Roman Polanski Set to Flee Switzerland



As you know, the Swiss have decided to grant Roman Polanski bail:

A bracelet will allow police to monitor Polanski , but the device does not include a global positioning system to track him should he escape.

“We can only check if the person is at home," Jonas Peter Weber, a professor at the University of Bern, told the Times. "If the alarm goes off and no police is in the vicinity, the person will be able to flee.”

...

Meanwhile, Polanski's lawyers in the U.S. will attempt to have his case dismissed for good on Dec. 10.


So, time to place your bets. When does Polanski flee? Will he wait until Dec. 10 or is he gone within the first 24 to 48 hours?

Black Friday Shopping Report



On Broadway early this morning, all the stores on the Upper West Side--Loehmann's, Barnes&Noble, etc.--were open but the traffic was puny.

The one notable exception was the new Apple store, it was packed. But, the odd thing was that half the people were store employees. There was almost a 1:1 ratio of shoppers to red shirts.

Couple the observation about store traffic with the fact that I just saw, for the first time ever, an "Apartment available" sign on both West End Ave. and CPW and my sense is that we still have a way to go with this economic recovery.

[For those not familiar with the city, there are certain areas, like Central Park West and South, Sutton Place, that are considered very desirable--as in very expensive in terms of renting or buying an apartment--to live in. The Upper East Side also fits this description but, for some reason, signs for available apartments have always been a common occurrence in that neighborhood. On the other hand, seeing an "Apartment available" sign on the sidewalk in front of a Sutton Place building is quite extraordinary.]

So there's your on-the spot Black Friday report. I'm not a store person to begin with (with one exception: Guess which store I can spend hours upon hours in?*) so I will do all my shopping on-line. I've just discovered the Black Friday deals page at Amazon (affil. link) so I plan to spend some time there bargain hunting.

I've already spotted some deals on an item of interest, the Canon PowerShot. Because let's face it, if I insist on posting pics on this blog I better make an effort and upgrade to a more professional camera, no?



*The Store I Love (TM) is...Staples. What can I say, I have a thing for paper products, office supplies, and assorted bits and bobs.


Polanski Out On Bail to Gstaad Chalet

The Swiss grant bail to Roman Polanski on the assumption that as a responsible father he will, especially in view of his advanced age, attach greater importance to the financial security of his family than a younger person."

If it were me, my assumption would be that Mr. Polanski, as a confessed sexual predator will, especially in view of his advanced age, attach greater importance to satisfying his sexual urges rather than the degree of kinship between himself and his potential victim/s.

My other assumption--he bolts to a country without an extradition treaty in short order.

Apropos of Thanksgiving



If you are a Roman Catholic archbishops in Dublin you're thankful that Irish law makes blasphemy a crime.

Incidentally, if you are an archbishop you also try defend the sexual abuse of children like so:

More than twice as many complaints related to boys than girls, but the report also said it was "risible" when an archbishop defended one case by saying it arose merely from a priest's "'wonderment' about the female anatomy."


[Has anyone seen the archibishop quoted in the story and William Saletan together in the same room?]

And if you are Rev. Aaron Cote you are thankful you've been convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year old boy and all you got was 10 years probation (which you apparently plan to spend frolicking in the city).

It's good to be a religious leader, no?

Happy Thanksgiving

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

A combination of a totalitarian Mayor (he mucked up Broadway so bad the parade had to go off Broadway for the first time in its history) and an ability to pay a lot for your apartment (the building is at the corner of Central Park South and 7th Ave.) makes it possible for some to watch the parade in their bathrobe.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade-Candy cane
Nothing like a giant floating candy cane to put you in a holiday mood.


Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade-Smurf
The Smurf (so cool it's bordering on smurfalicious!).


Alternatively, the adorable, yet politically active, Smurf plans to make a statement about the new parade route by poking the NYPD van with his giant nose.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade-Santa Claus
Santa Claus!



Parade is over.

William Saletan Demands Preferential Treatment for Pediatrician Who Performed Sex Acts With Teenage Boys


Dr. Mark Blankenburg, a 53 yo Ohio pediatrician accused of molesting or performing sex acts with former patients (three teenage boys) was recently convicted of 16 sex-related charges.

Commenting on Dr. Blankenburg's case William Saletan wants to know:

"Why aren’t the physical maturity and willingness of the...boy[s]...significant?"


After all, according to William Saletan:

A guy who goes after a [manly] body that happens to be 13 years old is failing to regulate a natural attraction. That doesn’t excuse him. But it does justify treating him differently.


What a shame William Saletan puts all that effort into concern trolling women on account of his abortion fetish. Clearly his time and energy would be much better spent educating us all on how to justify the sexual abuse of children.

Dog Zen

It's Monday morning, time for Rule of Dog.

Dog Zen

A fashionable Rule of Dog for you this Monday morning.

Dr. Tiller's Assassin Confesses to the Slaying

"[A] "Defensive Action Statement" [is a] principle set to writing by Paul Hill that whatever force can be justified to save a born child from his killer, can be justified to save an unborn child. The logic is irrefutable for anyone who accepts God's premise that the unborn are fully human."*

From the AP:

WICHITA, Kan. – Defiant and unapologetic, a man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider confessed to the slaying Monday, telling The Associated Press that he killed the doctor to protect unborn children.

Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., spoke to the AP in a telephone call from jail, saying he plans to argue at his trial that he was justified in shooting Dr. George Tiller at the abortion provider's Wichita church in May.

"Because of the fact preborn children's lives were in imminent danger this was the action I chose. ... I want to make sure that the focus is, of course, obviously on the preborn children and the necessity to defend them," Roeder said.

...

In a more than 30-minute interview with the AP, Roeder did not apologize for the slaying.

"No, I don't have any regrets because I have been told so far at least four women have changed their minds, that I know of, and have chosen to have the baby," Roeder said. "So even if one changed her mind it would be worth it. No, I don't have any regrets."


"We’re not urging anyone to support what Scott Roeder’s conscience drove him to do, but to support letting his jury decide the sole trial issue. Which is not what Roeder did, but the harmfulness of what he stopped."*


* http://www.saltshaker.us/Scott-Roeder-Resources.htm (emphasis mine)

Dog Zen

After a horrible weekend, Rule of Dog is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Dog Zen

Lots of pinko belly at Rule of Dog this Monday morning.

Roman Polanski "Would Never Behave 'Like a Fugitive'"

Roman Polanski's lawyer, Herve Temime, is preparing a new bail offer for the admitted sexual felon and "celebrity" fugitive.

My question is this: When you read Mr. Temime's statement that, if granted bail, Polanski would accept the extradition decision "whatever it is" and assured his client would never behave "like a fugitive" do you take a moment to reflect on the ethics of lawyers, or do you just dissolve in a puddle of laughter and be done with it?

NYC Marathon 2009 Pics

Some pics from the 2009 NYC marathon: