[FoxNews] Ellen Greenberg found dead with 20 stab wounds, including 10 from behind
A "deeply flawed" investigation into the 2011 death
...the Mills of Justice grinding very slowly, indeed...
of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg included a crime-scene cleanup undertaken the day before police arrived at her apartment with a search warrant, according to appellate court documents.
Greenberg, 27, was discovered with a knife in her chest in her apartment during a January blizzard – covered in stab wounds and bruises.
In a Wednesday ruling, an appellate panel ruled that Greenberg's parents lacked standing in a civil lawsuit but excoriated the Philadelphia pathologist, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, who ruled her death by 20 stab wounds, including 10 to the back of the head and neck, a "suicide."
Her parents had sued the city, its medical examiner's office and Osbourne, hoping to compel them to change the ruling to "homicide" or "undetermined."
But even as the majority of an appellate panel ruled against her parents Wednesday, the judges tore into city police, prosecutors and the medical examiner's office behind the "deeply flawed" investigation in a 32-page decision.
"The facts surrounding this matter are extremely disturbing and the Parents’ tireless efforts over the past 12 years to learn exactly what happened to their daughter on the evening of January 26, 2011, warrant our sincere sympathy," Commonwealth Judge Ellen Ceisler wrote. "The experts they enlisted have all raised serious factual questions about Dr. Osbourne’s and Dr. [Sam] Gulino’s conclusions, and even the [medical examiner's office] now concedes that there 'is no dispute that evidence in the record could support other conclusions about the manner of death.'"
Ceisler outlined glaring flaws in the investigation: Osbourne's initial finding was that the death was a homicide – but his determination came after the crime scene had been cleaned up and before police arrived with a search warrant.
"The building’s property manager, Melissa Ware, later explained that an unnamed [Philadelphia Police Department] representative had advised her to call a third-party service to have the apartment thoroughly cleaned," the decision states. "There is no evidence in the record that Ms. Ware, the unidentified cleaning service, or the PPD representative were ever interviewed by investigating authorities."
Items were also taken out of the apartment by her fiance's uncle, including Greenberg's purse, three laptops and two cellphones, Joe Podraza, the attorney for Ellen's parents, Sandee and Dr. Josh Greenberg, told Fox News Digital.
According to the lawyer, Ware took video of the scene before the cleanup crew arrived and gave it to Philadelphia police, but it is currently unaccounted for.
A month later, after a secret meeting involving police, prosecutors and the pathologists, Greenberg's death certificate was revised. Officially, her brutal death was and remains a suicide.
"Astonishingly," Ceisler wrote, the security guard who Greenberg's fiance claimed was present when he found the body denied having been there, in writing.
Additionally, Ceisler quoted a new admission from officials that the evidence "could support other conclusions" than a suicide, which Podraza called a "remarkable admission."
The lone dissenter on the panel of three, Judge Patricia McCullough, argued that Greenberg has "been deprived of her status as a victim" due to the suicide determination on what she called "the erroneous death certificate," because suicide is not a crime under state law.
"The majority opinion is a road map on how to commit murder and to not be held accountable," Podraza said. "That's the most astounding aspect of the opinion: You have, as I read it, three judges saying this young woman was murdered, the investigation is grossly flawed and embarrassing, there is a murderer or murderers out there, but our hands are tied and nobody can do anything except the government officials, and you're therefore subject to their whims."
The Chester County District Attorney's Office is conducting an outside review of Greenberg's death, and her family are also pursuing a separate civil lawsuit alleging a cover-up of evidence in her death.
The parents plan to appeal Wednesday's decision to the state's Supreme Court, Podraza said.
"The fact that we have presented that magnitude of evidence that could support a murder conviction or a murder prosecution, cries out for further investigation and plainly undermines a determination of suicide," he said.
#7
This has all the hallmarks of a crime of passion committed by somebody very important, or someone vital to them, connected and spreading around a great deal of money and/or intimidation to bury it. It almost feels like an institutional cover-up?
[FoxNews] A Merced, California, horseback rider was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a California Highway Patrol (CHP) spotted a person in the saddle with an open container.
CHP said in a Facebook post that one of its officers was on duty when he saw a horseback rider carrying an open container of alcohol.
When the officer caught up with the rider, CHP said, there was evidence the rider may have been impaired by alcohol. After an investigation, the rider was arrested for DUI.
The post continued by saying in California, the rules of the road apply to even those operating animals on the highway.
#7
Mine was 'failure to yield' and speeding, while in a bike crossing. I think the guy dropped his donut AND spilled his coffee stopping for me while I crossed.
