FBI — STAO - Press Room - Headline Archives 07-31-09
07/31/09
Finding patterns among enormous amounts of related data exchanged among suspects is a huge challenge. But instead of wading through vast lists of such data in a traditional text-based way, such as in a spreadsheet, STAO created a cutting-edge visual solution called FANTOM that allows agents and analysts to examine connections visually in three dimensions.
When our agents are on the trail of suspected terrorists, with appropriate legal approval they can gain access to suspects’ e-mail, telephone calls, text messages, and even computer hard drives.
But after we collect what can amount to millions of pieces of digital data, what happens next? How can all that raw intelligence be organized, analyzed, and shared to help stop a terrorist plot before it’s too late?
The answer to those questions can be found within our Special Technologies & Applications Office (STAO). In the high stakes arena of national security, STAO is one of our most technologically advanced players. Using custom-designed tools and applications that are so innovative they are sometimes beyond state of the art, STAO’s specialty is teasing out critical information—a hidden video file on a hard drive, a key connection among tens of thousands of e-mails—from almost any form of electronic media. Where digital evidence is concerned, STAO Section Chief Christopher “Todd” Doss explained, “we find the needle in the haystack.”
Created in the late 1990s and dramatically enhanced as a result of 9/11, the office consists of more than 200 people with expertise in various digital disciplines. And in addition to Bureau personnel, the team collaborates with some of the brightest computer scientists from private industry, academia, and other government agencies.
The primary goal of STAO is to provide investigators with tools to manage and analyze large volumes of digital intelligence, and to “cross-correlate” that information so it’s available not only to FBI personnel all over the world but also to our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities. Is a piece of data from a cell phone in Southeast Asia linked to a terrorism case in Seattle? STAO applications can help connect the dots.
Some of STAO’s capabilities include:
“The bottom line,” said one STAO official, “is that our office helps the Bureau and others do their jobs. And whenever we can help catch the bad guy on the criminal side, or provide intelligence on the counterterrorism side, that’s what we’re here for.”
July 31, 2009
FBI — STAO created a cutting-edge visual solution called FANTOM
JK Wedding Dance Leads to Unexpected Divorce [VIDEO]
The “JK Wedding Dance” video has proved so popular that more than 12 million watched the viral hit in 10 days, the couple has appeared on the Today Show, and the featured song was near the top of the iTunes most purchased list. Now, College Humor is ready to eat their slice of the fruitful wedding cake as well.JK Wedding Dance Leads to Unexpected Divorce [VIDEO]Instead of a wedding dance, College Humor has fast-forwarded to the future with a video from Jill and Kevin’s last day. “Unexpected Divorce Intro” is in the same style of the original hit, but with a dancing divorce party as part of College Humor’s mock rendition of the couple’s divorce proceedings. Complete with a judge rocking out to Chris Brown’s Forever, the video is a must watch and will likely became just as meme-worthy as the original.
We still like the original best, but “Unexpected Divorce Intro” is certainly entertaining in its own right. Let us know what you think of the mock divorce proceedings in the comments
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Press Release
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Press ReleaseFBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending July 31, 2009
1. Charlotte: Seven Charged with Terrorism Violations in North Carolina
Seven individuals have been charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad. The indictment alleges that the defendants prepared themselves to engage in violent jihad and were willing to die as martyrs. They also allegedly offered training in weapons and financing, and helped arrange overseas travel and contacts so others could wage violent jihad overseas. Full Story
2. Washington Field Office: James Von Brunn Indicted for Attack on the Holocaust Memorial Museum
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a seven-count indictment charging James Wenneker Von Brunn, 89, of Annapolis, Md., with the murder of Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns and related hate crime and gun charges for his alleged attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on June 10, 2009. Full Story
3. Buffalo: FBI Announces Arrests involving an Illegal Narcotics Trafficking Organization
Twenty-two federal arrest warrants and 15 federal search warrants were executed in connection with an illegal narcotics trafficking organization. As evidenced by the locations of the search warrants, this was a wide ranging drug trafficking operation that reached across Erie and Niagara County borders into neighboring communities. Law enforcement officers seized 14 weapons, illegal drugs including cocaine and marijuana, $15,000 in cash, and approximately 10 vehicles. Full Story
4. Houston: Medicare Fraud Strike Force Operations Lead to Charges Against 32 Doctors and Health Care Executives
Thirty-two people have been indicted for schemes to submit more than $16 million in false Medicare claims in the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force in Houston is the fourth phase of a targeted criminal, civil, and administrative effort against individuals and health care companies that fraudulently bill the Medicare program. Full Story
5. Newark: Six Mortgage Industry Insiders Charged by FBI and IRS
Daniel Verdia, Don Apolito, Jaye Miller, and Chrystal Paling were arrested and Robert Gorman and Philip Blanch surrendered in connection with a mortgage fraud scam operated out of an office in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. The six defendants are each charged with one count of wire fraud, in a joint investigation between the FBI and IRS titled “Operation Follow The Money.” Full Story
6. Miami: Forty-One Defendants Charged in Separate Fraudulent Mortgage Schemes
Forty-one defendants were charged on July 28, 2009, in six separate cases, resulting in more than $40 million in fraudulent loans. The cases reaffirm the joint federal and local commitment to crack-down on mortgage fraud perpetrators in South Florida. Full Story
