Blogcritics Category: Culture: Crime and Court

Will One Spam King's Conviction and Another's Escape Mean Less E-Trash on the Internet?

Ed Dickson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:01:32 EDT

If you want to get rid of spam, perhaps we should look at who is paying for their services?
Robert Soloway, dubbed the "Spam King", was sentenced in Washington yesterday, according to an article in the Seattle Intelligencer. For his misdeeds, Soloway was sentenced to just under four years. Notably, Soloway was the second person to be prosecuted under the Can-Spam Act. It should also be noted that the prosecutors asked for...

On Terrorism and Increasing Jewish-Arab Violence in Israel

Ruvy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:59:06 EDT

Does an attack on Arabs by Jews portend good or evil?
When I was just a kid in Williamsburg, the Satmar Hassidim, long back-coated Jews with beaver hats and and long sidelocks, reacted en masse to threats to their community - particularly by the Puerto Ricans who shared the slum I grew up in. When there was some kind of danger, they would shout "goyim!!!" (heathens!) in a harrowing cry,...

A Second Arab Attack via Bulldozer in Jerusalem

Ruvy — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:14:25 EDT

The goal of the Arabs is to kill us off. The only thing that changes is how creative they are in their attempts.
Ma'ale Levona, 15:45Reports came into us here in Ma'ale Levona first via cell phone, then via Arutz Sheva, then via Ha'aretz of a second Arab "bulldozer" attack. Fortunately, at this writing, around 15:45, Israel Summer Time, no one has been killed, thank G-d. According to the cell phone report, a young man checking the...

Movie Review: Snuff - A Documentary About Killing On Camera

Scott C. Smith — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:12:51 EDT

Do "snuff" films exist? Director Paul von Stoetzel examines the myths - and reality - of snuff films.
What is a snuff film, exactly? The phrase has been a part of the American vernacular since 1971, when Ed Sanders used it in his book on the Manson Family murders, The Family: The Story of Charles Manson’s Dune Buggy Attack Battalion. It was alleged that Manson and his “family” had filmed the murders of their victims using stolen...

California Lottery Nails Dishonest Retailers

Ed Dickson — Sun, 6 Jul 2008 19:26:25 EDT

It pays to make sure you know what you're getting when you present a winning lottery ticket at a retailer.
When you cash in a small lottery prize at a lottery retailer, the amount might not exactly what you were were entitled to receive.On 7/1/08, the California Lottery announced that they are using undercover agents to sting dishonest retailers, who cheat lottery winners out of their prizes....

Signs of Decay

Heartcrossings — Sun, 6 Jul 2008 09:23:24 EDT

A racial incident makes me wonder if my quest to find freedom in America is a dream nearing its end.
My mother's first visit to America was soon after 9/11. That Christmas, I took her to a mall near where I lived at the time. J was only a few months old and I was not able to fit into any of my pre-pregnancy clothes yet. I remember wearing to the mall a black shalwar-kameez she had brought for me from India because it was the only outfit I...

Life, the Death Penalty, and Child Abuse

SJ Reidhead — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:12:35 EDT

Surviving abuse is rough enough. Don�t make it worse by demanding we go through a capital trial.
Unlike many others who are wringing their hands and crying their crocodile tears that the sky is indeed falling, I was relieved when the SCOTUS declared capital punishment for child molestation unconstitutional. I was relieved for several reasons, the first being I am pro-life. I do not believe we have a right to take another life except in time...

Retailers Honor Sleuths Who Smashed $100 Million Organized Retail Crime Ring

Ed Dickson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:04 EDT

Law enforcement and retail sleuths honored for smashing a $100 million shoplifting ring in Florida.
The National Retail Federation is recognizing a couple of individuals, both from law enforcement and within their own ranks, for their contributions in smashing a $100 million organized retail crime ring. These crime fighters are being honored at the NRF Loss Prevention Conference & EXPO in Orlando, Florida. The two being honored are Detective...

The Supreme Court (Five to Four) Says That The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind

Dan Miller — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:49:34 EDT

The decision declaring the death penalty unconstitutional where rape did not cause, and was not intended to cause, a child�s death, is a travesty.
On 25 June, 2008, the Supreme Court held, five to four, that child rape, no matter how brutal, vicious and damaging to the child, cannot be punished by death unless it results in the death of the child, and was intended to do so. Note the use of the conjunctive, rather than the disjunctive. If the rape was intended to, but did not result in,...

InsideCRM on 50 Ways to Protect Your Privacy

Ed Dickson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:46:40 EDT

InsideCRM publishes a one-page resource on how to protect your personal and financial information.
I got a tip from Fiona King at InsideCRM magazine about an article they published that lists fifty tips to protect your privacy, personal and financial information. InsideCRM represents the customer relationship management industry. The article is intended to provide useful tips to protect the average person from fraud, phishing, and all the...