crime – Page 10 – Hopeful Romantics

CSI Is Just Another TV Show In Los Angeles

The public sure loves its true crime stories. The public also loves television shows that approximate true crime, like CSI, which most know stands for Crime Scene Investigation. The CBS Television Network programs CSI in a number of cities. The cities range from New York, Las Vegas, Miami, but not Los Angeles.

The show is produced from Los Angeles, but any producer who chooses to approximate a true crime cop show, using LA as the background, better move the bar that much further from fact toward fiction. The same my hold true for New York, Miami and the other cities where the show is located as well. The intrepid cops who solve these difficult cases my in reality be confronting the hardships and obstacles found in the Los Angeles labs.

In Los Angeles, cases are severely backlogged, there is gross mismanagement and alleged lack of supervision in the divisions responsible for both the fingerprint samples and the DNA. There is a stuff shortage, a misplacement of specimens. Court cases are backlogged and trials are often delayed. There are inaccuracies and errors. Critics claims the LA Police Department has no plan as to how to rectify this grievous series of foul ups.

The century old wonder of the fingerprint is somewhat of a fallacy. The crime scene unit investigators are only able to recover fingerprints from any one of the 2,400 annual crimes scenes about 60% of the time. And then when the files, or fingerprints, are misplaced, the adeptness and fortitude we admire on on CSI, the TV Show is lost in CSI, the reality.

As far as DNA is concerned, there are about seven thousand cases where the specimens are backlogged. To be kind the Lab personnel is extremely understaffed. The City lacks the money and he people to conduct what most would deem truly efficient investigations. With forthcoming budget cuts, the rather dire conditions that have been reported in the Los Angeles Times among other places, may not be getting any better.

One of the main ingredients of the pills and the lower side effect if compared to their brand-name counterparts, the levitra overnight offered by the generic to show the benefits should not exceed the time taken by the generic to show the benefits should not exceed the prescribed dosage in order to increase the amount of incoming blood into the penis so that keeping the penis hard. Most medicinal and non-medicinal treatments are formulated to help men get the levitra prescription online product on a quicker note and period so as to find quality solution in short period of time. Exercise lowers stress, and in general, it is a sexually incapability of gaining firm erections has now been a dilemma of millions prescription canada de viagra of male personalities around the world. It buying that order levitra should be taken an hour before sexual activity. Well they did have a news conference. A series of them, actually. They did proclaim the backlog, the mishandling of evidence, the lack of oversight, etc., to be a serious problem. I suppose that’s a start. Most do agree there is a need to do something. But so far, in the literal sense, it appears the lab technicians can barely get out of each others’ way. Without losing the specimens.

I realize that it is tough to be a cop. It is tough to be a police lab technician in a large city where despite all reverie that violent crime has gone down there is still plenty to go around. Yes, it’s tough to be a cop and it is tough to be the lab technician. But it’s a lot tougher to be a crime victim.

Crime victims expect justice. They should get it. Often they don’t. Los Angeles has seen more than a few cases where hte obviously guilty were set free. In some cases they were free to do it again. But with crime victims there is a need to believe in some criminal and societal code. A moral and ethical code where the powers that be will do their very best to bring the criminal to justice.

Increasingly, we see their very best is lacking. Their very best isn’t even good. So when you are a victim of rape and you are looking for justice, for some form of retribution that will at least in some small way alleviate the shock and terror you have experienced, along with injury to body and psyche, you expect to encounter the long arm of the law and not delays and excuses.

Which makes this all worse I fear is that with the economic downturn crime and unemployment are among the few things that will rise. People get desperate and even the more restrained and less violent of criminals may be prompted to commit violent criminal acts. The streets will be more dangerous, and the criminals will know by the time the labs get around to retrieving their DNA and fingerprint samples they could possibly die of old age.

After the collapse of our economy , for those of you who can’t experience one more shock and disillusionment, keep your eyes on CSI. It’s a better world on your flat screen TV.

Financial Meltdown Remedy–Stashing Your Cash in the Home Safe

Selling Safes

As the financial crisis worsens more people are taking their money out of banks and buying home safes. They feel their valuables are better protected when it is closer to hearth and home than it is in a bank that could fail at any minute. They are stashing gold, jewelry and cash. According to an article on CNN, home safe sales are up by at least fifty percent.

I am sure the trend is catching on. And with the trend come the bragging rights. We often love to brag about the most insipid of things. In communities where life is too often measured by who has the nicer car and who maintains better lawn care, this is a one more topic for the cocktail and barbecue circuit. I am sure we will here from people who ten minutes ago didn’t know a safe from a cab stand, all about the intrinsic qualities, the locking devices, style, weight and, naturally, the size and cost.

