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donttellthejury replied
Re: Would the truth made a difference?
LeAlcala
Q. IF I COULD TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO ONE MORE
COLLECTION. ON ANY OF THESE PARTICULAR DATES DID YOU OBTAIN ANY KNOWN MOUTH SWABS FROM DAVID WESTERFIELD?
Q. WHEN DID THAT OCCUR?
A. ONCE AGAIN, I NEED TO REFER TO MY NOTES TO TELL YOU THE EXACT DATE.
Q. ALL RIGHT.
A. AND IF YOU HAVE THE ITEM NUMBER IT WOULD MAKE IT GO FASTER.
Q. I THINK IT'S 95.
A. YES. ITEM 95 WERE TWO MOUTH -- OR TWO REFERENCE MOUTH SWABS THAT I DID COLLECT FROM DAVID WESTERFIELD.
(Swabs taken on the 4th or 5th of February.)
DuLaney
Q. DIRECTING YOUR ATTENTION TO 93B, THAT'S A TAPE LIFT THAT YOU TOOK FROM THE COMFORTER AT THE DRY CLEANERS, IS THAT RIGHT, MA'AM?
A. THAT'S CORRECT.
Q. YOU DESCRIBED ITS LENGTH AS LONG?
A. RIGHT.
Q. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
A. I DIDN'T PUT THE SPECIFIC LENGTH.
Q. WHY?
A. I DON'T KNOW WHY.
Q. OKAY. YOU CONCLUDED THAT THE HAIR WAS NOT SIMILAR, IS THAT RIGHT?
Q. BUT THAT IT HAD BEEN TREATED?
A. YES. THAT'S CORRECT.
Q. WHAT COLOR WAS IT?
A. IT WAS BLOND.
Q. AND COULD YOU TELL, AGAIN TREATED, COULD YOU TELL WAS IT DYED BLOND OR IS THE IT TO DARK, DARK TO LIGHT?
A. I DIDN'T NOTE IT IN THE NOTES.
Q. I'M SORRY, YOU DID NOT NOTE IT?
A. I DID NOT NOTE IT IN THE NOTES.
Q. DETECTIVE, LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND THIS. THE FIRST TIME YOU WENT TO THE TWIN PEAKS DRY CLEANERS IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CASE WAS ON FEBRUARY 8TH AT 10 O'CLOCK, IS THAT RIGHT?
(Sounds like the time he returned on Friday to get a clarification from Julie.)
"Choi said they didn't notice any blood on the clothing or bedding, and that Westerfield didn't ask for any stains to be removed."
How many people missed...an off-white stain, two dark green stains, an apparent reddish brown stain, as well as other light reddish brown stains?
MAINLY THE STAINS THAT I MISSED DURING MY FIRST TWO VISUAL EXAMINATIONS WERE THE BLOOD-LIKE APPEARANCE WAS NOTED ON THE FRONT RIGHT MIDDLE OUTSIDE LAPEL OF THE JACKET AS WELL AS THE FRONT RIGHT OUTSIDE AREA NEAR THE SHOULDER OF THE JACKET AND AS WELL AS THE BACK OF THE NECK COLLAR OF THE JACKET ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.
THE FOUR STAINS THAT GAVE THE REDDISH-BROWN AND LIGHT REDDISH-BROWN STAIN APPEARANCE OR COLOR...THREE CAME OUT POSITIVE FOR THE CHEMICAL PRESUMPTIVE TEST FOR BLOOD.
The bloodstain from Danielle was ...APPROXIMATELY IN INCHES APPROXIMATELY OVER ONE INCH AND THREE-SIXTEENTHS OF AN INCH.
Originally posted by donttellthejury View Post
Soriano • June 20
Q ALL RIGHT. IF YOU WOULD AT THIS TIME, IF YOU WOULD OPEN THE -- IT APPEARS OPEN AT THIS TIME, BUT CAN YOU OBTAIN THE JACKET THAT YOU LABELED 94D.
Karen labeled a jacket too!!!
Q IN PARTICULAR, WITH RESPECT TO THE JACKET THAT WAS IN THAT DRY CLEANERS, WOULD YOU DESCRIBE -- DID YOU ASSIGN THAT PARTICULAR EVIDENCE ITEM NUMBER?
A YES, I DID.
Q WHAT WAS THAT?
A I HAVE AN ITEM NUMBER 94.
Q. 94D, WHICH IS A GREEN JACKET -- I'M NOT WEARING LOVES -- YOU COMPARED 94D ALSO. YOU SWABBED 94 FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING THERE WAS ANY CARPET FIBERS, IS THAT RIGHT, OR OTHER TRACE EVIDENCE?
A. TAPE LIFTED IT, YES.
(Two jackets, item 94D a green jacket, item 94 a green and blue jacket. Pretty simple when numbers are assigned.
Who labeled item 94d? - Soriano
Who labeled item 94? - Karen)
A THE LARGE -- EXCUSE ME. THE BLUE-AND-GREEN JACKET, THE GREEN JACKET ACTUALLY, WAS COVERED IN SOME PLASTIC; AND IT WAS ACCOMPANIED ALSO WITH SOME HANGERS INSIDE.
THE WITNESS: I AM REFERRING TO ITEM 94, GREEN-AND-BLUE JACKET, WHICH WAS ACCOMPANIED WITH A RECEIPT LABELED IN PART WESTERFIELD, MONDAY, 02 FORWARD SLASH 04 FORWARD SLASH 02, TWIN PEAKS CLEANERS. BY MR. CLARKE:
Q I'M SORRY. WHAT WAS THE DATE AGAIN?
A THE DATE HERE SAYS M-O-N, MONDAY, 02/04/02.
Q WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THAT JACKET? AND LET'S TALK FIRST OF ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU OBSERVED WHEN YOU FIRST OBTAINED THAT JACKET.
A AGAIN THIS JACKET WAS CONTAINED IN AN EXTRA LARGE BROWN PAPER BAG SEALED ALONG WITH OTHER ITEMS THAT WERE APPARENTLY FROM THE DRYCLEANER'S. THE JACKET BRIEFLY WAS DESCRIBED -- WAS GIVEN A VISUAL OBSERVATION BY ME AND DESCRIBED AS A BLUE-AND-GREEN JACKET, PREDOMINANTLY GREEN, SOME BLUE AREAS ON THE COLLAR AND IN THE BACK, AS WELL AS SOME ZIPPER AND BUTTON AREAS ON THE JACKET.
Q WHEN YOU FIRST OBTAINED THE JACKET FROM THIS LARGE PAPER BAG, DID IT HAVE ANY COVERINGS OVER IT?
A YES, IT DID.
Q WHAT?
(One blue jacket, one blue and green jacket. Which jacket had Danielle's blood on it? Were there supposed to be two similar jackets to confuse the jury?)
Soriano • March 12
A. This jacket was received inside an extra large brown paper bag that was sealed from Karen Lealcala, forensic specialist at the San Diego Police Department crime laboratory.
Q. Did it have a particular item number?
A. At the time, no.
Q. Did you assign it an item number?
A. No, I did not.
(Apparently the jacket Karen labeled item 94 was used in the prelim and the other jacket 94d which was labeled by Soriano was used in the actual trial. Sometimes evidence needs a stunt double.
The first carpet stain from the motor home was replaced by a different carpet stain on Friday. Only after KNOWING where to find the correct stain.)
Torgersen
Q. APPEARS TO BE SOME PAPERWORK CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ENVELOPE. DO YOU RECOGNIZE WHAT THAT IS?
A. THIS IS THE RECEIPT FROM THE DRY CLEANERS. IT SAYS ITEM -- ONE ITEM, ONE SPORT JACKET.
Q. DOES IT HAVE A RECEIPT NUMBER?
A. YES. THE RECEIPT NUMBER IS D-54105 WITH THE INITIAL "D" LAST NAME OF WESTERFIELD.
(This 54105 should have shown up on Wednesday when Torgersen searched the computers at Twin Peaks for the name Westerfield. Computer not working properly on Wednesday, Julie? Printer working? See any stains on the clothing before it left?)
Q DID YOU HAVE OCCASION TO THEN RELEASE THAT PARTICULAR JACKET TO ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THE CRIME LABORATORY?
Q WHO WAS THAT?
A CRIMINALIST SHAWN SORIONO.
Q WHEN DID THAT TAKE PLACE?
A ON FEBRUARY THE 8TH.
(Karen receives the jacket on Thursday, fails to inventory the other items in the envelope and labels the jacket item 94.
Soriano receives the envelope on Friday, opens up the envelope on Monday and discovers a jacket with no evidence number?)
Last edited by donttellthejury; 05-31-2016, 08:14 AM.
It's also a bit disturbing that the fiber in her hair was described as dull orange, whereas those in Westerfield's environment which were said to match were described as bright or very bright - the criminalist backtracked when this discrepancy was pointed out to her under cross-examination.
Another more serious point is that the source of the fiber in her hair was never identified. It was assumed to come from something of Westerfield's, presumably because there were so many similar fibers in his house: maybe more than 200. But there are problems with that ...
The fibers with her body (there were many other types as well) were said to have come from the last environment she was in, but the last environment was supposedly his motor home (for maybe nearly two days), and there weren't any matching orange fibers reported in that vehicle.
Because there were so many similar fibers in his house, only some were tested: many weren't even collected, and apparently only one was tested using the most powerful instrument available to them, the microspectrophotometer, which they had to go to Sacramento to use. So all the others were only partially tested. Westerfield had an afghan, the fibers from which were so similar to the one in her hair, that the criminalist spent days unsuccessfully trying to prove that was the source. Two of the 22 similar fibers in his SUV were determined by further testing not to match (Evidence Item 35). A Court TV photo of a microscope slide (Court Exhibit 134) shows two orange fibers which are clearly different: one is narrower and brighter than the other. So the number which actually matched might be much less than 200.
No similar orange fibers were found in Danielle's own home, but this doesn't mean much because - inexcusably - only a few items from there were examined. So it's possible that the source of that incriminating fiber in Danielle's hair was actually in her own home. Which would eliminate its value as evidence against Westerfield. It wasn't even established what clothes the van Dams were wearing when they visited him earlier that week. Maybe one of them wore an old orange sweater which shed many of its fibers in his house.
But even if those orange fibers came from something of Westerfield's, with so many in his house, several might have got onto Danielle's clothes or hair during that visit, one of which was still in her hair when she was kidnapped. There was no testimony that she bathed or showered or washed her hair in the maybe two or three days after that visit. And the detailed testimony of the family's Friday evening activities effectively excludes the possibility that she did so then. So that fiber's evidentiary value is weak.
If Danielle and Westerfield had been strangers, then the evidence would have been overwhelming, but them being neighbors changes the picture fundamentally, the amount of evidence then becomes small.
The insect evidence proved he was innocent. So did the dog scent evidence. The failure to find any evidence he had been either in Danielle's home or at the body recovery site, proved he was innocent. The small amount of evidence proved he was innocent. His behavior, such as returning home twice that day, proved he was innocent. The fact that the body was dumped nowhere near his known trip that weekend, proved he was innocent. The third-party evidence - such as the unidentified blood in her bedroom, the unidentified fingerprints in her house, and the unknown hair under her body - may also prove he is innocent.
Just for the record, although the evidence was purely circumstantial, I didn't use that argument. So thank you for pointing out that there was no direct evidence of his guilt.
Thank you for clarifying that you were referring to the van Dams' sex life and not their marijuana use. I would point out, however, that it was the prosecution which first mentioned sex - albeit only very briefly, at Westerfield's preliminary hearing - and the media were already reporting this aspect, so it would have been negligent for the defense not to have explored it during the trial. The judge permitted these questions, which he wouldn't have done had they not been relevant.
This was presumed to be a sex crime - though there was no supporting evidence - so the victim's parents' sex life was very relevant, given that their sexual activities differed markedly from the norm. They were having sex with other people, including in their own home, and at least some of those people were around their children. And the females were behaving in a sexually provocative way in a public bar where they attracted attention to themselves, and that very night they even invited strangers back to the van Dam home for sex, while their children were present.
The purpose of a trial is to establish if the defendant is guilty, so it is very relevant whether someone else could have been the perpetrator. Which is particularly important in this case where there was only weak evidence of the defendant's guilt and strong evidence of his innocence.
As far as trips to Mexico, I was replying to your post which explicitly mentioned Tijuana and not Mexico in general. The source you now quote is a discussion forum and the poster does not give their source (a blogger?). Nevertheless, I have spent some time attempting to find the original source, but without success.
An update included in your source implies that perhaps all of the Mexico tips were to Tijuana:
Update: February 23
"There appears to have been no basis to the tips earlier this week that Danielle had been spotted in Tijuana".
I have established that he had been to Mexico - not surprising seeing how close San Diego is to the border - but have not found any evidence that he was a frequent visitor there.
He was convicted of murder. That doesn't necessarily make him a murderer; there have been many wrongful convictions - too many.
You haven't disputed that the parents made it easy for the kidnapper, no locked doors to impede him, just walk straight in. It might hurt the parents to say so, but this is a lesson for other parents, and pointing it out could prevent other children being kidnapped.
There was no evidence she was raped or that she was tortured.
Heidi • Administrator - Armchair Expert you are a douche-bag and hereby removed permanently from this forum!
Heidi • Administrator- Armchair Expert you are a douche-bag and hereby removed permanently from this forum!
Armchair Expert
I have followed this case, but this is the first I've heard that he made regular jaunts to Tijuana, whether in his motor home or anything else. Furthermore, the only mention of Tijuana was a tip from a woman who said she saw Danielle there (reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 23, 2002). Just three days earlier, that same newspaper had listed girls in the county who had vanished, but Tijuana was only mentioned in one of those cases. But before you blame Westerfield for that one, it was in 1960, and I seriously doubt that a small child (as he was at the time) was driving a motor home.
In addition, it was probably only in 1993 that he bought his first motor home (that's the trial testimony by a friend of his on July 8, 2002). And I find it almost as hard to believe that at some point in his early forties (as he was at that time) he suddenly started committing such horrific crimes. In any case, none of the above-mentioned girls went missing after that date. And anyway the police were unable to link him to any of those cases.
I'm not aware of the parents being blamed for the crime, but it certainly was one aspect of their lifestyle - smoking an illegal substance in their garage - that gave the perpetrator easy access to their daughter. That's why the side garage door was unlocked, and the lock on the house garage door was reversed (San Diego Union-Tribune, August 6, 2002).
There was one small bloodstain containing Danielle's DNA on Westerfield's motor home jacket, and one drop containing her DNA on his motor home carpet (Evidence items 94D-2 and 84, respectively). But as they were neighbors, and his motor home was often parked in the streets outside their houses, apparently often unlocked, she could have sneaked into that interesting vehicle at an earlier date, leaving behind that evidence. Supporting this possibility are facts such as that a child could have done so without being seen, and the failure of the search dogs to give an alert (so they couldn't detect her scent there, implying she couldn't have been there recently).
There was no blood in his house, where the first assault(s) supposedly took place (between about 3:30 and 7:30 Saturday morning).
That's very little blood for supposed repeated sexual assaults which could have lasted up to two days (between early Saturday morning and early Monday morning), and a murder.
There's also reason to doubt both those blood stains. Westerfield handed in his jacket to his dry-cleaners on his way home on Monday morning, but they didn't see that stain, nor could it be seen on the photo the police took of the jacket after they seized it; and the police didn't photograph or measure the drop on the carpet.
There were also some of Danielle's hairs and some of her dog's hairs (identified by mostly mitochondrial DNA), in both his house and motor home. But these could have been deposited in his house when she and her family visited him just days before the crimes, and then been transferred from his house to his motor home. Support for that possibility is the fact that the number of hairs in his motor home was much lower than the number in his house.
There was unidentified DNA in two bloodstains on the very bed Danielle was kidnapped from (Evidence items 8-2 and 10-7A). Westerfield was excluded as the source. And there was an unidentified hair under her body (Item 169). Again, Westerfield was excluded. True, the blood on her bed might have come from a friend of hers. But it might have been from her abductor. So the police should have tried to identify the source by comparing it against a DNA database, but they didn't. And the hair under her body might have come from one of the police processing the body. But it might have been from her killer. Again, the police should have tried to identify the source.
