Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Neil DeGrasse Tyson humorous about sewage but not thinking it through.

A while back I viewed a YouTube of Neil deGrasse Tyson giving the business to intelligent design types, by saying, "Who designed THAT?" He calls it a fast tirade. Correct: fast but sloppy. He has not thought it through.
What's this going on between our legs?
We have an entertainment complex in the middle of a sewage system.No engineer would design that at all.

No engineer and definitely not Neil deGrasse Tyson!

Therefore it is wrong to say it is part of a design, we are to infer.

Which is essentially an appeal to authority: unless Neil deGrasse Tyson can understand it, it cannot possibly be kosher.

That approach puts Neil deGrasse Tyson in a tight spot. If he were the smartest man in the world, not just the smartest man at the American Museum of Natural History, then, yes, it would be kosher to let him interpret the meaning of the universe for us. I hate to say it, but he's not up to it. He is not the smartest -- just ask his wife!!

SO... Just because Neil deGrasse Tyson does not comprehend something, that does not mean it cannot be true.

I once heard Neil deGrasse Tyson give a technical talk about his research, and he came across as a good guy, doubtless pretty smart. And he is amusing, with raucous humor peppering his talk. But if you want to win your argument, Neil deGrasse Tyson, use a better argument than "It doesn't make sense to me, so it cannot possibly be true."

Thursday, July 11, 2013

FOUND: Southern Jewel muscadine grapes? Where are they available?

I found a place to get Southern Jewel muscadine grape vines.

I ordered two Southern Jewel grapevines from the Grapes of Kath vineyard down in Sebring, Florida. Kathy Giller shipped them to me in the mail.

They are planted and growing nicely. Excellent!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Southern Jewel muscadine grapes? Where are they available?

I will open the contact form (right) for anyone who knows were one can obtain a vine of Southern Jewel muscadine grapes. Where are they available? They are SO hard to find.

Here are some info links,

  1. Dennis Gray's blurb sheet (PDF), "Southern Jewel: A Self-Fertile, Black Muscadine Grape with Fruit Produced on Bunches has been released by UF/IFAS"
  2. Dennis Gray's article in HortScience (PDF); cf. August 2009 issue.
  3. IFAS news article featuring disease resistance of Southern Jewel muscadine grapes
  4. Florida Grape Growers list of nurseries, but none of them have Southern Jewel yet!
  5. Univ. Georgia spec sheet on muscadine cultivars, including Southern Jewel, but notice that Southern Jewel's productivity and dry scar percentage are not listed!
  6. Article in Western Farm Press
  7. USDA Agricola database entry for Southern Jewel muscadine grape

But where can a civilian buy one or two Southern Jewel muscadine grape vines for his own garden!!!

Sorry to make you use the contact form; the comments feature does not seem to work! >:|

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

George Zimmerman the idiot

George Zimmerman is an idiot. To verify that, just take a look at the time line released by the Sanford police department and published yesterday by the Orlando Slantinel:
Sanford police prepare down-to-the-second George Zimmerman timeline
Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
11:58 a.m. EST, May 21, 2012
In a timeline included in evidence documents released last week, Sanford police spelled out down to the second, what happened the night George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, based on time-stamped calls to their dispatch center.

It shows Zimmerman fired 1 minute, 57 seconds after he hung up.

1911:12 - Call received from George Zimmerman reporting suspicious person

1913:19 - Zimmerman relays that suspicious person is running from him

1913:36 - Dispatcher asks Zimmerman if he is following suspicious person

1913:36 - Dispatcher advises Zimmerman "Okay; we don't need you to do that"

1915:23 - Approximate time call with Zimmerman ends

1916:43 - 911 call placed by (blacked out name) where Zimmerman is heard screaming for help

1917:20 - Shot fired; screams from Zimmerman cease

1917:40 - Officer T. Smith arrives on scene

1919:43 - Officer T. Smith locates and places Zimmerman in custody.

So because idiot George Zimmerman could not wait a few minutes for the police officer to arrive, he shot young Trayvon Martin.

Trayvon Martin is dead because George Zimmerman is an idiot, a dangerous idiot with a gun.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

World record Beavis, Alan Grayson, crashes into a Lynx bus

Alan Grayson, smooth move, Ace! http://www.wesh.com/video/30653237/detail.html

What a maroon. How can any normal sober person run into a bus? Or was he texting his campaign consultant, Theresa LePore, as he ran that red light?

