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On October 26th, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board (IWDCB) approved allocating over $140,000 to private contractors for aerial gunning, trapping, and snaring wolves in Idaho. The decision was made with no opportunity for comment or public review.
Trevor C. Walch, operator of the Nevada-based Predator Control Corporation, presented three of the five hunting proposals and is poised to be the primary beneficiary of three of the contracts to be executed by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, totaling over $100,000. His extensive record of violating wildlife laws has been uncovered since the meeting. In Nevada, this record includes selling furs without a license and trapping practices that the Nevada Chief Game Warden labeled “blatant illegal behavior.” Walch left an elk calf and other animals in traps for over ten days to die of dehydration and starvation. In Wyoming, Walch has been investigated for unlawful aerial hunting over federal lands.
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Game Management Units 48 and 49 are home to the Wood River Wolf Project, which has been successfully working directly with ranchers, sheep herders, and community members in Blaine County since 2008 to promote coexistence with wolves and prevent livestock losses. The 2023 field season concluded in October, resulted in zero confirmed sheep losses to wolves amongst the 24,000 sheep in the 1,200 sq km (about half the area of Yosemite National Park) project area. The project regularly documents the lowest sheep losses to wolves in Idaho’s wolf range. Yet now, the state has targeted wolves in the Wood River Wolf Project’s area to be exterminated without cause.
Ranchers currently managing sheep in the Project Area were not notified of this decision. Since being notified of these proposals after the meeting, the Flat Top Sheep Company owners have withdrawn from the scheme and Lava Lake Land & Livestock’s owner and President Brian Bean has denounced the effort for its wasteful spending and risk of harm to the public. Bean points out that pack disruption through partial lethal control will likely cause more, not fewer, wolf conflicts with livestock as individual survivors; especially as inexperienced juveniles, spread across the landscape and no longer subject to pack social discipline, turn to killing livestock for survival.
“The collective expense of these wolf depredation mitigation programs exceeds the total value of livestock killed, statewide, in Idaho. Much of that expense is borne by Idaho taxpayers — for no good reason,” says Bean.
“Nonlethal deterrents work. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, year after year, to kill wolves — at this point, often pre-emptively and without evidence that wolves have actually killed livestock — says a lot about Idaho politics, about the Idaho State Legislature, about Idaho politicians generally and about the Idaho Wolf Livestock Depredation Control Board itself which only funds killing wolves with nothing allocated to nonlethal depredation mitigation. Is this good governance and program administration? Emphatically not. Rather, it’s expensive, wasteful, vindictive, and immoral,” states Bean, concluding, “It’s also, unfortunately, very much today’s Idaho.”
“The Wood River Wolf Pack in Blaine County is among those targeted by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, yet wolves here have the best record of living beside tens of thousands of sheep peacefully for 16 straight years. This year, ranchers in our project area reported no loss of sheep to the Wood River wolves with over 24,000 sheep present during the 2023 grazing season, making it one of the most successful years on record,” says Suzanne Asha Stone, IWCN Director. “By targeting this population of research wolves that are proving that nonlethal methods are more effective in protecting livestock than randomly killing wolves and other native carnivores, the state of Idaho is blatantly refusing to coexist with any wolves. Period.”
“These wolves live on our public lands that belong to all Americans,” she adds. “Our local community doesn’t want the state to kill our wolves. By enriching biodiversity and helping protect against catastrophic disease in elk and deer, they make essential contributions to a healthy ecosystem.”
“The Wolf Depredation Control Board’s decision to funnel more state money into private hands to kill wolves is just further evidence that the state will stop at nothing to get rid of the species,” says Talasi Brooks of Western Watersheds Project, an Idaho-based nonprofit. “It’s an affront to science-based wildlife management and a terrible waste of more than thirty years of work to bring wolves back.”
#let wolves live#ecology#enviromentalism#biodiversity#idaho#Fuck the Idaho wolf depredation control board#Fuck the Predator control corporation#wolves#bs culling#Wood river wolf project#ranching#trapping#snaring
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BONUS - Five Favorites: Sleuths from Suspense
In this bonus episode, I'm sharing my five favorite detective stories from Suspense. Over its twenty year run, "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" presented many great mysteries, including these five tales adapted from stories by some of crime fiction's best writers and starring some of the genre's most interesting characters. First, Warren William recreates his screen role as The Lone Wolf makes his radio debut. The reformed jewel thief turned detective stars in "Murder Goes for a Swim" (originally aired on CBS on July 20, 1943). Then, an unlikely pair of detectives (Allyn Joslyn and William Bendix) hunts for a stolen necklace in Raymond Chandler's "Pearls are a Nuisance" (originally aired on CBS on April 19, 1945). Dashiell Hammett provides our third tale, as John Payne and Frank McHugh play a small town sheriff and his deputy who catch a wanted man only to have him die in their jail cell in "Two Sharp Knives" (originally aired on CBS on June 7, 1945). Brian Donlevy stars as Duncan McLain, the blind private detective created by Baynard Kendrick in a radio adaptation of Kendrick's novel "Out of Control" (originally aired on CBS on March 28, 1946), a story that finds Kendrick investigating a seemingly impossible murder. And finally, Dana Andrews is a cop out to stop a serial killer who's hungry for publicity in "The Crowd," an adaptation of a story by Ray Bradbury (originally aired on CBS on September 21, 1950).
Check out this episode!
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PaperTech Investigations is a privately owned, private investigations company established in 2002. The owner is an ex-detective with over 30 years of investigating experience. PaperTech Investigations is committed to providing the highest quality investigative services in a timely and cost efficient manner. Professionalism, Integrity, Quality, and Reliability define our core principles. We employ a professional staff of experienced and licensed investigators who offer exceptional services to our valued clients.
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#private investigators#private investigator cost#private detective agency#private investigation agency#brian wolfe private investigator#private investigation companies#private detectives and investigators
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Monday, January 13, 2020 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)
WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?:
THE NEW POPE (HBO Canada) 9:00pm
THE GOOD DOCTOR (CTV) 10:00pm
WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT
MEET THE FRASERS (Premiering on January 14 on E! Canada at 10:00pm)
BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG HORN (Premiering on January 19 on Smithsonian at 10:00pm )
NEW TO AMAZON PRIME/CRAVE/NETFLIX CANADA/CBC GEM:
CRAVE TV
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD
THE NEW POPE
NETFLIX CANADA
THE HEALING POWERS OF DUDE
NHL HOCKEY
(SN) 7:00pm: Bruins at Flyers
(SNWest/TSN2) 7:00pm: Flames at Habs
MURDOCH MYSTERIES (CBC) 8:00pm: Murdoch investigates the disappearances of Nikola Tesla and Marie Curie from a conference of 20th-century innovators.
NURSES (GLOBAL) 8:00pm: Wolf is assigned to a patient that has lost hope that she will receive a life-saving lung transplant in time; Keon confides in a former football friend about a traumatic incident; Naz is assigned as Sinead's assistant.
ALL OF MY HEART: THE WEDDING (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Brian and Jenny are happy, engaged and busy planning their fall wedding. When a distant relative of Jenny's claims rights to Jenny and Brian's beloved inn, they must find a solution.
THE INFINITY CAR (Teletoon) 8:00pm/8:15pm: If you missed the complete airing of this miniseries, the episodes air two at a time all week. Tulip Owens is a 13-year-old girl who aspires to become a computer game programmer but finds herself trapped on a train one day and is looking for a way out. Tonight, Tulip strikes a deal with a cat in an attempt to get home.
CORONER (CBC) 9:00pm: Jenny investigates when a body that doesn't have an ID is found with in the middle of a country road and there are few clues to how it got there.
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD (Crave) 9:00pm: Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Bjorkdahl are trying to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjöld. As their investigation closes in, they discover a crime with even farther reaching consequences.
HIGHWAY THRU HELL (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm: Near Hope, B.C., a burning truck hauling frozen chicken has Cam and Jamie in a race to move the smoky hazard off the highway; a flipped logging truck near Merritt turns into a tussle for Mitch and James.
CAKE WARS (Food Network Canada) 10:00pm: A cake artist's creation will be at the center of a celebration honoring children's book author Dr. Seuss and the posthumous publication of his book, "What Pet Should I Get?"
THE MISERY INDEX (Much) 10:30pm: Teams compete against each other by attempting to determine the ranking of hilarious and miserable real-life events - from getting fired to accidentally sexting your grandfather - on a scale of 1-100. Joe and Q finally become gentlemen; a little piggy goes to the emergency room; a man rides the elevator from hell; a clumsy paramedic; an accidental sexy text battle.
#cdntv#cancon#canadian tv#canadian tv listings#murdoch mysteries#nurses#coroner#highway thru hell#cake wars#nhl hockey
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Your turn, tell me all about your Ocs!! :DDDDD
I can’t believe you uno reversed me!!!!!
I’ll put it under a cut because I wrote a little too much.
I haven’t talked about my sweet baby angel, Brian Bright.
So, within this big ol’ urban fantasy world my friends and I have so loving called “a3,” there is a small town by the name of Arona. And within Arona there is a local cafe that is simply called The Cafe. The Cafe is owned by @thesheamythos oc, Avery Bright, and Avery’s baby brother is my oc, Brian Bright!
Brian works as a barista in this cafe and is himself a magic user. He gets his magic from- get this- stardust. Make of that what you will!! Brian doesn’t really understand it himself!!!
Despite being a magic user, being from a family of magic users, and his place of employment sitting on mysterious source of magic that Avery is trying to understand, Brian does not like to mess around with magic or monsters like literally everyone in his life does. Funny how things work. He used to be fine with magic, until an alternate universe version of himself got brutally murdered??? It’s difficult to explain and Brian doesn’t like to talk about it much.
On to happier things: Brian has a boyfriend! This would be @hoops-mcelroy oc, Noel Ingram. Noel is also a magic user- his source of magic being water- and they’re totally cute and adorable and dorky together. Here’s some old fanart of them drawn by the lovely @funny-logic
Noel is on the left, Brian is on the right.
I’ve talked about Maxim Suarez before, but I can’t not talk about her.
Max is basically the Mom Friend of this entire gang. She’s level-headed, kind, and always ready to fight those who hurt her loved ones.
She is the daughter of two prominent magic users and, thus, has a better grasp and understanding of magic in a world where most magic users are probably unaware they are magic at all. She gains her power through nature, more specifically flowers, and has a talent for seeing and communicating with ghosts. She also works as a mortician. Fun.
This is initially what drew Elijah Bowen (another oc from @hoops-mcelroy) to Max. Being an ex-detective trying to get back on his feet with his own private investigation agency, Elijah approached Max with the idea of helping him solve murder cases. Get clients, talk to the deceased, solve murders, get money.