The bottom line is that the DNA evidence fell far short of proving guilt.
This was Evidence Item number 120.
A minor point: the fiber was tangled in her hair, it's that hair which was caught in her necklace.
Not so minor is that the prosecution didn't produce a photo showing the fiber while still in her hair. Most people would take the criminalist's word for it, but when a man's life is at stake a higher standard of proof is required.
And then the criminalist failed to produce that fiber in court when the defense attorney asked her to do so, and the judge didn't want this discussed in front of the jury.
http://www.cncpunishment.com/forums/...rnia-Death-Row
"This trial was conducted under a microscope," he said.
(My microscope shows things much different that the microscopes used in 2002.)
"Trial publicity is not your best argument for reversing a conviction," said Steinberg. "Your best bet typically is that there's some evidence introduced that should not have been."
(What if it was PROVEN blood was applied to an item of evidence AFTER it was in the custody of SDPD? 14 year wait? 20 year wait to die in prison? 5 years after death to acknowledge what was known years ago?)
Death penalty appeals are usually successful. There is a 70 percent success rate for these appeals, but Steinberg believes the Westerfield team has a real uphill battle.
(So a 100% conviction rate is just another number for a 30% win rate after subtracting the 70% failures upon appeal.)
...I remember this case well. Why even bother? This animal will die of old age on death row. Law abiding citizens in California have a better chance of being killed by a criminal than the condemned on death row do of being executed.
(Cause your memory sucks!!!)
...Jeffects you are so right you took the words right out of my mouth. Appeals? why why why they were convicted
...Westerfield was a real piece of garbage! It was big news here in Southern California. They even tried to blame the parents and drag them through the mud. I find it hard to believe that at some point in his fifties he "suddenly" committed such a horrific crime. The press said he made regular jaunts to Tijuana in his murder mobile (motor home). I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were several missing children south of the border over the years.
(Call when you get a clue. 867-5309 Jenny.)
..I have followed this case, but this is the first I've heard that he made regular jaunts to Tijuana, whether in his motor home or anything else. Furthermore, the only mention of Tijuana was a tip from a woman who said she saw Danielle there (reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 23, 2002). Just three days earlier, that same newspaper had listed girls in the county who had vanished, but Tijuana was only mentioned in one of those cases. But before you blame Westerfield for that one, it was in 1960, and I seriously doubt that a small child (as he was at the time) was driving a motor home.
...too much blood for no crime happening. (Hearsay.)
"Can't fix stupid".
Thanks Helen. I gave it a quick peruse, and will look forward to getting into it in depth later.
I believe that we are on the verge of becoming true "Armchair Experts". Unlike those who post here, with some twisted agenda only to defend murderers that grasp a sleeping, innocent child from her bed, rape, torture her for hours and days, and then murder her.
Then try to blame it on her shattered, and grieving parents.
Dusek said he thinks Westerfield sneaked into the van Dams' home through a side garage door while her father, Damon, and two brothers slept.
(This theory works with Damon waking up and finding a light flashing at 1:45. It doesn't work with the accepted theory of him sneaking in before 2 am when Brenda saw the light and 1:56 when Damon woke up and didn't see any lights on the alarm.)
"I'm convinced he was still inside the house when Brenda and her friends got home" from a night out at a Poway pub.
(This theory works with a first alarm light from Brenda, not from Damon. The light at 3:30 was the exit alarm so either Damon didn't notice a light at 1:45 and close the slider as first reported or Brenda didn't notice a light when she returned at 2:00.
Why was the dude convicted the only one not to change his stories so he could be included as part of the crime? Without Julie's change of story and disruption of the evidence there is no jacket. The jacket arrived in the story minus the blood.
Can't SDPD do a better job at framing somebody that this? Fooled everybody except those who practice "safe math".
Shouldn't take much to prosecute these criminals wearing blue, badges and carrying guns. After all, all of the incriminating testimony is already on the record, if that matters.
Probably why Brenda and Damon invoked their 5th amendment rights when the first patrol units showed up.
Damon lied for 17 hours to cover for Westerfield. Why would he do that? Did Damon have something to hide the night his daughter went missing? Obviously he did!!!)
"Going through that gave me a whole new perspective on the media. I was naive. I thought that everything on the news was fact," she said. "I quickly realized that it's not. They're just there to make a buck. That's their job. That's what they do. I don't think they had my family priorities in mind. They raked us over the coals when they should have been raking an evil monster over the coals."
(The media must have twisted the truths you told them, right? Don't quit your day job, your not good enough at lying without getting caught. Your LIES will lead to your DEMISE. That's a fact jack!)
The van Dams don't seek publicity. "Every time it does come up, it's just so painful," Brenda van Dam said. "I've raised two amazing boys. They don't want people to feel sorry for them and pity them. … I don't want (Danielle) to be forgotten," she said. "That's something I pray will never happen. She was such a wonderful person and such a unique individual."
(Some will NEVER forget. Even after the truth has been presented.)
NBC San Diego obtained documents that show attorneys for
David Westerfield believe errors were made in his murder case.
...http://www.robinzodiac.com/predictions.html
•An old friend, Toni Mulhauser, living in San Diego, called Robin because the local news wanted psychics to locate Danielle Van Damme. Her body was found on Highway 138 within 24 hours. She knew when the cameras showed the neighbor, David Westerfield, that he was the killer.
THE MOMENT I REALIZED I WATCHED ON THE NEWS, I -- THE MOMENT I REALIZED THE BODY WAS MOVED PRIOR TO A TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR PERIOD GOING AROUND TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE SAME TYPE OF PHOTOS, I THOUGHT MAYBE MY PHOTOS COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE OR COULD POSSIBLY BE CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT'S HELPFUL. SO I CALLED THE D. A.
Q PLEASE. ANY COLOR YOU WANT. ANYTHING YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH. ANYTHING YOU NEED. WE HAVE LOTS OF PENS OR WHATEVER.
A AGAIN THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION OF WHERE I FOUND THE STAINS.
THE FIRST STAIN WHICH WAS LABELED AS 94D-1, I'M GOING TO SHOW AN ARROW WHERE I FOUND IT, BUT WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IT'S COVERED. I WILL SHOW AN ARROW APPROXIMATELY THE LOCATION OF WHERE I FOUND 94D-1.
(Why don't they use a photo taken with the bloodstains on the jacket? The green and blue jacket or the green jacket. It doesn't matter. We just want to see stains on the jacket in a photograph.
I guess photos of the stains weren't available until AFTER the stains were discovered on February 13th. Take photos on Monday? Take photos on Tuesday? The photos from Wednesday should show stains and the photos from Monday and Tuesday should too, but they don't, DO THEY?)
The warrant arrives on Thursday and Torgersen leaves with 8 items, amongst those items, 1 green jacket, or 1 green and blue jacket. Your call. There's no jacket listed on the search warrant but a jacket makes it's presence finally. The stains will have to wait a week or so for their curtain call.
On Thursday, February 8th, Torgersen seizes A GREEN ZIP-UP JACKET, A COMFORTER COVER AND A COMFORTER, ANOTHER COMFORTER COVER AND A COMFORTER, A BLACK PAIR OF PANTS, A BLACK SHIRT, AND A BLACK SWEATER from Twin Peaks cleaners. (8 total items)
Nobody from SDPD wants to inventory the stuff so Julie calls SDPD and says there's an extra item. A jacket. Torgersen returns to the cleaners and Julie's memory changes to include a jacket in the morning, destroying the evidence and timeline that had been proven and consistent until Torgersen arrived at the cleaners.
All of this based upon the fact that Westerfield was able to slip past SDPD on Monday afternoon and go to the cleaners. He was also able to slip past SDPD on Wednesday morning to visit the bloody evidence again.
If they did follow him from 9:30 am on Monday, well, that's another script. Which version is the true version of the events surrounding the jacket's "Magical, Mystery Tour"?
ON FEBRUARY 8. ...SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE MADE A MISTAKE WHEN SHE TOLD ME WHAT ITEMS SHE TOOK IN. THE ITEMS THAT SHE SHOWED ME ON THE DAY OF THE 6TH WERE THE PANTS, THE SHIRT AND THE SWEATER.
THAT SHE, IN FACT, DID NOT TAKE THOSE ITEMS IN. THEY WERE TAKEN IN BY ANOTHER CO-EMPLOYEE. THE ITEMS SHE TOOK IN WERE ITEMS OF BEDDING AND A SPORT JACKET THAT SHE TOOK EARLY THAT MORNING.
ORIGINALLY, WHEN Torgersen returned TO THE DRY CLEANERS ON FEBRUARY 8TH, Julie told him SHE DIDN'T REMEMBER ANY BEDDING COMING IN
LATER SHE CORRECTED IT. SHE REMEMBERED THE BEDDING COMING IN.
Proves how elusive the jacket and stains on the jacket actually were.
I showed you what doesn't work, FIX IT!!!! Please.
The evidence arrives at SDPD with no paperwork to accompany it?
Nobody remembered a jacket until it showed up with other items at SDPD?
Torgersen: Hey Jules, where did this blue and green jacket come from? I was here yesterday with a search warrant, I was shown three items, you called with more stuff to add to it, but you never mentioned this jacket.
Jules: My bad! What do you want me to say? I took the jacket in on Monday morning and that I made a mistake?
There wasn't blood on the jacket when it left here and we both know it, detective.
Sung Choi: Yeah detective, NO BLOOD!
LeAlcala:
Q WHAT WAS THE DATE YOU RECEIVED THE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING FROM DETECTIVE TORGERSEN?
A FEBRUARY 7TH.
(Torgersen returns from the cleaners on Thursday with 8 items and turns over 4 of them to Karen? When did she get the 4 items of bedding? Why weren't all of the items from the cleaners classified under the "scoop 'em up? rule?)
Q WHAT TIME OF THE DAY?
A IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AT APPROXIMATELY 1632 HOURS.
Q COULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
A WELL, IT WAS IN A BAG FROM THE DRY CLEANERS. AND THERE WAS ACTUALLY FOUR ITEMS OF CLOTHING, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY INVENTORY THEM.
Q WAS THERE A JACKET INCLUDED AMONG THOSE ITEMS OF CLOTHING?
A YES.
(Was the jacket listed on the search warrant? The jacket and the blood mysteriously appear. Wow!!!)
Let's play detective, 'cause the actors at SDPD don't cut it with me.
Variables: A visit to the cleaners Monday A.M. (to drop off)
A visit to the cleaners Monday afternoon. (to pick up the "special service" stuff from the morning and drop off)
A visit to the cleaners Wednesday morning. (to drop off bedding? jacket? shirt, pants, sweater? to pick up?
A hand written receipt from the 26th - 3 items
A hand written receipt from the 4th - 3 items
On the morning of February 6, 2002, Westerfield admitted to detectives that he dropped off items at the described cleaning business and in fact had submitted items for cleaning on Monday morning February 4, 2002
Westerfield described the items he submitted for cleaning as "bedding." (Which visit? Monday AM? Monday afternoon? Wednesday morning?)
Julie suggests the Monday AM visit aligns with the shirt, sweater and pants.
On Friday Julie reconsiders and aligns the Monday AM visit up with bedding, and a jacket.
Westerfield is under 24 hour surveillance an hour BEFORE he arrives home.
With all of the effort putting into finding the dude who wasn't home, were they going to let him out of their sights for a minute?
If Westerfield went to the cleaners on Wednesday morning, SDPD followed and knew there may have been items at the cleaners. Better yet, they KNEW the name and location of the cleaners, despite the hand written receipts from Julie for three items with no identifying information as to name and location.
If Westerfield went to the cleaners Monday afternoon, SDPD was there!
If SDPD followed Westerfield to the cleaners on Monday afternoon, they should have seized what he dropped off immediately, before it was dry cleaned.
The HUGE RED FLAG is Wednesday. Without a doubt, Westerfield was being watched 25/8.
He admitted he went to the cleaners on Wednesday morning. He had to, he was being followed.
What was dropped off or picked up on Wednesday before Torgersen finally figures out the cleaners is the same one they've tailed Westerfield to TWICE!
Torgersen: I wish the KFUC (sic) they would have told me they tailed him to Twin Peaks cleaners. TWICE!!!
I must have looked like a fool searching with those blank receipts. Thank God Ott came to my rescue.
Julie claims at one time or another to receive bedding, a jacket, a sweater, a shirt and jeans.
On Wednesday, February 6th, Julie claims to have taken a three items on Monday morning, for which there is a hand written receipt from her in her handwriting.
Twin Peaks cleaners advised SDPD the handwritten receipt match the evidence taken in on Monday. 3 items, a receipt for three items from the person who hand wrote the receipt. My kind of testimony. It fits!!!
Apparently there was some wrong information on the affidavit for a search warrant. The items taken in on Monday morning were WRONG on the affidavit and the search warrant never mentioned a jacket. Funny stuff going on, but it gets easier to figure out as every piece of their solution to the puzzle is challenged by math.
New version is a jacket and bedding arrive on Monday morning.
The jacket is handled correctly and filed under Westerfield, but the bedding gets filed under the wrong name. Maybe Smith, Jones, van Dam or Ott. I don't know Jules so why not ask her which female customer triggered her memory?
Torgersen arrives at the cleaners Wednesday afternoon and is shown a shirt, pants and sweater. He leaves to get a search warrant.
When the search warrant is written the next day, shirt, pants, sweater, other clothing, and other stuff is listed, but NO jacket. How did that get by? Didn't they know about the jacket yet?
A search of the computer Wednesday afternoon should have revealed the jacket and the shirt, pants and sweater. Those were entered correctly into the computer.
Why didn't the jacket show up on the search Wednesday afternoon?
Sometime Wednesday afternoon the female customer returned and Julie realized her mistake and switched the bedding over to Westerfield's name and SDPD was alerted there were more items to add to the search warrant.
HERGENROEATHER remembers Torgersen bragging about the stuff Torgersen nabbed from the cleaners.
Items such as... A GREEN ZIP-UP JACKET, A COMFORTER COVER AND A COMFORTER, ANOTHER COMFORTER COVER AND A COMFORTER, A BLACK PAIR OF PANTS, A BLACK SHIRT, AND A BLACK SWEATER. (8 total items)
The first mention of the jacket isn't until Jules changes her story on Friday.
Think about it. Jules is under the impression she took in a sweater, pants and shirt. She even admits writing out a receipt for three items brought in on February 4th.
When Torgersen shows up Wednesday, the computer shows Westerfield with one ticket, and three items, the shirt, pants and sweater. Where's the jacket? If it was taken in on Monday am, and there's a paper trail, why does the paper trail appear BEFORE the jacket? Time warp, right Scottie?
The memory triggering lady arrives after Torgersen and the jacket is in play. When correcting the computer error on the bedding, Julie realizes there is a jacket listed under the name of Westerfield. That information is transmitted in plenty of time to be included on the search warrant. Well, all except the jacket. The jacket isn't on the search warrant so maybe Jules didn't discover the jacket when she fixed the name on the bedding and then called Torgersen.


