While Vanity Fair may find Margot Robbie "too fresh to be pegged," she's pretty willing to do it herself — at least when it comes to Harry Potter. "I manipulated the answers," she said, when I ask the admitted Potter nerd (on Jimmy Kimmel, she showed a photo of herself at 13 with glasses, braces, and holding a cup of tea and a Harry Potter book), whether she's ever taken a Sorting Hat quiz. During a press day from London as the new face of deep Euphoria Calvin Klein, I forgot to ask Robbie what her patronus would be, but I did find out where she thinks the Sorting Hat would place her, the weird smell Jared Leto thought the Joker would have, and her thoughts on not putting down other women.
Did you play a specific character in the deep Euphoria shoot?
But Francis Lawrence, a film director, did the campaign, so it was so much easier for me to sit down with him and say, "Okay, so here's the concept. This is where you are. This is what you're thinking." We're blurring the lines between fantasy and reality so you can associate things with your own experiences and you can kind of fabricate the world you're in at the same time.
I remember being a kid and seeing my mom's perfumes lined up on the bathroom bench. I was definitely aware that only older women — grown-up women — wore perfume. I was so thrilled at the idea that I was going to be grown up and be able to wear perfume, too. Whenever I smell my mum, I feel like a little kid again.
In Glamour, your Suicide Squad colleague Jared Leto said you created a scent for him as the Joker. What kind of scent did you end up creating?
I pick a scent for every character I play. Playing Jane in Tarzan, I just wore pure rose oil. I figured it was a little more earthy — still feminine but in a more grounded way. Every character has been different.
In the case of Harley, she had such an obsession with the Joker that I thought she would want to smell the way that he wants her to smell. I asked him what type of scents he likes and was going to base my perfume choice off it. But he gave a crazy answer and I was like, Okay, well, I might do something slightly different.
I read that he said the Joker would smell like brain, dirty socks, and dead fish.
That was his response, and I was like, Okay, not really the thing I was after, but, um, that's great! I'm probably not going to rub dead fish on me everyday, so I went for what I thought Harley would like as opposed to what the Joker would like.
I decided I wanted her to smell kind of sickly sweet. I didn't want a subtle scent at all, I wanted one that made you very aware that she's wearing it. I went to a drugstore in a strip mall and bought really cute, tacky perfume that was so sweet it would give you a toothache. It was very Harley to me. It was cute. It was fun. It was unapologetic.
What about Naomi in Wolf of Wall Street?
In the past, I had a perfume that guys always commented on whenever I wore it. They'd always say, "You smell so good!" Since Naomi was so aware of the effect she had on men, that would be the perfume she'd wear. At the moment, I'm playing a character from the 1920s and I've found a gorgeous perfume in a 1920s bottle. Ironically, in the last film I did, Terminal, I was playing this femme fatale sort of character and I realized I'd already had the perfume. Deep Euphoria was perfect. It's feminine, sensual, dangerous, provocative, but still subtle enough that you don't really see it coming.
So I heard that you're a huge Harry Potter nerd. Have you ever taken one of those quizzes that tells you what house you're in?
I did, but I think I manipulated the answers because I so badly wanted to be in Gryffindor. Now, I'll never truly know what I would have got. But since the Sorting Hat takes into account the house you want to be in, maybe I would have ended up in Gryffindor anyway.
I got Ravenclaw, which I guess isn't bad.
It's not that bad. I would be quite happy with Ravenclaw and I'd be quite happy with Hufflepuff.
One of my friends got Slytherin.
She said it shows that you're very cunning but have the Gryffindor qualities. I was like, I don't know about that. Minus Professor Snape.
No. This is why we are true Gryffindors, because we wouldn't, we don't agree with that. Although Professor Snape was very brave. Yes, he was very brave.
What do you think Hogwarts would smell like?
Well, I've always loved the bits where they're describing what they're eating in the Great Hall, when they're eating their dinner. I think it would just smell like cooking all the time. Or it could smell like pine needles at Christmastime when Hagrid is bringing the Christmas trees in. So I think wood fires, pine needles, and, like, all those comforting magical smells.
You've been the subject of some interesting profiles by male writers, like the one in Vanity Fair that got a lot of attention. What do you make of the experiences of being interviewed by male writers?
Well, one of the articles that was written about me that read to be quite scathing was written by a female writer. It was a young, female writer who I thought was so cool. I really liked her and thought, in real life, maybe we would be friends. Then I read the article she wrote and I was like, Wow, that's kind of mean. Nothing upsets me more than women putting down other women. I was like Dude, lift each other up, don't do that. You can expect that from men sometimes, but you want other women to lift you up a bit. That bummed me out way more than the Vanity Fair article, or anything else that I've read about me.
On the other hand, I've had male writers that I've just absolutely adored and thought that they were really fair and accurate portrayals. You never know what you're going to get, really.
Why do you think the female writer wrote the story in such an unexpected way?
I really don't know. I'd love to sit down with her and ask. Sometimes it's easier to take that angle. It's easier to be kind of scathing and judgmental sometimes when you're writing an article and need to find an angle and a point of view. Sometimes, it's more provocative to be negative.
You mentioned before that you thought there was nothing worse than women who bring down other women. What do you think of the quote that "there's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women"?
That's along the same lines but a bit more extreme [Laughs]. I wouldn't go as far as to say that there's a special place in hell for them, though. To take a more positive stance on that, I am always so grateful and so appreciative of the women in my life that are supportive. And, likewise, I just want to be that supportive, positive force for other women in my life.
What do you think about the way you've been portrayed or been seen by the male gaze?
It kind of shifts with every role that I play. Wolf of Wall Street was the role that put me on the map and what people know of you is by your role. It's definitely a misrepresentation because I'm not like Naomi. But the more roles that I start to play, the more people can stop seeing me as one particular character. I would hope that people feel that they know my characters quite well, but not me — because if they see me in the role, I'm not doing a very good job at acting.
Margot Signs First-Look Deal With Warner Bros.


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Home Boulevard Living Arts & Culture Reggae Fest with a Latin twist in North Beach
(Courtesy of The Rhythm Foundation)
The Miami Beach Reggae Fest takes place at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach at 7275 Collins Ave.
Reggae Fest with a Latin twist in North Beach
by Mike Hamersly, Artburstmiami.com
(Courtesy of Dani Perez)
Miami Beach Reggae Fest founder Eddy Morillo helms local band Bachaco.
The Miami Beach Reggae Fest promises to serve up groovy music and great vibes. But it's also being envisioned as more than your typical concert.
Billed as promoting "Peace & Love," the festival – scheduled for Sept. 11 at the North Beach Bandshell – seeks to offer a life-affirming sense of community, something we've had far too little of over the past year and a half.
"Being on a date that is so politicized, I figured I have to pay tribute to peace," said festival founder and organizer Eddy Morillo, who also helms the headlining Miami-based Venezuelan band Bachaco. "I wanted to do something that is not politicized, but is mostly about connecting left and right, peace and love. All together.
(idartes.gov.co)
Dr. Krapula is a Latin alternative rock band that carries a transformation message through their hybrid popular music.
"And I liked the symbolism behind the date because of reggae music being a way of transmitting love. I figured it would be a good match to try it on a date that has been shadowed by negative events, so I wanted to make something positive out of something dark, basically."
The festival will feature three acts, plus special guests. Bachaco, Fidel Nadal and Doctor Krapula will present a mix of feel-good reggae rock with conscious lyrics and a Latin touch. Each performing act will interpret reggae in its own particular way.
(Fidelnadal.net)
Fidel Nadal was featured on the Spanish-language version of Rolling Stone magazine.
Fidel Nadal is Afro-Argentine and a descendant of Angolan slaves. He's celebrating 36-years in music this year with the release of a new album and is currently on tour, stopping in Miami Beach for this occasion.
"If you're a true reggae fan, whether it's Jamaican or not, this (festival) is gonna be something you should definitely look forward to," said Morillo.
The lineup pays homage to how beloved reggae is in Spanish-speaking countries, and shines a light on Miami's mix of Latin and Caribbean influences.
"I'm very happy that [Morillo's] bringing this talent," said James Quinlan, director of The Rhythm Foundation and its venue, the North Beach Bandshell. "I think it's very interesting the strength that reggae acquired in South American culture, and he's been able to put it together into a package here. That's exciting, and that's what makes it different."
Of course, the pandemic continues to disrupt life as we knew it pre-shutdown, way back in early 2020. But Morillo felt it was time for an audience and musicians to get together and celebrate the joy of live performances again.
"This is my first show since the pandemic started," he said. "I have not done any events for over a year now. And that is also a reason why I decided to come with a bang, trying to do it as big as possible, because there's a thirst. There's a thirst for music in people's lives now. And I'm trying to do something where we can start where we left off."
Why a full festival?
"We have a lack of festivals," Morillo said. "I know there's probably a lot of festivals of other genres, other styles, other types of producers and promoters, but the Latin community doesn't really have a festival that is not mainstream. I'm not even talking about myself – there really isn't an avenue for these artists to come together at a festival setting.
"So I do this more from a cultural standpoint: Obviously it's supposed to be a for-profit event, but I do it without even thinking about what the profit is going to be. I do it more for the love of the community, for being able to connect with these artists that are similar to myself. There isn't a festival where I fit, I think. So I decided to put it together and not only promote myself, but other artists that are similar, that share similar values, thoughts and concerns."
Morillo couldn't have chosen a better venue for reggae music's soothing, swaying beats than the North Beach Bandshell.
(Facebook)
Musicians like the legendary Bob Marley are influencing a whole new generation of Latin artists.
