Self-taught expert, Dr. Charles Smith
Dr. Charles Smith had sat in on several criminal cases as an expert in pediatric forensics. He gave his testimonies. Testimonies which have now been reviewed as wrongful. Testimonies which sent innocent people, parents, to jail. And now many more of his cases are being reviewed. For God sakes, hopefully all of them.
“It was self-taught, it was minimal, and retrospectively I realize it was woefully inadequate.” That was Dr. Charles Smith’s statement on his training as a pediatric forensic pathologist. Now, my question is, how the hell did he make it through 30 years in that profession? Who the hell hired him and what does this say about the rest of the pediatric forensic pathologists in this country?
Dr. Charles Smith had also admitted that he “had a thing” against people that hurt children and that he assumed his role was to “support the Crown attorney” during those cases. Wow. As if the justice system wasn’t fucked up enough. Now their ‘experts’ have been proven to be biased and completely ignorant of the way the system works.
Since the public inquiry, many of the cases in which Dr. Charles Smith played a key role in have been deemed wrong. Here are a few examples…
William Mullins-Johnson was convicted of the first-degree murder of his 4 year old niece in 1993. Smith testified she was anally raped and suffocated. Other experts found no such evidence and concluded she died of natural causes.
Louise Reynolds was charged with killing her 7 year old daughter in 1997. Smith testified that the little girl had been stabbed 80 times with a scissors. Other pathologists concluded the girl was mauled by a do.
Brenda Waudby was charged with beating her 21 month old daughter to death in 1997. A pubic hair was found in her groin which went missing. Case was withdrawn after other experts concluded that the baby-sitter, who later admitted it, had killed the child. That pubic hair was later found in Dr. Smith’s desk drawer.
Sadly, he’ll probably get a slap on the wrist and retire with his full pension in tact. Go Canadian Justice!!
Animal Cruelty
Any practitioners or supporters of this kind of terrible evil deserve to endure a long and tormenting death. Something to the degree of being beaten with random objects to the point of near death only to be revived and have the process repeated to them over and over and over again.
I don’t dare go into detail of any stories that I have heard concerning animal cruelty. It would only make me even more furious than I already am as I write this post. I couldn’t even look at the pictures that popped up when I googled ‘Animal Cruelty’ for an image for this post; that’s why I decided to post the cute picture instead.
I will, however, say that one of the stories involve a handful of young burglars, a microwave, and the unfortunate family cat. There was also an incident that occurred to a friend of mine that also involved her house getting broken into. She came home to find her pet Pug trembling in the kitchen corner. The saddest part is that my friend locked her Pug in her kennel before leaving the house that morning. Meaning the burglar or burglars went through the trouble of taking the dog out of her kennel to do whatever it was they did to her. Bunch of fucking tough guys, huh? Man, what I would give to have 10 fucking minutes in a room with those cock suckers.
What possesses people to do such cruel things to such innocent creatures? I mean, how fucked up does your upbringing have to be to even brainstorm the idea of performing something so twisted. All I know is that I consider my dog as a family member; as I’m sure many of you do. And, if anybody did anything that sick and callous to my dog I would probably be going to jail for murder.
Blockbuster: No Late Fees
What a giant load of shit. Those of you who’ve rented from Blockbuster lately might know what I’m referring to. Yes, there are no longer late fees, but Blockbuster did introduce something called a “Re-stocking Fee“. You are charged this new re-stocking fee if you don’t return your movie or game within a week of the initial due date. Basically, it’s a late fee under a different name.
The really shitty thing is that they also seem to have jacked up the price for rentals. New release movies are just under $6 to rent while XBox 360, PS3, and Wii games are almost 10 fucking dollars per rental. That’s absolutely ridiculous. Every video game is now a huge cash cow for them; they rent it out 3 times and they’ve made their money back on it already. That, of course, is assuming they get these games for a far cheaper rate than us consumers; which I’m pretty sure they do.
Fine. In that case, any time I rent a video game I’ll be sure to keep it for as long as possible just to get my money’s worth. They give you that extra 8 days past the due date and then they start calling you. But you get another 30 days after that to return it before you are forced to ‘purchase’ the game at the retail price. That means you can keep it 38 days past the due date and only get charged the $1.75 re-stocking fee. Now that sounds like a good fucking deal to me.
Cloverfield Spoiler Review
I love how they hyped this film up. The previews of Cloverfield kept everybody guessing what the hell the movie was about in the first place. Possible World War III? A meteor strike? Another Godzilla remake? Mysterious, indeed; I don’t think they even published the name of the movie until one of the later trailers.
In Cloverfield, the entire movie was basically through the lens of an amateur video. A video shot by a civilian who experienced the event first hand. Think the original Blair Witch Project. A lot of shakiness and out of focusness (is that even a word). A lot of running with the camera and video feed cutting in and out. Great for believability.