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A Sound of Thunder
Production Co: Franchise Pictures
Director: Peter Hyams
Writer: Ray Bradbury
Cast: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley, Catherine McCormack
You've got to feel a bit sorry for Ed Burns. He was one of the most promising indie fixtures after The Brothers McMullen, but he somehow never managed to grab the same magic again, and is now little more than a B lister headlining straight to video dross (like this) or a second fiddle in rom-com ensembles like 27 Dresses.
It's the near future and time travel has been cracked and is being exploited by an entrepreneur (Kingsley) who offers filthy rich clients the opportunity to go back to Jurassic times to hunt a huge man eating dinosaur.
The catch? Clients must stay on the ethereal path the time machine transports them to in the olden days, not touch anything, not bring anything back and not leave anything lest they kick off a butterfly effect that could fundamentally change the present.
So it's no surprise that a jittery client sends it all pear shaped (nor is it a surprise that it's with a butterfly that he commits the symbolic act) and the heroes come back to a present slowly transforming.
Science would cause them to come back to a new present intact where everything is completely changed, but to keep the drama up, the writers have invented a device to heighten the drama – not everything changes at once, but after one of several giant invisible waves that roll across the Earth and change life from the simplest organisms up.
It's an effective if scientifically laughable premise - while the cities become choked with vegetation and brutal half mandrill, half lions stalk the fleeing remnants of humanity, people themselves will be the last to change when the feared Last Wave arrives.
So it's up to the head scientist (Burns) and a winsome anti time travel protester (McCormack) to save the say while things fall apart around them.
It was a good idea but it's a shame they couldn't come up with a better idea than the steadily destructive waves. Besides the story, the film however is let down by the budget. Such a sweeping vision of the future is well realised but needed much more money, bigger sets and better CGI to do it justice.
Apparently the production company went bankrupt after losing so much of the sets during the 2002 Prague floods and the film sat on a shelf for months waiting for new finance to finish it. As a consequence it returned barely $2m of the $50m budget and became 2005's Shoot Em Up.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » About Paycom » Press Room » Paycom Boosts Sales Presence, Opens Richmond Office
Paycom Boosts Sales Presence, Opens Richmond Office
June 1, 2017 | Tags: New Office, Richmond, Sales, Virginia
Posted in Press Room
OKLAHOMA CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Paycom Software, Inc. ("Paycom") (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, today announced the opening of a new sales office in Richmond, Virginia, increasing Paycom's total number of sales teams to 44 across the U.S.
"We continue to experience success as a result of our disciplined sales office expansion strategy and are pleased to continue our plans with the opening of this office," said Paycom's founder and CEO, Chad Richison. "This strategy allows us to better develop our current and potential sales managers and provides a more solid foundation for future sales performance."
Paycom's latest office announcement follows last month's Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opening.
The Richmond office will be led by an existing Paycom sales manager who has demonstrated superior leadership qualities, while also producing successful sales metrics. This individual, who was relocated from a well-established office, will be responsible for hiring and developing new sales professionals in order to grow Paycom's market share.
"Our sales force is uniquely positioned to not only sell a world-class software solution to businesses, but to understand the needs of organizations and how they can best attract and retain talent using our human capital management technology," said Paycom's chief sales officer, Jeff York.
Named as one of the most engaged workplaces in 2016 by Achievers, as well as the top workplace in Oklahoma based on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by WorkplaceDynamics, Paycom now has sales offices located in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles,Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City, Oklahoma City, Orange County, Parsippany, Pasadena, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Richmond, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Stamford, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa and Washington, D.C.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are any statements that look to future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our business strategy; trends, opportunities and risks affecting our business, industry and financial results; future expansion or growth plans and potential for future growth; and our plan to open additional sales offices and our ability to effectively execute such plan. In addition, forward-looking statements also consist of statements involving trend analyses and statements including such words as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "expect," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "project," "should," "would," and similar expressions or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are subject to business and economic risks. As such, our actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements as a result of the factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
About Paycom
As a leader in payroll and HR technology, Oklahoma City-based Paycom redefines the human capital management industry by allowing companies to effectively navigate a rapidly changing business environment. Its cloud-based software solution is based on a core system of record maintained in a single database for all human capital management functions, providing the functionality that businesses need to manage the complete employment lifecycle, from recruitment to retirement. Paycom has the ability to serve businesses of all sizes and in every industry. As one of the leading human capital management providers, Paycom serves clients in all 50 states from offices across the country.
Jason Bodin
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June 21, 2019 | In the News
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June 7, 2019 | In the News
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Lessons Stormzy Download 'Lessons' on iTunes
Rihanna Home
Rihanna Buys Marilyn Monroe Crystal Portrait For £100,000
The 'Talk That Talk' singer commissioned British artist to create the design.
Rihanna has paid £100,000 for a portrait of Marylin Monroe made from 65,000 crystals.
The 'Talk That Talk' star is believed to have commissioned British artist Claire Milner to create the 5ft picture, which now resides in her Los Angeles home.
Weighing 13 stone, the portrait constantly changes colour and was put together by hand at Claire's Yorkshire studio before being shipped to the US.
The artist told The Sun: "Because of who Rihanna is, everything had to be done through her interior decorators. But they told me afterwards that she loved it.
"A 100 per cent Swarovski crystal portrait is very luxurious - people stand and stare because it constantly changes colour, sending rainbows round the room."
Meanwhile, Rihanna will both star in and executively produce a brand new television series in the UK based on fashion.
The 'We Found Love' singer has signed on for her first television project, which will see Rihanna seeking out the next big UK fashion designer.
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Debunking with data: insights from fact-checkers around the globe
"Data is the soul of fact-checking"
By Anim van Wyk, Samar Halarnkar, Matt Martino, Dinda Purnamasari, Tania Roettger
This article was migrated from datadrivenjournalism.net. It has been edited for DataJournalism.com, but some information may still be outdated.
Ever wondered if a politician's claims really add up? Or perhaps you read a news story which seemed a little fishy? Armed with data, fact-checking organisations across the globe work tirelessly to help separate these facts from fiction, and any misnomers in-between.
To find out more about debunking with data, we gave subscribers to our Conversations with Data newsletter access to a global group of fact-checkers for an exclusive ask me anything.
Can you share some good examples or best cases where data has been successfully used for fact-checking?
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: Good data aids good fact-checking, which need to point out exactly what the data can and can't tell you. The more limitations, the less certain the answer becomes.
For example, it's easy to use data from the World Health Organization's Global Ambient Air Quality database to rank cities according to their pollution levels. But the fine print shows that these entries aren't comparable. This is due to differences in the methods and quality of measurements -- and the fact that some cities suspected to be the most polluted don't report data to the WHO.
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: Data are (we never use the singular!) the foundation of fact-checking.
One example: The Indian telecommunications minister announced that within a year of taking charge, his administration ensured that the government-run telecoms behemoth, BSNL, had turned a operating profit, after seven years of losses, and had added subscribers. After a meticulous examination of data--including right-to-information requests -- we found that operating profits did not mean the company had turned profitable; indeed net losses had increased, and the minister had, conveniently, not mentioned that more subscribers left than were added.
After a new right-wing government took over in 2014, there were many reports of lynchings, especially of minorities, based on violence related to cows, considered holy by many Hindus. The ruling party and its adherents insisted these were isolated incidents, were never reported before and were not related to the extreme version on Hinduism that they promoted. A debate raged nationwide, poisoning politics and society, made worse by the absence of data--national crime records did not register crimes related to bovines. At Factchecker.in, we created a database of each such crime from 2010 onwards, so that crime patterns could be compared with those after 2014, when the new government took office. Our database--now widely quoted in India and abroad--clearly shows that the overwhelming majority of the victims of such lynchings are minorities, in particular Muslims, and most violence has occurred in states run by India's ruling party.
Factchecker.in's interactive database of cow-related violence in India.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: Politicians in Australia often like to speak about records, both when attacking opponents and spruiking their achievements. A famous example in our unit was when the ruling Coalition Foreign Minister said that when the Opposition Labor Party were last in government, they bequeathed the 'worst set of financial accounts' in Australia's history to their incoming government. This particular fact-check took several months of work sourcing data from the history books on debt and deficit. We were able to find data on federal government surpluses and deficits, plus gross debt, stretching back to 1901, and on net debt handed over to incoming governments back to the 1970s. It's a great example of where a claimant has used the raw number in place of a percentage, which puts the figure in historical context. In this case, experts told us that these figures must be expressed as a percentage of GDP to enable historical comparisons. Ultimately, we found that the Foreign Minister's claim was wrong, as there were far larger (as a percentage of GDP) inherited deficits recorded during WWII, far larger gross debt inherited in the same period, and far larger net debt bequeathed to a government during the 1990s.
Dinda Purnamasari, Tirto.id: Data is the soul of fact-checking. But not just data, more importantly, the context of data itself is what makes our fact-check more reliable.
First, on 2 May 2017, Jake Van Der Kamp, an economist, shared an opinion entitled 'Sorry President Widodo, GDP rankings are economists' equivalent of fake news'. At that time, Kamp quoted a statement from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) that Indonesia's economic growth was third in the world, after India and China. After this opinion became an issue in Indonesia, Tirto.id decided to verify the data that had been used by Jokowi. We looked at data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and based on that we concluded that Indonesia was not in the third position using general criteria, but instead ranks third among BRICS and high populated countries.
A graph from tirto.id's fact-check, showing that Indonesia is ranked third out of the BRICS countries.
Second, in early August 2018, the Vice Governor claimed that their policy of odd-even traffic limitation had reduced air pollution in Jakarta. His statement became an issue, and even some media quoted his data. We verified the data using measurements from the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika -- BMKG) and the US Embassy. Based on those, his statement was incorrect. The average of air pollution in Jakarta was still high and did not appear to be decreasing.
Tania Roettger, Correctiv/EchtJetzt: Fact-checking only works for statements of fact, not opinions. So, ideally, there is data available to verify claims. We regularly use statistics about topics like crime, HIV-rates or jobs. If there are statistics on a topic, we will consult them. Of course, statistics differ in quality depending on the topic and who gathers the data.
Earlier this year, we debunked the claim that refugees sent 4.2 Billion Euros to their home countries in 2016. Data from the German federal bank showed that the 4.2 Billion Euros in remittances actually came from all migrants working in Germany for more than a year, not specifically from refugees. Most of the money, 3.4 Billion Euros, went to European countries, followed by Asia (491 Million) and Africa (177 Million).
Many use the right data, but the context is incorrect.
Have you seen examples where the same data has been manipulated to support both sides of an argument? If so, how do you ensure that your way of looking at the data isn't biased?
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: At Africa Check, we're fond of the quip that some people use statistics 'as a drunken man uses lamp posts -- for support rather than illumination'. Depending on what you want to prove, you can cherry-pick data which supports your argument.
An example is different stances on racial transformation in South Africa, or the lack thereof. A member of a leftist political party said in 2015 that "whites are only 10% of the economically active population but occupy more than 60% of the top management positions". The head of the Free Market Foundation, a liberal think-tank, then wrote: "Blacks in top management… doubled".
Both were right -- but by presenting only a specific slice of the same data source to support their argument.
Again, you need to find out what the data cannot tell you and try to triangulate by using different data sources.
Fact-check ratings
Africa Check's 'mostly correct' verdict means that a claim contains elements of truth but is either not entirely accurate, according to the best evidence publicly available at the time, or needs clarification.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: A great example of this was the debate over 'cuts' and 'savings' to health and education during the early days of the Abbott Coalition government in Australia. The government argued that they were making a 'saving' on health and education by reducing the amount spent on what the previous Labor government had budgeted to spend. Labor, now in opposition, argued that this was in fact a cut. We investigated the figures and found that the Coalition was still spending above inflation so it couldn't be called a cut, but the projections the Coalition had made about savings were over such a long period of time that it was difficult to say whether they would come to pass. In the end we called the debate 'hot air'.
How do we make sure we're looking at the data the right way? We always rely on several experts in the field to guide our analysis and tell us the right way to interpret the data. We're not experts in any of the topics we explore, whilst academics can spend their entire careers researching a single subject, so their advice is invaluable.
Dinda Purnamasari, Tirto.id: In our experience, many use the right data, but the context is incorrect. Then, the data becomes incredible. For example, reports that PT Telkom (state-owned telecommunication company in Indonesia) had provided Corporate Social Responsibility funds of around IDR 100 million to a Mosque and, in comparison, IDR 3.5 billion to a church.
We found that the numbers (IDR100 million and IDR3.5 billion) were right, but the purpose of the funding was incorrect. The 100 million was granted by PT Telkom in 2016 to pay the debt from a mosque renovation process. On the other hand, 3.5 billion was granted to renovate the old church, which also became a cultural heritage site in Nusa Tenggara Barat in 2017.
In this case, again, the context of data becomes an important thing in fact-checking. We must understand the methodology and how the data was gathered or estimated, even by double-checking on the ground, if needed.
Tania Roettger, Correctiv/EchtJetzt: Crime data is a good example. In 2017, crime rates in Germany went down. But this statistic only shows the crimes that have been reported to the police. This has lead some politicians to claim that crime has not actually gone down and that the statistics are 'fake news'.
When the meaning of data is debated, we consult independent experts to collect arguments about how the data can or should be interpreted. Or, we look at alternative sources. For example, the surveys that some German states conduct with people about the crimes they experienced but did not report (however, the validity of these surveys also is disputed).
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: In this era of 'fake news', data are often used to reinforce biases.
For instance, there was much self congratulation when the government claimed that India's forests grew by 6,779 sq km over the two years to 2017. We found that this was not incorrect -- it was indeed what the satellite imagery revealed. However, what it did not reveal was that these new 'forests' included forests converted to commercial plantations, as well as degraded and fragmented forests, and that the health of these forests was being gauged by satellite imagery with inadequate resolution. In fact, numerous studies had recorded a steady degradation of forests over nearly a century.
Indian remote-sensing satellites produce images with a resolution of 23.5 metres per pixel, which is too coarse to unequivocally identify small-scale deforestation and cannot distinguish between old-growth forests and plantations. To make that distinction, India needs imagery with resolution of 5.8m per pixel.
So, all data are not always what they appear. They need to be verified and cross-checked, either with studies, other databases or ground reporting.
Factchecker.in found that this map of forest coverage was not what it seemed. Credit: India's state of forest report (ISFR) 2017.
How do you fact-check stories or statements when data on an issue isn't available?
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: It's really unsatisfactory to use our 'unproven' verdict, but sometimes the evidence publicly available at the time 'neither proves nor disproves a statement', as we define this rating. Still, the absence of data doesn't mean that anything goes in making statements of fact about a topic. We then point out what is known and what isn't.
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: If data are not available -- or independently verified data are not available -- there is only one substitute: Verification through old-fashioned, shoe-leather reporting.
For instance, India's Prime Minister once claimed that his government had built 425,000 toilets within a year. With no independent verification, this claim was hard to dispute. Obviously, it was impossible to verify that 425,000 new toilets had indeed been built in all of India's schools. But after sending reporters to conduct random verifications in eight Indian states, it quickly became apparent that the Prime Minister's claim was -- to put it plainly -- a lie.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: RMIT ABC Fact Check tests the veracity of claims made by politicians and public figures in Australia. If someone is making a claim to influence policy, our position is that they should have good evidence to back it up. Lack of evidence is no excuse so we try and persevere regardless.
Sure, this often leads to less-exciting verdicts, such as 'unverifiable' or 'too soon to know' but the verdict is not the be-all-and-end-all of a fact-check. In these situations, we explore what data is out there; we consult experts in the field for their opinion, and we present it to the audience as best we can so they can see how we've come to our decision.
How RMIT ABC Fact Check finds and checks claims
Dinda Purnamasari, Tirto.id: If the data isn't available, we will place it as unproven, though this flag is unsatisfactory. But, before we conclude the issue as unproven, we still explain the verification steps that we undertook. This is because we want citizens to understand that, when tirto.id places a claim as unproven, it means we could not find the credible source of the information.
As an example, one of our politicians stated that the LRT development cost for 1 KM was USD 8 billion. After we checked reliable and credible sources, and we couldn't find the information, then we concluded the issue as unproven.
Tania Roettger, Correctiv/EchtJetzt: Knife crime on the rise is a recent story, but the federal crime statistics do not list crimes committed with knives as a special category. Some states in Germany do, but among them, they differ in what they count as knife crime. That definitely does not make our work easier.
In cases like this, we source as much information for a claim as is available. If it turns out that the material is not sufficient to verify or debunk the claim, we list what is known and clearly state what is missing. If there is no convincing tendency, we give the rating 'unproven'. But it is important to keep in mind that those making a claim also carry a burden of proof -- if one makes a statement of fact, it needs to be based on evidence. This is one of the things we're trying to show with our work.
Are there any established guidelines for determining the reliability of a data source? How does your organisation determine which data is appropriate to use?
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: We do not have established guidelines. In general, we consider if the data source is reliable. Sometimes, it might not be entirely reliable. For example, a government source, in which case we use the data but cross check with experts, independent studies, and/or our own checks. Some public databases are largely reliable: for instance, government-run databases on health, farming and education. We do not consider those data that have previously proven to be compromised or are doubtful.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: We don't have any hard rules around it, but generally the source should be a non-partisan organisation. In Australia, we rely heavily on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which is a government organisation with a reputation for providing objective data on a range of issues. This is an example of a good source.
When considering a source, it's always pertinent to ask: 'what is their agenda?' If their motivations for providing data might influence the data in a partisan way, it's best to leave it alone. As always, it's a good idea to consult experts in the field on what is the best source to use in verifying a claim.
Dinda Purnamasari, Tirto.id: Since we already know that every data has their own nature, such as context and methodology, we have established a standard for the secondary data that is used. Our first level of the source comes from the Government Statistics Bureau, Ministry/Local Government, company financial reports and the stock exchange. As a second layer, we use world organisations, verified and credible journals, consultants and research companies, as well the national or high reputation news agencies. Although we have this standard, we also cross-check information by consulting with experts in the field, so that we use the best sources.
Tania Roettger, Correctiv/EchtJetzt: When we're investigating a claim, one task is to understand what exactly a given piece of data is able to tell. We establish how and why it was collected, what it contains and it excludes. Usually we note the shortcomings of a statistic in the article. Whenever we are uncertain about the evidence we have gathered, we discuss the issue among our team.
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: There's no way round studying the methodology by which the data is collected. This must then be discussed with experts to get their input. And all data sources, even those considered reliable, have limitations, which has to be highlighted.
What do you think about the potential of automated fact-checking?
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: I am sure it has immense potential, but this requires coding expertise that we do not currently have.
Tania Roettger, Correctiv/EchtJetzt: There are several ways in which automation could help the fact-checking process: extracting fact-checkable claims from speeches or sourcing relevant statistics and documents from a data-pool, for example. But so far we have not experienced or heard of a tool that would do our work for us.
An overview of how automation could aid fact-checking from Understanding the promise and limits of automated fact-checking, by Lucas Graves.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: It's an interesting area, but one which is currently undercooked. Parsing language is a big part of what we do at Fact Check, and machines are not yet capable of interpreting a great deal of the nuance in language. That being said, anything that allows greater access to the facts in a debate for audiences would be a good thing.
One area where there is already enormous potential is in searching for and identifying potential claims to check key data on government websites, such as Hansard and budget papers.
I think that, like a lot of AI, there's a long way to go, and we'll be watching this space intently.
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: The tools I've seen are helpful in monitoring important sources for claims to fact-check, such as transcripts from parliament. But I'm quite hesitant about fact-checks without any human intervention, as nuance plays such a big role. The potential of getting it completely wrong when you are the one claiming to be correcting claims is not worth the potential credibility loss, in my opinion.
What are some of your go-to data tools?
Anim van Wyk, Africa Check: You can't beat a good old spreadsheet. For illustration purposes, we keep it simple by using Datawrapper.
Samar Halarnkar, Factchecker.in: We use Tabula for extracting tables from PDFs. For analysis, we depend on Excel/Google Sheets and Tableau depending on the size and type of the dataset. For visualisation, we work primarily with Google Sheets, Datawrapper, Infogram and Tableau. We also use Google My Maps and CartoDB for some maps.
Matt Martino, RMIT ABC Fact Check: We use Excel or Google spreadsheets for simple analyses. For more complex ones I use R Studio, which is more powerful and can handle much larger datasets. It requires coding knowledge, but the training is well worth it.
In terms of visualisation, we've tried many different platforms throughout the years, but Tableau Public has emerged as our go-to. Its abilities in formatting, design, calculation and visualisation are pretty much unrivalled, in my opinion, and we've been able to create really interesting and rich visualisations using the platform, like those seen here and here.
Dinda Purnamasari, Tirto.id: For analysis, we use Excel, SPSS, and other statistical tools. It really depends on the purpose, size and type of our data and analysis. For visualisation, we use Adobe Illustrator and Datawrapper.
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Debunking with data: insights from fact-checkers around the globe - "Data is the soul of fact-checking"
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Branding & Messaging
Directions to Roanoke
Directions to Virginia's Blue Ridge
With its convenient location, directions to the Roanoke Valley in Virginia's Blue Ridge are quite simple.
Considering the majestic beauty and unspoiled vistas, you might think Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains are a remote, far-away destination. In reality, the Roanoke Valley is located at the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley in Western Virginia and easy to reach by road, rail, or air.
Because it has always been an important crossroads to travel and commerce, Virginia's Blue Ridge is easily accessible by several major highways, as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Roanoke Valley is less than 300 miles from the coast of Virginia and approximately 250 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The region is around 50 miles north of the state border with North Carolina and 105 miles from the Greensboro area. If traveling on Interstate 81, the southwestern portion of Virginia's Blue Ridge (Blacksburg/Christiansburg area) is 120 miles from the state border with Tennessee.
The following are directions on how to get to the Virginia's Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center, which is located in Downtown Roanoke in the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge:
The Visitor Information Center (101 Shenandoah Avenue NE, Roanoke, VA 24016) is open from 9:00am - 5:00pm, seven days a week.
Traveling North on US 220
Follow US 220 North as it becomes Interstate 581 in the City of Roanoke.
Take Exit 4 East off Interstate 581/Route 220 North to Orange Avenue (also Route 460 East).
At the light take a right on Williamson Road (Berglund Center is on your right).
Proceed to the fourth stop light at Shenandoah Avenue and take a right. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center will be directly on your right.
The Visitor Information Center is the building on the left. It's located in the former Norfolk & Western Railway Passenger Station.
From Interstate 81
Take Exit 143 off Interstate 81 onto Interstate 581 South toward Downtown Roanoke.
Take Exit 5 to Wells Avenue. The exit ramp will split - proceed left and merge onto Williamson Road.
Take Williamson Road and turn right at the second light, which is Shenandoah Avenue. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center will be directly on your right.
From the Blue Ridge Parkway
Exit the Parkway at Milepost 120 and follow directional signs toward Mill Mountain on J.P. Fishburn Parkway.
Take J.P. Fishburn Parkway down Mill Mountain for 1.5 miles as this road becomes Walnut Avenue.
Continue on Walnut Avenue SE for 1/2 mile and then turn right on Jefferson Street, which is just after the bridge over the Roanoke River.
Take S. Jefferson Street for 1/2 mile and turn right on Franklin Road.
Go one block on Franklin Road SE and then turn left at first light on Williamson Road SE.
Take Williamson Road SE for .4 miles and make a u-turn at the intersection of Williamson & Wells Avenue.
Take Williamson Road NE and turn right at the first light on Shenandoah Avenue. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center will be directly on your right.
For more information about navigating and directions to various points of interest in the area, please view our Maps section.
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Mary Cywinski with VBR Sports is ready to answer your questions about Virginia's Blue Ridge.
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For more than 20 years, Europa Mundo has commercialised its circuits in Latin America, its original market, through 44 Tour Operators/Wholesale Travel Agencies.
For 3 years, Europa Mundo has sold its circuits directly in Spain through 8 Tour Operators and 6,000 points of sale.
In 2016, Europa Mundo has sold its circuits on Asiatic markets and other destinations via 10 Tour Operators.


