BEST VACATION EVER...

2 days in Atlanta = BEST VACATION EVER?

YES!

I spent the past couple of days in Atlanta, and I had the absolute best time! Read on!

On Valentine's Day this year, my husband surprised me with 2 tickets to the June 24 Yankees/Braves game. A few weeks later, I found out that Eddie Vedder was embarking on a solo tour - with a stop in Atlanta on June 23. It could not have worked out more perfectly...but it ended up being even better than I could have imagined!

On Tuesday, we headed to Atlanta, checked into our hotel, and headed straight for Cobb Energy Center to enjoy our first Eddie Vedder solo tour. If you don't know, Eddie Vedder is the lead singer of Pearl Jam - and I've been a fan for 17 years now. My husband and I have been to six PJ concerts - and we've always gotten our tickets through the fan club, which gets you the best seats in the house. We've been front row - or very near front row just about every time. But, unfortunately, Pearl Jam hasn't toured the southeast in a few years, so we let our fan club membership lapse. I got these tickets through ticketmaster. I did it AS SOON as tickets went on sale, however, our seats were BACK ROW center. No kidding, the wall was right behind us. No complaints, though - we were happy to be there. We sat for awhile, completely alone in the back row, but finally, another guy joined us. "Could your seats be any worse?" he cracked. We laughed, assuming he was another nosebleed section resident. But then, he flashed a crew pass and pulled out two tickets from his pocket. "I work for Ed and he would like to upgrade your tickets...to the FRONT ROW." Of course, I was skeptical, but my husband readily agreed and swapped our tickets for the upgraded ones. So, down we went, from back row center to front row center. And we weren't the only ones! Ed had reserved most of the front row for people like us! We sat among three other couples who were enjoying the mysterious ticket upgrade. Meanwhile, our old tickets went to people outside who were unable to get tickets to the show. We went from bad seats to best seats in the house - and they went from no seats to enjoying a great show!

And it WAS a great show! I wish I could've taken pictures or video, alas cameras of any kind were forbidden by the venue. (Fingers crossed for a dvd release in the near future!) Ed did all the Into the Wild songs, some awesome covers, and a few Pearl Jam gems like Lukin, Sometimes, I Am Mine, Small Town, Soon Forget, Dead Man Walking, Porch to name a few - and the most amazing performance of Arc using this wicked looping technique (used brilliantly by opening act Liam Finn as well in his set)...Ed's voice was unbelievable throughout and the crowd interaction was great. Just a really incredible vibe. Indescribable, in fact. All I can say is...you had to be there!

Front row upgrade, excellent show, and a handshake from Ed himself...

that's a pretty GOOD night!

Complimentary video (not from "my concert", but this is one of the songs he did perform Tuesday night):

NOW, onto day 2...

(aka my FAVORITE part!)

For those of you reading this who don't know, I am a big baseball fan. In fact, it's really the only sport I like. I grew up in Baltimore as an Oriole's fan. When I was 12, I became obsessed - collecting baseball cards, watching every game, spending an hour pouring over stats in the sports section, and watching Sports Center and Baseball tonight over and over all morning long. (This was also the start of my love of baseball PLAYERS. Shout out to Brady Anderson, my first baseball love.)

Now, 19 years later, I have evolved. I am a PROUD New York Yankees fan. And so, of course, I was THRILLED when my husband got us tickets to the June 24 Yankees/Braves game! (Thank God for interleague play! Did I just say that? Well, if it brings me the Yankees, then yes, interleague play rules.)

So, my husband and I headed to Turner Field - he in a Braves cap, me in a Yankees cap - and took our seats - right behind the Yankees dugout (yay!). If you watched the game on tv, you probably saw us. I was the one between the tall idiot in the Braves cap (aka my husband) and a guy I will refer to as Chatty McFatty. This guy talked the ENTIRE game (not to me, thank goodness) and repeatedly shouted obnoxious things to the players. Boy, I'd love to go heckle him at his job...

Chatty McFatty aside, I had the greatest time cheering for the Yankees along with all the other Yankee fans in my section - and there were tons!

There were SOOOO many great things about the game...

Joe Girardi got thrown out (I LOVE when that happens - it got the Yankees fired up!) ...

Derek Jeter stole a base (love base stealing, LOVE Derek Jeter!) ...

I got to see Mariano Rivera pitch (woo!) ...

...and the Yankees won!

Call to the Braves bullpen: You suck!

Now, time for one of those cheesy Mastercard commercial homages:

*Price of a coke and water at Turner Field: $8.50

*Price of primo seats to the Yankees/Braves game: Who cares, 'cause it's on my husband's credit card

*Making eye contact with my favorite baseball player: sigh...priceless...