After much, much consideration, Max agreed to this partnership- so long as her name also appeared on the business cards. And thus, Bowen-Suarez Investigations was born! (Creative name, huh?)
But things don’t always go as planned. Word gets around quick in such a small town and, what started of as a private investigation agency, eventually turned into more of a paranormal detective business. Think Ed and Lorraine Warren and you basically have Elijah and Maxim.
Fun fact about Max: She has “naturally” pink hair. How? Her father is an alchemist and, when Max was a teenager, she wandered into his lab to try to make her own potions. She did something wrong, leading to an explosion that turned her hair pink. Lucky she didn’t turn into a frog- or worse!!
I don’t have art of her or Elijah I feel comfortable showing yet, so just imagine Jurassic Park Laura Dern with pink hair hanging out with Bigby Wolf and that’s them!!!
I have so many more ocs from our little a3-verse, but the post is already a little too long. Maybe I’ll talk about them more another time!!
#thank you for the ask!!#sorry this took so long i was deciding on who to talk about#A3 Universe#oc: Brian Bright#oc: Maxim Suarez#oc: Elijah Bowen#oc: Avery Bright#oc: Noel Ingram#oc stuff#the-r3d-painter
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‘CSI’ Creator Anthony Zuiker Lists His Lake Arrowhead Home: We Investigate!
Leon Bennett/Getty Images; realtor.com
Anthony Zuiker, creator of the hugely successful “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” TV series, is selling his criminally nice home in Lake Arrowhead, CA, for $2.5 million. He and wife Michelle purchased the place as a pocket listing a little over a year ago, and fell in love with the town. They have since snapped up an even bigger house in the area, putting their newly redecorated home on the market.
In the spirit of “CSI,” here are some clues that this home will go fast!
Romancing the home
The couple had been searching for a second-home destination, and this waterfront spot sealed the deal.
“My wife and I were looking for ‘On Golden Pond,’” Zuiker says.
When they walked into the home, the soundtrack from “The Notebook” was playing, heightening the romantic vibe.
“It was so beautiful, the birds, the water, the forest. It was just a piece of heaven,” he adds. The couple now refer to their love nest as OZP, “On Zuiker Pond.”
Fantastic features
Built in 2009, the 7,064-square-foot home has five bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Along with water and golf course views, the place comes with a golf cart. The open floor plan includes a living room with vaulted ceiling, a chef’s kitchen with Wolf stove, pot filler, two dishwashers, two sinks, a built-in espresso maker, and large island.
The dining room features water vistas, and the master suite comes with a vaulted, beamed ceiling, fireplace, office, and private deck, along with a luxurious bathroom. The lower level includes a game room, pub table, and bar with keg.
Elsewhere there’s a home theater, gym, sauna, and wine room, as well as decks on multiple levels, and a hot tub. There’s also an elevator and a two-car garage.
“Every floor is kind of a jackpot,” Zuiker says.
The funky furnishings, including the tables with bicycle wheels and a live-edge dining table, were local finds. Many were custom-made, and available for purchase. There’s also a boat dock not on the property that can be purchased along with the home.
OZP, or “On Zuiker Pond”
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Living room with vaulted ceiling
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Open kitchen
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Furnishings, including the bicycle tables, are available for purchase.
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Dining room with live-edge table and water views
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Game room and bar
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Destination as destiny
While many Angelenos head for the coast for their weekend getaway, Lake Arrowhead may be making a comeback of sorts. About two hours by car from L.A., the vacation spot has been an under-the-radar attraction.
Homes here sell for a median price of $417,000, and there 678 listings currently on the market.
Celebrities such as David Arquette, Frankie Avalon, Brian Wilson, Tori Spelling, and Michelle Kwan have had homes there.
“It was the place that Frank Sinatra used to vacation,” says listing agent Meghan Hardin. “For some reason, people stopped coming here. It’s being rediscovered. People are realizing they don’t want to fly to their vacation home.”
The beautiful natural surroundings, golf course, and country club provide plenty of activities, along with boating, fishing, kayaking, and hiking. The town boasts plenty of restaurants and boutiques as well, and the private lake is accessible only to the homeowners, adding to an exclusive, resortlike feel.
“It’s a piece of magic,” Zuiker says. “It’s the most undervalued destination in California. It’s really anything you would want for a two-hour getaway.”
The post ‘CSI’ Creator Anthony Zuiker Lists His Lake Arrowhead Home: We Investigate! appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
from https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/anthony-zuiker-csi-lake-arrowhead/
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Clinton allies react to Comey firing: ‘This terrifies me’
yahoo
Hillary Clinton’s allies and former aides dismissed President Trump’s explanation for the firing of FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, even as they maintained their frustration with how Comey handled the investigation into Clinton’s private email server during the campaign.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Clinton’s running mate, called Trump’s letter informing Comey of his termination “really unusual” in a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’
“The letter that President Trump wrote had a tell in it like a bad poker player whose facial expression tells you what they’re worried about,” Kaine said. “When he says this in this quick letter, ‘We’re letting you go, but thanks for telling me three times that I wasn’t the subject of an investigation about my Russian ties,’ that shows a deeply insecure president who is very, very concerned about this investigation and that’s the reason that Jim Comey got fired.”
Trump fired Comey Tuesday, citing the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein. A memo written by Rosenstein strongly criticized Comey’s conduct throughout the investigation into Clinton’s private email server. However, Comey recently confirmed an active investigation of Trump associates’ ties to the Kremlin, and there was immediate speculation that he was dismissed to impede that investigation.
After the news of Comey’s firing broke Tuesday, several former Clinton campaign staffers took to Twitter to criticize the move. Perhaps unsurprisingly, several expressed doubt about Trump’s assertion Comey was fired because of his treatment of Clinton.
John Podesta, the former Clinton campaign chairman, referenced the “Saturday night massacre” in which former President Nixon had the special prosecutor investigating Watergate fired and accepted the resignations of the attorney general and his deputy in the process.
@realDonaldTrump Didn't you know you're supposed to wait til Saturday night to massacre people investigating you? https://t.co/dQpgWsR6ND
— John Podesta (@johnpodesta) May 9, 2017
Former campaign manager Robby Mook implored Congress to call for a special prosecutor.
Twilight zone. I was as disappointed and frustrated as anyone at how the email investigation was handled. But this terrifies me.
— Robby Mook (@RobbyMook) May 9, 2017
If Members of Congress are patriots, they will call for a special prosecutor to take over this investigation and they will call for it now.
— Robby Mook (@RobbyMook) May 9, 2017
Brian Fallon, Clinton’s press secretary during the campaign, said Comey’s firing signaled a “descent into authoritarianism.”
Congressional Republicans cannot possibly disagree now: the only fix to this mess is an independent commission with subpoena power.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 9, 2017
This is appropriate sentiment but DOJ shd have awaited IG probe on Comey. Now it just smells like coverup on Russiahttps://t.co/Z0u8vgF9cr
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 9, 2017
I'm not shedding any tears for Comey personally -he hurt FBI's reputation- but I do worry whether we ever get to the bottom of Russia now
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 9, 2017
The only thing that could do more to erode faith in independence of FBI than Comey staying is Comey being fired. This is 100% political.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 9, 2017
The irony of Comey firing is that the man who helped make Trump president was the one guy who might well have also brought him down.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 9, 2017
I agree with every word of Rosenstein memo. But in drafting it to provide pretext for Comey firing, Rosenstein let himself be Trump's patsy
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 10, 2017
The descent into authoritarianism does not announce itself with the blaring of trumpets. It happens via events like today.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 10, 2017
There are times in the Trump era when Democrats are guilty of crying wolf over lesser outrages. This is not one of those times
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 10, 2017
Clinton has so far stayed mum on Comey’s firing, but as recently as last week cited him as one of the reasons she lost the presidential election. On October 28, just days before the election, Comey sent a letter to Congress saying the FBI was reopening its investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server.
“If the election had been on October 27, I would be your president,” Clinton said at an event in New York.
#_uuid:54e15f21-caa1-3c6b-bd13-c6d4e10c97e2#_revsp:Yahoo! News#_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL#_author:Gabby Kaufman
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Hire a Licensed & Bonded Private Investigator in Los Angeles
Let Wolfe’s Investigations employ the team to investigate and find out if the claims are legitimate. Need to know what an employee is up to when they’re out in the field? We can find out. Do you suspect your spouse is having an affair? We’ll find out. Don’t leave any of these situations to chance; trust your instincts and hire a premier private investigator in Los Angeles from Wolfe’s Investigations to do the work for you. Call now at 818-340-8663 to book a full-service investigation.https://www.wolfesinvestigations.com/
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20 Lesser-Known TV Mini Series – You Should Definitely Watch
If you’ve already binged your way through Netflix’s Narcos, HBO’s Succession, or Hulu’s Big Little Lies and you’re looking for something new to watch — you’re in luck!
We have compiled a list of twenty of the best lesser-known mini-series that you can stream today. Many of the series star familiar faces and some of the biggest names from the past two decades.
Top 20 Lesser-Known TV Mini-Series
The Night Manager (2016)
Genre: Drama
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Coleman, and Elizabeth Debicki
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The six-episode British series was based on John le Carré's novel “The Night Manager”. The crime drama follows the work of former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston).
Pine, a hotel night porter, is contacted by an intelligence operative who asks for his assistance to spy on international businessman Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Pine attempts to infiltrate Roper's inner circle, by becoming a felon, all the while keeping his mission a secret from his hotel colleagues and girlfriend.
The Shadow Line (2011)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing, and Richard Lintern
Streaming On: Pluto
The seven-part British miniseries follows a murder investigated from both sides of the line – police, and criminals. It delves into the opposing methods they use to solve it and the lines of morality between each character and how far they’re willing to go.
London Spy (2015)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Edward Holcroft, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Gatiss, and Harriet Walter
Streaming On: Netflix
The series follows Danny (Ben Whishaw) as he delves into the suspicious death of his lover Alex (Edward Holcroft), an MI6 code genius. Scottie (Jim Broadbent) guides him through the shady world of espionage and helps Danny as he steps outside of his comfort zone into a world of danger.
Inside Men (2012)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Cast: Steven Mackintosh, Ashley Walters, Warren Brown, and Kierston Wareing
Streaming On: Pluto
The four-episode British series centers around John Coniston (Steven Mackintosh), the manager of a cash counting house. He leads a normal life until one day he discovers that £50,000 has gone missing from the counting house.
He suspects the security guard Chris (Ashley Waters) and Marcus (Warren Brown) is responsible for the missing money. Instead of turning them into the authorities, he joins them in a plan to execute a multimillion-pound money heist.