Another factor that helps the viewer believe what they’re actually watching is the fact that the cast is a bunch of unknowns. And don’t get me wrong, the acting was great. It’s just that this movie wouldn’t have been as effective if Mel Gibson and Angelina Jolie played a role.
The mystery of Cloverfield isn’t really answered in the movie. We know that some giant creature that “drops” smaller creatures attacks Manhattan. And, we know that the U.S. military was forced to bomb the shit out of the city in an attempt to kill it. But, that’s about all that we know. Questions such as, ‘Where did the creature come from‘, ‘Were they successful in killing it‘, and ‘Was this an isolated incident in Manhattan‘ are never answered.
Besides the slow and somewhat boring beginning, Cloverfield was packed with a lot of action and suspense. The writers tried to add some romantic back drop to the movie but I thought it was pretty pointless. I expected a lot more in an ending for this movie. But it was a very simple ending.
The Deal With Pajamas in Public
I don’t get it. When did wearing your pajama bottoms in the public become a fashion trend? I think it looks absolutely ridiculous yet I’m seeing it everywhere I go. I first started seeing it in places like the convenience store and blockbuster. I thought nothing of it as these stores are places where you’re in and out in a hurry anyway. Whatever.
Recently, however, I’ve seen this choice of clothing at the mall, grocery store, and even the bloody airport. The airport for god sakes!! What’s next? Pajama bottoms at restaurants? Sunday Mass, maybe? Seriously folks, where exactly is fashion headed? And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for comfort. But don’t you think this is going a bit too far?
Vending Machine or VLT Machine
During work a few days ago, I decided to grab a bag of chips from the workplace vending machine. I throw in my $1.35 and press A8 for the Fritos Corn Chips that I was craving. There was a beep and the machine display showed the price. Hmm. I tried again and the same thing happened; no chips, just a beep and price display. Fucking machine! I was still craving the chips and the piece of shit just ate the last of my change.
I looked up above the display and there was a sticker with a phone number. It read something to the degree of, “Call this number if you’re not satisfied with our service.” Fucking rights I’m not satisfied; your ’service’ just ate my fucking money. It went in and out like a goddamn VLT machine; at least when I play em. Did I call the number? Nope; the way I see it, it’s just not worth my time for $1.35.
I mean, what are they gonna do? They gonna send someone to deliver me a bag of Fritos Corn Chips within the rest of my 15 minute break? Nope. They’re probably gonna send me a check or coupon for $1.35 which will arrive 2 weeks later. What good is that gonna do me 2 weeks later? I want the fucking thing now.
Anyway, this afternoon a co-worker of mine was telling me how that same machine ate his money earlier in the day. I asked him if he called the number and he had the same response I did; not worth the hassle and time for the small change.
That brings me to the question; how many people call that number for a refund? I know of maybe 2 instances where somebody actually did that. Out of the hundred or so times that I’ve heard stories of vending machines eating money that’s a horrible percentage. Of course, not for the company that owns it; they got free money over 98% of the time. I, alone, have probably lost about $20 to those machines. And, I’m sure they won’t be devising a better way to fix this any time soon. Bastards.
Yet Another Car Accident
This morning, on my way to work, I was stopped at a stop sign when I was rear ended by a sliding car. It was nothing major; nobody was injured and there was no visible damage to the involved vehicles. We did swap the necessary information in case anything was to come of this but all in all it was just an inconvenience. And surprisingly, I didn’t get angry. It did, however, spark a trip down memory lane. Specifically the events that resulted in my car being banged up.
For instance, last fall there was a big hail storm that swept the city. I remember that night because it set off the fire alarms in my apartment block somehow. Anyway, my car ended up with over 2 grand in hail damage.
In winter of 2006, I was driving on the highway one night and a deer ran in front of my path. Actually, it wasn’t exactly running. It was just stopped there in the middle of the road. I put on the brakes but it did no good as I slammed into the poor animal. I remember the deer running into the nearby woods where I assumed it died of the injuries. I’m assuming that it died because of the noises it was making; it wasn’t pretty but it sure was loud. My car was totaled.
A couple of months before that happened, my car was the victim of a hit and run. I was at a buddy’s place and I had to park my car a block away. A drunk driver ended up nailing the front end of my car with his truck and then taking off. One of my friends who was outside having a smoke saw the whole thing but didn’t realize that it was my car until the truck took off. The fucking asshole was never caught and I was left to pay my deductible. There was $1,300 in damages.
During the winter of 2003 I was involved in a 3 car accident. My car was in the middle. It began by my car getting T-boned by yet another car that slid through a stop sign. Only this time I was hit hard; hard enough to send me flying 2 lanes down where I was hit by a van. I was taken to the hospital by my friends who happened to drive by and recognized my car. I was fine; just a headache for a couple of days. But my car sure wasn’t. I remember the passenger side was completely caved in and the rear bumper was decimated. Needless to say, that car never drove again.