7. Detroit: Fourteen Motorcycle Gang Leaders and Members Plead Guilty to Violent Crime, Drug and Firearms Charges
Fourteen members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club pled guilty in Detroit to charges including violent crimes in aid of racketeering, illegal drug distribution and firearms violations. The guilty pleas included leaders, members and gang associates of Outlaws’ chapters in Fort Wayne, Ind., Indianapolis, and areas of Detroit. Full Story
8. New Orleans: Illegal Aliens Arrested on Wire Fraud Charges
Jalla Pierre Emanuel and Jackson Ntone Ndemba, citizens of the Republic of Cameroon, were arrested and charged by a criminal complaint with conspiracy and wire fraud. According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Emanuel and Ndemba fraudulently represented that they could produce two counterfeit bills utilizing one real bill. Full Story
9. Washington Field Office: Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Participating in Scheme to Steal Fuel from U.S. Army in Iraq
Michel Jamil, 59, pled guilty on July 27, 2009, in a scheme to steal fuel worth approximately $39.6 million from the U.S. Army in Iraq. In his guilty plea, Jamil admitted that in March 2007, he and two of his co-conspirators arranged for the creation of a false Memorandum for Record (MFR) authorizing individuals to draw fuel from the Victory Bulk Fuel Point (VBFP), Camp Liberty, Iraq, purportedly on behalf of a company serving as a contractor to the U.S. government. Full Story
10. Kansas City: Wyoming Man Pleads Guilty to Buying Fake Diplomatic Identification
Blake W. Bestol of Cheyenne, Wyoming, a man with connections to the sovereign citizen movement, pled guilty in federal court to buying fraudulent diplomatic credentials. Bestol obtained an identification card that purported to be diplomatic identification and carried the title of “Ambassador” next to his name. Full Story
Dr. 'Nick' Nichopoulos Interview: Elvis - Dr. Murray - Drugs - Jul 29, 2009
FOLLOW @mrjyn http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn FOR MORE ELVIS, MICHAEL JACKSON, NICHOPOULOS BREAKING NEWS AND VIDEO!
Jul 29, 2009 6:07 pm US/Eastern
Doc Shares Tales Of Elvis' Drug Use
Video Shows Star Struggle To Focus Onstage
Elvis' Personal Doctor Talks Drugs and the King of Rock 'n' Roll Tonight Insider footage of Elvis Presley just six weeks before his death -- drenched in sweat, slurring his words onstage during a performance; backstage he seemed out of it, bloated and exhausted. Now, we're with the King of Rock 'n' Roll's personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, who reveals the story behind that footage for the first time ever.
"The problem at that time was that he had been given some medication to help him sleep, and one of the side effects is that it will drop your blood pressure down," says Dr. Nick, who gave Elvis the pills that made him slur his words. The author of "The King and Dr. Nick: What Really Happened to Elvis and Me" in stores February 2010, says, "Unfortunately, there's not a drug that treats everything; each medical problem needs its own medication."
The incredible footage comes from the new DVD "This is Elvis," in stores now. Many people have compared Elvis' death to Michael Jackson's, and Dr. Nick says of Jackson's own personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, now the focus of a police investigation, "I'm sure he's running scared."
Watch "The Insider" for more! An exclusive "Insider" video made six weeks before Elvis Presley's death shows the singer drenched in sweat and slurring his words onstage during a performance. The King of Rock 'n' Roll's personal physician says Elvis Presley was badly affected by the mix of drugs the star used to control his life, a mix suspected in the death of later-era superstar Michael Jackson.
Dr. George Nichopoulos spoke to "The Insider" about video footage made six weeks before Elvis' death that shows the singer drenched in sweat and slurring his words onstage during a performance.
Backstage he seemed out of it, bloated and exhausted, said Nichopoulos, known also as Dr. Nick.
"The problem at that time was that he had been given some medication to help him sleep, and one of the side effects is that it will drop your blood pressure down," says Dr. Nick, who gave Elvis the pills that made him slur his words. What Really Happened to Elvis and Me'
Dr. 'Nick' Nichopoulos Talks About Elvis - Dr. Murray - 'The King and Dr. Nick'
The author of, says, "Unfortunately, there's not a drug that treats everything; each medical problem needs its own medication." The incredible footage comes from the new DVD "This is Elvis," in stores now. Many people have compared Elvis' death to Michael Jackson's, and Dr. Nick says of Jackson's own personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, now the focus of a police investigation, "I'm sure he's running scared." The Los Angeles County coroner's office says release of Michael Jackson's autopsy results will be delayed. Coroner's officials had said they were going to release the results this week but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Wednesday the announcement will probably not come until next week.
Winter did not discuss reasons for the delay, saying only that his office needed to "finish up a bunch of stuff," reports CBS News. It was reported earlier Wednesday that prescription drugs prescribed or sold to Jackson were obtained with the use of as many as 19 aliases, the attorney for Jackson's doctor says.
Beer Summit: Obama - Crowley - Gates
Ale to the Chief: "The money shot was about 40 seconds of shaky pool video—captured from a sterile distance of 50 feet away—first of a butler carrying a silver tray of steins across a manicured lawn, then of the president and the vice president in breezy shirtsleeves, and the professor and the cop in formal dark suits, seated at a round white patio table, with the steins placed in front of them."--LG
FOLLOW NICHOPOULOUZO @mrjyn http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn FREE BEER TOMORROW~
After all the hype for Thursdays White House Beer Summit—the cheesy countdown clocks, the silly panel discussions, CNNs arguably insane segment featuring a crazed schematic of the Rose Garden get-together—the actual event was letdown.
Chris Matthews found it impossible not to compare the meeting to Bill Clintons historic White House ceremony between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin. Even through beer goggles, the reality could never have matched the buildup—which was stoked earlier in the day by a presidential photo-op during which Barack Obama affected to be fascinated with the fascination about this evening.
