My Summer TV Shows!

--It used to be that summertime was the time to watch re-runs.  Yet, in recent years, cable stations and the major networks now air new shows during the summer.

Gang Related on FOX
--This is probably my favorite show this summer.
--The main character, Ryan Lopez is played by Ramon Rodriguez.  He does an amazing job at mesmerizing his audience, and he's also hot!
--The following is Rodriguez's opening line to the show and describes what the show is about:

My name is Ryan Lopez. After my parents died, the Acostas and Los Angelicos took me in and raised me as one of their own. To protect them, I was asked to go undercover as a member of the LAPD. Now I must walk the line between cop and criminal without being exposed.

--Cliff Curtis and Terry O'Quinn also do a phenomenal job.

Murder in the First on TNT
--I am a Taye Digg's fan, so I thought I'd check the show out.  Diggs and Kathleen Robertson do a great job.  Robertson has grown up since her 90210 days, and is compelling.

--It is a murder show that has a continuing theme, which makes it more interesting than a CSI or Law and Order show.

The Last Ship on TNT
--I'm a HUGE fan of Eric Dane's, who played McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy.  So, thats what led to checking out this show.  I'm a little behind on the episodes, but so far it's good.

The Sixties on CNN
--I realized recently that most of what I know about the 60's (since this was before I was born) is from what I've read.  I haven't seen a whole lot of video of that time period.

--I happened to watch video of right before and after Robert Kennedy was assassinated and learned a lot I didn't know.  It made me curious to watch more from the 60's. I then stumbled across this series and knew I needed to start watching it.

--I am behind on these episodes as well, but what I have seen has been fascinating.  I'm learning a lot.

The Carr Brothers and the Wichita Massacre!

 

The crimes of the Wichita Horror demonstrate the cruel depths to which human beings can sink. But something good can be seen in the survival of H.G. which underlines the awesome power of the will to live. As she told the court, "I had no choice in what Reginald and Jonathan Carr did that night, and I wasn't given the choice to save Brad, or Aaron or Heather or Jason. I had a choice to lie there and die or to get up and live. I chose to live. And I will still choose to live." In the midst of so much ugliness, her example offers hope.--The Wichita Horror by Denise Noe

--A friend and I were debating the death penalty yesterday, and she mentioned that she was friends with one of the victims of the Carr brothers.

--I thought it might be good to reflect on this case, since they have recently been in the news.  Both brothers were originally sentenced to death.  Yet, this past Friday, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentences.  The reason the court gave was that the 2 brothers should've gotten separate sentencing trials.  So, they will both get new sentencing trials to determine whether they should get the death penalty or life in prison.

--I found an in-depth article on the case on Crime Library.  I have to say it is one of the most horrific crime sprees that I've ever read about.  The torture that the Carr brothers put the 5 men and women through on December 14th was beyond the pale.  If anyone ever deserved the death penalty, it is these 2 men.


The Wichita Massacre/Wichita Horror!
--Reginald (22) and Jonathan Carr (20) already had criminal records when they arrived in Wichita, Kansas in 2000.
--On December 8th, 2000 they robbed 23 year old Andrew Schreiber
--On December 11th, 3 days later, they shot and killed 55 year old Ann Walenta
--On December 14th, their crime spree took a dramatic and heinous turn.  The Carr brothers broke into a house where 5 young people were gathered.  Brad Heyka, Heather Muller, Aaron Sander, Jason Befort and a woman known only as H.G. were stripped naked, bound and subjected to unimaginable horror.  They were all raped and forced to have sex with each other.

The Carr's ransacked the house for valuables and forced 4 of the 5 to take them to their ATM's and withdraw money.  They then drove the 5 victims to a snow-covered soccer field.  They shot all 5 of them execution style and ran them over with a vehicle.  H.G. was the only survivor, saved by a hair clip which deflected the bullet.  She ran a mile naked in the snow to get help.

The Carr brothers returned to the house and stole more items and beat and stabbed H.G.'s dog Nikki to death.  The Carr's were later found to have the stolen items from the house in their possession.  There was DNA evidence linking them to the victims, and witnesses placing them at the crimes.  They were charged with 113 crimes, 5 counts were for capital murder, multiple counts of rape and robbery and a charge of animal cruelty.

The Victims
--Andrew Schreiber was a 23 year old, 6 ft. tall Assistant Baseball Coach at Newman University in Wichita.  Although he was only robbed and wasn't physically assaulted, he dealt with survivor's guilt after learning of what the 2 brothers did to all their other victims.