"Just before we had to close (because of the shutdown), we finished the installation of this canopy at the Bandshell," said Quinlan. "And that has really been a significant change, an upgrade to the experience, and just a protection from the sun and rain. The shape of the stage is also a wind-deflection element for the breezes that come off the ocean. You feel the breezes, but when those breezes become winds, and they do, you really appreciate the thinking that went into that design of the Bandshell stage itself."
The themes of peace and love, naturally, recall the music of Bob Marley, and it's no surprise that the life and legacy of the reggae legend has had a profound impact on Morillo's life.
"I remember when I was 13, 14 years old in Venezuela, traveling cross-country, and somehow I ended up with a copy of Bob Marley's (greatest hits album) 'Legend.' At the beginning, I didn't even know what it meant, because I didn't speak English that well. And translating the words, understanding the meaning, and seeing that there was more to music than what I had already been introduced to as a Latino kid, it really opened up my eyes to the world.
"The lyrics are very positive, about love, about peace, with yourself and with the world," Morillo continued. "It's more spiritual, and that's what we need today."
ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit source of theater, dance, visual arts, music and performing arts news.
Miami Beach Reggae Fest
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at 4:20 p.m.
North Beach Bandshell
7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
For more information and to buy tickets, visit NorthBeachBandshell.com or Eventbrite.com (search "Miami Beach Reggae Fest").
Doctor Krapula North Beach Miami Beach Reggae Fest Miami reggae music Bob Marley Music performances Miami-Dade South Florida Fidel Nadal James Quinlan music reggae Art North Beach Bandshell Bachaco The Rhythm Foundation
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Lessons from the year of post-truth politics: Editorial
The triumph this year of Trumpism and Brexiteers no doubt reflects our neurological nature and inexorable cultural trends, but given the stakes, fatalism must not be seen as an option.
Tue., Dec. 27, 2016timer5 min. read
Four sentences that we should never have had to write: 1) Barack Obama did not found Daesh. 2) Muslims did not celebrate en masse in the streets of New Jersey as the Twin Towers fell. 3) Mexico does not exile its "bad" citizens to the United States. 4) These, of course, were among the thousands of falsehoods Donald Trump propagated on his way to the White House.
The fact-checking website PolitiFact reports that 84 per cent of Trump's statements range from "half true" to "pants on fire." The U.S. president-elect says these insidious things, we expect, not because he believes them to be true, but because they serve his demagogic purposes – and because he understands that it doesn't matter that they aren't true. His innovation is not lying, of course; that's a tactic as old as politics. Rather, it is his instinctive sense that the truth has become immaterial, coupled with his own agnosticism on the issue.
He is not alone. Brexiteers in the United Kingdom repeated ad nauseam and without basis that membership in the European Union cost Britons 350 million pounds every week. Russian President Vladimir Putin assured the world that there were no Russian soldiers in Ukraine at the very moment that Russia could be observed taking Crimea. As the year ends, a growing group of mendacious leaders in Poland and Turkey and many countries around the world are thriving in this moment of post-truth politics.
The Oxford English Dictionary, which named "post-truth" its word of 2016, defines the term as "denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief." How else to explain the rise of a U.S. president-elect who is known to be truthful roughly 16 per cent of the time?
The causes of this alarming state of affairs are many and complex. Some point to cognitive science, which has shown that humans are not predisposed to seek truth, but rather to avoid it. We tend to believe information that confirms our pre-existing biases and cherry-pick data to avoid the hard work of questioning our assumptions. The Enlightenment, it seems, was an uphill battle.
The Internet has no doubt compounded reason's struggle. If our brains want to be exposed only to ideas that confirm our biases, the digital age has made that possible on a grand scale. The proliferation of online news outlets and the echo chambers we've constructed within social media allow us to avoid contrary opinions – and more to the point, inconvenient facts – with unprecedented ease. Amid the unfathomable reams of information, why not pick the "truth" we like best.
But perhaps no factor is more crucial to the current skepticism than the one Brexit leader Michael Gove alluded to in predicting his side's victory: "People in this country have had enough of experts." The experts seem to agree. For decades, polls have shown eroding trust in the institutions that, in the secular age, have traditionally been charged with sorting true from false: government, academia, media. As trust has deteriorated, doubt has spread and conspiracy theories, pseudoscience and fake news have taken root.
For this, the institutions themselves are partly to blame. In English-speaking democracies, where trust has declined most precipitously, the state distortions used to justify the war in Iraq have left the public wary. Perhaps more profound, decades of a market-driven version of globalization, touted as the apotheosis of the Enlightenment ideal of self-interested rationalism, did not yield the promised benefits to the many, instead enriching the richest few. Trust took a battering with the 2008 financial meltdown. No wonder so many voters seemed ready to accept Trump's claim that the game is rigged.
Scholarship, too, and in particular science, is less trusted today than it has been in many years, perhaps the result in part of a seemingly endless stream of mutually contradictory studies. Wine, tea, milk, tomatoes, coffee, butter — these are among the many foods that have been shown by some studies to cause cancer and by others to cure it.
The trouble isn't really science, but what masquerades as science. Unrigorous and biased experimentation can produce just about any result. Meanwhile, scarce funding and the competitive academic job market have prompted many scientists to exaggerate the significance of their findings in an effort to get attention. A recent study in the British Medical Journal found more than one third of press releases from top U.K. universities contained exaggerations.
How media covers science also plays a role. Too often we report studies out of context or without acknowledging their limitations. Too often in our search for sexy headlines, we forget that science is an incremental, fundamentally unsexy enterprise, that any one study is far more likely to provide another small piece in a vast, complex puzzle than it is to be "revolutionary."
Chasing audiences creates problems beyond science reporting, as Craig Silverman, media editor of BuzzFeed Canada, argues in a report for the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. In our obsession with clicks, "news organizations play a major role in propagating hoaxes, false claims, questionable rumours and dubious viral content, thereby polluting the digital information stream."
The loss of trust in our truth-producing institutions is a disaster for democracy. Facts, of course, are not enough. No policy automatically follows, for instance, from the premise that climate change is real. How we balance the needs of the living with those of future generations or weigh the acute short-term costs of economic upheaval against the longer-term consequences of environmental degradation depends entirely on where you place your priorities. Facts must be interpreted through a moral lens.
But without facts, there can be no democratic debate. If we feel we cannot trust what 98 per cent of scientists say about global warming, then we become vulnerable to a demagogue who would say against all evidence and reason that climate change is a Chinese hoax. If we refuse to believe the emerging consensus that working-class stagnation is at least in part the result of long-standing economic policies, then we may be seduced by those who would pander to baseless fear and seek to scapegoat outsiders.
"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist," the German-born Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote in 1951, "but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists." The triumph this year of Trumpism and Brexiteers no doubt reflects our neurological nature and inexorable cultural trends, but given the stakes, fatalism must not be seen as an option. Those whose job it is to tell the truth must now tell it in the face of growing opposition — and we must tell it better.


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Obituary — In Memoriam — Washington DC — Black men — Black priests — Rome — Maryland — Vatican — Black parishes — Masses — Events — Knights of Columbus — Theology — Catholic University of America — Wilton Cardinal Gregory
Fr Everett Pearson, DC African-American priest educated in Rome, dead at 61
An African-American priest born, raised, and ordained in the nation's capital, died this month after an extended illness and 31 years of ministry.
August 31, 2022 . 10:11 AM
Fr Everett Pearson, wearing an Afrocentric fiddleback chasuble designed by Sr Lynn Marie Ralph, SBS. He will be buried in the vestment on Friday, September 2. (Ralph/Facebook)
WASHINGTON — Fr Everett Pearson, a veteran African-American Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, passed away on August 23 in Northern Virginia after an extended illness. He was 61 years old.
The news was first announced by his parish, Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Forestville, Maryland, and nearby Bishop McNamara High School, where Pearson also served.
"We all wanted Father Everett to be released from pain and suffering," the parish posted on social media.
"Even though it's not the outcome we may have hoped for, God knew what was best and called him home."
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that our dear pastor, Father Everett Pearson, has gone home to be with...
Posted by Mount Calvary Catholic Church on Wednesday, August 24, 2022
It is with sadness that we share news of the passing of Father Everett Pearson, the long-time pastor of Mount Calvary Catholic Church. He was an important minister of faith within our school community, as well as a friend and advocate of BMHS. He will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/K4NPCrRjvB
— Bishop McNamara HS (@BMHSMustangs) August 24, 2022
Born in Washington, DC on October 2, 1960, Pearson was raised Catholic, first educated at Nativity Catholic School in DC and graduating from Archbishop Carroll High School in 1978. He worked with the Catholic Youth Organization and also the Boy Scouts of America, according to his parish biography.
Called to ministry from a young age, he entered the seminary in 1984 and later studied in Rome, where he received a degree in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1991, before returning to Rome three years later to obtain a Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
"[The Black community is] starving for evangelization," he told the Catholic Standard in an interview before his ordination.
"They don't always feel invited… If people see me happy with Jesus Christ, maybe they'll follow."
Pearson became pastor of Mount Calvary in 2009 and administrator at the Church of the Holy Spirit in 2012, while also serving in vocations ministry for the archdiocese and on the Priest Retirement Board. He was also a chaplain for a local council of the Knights of Columbus.
Well-known to Black Catholics regionally and nationally, Pearson in recent years would lend his parish as a meeting place for local African-American clergy, sisters, brothers, and seminarians. He also hosted a 30th-anniversary celebration there last year for the five members of his ordination class, one of whom was deceased.