The president added: Its a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys, just three folks having a drink at the end of the day. Obama and Joe Biden grinned genially, leaned back, and popped nuts into their mouths. Harvard academic Henry Louis Skip Gates Jr. and Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley, on the far side of the table and a safe distance from each other, sat ramrod-straight and unsmiling. All that could be heard was the whirring of cameras and some muffled muttering, as the president sipped his beer, then downed a mouthful of nuts, then laughed at something, then wiped his hand on his trousers. At one point he and Gates clinked steins. Biden didnt seem interested in his nonalcoholic suds. Sgt. Crowley raised his beer to his lips and gulped, as Professor Gates lectured and gestured.
Thank you! barked a White House aide, and then the pool was briskly ushered out of range. Im pretty unimpressed, Wendell, Fox complained to White House correspondent. Im pretty unimpressed, too, Goler said.
Compared to its two rivals, Foxs coverage was succinct and predictably sour. Patronizing, condescending, insufferable, Fox said of Obama. Otherwise, Im sure hes a nice guy. I give President Obama a huge amount of credit for caring about Vice President Biden.
And so the Teachable Moment ended—not with a bang but with a whimper of post-game analysis, on and on, into the night. A watchable moment that inevitably morphed into an unwatchable eternity. CNN owned this story—but not always in a good way. In its pre-game coverage presided earnestly in front of a multi-screen display showing live shots of various locations on the White House grounds—including a bunch of photographers doing nothing in the Briefing Room, an inert structure labeled Fence, and an otherwise unidentifiable wall labeled West Wing , complete with high-tech video pullouts, of how White House officials changed the venue of the Oktoberfest from the picnic table by the playground equipment on the South Lawn to the smaller table in the Rose Garden. FOX encouraged domestic Beerbohm to complain that the president, in choosing Bud Light as his brew, was actually celebrating a Belgian-owned company. NBC speculated that Biden would be praising Gates as clean and articulate. Matthews did a live opening segment replete with assessments of body language and facial expressions, and found it impossible not to compare the meeting to Bill Clintons historic White House ceremony between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.
Sgt. Crowleys televised news conference at AFL-CIO headquarters: This supposedly media-innocent cop was thoughtful, relaxed, and even humorous before the cameras as he announced that he and the professor were planning to meet again. Do you know where youre meeting? a reporter asked.
I do, Crowley answered with a tiny grin.
Can you tell us? the reporter pressed.
No! Crowley shot back—getting rewarded with a roar of laughter.
Afterward CNN marveled: He sounded at points like a politician.
Politicos agreed: NBC bureau chief chimed in: A star is born.
But Matthews came up with a metaphor befitting the strange excess of the night: Weve got another Susan Boyle here.
Hype, Hops, and a Hangover - The Daily Beast
Hype, Hops, and a Hangover
Even through beer goggles, The Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove writes, the reality of the summit could never have lived up to the cable-TV hype. The one bright spot: Sgt. Crowley’s star-making post-beer poise.
After all the hype for Thursday’s White House Beer Summit—the cheesy countdown clocks in the corner of the screen on CNN and MSNBC, the often silly panel discussions on all the outlets, CNN’s arguably insane segment featuring a crazed schematic of the Rose Garden get-together as though it were Second Battle of Fallujah—the actual event was a letdown.
Chris Matthews found it impossible not to compare the meeting to Bill Clinton’s historic White House ceremony between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.
That was to be expected. Even through beer goggles, the reality could never have matched the buildup—which was stoked earlier in the day by a presidential photo-op during which Barack Obama affected to be “fascinated with the fascination about this evening.” The president added: “It’s a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys,” just three folks “having a drink at the end of the day.” Amid all the made-for-cable puns, CNN couldn’t resist offering up “The Audacity of Hops” and “The Coalition of the Swilling.” MSNBC weakly supplied “Ale to the Chief.”
The money shot, simulcast on all three cables, was about 40 seconds of shaky pool video—captured from a sterile distance of 50 feet away—first of a butler carrying a silver tray of steins across a manicured lawn, then of the president and the vice president in breezy shirtsleeves, and the professor and the cop in formal dark suits, seated at a round white patio table, with the steins placed in front of them.
Obama and Joe Biden (who was either a last-minute invitee or a party crasher, it wasn’t quite clear), grinned genially, leaned back, and popped nuts into their mouths. Harvard academic Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. and Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley, on the far side of the table and a safe distance from each other, sat ramrod-straight and unsmiling. All that could be heard was the whirring of cameras and some muffled muttering, as the president sipped his beer, then downed a mouthful of nuts, then laughed at something, then wiped his hand on his trousers. At one point he and Gates clinked steins. Biden didn’t seem interested in his nonalcoholic suds. Sgt. Crowley raised his beer to his lips and gulped, as Professor Gates lectured and gestured.
“Thank you!” barked a White House aide, and then the pool was briskly ushered out of range.
“I’m pretty unimpressed, Wendell,” Fox News anchor Bret Baier complained to White House correspondent Wendell Goler.
“I’m pretty unimpressed, too,” Goler said. Compared to its two rivals, Fox’s coverage was succinct and predictably sour. “Patronizing, condescending, insufferable,” Fox talking head Charles Krauthammer said of Obama. “Otherwise, I’m sure he’s a nice guy.” Bill Kristol snickered about Biden’s surprise appearance: “I give President Obama a huge amount of credit for caring about Vice President Biden.”