The Game (2014)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast: Tom Hughes, Brian Cox, Paul Ritter, Shaun Dooley, and Chloe Pirrie
Streaming On: Google Play
The BBC miniseries is set in 1972, during the high tension Soviet plot to bring down Britain. Joe Lambe (Tom Hughes), a young MI5 operative, attempts to defect to the Soviet Union to be with his Russian contact and lover, Yulia (Zana Marjanović).
The plan goes awry, leading to Yulia’s death. Joe balances trying to learn more about the KGB enforcer who murdered Yulia, while leading a team in the investigation of Operation Glass, tracking down enemy sleeper agents before it's too late.
The Enfield Haunting (2015)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Horror
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Rosie Cavaliero, and Timothy Spall
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The miniseries is based on real-life events that took place in a North London home in 1977. Novice paranormal researcher Maurice Grosse (Timothy Spall) hears of a family reported being terrorized by supernatural forces.
After the recent death of his own daughter, Maurice is drawn into the family's story, which involves a young girl. Maurice enlists the help of experienced investigator Guy Lyon Playfair (Matthew Macfadyen) to help him research the haunting. At first, Guy Lyon believes the case to be a scam until he comes into contact with the malevolent presence.
A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012-2013)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: John Hamm, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rosie Cavaliero
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The dark comedy is based on a series of short stories written by Russian playwright Mikhail Bulgakov, as he recounts his semi-biographical experiences as a young physician in a small village at the dawn of the Russian Revolution.
The fictional physician, Dr. Vladmir Bomgard is portrayed by both John Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe at different points in his life, leading to a series of comic exchanges between the two men.
Accused (2010-2012)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Juliet Stevenson, Peter Capaldi, Andy Serkis, and Sean Bean
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
This British television anthology series tells a different story each episode, following a different alleged criminal as they await their verdict in court, telling the story behind how they find themselves accused.
The main appeal of the show is that each episode the accused is portrayed by a notable actor.
Secret State (2012)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Charles Dance, Douglas Hodge, Rupert Graves, and Ruth Negga
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Inspired by Chris Mullin's novel “A Very British Coup” the story follows Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins (Gabriel Byrne) as he vows to take on the American petrochemical company Petrofex following a devastating accident on British soil.
After the Prime Minister dies in a suspicious plane crash, Dawkins' understated political ambitions are tested as Ros Yelland (Sylvestra Le Touzel) and Felix Durrell (Rupert Graves) vie for the role of Prime Minister.
This Is England ‘86 (2010)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Cast: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure, and Rosamund Hanson
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
An off-beat spin-off miniseries set three years after the award-winning film This is England. Rather than focusing on the skinhead subculture, it focuses on the mod revival scene with the gang variously adopting an eclectic mix of clothing styles.
As Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) completes his last school exam, he realizes that he will have to find his own way in the changing world. Two subsequent series were released which focused on 1988 and 1990.
Injustice (2011)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast: James Purefoy, Robert Whitelock, Lisa Diveney, Dervla Kirwan, and Nathaniel Parker
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Defense barrister William Travers (James Purefoy) has never fully recovered from a traumatic series of events that left him without faith in the legal system.
Despite his hesitation, he returns to the courtroom to aid his friend Martin Newall (Nathaniel Parker) as he finds himself facing murder and conspiracy charges. The series is a psychological thriller that examines morality and grapples with the question of guilt.
State of Play (2003)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast: David Morrissey, John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, Bill Nighy, and James McAvoy
Streaming On: HBOGo
While investigating the murder of a fifteen-year-old teenager in what appears to be a drug-related killing, journalist Cal McCaffrey (John Simm) and his colleagues Della Smith (Kelly Macdonald) and Cameron Foster (Bill Nighy) find a connection with the death of Sonia Baker, a young researcher for MP Stephen Collins (David Morrissey).
As their investigation progresses, they uncover a conspiracy with links to the corruption of high-ranking British government ministers.
The Company (2007)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Cast: Chris O'Donnell, Alfred Molina, Michael Keaton, and Alessandro Nivola
Streaming On: Sony Crackle
Based on Robert Littell's best-selling novel, the miniseries chronicles the saga of the CIA from the perspective of three idealistic young college friends.
Jack McAuliffe (Chris O’Donnell) trains in Berlin with cynical mentor Harvey Torriti (Alfred Molina) while his best friend Leo Kritzky (Alessandro Nivola) navigates his way through the power maze of “the Company” in Washington.
The Kill Point (2007)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Cast: Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Hyatt, John Leguizamo, and Tobin Bell
Streaming On: Tubi
The American miniseries follows a group of recently returned from duty U.S. Marines, led by Jake “Mr. Wolf” Mendez (John Leguizamo), as they come together to pull off a major bank heist of a Three Rivers Bank branch in Pittsburgh.
The bank robbery goes horribly wrong and they come under fire from some law enforcement and private security personnel. Forced to retreat back into the bank when their getaway driver is wounded, they take on hostages who end up helping them attempt to escape from the police who have the bank surrounded.
Im Angesicht des Verbrechens (“In Face of the Crime”) (2010)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast: Max Riemelt, Ronald Zehrfeld, Marie Bäumer, and Mišel Matičević
Streaming On: MHz Choice
Set in the 1920s, this German miniseries delves into the world of Marek Gorsky (Max Riemelt), a Soviet Jewish immigrant, as he becomes a police officer who is determined to to solve the murder of his brother.
While investigating the Mafia and his brother’s death Marek falls in love with a young Ukrainian, who is forced to work as a high-class prostitute in Berlin.
The Take (2009)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast: Tom Hardy, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing, and Charlotte Riley
Streaming On: Tubi
Freshly released from prison, Freddie Jackson (Tom Hardy) is ready to use the connections he made behind bars. His younger cousin, Jimmy (Shaun Evans), dreams of making a name for himself on Freddie's coattails into a life of crime. Behind the success of their growing criminal empire sits Ozzy (Brian Cox), a legendary criminal godfather who manipulates Freddie and Jimmy's fates from the comfort of his prison cell.
Unforgiven (2009)
Genre: Drama
Cast: Suranne Jones, Siobhan Finneran, Peter Davison, and Douglas Hodge
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Ruth Slater (Suranne Jones) is haunted by her past, after being released from fifteen years in prison for murdering two policemen when she was a teenager.
Through the course of three episodes, Ruth searches for her sister who she learns had been adopted and had her name changed following the murders. Her search is met with dead ends, hard feelings, and a plot for revenge.
Deutschland 83 (2015)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Cast: Jonas Nay, Maria Schrader, Florence Kasumba, and Sylvester Groth
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The German-American television series is set in West Germany in 1983. Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) code name Kolibri is a border patrol guard from East Germany, who goes undercover as a murder soldier for the HVA. He is sent into West Germany to be an oberleutnant and aide-de-camp to Major General Edel (Ulrich Noethen).
Kampen Om Tungtvannet (“The Heavy Water War”) (2015)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Cast: Espen Klouman Høiner, Christoph Bach, Anna Friel, and Pip Torrens
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The Norwegian/Danish/British co-production miniseries dramatically recount one of the most exciting periods of time during the Second World War. The series follows the German nuclear weapon project and the heavy water sabotage in Norway, with a particular emphasis on the role of Leif Tronstad.
It also delves into the Nazis' efforts to develop an atomic bomb and the Allies' desperate struggle to prevent it from happening. Although the series is based on real events, apart from Aubert, all other Nazi collaborating Hydro-directors were purposely not named.
Occupation (2009)
Genre: Drama, War
Cast: James Nesbitt, Stephen Graham, and Warren Brown
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
The miniseries follows three British Army soldiers, as they find themselves pulled back to Iraq for a different reason. Each soldier was inspired to return to Basra for different reasons: one leaves his wife and returns for love, one seeks a fortune for monetary gain, and one for his belief that he can help the people of that war-torn country.
Bottom Line
Hopefully this list helped you find your new favorite miniseries that you otherwise may have been unfamiliar with. If it didn't, be sure to check out one of the countless free streaming services and find something new to binge today!
The post 20 Lesser-Known TV Mini Series – You Should Definitely Watch appeared first on Your Money Geek.
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Lyon-Hearted Hero
“The Lyon was sitting there with a bottle of beer and a sandwich that looked like a couple of end tables.”
In between gigs as the hard-boiled Pat Novak and the “just the facts” policing of Joe Friday, Jack Webb starred on radio as Jeff Regan, Investigator. Though not as well known as some of the actor/producer’s radio endeavors, Jeff Regan is a sharp, witty take on the hard-boiled private eye and worth a listen for fans of Jack Webb and of radio mystery.
Webb came to national prominence through his original 1947 run as Pat Novak For Hire on the West Coast. For reasons that remain fuzzy, Webb and scriptwriter Richard Breen left the series; ABC soldiered on with actor Ben Morris doing his best to capture the Webb magic. When Webb wanted to return to radio, his frayed relationship with ABC prevented him from returning as Novak. He found a path back to the airwaves through CBS; they saw the success ABC had enjoyed and sought to capture some it for themselves. Audiences were craving Webb’s unique style; the post-Webb era of Pat Novak failed to attract the ratings of the earlier run. The result was Jeff Regan, Investigator, a show in a Pat Novak For Hire mold (even the titles sound similar) but different enough that it was not an outright clone of the earlier series.
Both Pat Novak and Jeff Regan were tough private eyes, and both could throw a quip and deliver purple narration with the best of them. Granted, Novak wasn’t a professional investigator; he tended to pick up gumshoeing jobs to make ends meet, but there were a lot of similarities in their demeanor and styles. Both were usually on the outs with the cops (though Jeff Regan didn’t have a thorn in his side to match Pat Novak’s Inspector Hellman).The biggest difference between the two was while Novak was a loan wolf, Regan was an operative for the International Detective Bureau. He earned ten dollars a day and expenses as legman for Anthony J. Lyon, the head of the agency, and the job earned Regan the nickname “the Lyon’s eye." The heavyset, penny-pinching Lyon stayed at the office and worked banker’s hours while Regan risked life and limb for his salary and for the clients who came through International’s door. Their dynamic was similar to that of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin…if Nero and Archie truly hated each other.
Initially, Lyon was played by Wilms Herbert, a versatile character actor who pulled double duty as Sgt. Otis Ludlum and butler Francis on Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Later, actor Herb Butterfield stepped in as Lyon. Butterfield would later become part of Webb’s company of actors in Dragnet and frequently appeared in supporting roles in the radio and TV versions of the series. He’d go on to be the boss of another radio sleuth (albeit one with a much better working relationship with his subordinate) as the “Chief” to Brian Donlevy’s Steve Mitchell on Dangerous Assignment.