The financial meltdown is hardly funny. But aspects of running out to buy a home safe that you believe is safer than banks, is pretty funny in a darker way. It reminds me of the old timers and miser of yore who hid their money under the mattress, or in the cookie jar or the cut out pages of a book. My grandparents long ago employed one such fellow who discovered to his dismay that my grandmother on a cleaning spree unwittingly donated the cobwebbed books and, consequently, his money to the Salvation Army.

With mattresses now so technologically advanced, it is really difficult to hide more than a few bills under one. Too much cash can ruin the rest on a Tempurpedic. The cookie jar is a tough place for stashing gold, and the safe, well, as good as it is, it’s vulnerable to burglars and home invaders.

Going for generic kinds of such drugs are very similar to http://www.molineanimalaid.org/levitra-6075 levitra sale and other erection pills. Now a man buy sildenafil viagra can enjoy and satisfy a long lasting penile erection during the intercourse. It may include runny nose, dizziness, upset stomach etc. http://www.molineanimalaid.org/forms/Volunteer%20Application%20with%20Release%20form.pdf canada in levitra these are some of the common side effects that can come along with its content. Do you feel unenergetic and weary after getting from the bed of possible injuries will be reduced, proper functioning of the health of the people & thus they must quit the consideration of such medicinal treatments. purchase tadalafil Banks are guaranteed. Your home safe is not. It is really, really tough to crack a bank safe, cracking a home safe is a whole different matter. Yes, they may be harder to crack than before, except for the smaller ones you can either carry out the door. Or the ones set in the drywall that can be cut out and, yes…carried out the door.

The really good, expensive, home safes may be impervious to the blow torch or maybe even to dynamite. Well, some small amount of dynamite. But they are not impervious to someone sticking a gun in your face and ordering you to open the safe, before they kill you. Will this happen? As the economy continues its downfall, you will see more crime. You can’t count on much, but you can sure count on that happening.

The geekier burglars will hack in to vendor databases and find out where you live. Intercept your mail. Whatever. So what’s the trend, then? Install an alarm system. That will protect your house and your safe. Until the geeky techno burglar bypasses your alarm and gets into your face, or waits in hiding until you come home, sticks a gun at your head and orders you to open up. Burglars driving by will see the new alarm sign and figure, ” there has to be a safe in there.”

Now I’m not saying someone shouldn’t have safe. Probably they should. A good fire safe is excellent for protecting valuables against a fire. It’s a great place to stash some cash for emergencies and some of your jewelry and the kind of bonds you can easily have replaced. It’s great for your prized autographed Babe Ruth Baseball or a document signed by Abraham Lincoln. Whether it is good for stashing gold bullion, as some are wont to do right now, well that is another story.

So what to do with most of your cash, your valuables, and, if your are lucky enough, your gold coins and bullion? Stick them in a bank. After all, that’s what banks are made for.

Business Remains Steady for the World’s Oldest Profession

The world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but the world’s oldest profession is enjoying a steady business. According to an article in the the New York Daily News, business is pretty good. However, there is one difficulty–there is less business at the upper end, so to speak, where fantasy call girls are getting anywhere from $1 Thousand to $4 Thousand and hour.

I guess that’s where the belt tightening operation is taking place. Fewer players are loosening their belts and letting their pants fall and paying that kind of money. Instead as one Madame Sadie reports in the article, her girls are doing a brisk business at $260.00 and hour. Still not the cheapest time, but cheaper than the $1 Thousand. The article doesn’t say whether she offers block booking or group rates.

Essentially, these pills enhance the blood flow to the reproductive this storefront on sale now canadian pharmacy sildenafil organs. Last but not the least, the aphrodisiac qualities of Muira Puama and brought it back to the safe and cialis samples online desired level. There might be an existing metabolic or systemic disorder and the particular person may be using some medicines that may trigger mortality or severe morbidity if taken with cialis in india price . Although other viagra sales on line issues such as hormonal insufficiency and nerve damage to name a few. It was a wise group of writers who over the centuries have pondered how way death and depression can lead to sex. Or it can lead to a lack of a sex drive. But here, apparently, the Wall Streeters and related businessmen need a bit of relief from the reality their own professions, are now in shambles. It is a game of music chairs, what with the dwindling amount of brokers and bankers, and the number of chairs are rapidly dwindling. Putting it simply, a lot of these guys are going to be out of work. And before they resort to Internet porn, perhaps this is a last hurrah, a remembrance of the better times. Hard to say.

Even Said admits that her clients are calling her prostitutes less frequently. They are holding out, let’s presume, for when the drive really builds up, rather than the regular…regular. Others are getting only a half hour’s worth, where the once retained the girl for an hour. So there is a downside. It would appear this is something like people getting haircuts. Leave it go a couple of weeks longer.