--Ann Walenta was a 55 year old cellist and librarian with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.  She was a wife and a mother of 2 grown children.  She was shot while attempting to flee, she clung to life for several days and was able to talk to police before she died.

--H.G. (her name is protected because she survived the attack and is a rape victim) was a 25 year old school teacher.  She was dating one of the other victims, Jason Befort.  Befort had an engagement ring for H.G., but hadn't popped the question yet.  The ring was stolen by the Carr brothers.

--Jason Befort was a 26 year old popular science teacher at Augusta High School, and the boys' junior varsity basketball coach.

--Brad Heyka was a 27 year old valued employee at Koch industries.  He was thought to have a bright future, receiving several promotions.  

--Aaron Sander was a 29 year old devout Roman Catholic who was hoping to go into the priesthood.

--Heather Muller was a 25 year old  who was attending graduate school at Wichita State University.  She was also a pre-school teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School.  The school created a reward that it honors students with each year in her memory.  It is called the Heather Muller Love of Faith Award. 

The Plight of Sudanese Christian Meriam Ibrahim!

"It is a matter of principle that women are free and equal."--Ayaan Hirsi Ali

 --There are a lot of countries around the world where women have very few rights, mainly in Africa and the Middle East.  Many of them are Muslim countries that believe in Sharia Law.

--Sudan has seen a lot of turmoil.  During the Second Sudanes Civil War (1983-2005), many Christian Sudanese have been murdered by Muslim Arabs and many children displaced and orphaned.  Sudan recently split into 2 different countries, the Muslim north staying Sudan and the Christian south becoming South Sudan.

--Meriam Ibrahim was born to a Christian mother and a Muslim father.  Her father left her family when she was young, so Ibrahim was raised as a Christian.

--Ibrahim married a Christian man, Daniel Wani who is an American citizen.  According to Islamic (Sharia) law, Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men.  Since, Ibrahim is considered to be a Muslim woman because of her father, she was accused of committing adultery. She was sentenced to 100 lashes, death by hanging and put in jail unless she renounced her faith.

--Ibrahim was put in jail with her 20 month old son and she was also 8 months pregnant.  She was shackled and not given proper medical attention. 

--Miraculously (because of global outrage), a Sudanese appeals court ordered her to be released.  She was to fly with her family to the United States the next day, but was prevented from doing that.  Finally, Lapo Pistelli (vice-minister for foreign affairs in Italy) flew to Sudan and Italy was able to secure her release.

--Ibrahim flew to Italy with Pistelli and she got to meet the Pope.

--This is a victory for religious freedom that is rare these days.  The way women are treated under Sharia Law is horrific.  Female circumcision is one of the most gruesome procedures, and yet it still happens:

The numbers are really sickening. Last year, 3.6 million little girls were “cut”–or had their genitals mutilated. The crude cultural ritual involves the removal, usually with a knife or razor, of a girl’s clitoris and labia–and not always with anesthesia. The extent of the procedure varies, but the trauma and pain can last a lifetime.
 
The practice is still “almost universal” in Egypt, Somalia, Guinea and Djibouti, and common in more than 25 other countries, according to a report out Tuesday from UNICEF. It is even practiced in “pockets” of North America and Europe, UNICEF says.

When you read the numbers, think not of the many zeroes at the end, which can make any of us glaze over, but of the individual tales of each life one, by one, by one, and what each girl had to endure. Cutting is always done before puberty—sometimes when the girls are still tots, often between the ages of five and 14, but always when a girl is most vulnerable and unable to protect herself.

Worldwide, an estimated 125 million women alive today have been mutilated, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, even though the practice has been outlawed in many of the countries where families still force their girls to go through it. Cutting is the ultimate global barometer of gender inequality.

--Finding a way to free women and girls from the oppression of Sharia Law is a cause I am passionate about.

--The AHA Foundation is making great strides in fighting FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) in the United States.

Feel Good Sunday Stories!

--Seinfeld may be coming to Netflix!  I think they would be smart to do so, it could create a whole new generation of fans.  Then, younger people would actually know what us Seinfeld fans are talking about when we reference one of the many things that was said on there and became a part of pop culture.

--Police officer steps in to help a 96 year old woman in stifling house.  A Kansas City police officer helped a 96 year old woman who didn't have air conditioning.  He got in contact with ProjectElderCool and stayed with the woman until they brought her an air conditioner.  Very Cool!

 

--This Group of Thieves Didn't Count On The MMA Fighter Working at This Gas Station! This is so awesome. Perhaps more businesses should consider hiring MMA fighters.