Pearson himself had experienced a brush with death just two years earlier, when he was hospitalized in January 2019 and was in critical condition. Despite continued illness thereafter, he continued to serve faithfully—including in an event earlier this year with Pax Christi USA where he celebrated a Mass marking the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.
In the wake of Pearson's own death, tributes poured in online from various friends, parishioners, and institutions around the country, noting his spirit of service and dedication to the community.
With sadness, the ACHS community shares news of the passing of Fr. Everett Pearson `78. Father Pearson was the long-time pastor of Mt Calvary Church. Please keep the Mount Calvary parishioners, his friends, and family in prayer. Funeral info visit: https://t.co/8lF61fE9HO pic.twitter.com/Jq6izaMWWJ
— ArchbishopCarrollDC (@ACHSWashDC) August 30, 2022
It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Fr. Everett Pearson, pastor of Mount Calvary Catholic Church in ...
Posted by Nativity Parish Washington DC on Wednesday, August 24, 2022
The Church in Washington DC say farewell to Fr. Everett Pearson. He passed last week at the age of 61. May The Lord grant him eternal life and the glory of the resurrection. https://t.co/Kaub20ypZC
— Fr. Bruce Wilkinson (@PadreInAtlanta) August 31, 2022
In the Catholic Church this style of vestment is known as a Fiddleback Vestment. Father Everret Pearson challenged me to...
Posted by Lynn Marie Ralph on Saturday, August 27, 2022
A Vigil Mass for Pearson will be held on Thursday, September 1 at Mount Calvary at 7:30pm ET, with a viewing beforehand from 3-7pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the parish by Cardinal Wilton Gregory on Friday at 10:30am, following a viewing at 9am.
After Friday's Funeral Mass, interment will take place at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in DC, and a reception will follow at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville.
Want to support the work of BCM? You have options.
Fr Charles D. Burns, SVD dead at 90
Anti-racist pioneer Fr Malcolm O'Leary, SVD dead at 92
Remembering Fr Martin Carter, SA
Sr Doris Goudeaux, SSF, promoter of Venerable Henriette DeLille, dead at 91


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The latest news from around the state
Whitman Elementary School Teacher Accused of Indecent Assault on Student to Face Judge
A music teacher from Duval Elementary School was charged with indecent assault and battery after he allegedly had inappropriate contact with a student
By Nia Hamm and Karla Rendon-Alvarez
Published Jun 4, 2019 at 8:11 AM | Updated at 9:15 AM EDT on Jun 4, 2019
Whitman Music Teacher Due in Court for Alleged Assault
//www.necn.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Whitman-Music-Teacher-Due-in-Court-for-Alleged-Assault_NECN-510803922.html
A music teacher at a Whitman, Massachusetts elementary school is set to face a judge after he allegedly had inappropriate contact with a student. (Published Tuesday, June 4, 2019)
The Massachusetts elementary school teacher who was arrested following an investigation into alleged misconduct between he and a student is expected to appear in court Tuesday.
Matthew DiMuccio, 32, of Wellesley, was arrested Monday in his home and charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, according to Whitman Police Chief Scott D. Benton.
Whitman Teacher Arrested Following Investigation
The suspect, who was a music teacher at Duval Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave on May 15 after a school resource officer learned of the alleged inappropriate contact between he and a student.
DiMuccio is scheduled to appear in Brockton District Court for his arraignment. It is unclear if he has an attorney.


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Back when I was a spritely Year 13, naïve to what lay ahead and idealistic about University, I faced the choice we all made, where to apply on the dreaded UCAS, and for what. One of the sole reasons I decided to do Classics in the end, was because I didn't want to give up History, Language – or, perhaps most importantly Philosophy.
When I'd started my Philosophy AS (and AS' were still a thing), I had simply assumed it would be exactly like my GCSE Religious Studies. I took Philosophy as a fourth option, intending to give it up after the year, in lieu of anything else that took my fancy.
But honestly, AS Philosophy and Ethics opened my eyes to a whole new world of adventure. Never before, had I quite realised that the 'overthinking' I would so unhelpfully do late at night, could be turned into something constructive: A way to think about life.
The big questions that I'd always been asking, like what happens after you die, does God exist, how can I best use my time? All suddenly were safe discussion topics that we could explore together in a classroom and through our own independent reading.
No more did I feel relegated to pondering these questions in isolation, but suddenly I found myself asking them with others. Yes, we were approaching the topics on a relatively introductory level, but most of the philosophising we did back then, in our little class of 14 or so, has massively impacted the options I take now, as a wizened old third year undergraduate in Classics.
Plato and Aristotle were two of the first we encountered, and suddenly, the idea of a 'good life' and what it entails, became a revolutionary way for me to think about my life. Realising that my favourite topics of Ancient History, Language and Philosophy could all be combined is precisely why I chose to apply to Oxford. The idea of doing Philosophy not as its own subject, but in combination with my other interests, is the only reason I was interested in Classics in the first place.
Now, I'm happy to say that I continue that exploration, with at least four of my final eight papers in Philosophy.
I feel that often, Philosophy as a legitimate subject and use of time, gets undermined by people asking the question 'What's the point?'.
I like to think of it like this, if you get an answer to your question, then whatever started out as philosophy, has become its own subject.
At one time, physics, biology, chemistry; they all started out by people asking questions they didn't know the answers to. As soon as they started getting those answers, they became something of their own branch, but the reality is, most what we consider heavyweights now, started out as Philosophy.
In fact, for want of a better way of describing it, it's almost as if Philosophy gives birth to all these other subjects of discussion, and fosters them until they're big enough to become their own independent entity. But if you trace their roots, they'll head straight back to Philosophy.
Indeed, questioning things, asking why something is right, and analysing what we take as a given, never seems to me a bad thing. Its through asking big questions that we come to different moral conclusions. It is how society progresses and learns from its past.
Philosophy literally means 'the love of wisdom', it's the enchantment with life and all the deep puzzling questions we have about it. These keep Philosophers enthralled, and will however long humans exist. It's in our nature to question, and that distinguishes us from all other species on the planet.
As long as there are unanswered questions, there will be Philosophers, and we ought to value people who spend their lives questioning the assumptions most of us depend on. It opens a new way of thinking, that constant exploration.
My Philosophy teacher, Mr Bowman, used to call us his 'philosophical kittens'. We all are really, 'philosophical kittens'. My hope is that one day, I become a philosophical cat. But in the meantime, I'm more than happy to spend my time evaluating the questions of morality that have puzzled us for thousands of years, and I will be forever grateful to Mr Bowman and my Ethics teacher Mr Wells, for revealing to me this whole new world of wonder.


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Doherty makes final appeal to voters to abolish Seanad
3 October, 2013 - by Pearse Doherty TD
Sinn Féin's Seanad referendum campaign director Pearse Doherty TD has made a final call on voters to come out in support of the abolition of the Seanad tomorrow.
Speaking from Leinster House today Deputy Doherty said:
"Yesterday's vote in the Seanad was a last ditch attempt by some senators to show that the Seanad can be relevant, while also putting it up to their own party leadership over its position on the referendum.
"However, when it was important to stand up, when for instance the property tax was going through the Seanad, the Seanad did what it always does and rubber stamped the government's bill.
"I am making a final appeal to voters to come out in huge number tomorrow to abolish the Seanad.
"We simply cannot retain an institution in this state in which 97% of the citizens have no say."


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The effects of self-selected light-dark cycles and social constraints on human sleep and circadian timing: a modeling approach.
ABSTRACT: Why do we go to sleep late and struggle to wake up on time? Historically, light-dark cycles were dictated by the solar day, but now humans can extend light exposure by switching on artificial lights. We use a mathematical model incorporating effects of light, circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis to provide a quantitative theoretical framework to understand effects of modern patterns of light consumption on the human circadian system. The model shows that without artificial light humans wakeup at dawn. Artificial light delays circadian rhythmicity and preferred sleep timing and compromises synchronisation to the solar day when wake-times are not enforced. When wake-times are enforced by social constraints, such as work or school, artificial light induces a mismatch between sleep timing and circadian rhythmicity ('social jet-lag'). The model implies that developmental changes in sleep homeostasis and circadian amplitude make adolescents particularly sensitive to effects of light consumption. The model predicts that ameliorating social jet-lag is more effectively achieved by reducing evening light consumption than by delaying social constraints, particularly in individuals with slow circadian clocks or when imposed wake-times occur after sunrise. These theory-informed predictions may aid design of interventions to prevent and treat circadian rhythm-sleep disorders and social jet-lag.
SUBMITTER: Skeldon AC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5366875 | BioStudies | 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z
Modeling and analysis of the impacts of jet lag on circadian rhythm and its role in tumor growth.
Project description:Circadian rhythms maintain a 24 h oscillation pattern in metabolic, physiological and behavioral processes in all living organisms. Circadian rhythms are organized as biochemical networks located in hypothalamus and peripheral tissues. Rhythmicity in the expression of circadian clock genes plays a vital role in regulating the process of cell division and DNA damage control. The oncogenic protein, MYC and the tumor suppressor, p53 are directly influenced by the circadian clock. Jet lag and altered sleep/wake schedules prominently affect the expression of molecular clock genes. This study is focused on developing a Petri net model to analyze the impacts of long term jet lag on the circadian clock and its probable role in tumor progression. The results depict that jet lag disrupts the normal rhythmic behavior and expression of the circadian clock proteins. This disruption leads to persistent expression of MYC and suppressed expression of p53. Thus, it is inferred that jet lag altered circadian clock negatively affects the expressions of cell cycle regulatory genes and contribute in uncontrolled proliferation of tumor cells.
