When we watch TV, go to the movies, or attend concerts (admittedly before Covid), we enjoy watching our favorite stars. But despite being role models for millions, celebrities sometimes break the law. The justice system's credibility then takes a hit when it all too often looks the other way. Of course, stars weaken the justice system's credibility because of their talent, charm, good looks, or wealth which shines so bright it often dazzles judges and juries. When judges and … [Read more...]
Settlement in James Franco’s Sex Misconduct case
I've followed a celeb who graduated from my high school for some years now. James Franco's been impressive. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2011, and has studied and shown promise as a filmmaker, writer, and painter.** These fields, except for acting, have been fields I've explored. And Franco's been involved with three universities I've attended - UCLA, Yale, and Columbia. Needless to say, he's intrigued me. But when he got into … [Read more...]
Crim Justice Reform +’s, -‘s, unintended consequences
We heard from both sides of certain 2020's crim justice reform issues last Monday. Below are a couple of samples of the pros and cons of parole reform, one of the many controversial reforms proposed nationwide.After that, I've included an example of what reformers must consider when proposing and implementing reforms. The example pertains to bail reform, something that shares characteristics with parole reform. The comments and video describe an unintended consequence of bail reform in the … [Read more...]
Popular Culture and True Crime – Tutorial III – Why women are such true crime fans.
As part of our series on Popular Culture and True Crime, our final tutorial looks at why women seem such devoted true crime fans. Tutorials I and II dealt with the fascination with serial killer trading cards and murderabilia (the collection of mementos), respectively. While I've written about crime all my life, I wouldn't call myself a true crime fan. In fact, I'm new to podcasts and true crime radio and I rarely have time for true crime stories on TV. Writing's pretty time … [Read more...]
Actress Loughlin Sentence – only 2 Months, a fine & community service.
Photo: Steven Senne, AP Loughlin & hubby sentenced to 2 and 5 mos. A judge formalized Lori Loughlin and her husband's lenient plea bargain Friday. As noted in another blog , they got "Justice Lite" as frequently happens with celeb offenders. Actress Loughlin Sentence. Loughlin was shown to have been less involved in the family's college cheating scandal. Thus, she got less time and a smaller fine than her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli. The famous … [Read more...]
White Privilege and BLM (Black Lives Matter) – explained.
White privilege and BLM collided a couple of days ago. President Donald Trump's home and signature building, Trump Tower, got tagged. None other than Democrat Mayor of New York City, Bill deBlasio (tall guy in blue shirt below), helped paint Black Lives Matter on the street in front of Trump's home. Republicans thought the tag job was bush league, but Democrats felt it wonderful that what started in Washington, D.C. a while back had made it to Trump's … [Read more...]
Crime – Car repair fraud – Tutorial for all of us & True-Crime Writers.
As I've noted in prior blogs, there's all manner of fraud abroad in the land.* True crime fans and writers might want to bone up on car repair fraud. Most of us lucky enough to own vehicles have experienced such fraud. Thus many readers can relate to it. And car repair fraud sometimes has a "wow" factor that writers strive for. Car repair fraud can even be elegant in its simplicity as the video below shows. A trend in writing true-crime stories is to make criminals so clever and resourceful … [Read more...]