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Inside The LC: The Strange but Mostly True Story of Laurel Canyon and the Birth of the Hippie Generation Part XVIII

Dave McGowan
Center for an Informed America
Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00 UTC
"Our music was far from political or antiwar...I never felt comfortable with political advocacy."
- John Phillips
"There were no political speeches or overt protest songs performed."
- John Phillips, discussing the Monterey Pop Festival, of which he was a key organizer
Thus far on this journey, we have seen how what are arguably the two most bloody and notorious mass murders in the history of the City of Angels - the Manson Family murders of the occupants of the home on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, and the so-called Four-On-The-Floor bludgeoning murders of four Laurel Canyon drug dealers on Wonderland Avenue - were directly connected to the Laurel Canyon music scene.

But the city of Los Angeles can boast of one other particularly notorious murder, which stands to this day as both the most gruesome single-victim murder and the most famous unsolved murder in the city's history.

Image
© Wide World Photos
Elizabeth Short
On January 15, 1947, the mutilated body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was found posed in a field. The ritualistically butchered body was nude, sliced cleanly in half, and completely drained of blood. Parts of the body had been removed, after which the corpse had been thoroughly sanitized. Bruising clearly indicated that the young girl had been savagely beaten. Forensic evidence suggested that she had been forced to eat feces during her tortuous ordeal. She was quickly dubbed the 'Black Dahlia,' and it is by that name that she is known and written about today.
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Cult

Senior Scientologist Jan Eastgate Arrested, Charged in Sydney


News.com.au
Tue, 31 May 2011 00:41 UTC
Church Scientology
© Australian Associated Press
Jan Eastgate, a senior figure of the Church of Scientology, has been granted conditional bail.
A Senior figure of the Church of Scientology has been arrested and charged with over claims she coached an 11-year-old girl to lie about sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather.

Jan Eastgate, who is the international president of the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights, has been charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to allegations she coached Carmen Rainer into lying about the claims, the ABC reported.

The girl's stepfather was a member of the Church of Scientology.

Police allege Ms Eastgate threatened and intimidated her into providing false statements to police about the abuse.

The allegations were aired on Lateline last year and are backed up by Ms Rainer's mother, who claims Ms Eastgate coached them both on what to say about the allegations.
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Handcuffs

Italian Seismologists Charged With Manslaughter for Not Predicting 2009 Quake


Fox News
Mon, 30 May 2011 20:33 UTC
Seismologists Prison Not Predict
© AP
April 6, 2009: An aerial photo provided by the Italian Police shows the debris of a collapsed building in an area near L'Aquila, central Italy, after a powerful earthquake shook central Italy.
Italian government officials have accused the country's top seismologist of manslaughter, after failing to predict a natural disaster that struck Italy in 2009, a massive devastating earthquake that killed 308 people.

A shocked spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) likened the accusations to a witch hunt.

"It has a medieval flavor to it -- like witches are being put on trial," the stunned spokesman told FoxNews.com.

Enzo Boschi, the president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), will face trial along with six other scientists and technicians, after failing to predict the future and the impending disaster.
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Butterfly

Burma: Suu Kyi Plans Landmark Political Tour


Herald Sun
Mon, 30 May 2011 08:59 UTC
Image
© Dominique Aubert / Sygma / Corbis
Aung San Suu Kyi
Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said today she is planning a political tour of Burma, a move likely to measure her popularity and test the limits of her freedom after being released from house arrest six months ago.

Suu Kyi, who spent seven years in detention until last November, was asked at a video conference in Hong Kong to confirm reports she will launch political rallies across the nation, her first tour since being freed.

"I hope to travel ... in the month of June," the Nobel Peace Prize winner told more than 1000 academics, students and members of the public gathered at the University of Hong Kong.

"Where I will be going I can't tell you yet. We are trying to work out the itinerary," said Suu Kyi, who was freed less than a week after a widely criticised election that cemented the military regime's decades-long grip on power.

Suu Kyi's travels around the country have landed her in trouble with the Burmese authorities several times in the past, and the 65-year-old said she had not been given any security guarantees for the trip.
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Pistol

US: Masked Man and Woman Dressed as Nuns Hold up Chicago Bank


The Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 31 May 2011 01:15 UTC
An armed man and woman dressed as nuns robbed a Chicago bank on Sunday in a heist that the FBI said looked like a scene from the movies.

Image
© The Associated Press/Charles Dharapak
On the run: Surveillance footage shows an armed robber in the raid on the Chicago bank
The masked thieves made off with a bag full of money after they raided the bank in Palos Heights wearing nun masks and habits like those featured in the film The Town, said the FBI.

Bank surveillance footage shows a resemblance to the eerie plastic-faced disguises that have slits for eyes that were worn by robbers in the 2010 film starring Ben Affleck.

Police said the suspects pulled out handguns and forced bank workers to hand over cash before they drove off.

The robbers went into the bank on Sunday afternoon just before closing time at 1:58pm.