Mistimed sleep disrupts circadian regulation of the human transcriptome.
Project description:Circadian organization of the mammalian transcriptome is achieved by rhythmic recruitment of key modifiers of chromatin structure and transcriptional and translational processes. These rhythmic processes, together with posttranslational modification, constitute circadian oscillators in the brain and peripheral tissues, which drive rhythms in physiology and behavior, including the sleep-wake cycle. In humans, sleep is normally timed to occur during the biological night, when body temperature is low and melatonin is synthesized. Desynchrony of sleep-wake timing and other circadian rhythms, such as occurs in shift work and jet lag, is associated with disruption of rhythmicity in physiology and endocrinology. However, to what extent mistimed sleep affects the molecular regulators of circadian rhythmicity remains to be established. Here, we show that mistimed sleep leads to a reduction of rhythmic transcripts in the human blood transcriptome from 6.4% at baseline to 1.0% during forced desynchrony of sleep and centrally driven circadian rhythms. Transcripts affected are key regulators of gene expression, including those associated with chromatin modification (methylases and acetylases), transcription (RNA polymerase II), translation (ribosomal proteins, initiation, and elongation factors), temperature-regulated transcription (cold inducible RNA-binding proteins), and core clock genes including CLOCK and ARNTL (BMAL1). We also estimated the separate contribution of sleep and circadian rhythmicity and found that the sleep-wake cycle coordinates the timing of transcription and translation in particular. The data show that mistimed sleep affects molecular processes at the core of circadian rhythm generation and imply that appropriate timing of sleep contributes significantly to the overall temporal organization of the human transcriptome.
Amplitude reduction and phase shifts of melatonin, cortisol and other circadian rhythms after a gradual advance of sleep and light exposure in humans.
Project description:BACKGROUND:The phase and amplitude of rhythms in physiology and behavior are generated by circadian oscillators and entrained to the 24-h day by exposure to the light-dark cycle and feedback from the sleep-wake cycle. The extent to which the phase and amplitude of multiple rhythms are similarly affected during altered timing of light exposure and the sleep-wake cycle has not been fully characterized. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We assessed the phase and amplitude of the rhythms of melatonin, core body temperature, cortisol, alertness, performance and sleep after a perturbation of entrainment by a gradual advance of the sleep-wake schedule (10 h in 5 days) and associated light-dark cycle in 14 healthy men. The light-dark cycle consisted either of moderate intensity 'room' light (?90-150 lux) or moderate light supplemented with bright light (?10,000 lux) for 5 to 8 hours following sleep. After the advance of the sleep-wake schedule in moderate light, no significant advance of the melatonin rhythm was observed whereas, after bright light supplementation the phase advance was 8.1 h (SEM 0.7 h). Individual differences in phase shifts correlated across variables. The amplitude of the melatonin rhythm assessed under constant conditions was reduced after moderate light by 54% (17-94%) and after bright light by 52% (range 12-84%), as compared to the amplitude at baseline in the presence of a sleep-wake cycle. Individual differences in amplitude reduction of the melatonin rhythm correlated with the amplitude of body temperature, cortisol and alertness. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Alterations in the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and associated bright or moderate light exposure can lead to changes in phase and reduction of circadian amplitude which are consistent across multiple variables but differ between individuals. These data have implications for our understanding of circadian organization and the negative health outcomes associated with shift-work, jet-lag and exposure to artificial light.
Simulation of the Ontogeny of Social Jet Lag: A Shift in Just One of the Parameters of a Model of Sleep-Wake Regulating Process Accounts for the Delay of Sleep Phase Across Adolescence.
Project description:The term "social jet lag" was introduced for defining the conflict between social and biological clocks due to the general practice of shifting weekday risetime on early morning hours. The phase delay of the sleep-wake cycle during adolescence is one of the most remarkable features of the ontogenesis of sleep that is incompatible with early school start times. It was previously proposed that the process of accumulation of sleep pressure during wakefulness is slowing down in post-pubertal teens to allow them to stay awake for a longer period of time thus causing the delay of their bedtime. In order to examine this proposition, we traced the ontogeny of social jet lag using sleep times reported for 160 samples of study participants of different ages as an input to a model of sleep-wake regulatory process. The simulations suggested that a gradual change in just one of the model's parameters, the time constant of wakefulness phase of the sleep-wake regulatory process, might explain the association of the transition between childhood and adulthood with the prolongation of time staying awake, delay of sleep time, and reduction of sleep duration. We concluded that the implication of the sleep-wake regulating model would be of help for understanding precisely how social jet lag varies with age and what are the chronophysiological causes of this variation.
Effect of Chronotype on Sleep Quality in a Laboratory Setting
Project description:Sleep is undoubtedly important for human health as insufficient sleep has been associated with a plethora of diseases. Adequate sleep assessment is critical in clinical and research settings, however current sleep assessment protocols fail to account for circadian rhythms, despite the fact that sleep is a well-recognized circadian process. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if circadian parameters, such as chronotype, influence sleep quality in a sleep laboratory setting. Methods: In order to investigate this, twenty participants (10 men and 10 women) aged 18–31 years old had their sleep recorded by electroencephalography in a sleep lab. Participants also complete surveys which provided data on chronotype, social jet lag and subjective sleep quality. Participants were allowed to self-select sleep time for the study, and sleep discrepancy, defined as the difference between reported and experienced mid-sleep, was determined. Results: Interestingly, results indicated a significant correlation between self-reported sleep quality and social jet lag, with those who typically experience more social jet lag being more satisfied with their sleep during the study (r = 0.549, p = 0.012). In addition, when participants were separated into groups based on chronotype, sleep discrepancy and social jet lag, sizeable differences were noted for parameters such as sleep onset latency, number of awakenings, and percent of time spent in REM sleep. Conclusion: These results suggest circadian parameters serve as predictors of both subjective and objective sleep quality, and thus illuminates a necessity for these parameters to be taken into account in the assessment and research of sleep.
Taking the lag out of jet lag through model-based schedule design.
Project description:Travel across multiple time zones results in desynchronization of environmental time cues and the sleep-wake schedule from their normal phase relationships with the endogenous circadian system. Circadian misalignment can result in poor neurobehavioral performance, decreased sleep efficiency, and inappropriately timed physiological signals including gastrointestinal activity and hormone release. Frequent and repeated transmeridian travel is associated with long-term cognitive deficits, and rodents experimentally exposed to repeated schedule shifts have increased death rates. One approach to reduce the short-term circadian, sleep-wake, and performance problems is to use mathematical models of the circadian pacemaker to design countermeasures that rapidly shift the circadian pacemaker to align with the new schedule. In this paper, the use of mathematical models to design sleep-wake and countermeasure schedules for improved performance is demonstrated. We present an approach to designing interventions that combines an algorithm for optimal placement of countermeasures with a novel mode of schedule representation. With these methods, rapid circadian resynchrony and the resulting improvement in neurobehavioral performance can be quickly achieved even after moderate to large shifts in the sleep-wake schedule. The key schedule design inputs are endogenous circadian period length, desired sleep-wake schedule, length of intervention, background light level, and countermeasure strength. The new schedule representation facilitates schedule design, simulation studies, and experiment design and significantly decreases the amount of time to design an appropriate intervention. The method presented in this paper has direct implications for designing jet lag, shift-work, and non-24-hour schedules, including scheduling for extreme environments, such as in space, undersea, or in polar regions.
Geographically Resolved Rhythms in Twitter Use Reveal Social Pressures on Daily Activity Patterns.
Project description:Daily rhythms in human physiology and behavior are driven by the interplay of circadian rhythms, environmental cycles, and social schedules. Much research has focused on the mechanism and function of circadian rhythms in constant conditions or in idealized light-dark environments. There have been comparatively few studies into how social pressures, such as work and school schedules, affect human activity rhythms day to day and season to season. To address this issue, we analyzed activity on Twitter in >1,500 US counties throughout the 2012-2013 calendar years in 15-min intervals using geographically tagged tweets representing ?0.1% of the total population each day. We find that sustained periods of low Twitter activity are correlated with sufficient sleep as measured by conventional surveys. We show that this nighttime lull in Twitter activity is shifted to later times on weekends relative to weekdays, a phenomenon we term "Twitter social jet lag." The magnitude of this social jet lag varies seasonally and geographically-with the West Coast experiencing less Twitter social jet lag compared to the Central and Eastern US-and is correlated with average commuting schedules and disease risk factors such as obesity. Most counties experience the largest amount of Twitter social jet lag in February and the lowest in June or July. We present evidence that these shifts in weekday activity coincide with relaxed social pressures due to local K-12 school holidays and that the direct seasonal effect of altered day length is comparatively weaker.
Acute Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift Results in Community Alteration of Human Gut Microbiome.
Project description:Disturbances of sleep and the underlying circadian rhythm are related to many human diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cognitive impairments. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome has also been reported to be associated with the pathologies of these diseases. Therefore, we proposed that disturbed sleep may regulate gut microbiota homeostasis. In this study, we mimicked the sleep-wake cycle shift, one typical type of circadian rhythm disturbances in young people, in recruited subjects. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to define microbial taxa from their fecal samples. Although the relative abundances of the microbes were not significantly altered, the functional-profile analysis of gut microbiota revealed functions enriched during the sleep-wake cycle shift. In addition, the microbial networks were quite distinct among baseline, shift, and recovery stages. These results suggest that an acute sleep-wake cycle shift may exert a limited influence on the gut microbiome, mainly including the functional profiles of the microbes and the microbial relationships within the microbial community.IMPORTANCE Circadian rhythm misalignment due to social jet lag, shift work, early morning starts, and delayed bedtimes is becoming common in our modern society. Disturbances of sleep and the underlying circadian rhythms are related to multiple human diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cognitive impairments. Given the crucial role of microbiota in the same pathologies as are caused by sleep disturbance, how the gut microbiota is affected by sleep is of increasing interest. The results of this study indicate that the acute circadian rhythm disturbance caused by sleep-wake shifts affect the human gut microbiota, especially the functional profiles of gut microbes and interactions among them. Further experiments with a longer-time-scale intervention and larger sample size are needed to assess the effects of chronic circadian rhythm disruption on the gut microbiome and to guide possible microbial therapies for clinical intervention in the related diseases.
Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.
Project description:Circadian rhythms are internal manifestations of the solar day that permit adaptations to predictable environmental temporal changes. These ~24-h rhythms are controlled by molecular clockworks within the brain that are reset daily to precisely 24?h by exposure to the light-dark cycle. Information from the master clock in the mammalian hypothalamus conveys temporal information to the entire body via humoral and neural communication. A bidirectional relationship exists between mood disorders and circadian rhythms. Mood disorders are often associated with disrupted circadian clock-controlled responses, such as sleep and cortisol secretion, whereas disruption of circadian rhythms via jet lag, night-shift work, or exposure to artificial light at night, can precipitate or exacerbate affective symptoms in susceptible individuals. Evidence suggests strong associations between circadian rhythms and mental health, but only recently have studies begun to discover the direct interactions between the circadian system and mood regulation. This review provides an overview of disrupted circadian rhythms and the relationship to behavioral health and psychiatry. The focus of this review is delineating the role of disruption of circadian rhythms on mood disorders using human night shift studies, as well as jet lag studies to identify links. We also review animal models of disrupted circadian rhythms on affective responses. Lastly, we propose low-cost behavioral and lifestyle changes to improve circadian rhythms and presumably behavioral health.
Sleep Timing in Late Autumn and Late Spring Associates With Light Exposure Rather Than Sun Time in College Students.
Project description:Timing of the human sleep-wake cycle is determined by social constraints, biological processes (sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity) and environmental factors, particularly natural and electrical light exposure. To what extent seasonal changes in the light-dark cycle affect sleep timing and how this varies between weekdays and weekends has not been firmly established. We examined sleep and activity patterns during weekdays and weekends in late autumn (standard time, ST) and late spring (daylight saving time, DST), and expressed their timing in relation to three environmental reference points: clock-time, solar noon (SN) which occurs one clock hour later during DST than ST, and the midpoint of accumulated light exposure (50% LE). Observed sleep timing data were compared to simulated data from a mathematical model for the effects of light on the circadian and homeostatic regulation of sleep. A total of 715 days of sleep timing and light exposure were recorded in 19 undergraduates in a repeated-measures observational study. During each three-week assessment, light and activity were monitored, and self-reported bed and wake times were collected. Light exposure was higher in spring than in autumn. 50% LE did not vary across season, but occurred later on weekends compared to weekdays. Relative to clock-time, bedtime, wake-time, mid-sleep, and midpoint of activity were later on weekends but did not differ across seasons. Relative to SN, sleep and activity measures were earlier in spring than in autumn. Relative to 50% LE, only wake-time and mid-sleep were later on weekends, with no seasonal differences. Individual differences in mid-sleep did not correlate with SN but correlated with 50% LE. Individuals with different habitual bedtimes responded similarly to seasonal changes. Model simulations showed that light exposure patterns are sufficient to explain sleep timing in spring but less so in autumn. The findings indicate that during autumn and spring, the timing of sleep associates with actual light exposure rather than sun time as indexed by SN.


Oncology The Department of Oncology comprises of facilities for surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and palliative care. We take an individualized, personalized approach to every patient. All the cases are discussed in tumour board and international guidelines for treatment are followed. The department also provides palliative/supportive care to patients with advanced stage of cancer. Various divisions of oncology department are: Surgical Oncology Hospital In Jalandhar Surgery plays most important role in curing majority of cancers. The department of surgical oncology offers both outpatient and inpatient services for screening, diagnosis & treatment of cancer patients round the clock. The surgical procedures done are major Head & Neck resections, surgeries for GI cancer, Breast, Colorectal, Gynae malignancies & Uro-oncology. Being a multi-specialty hospital, patients of high risk & multiple commodities are managed under one roof. Our aim is to give excellent results and good quality of life to the patients.


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text:
Tylophora secamonoides är en oleanderväxtart som beskrevs av Ying Tsiang. Tylophora secamonoides ingår i släktet Tylophora och familjen oleanderväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Swift Single Keeps 'Despacito' From Breaking Mariah Record
Hollywood 6-9-2017 Access Hollywood Latest 1791
Look what Taylor Swift has done. Her new single pushed the ubiquitous hit "Despacito" off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart after 16 weeks and just shy of breaking Mariah Carey's record. Billboard announced Tuesday that Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do," became her fifth Hot 100 chart topper. "Despacito," by Luis…
Read The Rest at Access Hollywood Latest


• MINERVA aspires to invoke unexpected combinations that lead to new opportunities to create, raise questions, find solutions and provoke reactions, with the aim for the arts to have an impact throughout the world.
• MINERVA endeavours to achieve this by creating a make & learn community in which individual ambitions and talent can develop in a dialog with the global society.
• MINERVA students are empowered to critically research the world through Music, Art, Design & Education. This enables them to articulate findings, to depict meaningful ideas, to transmit and to manifest themselves within their own identity, together with the knowledge and within the context of the professional practice.
MINERVA ART ACADEMY has the ambition to be an international institute of the arts that presents itself at home and abroad.
Therefore MINERVA is developing itself in the triangle between art education, artistic research and an international practice.
Experimental research and making is base of this practice, which connects the bachelor & master departments of MINERVA. Therefore Minerva is collaborating with partner Universities such as: Kunstuniversität Linz, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Hogeschool Gent, University of the Arts Helsink, TAMK University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule f.Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture, Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee,Nagoya Zokei University, Middlesex University,University of Coventry,University of Plymouth, the University of the Arts Philadelphia, Ohio State University, Marmara University.
MINERVA is searching for new ways to provide graduate students with studio space, which is in line with current professional artistic practice. This could be a combination of existing incubator spaces in combination with a national and regional workers cooperative for entrepreneurship, research and experiments.
The aim is to (co) create, in collaboration with alumni and young entrepreneurs, a hybrid, publicly visible, self-organised space, which makes a fluent transition between the educational environment and professional practice.
Due to the visibility of the people, this space positions public participation at the centre of initiatives such as galleries, pop-up shops, performances and project spaces and common cooking studio's.
Groningen is a sparkling young city where one of every five inhabitants is a student.
The city facilitates excellent accommodation for art, culture, education and ICT in a pleasant environment.
These kinds of medium sized cities with a highly educated population will grow and generate new employment.
not abstract knowledge, but rather practical wisdom.
In this way, given the continuous exchange between practical knowledge, science and theory, a reflective attitude arises.
The research centre Art & Society consists of three research groups: Lifelong learning in Music, Art & Sustainability and Image in Context.
The research group Image in Context conducts research into the work of professional artists in a society that changes continually. Image in Context focuses on the public function of the artistic image: on its communicative power, on its place in public spaces, and on how artists and designers take an artistic stand in the current debate. There are many ways in which the arts can position themselves in society, based on how they question its foundations, imagine new horizons, offer strange perspectives, make unexpected connections and have an eye for that which lies outside of the predictable. The research group Image in Context researches these ways, maps them and initiates projects in which artists and designers can experiment with their artistic roles, strategies and research methods. Based on this the focus will lie on six research strands. Each research strand comprises several research projects.
How do the arts relate to the political, being the force field in which we can disagree with each other wholeheartedly? Can the arts influence the political from an autonomous perspective? Which research methods and artistic strategies are part of concrete art projects in order to create a public domain?
How does the social, cultural, and also the geographical context influence not only the way people look at art, but also the questions artists and designers ask themselves and the way in which they carry out their profession? How do we give shape to an intercultural dialogue which may bring us knowledge and insights about various ideas about art and design in an educational context and with an educational approach?
An interdisciplinary approach, which works both inside and outside of the arts, will lead to the search of methods, interventions and products which reinforce social values such as participation, empowerment and solidarity.
The institutes and organisations in which the elderly, sick and people with dementia live their lives. How can artists and designers create new products or adaptations of products in order to make life in institutions more pleasant?
The image which often serves as a bridge between society and the arts is the photographic image. It belongs to both the artist and to everyone else in society. This makes photography a good method of research in order to map the world around us.
Pricca Practice is the photographic expert centre of the research group Image in Context. The research is aimed at the use of photography (in both moving and still images) as part of an artistic research practice. An important element in this research practice is the artistic analysis of the way in which photography is part of our society.
Which strategies, systems and interventions can interdisciplinary design teams develop in order to increase citizens' participation to Europe and the solidarity between people in Europe?


We take lean cuts of fresh pork and mix it with spices and lots of garlic to make our own version of Fresh Polish Sausage. You need to fully cook this product and can do so by simmering in frying pan, baking, or grilling it up. Our Fresh Polish Sausage makes a great main course, or can be used as a side dish. Serve it up with sauerkraut and potatoes and you'll have a happy dinner table.


