Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Crime Shrink tech issues
hey does anyone know how to un-highlight the below post? There's no button for that! I tried to make it as readable as possible, but i'll get it normal-looking asap
A Timeline of the Boston Marathon Tragedy
April 15, 2013
9am (Eastern time)
Race officials, competitors and onlookers participate in 26 seconds of silence at the starting line in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
9:17am
Wheelchair competitors begin their 26.2-mile race
9:32am
Women runners begin
10am
Male runners begin
11:58am
Kenyan Rita Jeptoo crosses the finish line as the women’s winner at 2 hours, 26 minutes, 25 seconds.
12:10pm
Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa becomes the men’s winner. His winning time was 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds.
2:38 pm
Cameras show two men--later identified by authorities as Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev--turning onto Boylston Street, the road where the marathon's finish line is located.
2:42pm
Tamerlan Tsarnaev detaches himself from the crowd and begins walking east toward the marathon finish line. He walks past the Forum restaurant, while carrying a knapsack, toward where the first blast will soon occur.
2:45pm
His brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins walking toward the finish line, with his right thumb seemingly hooked under his backpack strap and a phone in his left hand. He stops in front of the Forum restaurant, standing by a metal barrier alongside marathon spectators.
2:49pm
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lifts the phone to his head and speaks for about 18 seconds. He finishes the call, and the first explosion goes off within seconds. A few seconds later, his brother starts moving west--away from the finish line, and not carrying the knapsack he'd once had. About 10 seconds later, there's an explosion where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had put the bag--about a block from the first blast.
3:30pm
Reports and images from the scene begin to circulate on social media, including some graphic photos.
4pm
Law enforcement sources tell NBC News that small homemade bombs caused the explosions.
4:10pm
Boston officials report at least two people are dead and at least 100 other people injured.
4:12pm
Police report a third blast near the JFK Library in Dorchester, Mass.
4:40pm
News on condition of anonymity, says attack is being treated as "act of terrorism."
6pm
Officials tell NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski that Boston PD officers are "guarding" a wounded man at a Boston hospital as a "possible suspect."
6:10pm
President Obama addresses the nation and offers condolences to the victims in Boston. "We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," he says in a 3-minute statement. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
8:55pm
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis announces the death toll rises to three in the Boston Marathon explosions.
10:20pm
Police confirm two explosives, each of which contained BBs or ball bearings that functioned as shrapnel; be-on-the-lookout alerts are issued for a man seen leaving the blast scene in dark clothing and a hood as well as one for a rental truck seen attempting to enter the area near the finish line.
April 18, 2013
11pm
Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 26, is shot dead on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus -- a killing authorities later link to the Tsarnaevs.
April 19, 2013
Early morning
Police say the two suspects hijack a car at gunpoint in Cambridge, Massachusetts, taking the driver as a hostage. One suspect tells the driver they are the Boston Marathon bombers, and the suspects talk openly about heading to New York.Eventually, though, the driver is able to escape his captors by running from them into a gas station convenience store.Thanks in large part to information from the hostage, authorities track down the suspects. A chase ensues, during which the suspects toss explosives and exchange gunfire with police.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev dies after the gunfight, while his brother eludes authorities.
DaytimeBoston and surrounding communities are put on lock-down -- with schools closed, public transit halted and people ordered off the streets -- as authorities hunt for the surviving suspect.
7pm
After the lockdown is lifted, a resident goes outside to check on his boat parked in the backyard and notices blood inside. His tip leads to a large-scale law enforcement effort that culminates with the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
May 1, 2013
Federal authorities announce charges against three of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's friends.Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev are charged with having willfully "conspired with each other to commit an act against the United States ... by knowingly destroying, concealing and covering up objects belonging to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev." Phillipos is charged with having "knowingly and willfully [made] materially false statements to federal investigators."
 |
| cnn.com |
Race officials, competitors and onlookers participate in 26 seconds of silence at the starting line in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
9:17am
Wheelchair competitors begin their 26.2-mile race
9:32am
Women runners begin
10am
Male runners begin
11:58am
Kenyan Rita Jeptoo crosses the finish line as the women’s winner at 2 hours, 26 minutes, 25 seconds.