And so the Teachable Moment ended, or, rather, continued endlessly—not with a bang but with a whimper of post-game analysis, on and on, into the night. A watchable moment that inevitably morphed into an unwatchable eternity.
CNN, it has to be said, owned this story—but not always in a good way. In its pre-game coverage, Wolf Blitzer presided earnestly in front of a multi-screen display showing live shots of various locations on the White House grounds—including a bunch of photographers doing nothing in the “Briefing Room,” an inert structure labeled “Fence,” and an otherwise unidentifiable wall labeled “West Wing. “ The reductio ad absurdum of CNN’s coverage was Tom Foreman’s pointlessly detailed demonstration, complete with high-tech video pullouts, of how White House officials changed the venue of the beerfest from the picnic table by the playground equipment on the South Lawn to the smaller table in the Rose Garden.
On Fox, Neil Cavuto encouraged domestic beer brewer Dick Yuengling to complain that the president, in choosing Bud Light as his brew, was actually celebrating a Belgian-owned company. On The Ed Show, MSNBC’s vehicle for radio jock Ed Schultz, guest Stephanie Miller speculated that Biden would be praising Gates as “clean and articulate.”
The never-restrained Chris Matthews—who devoted much of his 5 p.m. Hardball show on MSNBC to the impending meeting—did a live opening segment for the usual 7 p.m. repeat, replete with assessments of body language and facial expressions, and found it impossible not to compare the meeting to Bill Clinton’s historic White House ceremony between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m. Matthews broke in for Sgt. Crowley’s televised news conference at AFL-CIO headquarters, which was also carried live on Fox and CNN. The shock of the night: This supposedly media-innocent cop was thoughtful, relaxed, and even humorous before the cameras as he announced that he and the professor were planning to meet again.
“Do you know where you’re meeting?” a reporter asked.
“I do,” Crowley answered with a tiny grin.
“Can you tell us?” the reporter pressed.
“No!” Crowley shot back—getting rewarded with a roar of laughter.
Afterward on CNN, Lou Dobbs marveled: “He sounded at points like a politician.”
On Hardball, Politico columnist Roger Simon agreed: “He was like a head of state. He was very glib.” NBC Washington bureau chief Mark Whitaker chimed in: “A star is born.”
But it was Matthews who came up with a metaphor befitting the strange excess of the night: “We’ve got another Susan Boyle here.”
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Dream Machine Documentary
FOLLOW @mrjyn http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn FOR MORE LIKE: The Dream Director Documentary Film: By Kate Taunton
This film by Kate Taunton documents the installation The Dream Director and the sleepover event by Luke Jerram which took place at Arnolfini on 21 July 2007
Luke Jerram (b. 1974) designs artworks that deliver an experience to unusual perceptual territories. In 2000 Jerram taught in war-torn Mostar, Bosnia and he continues to teach and lecture both in the UK and abroad. In 2006 he was presented a Drawing Inspiration Award for his workshops with young people.
Jerram's recent work includes Sky Orchestra that involves lifting people into the creative space on the edge of sleep using surround sound played from hot air balloons flown over a city at dawn. Sky Orchestra launched the Sydney Festival in January 2007, and was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Fierce Festival to fly over Stratford-upon-Avon for the Complete Works Festival, June 2006. Whilst Retinal Memory Volume a sculpture work using retinal after images
As well as the Clark Bursary, he has previously been awarded a NESTA fellowship and completed an AHRC Arts and Science Fellowship at UWE. He is currently the artist in residence at FACT, Liverpool for European Capital of Culture 2008 where he is developing a number of projects.
Art in Mind traces Luke Jerrams research and practice during the last ten years, focusing on his investigations and experiments into the creation of artwork for the edges of perception. Rather than a concise chronological history of his work, Art in Mind is an accessible discourse that through anecdote, observation and journal provides a fresh and intimate insight of the artist and his process. Unveiling his own dreams and visions in works such as Retinal Memory Volume and Sky Orchestra, the artist goes on to explore dream space itself as a territory for making art in the Dream Director.
For further on Luke and his work visit: lukejerram.com
History of Quacks: Who're Dr. Murray - Dr. Koplin - Dr. Klein - Dr. Nichopoulos?
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Los Angeles officials have searched the offices of a second doctor connected to late superstar Michael Jackson as the hunt for the singer's medical files continues.
On Tuesday, officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) swooped on the house of Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with the star on the day of his death last month.
Officers confiscated Murray's computer and cell phone from his Las Vegas residence as they investigate possible manslaughter charges against him.
Now a second medic is facing the police probe. Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter searched the Beverly Hills medical offices of Dr. Lawrence Koplin on Wednesday, reportedly looking for records from the medic's nurse anesthetist David Fournier.
Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, performed procedures on the star at Dr. Koplin's office with Fournier administering anesthesia, according to TMZ.com.
On leaving Koplin's offices, Winter confirmed he is "still looking for medical records involving Michael Jackson."