13 down, 37 to go...

So far, I think all of my blog postings have been pretty light and...well...basically pointless. I've certainly never touched on anything remotely political. And while I'm perfectly happy with the entertaining and trivial usual postings, I do have some pretty strong opinions about some very weighty subjects as well. Some things I think need to be discussed/considered. So, I figured - why not share them here?

All of my life - or at least as soon as I was able to form an opinion on the subject - I have been vehemently AGAINST the death penalty. It is a stance I have NEVER wavered on. Something I feel very strongly about.

Here are a few good reasons to be AGAINST the death penalty:

• About 1 out of every 7 on death row is INNOCENT
• Statistics show that it is NOT a crime deterrent.
• It is an arbitrary sentence. A mentally ill man who could not afford a good lawyer was executed 1 day after his trial. A man with medical problems - who would have died of natural causes very soon anyway - was executed after 27 years on Death Row. Yet there have been countless cases of serial killers who have gotten life in prison instead. Imposition of the sentence has less to do with the offense than the political, racial, or economic status of the victim and/or alleged criminal. And this goes along with my next point...
• Often the court-appointed counsel who defend Death Row inmates are not qualified to do so, according to the American Bar Association guidelines for defense in a DP case. Therefore, they are often ineffective. Incompetent.
• The death penalty costs more than life in prison ($2 million vs $500,000!) That's your tax dollars, my friend.

And those are just the facts. Certainly, you could add moral/ethical aspects to the list as well. It may not be the most pleasant topic - and certainly not the norm for this blog - but these days I think most people just accept capital punishment and don't give it much thought. Yet the reality of it is that capital punishment is an extremely flawed and unnecessary practice. Right now, only 13 states do not have the death penalty. But maybe one day the other 37 will follow. At least I hope so. It's time to evolve to a higher standard of decency!

"To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice."

- Desmond Tutu

Below is a relevant case - three men who have been imprisoned for 16 years. For a crime they didn't commit. One of the men is on death row (for now). I implore you to give it a read.

The West Memphis Three

Brief Overview

Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence?

The same police officers coerced an error-filled "confession" from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late— Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994.

Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40.

In the years since the convictions of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley for a crime they did not commit, their cause has gained support from all over the world, and these men have become known as the West Memphis Three. The story of the injustice they have endured at the hands of the state of Arkansas has never lost momentum, and in recent months, the evidence in their favor has grown to the point where it's nearly impossible to view this case as anything other than a miscarriage of justice.

Teenagers at the time of their arrest in 1993, these young men were considered suspects in the gruesome triple child homicide and arrested without any evidence tying them to the crime. The police and the state managed to convince the media and the juries that "devil worshippers" were responsible, and that Damien, Jason and Jessie somehow fit that description. It was publicly stated by law enforcement officials and the media that the murders had been a part of a satanic ritual; a human sacrifice in the wooded areas of West Memphis, Arkansas. It seems unlikely that this would be accepted as motive by a contemporary jury, but once the police had a young, mentally challenged boy in their custody, they managed to coerce him into providing what was seen as a "confession" despite huge logic holes, discrepancies and the fact that he later recanted and refused to testify against the other two men.

Now, 15 years later, these men are still fighting for their freedom, but there are a few major differences now. The "satanic cult sacrifice" motive is now seen as an embarrassment that the police and prosecution no longer embrace, and much more importantly, DNA and other forensic technologies have progressed to the point where items that were previously inadequate for testing are now providing the positive proof that Damien, Jason and Jessie have been waiting over a decade for.

The results of recent DNA testing have revealed that these three men couldn't have been involved in the murders because not one cell of genetic material has been identified that matches them. The nature of this crime as put forth by the State of Arkansas makes it very unlikely that the perpetrator could have committed it without leaving even the smallest trace behind. DNA evidence was, however found that matches a pair of individuals who had been together on the day the children disappeared. One of these individuals is the stepfather of one of the victims.

In Fall of 2008, hearings took place in Jonesboro, Arkansas to show that Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley did not receive adequate legal counsel during their trials. After several years of similar proceedings, Damien Echols finally completed his ineffective counsel hearings in 2000. These hearings revealed new information not known at the time of the original trials, as well as information that was not known to their trial attorneys. At these 2008 hearings, specifics of the original homicide investigation were examined in detail, providing further proof of the multitude of failures and errors made by West Memphis Police and other investigators at the time. It has also been shown that Damien, Jason and Jessie did not receive adequate counsel due to jury tainting, inexperienced public defenders, serious under funding, lack of access to state crime labs and resources among many other things.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Timothy Derning testified at this hearing that Jessie Misskelley was not competent to stand trial, and that he wasn't questioned properly or legally by the police. His so-called confession contains many lapses in logic, discrepancies and outright fabrication, and yet it was used in truncated form as evidence, and resulted in the imprisonment of this man who should never have been questioned without a lawyer or parent present. In light of Dr. Dernings's testimony it's very clear that Jessie Misskelley was coerced into making his statements, and that the content of those statements is so disjointed and irrational, it should never have been considered valid.