12:10pm
Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa becomes the men’s winner. His winning time was 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds.
2:38 pm
Cameras show two men--later identified by authorities as Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev--turning onto Boylston Street, the road where the marathon's finish line is located.
2:42pm
Tamerlan Tsarnaev detaches himself from the crowd and begins walking east toward the marathon finish line. He walks past the Forum restaurant, while carrying a knapsack, toward where the first blast will soon occur.
2:45pm
His brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins walking toward the finish line, with his right thumb seemingly hooked under his backpack strap and a phone in his left hand. He stops in front of the Forum restaurant, standing by a metal barrier alongside marathon spectators.
2:49pm
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lifts the phone to his head and speaks for about 18 seconds. He finishes the call, and the first explosion goes off within seconds. A few seconds later, his brother starts moving west--away from the finish line, and not carrying the knapsack he'd once had. About 10 seconds later, there's an explosion where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had put the bag--about a block from the first blast.
3:30pm
Reports and images from the scene begin to circulate on social media, including some graphic photos.
4pm
Law enforcement sources tell NBC News that small homemade bombs caused the explosions.
4:10pm
Boston officials report at least two people are dead and at least 100 other people injured.
4:12pm
Police report a third blast near the JFK Library in Dorchester, Mass.
4:40pm
News on condition of anonymity, says attack is being treated as "act of terrorism."
6pm
Officials tell NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski that Boston PD officers are "guarding" a wounded man at a Boston hospital as a "possible suspect."
6:10pm
President Obama addresses the nation and offers condolences to the victims in Boston. "We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," he says in a 3-minute statement. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
8:55pm
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis announces the death toll rises to three in the Boston Marathon explosions.
10:20pm
Police confirm two explosives, each of which contained BBs or ball bearings that functioned as shrapnel; be-on-the-lookout alerts are issued for a man seen leaving the blast scene in dark clothing and a hood as well as one for a rental truck seen attempting to enter the area near the finish line.
April 18, 2013
11pm
Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 26, is shot dead on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus -- a killing authorities later link to the Tsarnaevs.
April 19, 2013
Early morning
Police say the two suspects hijack a car at gunpoint in Cambridge, Massachusetts, taking the driver as a hostage. One suspect tells the driver they are the Boston Marathon bombers, and the suspects talk openly about heading to New York.Eventually, though, the driver is able to escape his captors by running from them into a gas station convenience store.Thanks in large part to information from the hostage, authorities track down the suspects. A chase ensues, during which the suspects toss explosives and exchange gunfire with police.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev dies after the gunfight, while his brother eludes authorities.
DaytimeBoston and surrounding communities are put on lock-down -- with schools closed, public transit halted and people ordered off the streets -- as authorities hunt for the surviving suspect.
7pm
After the lockdown is lifted, a resident goes outside to check on his boat parked in the backyard and notices blood inside. His tip leads to a large-scale law enforcement effort that culminates with the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
 |
| cnn.com |
Federal authorities announce charges against three of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's friends.Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev are charged with having willfully "conspired with each other to commit an act against the United States ... by knowingly destroying, concealing and covering up objects belonging to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev." Phillipos is charged with having "knowingly and willfully [made] materially false statements to federal investigators."
Friday, October 18, 2013
Pull up an Electric Chair, America
Putting criminals to death is a practice traced back to ancient
times, yet in the United States, towards the latter half of the 20th
century, this has become a very controversial issue.
As of 2013, 32 US states uphold the death penalty, eleven of which
authorize the death penalty for crimes other than murder. As an unwavering
supporter of the death penalty, I consider the cessation of the death penalty
to be a crime in itself, the victims of which being all American citizens
alike. I believe Michigan, and the rest of our American states, should join the
32 and pull up an electric chair and a nice potassium chloride cocktail for our
sadistic criminal friends.
Understandably, the death penalty has a negative effect
on liberals and those who worry about false convictions. Abolitionists instead
claim there are alternatives to this punishment; they say life without parole
serves the same purpose. Certainly, if you ignore all the murders taking place
within prison walls they may have a point, but this is a detail I cannot
disregard nor defend.