Helter Spector - Charles Manson - Phil Spector Corcoran Collaboration
FOLLOW NICHOPOULOUZO http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn @mrjyn Phil Spector could be allowed to take part in 'jamming sessions' with other inmates while he serves his life sentence for murder. The 69-year-old music producer, who is classified as a medium security prisoner, has also been told he can keep personal items in his cell. Spector was moved to the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in California State Prison, after it was deemed he may be at risk of attack by other inmates. A prison spokesman said: 'The facility he is on now, there are a bunch of inmates that have instruments and they all play together on the exercise yard.' Spector, who worked with some of the music world's biggest names and was responsible for the 'Wall of Sound' production technique, may be allowed to join in. As a medium security prisoner he has a cell to himself and can make some requests for items he wants in his cell. His wife, Rachelle, said a list was already being compiled. He wants a TV and an iPod or something like that for listening to music - and he would like to be able to receive -mail, she said. Phil Spector mug shot Mug shot: Phil Spector, pictured for the first time without a wig after arriving in jail last month, will now be housed with under-threat gangsters and sex offenders Rachelle Spector said she was relieved her husband was out of North Kern State Prison, where he has been undergoing evaluation. He had been forced to ditch his trade-mark wigs and posed for a less than flattering prison mug-shot which showed him to he bald. Rachelle said Spector said he was forced to sleep naked on the floor for two nights and to eat out of a bowl with his hands like a dog. Enlarge Phil Spector's many looks A man of many wigs: Spector's different looks over the years Prison authorities denied the claims. The state prison in Corcoran, which houses 6,900 inmates, has played host to other entertainment figures in the past. US music producer, Phil Spector, who was sentenced to 19 years in jail this year for murder, has been contacted in prison by mass-murderer Charles Manson. Spector, who is currently residing in a medical facility at the Corcoran State Prison, California, was believed to be shaken by the request from the notorious Manson for a musical collaboration. Manson is also in Corcoran State Prison as a maximum security prisoner. Spectors publicist has told BBC Radio that the cult leader, who once collaborated on a song with The Beach Boys, contacted the producer through a note given to a prison guard. Phil Spector is "alarmed and scared" that Charles Manson wants to work with him. The 68-year-old music producer - who was jailed for 15 years to life in May for the killing of actress Lana Clarkson - was horrified to receive a note from the murderer via a guard at California's Corcoran State Prison, where they are both serving their sentences. Spector's publicist Hal Lifson said: "Phil Spector has been very, very alarmed and scared at the notion of Charles Manson contacting him for any reason. "He is very worried that any association be made between himself and Charles Manson. "Phil mentioned that he used to get phone calls from John Lennon and Tina Turner and now it's Charles Manson calling, so he said, 'Go figure.' It was kind of a dark humour comment." The spokesperson admitted the Wall of Sound pioneer is struggling to adapt to life in prison. He added to BBC 6 Music News: "He's doing fair, at best, if not worse than fair. He's not doing great. "He's in a horrible situation with virtually nothing to do all day. Phil Spector was always a highly productive, creative person and now he's in a 5ft by 9ft cell with no windows and maybe a half hour outside to walk around. "It's essentially solitary confinement. He doesn't have computer access, he only recently got a little TV. "It's a terrible existence for a millionaire record producer who lived in mansions and most recently in a castle, a 35 room home. It's a huge, huge change of life for Phil Spector and a devastating turn in his life." Earlier this week, Spector's wife Rachelle revealed he had received the note from former cult leader Manson. She said: "A guard brought Philip a note from Manson, who said he wanted him to come over. He said he considers Philip the greatest producer who ever lived. It was creepy. Philip didn't respond." In the 1960s, Manson befriended the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson and the group released a reworked version of his track Cease To Exist as Never Learn Not To Love in 1968. He has made several records while in prison. According to the publicist Spector has no intention of responding to the message and is frightened by the notion that he might be associated with Charles Manson. Spector, known as the "Wall of Sound" producer has worked with many big stars. Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr served time.
Good Medicine, Bad Behavior: Drug Diversion in America
The White House - Blog Post - Over Beers
The White House - Blog Post - Over BeersTHURSDAY, JULY 30TH, 2009 AT 9:12 PMOver Beers
Posted by Jesse Lee
(President Barack Obama, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley walk from the Oval Office
to the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)(President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley
meet in the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
FML: I decided to check my email on our family computer. Since my dad's account was already logged on, I...
FML: I decided to check my email on our family computer. Since my dad's account was already logged on, I...Today, I decided to check my email on our family computer. Since my dad's account was already logged on, I chose to use his instead of logging on my own. When opening up a new page and seeing his recently viewed sites, I learned that he loves to watch porn. I also learned he has a foot fetish. FML
#4172225 (29)I agree, your life sucks (903) - you totally deserved it (394)
On 07/30/2009 at 8:31pm - misc - by Anonymous (woman) - United States (Michigan)
Da Code / Twitter in 1949 (THIS SHIT IS PRICELESS, AND SINCE I'M THE ONLY WESTERNER I KNOW WHO ROUTINELY READS CHINESE BLOGS, I'M PRETTY SURE, UNBLOGGED)
Da Code / Twitter in 1949Back to the Future 回到未来 ›
Twitter in 1949
We twitter, therefore we are. Public timeline is supposed to be the real form in which history is written. If there had been Twitter, "Let it be light" might have been the first tweet. But @jesus and @confucius could have been the biggest Twittering spammers. What could have been the most retweeted statements in 1949, if possible? Mao and Stalin would definitely have their share. Harry Truman tweeted via a wooden sign, while George Orwell expanded his tweet into a book titled 1984.
Twitter 符合我们的表达习惯，也在改变着这个世界信息流动的速度和方法。如果 Twitter 从开天辟地那一颗就存在的话，那历史上第一条推可能只有三个字：「要有光」。而 @耶稣 和 @孔丘 则成为不同时代的推神，拥有数以百亿计的关注者。几乎在人类历史上的任何一个年头，你都能找到一批 Twitter 风格的名言。而我们只摘取了风起云涌的 1949 年中的几句：这一年，中国建国，苏联成功发射原子弹，毛泽东和斯大林分别在 140 字内第一时间向推友们炫耀。而开始第二任期的美国总统杜鲁门证明，在前互联网时代，发推的成本有多高：你必须把一句话刻在木板上。哦，这一年，乔治·奥威尔还写出了《1984》：为了推一句，他写了整整一本书来烘托！
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound | BBC NEWS | I STILL CAN'T COME UP WITH A SPECTOR MANSON TITLE THAT'S UP TO MY STANDARDS - SUGGESTIONS ANYONE?