text:
Missing Posters
9-1-1 Recording
911-Clips
Involuntary Missing
Missing: Brandon Lawson
Missing From: Bronte, TX
Date Missing: August 9, 2013
Race: White Sex: Male
Age at Disappearance: 26 years
Build: Stocky
Tattoos: Multiple tattoos
Clothing: a yellow shirt with camo shorts and white 2013 "Air Max" brand shoes.
Police Agency: TX Dept of Public Safety, MPC at 512-424-5074 – Case # M1308005 or local police
Circumstance: Brandon Lawson, an oil field worker and father of four, was last seen when he left his San Angelo home on August 8, 2013 at approximately 11:53 PM after a spat with his common law wife, Ladessa Lofton. Wanting some cooling off time, Brandon phoned his father and set off to his home. While enroute, he called his brother, Kyle, for help after running out of gas on Highway 277 near Bronte, Texas.
Kyle, and his girlfriend Audrey, phoned Ladessa to tell her that Brandon ran out of gas and he needed their gas can. Ladessa told him she would leave on the porch as she was heading to shower and bed. Kyles's check did not clear in his bank account so he had no money to fill the gas can but figured when he got to Brandon with the can he would drive him to Stripes Convenient Mart and Brandon could pay for the gas...and he would drive him back to his truck and he and Audrey could be on their way back home.
But things did not work out that way.
What is known next is that following his phone call to his brother, something happened and Brandon phoned 9-1-1 — telling dispatch he was "in a field" and needed help and that he needed a cop. The dispatcher heard Brandon say "I ran into somebody" and responded to him , "Ahhh, ran into them? Ok." Another call was made to 9-1-1, by a passer-by (Trucker) regarding Brandon's truck parked crooked on side of the road, posing a hazard.
When Kyle arrived, at 1:10 am, August 9, 2013, there was no sign of Brandon. A Sheriff's Deputy arrived at the truck at the same time as Kyle and Audrey. There was no visible damage to Brandon's truck and his keys and his cell phone were gone. It is understood that the Deputy, nor Kyle, were aware that Brandon phoned 9-1-1 asking for "a cop" as well as stating, "please hurry!" While talking with the deputy, Kyle received a call from Brandon, in which Brandon's cell was going in and out and he was hard to understand. What Kyle understood was "I'm in the field." Kyle, felt maybe Brandon was hiding in the field due to an outstanding warrant from 2 years ago (that Brandon himself just learned and was going to address it the following week) so Kyle made no mention to the deputy of Brandon being the phone call he was listening to. Had Kyle known Brandon phoned 9-1-1 he would never have assumed his brother was "hiding."
At 1:18 Audrey texted Brandon saying "A cop is at your truck" it is assumed she did such as she wanted to warn him due to his warrant. At this time they were not aware that he himself phoned 911 asking for a cop and to please hurry. In statements given to police, as explained by the family, they did admit Brandon's earlier call to them in which he told his brother, and Audrey, that "he was ten minutes up the road, and was bleeding." This was also not reported to Deputy Neal at the scene. It is also understood that Deputy Neal did not report to Kyle that Brandon phoned 911. (It's still unclear if Deputy Neal even know if Brandon called 911)
From all media reports written by The Observer Enterprise, owned by the Sheriff and his wife, that the 911 call was only reported as " a stranded motorist who ran out of gas." No mention of the urgency nor any mention of "I ran into them"( as understood by the dispatcher) The Deputy put emergency flashers on , locked the truck and proceeded to "leave the scene" and arranged for a tow in the morning. According to reports the Deputy drove up and down the roadway to see if he could spot Brandon walking. Kyle and his girlfriend left the empty gas can in the bed of the truck thinking if Brandon came back he would have the can and could retrieve gas. They began to go look for him. When morning came, and still no sign of Brandon, Kyle's money was available in his account and he went back to the truck and filled the can and returned it to the truck. At this point he was now starting to become concerned and felt that Brandon may not have been hiding and may be in trouble. In talking with Investigators he now gave them the full account of Brandon being on the phone at the time the Deputy was at the truck.
It wasn't known by Brandon's family that he called 9-1-1 until Brandon's common law wife, Ladessa, saw on the itemized cell phone transactions, provided by law enforcement, that a 9-1-1 call was made.
There has been no activity on Brandon's bank accounts or his cell phone since that time. An extensive search was conducted by professional Search and Rescue on October 24, 2013, around the area of the abandoned truck.
VIDEO: January 2016
Posted by LostNMissing, Inc at 9:18 AM
Tammy February 23, 2014 at 7:19 PM
So glad someone is helping this family.
suzanne February 23, 2014 at 7:19 PM
Awesome that this is finally getting some attention!
Praying daily for answers !
Praying you get the 3,000 you need for search, I donated 50 and if you get close I will donate another 100.Has anyone put donation jars at businesses? I work at a restaurant in biglake and was thinking of doing that.Any thoughts on this?
LostNMissing, Inc June 2, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Hi Patricia, thank you for your kind donation for the search for Brandon. Please note that thus far all donations are set up by the family of Brandon and not by LostNMissing, Inc. We are ready at any time to bring forth professional SAR Teams to assist law enforcement, however, the obstacle is that they need solid leads of potential search areas. Due to that need is the reasoning behind Brandon's family continually securing, as often as possible, helicopters to fly over the surrounding areas. It is the hopes that the clothing Brandon wore can be spotted and latitude/longitude marked so that search teams can go in. Again, I thank you for your kind and compassionate donation on behalf of the Lawson Family, his children and his partner and mother of his children, Ladessa Lofton.
Cynthia Caron,
President-Founder,
LostNMissing, Inc.
OK thanks for info.Hope he is found soon!
Ok thanks for info.Hope Brandon is found soon!
BubblegummyBear July 14, 2014 at 10:54 PM
To me it sounds like he says his truck ran out of gas and "when I was talking to 'em.______ ran into 'em". Maybe someone stopped and he was talking to that person when another came up and ran into them... Maybe it was a setup to rob him? I dunno, but that's what I hear....
BubblegummyBear, where can you hear the call at?
Audra September 11, 2015 at 12:37 AM
I heard: "I ran out of gas....I ran into this fellow...he's been taken...(then dispatch)
Ran to the woods...we're in a field"
Disappearance Of Brandon Swanson:Same thing happend!
Disappearance Of Brandon Swanson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0aGru0A4dg Smilar.
I have information on this.Please go to Craigslist in Minnesota.you will need to go to the "Men seeking woman" section of the site. There you will find a man who is calling himself "John" and is using Brians pictures. I seen it today 3/8/2016 idk if it's really him or not.Because i didnt respond to the add.I just happrn to come across the missing person video on youtube. But I hope this useful information I hope.
LostNMissing, Inc October 4, 2016 at 11:37 AM
I will check. Your post just found today. Thank you.
Do you mean using Brandon's photo? Which craigslist city?
Just heard about this case, he has not being found?!He met foulplay .His 911 call states he was with other people but didn't go well and he was running from them,I heard the other guy was shot and he ran.I believe he was caught, reason why he stop speaking.He was taken,why?I don't know.So sorry about this case.
What are you talking about, you just assumed a lot there and act like it is fact... Like he was with other people we definitely do not know this, He was running from them, we don't know this, The other guy was shot, eh you know more than the police, were you there?? Then he was caught and stopped speaking because he was taken, wow you know so much, please tell us all how you know this?? You don't know all this so stop saying it.. Going around saying someone was shot in front of him and he was taken without proof is sick.
No police or his family have said any of this, where are you getting this from.. News flash your opinion is not fact...
I could easily say, he was on his own, he fell rang for help, his found went dead and then an animal came and took him... I could say that but i have no facts so i wouldn't just like you shouldn't be saying all that nonsense...
I think he is saying "Yes I'm in the middle of the field, the state trooper just pulled some guys over." (On the previous statement, I think he jumbled words together because he was out of breath) "Out here goin towards Abilene on both sides. My truck ran out of gas. There's one guy here. He got taken into the woods. Please hurry! There's one guy talking to em' I slowly (or accidentally) ran into em'. They go the first guy," (Brandon said something else but I couldn't hear what he said because of 911 dispatch). I think he is the one one saying "yeah, no I need the cops".
That is what I heard on the 911 call and I surely hope this helps! I will pray for him to be found and for your family until he does.
You are absolutely right spot on he was taken no doubt about it ☝
Yep you are absolutely right you are spot on he was taken no doubt about it ☝this is so sad my guess is he witnessed something bad happening when his car ran out of gas so scary!!
Isn't it possible after running out of gas he was walking or got a ride, maybe whatever happened was nowhere near his truck. Maybe checking for accidents or incidents in the area around that time??
That's what I was thinking too!. He ran out of gas and could have been on foot for some time and accidentally ran into something or someone he shouldn't have. He could have been walking taking a short cut through a field and something happened. I don't know but this has been on my mind for so long now and I'm constantly checking up on the case. I hope his family finds closure soon one way or another!
Isn't it possible he was walking or got a ride after running out of gas, maybe whatever happened was nowhere near his truck? Maybe try any accident/incident reports in the area around that time?
I HAVE OMMITED THE DISPACHER, AND TRIED TO EXTRACT HIS VOICE WHEN THEIR VOICES OVERLAPPED, I BELIEVE IT IS PRETTY GOOD:
do you have someone out in the field, the type who are cruising down 'velver'
property has room for one driving lane on both sides
not sure if running out of gas
theres one more here he got chasing [me/it] to the woods
please hurry
do not honk his horn
how do i tell you there aint no
-blip-
-0.15seconds pass-
-sound with an echo after 0.05s -
-0.4seconds pass-
he has shot the first shot
-three syllable sentance, sounds like "??CK THAT HURTS"-
no i need the cops
-many second pass-
-possible gun shots, they get louder as if approaching him-
maryanne roche August 24, 2016 at 2:23 PM
I do agree with you, I can clearly hear the same words as you and on the end he is being shot! How come the police does not investigates this case as a homicide? Good job Stack Sparrow!