I hope those bus passengers are OK. They are suffering because Mr. 1% could not obey the traffic laws. BAH!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Backhoe, modus operandi in the Jennifer Kesse case?

News from California might bear indirectly on the Jennifer Kesse abduction case: the disappearance of college student, Lynsie Ekelund, in early 2001.

Calif. Mother I.D.s Missing Daughter's Bracelet
November 07, 2010
Associated Press
FULLERTON, Calif. -- The mother of a Southern California woman who vanished almost 10 years ago said Saturday a bracelet found on recently unearthed remains belonged to her daughter.

Nancy Ekelund of Fullerton told The Associated Press that she had met with a coroner's investigator and instantly recognized the gold-link bracelet she had given as a present to her daughter Lynsie Ekelund, a 20-year old Fullerton College student who disappeared in 2001...

Christopher McAmis is suspected of strangling her and burying her in a canyon 50 miles north of Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, where he directed investigators to look, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.

McAmis said he used a tractor to dig a 4-foot grave in the canyon where he had done construction work, officials said.



If a construction worker can use a former work site for disposing of a body in California, then is it possibly the explanation of what happened to Jennifer Kesse in Florida, in 2006? Was Kesse's kidnapper another construction worker digging, for instance, the foundation for the Amscot building, 2033 Americana Blvd., a short distance from the drop off point of Kesse's vehicle? That construction site was at the earth-moving stage soon after the Kesse disappearance, and it would be simple to check whether is was under construction in January, 2006, when she was abducted.

That would be a total luck shot if that were the case -- some murdering construction worker at the nearby Amscot.

In actuality, however, it could be any one of a huge number of construction sites in Central Florida at that time. The suspect in the Ekelund disappearance identified a point in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, about 50 miles as a crow files, north and west of Fullerton, where Lynsie Ekelund disappeared. As a car drives, it is a straight shot up Interstate-5. But that is definitely not a short distance.



Image: As a crow flies, Fullerton to Santa Clarita. Click for larger size.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Tale of Two Cities at Starbuck's

In my quest to get out of the house this afternoon, I was able to observe an interesting version of the tale of two cities. I sat in an easy chair next to an older gent.






































ActivityOlder gentMe
physical activitydrinking coffeedrinking coffee
economic activitywhipped out a conventional checkbook
with paper checks
debit card
information activityreading paper copy of the New York Timesfired up MacBook Pro, clicked over to Foxnews.com and Pajamasmedia.com
communication activitycell phonegot rid of my cell phone over the summer -- simplifies life.
footwear activitywearing sandals with black socksSaucony trail runners from Sierra Trading Post
existential activityslackingslacking


Worst of times, best of times.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Cannot vote for this guy; too weird looking.

This Rick Scott guy is just too weird looking for me to vote for.

I hate making fun of a guy's looks, but he shaves his head so that he can look... what? More stylish?

He looks like a guy you meet when stranded at a bus station, and all he wants to tell you about is his UFO theories and why he therefore sells Amway.

Sorry, the Rick Scott system is NO GO.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Gibbsy, get a map, you goof. Volusia County is on the east coast of Florida.

Ace news man, Robert Gibbs, needs some mental adjusment of his internal map. He thinks Volusia County is the westernmost county in Florida.

WH Denies Political Motivation for Sending Staff to Gulf States
Major Garrett
Senior White House Correspondent
Fox News Channel
The White House first denied and then scoffed at the idea it was pouring operatives and press aides into Gulf Coast states to smooth feathers, first oiled then ruffled by the administration's admittedly uneven response... This contributed to the impression the White House fretted its spill response could leave it vulnerable to a voter backlash in the state [Florida] with 27 electoral votes (one tenth of the 270 needed for victory) that served as President Obama's southern anchor in 2008.

"Oil gets into a bay that is shared by both Alabama and Florida, right," Gibbs said. "The western -- or the easternmost county in Alabama, Baldwin County, is notified. The westernmost county in Florida, Volusia is not -- okay? A breakdown in communications from the incident command to the local level..."


Smooth move over there, Gibbsy. It's Escambia County that lies on the western march of Florida: Pensacola, Pensacola Naval Air Station etc. Then east from there, across the bay in a the next few Florida counties is Eglin Air Force Base, home of the Miss MOAB. Remember now, Gibbsy?



Or maybe just do your homework, genius. Volusia County might have voted for Obama/Biden, but it hasn't got any oil pollution -- not yet.