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Phil Spector's Wall of SoundPhil Spector's Wall of Sound
Phil Spector brought a new sound to pop musicRecord producer Phil Spector has been found guilty, after retrial, of murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his home in Los Angeles.
Spector is credited with creating the "Wall of Sound" recording technique.
Characterised by bombastic, reverberating instruments which constantly threatened to drown out the vocals, the Wall of Sound was one of the first attempts to use the recording studio as an instrument in its own right.
Below are some of the prime examples of Spector's music.
THE CRYSTALS - DA DOO RON RON (1963)
Spector put together an enormous ensemble of musicians to record his Wall of Sound records.
His studio group often consisted of three drummers, bassists, keyboard players, plus numerous guitars, a string orchestra and brass section.
The music was then fed into the echo chambers at the Gold Star studios in Los Angeles, resulting in a rich, booming sound.
His records stood out over the crackle and hiss of AM Radio, making stars of bands like The Crystals.
UK chart position: 5
US chart position: 3
THE RONETTES - BE MY BABY (1963)
Often cited as the perfectionist producer's crowning achievement, lead singer Veronica Bennett (later Ronnie Spector) rehearsed this song for weeks.
Nonetheless, Spector required 42 takes before he was satisfied with the recording.
Brian Wilson called it "the most perfect pop record of all time" and even paid tribute to it in the Beach Boys' song Mona.
"Listen to Be My Baby, I know you're gonna love Phil Spector."
UK chart position: 4
US chart position: 2
THE BEATLES - THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD (1970)
After producing John Lennon's solo hit Instant Karma, Spector was asked to turn the Beatles' abandoned Get Back sessions into a workable album.
The resulting record, Let It Be, was a commercial success and the band's swansong, but Paul McCartney took exception to Spector's mixes and overdubs and later released his own stripped-back version of the album.
The other Beatles were less worried and Spector continued to produce records for Lennon and George Harrison throughout the 1970s.
UK chart position: Not released
US chart position: 1
PHIL SPECTOR - A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU (1963)
Spector was resolutely a singles artist, famously describing albums as "two hits and 10 pieces of junk".
The only long-player he ever poured his heart into was A Christmas Gift For You, on which the producer wanted to capture the spirit of the season while making an enduring pop record.
Containing the pick of Spector's girl group stable and the ample talents of Spector's usual "Wrecking Crew" session musicians, it is an exuberant example of the Wall Of Sound recording process.
UK chart position: 19
US chart position: 6
IKE AND TINA TURNER - RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH (1966)
Bandleader Ike was banned from the recording session for this single, which Tina Turner said left her "drenched with sweat".
Spector was intensely proud of the song but after its failure in the US charts, his behaviour - often unconventional - became even more erratic.
The song was warmly received in the UK, and over time it has become accepted as a classic in America too. Rolling Stone magazine recently voted it number 33 in a list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
UK chart position: 3
US chart position: 88
RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - THAT LOVIN' FEELING (1965)
Spector called his records "little symphonies for kids", but You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling transcends that description.
The epitome of the Wall of Sound technique, it is replete with echo, strident percussion and swelling strings.
But many listeners thought the record was being played at the wrong speed when they first heard it, thanks to the deep baritone of singer Bill Medley.
Despite that, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling became the most-played song in the history of American radio.
UK chart position: 1
US chart position: 1
STARSAILOR - SILENCE IS EASY (2003)
Twenty-year-old Nicole Spector introduced her father to this British rock band in 2002, leading to a dinner date where drummer Ben Byrne had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on the ageing producer when he choked on a morsel of food.
Perhaps as a mark of gratitude, he insisted on producing the group's second album, but the sessions ended acrimoniously and only two of his tracks were used.
"The great thing about Phil Spector, and also his weakness, is he's a kind of one-trick pony," said lead singer James Walsh.
"But his one trick is pretty impressive, like a dog that could talk."
UK chart position: 9
US chart position: Did not chart
History to tell 'Manson' story
History to tell 'Manson' storyHistory to tell 'Manson' story
Family's lookout driver featured in Sept. 7 special
July 27, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
Charles Manson's lookout driver will tell her story to viewers for the first time in decades in a History special on the Manson Family murders.
For the 40th anniversary of the shocking Hollywood murder spree, the network has scheduled the two-hour "Manson" on Sept. 7. It features an extensive interview with Linda Kasabian, who stood guard while her fellow cult members murdered actress Sharon Tate and others.
The star witness for Manson's prosecution, the reclusive Kasabian hasn't been extensively interviewed since an "A Current Affair" special on the 20th anniversary of the murders in 1989.
The special recounts the nine months leading up to what Manson dubbed Helter Skelter, a two-night murder spree that he and his LSD-addled followers thought would incite a race war.
Susan Werbe, Nick Godwin and Simon Lloyd will executive produce the special.
What's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair? - Phil Spector : People.com
What's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair? - Phil Spector : People.comWhat's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair?
Originally posted Tuesday March 20, 2007 01:00 PM EDT
Spector in 2005 (left) and on March 19
When Phil Spector appeared at a Los Angeles courthouse Monday for the start of jury selection in his upcoming murder trial, he sported a dramatically different look.