Jeff Regan, Investigator launched on CBS on July 10, 1948. While it didn’t reach the ratings heights CBS had hoped for when they enlisted Webb, it was a well produced detective series in its own right. With scripts by veteran mystery writers E. Jack Neuman (who also wrote for The Line-Up) and Jackson Gillis (who would later pen episodes of Columbo on TV), Jeff Regan plays very well today. The supporting cast delivers the hard-boiled banter with aplomb, and of course Jack Webb is the steady hand at the center. The series left the air in 1948, with Webb looking ahead to the future. He told Radio Life magazine that he thought the next character he played on radio might be named “Joe Friday.”
In October 1949, as Jack Webb was starring in Dragnet on NBC, CBS brought Jeff Regan back for another stint. The revamped series starred Frank Graham as Regan. Frank Nelson, best known for his distinctive “Yeeeeeesssssss?” on The Jack Benny Program, played a more aloof and less outwardly mercenary Anthony J. Lyon. Rather than mimic Webb, Graham found his own voice as Regan, and the dynamic with Lyon was unique with Lyon played as less of a schemer and more of a hapless supervisor. Actor Paul Dubov popped in for a few shows to pinch hit as Regan; he’d earned his detective stripes on The Adventures of Frank Race, and he’d also guested in the earlier Webb run of Regan.
The series came to a tragic untimely end when Graham took his own life in September 1950. With that, the doors of the International Detective Bureau closed for good on radio, and the Lyon’s Eye bid adieu to audiences and his paltry pay for gumshoeing around Los Angeles.
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Girls Do Porn Owners Pretended to Be Journalists to Harass Their Victims
On the evening of October 9, 2019, FBI agents searched an office building in downtown San Diego. Inside was the headquarters of Girls Do Porn, a porn production company run by a group of men whose main business operation was coercing hundreds of women into having sex on camera.
The next day, the FBI charged the owners of Girls Do Porn with federal counts of sex trafficking. The raid came in the middle of a years-long civil trial, where 22 of Girls Do Porn's victims sued the company for lying to them about how the videos would be spread online. In January, the women won, and the owners of Girls Do Porn—primarily Michael Pratt, Matthew Wolfe, and Andre Garcia—owe them nearly $13 million.
But details of the extent of the harassment and abuse these women and their legal team endured are still coming to light. In a recently-released document, we can see what the FBI found when it searched the Girls Do Porn office last fall. According to the document, the FBI found evidence suggesting the Girls Do Porn owners planned to flee the country to avoid arrest, attempts to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars, distribute a fake porn video to humiliate the women and their lawyers, and attempts to impersonate journalists in order to harass them.
"All the harassment did is tell us we were on the right track."
Girls Do Porn co-conspirator and lead videographer Matthew Wolfe, who was arrested the day before the office search in October, filed a motion to be released and have a bail set, citing health reasons, including mild sleep apnea, as a risk for contracting Covid-19 in detention. The document is the government's response in opposition to his motion to rescind the detention order and set bail.
The government asserts that, partially based on the findings from the raid, Wolfe poses a flight risk, and "no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure [Wolfe's] appearance and the safety of the Community."
Defendant has no reason to remain in the United States. He is a citizen of New Zealand with no right to live or work in the United States. He could live anywhere. He owes millions of dollars to a subset of his victims. For the reasons previously stated, and in consideration of the new evidence below, the United States urges the Court to deny the motion.
The details of the items seized that the FBI includes in this letter paint a more complete picture of a group of people working to harass and silence their victims even as testimonies about their criminal operation continue to pile up against them. Agents found a chart "listing countries that do not extradite individuals to the United States," which indicated "whether each country had on-line banking and whether citizens of New Zealand, like [Wolfe], could obtain a visa."
They also found a video script entitled “22 Whores + 5 Shady Lawyers VS GirlsDoPorn,” with the subheading, “Share and spread this video as far and wide as possible” and listed the names of the plaintiffs in the civil suit, "along with information intended to embarrass, harass and intimidate them," according to the FBI, including full names and location.
“Ask yourself how viral these videos will go now if nobody is controlling them . . . . Good Job :)” the script said.
Brian Holm, one of the lead attorneys representing the women in the Girls Do Porn case, told me that the fact that the Girls Do Porn owners were preparing to release a video to dox them is not surprising at all. Since filing the case three years ago, Holm and his co-counsel John O'Brien have endured endless, aggressive harassment.
In November, Pratt and Girls Do Porn producer Kevin Gibson allegedly harassed Holm by photoshopping his face into porn to make it look like he was posing with two male porn actors. The images were spread through social media.
"Since filing this case, my wife and I had our tires slashed," Holm told me in an email. "Someone created an online profile (website, Twitter account, etc.) for 'Holm Whore Group.' Pictures of my wife and one day old daughter were published on pornography blogs under some abhorrent headlines. My phone was spammed and rang every 30 seconds for several months. And I had a private investigator following me around videotaping me…. All the harassment did is tell us we were on the right track."
The FBI also found a phone list with the victims’ names and phone numbers, and on the back, a handwritten note outlining a script for impersonating a journalist. “Hi My name is [******], I’m a journalist from LA, I’m calling in regards to the girlsdoporn case," the note said. "I’ve heard your [sic] related to the case & curious to get a comment if you have the spare time.”
Holm confirmed to Motherboard that several of his clients said they had been contacted by someone claiming to be a reporter from either the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times. "It was the same phone number calling them claiming to be from multiple different media outlets," he said. "I called the number several times but no one answered."
In addition to the findings from the search, the government outlined more evidence to support its recommendation that Wolfe remain in detention, including that his fiancé’s family is "sufficiently wealthy to set up trust funds for his children" and that $250,000 was deposited into one of the children’s accounts a week after he was detained.
"These funds could easily be converted to support the family’s relocation to New Zealand or a country on the chart," the document said.
Wolfe also had been wiring Pratt thousands of dollars after Pratt fled the U.S. during the trial, and he maintained a Bitcoin wallet, which could be used to stay anonymous if he also decided to flee, according to the document.
The FBI's recommendation concludes by noting that Wolfe's medical records showing mild sleep apnea isn't a risk factor for Covid-19, and isn't a good enough reason for him to be released from detention.
Whether or not Wolfe is released from detention is up to a judge, but the FBI's very strong recommendation—combined with a stack of evidence toward his and his co-owners' malicious intentions—makes it more unlikely that he'll get out anytime soon. His business partner and Girls Do Porn ringleader Pratt is still a wanted fugitive, suspected of hiding out in his home country of New Zealand, where Wolfe is also from and visited as recently as last year.
The risk of Wolfe catching coronavirus "cannot be permitted to overwhelm the balance of factors prescribed by Congress in determining whether a particular defendant is properly subject to pretrial detention," the FBI wrote. "Moreover, during a time when community and law-enforcement resources are devoted to fighting COVID-19, it may be easier for a motivated defendant to abscond."
The full document is below.
Girls Do Porn Owners Pretended to Be Journalists to Harass Their Victims syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/
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How we will remember our boss, Chairman Elijah Cummings: Moral clarity in all he did
He listened to us, respected us, trusted us and was truly proud of us. He had so much left to accomplish, but he has left it for us to complete.
Current and former staff of Rep. Elijah Cummings | Published October 25, 2019 | USA Today | Posted October 25, 2019 |
As current and former congressional staff of the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, we had the great honor and privilege of working with him over the course of more than two decades.
Many public figures have praised the chairman in recent days, extolling his unmatched integrity, courageous leadership and commitment to service and justice. To these well-deserved tributes, we would like to add our own eulogy, based on our experience working by his side.
He was inspiring, both in public and even more so in private. He brought moral clarity to everything he did, and his purpose was pure — to help those among us who needed it most. He taught us that our aim should be to “give a voice to the voiceless,” including families whose drinking water had been poisoned, sick patients who could no longer afford their medicine and, most of all, vulnerable children and “generations yet unborn.”
'WHAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL?'
Whether in a hearing room full of members of Congress or in a quiet conversation with staff, his example motivated us to become our best selves in the service of others.
He was genuine. He insisted on personally interviewing every staff member he hired so he could “look into their eyes.” Each of us has a personal memory of sitting down with him for the first time, and it was like nothing we had experienced before. He would ask why we were interested in public service, how we thought we could contribute and what motivated us.
Then he would lean in and ask in his low baritone voice, “But … what feeds your soul?”
More than a few of us left those interviews with tears in our eyes, perhaps feeling that we had learned more about ourselves than about him. He made that kind of personal connection with everyone he met, from the people of his district, to witnesses who testified at hearings, to whistleblowers who reported waste, fraud or abuse. Since his passing, we have been inundated with messages from many whose lives he touched.
BE EFFICIENT AND SEEK 'HIGHER GROUND'
He was demanding. He would boast that he had the hardest working staff in Congress and that he sometimes would call or email us in the middle of the night, which was absolutely true. His directive to be “effective and efficient in everything you do” still rings in our ears.
In exchange, he listened to us, respected us and trusted us. He made sure we knew he was truly proud of us — memories we each now cherish. The result of his unwavering support was fierce loyalty from every member of his staff. We committed to doing everything in our power to fulfill his vision.
He was a unifying force, even in this era of partisanship. He would command order with a sharp rap of his gavel, elevate debate by noting that “we are better than that” and urge all of us to seek “not just common ground, but higher ground.”
Guided by his faith and values, he would look for and bring out the good in others, forming bridges through human connection.
WE ARE HERE 'ONLY FOR A MINUTE'
He fully grasped the moment in which we are now living. He invoked history books that will be written hundreds of years from now as he called on us to “fight for the soul of our democracy.” As he said, this is bigger than one man, one president or even one generation.
He was acutely aware of his own transience in this world. He reminded us repeatedly that we are here “only for a minute” and that all of us soon will be “dancing with the angels.”
He would thunder against injustice, or on behalf of those who could not fight for themselves, and he would vow to keep battling until his “dying breath.” He did just that. His final act as chairman came from his hospital bed just hours before his death, as he continued to fight for critically ill children suddenly in danger of deportation.
He had so much left to accomplish, but he has left it for us to complete. As he told us presciently, “These things don’t happen to us, they happen for us.”
Grateful he was part of our destiny
It is difficult to describe the emptiness we now feel. His spirit was so strong, and his energy so boundless, that the void is devastating.
But, of course, he left us with instructions: “Pain, passion, purpose. Take your pain, turn it into your passion, and make it your purpose.” He lived those words, and he inspired us to do the same.
Sometimes, after a big event, he would take us aside for a quiet moment and say, “I just want to thank you for everything you do and for being a part of my destiny.”
Today, we thank him for being part of ours. And we commit to carrying forward his legacy in the limited time allotted to each of us — to give voice to the voiceless, to defend our democracy, and to always reach for higher ground.
