World's Scariest Teddy Bear

World's Scariest Teddy Bear, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

Was sorting some pictures I took last summer in New York and came across this one of a teddy bear in the collection of the Ellis Island museum... I'd forgotten just how spooky it looked.

Tali-ho: Stoppin' Crime!

My whole neighborhood can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief. A gang of... well, pretty much children, calling themselves the "Northside Taliband" were swept up in a sting yesterday. My sources - and yes, for once I have a source - tell me that this was on the QT and hush-hush because it has been in the works for a while.

Very exciting! A huge relief for Northside... although I'm sheltered and hadn't heard word one about them. I guess I should be relieved because if I had I'd have been fearful, but mostly I'm resolving to get more involved in my community again.

I want Grandmommy to pick me up

I want Grandmommy to pick me up, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

My great drive to clean off the hard drive continues... My niece's first birthday party from July 2007 are over at The Jayboy Mansion. Check 'em out!

A terrible name for a beer...

When you think of Athens, you think of the word "Hoegaarden", originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

...and by "Terrible" I mean "FanFrickinTastic!"

Child Prodigy?

Arizona law generally holds that a child lacks competency to be held responsible
for a homicide. However, ..., “We think an exception can be made based on the facts and circumstances … This is precedent-setting.
We're going to charge an 8-year-old with two counts of homicide."

I'm very interested to see what comes of this story. How grisly could this event have been for someone to announce they're probably charging an 8 year old? Not that any murder or accidental death isn't grisly and tragic, but this must've really been... above and beyond.

Most curious, what do you do with this child? Prison? Juvie? Treat him like Rhoda Penmark and just try to put him down like a dog? Because I'm thinking that to, again, announce this to the world... something bad must've really happened here.

UPDATE:

More likely, and unsurprising, the police are being accused of railroading an 8 year old:

"They became very accusing early on in the interview," Brewer said. "Two
officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an
8-year-old kid."
A judge has ordered a psychological evaluation of the child,
who was being held at the Apache County juvenile detention
center. Prosecutors aren't sure where the case is headed, Carlyon
said. "There's a ton of factors to be considered and weighed, including the
juvenile's age," he said. "The counterbalance against that, the acts that he
apparently committed."
Carlyon said the boy had no record of complaints with Arizona Child Protective Services. "He had no record of any kind, not even a disciplinary record at school," he said. "He has never been in trouble before."

They're also talking... premeditation:

Under Arizona law, a juvenile under 8 years old is treated as a dependent child.
Charges can be filed against anyone 8 or older, which Melnick argued are
warranted in this case. He said the child didn't act on the "spur of the
moment," though he didn't elaborate on what the motive might have
been.
Defense attorney Mike Piccarreta, who is not involved in the case, said
that each case has to be considered on its own merits but that it would be hard
for him to comprehend that an 8-year-old has the mental capacity to understand
the act of murder and its implications.
"If they actually prosecute the guy, it's a legal minefield," he said. "And, two, society has to make a decision as to whether they want to start using the criminal justice system to deal with 8-year-olds. That doesn't mean you don't have a troubled kid."

I look forward to seeing where this is going. I guess I jumped to a conclusion and went all "Bad Seed," when maybe it was someone pushing back against abuse. That said, we're still talking about an 8 year old who may have committed... premeditated murder?

Too Beautiful for You

Was Leslie Nielsen always a giant ham? Evidently...

Something romantic and silly from the 70's show "Night Gallery"

Summing up Saturday afternoon in Athens

Summing up Saturday afternoon in Athens, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

Posted some pictures from my August trip to Athens over at The Jayboy Mansion. Check 'em out.

It's so easy to title this "Flying Blind"

A British pilot who was suddenly blinded by a stroke during a solo flight was
talked safely down by a military pilot, the Royal Air Force said Friday.

Sometimes it's good to be reminded how refined the instrument technology is for flying and how well pilots are trained. Especially if you're a skittish flier, which I confess to being. It's also nice to read a story with a happy ending, as the pilots sight seems to be coming back as he recovers from his in-flight stroke.

Of course, you click through the read a story like this and imagine a 747 or Airbus, whichever you were on last...

Photos from Phoenix

Phoenix August 2008 098, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

I finally posted my pictures from my Labor Day trip to Phoenix over at The Jayboy Mansion. I'll be editing them all weekend, so the quicker you look, the more embarassing blurry shots and multi-chin angles you're likely to see!

Follow me

Follow me, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

Posting a few odds and ends to The Jayboy Mansion on Flickr this weekend. Come over and check 'em out.