--Kansas City Blogger Must Read!  Return of The Sassy Conservative!  Thank-ful for the shout-out from Tony's Kansas City.  He is one of my favorite liberals.

The Abduction of the Nigerian Schoolgirls!

--An article came out yesterday about how 11 of the parents of the kidnapped Nigerian girls have died. Seven of the fathers were killed while in the village of Kautakari by Islamic extremists, and the other four died from illness.

--I'm researching the facts surrounding the abduction of the Nigerian school girls.  I thought it would be good to give a brief overview of the situation.

When and where were the girls kidnapped?
--The girls were kidnapped on April 16, 2014, a little over 3 months ago.
--They were taken from a private school in the town of Chibok in northern Nigeria.  It is around 600 miles from the capital city of Abuja.

How many girls? 
--The numbers vary according to what source you read, but the latest numbers are that 276 girls were originally taken and 57 have escaped.

Where do authorities think they are being held?
--The Sambisa Forest, which is a wildlife reserve that has a very thick jungle.

Who kidnapped them?
--An Islamic terrorist group called Boko Haram, which has ties to Al Qaeda.



Who are the Boko Haram?
--Founded in 2002
--Their name in the Hausa language means "western education is a sin".
--Launched military operations in 2009
--Founding leader was Mohammed Yusuf who was killed in 2009 
--He was succeeded by Abubakar Shekau
--Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, they also attacked police and UN headquarters in Abuja 
--U.S. declared them a terrorist organization in 2013
--Nigeria's Boko Haram  has "caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a wave of bombings, assassinations and now abductions - is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state."  They want to impose Sharia Law on the whole country.

Why does the Boko Haram kidnap girls?
--"The group especially opposes the education of women. Under its version of Sharia law, women should be at home raising children and looking after their husbands, not at school learning to read and write.

--It has repeatedly targeted places of learning in deadly attacks that have highlighted its fundamental philosophy against education. The spate of kidnappings began in May 2013 when Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau announced in a video that this was part of its latest bloody campaign. The kidnappings, he said, were retaliation for Nigerian security forces nabbing the wives and children of group members."

What happens to girls and women that are kidnapped by Boko Haram?
--Many are forced to marry their kidnappers and convert to Islam.  When some girls that had been kidnapped last November were rescued, many of them were pregnant.

--Boko Haram has threatened on video to sell this latest group of girls into slavery and as child brides.

What is Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan doing about Boko Haram?
--A state of emergency was declared in 3 Northeastern Nigerian states (Borno, Yobe & Adamawa) where Boko Haram is the strongest in May of 2013.  National security forces are trying to crack down on the terrorists.  But civilians are getting caught in the crossfire.  Villages in the north that are primarily Christian are being targeted.  Villages all along the Cameroon border have been attacked, sacked, burned and are deserted.

--Many residents in the affected areas feel abandoned and are reaching out to the United Nations.

Conclusion:
--A BBC Africa article concludes with these 2 paragraphs about the reign of terror by Boko Haram--

Analysts say northern Nigeria has a history of spawning militant Islamist groups, but Boko Haram has outlived them and has proved to be far more lethal, with a global jihadi agenda. The threat will disappear only if Nigeria's government manages to reduce the region's chronic poverty and builds an education system which gains the support of local Muslims, the analysts say.

Thousands Protest Rape of 6 yr old Girl in India

The show of solidarity surpassed anything Bangalore has seen in the recent past. Perhaps Anna Hazare's protest at Freedom Park three years ago came close. But this march was far stronger, much bigger and more emotional. It was the middle-class Bangalorean — anguished, scared and frustrated — seeking justice for a child the adult world had let down.

--Thousands protested in India this past Saturday over the delay by the police and the school in dealing with the rape of a 6 year old girl.

--The girl was raped while she was at school, allegedly by 2 teachers.  There are reports that the school tried to cover it up.

--The police did finally arrest one of the suspects.  The teacher who was arrested had been taking pictures of children, and police are looking into 4 other instances of abuse.  The school has a lot of questions to answer since they didn't verify the teacher enough before hiring him.

--The little girl was further traumatized by being put through 2 rounds of medical tests.

--India has taken a tougher stance on rape in the past 18 months, but India still has a rape problem.

Thousands of people swept through the streets of New Delhi in spontaneous protests after the December 2012 bus rape, demanding protection for women. The victim became “the daughter of the entire nation,” said Sushma Swaraj, now the country's foreign minister.