The authors of this tribute are current and former staff of the late House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., whose funeral is Friday. Their names are below:
Aaron D. Blacksberg, Abbie Kamin, Ajshay Charlene Barber, Alex Petros, Alexander M. Wolf, Alexandra S. Golden, Aliyah Nuri Horton, CAE, Amish A. Shah, Amy Stratton, Andy Eichar, Angela Gentile, Esq., Anthony McCarthy, Anthony N. Bush, Aryele N. Bradford, Ashley Abraham, Ashley Etienne, Asi Ofosu, Asua Ofosu, Ben Friedman, Bernadette "Bunny" Williams, Beverly Ann Fields, Esq., Beverly Britton Fraser, Brandon Jacobs, Brett Cozzolino, Brian B. Quinn, Britteny N. Jenkins, Candyce Phoenix, Carissa J. Smith, Carla Hultberg, Carlos Felipe Uriarte, Cassie Fields, Cecelia Marie Thomas, Chanan Lewis, Chioma I. Chukwu, Chloe M. Brown, Christina J. Johnson, Christopher Knauer, Dr. Christy Gamble Hines, Claire E. Coleman, Claire Leavitt, Courtney Cochran, Courtney French, Courtney N. Miller, Crystal T. Washington, Daniel Rebnord, Daniel Roberts, Daniel C. Vergamini, Darlene R. Taylor, Dave Rapallo, Davida Walsh Farrar, Deborah S. Perry, Deidra N. Bishop, Delarious Stewart, Devika Koppikar, Devon K. Hill, Donald K. Sherman, Eddie Walker, Elisa A. LaNier, Ellen Zeng, Emma Dulaney, Erica Miles, Fabion Seaton, Ferras Vinh, Fran Allen, Francesca McCrary, Frank Amtmann, Georgia Jenkins, Dr. Georgia Jennings-Dorsey, Gerietta Clay, Gina H. Kim, Greta Gao, Harry T. Spikes II, Hope M. Williams, Ian Kapuza, Ilga Semeiks, Jamitress Bowden, Janet Kim, Jaron Bourke, Jason R. Powell, Jawauna Greene, Jean Waskow, Jedd Bellman, Jenn Hoffman, Jennifer Gaspar, Jenny Rosenberg, Jess Unger, Jesse K. Reisman, Jessica Heller, Jewel James Simmons, Jill L. Crissman, Jimmy Fremgen, Jolanda Williams, Jon Alexander, Jordan H. Blumenthal, Jorge D. Hutton, Joshua L. Miller, Joshua Zucker, Julia Krieger, Julie Saxenmeyer, Justin S. Kim, K. Alex Kiles, Kadeem Cooper, Kamau M. Marshall, Kapil Longani, Karen Kudelko, Karen White, Kathy Crosby, Katie Malone, Katie Teleky, Kayvan Farchadi, Kellie Larkin, Kelly Christl, Kenneth Crawford, Kenneth D. Crawford, Kenyatta T. Collins, Kevin Corbin, Jr., Kierstin Stradford, Kimberly Ross, Krista Boyd, Kymberly Truman Graves, Larry and Diana Gibson, Laura K. Waters, Leah Nicole Copeland Perry, LL.M.,Esq., Lena C. Chang, Lenora Briscoe-Carter, Lisa E. Cody, Lucinda Lessley, Madhur Bansal, Marc Broady, Marianna Patterson, Mark Stephenson, Martin Sanders, Meghan Delaney Berroya, Michael F Castagnola, Michael Gordon, Michell Morton, Dr. Michelle Edwards, Miles P. Lichtman, Mutale Matambo, Olivia Foster, Patricia A. Roy, Paul A. Brathwaite, Paul Kincaid, Peter J. Kenny, Philisha Kimberly Lane, Portia R. Bamiduro, Rachel L. Indek, Rebecca Maddox-Hyde, Regina Clay, Ricardo Brandon Rios, Rich Marquez, Richard L. Trumka Jr., Robin Butler, Rory Sheehan, Roxanne (Smith) Blackwell, Russell M. Anello, Safiya Jafari Simmons, Sanay B. Panchal, Scott P. Lindsay, Sean Perryman, Senam Okpattah, Sonsyrea Tate-Montgomery, Susanne Sachsman Grooms, Suzanne Owen, Tamara Alexander Lynch, Theresa Chalhoub, Timothy D. Lynch, Todd Phillips, Tony Haywood, Tori Anderson, Trinity M.E. Goss, Trudy E. Perkins, Una Lee, Valerie Shen, Vernon Simms, Wendy Ginsberg, William A. Cunningham, William H. Cole, Wm. T. Miles, Jr., Yvette Badu-Nimako, Yvette P. Cravins, Esq., Zeita Merchant
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Widow of Elijah Cummings says Trump’s attacks on Baltimore ‘hurt’ the congressman
By Jenna Portnoy | Published October 25 at 12:44 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 25, 2019 |
BALTIMORE — The widow of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings said at his funeral Friday that attacks by President Trump on the congressman’s beloved hometown “hurt him” and made the final months of his life more difficult.
Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, who is chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party, said her husband was trying to protect “the soul of our democracy” and fighting “very real corruption” as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, where he played a central role in investigating the Trump administration.
Trump lashed out at Cummings this summer, calling Baltimore, the heart of his district, a “rat-infested” place where no one would want to live. Cummings did not respond directly to the attacks, but his wife said Friday that they left a lasting wound.
Rockeymoore Cummings spoke near the end of a lengthy funeral program at New Psalmist Baptist Church, where Cummings worshiped for decades — showing up regularly on Sunday mornings for the 7:15 a.m. service. Still to come were eulogies by former presidents Bill Clinton — who visited the church with Cummings in the 1990s — and Barack Obama, the nation’s first black commander-in-chief.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential contender, recited the 23rd Psalm at the start of the service, which Rockeymoore Cummings said her husband planned down to the last detail.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who also grew up in Baltimore, gave remarks, along with former congressman and NAACP leader Kwesi Mfume (D-Md.), Cummings’s daughters, brother, mentors, friends and a former aide. Attendees included former vice president Joe Biden, also a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R).
Former U.S. senator, secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton called Cummings “Our Elijah,” thanking his family and constituents of Maryland’s 7th District for sharing him “with our country and the world.”
“Like the prophet, our Elijah could call down fire from heaven. But he also prayed and worked for healing,” Clinton said. “Like the prophet, he stood against the corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.”
The people in the packed sanctuary clapped and cheered.
Cummings was “a fierce champion of truth, justice and kindness ... who pushed back against the abuse of power,” Clinton added. “He had little tolerance for those who put party ahead of country or partisanship ahead of truth.”
A schedule showed that each speaker was allotted about five minutes at the podium — a time limit that several quickly ignored.
The congressman’s oldest daughter, Jennifer Cummings, 37, delivered a powerful eulogy extolling her father as a seasoned political leader whose most important role was as a dad.
Cummings told her he was amazed he could hold her in one hand when she was born. “This life, my life, in your hand,” she said. He wanted her to know her “rich brown skin was just as beautiful as alabaster, or any color of the rainbow” and insisted on buying her brown dolls so she could appreciate what was special about her.
His other daughter, Adia Cummings, asked the dozens of members of Cummings staff to stand. “I’m so sorry you lost someone who was so much more than a boss to you,” she said.
James Cummings, the congressman’s younger brother, said the family called Elijah Cummings by the nickname “Bobby,” and recalled how the congressman was haunted by the death of his nephew, a student at Old Dominion University, up through his final days.
Mourners began lining up at the church at 5 a.m., the Baltimore Sun reported. By 7 a.m., traffic was backed up a half-mile away from the church, which seats nearly 4,000. A choir sang and clapped as mourners filed into the concert hall-like sanctuary.
A pastor read Bible passages through the public address system, and one of the white-gloved ushers recited the words along with him, from memory. Clips of Cummings speaking in Congress played on huge video screens above the open casket, which was surrounded by massive sprays of flowers.
“In 2019, what do we do to make sure we keep our democracy intact?” he said in one video.
Cummings, who had been in poor health in recent years, died Oct. 17 at age 68. He often said he considered it his mission to preserve the American system of government as the nation faced a “critical crossroads.”
But Cummings, the son of sharecroppers, was also a lifelong civil rights champion known for his efforts to help the poor and the struggling, and to boost the fortunes of his struggling hometown.
Just after 10 a.m., mourners at New Psalmist sprang to their feet and waved their hands as the Clintons and former vice president Joe Biden, also a 2020 candidate, walked in. The cheers grew louder when Obama followed, taking his place next to Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman’s widow, in the front row. Together, they sang along to the opening hymn.
As gospel singer BeBe Winas performed, a woman near the back wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. He sang: “Tell me, what do you do when you’ve done all you can / And it seems, it seems you can’t make it through / Well you stand, you stand, you just stand.”
The crowd obeyed.
Cummings was honored Wednesday at Morgan State University in Baltimore, a historically black research university where he served on the board of regents.
On Thursday, he became the first African American lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol, a rare honor reserved for the nation’s most distinguished citizens. Congressional leaders held a memorial ceremony for their former colleague at the Capitol’s ornate Statuary Hall, after which the coffin, was draped in an American flag, was escorted to a spot just outside the House chamber. Thousands of members of the public came to pay their respects.
For more than two hours, Rockeymoore Cummings, personally greeted the mourners, shaking hands, sharing hugs and engaging in extended conversations. A former gubernatorial candidate who chairs the Maryland Democratic Party, she is considered one of the potential contenders for her late husband’s seat.
Rockeymoore Cummings greeted the last mourner at 7:39 p.m. Minutes later, a motorcade escorted Cummings’s body out of Capitol Plaza for the final time.
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Dear President Donald Trump, let me tell you about my ex-boss Elijah Cummings
He goes home to Baltimore every night. He is the same person on camera and off. And everyone knows his cell number, you should call him and talk.
By Jimmy Fremgen | Updated 9:56 a.m. EDT Aug. 2, 2019 | USA TODAY | Posted October 25, 2019 |
Dear Mr. President,
Just over six years ago I was sitting in the gymnasium at Woodlawn High School in Gwynn Oak, Maryland, and I was very unhappy. You see, it was a weekend and as I’m sure you’d agree, I would have much preferred to spend the day playing golf. Instead, my boss had ordered his entire staff, myself included, to drive to this town outside Baltimore on a muggy 93-degree day to help run an event to prevent home foreclosures.
I know you’re wondering whom I worked for, Mr. President. It was Rep. Elijah Cummings. And it is safe to say that on this day, we would have had something in common: I really didn’t like him much.