When it comes to prison murders, events vary from inmates
killing inmates to inmates killing guards. If you’ve ever seen Law Abiding
Citizen, you’ll understand when I say that just because a convict is behind
bars does not mean he doesn’t have the means to continue a kill-streak. In
fact, Texas has reached an all-time high for prison murders, peaking at 13 dead
guards and inmates in 2012.
Another factor at hand is the money Americans lose to
inmates in taxes every year--inmates who should have been done stealing from
the citizens when they got arrested years ago. In 2005, the average annual cost
for one prison inmate was $45K, one hospitalized inmate was $850K, one guard’s
salary was $60K, and one warden’s salary was $220K. Additionally, prison health
care has skyrocketed over the decade from $153 million in 2001 to $1.8 billion
in 2012. Because of the possible danger, some doctors are charging prisons over
$2K per hour to treat inmates; considering treating one injured person can take
three hours, this hourly rate pulls a lot of money from hardworking Americans.
Beside health care, Americans also pay inmates salaries
for the minimal work they do while in prison, according to NBC News.
Mopping floors, vacuuming, and cleaning microwaves, these convicts pull
together $11 million a year in Michigan alone.
Another reason prison inmates such as murderers should be
capitally punished with the death penalty is marginal deterrence--the criminal
mindset to go forth in as much crime as the punishment limits. The way the
courts work now, killing one versus killing 18 has no difference in punishment.
103 life sentences? Well, Judge, these convicts aren’t reborn in prison. You
only die once. If a man has already killed one person, it serves no difference
if he goes ahead and kills a few more. After all, if he gets caught,
he’ll just get the same punishment.
In my opinion, and the opinion of 32 state governments in
America, the death penalty is the only way to save the lives of thousands of
innocent guards, save America billions of dollars, and prevent marginal
deterrence. Creating a punishment more severe than life without parole is the
key to strike fear into wrongdoers. Cesare Beccaria, an Italian philosopher,
theorized that the fear of a swift, certain, and severe punishment is enough to
control criminal behavior. If someone knows they have absolutely no chance of
getting away with their crime, they’re likely to think twice before doing it.
This theory is especially true when it comes to the death
penalty. Humans are instinctually prone to fear death and do anything in their
power to prevent self-death, according to Psycheducation,
meaning if death is a sure-punishment of murder, people are less likely to
commit the crime. This proves true in states that have maintained the death
penalty over the years. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the
number of death sentences per year has dropped dramatically since 1999, proving
the fear brought about by the death penalty has, in fact, deterred crime.
Here’s what I propose to America: could it be possible that we
make the punishment for one murder is death by firing squad, two murders is
lethal injection, and three murders is the electric chair? That way there are
far fewer in-prison deaths, taxpayers save a fortune on over 70% of the prison
health care costs, and the fear of death deters initial murders, which makes
for a safer America and a better tomorrow.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Watch what you put online
 |
| www.rackafracka.com |
Monday, October 7, 2013
Reflections on Domestic Violence Awareness Month
This afternoon as I drove home from school I couldn't help but be pulled into the beauty of October: burnt orange and purple foliage, the smell of grapes whisking about in the crisp autumn breeze. I parked my Toyota Yaris in the driveway, fed my two large and lovable dogs lunch, and grabbed hold of my bike for a relaxing ride around town.
I headed south up my home street, observing my surroundings. Nicole and Mark were out on a walk with their two Scottish Terriers, John pushed his two children on twin swings, and Walter was teaching his daughter, Amie, how to throw a softball.
What perfect lives they must live, we think. What a perfect household they must live in with a gorgeous mother and a protective, fearless father.
October is a month that heralds a reflection in on oneself--a reminder that snow and ice are right around the corner and that introspection is a tool to utilize and benefit from during long winter months, helping us emerge in the spring with more self-awareness. October is also Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. I took in the sight of these seemingly perfect families I was reminded how hundreds of children around the world look up at the stars on clear, October nights wishing upon the brightest star that their daddies would soon stop hitting them.
Domestic abuse is a national epidemic cloaked in silence for many complicated reasons: shame, fear of punishment, fear of blame. Though hiding the issue may seem to make it go away for a moment, silence only allows this problem to grow.