If you listen closer, after the shots fired the second d time when dispatcher asks if he needs an ambulance, he says "yes" it is a faint whisper.
If you can please get an original digital copy from the 911 dispatch and then post it here. There is a huge chance to determine what is being said from the ORIGINAL UNMODIFIED file. Most likely the youtube file has been put through lossy conversion several times which has decreased the quality by an insane amount.
Leman Saunders October 24, 2016 at 3:03 AM
As far as the sheriffs office would look at this, you cant blame the Observer for the way they state it in the exert you have above and here is why: the cop came out there and soon after Brandon was on the phone with his brother at the same time his brother was with the cop on scene...so...when the cops learn of this fact the next day of course they are going to see it as Brandon hiding in the bushes waiting for the cop to leave because that is what it looks like happened based on the fact he called his brother who withheld information while on scene from the cop. That being said something like this probably hasnt happened around Bronte in 50 years if ever so they might not have been well versed at handling this thing right. And it is nothing but happenstance that the paper is owned by the Sheriff's wife...it's a tiny town for goodness sake surprised they still have the Observer at all.
I am from the area and know it very well, drove that stretch of road between Blackwell and San Angelo probably over 1000 times in 20 years, which is why I am interested in his case. I have driven through that part of 277 at the same hours many many time, I have never seen any kind of suspicious activity there, and the idea some have of a trooper doing something bad is just crazy, I dont ever think I have seen a trooper in that spot, (they would be closer to San Angelo or the Y towards Oak Creek Lake) and why the heck would a trooper do something like that on THE main road...it's just crazy talk and people speculating and mishearing what is said on the 911 call. Also it should be noted that cell phone service isnt the best out there to be sure and I bet it ran his battery on his phone down. Many say the area is woody or wooded and it is not. It has mesquite trees and cedar bushes with some cactus plants, there trees are not dense at all and I would say and brushy in patches. Running into hogs as some think is possible but more likely would be a rattlesnake if he was trying to hide in or around a rock cropping, culvert, ditch, or hole somewhere.
LostNMissing, Inc October 24, 2016 at 9:38 AM
What I "blame" with the observer is the purposeful actions of the Sheriffs wife posting on every possible social network that Brandon was not missing, but instead he was a hiding fugitive. Regardless, on the night in question we have a young man who calls 911 asking for "a cop"... so to say he was hiding out makes no sense. He wanted a cop. In this day and age with drones and knowing Brandon had on a yellow shirt....why not allow areas to be searched ? I'm sure a yellow shirt, even weathered, a drone could find?
No, I don't believe a trooper harmed him...but I do believe someone else was just n the field w him.
Jesse April 22, 2017 at 2:33 PM
The sheriffs wife is acting strange. The warrant was for an unpaid fine from at least two years prior over a misdemeanor drug charge. I would guess a Marijuana possession and a small amount at that. If he was worried about going to jail, why would he call and deny medical assistance but specifically ask for the cops. I wonder if anyone checked court records to see if he had made arrangements to pay the fine. Or whatever was happening was such a threat that going to jail seemed minor in comparison.
I am certain he didn't become a fugitive over a small legal matter that could be resolved by writing a check. I think the editor went into overdrive defending her husband and law enforcement in general. I don't know what he means by staper. What makes the recording so bad is it is a recording of a recording. All kinds of extraneous sounds can be recorded that has nothing whatsoever to do with what was happening. I know it's a small populated area but someone would have heard a distinctive sound as prominent as a gunshot. In enhanced versions, there is no gunshot. Some have speculated he says "help me" but in enhanced versions, enhanced by reputable audio engineers, no such plea was heard.
I have alway keep an eye on this case in hopes you will find your love one. I see Brandon and his family and it hit's close to home and is scary to think this could happen. We have 4 children and in my husbands younger days he was no saint.I see the injustice and know this could have very well been my family pleading for help. I can not imagine the pain you all endure when the media and police department portray him as a hiding fugitive. Regardless of past mistakes Brandon is a father who's children love him, a son who's parents will never give up hope and the other half to someones heart. KNOW you all are not alone and he has not been forgotten. You are in my prayers Brandon Lawson and family.
Charity Sanders KY
LB December 18, 2016 at 2:16 AM
Some possible interpretation of the 911 call-
guy chased into the woods.
I tell you and he drunk.
One scenerio might be when he said he ran into 'em, he saying he stepped out and a car hit him. After that he could be too disoriented. The driver of the car might have been looking for him then ran off.
I say it was a drug deal gone wrong.
911 call...Brandon is having 2 conversations while on the call.one with the 911 operator and the other with another person!
BRANDON:Yes - I'm in the middle of a field - trucker is pushing guys over-right her going towards Albilen- on both sides.My car ran out of gas. There's one car here - the guy trekked it to the woods.Please Hurry!
OPERATOR: OK,run that by me again.
BRANDON:When I talked to Joel,I totally ran into him.
OPERATOR: Ahh, you ran into him.
OTHER PERSON IN THE BACKGROUND: Did you catch him?
BRANDON:Just the 1st guy. (He asks the other guy a question but you can't hear him because the operator talks over him)
OPERATOR:Do you need an ambulance?
OTHER GUY ANSWERS BRANDON'S QUESTION:yeah
BRANDON ANSWERS THE OPERATOR:No I need the cops
OPERATOR:Is anyone hurt?
LB December 24, 2016 at 9:07 PM
Where was Brandon between 11:53 when he left his girlfriend and the 911 call at 12:50 ?
Did he go to a bar and was possibly targeted for a robbery. He must have had money on him since he was going to go to his dads a good distance away.
possibly drugged. The plan was to follow him out of town and run him off the road. He would be too drunk/drugged to know what was going on. Car one swerving ( pushing ) . He ran out of gas at the same time that is why his truck is pulled over crooked. Car 2 pulls over all innocent like to pick him up and puts him in the back seat.
They said that where his truck was found that they calculated time and distance and he wouldn't have had time to stop anywhere. I'm sure it was 45 ninutes to his dads so it worked out that where his truck was found and the time of the call to his brother would pair up. Hope this helps. I may be wrong but I definitely have seen this adressed. x
It was 3 HOURS to his dad's (near Ft.Worth I believe).
emiloo74 March 4, 2017 at 1:10 AM
I truly feel like he saw something he believed to be a trooper, that had two other vehicles near it. What do you see at night? Light. He saw a light, a spotlight or a light bar or something that made him believe he saw a law officer. Both sides of the road? He saw two other vehicles that appeared to be pulled over. I think he may have been lamenting the argument with the girlfriend, and at his age it's completely feasible that he would have walked a ways from his vehicle to search for better cell service to call her. He possibly sees what he thinks is a traffic stop of some kind and then soon discovers that there is violence occurring. I feel like the 911 tape says "he shot/got the first guy" which most Texans can use interchangeably when talking about taking someone out with a gun. I think he then may have darted into the trees and brush to hide. I decided he was trying to explain that he didn't know the people, just that he ran into them. When I say "I ran in to So and So", most usually I mean that I saw them, came up on them, had a chat, etc., not that I physically ran into them. I think he sensed that these were some bad folks and was distancing himself from them for legal purposes. We certainly can't say with any accuracy where he was, but I'm guessing perhaps in the direction from his vehicle where the reception of a cell tower is better, or, at least out of sight of his vehicle by the time his brother arrived with the gas can. I suspect that more than one person disappeared from the greater Abilene area that night, and that person is the link, and the reason Brandon found himself running through the brush. I feel badly for this family, and I'm disturbed that I had never heard of this case until True Crime Garage did a podcast over the subject. A thousand times, after each time I hear the 911 recording, I wish he would have filled his gas tank in San Angelo. He would still be alive.
I agree with you I think that's what happened as well if not exactly close to it. Another post I read mentions problems of drug smuggling and human trafficking along with gang related crime in and around that area who knows what Brandon might have walked up on. This story is so sad and very scary to think how easily something like this can happen to any of us at any given time. I pray this family will find answers and will be able to heal.
I pray he will be found. Sadly, I think foul play was involved. I've heard the 911 call so many times and it's almost impossible to decipher some of it. Even listening to it on true crime garage several times. This case needs to stay in the spotlight until enough pressure is put on LE to actually get their sh*t together and uncover the truth.
"State Patrol just pushed some guys over, going towards Abilene on both sides."
From what I have seen in photos this area of the highway is two lanes, one going each way. There could have been two cars, one in each lane but going the same direction so as to force people off the road whether it be to rob them or traffic them.
Brandon could have been hiding in the woods to avoid officers who he'd thought would show up at his abandoned car and witnessed the whole thing.
"There's one car here. Guy got chased into the woods, they shot the first guy." The guy who ran into the woods ran into Brandon who was hiding. This person was likely the person who uttered yes to 911 when the operator asked if they needed ambulance because of "the first guy" that got shot/got.
At the end of the call after 911 says hello several times you can hear what sounds like a car approaching due to the poorly maintained road, Brandon goes silent I hopes to avoid being found by "the guys who chased the guy into the woods." The guys ended up finding Brandon and the second guy who originally escaped, then I believe you can hear two or three gunshots before the call disconnects and after the operator says her third hello.
