants laundered money through a nonprofit to disabled Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, to fund his lavish lifestyle.

But Judge Analisa Torres of Federal District Court in Manhattan declared a mistrial Tuesday, recognizing jurors had reached an insurmountable impasse in deliberations regarding wire-fraud conspiracy, money-laundering conspiracy and falsifying records charges against Shea. 

‘WE BUILD THE WALL’ ORGANIZERS PLEAD GUILTY TO FRAUD CONSPIRACY 

The ruling comes after the judge received a note from 11 jurors last Thursday seeking to have the 12th replaced with an alternate. The note, which Torres read aloud in the courtroom, said the 12th juror had demonstrated "political bias," spoke of a "government witch hunt," and was not deliberating based on evidence presented in court, including by speaking of "political parties," according to The New York Times. 

It also quoted the 12th juror as making statements such as, "Tim Shea is a good man. He doesn’t beat his wife," and "You just can’t vote to lynch someone." The 12th juror also argued Shea should have been tried in a southern state instead of New York because people there tend to vote a certain way. 

The 11 other jurors asked the judge to replace the 12th with an alternate, but after privately questioning him and receiving assurance he could put aside biases and personal views that would prevent him from being fair and impartial, Torres ordered the jury to continue deliberating.  

In another note Tuesday, jurors said a deadlock was "abundantly clear" and further deliberations had only left them "further entrenched in our opposing views," Politico reported. 

"While the jury was unfortunately unable to reach a unanimous verdict in U.S. v. Timothy Shea, that in no way lessens our resolve or belief in the powerful and compelling evidence that we strongly believe proves his guilt," Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. "We look forward to retrying this case as soon as possible."

Shea was the only one of four charged in the scheme to face trial; In April, Kolfage pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and tax-related charges and Andrew Badolato pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy. Bannon was pardoned by former President Donald Trump before he left office. 

The Times reported prosecutors said the laundered funds were used on home renovations, a luxury SUV and truckload of Trump themed energy drinks labeled to contain "12 oz. of liberal tears."

Teaser Trailer: “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” (2023)

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MY COUNTRY, 'TIS OF THEOCRACY

Now playing at Harkins Shea:

God & Country--Produced by Rob and Michele Reiner and directed by Dan Partland, this documentary about Christian Nationalism in American politics is impassioned but lucid and not hysterical. Based on Katharine Stewart's book The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, the movie is presented as a warning to secular or non-evangelical citizens for whom the propaganda and political agenda of that movement may be largely invisible.

The talking heads here are mostly Christians themselves, ranging from Russell Moore to Reza Aslan to Jemar Tisby to Kristin Kobes du Mez to Sister Simone Campbell to Bishop William J. Barber II to Veggie Tales co-creator Phil Vischer. They speak calmly, even a little sheepishly, but firmly and with an indisputable insider's perspective, and their message is: Christian Nationalism isn't about religious practice; it's about amassing political power.

It's not exactly breaking news when we're informed that Christian Nationalists are terrified of and enraged by feminism, LGBTQ rights, secular education, uncensored libraries and abortion rights, or that the movement is historically connected to racism and segregation. But too many people may not grasp the degree to which Christian Nationalism's ultimate aim is a non-democratic, Christian-supremacist America, and the startling degree to which it's making progress.

In support of this, Partland shows us copious clips of wild-eyed rants by Evangelical heavy hitters stating these aims in no uncertain terms. A comedic highlight comes when, in the midst of one of the movie's many montages of preachers bleating and screeching, we see Robert Jeffress say, with a straight face, "We cannot be silent any longer!"

Partland also works to debunk some of Christian Nationalism's favorite falsehoods, notably that America was intended by the Founders as a "Christian Nation" or that the Separation of Church and State is not found in the Constitution. Attorney and author Andrew Seidel observes here that true religious freedom is impossible without Separation of Church and State.

By way of emphasizing its urgency, the movie also notes that Christian Nationalists were central agents of the January 6 Insurrection, despite the irony of President 45 as the object of their veneration. "When I was a young Evangelical minister," notes Faith and Action founder Rob Schenck, "we used Donald Trump as a sermon illustration for everything a Christian should not be."

God & Country shares a twofold difficulty with many other worthy progressive political documentaries. First, though well-organized and smoothly edited, it's full of unavoidable footage of the likes of Ralph Reed, Jerry Falwell, Paul Weyrich, Greg Locke, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Kenneth Copeland and Paula White, not to mention 45 himself, that can be painful for many of us to watch no matter how necessary. Secondly, many of the people who most need to see this movie probably won't watch it. To employ a more than usually apt cliché, it's preaching to the choir.

<b>Trump</b> promises action on border - Messenger News

New Post has been published on https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.messengernews.net/news/local-news/2023/11/trump-promises-action-on-border/&ct=ga&cd=CAIyGjUzM2UwMTY5ZmFhZTIwMGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw01f0YQGPptiQLN44jbtuga

Trump promises action on border - Messenger News

By BILL SHEA [email protected] With some 2000 people cheering just about every sentence he spoke, former President Donald Trump declared in …

Cora's Story: Goth Family Tree, Round 16

Here is the updated Goth family tree for Cora's Story after round 16 (80 in-game days). Changes from the round 15 post are bolded.

Mortimer Goth married Bella Bachelor, and they had two children: Cassandra and Alexander.

Cassandra Goth married Don Lothario, and they had four children together: Twins Isabella and Nick (born round 1), and twins Adrian and Michael (born round 3). Cassandra also had a daughter as a result of an alien abduction, named Nova (born round 6).

Isabella "Izzy" Lothario married Ricky Cormier, and they have four children together: Twins Donald and Walter (born round 9), Aldric (born round 10, currently attending Sim State), and Richard (born round 11). She lives in the Goth family home, also called the Goth Manor, with her husband Ricky.

Nick Lothario, called Nicky by his family and close friends, is Isabella's twin brother. He has one daughter as a result of an alien abduction, named Luna (born round 11). He currently lives with his fiancée, Shanna Mazza.

Adrian Lothario married Sophie Miguel, and they have two children, Cassie (born round 14) and Miguel (born round 15).

Michael Lothario currently lives with his wife, Diana Burb.

Nova Lothario has never been married.

Alexander Goth married Lucy Burb. They had two children, Whitney (born round 6) and Johnna (born round 7).

Whitney Goth married Orlando Centowski, and they have three children together: Lucas (born round 15), and twins Alexis and Ophelia (born round 16).

Johnna Goth has never been married.

Mortimer Goth married Dina Caliente, following the disappearance of his first wife, Bella. Mortimer and Dina had two children together: Cora (born round 1) and Morty (born round 3).

Cora Goth married Tara Welsh. They adopted a child, Danny Welsh-Goth (born approximately round 8).

Danny Welsh-Goth married Tosha Go, and they have one child together: Natalie (born round 16). Danny also has two children with Jane Stacks: twins Jay and Shea (born round 16).

Morty Goth married Kaylynn Langerak, and they are expecting a baby.