One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year; 73% of violence victims are female. There are 16,800 homicides and 2.2 million (reported) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion in government spending. Keep in mind, rape and domestic abuse are the two most under-reported crimes in America.
Domestic abuse isn't limited to women: one out of 14 men has been physically assaulted by a cohabiting partner or spouse during their lifetime, with an estimated 835,000 men physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually.
Let’s break the silence on this national epidemic of domestic violence; let’s call for prevention, promote safety of all people, demand offender sentences that fit the crime and offer rehabilitation when appropriate.
How do you feel about Domestic Violence? Should men be aware just as much? Should men be more cautious when handling their girlfriends? What, in your opinion, counts as domestic violence?
I headed south up my home street, observing my surroundings. Nicole and Mark were out on a walk with their two Scottish Terriers, John pushed his two children on twin swings, and Walter was teaching his daughter, Amie, how to throw a softball.
What perfect lives they must live, we think. What a perfect household they must live in with a gorgeous mother and a protective, fearless father.
October is a month that heralds a reflection in on oneself--a reminder that snow and ice are right around the corner and that introspection is a tool to utilize and benefit from during long winter months, helping us emerge in the spring with more self-awareness. October is also Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. I took in the sight of these seemingly perfect families I was reminded how hundreds of children around the world look up at the stars on clear, October nights wishing upon the brightest star that their daddies would soon stop hitting them.
Domestic abuse is a national epidemic cloaked in silence for many complicated reasons: shame, fear of punishment, fear of blame. Though hiding the issue may seem to make it go away for a moment, silence only allows this problem to grow.
One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year; 73% of violence victims are female. There are 16,800 homicides and 2.2 million (reported) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion in government spending. Keep in mind, rape and domestic abuse are the two most under-reported crimes in America.
Domestic abuse isn't limited to women: one out of 14 men has been physically assaulted by a cohabiting partner or spouse during their lifetime, with an estimated 835,000 men physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually.
Let’s break the silence on this national epidemic of domestic violence; let’s call for prevention, promote safety of all people, demand offender sentences that fit the crime and offer rehabilitation when appropriate.
 |
| both www.thewomenscenterinc.org |
How do you feel about Domestic Violence? Should men be aware just as much? Should men be more cautious when handling their girlfriends? What, in your opinion, counts as domestic violence?Russian Cannibals 1921
 |
| www.egyptsearch.com |
American Idiots: Being Stoned Worth Getting Stoned?
I realize the first half of this entry isn't relating to "crime" per sae, but it's still a story worth a good rant.
Click for this week's craziest crimes, including another marijuana-related one.)
Einstein said,
“The more I learn about people, the more I love my dog,” and I tend to agree.
Especially when I read stories like these on CNN and Yahoo News.
You’ll soon see why.
So I’m researching
a topic for my next blog post on the Yahoo News archives and in the clutter of
Syria articles and Kardashian halabaloo I see this headline: “Man Drinks Quart
of Soy Sauce, Goes Into Coma.” This must be good.
The link took me
to livescience.com, where I read of a 19-year-old teen in Virginia was dared by
his oh-so-loving friends to drink an entire quart of soy sauce in June of this
year. Within minutes, he began twitching and went into a seizure. By the time
this boy was given anti-seizure medication in the ER his body was in a coma.
The soy sauce had shut down the boy’s nervous system in less than a half hour.
Here’s a gross detail you might not want to read: when doctors put a tube into
the boy’s nose, brown material gushed out of it. His body was desperately
trying to purge itself of the overdose of salt and (really bad) neurotoxins
found in soy sauce. It may be helpful to know here that a quart of soy sauce
contains a third pound of salt, and when that chemical warfare enters the brain,
bad things happen—the term “hypernatremia” comes to mind, which is when so much
salt entered the bloodstream and went through the brain that osmosis took its
toll and the brain is suffocated of its water supply.
Surprisingly good
karma came way to this lucky son-of-a-sushi, as he woke up three days after the
incident with no signs of long-term brain damage. He did, though, have frequent
seizures for a few hours.
After writing a
rather satirical blog entry on this brilliant teenager, I decided to see what
other geniuses we have living among us. “Guy Crushed to Death by His Own
Marijuana,” comes up. How could I resist?