[NBCnews] At least 11,300 are now believed to have died after torrents of water ripped through eastern Libya — a devastating toll that could largely have been avoided, global officials said Thursday.
Marie el-Drese, secretary general of The Libyan Red Crescent, told The Associated Press by phone that a further 10,100 had been reported missing in the ruined city of Derna. Earlier, city officials said the death toll could reach 20,000. Two inadequately maintained dams broke, unleashing torrents. The World Meteorology Org issued weather and flood watches 2 days before flooding. As the dams were beginning to collapse there was still time to issue warnings to citizens, but that doesn't seem to have been done.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/15/2023 00:00 ||
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Travis Campbell, a PhD student in economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, released his preliminary findings on the Social Science Research network as a preprint, meaning the study has yet to receive a formal peer review...
From 2014 to 2019, Campbell tracked more than 1,600 BLM protests across the country, largely in bigger cities, with nearly 350,000 protesters. His main finding is a 15 to 20 percent reduction in lethal use of force by police officers — roughly 300 fewer police homicides — in census places that saw BLM protests. So, if cops don't suppress crime, there will be more crime?
Campbell’s research also indicates that these protests correlate with a 10 percent increase in murders in the areas that saw BLM protests. That means from 2014 to 2019, there were somewhere between 1,000 and 6,000 more homicides than would have been expected if places with protests were on the same trend as places that did not have protests.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
09/15/2023 03:18 ||
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[Dawn] The father of deceased British minor Sara Sharif, along with his partner and brother, has been arrested by authorities soon after their arrival in the UK.
The trio had left Pakistain on Wednesday and landed at Gatwick airport later that night.
Surrey police in a statement on Wednesday night, said two men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of murder after disembarking a flight from Dubai. They did not name the suspects, but it is believed they are referring to the trio that flew from Pakistain.
Continued on Page 49
Auto workers launched a historic series of strikes Friday morning against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, making good on a threat to walk off the job if the "Big 3" failed to meet their demands.
Never before has the United Auto Workers union carried out a simultaneous work stoppage at all three automakers. But rather than strike every plant involved in the labor dispute, the union called on workers to walk out at only certain facilities when their contracts expired at midnight.
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style=background-color:YELLOW;>in other news, WTI crude now over $90/bar again
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/15/2023 04:39 ||
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#1
I suspect the dealers have enough inventory for our impending Great Recession II.
#5
Have not bought an American car in 30 years, and even then, the car was assembled in Mexico.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
09/15/2023 14:50 Comments ||
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#6
On average, U.S. autoworkers on assembly lines earn something like $28 to $33+ p/hr depending of skills and seniority.
CCost Dictates Prices.
Example given: The new Ford truck MSRP prices are:
King Ranch $73,425
Platinum $73,425
Raptor $77,980
Basically the UAW wants more $$$$$$$ for a worker screwing on nuts and etc... Which the UAW leaders will likely work out a private deal to line a few pockets. While some minor added worker $.00 is added. The leadership will get a pay raise.
LSD's who step in to oversee the negotiations will be rewarded with more union collected retirement dues for they campaigns or pockets.
NOW ADD
The LSD's openly stated conflicting environmental tree-hugging agenda to eliminate Fossil Fuel powered vehicles by 2030?
Sorry,Detroit .
I'll be buying a totaled wreck with side door area damage with <50K miles for $4 to $6k at a Auto Auction for the Motor & Trans and other parts that I may need and strip it.
[National Post] Members of the European Parliament have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new “Substances of Human Origin” (SoHO) framework, which permits the sale of human embryos and degrades human life to be the equivalent of any other cells or tissue. The measures are set to regulate the supply and donations of so-called “substances,” such as blood, cells, and tissue, used for medically assisted reproduction as well as other procedures, including transfusions and transplants.
They also allow people to receive “compensation or reimbursement for losses or expenses incurred” when making a donation. The measures passed in the parliament by 483 votes to 52 on Tuesday, despite amendments proposed by conservatives to prevent the use of fetuses for financial gain being voted down.
Those who voted in favor also ignored the appeals made by the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, which argued: “Human life is not just a ‘substance of human origin’…human life from the beginning, including unborn life ‘possesses its own dignity, right, and independent right of protection.'” Director of the NBIC Ethics think tank, Laetitia Pouliquen, also warned after the vote passed that it would create a “highest-bidder body and fertility market” across the continent.
The new framework will be sent to the European Council, with further discussions to start at the beginning of the next year.
#4
As with photographing police, the federal court system already addressed this. I guess the governor needs to give his colleague in NM a call on Constitutional protocol.