Even F.E.M.A. knows where Volusia county isn't. How bad is that? Gibbs is less knowledgeable than the FEMAs, viz.


Click image for large size 1650px × 1275px view of map.


Well, at least Theresa LePore now has a challenger for spatial organization genius of the year. That takes talent.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Potomac fever, two recent examples

Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman used to talk about a medical condition known as Potomac Fever. A politician gets elected to Congress, gets to D.C., and the next thing you know, the honorable politician goes high hat, resulting in the need for new hats with a larger hat size.

Here are two cases of Potomac Fever in recent headlines:
  1. Congressman Alan Grayson. During congressional recess, he's at his tailor getting his head re-measured.
    Washington Police Investigate Grayson Death Threat
    TV station WESH-2 News
    POSTED: 4:43 pm EDT July 22, 2010
    UPDATED: 5:34 pm EDT July 22, 2010
    A death threat was called in to Grayson's Washington office.

    "Ten people are going to kill the congressman within 24 hours," an intern who answered the phone was told.

    "Like any other threat, it has to be taken seriously," Grayson said in a phone interview.

    Grayson recently spoke out about the extension of unemployment benefits.

    "I say this to the Republicans who have blocked this bill for months, who have kept food out of the mouths of children: May God have mercy on your souls," Grayson said.

    He said he thinks his opinions have prompted the threat.

    "What kind of twisted person would threaten someone who speaks out on behalf of the needy," Grayson said. "What kind of twisted person would threaten to kill someone."
    Except, what does that mean, ten people? A firing squad? Or ten people in a row? Most people only get killed once. [Exception: James Bond, for whom it can be said, you only live twice.]

    From a guy who is facile in attributing bloody motives to others, one would have to verify carefully whether the congressman actually received a threat and from whom. What kind of twisted person tries to score political points off a police matter?
  2. Spencer Ackerman, blogger in D.C. for Wired News Service.
    Video: Hard-Boiled Mafioso, Spencer Ackerman
    Dan Riehl
    Riehl World View
    He's been known to resort to violence on multiple occasions. Doesn't it show?


    Here is another guy who finds it easy to attribute racial motives to others for his own political gain.


Some job supervision for young Ackerman might be in order. Time can help: you can forgive him his weakness and twerpiness, for a season.

As for our Honorable Grayson, however, he is weak but has enough power and cash to ignore anybody's advice or supervision. Only one thing will work: withdraw consent and vote him out of office. Soon.



Monday, July 5, 2010

Obama sells out NASA, Bolden dances.



Not content to sell out Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel and all the people in Iran who seek freedom, the current president asks NASA to take janitorial duty under the State Dept., cleaning out the diplomatic toilets by making Al-Quaeda feel good. Bolden actually states this in the video.

Such nonsense!

Presidents have made NASA a political tool in the past. In the 1960s, the space program was used to compete with the Soviet Union. The astronauts, all ex-military, bought into the competition, to beat the Soviets in every category and especially to the moon. But that was a noble, hard challenge, not namby pamby feel good duty like today.

To see Bolden "dance" for the president on al-Jazeera is too much for my eyes. It is a stain.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Charlie Crist is a good riddance.

George Hamilton is getting long in the tooth, so perhaps Gov. Crist, after electoral defenestration, can pick up a job in Hollywood, taking over the George Hamilton pretty boy acting gigs.

Crist: The check's not in the mail
Julie Mason
Washington Examiner
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said today that hey -- he's not returning that money, after all. A group of prominent Republicans recently wrote to Crist after his switch from the GOP to the NPA (no party affiliation) asking for reimbursement of years of campaign contributions.

After initially sounding like he might do it, Crist -- looking stronger in the polls -- said that he's keeping all of it.

Read more at the Washington Examiner.
I could not have predicted this specific act of betrayal, but it was obvious the first time I heard this pretty boy talk to reporters: I am not lying, look at me, trust me, now all I need is your credit card number.

It is a good riddance, not so much because he is out of the GOP, but because he will soon be out of politics completely. Next logical step: Hollywood, a tv sitcom, commercials ...more paid gigs to lie and get the camera to "look at me."

Saturday, May 1, 2010

King Obama

Across the land, we now must temper our tongues because King Obama cannot take it.