So, here’s the
gist: earlier this month a drug smuggler had half a ton of weed in his
backseat, crashed his car, and 1,100 pounds of weed came barreling forward,
crushing him to death against the steering wheel, according to the New York Daily News.
I’m going to go
ahead and save my anti-drug speech for another time and just expand on how
idiotic you have to be to be stoned to death by leaves…ironically leaves you
were planning to get stoned by in a different way.
Working my way
back to Einstein, welcome to America: where some people are literally too
stupid to insult. I like my dogs. At least I can get used to their stupidity.
American idiots, I’m sorry…but you’re SOL.
 |
| www.tobietti.com |
Click for this week's craziest crimes, including another marijuana-related one.)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Silk Road take-down: an end to the Dread Pirate Roberts?
On October 1, 2013, FBI caught the man responsible for an online black market for drugs and hitmen dubbed Silk Road--this man, also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts, is Ross William Ulbricht. Ulbricht, a 29-year-old physics and engineering student, created this user-friendly website--a website which even FBI agents describe as "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet today"--running it for two years and raking in over 80 million dollars.
Many times in drug busts, law enforcement has a way of getting a little black book of the dealer's costomers; however, with this online drug trafficking site and it's 21st century use of intrackable bitcoin currency, FBI are (as of today) unable to track the millions of drug-buyers and hitmen-users around the world. Last year the site even added a "stealth mode" option to "those who feel they're of risk of becoming a target of law enforcement."
Though the intellegent programmer was very careful in creating an intrackable sight, this Dread Pirate Roberts fell victim to his own sloppiness, a sloppiness which led to his capture. Someone using the handle "Altoid" made a post on a forum called Bitcoin Talk, recommending Silk Road and providing a link. "Has anyone seen Silk Road yet? It's kind of like an anonymous Amazon.com. I don't think they have heroin on there, but they are selling other stuff," it read. Eight months later, "Altoid" made another posting on Bitcoin Talk, stating he was looking for "an IT pro in the Bitcoin community" to hire in connection with "a venture backed Bitcoin startup company." The posting asked interested parties to contact rossulbricht@gmail.com. This email address was the break in this case FBI agents needed to crack the biggest drug dealing cite on the internet.
Records obtained from Google showed Ulbricht had regularly logged into his Gmail account from a San Francisco Internet café near Ulbricht's home; it was at this internet café that FBI agents arrested Ulbricht for narcotics trafficking, computer hacking, and money laundering.
As for the Dread Pirate Roberts, you may or may not know that this position has been a "job" for centuries, dating back to when the Dread Pirate Roberts of the 1700s trafficked gold from country to country, destroying any ships that came in his way. The pirate had a good-sized crew, though none of the crew mates knew what their captain loked like, for he wore a mask. This mask was the key to how the Dread Pirate Roberts has seemed to live forever. See, once "Roberts" decided it was time to retire, he would choose a hard-working member of the crew and pass the "Roberts" name on to him along with the mask. The name "Roberts" was like the calling card of the trafficking name, used to strike fear in others. Now, in the 21st century, the "Dread Pirate Roberts" is no longer surfing the seven seas, rather surfing the internet and its globalizing capabilities. Somewhere along the way, drug gold trafficking became drug trafficking, and ships became IP addresses and black market websites. The most recent Dread Pirate Roberts created Silk Road. It's unknown if Ulbricht was able to name another Dread Pirate Roberts before his capture, thoughy it's widely accepted that even if he hadn't gotten the chance, an employee of Silk Road will take the "Roberts" name and keep drug trafficking strong. Silk Road's closure is unlikely to bring an end to the trade of illegal goods on the "dark web," as similar sites operate on the Tor network and continue to thrive.
Many times in drug busts, law enforcement has a way of getting a little black book of the dealer's costomers; however, with this online drug trafficking site and it's 21st century use of intrackable bitcoin currency, FBI are (as of today) unable to track the millions of drug-buyers and hitmen-users around the world. Last year the site even added a "stealth mode" option to "those who feel they're of risk of becoming a target of law enforcement."