We provide the quality legal work clients expect from the region's largest law firms, but with the agility and responsiveness unique to a smaller, litigation boutique firm. Our partners are alumni of large law firms, having spent several decades in complex litigation in federal and state courts. We communicate with our clients often as we believe details empower them. We are aggressive advocates for our clients. We work closely with clients in a team approach, listening to a client's needs, providing options, and then executing a joint strategy.
We focus on litigation. We represent corporations, partnerships and individuals in state and federal courts, arbitrations, mediations, and pre- litigation negotiation and strategy.
Our lawyers have been recognized numerous times for their talent and commitment to San Diego's legal community.
Our partners are alumni of large law firms, having spent several decades in complex litigation in federal and state courts.


I've been designing professionally for over fifteen years for small and large international brands, working my way up from assistant designer to creative director. I've always made a lot of my own clothes and a couple of years ago, after popular request, I decided to start making them for others.
M O N D I N O was born from my love for kaftans, tunics, ponchos and capes, combined with my eye for colour and prints.
My aim is to create pieces that are flattering, elegant, wearable and somehow plain, like a wonderful base that you can play with, accessorising it and adapting it to your own taste and shape. Making each M O N D I N O your own piece.
I make limited edition capsule collections, using beautiful fabrics from all over the world, and try to give each one a distinct personality.