Daniel Stidham, Jessie's trial attorney, also testified at these hearings. Stidham stated that he had been grossly under funded and unprepared to defend his client. He admitted that for much of the time he spend as Jessie's defense attorney he actually believed his client to be guilty due to the rumors and innuendo that was circulating at the time in conjunction with exaggerations and false information that had been released to the media. It wasn't until Stidham was able to examine the case more closely that he came to realize that his client was not only mentally handicapped, but that he had been subjected to an irresponsible and unconscionable interrogation process at the hands of the West Memphis Police Department. Stidham's budget was so prohibitively restricted that he was forced to use money from his own pocket to obtain expert witnesses, and his access to the state crime lab was almost non-existent.

Dr. Werner Spitz, perhaps the most well-known forensic pathologist and forensic scientist in the world, also provided illuminating testimony at this hearing. The pathologist who examined the victim's bodies back in 1993 was not Board Certified, and according to Dr. Spitz was incapable of seeing evidence that would have been instantly obvious to a more experienced medical examiner. Spitz noted injuries on the bodies that could only have been caused by animal predation. These wounds had been previously attributed to a stabbing weapon.

As each new fact emerges, we see more and more proof that Jessie's "confession" is nothing more than a case study in coercion and false confession. Experts on coercion and police procedure all agree that it simply isn't worth anything as evidence.

As evidence of the innocence of Damien, Jason and Jessie increases, the hearsay and speculation against them continue to dwindle to nothing. Support for these three men continues to grow as more and more people are made aware of their situation. As they exhaust their state appeals, all three of these men are optimistic and encouraged by the advances in their case. They await the federal circuit courts and the chance to finally have an unbiased light shining on the facts. Damien, Jason and Jessie and their many supporters know that they will soon be free men, but they all want to make sure that the world doesn't close its eyes and ears to this tragedy.

The current state of DNA technology in 2008 has improved greatly since the original investigations in 1993. Items that were previously considered untestable and insignificant at the time of their trials are now providing positive genetic matches.

• Recent DNA tests involving dozens of items related to the crime have failed to link any of the three defendants to the crime scene.

• A hair found at the site where the bodies were recovered has been shown to be a positive DNA match to another individual. The matching hair was found on a ligature used to bind one of the victims. This individual is the stepfather of one of the other victims.

• Another hair found at the site has been shown to be a positive DNA to a man who was with the stepfather on the day of the crimes.

• DNA recovered from the penis of one of the victims has been shown to NOT match Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin or Damien Echols.

• Scientific analysis by some of nation’s leading forensics experts have shown that the original investigation was not conducted properly.

• Recent examinations have shown that wounds on the victims’ bodies were caused by animals at the crime scene after the victims were dead.

• These wounds were not caused by knives, as claimed by the prosecution, a claim that was a substantial factor in their case.

• In 1993, unqualified, untrained examiners that were not Board Certified reached erroneous conclusions based on misinformation.

• Witness testimony pertaining to knives and stabbing have been shown to be false.

• These new forensic findings undermine testimony by questionable "cult expert" Dale Griffis, who contended the murders had been a part of a satanic cult ritual human sacrifice. This absurd claim has again been proven false.

• The scientific evidence provided by qualified forensic experts has refuted everything used in court to convict these three innocent men.

For over 15 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement at a Supermax facility for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. But all three were condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, Satanic panic and a rush to judgment by the media.

But there’s still hope for them, and you can help.
http://www.wm3.org/live/thewm3/index.php

PEARL JAM! Focus on Ed...

In anticipation of the Eddie Vedder solo concert I'm going to this week, I wanted to do yet another Pearl Jam music post...These songs are the more solo-ish songs, focusing on Ed...

DEAD MAN WALKING


SOON FORGET


YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY



GUARANTEED


GONE

5 PEARL JAM SONGS FOR TODAY

CAN'T KEEP

BREATH

ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN

LIFE WASTED

SEVERED HAND

Harper's Island: Examining The Remaining Suspects

Here's a rundown of my latest thoughts and observations on the remaining suspects. I am taking the show's promo seriously - 25 suspects, 1 killer. So, I am not considering any 2 killer theories. I am also not considering anyone outside of the main 25 as being the killer. That being said, I have 3 main suspects at the moment. Subject to change. And I fully expect to be wrong. Fool me, Harper's Island writers!!!!