The legendary producer, who has become nearly as famous for his wild, curly hair as for his signature "Wall of Sound" music style, had traded his unruly locks for a smooth blond bowl cut.
Why the makeover? Some experts offered their opinion.
"He's projecting a younger, toned-down look," beauty expert Scott Vincent Borba, who has worked with Eva Longoria and Kristen Bell, tells PEOPLE. "He's always extreme, but he's trying to be more approachable to the jury, judge and media. Honeycomb highlights project warmth."
But the image overhaul could backfire, Borba says: "Such a dramatic change can send the wrong message. He's a chameleon, which makes you wonder who he really is."
Spector's friend and former companion, entertainment journalist Anita Talbert, has a similar take. "Phil wants to look kinder and softer and gentler," she tells PEOPLE, "but someone is giving him some bad advice. Maybe this idea was that if you look like the devil or you look like Dracula, change your hair color."
Loyola Law School Professor Laurie Levinson says Spector's unusual hairdos underscore his eccentric nature. "I just think he lives in his own world," she tells PEOPLE. "This is his image. He likes to make a statement. It gives him and identity and he likes attention."
But, she says, it could backfire with a jury. "When the jury first sees him, that are going to think, 'Who is this guy? He is not like the rest of us.' But whether it helps him or hurts him is another question."
Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office would not comment on the case or Spector's new hairstyle. Members of his defense team also declined to comment on the new look.
GUESS WHAT I FOUND? A VIDEO REPORT - COMING NOW: Phil Spector allowed to have jamming sessions with inmates | Mail Online
Murderer Phil Spector left terrified after receiving 'creepy' prison note from notorious killer Charles Manson
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:10 PM on 26th July 2009
Phil Spector used to take calls from Tina Turner and John Lennon, but now the only person who wants to work with him is mass murderer Charles Manson.
Manson is anxious to make music with the 69-year-old producer, who is serving life in prison for the shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.
Spector’s wife Rachelle told a U.S. newspaper: ‘A guard brought Philip a note from Manson.
‘He said he considers Philip the greatest producer who ever lived. It was creepy. Philip didn’t respond.’
Musical killers: Both Spector and Manson had music careers before being convicted of murder
Manson, 74, is being held at Corcoran State Prison in Los Angeles, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, including movie star Sharon Tate, in 1969.
‘I think Manson wants to glean some musical advice from Phil, who was a Sixties music god with his “Wall of Sound”,’ publicist Hal Lifson said.
‘But Phil’s like, “I used to pick up the phone and it was John Lennon or Celine Dion or Tina Turner and now Charles Manson is trying to get a hold of me!’’.’
Manson is being held in a separate wing to the producer of hits Be My Baby and Unchained Melody.
The cult leader was initially sentenced to death in 1969 for the deaths of movie star Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger and three others stabbed and shot to death at Tate's LA home.
Phil Spector allowed to have jamming sessions with inmates
Cell of sound: Phil Spector
Phil Spector could be allowed to take part in 'jamming sessions' with other inmates while he serves his life sentence for murder.
The 69-year-old music producer, who is classified as a medium security prisoner, has also been told he can keep personal items in his cell.
Spector was moved to the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in California State Prison, after it was deemed he may be at risk of attack by other inmates.
A prison spokesman said: 'The facility he is on now, there are a bunch of inmates that have instruments and they all play together on the exercise yard.'
Spector, who worked with some of the music world's biggest names and was responsible for the 'Wall of Sound' production technique, may be allowed to join in.
He was convicted in April of the 2003 killing of actress Lana Clarkson.
He was convicted of second-degree murder in April after the first trial ended with a mistrial.
As a medium security prisoner he has a cell to himself and can make some requests for items he wants in his cell.
His wife, Rachelle, said a list was already being compiled.
‘He wants a TV and an iPod or something like that for listening to music - and he would like to be able to receive e-mail,’ she said.
Mug shot: Phil Spector, pictured for the first time without a wig after arriving in jail last month, will now be housed with under-threat gangsters and sex offenders
Rachelle Spector said she was relieved her husband was out of North Kern State Prison, where he has been undergoing evaluation.
He had been forced to ditch his trade-mark wigs and posed for a less than flattering prison mug-shot which showed him to he bald.
Rachelle said Spector said he was forced to sleep naked on the floor for two nights and to eat out of a bowl with his hands ‘like a dog.’
A man of many wigs: Spector's different looks over the years
Prison authorities denied the claims.
The state prison in Corcoran, which houses 6,900 inmates, has played host to other entertainment figures in the past.
Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr served time there in 1999 for violating his probation in a drug conviction and ended up counselling other inmates before he was released.
California Corrections Department Denies Manson-Spector Link
Phil Spector 'alarmed' By Manson NoteCalifornia Corrections Department Denies Manson-Spector LinkA California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson told NewsBlaze the alleged contact between Charles Manson and Phil Spector is false.
Terry Thornton, the spokesperson, says Manson is housed in protective housing in the main prison at the California State Prison, Corcoran, also known as "CSP-COR."
Spector is located in another prison, almost four miles away, at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, also called "SATF-CSP, Corcoran."
Each facility has its own warden, and separate staff.
An investigation by the department revealed no evidence of a contact between the two men and no evidence that any guards passed a note from Manson to Spector.
See the original report: Phil Spector `alarmed` By Manson Note
July 30, 2009
ELVIS' VEGAS CURSE
Forty years on
looking back
astigma
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 (midnight)
Elvis at the International, in the residency’s early days.