Obama takes direct aim at anti-government rhetoric
BY PETE YOST AND MARK S. SMITH
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
(Miami Herald)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a blunt caution to political friend and foe, President Barack Obama said Saturday that partisan rants and name-calling under the guise of legitimate discourse pose a serious danger to America's democracy, and may incite "extreme elements" to violence.


Get out of the kitchen, you weak poser. If you can't handle the heat, just get out. If you can't handle free speech, then find a time machine and move back to the Soviet Union.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Hunting tragedy

Is it possible to find a more tragic hunting story than this? No pythons killed during python hunting season this year. DANG!


Python hunting season ending with zero kills
BRIAN SKOLOFF, AP
1:41 p.m. EDT, April 16, 2010
WEST PALM BEACH — Florida's first python hunting season ends Saturday with no reptiles being reported captured and killed, wildlife officials said Friday.

The season opened March 8 for anyone with a hunting license who paid a $26 permit fee to hunt down the nonnative reptiles on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida.

In addition to Burmese pythons, hunters also were allowed to kill Indian and African rock pythons, and green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards...

Hardin said nine out of 10 pythons that scientists had been tracking with radio collars in Everglades National Park apparently died from the weather.

I would just like to know one thing: how do you put a radio collar on a python?

Friday, April 9, 2010

Stupak is not Florida, but he could be declared an honorary Theresa LePore wannabee.

You have to wonder at the navigational skills of Rep. Stupak. He is not a Florida politician, but he is almost imbecilic enough to be declared an honorary Florida Democrat, following the tradition of Theresa Le Pore and friends.

Rep. Bart Stupak Announces His Retirement After Health Care Controversy
April 09, 2010
Chad Pergram and Dominique Pastre
FOXNews.com
Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, the central player in a grueling abortion debate underlying the health care law, announced Friday he will retire from Congress at the end of this term, because "it's time to begin a new and exciting chapter."
Exciting chapter? Euphemism. His mind must run on euphemisms.

And what did he think he was buying when he voted for Pelosi's ram-through? He sold her his vote and then falls on his sword? No, you are supposed to sacrifice yourself for what you believe, supposedly for pro-life concepts, not for Nancy Pelosi.

Maybe he was hypnotized by botox waves from the unwavering, unblinking eye of Pelosi. Yes, that might explain it.

Hon. Stupak, you are welcome, like many Michiganders, to fly south to Central Florida, and find a new nest as a snowbird. Maybe you can get a job with Governor Crist.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Obama health-care supporters: Democrats outraged by Florida doctor who tells Obama supporters to go elsewhere

Tough guy Democrat party politicians whine like little school girls with no date for the prom. "Free speech for me but not for thee" seems to be their operation plan.
Obama health-care supporters: Democrats outraged by Florida doctor who tells Obama supporters to go elsewhere
Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel
April 3, 2010
MOUNT DORA — Doug Bell isn't a patient of Dr. Jack Cassell's, but he almost wishes he were.

The Sorrento salesman heard about the firestorm over a sign that the Mount Dora urologist posted on his office door — it reads, "If you voted for Obama…seek urologic care elsewhere" — and wanted to see it himself.

"We need more people like him to speak out and take a stand against Obama-care," said Bell...

But Cassell's former medical partner in Eustis, urologist Dr. James Young, 57, a self-described liberal Democrat, said a patient's politics should be no more important to a doctor than his favorite baseball team.

"It'd be like me saying I'm not going to treat a Cubs fan," said Young, a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. "There are a number of thoughtful doctors who feel like Jack and probably a like number who feel the exact opposite, but they're not going to put a sign on their door. As doctors, our chief concern should always be what's best for the patient."

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Democrat hate-activists make a living by character assassination of anyone who dares to challenge the plantation owners. Free speech, to Democrat hate-speech activists, is a privilege for those who agree with them; speak contra the prevailing Democrate hate culture and your free speech privileges are suspended.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Florida Obama poll: Voters turn against Obama, Nelson and health care bill - OrlandoSentinel.com

I attempted to sway Rep. Kosmas' vote on the health care takeover plan, but they rammed it though anyway, disregarding voters. This makes Kosmas, Obama and Nelson the co-chairmen of our new national death panel.
Florida Obama poll: Voters turn against Obama, Nelson and health care bill
William E. Gibson
Orlando Slantinel
WASHINGTON - Florida voters have turned sharply against President Barack Obama, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and a sweeping health care law they helped push through Congress, according to a Mason-Dixon poll released Saturday.

The statewide poll of 625 registered voters found that Obama's favorable ratings have plunged to 37 percent from 50 percent when he was elected in 2008...

Only 25 percent of those polled who were 65 and older said they support the bill that was signed into law. Nearly two-thirds, 65 percent, said they oppose it.

"I'm a Democrat, but I'm going to vote Republican," said Arnold Ruskin, 74, of Margate, who was not polled but reflected the changing attitude of many senior citizens. "I want this [health care law] repealed. I'm not saying the Republicans are right. But I think the Democrats are just brutal on this thing..."


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What they did is an enormous blunder. This kind of pride, hubris will lead to them falling. I hope it happens before the USA collapses catastrophically when the overleveraged entitlements overwhelm the economy.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Democrats are now the nationwide death panel

Woe to the government politicians that ram through this health care takeover.

Democrat party is now the nationwide death panel.

Natalee Holloway skeleton?

Whether or not this is Natalee Holloway's skeleton, or whether it is even a skeleton at all, someone will have to dive down to this location to verify.

Click for larger view.

Maybe it is a skeleton, though. I took the image from foxnews.com, then modified it slightly, to bring out details, using the simple color controls in the Apple Preview application. A real photo-analyst could probably do better, but here is what I did:
  1. Optimized sharpness
  2. Desaturated the color to black and white
  3. enhanced contrast, brightness and exposure.
but when I did these enhancements, it did bring out some maybes:
  1. Near arrow, a human mandible, slightly detached from skull?
  2. Near arrow, a row of human teeth?
Maybe an expert photo-analyst will have more success.

Some caveats:
  1. I am not sure why the image is all blue; did the news agency do this for some reason?
  2. Also, I am not sure if that banded creature in the lower right is a sea snake or a moray eel. I thought sea snakes were only in the Indian and Pacific, not the Caribbean.
Everyone hopes that this and all the other mysterious disappearances are solved as soon as possible.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Rep. Kosmas, keep your vote NO on health care bills; no ram through!

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas contact info:
  1. Email form
  2. Telephone in D.C., (202) 225-2706
    Fax: (202) 226-6299
  3. Telephone in Port Orange office (386) 756-9798
    Fax: (386) 756-9903
  4. Telephone in Orlando office (407)-208-1106
    Fax: (407)-208-1108
  5. Toll free hotline 1-877-9-KOSMAS
    (1-877-956-7627)
Hon. Suzanne Kosmas, forget the speaker's ARM scheme. Your fiduciary responsibility is to us voters in your district.

Why, yes, Madame Speaker, I'd love to co-sign your A.R.M.

Why, yes, Madame Speaker, I'd love to co-sign your trillion dollar A.R.M.


Tim Cahill slams Barack Obama, Dems on health care
By Jessica Van Sack

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
State Treasurer Tim Cahill, taking swipes at both Gov. Deval Patrick and President Obama, boosted his bipartisan chops yesterday, telling Herald columnist Howie Carr on WRKO, “I voted for John McCain, believe it or not.”

Cahill, saying he was barred from the 2008 Democratic National Convention because he wouldn’t endorse either Obama or Hillary Clinton, said, “My own party basically voted me out.”

“I was afraid of what we had already been getting in Massachusetts, and at that point in 2008, I was aware that it wasn’t working,” he said. Separately yesterday, Cahill accused Obama of “propping up” the Bay State’s health plan with federal aid in order to help push the Democrats’ plan through Congress.



And Cahill's official .gov website contains the following statement:
State Treasurer Tim Cahill today faulted Gov. Deval Patrick for mismanaging the state’s health care initiative and warned that the consequences would be disastrous if a similar health care program were enacted nationally.

“If President Obama and the Democrats repeat the mistakes of the health insurance mandate in Massachusetts on a national level, they will bankrupt this country within four years,” Cahill said. “It is time for the President and the Democratic Leadership to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan that does not threaten to wipe out the American economy.”


Thanks for selling our A.R.M. to the Chinese, Madame Speaker.

Tim Cahill slams Barack Obama, Dems on health care

Tim Cahill slams Barack Obama, Dems on health care

Office of the State Treasurer - - Press Release

Office of the State Treasurer - - Press Release

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Ereck Plancher -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution roundup

Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an Ereck Plancher roundup page.

Somewhat out of date! Come on, AJC, no slacking!

Hon. Suzanne Kosmas, keep it NO!