[FoxNews] 'Electric vehicles cannot meet the demands of my constituents,' Republican congressman told Fox News Digital
The House voted Thursday afternoon in favor of legislation striking down environmental regulations in California mandating electric vehicle (EV) purchases.
In a 222-190 vote, the House approved the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act with 214 Republicans and eight Democrats voting in favor. A group several Republican lawmakers led by Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., first introduced the bill, which has been endorsed by the energy industry, in March, arguing EV mandates would hurt the economy and violate consumer choice.
That’s nice, but will the Senate even consider the question?
"The simple fact is that electric vehicles cannot meet the demands of my constituents," Joyce told Fox News Digital in an interview earlier this week. "Coupling the mountains with the harsh winters and the intense heat of summers makes driving an electric vehicle both unreliable and ultimately unrealistic for many of my constituents."
"This legislation, H.R. 1435, is an option. It is not an anti-electric vehicle legislation," he added. "For those who would like an electric vehicle, they should have the option of buying one. But it doesn't help my constituents — it doesn't help in any district to require an individual to buy an EV regardless of what they want and regardless of the demands of the market."
The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, if enacted, would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing waivers to states seeking to ban or limit internal combustion engine vehicles. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is currently empowered to grant California a waiver to implement stricter emissions standards than the federal government.
In March 2022, the EPA reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards and EV sales mandates, and allowed other states to adopt California's rules. The move came after the Trump administration revoked the state's authority to pursue standards that run counter to federal rules.
Months later, on Aug. 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board, a state environmental agency, announced new regulations banning gas-powered cars, and mandating electric cars, by 2035. California Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the regulations, saying the state would continue to "lead the revolution towards our zero-emission transportation future."
In addition, another 17 states have laws in place that tether their vehicle emissions standards to those set in California, meaning the electric vehicle mandate would impact tens of millions of Americans nationwide. Overall, it is estimated that the states adopting California's 2035 rule represent more than 40% of total U.S. car purchases.
[Dawn] The Lahore High Court has ruled that sections 298 B & C, which criminalise certain acts of the Ahmadi community, do not mandate razing or altering the structures built before their inclusion in the Pakistain Penal Code (PPC) through a 1984 ordinance.
"I cannot understand how the doctrine of continuing offence is attracted to the facts and circumstances of the instant case," Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh observed in a detailed verdict issued on a pre-arrest bail petition of two members of the Ahmadi community.
Wazirabad city police had registered an FIR under sections 298 B & C of PPC stating that the Ahmadis built a worship place comprising a room with a minaret, which is an architectural feature and a religious symbol important to Islam.
According to the complainant, it was an insult to the religious feelings of the Moslem population of the locality and a perpetual source of pain and anguish for them. Since the petitioners were managing the affairs of that worship place, they were liable under the law.
A counsel for the petitioners contended that the contents of the FIR did not constitute any offence under the PPC. He further submitted that the worship site (known as Baitul Zikar) was constructed in 1922, while sections 298-B & C were inserted in the PPC through an ordinance of 1984.
A deputy prosecutor general and the complainant’s counsel opposed the bail petition. They stated that it was illegal for the Ahmadis to build their place of worship in the style of a traditional Moslem mosque. Even though Baitul Zikar was established in 1922, the petitioners were obligated to change its outlook and pull down the minaret, which was identified with a Moslem mosque, following the promulgation of the 1984 ordinance. Since this has not been done, it constituted a continuing offence and the petitioners, as the current custodians, can be prosecuted, they added.
Justice Sheikh observed that the essence of the complaint against the petitioners was the Islamic-style minaret of their worship place.
"True, the minaret is a religious symbol for Moslems, but it is also an architectural feature," the judge said.
He noted that the earliest mosques lacked minarets as at the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PTUI!), the call to prayer (Azan) was made from the highest roof near the mosque.
Fascinating.
The judge said varying theories exist about the origin of minarets as some scholars think that early Moslems adopted Greek watch towers to call people to prayer, which Moslems used for their own purposes before deciding to create their own architectural structure.
Others, he said, believe that the Ziggurat towers of the Babylonian empire inspired the minaret.
That seems a bit of a stretch, but do go on, Your Immensity.
Justice Sheikh wrote, "I do not need to determine in these proceedings whether sections 298-B and 298-C PPC prohibit and criminalise the construction of a worship place by Qadianis
...analogous to kike or Jap, a religious slur against Ahmadis that refers to the fact that the founder of the heretical Moslem sect came from the northern Indian town of Qadian. Also the legal name in Pakistan of the sect, which just goes to show...
resembling a mosque. However, the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... in my opinion, they do not mandate that the structures built before the promulgation of Ordinance XX of 1984, by which these provisions were introduced, should be razed or altered."