Courtesy of the Las Vegas News Bureau
On July 31, 1969, Elvis Presley played the first headliner show at the Las Vegas International (soon to be the Hilton). He played to an invited VIP audience.
At the time, Las Vegas existed outside the counterculture erupting around the rest of the country. George Carlin could still get fired for swearing here, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had not yet been written.
The rock generation might not have been going to Elvis’ movies, but he still had its ear as he arrived in Vegas, triumphant off of his still-revered ’68 Comeback Special. Two months before opening in Vegas, he released what might have been his best studio album, From Elvis in Memphis. Sure, 10 years of bad movies were behind him, but Presley was still a major music player re-entering the game, and Las Vegas was to be the staging ground for the ultimate comeback by the then-best-selling solo artist of all time.
Putting Presley onstage in Vegas with a band of gospel musicians might not have appeased his early rock following—or endeared him to the counterculture—but it found him revitalized and making his best music since his Sun Studio days.
Vegas was not meant to be the grave it became for Presley, but rather the launch of a new model, in which a hot artist could forsake touring and let audiences come to him. Old-school entertainers, like Frank Sinatra, had been doing Vegas for years, but their success did not rise and fall with the charts, nor did their audience expect a tour to follow each new release.
Elvis’ always-ingenious manager, Colonel Tom Parker, got his man record sums of money for Vegas, and, at first, Presley responded with some of his best music, bringing all his influences—blues, rock, gospel, country and pop—to one stage. Early live Hilton recordings remain among Presley’s most vital work, offering a sound he had a large hand in creating (compared with his produced studio work).
Entering with Elvis Presley, Vegas hit the rock world on top. Had it all stayed there, maybe artists like Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed would not have avoided the Vegas stage for decades. But Presley died a pathetic, bloated, drug-addled parody of himself in 1977, and that image became nearly synonymous with Vegas. On bootlegs, you can hear the King near the end, talking about karate and cracking bad jokes as much as singing. And his voice, when he does sing, is shocking, lacking any of the cocksure confidence and bottomless power that defined his music as late as singles like “Burning Love.”
A year before Presley died, critic Bill Burke, witnessing a Hilton show, wrote a review quoted in Peter Guralnick’s definitive Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley: “After sitting through Elvis Presley’s closing-night performance at Las Vegas Hilton, one wonders how much longer it can be before the end comes, perhaps suddenly, and why the King of Rock ’n’ Roll would subject himself to possible ridicule.” Such ridicule became symptomatic, though Presley’s sold-out crowds here seemed indifferent to his dissipated talent.
Not until the Joint and House of Blues opened in the 1990s did Vegas became a regular touring stop. Even then, artists playing those hot venues could be found insisting to the press that Vegas was just another tour stop—and not the spot where bygone musicians went to die.
The century rolled over by the time Celine Dion opened her Vegas show, A New Day. That’s how long it took for a major artist to repeat the Presley model of 1969. Dion paid tribute to Elvis in her show’s music and style, and, while she lacked Presley’s artistic greatness, the ease of her success helped erode the Vegas stigma. The door once shut by Presley’s Vegas decay suddenly opened for headliners from Elton John to Prince to Santana, the current headliner at the Hard Rock.
But before all that, Las Vegas was a symbol for all that was uncool. Forty years ago this week, Elvis Presley opened a world of possibility, and then later destroyed it.
DRUG SEEKERS, FREQUENT FLIER OKIES OUTSMART PHARMS AND DOCS
Fake Prescriptions a Problem in the OzarksThursday, Jul 30, 2009 @09:43pm CST
The Los Angeles Times is reporting Michael Jackson used a number of different alias's to get his prescription drugs. KOLR/KSFX found that people trying to fake prescriptions in our area is a big problem. Pharmacists say not only are people using fake names they are posing as fake people to get those prescriptions.
Rob Shockley oversees St.John's pharmacies. These days his team of pharmacists have a lot more cut out for them. "The drug seekers or the frequent flyers are getting a lot more clever," explains Shockley. He says people will use fake names, but he says people are pretending to be doctors and nurses calling in prescriptions with legit medical information.
"If they know the DEA number, which is a number specific for each individual medical doctor, its very hard to detect," adds Shockley.
In the last couple of weeks pharmacists at St. Johns say they have caught three people calling in fake prescriptions for hydrocodone and one person was arrested. "Lots of time people will steal prescription pads out of the doctors office," adds Shockley.
"If they know the DEA number, which is a number specific for each individual medical doctor, its very hard to detect," adds Shockley.
In the last couple of weeks pharmacists at St. Johns say they have caught three people calling in fake prescriptions for hydrocodone and one person was arrested. "Lots of time people will steal prescription pads out of the doctors office," adds Shockley.
So some doctors have started drug testing their patients. Making sure the drugs are in their system and not on the streets. Doctors are also turning away from paper and switching to electronically filing their prescriptions to pharmacies. Of course checking id's never hurts.
"If you tell them to bring photo id then lots of times they won't show up," explains Shockley.
A pharmacy hotline is set up in Springfield which connects pharmacies and allows them to alert each other about suspicious people. Working even harder to filter out the fakes, so drugs don't end up in the wrong hands.
The Springfield Police narcotics division says fake prescriptions is one of its biggest problems. In the last 30 days its taken seven reports of people trying to pass off fake prescriptions and that's just the ones the pharmacy's called in. Prescription fraud is a felony and can carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine. But some experts say if its your first offense you could get probation but would probably have to go into a drug treatment program.