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https://apnews.com/07a1bc2283544b11a478fd3f8c36ae0a
Dedric Boyd
Zach Copeland
Tarkus Ferguson
Copeland, Illinois St. host UIC
Illinois-Chicago (4-7) vs. Illinois State (4-6)
Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two senior guards will be on display as Tarkus Ferguson and Illinois-Chicago will battle Zach Copeland and Illinois State. Ferguson is averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 assists over the last five games. Copeland has scored 22 percent of the team's points this season and is averaging 17.4 over his last five games.
STEPPING UP: Copeland has averaged 15.2 points to lead the way for the Redbirds. Complementing Copeland is Dedric Boyd, who is putting up 9.6 points per game. The Flames are led by Ferguson, who is averaging 12.2 points, four rebounds and 4.4 assists.
CREATING OFFENSE: Ferguson has either made or assisted on 41 percent of all Illinois-Chicago field goals over the last five games. The senior guard has accounted for 21 field goals and 27 assists in those games.
COLD SPELL: Illinois-Chicago has lost its last four road games, scoring 59.3 points, while allowing 78.5 per game.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Flames have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Redbirds. Illinois State has an assist on 38 of 73 field goals (52.1 percent) across its previous three outings while Illinois-Chicago has assists on 46 of 75 field goals (61.3 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Illinois-Chicago has scored 70 points and allowed 76.6 points over its last five games. Illinois State has averaged 66.6 points while giving up 67 over its last five.