I worked for Mr. Cummings both on his Capitol staff and for the House Oversight and Reform Committee from August 2012 to February 2016. When he called me to offer the job, he was hard on me immediately. He told me that my salary was non-negotiable, that if I did something wrong he would be sure to tell me, and that he expected me to meet the high standard he keeps for himself and his staff.
Same Man At Podium, In Grocery Store
What I quickly learned about him is that he is the same person on camera and off. The passionate soliloquies that he delivers from behind the chairman’s podium in the Oversight hearing room are very similar to the ones that I often heard from the other end of the phone after he ran into one of his neighbors in the aisle of the grocery store back home. If someone came to him for help, he wouldn’t let any of his staff tell him it wasn’t possible. He’d push us for a solution and give his cellphone number to anyone who needed it — even when we wished he wouldn’t.
In March 2014, then-Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa cut off Mr. Cummings' microphone during his closing remarks, a massive break in decorum that left Cummings reading his statement aloud as the TV feed abruptly stopped. The incident hit cable news in seconds, and I remember coming back from a meeting to find every single person in the office answering phone calls.
joined them on the phones, enduring nonstop racist epithets, cursing, threats and language that I had never imagined. I remember one vividly, a call from a Colorado area code on which an older female voice told me that Cummings better “sit down and shut up like the good boy someone should have taught him to be.” The phones rang this way for three days.
At Home In Baltimore Every Night
Sir, I won’t defend Baltimore, I’m not from there, and there are many who have already stood up to do so. Instead, let me correct you on one last thing: Unlike almost every other member of Congress, Congressman Cummings goes home every night. Honestly, when I worked for him, sometimes I wished he wouldn’t. There were times when I would want him to attend an early morning meeting, take a phone call or approve a document and he couldn’t, because he’d be driving the 44 miles from his house in Baltimore to the Capitol.
During the protests after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015, I couldn’t get hold of Mr. Cummings. Gov. Larry Hogan had called in the National Guard, and I was trying to relay an update about the soldiers that would soon be standing in the streets. It turned out that the congressman was in the streets himself, marching arm-in-arm with community leaders, pastors, gang members, neighbors, anyone who was willing to peacefully protect his city. He walked back and forth, bullhorn in hand urging people to be peaceful, to respect one another, to love each other and to get home safely.
Mr. President, I know you are frustrated. I, too, have been dressed down for my own mistakes by Congressman Cummings. I know how rigorous he can be in his oversight. I agree it can be extensive, but it certainly does not make him a racist.
Instead, let me offer this: I met you once in Statuary Hall of the Capitol, amid the sculptures of prominent Americans, and gave you my card. If you still have it, give me a ring. I’d be happy to pass along Congressman Cummings’ cellphone number so the two of you can have a conversation. Or better yet, swing through the aisles of one of the grocery stores in West Baltimore. I’m sure anyone there would be willing to give you his number.
Yours Sincerely,
Jimmy Fremgen
Jimmy Fremgen is a Sacramento-based consultant specializing in cannabis policy. He handled higher education, firearms safety, defense and foreign affairs as senior policy adviser to Rep. Elijah Cummings from 2012 to 2016.
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Elijah Cummings knew the difference between winning the news cycle and serving the nation
By Eugene Robinson | Published October 24 at 5:00 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 25, 2019 |
There are moments when the U.S. Capitol feels like a sanctified space, a holy temple dedicated to ideals that transcend the partisan squabbles of the politicians who work there. The enormous paintings that tell the story of America, normally like wallpaper to those who work in the building, demand attention as if they are being seen for the first time. The marble likenesses of great men — and too few great women — seem to come alive.
Thursday was such an occasion, as the body of Elijah E. Cummings, the Maryland congressman who died last week at 68, lay in state in one of the Capitol’s grandest spaces, Statuary Hall. There was a sense of great sadness and loss but also an even more powerful sense of history and purpose.
Cummings was the first African American lawmaker to be accorded the honor of lying in state at the Capitol. That his casket was positioned not far from a statue of a seated Rosa Parks would have made him smile.
Something Cummings once said seemed to echo in the soaring room: “When we’re dancing with the angels, the question we’ll be asked: In 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?”
Cummings was able to give an answer he could be proud of. What about me? What about you?
He was the son of sharecroppers who left South Carolina to seek a better life in the big city of Baltimore. When he was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Jim Crow segregation was still very much alive. Angry whites threw rocks and bottles at him when, at age 11, he helped integrate a previously whites-only swimming pool. He attended Howard University, where he was president of the student government, and graduated in 1973. A friend of mine who was his classmate told me it was obvious even then that Cummings was on a mission to make a difference in people’s lives.
He got his law degree from the University of Maryland, went into private practice, served in the Maryland House of Delegates and was elected to Congress in 1996. At his death, he was the powerful chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. But the reason he was so influential, and will be so sorely missed, has less to do with his title than with his integrity and humanity. In floor debates and committee hearings, he fought his corner fiercely. But I don’t know any member of Congress, on either side of the aisle, who did not respect and admire him.
A roster of the great and the good came to the Capitol on Thursday to pay their respects. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Cummings “our North Star.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke of Cummings’s love for Baltimore. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, an ideological foe, teared up when he spoke of Cummings as a personal friend. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said “his voice could shake mountains, stir the most cynical heart.”
The scene was a sharp contrast with what had happened one day earlier and two floors below. The House Intelligence Committee was scheduled to take a deposition from a Pentagon official as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct. The closed-door session was to take place in a basement room designed to be secure from electronic surveillance. Before the deposition could get started, more than two dozen members of Congress — including some of Trump’s staunchest and most vocal defenders — made a clown show of barging into the room, ostensibly to protest that the deposition was not being taken in an open session.
Some of those who participated in the sit-in had the right to attend the hearing anyway; some didn’t. But the protest had nothing to do with substance. The point was to stage a noisy, made-for-television stunt in Trump’s defense that could divert attention, if only for a day, from the facts of the case. The interlopers ordered pizza and brought in Chick-fil-A. Some took their cellphones into the secure room, which is very much against the rules.
I have deliberately not mentioned anyone’s party affiliation, because the contrast I see between the juvenile behavior in the basement and the Cummings ceremony in Statuary Hall is more fundamental. It is between foolishness and seriousness, between nonsense and meaning, between trying to win the news cycle and trying to serve the nation.
Cummings knew the difference. We have lost a great man. The angels must be lining up to dance with him.
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Elijah Cummings, Reluctant Partisan Warrior
The story of the veteran lawmaker is one more example of how, in Washington, appearances deceive, and public performances and private relationships often diverge.
RUSSELL Berman | Published OCT 17, 2019 | The Atlantic | Posted October 25, 2019 |
The image many Americans likely had of Representative Elijah Cummings, who died this morning at the age of 68, was of a Democrat perpetually sparring with his Republican counterparts at high-profile congressional hearings.
There was Cummings in 2015, going at it with Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina while a bemused Hillary Clinton sat waiting to testify about the Benghazi attack. Two years later, the lawmaker from Maryland was clashing with Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who would not countenance Cummings trying to inject the investigation into Russian interference into an unrelated Oversight Committee hearing. “You’re not listening!” the Democrat shouted at one point. And then this February, Cummings found himself bickering with Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who accused Cummings of orchestrating “a charade” by calling President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as one of his first witnesses when he became chairman of the panel.
Yet the story of Cummings, at his death the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and a key figure in the impeachment inquiry against Trump, is one more example of how, in Washington, appearances deceive, and public performances and private relationships often diverge. In the hours after Cummings’s death was announced, heartfelt tributes streamed in from the very Republicans he had criticized so passionately. The contrast in tone with these memories of bitter public battles was jarring, even perplexing.
“I am heartbroken. Truly heartbroken,” Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, the founding chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told CNN. Chaffetz called Cummings “an exceptional man.” “He loved our country,” tweeted the former Oversight Committee chairman, who jousted with Cummings when the Democrat was the panel’s ranking member. “I will miss him and always cherish our friendship.” The House Republican leader, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, hailed Cummings as “a leader for both parties to emulate.”
It’s easy, of course, to find a kind word for the deceased—even Trump, who just a few months ago called Cummings’s Baltimore congressional district a “disgusting rat and rodent infested mess,” lauded him as a “highly respected political leader” in a tweet this morning.
Yet by all accounts, the reactions from Republicans on Capitol Hill were no crocodile tears, and Cummings had genuine personal relationships with several of them. Cummings himself described Meadows as “one of my best friends,” and came to his defense after Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan accused the Trump ally of pulling a “racist” stunt at the Cohen hearing.
Perhaps no tribute—from a Democrat or a Republican—was as reverential as that of Gowdy, who said Cummings was “one of the most powerful, beautiful, and compelling voices in American politics.
“We never had a cross word outside of a committee room,” Gowdy, another former GOP chairman of the Oversight Committee, said in a lengthy Twitter thread this morning. “He had a unique ability to separate the personal from the work.” He recalled a story Cummings often told of a school employee who urged him to abandon his dream of becoming a lawyer and opt for a job “with his hands not his mind.” That employee would later become Cummings’s first client, Gowdy wrote.
“We live in an age where we see people on television a couple of times and we think we know them and what they are about,” the Republican said.
Cummings died at a Maryland hospice center from what his office said were “complications concerning longstanding health challenges.” He had spent months in the hospital after heart and knee surgeries in 2017 and got around in a wheelchair, but there was little public indication of how serious his condition was in the weeks before his death.
In Baltimore, Cummings’s legacy will extend far beyond his work on the House’s chief investigatory committee. He was first elected to Congress in 1996, after 13 years in the Maryland state legislature. After the death of Freddie Gray in the back of a police van in 2015, Cummings walked through West Baltimore with a bullhorn in an attempt to quell the unrest from angry and distraught black citizens. In March 2017, at a time when most Democrats were denouncing the Trump administration on an hourly basis, Cummings met with the new president at the White House in a bid to work with him on a bill to lower drug prices. As my colleague Peter Nicholas recounted earlier this year, the two men fell into a candid talk about race, but little came of the effort on prescription drugs.
Democrats tapped Cummings to be their leader on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2010, after Republicans retook the House majority. He was not the next in line, but the party pushed out the veteran Representative Edolphus Towns of New York over concerns that he’d be too laid-back at a time when Republicans were preparing an onslaught of investigations into Barack Obama’s administration.
The oversight panel is a highly partisan committee in a highly partisan Congress, and Cummings had no illusions about his role. Still, he tried to forge relationships with each of his Republican counterparts, and some of those attempts were successful. As the combative Representative Darrell Issa of California was ending his run as chairman in 2014, Cummings traveled to Utah to bond with Chaffetz, Issa’s likely successor. “I want a relationship which will allow us to get things done,” Cummings said during a joint appearance the two made on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. After Chaffetz left, Cummings got along well—at least in private—with Gowdy and Meadows.