I sent another mail message to Rep. Kosmas this morning, related to the Rasmussen poll results:

Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe that passage of the proposed health care legislation will hurt the economy. Just 25% believe it will help. (Rasmussen)

 ---

Rasmussen poll looks grievous for health care scheme.

Hon. Suzanne Kosmas,

The poll from Rasmussen today indicates broad LACK of support for this health care takeover fiasco. I highly recommend you keep your NO vote a good solid NO.

You stay WITH us, not with Speaker Pelosi and her kamikaze charge AT us.

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

Bad news from Rasmussen polling: America is refusing to buy it.
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe that passage of the proposed health care legislation will hurt the economy. Just 25% believe it will help...

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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Reprise: Three Cheers for Mike Sola!: Meet the Patriot Who Took on Dingell

When I advocate against the health care takeover, I think most about Mike Sola and his son. Blogger Debbie Schlussel wrote in August:
Three Cheers for Mike Sola!: Meet the Patriot Who Took on Dingell

He admits that the health insurance he has (and that most people have) is bad, but notes–as all of us opposed to ObamaCare know–that government health care is far worse.

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Let's stand with Mike Sola and his son.

Rep. Kosmas, keep your vote NO on health care bills

To Hon. Suzanne Kosmas,

I still cannot consent to this health care fiasco. It is way over-leveraged and has INFINITE AND ETERNAL DEFICIT written all over it.

Creating another Ginnie Mae-Freddie Mac to cause an economic collapse and dollar collapse is no way for a liberal to plan for the future.

No offense, but you guys are just not smart enough to craft this thing safely and reliably. Your own leader, Pelosi, has come up with some real whoppers in this context. You voted NO in 2009 on this health care fiasco. Keep it NO.


Mike Sola, defending his son

Speaker Pelosi, Super-Genius

It seems inevitable that this speaker of the House of Representatives goes down in flames, with verbal gaffes like this:
But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it...


It reminds me of another famous super-genius beloved by Hollywood: Mr. Wile E. Coyote.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Ereck Plancher death: UCF attorneys laughing at the family's suffering

For some reason the atletic program seems to accept that their attorneys can obstruct and even laugh at the suffering of the family of Ereck Plancher.

Ereck Plancher died as a result of intense football team practice from which he ought to have been excluded, if anyone had realized he had sickle cell trait. Now it appears that the head athletic trainer, Mary Vander Heiden, cannot remember if she went over the test results with young Plancher.

However, under questioning by Plancher's family's attorney in a deposition, the UCF attorneys tell Mary Vander Heiden to keep her mouth shut. Getting too close to the truth, probably.


Ereck Plancher death: Family attorneys question whether UCF told football player he had sickle cell trait
Iliana Limon, Orlando Sentinel
11:16 p.m. EST, March 6, 2010
OrlandoSentinel.com
Vander Heiden gave a second deposition Feb. 16 in the pending wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Plancher's parents. The deposition transcript was entered into Orange County Circuit Court records Thursday and obtained exclusively by the Orlando Sentinel.

When Plancher family attorney Steven Yerrid asked whether Vander Heiden told Plancher about his condition she responded, "Well, I can't say with certainty that, yes, I did or, no, I didn't."

Yerrid then asked Vander Heiden, "Ma'am, you didn't tell Mr. Plancher, did you?" UCF attorney Daniel Shapiro objected because it the question was addressed during a previous deposition and advised Vander Heiden not to respond. Yerrid was forced to move on to other questions...

The exchanges between attorneys from both sides were at times heated in a deposition that took more than nine hours to complete and filled 416 transcribed pages.

When UCF attorney Daniel Shapiro objected in the first 10 minutes of the deposition, Plancher family attorney Steven Yerrid responded, "I'm going to let that go a little bit longer and then we're going to, we're going to stop and go see the judge again because you made 33 form objections to the last deposition that I participated in. You gave a lot of instructions not to answer. And that's not in the spirit, nor within permissible conduct of an attorney conducting the defense of a deponent's deposition."

Shapiro responded by saying he did not need a lecture.

After more disputes, UCF attorneys eventually called Circuit Judge Julie H. O'Kane to request that she force the Plancher family attorneys to behave professionally. She was out of the office and did not respond. The Plancher attorneys argued that UCF's legal team was laughing, making disparaging remarks and constantly interrupting the deposition.


It seems inconceivable to me that an attorney can display this kind of cowardly, raucous, callous laughing at the pain of Ereck Plancher's family.