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R oute 151 winds through Wisconsin's best-known
ghost country. The stretch from Dodgeville to Blue Mounds became so famous for
hauntings that by 1943 folklorists had collected several hundred tales of the
Ridgeway Ghost. Though most were undocumented, one incident appeared in The New
York Times on Dec. 7, 1902. (Wisconsinosity.com, 2006)
The paper reported that John Lewis, "a prosperous
farmer living in the vicinity of Ridgeway, a man of sober life, (and) undaunted
courage," cut through the fields one night after helping a neighbor with some
butchering. Climbing a stone wall, "his attention was arrested by the sight of
a figure that seemed to have gathered itself together out of the just now
tenantless air and stood confronting him in a menacing attitude." (Wisconsinosity.com, 2006)
Lewis fled, but the ghost stepped across his path
and raised its arm. "Next morning a neighbor found Lewis lying inside the wall
in a semi- conscious condition. . . . He said he had been hurled in the air as
if in the vortex of a cyclone, pounded, crushed into insensibility. He died a
few hours after he was carried home, asserting with his dying breath that he
had come to his end by a supernatural agency." (Wisconsinosity.com, 2006)
Many local residents gave accounts like this
between 1840 and 1900. Although reports of the Ridgeway Ghost declined over the
decades, claims of mysterious manifestations occurring as late as 1993 have
surfaced on the Internet. The supposedly haunted house collapsed in ruins a few
years ago, but legends about its ghostly occupant live on.
(Wisconsinosity.com, 2006)