Though the intellegent programmer was very careful in creating an intrackable sight, this Dread Pirate Roberts fell victim to his own sloppiness, a sloppiness which led to his capture. Someone using the handle "Altoid" made a post on a forum called Bitcoin Talk, recommending Silk Road and providing a link. "Has anyone seen Silk Road yet? It's kind of like an anonymous Amazon.com. I don't think they have heroin on there, but they are selling other stuff," it read. Eight months later, "Altoid" made another posting on Bitcoin Talk, stating he was looking for "an IT pro in the Bitcoin community" to hire in connection with "a venture backed Bitcoin startup company." The posting asked interested parties to contact rossulbricht@gmail.com. This email address was the break in this case FBI agents needed to crack the biggest drug dealing cite on the internet.
Records obtained from Google showed Ulbricht had regularly logged into his Gmail account from a San Francisco Internet café near Ulbricht's home; it was at this internet café that FBI agents arrested Ulbricht for narcotics trafficking, computer hacking, and money laundering.
 |
| money.cnn.com |
As for the Dread Pirate Roberts, you may or may not know that this position has been a "job" for centuries, dating back to when the Dread Pirate Roberts of the 1700s trafficked gold from country to country, destroying any ships that came in his way. The pirate had a good-sized crew, though none of the crew mates knew what their captain loked like, for he wore a mask. This mask was the key to how the Dread Pirate Roberts has seemed to live forever. See, once "Roberts" decided it was time to retire, he would choose a hard-working member of the crew and pass the "Roberts" name on to him along with the mask. The name "Roberts" was like the calling card of the trafficking name, used to strike fear in others. Now, in the 21st century, the "Dread Pirate Roberts" is no longer surfing the seven seas, rather surfing the internet and its globalizing capabilities. Somewhere along the way, drug gold trafficking became drug trafficking, and ships became IP addresses and black market websites. The most recent Dread Pirate Roberts created Silk Road. It's unknown if Ulbricht was able to name another Dread Pirate Roberts before his capture, thoughy it's widely accepted that even if he hadn't gotten the chance, an employee of Silk Road will take the "Roberts" name and keep drug trafficking strong. Silk Road's closure is unlikely to bring an end to the trade of illegal goods on the "dark web," as similar sites operate on the Tor network and continue to thrive.
Silk Road's Dread Pirate Roberts vs The Princess Bride's Dread Pirate Roberts
On October 1, 2013, FBI agents caught the man responsible for a black market website, Silk Road, which provided people around the world with easy access to drugs and hitmen. This man is, in fact, today's Dread Pirate Roberts. (Lost? Watch this video :) )
In The Princess Bride, the Dread Pirate Roberts is fearsome, ruthless, and unfailingly polite. Even when his true love tells him he could die and she wouldn't care, his response is, “as you wish.” (Spoiler alert: He doesn’t die, they end up kissing and riding horses into the sunset, and Fred Savage’s character learns to appreciate the mushy parts of love stories. It really is a great movie--one of my favorites).
The Dread Pirate Roberts of the online black market Silk Road, a.k.a. Ross William Ulbricht, actually bears some resemblance to his fictional ancestor. The FBI profile report of him describes a man who is easy to please as he gives instructions how to seal drugs properly or offers a consumer support option through which the site’s employees “will take care of you personally.”
This pirate is especially gracious when offering hitmen for free--yea, he will personally pay someone to kill a man whether or not this man has a wife and three children. Oh, and at his arrest, Ulbricht seems almost to be reciting from the movie’s script as he tells law enforcement that he “wouldn’t mind if he was executed.” (See "as you wish" in the second pararaph).
The most relevant parallel in these two pirates is how the Dread Pirate Roberts of the movie refers not to a person, but to a job. In the Princess Bride, the men holding the title periodically decide to retire, secretly passing the torch down to their successors while helping obscure the fact that a change has taken place. With Ulbricht indisposed, such an orderly handoff seems improbable, but definitely not impossible.
What's in store for the future of internet drug trafficking? Well, all the essential elements remain in place: a worldwide web of computers, software for obscuring identities, and a healthy desire to buy and sell drugs. Though non-druggie Americans can say we had a big win in this capture, a sequel is likely in the works.
 |
| www.7bucktees.com |
In The Princess Bride, the Dread Pirate Roberts is fearsome, ruthless, and unfailingly polite. Even when his true love tells him he could die and she wouldn't care, his response is, “as you wish.” (Spoiler alert: He doesn’t die, they end up kissing and riding horses into the sunset, and Fred Savage’s character learns to appreciate the mushy parts of love stories. It really is a great movie--one of my favorites).