They jumped over the counter and ordered a bank teller and the brank manager to the vault where a Nike duffel bag was filled with money.
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Question

US: Psychics, Spiritualists Assist in Search for Caylee Anthony


My Fox
Mon, 30 May 2011 07:16 UTC
Image
Cindy Smith calls herself a spiritualist and not a psychic. Smith has spoken with the Anthony family and on Monday, she spoke with investigators to say that she knows where missing Orlando toddler Caylee is.

With few clues in the search for the missing three year old, some have suggested that the Anthonys turn to the world of the paranormal for leads.

Cindy Anthony claims that her family has not consulted with a psychic. She denied such a meeting when questioned by FOX 35. "No. No, we haven't," she said with a look of amusement. "It's not funny, but it is. You know there are probably people out there who have a power or a gift. We're told that they're following up on those as well."

Two weeks ago, FOX 35 crews observed Cindy Smith leaving the Anthony home. Smith shared details of her visit. "I told her (Cindy Anthony) 'I was gonna bring her home,' that 'she was not going to be happy, but I was going to bring her home' "

Smith claims she can "see things" by laying her hand on a person's belongings. She stopped short of describing these visions as those of clairvoyance.
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Pistol

US: One Dead, Two Injured After Virginia Sheriff's Deputy Goes on Bloody Rampage

Nina Mandell
New York Daily News
Mon, 30 May 2011 07:31 UTC
Image
© WSLS
Jonathan Agee will be charged with murder after he shot his ex-wife Jennifer Agee.

An off-duty county sheriff's deputy killed his ex-wife and shot a state trooper before he was wounded during a bloody Memorial Day rampage in Roanoke, Virginia.

The chaos began when Jonathan Agee shot his former wife Jennifer at a Sheetz convenience store parking lot, WSLS 10 reported.

After he drove away from the scene, police issued an alert with information about his vehicle and an advisory to be on the lookout for him. Shortly thereafter, Sgt. Matt Brannock spotted a car fitting the description and followed it, a police spokesman said.

As Brannock pulled up beside Agee on the highway exit ramp, Agee began firing at the officer, hitting him and causing him to take cover.
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Book

'Lady Blue Eyes' - Sinatra's Wife Tells it Her Way

Douglass K. Daniel
The Associated Press
Mon, 30 May 2011 12:01 UTC
Image
© The Associated Press/Crown
In this book cover image released by Crown, Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank, by Barbara Sinatra, is shown.
Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank (Crown Archetype), by Barbara Sinatra: In her memoir, the widow of Frank Sinatra tells it her way, adding a unique perspective to the history of one of entertainment's greats.

By now, the self-centered if often generous nature of Sinatra is as well-known as his unequaled voice. What's fascinating about Lady Blue Eyes is how Barbara Sinatra turns to love, admiration and denial in explaining her place at Frank's side.

From her youth in the Midwest to her days as a model and showgirl, Barbara Blakeley longed for a well-heeled life of excitement. In her telling, it was Sinatra, then in his mid-50s, who initiated their affair. Soon, she was Frank's companion - marriage would be years away - and her husband at the time the second unfaithful spouse she had left for a more successful man.

Little love notes and rather large jewels were part of the good times with Sinatra. While she tends to excuse the darker moments in their three decades together, Barbara accepts that Frank's inner demons came with the glitter and glamour.
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Eye 2

Snakes on a Train: Cobras Cause Panic in Vietnam


The Telegraph, UK
Mon, 30 May 2011 08:49 UTC
Image
© Alamy
Snake meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam, but cobras are protected by law
Passengers on a train in Vietnam fled in terror after discovering bags of highly venemous king cobras under a seat.

Railroad official Pham Quynh says passengers were terrified when the four cloth bags containing the writhing snakes were spotted. The snakes were alive but had their mouths stitched shut.

Mr Quynh says the exact number of snakes was unclear but the bags weighed 100lbs.

Security staff removed the cobras, which were likely destined for restaurants in Hanoi. Snake meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam, but cobras are protected by law.

Mr Quynh says the cobras were given to forest rangers after they were caught on Friday who released them into the wild on Saturday.
      Read More...
Pistol

Canada: Police shoot non-lethal bullets, taser man with sword in Vancouver

Ian Bailey
The Globe and Mail
Mon, 30 May 2011 05:03 UTC
Image
© unknown
A standoff between police and a man armed with a sword at a busy downtown Vancouver intersection ended after the man was first shot with non-lethal ammunition and then tasered.

The man still tried to flee and had to be tackled before he was subdued.

Bill Wallace, visiting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said he saw "rubber bullets" bouncing off the ground after an officer opened fire on the man, who was standing in the shadow of Christchurch Cathedral at Burrard St. and West Georgia in the city core.

"They shot him in the legs. He went, 'Oh, oh. Then he started running and got in the middle of the street," said Mr. Wallace. He said an officer tripped the man but he ran again, and was tackled by several officers and cuffed.

As the man was taken into custody, Mr. Wallace said he was yelling, "I hate you all," to hundreds of stunned onlookers.
      Read More...
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