I’ve also had my car stolen once and broken into twice but those stories deserve a post of their own.
Enduring the Winter
The cold in my parts have begun to sneak at the -30°C. In event of this I decided to post a quick list to help you endure the chilling effects of these winter months.
- Cover your head. Over half your body heat escapes through your head so make sure to cover that area.
- Let your hands breathe. If your gloves are too tight, they will limit the blood flow which prevents your hands from warming up.
- Same with your feet. Be careful not to wear too many layers of socks or tighten your laces too much as this will constrict blood flow as well.
- Steer clear from cotton. Stick with wool as cotton doesn’t insulate very well when you begin to sweat.
- Adjust your schedule. Keep in mind that it always, always takes longer to get anywhere during the winter.
- Stay hydrated. Your body uses up more energy when it’s cold outside so keep yourself fueled.
- But sober. My least favorite tip but the alcohol thins your blood making it tougher for your body to stay warm.
- Be ready. I always make sure to have a shovel, flashlight, and jumper cables in the trunk of my car.
- Beware of black ice. A safe rule of thumb is to always assume that the ground you’re walking or driving on is slippery.
- Lessen your stride. Avoid slips by reducing the gap in your stride. This will help you keep your balance in the event that you lose your footing.
- Don’t forget sunscreen. It’s not just for the summer. The sun reflecting of off ice or snow can still result in burning.
There you have it. Some quick tips from Frank to help you endure the winter. And trust me, I know what I’m talking about; I’m Canadian.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets Spoiler Review
I’ll start by saying how much I enjoyed the first installment of National Treasure. It’s plot and storyline were reminiscent of the novels by Dan Brown; author of “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons”. It contained a lot of interesting theories with a lot of specifics to back it up; made it believable.
All the original actors returned for the sequel but unfortunately the cast and their witty ways were the only things that were comparable to the earlier movie. National Treasure: Book of Secrets didn’t pack the same punch as the first. They probably should have chosen a different title as well. “Book of Secrets” is deceiving as the movie had little to do with the book itself. Sure, the book was necessary in finding the treasure, but so was every other clue. The overall plotline was weak; the treasure hunt was completely irrelevant to the discovery that started the whole journey to begin with.
It started with the unveiling of a 140 year old piece of paper which contained the names of the co-conspirators of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Among those names was the grandfather of Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage); this began the search to clear his family name. The way they went about it? They solved a cryptic message on the other side of the paper which ultimately led them to the lost city of gold. How did that clear his great grandfather’s name? Fuck if I know, but it did; the President said so.
The puzzles and riddles in this one weren’t as well thought out as in the first. The solutions were questionable in terms of how one would arrive at those answers with the speed that they displayed in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Even for someone such as Ben Gates the riddles and puzzles throughout the movie would have taken some time to figure out.
A lot of the antics in this one were also very far-fetched. They very easily hacked the security system and ditched the guards at Buckingham Palace. They somehow got access to the Oval Office. They pulled off a ridiculous 15 minute car chase in the middle of London without any police attempting to intervene or catch them after the fact. And, oh yes, they kidnapped the President of the United States in an unbelievably effortless caper.
All in all, this movie was a major disappointment. At least it had its funny moments and well casted crew. Hopefully the third one will be better as this has the potential to be an entertaining movie series.
The Canadian Tire Promo Card
I was going through the flyers today; something I enjoy doing while I’m in the can. I picked up the Canadian Tire flyer and saw the heading “$25 Promo Card”. It sparked my interest so I read on. Basically, it states that if you ‘defer’ a store payment of over $200 to your Canadian Tire options mastercard, they will give you 6 months of no payment and no interest. On top of that, they will give you a $25 Promo Card; a gift card in nature. Pretty good deal, huh?
Not really. I read the fine print and it says that their is a $25 administration fee to use this service. Pretty fucking stupid, I thought. Borderline scam if I may say so. I mean, yes you get a $25 gift card. But, you have to pay $25 to receive it. So, essentially you’re not getting anything for free here.
For those of you who think that this is still an okay deal since you’re still getting the 6 months of no payments or interest. I guess I should also add that this offer is valid until February 1st, 2008 and the Promo Card expires February 22, 2008. Which means that if you don’t spend the $25 promo card on time, you lose it. Along with your $25 administration fee. Meaning the 6 months are not free; it cost you 25 bucks. That equals over %12 of your bill if it was $200. I don’t know about you folks but I think that a %12 loan cost over 6 months is pretty friggin pricey; more than the interest on most credit cards.
In conclusion, don’t take this deal unless you are sure you can spend that $25 promo card on time. By the way, there’s a reason they’re calling this a Promo Card: it’s illegal to have an expiration date on Gift Cards.