Much has changed in the 18 months since then — harsher laws against rape, increased media focus on sexual violence, new police units dedicated to helping women. But a gang rape last week that left two teenage cousins dead, their corpses hanging from a village mango tree, has revealed the immense gulf that remains in India. In a nation that can at times appear convulsed with outrage over a culture of sexual violence, there are plenty of occasions when it seems little has changed at all.

A Review of Belle!

BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode). Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing.

While her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. After meeting an idealistic young vicar's son bent on changing society, he and Belle help shape Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.--Rotten Tomatoes

--I saw the movie Belle last night and loved it!!

--The movie has numerous aspects to it that made me fall in love with it:

• It is loosely based on some true historical events 
• It is a "Jane Austen" type movie with an abolition theme 

--Historical Facts:

• The above 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray is what inspired the movie.  
• The painting was "one of the first European portraits to portray a black subject on an equal eye-line with a white aristocrat."
• Belle was indeed the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of Maria Belle (an African slave in the West Indies) and Naval Officer, Captain John Lindsay.
• Lindsay entrusted Belle to his Uncle William Murray in 1765.
• William Murray was the 1st Earl of Mansfield and the Lord Chief Justice of England.
• Murray did indeed rule in 2 important slavery cases--Somerset vs. Stewart in 1772 and the Zong Massacre trials of 1783 which did help pave the way for the Slave Trade Act of 1807.  Thus inspiring William Wilberforce to fight for the abolition of slavery in 1833.

--The rest of the movie is fiction, but extremely well-done.  I highly recommend it!  

Resources:
--The Zong by James Walvin

Malaysian Flight #MH17!

--What We Know About the Crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17




--Malaysian Flight #MH17 was 3rd Plane Shot Down by Russian Terrorists This Week

--Official: 181 Bodies Found at Malaysian Plane Site

--Obama: Plane Shot Down by Missile, 1 American Dead

--Doomed Flight Likely Downed by Pro-Russian Separatists

--Sophisticated Surface-to-air System Needed to Shoot Down High-flying Jets

--All Walks of Life on the Plane:

A Malaysia Airlines vice president, Huib Gorter, said 189 of the passengers were Dutch. There were also 29 Malaysians, 28 Australians, 12 Indonesians, nine from the United Kingdom, four each from Germany and Belgium, three from the Philippines, one each from Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong, according to the airline and officials in Australia and Hong Kong. Two passengers' nationalities remained to be confirmed.

For one Australian family, the Ukraine crash represented an almost unbelievable double tragedy.
Kaylene Mann's brother Rod Burrows and sister-in-law Mary Burrows were on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 when it vanished in March. On Friday, Mann found out that her stepdaughter, Maree Rizk, was killed on Flight 17.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/living/health-fitness/article757819.html#storylink=cpy

War Movies...

--I'm not sure why I have a thing for war movies, but I do.  I think most of it is that I know at this stage that I'll never serve in the military, so this is how I see things through their eyes.

--It is the classic struggle between good and evil.  It is fighting for a cause and purpose and a country that is worth dying for.

My Favorites:
1. Braveheart
2. The Patriot
3. Black Hawk Down
4. Lone Survivor
5. The Great Raid
6. Gods and Generals
7. Gettysburg
8. The Civil War by Ken Burns
9. The Last Samurai
10. The Last of the Mohicans
11. Troy
12. Valkryie
13. We were Soldiers


Good:
1. Flyboys
2. Tears of the Sun
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Flags of our Fathers
5. Letters of Iwo Jima
6. Blood Diamond

A Review of Sleepers!

--Sleepers is a story that will profoundly affect you.  When I first saw the movie back in the 90's, it had a powerful affect on me.  It challenges your views about justice and revenge.  What makes it even more powerful, is that it really happened.

--I am now in the middle of the book, Sleepers.  The movie sticks very close to the book.  Carcaterra had to change dates, names, places and people to protect the innocent.  There still has been controversy about whether the story is true or not.

--I find everything about the story to be fascinating.  I loved learning about what life was like for those that lived in "Hell's Kitchen" in the 60's.  It was interesting how the Catholic church made an impact on their daily lives, yet, couldn't curb the domestic violence.

--What happened to the 4 boys was horrific, it left me outraged.  Yet, just like their favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo, there was amazing justice.  It doesn't happen too often in life, which is probably why many think the story can't be true.

--It was interesting to me that The Count of Monte Cristo was also mentioned in another favorite movie/book of mine, Shawshank Redemption.

--Anyway you look at it, both the book and the movie are well worth your time.