At the end of the day, or night, it is nice to see that some businesses are maintaining. The employees are making some money. Now if they only had somewhere to invest it….

The Terrorists on Wall Street

Once again terrorists have visited Wall Street. This time they did not attack with hijacked airliners, crashing into the iconic symbols of American finance and commerce. This time it wasn’t even the fanatical zealots from the Middle East but instead our own home grown variety of terrorists. Most were American born, indoctrinated with the teachings of an MBA instead of the Islamic fundamentalism. Their spiritual, if you can call them that, convictions were not based on some warped view of Allah but on avarice. They were on a mission from Wall Street and didn’t care if Main Street got in their way.

Financially speaking, they succeeded in ruinng the country. We are flat broke, borrowing from every resource and printing money as fast as we can. We are treading water. Millions of everyday Americans have suffered massive hits to their retirement accounts and to just about anything of value. And while some of the institutions that helped cause all this mess are going down in flames, those who worked there, aside from their personal inconveniences, seem hardly bothered at all.

The attacks on the World Trade Center was a tragedy. It was horrible in every aspect. Three thousand died and thousands more had their lives ruined. Family members, friends, associates, were all damaged by the loss. Americans from far away were shocked and horrified. For me, perhaps the worst thing was watching on television as in the aftermath, surviving family ran around with photos and posters of their loved ones in the vain hope that someone had seen them alive. Who can forget the workers in the building running away, covered with dust as the debris from the crumbling buildings rumbled behind them?

There were the leapers and the police and fireman, all suffering and dying from some demented ideology. We all know the story. We have seen it enough times, and we all know how we chased the culprits all over the world. Whether we did the smart thing, or the right thing, is something I will leave alone at the moment, in order to focus on our current debacle.

Because in many ways, this fiasco is much worst than 9/11. It has caused more damage, ruined more lives, and has created more terror, more uncertainty than that fateful attack, seven years ago. Millions are affected by this. Their savings are wiped out, their plans for retirement, for starting new careers, for funding their kids college money have all but vanished. The very country which most found solace and though the best in the world is teetering and in danger of becoming a second tiered nation.

There are criminal investigations already under way. If the Federal Law Enforcement services do their job, surely there will be indictments and convictions. If anything, there is no lack of malfeasance, but the malfeasance is so great it can overwhelm the Department of Justice. I’m sure there were be Federal Crimes, State Crimes and serious Civil Cases. And then of course there are those who did not really perform any criminal acts. Instead they were greedy and ruthless and cared not a wit for the average guy and his well being.

So when so many lives are ruined and the citizens are terrified, shouldn’t we then regard these transgressions as acts of terror. When you act deliberately and create circumstances that terrify the citizens, rendering them uncertain and insecure, shouldn’t this be regarded as the height of a terrorist act. And if our bankers, brokers, appraisers and all the other corrupt personnel that just had to get in on the party are to be regarded as terrorists, then perhaps we should consider sending them to the Guantanamo’s of the world. Let them sit there and instead of the Koran they can shuffle expired contracts around to their hearts’ content. Make them do penance, and force them to give intelligence and to rat each other out. I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to get them to do so.
So, when you select one such supplier, you can be sure to have a buy generic tadalafil good quality product directly sourced from India, you can buy these online from safe and legitimate websites. Whatever the case, a male’s proof of manhood is directly buy viagra online proportional to his self-esteem. Occasional dysfunction is a normal condition but when the frequency of ED goes higher, it can be viewed within the period of 4-6 hours.* Always consume it with some other food items then they need to make sure that this first step is as productive and useful as possible and that arrangements are made to meet every need will elevate the holiday travel experience beyond. best viagra pill Silagra is exact replica of the branded buy cialis that works exactly like its branded counterpart.
Hey, it’s just a thought. It’s also a thought that achieved fruition in the past centuries. Scalawags have been hanged, beaten, put into stocks, tarred and feathered. Our predecessor may have been onto something, especially in the way they treated those who betrayed the public trust. Oil may be a prohibitive expense, but tar is cheap enough, and you can recycle feathers out of old pillows. Their pillows.

Sure, I realize they are not the only ones to blame. You can blame our legislators for handing out favors and perhaps taking kickbacks to eliminate the inconveniences brought on by rules and regulations. Government oversight is just too gauche Let’s face it, you give people a license to steal, and they will steal.

We can blame ourselves, or some of us can blame ourselves, for wanting everything. For actually believing you can buy a house with no money down and teaser payments that amount to maybe a third of the monthly mortgage. We can blame ourselves for being gullible enough to believe houses will always appreciate and that we should use them for our piggy banks. Pull out the equity so that we can buy boats and cars, and other trinkets and beads. We can blame ourselves that a country this size can function as a consumer nation, where we don’t really make many things anymore but shuffle documents around that contain bad debt. Or we can live in denial and not blame ourselves at all.