HENRY DUNN
Evidence: He doesn't have strong alibis for any of the murders (there is a time issue with one murder, but I'm going to assume time progression from scene to scene is not necessarily in "real time")
Motive: We know his parents are dead - but we have no further details. There could be motive in this somewhere. BUT, I think no matter who the killer is, it ties to Wakefield somehow. So maybe Henry is Wakefield's child. Maybe Henry and Abby are half-siblings - since it's been said that the killings are "all about Abby".
Arguments: Message boards are on fire with people naming Henry as the killer. AND the most recent episode made him look a bit guilty...That makes me feel like the writers WANT us to think the killer is Henry, which would mean it's NOT.
My verdict: One of my main suspects!


TRISH WELLINGTON
Evidence: None that I've picked up on.
Motive: Nothing so far.
Arguments: She was shown in the company of others in the most recent episode - when at least 2 murders took place
My verdict: Not the killer.


JIMMY MANCE
Evidence: He has the tools, the strength, and - for awhile - the opportunity to commit the murders
Motive: All I can come up with is revenge for Abby leaving without a goodbye 7 years earlier - and that's not much of a motive at all
Arguments: He was with Abby when the murder of Cole Harkin took place. So, unless that was somehow rigged (like Hunter Jennings and Mr. Wellington), he couldn't be the killer.
My verdict: Probably not the killer.


MAGGIE KRELL
Evidence: A lot of screenshots of Candlewick Inn stuff...The matchbox for Lucy's death was from the Inn...The boat for Hunter's death was from the Inn. She sent Abby to turn off the lights, which set off the head spade for Mr. W's death. AND - possible clue - in the most recent ep, the word Boniface was shown, which means "keeper of an inn" - and that's Maggie!
Motive: None so far, but I would assume a connection to Wakefield.
Arguments: I have a hard time believing a woman could carry out some of the murders - ones that require great, great strength. And Maggie has been such a background character - it would kind of be a letdown for her to be the killer. We'll see if she's featured more in upcoming eps.
My verdict: Very possible. One of my 3 top suspects.



BETH BARRINGTON
Evidence: None that I've found.
Motive: None so far.
Arguments: Like I said before, I'm not convinced a woman would have the strenght to carry out some of the murders.
My verdict: Nope. Not the killer.



CAL VANDEUSEN
Evidence: Young Madison made references to a "new friend" who was telling her creepy things about the island - and we know Cal got along well w/Madison on the boat trip to the island. Also, as a doctor, Cal has a little more knowledge about the human body - which couldn't hurt. And, we were shown a semi-violent side of him for about 5seconds in episode 1.
Motive: None so far.
Arguments: Cal has been shown as a pretty passive guy. His personality doesn't fit the profile of a murderer. Plus, for 2 murders in ep 2, he was hanging upside down from a tree. Pretty solid alibi.
My verdict: No. I think Cal's a good guy.



CHLOE CARTER
Evidence: She has a fascination with serial killers and knows a lot about Wakefield.
Motive: None so far.
Arguments: She's a girl - and not a particularly strong one - so I say she absolutely could not have hacked up Uncle Marty - or hoisted Richard onto the tree. Plus, she has alibis for a few of the murders.
My verdict: No.



SULLY
Evidence: None that I've found.
Motive: None indicated so far.
Arguments: Has alibis for a few of the murders.
My verdict: No.



DANNY BROOKS
Evidence: Nope.
Motive: Nope.
Arguments: Seems to have alibis for a couple of the murders.
My verdict: My gut says NO.



KATHERINE WELLINGTON
Evidence: Not really.
Motive: I'd guess money, if anything.
Arguments: In the most recent ep, she was with a group while murders were taking place.
My verdict: Doubtful.



NIKKI BOLTON
Evidence: None that I've found.
Motive: Nothing comes to mind.
Arguments: Hard to say for sure, but I think she has an alibi for the reverend's murder (being at The Cannery as part of the scavenger hunt)...also, she discovered Kelly's body.
My verdict: Doubtful.



SHANE PIERCE
Evidence: Doesn't matter.
Motive: Doesn't matter.
Arguments: He was in jail for several of the murders. Even witnessed one.
My verdict: No.



SHEA ALLEN
Evidence: Nothing I've picked up on.
Motive: No clear possible motive.
Arguments: In the most recent ep, she was shown with group when murders took place.
My verdict: No.