I seen someone from the area say on a video that, a 'Stapper' or 'Strapper' are people who pretend almost, to be law enforcement and that they will stop people who don't 'fit', but the flip side to that is I heard it is a very quiet part of the road so would seem wasted that they done it there. I heard a claim that as little as one car may pass in some time. Which leads to the question, at the end of the 911 call I thought it sounded as though two cars passes by (when he goes queit so ai thought maybe these cars he was rhnning from) but then maybe he was next to a busier part of the road? So many questions. I know they calculated the place where his truck was found the distance and time and that he wouldn't of had time to go else where. I'd like to know how long it took his brother to get to him? Because did he not leave from ladessa's house as he had checked on her after the fight? It just seemed his brother made it to the same spot faster when it had been calcuclate it would take 34 minutes to get to where his truck was. I'd need to work out time again so correct me if I'm wrong. Was just a thought.i just thought that part didn't add up. But after studying eye witness testimony's as part os psychology people have different account, not through delibret lying just that our brain sometimes fills in. It's actually why they aren't good and reliable at being used.
Although I really hope the above mentioned is not the case, and thoughts and prayers go out to the beautiful family. ❤💕
A quick Google search also shows that this area of TX struggles with drug smuggling, human trafficking, and gangs as do quite a few border states. Per San Angelo LIVE! Crime news, officers just busted and charged a bunch of gang members there. The possible situation I mentioned above does sound somewhat like a gang initiation.
reginald surict June 28, 2017 at 8:28 AM
I read somewhere recently that there is a lake nearby.. Is that true? I'm from Tennessee, so I don't know about the area personally. If so, was it ever searched?
OK, I'm going to give a transcription my best shot, but first let me say that it seems to me that Brandon' s father, brother, and girlfriend should be able to write down verbatim what Brandom is saying in the 91- call.
I was born into a very poor and uneducated family near there. I escaped and got an education - a college degree in English. I do not speak like that anymore, but when I heard Brandon's 911 tape it was like reverting back to my native tongue. I still have relatives who talk like Brandon. So without more to do here is my very best transcription of the recording - with some asides and explanations thrown in.
OPERATOR: 911 Emergency?
"Yes, I'm in the middle of a field (What is Brandon calling a field along that god-forsaken stretch of Hwy 277?)
"A state trooper just pulled some guys over.
We're out here goin' towards Abilene "ON BOTH SIDES"***
My truck ran out of gas.
Theres one car here, thuh guys "taken"** to the woods. (**A very southern expression as in: The boys knew their Paw was gonna whup 'em so they taken to the woods to hide.)
Please hurry."
OPERATOR: OK, now run that by me one more time.
WHILE THE OPERATOR IS SPEAKING TO HIM BRANDON SAYS TO SOMEONE WITH HIM: "Naw! We're not talking' to 'em!" - referring to the police or whoever pulled the guys over that was chasing them.
BACK TO THE OPERATOR: "I "TOTALLY"* ran into 'em." (*TOTALLY - stressing I'm not with them. I don't know them, and I've never seen them before. I just ran into them when they got pulled over and started running near where I was.)
OPERATOR: Ahhhh, you ran into ''em. OK.
(Distant sound of gunshot)
BRANDON, "They jusshot the firss guy."
(More gunshots in the distance)
Brandon: "I...I...I..."
OPERATOR: Do you need an ambulance?
Someone beside Brandon, "Yeah."
Brandon: "No, I need the cawps (cops).
OPERATOR: OK. Is anybody hurt?
***ON BOTH SIDES - We're out here goin' twards Abilene on both sides. The men in the pulled over car scattered and started running all directions. Brandon started running with them. Some are on the left side of the road and some are on the right side of the road, but all of them are running north along 277 toward Abilene "on both sides" of the road.
Submitted with all due respect to everyone.
Ok after reading your transcript of the call this is what came to mind. Sheriff pulls a truck over that had illegals inside, they all scattered. Sheriff who was probably alone leaves. A few of the illegals return and Brandon walks up on a cluster f**k of confusion and frightened people. Probably not grasping the situation completely he calls 911 to try and get help without realizing he was in the middle of a horrible situation. The coyotes are out trying to round up as many of those who scattered to get rid of them and the worry of them talking if caught. The coyotes come back to truck to find some of the illegals and Brandon on the phone. They asked if he was on the phone with border patrol and he responded no we're not talking with them. The illegals start running again the coyotes start shooting Brandon knows he's in serious trouble says he needs the cops and hurry. He tries to hide but they quickly find him and his fate sealed along with the rest. It's just my spin on this very sad story. I hope I'm wrong but everything I've read about Brandon's story and the area it took place in I think the actual senario is close to the same. I don't think Brandon just walked away on his own. My prayers for the family and Brandon to find peace.
Armchairsherlock September 17, 2017 at 6:02 PM
Brandon was not killed then. He made a couple of phone calls later. He informed his brother that he was about 10 minutes ahead (north) and that he is bleeding.
Jesse September 16, 2017 at 3:21 PM
So where are the other bodies? All the theories keep out one detail, whether it's a cop killing someone or someone else killing someone and he witnessed it, no missing person report has been made or other bodies located or evicence of any murder what's over, like bloodstains or anything else has been found. And what did he mean by "stapers"?
I guess that's part of what makes this tragic storey such a mystery there's so many questions without answers theorys without enough clues. No matter which direction you go it seems to lead to the same place, nowhere.
grinning owl November 5, 2017 at 7:53 AM
If state troopers were involved, a report should be on file. The following might be helpful:
Police reports about people who die in custody
By John Tedesco, November 18, 2015
https://johntedesco.net/blog/2015/11/18/check-how-many-people-died-police-custody-texas/
In his November 18th article, Tedesco states:
"When I started working at the Express-News eons ago in 1997, one thing I learned as a cops reporter is that Texas law requires police departments to file a report with the Attorney General's office [see link below] every time someone dies in police custody."
"report with the Attorney General's office":
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/files/agency/custodial_death.pdf
NOTE the date of revision at the bottom of the form. This was not the form in effect in August, 2013. It would be interesting to see that one.
Jesse November 5, 2017 at 8:47 AM
The problem with this is, if the police cold-blooded murdered him (which I doubt) there would be no report. If I am a police officer and I encounter someone and decide to conduct and extrajudicial execution, why would I report it using a form? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of wiping someone off the face of the earth without a trace?
grinning owl November 7, 2017 at 12:37 PM
Unless and until a search is done for such a report, no one can say for sure that a report was not filed about either of the other two guys; and that's assuming they both died. It's possible one or both were merely injured, and served, or is/are serving, time in prison. It's just another area I think should be investigated, so they can be accounted for. Who WERE they? Did they live in the area? Did their families file a missing-person report for them? Does anyone know? Did Brandon know them? Which state troopers were on duty that night and responsible for patroling Hwy 277? Did any family members hire a private detective to help solve the mystery? Did someone steal Brandon's cell phone and toss it out their car/truck window 3 miles down the road....like into the Colorado River? Heck, I don't even know how far away that river is from where Brandon's truck was found. Murdering people in cold-blood requires a lot of covering-up..... a lot of premediation before the act(s), plus coersion and blackmail afterward.
Now im not familiar with farm equipment nor do i know this to be 100% accurate but iv heard older farmers call tractor implements that have tines or blades for tilling or field brush or strip work as "STROPERS OR STROOPERS" now iv googled this and tractors do come up as that name. In the 911 call people swear they hear stroopers or troopers.with a texan drawl it sounds to me like stropers or stroopers. He said also in the call that it was on both sides of the road. Most aggraculture tractors are that big to take up both sides of a major hiway. Hes says also he went to "talk to them" and he "ran right into em". My guess is that a farmer is involved. He may have walked onto a farmers land to get help or to get gas from em in desperation and the farmer either thought he was there stealing or up to no good which ended in a altercation somehow which made him flee and in turn ran into a tractor tine injuring himself and the farmers were trying to hunt him down or the farmers or land owners were up to no good and maybe in cahoots with the town authorities on those activities and brandon stumbled across them on his quest for help. But it sounds like a giant tractor was taking up the road and they found him hiding and made him dissappear. The land owners sound awfull nervous letting anyone else but the local smokies to be,search or even set foot on thier land. Id be questioning the land owners in and around the area of his vehicle. I could be wrong though
I wasn't aware that the land owners would not let a search be conducted... Very strange.
Donna897 February 18, 2019 at 8:51 PM
I agree it's something to be checked out!
Is it possible to get a copy of the original recording, please? I'd like to run it through Audacity to try and clean it up and see if I can find anything helpful.
Nevermind, sorry, found it!
hisdivineshadow1972@hotmail.com February 9, 2019 at 12:36 AM
Trump did it.
I believe he's out of breath from running,not on drugs or alcohol. But I think there are several people that know what happened to him.Hope they come forward. Hope this case gets solved. Bless his family and sending prayers.
kane6676 March 19, 2019 at 8:19 PM
I have seen an article which states that Brandon told his brother he was being chased by Mexicans. Can this be confirmed? If so I think it clears up everything
Controlled Mania April 4, 2019 at 12:40 PM
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/b99nxj/massive_update_on_brandon_lawson_case/
bastille June 18, 2019 at 4:32 PM
Whats the story with the 'other' woman/ mother of another of his children and the angry boyfriend of the other woman walmart car park chase? Seems a weirdly convenient missing detail here.
Kp October 30, 2019 at 5:58 PM
Two possible leads...?
1) Is Sheriff McCutchin, in effect, guilty of obstructing justice by not allowing further searches?
2) Is it possible that a police office may have the one who chased & possibly killed Brandon, and that may be the reason why the sherrif doesn't allow more searches... again obstructing Justice.
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