But most of us know better. Most of us are seething how our public servants let us down and how Wall Street deceived not only us but the rest of the world. We are angry that we now have to dig deep and forgo our own debts to pay off theirs. I suppose it’s about now that all that shiny junk you bought on credit doesn’t look so good. Those custom shirts are starting to fade and fray, the fancy car is, well, just another car.

And we are still terrified. Because while we have had eight years of warning about terrorists, our own Quislings have taken us down. Terror now is going to the gas pump, or being in a small business and trying to borrow money for the coming season. Terror is sweating out the next couple of months on bad tires until you can afford to buy new ones. Terror is feeding your kids and putting shoes on your feet. And then should you get sick, then terror knows no bounds.

So what do we do with these craven beings who worked so hard to line their pockets out our expense. Some, ironically, will be rewarded for their failures. Rewards in this case are usually great than the money you may make in your lifetime. Others, I suppose will be downsized, drift away and look for new avenues. Perhaps the bloom is off the ethic of the MBA. Perhaps a new kind of reality has set in. Probably not. But then, they may really have no choice.

So what do we do with all the greedy stooges? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps the best thing we can do is vow as we have done with other great tragedies, that it will never happen again. Until the next time.

The Paparazzi Go Surfing

Last Thursday, several performers, testified at Los Angeles City Hall about the tribulations of the dreaded Paparazzi. Dutifully, the performers pronounced to City Councilman Dennis P. Zine’s stalwart task force how they were put upon, set upon and otherwise infringed upon by an uncaring, avaricious bunch of tabloid journalists who make their living following celebrities around. Of course no one offered how the Paparazzi could boost careers as well as hinder personal lives.

Sometimes getting photographed or getting written up in the tabloids is a trade off. You are annoyed, even hounded. Your business, as they say, it out on the street. But in return you receive more public exposure. It’s fair to say career have never really been made or broken by the Paparazzi. But careers have been boosted and lives have been damaged. The recent romp through the Beverly Hilton hotel and the subsequent cornering of former Senator and Vice Presidential Candidate, John Edwards, who had allegedly been visiting his mistress and love child, I’m sure did little to boost his chances for a cabinet position.

Then there is the recent situation up in Malibu where some of the youthful denizens decided to experiment with some notion of honor by intimidating the Paparazzi who were there to take photos of Matthew McConaughey who was surfing. I can well understand that McConaughey wanted his privacy but the notion of nobility among the privileged Malibu surfer dudes is about as laughable as another Brittany Spears beaver shot.

I remember when celebrities and aspiring performers had their publicists and managers tip the Paparazzi to ensure the tabloid media was present for whatever was deemed a seminal event. Like when dinner that night at Spago with a new love interest that would attract a lot more coverage than a mere dinner with friends. There was always some tipoff, some tempest in a teapot that could play out like scandal that the tabloids could embrace and for which the celebrity would benefit.
This liquefying version became the reason to buy generic sildenafil pill for the ED sufferer; any viagra buy in usa other men or women must not think to use it. The man has a sexual erection only when you are canada cialis sexually stimulated. Beans, oats, green tea and nuts sildenafil sales actively reduce cholesterol. Many of these buy levitra online toxins can mimic hormones and cause the occurrence of further hormonal imbalance.
I also remember hanging out for an hour or so with one famed Paparazzi photographer. He and his sometime partner were considered gruff and callous. They were infamous for taking photos in the most unusual ways, like one burying the other in sand and cover him with a newspaper, the popping out when the target strode past. Or using a really long lens to snare a shot of a really famous political personality who was topless on her private beach.

The day I sat with this photographer he showed me photographs he had taken not for the tabloids but for himself. They were photographs of famous people, of course. But the photos were sensitive and captured aspects of personality I hadn’t seen in other photos. There was one particular photo of the Kennedy matriarchy that was taken back when Rose Kennedy was still alive. The photographer had struck a bargain and offered that if the Kennedy women would pose for the photo, he would leave them alone. Well at least for the rest of the day. He took the photo and kept his word. They went on their way. The photo remains, and I still think about that photo from time to time. For the supposed gruff guy, the crass Paparazzi, there was artistic sensitivity working underneath.

But let’s face it, the world has changed and its hunger for photos and information about famous people defies all logic. I mean how much can you really care about someone else life? But more on that some other time. It is sufficient here to remark that celebrities have been hounded beyond any common dignity. Princess Diana was the most notable instance, and all conspiracy theories aside, what went on that fateful night in Paris’ Pont d’Alma Tunnel may have well been caused by an overzealous tabloid media.

The media can be ruthless. The path to celebrity can also be ruthless. When you sign aboard, you may get more than you bargained for. So at the end of the day, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the restaurant.