Yet time and again, the cordiality behind closed doors succumbed to rancor in front of the cameras. The relationships Cummings and his Republican counterparts had were no match for these deeply divided times; they yielded few legislative breakthroughs or bipartisan alliances in the midst of highly polarized investigations.
By early 2019, any hope that Cummings may have had of working with conservatives in Congress, or with the Trump administration, seemed to have given way to frustration, and occasionally anger. At the end of Cohen’s testimony, he delivered an emotional plea to his colleagues. “When we’re dancing with the angels, the question will be asked: In 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?” he said, his voice booming. “C’mon now, we can do two things at once. We have to get back to normal!”
As for Trump, two years after their candid talk on race, the president was viciously attacking Cummings as a “brutal bully” and blaming him for Baltimore’s long-running struggle with poverty and crime.
Two months later, Cummings joined the growing chorus of Democrats calling for Trump’s impeachment. “When the history books are written about this tumultuous era,” he said at the time, “I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny.”
In truth, he had long since realized that the effort to work with the president had been futile. “Now that I watch his actions,” Cummings told Nicholas, “I don’t think it made any difference.”
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Elijah Cummings Was Not Done
The House Oversight chairman died too soon at 68, while working on his deathbed to ensure this country measured up to his standards
By JAMIL SMITH | Published October 18, 2019 | Rolling Stone | Posted October 25, 2019 |
Even with the deaths of our elders today and the 400th anniversary of chattel slavery, we are often reminded that this terrible American past is within the reach of our oral, recorded history. Elijah Cummings, who died Thursday at 68, was the grandson of sharecroppers, the black tenant farmers who rented land from white owners after the Civil War.
Cummings once recounted to 60 Minutes that, when he was sworn into Congress in 1996 following a special election in Maryland’s 7th District, his father teared up. A typical, uplifting American story would be a son talking about his dad’s pride at such a moment, and there was that. But Cummings’ father, Ron, also asked him a series of questions.
Isn’t this the place where they used to call us slaves? “Yes, sir.”
Isn’t this the place where they used to call us three-fifths of a man? “Yes, sir.”
Isn’t this the place where they used to call us chattel? “Yes, sir.”
Then Ron told his son Elijah, according to the story: Now I see what I could have been had I had an opportunity. Forget the Horatio Alger narratives; that is a story of generational ascendance that actually sounds relatable to me as someone who has grown up black in America.
Sixty-eight should be too early for anyone to die in the era of modern medicine, but it somehow didn’t feel premature for Cummings. It wouldn’t feel premature for me, either. Racism kills us black men and women faster, that much has been documented. Cummings had seen the consequences of racism in the mirror every day since he was 11, bearing a scar from an attack by a white mob when he and a group of black boys integrated the public (and ostensibly desegregated) pool in South Baltimore. Perhaps a shorter life was simply an American reality to which he had consigned himself. Or, he had just read the science.
When speculation rumbled about whether he would run for the Senate in 2015, Cummings spoke openly about his own life expectancy.
“When you reach 64 years old and you look at the life expectancy of an African-American man, which is 71.8 years, I ask myself, if I don’t say it now, when am I going to say it?” Cummings said, referring at the time to combative rants and snips at Republicans whom he perceived to be wasting the public’s time and money with nonsense like the Benghazi hearings.
He continued to speak up for what he considered was just, not just when president did wrong but also when it involved the police. The bullhorn seemed to never leave his hand and his voice never seemed to die out in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death at the hands of Baltimore cops in 2015. His willingness to speak up not just in defense of America but of us black Americans is why the passing of Cummings was a puncturing wound for anyone hoping for this nation to be true to what it promises on paper to all of its people.
Worse, Cummings’ death leaves a void. Only a few members of his own party have been as willing to speak as frankly as Cummings, or take as immediate action against the grift and madness that Republicans pass off as governance. “We are better than this!” was one of his frequent exhortations, and I am not sure that we were.
It is tempting, and lazy, to encapsulate the Cummings legacy within the last few years. Pointing to his deft handling of his Republican “friend” Mark Meadows’ racist call-out of Rashida Tlaib in February or his grace in dealing with President Trump’s petulant insults about his beloved Baltimore even as he used his House Oversight powers to help begin perhaps the most significant impeachment inquiry yet launched into an American head of state. But there was more to the man and his patriotism than his pursuit of a corrupt president.
Cummings was, as his widow, Maryland Democratic Party chairwoman Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, put it in her statement, working “until his last breath.” In a memo just last week, as he was ailing, Cummings stated he planned to subpoena both acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli and acting ICE Director Matthew Albence to testify on October 17, the day he would later pass away. (Both men agreed to testify, voluntarily, but the hearing has been postponed until the 24th.)
Cummings also signed two subpoenas driven to him in Baltimore hours before his death, both dealing with the Trump administration’s coldhearted policy change to temporarily end the ability for severely ill immigrants to seek care in the United States.
One of the young immigrant patients who had testified to a House Oversight subcommittee about this draconian Trump measure, a Honduran teenager named Jonathan Sanchez, told the assembled lawmakers, simply, “I don’t want to die.”
Cummings knew all too well that this is a country that kills people with its racism, and saw this president trying to do it. He went to his deathbed trying to change that America. His untimely death left that work undone, but that task is ours now.
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[Part 2] *THE PRELUDE TO TERROR SPECIAL * w/ live guests VIPER RECORDS' HASAN SALAAM – APOLLO BROWN – BUSDRIVER – DJ JS-1 – GENESIS ELIJAH – "CHECK THE TECHNIQUE 2" AUTHOR BRIAN COLEMAN – WORLD PREMIERES and more!
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On this prelude to the Halloween Special Mista Montana and Menace do this:
The world famous DJ-JS-1 sat down to discuss his new album and the lack of authenticity artists of today claim to have using social media. "It Is What It Isn't" boasts an impressive line up of over 45 artists and a total of 21 songs, many of which become the subject of discussion in a revealing interview. Hear the making of such tracks as "It Is What It Isn't", "Whatever It Takes", "Soo Real" among others and find out why a planned song with Akrobatik and Jeru The Damaja didn't make the album. Will JS-1 and OC collaborate for a full length project one day? Listen and find out.
Author Brian Coleman shares his technique of putting together "Check The Technique Volume 2", his third book in a series, with a detailed history of classic Hip Hop LP's coupled by track-by-track break down of the songs by the artists themselves. In an attempt to get closer to the fly on the wall experience of documenting some of these albums we talk the process of exploring albums such as "He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper", " A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing", "Funcrusher Plus", "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" and much more!
Apollo Brown takes to Conspiracy Worldwide Radio to discuss and promote his new collaborative LP with Ras Kass "Blasphemy", breaking down the making behind several of the LP's tracks and inspiration for them. We also touch on his many upcoming projects, which will include a compilation, a "surprise" EP with a Mello-Music artist, a track with KA and more.
Viper Records' Hasan Salaam joins us to celebrate the final chapter in his trilogy, namely, "Life In Black And White" and explains why it reflects a feeling of a life as opposed to a moment like his other projects. We also touch upon the inspiration behind the Immortal Technique assisted lead single "Jericho", politics, working with producers in the UK including CWR affiliate Cross-Bone-T, the future of Viper Records and more.
Genesis Elijah joins us to publicly detail the until now largely private process behind his quadruple EP "Private Moments In Public". We talk and explore the conception behind the project, which he reveals was initiated by an argument with his girlfriend, the power of social media, experimentation, working with Fliptrix for the track "The Return", recording "Underground King" remix and more, including a forthcoming project with Brown Bag All-Stars producer The Audible Doctor.
The ever quirky Busdriver makes his debut appearance on the show and walk's us through the creation of his latest opus "Perfect Hair" and speaks of ambitions of working with Matt Groening. We also talk working with Open Mic Eagle, Danny Brown, Hellfyre Club and more.
AND THAT'S NOT ALL!
Mista Montana and Menace take time to reveal the exclusive paranormal investigation planned for October 31st 2104 - a live broadcast to remember!
Enjoy our Terror!
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Uncovering A San Diego Porn Scheme: Deception, Humiliation Follow Online Ads
A San Diego based company is accused of making millions of dollars by coercing young women into having sex on camera.
For many of the women, including some who spoke to NBC 7 Investigates, their experience ended with thoughts of suicide, humiliation, and isolation from family and friends.
Nearly two dozen women say what started with a response to a modeling ad on Craigslist ended with videos of them having sex posted to some of the most popular porn websites in the world, according to a lawsuit filed against the company.
They say the three owners of the website Girls Do Porn set up an elaborate scheme using fake names, reference girls paid to lie and promises that the videos would be sold to private collectors in Australia and New Zealand, according to the lawsuit.
In January, a State Court Judge issued a tentative ruling, stating the women’s allegations had shown that the men had likely “engaged in malice, fraud or oppression.”
An attorney for the company rejected the allegations, telling NBC 7 Investigates the women knew what they were signing up for ahead of time.
Attorneys for the women, however, say the scheme was hatched by owner Michael Pratt, co-owner and videographer Matthew Wolfe, and actor Ruben “Andre” Garcia to lure them into the world of amateur pornography.
NBC 7 Investigates spoke to six women who are not plaintiffs in the case, all shared identical stories to what was laid out in the lawsuit. All six women agreed to speak with NBC 7 Investigates anonymously. None were part of the lawsuit, fearing it would cause more damage to their reputation or because they were past the statute of limitations.
How The Scheme Worked
According to court filings, the company posted modeling ads on Craigslist pages throughout the United States and Canada, linking back to one of three modeling websites: BeginModeling, ModelingGigs, and ModelingWork [dot] com.
The ads were posted on Craigslist pages throughout North America in places such as Gainesville, Florida; Waco, Texas; Orange County, California; in Calgary, Canada as well as in San Diego. The ads called for women, ages 18-to-22, to pose as swimsuit models.
“I had just turned 17 when I clicked on the ad,” said a Colorado woman, 23, speaking with NBC 7 Investigates. “It was definitely to broaden my shooting experience as I was trying to establish myself as a model.”
According to court documents, she was not the only girl that answered the ad before turning 18. A plaintiff in the case alleges she also communicated with the men while she was a minor, filming one day after her 18th birthday.
“[Pratt, Garcia, and Wolfe] recruited her to fly across country for a sex video when she was a minor,” the lawsuit states.
After the women clicked on the ad, they say they were asked to submit pictures as well as their contact information. Not long after a man, who according to court documents and former employees was Andre Garcia, contacted the women with new details about the nature of the shoot.