Yes, but the arena is small!
Off Topic... Have anyone seen the new teasers from the new Jonas Aukerland video for Britney? It looks if it is gonna be really good!
My Charm School LP just arrived, fantastic!
Is Speak to me a different version on the LP? What is it like?
Turns out my wife put the turntable in the loft becuase of how infrequently I use it. I can't fit through the hatch and she is 30wks pregnant so I won't get to know until a friend comes round and gets it out for me!!!
Apr 7, 2011, "Orfeo Superdomo, Córdoba, Argentina".
I called them and there are no more tickets. Hope they add another date.


This global employer is seeking an Employee Benefits expert, for an unusually broad ranging role that spans far beyond the usual benefits administration and management agenda!
This company has unusual layers of complexity after a period of considerable growth and organisational change. As a result, they have significant inconsistencies across their employee benefits programs, with a frequent disconnect between the benefits being offered and those that are demographically relevant and valued; thus the need for this critical and high-profile role.
Reporting to the EMEA C&B Director, you'll have ownership of benefits strategy across the region. You'll be leading a team of 4 direct reports, and whilst they're busy with daily administration and benefits management, you'll be focussed on a "deep dive" review of all existing benefits, inclusive of ROI and take-up rates. You will then be planning the changes needed to ensure all local and regional benefits are appropriate, and market competitive in the attraction, engagement and retention of this company's niche skilled staff.
With the company's ongoing growth agenda, your role will be critical in building sustainable frameworks to ensure benefits are regarded as fair, relevant and desirable within total reward packages.
In addition, a new global benefits tool is due to be launched, and you'll own that implementation regionally - working through your team plus key HR and business stakeholders to ensure that embedding and utilisation lands as expected.
Without doubt there will be "heavy lifting" as part of the overall benefits change agenda, so you'll need to be the type who thrives on high degrees of ambiguity and challenge, with exceptional levels of initiative, persistence, collaboration and communication. You'll also need advanced skills for culturally sensitivity and empathy whilst working across the circa 50 countries within your remit!
This role could well suit the C&B professional who has an interest in building on their Benefits expertise, or the Benefits consultant who has an interest in working in-house; as well as the existing Benefits professional who wants to build upon their change management expertise within a globally recognised, household brand company.
Regular travel can be expected across the region and occasionally to the US. Based from London, this role will offer an annual base salary from £95,000 (upward flex dependent on experience and expertise levels) along with a hefty performance bonus (over 40%) and other market competitive benefits. A generous relocation package is also on offer to current EU citizens, and the company has a history of investing heavily to enable fast-tracking of career progression for ambitious professionals.
If this sounds like the challenge you've been seeking for your next career move, please do make contact directly and in confidence via solutions@cartermorris.com quoting CMTS00197. Interviews are being scheduled currently with a view to an employment offer being extended in the coming weeks.


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Home » About » News & Events » Thirteen Delaware Tech Student-Athletes Receive NJCAA All-Academic Honors
Delaware Technical Community College had 13 student-athletes receive National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) honors for their academic achievements in the 2018-2019 season. These 13 student-athletes received the NJCAA All-Academic Student-Athlete Award by obtaining a specific grade point average for the academic year.
The NJCAA All-Academic Student-Athlete Award consists of three tiers of teams. The first team includes student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA, the second team includes student-athletes with a 3.8-3.99 GPA, and the third team includes student-athletes with a 3.6-3.79 GPA.
The 13 student-athletes honored from Delaware Tech are:
All-Academic First Team:
McKenna Browning, softball, diagnostic medical sonography major, from Easton, Md. – St. Michael's High School
Emily Campbell, women's volleyball, physical therapist assistant major, from Camden – Polytech High School
Ben Cooper, golf, general business major, from Selbyville – Homeschooled
Logan Hallee, men's cross country, biological sciences major, from Newark – Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School
Ben Hudson, baseball and golf, biological sciences major, from Whaleyville, Md. – Homeschooled
Michelle Krzywicki, women's volleyball, human services major, from Newark – James H. Groves
All-Academic Second Team:
Brooke Miller, women's volleyball, nursing major, from Middletown – Appoquinimink High School
Kaylie Moore, softball, office administration major, from Federalsburg, Md. – Colonel Richardson High School
All-Academic Third Team:
Stephen Constantinou, men's cross country, civil engineering major, from Kennett Square, Pa., - St. Mark's High School
Caitlin Pontak, softball, physical therapist assistant major, from Newark – Newark Charter School
Camryn Thompson, softball, business administration major, from Laurel – Delmarva Christian High School
Bryan Widdowson, baseball, criminal justice major, from Seaford – Seaford High School
Morgan Willoughby, softball, elementary education major, from Federalsburg, Md. – Colonel Richardson High School
Visit the Delaware Tech Athletics website or follow dtccathletics on Instagram for more information.
Photo: From left, top row, Bryan Widdowson (baseball), McKenna Browning (softball), Kaylie Moore (softball), Michelle Krzywicki (women's volleyball), and Ben Cooper (golf). Middle row, Morgan Willoughby (softball), Brooke Miller (women's volleyball), and Camryn Thompson (softball). Bottom row, Emily Campbell (women's volleyball), Logan Hallee (men's cross country), Caitlin Pontak (softball), Ben Hudson (baseball and golf), and Stephen Constantinou (men's cross country).