SHERIFF MILLS
Evidence: He has a virtual shrine to the Wakefield murders in his home.
Motive: Wakefield-related
Arguments: In the most recent ep, he was in Cole Harkin's cabin when Cole was killed with arrows. Unless the arrows were rigged, he couldn't have done it.
My verdict: Don't think so.



ABBY MILLS
Evidence: I'm not sold on any.
Motive: Her mom was killed 7 years ago - maybe that drove her crazy.
Arguments: She has alibis for several of the murders.
My verdict: Not a chance, in my opinion.



MADISON ALLEN
Evidence: She's creepy and seems to know things.
Motive: No?
Arguments: She's a 9 year old kid.
My verdict: No way.



JD DUNN
IS he dead? It wasn't clear.
Evidence: Plenty of evidence. He's been in fights, put a dead deer on Shane's truck (and maybe a deer head in Henry's tub), messed around with fireworks as a prank...Was the last person to see Kelly before she died...and had dead Uncle Marty's phone in his possession.
Motive: Craziness, possible Wakefield link.
Arguments: He was in jail during...what? 2 killings? He's the obvious red herring.
My verdict: No. And I hope he's not dead.



AND

JOEL BOOTH
Evidence: I know he's "dead" - but his death could have been easily faked. Going into this show, I said I expected the killer to fake their death partway through. So I can't help but be suspicious of this one.
Motive: Likely Wakefield related. Literally. I think he could be related to Wakefield. Or just crazy.
Arguments: He's presumed dead. I think I read on a message board that the producers/writers/something confirmed that he's dead (I haven't seen a direct quote myself, though)
My verdict: One of my main suspects!

Today's Five Favorites: Pearl Jam songs (of the moment)

Here's a top 5 - it's the 5 Pearl Jam songs I'm digging most right now! (Not my 5 all-time favorites!)




I GOT ID


YELLOW LEDBETTER


IT'S OK (originally by Dead Moon)


MAN OF THE HOUR


LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN

Harper's Island: 5 Most Suspicious Suspects Countdown

I'll preface this by saying, I really only have 3 Most Suspicious Suspects, so 4 and 5 are fillers.

It's nearly impossible to select ANY suspects, because the show keeps throwing all kinds of stuff at us - stuff from the past, people from the past, more plot complications. Seriously, my head is spinning from it all. And my suspect theories change on a weekly basis. But here is what I'm thinking this week...um...and I can't even go into motives - that's just too confusing right now.

Note: I will likely be adding to this.

5. Beth Barrington

No GOOD reason why. I just feel there is something more to this girl that we're not getting. Something that might come up in future episodes.

She DID make a concerned phone call to Lucy's voicemail (not knowing Lucy was dead). That alone makes me think she should be crossed off the suspect list, BUT if she's the killer and hopes to get away with it, such an act could make her less suspicious to authorities...if they were, for some reason, to check Lucy's phone. That's reaching a bit, but out of the remaining suspects, she's one that stands out to me.

And it seems she's been available for all of the murders.

4. Shane Pearce

He's a bad guy with a bad temper.

He has access to many of the murder weapons.

Okay, so he's been in jail for the past couple of killings...So he probably is not the killer, but he's still very suspicious in my book. Maybe next ep we'll find out ol' Sheriff Mills let Shane go at some point. Who knows with this show...

3. Joel Booth

Before the show started, I predicted that the killer might fake their own death, continue killing, and then pop up in the end for a big surprise. Joel's accidental, self-inflicted wound could have been faked.

In ep 1, there is a pretty pointless, blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Joel grabbing his luggage. And there are scuba tanks with his luggage, which may or may not have been a hint that he was involved in the death of Cousin Ben.

2. Jimmy Mance

He's got the skills and strength...and tools to commit the murders.

He's a local, so he knows the island well.

I don't think he has an alibi for ANY of the murders.

I have to admit, part of me would like Jimmy to end up with Abby. Happily ever after. So I don't really WANT him to be the killer. BUT another part of me thinks it might be some good tv. Jimmy gone bad!

1. Henry Dunn

• From what I can tell, he has been pretty much "available" for all the murders...

He's from Tacoma - just like the previous serial killer on the island - coincidence, or something more?

His parents died. But how? We haven't been given much explanation there. Mighty peculiar, eh?

His brother is the red herring. Nice way to deflect suspicion, I think. Make JD seem like the bad brother, Henry the good brother. But in reality, it's the opposite. (Elaborating on this, I think he could've swiped Uncle Marty's cell and planted it in JD's stuff. Not a lot of brotherly love here.)

And if they really want to fool us, why not have the nice guy be the killer?