The Dread Pirate Roberts of the online black market Silk Road, a.k.a. Ross William Ulbricht, actually bears some resemblance to his fictional ancestor. The FBI profile report of him describes a man who is easy to please as he gives instructions how to seal drugs properly or offers a consumer support option through which the site’s employees “will take care of you personally.”
This pirate is especially gracious when offering hitmen for free--yea, he will personally pay someone to kill a man whether or not this man has a wife and three children. Oh, and at his arrest, Ulbricht seems almost to be reciting from the movie’s script as he tells law enforcement that he “wouldn’t mind if he was executed.” (See "as you wish" in the second pararaph).
The most relevant parallel in these two pirates is how the Dread Pirate Roberts of the movie refers not to a person, but to a job. In the Princess Bride, the men holding the title periodically decide to retire, secretly passing the torch down to their successors while helping obscure the fact that a change has taken place. With Ulbricht indisposed, such an orderly handoff seems improbable, but definitely not impossible.
What's in store for the future of internet drug trafficking? Well, all the essential elements remain in place: a worldwide web of computers, software for obscuring identities, and a healthy desire to buy and sell drugs. Though non-druggie Americans can say we had a big win in this capture, a sequel is likely in the works.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The PMS Defense Feminist Setback
Girls: are your premenstrual cycles too difficult to bare? Are you moody, irrational, stressed, and maybe a bit irresponsible to a point where you can't even recognize yourself? In my opinion, you're completely normal. Have you ever felt like screaming, throwing a stapler, punching the professor, or stabbing a bartender to death? In my opinion, you need medication; however, by ruling of the Supreme Courts, go right ahead and be a felon--don't worry, you'll go free by rule of insanity.
In the 1980 court case of Regina vs Craddock, Sandie Craddock--with 30 prior sentences for theft, arson, and assault--was charges with murdering a coworker. Right away, she was found guilty of manslaughter on a plea of diminished responsibility: that PMS "turned her into a raging animal each month and forced her to act out of character." This final statement set the minds of court Gods in motion, as they delayed the trial three months to observe Craddock to see if she would respond to progesterone. The judge has considered PMS as a mitigating factor--a slap in the face to our forefathers' values of right and wrong. Craddock was placed only on probation as Craddock was ordered a progesterone treatment.
Now, may I just say, what the hell. PMS is no excuse for committing crimes--especially when that crime is killing someone--yet the courts have ruled many times in the favor of the defendant because of their freaky PMSing. In a 1982 case, a mother beat her four-year-old daughter to a point of being covered in bruises and cuts--she got off. 1991, a surgeon was caught driving drunk with three children in the car. In the midst of her arrest, she kicked the police officer in the groin and attempted to flee.After this grand scheme didn't work out, she was brought to trial. She got off with a mere fee and her license was revoked for a year.
This "defense strategy" is a load of BS, I think. Girls, you can control it. And if you can't, you should know that well enough to go to Walgreen's and get an over-the-counter hormone balancing drug. There's plenty of them. Or, if you're not too keen on medication, when you feel irritable (like you want to kick a policeman in the groin), just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. I think all girls will agree that during our cycles you go through 15 emotions a minute--so just wait this aggressive one out and wait 30 seconds until you start crying from your next emotional freak-out.
Using the PMS defense is offensive--it really is. When some sorry chick uses this as a justification for being bat-shit crazy, it's a slap in the face for feminists everywhere; a setback to every future feminist regulation we'd like to pursue. Wanna have a female president someday? Well I wouldn't if she's allowed to go bat-shit crazy once a month. Wanna have equal job opportunities? Well she's gonna run the whole company to the ground during "that time," so I sure as hell don't think she should be in too high of power.
When you go to trial and think up a defense strategy, don't be a lazy little bioch. Either take responsibility or think of a real-deal case of why your actions are justifiable. Anything else is just embarrassing to yourself and women everywhere.
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