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Q: QTcpServer receiving and sending in a different thread I have a piece of software in QT framework (c++) that's suppose to dispatch processed (local) data to other servers and receive the same (foreign) data processed on other servers and compare it.
Problem occurs when a large amount of local data is processed foreign data is buffered and doesn't go into comparison process until all local data is sent. I need the data to be compared in certain time frame, so this causes a timeout.
An idea was to to use one thread to dispatch local data and another thread to receive and compare foreign data. QTcpServer will probably need a mutex to protect it from simultaneous reading and writing.
Is this possible to do with one connection or would it be better to have one connection for dispatching and one for receiving in QT environment?
I checked the Fortune server example
http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtnetwork-threadedfortuneserver-example.html
but I need to know if it's possible and logical to use different threads for sending and receiving on the same connection.
PS. I'm new to multi-threading so I apologise if I misunderstood some concepts.

A: Without seeing any code, it's difficult to definitively answer this question. However, this may set you on the right track...
I wouldn't expect you'd need different threads for sending / receiving data; QTcpSocket is asynchronous.
It sounds like the architecture you're using to process the data may need revising.

foreign data is buffered and doesn't go into comparison process until all local data is sent

That sounds like more of an issue and the area where multi-threading would be beneficial. So, use multi-threading for processing the data, rather than controlling the communication between servers.
As you state you're new to multi-threading, I suggest starting by reading this article and using its examples as a template.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Bryson peut désigner :

Personnalités
  (), mathématicien grec
 Bryson d'Achaïe (-), philosophe mégarique
 Bryson, nom d'un ou deux philosophe(s) ou sophiste (s) grec(s) du  ;
 Bryson (-), philosophe néo-pythagoricien
 John Bryson (1849-1896), agriculteur, homme d'affaires et homme politique fédéral du Québec
 John Bryson (1943-), homme politique américain
 Bill Bryson (1951-), écrivain américain
 Royden Bryson (1982-), surfeur sud-africain

Toponyme

Bryson,une ville du Texas.

Bryson, une municipalité canadienne des Outaouais

Homonymie de patronyme
Homonymie de toponyme

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
ASL Chartwell
Private Client Law
Wills, Trust and Estate
Charity Law and Governance
Welcome to ASL Chartwell Law
ASL Chartwell Law is a modern, dynamic and forward thinking multi-disciplinary Wills, Probate, Trust and Estate, Arbitration and Mediation, and Charity Law and Governance legal services practice.
As Probate Practitioners, we are professional probate lawyers qualified in the law of succession, trusts law, relevant aspects of property law relating to inheritance and the administration of wills and estates in England and Wales.
Our Charity Law and Governance practice can advise on a broad spectrum of charity issues including establishing new charities, Charity Commission registration and reporting, governance issues and structures, Charitable Incorporated Organisations, mergers and real estate.
Our advice also covers commercial, employment, intellectual property and regulatory matters.
Our Managing Partner is a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner, being a full member (TEP) of the highly respected Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Court of Protection Practitioners Association, the Charity Law Association and the Liverpool Law Society.
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
Court of Protection Practitioners Association
Charity Law Association
Liverpool Law Society
"Law is reason, free from passion."
If your affairs would benefit from professional advice, we can help with Will drafting, as well as obtaining Grants of Probate and administering estates after people have died.
As we are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) who prepare Wills in England and Wales and we are bound by the STEP Code for Will Preparation.
We offer advice on any Probate matter be it complicated or simple and whether you simply require us to apply for the Grant on your behalf or require us to deal with the full administration of the estate or something in between.
We can guide you through the process of choosing an attorney and applying for and registering your Lasting Power of Attorney ( LPA ) both Property and Financial and Health and Welfare with the Office of the Public Guardian.
If an individual has not made a Lasting Power of Attorney and they become unable to manage their own affairs or make decisions about their finance and property and/or health and welfare, then an application will need to be made to the Court of Protection to manage their affairs.
We can guide you through every step of the way in making an application to the Court of Protection.
A trust deed is a legal document setting out an arrangement which transfers property, including shares and money, to trustees or a trust company to administer for the benefit of those named in the deed or Will. Trusts can be set up during a person's lifetime or after death through a person's Will. This can be a great way of managing and protecting assets now to minimise inheritance tax on death.
Trusts can be drafted to allow you, as settlor, to retain some degree of control over the assets or capital within it.
We have considerable experience in Trust planning and would welcome the chance to discuss your needs.
To be valid in the UK, a charitable trust must do two things: benefit the public and have a charitable purpose. "Benefit the public" means simply that the trust cannot be operated for the advantage of a private person or group of private people. "Charitable purposes" are many and varied, but some of the most common accepted purposes include:
Relieving poverty
Promoting education
Promoting religion
Helping animals
Any number of other uses that benefit the community
ASL Chartwell Law can advise clients on the requirements, benefits and drawbacks of establishing trusts of any kind. Whether you want to contribute one lump sum to a trust or plan to give regularly to a number of causes, we have the expertise necessary to help you achieve your charitable goals.
It is our mission to deliver an outstanding client service with a sincere commitment to making a real difference by offering complete legal support with the right blend of expertise and experience.
92-96 Lord Street
PR8 1JR
Info@aslchartwell.com
Information leaflets relating to inheritance and succession, including trusts, making a will, power of attorney, cohabiting couples (UK) among others.
About Step
STEP explained
Gives an overview of the Society, its membership and activities.
About Trusts
Trusts explained
Gives an overview of how trusts work and what they are most commonly used for, and corrects some of the widespread misconceptions held about trusts.
Why make a trust
Provides a brief explanation of the benefit of making a trust, along with some frequently asked questions regarding trusts for members of the public.
Provides a brief explanation of the importance of making a will.
About what to do when someone dies
Provides a brief outline to guide you through the process of what to do when someone dies: the steps that must be taken, the information that must be gathered and the legal terms that may be encountered.
About powers of attorney
Why make a Lasting Power of Attorney?
Provides a brief explanation of a Lasting Power of Attorney, outlining the two different types and the main points to consider when creating an LPA for members of the public in England and Wales.
About being a personal representative (UK)
Executors and Personal Representatives
People often underestimate the huge responsibility and challenges of being a personal representative and the personal liability it brings if things go wrong. This article sets out a few common pitfalls personal representatives may fall into and should serve as a warning to anyone contemplating administering an estate without obtaining legal advice.
About cohabiting couples (UK)
Couples cohabiting
More than 3 million couples in the UK choose to cohabit, rather than marry or enter a civil partnership. If you are co-habiting, you do not have the same rights as a married couple; and contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a 'common-law marriage'.
A list of partners is available upon request.
ASL Chartwell Law © 2020 All rights reserved


Q: I received poor legal advice in regards to an estate and it's now in surrogate court, do I have legal recourse?
In 2001 I entered a relationship with a terminally ill individual that just purchased a home with a 30yr mortgage. I was listed as a Tenant In Common but not added to the mortgage. A will was prepared leaving me all assets. When he became ill I was made POA and when he passed in 2003 there was no equity in the home. I retained his lawyer to settle the estate and he did let 1 family member know that I would be executor via mail. I was then contacted and told that the Will had never been recorded and there were no rights of survival included in the JTIC agreement. I had no legal rights and would need to wait for the family to settle the estate. In 2004 the mortgage co was notified of his death. I continued to pay it and was told to wait for the family. In 2017 he petitioned to have me named as administrator and it is now being handled by Surrogate Court. They want 10K for the family and I get to pay off the mortgage. I was never reimbursed for funeral expenses. What can I do?
A: Your question is confusing, but if you are administrator do what you want as the law requires. If there is a will, you can still probate it. The will appears to be the only way you get the house without paying off the family that appears to recognize your claim for paying all of these years.


Two weeks ago several of my screenwriting friends and I participated in the 48 hour film project. #48HFP!
The project ends on Sunday at 5pm when each team must submit its finished film back to the local headquarters. Films are screened at an event a couple of weeks later, and the ones that get the most votes advance to the next round.
I admit when we realized we'd drawn silent/sports as a our genre choice there was a moment of panic. This group of non-sports fans contemplated just how we could tell a compelling sports story in five minutes. Similarly, telling a story without dialogue caused some initial trepidation, too. But ultimately, a concept emerged that blended the dialogue cards of silent film and the sports motif, too. Then our director Robin Noonan Price and producer Jane Barbara, and all of the cast and crew, got to work. The final project is "Eggs-treme" which premiered Saturday, May 19 at the AFI Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland.
If the 48 Hour Film Project competes in your city, I highly recommend it. It's a great way to test your skills and have a lot of fun!
Here's me on the end, working out the script with the other writers– and the promotional poster we proudly waved at the screening!