Garcia told the women that the modeling job had changed. It was no longer a bikini shoot but was an offer to make up to $6,000 if the women agreed to be filmed having sex on camera. The women say the man assured them that the videos would be sold to private collectors and would not be published online.
“They told me multiple times. What are the odds someone you know is going to walk into that one DVD store in Australia and choose that one DVD that you're on,” said one Southern California woman we interviewed.
It was then that Garcia put them in touch with a “reference girl” who was willing to verify everything.
The Reference Girls
“She told me it's going to be OK,” said one woman.
“[The Reference Girl] said, ‘They're nice. It's only going to be on DVDs in New Zealand and Australia and it's not allowed in America. And it's not that big of a deal. Just be a tough girl and it'll be over before you know it.’”
In regards to the reference girl, the woman from Colorado added, “The reference girl basically said that everything was legit, that it wasn't sex trafficking. It wasn't anything that I should be afraid of and that they made a lot of money doing that.”
All 22 women in the lawsuit shared similar stories. Their attorney, Brian Holm, told NBC 7 Investigates that he spoke to more than 120 women who said they were featured in Girls Do Porn videos.
A major part in convincing the women, says Holm, was the use of “reference girls.”
But according to court documents, the reference girls were hired to do anything necessary to get the women to agree. In a court declaration, one such reference girl Amber Clark said she and others were paid to lie to the young women.
“Garcia coached me on how to correspond with the prospective women, to gain their trust, even if that included telling lies and hiding information,” Clark stated in an August 2018 declaration. “Garcia instructed me to tell women the videos they filmed would never be released in the United State or on the internet.”
The reference women, according to Clark’s declaration and other court documents, were paid $25 to $200 for each girl they convinced to be featured in a video. The court filings said the amount of money that was paid to each reference girl depended on how attractive the women they convinced were.
“I don't think I would have followed through with it if she did not talk to me and text me and reassure me of her experience almost every other day,” said the Southern California woman.
In response to NBC 7 Investigates’ questions regarding the company’s use of reference girls, including the court declarations made by former employees, the company’s attorney, Aaron Sadock said, “How one former-employee interprets the motivation of the company or its attorneys should not be taken as the gospel.”
The Contracts and Videos
The women say when they agreed to the company’s conditions over the phone, they were then offered up to $6,000 for what the company said would be a 30-minute video shoot.
The men bought the women an airline ticket and booked rooms at four-star hotels throughout San Diego County including the Hotel del Coronado, the Kimpton Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, the Hilton Bayfront, and the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla (NBC 7 Investigates reached out to the hotels listed in the lawsuit but the hotels did not respond, offered no comment or said they don't permit these kinds of activities.)
Upon arriving in San Diego, according to the women who spoke to NBC 7 Investigates and court documents, the women were picked up by employees for the company. Those employees were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) forbidding them from making any mention of the Girls Do Porn website or the video’s distribution online.
According to her deposition, Val Moser worked as an Administrative Assistant for Girls Do Porn for more than three years. She said she was ”told specifically not to answer where the footage would end up,” even though she was aware the videos would be published online.
In response to NBC 7’s questions, Sadock said non-disclosure agreements are used, “in all types of businesses.”
When they arrived at the hotel, the women say they were given drugs and alcohol.
“We smoked and we drank from the second we got to the [location] until after we stopped shooting,” one of the women told NBC7 Investigates.
Before the video shoot started, the women said they were given a contract to sign with only minutes to review it ahead of time.
“The contract was the size of a good book and they rushed me through it,” said one woman in an interview. “They did not let me look at it for more than five minutes because they kept rushing me saying we're out of time we're out of time.”
According to the company’s attorney and court filings, the contract proves the women knew what they were getting into.
The women said the contract made no mention of the Girls Do Porn website.
“The models...all signed contracts agreeing to shoot pornographic videos and made statements on video agreeing the phonographic videos could be used in any manner the producer wished to use them,” Sadock told NBC 7 Investigates.
Once filming began, the women said the shoots lasted up to six or seven hours. The sex, they said, was painful and if they tried to stop, the men would tell them they wouldn’t be paid.
“I was in a room with two men and they both kind of teamed up on me and I didn't feel safe and like, I could leave on my own will,” a Southern California woman told NBC 7.
When the shoots ended, many said the men did not pay them the full amount they were promised.
Former employee Moser testified that 50-percent of the women complained to her that they did not receive the agreed upon amount.
“It was a devastating feeling,” said one woman. “I felt like I was lied to. I felt like I was definitely taken advantage of. I felt stupid even though I know it wasn't my fault for falling for something that was so well put together.”
“I felt humiliated exhausted drained and I just sold my soul. It was the lowest point I've ever had,” the Southern California woman said.
The Aftermath
The women said a month or so after the shoots, the videos were posted on the Girls Do Porn website, as well as popular adult websites such as PornHub, the fourth most-visited website behind Wikipedia, Netflix, and Microsoft.
Holm said his research found all of the videos uploaded to PornHub have “over one-billion views.”
Women who spoke with NBC 7 said as soon as the videos were posted online, their family, classmates, high school friends, church members, and college deans received text messages and spam emails with links to their videos and gifs of them having sex.
According to the lawsuit, personal information about women, including addresses, their parent’s names and addresses, as well as employers were posted on online forums.
“I was getting text messages from people saying, ‘Make her go viral,’” the Southern California woman told NBC 7. “I was just being completely harassed on every social media site and text messages from random numbers harassing me. People were sending me gifs of myself and me just kind of went into hiding.”
She said she immediately deleted all of her social media profiles and at one point, someone tried to blackmail her.
“They sent links to my videos to everybody I know on Facebook. I had to make sure that my place of work wasn't anywhere on the internet where anyone could ever find me because I was fearful that some crazy person would try and find me.”
Attorney Holm said he spoke to one woman who had a screenshot of her having sex taped to her dad’s front door.
When the women tried to call the owners of Girls Do Porn, the company’s owners would, “block their numbers, threaten them, or have Panakos Law, APC, and Aaron Sadock use the legal process to threaten them,” according to the lawsuit.
Sadock would not respond to NBC 7 Investigates’ questions about this specific allegation and denied his clients’ involvement in sending out links to the videos.
The women said after their videos were posted online, some dropped out of college, lost their jobs or were kicked out of their home.
One woman NBC 7 spoke with said her parents stopped talking to her for a year after the video featuring her went online.
“I don't want to see another young girl fall victim into any of this,” she said. “It's horrible, it's something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.”
In June 2016 four women filed their lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court. In less than a year, 18 additional women came forward.
The trial was set for March 8, 2018, but on the day the judge issued a tentative ruling finding merit to the claims that the men engaged in “malice, fraud or oppression,” Pratt filed for bankruptcy. The case has since been put on hold.
In the bankruptcy filing, however, more information emerged on the 36-year-old Pratt’s finances.
In subsequent filings, Pratt estimated his salary to be over $60,000 a month. Pratt also declared more than $134,000 in back taxes.
In a statement to NBC 7, Sadock reaffirmed the company’s position that all of the women signed a contract.
“The models...signed contracts agreeing to shoot pornographic videos and made statements on video agreeing the pornographic videos could be used in any manner the producer wished to use them,” wrote Sadock. “Some models regret the choice they made. But those models were free to decide whether to star in a pornographic video or not. Nobody forced them.”
To read Sadock’s full statement, click here.
Dr. Shira Tarrant is a professor of Women’s Studies and Sexuality at Cal State Long Beach and has written books on the economics of pornography. Tarrant told NBC 7 Investigates she found several issues with the company’s practices as described in court filings.
“This is different from the legal adult industry, where legitimate contracts are entered into and full consent is given. There’s also the issue of drugs or alcohol. If someone is drunk or high they are legally unable to consent to sex or to sign contracts. These are serious problems.”
The woman from Colorado told NBC 7 she hopes no other young women make the same mistake she made.
“It definitely creates a lot of psychological issues when you go through something like this. And I just want to make sure that this doesn't happen to anybody else.”
NBC 7 Investigates spent the past year reviewing court documents, interviewing women featured in Girls Do Porn videos and attorneys, as well as reviewing other public records for this story.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Uncovering A San Diego Porn Scheme: Deception, Humiliation Follow Online Ads published first on Miami News
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Wings and winged creatures have appeared in identity designs for centuries as part of heraldic crests, military insignias and automotive logos. They have become a symbol of prestige, strength and speed, with great examples being air force pilot badges and luxury car emblems such as Bentley or Aston Martin. Designers still make use of these symbols in their designs today, sometimes combined with modern art styles give the logo a more abstract appearance. In today’s inspiration showcase I present 45 magnificent winged logo designs, some just featuring outstretched feathered wings while others include full depictions of eagles, hawks and other birds.
Switzerland Cycling Owl by Brian Steely
Cult Classics Seeds Owl by Brian Steely
Cutwater Spirits by Brian Steely
For The Church by Peter Voth
The Spirit And The Church by Peter Voth
Bradford Design Co
Butcher Garage by Askmetolie
Yellow Knight Design
Hermetic Tarot Symbols by Onemandivision
Support The Troops by Strawcastle
Death Dodger by Maximum Black
Live Free by Prism Supply Co.
Togrimind
Strong Eagle by Vladimir Biondic
Eagle King by Jay Master
Peters Design Company
Eagle by Allan Peters
Eagle Kind Supply Co by Jay Master
Bald Eagle Lake by Levi Lowell
True Grit Open by Emir Ayouni
HRO Flight Squad by HRO Design
Rotten Machine by Septianto Nugroho
Golden Eagle Coffee by Landon Cooper
Pluribus Music Festival by Steve Wolf
CMTE Eagle by Jay Master
Dirtybird Campout by Chris Meyer
Eagle Passion by James Wilson Saputra
UBBL by Bryce Reyes
Jaeger’s Gym by Hipnos
Eagle Letter M by Kana Kasmambetov
Eagle by Artsigma
Private Investigator by Mike Bruner
Thunderbird by Josh Warren
Wild & Yonder Badge by Brian Bobel
Eagle Mark by Vadim Korotkov
Eagle Heraldic Logo by Mersad Comaga
Made Right Here by Matthew Cook
The Yoga Tonic by Jared Jacob
Traders of the Lost Arts by Ashley Cunningham
Cycle of Life by Brian Steely
The Frame Theory by Brian Steely
Sinister Records Mobile by Brian Steely
Walk The Walk by Brian Steely
Forged Shirt by Jeremy Teff
Eagle Tee by Andy Boice
Good Guys Wear Levi’s by Dan Cassaro
The post Showcase of 45 Magnificent Logo Designs With Wings appeared first on Spoon Graphics.
from graphics http://bit.ly/2CmQKPw
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