The judge noted that Ahmadis built the worship place in question way back in 1922 and inscribed Baitul Zikar at its doorway. And the petitioners are just its caretakers.
"I wonder if they can be punished for an architecture crafted a hundred years ago," the judge added.
The judge observed that the complainant did not explain why he kept mum for about 38 years after the promulgation of Ordinance XX of 1984 and what prompted him to lodge the FIR in 2022.
*Snicker* A cogent point, indeed.
Rejecting the argument of the continuous offence, Justice Sheikh maintained that when the Ahmadis built their worship place, its architectural design did not violate any law then in force.
The judge had allowed the pre-arrest bail to the petitioners.
[y-net]
At least seven Israelis were in custody on Friday in Ukraine. They were on their way to Uman for the annual pilgrimage to the grave of the Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Three were involved in a fatal car accident near Vinnytsia, that resulted in the death of a Ukrainian woman and the others were picked up for drug violations. As of Thursday, 36,350 Israelis crossed the border into Ukraine for the pilgrimage. Ultra-orthodox "Jews" on religious pilgrimage
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
09/15/2023 03:26 ||
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[BenarNews] Malaysia’s government has banned a locally made feature film about a Moslem girl who explores other religions’ views on reincarnation after her mother dies, saying it runs "contrary to public interest."
The indie film "Mentega Terbang" had upset conservatives from the country’s Islamic majority who said it encouraged Moslems to desert their faith.
The ban comes on the heels of the government outlawing LGBT-themed Swatch wristwatches, two children’s books and a novel, also for allegedly being harmful to the multi-faith nation where Islam is the official religion and Moslems make up 70% of the population.
A gazetted notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs dated Sept. 1 stated that the minister had banned the film and related publicity materials under the Film Censorship Act 2002 (Act 620).
"The [home] minister prohibits the exhibition, display, distribution, possession, circulation or sale of the film described in the Schedule which is contrary to public interest throughout Malaysia," Saifuddin said.
Such bans and other instances of moral outrage and intolerance have raised concerns among many Malaysians about a rise in Islamic conservatism and disappointment at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has a reputation of being a progressive moderate.
BenarNews contacted the home ministry for an explanation on the ban but did not receive a response.
Mentega Terbang, directed by Khairi Anwar, was released in 2021 and shown at limited screenings, but came to people’s attention in March when it debuted on a streaming service.
That service soon took down the film as criticism against it became virulent and violent mostly peaceful. Vandals damaged the cars of the director and one of the actors, and both received death threats.
BenarNews called and left messages for the film’s director, Khairi, and producer Tan Men Kheng to ask their opinion on the ban but did not immediately hear back.
’GOVERNMENT TRYING TO GET MALAY VOTERS?’
Art is used to explore and think about differences in society but for political ends that is the first field to be stifled, said Syahid Johan, an experienced independent film producer.
He believes the Anwar government has increased its scrutiny of people seen as liberal as well as censorship of thought-provoking and controversial material in an attempt to appease the ethnic Malay majority, which is Moslem.
"Is the government trying to get Malay voters at the expense of those seen as liberal," he told BenarNews.
Syahid said the growing restrictions underscored the broader struggle for free speech.
The opposition Malay-nationalist Perikatan Nasional coalition, which includes the hardline Islamic party PAS, portrays the Anwar government as anti-Islam and anti-Malay, and the ethnic Malay majority as a community under threat.
This strategy has reaped rich dividends for the coalition, especially PAS, in recent state elections and in the November 2022 general election.
Analysts have said that with the elections over now and Anwar in control, he is now playing catch up to woo the Moslem majority.
This most recent ban was justified by the Film Directors Association of Malaysia and won the approval of the conservative NGO, Malaysian Moslem Solidarity (ISMA).
The government would not have banned the film Mentega Terbang had there not been a public outcry, suggesting that the government action may somehow have been driven by a desire to address public grievances, said Faisal Chal of the film association.
The ban should be supported by all Malaysian Moslems irrespective of their political leanings, said Muhammad Fauzi Asmuni, a senior consultant for ISMA.
That’s because the film’s protagonist has critical questions about Islam’s religious practices, and these are "underlying messages on liberal ideologies in religious practices," he said.
"Messages like this maybe can be filtered by the educated Moslems but for the general Moslems, these have the potential to be highly misleading and mislead youths and children," he said in a statement.
#3
Mohammedan questioners burgeon,
Though few embrace death through desertion.
Cue daring exception
Who shares their conception: [Mad Muslim's] Rebirth As a Virgin
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[FoxNews] A Merced, California, horseback rider was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a California Highway Patrol (CHP) spotted a person in the saddle with an open container.
